We experienced our first official power outage with children last Thursday, the night many devastating storms swept across Minnesota. The sky became sepia-toned and ominous. The wind picked up and a neighbor's tree branch fell on a wire and *ZAP* everything went quiet. Luckily it was still light enough to locate the lone working flashlight in the house. No microwave, no stove, and I didn't want to open the freezer. "Okay kids, we're having PB&J's for dinner. They brushed their teeth by candlelight, made shadow puppets on the ceiling and read books by flashlight. The last line of Goodnight Moon seemed especially poignant on that quiet night without the buzz of electricity. "Goodnight noises everywhere..." The kids went to bed with no fuss. It was dark and all was calm. That is, until an hour later when the power came back and everything came blaring on at once.
Lights!
Radio!
Fans!
Blinking clocks!
Crying children!
We were thankful the event was merely an inconvenience. Lesson learned. We went out and bought more flashlights and batteries to prepare for the inevitable next time.
