Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

homestead - Re: [Homestead] TEOTWAWKI

homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Homestead mailing list

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: <sgian AT netscape.com>
  • To: <homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] TEOTWAWKI
  • Date: Fri, 2 Jul 2010 19:05:16 -0700


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

_____________________________________________________________
Netscape. Just the Net You Need.




Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page