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The day the lights went out in Marlin
Nise's Notes
by Denise Schoppe
The Marlin Democrat
July 06, 2005
You never realize how much you depend on something until it's not there.
Last Friday, electricity went out for not only parts of Marlin, but for parts of multiple counties in Central Texas. As the room went dark, and my computer shut off mid-save of an article, I wanted to lay my head on my keyboard in utter frustration. That went double after the power came back on and then went right out again... I'd started to work on the same project and was at the same point when my work was once again lost.
Businesses that have come to depend on computers were shut down. The dependency everyone has today on computers made work almost impossible in some instances. Here at the Democrat, we ended up closing early because there was nothing any one could do without electricity. This was after the comedy of suggestions to use the copy machine and glares being shot at the now silent fax machine.
Outside of the hindrance to businesses, in the hot Texas heat the need for this utility was felt quickly as triple digit temperatures bared down. These days, the heat keeps air conditioners fighting desperately to keep up. Take away electricity, you take away the cooling magic of an air conditioner. Temperatures inside homes and businesses quickly began to rise until many were forced elsewhere for comfort.
Concern for the elderly and homebound arose as they had no where else to turn. You couldn't even plug in a fan to circulate the super-heated air.
The Marlin Police Department was called upon to direct traffic as the traffic lights were out. Officers stood in the heat in their dark uniforms to ensure that no vehicles turned themselves into a game of bumper cars.
At least Marlin is a small town. Imagine the chaos that would insure in larger cities as traffic going every direction is controlled by a red, yellow and green light... that of course requires electricity.
We're left wondering what our ancestors did before the discovery of electricity. Granted there was little need for stop lights in the days of horse and wagons, and I suppose who went first at a pass depended on who got there first or who had the bigger gun. Which ever came first.
It got hot back then, too, but they survived those temperatures without the luxury of air conditioning. They did so without the luxury of shorts and flip flops.
Of course they also didn't have computers. Some days I think they had the right idea there. Especially when the electricity goes out. At times like that, the trusty old pen and paper look really good to me.
At least the power outage was short-lived. There have been times in which the power goes out for days at a time. You have to learn to just cope in those times.
It's amazing what people can come up with when a need is presented.
Yes, we could survive without electricity if we came to that point. However, as we stand now, we're dependent on it for almost everything. Its a luxury we take for granted... until, of course, its taken away from us. I'm in no hurry to see that happen again.
Nise's Notes
by Denise Schoppe
The Marlin Democrat
July 06, 2005
You never realize how much you depend on something until it's not there.
Last Friday, electricity went out for not only parts of Marlin, but for parts of multiple counties in Central Texas. As the room went dark, and my computer shut off mid-save of an article, I wanted to lay my head on my keyboard in utter frustration. That went double after the power came back on and then went right out again... I'd started to work on the same project and was at the same point when my work was once again lost.
Businesses that have come to depend on computers were shut down. The dependency everyone has today on computers made work almost impossible in some instances. Here at the Democrat, we ended up closing early because there was nothing any one could do without electricity. This was after the comedy of suggestions to use the copy machine and glares being shot at the now silent fax machine.
Outside of the hindrance to businesses, in the hot Texas heat the need for this utility was felt quickly as triple digit temperatures bared down. These days, the heat keeps air conditioners fighting desperately to keep up. Take away electricity, you take away the cooling magic of an air conditioner. Temperatures inside homes and businesses quickly began to rise until many were forced elsewhere for comfort.
Concern for the elderly and homebound arose as they had no where else to turn. You couldn't even plug in a fan to circulate the super-heated air.
The Marlin Police Department was called upon to direct traffic as the traffic lights were out. Officers stood in the heat in their dark uniforms to ensure that no vehicles turned themselves into a game of bumper cars.
At least Marlin is a small town. Imagine the chaos that would insure in larger cities as traffic going every direction is controlled by a red, yellow and green light... that of course requires electricity.
We're left wondering what our ancestors did before the discovery of electricity. Granted there was little need for stop lights in the days of horse and wagons, and I suppose who went first at a pass depended on who got there first or who had the bigger gun. Which ever came first.
It got hot back then, too, but they survived those temperatures without the luxury of air conditioning. They did so without the luxury of shorts and flip flops.
Of course they also didn't have computers. Some days I think they had the right idea there. Especially when the electricity goes out. At times like that, the trusty old pen and paper look really good to me.
At least the power outage was short-lived. There have been times in which the power goes out for days at a time. You have to learn to just cope in those times.
It's amazing what people can come up with when a need is presented.
Yes, we could survive without electricity if we came to that point. However, as we stand now, we're dependent on it for almost everything. Its a luxury we take for granted... until, of course, its taken away from us. I'm in no hurry to see that happen again.
