Whew!

This past weekend I went up to MO to visit the folks, and to help care for a sick relative. And to experience electricity. I have to admit, part of my motivation was a break from the juice-less Homestead. A week and a half without modern conveniences will wear on anyone born in this most sissified time in world history.

As I got closer and closer to home, I instantly noticed yard lights on and bright windows spread out over the hills as if the stars themselves fell out of the sky. Seeing so many lights after so many days of darkness, it actually LOOKED like the population could be Nancy Pelosi's 500 million.

Could it BE? I got closer and closer to our house, and the neighbor's houses down our road were ALL lit. Should I dare hope? I sped down our road, hoping against hope, to be greeted by the BRIGHT SHINE of lights. I was not dissappointed. With a whoop loud enough to be heard in the next county, I happily unloaded the car under the bright shine of the yard light. I couldn't even muster any irritation at the fact that hubby must be trying to make up for the electric we didn't use the past 12 days by having nearly every light in the house on.

We are LIT.

A big fat THANK YOU to North Arkansas Electric for getting our power back on last night! I've never stared at a light bulb with such fascination before. It's wonderful to watch PBR bull riding with other lights on, and without the drone of the generator. I actually ran the coffee maker AND the microwave AT THE SAME TIME. I used the dryer and got fluffy warm towels in return. I fried eggs on the stove. I just *might* bake a pie in celebration.

This whole experience has really illustrated the fact that if at all possible, you really shouldn't put all your energy eggs in one basket. Dependence feels awful...sitting here waiting for the power to come on, and yet being able to do nothing to help ourselves. Nothing like a feeling of utter helplessness to prod a person into action. It's definately past time to look into a wood stove or fireplace, solar panels, generators, and other alternative ways to make life easier when the electric goes out. I plan to do some research and scour my old issues of Mother Earth News for ideas and options for stepping a little off the grid.

The smell and feel of spring is definately in the air, even though this is a "false" spring...it's bound to get cold again soon. I actually walked outside this morning to feed the chickens and other critters in a SHORT sleeved shirt! For my plant's sake, I do...*long sigh*...hope we go back to seasonal temperatures. Until then, I'm really going to enjoy it.