Facts relevant to the story:
1. The building where I work used to be half-liquor store (insert your joke here) and half-apartment. The building was given to us long ago by the grandparents of one of my preschools (we just had to take over the mortgage payments).
2. Underneath the apartment side is a full basement, which is a godsend. When I taught 2nd grade forever ago I remember being frustrated at how little storage my room had, and thought that every classroom should have a basement or an attic. That storage space is a treasure.
3. Down in our basement is a room used by a group of quilters from church. They quilt on Monday evenings, and occasionally one of the quilters comes in on Monday afternoon to do a little work.
4. In an effort to try and save money and resources, I have posted signs in the basement asking staff to turn the lights off when they go back upstairs.
5. On Monday afternoon, I opened the door to the downstairs, flicked on the light, and got the royal heebeejeebees scared out of me at the sight of a quilter lady standing at the bottom of the stairway. She had been working in the back room and somebody had come downstairs and turned off the lights when they left, leaving her to shuffle her way over from the back room in the darkness. I expressed my sorrow and concern, but she just tut-tutted me away, “I’m ok. I know there’s a pole to watch out for.”
Yikes.
6. Monday evening I went to buy a 4-pack of nightlights and came back to install them all over the place.
7. Upon opening the package, I freaked out because they had looked empty! What the what?!?! Is this some Buy Your Own Bulb system I am unfamiliar with??
8. Oh. They are LED nightlights. The bulb is in there, it is just teeny tiny.
9. This took a lot of words to tell a boring story.
Gretchen says
Every time you reference your school I have trouble picturing how Rick’s is now an institution of learning. Now that I know it has a basement I’m even more perplexed.
We used to have “turn out the lights” signs at a camp that I worked at that said, “Save energy…more dollars for Christ’s mission.”
And wow, that bulb is teeny. Is it bright?
Lauren says
Yes, it is bright! The reflector spreads out the light nicely, but the one hanging up is backwards. I don’t know if I should turn it or not.
Say (shameless, shameless plugs), you can see what’s up at the CDC by looking around here or checking us on Facebook at St John Child Development Center (I forgot the period after St when making the page)!
Brad says
Excellent title!
I’m a big fan of light. At home, I turn on all my lights and leave them on until bedtime (and sometimes after). Rage, rage against the dying of the light
Wait… that poet was talking about actual nighttime, right? 😉
Karla says
The Container Store has an incredible night light/emergency flashlight called an Eco-Light. That thing saved us when our power was out for 4 days last summer. Now we have 2 more in our house. I think everyone should have these.
End of shameless plug.
Peggy says
I know there’s a pole to watch out for…Ha! You funny quilter lady!
I love those night lights! I’m going to look for them here.
Kristi says
I’m impressed with the little lamps that are shining the CDC.
Kristi says
I meant shining “IN the CDC.