Over at Mausers and Muffins, Brigid has a great post up on what everyone should be thinking about to prepare for times when the easy availability of things we need and depend on disappears. Think it can't happen? Just consider how ammo is now difficult to impossible to buy, and when you do find it, it's absurdly expensive. When that situation happens to bread, or gas, it's gonna be a real, honest to goodness crisis, so a little prep now is simply prudent.
I was especially entertained by this article on the uses of vodka, other than for drinking. Perhaps a few bottles of rubbing alcohol would do most of these jobs at a bit less of a price, however.
My other favorite suggestion was to get a good set of cast iron pots and pans. Check this site, or this one, for ways to have fun with that beautiful cast iron. Once my family got a few Lodge skillets and a camp stove, we basically use nothing else, and frequent use results in an amazing seasoning that makes them nearly non stick.
When my oldest daughter was thinking of going away to college, I put together a basic tool kit for her, and that turned out to be good practice in assessing your realistic need for tools, and to gather them all together in one convenient spot for quick and efficient access in the future. Plus, you'd be surprised how many basic, good quality tools you can pick up at yard sales for next to nothing.
The more I think about it, the more I think the best thing for me to investigate this year is a way to get water out of my well if there was no power. In the summer, my electric bill doubles just on the power it takes to pump that heavy water out of the hole. An alternative might be a good idea. Solar panels dedicated to that job could be an answer, since I have plenty of sun and enough property to put up a few.
Anyway, it's a great article on a skill and a state of mind that might save your bacon in times to come.
You might also consider reviewing your pump. I replaced my working power sucking pump with a smaller one that has a clutch. This reduced my surge (startup) current and even the normal running current. Both matter once you have to run the pump off batteries and an inverter. Inverter price goes up as you need more continuous wattage, so reducing your demands will save you some money there. When you're not on the inverter (practice, untested means unproven) your normal power usage should drop as well. Rethinking the entire water system with an eye to solar, battery, and inverter integration was worth the effort in my case. If you drastically reduce your pump capacity (I did not), you might also consider greater water storage capabilities. Letting a smaller pump run longer eventually gets you just as much water.
ReplyDeleteExcellent advice. I'll use your recommendations when i talk to the pump and solar people. Thanks much.
DeleteJust hold yourself out as a farmer and get the subsidy on a diesel irrigation pump. I know of a couple that aren't being watched all that closely.
ReplyDeleteI do have a pretty good crop of kids. Would that count?
DeleteIt's better to have and not need than need and not have.
ReplyDelete