Desperate times call for desperate measures, and this point of my life was quite desperate.
It was the coldest winter on record, and there was an oncoming blizzard as well.
Residents were told to dig in, because the temps might stay below zero for the next week or ten days. We get cold winters in this part of the country, but never anything this bad before! I did not own a power generator, but thankfully my furnace was powered by natural gas from a tank in my basement. This meant that I didn’t need the electricity to be on in order to run the furnace. Thank goodness for that, because the power for the whole town went out the following day. That natural gas tank was the only thing keeping the furnace running, and keeping my family safe. Since the natural gas provided heating for the home and also fueled the stove, we didn’t have to worry about anything other than boredom. Heating and cooking is great for survival, but my family was used to having electricity and wifi! We played a lot of board games, and at one point I even cleaned out the old brick fireplace and built a fire for smores. It was a long week, and we all went a little stir crazy at one time or another, but thanks to the natural gas furnace we stayed toasty warm the entire time. I know that a lot of people rely on electric furnaces, but now I understand how important it is to have a heating system powered by natural gas.