We've had several times in our lives that we have been without power for several days in a row in both summer and winter conditions. During winter time we cooked on fire place with cast iron Dutch ovens and broke out our camping coffee pot. We have some of those old oil lamps for light and later put in Franklin Fireplaces in living room and garage. (We always kept a supply of wood on hand) As long as we had running water we just kept on with live as it would have been in olden days and it reminded us how we grew up as kids. No radio, No TV. We actually sat around and talked or read by the oil lamp. I cannot tell you how many memories flooded our thoughts when we could hear those stove pipes popping as they heated up or cooled down. The only thing missing was the hooting of the old owl that use to come right up to our house at night. The quite in the neighborhood was really pleasant.
In the summer times when we have lost power for days and days, we just sat up a kitchen on our back patio. We cooked on our out door grill, heated water for clean up on the butane burner. We even laid out the water hose in the hot sun so we could have water to sponge bathe with. (Ice was brought in by the truck load and first thing every morning we made the "ice run") The part we missed most was the A/C. Just no way to be cool on the Texas Gulf Coast without it.
Each time we have found ourselves in such situations I wonder how in the world our grandparents made it. They even had to draw their water from a well, collect water in rain barrels, and bath in the creek during the summer.
All of my folks made their quilts and now I wonder how in the world they had time to do that.