Beltane Waxing Planting Moon
A business meeting took most of the morning. Our new pull behind wagon for the lawn tractor has come in and I need to go pick it up. Also, I have to purchase two sprinkler heads, both to replace ones dug up and removed by Rigel. She does not like the sound of that water in the pipes. Of course, I also have to solve the problem at its source, the irrigation timing itself.
Yesterday there was no power at all to the wall to which the irrigation clock connects, therefore, no irrigation. After a number of moves, a tripped GFI switch on the west wall of the garage turned out to be the culprit.
I often marvel at the number of electro-mechanical servants we have. The irrigation clock controls twelve different zones allowing us to water different sections of our property at different times and with amounts appropriate to the area. If we need to go somewhere, we hope in a metal cabin, turn a switch and an internal combustion system comes to life to move us along on our journey.
When we have food that needs long term storage, we put it in a metal box that provides temperature cold enough to keep it frozen. Food that doesn’t need that level of refrigeration go into either our upstairs or downstairs refrigerator. Though both cooking devices we have in the kitchen run with gas, if we need an even heat we can use the convection feature in the oven, or we can use the toaster oven. The microwave cooks foods in a manner inconceivable when I was a boy. A blender and food-processer save long bouts of stirring with spoons or paddles while an electric mixer will kneed dough and work with flour. There is, of course, the dishwasher as well.
When we want entertainment, we turn on one of the hd tv’s which receive their programming through a cable attached to our house. The same cable brings in broad-band internet service which connects our three home computers to the world–quite literally. These computers allow us to send mail, buy almost any retail product, research all manner of topics, read the news, even watch movies and tv shows if we were so inclined.
That’s not all. If we want to talk directly to friends or family near or faraway, we can pick up a small phone, independent of any lines at all and call toll free, all amazing from the reference point of my childhood.
In addition of course we have the lights powered by electricity in every room of our home and in outlying sheds as well.
Now, go back over this list and imagine the number of servants it would take to water the property with the kind of precision and control I achieve by pushing a few buttons. Think of all the work in the kitchen that would require either a cook or a stay at home parent. The internet and cable tv afford us opportunities that were simply not available in my childhood, global reach and multiple forms of entertainment–at home.
Staying connected with friends and family has become casual, not requiring long trips or extended conversations via letter.
Then there’s the matter of all those candles. Replaced by light switches.
And, oh yeah, how could I forget in Minnesota: the furnace and the air conditioner.
This is, truly, an age of miracles. But, the miracles come at a cost, don’t they?