by Caleb Jones | cjones@amec.coop
Anyone who lives on a gravel road knows what happens when it snows – your road isn’t getting bladed until all the blacktops are cleared. This past snowstorm had me holed up at home with my family.
After watching a few musicals with my daughter and teaching my son how to play cards, my wife decided it was time for us to get outside and out of her hair. I knew it was the perfect opportunity to teach my kids a valuable life lesson: how to split wood. While their technique could use some fine-tuning, they certainly didn’t lack enthusiasm.
Growing up, my brother and I spent countless hours cutting and splitting wood. What started as a necessity to keep our house warm turned into a way for us to earn some extra money. We sold each truckload of firewood for $50, delivered and stacked. When we dropped off that wood, our customers only saw a neat pile of firewood ready to keep their homes warm.
What they didn’t see was everything that went into it – sharpening chainsaws, getting the truck unstuck from muddy woods, shattering the back glass of the truck (twice) and smashing fingers while loading the wood. Every stick of firewood carried with it the marks of hard work, a few bruised knuckles and lessons that stayed with us long after the woodpile was gone.
A lot of that same dedication and effort goes into turning on your lights. Your electric cooperative works tirelessly to ensure that when you flip the switch, the lights come on. It’s easy to take for granted the complexity of this process.
Behind the scenes, there are talented people focused on serving you, not to mention investments in wires, transformers, bucket trucks and cutting-edge technology. These big investments are all made to achieve a vital goal – reliable and affordable electricity. There are plant operators calibrating the generators, linemen braving rain, snow and 100-degree weather, engineers solving intricate switching problems and office staff coordinating efforts. Everyone on your electric co-op’s team works hand in hand to consistently deliver electricity to your home.
Today, almost everything you buy comes with a cord that plugs into an outlet. That makes it really tough to be without electricity. That’s why your co-op does everything possible to make sure any outage is measured in minutes, not days.
Like those stacks of firewood, electricity seems simple when it arrives at your home. But the dedication, teamwork and resources that go into ensuring reliable power are extraordinary. Your cooperative is committed to keeping the lights on.
While I hope your electric co-op never throws a stick of firewood through the back glass of a 1978 Chevy farm truck, rest assured they’re just as dedicated to getting the job done. And just like that truckload of wood kept homes warm without the buyer lifting a finger, your cooperative is here to keep your home energized, rain or shine.
Caleb Jones is the executive vice president and CEO of Missouri Electric Cooperatives. He is a member of Boone Electric Cooperative