Earlier last week, Anna and I heard about the possibility of snow on Friday, which seemed unlikely to me, as it was only October. Friday came and went, with no snow. Saturday started like any other day, however, by noontime, it had started to snow.
It accumulated quickly and by the time Eliza woke up from her afternoon nap, we were ready to play outside. Anna had to make do with her rain boots, since we hadn't bought her new boots yet.
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| An October snowman! |
The snow continued. During dinner, the lights flickered a few times. Anna felt compelled to get her dragonfly-flashlight, just in case. And at 6:30, just as we were getting girls ready for bed, the lights went out. Luckily I had a stash of flashlights and head-lamps.
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| Reading a bedtime story. |
After the girls went to bed (without a hitch), Steve stoked the fire until it was roaring and throwing off tons of heat. I was a little worried about the girls not being warm enough during the night, but I felt confident that the power would return soon.
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| Ahhh, the wood stove. |
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| Playing chess by candlelight. |
Sunday morning we woke up to a pitch black but warm-enough house, and the girls and I fumbled our way into the end room, finding Steve asleep on the futon, after being up until 2:30 tending to the fire so no one would be cold.
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| Toasting a bagel. (Note the aluminum-foil wrapped object perched on the corner). |
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| We acquired a cold 15-month-old to warm up. She was toasty in no time. |
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| An odd scene: a tree, full with yellowed-leaves, surrounded by an expanse of snow. |
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| The second night spent without power. |
Monday morning we woke up, again in the pitch black, but still with warm hands, toes, and noses. I was ready at this point to have power. The thrill, the novelty, was gone. And to top it off, it was Halloween. We wondered what the day would bring.
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| Enjoying a breakfast of oatmeal and eggs. The milk hadn't spoiled yet, as we had stuck it in the snow. |
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| Warming Lizie by the fire after a bath. (Yes, we had hot water throughout this experience!) |
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| Anna requested a photo-shoot. |
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Trick-or-treating around the neighborhood would be cancelled that evening, due to all the downed power lines. But we knew costumed kids would be descending on Main Street in the afternoon for their treats and to show themselves off, so we brought ourselves there.
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| That would be a cow and as astronaut. |
Monday night we went to sleep, exhausted and so ready (READY!!!) for power. Tuesday morning came, and with it, the pitch black that comes with waking at 6. I groaned and wanted to hide under the covers. We would not be waking up to lights in the kitchen and fresh food in the fridge. But this day was Eliza's birthday, and it was a day to be celebrated somehow.
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| Opening her presents. |
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| Lovely friends had us over and baked Eliza chocolate cupcakes. She loved the frosting. |
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| Happy 2nd Birthday, my lovely little love!! |
After dinner at our friends', we returned home, resigned to another night of candles and flashlights, and the girls went to bed quickly.
And at 8:30, the power returned.
We survived, and survived well, 74 hours of life without electricity. Of course, the wood-stove, the hot showers, and the gas range helped and made it possible. Had we been cold, we would have packed up and left. But we knew we could do it. And we did.
And I am so very glad, so thoroughly elated, to have the power restored. To listen to the background noise of the television while I type on the laptop. To hear the hum of the fridge, awaiting fresh groceries to be bought tomorrow.
But for those 74 hours, it felt like it was just the four of us. It felt like we were all we had. There was actually something lonely about it, about not knowing what was happening "on the outside," about looking outside at night and not seeing house lights. But there was also something magical about the situation, about seeing an infinite amount of starts in the night sky when I usually don't even notice them, and about seeing the strength and cooperation of our little family as we navigated this new, brief life.
