The lights are still out here as we enter day 9 of our power outage. We hope to get the lights back in the next several days, but the reality is that it could even be longer. I had a chance last night while sitting in my living room being warmed by the gas fire and glow of candle light to think about some things that I have learned about extended outages. Here they are:
1) You know when you look out the window and see national guard troops in your street; army, police and news helicopters hovering overhead and FEMA is knocking on your door you may have major problems.
2) You tend to drink more alcoholic beverages during extended power outages.
3) You stop trying to turn the lights on when you enter a room after about 5 or 6 days.
4) Never take your electric power for granted
5) Extended power outages present wonderful opportunities to clean your refrigerator and freezer.
6) Always fill your car with gas and take cash from the ATM when a big storm is coming.
7) It is very important to keep a flashlight in the bathroom in case you get up in the middle of the night to pee so that you won’t miss the toilet.
8) Hot showers are a very rewarding experience that we usually take for granted.
9) You really do sleep better in a cold house using extra blankets to keep warm.
10) Candles are your friends and can make your house smell really good, but they can burn your cat’s tail if you leave them in the wrong place on a table.
11) Gas stoves with large pots of water boiling on it can warm your house, and even make it feel like you are living in the tropics.
12) Everyone should have a gas fireplace.
13) If you think you want one, never procrastinate buying a whole house generator.
14) You don’t need a refrigerator if you have a sealed Rubbermaid container and it is cold enough outside.
15) Power companies lie about restoration of power.
16) FEMA is only good for giving out low quality blankets and Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) and not much else.
17) Army helicopters are very noisy and like to fly very low just above rooftops in residential neighborhoods especially at 5:30 a.m.
18) Life without TV is very do-able but news radio is repetitive and gets extremely boring.
19) Political ads on radio are just as offensive as the ones on TV.
20) Listening to election results on the radio is not as much fun as watching them on TV and seeing all those red and blue charts they display on the screen.
21) Cell phones only work if the cell towers near you have power.
22) Reading by candle light is difficult and strains the eyes.
23) It is difficult to stay up any later than 10 p.m. with no lights.
OK, it’s 9:45. Time for me to hit the hay. I hope this helps any of you that may encounter expended outages in the future. By all means print this before the power goes out because computers and printers are pretty useless without juice.
