When Little Things Mean A Lot

Okay so we all know how such things as the rise in gas & food & milk is driving people crazy and how everyone is afraid that there won't be enough to go around ... how everyone is hoarding rice, wheat, vegie oil, corn, etc, etc, etc.

Well hoarding that sort of thing is easy ... actually hoarding anything that is physically obtainable is easy -- and boy did I get my eyes opened up for me again this morning.

It is raining out. Total act of nature -- no hoarding it. Can't save the rain for later in the year when the corn crop will really need it ~~ I know there are some of you out there thinking 'sure you can, you can rain-barrel it until needed'...well no you really can't. There is just something about the rain that makes it hands down better for the taste of the corn than irrigation ... perhaps other people can't taste it, but when you are used to going into the garden and picking it within an hour of cooking it up those little things really make the difference. Kind of like the difference between a home-grown tomato and a store-bought one.

But that's neither here nor there. With the rain came a random, single, unique lightening bolt - okay it was probably just a fluke build up of static electricity. But suddenly there was a loud 'pop' outside and all the electricity was gone from the house.

During the night has its own issues of alarm clocks not going off, water system not 'cleansing' itself, etc. But during the day causes a set of issues you would have no idea!

First, I have kids to get off to school - thank goodness we have a couple of battery operated clocks. Second, We are on a well system ... no electricity - no water ... no baths ... no brushing teeth (well no rinsing) ... no iced tea ... etc. Third, you can't open the fridge to get a cold drink or a glass of milk ... you have to make the dash to grab the kids' lunches so you don't let the cold escape. No lights so knitting is out. No printer so very little can be done without a printer. No modem means no printer. No tv, no cable, no movies, no Wii, no PS2, no nothing.

But the worse of all -- we are on a septic system. For those of you who enjoy city sewer, let me tell you - you are luckier than you think. Yes you have to push the button, flip the switch, whatever system you have to clear things out -- if you are on a septic system its a bit different -- you have to have a pump to clear it out, which runs on electricity. Yeah it will go down, but you've only got so-much storage space before it decides to reappear in places it was never meant to go (like you kitchen sink, or the bath tube). YUK!!

This is why we have a secondary back-up of a generator - issue? It runs on gas for one ... well you couldn't very well have one that ran on electricity could you? and you have to take the house off 'the grid' so that when the power company finally straightens things out you don't blow every electrical devise in your house! But then you have to watch for people who don't have a generator to see if they suddenly get power back - either that or disconnect the unit every hour and then hop back on-grid and see if you've got power yet.

Electricity -- its a good thing.