Friday, October 26, 2007

A childhood tale

Once upon a time when I was a kid at home (many years ago) my dad would always complain about how many lights were on in the house. He would rant, rave, lecture and turn out lights at every opportunity.
“Do you think I have stock in the electric company? Turn the lights out when you leave a room. This is costing me a fortune. I just walked through the house and found three rooms with no one in them and lights burning.”
“Gee dad we were just getting a drink or taking a bathroom break…etc.”
Things as we knew them were about to change. From then on, no matter, if you were watching TV with a couple of lights on…click…total darkness, followed by, “you don’t need lights to watch TV.”
If you were curled up in a chair reading…click…total darkness, “hey I can’t read in the dark.” Followed by…click…lights on and grumbling and mumbling “Darn kids never think of reading in the daylight!”
Then after one weekend of constantly getting the lights turned off on us we rebelled. Let’s turn the lights off and sit in complete darkness every chance we get and let's always turn the lights off on dad. Even mom was on our side. Operation lights out commenced.

Poor dad if he was half way up the stairs with arms loaded…click…total darkness! Crash… “Oops, didn’t know anyone was there, are you okay dad, just trying to save you money.”
If he was lying under the sink with a wrench…click…total darkness. You get the picture.
We sat in total darkness for an entire month. It was so bad one guy friend of mine said he thought we all went on vacation.
Then finally the big day, the electric bill came. “Grumble grumble…no difference” Dad muttered.
And that night dad marched through the house turning on all the lights in the house. “Hey, what’s the idea we asked?”
“I give up.” Dad said. “I bought stock in the electric company! Let there be light!”
And so there was. The End

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's a great story! I am surprised he did not make you try candle light as a means of pruducing heat and thus decreasing the heating bill as well as the bill for the lights. =) It is wonderful to have amusing stories to share with friends.

Agate Lake Girl said...

That's probably what God said too...