Today I lived like the Amish for three hours. The ice storm knocked out the electricity. We had candles and three Kerosene lamps that we used. I made oatmeal with raisins on top of the stove and we drank tea instead of coffee. I had a gallon of water that was not in the refrigerator, so I didn’t have to open the refrigerator at all.

When the power came back on I refilled the Kerosene lamps with oil. One lamp ran out. I also washed the chimneys. My husband suggested we pick up another one the next time we are out shopping. The thing I missed was my coffee. Tea just didn’t cut it! I think I would rather buy a camping coffee pot, instead of another Kerosene lamp.

I still have not opened the door to the refrigerator. I want it to cool down to its normal temperature. According to the radio, the food will stay good for up to four hours, if the door is not opened.

That’s another thing…radios. We had a battery operated radio to listen for school closings. Three of the four school buildings in our town were without power. We keep batteries in our electric clock radios. We laughed when the radio turned on in the bedroom and we realized it was our alarm.

What woke us up was a plug-in CO2 detector. I squawks when the power goes out. The power flicked four times and it let us know each time. I unplugged it before I lit a candle so my kids could keep sleeping.