Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Well, It's above 0 out and has been for 2 days now! 9 degrees feels like a heat wave. My water pipes decided to celebrate the great thaw. Nick and I were standing and talking and we heard a sound much like the popping of a champagne cork. Then the champagne flowing..and flowing some more..soon it sounded like a waterfall was happening under the stairs where my surge tank and water piping is located. I grabbed my headlamp and looked in there just in time to catch a face full of fresh from the well, Ice cold water. Ah yes, the pressure from the pipes thawing blew one of the valves apart and water was spraying out. I'm not sure how fast it was coming out, but when we killed the power to the well it took about 30 seconds to empty a 15 gallon surge tank if that's any indicator. You know, I wasn't even upset. Like the first robin of spring it was a little sign that the hellish cold was, for the moment at least, over with. We cleaned up the mess, I did some quick repairs, turned the pump back on and we celebrated the fact that the water was flowing again. At the moment I'm struggling with the fire in the stove. I just can't seem to get the magic combination of heat, oxygen and fuel correct right now. It's an amazing thing, it definitely puts you in your place when you think that ancient man could grab a couple of sticks or a piece of flint and get a fire going and today, here, in somewhat modern civilization I find myself completely incapable of sustaining the smallest ember. As a race we've advanced how?The thing is, I know I WILL get the fire going. It gives a person a lot of piece of mind when they are confident that if the whole world shuts down tomorrow, you'll be okay because you're used to living without conveniences. Speaking of that- It's group participation time! I want to hear input from anyone who is reading this because I'm actually really curious. The kids and I have been watching a show lately called the Colony. It's a fairly entertaining survival show where they stick ten people into a 'survival' situation for 50 days and see how they do. No, it's not terribly realistic, but it is fun to watch. Anyway- We've now watched 2 seasons of this show and I've been amazed both times about the CRAZY lengths these people go to trying to get electricity. I mean, I'm talking totally off the wall crazy lengths. In this last season they actually hauled a bunch of pig carcasses a half mile or so, cut them up so they could render the fat and run an old tractor that was in the compound to power an alternator to charge their batteries. When they are interviewed on the show they all, without fail, say that they HAVE to have electricity, it's essential to their survival, there is no way they can make it without it. So..Here's my question to you, and don't worry, I'm not judging or grading any of the answers, I'm just curious..Where do YOU stand on that theory? Do you think we've gotten so dependent on electricity that we can't survive without it? I'm just wondering if we really have. I knew we LIKE electricity, I'm the first one to say I love not having to manually pump water and, as I've mentioned before, I love a good video game..But has it actually gotten to the point it's mandatory for our survival? Tell me what you think. I'd really like to hear your opinions.Anyway, it's late and I'm heading to bed, hopefully this infectious crud goes away soon..Have a wonderful day and I'll talk to you all soon!
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Growing up in rural Texas we often did without electricity for days at a time. Living outside of Houston we were treated a couple of times to no electricity for a week. That being said, we always KNEW that there would be electricity coming back on and the outage would end. I think from that respect we are spoiled to have electricity but, doing without from time to time is a good reminder. Any time we've had the power go out I tell the kids to remember that there was a time when people lived just fine without electricity and that the convenience of electricity in the home is something that only the past 4-5 generations have been able to enjoy. I think the original needs of food, clothing, and shelter are obviously paramount and electricity, indoor plumbing, septic systems, and the like are conveniences. We like to have them and have come to enjoy other things in the time they save us but, if it all went to hell tomorrow the human race would do what it has always done and that is adapt to the new conditions to survive.
ReplyDeleteI think it would be a good lesson if more people had to experience longer outages of some of these conveniences. Maybe that type of experience would crush some of this entitlement mentality and get people to refocus on more important issues.
I was listeninig to the Nerdist podcast and one of the comedians Chris Harwick interviewed had just returned from a trip to Iraq and I like his comment. "When you've actually been to one of these third world countries and seen for yourself the living conditions, it really makes you realize that the U.S. is Disneyland by comparison. It also makes you feel really stupid for complaining that Starbucks didn't get your latte correct when you see how little people have to survive on in some parts of the world".
Hey Dan,- Glad that ya posted that article to "Backwoodsman" magazine. If ya hadn't, we might of never met. I like the articles on this blog you've taken time to post. In reality land life can be very mundane, so realisticaly you're posts are never boring, they just confirm that i am,,,,LOL. On a serious level tho, yes these winters are tough and the longer i live up here (just shy of your neck of the woods) and the further from the city i relocate i realize that it is and does take a different kind of individual to remain. I have oh so much to learn still. I really envy,admire and respect the sourdoughs and the stories when they choose to share. As far as electricity goes, hell, it would be hard as anything else to go with-out. But imagine the discomfort of not having a roll of toilet paper,,,,LOL. A person would go into shock i suppose. I remember when i was 10 yrs. of age, i lived on Larch Mtn in Corbett Oregon. There were a couple named Art and Sue. Now this was around 1975 or 76. Art and Sue lived about a mile from our cabin and they used to come fish from our pond that was on the property. We would sit and talk for hours and after a time they invited me to their cabin for some homemade fire-cider. They had no electricity and used the fireplace to cook and the creek outside thier door to keep food chilled. Art was the first to introduce a city kid to true off-grid living. For years i held a true deep desire to return to that way of life and being up here and seeing just how hard to live that way i can truly say "OH HELL NO", but with anything in life it's bound to happen and as always we will learn to adapt.....Keep up the good work and i shall read. Keep flavoring trials with laughter as it has a true smokey aroma,,,,,LOL. -Peace on all winds- John
ReplyDeleteI know I really like electricity, but I think I could live withou it if I had. Especially if I was in post apocalyptic world.
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