Unprepared

 A few nights back, JD and I tucked the kids into bed and were watching the debate between Ken Ham and Bill Nye when the electricity went out. 

Selah often doesn't make it through family prayer time

Elijah pushes himself to stay awake for his turn to pray and then is out

 As some background, we have lived in this location for nine years and the electricity has only gone out twice (for more than a few hours.) There is many, many times that my friends that live in my old neighborhood don't have power for days and we are only out for a few hours. The risk, however, is that when we lose power, we lose water since we have a well. There have been several hurricanes that we have filled clean garbage cans for animal water and have been very prepared. Most of the time, if it storming, we fill our bathtubs so that we will have toilet flushing water. (Any time in Africa will help you learn to flush a toilet with the least water possible.)

Well, this snowfall we filled two tubs and didn't do much else. I didn't even run out for water or milk - the shelves are always cleaned off at the stores anyway and the most we are ever really snowed in is about two days!

The lights went out really at the beginning of the snow. By morning, we had about another foot of snow on top of the few inches that was already on the ground. We lit a few safe candles and sent the older kids to bed with flashlights. Since we are blessed with a wood stove that we keep going anytime it's very cold, we loaded it with wood and retired. Although the blower is electric, when we woke it was only one degree colder in the house than normal with the heat running.    

Since the power was still out in the morning, JD dug a path from the well to the house so we could plug in the little generator and have water, BUT the generator wouldn't start. That makes it TWO for TWO that it didn't work when the power went out. Now mind you, it works in between times, like when Kenny used it for power tools building the fence. We then evaluated how pitifully unprepared we were to provide water for our large family and half an ark of animals with none stored other than two bathtubs. I was having flashbacks of the stories I have heard of the power staying out for a week or two during ice storms. 

 I am also faced with the reality that JD travels and this could have been one of the times he was snowed out of town instead of home. So, if you look back to the snow picture, you can see a whole house generator that is sitting in the field. It's been there for 5.5 years right next to where our temporary house stood that has long been moved. Moving and installing that generator just bumped WAY UP the priority list - way up! Not having water and risking losing hundreds of dollars of meat isn't going to work for me anymore, especially when we already own the generator. 

By the way, our power came back on by noon before we had to start melting snow for water and fretting over the freezers going bad. I'm very thankful! Next time we will be more prepared...as long as next time isn't too soon!