CMP’s high prices)
Well we have lasted 52 days and are still going strong.
I have learned quite a bit about this adventure of ours. I have learned that
there are good things and bad things about it. Some things I have learned just
by chance such as how adjusted we are to electric lights and how much it has
thrown us off by just our normal habits of living. We are so programmed to turn
on the lights upon entering a room that I had to duct tape the wall switches to
keep this experiment pure. It is
getting more challenging now that the days are much shorter.
We have learned to plan things more strategically for the daylight hours
such as housework and woodbin runs down in the basement to name but a few. I had a marvelous time trying to polish
the holiday silver in my only time frame until then (I have to work like
everyone else). I was low in polish
and had to wait to do my grocery shopping to get the polish before I could even
start and by then at just around 4:50 pm in the foothills it was almost
completely dark outside. The cloud
cover from the rain made the skies darker by around 3pm.
Not to mention we have heat saving curtains that not only keep the heat
in but the sunlight out! Yikes
sometimes I feel like I live in a cave with all of the energy saving gizmos I
set into place in this house!
The advantages of the situation are still as follows;
my night vision has improved dramatically as I never thought it would. Mainly out of pure laziness for the
most part it seems. Sometimes it
is a pain to just grab a lantern to do a quick errand so I take the time to wait
for my eyes to adjust before venturing forth in those instances.
Also with the all encompassing darkness of the country and you have the
light from a small lantern or flashlight in your presence you can notice the
approach of someone else into your space for they need light too just to travel
around. So it is tougher to get spooked by someone in this house now after dark
(except for by the ghosts-but that is another story…) It is so completely dark
that you need some source of light.
I still love our meals by candle light. It is not only beautiful but somehow
adds a soft elegance to any meal.
By candle light people are so entranced by the atmosphere they are more
likely to speak softer and the manners from my girls that I have pushed on them
for so long are more noticeable now.
Very nice! Somehow the home
seems softer and less harsh without the electric lights it creates a more mellow
ambience and the age of the house is more punctuated in a good way. One
could easily feel lost in time with the light of the kerosene lamps and
candlelight and the heat from the woodstove. Sounds are more pronounced and
noticeable now that one has to
strengthen the night vision mode if you want to venture out even relatively
close to the light source for something.
The light only surrounds a small area around the source while the intense
darkness seems to swallow up anything beyond its soft reach. Also
some people might think you are not home due to the light situation. Hmmmm nice
sometimes…
Disadvantages: a few noted so far.
We have had little to no injuries since we started this.
However there has been the occasional stubbed toe and miscalculating
something beyond the light source.
But we are getting much better now!lol! There is also the situation of
people not returning the lamps and light sources to the baker’s rack I have set
up in the kitchen for that purpose.
It is a pain in the neck and I am thankful for no injuries in my quest on
those occasions for a flashlight with good batteries! I also have to work on
people replacing the batteries of those that have seen its day.
It is still pretty cheap purchasing batteries and recharging them than in
turning on the electric lights. I
still have cable and internet etc.
Just no electric lights… It is really such a small thing to part with
that results in such a major savings on the electric bill that it is worth
continuing this experiment at least until spring.
And the worst thing yet that I have endured; stepping in dog
poo! I was so tired when I came
home from my holiday and food shopping yesterday I ran right to the bathroom
without bringing a light and yuck!
I had a very upset dog who managed to squirm around the blockade to that
room and leave me a gift on the floor! I knew that I should have grabbed
a lantern for that run but it was not completely dark yet and I had to go….Well
lesson learned and my glorious LL Bean fleece lined slippers that I duct taped
on the left toe since I could not part with them-gone!
I threw them right away in the trash outside.
I just did not even want to deal with cleaning the poo off them. Maybe it was a sign that I had to part
with those wonderful duct taped slippers… And a sign that I need a stronger
barricade for Bart and to not travel far without a flashlight or lantern even
when it is not completely dark.
Not that Bart has any accidents-that was what threw me off-I literally
did not expect to step into that… L