JOURNAL ARCHIVES BIOGRAPHY LINKS PHOTOGRAPHY POETRY
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As I write today I am sitting in a chair by the window. From my seat I can see the last flickering flames of the morning fire. In the kitchen a candle lends its soft light to the shadows. The only sounds are the ticking of the clock and the barely audible clicking of the metal fireplace door, as it begins to contract as the heat of the fire subsides. Out the window the sky is clear; a welcome sight. There is a hint of pink in the distant east where the sun will soon rise. The landscape is still and silent. Attila has left for the day, or at least until he returns home for his midday meal. I am using a pen this morning to write this entry. How unfamiliar pen and paper have become in this digital age. Yesterday morning the rain pelted down and the wind increased in its intensity. By ten a.m. the power began to weaken and flutter. This became more pronounced as time passed. I soon turned off the computers to prevent the irregular power supply from damaging the equipment. At noon yesterday the power failed completely. The high velocity gusts of wind were taking down branches, trees and subsequently power lines. We were not alone in losing our electric supply; the entire area was experiencing a blackout. We spent last evening with six candles and the light of our evening fire. Time passed quickly as we sat quietly in front of the fire playing a game of Scrabble. Today my challenges include refilling the toilet tanks with water from our bottled emergency supply, attempting to wash dishes in cold water and collecting snow from the yard into plastic containers to place in the fridge to server as “ice packs”. These are the two most significant issues during a power failure, no running water (the pump for the well is electric) and no cooling system for food storage. The powerless situation has me thinking of course. A battery and a set of LED Christmas lights could easily replace the candles. This will be a first priority strategy. You see, we have discovered that candles hold a fascination for Mist, who seems unable to resist swishing her tail over the flickering flames. |
RECIPES :: Cast Nothing digital collected or recorded during the blackout. |
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