Windsor Plywood French Creek: The Pulse Community Podcast is brought to you in part by Windsor Plywood in French Creek, specializing in hard-to-source interior and exterior home finishing products, including flooring, doors and mouldings, and exterior project materials such as yellow cedar. Windsor Plywood French Creek carries high-quality, responsibly sourced products and is committed to providing outstanding value and personalize one-on-one service to all of our customers: homeowners, do-it-yourselfers, renovators, builders, designers, craftsmen, and contractors. Regardless of the type or size of your project, Windsor can help you bring your vision to life from start to finish. Let Windsor Plywood in French Creek help you with your renovation, new build, or building project. Visit them online or call 752-3122.

The Ballad of Peter & Gracie: Peter and his dog raced here and there, through fields so wide, with dreams in their pockets and stars as their guide. Every day's an adventure under the open sky. In their world of stories, time just flies by.

Peter McCully: Peter was sitting at the kitchen table working on his homework when suddenly everything went dark. The hum of the refrigerator stopped. The lights blinked out. Even the little green light on the microwave disappeared. "Whoa," Peter said, looking around at the suddenly dim kitchen. Outside, it was already getting dark, and heavy rain pounded against the windows. Gracie jumped up from her bed in the corner, startled by the sudden change.

She trotted over to Peter, pressing against his leg. Peter could feel her trembling slightly. "It's okay, girl," Peter said, reaching down to pet her. "It's just a power outage." His mum came into the kitchen carrying her phone, using its light to see. "Looks like the whole neighbourhood is out. Must be the storm. There are some pretty strong winds out there." Peter's dad appeared from the garage. "I called the power company. They said a tree came down on some lines near French Creek. Could be a few hours before they get it fixed." "A few hours?" Peter said. "But it's already almost dark, and I was going to watch my favourite show tonight."

"Well, we'll have to find other things to do," his mum said. "First, let's get some light in here before it gets completely dark." Peter watched as his parents moved into action. His dad went to the hall closet and pulled out flashlights, checking that they all worked. His mum found some candles and matches, although she was very careful to place the candles in safe holders away from anything that could catch fire.

"Peter, can you help me gather some blankets?" his dad asked. "It's going to get chilly in here without the furnace running." Peter hadn't thought about that. No power meant no heat, no lights, no TV, no internet. Basically, none of the things he used in the evenings. As he helped collect blankets from the linen closet, Gracie followed closely. She didn't like the strange shadows that the flashlights made on the walls, and she didn't like the sound of the wind howling outside. "Is Gracie scared?" Peter asked his mum. "I think she might be a little nervous," his mum said. "Dogs are very sensitive to changes in their routine.

"Everything probably feels different to her right now—no normal sounds from the appliances, strange lights, and that storm outside." Peter sat down on the floor and hugged Gracie. "It's okay, Gracie. We're all here together. Nothing bad is happening. It's just dark. That's all." Gracie licked his face and seemed to relax a little.

As long as Peter was calm, she could be calm too. His dad set up candles on the kitchen table and in the living room, always in the centre of tables, away from curtains or anything that could burn. "Safety first," he reminded everyone. "Candles are helpful, but we need to be very, very careful with them."

Peter's mum opened the refrigerator quickly, just long enough to grab some items. "We need to keep the fridge closed as much as possible," she said to Peter. "Without power, it won't stay cold. But if we keep the door shut, it should stay cool enough for several hours." "What about dinner?" Peter asked. "Can we still cook?"

"The stove won't work because it's electric," his mum said, "but your dad has a great idea." His dad grinned. "How do you two feel about camping food? We've got a camping stove in the garage that runs on propane. We can make soup and hot dogs." "Like we're camping inside?" Peter's face lit up. This was starting to sound more like an adventure than a problem.

"Exactly like camping," his dad said. "In fact, why don't we set up in the living room? We can bring in sleeping bags and pretend we're in a tent." While his dad carefully set up the camp stove out on the porch, Peter and his mum transformed the living room. They pushed the coffee table aside and laid out sleeping bags and pillows on the floor.

