April Wamhoff

I was a victim of the power outage a couple of weeks ago. Me and, according to Lake Country Power outage map, 343 other customers were powerless on “my outtage.” Prior to that,  I haven’t, in recent memory, lost power for more than a few hours. Egads, this one was near 18 hours. 
Now, I’ve never considered myself a power wimp. I live on an island and I’m one tough cookie, right? (A little chest pumping done here.) But I’m gonna tell ya, I was a little anxious about the whole thing.
Of course, the island home started out “powerless.”  Heck,  it was just an uncleared lot. It was many years before the family succumbed to “need” for outside electricity and all the conveniences it brought.
Back in the days of tents and cabin building, we went through all the “traditional” energy sources. At first we really were roughin’ it: cooking on campfires and gas camp stoves, with food kept chilled with ice in coolers and lighting with flashlights and- dare I mention-Coleman lanterns.
Coleman lanterns. Now those were some nasty things. Oh, they’d throw some serious light, that’s for sure. All the while sounding like a jet plane and threatening to burn the entire island if tipped over.
Once the real cabin building started taking place, the first generator came to the island. We, very affectionately, called her “Jenny.” We’d gas her up, pull the starter cord and off she’d go, chug-a-lugging for most of the day, for all of the island to hear. Still, Jenny was for daytime use and the flashlight and lanterns still came out at night.
When the cabin was up and livable, we replaced the coolers with a propane refrigerator. What luxury! Really! And while we still used the lanterns, cabin furniture lessened the tip over potential. You just haven’t lived until you’ve played cribbage by the light of a lantern.
The day eventually came when my parents decided to contact Lake Country Power for “real” electricity. The island is now home to a little green box along the shoreline with electric lines running under water to main land electric service.
It’s amazing what a short time it takes to become spoiled and dependent on that box and the conveniences it provides. We have now hauled all the appliances of a modern home, including a washer and dryer and electric heaters, out to the cabin.
All it takes is a little power outage to set things straight about your dependence on outside electrical service. My service is so reliable, I have all but forgotten what it’s like to NOT have it.
Fortunately, the outage started in the morning, so I had time to adjust. I pulled out old Jenny and powered her up-all the while just knowing the power would be back on any minute. Jenny, still a reliable back-up, (She started on the third pull!) provided enough power to cool the fridge, pump some water and flush the toilets. My out-of-town friend and I had lights for the evening and got our cell phones charged. Can’t forget that!
We went to bed early and every light and appliance turned back on about 2 a.m. I’ll admit it was a little startling at that time of the morning, but I was ever so glad to have it back.
I’m glad the outage happened during the summer. No fans for cooling but no freeze up worries. It was a wake up call that I will forget about very shortly-because my service is so dependable. Thank you, Lake Country Power.
I’d truly like to thank the lineman and everyone who keeps my service up and running. Not gonna lie to you, during the outage, I did keep stalking the website and was really happy to see the hard hat icon appear on “my” outage. Thank you again. You guys are da best!