Lights OFF!

From the very beginnings of the LDS church we have been counseled to "BE PREPARED", (like we're a bunch of little boy scouts!) This is one of the only topics from the pulpit that I don't squirm through...because...I am prepared! I have 900lbs of wheat under Rachel's bed, plus a wheat grinder that you can hook up to a bike to grind the wheat in the face of no electricity. I have a store room in the garage with noodles, cocoa, tomatoes, dehydrated cheese & butter. All this along with lots and lots or other totally appetizing(?) food storage items. NOT ONLY do I have the food, I have the necessary equipment to cook said dehydrated items. Tons of propane and camping equipment. I have a pool for water to flush the toilet and bathe my family.(That was my justification for the pool, try it!!!) I have two 50 gallon containers of water, and toilet paper out the wazoo. Yes, I just realized that I am a wacko...but I AM PREPARED!!!

Last night with 8:34 left in the SUPER BOWL, our power went out and I WAS READY!!! Byron immediately channeled his inner Oliver Stone or Michael Moore and smelled a conspiracy. TERRORISTS!! Surely this was an act of the Taliban, hitting major transformers to knock out the most important sporting event of the year. I didn't care...bring on the disaster...I WAS READY!!!

I hadn't quite gotten dinner together however, and was still cooking but a mere power outage did not stop this pioneer woman. Tri-tip was on the grill, potatoes boiled waiting to be mashed, green beans on the stovetop. Did you know that if a gas burner is ON when the power goes off it will stay on? I didn't. It requires electricity to start but if it's on, it stays on! I was just putting in some homemade biscuits in the oven when the power went off. The oven does go off. OH NO!!! But like the true Relief Society trained pioneer woman wannabe that I am....I took those biscuits, put them in another pan, covered them and cooked them on the grill!!!! AND IT WORKED! They looked a little anemic from no top heat, but they cooked and they were good!




The boys were thrilled and ran around lighting every candle in the house. If one candle is good, then certainly 423 candles are better. (Note to self: replace candles and flashlight batteries.) After two hours, the power sadly came on. My complexion looked really good in the candlelight, so I was kinda bummed. No power was kinda fun, don't know if I want to go without for an extended period of time, but dang it! If I have to, I AM PREPARED!

And yes, you can come over and eat wheat mush if there's an emergency, how are you at riding a bike?