My news and Sharon.......

[Guest guest]

Because we are out in the country, it's not unusual for our power to go out anytime of year (especially when we get a LOT of snow) so we are prepared for it ! We always have canned food in the cupboard, we have kerosene heaters my hubby uses for heat in the barn when he's working on cars so we use them in the house so we have heat in a few rooms and they are great places to set a pot of stew or soup on top of so we also use them to cook with. Because I make soaps & candles, we always have candles and the lantern we have for camping gives LOTS of light and heat too. We keep all our camping gear in marked totes in the storage room so when the power goes out, we get out the totes and 'camp' at home. We get our water from a well and have a generator for that and can also 'plug the house into the generator' so that the fridge and freezers can keep running. Sometimes we leave the freezers out in the barn unplugged and plug in the TV. Because of my MS, I am so sensitive to temps so we have a/c for our bedroom in the summer and hubby makes sure that we have kerosene on hand all winter in case the power goes out. Last week, we were without power for almost 2 days because wire had come loose from the pole. We were the only ones affected. Since we are the last house on a dead end road, we are the only house connected to this pole. A couple of years ago, the pole was hit by lightening during a rain storm and the meter on our house blew up ! There are still scorch & burn marks on the bricks. I happened to be looking right at the transformer on the pole when it was hit - talk about a light show !!! Sparks were everywhere !! Blue light/fire/sparks shot out of the outlets - there is still black marks on the wall in 1 room from it. Had to get all new covers for the outlets - every one was either charred and/or partly melted from it. When the meter blew up, the house shook - and this is a BIG house (9 rooms) and the oldest section is nearly 200 years old. It takes a lot to shake this house !

a .......... in Michigancoming soon - Farm Fresh Soaps and Candles.com !!!

Hey Sharon!

Luckily we had several water jugs in the garage that were still sealed so we used them for drinking. The biggest problem was staying warm, which a regular fireplace is almost useless. If we stay here we will get an insert. Also with as much rain as we get, we need a rain barrel, so we can have water to at least flush the toilets. We have a lake one house over, and Steve took a big bucket down there, and what he went thru to get to it was a comedy of errors. He is as bad off as I am pain-wise, he can move better than me, but he’s ready to go back on his prednisone tomorrow.

I guess you can get a marine battery and converter to use for our CPAP machines, but they are a little spendy, and tomorrow I am going to find out if my insurance will pay for them. The backup battery would need to be a rechargeable one too. The other thing would be to get a generator which we have talked about and when we can afford one I think that may be the better way to go. Our area is famous for ice storms too, and the last one we had was 2 years ago, but the power was only off during the day. We were headed for a motel that time when the power came on.

Not being able to breath was awful. It has taken a toll on me, and I hope there won’t be any long term repercussions. Sleep Apnea can cause heart problems, and I am sure that’s how I ended up with mine. I don’t think either one of us really thought too much about the after affects of such an ordeal. I have always been one to just stick it out, and do the best that I can, but now I have other things to consider. I thought of you several times living in AK, and as much as both of us have a heart to live as self sufficient as we can, MS and the other illnesses override those desires sometimes.

I have a friend who has several of my same illnesses, and she is moving to bare land in the Okanogan forest up in Washington state. I applaud her if she can do it.

Love, Jackie