The birds had better wait to eat here…
Too cold to sit here!
My poor rosemary bush is totally encrusted!
View of the deck through branches of a small maple.
All the beauty of an ice storm comes with a price: We lose electricity.
So after we had a nice* game of Scrabble-by-candlelight, we ate a great chili dinner by the same romantic candlelight, chili which I’d cooked on our wood stove.
Then I did dishes by candlelight.
Am seriously considering doing dishes by candlelight all the time. So romantic… 😉
*I won…
Home's Cool! 
Pretty pics but I’m sure it wasn’t all that fun.
Actually, we’ve lived where the power is often interrupted and have many devices for making life easier. A source of wood heat that also functions for cooking is one of the must haves that our realtors must understand. We have many, many candles and oil lamps. We always have our flashlights in only one possible place, so we can find them in the dark.
It’s the little things that make life so fun. The candlelight makes for an unexpectedly romantic night, even giving a certain glow to seeming mundane chores such as feeding the cat. Now there’s a romantic notion—feeding the cat by candlelight! Ha!
Or toothbrushing, anyone? 😉
So sorry to hear you lost power, but wasn’t it nice to enjoy it the way you did!
Absolutely, Debbie!
Today was a snow day for my husband and we’ve been working on a jigsaw puzzle. We found one piece with writing on the back in what we think is our oldest son’s writing. It says, “John’s first puzzle piece.” We assume it is the first piece the younger brother ever found and placed on his own. Probably 25 years ago, or so. Wow.
Always some lovely thing in life if we look for it. Who would think of chili by candlelight? Games by candlelight? Everything, even bathing and just every chore, by candlelight. Not too hard, just different. And enjoyable, as you said. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by!
My kids would be so jealous. My little one keeps asking when we are going to lose electricity. He cannot wait. He was not here during the Christmas ice storm when we had no electricity or water for a week.
Hey, Sharla!
What a surprise to find you visited! WELCOME to Home’s Cool! 🙂
We try very hard to make our ephemeral electrical system not too scary to the children, but you know, during that week of ice outage (was it 14 years ago?!) my littlest was scared. I did not know it, because he was trying to be brave, but after the lights finally came back on, he said, “Thanks for all you did to keep us alive.”
I was so touched by that. Bless his heart. Yesterday, when he and his wife and little baby were without electricity, he took them to IHOP. Ha! 🙂
So glad you are able to be well-equipped when this happens. You’re not going to let a little lack of electricity get you down! Love it! Thanks for sharing your “candlelight delight” with us!
Hello, Lisa!
Thanks for the darling comment and WELCOME to Home’s Cool! 🙂
We have a great time living out of town, as we call it. Not too often we get caught off guard around here. I’m so glad you enjoyed this! Stop by again sometime soon! 🙂
Sounds like you made the best of it and even enjoyed the simplicity a bit!
Yes! Absolutely love simplicity! You nailed it! 🙂
Way to find the joy in the unexpected “interruptions” God sends your way. BEAUTIFUL ice art, even if it does throw everything off-kilter.
Ha! Love ya’!
But I don’t consider an outage throwing everything off kilter! I think electricity throws everything off kilter and we finally get back “on kilter” when it goes out. We experience what it means to be simply human, without props.
And I love it! 😉
Hadn’t thought of it that way before. 🙂
What a great attitude! And you’re smart to have so many tools to make it fun and different instead of troubling. I’d be most worried about staying warm here, but sounds like you all have it covered. 🙂
Hello Deborah!
Thanks for your kind words and WELCOME to Home’s Cool! 🙂
We stay warm. Since my husband is a forester, we have access to lots of wood. All the dead and gnarly trees that are not usable in other ways, can make great warmth for us. Our furnace never comes on.
As for tools, I think my favorite is our wind-up radio. 😉
Beautiful pictures! Our kids are always excited when we are without power. Candles and an acoustic guitar are always a treat for us.
YES! That would be really wonderful. Music! Once my son played Chopin’s “Raindrops” during a big storm. Of course, the thunder was right in sync! What a great time a person can have if the ingredients are there. Like candles. 😉