powerless or powerful?

other title contenders...
pajama mom on the prairie
why you'll never see me on survivor
laundry is my life

i'm sitting here with the familiar hum of the computer, the air conditioner, the dishwasher, the washing machine, and the ice maker, reflecting on our 50 plus hours without electricity.

having no electricity wasn't that bad. i didn't lose a lot of food, we don't keep much around anyway... and realizing there are those who still don't have power, or water for that matter, made us a little more thankful that we could still shower and wash dishes.

we ate out, we bought coffee, we had glow sticks. we read books, we did picture puzzles, we had fun with flashlight shadows. we bonded.

i can see clearly now, how much tv we watch, how much the computer is on, and how dusty my house looks by flashlight...

and how, without laundry, i have nothing to do...

we got ready for school earlier, we went to bed earlier, we talked. we did everything we needed to before it got dark, making the most of sunlight. then we relaxed by the full moon.

neighbors came out of their houses. some grilled every night. everyone asked if there was anything they could do to help. offers came to take food to in-laws' freezers. we bonded.

maybe frontier life isn't so bad after all.

p.s. i seriously plugged in my hair dryer, turned it on, and stood there wondering why it wasn't working!