Dancing in the Dark

Earlier this week a massive storm hit my town. Although we always get snow up here in northeastern Arizona, this blizzard was a real doozy, with strong winds and wet, heavy snow that knocked out our power about 10:30 PM. My husband and I weren’t the only ones to suffer without electricity, in fact power lines were down for a good 80+ mile radius. The biggest problem we had was that our only source of heat is a pellet stove that doesn’t work without electricity.

Our power was out for nearly 24 hours and it was an experience to say the least.

We piled blankets on the bed (being spoiled by our electric blanket) and even let the dogs snuggle in to keep us warm. The next morning was the worst. With temps in the 20s (it could have been colder and I was thankful for the snow and clouds that provided some insulation), it was hard to get out of bed and start moving around without a way to warm up. My husband braved the cold and retrieved a camping cook stove from the shed outside so we could make coffee via candlelight. I huddled inside layers of clothing, a snuggie, a blanket, two pairs of socks, and a pair of gloves while I sipped my coffee and we worked a crossword puzzle when the sun came up. We had no hot water so we warmed up a pot on the camp stove to clean up.

Luckily our power came back on that night and we didn’t have to suffer for too long.

What did this experience teach me? For one, it was actually kind of nice not to have the television going, or have to worry about getting on my computer to work, or even having to cook a meal (we warmed up leftovers on the camp stove instead). We talked a whole lot more, and took the opportunity to do some uninterrupted reading. Our cell phones were running out of juice, too, so we couldn’t call anyone (although I did send a couple texts to let my loved ones how we were doing). Although I like to write about those old days in the West and portray them as romantic, I now have a better idea of what it was really like.

For another thing, we learned to be more prepared and went out and bought a generator. It’s hard to survive without heat when temps dip well below freezing and approach zero. We can do with just about anything else, but lack of heat can kill ya.

And lastly, I learned to appreciate my husband a whole lot more. He was the one who got up in the freezing morning and ensured we at least had a hot cup of coffee to drink. He kept me as warm as he could and even trudged through the snow to take care of the chickens. He was my rock; my strength to get through the hardship.

In a funny way, the loss of electricity brought us closer together and made us thankful for everything we do have instead of dwelling on what we don’t.

–Little Candy

I see, so you do believe in dragon slayers when its cold outside (g). BM