Living without Electricity
Posted: Monday, October 18, 2010
by Dianne Lehmann
Artisan Jewelry from SyZyGy
It wasn't for long but it happened right before the sun went down. We slept through half of it because the power came back on around midnight. I know because I was awake with a cat purring on my chest, having just had a hot flash. So I heard the cordless phone base beep and opened my eyes to see the night light glowing along with the green light on the wired-in smoke detector. Apparently the little green light doesn't work when it is running only on battery power.
I do like a hot drink in the evening though. I settled for a tepid drink made from my instant roasted, wheat-free grain beverage and the hottest water that would come out of the tap. Sounds yummy doesn't it. Wasn't too bad actually. Bernd had cold chocolate soy milk and a bowl of dry cereal along with a peach. But that was after we took the walk. It was actually still a bit lighter outside than it was in the house at that point. But we took our flashlights because soon it would be full dark.
Lots of people were out walking in the dark. And it was really dark, solar yard lights not withstanding. You don't realize just how much light "bleeds" out of the houses around you until the electricity goes away. And it was quiet. Really, really quiet, except for the folks driving around trying to determine the extent of the power outage. We received a report from one kind individual and learned that the local Maverick (gasoline and mini-market) also did not have power. There went Bernd's idea of a nice hot bean burrito. Yum. Can you hear the sarcasm?
It's amazing how much general noise using electricity makes. There is the buzz of lighting as well as the whir of fans in air conditioners and exhaust fans for dryers and bathrooms. And while all of these things (well not the air conditioners) go on indoors, the sound still finds its way into the ambient atmosphere. I guess you could say that this general hum is the hallmark of out modern society.
When we returned home, I got out some tea lights and lit them. I put them on a plate on the kitchen counter and that was our food preparation lighting. We found our battery powered camping lantern and put it in the living room. And we each kept a personal flashlight with to us. Bernd tried to read for a while using a book light that seemed to only want to fall apart. I tried to figure how to hold my flashlight, book of Sudokus and a pencil all at the same time trying to solve a Sudoku. Clamping the flashlight under my chin soon led to a stiff neck. I did manage to solve one but I had to become a contortionist for about ten minutes to do it.
We went to bed a little earlier than usual because there just wasn't anything to do. We'd talked about our respective day's events on the walk and while sitting in the semi-dark, didn't feel like trying to play a game (although several of the houses we walked by had game-players in them; we could hear dice rolling and other sorts of indicators) and the reading just wasn't working out for Bernd. The computer wouldn't work. The battery back up had apparently completely discharged between me getting into the shower upon arriving home from a dusty day with the horses and getting out of the shower. Honestly, I didn't think I took more than a 15 minute shower ever and the brochure for the backup said it lasted a half an hour. The microwave couldn't be used to heat up the nice plate of Canadian Thanksgiving Day food I had brought home from the owner of the horses I work with for Bernd to eat for dinner. Luckily, I only had to deal with it for a couple of hours.
The problem with contemplating living without electricity is that so much of our lives are centered on its existence. If we didn't have it at all, ever, we would have other ways of doing everything and that would be the norm. But for most of us (Navajos living on the Big Rez might have a different view of it however), having electricity is the norm. It's how we live and operate. So when it goes away for a while, we really feel it. Some folks, we could tell by the sounds we heard (sounds that weren't drowned out by all the things that run off of electricity), took the opportunity to have a little party and take a break from doing all the normal things you do in an evening. Others were standing in their yards and talking with their neighbors. Others must have done as we did and found an early bed.
When the electricity came back on, I noticed all sorts of little noises around me. There was the refrigerator working through its cooling cycle. I discovered that my alarm clock makes a very small and almost not noticeable buzz. The neighbor's hot tub took up its noisy machinations once again and there was a general overall burr of noise just at the edge of my senses.
Could I live without electricity if I had to? Probably. Would I want to? I don't think so. But a break from it every now and then wouldn't be bad and might even be good. For sure, it would be a lot quieter.
This Article has been viewed 2,786 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
More commentsNice and smooth article. I thought just now about times when the electricity stopped here, guessing that we all rest a bit but when we figure out that the electricity wont come soon, we start to think more than ever of ways, i think you will like to see this picture, of african children studying outside next to streetlightsHi Kim.
