Ice

What can I say about Ice? It's so beautiful clinging to the tree branches. When the sun comes up first thing in the morning, it makes rainbows of them, like a crystal forest. But ice and snow also make the branches too heavy to support their weight.

Yesterday was one of those days for us. Eight hours without power. That's a very long time when it's 20 degrees and your house is heated with electricity and your water is from a well that uses an electric pump. We have a very tiny house, so we lit all the candles we could find, and that kept most of the chill away. That and a few extra layers of clothing and we were good to go.

It could have been worse, sometimes the power goes out here for days. It was daylight, so we took the curtains off the window and did a little hand work. Poppy cut fabric, and I made some flowers, and a new fascinator design.

The little one had been out of school for a week with a cold, so he was stir crazy. Fortunately we had a tiny portable TV with a little charge left and a cable hook up. Amazing technology. Then we had to play games.

We dug out our camp stove, no fuel, so I made a tin can camp stove to use with charcoal. Poppy heated water for tea in a muffin tin over candles. Worked well.

We got a ride to the store to buy an LED lantern and stove fuel, and when we got back, the power was on. But now we are prepared for a future outage. I'm charging the cellphones and TV right now, just in case.

I've read that there are Solar storms on the horizon. And they might put out our power for months at a time. Are you prepared? We'll have to have the Amish deliver us food with their buggies, because, no power, no gas pumps either. We have a lake, so we can boil that water. I guess we should get one of those $15 camp shower thingies too. They are wonderful if you have nothing else. And you living off the Grid? You go!