The Later Journeys - 13: Electrified
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I dropped like a stone into sleep. It was such a good sleep, I didn’t need to lie a-bed long after the sun was up.
I decided I would wear a dress today, but refused to do the corset or pettiskirts. Due to the chill, I accepted the stockings, but after some consideration, opted for my 21st-century bunny slippers instead of those ponderous boots. If Franklin was offended, well, he could go and do something about it. Very doubtful he would. Besides, he’d been married, and quite a bit more if the history books didn’t lie. He knew what a woman actually looked like under her clothes. I wasn’t about to meet royalty -- or anyone, probably. I was going to be comfortable and that was that.
Before getting dressed, I hit the shower for the first time since the day of Ben’s arrival. I could not believe how good that felt. At the very last minute, I put on a shower cap, not being 100% sure if today would be the big unveiling of all things electrical in the house. So being able to use a hair dryer wasn’t guaranteed, and it was too damn cold to go around with wet hair. A towel would just make me feel damper and more uncomfortable.
Done and dressed, the kitchen was next. Warren was still putting the finishing touches on breakfast. He made wonderful omelettes and was much more dexterous with eggs (and their dastardly shells) than I ever could be, so this was a treat.
He glanced over his shoulder. “Just in time, Jas. Grab some coffee.” But Ben got to the stove before I did and poured me a cup. He looked much better than he had all day yesterday or even later after his headache had gone. It was as though he’d had a conversation with someone (such as himself) and resolved to look on the positive side of things. Whatever the empty inn signified, it could be surmountable. No one’s life was in danger, after all. It was clear he considered himself to be amongst friends, or at least people he trusted.
Trevor and Warren had followed my sartorial lead somewhat. Today they looked more like 18th-century farmers than 18th-century dandies. They wore rough woollen shirts (with soft cotton Hanes underneath, I’d have bet any amount of money) and rough twill pants, with suspenders. And no wigs.
Once we were all settled to eat, Ben made sure to say a quick blessing, much like the one he offered for our early Thanksgiving. Compliments were given loudly to Warren, deservedly so, for his omelette artistry. We all seemed to have hearty appetites this morning. I hoped our energy and good spirits would last the entire day. We still had plenty of ground to cover.
Ben got the conversation started. “What” he asked “is the order of the day?”
Warren answered. “Since you now know about 21st-century plumbing and sanitation, and have gotten a glimpse of our attitudes regarding clothes, I imagine the prevailing theme you’ve grasped is that we value convenience and ease.”
“And speed,” added Trevor, with a nod from me, as I continued chewing the fluffy biscuits, hot from the oven.
“And with that in mind,” Warren continued, “we need now to broach the topic of--” He drew in a deep breath “electricity.”
“Ah,” replied Ben. “I am gratified to learn that people are still talking about it.”
We all laughed. Just wait is approximately what we were all thinking.
“Once you see how we use it, Ben,” said Warren, “so much more will become clear. And we think anything you’re studying here, now, will become infinitely less difficult, just for having better light, and more tools to explore any topic you take a fancy to -- often with just a click of a finger. The only drawback I see is that too many possibilities will present themselves to you at once. It will be hard to decide what to do or look at first. This is a dilemma so many people of our time face.”
Ben pondered all of this, and smiled. “Then I will eat a thorough meal, so as to keep pace.”
We followed his lead.
I cleaned up the kitchen to repay Warren’s contribution to the morning meal, but insisted that the three of them do their work right there, so that I didn’t have to miss any of it. The light was much better in there, anyway. Warren had stashed a few items away for just this moment, and now he brought out a variety of tools, some of which were familiar to me, the rest not. They spread out over the entire plank table. I foresaw that any other meals we took today would have to be around the smaller table in the study, or perhaps even with plates on our laps in the cozy but small living room.
