Waiting...

painted trees down all around

Still no power here. My yard guy will check the propane tank later this afternoon to ensure that the level is reasonably sufficient to continue running due to the generator usage 24 hours a day until regular power is restored. There are some areas in the county that are with it but most are without. It is really hard on those who have no heat, water, lights and more. Right now at 10am it is about 45° and a very dull day. The sun is hiding and some snow has melted,

but not all.

I did some research and here is an excerpt from the Generac site. My generator is serviced EVERY year and that is a good thing!

"If your Generac uses liquid propane stored in a tank, running times are not indefinite but still considerable. Most standard tanks contain anywhere from 250 to 1,000 gallons. Typical home-use will burn through around 2 to 3 gallons of propane an hour. So a 1,000-gallon tank will see you through around two weeks of outages. 

Maintenance: The best way to fight depreciation is to use a lubricant to reduce friction between all of the generator’s moving parts. Generac recommends replacing the oil in your machinery at least every fifty hours of cumulative usage. That translates to once every couple of days of continuous use."   

Well I can't do that! And my tank is 330 gallon size. Oh!

I'm expecting a special delivery tomorrow or Saturday. Some excitement is in the works.

I like a cap with a deep crown and large brim - need to go shopping soon. It will be necessary.

Weather in NE PA

Let’s Start Over!

Tuesday April 19, 2022

9:00am

Sometime early in the night, I felt a strong vibration for just an instant that woke me. I thought that perhaps a tree came down up on the hillside behind the cabin; then no more sounds or vibrations. Later on, around 1:30am I heard the generator come on and there was a blinking light on the dresser clock. When I got up this morning, earlier than usual at 5:30am, the generator was still running and is, as I write this at 9am. Oops! A limb or something just came down on the metal roof and made quite a racket but I peeked out the door and saw nothing. The fresh cold air felt good! 

My yard guy might have thought he was finished with the Spring cleanup but Mother Nature says, “Nope! Not yet!”  There are small sticks and twigs everywhere. Not a car has gone by and that is a good thing. The snow looks like it is wet and mushy. The plow truck had better not come through! It will only make a muddy mucky slippery snowy mess! Well…it did!  Yikes.

It’s peaceful here. No TV, internet, telephone, traffic, and I might just get to work on more file clean-outs! 

By the way… My neighbor has a branch down and James is not happy at all out there!

Around noon my yard guy came to check on me as I have no means of communication. Yes, he did a check around and saw a medium limb down and lying on the back roof over the end bedroom. That must have been what made the noise earlier. After lunch I took my usual nap and at 3:00pm there is still no power. The generator is going strong, however. No mail, no trash pickup. 

6:00pm the cable, telephone and internet are all back BUT the power is not! Thank goodness for that generator.

I created a wild painting on the computer. It didn’t need the internet to run the application but it did need electricity.  Finished a book I was reading as well.

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I wonder WHY the power hasn’t returned—WHY? I don’t know but the news just said we may be out for three or four more days. 

Power Out in Texas

I have a blogging friend who lives in Corpus Christi and has had to go through the power outage there. Thank goodness I heard from her today that things are getting better for them.  I had once mentioned to all of my friends that the stand-by generator that we had installed here six years ago was the best money we ever spent. It still is. BUT!!! When I read that the generators in her area froze up I had never been warned about this. I researched and found the following: 

"During the winter months, standby generators need proper maintenance and grooming in order to operate properly and efficiently. Leaves, sub-freezing temperatures, snow, and ice can all damage your standby generator if not properly maintained and can prevent your standby generator from starting and running during a winter power outage."

"Exercise Your Standby Generator - Just like letting your car run for a few minutes during winter, a standby generator needs to be exercised or run for approximately 10 minutes during long periods of inactivity during cold temperatures. Without this exercise your standby generator may not automatically turn on or operate correctly in temperatures lower than 40 degrees Fahrenheit. To prevent your generator from not turning on when you need it most, let it run for approximately 10 minutes, once per week. Doing so lubricates all moving parts and maintains important seals within your generator."

Generac

The folks who had their generators freeze up must have not kept them well maintained. That's really a shame. Ours is thoroughly serviced every Autumn and it automatically runs for 12 minutes every Saturday without fail. The Mister also checks the oil level and keeps snow and ice away from the inlet and outlet. 

