Recently our power was off for two hours. The lights flickered several times. Then we heard snap, crackle, and POP our power was gone. No TV, no lights. I picked up my iPad to read and to my horror, it was in low-power mode. We pulled out our emergency lights and put the batteries in. Experts say you need about 50 footcandles for reading and detailed tasks (whatever a footcandle is). (1) I think our light had about one footcandle. As Mr. Hobbs in Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (1962) would say “But this bulb is so weak, you can't even call it a light! It's a dark. You turn that thing on in the middle of the day, the whole room goes black.” (2)
Generated by AI, October 15, 2023
Ok, it didn’t turn the black, but I tried reading a book with the light and decided it was brighter outside at dusk, so I went to our apartment’s common balcony.
Several neighbors were out on the balcony. We chatted and made sure everyone’s emergency lights worked before it got dark. After a while people drifted back into their apartments. I read outside for a while but it was getting too dark so I went back inside. I read with the emergency light for a while, which was uncomfortable, so I decided to play solitaire.
I got bored after a few hands.
I don’t remember being this bored after Hurricane Ian when the electricity was off for three days. The first night we played trivia with our neighbor until bedtime. The next two evenings our community clubhouse, which had power, offered a cocktail hour. That kept us busy. They also charged our devices. As long as I have my iPad loaded with books and games, I’m set.
What did people do every night before electricity? Well, we know what younger people did. That’s why families were larger back then. Even now, birth rates zoom nine months after a blackout.
People read by candlelight. No wonder they made such a big deal about Abe Lincoln reading by candlelight – it’s not easy. First, where do you put the light? If it’s behind you, your shadow covers the part you want to read. If it’s between you and the book it sears your eyeballs and you see kaleidoscopic circles on your retina. I gave up reading with my 1-footcandle light after ten minutes.
Generated by AI, October 15, 2023
Many homes had a piano and families sang around the piano. When I was young, we’d play games at family gatherings. Royal rummy was my grandmother’s favorite. We’d place the plastic mat in the center of her dining room table. She used to keep her poker chips on her lap in a pocket made by her skirt so people wouldn’t know how well she was doing.
Royal Rummy Board
But most games are more fun with a lot of people. Playing trivia with your spouse is like playing cards with a transparent deck – you already know which answers they’ll get right.
Some people went on walks, which is healthy but dicey at night with alligators and dumpster-diving bears in your neighborhood. And unlit sidewalks are a senior's nemesis – falls waiting to happen.
When the power came back on I googled “How to keep yourself occupied when the power goes out.” I was amazed that many of the results were from power companies. I guess the electric companies don’t realize that if the power is out, you can’t access the internet to get the list, so I’ll share the ideas with you now. (3, 4)
Most ideas assume you have a big family. Charades tops the list – but can you imagine acting in the dark? We'd trip over our own feet before guessing anything. And reading those clues in the dark?
Crafts such as drawing, painting, and origami are on the list, but even if you have the supplies good luck finding them in the dark. And a craft created in low light might look strange. You could invent a new genre of artwork – low-light artwork. (5)
Blind Contour Drawings, Austin Kleon
You could knit or crochet. But how do you read the pattern in low light? And if you aren’t an expert you might stab yourself with the needle because you can’t see what you are doing.
Another suggestion was taking a nap. It was 9 PM Hubby and I debated going to bed early but decided that was a terrible idea since that would make our sleepless nights even more sleepless.
Several websites suggested “Clean your house.” Wow – that’s a lot of fun, especially in the dark.
A few websites suggested you get tipsy or drunk. That’s a real recipe for disaster for seniors. It’s bad enough that many of us aren’t as stable as we used to be. We don’t need to make our balance worse with inebriation.
One great idea was a battery-operated DVD player. We used to have one but rarely used it, so we got rid of it, and the DVDs, when we downsized. Oh well.
The thought occurred to me it would be a perfect time to meditate. No distractions. But meditating with no distractions seemed pointless and I couldn’t lose the thought of how bored I was and, “When will the power come back on?”
Those two hours seemed like an eternity. Hubby saved the day with a portable charger, giving life back to my phone and iPad. That hour without my devices was the longest hour ever.
Then it came. With another snap, crackle, and POP, the power came back on. The lights were on and the DVR show picked up where it left off. We scrambled to charge our portable chargers and vowed to get brighter emergency lights. My friend swears her lights made her room look like daylight. I'm on a mission.
And I wonder: For millennia people survived at night without electricity. Why can’t I last two hours?
References
How Much Light Is Enough? Footcandle Recommendations, larsonelectronics.com, November 7, 2016
15 Fun things to do when the lights go out, powertechteam.com, December 1, 2021
Summer Anne Burton, 10 Ways To Stay Entertained When The Power Goes Out, BuzzFeed.com, September 13, 2018
Austin Kleon, Blind Contour Drawings, austinkleon.com, February 20, 2020
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