Among the items Warren produced, I saw an analog multimeter, a soldering kit, a voltage supply, an oscilloscope, a wire stripper, wire snips, a hot glue gun, breadboard and a great deal more. I wondered how he was going to explain all this to Ben without first having electricity to make it go. But after the first few minutes, it barely occurred to me. Warren had such a thorough knowledge of the topic, I felt that I was getting a practical education right there, listening to him. And Ben found it even more useful, since he already had a foundational understanding. It was evident that his personal explorations of the science had hit a wall of sorts, and now for the first time, someone was helping him climb over it. It was gratifying to see in his eyes how his long-ago speculations were being proved correct.
Partway along, Warren stopped and looked Ben in the eye. “But none of this information is of any consequence to you so far, is it?”
Ben protested “Oh, quite the contrary--” but Warren smiled and said “It will make more sense if you can see it in action.” He stood up and looked at Trevor and me with a big grin. “Are we ready to start flippin’ switches, gang?”
We agreed enthusiastically. “All right,” said Warren. “Let’s make a few modest changes to this house first.” He surprised me by tugging at a few random places on the walls of the front hallway and the kitchen. He and Gerry must have gone to some lengths to devise wood paneling that looked like the original, but whose only purpose was to conceal light switches and electrical outlets. They were all over the place. And a welcome sight indeed.
“First one,” said Warren, flipping the light switch just inside the front door. A recessed ceiling light came on, bright and assertive. Ben stared at it for so long, I knew he’d be seeing spots for hours to come. But I didn’t think he’d mind. He looked enraptured. He followed Warren all over the cabin, helping him pull away paneling, exposing switches, outlets and artfully camouflaged lights. More than once, Ben would point to a light and say “I had been meaning to ask you what that was.”
“And now you know,” said Warren. “But you only know part of it,” he continued. Trevor and I were starting to feel giddy, excited for the restoration of our sublimely convenient friend, but doubly excited for Ben, who was about to see his outlook on life change. Imagine such a world opening up at the age of 79.
The bathroom was one of the first stops. At last, we had full access to the overhead lights and outlets to plug in hair dryers and electric shavers.
We paused at the room shared by Trevor and Warren. Aside from the standard furniture, the floor was as cluttered as a junk-shop with an assortment of desk lamps and other common electrical conveniences. Warren gave a small lamp to Ben and one to me to put in our rooms. We followed Ben back to his room, where we showed him the wall outlet and explained the configuration of polarized plugs, and why they came in two sizes. Ben’s grin widened as he turned the switch at the base and his room filled with friendly yellow light.
"Here," said Warren, turning it off and unscrewing the standard incandescent light from its holder. He tested to make sure it wasn't hot, then instructed Ben to hold out his hands. The room was now lit only from the hallway. "I'm sure you'd like to look at it. You can, but please be careful - that's glass, and there's no way to put it back together once it breaks. We'll replace it with another bulb before you go to bed tonight."
Ben delightedly carried the bulb, as delicately as he would an eggshell, back to the kitchen, and set it on the table. Warren stood by the wood stove, which was still warm from breakfast. “Now,” he said, “Dr. Judge already knows she can’t get ALL her wishes -- this wood stove really is a permanent fixture here, unlike the wooden cabinet that once covered the sink. But there are a few other items that were here, that we’ve been missing, but are now welcomed back.”
The side-by-side French-door refrigerator-freezer was one such item. It had been unplugged and concealed behind panels for the duration -- nails had made it a convenient hanger-spot for pot holders and dish cloths -- but Warren re-inaugurated it with a flourish, opening the doors and drawers and inviting Trevor to start a shopping list.
“I’ll go you one better,” answered Trevor. “Let’s empty out the ice house.” He slipped on a cloth jacket and was out the door a moment later. Warren opened a locked door off to the side, one I knew was there but never needed to open. Inside a small cupboard were a microwave oven, a Keurig coffee maker, and a food processor. He and I retrieved each item and after some discussion as to the best location for each, we installed them, with a brief explanation to the watching Ben Franklin as to what they did.
“We ought to have a toaster oven, or at least a toaster,” I remarked. Warren agreed. “Next time we go shopping.”
