Search results for

#PowerOutage

#1 Click this link to see Blog page --> 03/14/2007

Hello Tracey! We just had a short #PowerOutage and I was re-setting clocks. I am so sick of CILCO and their lousy service. Almost every time we get a rain storm anymore the power goes out! Your boys are fine and looking forward to you getting home!

MjL

#2 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/05/2007

#PowerOutage
Our power went out for about an hour yesterday evening. This is happening more and more frequently of late. I think our power has gone out more in the past five years than all of the 13 previous years we have lived here.

I think it is because Ameren doesn’t bother with any preventive maintenance anymore. I expect to see an increase in my next bill for the cost of fixing this outage too. Our society seems to be going from bad to worse.

MjL

#3 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/11/2007

#PowerOutage
And just last week our power was down (again) while their profits soar. Instead of pocketing that outrageous 76% profit increase Ameren had pledged to increase maintenance —— guess that was a lie? If we don’t find a way to gain control of our government again we are all going to the poorhouse together.

AmerenCilco Extorts 76% Profit Increase

MjL

#4 Click this link to see Blog page --> 05/24/2008

Yesterday started out to be a good day. Tracey didn’t have to be at work until noon so we went for a late breakfast. We had plenty of time to chat for a bit before she left for work. It was raining hard and storming but we didn’t get too wet.

#PowerOutage
When Jake and I got home we discovered the power was out. That was a bummer and the beginning of the no good, very bad part of my day. So the first thing I did was find a flashlight so I could go pee because our bathroom has no window. I know, guys can sit down too, but it’s more fun to pee by flashlight. So what else to do but take a nap?

The power came back on around 1:30 and I started setting clocks and turning things back on when I discovered my computer wouldn’t start. Oh NO! I fussed with it a bit and no joy. So I used Tracey’s computer and did some Internets surfing and the diagnosis appeared to be one of three likely things —— power supply, power button, motherboard —— and the lead candidate was power supply. Poop. So next I called computer wizard son Noah who agreed basically with my prognosis and suggested I borrow Ben’s volt / ohm meter (I didn’t even know he HAD one!). Rather than risk electrocuting myself poking around with a meter I decided to use a power supply from the computer graveyard in the basement. Investigation proved out of four senile computers all have power units which don’t produce enough wattage. After umpteen calls I found Staples in Pekin had one on sale so off I went and by 6:00 I had swapped out power supplies (with technical help from Noah) and (manual labor from Aaron who has longer, skinnier fingers to attach cable). I put all the covers back on and hooked all the hook ups and VOILA! It didn’t work. Then I discovered the new power supply has it’s own switch and VOILA! It worked! As you can see.

So by then I was starving and my blood sugar was in the basement so I ate too much for supper and felt sick the rest of the night and went to bed early.

MjL

#5 Click this link to see Blog page --> 06/02/2008

#PowerOutage
The power must have gone off some time over the weekend and all our electric clocks are either flashing or blank. It has gotten so bad we don’t even bother to set them anymore unless there are at least 4 days forecast without storms possible. Our bedroom clock is flashing and is keeping time —— just add 30 minutes to whatever it says. We will have to set it if we want to set the alarm though.

AmerenCilco sucks. They don’t maintain anything anymore so we lose power about once a week all summer. One of the many pleasures of rural living.

MjL

#6 Click this link to see Blog page --> 06/28/2008

#PowerOutage
The power went off some time last night and our clocks are all flashing 12:00. I had no idea what time it was and overslept a long time. (That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!) I don’t feel too bad though because Tracey is still snoozing!

MjL

#7 Click this link to see Blog page --> 07/07/2008

#PowerOutage
The clocks are all flashing this morning so the power was off some time last night. I think it was a couple times. We can always count on AmerenCILCO every time it storms, the power will go out and we will have to set every clock in the house.

I don’t think we got much rain but I am glad the boys and I finished all the mowing yesterday.

MjL

#8 Click this link to see Blog page --> 12/31/2008

Our day ended on a wind storm induced #PowerOutage around 11:30 p.m. We spent a while hunting down flashlights, oil lamps etc.

After sitting in the lamplight looking at each other for about an hour we decided to go to bed. We left an oil lamp burning in the kitchen and one in the bathroom. And two boys playing chess by flashlight. The power came back on around 3 a.m. which was really good because it was getting cool and the furnace needed to run.

