05 September 20XX
My
Dear Lucilius:
I am
receipt of your message from late 03 September – grateful that the
InterWeb continues to function for both of us and that you are as
safe as you can be, given the circumstances. I have been watching
what coverage I am able to, although it seems very much more
controlled now – perhaps not surprising, given the current state of
affairs.
No,
I have not had reason to go to a financial institution – or indeed,
travel at all – since the announcement. At best I would have
nothing to pull out, I think – at worst, I would have wasted the
fuel. My attempts to log on to the bank website are met with “Our
website is temporarily out of service – please come back soon”.
I pray your attempts are more successful.
Indeed,
official news channels have become very controlled. Where last week
I continued to read about the slow dissolution of everything, this
week I only read of how things are “getting better and more stable
all the time” with no real justification of that commentary. Lots
of government officials and experts, lots of models and charts –
but everything with no substance, no data. You can see it in their
eyes. They are terrified and attempting to talk everyone out of the
terror they feel.
It
is an uncomfortable feeling, Lucilius.
Here,
the honey harvest has started the process of preparing for winter. I
need to get the greenhouse ready to go for winter, which includes
relocating the quail into it for the season (I only thought of this a
few years ago. Sorry I did not think of this earlier – such a
better arrangement than keeping them separately!). I need to finish
up whatever harvest I will get from the year (and hope the
electricity holds out long enough to dehydrate the lot). I have to
finish preparing the bees. And winterize the cabin and the shed –
much more thoroughly this year, as there is little back up for
anything.
And
wood. I need to collect a great deal more wood.
One
innovation I do not think I mentioned – since the Post Office shut
down, over the past week people have begun using it as a posting
place for things for sale, to buy, or to trade. It is a small town
of course, so you can pretty easily walk to wherever the owner is. I
saw yesterday that someone posted they were willing to trade deer
jerky. I might walk by and see what two pounds of honey will procure
for me.
Keeping
preparing, Lucilius. The cold dark in coming.
Your
Obedient Servant, Lucilius
Good update. He needs to check the internet for how to dehydrate without electricity, before it goes down.
ReplyDeleteIt's been done. :-)
Linda, he probably knows - just trying to use what is available while it is still available.
ReplyDeleteI have done sun drying before, but you need low humidity and lots of sun.
Definitely not something you can do in Louisiana. I think that's why smoking and salt drying were popular in so many places.
ReplyDeleteSun drying isn't something I can do either. Right now I'm trying to figure out about hooking my electric dehydrator to solar, just in case.
ReplyDeleteInteresting Leigh - will the power draw allow it?
ReplyDeleteWe have humid summers here, but I found that a two-layer metal roof solar drier works very well. I used to put screen trays on the metal roofed small woodshed, (nice south facing angle to that roof) to dry but found myself dealing with interested birds and such too often. A passing shower often spoiled a day's dehydrating. That and sunshine often discolors the food.
ReplyDeleteAdding a second layer of metal roofing with 2X 4 spacer allowed me to keep the stray shower, sun discoloration and birds attention away while providing a nice air flow in the same manner as a chimney effect.
Direct solar electric panels to small appliances can be done. AC units that are not digitally controlled can use smaller cheaper automotive style inverters. Just make sure your inverter has about 25% more capacity than the appliance draws. Running inverters at max kills them off in a few months.
Sine wave is better and even digitally controlled and CD player lasers can be used. I've run slow cookers, boom boxes and even once a dorm sized fridge off direct solar. Those no ice Pelter coolers are better for that task as the standard fridge compressor starting draws a HUGE surge and needs a powerful inverter-large solar array to support.
Remember the rule of thumb, every conversion reduces the power gained by the solar panel.
Example 200 watts solar in bright sunshine into an inverter is closer to 180 watts available to slow cooker.
Adding a battery in the loop smooths out the change in sun angle, light clouds passing by etc. But now 200 watts from the panel into the battery is 180 watts saved, then to inverter 180-18-20 watts = about 160 watts available. Yes, you can draw from the battery reserve, that's why it's there.
Michael, the biggest problem I have had deal with here is insects getting into anything. A more formal system that you describe would solve the issue.
DeleteIf you have not seen Leigh's series on their introduction of solar to power their freezer, it is a very interesting discussion on the planning and implementation of a small scale solar system.
A link would be nice :-) I think Leigh is at 5 Acres?
ReplyDeleteWhoops! Of course Michael; I was not as good about links then as I am now: https://www.5acresandadream.com/
Delete