Power outages behind us, I'm almost forgetting what an inconvenience it was. But, one iota of those months still slips in and out of my working brain, like a filing cabinet opening and closing.

Time to delve into this thing and with resolve.

Without electricity and not at all sure about the generator-thing, I was also without a hot meal. My neighbour wasn't, and neither was Judy at the south end. They both have gas stoves, run on propane. In fact, Judy had a sumptuous Christmas lunch for all of us, the full trimmings and what a feast it was, and only possible with her gas stove.

Back home to my cold house, with cold food.

Living on Gabriola has put me in a tail spin on practically everything that has anything to do with conservation and preservation of energy sources. However, I'm learning that with curiosity and determination, little by little I am moving towards being almost completely self-sustainable. Let's see....

Wood burning air tight stove which supplies heat and a stove top for cooking. Water catchment supplying water even though it's not yet filtered, but with a drop of bleach now useable for washing. Bottles of water kept in a cool place, for drinking. Candles and hurricane lamps for broad casing of light. Wind up flashlight radio combination, and a warm blanket.

I'm a far cry from solar energy, and the filtered water catchment system aren't going to happen right away either, but here's the rub, and that is I'm now thinking in a new way. We inch along some of us, we learn by degrees, we experiment and ask questions. Then it happens. Things we did, no longer apply because we have found a better way; a way that makes better sense because it speaks of conservation and preservation of energy sources.

Yup, I was one of those. Lived in a condo, in the thick of the city. A minute power bump and we were wide-eyed with indignation. Yup, I was one of those just a few short years ago. "Now, how can I lasso the power of the wind?"