During the recent cold snap, our furnace worked well. I was happy that at a flick of a switch, I could make my house much warmer than the minus 35 temperatures outside. Outside skin would freeze in a matter of minutes. But in my house, I would set the thermostat to a reasonable temp, wear reasonable clothes and I would be somewhat warm.

When I lived in Australia and in Toronto, I also knew that when heat spells came I could turn on the air conditioner and be quite comfortable. In some houses people have dehumidifiers, fans, solar panels, etc, to manage the temperatures in their houses to manage the environment in their homes. It all seems so magical.

But such systems are not perfect. Hundreds of thousands in Houston found their own indoor paradises vulnerable during the recent cold snap. Water pipes froze. The electrical grid failed leaving many without heat. Water filtration plants failed because of the cold.

The thing is, much as we would like to control our environment we can't. Despite all the technological advances that have been made over the years, our homes are still vulnerable to the whims of mother nature. We might think we are in control over all that we do, but an earthquake, tornado, hurricane, hail storm, ice storm, flood cold snap, power outage, or heat wave always has the ability to trump our plans. No matter how much we think we are in control, nature is in control. It should keep us humble. We are not the master or mistress of our domain. Blessings.