The power outage took a mere 30 hours to repair, with a couple of yes-no-yes-no false starts, just to get your hopes up. I had just picked up dinner at a local take-out place, figuring it would be so much better than macaroni-and-cheese on the gas stove (the only source of heat I'd trust without electricity). We heat with propane; it was frustrating to have a bazillion BTUs of heat in my back yard with no way of accessing it!

Anyway, once you "know" you've got power back, the first thing to do is turn the thermostat 5 or so degrees warmer than usual. Not that it makes the house heat up faster (it doesn't), but because once the house is warm again, should power go out it will take a tad longer to get uncomfortable. Yes, power failures make you think this way!

Anyway, this morning I woke up not shivering; a nice long hot shower and I almost feel human again.