I get too anxious to sit still, too.
Also, it’s normalcy bias that creeps in during a power failure. At my house that’s what happened two winters ago with a wicked, freezing temps windstorm blew through here. I knew it was coming. We’d been warned for two days.
That Sunday morning I started cooking early. As the day crept on, winds got very bad, power outages were showing up all over central Indiana.
I had hot food cooked and ready, but around 4 pm, when OUR power finally went out, hubby had NO patience for anything I’d prepared and got irritated at with my idea of staying by the fireplace eating what I had ready. We also found out the hard way when the stored batteries we had were not good anymore , too.
....after a couple of hours, he’d had enough...we got in the car found an open Restaraunt (it might have been a Texas Roadhouse I think?) and waited, along with the other people without power, for a table.
He hates the quiet, “sitting in silence” sort of thing when there’s no power.
I guess that’s “one way” to get to go out to eat lol. I’ll admit though, I was kind of bummed out all my prep efforts didn’t matter much.
Your post spurred some general thoughts. Gotta remember that I grew up with both sets of grandparents having no electricity or water/plumbing in the house.
Can't sit still? Here's a dust rag, dish pan, broom, mop, mending, empty water kettle/bucket, hoe, rake and lawn mower in summer (they don't need electricity!
) or a snow shovel and wood hauling sled in winter.
Is my early training showing yet? Hahaha.
As far as not eating at home..that's pure (bad) habit. If people usually cook and eat at home, with very little forethought, they can eat at home without electricity and it's a comfort. A BBQ grill or propane camp stove plus some stored water on hand, and food prep is back close to normal. Clean-up might be more work and inconvenient, but hey...who was it that couldn't sit still, eh?
Silence? Battery radio is an essential. Music - on a tablet or battery powered player. Great excuse to park your butt and practice, play, sing with guitar/piano, etc. if you are so inclined. There's also plain old conversation, reading
aloud, (yes, even between adults. But kids of course LOVE it). It's much more active/participatory, entertaining, social, calming and
challenging than reading to yourself. Keep some short stories - Twain, Robert Service, Poe, even Shakespeare handy. Games of course - the louder and more enthusiastic the better.
and the only thing left of the shelf is vegan food that few if any want.
