One of the most important facts to which I can bear witness is that we can count on our friends! After toughing it for a few days, we finally gave up, took our freezer's contents to share, and went to stay with friends who had a generator and a warm house.

Practical information I've learned about being prepared include:

• It's really important to have more than one source of heat. The little gas log in our fireplace which doesn't require an electric starter enabled us to stay somewhat warm and to have some food. I discovered I could balance a two-quart sauce pan on the gas log to heat water and stew and to boil eggs. With the hot water, I was able to fill a hot water bottle for warmth, make instant coffee, hot chocolate, and oatmeal; wash hands and face, a few dishes, and take sponge baths.
• White candles make much better light than red or green ones. Some candles drip like crazy and others drip very little. When moving through a dark house, a flashlight is much better than a candle – it doesn't flicker, and it doesn't drip on the carpet when you accidentally tip it. Hot candle wax on the fingers hurts, too.
• Go fill the gas tank of your car when the weather warning comes out, because the stations lose power and run out of gas, kerosene, and propane – generators use gasoline, too.
• Charge all your rechargeable flashlights, telephones, and radio batteries and stock up on non-rechargeables you might need. If you've got a corded phone, plug it in because the wireless ones won't work when the power goes out. After the storm hits, take a charger with you when you go out to eat and ask the restaurant folks if you may plug it in. A battery-powered radio provides weather updates.
• Don't walk, stand, or drive under ice-laden branches. I can vouch for the fact that ice makes a terrible, loud crash when it falls on the roof of a car, and could injure one severely if they were struck – a limb weighted down with ice would be an even greater danger.

Preventive maintenance makes a difference in whether you and/or your entire neighborhood have power and telephone service. Keep trimmed any trees that could fall or drop limbs on power or telephone lines.