I hope it's not the end.

I'm still puzzled.

I had two errands to run at a rental property that I own with a family investment group. First, I had to deliver a sofa and love seat to replace a well used set.  While there, my brother had asked that I check on the sprinkler system that wasn't working. I had helped replace a manifold last year and while I don't consider myself anything of an expert, I thought that following some simple step-by-step direction, I would either diagnose the problem or maybe solve it.

I retrieved the key from the shed to make sure that the outside water was actually turned on. I confirmed that the water from the main was flowing. I returned to the electronic control box and I manually activated the system to see what was happening. When I went back outside, there was nothing, absolutely no water flowing through the system. I thought it might be a question of too little pressure. So I turned the water off and then immediately turned it back on. The first station and its five heads popped up and sprayed water for almost two seconds. I had done it. Then suddenly the water stopped and the heads receded into the ground.

I was able to replicate this experience several times and I remain completely stumped. Not surprisingly, I do know how to water a lawn. What I am not certain about is what I should do when I am relying on an electrical exchange to allow the actual watering to occur? As a child, and even a home owner, I have always been comfortable hooking up a hose and a sprinkler and moving it about my yard to water the lawn, trees, vegetables and anything else that needs water. Add a few steps of technology and things that are meant to be made more simple become exponentially more complicated.

I share some concern that we as a people are getting farther and farther away from some very basic skills. Honestly, if I have to leave a handwritten note for someone I barely know what to do. Worse, the odds are against that person being able to read my handwriting. Simple means of communication will become much more complicated if we encounter a serious disruption to our electrical grid. Over the short term these situations are mere nuisances, but an extended power outage creates significant challenges.

Many years ago when my mom did the shopping, grocers continued selling and maintained business as usual during a power outage. But in recent years store employees have evacuated shoppers asking them to leave their carts in the aisles or the checkout lines. They cannot even make a sale as it will interfere with their inventory and most cannot calculate the multitiered tax structure if they can do the math at all.

I love technological advances, but if I don't develop more a number of basic skills, an extended power disruption is going to leave me very puzzled.