Wednesday, April 12, 2023

Sunny and Warm Spring Days

Spring Roses

Monday was the warmest day we've had so far this year, with an afternoon high of almost 80F.  I actually felt warm in the afternoon, sitting in the sunshine coming through the living room window, with the quilt spread on my lap as I repaired it!  LOL.   

I walked for 15 minutes up and down the driveway, watered some of the plants in the front garden and the newly planted loquats and tomato plants in the back garden, using water I had collected in buckets while waiting for the shower water to get warm and the rain water I managed to collect.  Then, I filled the green yard waste bin with some branches that M had trimmed.  I took the yard waste bin and the trash bin to the end of the driveway to be collected on Tuesday morning.  There are a few more trimmed branches to be put into the yard waste bin, but, they need to be cut down to fit into the bin.

I had leftovers from my Easter meals for lunch (the rest of the rice and curries) and dinner (the rice, fish, and cabbage salad from neighbor S).  

Tuesday was sunny, too, but a little cooler, with a high of 72F.  I brought the emptied trash bins in, then, set my timer for 15 minutes and walked up and down the driveway and on the sidewalk in front of my house and neighbor T's house.  I am comfortable walking this little bit without a mask; I could easily step back into my garden or neighbor T's garden should another person walk by and I wanted to put some distance between us.  If I walk any further down the sidewalk, to the end of the block, for example, I'd feel the need to wear a mask.  

I was checking my blog comments in the early afternoon, when my internet connection went down.  I tried to reset the connection, but, nothing happened.  So, I decided I'll wait until my daughter got off work and then, ask her what I should do.  In the meantime, I spent the afternoon repairing the quilt.  I usually watch some online videos while I repair the quilt, but, because I didn't have the internet to amuse me, I sang while I sewed.  

It was later, in the early evening, that I realized that the power was not working properly!  The microwave indicator light was on, but, the kitchen light didn't come on and the fridge light didn't come on when I opened the door.  The TV indicator light was on, but the family room ceiling light didn't come on.  The other small ceiling light fixture in the family room came on, but, the light was very, very dim!  I checked all the lights in the rooms and some of them didn't come on and those that did, had a very dim light!  I checked the fuse box, outside, to see if any fuses had gone off, but, everything was as it should be!  I was very confused!  The stove is gas, but, the automatic ignition needs electricity; I lit the stove with the lighter I had bought for the purpose, to boil the water to make my cup of tea in the evening. .  

I cleaned the litter box and swept my bathroom while there was still some natural light and I knitted for a bit.

I was just telling my daughter about the power situation when all the power went off and nothing was working!  Including the land line which I was using to talk with my daughter!  I looked across the street and my neighbors, who had their porch lights on earlier, had also lost their power!  Fortunately, I had a fully charged cell phone, so I called my daughter on that and explained what was going on.  She checked online and said that the power company had posted that there was a power outage in my area and they were working on fixing it.  I got off the phone with my daughter as I didn't want to run down my cell phone battery (my daughter is ordering me a phone charger to have as a back up, she said). 

Then, I gathered most of my candle holders and candles and set them up on the living room mantlepiece in readiness for the evening.  I had been considering decluttering some of my candle holders because I don't really use them on a daily basis, but, I now know that I will continue to keep them for just such an event!  I have flashlights (torches), as well, but, candles are better to provide some general light.  I don't have any battery operated candles, because then you have to make sure you have batteries for them,  but, I'm thinking it might be useful to have a few of them on hand, too.  Around 8:00 p.m., I lit the candles.  There were six candles and they provided a nice glow.  Dancer no longer jumps up on to the mantlepiece, so I don't have to worry about him knocking over any candles.

Around 8:30 p.m., the power was restored and I was very happy!  I put out the candles and turned on the lights!  The internet came back on once the power was restored and daughter and I were able to have our usual nightly video chat.  I also called friend R to check on her and see if she had a power outage, but, she said her power didn't go out.  

Brunch was an egg salad sandwich, using the hard boiled Easter egg that neighbor S had given me.  Dinner was some of the leftover Easter dinner that neighbor S had given me.  

I am grateful for:

- Electricity!
- Working appliances!
- Having internet connections!
- Phone services!
- A stash of candles and candle holders!  

Today's joyful activity was turning on all the lights to check them when the power was restored!  LOL.  

Plans for Wednesday include tending to the garden with M and doing a bit of housekeeping.

How prepared are you for power outages?  Do you have a generator?  Do you have flashlights and spare batteries?  How will you keep warm if the power goes out in winter?

20 comments:

  1. How annoying that your power went off and makes us realise how much we rely on our electricity supply. Thankfully you didn't need your candles lit for long. I keep candles, holders and lighters and they've been in the cupboard for years but not needed. I've never thought of buying battery operated candles but would be an idea to have at least one, I have a few torches around the home in case of emergency. If the power went off in winter I think I would just go to bed to keep warm.

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    1. It was also a bit worrying to have the power go off because I have a fridge/freezer full of food! Fortunately, everything remained cold until the power came back on. I think having the candles, holders, etc. in one place in a cupboard is a very good idea! You know where everything is and items can be retrieved if needed. I, too, keep flashlights in every room! Staying in bed is a good way to keep warm - I'd probably pile all the blankets I have on the bed and crawl under them! :D

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  2. From one white rose to pink and yellow ones. So pretty. Glad that your power outage was fixed before you had to worry about the food in your fridge.

