Glad all over

A couple of days ago, after my trek through Tlacolula, then over to Ocotlan and back, I returned to a house with no lights. I looked at the meters and they all looked like they were off, so I assumed the whole area was out. Perfect time for a siesta. When I woke up, there was still no power, so I went to my neighbor, who said she had juice and had had it all day. I then assumed that the CFE had cut me off for some reason or another. Maybe a payment had gotten delayed or misplaced. It would not have been the first time.

So I drove into San Sebastian to see the local commissioner, a lady to whom I had just paid the bill. She was very helpful and called the agency where they told her that the account was fine and that I had power. She said it must be a fuse and offered to have her husband come back with me to check them, but I declined saying I could do it myself.

I am the owner of a 100-year old house in El Norte. I can can fix anything, plumbing, electrical, carpentry, you name it, I have had to do it, but I could not find the fuse box of this house. I looked everywhere and then started looking under the ivy of the walls surrounding the house. And there they were, about ten meters from the house on the opposite side of the entrance gate. Of course it was a type of fuse I had never seen before, but I asked one of my neighbors for help and he showed me how to get the thing out and how to replace the filament inside it. Que milagro! I was back in business thanks to the kindness of strangers. Now I know how to change a light bulb, I mean, a fuse.Well, today I went to the market in Etla and bought some gladiolas for the commissioner and took them over to her house. I was greeted by a pack of seven or eight dogs jumping at her fence and then by her husband. No, he was not jumping at the fence. I handed him the flowers over the gate and he told me that it was the first time anyone had ever done anything like that in the eight years of his wife being the commissioner. I told him that it may have been the first, but it would not be the last. I plan on taking her flowers every time I have to pay my bill, which is every two months. The crazy thing was that I had forgotten to get the flowers when I was at the market and when I got back to my car I almost bagged the whole idea, but I didn't. Good decision. Seeing how happy he was made me feel great.I think there is a lesson there, but I will have to figure it out. Maybe it will come to me after I take some mezcal over to my neighbor who not only showed me how to change the fuse, but also gave me a few extras for next time.