No electricity! NYSEG was overwhelmed. Mister Brave-it-Out decided not to buy a generator long ago. Use the woodstove, haul lake water for toilets if needed, light the gas stove by hand to cook, use candles, one oil lamp, and an LED flashlight. I was made of sturdy immigrant peasant stock, so my sainted grandmother used to say, so I’d be tough. A limb came crashing down on the road, but my cell was too low to use and tell the county.

As the days drew on without computer, phone, radio, TV, or even car (auto door opener) I began to grumble: “in this day and age… “ Then I cursed the utility, the politicians, the linemen and the rumble of my neighbors’ generators. I’d throw a Blackout Party, but I smelled of body odor. The stove room was very dry so I turned on the humidifier switch—duh! At night I read until my eyes were hurting. The lights finally came on with a smoke alarm screech in the middle of sleep. My final curse mixed with relief. My genes were such a help!

Dirck Westervelt

Pine Bush, NY