I've lived through a couple of those. Trust me when I say I wouldn't have made a good pioneer on the prairie. Glad you're back.

Been there, done that. No generator but a fireplace.

Actually sobbed when the crews showed up and got the power back on.

Enjoy

But, it wasn't winter. I have a generator, like you. But, i never wired the thing to the whole house (probably not big enough) and there would be no way for the furnace to kick on and the pump to run.

It's really expensive to run a generator off gasoline, isn't it?

Glad things are getting back to normal.

Nothing else quite like it, is there? We used gallons of water to "flush" the toilets, which we replenished for free thanks to the local gas station, and a friend rewired our furnace on Xmas eve so we could run it on the generator. Glad you too are no longer in the cold, cold darkness.

I kept some of the water I was bailing from the sump pump crock, in a big tub to use for the toilets. I finally got a generator Christmas eve, and then, despite trying to do everything safe, but with NO control over wind strength and direction, ended up with a detection of carbon monoxide. Fortunately we were able to find another, more distant place to re-locate the generator, sealed off the windows with plastic sheeting and duct tape, and we hoped the wind would cooperate. It did.

I'm keeping the extension cords in place, just in case. We are going to warm up for a few days, and now they are saying there is a risk of branches snapping UP when the weight of the ice and snow is gone, and taking out more wires!

the trees intact. We lost power because our neighbor's tree limbs snapped both power posts, and meters completely off our homes. He's in the UP and refused to return to help. Thankfully, there was still power to the transformer, but we had to replace both poles before the electric co. would restore the electricity. Now, we just have to hope he will repay our expenses. Ou r area was hit very hard, so in a way, we didn't suffer nearly as bad as some. Keep your blankets close, after the short thaw, they say it's going to get bitterly cold. Stay safe!

Some areas of the neighborhood were restored earlier than the area where I live, but it looks like they were taken down, again. So, I will carry on with caution. I have two down comforters and a zero-degree "mummy bag" so if I stay on the couch, I can stay warm. Especially when the two cats join me.

If I can get through tomorrow without another outage, I will start to relax. After that it will get very cold, but there is no precipitation in the forecast.

From the post above it sounds like you had to move the generator.

We used to carry either gas, electric or propane powered portable pumps for going into manholes with us and they can empty out a lot of water very fast. Just have to tie the hose up and set it up to drain it away.

Noisy, but better than a flood. The sump pump I guess you had in place went out with the power, but maybe you can get one that will work off the generator so you won't have to bail the next time.

If I had a house, I'd set a generator in the garage or a tiny shed and run a permanent line to the house. It really makes life a lot easier.

Guessing your fire place didn't allow cooking, but at times I've cooked off a wood stove when the power lines were down in the winter. And boiled water for a sponge bath. Also used lamps from Lehman's that really light things up. I always had toilet water on hand, by filling up detergent, bleach, etc bottles with water and storing them near the bathroom. And a lot of water bottles because my well needed electricity, too.

I had some relatives who lost power every winter several times up in the hills and they just prepared that way. Always had the lamps ready, water stored inside when they had to turn the pump off from freezing, plenty of dry wood and cooked on the wood stove and all of that.

Good luck in the next ice storm.

I always have a good supply of firewood, batteries and flashlights, and extra propane canisters. I even a limited supply of 'MRE's. And the instant bad weather is in the forecast, I fill pots, pans and 2 liter soda bottles with water. I now have a Coleman lantern that runs off of those little propane canisters and it throws off a whole lot of light.

As inconvenient as a power outage is, my frustration and exhaustion levels would be greatly decreased if I didn't have to deal with the damn sump pump. My big fear is that one of these times, after hours of lugging the water, I'll get so tired I'll fall down the stairs and that will be it. I fell UP the stairs, this time, and that was painful enough.

Rita. All of the crews were still working on Katrina issues. The 1st week it was over 100 degrees everyday and 85% plus humidity.
Glad you have your power back and I hope you can keep it!

As you age, a lot of Christmas's fade together but this one will sure stand out!

We lost ours this am but mom and dad have a generator so we are still warm and toasty. Just hope the weather gets better as there are still a lot around here without power.