First, wait for the power to go out. And the phone. And the internet. Then head out looking for bars. Not THOSE kind of bars.
THESE kind of bars. Cell service doesn’t reach our farm, but it’s all around us, in various places. You just have to find the bars.
And hope the creeks aren’t flooded.
Yesterday, after the power/phone/internet went out and I headed off braving creeks and mud in the search for help, my phone found two bars at the top of the hill about a mile from our farm. I called 52 at work. I needed someone to call the phone company and the electric company. And God.
52 wasn’t there! How could he be, like, AT LUNCH in my hour of need?
I left a message, quacking desperately, like a duck. Then I returned to the farm.
I knew my staff would need my reassurance! Or not. (Sprite and Fanta relaxing inside the–to put it nicely–“utilitarian” dog house in the goat pen.)
The sheep and Jack didn’t even bother to go under their shelter. They just stood out in the rain in dripping nonchalance.
I’d been planning to start some dough for pepperoni rolls. And answer emails and work on my blog. I would have fired up the generator we got for just such events this winter, but then I discovered the fatal flaw in my back-up power plan. I don’t know how to use the generator. (Suzanne! SMACK!)
So I made corn husk angels. Which I might never have gotten around to if the power hadn’t gone out. And the phone. And the internet. (That’s why you need to start with that. You know, if you’re busy like me and you do all your work on the computer. If that’s all gone, you have time to make angels. If you’re not that busy, you can skip the power outage step. It’s kind of a hassle.)
Corn husk angels don’t require any electricity. Or phone. Or internet.
I’m going to hang them on the Christmas tree.
And tuck them into gift baskets with homemade candies and jars of canned goodies.
You can find the full, detailed instructions for making corn husk dolls here. My corn husk angels are based on my corn husk dolls. But I thought the angels should be much simpler, and smaller. They didn’t need arms and legs. Just wings and a skirt. I didn’t know how to make corn husk angels, though, so I spent a couple of hours whilst without power figuring it out. By making one awful corn husk angel after another. Until I happened onto a simple method that made something that actually looked like an angel!
Per angel, you’ll need about six corn husk leaves. Soak the husks in warm water for about 10 minutes, then drain. Start with the head, the same as in making a corn husk doll. Only I wanted a smaller angel, so I only used three strips. Place the narrow ends of the strips together and use a thin strip of husk to tie it off.
Invert the leaves, wrapping the husks downward, and tie the angel around the neck, using another thin strip, to finish the head.
For the wings, take two corn husk strips and, one at a time, placing the pointy end up, tie it around the corn husk angel’s neck.
As you tie it, pull the “wing” up and the fat end down toward the skirt. (The skirt is just the remainder from when you made the head.)
Now THAT looks like an angel. Glory! Hallelujah!
Trim off the bottom of the skirt.
Then the power came back on and I got back to work.
Next time the power goes off, I shall tackle my Dare Debbie list! I think I’ll start with endloader tire races…..
Susan M says:
Hey, really–no comments yet?? Brilliant way to spend “down time” (downed power lines, that is) keep your mind and hands busy making angels. I’ll have to look for some corn husks…
Wow, you drove thru that? If my neighbor with the Land Rover only knew what he is missing. There’s never a spot on it.
We really admire you–get that gig at SAM-e!!
All the best,
On December 1, 2009 at 1:42 am
Sheila Z says:
LOL on the fatal flaw. I hope 52 walks you through the steps soon and you get to practice using the generator before the ice/snow hits. Then make sure you have a stock pile of fuel on hand. Generator is pretty useless without that.
On December 1, 2009 at 2:39 am
AsTheNight says:
I’m too tired (yet unable to sleep) to make a comment that makes any kind of sense…
…so I’ll just stick with “I voted again today!”
22485 votes
(I’m SO glad my voting contest is over! No more asking people for votes! Yay!)
On December 1, 2009 at 2:41 am
Marla says:
Isn’t that such a helpless feeling when the electricity goes out. Agree with Shiela Z…you must take “Generator 101” soon, so you’re prepared for the next time!
On December 1, 2009 at 3:19 am
lisa brawner says:
they turned out beautiful !!
