Power Outage

The power went off last night.  I don't know why.  We paid the bill.  Actually it went off then on then off then on then off all within about 30 seconds.  With the third off I got up from reading and went into the kitchen to get a candle.  I did have a flashlight within a six inch reach of where I was sitting but didn't need it.  Although it was dark out I can walk through my house with my eyes closed and go to the correct cabinet to get matches and also to the correct drawer to pull out a candle.  The room I was in had candle and matches too but I chose the kitchen because it was closer to where the majority of the people were.  I called out to Army daughter and son-in-law that I was going to light a candle.  As I lit the match the lights went back on again.  I put the candle into the holder and put it onto the dining room table.  I called out that I'm leaving the candle lit and on the table. 

Granddaughter climbed out of bed and came out of her room to tell me her fish tank pump was broken because it kept going on and off.  She said she thought it was overflowing.  I think she is going to be dreaming about overflowing toilets after the afternoons bathroom flood.  I told her that it was just the power going on and off.  She asked why?  I said that I had no idea why the power was going off but it didn't matter.  We didn't really need the power anyway. 

That's not really quite true.  While we didn't need the power last night because it was bedtime anyway, what if we lost power for a day or a week or a month?  A day...not a problem.  Keep the freezer and refrigerator doors closed.  Use a match to light the propane stove since the electronic ignition wouldn't work.  Drink water from the reserves.  Toilets?  We only have one flush per toilet without power because the well won't pump to refill the tank.  We do have the outhouse I built in the garden.  We also have the trailer toilet which uses much less water because it goes directly into the tank so water isn't needed to push it through the pipes. 

What about a week?  If I couldn't get some dry ice I'd have to remove the contents of the freezer, start thawing the meat and either dry, smoke, or can it.  The vegetables and fruits would also get dried or canned.  It would be a lot of work but not really a disaster.  What about laundry?  We have enough clothes to last the week, or even two.  What then?  A five gallon bucket works.  Our biggest problem would be the water.  We have plenty on hand but not enough to water the garden, the animals, and sustain us in the manner that we'd like for any real length of time. 

If the power went out for the week or longer would I still be heading off to work?  Would my work schedule go on as if there wasn't any electrical outage?  Those answers I don't know because I don't know what would be causing the outage.  Just another wake up call to let me know that I'm not as prepared as I'd like to be.