An ode to the joys of meatloaf when the lights go out!

My "Memorable Moments at Dinner" Contest entry

Now you get to hear the inside scoop of my most memorable dinner moment, it was when the entire Northeast area of the United States and large parts of Canada went dark on November 9, 1965. This is the type of day were you remember everything...
everything you did, everything you ate. I'll remember it all forever!!!

I was 12 years old. I remember that our family was seated at the kitchen table eating meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans for dinner and we were watching TV on a small black & white TV set. Suddenly, the lights flickered and then went out. The picture on the TV quickly disappeared into a small dot.  At first, my dad thought we had simply blown a circuit breaker, and that he needed to go down to the basement and throw the circuit breaker. But something told me it was more than just a circuit breaker. Everything was dark. There was no glare of light from the street lights coming through the window. And then, my mother said, "That's all folks".

We broke out the candles and finished the meal by candlelight. We kept on thinking that the lights would come back on. But they didn't It took six days.  We were commanded not to open the refrigertaor door unless absolutely necessary. I was told to entertain my younger sisters; and so while we  sat around the dinner table in candle light, I led us in the famous Ready Kilowatt song __mom suggested it__but
I'll never forget how mature and grown up I felt. And we sang our hearts out that night, then we played a little flashlight tag till bedtime. 

 Ready Kilowatt

Looking back now, I realize what a precious time it was.  This family dinner in the dark seemed to establish the future rhythm of our family life and helped define
who I am today, where I come from, and where I might expect to go.