On December 1, 2009 at 6:10 am
Connie Trippett says:
We have had 2 times where we had power outages that lasted more than a few hours. First its dh get generator going so can plug fridge in But usually it is game time by lantern. But there is serious computer withdraw here. Love the angels, maybe next year I can do them. They would look great with my apple, orange slice garland.
On December 1, 2009 at 6:14 am
Leah says:
Your cornhusk angle ornament is very cute! A friend brought me back a little cornhusk doll from his duty in Bosnia,awhile back. It was fancied up a bit,has a painted face and the skirt was dyed a dark red.
P.s. I need the BBB!
On December 1, 2009 at 6:28 am
Box Call says:
I am still laughing but also shaking my head. LEARN to use the generator. Country girls got to know stuff like that. Also get the electric company phone number on the cell phone. It’s not like they will come running but at least you can vent. With all the coal fired and nuclear power houses not being built from environmental law suits (last one in Columbus Ohio) I hope we don’t turn on the light switch one morning to find it is not a line that is down or a transformer blown but no power in the lines due to a blackout.
On December 1, 2009 at 7:03 am
Mary says:
The corn husk angels are cute. I had some boughten ones that looked a lot like that. You are a must read every morning, and if you win the contest we’ll be reading SAMe too.
On December 1, 2009 at 7:08 am
5kathleen2 says:
Good Morning Suzanne! Number one priority….learn about the generator. Love the cornhusk angels. Have a great day. I voted. :snoopy:
Kathleen H from Indiana
On December 1, 2009 at 7:20 am
Claudia says:
Love the corn husk angel!
On December 1, 2009 at 7:32 am
Chic says:
Those are so cute! Next year I’ll have corn and I’ll try my hand at making them. I know how you feel about no cell phone service…it’s the same at our farm and it’s a pain in the butt. Good luck learning to use your generator…I agree with the others..a country girl needs to learn these things. I voted so I’m off to feed the animals. Hope you have a wonderful day! :hungry2: (pitchfork!)
On December 1, 2009 at 7:41 am
Debnfla3 says:
I’ve never made a corn husk angel!! But I will now. They are really the cutest thing. A great idea to put them in with basket gifts and hang on the tree.
You don’t have cell phone reception at the farm? Imagine that! But I of we have “dead zones” around here to.
Still voting!
Deb
On December 1, 2009 at 7:52 am
katie frances says:
Beautiful angels! I voted again earlier this morning.:woof:
On December 1, 2009 at 8:30 am
KentuckyFarmGirl says:
Those angels are adorable. Now if I had had that idea when the power was out for 16 days last January I would have had a houseful of those! LOL! I also got lots of training hours in on the generator and can have that baby hooked up and running in 5 minutes flat but of course, I usually just let my husband do it. 🙂
I voted!
On December 1, 2009 at 8:43 am
Jo says:
Voted! :snoopy:
On December 1, 2009 at 8:59 am
Katie says:
I know this is a little belated, but I am so excited about being able to right click, I just couldn’t contain myself anymore. It’s so handy! And I’m curious – what happens if the power goes out for more than a day? Do you have your posts set up to go live automatically, or you you just get very anxious?
On December 1, 2009 at 9:09 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
I don’t know what happened. I didn’t turn the right click block off on purpose. It was a technical glitch. I think I might have messed up the code last time I was trying to edit the popup window message. I haven’t been able to make myself write my techie person to get her to turn it back on (because I don’t know how to fix the code myself) because I know you all want to right click! I’ll see how things go. If people will resist the urge to nab my photos, I would be happy to leave it this way!
On December 1, 2009 at 9:26 am
Ms E says:
Please tag your pics against theft!!!
On December 1, 2009 at 10:42 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
I always set my posts the night before. In the winter, I try to back up more than one day of posts so in case of emergency, something will still appear. I haven’t gotten that far yet this year, though!
On December 1, 2009 at 10:07 am
CindyP says:
Love them!! They would fit right into my countryfied Christmas!