They arranged flashlights around the room like lanterns at a campsite. Gracie watched all this activity with great interest. She kept sniffing the sleeping bags and walking around the new arrangement, trying to figure out what was happening. "Do you think Gracie knows we're pretending to camp?" Peter asked.

"I think she knows something fun is happening," his mum said. "Look at her tail wagging." Once everything was set up, Peter's dad brought in steaming bowls of tomato soup and hot dogs. They sat in their campsite in the living room, eating by candlelight and flashlight. Rain continued to hammer against the windows, and wind rattled the trees outside.

"This is actually kind of cool," Peter said, taking a bite of his hot dog. "It's like a real adventure." Gracie positioned herself right in the middle of all the sleeping bags, clearly pleased with this new arrangement. Peter gave her a small piece of hot dog without the bun, because Mum and Dad had taught him that bread wasn't good for dogs.

"You know," his dad said, "people lived without electricity for most of human history. Your great-great-grandparents grew up in houses that didn't have electric lights at all." "Really?" Peter tried to imagine life without electricity. "What did they do at night?" "Well, they used candles and oil lamps," his mum said. "They went to bed earlier because it was dark.

"They talked more, told stories, played games, read books by lamplight. They talked more because they didn't have TV or tablets or phones." Peter realized. "Exactly," his dad said. "Sometimes it's nice to have a break from all that technology. It gives us a chance to be together in a different way." After dinner, Peter's mum pulled out a deck of cards.

"How about some games we can play by flashlight?" They played Go Fish, then Crazy Eights. Gracie lay next to Peter, occasionally lifting her head when someone laughed too loud or when a particularly strong gust of wind shook the house. Peter kept one hand on her soft fur, which seemed to comfort them both.

"I win again!" Peter announced, laying down his last card. "You're really good at this," his mum said. "Would you like to play something else?" "Can we tell stories instead," Peter asked, "like people used to do before TV?" "Well, that's a wonderful idea," his dad said, adjusting his position to get more comfortable. "What kind of stories?"

"Scary ones," Peter said, and then added quickly, "but not too scary. I don't want Gracie to get worried." His dad laughed. "How about I tell you about the time I got caught in a storm when I was kayaking near Newcastle Island?" As his dad told the story, complete with dramatic voices and hand gestures that made shadows dance on the wall,

Peter snuggled deeper into his sleeping bag. Gracie had crawled partially into the sleeping bag with him, her head resting on his chest. The rain outside, which had seemed threatening before, now felt cosy and safe from inside their warm living room campsite. When his dad finished his story, Peter's mum told one about the time she went hiking in the mountains and saw a bear.

Peter told a story about the day he and Gracie had discovered the goats on the roof in Coombs, adding extra details to make it more exciting. "And then," Peter said dramatically, "the biggest goat looked down at Gracie and said, 'Baa,' so loud that Gracie jumped three feet in the air!" "I don't think I jumped three feet,"

Gracie seemed to say with her eyes, but her tail thumped happily at just being included in the story. As the evening wore on, Peter's dad brought out a battery-powered radio. They tuned it to a local station that was giving updates about the storm. "The power company expects electricity to be restored by midnight,"the announcer said. "In the meantime, remember to keep your refrigerators closed. Never use your oven to heat your home. Check on elderly neighbours who might need assistance." 

"That reminds me," Peter's mum said. "Mrs. Chen next door is all alone. Maybe we should check on her." Peter's dad nodded. "Good idea. Peter, "wanna come with me? We can bring her a flashlight." Peter bundled up in his raincoat, and he and his dad hurried through the rain to Mrs. Chen's house next door. Gracie stood at the window watching them go, making sure her family was safe. Mrs. Chen answered the door holding a candle. "Oh, how thoughtful of you," she said when Peter's dad offered her an extra flashlight. 

"I'm doing fine, but it's nice to know I have good neighbours." "Do you have everything you need?" Peter asked politely. "I do. Thank you, Peter. I've lived through many power outages over the years. I actually find them rather peaceful. It forces us to slow down and appreciate simpler things."

