The uninterrupted flow of electrons is a good thing. Makes life civilized, it does.

Annaliese, are you in KY? News said tonight parts of that state might not get electricity back on until next week. Br-r-r. And be cautious outside as even days later water-saturated limbs can suddenly plummet...I've seen 3-inch diameter 8-foot long branches fallen with such force they stand vertical in ground.

Have you cooking facilities? I'm all-electric here and would have to relocate to survive more than 1 day's outage. Otherwise hot food/drink and a flashlight for reading would tide me over. Stay safe. josh

Josh, we had just such a branch fall in our back yard this past fall when the ground was saturated. It was in there so good that even I couldn't move it, and I'm pretty strong. Then my back was acting up so I didn't chop it down and the thing stood straight and strong until about a month ago when it finally loosened enough for us to get it out and finally cut it up.

I know what you mean Anneliese about bundling up in bed. We have run out of oil many times and this old place gets pretty cold. Plus there was the time the heater core went out in the furnace and it took over a week for another one to come in. And various storms that take electric out. We only keep kerosene heaters downstairs for daytime use and bundle up at night. Hats are pretty mandatory in such situations. I can well imagine nightcaps. Luckily postmenopause adds some extra body heat. Smiles.

Not having had a long power outage, especially in winter, we were of course not prepared. On my next shoping trip in town a kerosene heater is on the list. Right now there is none to be had. A camp stove is also something I better find.
Several branches are straight in the ground, frozen ground at that. Had several more branches come down without wind assistance. We were lucky that we were without power just a couple of days. The National Guard is canvasing large areas to check on people and supply water and emergency rations for people who can't get out.

Every year around late February I start getting irritated at the wood-stove for the mess that goes along with it, look into some other way to heat> I do have forced air propane heat, but it's very expensive.
Then come tales of power outages and I get some of those myself, and I realize that the wood-stove a blessing. I can have a pot of water on it, I can use it as a slow cooker and it keeps me cozy and warm, the house never goes below 60º even at cold nights.
Water is my biggest problem, there are glass bottles of water for drinking stashed in the pantry and gallon plastic bottles under each sink - for washing ans brushing teeth and such, and I save run-off from the roof.
lanterns and flashlights illuminate quite well.
The worst I had were 6 days without power.

It isn't the lack of electric what makes it uncomfortable, it's the lack of alternatives for many people anymore to provide the necessities. If you are warm, can eat, and have water, and some light......one really doesn't miss a beat and waiting for power is not a biggie.

We weren't off grid too long with the big storm last week. We have two natural gas grates in the house now, I made sure were able to function without electricity. Each time we lose power, I am thankful for the foresight to install them. I am also thankful that I INSISTED on hooking in that inside pitcher pump back up to our spring water cache basin. I got a lot of resistance to this simple desire several years ago when we gutted our kitchen and reinstalled it. It's very hard for me not to say "I told you so", lol.

I have a non-electric version to almost all my appliances, too. We have only once had to hook a generator up to the house, and that was to kick the freezer back on after three days, to keep the foods from spoiling, as three days is about how long a freezer will hold, if never opened. It is also why I preserve most of my perishable foods by canning and use the freezer mostly for storing grain products, butters and only the meats at this house I shall use short term. The generators are reserved for use in the g'houses if absolutely necessary.

If a generator is not hooked to an undisturbed fuel source like main gas, your own gas well, or a huge propane tank, then you are still at the mercy to go out looking for fuel......and that may or may not be possible because of the roads, and it may or may not be available, because of the demand.

I always keep at least a gallon of lamp oil back, and make candles about once a year and keep them stocked. I am seriously considering running a gas line to at least one plumbed-in gas lamp with mantel. They give off a very good light without having to mess with flammables sitting around everywhere. I've lived in several old houses where they still remained after everyone forsook them for the grid.

When we were without power that one day last week, after it got toward evening, hubby and I played cards by lamplight, and after he retired, I braided rug coils and worked the rest of the evening on weaving a seat for an old chair, by candlelight. Washed dishes by water heated on the stove, and also mopped the floors with more of same. I hate........HATE......being in suspended animation waiting with a dirty house and dishes. Life just goes on.

When this house was built and the subsequent sub-division it was in the 70th around the time of the fuel shortage and natural gas was a no-no. The building code also prohibits propane tanks for this area. If I would build again, it definitely would have a stove, but at that time it was "we need a house and fast" and now we don't want to move except down the road in a senior citizen's home, LOL. If it takes another 30 years until the next storm, I won't be around, I think.

when we lost power for 4 days in the 93 blizzard we made up our minds to get a propane fireplace and a generator ( which i might add, hub has never turned on!! grrrr...)
we are all electric and in that blizzard it was colder in my kitchen than it was in the refrigerator. we had one kerosene heater and we put it in one of the bedrooms and lived in there for 4 days. it got the room up to 40*.
if we had it to do over again i would definately have a gas stove, a real fireplace or another fake one, 8ft. ceilings instead of the 10ft ones we have and definately a camp stove. one thing that is in our favor in this house is our loft. when we lose power now, we turn on the propane fireplace, go up in the loft and it is very livable up there. we also have a bunch of those camp table lights. they work great and they last a surprizingly long time before they need a new battery. one thing i would never bother with is a generator...hub always says that we want to be sure the power is really going to be out for a while before we turn it on. after 24hrs i am thinking, duh!!!!!
g

Within the last week I have seen a two-page ad for a solar powered generator. It sounded as if it would be worthwhile, for it stored the power generated when the sun was shining. I don't remember how long it would run on the stored power, but it was about 48 hours, I think. It wouldn't be enough for an entire house, but would keep necessities going. The ad said the *regular* price was $1997, but the special offer was for $1497. I don't plan to buy one, but it did sound intriguing. I'm all for anything that may help use less electricity.

When gubbermint power goes out, my only need for electricity are for cell phone, dvd player, and computer. All other needs can be meet with technology from the 1800's.

One must prioritize when electrons are scarce.

did anyone catch the blurb on the news last night about the family of father and sons that went from new orleans to ky. to help those w/o power?
that just touched my heart.
the dad said that everyone came down to help them after katrina and he just wanted to give back a little of the love.
so inspiring..
g

Yes, it is inspiring, and no I hadn't read about it. You know, that's what this country has always been about, whether you read it in the papers or not. Pulling up our shirtsleeves and just quietly helping somebody else pull up their bootstraps is in our heritage. No hoop-la, you just did it.

My many times over great grandfather moved to this new Northwest Territory with his family from Baltimore behind a team of oxen. He cleared his land and built his barn with the help of his sons, and those people in the township who came before him. He died young when a log beam from a barn-raising crushed him as he was helping somebody else build their barn and carve a farm out of the wilderness.

Our ancestors would have never survived, had they not depended on one another. They didn't depend on anything free from a government, they needed each other at the grassroots level.