Power Problems

By Karen McNew
WSLS10 Anchor
Published: February 11, 2008

What a wake up call the recent power outages have been.  On Sunday Matt and I had a low key day planned.  We went to the movie Bucket List.  As we sat in the theater we could hear the wind rattling the building outside.  You know how loud movies are right?  Well you could still hear the wind.  Toward the end of the movie when everything is wrapping up it started to flicker… we were able to see the ending but had no idea that our own little lifetime drama was just beginning.

We ran into some neighbors on our way home who told us that we didn’t have power.  We should have grabbed something to eat at a restaurant that had power but I had bought some steaks for dinner and did not want them to go to waste.  You know as well as I do the price for meat these days is so high that it is a treat to have steaks on the grill for dinner.

So we get home around 5pm or so… As we pulled in I said things seem strangely exciting but not in a good way...Once we got in the house and realized daylight was fading fast Matt looks at me and says… you might want to round up some candles… he goes outside to repair some items that had been blown around the yard… I open a cabinet where I hit the wax jackpot… funny back story here… Not long ago I told Matt to never let me buy another candle because I had too many and would never use them all… last night I used them all.

Matt said what are we going to eat for dinner?  I said steaks on the grill… he said I am going to have to put rocks in my pockets to keep from blowing away out there but okay… so we had steak… grilled vegetables I cut up and put in a tin pan with foil and then boiled some water for instant mashed potatoes… when we started eating.. Matt said it’s like camping out only the food is never this good when you are actually camping out.... well if you are me… camping gets old really fast…

My father in law stopped by the house to see if we were doing okay… he walked in and said in a joking way-- Why don’t you light a candle?  It looks like “Little House” (reference to Little House on the Prairie)

So at 7:30pm it felt like 10pm… we have not link to outside life except our cell phones.  We don’t own board games… we got really sick of playing cards fast… I said… you want to play “I spy"… How about tic tac toe?  You get board quickly when there is no light...no television...no water because there is nothing to power the well… and you realize how much those conveniences really make a difference in your quality of life.

When I woke up this morning I guess I figured everything would be back to normal… I had already had my fill of “roughing it” I was grumpy and told Matt I had woken up not just on the wrong side of the bed but under the bed!!

I drove to Roanoke worked out at my gym to try to lift my mood.. showered at the gym… running water is great… and got my nails done as a treat… all of which made me feel better… but I was still worrried about what we would do if we had to go another day or two without electricity.. what about our little dog?  Should we pack up to stay with friends?

I know AEP workers have been doing their very best and I really do appreciate knowing that so many people are trying to get everyone back to normal and can’t tell you how excited I was to get Matt’s e-mail at work that read… Dad checked on Luckie… the power is on and the house is heating nicely!!! Those few words brought a wave of relief and a feeling of thanks over me.  If you or someone you know has been through a similar experience I can relate and hope that you or your loved one gets back to normal life as soon as possible…