Our electricity doesn't go out much, but when it does, it makes me glad that I keep a few candles in the house and battery powered flashlights. We Americans are certainly pampered. I never had to sit out on the curb to study; our house had electricity. But we didn't have a phone when I was really little and then when we did get one, there was no way to dial it and it was a party line shared with other homes. My mom grew up using an outhouse and had no indoor plumbing. So we are not all that far removed in time from the situations in which others live now. Guess I'm trying to justify America's abundance. Sometimes when I look at how people live in other countries, I feel a bit guilty. Especially when I am bemoaning the loss of electricity for a few hours. Oh well.
Thanks for reading and commenting. I always like to get different perspectives on an issue.
Hugs,
Dianne
You described the setting so well Dianne, I could picture it. I understood what you felt. We did the walk-about after a storm, the electricity was out, trees and wires down. Neighbours had gathered, and except for the chatter it was eerie and quiet. I would not like to go without power for long. We went a day and a night after the storm, but luckily it was in the summer when we could barbeque and stay warm outside.Hi Brianna.
Does it actually ever get warm in Canada? :) But then, warm is a relative term ... right?
The longest I've personally ever gone without electricity was four days and it was a mess. I wasn't working at the time, but Bernd was and getting him ready in the morning was a chore. Also fixing any kind of food for dinner was a trial. We did have a small hibachi at the time. Just about big enough for one large chicken breast. Made for some interesting eating.
But, you know, I actually like the quiet. You can hear the wind in the trees and the little insects. You can hear yourself breathe. It's peaceful.
Anyway, thanks for stopping by and giving me a bit of your power outage story.
Hugs,
Dianne
Serenity falls on you like a heavy foot. You look around and wonder what the noise is in your head. It's just the sound of nothing else being powered. It's a way I could get used to if I didn't have much other things to do.Hi Christofer.
That's kind of how I feel about it too. But in our busy, electricity powered lives, we tend to forget about that. The reminders can be sweet, but inconvenient. :)
Thanks so much for reading and commenting.
Hugs,
Dianne
Yeah Dianne, what would we do without electricity? It does make our lives a lot more comfortableHi David.
What would we do without electricity? Having had it for so long, if we were suddenly without it for all time we would probably cry a while. But then we would buckle down and figure out how to get on with our lives. But I'll be honest, as much as I think we are adaptable to just about anything, I would really rather that would not happen.
Thanks for reading and commenting, David.
Hugs,
Dianne
In the last year, I remember my mom telling me there was some big storm and she was without power for like a week (this is in the Midwest). How annoying. My dad is out in the country and when the power goes, so does the water... which means he can't even use the toilet. How annoying. But I suppose it is a good idea to go camping or backpacking every so often to remind us of living without all the frills and luxuries that we have become so used to over time. Plus, we can see the stars, and as you said, it is so much more quiet, which brings with it a certain degree of serenity. Maybe some people should purposely go without power every so often, for its therapeutic power. Less electric power can mean more communicative power (playing old school games as a family). Although, I suppose these days people would still be texting and using their blackberries even in a power outage. (dammit) Well, who am I kidding. As Tim the tool man Taylor once said, "MORE POWER grunt grunt grunt!!!"Hi B2C.
If our electricity stays out too long, we end up without water as well. There are two big tanks up on the ridge that service our community through gravity. It takes electricity, though, for the pumps to get the water up into the tanks. People get stupid and don't think about that. They just think about the electricity being off and go on doing their laundry and running their dishwasher and then next thing you know your toilet won't flush. Was that a rant? I think that was a rant. :)
I've actually given some thought to giving electricity one night off a week in our house. Well sort of. I wouldn't shut off the fridge, but we'd have to do everything else without using electricity. I'm not sure Bernd would go for it though.
There were a lot of nice thoughts in your comment, but as you yourself pointed out, not much of it is very likely.
Thanks for your thoughts and for reading my article.
