Christmas in the dark...

We had an ice storm last Sunday. We made preparations in case we lost power, but all was well. On Monday morning I was at work and my neighbor called, they had lost power at 9:00 AM and wondered how we were. I put the thought out of my mind until I got home and found that our little house was shrouded in darkness.

Luckily we have plenty of oil lamps, candles and flashlights. We put them to good use.

Our daughter arrived that night to a dark neighborhood and lots of Central Maine Power trucks working on our road. We woke on Christmas Eve to find the umbilical cord that attaches our home to electricity was still lifeless. Rachel and I tidied up the house, I cleaned out the pony stall and the chicken coop, then we went into town and grabbed a bite of lunch and did a little last minute shopping. We wore our flashing Christmas ornament earrings, and walked hand in hand, wishing everyone we met a Merry Christmas. It was great fun.

Then we got home and did what everyone does when they have no electricity. We had friends over for supper!



The house was pretty warm with the wood stove going, and we so many candles burning that a neighbor called to ask if we had our power back on because our house looked so bright when they drove by. And Chris cooked the most amazing meal. Here was the menu: a standing rib roast of beef, a locally raised ham, sauteed mushrooms, baked potatoes, garlic bread and asparagus. We cooked everything either on top of the wood stove or on the grill outside. That roast? Magnificent! We had a lovely, laughter punctuated meal with our friends.

The thermometer dipped down to 5F during the night, and I was very worried about our pipes freezing. Chris to the rescue again... he put a propane heater in the basement. Christmas dawned extra cold, but the house was cozy and warm. I milked the goat by the light of my trusty flash light.



Outside the world was awash in rainbows and crystal.
Inside... still no electricity.



Not a problem! Pancakes and left over ham (from the night before) on the wood stove.



And then... the knights in armor on orange trucks were outside. Again. Next, the lights were on, the water running, the heat working. A lovely Christmas miracle!



Arctic blast and no electricity? Not a problem. We were warm, cozy, well fed and happy at Christmas. It was a wonderful holiday.