E is for electricity. It’s one of those things we take for granted, until it’s not there.
We live too far inland to get hit by hurricanes, but we get the heavy rain from them, and once in a while it knocks the power out. And sometimes too much snow or ice on a power line will take the line down and we’ll lose power. In our neighborhood a high percentage of homeowners have generators, so when the electricity goes, it’s not long before the not-so-gentle hum of those beasts is heard all around.
We’ve never bought one. Not only are they ridiculously expensive, our power is rarely out for more than a few hours. Only once has it been out long enough for us to lose food. We can stay warm if we all sleep in one room, but we’ve had some pretty hot nights.
“Lightning3” by U.S. Air Force photo by Edward Aspera Jr. – United States Air Force
If we have enough of a warning, everyone charges up all the electronics. iPhones, iPads, laptops—all are plugged in so their owners can survive the great power outage. I must admit, I do, too. Mostly, I want to be able to read. But we do play some games, and try to figure out what we can eat without opening the refrigerator or turning on the oven, and I actually think it’s kind of fun to be without power. For a little while, anyway.
And despite my title, although Benjamin Franklin proved lightning was electrical in 1752, it was over 100 years before we had light bulbs. Bummer.
My sister signed up for ancestry.com recently. My mom’s side of the family was pretty much as expected—half her grandparents and all her great-grandparents were born in either Germany and Holland. My dad’s was a little more complicated and not quite the story we’d been told. A lot more people from Ireland than we expected. Still, I’m grateful for Ellis Island. Most of us—well, all of us, really, unless you’re a Native American—wouldn’t be here if somewhere along the line your family hadn’t come from somewhere else. Maybe you had ancestors that landed at Ellis Island, or maybe you flew in yourself. Either way, I’m grateful we’re all here.