Lights Out

We turned our power off for the day yesterday. We had been talking to our kids about people in other countries that don't have consistent power the way we do. We discovered that they expected light to come on every time they flipped a switch as consistently as the sun coming up in the morning. We had warned them that we were going to do this, so they weren't completely surprised. We woke up made our pot of coffee and then flipped the main switch off.

It is getting light here about 5:20 a.m. so getting up and having light was no big deal. I did turn the breaker for the freezer on after they all left for school. I discovered that I had a lot more time to clean things I don't usually get to. I didn't check my email all day, and honestly I didn't get that much.

Since I wasn't checking my email or facebook I read some more of Hold on To Your Kids. It got me thinking about relationships, and what constitutes a healthy relationship. I realized that I have been considering my blog and facebook relationship builders. They are actually the "junk food" of relationships. Sure everyone and their aunt knows what I have been up to and what I am reading and thinking about, but I don't know anything about them. I don't even know who knows all of this stuff. I am blogging as a journal for me and my kids. Things I want us to remember when my mind finally gives up the ghost and goes completely haywire, probably in the next few months. I want to have a record of what I was thinking about and what we were doing. And honestly it is a really easy to use format. I tried the old pen and paper routine yesterday. My notes were incoherent, and I hate clutter. Facebook has its place too, but I am hoping to limit it, especially for my kids, and not think of it as a relationship builder.

I discovered that our homes are geared to have electricity and without it there are some significant inconveniences. Our windows don't open. We have little vent type windows that open on the bottom, but they don't let much air circulate. We couldn't park in the garage because there was no way to open the door except the pull cord which really wasn't worth the hassle. I have always liked older homes, and now I have a few more pros to put on their side of the list.

It was a good day. I learned a lot about myself, and I actually enjoyed the break. The kids discovered how many things in their lives require electricity. We discovered that they don't even know where electricity comes from. It prompted many good discussions. We got to bed early and maybe Avista won't get as much money next month as they did this month. I think we will not try this little experiment in January unless we put a wood stove in first.