“Which will have to be soon!” I answered joyfully. Some people find grocery shopping to be a chore. I’m not one of those people. It doesn’t much matter where, either. I can find joy at a dollar store in the middle of nowhere, as well as a gourmet shop in midtown Manhattan.
We saw Trevor returning with a wheelbarrow that was overflowing. Ben came forward to help, and as he took each item from Trevor, we directed him as to where it should go. Soon we had a place for the bacon, the bread dough, the butter, the cheese, and numerous other food staples. As yet, there were no mass-produced brand-name products. It was mainly meat that had been unpacked, separated and re-wrapped, with handwritten labels. We would be cooking from scratch awhile longer, and that really didn’t bother me.
“This seems like quite a bit,” Ben observed. “What more do we need here?”
“Enough to fill this thing up,” I shot back. I really did like a full-to-bursting fridge, and even more for the freezer. I liked the kind of freezer where you could root around and discover things you’d forgotten you had.
So the fridge and freezer were about half full now, and a number of blue lights and numbers were winking on and off, all over the kitchen. Warren gave Ben a quick rundown on analog vs. digital, LED vs. LCD, and the many ways a microwave oven was different from a wood stove. Soon all the clocks were again in synch. We thought Ben might not need to pull out his pocket watch for a long time.
“Now,” Dr. Hopper continued, in full instructor mode. “Ben, you had asked me yesterday about the water, and how it pumped from the well to the heater and into the house. I think you know the answer now, yes?”
“Yes,” Ben answered. “And so, the electricity was available all along, with no elaborate measures necessary to restore it today?”
“Correct,” said Trevor. “One has to pay the power company a considerable amount to have electricity turned back on from a central location, so we just turned out all the lights and unplugged the appliances, but kept essential functions going in the background.”
Ben mulled this. “Still, I would like to pay a visit to the power company and observe their operation.”
Warren nodded. “We can probably do that. But there are other ways to see something without paying it a visit in person.”
We knew what was coming next, of course. Only Ben didn’t.
“However, that will have to wait a while. Let’s continue our lesson.” We sat down at the table once again and learned more about circuits, amperage and voltage.
I decided I would wear a dress today, but refused to do the corset or pettiskirts. Due to the chill, I accepted the stockings, but after some consideration, opted for my 21st-century bunny slippers instead of those ponderous boots. If Franklin was offended, well, he could go and do something about it. Very doubtful he would. Besides, he’d been married, and quite a bit more if the history books didn’t lie. He knew what a woman actually looked like under her clothes. I wasn’t about to meet royalty -- or anyone, probably. I was going to be comfortable and that was that.
Before getting dressed, I hit the shower for the first time since the day of Ben’s arrival. I could not believe how good that felt. At the very last minute, I put on a shower cap, not being 100% sure if today would be the big unveiling of all things electrical in the house. So being able to use a hair dryer wasn’t guaranteed, and it was too damn cold to go around with wet hair. A towel would just make me feel damper and more uncomfortable.
Done and dressed, the kitchen was next. Warren was still putting the finishing touches on breakfast. He made wonderful omelettes and was much more dexterous with eggs (and their dastardly shells) than I ever could be, so this was a treat.
He glanced over his shoulder. “Just in time, Jas. Grab some coffee.” But Ben got to the stove before I did and poured me a cup. He looked much better than he had all day yesterday or even later after his headache had gone. It was as though he’d had a conversation with someone (such as himself) and resolved to look on the positive side of things. Whatever the empty inn signified, it could be surmountable. No one’s life was in danger, after all. It was clear he considered himself to be amongst friends, or at least people he trusted.
Trevor and Warren had followed my sartorial lead somewhat. Today they looked more like 18th-century farmers than 18th-century dandies. They wore rough woollen shirts (with soft cotton Hanes underneath, I’d have bet any amount of money) and rough twill pants, with suspenders. And no wigs.
Once we were all settled to eat, Ben made sure to say a quick blessing, much like the one he offered for our early Thanksgiving. Compliments were given loudly to Warren, deservedly so, for his omelette artistry. We all seemed to have hearty appetites this morning. I hoped our energy and good spirits would last the entire day. We still had plenty of ground to cover.
