Diary of a Cave Mommy: Day 3 Power Please Come Back

Dear Diary,

   This morning after I dropped Peter off at work I headed home with Sunny to figure how get things back into order. The house was cold (about 60*) and I immediately started the burners and brainstormed how I was going to wash the dishes and cook meals.
   It was getting to be Sunny's nap time and she was still exhausted from the late night. So I set up the playpen (which took 30 minutes... those things are rebellious!) in the living room, which was getting to be warm enough for her nap.
   I filled my largest pot with cold water from the tap to make a tub for dishes. I heated up the water on the stove top and then used it to wash the dirty dishes. While I was using a small amount of the tap water for rinsing off the dirty dishes I realized that we still have hot water! I put two and two together and figured that since we have gas lines in the house that the boiler for the water must be gas run too! What a relief! I was able to wash dishes, clean,  AND shower without running out of water! I gave Sunny a much needed bath as well. Once the house was nice and toasty I tucked my darling into her own bed (she decided the playpen wasn't good enough for her to nap in).
   For lunch I was able to use the food that we kept in the cooler outside, I also used a cut of meat for dinner from the iced cooler. The task of removing the meat from the frozen cooler took me a while. I literally had to use Peter's subzero hiking gloves and hack away with a butter knife for 30 minutes! My husband definitely gets an "A" for his meat freezing technique.Thank goodness the neighbors all abandoned their ships or they would have thought me a wreck out there with my huge, elbow-length gloves and a knife!
   I managed to pull off a spectacular stir fry for dinner! It was definitely blog worthy. I am also glad that I have a extensive candle collection, we were able to see our plates and where we were walking. Those decorative wall sconces certainly came in handy as well! I hope that we will have enough candles to last one more day. I heard that our power should be back on tomorrow, so here's hoping!
   It was so dark, and with nothing electronic to occupy our time, Peter and I had an impromptu date night playing cards and drinking beer (which amazingly didn't explode in the cooler!). It is time to turn out the *OOPS!* I mean~ "blow out the candles!" Good night!

~Michelle
  

Comments

ladybug said…
Michelle, I am glad you were able to be so resourceful during such a difficult time but I am so sad you didn't have somewhere cozy to go to during the ordeal. :( We would have loved to have you stay with us if you didn't live 4 hours away. I am impressed with what you did to manage and care for the baby during that week from pioneer days.
Hannah said…
It's always kind of a fun adventure date when something like that happens. It sure makes you appreciate what it really would have been like in prairie times or Jane Austen times. Yikes! Not quite so romantic!