We had a terrific storm in the night and then the power went out at 4:14 a.m. so I wasn’t able to turn the computer on this morning. It really is amazing how dependent we are with all our inventions. I was completely blind fumbling in the extreme dark this morning, unable to see a thing and naturally unable to find the matches to light my candles. I also could not find my flashlight which is usually by my bedside and let’s just say it has mysteriously disappeared.
Electricity is probably our greatest invention. It’s what drives all our other conveniences such as washing machines, stoves, fridges, toasters, electric kettles, irons. Notice it’s all the kitchen conveniences that I mention first. Sure, there are televisions, radios, electric guitars and what not but for a woman, the essentials are in the kitchen. Not for me the pounding of laundry on rocks, using paddles or washerboards, ringing my hands raw. I mentally shudder at the thought. Back in the day our grandmothers made their own bread, jams, and jelly. They knit the socks of their thirteen offspring and the husband who took off sailing for two years at a time. My great grandmothers also worked the farm while their husbands were fishing or sailing as a merchant marine.
Can you imagine raising a dozen children, running a large household without electricity plus run a farm with almost no help? They used oxen to pull the plow, no tractor yet. No going to the store for bread, meat or clothing, that was also prepared by the little woman. One of my great grandmothers also dried her own fish and had enough left over to sell back to the grocer! Talk about intrepid.
And what flashed through my head when the lights went out?
“Thank God I got my coffee before the power went off!”
We’ve come a long way, baby.
No comments:
Post a Comment