A little light discussion

I'm starting to go back to my roots - in this case my thoughts on lights.  In the dark.  In your house.  When the power goes out.

Have you thought about an extended power outage and how you would be able to see to get through the night?  Or even the inside of a dark closet?

Over the years my older son and I have developed somewhat of an obsession with flashlight 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

I have them just about everywhere:  there are three in my car.  One in the former cigarette lighter outlet - it has a little blue light on top that reflects on the windows 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 make it flash if you push the right button.  Currently I'm at about a 30% success rate on my button choice.

Then there is the expensive one I bought myself -  it comes with both a car and a house charger and is advertised as being able to blind an attacker in an emergency - I do know it throws a beam across a football field for sure.  Since I haven't been attacked I can't speak to the other attribute!

And in the center console I have a little LED one for backup - you know:  one is none and two is one...that attitude.

In the house I have the obligatory plug in one that I always forget to use cause it's way over there - plugged into an outlet.  I bought one of these for a friend when I found out she was using matches to see how much oil she had left in the tank.  I sincerely hope she is still using it or at least has run out of matches!

Also in the house I have a collection of solar/battery versions.  They lurk on sunny window sills just waiting for my power to go out.  Also in the house is a battery lantern from Coleman and another from LLBean - they put out some good "area" lighting when you need both hands free.

Along with all of the above I have a couple of head lights - lights that fit on a strap that goes around your head - also useful for when you need both hands free.

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 sort of 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) in order for a lot of these light sources 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.

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.But when it's dark inside your house at night it's 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!

Winter is far from over (sadly) and a power outage can last seconds or days - perhaps now would be a good time to give a little thought to your supply of lighting.  Doesn't have to be fancy or expensive:  it just has to be there when you need it.

Don't leave it too late

This post has not a thing to do with preparing or storing or regrouping or anything so related.

Lately I have been trying to wade through the paperwork left from being the executrix for my aunt when she passed away in 1997.

My older brother would no doubt have me hold onto this stuff until it became someone else's job to get rid of it.  I would rather take a chance that the government is going to ask me a question after 20 years than leave yet another pile of paperwork for the "next guy" to get rid of.

It's funny the feelings that float to the surface as all these papers flow through my hands and, mostly, into the shredder.

Death certificates - when a person dies it seems as if not only do you have to deal with the grief and loss but you have to continually reinforce it by providing copies of the death certificate to every real and potential municipal or court official who, no matter how remotely involved, needs "proof" that this happened.  Who the hell would lie about something so painful?

Wills and Trusts and Other Important Documents  -  who knew that you had to have about a zillion copies of all of them.  Mostly attested to by various Notaries and Officials and Other Important People.  But all Very Important Paperwork that must be kept.

Lawyers communications - I have to admit that I suspect (although we had a wonderful lawyer whom I trusted implicitly) that on the surface it could be said to appear that they were trying to get paid either by the word or by the memo or, even, by the letter?  Many many discussions of something that was apparently so simple:  someone died - and that someone wanted their "stuff" distributed thus. Seems simple, right?  Not when you mix in the banks and the courts and even the lawyers!

I'm saving a few of the papers I've found.  A kind note from my cousin, another thoughtful one from the woman who cat sat for my aunt and the handwritten note from my aunt describing what she would like (or not like) as a memorial service.

I'm going to quote it here because it was just "so her" - pragmatic and practical to the end and not given to any sort of breast beating or morbid fancies.

"Please, no funeral or committal services and, if at all possible, send body directly from hospital (or wherever) to crematory.

Instead, hire a caterer and hold a buffet luncheon for anyone who wants to come and sign a book -  if that will make anyone feel better.  Then throw the book into the Atlantic along w/the ashes or throw ashes around back yard!"

And,mostly, that is exactly what we did.  Family and old friends together in her living room sharing stories and looking through old albums and laughing about some of the wonderful trips she took.

I plead the fifth on not doing exactly as she wished with her ashes but otherwise we toed the mark to a T.

My point - which as usual I took a long time getting to - is don't wait until you are the one wading through the debris of a loved one's life to tell them how loved they are.  My aunt was truly my best friend and my mentor and I go not a day without wishing I could see her again.  But to say "I love you" to her would have stepped so far out of our character (damn Yankees!) that it just never happened.

Don't be that guy - now is the time to tell the ones you love so you aren't wading through all that stuff and wishing that you had!

No one has had it easy

The two weeks since Christmas have certainly been a trial by ice and cold and snow for almost all of our country.  Certainly here in the Northeast the ongoing penetrating cold has been relentless.

Things that never froze, froze.

Things that never broke, broke.

People who never got sick, got sick - really really sick!

One branch of my family got together (all of them) for the first time in many Christmases - their reward?  Sick.....some really really sick, especially the little ones.  Time spent in hospitals and time spent shifting schedules around so the sickest could be with mom and dad no matter what.

And once that was all past, the ones who hadn't had "time to be sick" - got sick.

There have been no new posts on here for quite a while because what do you say about the worst cold in years?  It's cold?  It's really really cold?  That has been more than self evident.

I had a few tricks I pulled out of mental mothballs:

Got a new battery put in the car - replaced the 5 year old one pretty much just in time.

Kept the gas tank as full as possible but still need to get some dry gas into that tank.

Hung a drop light by the plumbing that is exposed to the most "outside influence" in my cellar - it's amazing what a difference that makes.

Put a tarp over the big cellar door, rolled blankets at the base of the door and put a board across over the blankets.

Rolled up towels at the base of all my living room and dining room windows - and at the bottom of the outside door.

Kept the blinds closed - one more layer of air between me and the cold.

Made damn sure that when I took the dog out I either had a key to the door in my pocket or the door was unlocked.  The wind chill was at some points 30 below zero and that's not the time to be trying to wade through snow drifts to get to the hide-a-key.

I have made my peace with apparently being the "elderly neighbor that people need to check on".  My next door neighbor did all my snow blowing for every storm and emailed in advance telling me to stay inside and keep warm.  All I had to do was shovel and that at my leisure.

I guess all the home made bread and jam that I have shuttled their way over time has come back to me 10 times over in the help they have given me.

I hope that everyone had the food supplies and necessities in place before this all hit.  If not? 

Winter is far from over.

Just sayin!