Living Frugally and Well: Oh What a Week!

Hello all,
This week's posts were impossible due to a power outage.  You'll recall I left off my last Living Frugally and Well post with the note that I had people coming in to ride out the hurricane.  How ironic they all went home and soon had power but mine stayed out until past noon today.  I've made some notes of what worked well for me and what I'd wished we'd had or someone else suggested would have been a help.  All in all, we had little damage.  There was a mess of leaves and twigs to clear up and a few already dead but too high to reach branches fell from the trees.  Our biggest problem was downed power lines.   I thought I'd hit the highlights of this week's savings, because there were savings despite it all!

I really wanted to share a photo of the grandkids...I had 5 of mine with me during the hurricane/tropical storm and enjoyed them mightily.  Oh how they have grown!!  However, blogger is refusing to work with me on loading photos again, sigh...I'll try to upload later in the weekend and add in...



Friday:  Looked at my stock of meat, estimated people to be fed and realized I was pushing it pretty close.  I went to the grocery to pick up a few items: an extra gallon of milk, 2 pounds of hamburger, 2 packages of hot dogs, a couple of loaves of bread, some hot dog buns and a bag of apples.  I tried to buy water bottles but the lady who was standing at the shelf when I came up and waited took one look at me, turned to the woman beside her and said "I think I'll just go on and take these last two as well."  I thought that rather mean spirited when it was obvious there was a limited supply!  I noted that the gallon jugs were largely untouched so I gathered four of those.  I felt pretty sure I had plenty of water on hand already with what I'd drawn up over the latter part of the week.

Tried to go by the bank in that town to make a deposit but couldn't due to traffic being backed up something awful.  I came back to the town to the west of us and did my banking.

Got home, unloaded groceries and had that sinking feeling...I'd completely and totally forgotten my main number one reason for going to the store: disposable plates and cups.  Went into town to the local store and bought those and returned home.

Every one arrived about the same hour.  They'd all had a late lunch so I decided a sandwich and chips would do just fine for a quick and easy meal.  I had planned menus and decided to stick to our usual pattern of eating a big meal midday and a sandwich supper.  That helped me feel I had some normality to my life despite having eight extra in the house.

We set up pallet beds for the children and an extra cushy one for one adult male.  The young female guest got the army cot as her bed.  Bess and Sam and Baby Isaac shared the guest room.

Everyone brought in a few supplies.  Jolon brought in Gatorade and some fruit juice drinks and two flats of water bottles.  He also brought a supply of blankets and pillows for his car load of children and partner.  Bess and Sam brought in big huge bags of cereal and an extra loaf of bread and a few other non perishable type things.   I was determined to use mostly my food storage namely because I really wanted to see how it held out but did appreciate the thoughtfulness of the others.  Bess also brought extra towels.

Saturday:  When every single child demanded cereal for breakfast I blessed Bess' forethought in bringing in the cereal.  The one partial bag of cereal which I brought out first lasted the children through four mornings.  The fifth morning we opened the bag of raisin bran.  I shall definitely consider such if we ever should be Hurricane Shelter in future.

I served adults a simple breakfast of peanut butter on toast and coffee.  I had planned a fairly big dinner (Turkey breast, Scalloped potatoes and Salad).

For dessert and as an added filler, I mixed up a Wacky Cake using some over ripe pears I had in the fruit basket.  I allowed them to drain and then added tot he cake.  You can find the recipe here at Strangers and Pilgrims.  It was delicious and a hit with everyone.  I frosted using a cream cheese frosting.

Bess's mom stopped in which I thought odd since she lives quite a long drive away.  What I didn't know was that she'd decided to bless me during my evacuation days and brought along six gallons of water and some meats and breads and a huge big bag of grapes.  What a dear soul that woman is!  I've seen her generosity over and over, not just to me but to others among her acquaintances and I can say truly that I was blessed and blessed by her this weekend.   She also brought along a bunch of disposable plates and napkins.  The napkins had cute illustrations that kept the kids entertained at meal times.

