We lost power last night following a snowy windstorm on a freezing day.  We built a roaring fire, cooked a pile of pasta and fresh veggies and sausage, and the kids whittled by candlelight. There is a beauty to these long moments of pause. No music, no phones, no computers, no movies. Just the sound of a crackling fire and the shuffling footsteps of the dogs.

(NOTE: *NEVER* cook inside on a camp stove unless it’s incredibly well-ventilated–people do indeed die from this method of cooking due to carbon monoxide poisoning, so please don’t copy this example unless all your windows are open and you use it only briefly.)