After meeting my brother to drop off Kaycie, we headed back up to Christie Lake on Wednesday. As soon as we arrived, we began to cover up the boats. The Weather Channel showed that a large storm was heading our way.
And boy, did it hit.
The wind was fierce and the lake water swirled in all directions. I was a bit afraid that it was going to turn into a tornado like the storm we had in the early eighties that overturned boats and downed trees. Back then, the power was out for nearly a week and we had no electric.
In the middle of this storm, the power went out. Mom and Dad ran around getting the kerosene lamps and camping lights. Mom brought out one lamp that was her mother’s lamp– almost a hundred years old– and we lit that as well.
The storm finally settled down. We sat around talking with my cousins, waiting to see if the electric would come back on. Mom told stories about how she grew up without electric as a kid. After an hour, Dad went outside to hook up the generator. The generator operates the kitchen light, fridge, water pump and the microwave so “roughing it” was a bit exaggerated for our situation. We used candles and flashlights in the bathrooms and even redirected the electric to watch TV later.
Dad called the electric company and found out that the electric was going to be out until Saturday night at eleven p.m. My brother and his wife decided to go and rent a camper for the weekend and they came up on Thursday. We took out fish and ended up with a big fish fry that night with potatoes on the grill. Later, I used the grill to warm up water for baths for my Mom, cousin and sister. After the third round of baths, we quit. The kids braved a cold shower. I decided to wait until the morning.
So early this morning, I jumped into a very, very cold shower. “Who needs coffee,” I announced when I came down. “A cold shower works much better!”
A few hours later, the electric came back on. The nice thing about going without electric is that it makes you appreciate it so much more when it comes back on.
So Happy 4th of July to everyone– embrace your electric today!
Comments
4 responses to “Roughing it at Christie Lake”
This one made me smile – we don’t know how much we need electricity until we’re without it. Then, only then, do we understand how much we take it for granted.
Why, my entire house operates on electricity! Every single thing in there uses Thomas Edison’s invention, or was it the he just invited the light bulb?
WHO was it that invented electricity, per sey? Makes me wonder who it was if Thomas Edison didn’t do it.
Stephen Hopsons last blog post..End of the Week Gratitude Theme #35
Don’t worry. In our life time, we shall go back to those good old days of no electricity, piped water and heaters. We will ride in horse drawn carts and life will become a nice slow paced gentle journey like our grand parents had.
rummusers last blog post..Customer Service – Quality
[…] The week started out with Steven’s baseball team’s championship win. No sooner did we arrive back up in Michigan and the storm clouds began to roll in. We covered up the boats just before the skies let loose with angry mix of wind and rain. The electric went out from Wednesday evening until Friday morning. […]
It sure seems like an eventful 4th of July for you and your family. I love your picture at the top of this post. Just wish you had put a bigger version of it. Wishing you goodness in all areas of your life.
BKs last blog post..Everything Happened for a Reason