Since Thursday evening at 8 PM we’ve been without power at my house. Powerless.
No power.
No heat.
No refrigerator.
No washer.
No dryer.
No vacuum.
No Internet.
No hairdryer.
No lights.
No T.V.
No phone.
No dishwasher.
No freezer … oh wait … there’s plenty “freeze” just outside any door. We’ve got that one covered.
I’m posting this at a local sandwich shop that has wi-fi. Connection with the outside world … it’s a beautiful thing.
There’s just so much to blog about. So much time to sit and ponder life that there’s just so much to share. It’s rare to have the opportunity to slow down this much. And boy do I mean slow. Last night we all went to bed by 9:00 … laying together in front of the fireplace, snuggled beneath just about every single blanket, sheet and down comforter that we own.
Having so many of life’s little luxuries stripped away for a while makes you grateful. I simply can’t wait to run the vacuum again. I think I’ll do cartwheels when I GET to run my washer and dryer again. Yep …I’m looking forward to doing laundry! And … using my hairdryer … I can’t imagine the joy I’ll feel. And oddly, I’m completely serious.
I believe everything happens for a reason. I needed to slow down and appreciate the abundance in my every day life. I thought I had done this over Thanksgiving … but I guess not enough. I need to slow down more. Appreciate more. And I realize I have so much to be grateful for … every day and during this temporary inconvenience in our life.
I’m grateful for my family, the meals we’ve cooked over our gas stove and the gas stove itself. We’ve had bacon, eggs and toast cooked on foil over a gas burner … prepared by Jay and Collin. The best spaghetti I’ve ever tasted in my life, eaten by candlelight. Kailea and I made chili and skillet corn bread last night. (Did you know you could “bake” cornbread in a skillet? The bottom was burnt and I mean to a crisp … but we just didn’t scrape down too low. It was hot and delicious.) We’ve even had hot coffee, prepared with a bodum press and coffee beans that Jay crushed by putting them in a plastic bag and smashing them with a spoon. It’s been kind of fun … camping out at home. Being industrious. Figuring out how to create a sense of normalcy in the midst of no power.
I’m grateful for our gas hot water heater. (Hot showers are good. Clean dishes are good …and washing dishes in hot water when your house is fa-reezing cold … that is good, too.)
I’m grateful for our wood burning fireplace and Jay’s foresight in having days worth of wood stockpiled. And even more so, I’m grateful to Jay for keeping logs on our fire ALL NIGHT LONG so we can sleep in warmth and comfort.
I’m grateful for candles … especially unscented ones because too many scents mixed together is simply unpleasant.
I’m grateful for the clean laundry Jay washed earlier in the day on Thursday before we lost power.
And I’m really grateful for my non-electric can opener.
And … I’ll be grateful when life returns to normal. But I’m sure, I’ll look back on these past few days with happy feelings. It was actually kind of fun. I’m glad I had this time … time to reflect. Time to make do. Time to slow down. And time to realize how much I have in my “normal” life.
So it turns out … in spite of not having power of the electrical kind … we haven’t been powerless at all.
We were fortunate in Chatham, IL (near Springfield) that we did not lose power for more that a minute or two. However, our water pressure dropped very low. It is not easy taking a shower with just a trickle of water. And then you start thinking about all of the things you need water for. Obviously for cooking and cleaning, but think about it…ice cubes, brushing your teeth, a cup of hot tea, water for the cat, shaving, flushing the toilet, and on and on. Dale and I were not able to go to work on Friday due to highway and local street conditions…also our 60 foot plus long drive way with multiple 3 foot drifts. It took Dale until 3:30 p.m. to dig us out to the street and then wait for the street dept. to dig out the street.
You are right, it does give you time to reflect on our lives and what we have and take for granted. It can also make you revive and put to use skills that have gone unused for years. It is good to know that those skills remain with you even after so much time has past.
Enough reflection, stay warm and stay happy. Spring is only a few months away! LOL
Boy, we sure got it good, didn’t we?!?! I’m in your neighboring town and I had prepared an emergency bin after last July’s storm and 5-day power outage.
I must say, we completely embraced the adversity and took advantage of ‘time slowing down’… enjoying the simpler life so to speak. We had our fireplace burning around the clock and even cooked and roasted in it (which harkened back to lazy, winter, Sunday afternoons when I was a child). We huddled together and played board games, made crafts, and read as we comfortably sat upon our mattresses while enjoying a beautiful crackling fire….. camping at its finest!
That is so wonderful. I am glad you were able to gain a new prospective on life. I hope all is back to “normal” now. Take Care, Jamie ~ Alabama
What a great reminder to be prepared for emergencies and to enjoy the quiet time. Thanks for the perspective!
Hoping that today finds you some power.
Good for you making the best of a not so good situation.
Hugs~
Christyne
I feel your pain…of course my powerless days come during hurricane season here in Florida…I remember being five days with out power…Hope things get better soon.
peace
Kim
Looks like “creative” is the key word in your blog title these days! Good for you for taking advantage of it… we lost power for about 72 hours, but it was during a heatwave, and the results were not pretty.
ENJOY! And take a deep breath for me… it’s not happening around here until John gets back from China on Thurs.!
xoxoxox
Lain