Could You have Survived 18 Century Life ?

[Nyboy]

Last night I went to the country house. We had a very bad lighting storm and lost power. It was a hot humid night, i had plenty of candles. With no ac and many lite candles I started sweating badly. I lasted 2 hours before I got in car and drove back to city. Some how I don't think I would have lasted long back in the day!!!!!!!!!!! What about you?

 

[Carol Dee]

I bet it would not have seemed so bad back in the day! After all we would not be accustomed to light at the flip of a switch and water and the turn of a faucet or AC to keep us cool. Big Sissy I am I like my AC on hot nights, sleeping is hard enough without being sweaty.

 

[digitS']

I would have been there in spirit.

Pick your century. Prehistoric is fine.

It would have to be in spirit because I would have died soon after birth. See, the odds would have been against me surviving. I needed antibiotics soon after my arrival in the 20th century.

Steve

 

[Smart Red]

I would have done my darned-est to make do. Actually think I would have done rather well by myself, but with my DH we would have had a winner of an evening with plenty set by in case of a longer storm.

Remember, homes were build differently back in the day. Many homes had a kitchen apart from the house and porches for refuge on those hot, muggy nights. Would you have needed all those candles or would a few have sufficed? I have small oil lamps in each room rather than candles. They work well in black outs.

 

[Nyboy]

My mother had a thing for oil lamps, once when a store had them on clearance she bought enough for herself and all the kids. I have 3 filled ones, question does the oil go bad ? Oil in my lamps must be about 15 years old.

 

[Smart Red]

I haven't purchase oil for my lamps in nigh onto 30 years. It doesn't seem to evaporate very quickly, it doesn't go bad, it just sits there waiting for an emergency.

 

[Nyboy]

Good to know honestly I forgot all about them!!

 

[Smart Red]

Nyboy, it is not that they are all that much cooler, but they do tend to give off more light so fewer lamps are needed as compared to candles. I never found that it took all that many lights to enjoy a glass of wine, anyway.

With the storm, it should have been cooler outside under shelter -- wine is easily transportable -- so there's little excuse to run home unless you expected the power outage to be an extended one.

 

[Smart Red]

Easy for me to say. I wouldn't have had that option. I'm already home if the power goes out. I doubt I would even notice the AC being off.

 

[Kassaundra]

No AC I could handle okay, even in our heat. No running water, nope, no hot running water H**L NO, hanging clothes on the line in winter, are you out of your ever loving mind?! Washing clothes by hand, washing in winter w/o heat and hot running water, where is the TARDIS I need to go home!!!!!!