This August Thursday began in chaos when the power ground to a halt around 8:45 in the morning, just as I was bunging my dirty work shirts into the washing machine so I’d have a clean one for shift later in the day. Powerful storms had blown through the night before, generally a guarantee we’ll lose power on our side of the mountain. But the lights didn’t flicker once. It wasn’t until the next morning, cool and clear and calm, when the power fell off in a silent swoosh.