Necessities become luxuries
Several weeks ago, I wrote a commentary titled, "There's no place like home." After the experience of the past week, I am compelled to expand on that to say, "There's no place like a warm home."
As a result of the ice storm, things that my husband and I took for granted, like heat and water, and even each other, have now become luxuries in our minds.
We lost electricity at our farm northwest of Lincolnville at 4:50 p.m. Jan. 4 and it was out until 4:30 p.m. Friday.
We were somewhat prepared. As ice built on the lines and the lights started flickering Tuesday, we took a portable kerosene heater out of storage, put in a new wick, and purchased fresh kerosene. I also filled containers with water for our personal use and the bathroom stool.
After the power went out, we lighted the heater. I was able to warm up our supper and heat water for coffee.
We lighted a kerosene lamp and some candles, and spent the evening reading and talking. That night, we snuggled all night long to keep warm.
Things weren't so bad, but as we became aware of the extent of the problems in the area, we began to worry. Cold weather was settling in.
The kitchen was warm the first day. I hung blankets over doorways to the living area to keep the heat confined. I caught up on my reading, and that evening we played checkers to pass the time.
We had trouble with the heater the next two days, and it didn't heat as well. I dressed warm and tried to stay active, spending some time outdoors. Jerry kept busy with farm chores.
We had offers of places to stay at night but didn't want to leave home that long.
We were frustrated when, by Thursday morning, on our way to breakfast at Main Street Café in Durham, we noticed that most of the farm homes in our area had electricity while we continued to be without. We learned that most homes were restored by 8 p.m. Wednesday.
We contacted the utility company but couldn't get any service. Crews were busy working on problems throughout the county.
The third day was overcast and dreary. I was feeling cold. I went to son Josh's house a few miles away and got hot water for washing dishes. The hot water on my hands felt good.
We had more to be concerned about than just our home. Cow herds need to be fed and watered every day.
The tractors are equipped with motor heaters which are plugged in during cold weather. It took some effort to get them going after the temperature dropped to zero Wednesday night. We connected booster cables from the car.
The cattle were fed but we couldn't get water for them. We borrowed a kerosene lantern to place in the well house to keep pipes from freezing.
By Thursday morning, stock tanks were empty. The cattle were walking around bawling. Jerry panicked but, fortunately, we were able to contact someone who delivered water that afternoon.
Jerry was sick with worry that night and couldn't sleep. We got up at 1:30 a.m. and called the telephone operator at the electric company, letting her know how desperate we were.
On Friday, our son located a water tank and was able to haul water for the cattle from his farm two miles away.
At noon, we were informed that a service crew was in our area, giving us renewed hope. I drove around in the car, located the crew, and talked with one of the men. He said they would work until midnight if necessary to get power restored.
At 4:30 p.m., the house was still cold. We were preparing to go to Junction City for supper when the furnace roared to life and we knew we had electricity. We were ecstatic and decided to stay home and luxuriate in a hot, homemade supper and cozy house.
We learned later that nine farm homes in our area are wired to a separate breaker, which was tripped during the storm. Linemen fixed a broken line and removed tree limbs from wires before power was restored.
I didn't go to work all week, but it certainly wasn't my idea of a vacation. Thankfully, the ordeal is over.
We owned a generator years ago but left it behind when we moved to our present farm. We've been here almost 15 years and never needed one. This experience made us realize how dependent we are. We definitely plan to get one now. We may never use it but at least we will feel more secure.
With food and water, clothes and shelter, and each other, we are content.
— ROWENA PLETT
