So, I was reflecting on the recent power outage that we lived through - and Harry and Dawn are still living through - and I was thinking that we were able to cover most of our bases - Dad brought in the propane stove - he even figured out how to make toast with the cast iron skillet. And I could boil water for tepid baths - but baths nonetheless. (Dad did cold showers - not my forte!!)
I figured I could do laundromats if it came to that - but if it was a situation where the whole town was without power, we did have running water, so we could have washed by hand if we ran low. (We do all have lots of clothes - probably more than we need!!)
Of course, we had candles, flashlights, even a hand-crank flashlight. Someone told us about taking the solar lamps people have in their yards and bringing them in at night to light up your house.
We are fortunate to live in a temperate climate, so even though the house was a chilly 59 degrees, that is not unbearable with a sweatshirt or two. And our down comforters did the job - especially when we added a warm quilt on top.
We could play board games - but Dad and I opted to charge my portable DVD player in the truck and we snuggled up in bed to watch movies. It was fun.
My friend has a hand-crack cell-phone charger - another handy item for the emergency preparedness closet. And if you have a car charger for your smart phone, you can even keep up on Facebook - as long as you can get internet access.
But I was wondering about hand-crank hair dryers. I could figure out how to wash my hair - and I don't have so much hair that it wouldn't air dry. They do make propane curling irons too.j But my hair really depends on blow drying to look the way I want it to look.
So I joked about a hand-crank hair dryer. Then I googled "battery-powered hair dryers." They do exist - but they have to be plugged into a car outlet. And the car has to be running. The Q/A section explained that hair dryers require too much power to make them truly battery powered. But I'm thinking one attached to a running car is a solution anyway.
And they are cheap. So I may experiment!
If not, as long as there are towns that have power, there may a beauty salon open where you can go get your hair dried!!
Long hair may be the answer though - but that's a little extreme.
I'm going to hope the next big windstorm waits a decade or two to return!!
I figured I could do laundromats if it came to that - but if it was a situation where the whole town was without power, we did have running water, so we could have washed by hand if we ran low. (We do all have lots of clothes - probably more than we need!!)
Of course, we had candles, flashlights, even a hand-crank flashlight. Someone told us about taking the solar lamps people have in their yards and bringing them in at night to light up your house.
We are fortunate to live in a temperate climate, so even though the house was a chilly 59 degrees, that is not unbearable with a sweatshirt or two. And our down comforters did the job - especially when we added a warm quilt on top.
We could play board games - but Dad and I opted to charge my portable DVD player in the truck and we snuggled up in bed to watch movies. It was fun.
My friend has a hand-crack cell-phone charger - another handy item for the emergency preparedness closet. And if you have a car charger for your smart phone, you can even keep up on Facebook - as long as you can get internet access.
But I was wondering about hand-crank hair dryers. I could figure out how to wash my hair - and I don't have so much hair that it wouldn't air dry. They do make propane curling irons too.j But my hair really depends on blow drying to look the way I want it to look.
So I joked about a hand-crank hair dryer. Then I googled "battery-powered hair dryers." They do exist - but they have to be plugged into a car outlet. And the car has to be running. The Q/A section explained that hair dryers require too much power to make them truly battery powered. But I'm thinking one attached to a running car is a solution anyway.
And they are cheap. So I may experiment!
If not, as long as there are towns that have power, there may a beauty salon open where you can go get your hair dried!!
Long hair may be the answer though - but that's a little extreme.
I'm going to hope the next big windstorm waits a decade or two to return!!
2 comments:
It is amazing how much we rely on electricity isn't it?
We did more than one power outage in KC due to ice storms. One thing is for sure, you get to clean out your fridge! I also learned to dump out any ice or it make a mess. I relied on my gas fireplace to keep warm> Leslie
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