Our power went out when a big tree went down in a storm this week. We were SUPER lucky (as in REALLY REALLY LUCKY) as it fell from one edge of our lot to the exact other edge of the lot in the only way possible where it didn’t take out our house, our fence, or a neighbor’s house. It did, however, take out our power, some patio furniture, and landscaping, and as I type this we are on day 5 without power and I’m still looking out at a 10’ high tree root and a large trunk still laying across my entire back yard…but that’s all ok as we are safe!
However, after being many days without power, I now have a FabList of items to always have on hand for an emergency!
- As we don’t have a generator, this Jackery power supply lent to us by one of our neighbors SAVED us. It has allowed us to plug an extension cord into it to access our everyday essentials of internet, charged phones and coffee. You can get it in different power levels, and this one does have to be recharged (at our neighbors!) after a day or so, but we are also using it a lot and if they didn’t have power we would use it more sparingly to make it last longer. Jo has a generator and LOVES it cause she can power up most of her house. Hers runs on fuel – just make sure you test it out before the season and have a gas can handy!
- Our next-door neighbors kindly offered to run an extension cord to us, to which we connected another long cord that runs through our doggy door (handy!) to our office where we can plug in our laptops and monitors via a power strip with multiple sockets (and this one has USB ports as well!). Having a long, outdoor-appropriate cord on hand was key.
- Our YETI cooler has also been amazing at keeping our fridge contents cold FOR DAYS. Once our fridge/freezer got too warm, we transferred things to the cooler and tossed a bag of ice over them. The Yeti keeps things cold FOR A LONG TIME!
- Let there be light! Flashlights and headlamps are great and have been handy, and I’m glad ours had fresh batteries and were ready to go. But this rechargeable light, which we use on our bar area every day, is great for carrying around the house as needed at night as it has three settings, is bright, and can be set down. Great to use in the closet when getting dressed, in the bathroom at night etc. I’m getting another one for sure! I had previously put these stick-on rechargeable lights under my closet shelves for extra light in hard-to-see places and they came in super handy! Our across-the-street neighbors (I’m so grateful for my neighbors!) lent us two accordion rechargeable lamps which provide terrific additional bright light. Plus, they fold down small for storage – and are great to keep in the car for emergencies. These lanterns are also a great option – camping style but perfect for strong, hands-free light (but ours are packed away in our camping gear and too hard to find right now!).
- As the temperature inside our house continues to dip, we are very thankful for great blankets, warm slippers (I’ve been living in these!), cashmere hats (been living in this too!) and, fleece pajamas!
Here’s to being grateful for safety, for kind neighbors, and for the good fortune of our house not having a hole in it!
Here I am bundled up while writing this post in our ‘coffee/charging/laptop station’ set up on my desk (and the tree, partially removed, outside).
