What to do when your DSL goes down?

My original intention was to write a lighthearted column about what happens when - horror of horrors! - you lose your DSL connection. After all, if you work out of your house, as I do, and some of your various tasks are heavily Web-dependent, losing your DSL connection is no trifling matter.

That happened late last week. It was aggravating spending close to an hour with AT&T on the phone, troubleshooting the problem (the AT&T people were great, I must say) and getting said problem kicked upstairs to a "trouble ticket," which could have cost a whole lot of money. Plus, I still had no DSL.

Then the connection miraculously reappeared. Trouble over, I thought.

The new modem I had gone out and purchased could be returned, I thought. And then as suddenly as it appeared, my DSL connection - and my fax machine - were gone. Much more time spent with AT&T. I talked with a friend of mine later that day. Well, I told her, it could have been the home line, or the business line.

There was silence. Then we both said, in unison, "I think that would be better." Better for the home line to be out, we agreed. We could leave a message on THAT line, telling people to call your cell, or a different line.

Without DSL, well, you weren't connected!

So, with no DSL, I did stuff I'd been putting off and even tidied various things up. I wondered all the while what I was missing in the online world.

Anxious weekend

I woke up the next day with no DSL, but also no power of any kind. And rain - lots of rain. With water pouring in the sump pit, the new situation was enough to rearrange one's priorities quickly.

It was a very anxious weekend, with one sump pump giving up the ghost and much time spent watching the skies and making sure the two that were working were keeping up. I can tell you I got really, really tired of listening to water pour into the sump pit, and really tired of knowing the alternative was a lot worse.

We ended our weekend basically fine, and in far better shape than a lot of people. Many friends are still dealing with soggy carpeting, questionable furniture, ruined computers and other electronic equipment; and lost treasures that were priceless for their sentimental value.

Throughout the weekend, I heard a common sentiment, even as people watched the rain fall, endlessly. "At least, we're not in Galveston," people said.

And indeed, at least we hadn't lost our homes and the power, at least on Geneva's east side, was out for hours, not days.

And the other sentiment, also echoed again and again: So many people pitched in to help others. In our case, friends not only lent a utility pump, which we ended up not needing, but also practical and emotional backup on a day when I would be left alone for hours with iffy stormwater management plans. I cannot tell you what a relief that was, as the rain continued to fall.

Other friends battled the floodwaters, but lost. We have friends who lost their brand-new finished basement. It's just ... gone. It's devastating.

And by Sunday night, exhausted, our friend was nonetheless overwhelmed by the helping hands extended to him and his wife. "I couldn't believe how many people offered to help, in whatever way they could," he said.

It's a silver lining in the dark clouds.

Bargain hunt

Today is Day No. 2 of the St. Peter's Church Barn Sale. Don't forget to check it out for bargains of all kinds. Last year my middle daughter and I came away with both furniture for her room as well as a wide array of what she refers to as "random" T-shirts. She's ready to be a big brother now, for example, as proclaimed by one shirt she just had to have.

Another is an old GHS Powder Puff Football T-shirt, identifying her as a

girl we actually know, which I've always found amusing. Who knows what

bargains await this year?

The Barn Sale is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Kane County Fairgrounds, Routes 64 and 38, in St. Charles.

Bookday bash

And today is also the day to celebrate 100 years of books in Geneva! The Geneva Public Library (I regard it almost as my home away from home) celebrates its 100th birthday from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the library meeting room.

There will be cake to eat, plus exhibits and memorabilia of the library's 100 years at Second and James streets to enjoy. There will be a new time capsule that will be sealed into a wooden bench, to be taken to any future library building. And the Millennium quilt, worked on since 2000, believe it or not, will be unveiled.