Laughter, Toddlers, Warmth: A Great Day

Sigh, I've been waiting to exhale for a month as its been super cold for weeks. It's been colder than 20 F below for weeks. However, today it was 25 degrees above zero! I got to play in the yard with my girls on the swing set. Claire's wild laughter rang off the house while Jessie found the first star of the night and made a wish. It was a hoot! Being outdoors is such sweet relief.

Although this picture is a couple of years old, they were both still in these swings tonight.

The schnook, warm wind, that brought the warm weather also knocked out our  power for 2.5 hours.  I was grateful for the wood-stove and the camping LED lantern we have in the house. The girls were taking a bath and getting warm after playing outside when the lights went off.  Claire's shriek  from the tub nearly deafened me.  I sprang from my sewing machine and raced into her room to grab the lantern.  I got it to the bathroom without mishap.  Then I stumbled about in the dark, kicking a toy squirrel into Wishy (our Beagle) and scaring him while trying to light candles.  I managed to pilfer through our wood-stove bucket--past the poker, the two pairs of gloves, and the -- Ow!-- stiff metal bristle brush--to grab the lighter.

I wandered around with the lighter on  trying not to catch my hair on fire or trip over the dog while the flame flickered in the breeze. By the time I got half-dozen candles lit around the house, I was chuckling thinking about a rock concert I went to with Sean in The Gorge Amphitheater (near Seattle) where everyone was waving their lighters. 




Soon Sean got home and we grilled pork chops and made spinach salad while wearing headlamps for light.  The girls were really excited and were running around wildly.  What a great day!


What delightful stories do you have of when the power went out?  I love a good story!