I feel cut off from the world with no internet, let alone all 3!! You did good though! And at least it happened now, instead of 5 feet of snow, and THEN not know how to operate the generator…..all things happen for a reason……just sayin’!
Voted! Facebooked!
On December 1, 2009 at 9:28 am
debbie says:
What about wind power? Solar panels? Hitching Jack to a turbine? There has to be a way. I heard of one family who has a stationary bicycle hooked up somehow so that when the kids want to use the laptop for video games, they have to pedal the bike first to generate power.
As always, Good Luck with the contest
On December 1, 2009 at 9:47 am
MrsObe says:
Good morning. Voted, Facebooked as well. Have been threatening – ahem I mean encouraging – friends to get them to vote for you too 😀
Hope you get the generator 101 lessons out of the way soon.
I love your site; tons of information and advice. Thank you so much. I’ve been spreading the word about this little goldmine. I made my first GM bread yesterday and it’s pure heaven.
BTW – please enter me in the BBB give-a-way.
Juliana 😀
On December 1, 2009 at 10:08 am
Yvonne says:
The angels are so adorable Suzanne
On December 1, 2009 at 10:18 am
SarahGrace says:
Sounds like a good way to spend some time. Mattie Rose made me an angel out of a tissue. It’s hanging on the tree. She has also found that she loves to cut. Paper snowflakes are everywhere and she made a snowflake out of a tissue too! I said no when it came to her using torn up tissues as tinsel. 😆
On December 1, 2009 at 10:18 am
Yvonne says:
Did you get my email about the Ball Blue Book
On December 1, 2009 at 10:19 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
Yes, I did! I’m just emailing people back today because of yesterday’s internet issues! Thank you!!!!!
On December 1, 2009 at 11:19 am
Claudia W says:
Cute, cute angel. You are so talented! I’m with you on the not knowing about generator running instructions. But then I live in the middle of town and it wouldn’t do me too much good anyway, MY “Onery Angel” up the street would probably complain to the police about the noise! Still looking forward to the draw on the Ball Blue Book of Canning!
Voted, and checked the counts…I have faith you will pull ahead! Plus, I think the powers that be, will see that you are the one for the job!
On December 1, 2009 at 10:59 am
Margi in Ky says:
Yesterday and today when I go to vote it flashes to a page that says (with big red banner) Sam-e.com Administration – Page not found – The page you were looking for cannot be located on this site. I sure don’t want you to miss votes this way because it is not registering my vote. Tried on both my DH and my computer. Good luck, I want you to win.
On December 1, 2009 at 11:00 am
Phyllis Ryan says:
Love your posts. As for the Dare Debby list, I would add starting a fire in the little stove, and then learning how to run the generator. You remember last winter, don’t you.
Voting again.
On December 1, 2009 at 12:06 pm
Celia says:
Those angels are just great! Glad you mastered the stove before the power went out, anyway. I’m voting everyday but am upset because I can’t vote from my cell phone…it has always said “error, page not found”…grrr!
On December 1, 2009 at 12:32 pm
NancyL says:
Margi in KY – try again! I just voted, no problems now. regarding the generator – does anyone else remember Charleton Heston in “Soylent Green”?? I can still see Edward G. Robinson pedaling that bike to generate power!
And as another commenter said the other day – don’t forget to stock up on tinfoil!!!
On December 1, 2009 at 12:32 pm
Wldflwr008 says:
What a day you had! Think it is called making lemonade outta lemons! The angels are precious. Heading out the door to find corn husks. A local Mexican restaurant has them (normally used for making tamales). Hmmmmm, tamales is a good idea, too!
I voted.
GL, Suzanne.
On December 1, 2009 at 12:43 pm
cheryl says:
Come on everybody…Suzanne is number three in the running…vote, vote, vote!!! We can do this for her!!
On December 1, 2009 at 1:54 pm
Myrna Mackenzie says:
Suzanne, you can always turn events that would make me pull my hair out into positive ones. Thanks for the laugh today.
I hope your power stays on.
On December 1, 2009 at 2:50 pm
catslady says:
How adorable – wish I had some cornhusks lol. Hope the electricity wasn’t out for long – that’s always my chance to read more lol.
