A couple weeks ago I wrote that it looked like we were in for a typical, cold January winter. I’m always working at least a week ahead when I write my column and things can change by the time you read it. I should know better than to talk about the weather. The day that column came out the weather in Westby was a balmy 38 degrees (above zero). We never did get the extended stretch of really cold temperatures the weather forecasters were predicting. So here I am enjoying a warm, sunny day while you were reading about how cold it was going to be. By the time you read this column, maybe that cold weather will have arrived.
We could go by The Old Farmer’s Almanac, but I prefer to listen to old farmers talk about the weather and give their observations about life. They’re much more down to earth and fun to listen to. A few examples: An old farmer said, “Now they have a weather channel on TV where you can watch the weather 24-hours a day. We had something like that when I grew up. We called it a window.” An old farmer also said, “There’s one good thing about a blanket of snow. It makes my yard look just as good as my neighbor’s.” I’ll add one of my favorites, “A snowy day is the perfect time for a walk in the woods.” Unfortunately, as I write this it’s been raining, foggy, and the temperatures in the mid-40s. That’s not real conducive to taking walks in a snowy woods.
The old farmer also says, “You can’t milk a cow with a milking machine if the power goes out.” That’s what happened one night this week. We don’t realize how dependent we’ve all become on electricity until we don’t have it. There we were wandering around in the dark searching for a flashlight so we could find some candles. You’d think we’d be better prepared for emergencies.
For many years I’ve said that if someone wanted to attack us, all they’d have to do is knock out our sources of power and most of this country would be plunged into a dark, communication-void world, and people would be helpless. Think about what would happen if your electricity were shut down and couldn’t be restored for months. There would be no TV or radio, unless you had a battery-powered radio and a big supply of batteries on hand. There would be no communication by cell phones once the battery ran down. There would be no electricity to recharge them. Computers, iPods, iPads, and all other technology would be shut down as soon as the battery went dead. There would be no electricity to power your stove, microwave, refrigerator, dishwasher, washing machine, and dryer. There would be no water for drinking, washing, flushing toilets, or taking baths if an electricity-powered pump controls your water supply.
A few more things to think about: Your garage door opener won’t work. You won’t be able to get your car out of the garage if you don’t know how to switch the opener over to manual operation. Once you got on a highway, many places would be experiencing gridlock because all the traffic lights would be out. We don’t have to worry about that here in Vernon County where there are only three stoplights in the entire county, all three of them in Viroqua.
The old farmer says, “This makes me wonder how the State of Wisconsin can justify wanting to build bypasses around Viroqua and Westby connected by the four-lane Uff Da Bahn. They claim it’s to relieve all the traffic through Westby when we can’t even qualify for a stoplight because there isn’t enough traffic. Trying to understand the thinking of state bureaucrats is like trying to push a wet rope up a hill. Sometimes I think they’ve been drinking downstream from the herd.”
Those are just a few of the problems that would be caused by our electrical sources being destroyed. We are now so far removed from knowing how to live without electricity that it would plunge most of the country into panic and chaos. It would be doubly hard for those of us in the northern part of the country where winter can get very cold. You might have to start busting up your furniture to burn for heat. But you couldn’t do that inside because not that many houses have “real” fireplaces.
All you old timers and old farmers could probably find a way to survive. You lived during the time when you didn’t have all the things I’ve talked about. It wouldn’t be easy, but I’d place my bets on all of you finding a way to overcome the obstacles.
The old farmer says, “We managed to live without electricity at one time, and if we had to, we could do it again. Woodburning stoves, windmills for water, outhouses, candles and oil-burning lanterns are just a few of the many things that would need to be used again. It’s scary when you realize how dependent we’ve become on others for our survival.”
The old farmers live in a technology-filled world, but are very aware of a time when they weren’t so dependent on others for everything. The old farmer says, “Those days weren’t always easy, but we made it.”
*
No comments:
Post a Comment