In the Dark

In the wee hours of Friday morning, the fan in the bedroom stopped whirring. I don't know why it is that I'm always just awake enough to realize that the power has gone out. Once I know that there aren't any lights, I have an awful time getting back to sleep. I've got the battery operated lantern on the headboard and a big collection of oil lamps and candles, but  I can't stand not being able to flip switches and make the whole house bright.

I hate it when the power goes out. I can manage, but I sure don't like it! Over the ten years we've lived her I've gotten pretty good at making it for a few days without water and heat.  I know we've gone more than a week without power and I think our record might be closer to two weeks without power. (Did I mention that this happens a couple of times a year?)

I know, there are lots and lots of fabulous activities that don't require electricity. But when there's no heat or water or decent light, the last thing I feel like doing is playing social director and coming up with low tech activities that we can all do together while sitting in the dark. When the sun goes down, those electronic devices are coming out! I've also been known, weather permitting, to just drive a couple of towns over, feed the kids dinner, then wander aimlessly through different stores until everyone is ready for bed.

When the power went out yesterday, I realized that my phone, which is old and doesn't have a great battery life to begin with, needed to be charged and my Kindle was only at fifty percent. If the roads are icy or there's a wind storm predicted, I charge everything before bed just in case. But sometimes an idiot takes out two power poles and the weather isn't to blame.




When hubby bought his new phone last year, they showed him the "accessory of the week", which was a Mophie Powerstation. As soon as I saw that thing, I knew I wanted one. It'll charge the phones, and the Kindles, and the cameras. They told me that a full charge on this thing will charge your devices up to eight times. I've never put that to the test, but I know I can get several charges before needing to plug it into the wall. Friday morning, I charged my phone and Kindle and still would have had some extra juice if the boys needed it for their devices.

I love this thing! When I took Teenage Son to the retro gaming expo, I carried it in my purse because I knew I'd be finding a place to sit and read while he did his thing and I fully expected to need more than a full charge on my Kindle.  It'll be great for keeping the cameras charged when we're camping. And, when we have that next long power outage, it'll be a huge help. Especially since I can recharge it with the car or while the generator is running.