8.11.24
What a time this has been on the Triple H Homestead for the past few weeks! July 17th a lightning storm started a wildfire. That blaze quickly went from a few acres to 300 then what with hot, dry and very windy weather, blossomed speedily into a few thousand acres, seemingly doubling in size on almost a daily basis! The fire which currently sits at 182,766 acres, has not been fully contained as yet. Firefighters are still working well to the north of us to get the perimeter 100% ringed and considered suppressed. We are no longer in any danger at all from this blaze and still marvel that our land was spared. We have so much to be thankful for!
Life has quickly resumed a steady routine once more although the prevailing hot weather and extremely dry conditions find us somewhat limited in completing outdoor chores much past noon. We will be so glad when the temperatures start to cool down and even more happy when some much-needed rain falls! Not asking too much are we? The one good thing about these hot days and smoke-filled skies, our vegetable garden is flourishing. Darrell’s corn has come on with a vengeance, standing far taller than him in most areas. Of course, the weeds are having a field day too, but instead of pulling them out, I weed whack them down as it does help keep precious moisture in the ground.
To top it all off, our satellite internet decided to go on the blink over a week ago. Now for those folks who are used to having cell phone service nearby, that would not have been a problem, but up here where we live that option is not open to us. So, we were dead in the water at a time when so many of our family and friends from near and far were anxiously awaiting updates on how we were doing, what was the fire situation etcetera, etcetera! At one point I took my computer down to the village and tried sending out emails to let folks know we were okay, but in trying to work with our satellite company on fixing the issue I had cleared the “history” on my computer and then was signed out of all my email and other messaging programme options! Drat! It would not have been a big issue had I been at home as they send special codes via the telephone, but here I was, down in the village unable to get said special codes!
So, I bit the bullet, cancelled our old satellite internet and went with a different company. The new system was ordered, finally arrived and was successfully set up yesterday with the stellar help of dear pal Julie – we could not have done it without her. Darrell and I were up and down ladders, drilling holes here and there finding the perfect spot to mount the bracket and dish and finally got it done. So here we are with internet service again!
I must say, the time we were without access to the internet was with mixed feelings. Part of me enjoyed the break away from technology yet part of me was in a bit of a dither since so much of my Rose’s Creations business is accomplished via this medium. I tend to be a very diligent businesswoman, if an enquiry about an order comes in, I like to be Johnny-on-the-spot and reply to my prospective customers in a timely manner. I feel it is both courteous and a good business practice to do so. Therefore, I must admit to a wee bit of stewing wondering how many folks may have tried to contact me with no corresponding reply. Funny really when you think about it, these days with all the fancy cell phones out there, it is so easy to send an email, send a message or text – I am still a novice in that department – as opposed to actually calling someone on the telephone to talk. Sometimes I have thought the internet, email and Facebook are taking over a goodly portion of our lives.
I often will refer to such ways of communication as a “necessary evil” – evil in the sense it can steal time away from your day before you know it. Yet in today’s world it is a necessary thing to a great degree. This brief hiatus from the internet has sadly in a way, reinforced the dependence one has on it. I know my little business would not be as flourishing without a website where folks can browse my products. Requests for my soaps and lotions would not be as frequent from people across the country were it not for the convenience of customers being able to email me their orders. In times of trouble, such as with the recent wildfire, so many of our friends and family who live abroad would not have been so easily kept informed that all was well here on the farm.
So, am I glad our internet has been restored? Yes, I have to say I am. Has this brief pause given me time to reflect on this “necessary evil”? Indeed, it has! It has reminded me that the internet is a tool, a handy dandy one at times but still a tool. As I so often tell my EMT students when it comes to things such as O2 sat monitors and other such devices, “Read your patient, not just the tool!” The internet is a grand tool, a very convenient tool, but particularly in this day and age, we must remember it can easily consume us. How often when friends and family get together do you see folks whipping out their fancy phones to check them because a message or some other notification pingy thing has come in? How easy it is to turn to the computer to look something up right now that maybe could wait until later only to get distracted and stay on the internet longer than necessary?
Maybe once in a while it would be good for the heart and soul for all of us to turn off the computer and shut down the internet for a bit. There is a wonderful world out there to explore with wonderful human beings in it. That being said, I am off to milk my cow. As I squat beside her massaging her udder, I will look out the milkhouse door where her calf will be frolicking around, chasing the roosters. Heidi will be standing intently staring at me, tail swishing from side to side, wondering why Lass is being milked and she is not. Coming back to the house I will tend to the milk; Darrell will have a cup of tea waiting for me and I will open up the computer, log onto the internet and post this morning’s story on our website for my friends and family to read. Yes, there are good things about this “necessary evil”!
