We are emerging from the big freeze. There were a couple of days when the temperature was below 10. Three days ago it was 9. That was the day of the big break.
A few nights ago I went outside and heard a rushing water in a place where I shouldn't be hearing it. Rushing toward the sound (concern that one of our pipes had burst) I saw that one of the outdoor faucets on our neighbors pump house was running full bore. After calling them and getting an answering machine there was a dilemma that presented itself. Do I turn it off or is there some reason for them running the water? Since we had to drain our storage tank last winter, it wasn't out of the realm of possibilities that they were purging something in the system- even though the temperature was in the teens and night was coming.
Well, it turns out that the horses turned it on. Amazing what horses can do.
Three days ago, I was walking around the property before going to work... to check the water lines. It was dark and, once again, the sound of rushing water filled the air. What clear horses, I thought. It was barely daylight and in that faint light it was clear that it wasn't the horses and the faucet, but water spurting from our well head area. I didn't make it to work Friday as I worked on replacing a broken joint. By the time I finished it was mid-day and the weather report was for freezing rain.
Sure enough, the freezing rain started about 2 p.m. as Susan was finishing her drive home. Saturday, Aisling was covered in a coat of ice. The gravel road was as reflective as an ice cube. Last night there was to be a light parade in Monroe, but it was canceled.
In an urban environment it is so easy to take the infrastructure for granted, not so easy out here. We are on a well and septic system. Something breaks and we need to fix it or find someone to do it. I think it is convenience that is the cause of global warming (if it is something more than climatic cycling). People want convenience of being a comfortable temperature, we want comfortableness of driving from door to door without sweating or getting wet, and there is the desire for the plasma t.v. to watch only those things that appeal to someone's appetite. Conspicuous consumption means that more and more resources need to be extracted and more waste to dispose of.
I think there is a biological aspect to consumption that is an extension of our desire to survive and thrive- to gather or hunt more than one's neighbor. The difference is that we are evolved enough to overcome some of biological dictates. We have the capacity to reason and recognize those things that are helpful and those that are not.
When a waterline breaks or a limb falls on a roof, it is not convenient. There is a strength in being able to respond to adverse circumstances. We weaken ourselves the more and more addicted to comfort we become. It doesn't mean we have to whip ourselves or wear hair shirts, but there is value in being cold, hungry or bored. Pulling upon our own inner resources is our strengths.
Be well.
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