Last night our power went out at 9:00 p.m. I was right in the middle of carefully placing some homemade chicken broth in the refrigerator. I changed my mind, and transferred it to the freezer.
Fortunately, the electric company had warned us in advance that the power would be turned off from 9:00 p.m.until 7:00 a.m. the next morning. To be honest, I had forgotten. Still, I felt prepared. I lit my hurricane lamp, and it illuminated the living room nicely. My gas stove is from the 1950's, and it works without electricity. I find it so convenient. The other one I had used an electronic ignition. It makes such a difference to be able to cook, bake, and make coffee in a power outage.
I went out to the car and fetched my large red flashlight that my mother kept in the car that I inherited. It has a siren, radio, solar cranked light, and comes in very handy. I thanked her out loud for being so prepared. I also have a Red Cross flashlight in my nightstand drawer that is a smaller version with the same features. It's a relief to have plenty of light. Lula was very happy to see the flashlight beaming into the backyard.
I lit my beeswax candle, and kept it on the nightstand. It's amazing how dark the streets get during a blackout. I kept the living room lit up with the hurricane lamp all night, while I slept. It just made me feel safer. There were a few families walking down the street together with flashlights. I think maybe they were going to friends' houses who didn't have flashlights or supplies. Most of the homes were completely dark. The outdoor solar lights make a huge difference by lighting the area around your front door, too. I plan to invest in some of those for the future.
This morning, when I got up at 7:00 a.m., the electricity still wasn't working. Fortunately, I had ground some coffee beans and stored them in the freezer. I scooped them into my French press, heated up the water on the gas vintage stove, and made a fresh pot of French roast coffee. It felt very calming and satisfying to be prepared. The mountain cabin has an electric stove, so I might have to work out an alternative.
I had moved the container of half and half into the freezer. Everything stayed fresh, and I made a chicken, tortilla, and cheese casserole this afternoon. I had assembled it last night. What a relief that no food was spoiled or wasted. My neighbor, who's also a single woman, told me that a she went and stayed with a friend. It felt good to be cozy, well provided for, and safe. It was so dark before bed that I couldn't find Lula. Unbeknownst to me, she was out in the front yard. We were both a bit disoriented with so little light. Do you have the supplies you need for a power outage? Has it ever happened in your area?
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