Iced in Snow Storm

Iced In

God, it had been cold for a week. It was colder than it normally gets here. Then the slow rain started, and just sort of froze on everything. I remember the telephone line being fatter than my thumb. Then the power went off, completely.

It was OK, my mother, Julie, my brother, Brett, and I (Ashley) had water and food, and Brett had a camping stove and lots of fuel. He liked to go backpacking, but this stove was more for car camping. He also had his tiny Primus stove for cooking as well. At least the water was still working, if not the water heater.

The first day was not so bad, but the house got sort of cold. Daddy was stranded in another city due to the foul weather. We were on our own. I like to bathe, and without hot water I felt sort of uncomfortable.

Brett brought his Primus stove to my room and lit it, and heated almost a quart of water. "Sorry, Sis, but that is all that she can do. We have to use the Coleman for food. Is that OK?" I fell into his arms, stinky and all, and thanked him! At least I had enough hot water to sort of kind of clean myself and shave my legs. I put some cold water into the bath tub and mixed it with the hot water, and sort of sponged off, and shaved. I felt better, but without proper lights I was not sure if I had gotten everything. We had emergency supplies, but just one candle did not allow me to see very much. I ran my hands up and down my legs, and did not feel any stubble, so I guessed that they were OK. Usually I like to look at myself in the mirror, but with just one candle there was not much looking. Did I feel "him" when I fell into his arms, stinky and all?

I drifted to sleep in a very cold bed, and got up when the late winter sun hit my windows. Brett and my mum were in the kitchen, warming their hands around the Coleman stove, and cooking stuff that would ruin in the next day since the refrigerator was out of power. I had a thought.

"Hey, why don't we put all of this food in a box and set it outside? My room has a balcony, and as cold as it is, it should keep pretty well out there!"

They were dumbfounded that such a little girl had such a good idea. We ate breakfast, and then Brett and my mum started to bring food from the kitchen to my balcony. We found a big cooler, and put it all in there. At least we could eat, and Brett said that he had enough fuel for the stove for at least a couple of days. The electricity went out exactly one day ago, as I saw from my clock.

The house was getting cold. The battery operated thermometer indicated that is was 10 degrees F outside, and only 42 degrees inside. We were getting chilled. All outside, huge tree limbs were starting to crash with the weight of the ice on them, and I was scared.

I was cold, too. So were Brett and my mum. My parents had given me a water bed for my 14th birthday some time ago, and it was still sort of warm. We decided to crowd onto it, and put heaping helpings of covers on top of us, to keep warm.

Brett fired up the little Primus and my mum and I used the hot water to sort of clean up a bit. With so little hot water, all that we could do was wash a bit, so I forgot about shaving my legs. After we got done, Brett also cleaned up a little. We all three put on warm clothes and sort of huddled in the fading warmth of my water bed. We were fine for the time being.

We got up and made coffee. Yes, sounds strange, but Brett, the camper, had a coffee pot that worked well over the Coleman stove. By the way, he is only two years older than I am. We drank the hot coffee, and he fixed us biscuits from out of his camping box. Everyone was happy, but still cold.

Mum went to the closet and found some afghans that she had crocheted for gifts. On the couch, we all three were happy to get under them. Now it got a bit odd.

It was still cold! I went back under the afgans to warm up a bit. Soon, Brett and my mum joined me. We were sort of balled up to fight off the cold. The thermometer indicated 43 degrees F in the house. That is COLD!