MjL

#9 Click this link to see Blog page --> 03/29/2009

#PowerOutage
Well isn’t that Special! I no sooner hit enter on the last comment and the power went out! I didn’t even have a chance to proof read it. Now that there is some light outside I can see that we did get some snow after all, it looks about three or four inches of the stuff. I doubt it will last long. Illinois weather for you. You never know what’s next.

MjL

#10 Click this link to see Blog page --> 06/02/2009

#PowerOutage
I discovered I have a dead battery in my UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) last night. The power went out on two occasions and my computer died both times. I have had a female voice with a British accent telling me “The Bat-tree Needs To Be Replaced” for about a month now but I didn’t believe her. Now I believe. Rats.

MjL

#11 Click this link to see Blog page --> 06/21/2009

#PowerOutage
We survived all those nasty thunderstorms without the electricity so much as flickering and last night, for no reason apparent to us, the power went out for about 10 minutes. Just long enough to make sure every clock in the house has to be reset. And for this we get to pay ever increasing rates.

MjL

#12 Click this link to see Blog page --> 01/17/2010

#PowerOutage
Our power went off a couple times last night and messed up the thermostat on our gas stove in the sun room. Evidently it was running when the power went off and the flame went out, but when the power came back on the flame didn’t. It was only 48°F back there when I got up this morning and I didn’t waste any time before getting it burning again!

MjL

#13 Click this link to see Blog page --> 01/24/2010

#PowerOutage
Hi Tammy —— Our power is out so things are awful quiet around here. I’ve been playing with my Blackberry and decided to check the blog. Its wet here too. I hope the power comes back before the basement floods!

MjL

#14 Click this link to see Blog page --> 01/24/2010

#PowerOutage
Hey! The power just came back about ten minutes ago so life is good! Now we have to go around turning off all the lights and things that wouldn’t work when we turned them on two hours ago.

MjL

#15 Click this link to see Blog page --> 01/25/2010

#PowerOutage
Nothing like a four hour power outage to remind you how much you take for granted the magic of electricity! I am so glad to have it back. I am always curious about what causes these outages and how far away the workers came to fix it. Since CILCO doesn’t have any line crews to speak of they probably came from Indiana or Missouri.

Other than the loss of electricity and a trip to Pekin for lunch yesterday there wasn’t much going on. We were lucky the power wasn’t off long enough for the basement to flood and the sump pump emptied what was there just in time. We have a rather large pond at the south end of our property and Dillon creek was running to the top of the banks. The water will go down in a day or two if the rain stops.

MjL

#16 Click this link to see Blog page --> 01/25/2010

#PowerOutage
Not sure if it is related or not but I went to church early yesterday morning, (Groveland Missionary Church, on the corner of Springfield Rd and Queenwood), a little before 8:00 a.m. At the house that is on the East side of Springfield Road, on the last curve before the road straightens out going into Groveland there was a firetruck with its lights on, on the west side of the road. I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, but when I left church a little after noon, there were several utility trucks there and it looked like they had replaced a pole, didn’t see anything else to tip me off to what had happened.

Michael T.

#17 Click this link to see Blog page --> 01/25/2010

#PowerOutage
Hi Michael —— Thanks for the update, I am pretty sure that must have been it. Our power comes through Groveland and accidents in that area and at the intersection of Allentown & Springfield roads have caused outages before. We were out for almost a week back when all those trees got knocked down some years ago in Groveland. I don’t know what it is about that little curve or the intersection of Queenwood & Springfield but there seem to be an awful lot of crashes in that area.

MjL

#18 Click this link to see Blog page --> 09/09/2011

#PowerOutage
Our electricity went off at 2 a.m. When that happens, our CO2 alarm goes off...LOUDLY! Then I had to reset my alarm clock. Seemed like a short night!

My computer has a terrible time when the electricity goes off. I’m on Dave’s now because mine won’t connect to the internet. I hate starting my morning that way!

Tammy

#19 Click this link to see Blog page --> 09/09/2011

#PowerOutage
I know what you mean. We have an air conditioner in the sun room that comes on when power is restored. Two nights ago our power flickered off just long enough to reset everything in the house and start up that darn air conditioner. I need to unplug the thing because we sure don’t need it running now.

