Sunday, December 14, 2008

The ice storm cometh, the electricity goeth

Two days without electricity. It is back on now though. I can manage without many electrically run luxuries. However, I don't like to be cold and I like to be able to cook. Also, there was no water as the water comes from a well and the well pump is run by electricity. I heated up some soup on my brother's woodstove and one night he cooked us a dinner on the woodstove top. How wonderfully nourishing it is to have someone cook a person a meal. I needed that. I was fairly warm with the gas fireplace. But it gets dark at 4:30. No reading, no video watching. Interesting isnt it that only about 100 years ago this was the norm?

The driveway is a sheet of ice.

Ice still coats many trees, although some melting happened yesterday.

Everything sparkled and glistened.




28 comments:

Umā said...

ahh, i thought that might be the case up there. the storm was bad here too. we had no electricity until yesterday. i'm glad everything is ok.

sukipoet said...

m. heart, I think a lot of folks are still without. The first thing I did was take a shower. Ugh. And then, heated up a hot cup of tea.

Dianne said...

Dear Suki, oh dear, poor you with no electricity or water for two days. I'm glad you had a couple of meals with your brother, it is great to have someone cook for you!
Your winter photo's are stunningly beautiful, you are an artist with the lens, I'm sure you could enter competitions with these.
You are right, so much of our lives depend on electricity and we are not geared for making our own power. We have had frequent blackouts in South Africa over the past few years, we are running out of fuels to generate enough electricity. I can only imagine how awful it must be in the middle of winter, at least you mention you have a gas fire. I hate not being able to read, our shops have come out with these funny torches which you strap to your head for reading, must get one and do a posting!

Andrea and Kim said...

Oh Suki, I am so glad to hear from you. When I heard you were in a state of emergency (declared by your governor), I began to worry. I am glad you had the gas fireplace and a warm meal your brother prepared. It is hard to do without electricity...and I understand what it is like to not have the well pump work, either.

Like Dianne, you have taken MORE exceptional photos. I am glad the battery was good for that. You are amazing!

Once the ice goes, you will need a good supply of batteries and a few supplies to tide you over if you can't get out or this happens again. I think maybe a good book light would be positive, too :)

It is great to hear from you!

Love,

Kim

Andrea and Kim said...

PS Dianne, my husband and son use those torches (flashlights) which strap to their heads when they hike/camp. This would be fabulous for when you have no lights! Great Idea!

~Babs said...

I too, have been wondering about you Suki. So glad to hear you made it through without any catastrophes,,,trees on your roof, etc.
I feel partly like a pioneer woman myself today, as our hot water heater went out last night.Nothing like what you're going through,,,but heating water to 'wash up' is not the same as a shower, as you know! So glad you're back in the electricity business, and as I always say, your photos are extraordinary!
Love your new banner too!

marianne said...

OMG!
Looks magical but awfull at the same time!
Glad you have heat by gas and can cook on the stove.
Yes hundred years ago this was normal but circumstances were different.
I feel sorry for you!
I know how you like heat, and you are there in that icy landscape with no electricity.......
Hope it won´t happen again.
take care and stay warm!
hug >M<

Cris, Artist in Oregon said...

Thought maybe you were without electricity after a time. Glad to hear you fared alright. We recently got us some wind up flash lights. you crank them up for a minute and they last an hour. Good for things like this too. No batteries to use. You need some water put away for times like that too.
Glad you're back. Missed you.

marianne said...

Wow your banner just changed. Love it!

Cris, Artist in Oregon said...

PS. I forgot to mention your Banner photo. WOW. that is awesome. You really have an eye for catching a subject matter with one photo.

Anonymous said...

Great photos. I always read when the electricity goes out, I huddle around a bunch of candles :-). Glad you got it back.

Teri said...

Oh my goodness, living like a pioneer. The worst part would be no internet :)

The photos are gorgeous!

Blue Sky Dreaming said...

Suki, I knew you were affected by the ice storm and I'm so glad you have your electricity back on! Hot shower and a cup of tea...great first choice! Your photos are magnificent, truly capture the beauty and power of the ice..what glistens on an apple also makes walking on a driveway dangerous...be careful!

Mim said...

We had no e for a few days and it was very disconcerting. The no shower part is what get's me, the rest I can live without. But no shower and no flushing - yuck. usually we fill the bathtub with water for the toilets etc, but didn't have a chance this time so DH went down the the local creek and hauled water in jugs. Pretty creative.
I am looking into a generator tho'. Expensive but peace of mind for awhile may be worth it.

San said...

Thank you for these icy fairyland images, Suki. When we lose our power, we're without water too, since we have a well pump. For me, that's more frustrating than no lights, no stove, no movies. Last time we were in that predicament, however, it was summertime and didn't last that long.

