Muffins with Mom – 7 things to do when your power goes out at home



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It was 7:30 pm on Friday when I realized I left my laptop at work. I couldn’t go through the night without it by my side. My fifteen year old son hopped in the car with me to drive across town before the center closed at 8pm.

As we drove, the sky became dark and the wind picked up. Trees were swaying, leaves were blowing and our car drifted a bit with a gust of wind. A bolt of lightning illuminated the sky and the road ahead of us.  I had to swerve slightly to avoid a small tree branch in the road. This should have been an indication of what was to come.

Upon returning home, we thought the storm had subsided, until the power went off. We looked out front and the neighbors across the street had power. We looked out a back window and the neighbors across the way had power. There was no power for our street and the houses immediately behind us. I sat in the car and read using the dome light a while, then finally went to bed early.

What do you do when there’s a power outage at your house? Find something to occupy your time. The power was still out the next day, but luckily I was already planning to attend a writer’s meeting for a couple of hours. However, as the sun began to go down, so did my hope of the power being restored. I packed my laptop, phone, phone charger and writing materials and head to the Tim Horton’s restaurant near our home. That is where I parked myself for the next couple of hours.

When I returned home my son asked, “Where have you been?”

It’s a good thing it was dark so he couldn’t see the expression on my face, the one with a raised eyebrow. Surly he had gotten our roles confused, but I responded to his question anyway.

“I went to Tim Horton’s.”

“Why didn’t you take me?”

“Because you were outside when I left,” I said.

He continued to talk, but I tuned him out and prepared for a restful sleep. I opened the bedroom windows for a breeze, opened blinds slightly in hope for a little moonlight. The last update I heard was that there were thousands of people without power and it would not be restored for another day.

It was time to come up with a plan. By this time we had my mom’s generator, but could plug in a limited amount of items. So what would we do the next day, all day? Below is a list of 7 things you can do in the event you lose power at home.
 

1.      Visit friends and relatives you haven’t seen in a while.

2.      Look to see which neighbors still have power and go visit them.

3.      Use this as an excuse to have dinner out.

4.      Visit your local establishments and use their power source.

5.      Wander around a bookstore.

6.      Cuddle with someone.

7.      Play Uno or some other card game by candle light (just don’t play to close to the candle).

What are your suggested things to do during a power outage?