No electricity
A recent NaBloPoMo prompt asked the writer to imagine what they'd do if their electricity was out for a week.
I don't have to imagine.
It happened in January 1978. I was a senior in high school. One of my sisters was also in high school and the other two were in elementary school.
We had a horrific ice storm, it knocked out power to our entire neighborhood. No lights, no heat, no hot water. And worse yet, unlike our neighbors, no fireplace. A tree came through the roof of the den, taking part of the chimney with it, and blocking access to the fireplace. (My mother always wanted a skylight in the den, and the tree obliged by coming through the roof -- right where we'd put the skylight.)
My youngest sisters were parked at a friend's house, one where they didn't lose electricity. the rest of us, along with the cat and the dog, stayed in the house.
Well, we spent a good deal of the daytime at the mall and eating at the diner.And visiting friends.
But at night we slept in the house. In all our clothes. and our jackets. The dog, he was a smart one, he'd curl up under somone's blanket.
The cat...she wasn't so cuddly...she'd run as far and as fast as she could to keep herself warm...then wind up under someone's blanket.
If it ever happens again...well, in the summer I guess we could manage, but not in the winter. Find me a hotel, I can't do that again.
I don't have to imagine.
It happened in January 1978. I was a senior in high school. One of my sisters was also in high school and the other two were in elementary school.
We had a horrific ice storm, it knocked out power to our entire neighborhood. No lights, no heat, no hot water. And worse yet, unlike our neighbors, no fireplace. A tree came through the roof of the den, taking part of the chimney with it, and blocking access to the fireplace. (My mother always wanted a skylight in the den, and the tree obliged by coming through the roof -- right where we'd put the skylight.)
My youngest sisters were parked at a friend's house, one where they didn't lose electricity. the rest of us, along with the cat and the dog, stayed in the house.
Well, we spent a good deal of the daytime at the mall and eating at the diner.And visiting friends.
But at night we slept in the house. In all our clothes. and our jackets. The dog, he was a smart one, he'd curl up under somone's blanket.
The cat...she wasn't so cuddly...she'd run as far and as fast as she could to keep herself warm...then wind up under someone's blanket.
If it ever happens again...well, in the summer I guess we could manage, but not in the winter. Find me a hotel, I can't do that again.
That same storm, I was in 6th grade. Bellmore south of Sunrise Highway didn't lose power, so the four of us still living at home went to stay at my sister's boyfriend's house because his parents were in Florida.
ReplyDeleteMy mom stayed with coworkers, because her job was BUSY with all the people who were without power.
It was a long five days!
Yes, it certainly was!!!
ReplyDelete