On Thursday we awoke to cold and darkness. The power had gone out. Heavy winds and heavy snow-laden trees are a bad combination in WA. Some 70,000 people were without power in the Puget Sound area. We knew that we might have to wait our turn for restored power service, but we felt pretty prepared.
All our electronics were fully charged. I had purchased D batteries for our gas fireplace (I learned for the last power outage, that we don't have a pilot light, but a battery operated starter.) Greg went to the Grocery store the night before and we had enough clean underwear for a few days.
The weather outside was NASTY. The foot of snow had turned into a slush encased in an ice crust. Our street had not been plowed, but Greg manged to get out for work on our good car. Freezing rain fell from the sky most of the day. Our cars were covered in about 2 inches of ice, and there were icicles everywhere. It looked beautiful, but was no fun to be out in. So, we stayed inside.
Needless to say we got a little stir crazy, but we managed to stay nice for the most part, with only some fighting. We got creative in our interactions. We made jewelry, worked on my dollhouse, read from the book The Hobbit, played card games, and hide and seek.
On Wednesday, when Greg got home from work, we ventured out for dinner. We were met with only darkened restaurants and stores. Lights were on in Lowes, and we were one of the last people to get propane for our camp stove. We returned home and prepared a meager meal in the dark.
The next day, I was glad to have a camp stove running in the garage. We had a warm breakfast of pancakes and eggs. Lunch was noodles and we even made no bake cookies in the afternoon. Burritos were on the menu for dinner, since we had some tortillas and cheese that I buried in the back yard after our fridge had warmed up.
We met our neighbors across the street. I overheard her mentioning that they there were cold in their house. I brought over some D batteries for her fireplace. I also, learned that her husband had left for Afgahnistan a month ago. We invited their kids over for a play date. It was nice to have a different dynamic with friends. The kids had a great time.
8 years ago
3 comments:
Wow, what a storm! So glad you guys are prepared. I need to see if we even have a camp stove.:)
I cannot believe you got so much snow and lost power for so long. Ick. Very cool you could use batteries for your fireplace though. And, how wonderful you were able to get propane. Being without electricity gets old fast. I'm glad you made it enjoyable, and helped your neighbors.
we met our neighbors as a result of bad weather. nothing invites friendliness like shared suffering. :)
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