Ben got the conversation started. “What” he asked “is the order of the day?”
Warren answered. “Since you now know about 21st-century plumbing and sanitation, and have gotten a glimpse of our attitudes regarding clothes, I imagine the prevailing theme you’ve grasped is that we value convenience and ease.”
“And speed,” added Trevor, with a nod from me, as I continued chewing the fluffy biscuits, hot from the oven.
“And with that in mind,” Warren continued, “we need now to broach the topic of--” He drew in a deep breath “electricity.”
“Ah,” replied Ben. “I am gratified to learn that people are still talking about it.”
We all laughed. Just wait is approximately what we were all thinking.
“Once you see how we use it, Ben,” said Warren, “so much more will become clear. And we think anything you’re studying here, now, will become infinitely less difficult, just for having better light, and more tools to explore any topic you take a fancy to -- often with just a click of a finger. The only drawback I see is that too many possibilities will present themselves to you at once. It will be hard to decide what to do or look at first. This is a dilemma so many people of our time face.”
Ben pondered all of this, and smiled. “Then I will eat a thorough meal, so as to keep pace.”
We followed his lead.
I cleaned up the kitchen to repay Warren’s contribution to the morning meal, but insisted that the three of them do their work right there, so that I didn’t have to miss any of it. The light was much better in there, anyway. Warren had stashed a few items away for just this moment, and now he brought out a variety of tools, some of which were familiar to me, the rest not. They spread out over the entire plank table. I foresaw that any other meals we took today would have to be around the smaller table in the study, or perhaps even with plates on our laps in the cozy but small living room.
Among the items Warren produced, I saw an analog multimeter, a soldering kit, a voltage supply, an oscilloscope, a wire stripper, wire snips, a hot glue gun, breadboard and a great deal more. I wondered how he was going to explain all this to Ben without first having electricity to make it go. But after the first few minutes, it barely occurred to me. Warren had such a thorough knowledge of the topic, I felt that I was getting a practical education right there, listening to him. And Ben found it even more useful, since he already had a foundational understanding. It was evident that his personal explorations of the science had hit a wall of sorts, and now for the first time, someone was helping him climb over it. It was gratifying to see in his eyes how his long-ago speculations were being proved correct.
Partway along, Warren stopped and looked Ben in the eye. “But none of this information is of any consequence to you so far, is it?”
Ben protested “Oh, quite the contrary--” but Warren smiled and said “It will make more sense if you can see it in action.” He stood up and looked at Trevor and me with a big grin. “Are we ready to start flippin’ switches, gang?”
We agreed enthusiastically. “All right,” said Warren. “Let’s make a few modest changes to this house first.” He surprised me by tugging at a few random places on the walls of the front hallway and the kitchen. He and Gerry must have gone to some lengths to devise wood paneling that looked like the original, but whose only purpose was to conceal light switches and electrical outlets. They were all over the place. And a welcome sight indeed.
“First one,” said Warren, flipping the light switch just inside the front door. A recessed ceiling light came on, bright and assertive. Ben stared at it for so long, I knew he’d be seeing spots for hours to come. But I didn’t think he’d mind. He looked enraptured. He followed Warren all over the cabin, helping him pull away paneling, exposing switches, outlets and artfully camouflaged lights. More than once, Ben would point to a light and say “I had been meaning to ask you what that was.”
“And now you know,” said Warren. “But you only know part of it,” he continued. Trevor and I were starting to feel giddy, excited for the restoration of our sublimely convenient friend, but doubly excited for Ben, who was about to see his outlook on life change. Imagine such a world opening up at the age of 79.
The bathroom was one of the first stops. At last, we had full access to the overhead lights and outlets to plug in hair dryers and electric shavers.
We paused at the room shared by Trevor and Warren. Aside from the standard furniture, the floor was as cluttered as a junk-shop with an assortment of desk lamps and other common electrical conveniences. Warren gave a small lamp to Ben and one to me to put in our rooms. We followed Ben back to his room, where we showed him the wall outlet and explained the configuration of polarized plugs, and why they came in two sizes. Ben’s grin widened as he turned the switch at the base and his room filled with friendly yellow light.
