The Rural Voice, 2003-10, Page 47Home Decorating
Where were bou when the blackout hit?
Patti
Robertson
operates
Classic
Interiors in
Wingham.
By Patti Robertson
Where were you when "The
Blackout" hit? This has been the big
question of the season.
Me? I was in Kitchener with our
oldest daughter Heidi at her new
apartment hanging her numerous pieces
of artwork, (Yes! last month I told you
about Hailey and Steve's move. We
moved both daughters within a month
of each other.) Thanks to a neighbour
who parked his car strategically
between his apartment building and
Heidi's we had regular radio reports.
Heidi dug through packed boxes in
search of the Bell land line and ditched
her useless cordless phone. No sooner
had we accomplished this than Ward
called to update us and make sure we
were both safe and sound. In short
order we heard from Hailey, and how
she'd spent two hours in Toronto traffic
travelling her usual 10 -minute drive
home, then climbed a blackened
stairwell to reach their seventh floor
condo ... but all was well. It's a good
feeling to know what is going on with
your family and friends and that they
are secure no matter what the crisis and
there sure have been several global
concerns about the past few years.
About 8:30 Heidi and I dug through
her fridge and made up a great crab
salad, (the planned chicken and rice
dinner would have to wait for another
day) and invited Heidi's neighbour
Donna Rae in with us for salad and
wine. Needless to say our conversation
centred around war stories of past
blackouts, etc. About 9:30 Heidi and I
finished hanging her artwork by
flashlight and around 10:30 I headed
out for Wingham.
The trip down King Street was very,
very disorienting. We do not realize
how much we depend on well -lit
landmarks for guidance. It seemed that
I had driven for hours and was truly
doubting that I knew where I was going
when I finally spotted the Highway 86
north ramp for home. Meanwhile, in
Toronto, Hailey decided to camp out on
her balcony and read. Steve said when
he hit the base of the QEW he knew she
home and safe as he spotted her
balcony all aglow in candlelight.
Friday dawned and I set about
taking stock of how we could
personally conserve energy and assist
with the crunch. I was pleasantly
surprised to realize that over the past
few years we've tightened up our
consumption considerably. Our tree -
shaded lot is relatively cool in the
summer and both Ward and I prefer
open windows and a fan to air
conditioners. We've almost completed
replacing all our drafty windows, we
ditched the dishwasher two years ago
(the mechanical one — not me!). I prefer
to air dry my clothes and my hair, do
most of our wash at off hours and in
cold water and we heat with gas and
have always preferred low -wattage
low-level lighting for our entire home.
So now we are even more aware, and
I've readily activated any steps I can to
move into a positive energy mode.
Once my own household was on
track I found it fascinating to talk with
others and find out their personal
stories and efforts at energy conserva-
tion. Things like using your solar -
powered moon rays to light up interior
rooms and recharging them the next
day, to use the next night. Getting out
the camping gear and sleeping under
the stars, dusting off old board games
for family fun and entertainment,
swimming in the creek versus the town
pool. I really like the ingenious idea of
filling the empty spaces in the deep
freezer with large plastic bottles of
distilled water. Not only will the freezer
work more economically, but in a
power outage the water will assist in
keeping foodstuffs frozen longer and
you will also have fresh water on hand.
There is always more we can do. If
you use air conditioning, if possible
turn it off, and if not set the thermostat
at 25.5 degrees. Closing the curtains
and opening the windows to draw in
naturally cool air was easy to do this
year with our cool summer
temperatures. Reduce lighting levels,
turn lights off when leaving rooms.
Microwave versus using a conventional
stove, maximize hot water use by
showering versus bathing, and use
appliances during non -peak hours of
8:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m.
So will we be fortunate enough to
not have another `Blackout"? Who
knows. But it's best to learn from this
most recent experience and have
supplies on hand to make the adventure
as convenient as possible: candles,
flashlight, batteries; one of those neat
wind-up radios. Yes you wind it up and
it will operate for an hour or so, before
having to be wound up again. Some
even come with a built-in flashlight,
and best of all no batteries to wear out.
Most important you need a system of
communicating with family and friends
and anyone with a disability who could
be in need of extra attention.
So, was this a coincidence? This
year I've chosen to discuss the energy
dynamics within our homes and
lifestyles with you and we.have the
largest power outage in years! Don't
blame me. I'm just the messenger.0
PATTI ROBERTSON'S
qftir
.---
Unique Reside.ztial and
Commercial Interiors
135 Victoria St., WINGHAM
357-2872
• Custom-made Window
Fashions, Bedspreads
& Accessories
• Fine Domestic &
Imported Fabrics
• Select Wallcouerings
• Furnishings, Lighting
& Artwork to suit
any interior...
OCTOBER 2003 43
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