Word count 878
Today is the first day of winter break; I thought it would be fun to have a small get-together with my closest friends. There aren’t any storms in the weather forecast; however, my house is just big enough for a few of my friends to get together and hangout. First my best friend Mikey shows up; then following him Kelsie and Brent show up together. An hour passes and I glance outside to see snow is slowly falling on the ground. I think nothing of it and return to my friends. Then a half hour later I look outside again, and there is four inches of snow on the ground. Then the electricity goes out! Kelsie starts screaming and runs in circles and hits the wall, she says her head was hurting a little bit, and that she was going to lie down for a couple hours or so.
My friend Mikey started talking about how too many of us take electricity for granted, and it is only when the light switch does not produce light that we panic. We call the electric company and report the electricity out in our area. The linemen spring to work and go out in the rain, hail, sleet, snow, and ice to work to repair the problem. We believe that they put their lives on the line due to the extremely dangerous weather conditions. We would think that it would take longer to restore the electricity in these conditions, but they said they are in even more of a rush to turn the power back on to heat the homes in the area. This is the only time most of us even think about electricity. We do not think about where it comes from or how it is made. We just use it.
We glance over at Brent on the couch dozing off, unconcerned about our worrisome situation. We laugh at his nonchalance and continue discussing progress and improvements which have made things easier for everyday life for all of us. Electricity can be in many forms. There are green programs, such as solar power, wind power and methane gas power. The electricity we have in our homes today is provided by Plateau Electric Cooperative, generated by TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority). Most people don’t think about how far we have come in technology regarding electricity. In the early days, before electricity, people kept their food cool by keeping the food in cellars and springhouses. Lights were coal oil lamps or candles. School work was done by candles and lanterns.
Then Kelsie comes back into the room from her long nap and we fill her in on our story. She added her own story about how her mom has saved enough money to put solar panels on top of their house. Brent looks up and says, “What in the world are solar panels?” Solar panels are special made panels that collect solar or sun energy. This energy is used to power homes, schools, and even businesses. Sometimes the electric companies have the electricity generated by the solar panels totaled through a meter and the company purchases excess electricity. This is an easy way to store free sun energy in order to make electricity. We discuss how solar power is not the only way that we have turned natural resources into electricity.
Then out of nowhere Hunter knocks on the door. He has been hunting and got lost due to the terrible blizzard, but on