Monday, January 1, 2018

Starting out 2018 with a big BOOM! ;-(




Wishing you all a Very Happy, Healthy 2018 

My city rarely gets extremely cold but as many of you have heard or are experiencing yourselves, the USA is having some rather unusual temperatures at the moment.

Last night, the coldest for me so far was 8 degrees Fahrenheit or -13 C. It was at about 9:30 PM when I heard it.... a big BOOM and then all the lights and the heat went off. I looked out my up stairs window and the neighborhood was totally dark. A few minutes later I phoned the power company to report an outage. They said via a recording, there were 13 outages, 1,875 homes. I can tell you truthfully it scared me to the core of my being! I have lived in this neighborhood a very long time and the longest I went without power was for three weeks in the summer, after a really bad storm.  That storm destroyed houses and took down trees all over the city. We had a bad ice storm about 15 years ago and I lost power in the winter for a week. Right, no lights, no heat! Last night was really odd because other than being very cold there was nothing extraordinary happening with the weather, no snow no ice.

I got more blankets and went to sleep. I was VERY happy this morning to find the heat was on and the house was warm! I frankly didn't expect it.

So...  if you are in the FROZEN USA I hope you are inside and warm. 

32 comments:

  1. Wow! I'm glad you're okay and the heat is back on. That would make me nervous too.

    Did they ever say what happened?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No they never tell you. All you get when you phone is a recorded message after you jump through all their hoops. If this press 1 if that press 2 and on and on.
      The scary part is houses in my part of the world are not build for this. I have to run water (mixture of hot and cold) in all my faucets to keep the pipes from freezing. I also have to aim a warm light bulb at the wall where the water to my washing machine comes in. So... There are real concerns when it is this cold and the power goes off. Frozen pipe can cause a nightmare.

      Delete
  2. what anguish!
    Happy new year to come
    hugs

    ReplyDelete
  3. Firstly Happy new year Catherine, sorry to hear the weather has been causing you problems but good news to hear you now have heating,modern heating is a blessing instant and control-able heat but i could never be without my open fire it has served us well for many years.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Happy New Year Tony! I sure am enjoying watching your half-timbered build. It is my favorite architecture.
      Yes, modern heating is wonderful! I have a nice big fireplace but I converted it to gas because I don't have anywhere to store wood. My termite inspector doesn't want a wood pile that close to the house. AAARRRGGGHHH!

      Delete
  4. Feliz Año Nuevo.
    Pues si que es para asustarse un poco con estos frios pero pensar que vuelve y no estas despierto para vigilar que todo funcione correctamente también me asustaría.
    Un abrazo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gracias Marion. Fue realmente la idea de que este clima tan frío durará varios días más. La idea de enfrentar eso sin calor y luces fue demasiado para mí. Nunca antes había visto la potencia restaurada tan rápido.
      Te deseo a ti y a tu familia un maravilloso 2018.

      Delete
  5. There are so many things which we've become totally dependent upon and we don't realize how much until they are no longer readily available.
    Nevertheless I'm glad to learn that your story had a HAPPY ending so I think that you deserve 2 CUPS of Hot Chocolate with double dose of marshmallows!
    HAPPY NEW YEAR Catherine!

    elizabeth

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Elizabeth. I admit I did indulge in a cup of hot chocolate. After that I think I would have resorted to brandy for breakfast if the heat hadn't been on. haha
      Wishing you a very happy 2018.

      Delete
  6. So pleased to learn that your heating is back on Catherine - I have a tendency to take all of my comforts for granted until something like a power failure happens.
    Lots of blankets and hot chocolate are the perfect remedy in the circumstance.
    Happy 2018 to you and your family.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are so right! We always take these thing for granted until the big kaboom.
      Happy New year!!! ;-)

      Delete
  7. Oh how fortunate that electricity was fairly quickly restored. Let's drink to
    that 🍾🥂.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh brrrr! That's cold without heating! And your gas fireplace didn't work either? Good thing it was only a day. The rest of the year will be lovely and warm ;-)

    Happy New Year Catherine!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brrrrr is right. After one hour of it being off, the temperature down stairs dropped dramatically. My cue to go to bed with hot chocolate and lots of blankets. The gas fireplace does work but I just decided to go to bed.
      Happy New Year Josje! XXXXXXXXXX

      Delete
  9. So glad your heat wasn't out for too long. I went to the playground this morning with my grandchildren and it was -10 C., so they played and I went into a coffee shop for a hot chocolate. I'll be back in Sydney Australia in 11 days, so will not be worrying about the cold. Hope the rest of the winter is kinder to you and you have a great 2018.
    Regards, Linda

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Linda,
      Happy New Year! How nice to have never ending summer weather. Send a little of that heat up to the frozen north. :-)

      Delete
  10. What a nice surprise it must have been to wake up in a warm house.
    Happy New year to you too!!! A happy and serene 2018!
    Geneviève

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Happy New Year! Yes it was a very nice to wake up to the heat being on. I was very grateful!

      Delete
  11. je ne peux pas imaginer rester 24h sans électricité, quel courage vous avez eu, félicitations. Je vous souhaite une nouvelle année remplie de lumière et de chaleur.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. 141/5000
      Bonne année Jean-Claude! Cela m'a vraiment fait apprécier quand il est revenu. Il y a juste quelque chose d'effrayant à vivre sans.

      Delete
  12. Has tenido mucha suerte
    ¡Feliz 2018!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Catherine that’s awful! I am glad you woke up toasty warm - here’s hoping it stays that way! Happy new year to you!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Yes it could have been very bad. I got lucky this time! XXX

    ReplyDelete
  15. happy new year Catherine, sorry it started out this way....Lets just say that's your bad luck quota and you got it out of the way early haha----

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Linda, Fingers crossed that is the worst of it.
      Happy New Year... Stay warm!

      Delete
  16. Glad you have power again, -13C is really cold. We read that it was going to be warmer at the north pole than in parts of USA! Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Margaret,
      How very nice to see you. I hope you have been busy making miniatures.
      YES the USA is very cold and it isn't over. Now some are expecting a serious snow storm. Not me thankfully!
      Happy New Year!

      Delete
  17. Hello Catherine,
    I am happy the power shortage did not last. Montreal is also suffering from extreme cold....which is why I have not set foot outside in a few days.
    I wish you all the best for 2018.
    Big hug
    Giac

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh Giac! I cannot imagine how cold you are there. I will have to check your temperatures. I hope you are warm in your house.
      Happy New Year!

      Delete