This fall has been unusual in a way that you almost might not have noticed…we have not had hurricanes every other week. Yeah! But getting ready for storms when one isn’t bearing down on you gives you peace of mind, and ensures that you have needed supplies on hand. A while back I told you all about my love affair with my little Ryobi generator, which is part of my overall storm-readiness plan for our family. Well, I don’t have to tell you how crappy last winter was for just about everyone. My family was spared major damage, but some neighbors were out of power for more than four days.

Down the road, things were pretty bad. Sure, the cat and her people were able to cozy up to their gas fireplace to keep warm while the power was out.

But the fish did not fare so well. After a couple of days with no oxygen pumping and no heat, things were looking pretty grim. See this orange guy on the far right? Fish are not supposed to be pointing north like that.

When I saw this, we hauled out our little generator pronto and fired her up for the guppies. My neighbor strung extension cords into the house to power 4 large fish tanks, while simultaneously recharging their extra car battery. She ran for a day or two, powered by just a gallon of gas at a time.

Not a fish life was lost from that point throughout the rest of the storm.

I’m glad this little girl got a workout last winter, and I’m glad she was there for her fishy neighbors. Some people suffered much bigger problems last winter, and I don’t mean to make light of the damage that anyone sustained. But I think there is no better ending to the story than…”and they all lived happily ever after.”

Now you know how this works, folks. Everyone go buy yourself a sweet little generator like this, and that will ensure that we don’t need them! Here’s to the rest of the fall being storm-free and a mild winter!