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    1. We had a couple of warm days and all the roses flowered at once! LOL.
      I was so relieved that the power came back on before the food in the fridge spoiled!

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  3. We have a small generator that could keep the freezer and refrigerator in the laundry room going, but would not produce enough power for much of anything else.
    If the power goes off in winter, we do have a fireplace and can close off the den, but it would never get comfortably warm. Sweaters and cold weather duds would help.

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    1. Having a small generator to keep the fridge/freezer working is a very good idea. That's good that you can have a fire in your fireplace and keep warm that way. I'd probably pile all my quilts and blankets on the bed and huddle under them! :D

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  4. You must have been relieved when the power came back on. Thank goodness you weren't without power for too long. I must confess to not being very well prepared for such emergencies. I've run low on candles, although I could always make use of my camping stove. Xx

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    1. I was very relieved when the power came back on, Jules. I didn't want to lose the contents of my fridge (the food in the freezer would have stayed cold for a longer period of time). That's good that you have a camping stove; it would come in useful during a power failure!

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  5. Those roses are a treat to behold! I discovered an old tulip sprouting in part of a flowerbed at the side of the house where the snow had only just disappeared. It seems nature is as impatient for spring as we are!
    Too bad about your power outage, but thank goodness you had a charged phone to contact your daughter so that she knew what was going on. Yesterday I was walking with a friend and her dog and the neighbour across the road joined us with her dog, then we met another neighbour and were able to discuss our recent outage. It was sunny and mild and what a treat to be out on a dry bare road for a change!

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    1. I thought you'd like to see the roses in bloom, Bushlady. :) Yay for reblooming tulips! I planted some tulips in my garden when I first moved in, but, they don't come back up the following year as it doesn't get cold enough here and I didn't dig up the bulbs to store in the fridge. I didn't want to keep buying new bulbs every year, either, as that gets to be expensive. It was the same with the daffodils, too. Only the paperwhites naturalized.
      Yes, I had a fully charged phone and computer, too, although I didn't have access to the internet. I'm thankful the power outage didn't last too long. I didn't want the food in the fridge to spoil.
      Glad you were able to meet up with some neighbors while you were out walking with your friend and her dog. I thought of you when the power went out, yesterday. :)

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  6. Well that sounds quite eventful. I'm glad the power came back quickly and that it wasn't just you having internet hassles that might have been more of a bind to fix. I have loads of candles and matches around so could manage for light in a power cut. Keeping warm would be down to blankets and duvets. Sounds like a good excuse for an early night, all told!

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    1. It felt quite eventful to me at the time! Power outages are not that common here and I was anxious about the food in the fridge. I was also very confused that some of the lights didn't work at all while others worked, but, were very dim! That's the first time that has happened. Yes, the lack of electricity is a very good reason to go to bed, early! However, after the lights came back on, I stayed up until my usual wee hours of the morning! :D

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  7. Good thing the power came on without too much delay! I only just read the comments on your post of yesterday, and found the information on the new year very interesting. Thank you for answering a question about it. It's cooler where you are than here! It hit 90 here, breaking the record! Too hot for me.

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    1. Yes, I was very happy the power came back on when it did, Celie.
      You are welcome; glad you found the information on the new year to be interesting. As I said in another reply to a comment, I never know just how much I should share about these cultural events and wait to see if anyone asks about it. I'm happy to expand on it then.
      Ooh, send me some of that warm temperatures! It has been cold today (low 60s) and tomorrow, too!

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  8. Beautiful rose photos. So cheerful! I'm glad the power wasn't out too long. It's good that you're getting out for a walk.

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    1. Thank you, Sharon. I'm so pleased to see the roses blooming. The power went out, today, too, but, not for long. I'm trying to be consistent with my walking. I had a pain in the left hip, today, so I couldn't walk with any speed, but, I strolled for 30 minutes and I'm happy with that. :)

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  9. Coincidentally we had a power outage this week too. Ours was Thursday night and lasted almost an hour from around 7-8 pm
    I looked on my phone for the outage map and saw it affected 74 people so not a large event. About 45 minutes later I heard the trucks working and could see the work lights and in no time the power came back on. We were pleased for sure.
    It's interesting about your outage with the draw down of power initially.
    How it only affected certain areas of your home and also the power you had on some things seemed lessened.
    I had purchased a strap on head light (not a big light but a small one with different levels of brightness) and it worked wonderfully for crocheting and reading.
    Always having ice cream in the freezer, I did say to my husband that we should probably eat some of it - so as not to risk it going bad :)

    Your roses are so lovely. All of the different colors are very pretty.

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    1. Glad you made sure to eat some of the ice cream before it melted, Debra! :D It's interesting to hear that you, too, had a power outage this week. I've never experienced one where some lights worked (even if dimly) and others didn't! I thought a fuse had blown, but, it hadn't. Weird!
      The strap on head light sounds interesting! Might be something to consider to include in my earthquake emergency kit!
      Thank you; I'm happy to see the roses bloom. I noticed that I've lost another rose bush - the double colored one that I liked so much. I'm debating whether to replace it or not.

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  10. Okay, I now have serious rose envy. How gorgeous - lucky you!

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    1. Thank you! The roses did really well this spring because the temperatures were on the cool side.

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