The power has gone out

Here's a powerful example of spooky ironic timing:

It's been raining all day. I had not stepped outside except to lean out the front door in the morning to feed the outdoor kitties.*

So at 2:30 I slipped on my slippers, and stepped onto the porch. I stood "outside," nicely dry under the roof overhang, watching the rain come down hard and the wind blow through the pines... for less than a minute, and then I was freezing.

I was wearing only pj bottoms and a t-shirt, after all.

I closed the door behind me, thinking that the outdoor cats had it rough but they were stupid to never rest in the wood planter box in which I laid blankets for them, and that man I was glad my house is nice and warm, and...

And the power shut off.

Jeez -- Talk about failing to knock wood!

*BTW -- Neither indoor nor outdoor cats care for the Alpo beef dinner I tried for the first time. Yes, a big cheap can of dog food. While I expected the ridiculously finicky indoor cats to turn up their noses at it, the outdoor cats had previously inhaled anything I set before them. They ate the Alpo, but only after walking away at first, and glaring at me a long time to ensure that nothing better was coming.