Growing up, my folks used to joke that our electric company should be renamed "The Mickey Mouse Power Co" and that "if a bird farts on the line, the power goes out."
Winters were the worst, and, like Spidey, we had a well. The well had a tendency to dry up on us, too, so I got really used to taking short showers where you turn the water off in between the shampoo and conditioner. (one time the house water failed in the middle of my shower; my mother had to drag me out to the backyard and turn the hose on me so I could get the damned shampoo out of my hair. Fun times.)
Flushing the loo with a bucket of water was second nature for us, and we got so good at handling power outages that it became a family game night. (Kerosene lanterns, kerosun heater, fireplace...electric was overrated anyway.) The only thing that set us apart was the fact that we had a stream out front. Our livestock depended on it more than we did, but it was great to have. Especially in the summer!
I will say, living in apartments for the last seven years has been amazing; long showers, no having to deal with a septic tank, everything that's supposed to work does....living in the country is fantastic, but if your folks can't fix stuff when it breaks, it can also be a huge pain in the arse.