As they walked back home, Peter thought about what Mrs. Chen had said. The power outage had been unexpected and a little bit scary at first, but it had turned into something special. They had had a family dinner without anyone looking at their phones. They played games and told stories. They worked together to solve problems and stay safe. Back inside,

Peter dried off and returned to the living room campsite. His mum had made hot chocolate using the camping stove, heating up some milk in a small pot. They sipped the warm drink while playing 20 Questions. "Is it an animal?" Peter asked. "Yes," his mum said. "Does it live in the ocean?" "No." "Does it live on Vancouver Island?"

"Yes." Gracie perked up at the mention of animals, looking around as if expecting one to appear. They played several rounds, laughing when Peter's dad took forever to guess jellyfish and when Peter stumped them both with hummingbird. Around 9:30, Peter started yawning. The excitement of the evening, combined with the cosy warmth of the sleeping bags and Gracie's comforting presence, was making him sleepy.

"I think someone's ready for bed," his mum said gently. "But what if the power comes back on?" Peter asked. "Won't it be loud?" "We'll turn off all the light switches," his dad said. "That way, when the power returns, the lights won't suddenly come on and wake everyone up." They went through the house together, making sure all the switches were off.

It felt important, like they were securing a ship before a voyage. Back in their living room campsite, Peter's parents settled into their sleeping bags. Peter was in the middle with Gracie curled up against him. The candles had been carefully blown out, and now only one flashlight provided a soft glow.

"Dad," Peter said quietly. "What if the power goes out again sometime?" "Well, it probably will eventually," his dad said. "Storms happen. Trees fall, things break. But you know what to do now, right? We have flashlights and candles. We know how to stay safe and warm, and we know how to have fun even without electricity."

Peter added. "That's the most important part," his mum said. "Being prepared is good, but being able to adapt and find joy in unexpected situations—well, that's even better." Peter thought about this. Earlier in the evening, he'd been upset about missing his TV show. Now he realized he'd had more fun telling stories and playing cards than he would've had sitting in front of a screen.

"I'm glad the power went out," Peter whispered. "Not forever, but just for tonight. This was really fun." Gracie sighed contentedly, clearly agreeing with Peter's assessment. She loved having all of her people together in one place, all warm and cosy. Outside, the storm continued to rage, but inside, Peter felt perfectly safe.

The wind howled, rain drummed on the roof, and somewhere in the darkness, the power company workers were working hard to restore electricity to their neighbourhood. Peter's dad turned off the last flashlight. "Goodnight, Peter. Goodnight, Gracie." "Goodnight," Peter mumbled, already half asleep. Gracie made a small, happy sound,

not quite a bark but more like a sigh of contentment. And just before Peter drifted off to sleep, he heard a familiar hum. The refrigerator had started running again, a small light glowing from the kitchen where they'd forgotten to turn off one switch. "The power's back," his mum whispered. "Can we sleep out here anyway?" Peter asked. 

His parents laughed softly. "Yes, we can sleep out here anyway." And they did. Even though they could have gone back to their normal beds and normal routines, they stayed right where they were, together in the living room campsite, with the rain still falling outside and Gracie snoring softly beside Peter, because sometimes the best memories come from unexpected moments.

Sometimes losing something, even something as important as electricity, helps you find something even more valuable: time together, stories shared, and the reminder that you can handle whatever changes come your way as long as you face them together.

The Ballad of Peter and Gracie: Peter and Gracie, the finest of friends, with tales of wonder that never end. In the pages of books or stars above, they find their magic in laughter and love.

Windsor Plywood French Creek: The Pulse Community Podcast is brought to you in part by Windsor Plywood in French Creek, specializing in hard-to-source interior and exterior home finishing products, including flooring, doors and mouldings, and exterior project materials such as yellow cedar. Windsor Plywood French Creek carries high-quality, responsibly sourced products and is committed to providing outstanding value and personalize one-on-one service to all of our customers: homeowners, do-it-yourselfers, renovators, builders, designers, craftsmen, and contractors. Regardless of the type or size of your project, Windsor can help you bring your vision to life from start to finish. Let Windsor Plywood in French Creek help you with your renovation, new build, or building project. Visit them online or call 752-3122.