Can We Talk 2

No Power

         No power again this morning. That meant no coffee. Made me wish we had a gas stove; but that would mean using an old fashioned coffee pot or straining the grounds. I do have a tea strainer. Our house just came to a stand still. No vacuum, no refrigeration, no lights. Couldn't find matches to light a candle in the bathroom. No hot water. So we sat and read by the window or napped. It was too damp outside to work in the yard. Personally, I wake up too slowly to head out to do yardwork or go to the gym. I'm slow even with electricity.

         We are so dependent on electricity and take it for granted until it's gone. It's happening more often in my area. (I can't help but blame the construction boom on my small mountain.) Now that the electricity is back on, I'm at my desktop. The house is cool despite the sauna like air outside. It's overcast, so not that hot, but very humid. We had late coffee. I've washed dishes and a load of clothes. When the mood strikes, I will vacuum. Dad's caught up on the news and the stock market. So we're on track again.

         If it goes out for days on end, we're up a creek without a paddle. No way to boil water, which affects a lot of things from washing dishes to making coffee or tea. No reading after dark. No TV! No computer! A lot of food to go to waste. No AC, no fans, no heat. We do have gas heat, but the thermostat and blower are electric. I can wash a few clothes by hand, but not every thing. Most of our yard tools are gas powered or manual, but a few are electric.

         Some things I can do without if I have to--TV, the Internet, the dryer, the hair dryer. For short periods, the washer, radio, tools, etc. But I really want coffee and a hot shower to start the day. I need light to read and power to cook. I like heat for at least 4 months; my dad is an old man who'd want heat at least 5 1/2 months for his aching joints. We need AC for 3 months, preferably 5. Dad wants the dehumidifier 12 months a year. Those are our power priorities. I have so many expenses going on right now, I don't see a generator in the near future.

         We are all energy dependent, but we have to have a back up source. We might be able to live like our ancestors, but our homes aren't equipped like that. No wood stoves, no "summer houses" for sleeping in the humidity (which wouldn't be very safe in today's culture). We could stock up on tuna fish and Costco canned chicken so we wouldn't have to cook in the summer. Unless the grid went down, then the stores and the canneries couldn't function either. In that case, every subdivision would spring up gardens and house chickens fairly soon.

         A few hours without electricity and the mind goes somewhere else, too.