Cower, brief mortals, for I am Nature

Note: “Cower, brief mortals” source

On Wednesday night, the power went out. There had been a lightning storm in the area and we assumed the local grid operator had shut down something or other pre-emptively, to avoid an accident.

We discovered the next morning that had, sadly, not been the case. There had been an accident. And it was serious enough to leave five villages dark, hot, and waterless. Because water = electric pumps.

The outage lasted for fifteen and a half hours.

We developed a new appreciation for modern refrigeration technology when we found out with not a little relief that we won’t have to cook everything in it at once because nothing had defrosted.

Some of us discovered they have a seventh work gear when they can only rely on the laptop battery and it only lasts for two hours.

We also realised, with some chagrin, just how essential to our everyday lives electronics have become. Electronics with rechargeable batteries. Batteries that need electricity to recharge. Some of us developed a new appreciation for portable chargers.

We rediscovered the joy of board games and we also rediscovered the joy of being able to sit outside without liquefying almost immediately. Because nature had decided to throw us a bone in the form of a 10-degree drop in temperatures.

It was a frustrating experience, this 15-hour blackout, complete with a 10-hour water outage. There was one unwashed dish in the sink, there was food to be cooked for dinner, and there were showers to be taken and laptops to be charged.

Frustration led to determination and plans were drawn for backup. One more 1,000-litre water tank for tap water with a pump. A petrol generator. Better yet, a hybrid gas/petrol generator. Solar panels. Hell, we were this close to considering drilling for water in the garden.

It was also a humbling experience. Because it reminded us that no matter how far we progress technologically, no matter how ingenious we get in our efforts to adjust our environment to our needs, nature always wins.

It wins when it busts a transmission line or a transformer. It wins when it brings about a drought and the water reservoir empties. It even wins with backup energy because everything we’d need for that backup comes from, yes, nature.

When the power came back on, there was much plugging of electronic devices into sockets. When the water came back on, there was much washing, some cursing of the luckier villagers living in the lower parts, and some self-consolation that they don’t have our views. There was also a lot of bottle and any-suitable-receptacle filling with water.

Irina: I got a bit carried away.

Cat: It’s okay, we’ll find something to use it for.

The Roma neighbourhood a street down started celebrating in the best traditions of their community around 5 pm on Thursday and as of 3 pm on Friday the party was still very much in full swing. Thanks to nature, we have options including wax ear plugs and plastic earphones.

Cris: And loudspeakers. We can blast them out with some Armin.

Irina: I was thinking Rammstein or miscellaneous industrial.

Cat: What are you talking about?

Cris: Vindictiveness.

In the end, we dropped the vindictiveness because there was power and water, and the weather was quite pleasant. It was the kind of weather that makes us appreciate everything around (except wasps and mosquitoes).

It was the kind of weather that made us think about the wildfire up in the mountain three years ago, when some criminally idiotic people decided it was a good idea to smoke in the forest and not put out their cigarettes properly.

It made us remember how we watched the fire grow and grow, and inflame the skies and burn so many trees and doubtlessly animals while people fought it with everything at their disposal… and how the fire created space and conditions for new trees to grow.

Because, whether you’re a brilliant engineer devising water pumps or a criminally idiotic smoker, whether you’re a volunteer firefighter or a panicky witness of a wildfire, nature always wins. And we’d better remember it.