Hippies and Free Range Children
We just turned the electricity back on, but it was tempting not to. Something happened today that would have made Day Without Electricity worthwhile even if it were horrible: without being nagged into it, without even being ASKED, my kids went outside to play.
We're constantly bawling our kids out when they get rowdy in the house, telling them "Take it outside!" But normally, inside has movies and computer games and the phone, and it's just so tempting to stay in. We live in the middle of the redwoods on a beautiful creek, and my kids seem content to look at pictures of it.
Granted, today has been the first really fine day we've had in a while. We'd spent the morning running errands and knew that the sun was out, the air was warm with just a hint of breeze, and everything outside was in bloom. I was in my room trying to nap off a headache and heard the girls running outside. I went out there to see them sprawled in the driveway listening to music and playing with stuff. The little one came in just as dusk was settling over the mountain to ask whether tomorrow, she might be allowed to climb on the fallen trees over the creek. Allowed?! I think it'd be the coolest thing EVER!! (Don't worry - she's a great swimmer, and the creek is ~3 feet at its deepest.)
That was the best thing in the world. The second best thing was last night just after we'd turned the electricity off. I'd decided that, since it was dark, I wanted to finish the book I'd been reading, and encouraged the little kid to join me. We put the kerosene lamps in the bedroom, and Peaches, Badb and I sprawled on the bed while the Pirate sat on the floor finishing his book.
The closet takes up one entire wall of our small bedroom, and it has sliding mirror doors. When we moved here, I thought they were both ugly AND impractical, but now, I have discovered a new appreciation for them. When your sole source of light is one or more candles, anything that amplifies that light is welcome indeed. Suddenly, the hippie decor of candles and mirrors seemed quite sensible! I ended up tacking a piece of aluminum foil behind the kerosene lamp, and it worked beautifully as a reflector, upping the amount of light coming back into the room.
I'm still not a fan of the patchouli incense, though.
We're constantly bawling our kids out when they get rowdy in the house, telling them "Take it outside!" But normally, inside has movies and computer games and the phone, and it's just so tempting to stay in. We live in the middle of the redwoods on a beautiful creek, and my kids seem content to look at pictures of it.
Granted, today has been the first really fine day we've had in a while. We'd spent the morning running errands and knew that the sun was out, the air was warm with just a hint of breeze, and everything outside was in bloom. I was in my room trying to nap off a headache and heard the girls running outside. I went out there to see them sprawled in the driveway listening to music and playing with stuff. The little one came in just as dusk was settling over the mountain to ask whether tomorrow, she might be allowed to climb on the fallen trees over the creek. Allowed?! I think it'd be the coolest thing EVER!! (Don't worry - she's a great swimmer, and the creek is ~3 feet at its deepest.)
That was the best thing in the world. The second best thing was last night just after we'd turned the electricity off. I'd decided that, since it was dark, I wanted to finish the book I'd been reading, and encouraged the little kid to join me. We put the kerosene lamps in the bedroom, and Peaches, Badb and I sprawled on the bed while the Pirate sat on the floor finishing his book.
The closet takes up one entire wall of our small bedroom, and it has sliding mirror doors. When we moved here, I thought they were both ugly AND impractical, but now, I have discovered a new appreciation for them. When your sole source of light is one or more candles, anything that amplifies that light is welcome indeed. Suddenly, the hippie decor of candles and mirrors seemed quite sensible! I ended up tacking a piece of aluminum foil behind the kerosene lamp, and it worked beautifully as a reflector, upping the amount of light coming back into the room.
I'm still not a fan of the patchouli incense, though.
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