The day the internet went out…

Thursday, 6 August 2020

I broke for lunch. Mowed ragweed on the side lawn and pulled what I couldn’t reach with the tractor. Hot and sweaty I made a smoothie, cheese and veggie tray for lunch then headed back to my online class. I was early and had 30 minutes or so before class started again. Settling into my seat a fleeting thought about harvesting garlic floated by. I called out to my google assistant to remind me after work to harvest garlic. Her response? I’m not connected to the internet right now. Me: Huh? Why not? I tried a few more times but she was adamant she wasn’t connected to the internet. Oh oh. I have an online class in 20 minutes…

I troubleshooted the modem through software. Rebooted it. Nothing. I ran downstairs to check on the hardware. Did a reboot there too. Twice. Nothing. Don’t panic. I can retake the afternoon portion of the class another time if I have to. Hotspot my cell phone! Great idea. But it didn’t work. Sigh.

It’s now 1 pm. I can’t access the class. Mom pops into my room. The internet is working on her iPad. How is that possible? I ask google assistant something and she responds. Huh. I sign onto my class and voila. We’re up again.

Strange. Very strange.

A participant submits a comment in the chat box: Anyone else having issues connecting? Yes!

Then I learn that I’m not alone. Bell went down. Huh. That’s a possibility I haven’t considered, lately. It’s something I’ve thought about if a natural disaster were to occur. One of the reasons I’ve kept a landline. But, the majority of the federal public servants, right now during COVID, rely on the internet to get work done. We rely on the internet and cell phones to connect with family and friends during this crazy time. Perhaps we rely on it too much? Something to think about.

I remembered to harvest garlic after work. I also harvested some chamomile, lemon balm, peppermint and spearmint, as well as yellow and green beans and tomatoes. What a great supper we had tonight!