Snowfall, Snow Power

This past Wednesday, we had another snowfall. Early the next morning (it was still dark out), I saw several flashes outside. A little while later Mom came upstairs and told us the power was out! Since our heat runs on electricity, it got cold very quickly! I didn't want to get out of bed when it was time to get up! Everybody bundled up, and we prepared to face a cold day at home.
A Christian family we recently met called and said we could come over to their house and keep warm with their wood stove. It sure sounded tempting!
We shoveled off the deck and part of the driveway. The snow was starting to melt already! It was heavy. Quite a few trees were bent over under all the weight! Most of the trees were dumping snow little by little, so we got snowed on while we shoveled!
We drove into town after breakfast. Some stores were up and running (there was a long line at the Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru!), but for the most part there was no electricity. We stopped by our friends' house, not intending to stay, but they invited us in. So, after accepting their invitation, we ran out to a store to get lunch fixings, and then headed back.

They have a large wood stove in their kitchen, which they use for cooking, too. It’s especially nice during power outages because they don’t need to rely on electricity to keep their house warm. We visited, had lunch, and sipped hot cocoa. The mom had recently gone through the book supply and had several boxes full that she was getting rid of. I had a fun time perusing them and found ‘Mountains of Spices’, the sequel to ‘Hinds' Feet on High Places’, both by Hannah Hurnard. If you haven’t read these yet, I highly recommend them! I also found a Hardy Boys book that I hadn't read. (For those of you who don’t know, I love to read!) Several times someone flipped the light switch so we could see better! Of course that didn’t work. :o)

We played a game of Monopoly with the 'kids', Bonnie and Ian (both around Julia's age), and then went back to check on our house. The electricity was still off, so there wasn’t much to check. Dad put a few buckets under the deck to catch the dripping water, in case we needed to flush the toilet.
We went back to our friends. We played some more, and then it was time for supper. We ate by candlelight. The food was delicious! I believe it was our first time eating beef in a while, because we usually eat venison at home.

After supper, we had a concert. Bonnie, Ian and their mom all play the violin. Bonnie was about to play when Mom flipped a light switch and the light went on! “Was that the generator or real electricity?” she asked. It was real electricity! Everybody cheered!
Bonnie, Ian, and their mom took turns playing. They played hymns and fiddle tunes. I was itching to join them with a guitar, but the only one they had was buried somewhere. Oh well! Julia played a couple pieces on the violin, and then Mom wanted me to play something on the piano. I played “Turkey in the Straw”, and “Come Thou Fount” with Julia on the violin. Then Bonnie joined in with her violin and we played a couple more hymns.
Afterwards we had dessert, and then it was time to go home. It was so nice to flick a switch and turn on a light!