Speaking of Candles

I got up a few minutes before my alarm went off today, hopped into the shower, and had my bed made before Emma arrived this morning. Her mom was just on her way back out to the car, and I was headed for the box of coloring books and crayons, when the room suddenly went black. I thought Em had turned the lights off, but my mom's oxygen machine started "screaming" in the other room. The power was out. I supposed this meant I was not going to get my hair dryer running...

Emma was fairly certain she could color in the dark, but being just a few minutes after 7 o'clock, I didn't think it quite possible. I decided to get her some cereal while James found a few candles and some matches. By the time she was done with her cereal, (with a little help from a candle and the morning light coming just beginning to come through the east windows),she could see well enough to color.

An hour after the house went dark, the lights suddenly came back on. By then the sun had risen to the point that we didn't need them anymore and they were promptly turned off. I blew out the candles and watched a little plume of smoke rise into the air. A faint smell of candle waxed drifted through the room.