"Here," said Warren, turning it off and unscrewing the standard incandescent light from its holder. He tested to make sure it wasn't hot, then instructed Ben to hold out his hands. The room was now lit only from the hallway. "I'm sure you'd like to look at it. You can, but please be careful - that's glass, and there's no way to put it back together once it breaks. We'll replace it with another bulb before you go to bed tonight."
Ben delightedly carried the bulb, as delicately as he would an eggshell, back to the kitchen, and set it on the table. Warren stood by the wood stove, which was still warm from breakfast. “Now,” he said, “Dr. Judge already knows she can’t get ALL her wishes -- this wood stove really is a permanent fixture here, unlike the wooden cabinet that once covered the sink. But there are a few other items that were here, that we’ve been missing, but are now welcomed back.”
The side-by-side French-door refrigerator-freezer was one such item. It had been unplugged and concealed behind panels for the duration -- nails had made it a convenient hanger-spot for pot holders and dish cloths -- but Warren re-inaugurated it with a flourish, opening the doors and drawers and inviting Trevor to start a shopping list.
“I’ll go you one better,” answered Trevor. “Let’s empty out the ice house.” He slipped on a cloth jacket and was out the door a moment later. Warren opened a locked door off to the side, one I knew was there but never needed to open. Inside a small cupboard were a microwave oven, a Keurig coffee maker, and a food processor. He and I retrieved each item and after some discussion as to the best location for each, we installed them, with a brief explanation to the watching Ben Franklin as to what they did.
“We ought to have a toaster oven, or at least a toaster,” I remarked. Warren agreed. “Next time we go shopping.”
“Which will have to be soon!” I answered joyfully. Some people find grocery shopping to be a chore. I’m not one of those people. It doesn’t much matter where, either. I can find joy at a dollar store in the middle of nowhere, as well as a gourmet shop in midtown Manhattan.
We saw Trevor returning with a wheelbarrow that was overflowing. Ben came forward to help, and as he took each item from Trevor, we directed him as to where it should go. Soon we had a place for the bacon, the bread dough, the butter, the cheese, and numerous other food staples. As yet, there were no mass-produced brand-name products. It was mainly meat that had been unpacked, separated and re-wrapped, with handwritten labels. We would be cooking from scratch awhile longer, and that really didn’t bother me.
“This seems like quite a bit,” Ben observed. “What more do we need here?”
“Enough to fill this thing up,” I shot back. I really did like a full-to-bursting fridge, and even more for the freezer. I liked the kind of freezer where you could root around and discover things you’d forgotten you had.
So the fridge and freezer were about half full now, and a number of blue lights and numbers were winking on and off, all over the kitchen. Warren gave Ben a quick rundown on analog vs. digital, LED vs. LCD, and the many ways a microwave oven was different from a wood stove. Soon all the clocks were again in synch. We thought Ben might not need to pull out his pocket watch for a long time.
“Now,” Dr. Hopper continued, in full instructor mode. “Ben, you had asked me yesterday about the water, and how it pumped from the well to the heater and into the house. I think you know the answer now, yes?”
“Yes,” Ben answered. “And so, the electricity was available all along, with no elaborate measures necessary to restore it today?”
“Correct,” said Trevor. “One has to pay the power company a considerable amount to have electricity turned back on from a central location, so we just turned out all the lights and unplugged the appliances, but kept essential functions going in the background.”
Ben mulled this. “Still, I would like to pay a visit to the power company and observe their operation.”
Warren nodded. “We can probably do that. But there are other ways to see something without paying it a visit in person.”
We knew what was coming next, of course. Only Ben didn’t.
“However, that will have to wait a while. Let’s continue our lesson.” We sat down at the table once again and learned more about circuits, amperage and voltage.
Thanks again for reading! Comments always welcome. Here's the next chapter.
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