.a-'u.v vllv 111VSOC lill'C'I CMlllg and challenging part of

.a-'u.v vllv 111VSOC lill'C'I CMlllg and challenging part of the ice storm has been some self-inflicted pain. We left ordering the next refill of heating oil a little longer than we should. And, consequently, the oil truck is now unable to navigate our driveway. If we hadn’t also happened to have now run out of oil it wouldn’t be a big deal. But we’ve reverted to a more pioneer lifestyle with the wood stove and fireplace now being our only sources of heat! There have been some other adjustments in our lifestyle as well. Our basement is now toasty warm and we’ve temporarily moved into the guest bedroom down there. The animals are a little curious as to the new arrangements but they’ve adjusted. I refuse to cook in my cold kitchen since the food becomes cold before you can get the fork to your mouth. So we’ve been eating frozen dinners and canned soups that don’t require much in the way of preparation. The first few days of this seems like an adventure. And by the time you read this no doubt the mid-week thaw will mean we have heat again. Meanwhile, it turns out that yesterday’s adventure quickly becomes today’s inconvenience.

And the other adventure that begins for all of us now is fighting the relocation of the Dominion Power line through Rappahannock County. I just hate being considered easy prey. It also seems to me all of us should be asking ourselves what we can do to conserve energy. While Dominion is certainly not running these fines through Rappahannock to serve our increasing needs for power, there’s clearly a case to be made that the more all of us in this country conserve, the less need there will be for these monstrosities to be built in anyone’s back yard.