Sunday:  Children ate cereal again.  Adults had eggs and toast.

I can't think what I made this day for dinner...Oh yes, I can!  I cooked black beans and rice and served with a salad.  I made up a pan of plain cornbread for the kids and a pan of Mexican cornbread for the adults.  We served Wacky Cake to everyone for dessert.  I had hot dogs and chips for supper.

I had bought two packets of yellow rice, larger than I normally buy because the packet said one served 8.  My mistake was to cook both.  I had so many leftovers!  Too many!  I sent a big batch of leftovers home with Sam (of beans and rice) as he had to be in the area to coordinate his Catastrophic Team.  He sent me a photo the next day of his burritos he cooked on the grill at home, lol.

I urged every adult to get a shower and we bathe all children before bedtime.

I filled my bathtub with water.  I had meant to do the same to the guest bath tub but with smaller children in the house decided it wasn't worth the risks.

We'd done at least one and sometime two loads of clothes every single day just trying to not have a bunch of dirty laundry.

Monday:  Sent John off to work as the first lashings of rain had begun.  I was unable to view weather via television or internet as both dishes failed to hold a signal.

Fed the children and adults and started dinner prep (Spaghetti with Meat Sauce).  I loaded the sauce down with lots of vegetables.  I made far too much really and too much pasta, too.  I made sure to wash up dishes as I went...Good thing too because as the children ate their meal (we ate in shifts) the power went off for good.

I made up a pan of brownies.  I messed up my original recipe and not at all sorry I did.  The mistake I made proved to be a happy one and I shall be sure to alter my recipe accordingly.  I finally have the rich chewy brownies I prefer rather than the cake like brownie I'd finally achieved.

We lost cell phone service for nearly four hours.  Honestly by this point the worst of the gusts of wind over.  It was never any worse than and often not as bad as what we experience here in winter when the arctic blasts is moving out of the North.  The storm had moved faster than predicted but also decelerated a lot more quickly than it was thought it might as well.  We counted all these blessings.

Jolon decided to pack up kids and head back home once it was all done.  He knew they had no power service at home but then we had none here either.  And the storm had moved steadily on north and away from his home area in Jacksonville.  He made it down the driveway and came back.  I thought he'd forgotten something but he told me there were power lines down across the driveway.

The power outage number was so swamped with calls that it kept kicking out my phone calls.  Bess called 911 who assured us they could do nothing and to just sit tight...Well it wasn't likely we were going anywhere with downed lines right across the main driveway out of the place!  However, I admit my frustrations mounted as the evening went out and I was still unable to contact electric service to report lines down.  I called 911 once more, which all the ads instruct us to 'inform 911 and the power company.'   The operator was testy and told me it was my responsibility to report the line downed lines.  I assured her I'd tried for hours to do so but to no avail and asked if she could perhaps contact someone or give me a number to contact besides the one I'd been trying to call.  Her reply was negative and not only that but she refused to give me another number demanding that I use 'my internet', which made me laugh out loud.  I pointed out that without electricity, I had no internet service.  She assured me that my phone could be used to access internet...and so it can...IF I have a router available to use which I did not due to power outage.  I was totally unimpressed with our 911 operators and even less so when she told me in a rather rude way to be sure and have a nice day.  I do realize that they were undoubtedly swamped with calls and I had done my best to be very polite because I am aware but yeah...totally unimpressed.

Our greatest concern was that we could not get out of the property and Isaac had started with a bad cold and lots of congestion.  Nor could anyone get into the property if need be.  It was beyond frustrating to feel trapped.  Eventually John talked to the local EMS director who talked to someone who knew someone and they came and disconnected the power lines but that was in the wee hours of the night.

The children had spent three days running freely about outdoors and got very restive towards the late afternoon.  I moved the island from the center of the kitchen and herded all the adults into the living area and told the kids to run all they wanted.  And they did, from music room to kitchen and kitchen sitting and back again for a good 20 minutes.  They were more than ready to quit when I told them it was enough.

