Lights out

Wow, it's been a super-long time since I blogged. I meant to do it and then, well, this freak October storm came and ruined those plans! No power for a few days and, honestly, not having a computer was the least of my problems. I don't even mind not having lights and other electrical things. I do appreciate the generator to keep the fridge running and power up an electric heater, but really, it wasn't so bad. I was amazed by how many people would give hourly Facebook status updates complaining about having no power when today, four days later, I still have friends in the dark. I think the thing I hate most about the power going out is not having hot water and worrying about the septic system. I never dealt with that growing up in a city. You could still flush the toilet in a blackout. So, my version of roughing it was boiling water on the stove and pouring it in the tub. My kids thought I was nuts. But then I reminded them about their grandpa and how his grandmother lived in a cold water flat and this was common practice. And I reminded them that their grandmother had an outhouse when she was a kid, so what was the big deal? Still giving me the crazy eyes so I told them how, in the "olden days" people would get one bath and the men in the family would go first and then the women and then the children and by the time the kids got in there it was so dirty, they invented the expression "don't throw the baby out with the bathwater." They still thought I was crazy but they were racing to see who could get in that tub first, I'll tell you.l I hope all those affected get power back soon. I hope you didn't have any major damage from the storm and that your food didn't all go rotten. I hope you'll also go check on an elderly neighbor who might need some help during a time like this or that you'll be more patient and stop at the blacked out traffic light instead of considering it a free pass and speeding through it. Maybe you'll even smile at the workers up in the cherry pickers trying to fix the lines. A wave, a thank you, a plate of cookies? We're all in this together, right? Stay warm, friends and pray we don't see snow again until Christmas!