What? No Internet? No TV?

For the last three days – since their power went off – the Wilson family has been living in their den by the fireplace.

"It just felt like, really, we’re being a pioneer. A lot like being a pioneer. Going to the bathroom is like going to the outhouse. (laughter)"

That was Maryann Wilson. She and her husband Gordon have three children living at home – Emmy is 13, Andrew is 16 and Miranda is 19.

"On a cold winter’s night, if you had your power on what would you normally be doing?"

"I’d be on the Internet, chatting with friends online."

"I’d be on the Internet too, yah, on my computer, playing some game online probably."

"Same here, I’d probably be on the computer. "

In order that was Andrew, Miranda then Emmy. All three were huddled up on the couch.

They admitted they miss going online, but they said they’ve made up for it in other ways.

Here’s Andrew.

"Local friends – they’re in the same position we are. (what do you do?) We play games mostly, and we eat three-year old candy. It just gets really weird. "

Maryann said the power outage has brought the family – and the community – closer together.

"We tend to check up on each other more when things are like this. In a lot of respects the electronics are isolating, not the community making thing that we like to think they are. Without the electronics we’re actually seeing our neighbors out because they can’t play on their computer stuff either. "

Maryann and Gordon don’t miss electronic entertainment – but they do miss the modern conveniences power affords. Gordon described the lengths his family had to go through to cook spaghetti for dinner.

They put water to boil in the fireplace in their dutch oven for the noodles.

Gordon was in charge of the meat sauce.

"So I have a campstove which I set up downstairs out back. So I have to think that I have everything that I need – the cans of pasta sauce, and the meat and the frying pan and the stove and matches, can opener - everything I need. I take it downstairs and I set it up outside, get the stove going and started cooking the meat, then I realized I needed something to cover my ears because my ears are pretty cold. "

The Wilsons plan to stay in their home until their wood runs out. They say they have enough to last them for now.

In the meantime, Emmy said she doesn’t really miss the T-V or chatting online.

"I prefer actually seeing people face to face. Because online, I don’t really talk well with people. I talk better with people face to face. I’ve always said there’s nothing like a catastrophe to bring people together. "

For NHPR News, this is Suzanne Bates.