Excerpt of Bystander by Carolyn Evans-Dean

There wasn't enough electricity being generated by the solar panels to power an automatic toothbrush.

Now, I understood why they advise widows not to make quick decisions. It was as though I'd received a partial lobotomy when David passed away and was, just now, getting the excised brain matter re–installed. An emotional coma had somehow morphed into a mid–life crisis. How humiliating!

What had made me think that I knew enough about green lifestyles, country living and alternative energy? There had to be some way to rectify the situation and still save face in town. Fueled by Anna Tarlick and her brother–in–law, the story of my predicament would probably go viral.

I forced those thoughts aside and decided that I needed a cup of tea. I pulled out a box of my favorite, Bengal Spice. Today, definitely called for an oversized mug. I pushed the faucet lever up to fill my little red tea kettle... No water. The pump required electricity.

It didn't really matter, as there was bottled water in the fridge. Opening the door, I peered into the darkness to find the spring water. After cracking the seal, one bottle almost filled the kettle. I turned a knob on the stove and heard nothing. The familiar tick–ticking sound of the ignition was absent. The fancy propane stove was equipped with an electrical safety start and wouldn't light.

I blinked twice as unwanted tears threatened to spill over. Giving up, I snatched up the bottle of wine from last night. It made perfect sense for me to skip the glass. After all, there was no way to wash it. Swigging directly from the bottle at 7:12 am, I sat in my beautifully dysfunctional home and let the tears come.

By 8:15, I was feeling much better...almost mellow, in fact. Deciding to address what could be easily corrected, I zoomed around the house, unplugging everything. It was somewhat surprising to discover how many things were actually draining power. The refrigerator and two deep freezers were some of the obvious ones. Not so obvious were the television and DVD player, the alarm clock, the microwave clock and the computer speakers. Merciless in my attack, I unplugged every single cord from every single outlet. When I'd finished, the battery bank finally began to recharge.

The wine had started to wear off by then and I began to search for a more permanent solution. After consulting the checkbook, it was ascertained that there was enough money to address a portion of the energy dilemma. A good sized generator and some additional solar panels would allow me to keep the batteries better charged.

I sniffed my armpits to confirm that I could, indeed, go out in public without an electricity powered shower. Jumping into the Explorer, the 50 minute drive to Baldwin began. I even remembered to plug my phone into the car charger.