I have a backup power supply on my computer so it will keep it running for five or ten minutes —— so I don’t get as many problems with my computer when that happens. But we do have to wait for our Internet modem to turn itself back on, get connected, etc. IT IS ALWAYS SOMETHING!

MjL

#20 Click this link to see Blog page --> 06/21/2012

#PowerOutage
Our electricity went out late yesterday morning. It was only off a couple hours but it always reminds me how much we take it for granted until we lose it. I decided to have a bowl of soup so I went to the can opener and —— nope, electric. So I dig through the junk drawer to find the old manual can opener and take a moment to remember how to use it. Then I pop open the microwave and —— nope, electric. So I put it on the stove and the stove doesn’t light, because —— it has an electric spark to light the burner. So I hunt down the matches and light the stove to heat the soup and then wander off to the bathroom while the soup is warming. I flip the light switch and —— nope, electric. So I sit down to pee in the dark. After the soup I went to take a nap and nope, the BiPap machine is electric —— so I try to snooze anyway and don’t sleep so too good. And then the power came back and I celebrated!

MjL

#21 Click this link to see Blog page --> 06/24/2012

#PowerOutage
I was on my way to Mom’s yesterday afternoon when Aaron texted me that our power was off at home. That was the second time in less than a week. I am beginning to wonder about this —— what are the odds we would lose our power to “animal on line” that often? It was back on in a couple hours again, but what a pain to reset everything.

MjL

#22 Click this link to see Blog page --> 08/16/2012

#PowerOutage
Busy, busy busy! We got some of the rain and a power outage to go with it. The power just came back on a bit ago and of course every light in the house was on!

MjL

#23 Click this link to see Blog page --> 08/17/2012

#PowerOutage
We finally got some very much needed rain yesterday. The power went out for about an hour or more but it was worth getting the rain. The CILCO recording had said it would be off until 1 p.m. but it came back on around 10:30 a.m.

MjL

#24 Click this link to see Blog page --> 08/29/2012

#PowerOutage
Our power went out again last night round 7 p.m. It was off for about 1.5 hours. The confirmation call we got from #Ameren said it was “an animal on line” again. third time in the past month. Tracey says we will never hear one that says “equipment failure”, or “rusty transformer broke”, or “rotten pole fell down”, ETC. Sure, blame it on the animals.

MjL

#25 Click this link to see Blog page --> 09/14/2013

#PowerOutage
Our power went out a little past 6:00 last evening. The #Ameren-Cilco recording said there were only seven homes without power so it was just our lane.

Just before 7:00 a truck came cruising down our lane and the power was back on just before 8:00. We got a followup call —— a recorded message telling us the cause of the outage was “an animal on power line”.

That’s the third time in a row they have used that excuse! Every time this happens it reminds me just how spoiled we are and how soon we realize that life without electricity is very boring.

MjL

#26 Click this link to see Blog page --> 11/18/2013

#PowerOutage
Lots to Blog about but for now no Internet or TV! Our power was off all day yesterday. Will try to find some wifi in town later. Otherwise all is well here.

MjL

#27 Click this link to see Blog page --> 09/19/2015

#PowerOutage
We had some pretty noisy thunderstorms yesterday and Louie the dog was terrified. Our power went out very briefly —— not even a minute, but it was long enough to kill the clocks and force the DirecTV receiver to reboot.

MjL

#28 Click this link to see Blog page --> 10/17/2015

Our power flickered briefly off and back on a couple times this morning. Reminds me it would be a good idea to go out and fire up the generator again just to make sure it will work if we need it. And while I am at it I suppose I ought to get the snowblower going too. Those purchases were the best insurance against #PowerOutage and blizzards. Never really needed either of them after we bought them.

MjL

#29 Click this link to see Blog page --> 11/22/2015

#PowerOutage
We decided to brave the weather yesterday and went to the Cracked Barrel for breakfast. Got right in. Probably because most people decided not to drive in the snow.

White out conditions for a few miles on Allentown Rd. for a few miles on the way back home made me question the wisdom of our decision but we made it home safe.

The garage door wouldn’t open and it took me a moment to realize the power was off. No electricity. No furnace. No well water. No fun. The power came back a few hours later.

