What does one do when a wind storm knocks out the power for a few days? Well, first we enjoyed the wind storm (read: freaked out that the windows would shatter and watched the neighbors 30 foot evergreen fall to the earth). Then we did what we do every day: school and dinking-around. Meal prep was/is hindered, but I never enjoyed that anyway. Next, in the evening, we went for a drive. A drive to asses the neighborhood, which suffered a lot of tree damage, but nothing very serious; to entertain my Mony; and (most importantly) to charge the laptop, iPad and phones. Once home we lit a bagillion candles and realized we had no D batteries, which most of the flashlights require. Then transferred the food from the fridge to the garage. Clearly with all the open flames we then had to make smores. Afterwords we had a dance party in the rumpus room and went to bed. The kids room was heated by a nifty little propane heater (indoor safe and accompanied by a carbon monoxide alarm, of course) and the rest of us stayed toasty under many blankets.
Storm assessment: It was incredible. A neighboring town has declared a state of emergency because of so much damage. We suffered almost no damage at all. A piece of soffit flew off the roof and my Martha Stewart Christmas wreath was damaged (cry me a river).
Power outage assessment: The only problem, so far, is charging the tech. SO 1st world! Nina and Grey are so very happy about the camping feeling and will be even more so if we have to get out the camp stove (which is a real possibility).
The saddest member of our family: Grandma. She does NOT like camping, even a little.
Our preparedness assessment: Get D batteries, LED lanterns and a generator for Mony’s oxygen (she did ok last night, but the labored breathing was hard on her). Switching the stovetop to gas could be beneficial. Oh, and more big quilts!
Overall assessment: Our mini-apocalypse has been VERY educational and, so far, entertaining. Ask me again in a week.
