Hailmaster

Well, I've been thinking of going off the grid. Since this means different things to different people, I will expand on this. 

I want to get off of the power lines and telephone lines. Most people would think getting off of the power lines was hard to do. It really isn't hard though, just costs money. Getting off of the telephone lines, means no backup for the cell phone(fringe area). It also means no fast internet, as cable is not here and satellite internet isn't fast enough. Bummer there. Which leaves the power company to get divorced from. 

I am thinking about both getting one or two wind turbines and a solar panel system. The wind power would of course, feed into the solar system. I currently have two electricity feed lines. One to what we call the shed and one for the home. The shed's power also powers the welders and the well.The shed is the backup living quarters if the house itself is unlivable. 

Which leaves the house power. We have two furnaces/AC units. One for the main floor and one for the basement. I call it a basement, although only half of it is covered by dirt. I was once told that each heat pump is about 20,000 watts when running. Ouch! Then the whole house was mostly designed to be electric. There is a gas piping system for natural gas, but to hook on to it in 2000, it was 8,000 bucks. Plus, I would have to get a different stove, furnace/s and hot water heater. I really like the hot water heaters that run on gas and are on demand heaters. So no wasted power keeping the water heated up. 

We are surrounded by literally thousands of acres of trees. So, getting wood for both a wood fireplace and a wood stove, would be easy. Well, not easy for me, but the wood is there. The current fireplace would also have to be redone. It was made for a natural gas fire. I would much rather have a type of fireplace that our ancestors had. You know the type. You've seen pictures of them in the history books. These are the type where you can literally cook whole meals in the fireplace. It also tends to warm the whole house. I also want a wood fired stove. Not one of the cheap ones, which is out in the shed, but one of the good ones that cost an arm and leg to buy. The Amish use them all the time, and also make them. 

Then there is the food to raise. Supposedly, we can't have goats or pigs in this so called, sub-division. According to the county, this house isn't in the sub-division. So we don't have to abide by the deed restrictions for the sub-division. Oh yeah, one of the deed restrictions for the sub-division(yes there are two deed restriction papers), even say we can't raise any animals here. This was changed to the newer one, when it was explained that it eliminated the common household pets. So far as I know, we can grow anything and I mean anything in the plant area. Kudzu, while highly nutritious for humans and animals, would be frowned on, as it is considered an invasive weed. Anything else would be okay. Now, the problem here, is that I only have about one acre that we could grow plants on. That acre is about half up and down. Only about half an acre, including what the house is partially on, can I grow things on it. Remember, I'm in a wheelchair. So going up and down hills, just isn't going to happen for me, while I'm in the wheelchair. Being in the minivan would allow me to go up and down hills, but definitely isn't practical for gardening. I wish like hell I had that Kawasaki 4x4, but it probably isn't going to happen soon. If I had that, i could at least garden a little more than I currently do, on slightly hilly ground. Plants that didn't need much care, come to mind. Talking nut and fruit trees, along with the various fruit type bushes. One other thing that would be good with growing my own food, is that it would be grown organically and from heirloom seeds or plants. Yes, I prefer heirloom over even what is laughingly called 'Organic'. Some of the organic stuff is what I would call organic, but most organic farmers don't grow organically. Then there are the GMO seeds. To me, Monsanto is the laughing stock of the world. So is any other company that controls the food we eat. 

I do want to try going with either cows milk or maybe goats milk. I do NOT want either of them pasteurized! I would try to make my own cheese and could easily make my own buttermilk and butter. I get the cow or maybe goats here. I would also start making my own soap. With all these oak trees around here. Not only are the acorns a good source of food and the wood good for fires. The ash from the burnt wood, is good for making lye. Yes, I would have lye soap here. I know how to safely make both lye and lye soap.

Well, that is all today. Maybe in time, I will have more about going off the grid or about projects I want to do around here. Oh yeah, if there are any good looking women out there that might like to contribute to that lifestyle here. Give me a shout. I'm not talking about money, but actually being here as my slave or maybe even my equal, with slaves under us. Even though I am in the wheelchair. I would still try to do as much as I can around here. As long as it doesn't have to do with cleaning inside the home.LOL