We lit candles at dark time and told stories with the children before sending them to bed.  We were sure it was too early for them and told them they had to lie down but did not have to go to sleep.  Of course they went right off to sleep and slept all night long!

We'd disconnected the toilet in the guest room so the children couldn't accidentally flush it.  We used buckets of water to flush as needed.  Odd how every single child had to use that bathroom immediately after the power went out.  We encouraged them to put their toilet tissue in the trashcan.

Tuesday:  I'd vowed never again to face a power outage without my morning cup of coffee.  I'd purchased an aluminum coffee pot at the thrift store complete with basket and stem.  This went through the dishwasher this past week and was set up ready to make coffee this morning.  I have to tell you truth even the coffee aficionado was impressed  with the pot I brewed, my first percolated coffee in some 30 years.  Thank goodness too for the gas stove!

A general shout went up among the adults when John came up the driveway towards the house this morning.  I was doling out cereal and pouring out milk to the kiddos when I heard them all exclaim in the kitchen.

Everyone began packing up when they heard the downed lines were definitely dead.  I wanted to offer foodstuffs to Jolon to take home but they had no power there either and no way to keep it cold until they arrived home.  He asked for small bottles of Gatorade for the children and a flat of water bottles which I happily gave him.  

Bess took a flat of water, leftover pasta and meat sauce home with her.  I knew they could heat on the gas ring at home.  As it happened their power was restored before she arrived back home.   I also sent her home with the meats her mom had brought in and  disposable plates and cups.

John and I ate leftovers of pasta and sauce which I'd buried deep in the back of the fridge the night before as soon as it was cooled off.

The weather cleared and we opened windows.  It was cool enough I had to put on socks.

We managed just fine on the stored water.

Wednesday:  The cooler weather continues.  The stuff in the fridge was beginning to lose it's cool.  I  moved the butter and cheeses over to the big freezer but didn't have enough room for that whole gallon of milk, the one I'd bought on Friday.

We continued to do our flushing with water drawn up in the tub, drank from stored water and used it to bathe and do dishes.  I was glad of the days I'd practiced that 'no one is home' routine with minimal electric usage and glad too of experimenting at least once a week on using as little water as I could to bathe or to do dishes.

I re-introduced John to the basin bath and showed him how to rinse his hair using a water can of warm water.  I'd heated water on the stove and managed both his bath water and enough to rinse dishes as well.

We charged cell phones in the car.

I was in 'use it up mode' so we finished off luncheon meats that were in the fridge and most likely to spoil first.

Thursday:  John took a basin bath before work.

I perked coffee and tested the temperature of the egg and milk in the fridge.  I felt it was still safe so made oatmeal.

Sent John off to work with a bag full of snacks.  He said he'd stop for lunch somewhere.

I cleaned.  I'd been steadily doing housework the past three days.  There are plenty of things to do that require energy but not electricity.  I swept, folded and put away the quilts used as pallets, cleaned off the porches and patio and picked up sticks.  I made our bed, stripped and remade the guest bed and just generally worked until I decided I'd had enough.  I cleared a few things out of the fridge as the day progressed and the interior got up to room temperature.  I felt the cabbages and carrots would hold well despite the warmth but the lettuce and eggs and milk and yogurt were definitely done.

I checked the freezer and removed the few things that had thawed in the top portion.  That deep freezer had been filled to the top and so the bulk of things were still frozen solid.  I found a small portion of a roast that was cold but no longer had ice crystals in it.  I cooked that for my meal and had supper off it, as well.  It had been just enough for two people.

It got hot as the day went on.  I handled things well but once I get hot I get very testy.  I was glad no one was here to see how irritable I was!  I decided then to stop work and simply try to stay as cool as I might under the circumstances.  I read by an open window for hours.  I sponged off with cool water.

I called the electric company at the local office in sheer desperation after fielding multiple calls from John and texts from my niece asking if power was back on yet, had I heard anything?, etc...The man was very nice and very patient.  He assured me there was a work ticket for our repair and that they'd have us up again before week was done.  This satisfied me but didn't stop the calls and texts, lol.

