Outdoor Living

I'm afraid this is an oft taken picture, but since it has become more of an entertainment venue than our living room of late , I decided to show the wide view of our narrow patio.

Our solar storage battery is arriving next week and Ali will be along to oversee its delivery and give us a firm start date to come and do all the wiring. He has to create a separate emergency circuit which will switch on the the solar battery if the power is cut by the power company (Pacific Gas and Electric Corporation). 

PG&E Chief Executive, Bill Johnson pleaded guilty to 84 counts of manslaughter and one felony count last week for its role in sparking the Camp fire which burned down the town of Paradise in Butte County in 2018. Meanwhile,  on the same day in a separate hearing, bankruptcy judge, Dennis Montali, our former Berkeley neighbor, was expected approve PG&E's $59 billion reorganization plan releasing the company from bankruptcy arising out of the fires of 2017, sparked by poorly maintained PG&E equipment, which burned down significant portions of Santa Rosa.

Most likely no charges will be brought against specific individuals The neglect goes back decades making it 'difficult' to blame specific individuals.The company will pay a fine, small in comparison to the damages, which in turn won't come close to compensating the thousands of people who lost everything...

PG&E's solution to the massive fire hazard created by their neglected equipment, is to turn the power off completely. Public Safety Power shut-offs these are called, failing to consider people who rely on electricity for essential needs. That's why we have opted for a battery which will provide power when PG&E doesn't.

I'm grateful that we can pay the small fortune required for this  solution. At least it is quieter and cleaner than a generator.