Among Friends

[Bird mama]

Welcome dear friends old and new to the Back Fence for February.

[geezerette]

@Bird mama  Are you still freezing up there?  I thought I heard that Michigan has a natural gas shortage.  That’s insane, especially since I’m surrounded by natural gas wells that are holding back production due to lack of demand!

Hang in there, it’s supposed to get warmer in the next few days.

[Bird mama]

@geezerette  It was 5 degrees above zero (on the outside thermometer) when I awoke this morning so that is a very good sign.

Two things happened during the cold snap, especially on Wednesday.  DTE Energy (the electric people) became concerned about the load being requested for electricity.  It wasn't so much our grid in Michigan.  More of a concern for how Michigan connects to other states that were also feeling the freeze and loading up the grid.  We remember the NE blackout of 2003 that took out a big chunk of MI so we get a little paranoid.

As far as Consumers Energy (the gas people for part of the state).  We had enough gas and then some to serve the entire state.  What happened (and they are still trying to determine the cause) was that a fire broke out at a major gas compression station that pushes the natural gas out to lots of people.

They rerouted gas from auxiliary gas fields and while they were trying to get the compression station back online, asked those who could tolerate it to turn down the thermostat.

The autos and a couple of larger factories shut down to conserve the demand of gas.  I even turned down my thermostat 5 degrees and didn't use the dryer or oven or anything that would require gas.

We are back to normal this morning.  

[geezerette]

@Bird mama

Thanks for the explanation.  I hadn’t heard the “whys” for all my relatives home and frozen!  

I lived there when it was “Detroit Edison” and “Consumers Power”.

[Bird mama]

@geezerette  I've been here since it was Ma Ball, Detroit Edison, and Michigan Consolidated Gas.  

Some parts of the state have DTE (Detroit Edison and Michigan Consolidated Gas merged) for everything.  Some parts of the state have Consumers Energy for everything.  I have DTE for electric and Consumers Energy for gas, lol.

[geezerette]

@Bird mama

I hear ya.  I even remember our phone number from Michigan Bell Telephone, back from the 50s.  I have to look up my cell phone number now if anyone asks what it is!🥴🤣

[Bird mama]

@geezerette  do you remember the exchanges?  I remember as a kid my Ma giving the number as Walnut 5 7613.  That would be 925-7613.  Ahh, those were the days.  

[geezerette]

@Bird mama

Of course!  Ours was LI 9 - 1#2#.   Liberty. 

[meallen616]

@Bird mama,

[Winifred]

A horrible day and the weather is still being a royal pain. Windy, Cold and Pouring down Rain. Another day of staying in although I did have to venture out early this a.m. for a couple things and then about an hour ago had to take out the trash. That was miserable.

Super Bowl tomorrow. Yeah RAMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have a good one everybody. Sleep well!