Jillian's Journal

My first Blackout! The lights went out around midnight. We all gathered around Grandpa’s battery powered radio and learned that 300,000 homes in and around Columbus had lost power! The temperature had dropped, turning the rain, sleet, and snow into ice, which pulled down trees and power lines. The news reporter said some homes would be without power ‘til Christmas! Grandpa reassured us that we’d have power long before that, as they’d never gone longer than 8 hours without power in the past. Good thing because the temperature today was a high of 30 degrees and a low of 10 degrees, WOW, and it was getting colder and colder! Good thing Grandpa had a kerosene heater! The winter storm made national news and Grandpa stated he’d never seen ice like this before. I was glad I was there to share the history making moment! Grandpa was prepared so we had water and heat. We considered ourselves lucky and worried about those more unfortunate than us. Grandma, Mommy, and me were smart enough to stay indoors, but of course Grandpa and Daddy had to go outside and take pictures and explore the neighborhood. The ice and snow was amazing. Trees and branches were bent and broken everywhere you looked. Aunt Gayle, Michaella and Jakob came over to stay warm as their house was without power too and they didn’t have a heater like Grandpa’s. I was glad to see them again! We had fun. I had my first candle lit bath. Not the kind you would imagine, unless you can imagine a bath in a sink with all the family looking at you! Mom! Dignity check! Uncle Matt was out looking for a sump pump battery. This made Grandpa think to check the water level in his sump. Good think he did! The water was all the way to the top and about to spill over and flood the basement! Without power, there was only one thing to do, bail water. Grandpa and Daddy make at least a hundred trips up and down the basement steps with pails full of water. As the day turned into night, Grandma broke out the candles to provide some light as the sun went down. The bailing continued into the night after I went to bed, as I was told, that Grandma and Mommy helped and they kept bailed with multiple breaks until midnight! Grandpa was surprised the power had not come back on yet. Perhaps the radio news reporter was right after all.