That thing about the light at the end of the tunnel....

Just about the time you think that you're out of the woods it starts to look as if the light at the end of the tunnel could be a train!

But it doesn't have to be that way -

Have you thought about lighting if the power is out?  I don't mean a blip that makes your clocks go back to blink mode (as annoying as that is) I mean power out....for several hours at least.

Over the last few years my older son and I have developed somewhat of an obsession with flashlights or things that might be used for flashlights or even things that used to BE flashlights!  Every Christmas means another search for a type of light that we haven't already given each other.

There is the one that fits into my (former) cigarette lighter in the car.  It has a little blue light on top that reflects on the window and has the side effect of keeping me from speeding cause I always think it's the police.  It's extra cool because you can also make it flash (not the blue part - they frown on that stuff) if you push the right button.  Currently I'm at about a 30% success rate on my button choice.

There is the expensive one I bought myself that comes with both a car and house charger and puts out a beam that is advertised as being able to blind an attacker - sort of a dual purpose item!

At the house I have the obligatory plug into an outlet one that I always forget to use cause it's over there plugged into an outlet -  I'm a slave to following directions!  I bought one of these for a friend when I discovered she was using a match to see how much oil she had left (WTF?).   I sincerely hope she is still using it and/or has at least run out of matches!

And then there are the solar/battery versions.  One is on the steps into the greenhouse sucking up whatever sunlight comes it's way.  Another is up at camp on a window sill and is probably frozen solid at this point.  Two at least are lurking around my house in sometimes sunny spots and one is in my "everything I'll need when I can't get to where I buy everything I need" box.  All of these have in common a battery backup and a cutsie little light that tells you what is fueling the light source - battery or solar function.  I admit I can never remember which light means which so I just leave them in the sun and hope for the best.

I have a two bulb battery lantern from Coleman and I have a killer multi-battery one from LLB that I got on sale.

This past Christmas I couldn't find a flashlight gift that wasn't a total rerun so I tried to get creative:

LuminAID LUM-PL16 PackLite 16 Inflatable Solar Light

• Updated version of the original LuminAID Solar Light
• Provides up to 16 hours of light on a single charge
• 32+ hour emergency flash setting
• Packs flat for easy storage and charging, weighing 2.9oz
• Waterproof up to 1 meter deep (FL 1 STANDARD IPX-7) and can float

I couldn't figure out how to put a decent picture of it in here but it's supposed to do what that list says and I expect that if it doesn't my son or my granddaughter will let me know!  I see no reason why it wouldn't work hanging around the house as well as out camping.

There is also a tasteful assortment of flashlights that just sort of hang around the house - one of my favorites just cause I'm a tool junkie is this one:

• One high power LED bulb
• Anodized aircraft grade aluminum water-resistant compact body design
• Magnetic base for hands-free lighting
• Aggressive self-defense face
• Rear glow-in-the-dark button uses hard/soft touch technology

Admittedly I'm not sure what an aggressive self-defense face looks like other than the fact that it has some pretty rugged looking edges around the bulb. But it makes me feel really defended!  (Frankly it took me back to Little League days of yelling "Look mean at the pitcher" but I don't think that's what it meant) It also does cool stuff like flash that red ring if you touch the on/off base just right (I'm at about 50% success on my touch ranking) and it has an adjustable beam.  Useful for pinpointing the source of the reflections when walking the dog at night - helps me decide if I need to reconsider my route or just walk past my car trying to pretend I knew the reflection was the bumper all along!

I also have a couple small Streamlight flashlights.  Nice thing about that company is that they will provide spare parts if you need to rebuild one of their products.

Something I do not have for light is candles or gas lanterns.   Candles are a great thing for ambiance at a dinner party but they really suck as a light source and an open flame is never a friendly thing to have just hanging around.  And gas lanterns - either liquid gas or even propane fueled - frankly scare the crap out of me.  The idea of sitting around next to what amounts to a controlled explosion just doesn't do it for me!

Needless to say (but I'm going to anyway) in order for a lot of these flashlights/lanterns to function you have to have batteries - you have to keep an assortment of batteries - you have to KNOW where your assorted batteries are.  And you actually have to know what assortment you need to have!

I know perfectly well that the above bit of deathless prose isn't going to make everyone who reads it race to Amazon or Walmart and stock up on light sources.  I might be lucky if I didn't lose half my audience at the light at the end of the tunnel comment.  However, when it's dark inside your house at night it is really really really dark - I'm talking "what the hell did I just trip over" dark! And heaven forbid you have a reason to get out of Dodge in a hurry it's a lot easier if you can see where Matt Dillon parked the horse for you!  

P.S.  This blog is set up to prevent comments - my nephew Peter said that would protect my delicate feelings should a stranger stumble upon it.  But if anyone who has my e mail has comments I'd be interested in hearing them - as I keep saying, this isn't meant to push War and Peace off the best seller list - it hopefully will provide some cheap amusement and perhaps start some new thought processes.