Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Shocks and aftershocks

Electricity scares me.  I'll do a small electrical job every now and then but it's usually pretty basic stuff, like rewiring a light fixture or hanging new ones.  Yesterday I went to move my washing machine because it had walked away.  I guess the feet on it weren't level.  When I put my hand around the back to move it a bit I got a strong shock.  I thought I had touched an exposed wire or something so I got on the other side of the washer to push it back into place.  This time all I was touching was the body of the washer and I got another shock.  I was a bit shaken up.  I called our trusty electrician.  He said to shut it off using a block of wood or something.  "Don't touch it".  Of course I wouldn't have dreamed of touching it after 2 shocks.  He came to check it out but didn't have time to fix it so left me some wire and something to fish the wire through our ceiling so he could run a new circuit today when he had more time. 

Keri (our puppy) likes to go with me to check on the pigs.  To get to them we have to cross a road.  I've been working with her to sit and stay till I can be sure no cars are coming.  This morning I thought it would be a good time to teach her to walk on a leash, that way we could cross the road and I wouldn't have to worry about her getting hit.  I clipped the leash on and whoa boy, she freaked out.  She jumped and pulled and then froze like I had beaten her.  She wouldn't move, not even for a treat, not even a step.  I gave up bribing her after about 20 minutes.  I decided to fish the wire in the basement until she trusted me again.  I was using a very skinny rod to fish the wire above the drop ceiling and I accidentally dropped one of the rods on Keri.  This was not good.  Talk about a shock.  I'm sure she was scared to death of me by now.  Somehow she found her way upstairs and was hiding under James' legs in his office.  We coaxed her back outside but she was very timid. 

James helped me fish the wire through after I attached it to the rod.  When I was untaping the wire from the pole I got another shock which didn't make sense because it wasn't hooked up to anything.  It must've been touching another wire up in the ceiling that was hot.  Again, not good.  Fred came out shortly after and hopefully made everything safe.  He and I were talking and I thought I felt the room shake but he continued to talk like nothing was happening so I figured I was having some kind of spell.  I didn't say a word about it.  About 10 minutes later we heard there was an earthquake.  It was about 130 miles from here and a 5.9 on the richter scale.  This was my first earthquake experience.  I was more shaken up by my washer than the tremor. 

By the way, Keri seems to like me again tonight.  I wonder if I should try the leash again tomorrow.

3 comments:

  1. Dogs are so forgiving. I'm sure she's forgotten all about it. Love the whole "I thought I was having a spell" thing! I didn't feel a thing. I never get to have any fun.

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  2. Hey, I sent you some pics of Elton and Shamus...you get them? Elton was riding a horse? Mike

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  3. Hey Karen,
    All my puppies freaked out the first time I put a leash on them. Just put it on & drop it go until they get use to it, but keep an eye on them so they don't get wrapped around anything. Then pick it up for short increments until they get use to you holding it.

    Good luck!

    Kathy

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