Whew! This week has been a “doozie.” Our lights went out on a Wednesday afternoon about 3:30 and did not come back on until three days later but only for a day and then off again for another three. And, I figured out one thing about myself: I AM SPOILED ROTTEN.
I think I am a somewhat intelligent person, but I cannot tell you how many times I went into a room and flipped the light switch, opened my microwave door, turned on our water faucet, (our pump on our underground well is operated by electricity), and, yes, turned on my radio. I knew that we had no connection, but I just kept doing it anyway. We live on Old Durant Road, and our entire system was down from Durant to half way to Kosciusko. No, we were not the only customers of Entergy that was in the dark, heat and misery but at the time my spoiled self imagined I was, and I complained.
We had a gas generator, Praise the Lord, and it kept our three refrigerators, a freezer one lamp, a charger for our phones, and thank goodness a big fan going.
Just with that, I realize how fortunate we were but I still complained. Of course, we ate cheese and crackers, peanut butter and crackers, sandwiches and just snacks for days with the exception of going to Sonic a time or two. Remember, I am the picture of a 1950s housewife, supper on the table at the same time, one meat, two vegetables, a starch, bread and dessert and cold sweet ice tea, without fail, every night. Well, I sure got a good break from cooking, but my husband said he nearly starved. I think he made it just fine.
We got our electricity back three days after the first outage for one day only and then out again for three more days. This was mean to just tease me like this. I called the outage in on the third day of the second outage and was told we were back up and running. Well, I was surely not running, and my power was sure OUT! I was sitting in my rocking chair, I'm sure complaining, and my husband walked in and said, “Why you sitting in the dark?” The little lamp we had in our bathroom was burning bright, and I had not even realized, so I guess I was getting accustomed to life without power.
Growing up, I spent lots of time with my grandparents who had no lights, no running water and an out house. I thought this was great. The water was drawn from a deep well in the front yard with a big wooden bucket hanging by a rope. I can still remember how fresh and cold it tasted sitting in a big bucket at the end of my grandmother’s porch with “community” dipper inside the big white enameled bucket. Best water I have ever tasted. I loved the nighttime with the oil lamps and the shadows they threw on the walls and the smell of the burning oil. Why did I even think running to the outside “John” was fun? But, now I can’t live in the darkness with no air, no lights, no refinements in which I have grown accustomed. Oh yes, I am spoiled.
I’ve heard it said, and I have even said it myself, “Oh how I wish we could go back to the good old days.” Really? Remember no lights, no cool air conditioning, no inside bathrooms and none of the niceties that I so enjoy. Believe me, I am living in the good old days!
There is one thing you can make with no power — home made ice cream in a crank ice cream maker.
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup or milk
¼ teaspoon salt
5 egg yolks
2 cups half and half
3/4 teaspoon really good vanilla extract
Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar till smooth and mix all ingredients and cook over heat just until a simmer. Let cool and pour into the tub of your ice cream maker. Layer with crushed ice and rock salt and crank until the ice cream is frozen. You can tell by how hard the crank is to turn. You can also add fruit to the ice cream mixture after the simmer. Delicious.
