The Golden Rule

Trumped The Elements

To the Editor:

“Love thy neighbor”: in the grip of Irene, the Golden Rule trumped the elements here at 51 Obtuse Road. The power vanished at 6:50 am, rendering the sump pump useless. My husband Bob and I confronted a leaking basement, its 200-plus-year-old stone walls no match for the saturated earth. Bailing frantically on behalf of the water tank and oil burner, we filled every container available; daughter Jennifer phoned neighbor Scott Reiss to request additional garbage bins. Scott arrived, plastic bin in tow, headlamp strapped securely to forehead — and stayed for hours, helping us well into the afternoon. His suggestion that we call the fire department to power the pump saved the day. Despite the many calls they fielded, the Hawleyville volunteers not only came twice at our request, but stopped back a third time unbidden to offer another jolt of power. (It was the second time this year that the Hawleyville heroes saved us from disaster: with tremendous professionalism, they doused a chimney fire for us back in January.)

Scott also called on several other neighbors, hunting for a spare generator or requesting help with the bucket brigade. Drake Bassett arrived with young daughter Hope and three pails; the two of them braved the dark, wet basement without so much as a “yuck.” Their presence was all the more remarkable in that they were complete strangers — not to mention that Hope replied to all questions or suggestions with a “Yes, ma’am!” Later, Dave Bonadio pulled up with his tractor and pump and siphoned off some more of the overflow. He, too, with daughter Andriana, gave much of his afternoon to us. Cathy Reiss, son Kevin, and daughter Morgan walked up the road with sandwiches and bottles of water: tuna has never tasted so good.

In the aftermath, there was commiseration and information-sharing. Bruce Jacoby told us about the free showers generously offered by the Brookfield YMCA. Dave Baade paid a visit to First Selectman Pat Llodra’s office to see about expediting repairs on our road. (After the umpteenth inch of snow this past winter — what a year! — Dave was the guy who blew the frozen tundra from our driveway.) Discovering the downed tree and wires on Obtuse, lots of folks turned their cars around in that same driveway, providing us with an opportunity to chat with locals we’d otherwise only have seen whizzing by. Sure, we all groused about the lack of power, at the same time recognizing its status as a relative inconvenience. It was also a momentary blessing, providing as it did a brief return of old-fashioned, over-the-fence face-time in our wired world.

Heartfelt thanks, neighbors, for saving our bacon and renewing our spirits (and thanks, too, to all those who worked tirelessly to restore electricity over the storm-affected region). As we resume powered-up life, I’m going to try to remember that, be it a crisis or a cup of coffee, an e-mail is a poor substitute for a personal appearance.

Jan Neuberger

51 Obtuse Road, Newtown                                     September 7, 2011