On December 1, 2009 at 3:03 pm
Mary says:
Let’s not slack now…VOTE VOTE VOTE!
On December 1, 2009 at 3:22 pm
Suzanne McMinn says:
Thank you! Yes, I do have a regular phone that doesn’t require electricity to operate. We didn’t get our phone service back until this morning!
On December 1, 2009 at 3:26 pm
Jo says:
Come on now, people!!
If I’ve done my math correctly (don’t hold your breath) Suzanne gained approx. 2,450 votes since this morning and the other two gained 2,250 and 2,891…..KEEP ON VOTING!!! :dancingmonster: :shimmy: :shimmy: :shimmy: :shimmy:
On December 1, 2009 at 3:47 pm
Linda says:
I voted. Hope you learn how to use the generator before next time and it looks like you need to remember to keep your cell phone charged up too.LOL
On December 1, 2009 at 6:18 pm
Maggie says:
Well at least you made the best out of a situation! I keep voting for you to win the gig – thanks for always putting a smile on my face when I read your blog!
On December 1, 2009 at 6:55 pm
Maud says:
When you consider the horror I created when trying my hand at a generic corn husk doll, I can only imagine the otherworldly monstrosity I’d create if I tried to make an angel with the tired, raggedy corn husks I collected from harvested fields a month ago.
:dancingmonster:
Suzanne, please continue to make your pretty, innocent angels. They will inspire me to collect and save corn husks this coming summer to make my own dainty angels and dollies to decorate, rather than desecrate, my house.
On December 1, 2009 at 7:49 pm
Julie Harward says:
THESE LOOK SO CUTE ON THE TREE! WE USED TO MAKE DOLLS WITH CORN HUSKS WHEN I WAS A KID..SO FUN! COME SAY HI 😀
On December 1, 2009 at 8:12 pm
Linda says:
Hi Suzanne :snoopy: Just wanted to pop in and say how much I really admire your determination not to let a unforunate incident(like no electricity :dancingmonster: ) ruin a good day for you. You are just the best and I so look forward to reading your blog everyday. You have encouraged me to try new things I wouldn’t have tried,done things I thought that I couldn’t do,Thank You. Whether you realize it or not I feel that you have pulled me up out of the depths of my dispare and depression. I love life again!! thank you very much!! And I will make everyday of my life count from now on. You are just the best. Love to you and your family.
Linda
On December 1, 2009 at 8:24 pm
Angela says:
Hey Suzanne!
You’ve gotta love the country life! :sun: I know I do! I don’t think we’ve ever been without the phone and electric at the same time before. We have been flooded in and flooded out many times! I hope it doesn’t flood you in tomorrow when we get over an inch of rain. I will be flooded in on one direction but should be able to get out on the other side.
I hope you had time today to get your generator ready for the next time the electric goes out. I’m sure it won’t be much longer before it happens again. We do live in West Virginia! lol
Love your corn husks angels! I have to remember to try to save my corn husks next year so I can make all of those beautiful things you have shown us how to make.
I made a very long comment on the SAM-e page. I sure hope they read it and take it into consideration. So far it hasn’t been posted. I also voted! :shimmy: :shimmy: :shimmy: :shimmy: :shimmy: :shimmy: :shimmy:
Angela :wave:
On December 1, 2009 at 9:44 pm
Bonnie Hembree says:
Love the angels, my mom used to make them. Will try some myself. Voted I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
On December 1, 2009 at 10:25 pm
Lisa says:
Um, so there’s something funky/fishy going on at the Sam-e site. How did your vote count go down? Right now its 24114 votes, but I recall yesterday that you had more than that, and AstheNight’s post above supports my recollection. What’s the deal?
On December 2, 2009 at 12:05 am
Robin Feltner says:
These are so great. Love the angels.
On December 2, 2009 at 1:47 pm
Runningtrails says:
Those are VERY cute!!
I don’t know how to use a generator either, but I am sure you could figure it out by yourself if you had to. I’m pretty sure I could too. Hopefully, we won’t have to, and the guys will be around to do that for us.
On December 3, 2009 at 7:10 pm