Saturday, January 5, 2008

I Spoke Too Soon! Severe Storm Results

The Coleman Stove - Which we put on the stovetop
Lunch was cooked on this baby.. Sauteed Green Beans and Rib Eyes... Left Overs...

The camping stove was actually put on top of the electric stove...


The Three Burner Stove - Which I started our Dinner Lamb Stew On

Why, yes! That is a propane tank in my house! (totally not endorsed by the safety commission).


All The Lanterns Came In...Prepping for Evening


Oil Lanterns got a Tune Up.. With a "nasty" Green Oil!


The Wood Pile.... Our Third Load of this Winter Season
Our woodstove is the appliance that is constantly running 24/7. Just showing you...


Well...
Our power went out about 10:30am yesterday (I was bummed! I had not taken my shower yet!). Dick had plowed the driveway (I was going to go to town and take care of some errands) but the wind soon filled it in again. The winds and drifts caused all sorts of complications for local drivers. The La Grande area was a disaster, 30 minutes north of us. Interstate closed...

The school called for us to 'please come get the kids' about 11:00 am. We are the farthest out and the bus driver did not want to be driving out here in snow drift land... I don't blame her. I did not want to drive to the school! So Dick went and got the kids while I cleaned out the woodstove (seems we always plan these projects when it is a huge windy day!)....

About noon Dick decided we needed lunch. Not a cold lunch (my idea) but a hot lunch... What could have been a 10 minute project turned into at least an hour and a half project.... I began to understand why those poor pioneer women did nothing but cook and clean...cook and clean.. cook and clean... Poor Pioneer Women!

Dick is one of those 'loves to rough it' kinda guys... Any opportunity for living off the grid, he's on it... So, the camping gear came in and we prepped for the worse... Here are the highlights of our experience.
  • No flushing of toilets unless, uh, serious business.
  • Conserve water... The bowl in the kitchen sink is to catch all the water. Rinse your hands in this one first! Sami misunderstood and dumped out the 'grey' water.
  • Refrigerator: We will only open the door to get 'lots' of stuff out at once.. or return lots of stuff. No Looky Lou's allowed standing with the door wide open.
  • Hot Water? My best friend once the power came back on. I got to clean up all the messes left in the sink. Ever try prepping a meal without hot water of full use of your resources? A challenge... I also did all the things I am grateful for: laundry, hot shower...
  • Everyone find your flashlights! Have them handy... (wasn't I smart getting Dick a new headlamp and camping lamp for Christmas!)
  • All lanterns and camping lights within reach for the evening
  • Woodstove stoked.. (a no brainer.. it's our daily thing).
  • Start cooking a stew for dinner... Lamb Shanks & Lamb Stew... I sure had fun trying to regulate the burners! I kept lowering it too much and loosing my flame...
Our power was out for only 3 hours... Just enough to get you thinking about what a delight hot water is.

The stew found a new home on the electric stove.. All the gear is still inside. Waiting for the elves!

9 comments:

~Shirley said...

Goodness, NO POWER??? At least you are prepared!!
Thanks for checking out my blog and leading me back to yours. Very interested in your Ranch and products as well. DO you ship out of state?

Dawn said...

brrrrr, why don't you have a gas stove?? You need to go get you one!! I keep thinking your wearing a bonnet and a long dress with a apron around it. TEHHHHEEEEE.....keep safe!!

*karendianne. said...

Serious roughing it girl! Serious. Love reading how you made it fun but damn skippy that was a lot of work.

Lauren said...

Wowza!!! Man oh man! Looks like you had quite a bit of fun! :)

Sue McGettigan said...

Andi you are a Frontier Mama!! Nice going :)

ginny said...

Wow! What an adventure. When we lived in CT, the electricity went out all the time in the winter and it really does bring out the pioneer spirit.
Glad to hear you are all fine.

Tami B. said...

You are a pioneer woman in my book. I'm amazed you cooked all that on those camping stoves. Very cool. The tea set is lovely in the next post. Such a wonderful balance of grit and a proper tea.

Vintage Papers said...

ANdi
oh man I am so sorry! I hope things are going better. losing power is the worst and you are sucha trooper!

Sandy said...

Holy cow it's been forever since I caught up on blogs, I didn't realise you'd had it this rough! That's practically CAMPING! Ugh!

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