Electricity is AWESOME!

We experienced a power outage yesterday due to a severe thunderstorm that zipped through our area. It rained like crazy and the wind whipped so hard that tree branches were flying around the yard. My poor potted geraniums on the front porch look pitiful today as a result. There were also tornado warnings in our area, but of course I didn't know that at the time because we didn't have power here at home. The power went out around 3pm, right about the time I'd gotten a shower and couldn't blow-dry my hair. I hate it when that happens!

The boys are dismissed from school at approximately 3:40 and normally get off the bus at around 4pm every afternoon. I decided to walk down to the bus stop with an umbrella because it was still spitting rain a little. I could have driven down to the bus stop, but my vehicle was in the garage and I could only open the garage door manually due to the fact that it runs on electricity, which we didn't have at the time. I hate it when that happens too. I seem to be totally inept at opening the garage door manually and it makes me feel so very competent.

I walked to the bus stop and stood around for the longest time as traffic zoomed past and people stared at me as if I had two heads. They probably knew what I didn't know, which was the fact that our school system was holding the kids at school until the tornado warnings were no longer in effect. In the meantime, I'm waiting for my kids (who don't get home until 5pm) outside, all the while completely unaware that tornados have supposedly been sighted. A neighbor happened to come out of his house and upon talking to him for a mere 10 seconds, I was brought up to speed on the current situation. DUH... Again... I had no power at home and therefore couldn't check the weather on TV or on the internet. I suppose I could have sat in my truck in the garage to listen to the radio. I finally found an old boom box (Yeah, we still have one of those gigantic pieces of electronic equipment) and put some batteries in it so I could listen to the weather reports.

I thought about picking up the kids at school, but then remembered the garage door having to be opened manually and changed my mind. I figured it was a madhouse at the school and parents driving to the school might just make things even more chaotic. Plus it occurred to me that I might arrive at the school only to discover my kids' bus had already left. I called the school just to check on the status of the buses and was told one had already left and the others should be leaving soon. So I stayed put.

The boys were in high spirits when they came home. Chaos and severe weather seems to bring that out in my kids. It's like they were on a sugar high or something. I started thinking about those teachers, administrators and bus drivers who were faced with putting up with those kids quite a bit longer than normal and I could envision them all going home and hitting the bottle.

Homework was done quickly because daylight was slipping away due to the fact that it was 5pm and another storm was rolling in. Thankfully we have a gas stove and I was able to cook dinner with no problem. The phones were working too, although we obviously were unable to use our portable phones, which I had to explain to my children. They didn't know we couldn't use them because they are powered by electricity, to which my oldest son said, "Stinkin' portables!" The way he said it was so funny. Trust me, you had to be there.

The boys decided to watch a DVD on their portable player, which we can run on batteries. Luckily it was charged up. The little man asks if we can pop a bag of popcorn. Hmmm... let's see... No, we can't do that because the microwave runs off of electricity! He was NOT happy.

I was beginning to think about the possibility of being without power for the remainder of the night and I was concerned about our refrigerater/freezer items. We have a generator for emergencies, but do you think I know anything about how to use it? I DO NOT! By the way, I haven't mentioned it yet, but my husband is out of town this week, which is nearly always the case when we experience inclement weather. It's like Murphy's Law for us. We can be assured of being apart when these things happen. So I called my husband to get directions on how to use the generator in case I need it. He tells me to check the gas gauge. I do, and I discover it's almost empty. Imagine that! I need to go get gas and the gas pumps up the street probably aren't working because they... you guessed it... run off of electricity!

While my husband and I were talking, the electricity suddenly came back on. Hallelujah! The boys shouted for joy and I breathed a sigh of relief. I still went to get gas for the generator, just in case the power went out again, which, by the way, it did not. We slept with flashlights beside our beds too, but didn't need them. I know being without electricity for a measly 5 hours is NOT a big deal. We were safe and dry and everything was fine. But I'll have to say I missed the electricity more than I dreamed possible. We truly take it for granted! Everything I went to do yesterday, be it turning on a light, drying my wet hair or using the microwave, required the use of electricity. I'll just go on the record and say, and you can quote me here, electricity is AWESOME!