Monday night, 7:30 … lights out. Going to bed for what seemed like an ordinary adventure camping trip night for me turned out to be much more for many. When I finally got online a few days later, I discovered houses had burned, hospitals evacuated, coastal homes gone and much of the tri-state area was without power.
As I walked my neighborhood streets, trees and branches piled up, and tangled power lines hanging, all I heard was generators as far as I could hear. The sound resonated and burned into my head like a disturbing dream. Not because the storm was so bad, but because it reminded me that our society is so dependant on gas consumption. ….Gas being something that will run out and very likely has been contributing to the acceleration of global warming and could have been a factor in causing a storm like this.
On one of my many walks after the storm, I saw a couple that had dragged their generator out onto the lawn and were blowing leaves with an electric leaf blower. Not only are we a society that drives cars everywhere, but we have forgotten how to rake, sweep, walk, ride a bike or do anything by hand. We have always been a move ahead to progress type of society, but perhaps we need to take a step back and rethink some paths, before we take the wrong path too long. I am uncertain if big business and politics have brain washed us all or if we are just in denial, but Sandy has caused some concern, and perhaps that is a good thing.
So a few weeks have gone by and I have ridden my bike only a few times. Art and I have begun to work on cleaning up the trails. I know there are many people who’s sanity depends on riding a bike, so trail work may take the place of a few races right now, and that is okay too. Many people have been inconvenienced, frustrated and even turned bitter. I hope we all can move ahead to better places with better solutions. Thanks to those that have been helping others to recover from this storm. Pay it forward is a good place to start!
After failing at warming pizza dough over the water heater pilot light, a double boiler did the trick.
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