I am sprawled out on the couch, ceiling fan on full throttle overhead, AC set at a cool 68 degrees. Between loud sighs, I have mumbled a bit of "Thank you, Memphis Light, Gas and Water," some "I love you, Thomas Edison," and "God, if you need me to live in a third world country with no electricity, I will do it, but your grace must abound...times a million."
We have been without power for 48 hours after a routine summer thunderstorm that wiped out electricity in a good chunk of midtown. Unfortunately, I had just returned from my first-ever overnight trip away from my boys. I was relaxed, rejuvenated, and rested. This little glitch in the system totally killed my buzz, y'all.
Before having a child, a power outage was a slightly annoying, slightly exciting time. But with the nursery registering at 85 degrees, with no power to run a fan, we really did need to get out of here. Of course we have wonderful friends with whom to store our frozen goods and lay our sweaty heads (thanks, Marcus and Tiffany!), but hauling your baby, your dog, your groceries, your stuff, and your sticky self back and forth between houses multiple times (since we mistakenly hoped for power yesterday!) gets a little cumbersome.
Then there's also the fact that while my baby would fall asleep in a warm house, he wouldn't stay asleep because it turns out he has a slight addiction to the fan that usually runs in his room and drowns out the noises from the neighbors. Enter the Homedics Sound Spa Portable Sound Machine. Pregos out there, add it to your baby registry. Mamas out there, buy it. People who just love a good night sleep to the soothing sounds of the rainforest, you're invited too.
Heat kinda makes you crazy. And it really makes you crazy when accompanied by a whining, sweaty baby. And when the going gets tough, the tough get Praise Baby. Running the last bit of juice out of the Mac was well worth the thirty minutes that I laid on the floor in my underwear humming "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee."
Check out my rad blackout movie time set up...lap top in the armoire = entertainment system!
All sarcastic joking (ok, you caught me...complaining) aside, it really wasn't so bad, but I am very thankful for the modern conveniences that electricity provides. Air conditioning, a microwave, a dishwasher, a washer and dryer, ceiling fans, internet service, lighting, a hair dryer, an oven (thank goodness for a gas stove!), a DVD player to buy me the occasional break. Those things sure do make my life easier, and I completely forget that the majority of mothers throughout the history of the world have raised children without them. I'm sure I could too. But I'm certainly glad I don't have to!
What modern convenience would you go nutty without?
4 comments:
we went without AC at my office last week for a couple days. Our thermometer registered at an oppressive 90 degrees. 82 was just fine. 84 started to get bad. And above that was miserable. I was irritable, frustrated, and not a happy camper. The cooler (ha - no pun intended) part was when our internet and printer also quit working. Now, tell me how productive you can be. UGH. All that to say, I feel your pain. AC is my big one. I learned that on our mission trip to Guatemala recently when these people lived without it. It amazed me and made me so thankful.
Sorry for the longest comment ever. Ha.
~Kathryn
Oh, wow! Ours was only out from 2-6:30pm.
But just so you'll know for future reference, if you message the MLG&W facebook page w/ your address, they'll give you almost an exact ETA of when your power will be back on. That way you won't have to keep returning to check. :)
Good grief, what a crazy 48 hours that must have been! It's amazing how much I depend on electronics...yikes. I'd have to say that not having A/C would probably top my list right now...seeing that I'm perpetually hot and sweaty these days. ;) Glad things are cooling down in your neck of the woods!
Modern plumbing . . . I must have it. On the other hand, I'm not sure that we could survive this 105 degree Texas heat without a fan at the very least. Glad you have electricity back.
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