Hugs,
DianneI'm responding to my own response. It was silly to say that they run their dishwashers and whatever. Duh! The problem is taking showers and baths and doing dishes by hand. I can be silly sometimes. And anal. Why else would I read a response I'd made over again.
I'm really enjoying your home travelogues. I get the feeling of modern Prescott without having to go there. During WWII I spent two summers in Aripine, AZ, near Snow Flake. I was an out rider on a small cattle ranch when I was 15 & 16. Those were two summers I'll never forget, made a city boy into a man. Most people don't realize how much forest AZ has. It was great, there was lots of desert too. I remember spending so much time on a horse that I used to get off and walk, giving both of us a rest. There was no electric at all on the range. Campfires served for light, cooking and warmth
You live in a nice area of the world.
OOOOO's
BobHi Bob.
Home travelogues? Hmmm? Nice way to think of them.
AZ does indeed have a lot of forest. I am completely blown away by some of the views going north on the I-17 to Flagstaff. I've never been to Snow Flake, but I hear it is beautiful. I envy you your range experience. And you did it at the perfect age to be doing it ... to my mind. Young enough that the legs still work after a day in the saddle, but not so old that you think you'd rather be doing anything but what you were doing.
I love the forest but I love the desert too. Especially the high desert with its pinon pines, narrow leaf yuccas, mesquite and manzanita. The prickly pear cactus go dormant in the winter and turn this really lovely shade of violet. The coyote squash dry out (the ones that don't get eaten) and you can collect them and paint them up as ornaments. I do indeed live in a very nice corner of this earth.
Hugs,
Dianne
I enjoyed your story very much. You seem to take being without power like a grain of salt. I've never given much thought to being without power so I guess I've been pretty lucky. I'm sure I would survive I just wouldn't want to have to.Hi Linda.
It certainly changes how you think about things. And while it really didn't bother me too much, I wouldn't want to live without it either. Besides, I was certain that it would come back eventually.
It makes things like washing and drying clothes so much easier and faster. When I was little we had an electric clothes washer with a hand ringer on top and the dryer was the clothes line. It took my mom all day on Mondays to do the laundry for a family of four. Imagine how long it would take if every item had to be washed by hand. Yikes!
I'm glad that you enjoyed it!
Hugs,
Dianne
My entire home runs on electricity--no gas. Even a well pump for our well water--toilets etc. I live in area that has lots of snowstorms and with them at times, power outages. The worst one lasted three days. That's three days without a shower, heat, fish aquarium filter, stove etc. We felt like we were dying. Found that I am spoiled rotten. When the power came on I felt like I had been saved, and I'm not kidding. Great article topic!Hi Steve.
I'm not sure I could have coped with that. I might have packed everything up (including the fish!) and headed for somewhere they had electricity. :) I can't imagine how you managed it. Really.
Reading that, I'm grateful that our outages only last a few hours most of the time.
Thanks for reading and commenting. It really helps to put it into perspective.
Hugs,
Dianne
You haven't been tent camping lately, have you? GRIN. Sure can see a lot of stars without electricity - we ended up with 2 microwaves (one free and one installed in the cabinetry of the kitchen) the free one died after 7 years - I was going to do without and have only one - that lasted for about 4 days before I invested in another - yep, I have both running at the same time a lot of the time....I think we are spoiled?Hi Marijo.
Nope. I haven't been tent camping in a long while. But I don't have two microwaves. (Small amount of self-satisfaction there. Big Grin) I love my microwave, but I try to organize meal prep to make use of just the one and the range top. I rarely use the regular oven. Just not much into baking.
Oh ... we are definitely spoiled. Nice, isn't it.
Hugs,
Dianne
--
Dianne,
Of course, power outages have happened to me too. Every time it does, I have the same thought, "How did the early pioneers ever manage?" Their whole day must have been just trying to survive. How did they ever get time to build cities?
RonHi Ron.
Wow! You had to dig deep to find this one. :)
And I do think the early pioneers spent their entire day just trying to make it to the next day. But then too, maybe things moved a little slower. I could do without the hectic hurry up that we've got going these days. Probably, I'm just romanticizing something I know nothing about. :)
Thanks for reading!
Hugs,
Dianne
More comments
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.