A Fortunate Person—a Fortunate Person Indeed

Normally here in Southeast Pennsylvania, we don’t get our first significant snowfall until December. But this year was different. On Saturday, Oct 29th we had a freakish 10” of snow. (some areas had 12”)

And since I ‘love’ snow, I was thrilled – not exactly! I’m a warm-weather-sunshine-beach-kind-of person.

I’d rather sweat than freeze. 

Sure snow looks pretty, but it’s cold and it can wreak havoc.

We don’t live in the woods, but there’s woods and trees all around us. Many of the trees had not lost their leaves yet, so soon after the snow started on Saturday morning, not only were the branches covered with snow, but every leaf was also. The snow was a heavy, wet snow, so as more snow fell, the branches grew heavy and they bent down over the electric wires.

More snow fell, the branches bent farther down causing many of them to break taking electric wires down with them. Around 2pm, our lights flickered and then went out. And just as in the olden days, as darkness fell, the land around us was dark, totally dark.(estimates are 400,000 were without electric in PA) 

The stars were bright, probably not brighter than normal, but without the light pollution, they seemed to glow a thousand times brighter.

Unlike the olden days, the soft hum of generators could soon be heard around us. I pulled out my battery-operated reading light, added another layer of clothing and curled up with a book and a blanket.

We don’t have a generator and we debated going out to buy one, but we figured we’ll see what the morning brings. Our oil heat requires electric, so we spent a cold night in the house.

I had planned to run a 5K in the morning and though they had to reroute the race due to trees down on the planned course, the race still went on. Since our house was cold and I had two crazy friends who were planning to run, I decided to run … at least that would warm me up. I wasn’t sure how running would go, because my left leg gets ornery when it gets too cold, but I started slow, giving it time to warm up and it did okay.

After conversations with neighbors and realizing how widespread the storm had been and how many wires were down, my husband knew it could be days before we have electric, so he called me after the race with a warm house option.

He remodels houses to resell and he had just finished one last week in an area that had electric. So we moved mattresses, some food, clothes and basic essentials over there.

Sometimes it pays to be a slacker housekeeper/cook … I hadn’t gone grocery shopping for too long, so there wasn’t much food in our refrigerator or freezer. We threw a few things out (it was time to clean out the fridge anyhow) and everything else fit into a small electric cooler we have, so that became our refrigerator at our temporary home.

We were out of electric and living between two houses for about 90 hours. I kept having to go back to our cold house for clothes, because I ran twice, went to a funeral and out to dinner during that time.

When things like this happen … I complain (mostly about the cold) and grumble at times, but for the most part I go with the flow. 

It’s only electric and it’s only for a few days. There are a lot worse things in life. I think of the many places around the globe that only get electric for a few hours a day, if even that.

I think of the many that live in cold climates and never have the option of turning a small gadget to warm their house a few more degrees. Or never have a comfortable air mattress that can be adjusted to ultimate comfort at the touch of a button.

I think of the many that never have a refrigerator full of food. That only have one set of clothes. That don’t have a computer. That never have internet at their house.

My house is a modest rancher, but it feels like a castle as I sit here in my comfortable recliner with my perfect cup of coffee on a laptop that wirelessly connects to you and the rest of the world, I realize …

I am a fortunate person—a fortunate person indeed. 

And I’m so thankful for what I have!