A few days ago something happened with our little grid here. The electricity went down in an area several square miles. They were off for several hours from about 4 in the afternoon until close to 9pm. No problem for me... I pulled out the candles and the oil lamps, grabbed the camp stove and brought it in and cooked dinner. We ate by candle light. My daughter sat at the kitchen table with 2 candles reading her book most of the afternoon and evening. I didn't have to go out to the barn but if I did I have hooks already installed to hang oil lanterns...
My 9 year old son though... He was just driving me nuts wanting to know when are the lights coming back on? Will the lights come back on? Why did the lights go off? Why aren't they fixing the lights? Now mind you it was not once or even twice that he asked these questions..... He is Autistic and if he asked it once he asked at least 20 times in the 5 hours it took them to fix the power...
While I was in the kitchen cooking I got a new wheel of cheese out of the cold storage where I keep it to age. I peeled the wax off with my son anxiously asking me questions refusing to leave my hip. Then a wonder happened I got out a flat hand grater to grate the cheese. He had never seen me use this because I love my salad shooter for grating cheese. He asked me what it was and I told him an old time version of the salad shooter... As I began grating the cheese and he saw it falling off in shreds. He said "Wow mommy you really do know how to use one of those!!!"
If the lights ever go out permanently or even longer than a few hours I will need a huge bottle of something... (Valium, Booze, etc) just to have to deal with HIS anxiety!!!
Suffice it to say... There was not much more than a hiccup as we switched over to no electric for the night... It was a nice little practice drill... We still had burritos for dinner with all the trimmings, daughter still read her book for school... Hubby and son waited anxiously so that they could watch the new Spiderman movie that we had JUST rented before the power went off...
Lessons learned:
1. Find something son can play with that is not run by electric and that will interest him
2. Teach kids more about my antique stuff that I have...
3. Buy Vodka!!! Large bottles for preps!!!
Christine, kids used to find things to do, toys, dirt, make believe, and a big imagination. We had all kinds of fun. Now, parents are trying to intertain their children. The answer, find them a chore to do. I see kids now becoming zombies, setting around with their eyes glued to the TV screen, computer monitors, or game boys.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of lamps, we found a couple aladdin lamps for our preps. I had to change out the wicks due to being burnt with a parafin oil which is a no no in aladdin lampps. Are they nice! We lit them just to enjoy their glow.
I really enjoyed reading the comments on Modern survival blog, but latley with all the changes, I'm lost. Can't follow the conversation. Have you seen the same thing? maybe I should mention it to Ken, naw probably not.
@sixpence, I have noticed a little bit different with Kens comments. It is some kind of rating system... I can still make sense of it so far.
DeleteI tell my kids when they tell me they are bored that I can find a chore for them, usually it is pulling weeds or cleaning out a stall or under the rabbit cages... LOL that usually fixes there boredom right up. But when it is dark outside and no lights inside I could not trust my autistic son to go far. I am fearful of him knocking over a candle or something... And he is terrified of the dark, his anxiety was thru the roof that night because of it...
I LOVE oil lamps and buy every one that I find at yard sales. I have 3 old wind proof lamps... Those are awesome for taking out to the barn or milk room to milk if there is no power! You can walk around outside in a storm and not have your flame blown out!
Nice to hear from you... You are one of those I consider friend from MSB...
Christine, friends are scarce. Thanks I check you blog regularly. Is all your cheeses made from goat milk? I miss not having the goats...
DeleteAbout MSB, yep, now I have to go to another page to see comments. He has good articles, but the comments were great. Good discussions, sometime heated, but good for thought, too.
When visiting relatives, I remember listening & falling asleep to my folks talking for hours with a coal oil lamp flickering in the background. Milk & butter was kept in the spring house. Living without electricity was a different life. It was something I wasn't used to. Today, electricity is god given, how will the people survive without it, if it taken away?
Yes I make every single one of my cheeses from goats milk for now. Hubby and I hope to one day be able to get a few head of Dexter but that is not unless we can find a few more acres. So for now it is just my girls...
DeleteThe people won't survive not having it at least not many. I have geared my farm to being able to survive without it as best as I can. I hope to be able to put in a deep cellar this spring to use as a root cellar. And just today I canned up 30lbs of chicken. Modern day society takes electricity for granted and if there is one thing life has taught me... If you take something for granted it WILL be taken away at some point!!!