Fun without Electricity!

 

We were without power for a total of 43 hours after our recent heavy snowstorm. I was determined to maintain an upbeat demeanor and not let the unfavorable situation get the better of me. Since I was spending my time knitting during the outage, I though I'd make a video of the calming, soothing activity, as a sort of Zen-experience.

So, I placed my headlamp on my head, put my phone into video mode, and slid it onto the front of my head under the headlamp strap. I picked up my knitting and began clicking my needles through the row, when Dale looked over and saw me with my phone protruding from the top of my head. I heard him exclaim, "What on earth are you doing?"

Not wanting to ruin my video, I didn't respond, but instead began giggling and shaking in my chair, trying hard to keep knitting. The giggling got too much for me, so I grabbed my phone off my head and stopped the video. I played back what I had captured, and it turns out, that not only did Dale's question intrude upon the video, but I had forgotten to change the camera direction when I pressed record, so it was facing backwards: all I captured was the top of my hair and scalp, which began wobbling and shaking with my laughter.

I did try it with the camera facing forward after that, but it was pointed at the woodstove, not my knitting. In retrospect, I'm not upset that I didn't record what I intended - the process of doing it (incorrectly and unsatisfactorily) gave us a good laugh in difficult times. You're never too old to have some simple, home-made fun! Release your inner child 😂.

P.S. I deleted the video before I decided to write about it!

Poems, while Powerless, Post-Storm

 

Icy tree baubles

Adorn the spindly branches -

Natural decor.

Snowy white outlines

Delineate cold branches -

Stark against the bark.

 

The water has stilled,

Frozen snow clumps suspended

Atop its surface.

Inspiration Trickles In

I'm a lazy writer!

At almost noon, I find myself lying on the couch in my dressing gown, feet up, head propped with a cushion, phone in hand, busy writing a story in the laziest way possible. 

Somehow, feeling this relaxed and comfortable makes it seem as if I'm not trying to write, and that I'm not doing anything difficult, which is what writing can be. It's as if I'm 'working' without realizing it, having fooled myself! The story is flowing because I'm feeling uninhibited, and without pressure. 

Most professional and successful writers insist that one should just sit at one's desk each day and write - get all the bad stuff out and 'dare to be terrible' (Dan Brown). When I sit at my desk to write, it can seem formal and contrived, with the expectation that words will appear on the screen if I sit there long enough. But today my informal indulgence is more productive than the accepted method. The 'flow' I'm experiencing is fantastic. I lay down without any preconceived goals or expectations that I'd be productive - -  and then inspiration trickled in, when I least expected it.

Winter's Cloak

Our first real snow event of this season began with rain, and then it became ... snowy rain ... 

Less than an hour later, it looked like this.

And then, two-and-a-half hours later, it had become:

By this time, I couldn't see out of my angled windows - they held the clumping wet snow in place, and darkened my work space, as if I'd drawn the curtains.

The next day's aftermath: the price we pay for living without electricity, going on 17 hours. But WE HAVE A GENERATOR - the best thing since sliced bread.