I had this conversation just the other day, what would you rather deal with, the extreme heat, or bitter cold. I answered the latter - BUT I have quickly changed my mind after reading about what recently happened out in EDGELEY, ND. According to inforum.com, some brutal ice and wind conditions rolled in and knocked out the power for about 1,800 homes in southeastern North Dakota. Dakota Valley reported on their Facebook page that the buildup of ice twisted and broke power lines, some utility poles actually fell down. For two days Dennis Wilhelm and his wife Janet's farmhouse just outside Edgeley went without any power. Fortunately for both of them, they were prepared.

The Wilhelms brought in a propane tank and sunflower heater and were able to prepare their meals from that. "We just stayed under the covers and stayed warm, just like in the old days. Like when I was a kid, we didn't have electricity until 1949, and everyone just crawled under the blankets to stay warm,"  Dennis said.

There were many heroes - About 28 workers, including 10 from Legacy Construction in Wadena, Minn., worked late Thursday using fiberglass poles to clear ice from power lines, said Brad Lunneborg, Dakota Valley’s operation supervisor. Late Thursday (Feb 4) electricity was restored.

Seven years, when I moved to North Dakota, from California, people told me to make sure I had a "Survival Kit" in my car - which at the time I thought they were referring to a spare tire and a jack - "You get stranded in a white-out or a blizzard, and your car breaks down, you can die out here". I thought they were being way TOO dramatic - until I walked across the street one day in Fargo when it was 25 degrees below zero. I can't even imagine 20 minutes without any power or heat.

Bring on the long hot summer days, I've changed my mind.


 

 

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