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The New Year Start

Well we're off to a power outage on the first day of the new year - well I should say night! The power went out about 11:30 pm and the stand-by generator kicked in and is still running as I write this at 9am January 2. The electric company says it is out due to tree damage and is expected to be restored by 1:00 pm today. We won't hold our breath! 

The best thing we ever did in July of 2015 was to have the generator installed. It has saved a full freezer of foods several times and, of course we have lights, water, heat and other necessities to be comfortable. The cable, land line telephone and internet were not affected either - this time.

I guess we'll grind up the left over ham for sandwich salad and save a few pieces to freeze for split pea soup making in a week or two ahead. Our ham didn't have a bone but our daughter's did! Of course she saved it for me.  

The dirt road around the lake has been covered with cinders due to the ice buildup and the ice fishermen were out there, this time with a tent. 

We understand conditions will improve but a new storm of snow is predicted for tomorrow. It is W I N T E R!

Comfort

It was a wonderful thing two nights ago when the power went out at 12:15 AM. We know the time because the Mister woke up for a bathroom trip and the dresser clock was blinking. He said it wasn't blinking five minutes earlier when he first looked at the time.

The greatest thing about the power going out is that the back up generator took over after about 3-5 seconds and he went right back into bed without worrying about it.  That power outage lasted until 8:45 AM the following day. The coffee was hot and ready and the tap and toilet water flowed freely, plus the TV and telephone (landline) worked. The cable didn't go out at all. (this time)

OLD Generator

Normally he would have had to push the old generator over to the pole with the special plug, gas it up, start it, come back into the cabin, disconnect the main power switch, go back out and plug it in to take over the operation. Then he'd worry about it stalling, or running out of gas before morning and not be able to sleep at all. It was noisy!  A nighttime failure in the past was a very difficult time. 

The next day we saw that a tree had fallen across our dirt road, downing the wires. The power company must have cut it up unblocking the road and repaired the line. 

All is good here! Since July 2015!   Generator Story

A Mixed Bag

Who knew there would be so many valves, switches, piping???
The Generac man is coming to fire her up today. That will validate the warranty and cover all components for two years.

I "might" offer him a slice of my freshly baked lemon cake.

All birds roost here

The Bald Eagle flies over and the Great Blue Heron goes fishing this morning.

The Joe Pye Weed at the lake's edge is blooming very early this year. It was late August in 2014 before it opened in its full splendor.

And the wet grass is full of bees pollenating small flowers.

Sometimes I forget to look both high and low! Straight ahead and left and right views aren't all there are. I'm surrounded by nature's wild beauty.

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Joe Pye Weed Info. LINK

New Happenings on Our Property

We are trying to make things easier around here. The Mister can no longer work so hard at getting the portable generator in place, hooking it up and storing enough gasoline to run it for several hours -  especially in sub zero degree weather. Winter power failures will definitely cause frozen water pipes. We can't have that!

Automatic standby generator delivered

It's definitely exciting to have these different and new things. "It's so nice to have some men about the house!" Their job was completed in one day!

A ditch is dug for wiring

Labor and brain in action

Eating and working at the same time

Trench will be deep

Breaker box nightmare - power off for 4 hours during work

All conduit finally installed and buried 

We are wired

Base built on site

Unit is absolutely level

Waiting for propane gas to be hooked into unit

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Rainy Day Post

It is POURING here. 62° and we have the heat on.

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NEWS!

The First Great GREAT Grandson has arrived. His name is Leonidas and he is beautiful.

Angelo and Leonidas

Kaylei and Leonidas

More News...

We are going to have an automatic generator installed pretty soon. The electrician came today and went over everything and decided what size would be best. He contacted the supplier and then he called and we agreed to have it.  It WILL be soon! It is so nice to trust our local people. The connections are there and they know many others who we also know - personally! (Our 4-H and County Conservation occupations were responsible for much of this.) Love this area for just that reason. Plain, honest and hard working folk -  especially the businessmen. 

You would have laughed. The electrician fellow spotted my jar of Goetz’s candies and asked if he could have a few! He said they are his very favorite treats! WONDERFUL! 

Garden Update

Another daughter has green thumb. These are her June blooms. She lives in New Jersey and just sent these photos.

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