MjL

#30 Click this link to see Blog page --> 12/28/2015

#PowerOutage
We have ice on the trees and power lines. The power has gone off and back on twice now and I just left the clocks flashing or dead zero. I hate the thought of no power and no sump pump in all this rain. Things could get soggy in the basement. Again.

MjL

#31 Click this link to see Blog page --> 12/28/2015

#PowerOutage
Our power went off just before 11 a.m. and it is still off. We are sitting here in the glow of oil lamps and our cell phone batteries are slowly dying. The basement is very wet and the dog is totally confused. I’m sure he can’t figure out why we don’t turn the lights on! I’m not worried about my DSL connection so there is that.

Good Night Everyone.

MjL

#32 Click this link to see Blog page --> 12/29/2015

#PowerOutage
Still no power so no computer or DSL. If we ever get the electricity back on I will have to catch up on the Blog. Stay tuned.

MjL

#33 Click this link to see Blog page --> 12/29/2015

#PowerOutage
The power came back on around 3 p.m. The furnace is running, the well works, the lights are on and life is good. Now I can go back to worrying about my terrible slow DSL speeds. But —— with some perspective that things can always get worse!

MjL

#34 Click this link to see Blog page --> 07/18/2017

#PowerOutage
We had a brief power outage yesterday. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to get a shower before going to my PA appointment. (Don’t get to see a doctor anymore) It came back on within the hour so it worked out.

MjL

#35 Click this link to see Blog page --> 03/10/2018

#PowerOutage
I’m only up for a brief moment. Our power went out just past midnight and I was rudely made aware of that when my Bi-Pap machine stopped working. I can’t sleep without it so I was up a few hours before the power was back on again. I thought I had enough sleep but as I stare at this bleary screen I have decided not. And I am the decider.

See you later.

MjL

#36 Click this link to see Blog page --> 03/10/2018

#PowerOutage
I’m back. That’s a little better. When the power went out I called Cilco and the machine told me there were seven of us without power. A half-hour to 45 minutes later a truck was on our lane going from house to house to check out the transformer box at each. I think they finally found the problem at the house out by the main road because that is where they were when the power came back on.

MjL

#37 Click this link to see Blog page --> 03/11/2018

#PowerOutage
Déjà vu all over again. Our power went out around 8:00 last night and wasn’t back until after 10:30. The same seven customers affected. And the truck wandered up and down the road just like the night before.

I had hoped that since they had fixed it less than 24 hours before they would go right to the problem and fix it again. Nope.

I am seriously thinking of getting a backup battery power supply so I can sleep when the power dies. As with all things regarding the Medical Mafia, it is really expensive. $400 for a battery and cord. If it were for a laptop computer which takes twice the power it would be half the price. Really a rip off. But I can’t find another alternative short of building my own charger / battery station. And I would still have to spend $85 just to get the DC converter plug to connect to the Bi-Pap. They cover all their bases.

MjL

#38 Click this link to see Blog page --> 03/15/2018

#PowerOutage
The power came back on. I was getting started on the Blog around 5 a.m. when the world went dark. This is the third time this week!

MjL

#39 Click this link to see Blog page --> 03/15/2018

#PowerOutage
I just got a text message from CILCO —— it says, “Animal on line”. What are the odds this would happen three times in one week? Maybe they need to do a better job of shielding the circuit?

MjL

#40 Click this link to see Blog page --> 03/16/2018

#PowerOutage
Here we go again. The power just went out. I have about five minutes on my UPS battery before my computer shuts down. Damn CILCO.

MjL

#41 Click this link to see Blog page --> 03/16/2018

#PowerOutage
The lights are back on. They are getting faster at fixing it. Less than an hour this time. Maybe eventually they will figure out how to fix it for good?

MjL

#42 Click this link to see Blog page --> 03/20/2018

#PowerOutage
Since our recent spate of power outages I have received a couple surveys from #Ameren and I filled them out. I also sent an email to customer service.

A couple days ago I got an email back that said one outage had been caused by a racoon and three were undetermined. This email also said they would continue to check into it and get back to me.

Yesterday I got another email from somebody else at CILCO saying he would continue to investigate and this morning I saw somebody in a yellow vest and yellow hard hat over at my neighbor’s electrical box.

