Yesterday was howling winds, pouring rain and 55°. It’s the beginning of December. In Maine!! Our yard looks like the end of March or April. I had to pull my husband’s work van out of the mud, with the side by side, this morning at 4:30. Did I miss a season? I returned from sunny Florida a few days ago. The last time I saw the sun was on the plane above the clouds. As we were descending, there was a thick blanket of white and then grey. Grey, gloomy skies. Blahh. I’m not only feeling it, but our solar power is too. Hoping for an appearance today as it’s still early.
Up on the hill we don’t need power of any sort. Everything that is a necessity runs off propane; i.e cooking stove, fridge, heaters and lights. With time, came the extra power sources that has made home even more comfortable.
Over the years we’ve picked up a few items here and there. My parents, who are avid campers, also helped us out with some pretty great holiday gifts. When the girls were younger, they had gotten us a battery pack/ car booster for Christmas. The girls were able to plug their portable DVD player in and watch a movie as they snuggled down into their beds. Another Christmas, I got Jesse a portable solar generator. Even though it came with a small solar panel , it could also be charged by simply plugging into an outlet. We kept it charged at all times, it was nice to have on hand when we lost power at the house. At the Schoolhouse, we use it to run the fan on the propane heater, to push the hot air and to charge phones or other battery packs.
Since we have all propane, we could get a propane generator, but our gas Honda 2200 runs everything we need for those creature comforts. Living in a small space, we don’t have much.
With two dogs (one being a St. Bernard/Newfoundland) and four cats (3 long haired), being able to vacuum is a must for me. Even before we lived here, I would use my father’s Honda 2000, and vacuum every few weeks. I’m slightly OCD and a neat freak. Okay..a bit more than slight. But being able to vacuum was one of the biggest things for me. Sweeping just doesn’t cut it. All that does is shift hair around and drive me batty.
Last November, we purchased our own generator. The portable and quiet Honda 2200watt. We ran that all winter, somedays, all day. Especially when we were both quarantined for 3 weeks last March. Since we don’t have a service panel, we ran an extension cord into the house from the woodshed with a surge protector power strip. (Note: Generator was put outside away from doors and windows while in use) It ran the holiday lights (indoor and out), our 2 lamps (with LED bulbs), 36inch television, tv antenna, Scentsy burner, Roku and of course the vacuum (while vacuuming, I do shut all other electronics off). We’re also able to run other small appliances and charge up battery packs and rechargeable batteries, such as the one we have for our shower head (if you missed that blog, read Don’t worry…We’re not dirty Hillbillies).o
Then it was time to get some solar lights. Good ones that lit up the entire yard. Taking the dogs out at night or early morning can be a bit eerie. Especially knowing what could be lurking just a few feet away in the pitch dark. Sometimes it’s so dark you can’t see your hand in front of your face. We grabbed a few Brink’s motion detector spot lights and installed those. So much better then a headlamp!! I even got one to put IN the woodshed. I hung the charging panel outside and installed the motion light inside. When I open the door…boom…the light comes on (. No more holding the flashlight while trying to get wood.
You can find so many handy gadgets that are solar and battery now. From outdoor lights, string lights, generators, radios (we have a hand crank radio) to reading lights. My parents got me a nice solar clamp reading light for Christmas probably 10 years ago. It still works. I just leave it in a window when I’m not using it to recharge. Our kitchen is dark over the sink and in the corner by the fridge. I use to find dishes that weren’t completely clean or we were struggling to find things in the fridge. We found a 2 pack of 70 lumens LED battery operated lights that brighten up the darkest corners. Dishes are now clean! The best part…. we were able to mount them on the ceiling and they came with a remote. We also use other handheld LED lights, with convenient switches. It’s actually looks like a large light switch with a magnet. Getting up in the middle of the night, half asleep,struggling to find the “on” button on a lantern is not fun. With the tin walls, the magnet holds the switch to the walls. Super convenient when coming into a dark house at night.
This summer we invested in some solar. One panel with 4 batteries. This meant no more going outside, at night, in a blizzard to shut the generator off. It is now just a flick of the switch inside. On a super sunny day, the batteries charge up in no time. However, cloudy, nasty days like the past 3 days, it needs a little help. So we do run the generator for a few hours to fully recharge. Late morning we’ll start the generator (that’s usually when I vacuum anyways) and again in the evening. Right now I have at least 10 sets of holiday lights (non LED), so I run the generator for them, as to not fully drain the batteries. To make turning the holiday light on and off easier for myself, I plugged them all into their own power strip. Much easier than unplugging each individual cord.
Routine and habit seem to be the key to keeping everything up and running. Being mindful of turning things off to not waste energy and remembering to charge things while the generator is running. While in Florida, I found myself walking through the house turning off lights in empty rooms. Numerous times.
Come mornings, I just flick the switch and there’s still enough stored power to watch the morning news while drinking my coffee. I sit in the gas light glow until the sun rises…and Thankfully it did.
Off-Grid Soul 