I think an automatic stand-by generator is one of the best investments a person can make when living in the country and was one of the 1st things I bought when we moved here 9 years ago. Nice to know when the power goes out the Genny will fire up and run pretty well everything in the house which is especially important when you rely on electric pumps for getting water into the house and more importantly getting it back outside.
We usually lose several times a year, sometimes for a day or more, and it's very reassuring to know when it does go out you've got nothing to worry about.