Maybe they will sort this out after all? I understand these things happen but I would like to see them prevent them from happening in the future. If the same location gets shut down four times in one week I should think something needs to be shielded or repaired.

Stay tuned ——

MjL

#43 Click this link to see Blog page --> 01/06/2019

#PowerOutage
We decided to take a nap shortly after we returned home. The power went off. I don’t sleep well without my CPAP machine so I waited about a half-hour for the power to return. It went off and on again a couple more times over the next couple hours. No nap.

I think I am going to spend the money to get a battery backup for it.

MjL

#44 Click this link to see Blog page --> 07/22/2021

#PowerOutage
Our power went out at 5:30 p.m. and didn’t come back on until 8:30.
First outage we’ve had since moving here. Still don’t like it.

MjL

#45 Click this link to see Blog page --> 07/23/2021

#PowerOutage
It appears our coffee pot is a casualty of the power outage last night. Deader than a door-nail this morning.

MjL

#46 Click this link to see Blog page --> 07/23/2021

#PowerOutage
Tracey fixed the coffee pot. She pushed the reset button on the side that I didn’t know was there.

MjL

#47 Click this link to see Blog page --> 08/29/2021

#PowerOutage
The power just went out so I am sure the #Blog will be late.
Posted from my phone.

MjL

#48 Click this link to see Blog page --> 09/02/2022

#Ameren #PowerOutage
Our power went out at 6:00 last evening and didn’t come back on until around 8:30. There’s nothing like sitting around a flashlight to help you appreciate electricity.

MjL

#49 Click this link to see Blog page --> 10/15/2023

#PowerOutage
Friday evening Tracey was in the kitchen preparing supper when the power flickered and then went off for a minute or so. She couldn’t get the refrigerator freezer drawer to open and thought something inside was caught and preventing it from opening. It eventually opens and she rearranges things. Again and again it would refuse to open, then would open after a minute or so, and eventually she had removed everything from the freezer and it did it again. She then discovered there was a “Lock” button on the control panel. After messing with that a bit she finally gave it up and finished preparing supper.

It has since been operating properly and we can only conclude the brief power outage must have triggered the lock we didn’t even know we had. It also begs the question of why there is a lock on the darn thing in the first place? Some brilliant designer idea in the guise of safety or security I would guess.

MjL

#50 Click this link to see Blog page --> 07/16/2024

#PowerOutage
We are part of a widespread power outage so
the Blog will not be updated for a while.

MjL

#51 Click this link to see Blog page --> 07/17/2024

#PowerOutage
The power was restored about twenty minutes ago, so life should soon return to normal. I will go back and update some of the entries for the past few days but some of it will probably be left blank.

MjL

#52 Click this link to see Blog page --> 07/et/2024

I agree with this sentiment if it is by choice.
To be forced into solitude by a power outage isn’t the same.
#PowerOutage

MjL

#53 Click this link to see Blog page --> 07/18/2024

#PowerOutage #July2024PowerOutage
As you can imagine I had ample time to ponder our situation while sitting in the dark gazing into the pale light of my cell phone thinking about the power outage. Wondering how widespread it was, what caused it.

And, most important, when would it be over!?

Ameren Cilco completely sucks at informing their customers about what is going on. With modern power meter capabilities they know exactly how many customers are without power and where they are. Their outage map is of no use whatever. They could show accurately by city block what gas stations, stores, restaurants, etc. have power and might be open so people aren’t driving all over town trying to find necessities. Their repair predictions are also woefully lacking. We received a text message yesterday morning that our power would likely be restored by 11 p.m. today, then it was updated to 6 p.m. today. Imagine our surprise when it came back on almost 24 hours sooner. But also imagine the chagrin of those people who booked hotel rooms (at an exorbitant price) for another night to get some sleep out of the heat and then find out the power was restored so much earlier than they had been told it would be. They could be so much more helpful if they teamed up with local media to provide useful information.