This morning we woke to snow blowing at oblique angles and ice crystals on the windows. Beautiful. Now things have calmed down and there's just the fallen snow.

Peace to you, friend.

Also, I gave out awards at my place, passing on a couple from you (finally). I left a butterfly up for grabs by all visual artists who nourish me. That would be you. Please come over when you have time...

sukipoet said...

Dianne, that torch on the head sounds great for reading in the dark. I did use a little flashlight for awhile but it gets tiring holding it. In my imagination I think I'd like to try living "off the grid" but not sure if I'd like it in reality.

Kim, you are right, it is good to be prepared for such things. Mom had a lot of candles and one or two dim flashlights. I prefer a kerosine lantern. But it is unusual, even up here, for the electricity to be out for so many days. Usually they can fix it in hours but the problem was so widespread they didnt have enough work crews I guess.

Hey Babs, I guess these experiences just make us appreciate the blessings of modern society even more. Of course, as I thought to myself when the lights were out, there are people in this world who live without electricity, heat and running water every day. Such things are blessings for sure.

Thanks Marianne. A reminder for me of why I dont like it up here. Soooo cold. Luckily it didnt get down to the ten below they had predicted. Ugh.

sukipoet said...

cris, those sound like great flashlights. My brother went out and bought water, along with every other person in the nearby area. However, you can rarely have enough to, as Mim mentioned, flush the toilets. That takes a lot of water.

Marianne and Cris, thanks re: banner. That is my attempt to make a cheerful holiday windowbox. :)

Annie, my eyes are weak so I dont use candles but in the past I have used a kerosine lantern although they have fumes.

Teri, it was hard having no internet. And just when I was getting caught up reading blogs too.

Blue Sky Dreaming, it is interesting--the two components of an ice storm. The danger to person, cars, electric lines and the utter beauty of it all.

sukipoet said...

Mim, hurrah for your DH to haul water. Very Zen. My brother drove around trying to buy a generator but he was too late, sold out. He has one on order for his house. When I walked down the road, I could hear the generators generating.

Thanks San. I will stop by for the award soon. Hard to be without water in NM. When I was there I continually carried a water bottle as it was so dry, and you get dehydrated so fast.

Lynn Cohen said...

What beautiful photos come from a time of hardship. I'm pleased to know your brother warmed up and fed you a lovely hot meal. Kind of him to be sure. Expected in my book! Sorry you had to suffer the loss of the things we so take for granted. Heat, light, flushing toilets! Do be careful walking on that ice. It looks tretcherous!
And enjoy the solitude and candle light. ;-) You must be wearing a million layers of clothing! I would be.

Love the banner shot too! Very pretty and Christmassy. Merry That!

Tess Kincaid said...

I'm glad to hear that your power is restored, Suki! Stay warm up there, dear friend. Your frozen pix are lovely. I adore the shot you are using for your new header!!

marianne said...

Glad you are ok!
Didn´t realize that you had an icestorm there (sometimes I watch no tv) until my husband informed me when I told your story.........
Be safe and be warm!

Katiejane said...

I thought you'd suddenly decided to go away somewhere for the weekend. It never occurred to me that you might be without power. It is awful, isn't it? Glad to hear you're up and running again.

sukipoet said...

Lynn, yes it was probably good for my bro to put himself out to do that meal too as well as good for me to be treated. Funny how beauty, the trees and grasses in ice, can come out of somehting so destructive--the storm.

Thanks Willow. I am glad to be electrified once again but it was an adventure to have to struggle to get warm and to have hot food. An adventure i am glad was only two days long.

Marianne, tonight I am drinking hot cocoa and basking in the warmth and light.

Katie Jane I thought of you the whole time I was "away" in non-electricity land as it was not that long ago that you too had no power for quite a while as I recall. Though I think you were better equipped to handle it than I. Didnt yo have a generator and a gas barbeque?

Anonymous said...

Suki,
Glad to hear you had some help from your brother and that the power is back on. We had rain here, no ice.

Great icy photos!

Natalya Khorover Aikens said...

glad everything is ok.. enjoy the glistening beauty around you during the day and the heat of electricity at night!

patti said...

These pics of ice and snow are so beautiful! I wouldn't last 5 mins in the cold. I'm so glad you have your light and warmth back.

It IS wonderful to have someone cook for you. You have a good brother.

soulbrush said...

glad it's back again. lovely photos.....hope you amd bro are doing some good 'bonding' love from sunny sa. thanks for e mail, so happy the pic reached you.

sukipoet said...

Chewy, you are lucky you are so far south! He he.

Natalya, I am definitely enjoying the benefits of electricity and saying thank you thank you to the electricity goddess.

Patti, I like to think of you out there where it is summer now. Makes me feel less cold. Yes, my brother was very kind during the storm.

Soulbrush, glad you could stop by and hope you are having a blast. Say, can you send some of that heat this way?