I'm Back! Again. :)

Late Wednesday/Early Thursday (4am) morning we had some great thunderstorms in South East Michigan. I was in bed perfectly happy to hear them beating up against the window panes. Meant to me that the garden would be happy albeit possibly roughed up.

While laying in bed I noticed that the fan had a brown out 4-5 times over the course of 15 minutes. Opening the window at night and running the fan is enough to keep me from needing any AC. Thus saving costs and being the best hippy I can be.

V wakes me up because she cannot remove her car from the garage. Turns out that those precious water-works knocked out the west sides power. Showed V the pull knob that dislocates the door from the motor so we can go manual, then proceeded back to bed to sleep until the power company figures themselves out.

So, that would have been a lot of sleeping in. Much more than even I can manage. Here at 6:15pm on Friday, EST we have returned to scheduled programing. Two days without electricity. Groovy. You know, it actually wasn't that much of a nuisance. We haven't been bothering to use the AC much lately even though it has been hot. Once again the fan helps. Even without it we managed. Rather I managed. V enjoyed it warmer. Of course we had to use candles but then again, who doesn't end up burning a few candles now and then? The only thing, sans Internet, that got us was the fridge. V, being the proper brit as she is took it upon herself to save the cream (Teas) by bringing it to work with her.

There also was the problem of not having a range. Sandwiches covered it. :)

Throughout our neighborhood there was the hum of a dozen generators. Our house sat there silent as can be. The both of us reflecting upon how you wouldn't notice grid failures if you had your own Solar array. There is something to be said about being self sufficient. Relying on services and others is all well indeed, that is until something prevents them from being able to provide it. Then what to do?

Lately I have been reading online various green building sites and YouTube videos. The last two days without the grid has cemented in my mind just how strangely we build our homes. They aren't sun oriented to take use of 'free' passive heating or cooling. Homes are built with a bunch of closed of rooms that block out all natural light and restrict the flow of air/moisture. Leaving us to rely on heavy uses of electricity to turn our 'cubicle caves' into something livable.

Strange isn't it. Personally, I would have thought even older homes would have been built to take use of it as at the time they lacked electricity. It really shows that when resources are cheap (wood) then why bother to think of a better way to use it. It didn't matter if you had to clear half your forest to heat your home. IDK. Something inside says that if you can get the systems to work for you, doing there natural ways, then why go against it in order to have to work at recreating the system at all.

Earthship House building. No heating or cooling

Passive House Designs


Anyhoot. Garden is lovely. Corn is shooting up nicely. Yesterday I had to walk around with a bucket of soapy water flicking in the Japanese beetles from the eggplants and marigolds. Also had to entice a few earwigs out of the corn and into the soapy bucket. Not too bad though. Should be able to keep up. After all, the wasps are really helping out by buzzing around everywhere under the plants eating aphids and caterpillars etc.

Two days without grid and Internet.... I'm back! :D