MjL

#54 Click this link to see Blog page --> 07/15/2024

#PowerOutage #July2024PowerOutage I’ve come back to this date to the update I didn’t get a chance to post because of the power outage. Aaron had left for Galesburg last Friday to catch a train to Chicago to join Ben, Aliya & Morgon to attend their friend Derek’s wedding. They arrived here late Sunday night because, as usual, Amtrak was running almost four hours late. They all went out to eat this evening to celebrate A&B’s birthday and were on their way home around 8:30 p.m. when they got caught in the same windstorm that knocked out our power. We all wandered about the house with flashlights while remarking upon how strong the winds were. Fortunately I have a back-up battery to power my CPAP machine so it wasn’t too bad for sleeping; although the house did get warmer because we had no air conditioner running.

Update

#55 Click this link to see Blog page --> 07/16/2024

#PowerOutage #July2024PowerOutage
I’m glad we kept the 7,500 watt generator from when we lived in Tremont. It takes up a lot of space in the shed but it was worth it over the past couple days. We hadn’t run the generator since we started it up six years ago shortly after we moved here. The battery was shot so we had to use the pull rope. (I say “we” but it was Tracey who actually got it running.) It was pretty ragged at first; I think because the gas was old too. Eventually it smoothed out and we were able to keep things powered up. Especially my oxygen concentrator. We could also keep the freezer, refrigerator and A/C running too. We shut it down before dark each evening because it is so noisy and loud. Our neighbors probably hate us for the noise alone.

Update

#56 Click this link to see Blog page --> 07/19/2024

#PowerOutage
I was in the middle of updating History Photos for tomorrow and the power is out again. This is really getting old. Hopefully it won’t be off for days again.

MjL

#57 Click this link to see Blog page --> 07/19/2024

#PowerOutage
I was trying to sleep when the power returned and the house woke up. My throat still hurts so I wasn’t getting to sleep anyway. Soon I will try to sleep again so the Blog will likely be late tomorrow.

MjL

#58 Click this link to see Blog page --> 09/04/2024

#PowerOutage
Our power went down at 8:17 this morning and #Ameren says it will take until 7 p.m. to fix.

MjL

#59 Click this link to see Blog page --> 09/04/2024

#PowerOutage
#Ameren power restored just past 6:30 p.m. Long boring day.

MjL

#60 Click this link to see Blog page --> 12/14/2025

#PowerOutage
Our power went out about an hour ago. Hope it is back soon. Barry! Blog may be late.

Stupid phone autocorrect, Brrr! (not Barry!)

MjL

#61 Click this link to see Blog page --> 12/15/2025


Click to Enlarge
#PowerOutage
Yesterday was a no good very bad day. At 10:47 Saturday night a reckless teenager crashed into the main power box for the trailer park; plunging all of us into darkness and subzero cold. The entire park. Around 2:30 a.m. the power was restored, we cheered and went back to bed. About fifteen minutes later it crashed again and it turned out to be thirteen hours of torture before the power was restored for good. We had the water running in three sinks in fear the pipes would freeze as it was -4°F most of the night.
It got down to 45°F in the house by noon yesterday when the lights and heat returned. We hadn’t had much sleep and ended up sleeping most of the rest of the afternoon with electric blankets. The power died again last night for about 45 minutes around 6 p.m. and we were a bit panicked again, thinking we would have another horrible night. What a relief that didn’t happen.

We have a big generator which was of no use because it was too cold to even turn it over. That was so disappointing. And its too heavy to get it into the house to warm it up enough to start.

MjL

#62 Click this link to see Blog page --> 12/17/2025

#PowerOutage again some time before 11 p.m. and only now just returned. The Blog will suffer once again I’m afraid. We didn’t get much sleep and we have a busy day ahead. Our new front #WideDoor (to allow for #Wheelchair) is to be installed in a few hours.

MjL

#63 Click this link to see Blog page --> 12/18/2025

I must admit I didn’t read through all of the links above. I merely skimmed some because I am so far behind in doing my usual routines. These back-to-back extensive #PowerOutage events have really knocked me for a loop.

MjL

#64 Click this link to see Blog page --> 02/07/2026

#PowerOutage
Around 10 p.m. last night the power went out. It was only down for about 45 minutes; just long enough to disrupt bedtime. This is getting old.

MjL

#65 Click this link to see Blog page --> 04/18/2026

Some crazy storms went through the area last night. We had some #PowerOutage but only for a minute or so a few times. I held my breath for a moment each time. Luckily we made it through the night without anything worse than that and a few flickers.

MjL