Not ready to go off the electric grid

Not even for 24 hours.

“I can’t believe I ever read by that light,” I told my cat. Furby and I were alone for the adventure, Barbara having driven off in the early snow for Atlanta.

Furby declined to comment.

Our power went off somewhere around 4:00 and was off about five hours. Amazingly, that’s the longest it’s been off in my neighborhood in years.

I felt pretty good about living in Commerce Sunday night. I listened to my scanner as fire departments all over the area were dispatched to help clear roads from fallen trees. City public works and electric employees worked all day and well into the night, and firemen were often summoned to two or three different locations at one time. Police went from accident to accident, stopping occasionally to block off a road because of downed trees or an accident ahead. While most of us sat at home and watched nature’s display, a lot of people worked through it on our behalf.

I went out a couple of times for photos. Mostly, though, I listened to our public workers being summoned, kept the bird feeder stocked and tried to prevent the cat from escaping into the Great White Adventure. I stalked about the house, automatically flipping light switches on as I entered dark rooms.

I’d deluded myself into thinking I was prepared for a few days without electricity. Six canisters of propane, a one-burner stove, a lantern and a little firewood seemed sufficient.

Not anymore.

I’m not among those who believe in a Great Cataclysm — possibly stemming from the economic crisis — that will result in the end of society as we know it as energy, transportation and food systems break down, forcing us all to cook supper over grills made from old 55-gallon drums. I’m pretty much a pessimist, just not that much of one.

On the other hand, as a former Boy Scout, it seemed prudent to be at least a little prepared to cope for a few days without electricity. I’m spoiled after going how many years — decades? — without a power outage of 24 hours.

More AA batteries, a better auxiliary stove and at least new mantles on the Zebco (surely the only Zebco lantern still in existence) lantern — possibly a new one. A larger supply of firewood, more gas in the tank when bad weather seems imminent. Gas for the chain saw too.

Lessons learned. And lessons remembered. There are always folks out there working to keep us safe, even in snowstorms.


Mark Beardsley is editor of The Commerce News. He lives in Commerce.