Check on the Elderly by Maxine

I am a child of the 40's, a survivor of WWII, and I paid attention, watching my parents survive with very little.

The weather report said "There will be a freeze in our area, with 80% accumulation of up to 2 inches of snow." Well, that got my attention, and triggered a survival mode in me. We live in the rural countryside, where power lines can get heavy with ice and break, or trees can fall from the weight of ice. I knew this, so I thought about what would happen if we lost power.

Loss of power means no heat, no cooking, and no well water to even flush toilets. So, I filled up the bathtub with water for flushing, filled several jugs for other things, we built a fire in the fireplace, lit a few candles, located flashlights and things we might need to put our hands on in the dark. Then I started cooking. I knew a big pot of pinto beans with ham hocks, a big boiler of rice and a pan of cornbread would keep on the stove in an emergency. And a big peach cobbler would be good by the fireside. These are staples that can be added to and warmed over the coals in the fireplace, or outside grill.

Right on schedule, we started getting sleet mixed with snow and a light drizzle. The temperature started dropping, but we were ready for the worst.

I went down to the bridge that leads up to our house. It is 140 feet long and it is the only way in or out from our house. It goes over our lake. This bridge had a 1/2 inch solid sheet of ice on it. I went back inside and told my husband there was no way we could drive over the bridge and that we would be here alone and could spend a quiet peaceful day together. There is no way anyone could get in. The electric gate was closed and no one could drive over the bridge. We were ready for the power to go out. No problem for us!! All of a sudden, just as expected, NO ELECTRICITY!!

We snuggled in for a cold winter's day, enjoying the last of the morning coffee, watching the fire and cuddling our 4 dachshunds, when all of a sudden we heard the sound of spinning tires and traffic on the bridge. We ran to the window and looked in wonder. What is going on???? Several cars had made their way in to our property and was trying to get across the bridge to our house.

These local young people that we had met since moving here, were arriving with panic in their eyes. I thought they were evacuating town.

They told us that the local radio station announced "IF YOU CAN HEAR THIS MESSAGE, GO CHECK ON THE ELDERLY!!"

Well, that tells you where we stand with the locals. We all had a good laugh and they were so glad I had PLENTY for all to eat.

The power was out for several hours, but since we were "elderly" the power company got right on reconnecting us.

Age has its advantages!!

Just another fun day here in the Garden of Eatin'

Maxine