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[<sgian AT netscape.com>]

As far as electricity goes, for a catastrophic event that takes out the grid 
for an extended period of time, even if you have your own alternative system, 
where are you going to get light bulbs, replacement electric motors, consumer 
gadgets, etc.  If there's no grid, there's no electric or electronic 
industries.

Better, thinks I, is a personal economy that uses electricity but does not 
utterly depend on it.  We've had some practice at this being on the grid of 
the 3rd World Electric Co. Inc (American Electric Power).  In the month of 
December we were completely without power a total of 16 days.  The rest of 
the months have been an improvement but every little squall and thunderstorm 
puts us without power typically for 24 hours at a time.

Our homestead economy has centered around using electricity for those things 
for which there are no alternatives:  the internet, watching DVD's, the 
radio, etc.  For those things that work better or at least just as well 
without electricity, we forgo it.  Knives instead of food processor, wood 
range rather than electric, sink instead of dish washer, etc.

For some things we use electricity but stay in practice and supplied to do 
without it.  We use an electric washing machine but occasionally use the tub 
and wringer to stay in practice.  Electric fans to cool the house in the 
summer, but spend time under the trees as often as possible.  Electric lights 
but lamps, lanterns and candles on hand and used from time to time just to 
remind ourselves we can.




>  I can't imagine hauling water for everything, everyday, all 
year long the way I know some have (Lynn in SC comes to mind) at my 
age.   Now mind you, I feel pretty good now at almost 50, but I am under 
no illusions about how much labor hauling water takes.

The one "weak" point in our setup is water.  The household's source of water 
is two springs that feed a cistern some 1000 feet away and 75 feet lower than 
the house.  A well pump delivers the water.  When the electricity goes out, 
no water.  That's a minor problem.  What was NOT a minor problem was the two 
years of Biblical Proportion drought that dried up both springs for months at 
a time.  Nothing to pump no matter how much electricity one has.

Now the usual 'off the grid' think comes up with all sorts of suggestions for 
alternate water sources:  rain water, windmill pump to lift the water from 
one of the three creeks (that did not dry up), ram pump, etc.

But having had to actually live under these conditions, you quickly find that 
your mindset has grown dull with water on tap all your life.  In practice  
you DON'T haul water.  Instead of hauling water to your activities, you haul 
you activities to water.  We took the laundry to the creek, we took the 
animals to the creeks, and while we hauled water to wash dishes, we took 
large pots to the creek for washing.  And ourselves.

You find very quickly when you carry the water how little you really need for 
washing a sink full of dishes.  Likewise for processing food and washing 
socks etc. etc.  Haul water for a while and you become an expert at using it.

We killed chickens today and they are aging in the fridge.   I am going to 
can them rather than freeze them.  In fact I will be canning a lot of stuff 
this year we don't usually can:  blackberries, peaches, wild greens, fish, 
rabbits.  We will salt all the pork and we are tending to make hard cheeses 
that don't need refrigeration.  I'm not about to give up the fridge or the 
freezers, but I want to have more of a hand in the alternatives.

>  I do have a 
old two man saw blade that we could re-handle, but wow, that would be a 
job!   

The handles or the saw do you mean?  If the saw, let me suggest once again 
that the notion of how hard it is to saw wood by hand is much more gruesome 
than the actual sawing.  It doesn't take all that much more work than a 
chainsaw, but it takes considerable more skill and planning.  If the two-man 
saw is leveled, set, and sharpened properly, it is not much work at all buck 
huge logs.  There hasn't been a working chainsaw on the place in nearly 
fifteen years and yet we do all our heating and cooking with wood we have 
sawed by hand.

I think that our geezerdom would make us much more inclined to saw our leg 
off than prevent us from sawing wood by hand.

James

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