The Ice Storm

I guess no one in NH was really prepared for such a storm. We lost power on Thursday, the 11th. After eight days without electricity, we were restored around midnight last night, Friday the 19th. Going around and talking to everyone who has lost power in New Hampshire, Dave and I came to realize that in this situation, we are at a real advantage. Having no power at the shack is not largely different from normal shack life. We had already figured out our water, cooking, and heating problems months ago. So, here the shack is: warm and toasty, we can cook on the propane stove easily, and we were stocked with water for drinking and washing as well. The only big difference was that we needed candles to see at night.

It really did not make that much difference from the way we've now been living for months now! I must say that it was even MORE charming in here cooking, eating, and reading by candle light.

The biggest downside was that Dave could not stay here. He had a lot of work to do and could not accomplish any programming without electricity or the internet. So, he was in Vermont working at the office for the majority of our blackout. He did come home yesterday in time to enjoy one of our rustic nights in the shack.

I spent the week decorating the shack for Christmas and reading Gone With the Wind. Now that the power is back on, I can post to the blog and see what is going on with the rest of the world, but I already miss the rustic peace and quiet of a world without the hum of electricity.

For the amount of time that we were without power, there really wasn't that much damage around here from the ice storm. I took some obligatory photos of the most impressive damage. The biggest limb that fell down around us hit our mailbox. Don't worry, the mailbox was just fine.

Waking up on Friday morning, the sound of cracking branches got me out of bed to see what was going on. I stood outside listening to branches breaking and falling throughout the woods. I could stand in one place and just watch branches come crashing down. Lucky, the Shack and all the camps around us were just fine.

Being unable to go to work that morning, I traipsed over to my parent's house to see if they had made it home from their "film-makers shindig" the night before. Of course they were fine. We wandered out into the freezing rain to get a good look at the destruction around the lake.

The driveways were a mess of bowed over birch trees. It seems that Mom and Dad got caught in one here.

We continued on down the road and wondered if perhaps it was the end of civilization and we were the only ones left.

Then a few cars went by and we were disappointed that the adventure was not quite as drastic as we had imagined.

What we did find was that the power was out everywhere, and from what we could tell, it would be some time before it came back on. What fun. There really is nothing quite so exciting as a test of our mettle like this. How would we fare in such circumstances for such a long time?! Quite well, in fact. With Dave out of town for the duration of the adventure, Mom and Dad and I took turns hosting candle-lit dinners at our houses. We sat on the couch and stared out at the lake at the few lights we could see from other people's candles (or generators.) We discussed life and pondered great mysteries. We debated the pros and cons of different flashlight models. We enjoyed our situation immensely.

Rebbecca, my sister-in-law, and my nieces came over to my parents for a night because without electricity their house was cold. We drank wine and stared out across the lake some more.

But, now that the power is back on, we have yet another fortuitous reprieve from the outside world because we are in the middle of a blizzard. For those of you who don't live in New England, I tell you, you are missing out on a luscious and rustic lifestyle that just can't happen anywhere else. These are the few times when the outside world is not always pressing in and forcing you to commute, make money, and be on time.

Today, we are celebrating the Winter Solstice with the family and will be going on a horse-drawn sleigh ride this afternoon in the snow. Happy Solstice - the light is coming back.