Written earlier:
“I am sitting here in the pitch dark with a flashlight writing this the old-fashioned way with pen and paper. There was a big rain and wind storm here on Camano Island that knocked down the power lines. (See photos above taken on our street.) The power has been off for 2 days now. The water is off because it takes electricity to pump it out of the ground. The phone is not working, and there is no way to cook food. My children and dogs are gathered around our propane fireplace for warmth. At least my 12-year-old daughter is having fun in her sleeping bag pretending she is camping in Narnia. (Children are so innocent and resilient.) But that is not how I am feeling. I am stressed out and worried. I realized that we are a society of big babies, depending on the power company to keep our lights on. Our homes are set up so that our entire way of life DEPENDS on the continuous flow of electricity coming through the lines on the power poles. I do not like this helpless feeling. I want my new homestead to be off-grid with my own energy sources. I have been reading about micro wind turbines, solar panels, generators, batteries, etc. People with off-grid power systems are not even aware when the power lines are blown down in a storm. Their lifestyle continues as usual. Their water is running, their houses are warm, and they can still cook food. That is cool.”