Friday:  I do not like to sleep with open windows even way out here in my isolated house but I did last night.  When I could bear the heat no longer, I sponged off with a cool cloth.

Allergies ran rampant with the open windows.  The children had them and so did I.  I've been dosing with an OTC medicine that works well for me but woke feeling miserable this morning.

John brought me leftover Chinese dinner for breakfast, lol and came with peace offerings for making me miserable yesterday with his frustrated texts and calls.  He brought me a bag of my favorite chips (small one) and a Coke and a big bag of ice so I could have an iced drink.  I told him I was easily bribed into forgiving him, lol. I put the bag of ice in the top portion of the deep freeze.

Sweetest sound I've heard in days was the beep beep beep as the power truck backed into the property.

I immediately checked the freezer.  The meats were still frozen solid. I lost very little, mostly 'saved' things, like peaches I put up last year and cornbread I'd saved to make stuffing and some mixed fruits I'd been saving to make my annual lot of jelly.  Very minor losses there.

Noted the strawberries had thawed entirely but were still good and cold, so I immediately put together a strawberry cobbler.

The milk and yogurt and eggs, some lettuce were definitely done for in the fridge.  Salad dressings and stuff  I was unsure of went into the trash.  I felt the mustard and ketchup were okay and the jellies and syrups.  I cleaned and wiped out the fridge while it was still warm.  I dried the shelves carefully.  I figured while it was very near empty was the best time to do that job.

As soon as the electricity came back on we started using kilowatts.  I was very proud overall of how well we'd managed and how little we'd lost despite the heat of the past two days.  I still had 1/3 of the tub of water.  I had three pitchers of water I'd drawn up on Sunday.  John had opened the first gallon jug of water leaving us with 9 jugs of water to put into storage for future needs.  I felt my water storage had proven it's value overall.

We had plenty of candles and matches.  Disposable plates and cups were a lifesaver on dishes though I hated filling the trash can so often.

Our list for future situations include hand sanitizing wipes, perhaps a battery operated fan for hot nights without power, and a phone charger that fits John's car outlet.  All in all we did well, I think.

Living Well

Sometimes it's nice to look at how well our skills work in real life situations.  I was proud of the way my foods in the freezer held up and how well our water supplies lasted in a time of need.  But there was one skill, one I seldom have used, that I was especially grateful for this past week.

When John trained as an EMT one of the first lessons was how to do the Heimlich  on a choking victim.  Katie was less than two at the time and happened to be in the room when he told me about it.  He flipped her onto his knee and showed me just where she should be hit on the back if she were to choke.  Moments later, she was eating a banana.  I heard a sucking sound and turned to see that she had sucked the banana into her throat.  I sat down, grabbed her up, laid her across my knee and whacked her on the back.  Immediately the banana flew out of her mouth.  I sat and wept and wept while John patted me reassuringly and told me I'd done the maneuver textbook perfect.

This past weekend I'd given the children mandarin oranges as part of their meal.  I heard one of the children say "Something's wrong with Josh!" just as Josh came running into the kitchen.  I could see the panic in his eyes and immediately saw that he'd put the whole peeled mandarin in his mouth and it had gotten stuck as he tried to swallow it.

Without thinking twice, I immediately hit him on his back which dislodged the mandarin.  I whacked him again as he tried to swallow the dang thing all over again and got it out of his mouth.  At that point, I took him in my arms and wept, as did he.    I told him he'd scared me mightily and to never try to eat a whole mandarin again!  He in turn told me "You beat me!"  Lol.  I assured him if ever a beating was done in love it was that one.

  I have many times used my skills in the kitchen to stretch a meal or to piece one together from nothing.  I have many times weathered a storm and gone days without electricity.  I practice those skills occasionally just to keep my hand in but I shall be forever grateful that John taught me how to stop a child from choking all those many years ago and occasionally comes home with a new poster to put on our bulletin board...And this week that knowledge, seldom used, was the true part of living well.  I urge all of you, if you have grandchildren to acquire one of those posters and study it.  It just may be the handiest skill you'll ever have!