The Daily Bump and Grind of Caravan Life: Electricity

So in my last post I mentioned that water vexes me. Electricity therefore makes me jittery. I used to say that I hated electricity until eldest son, the electrician of course, commented that I did not hate it or else why would I use it all the time?

Oh how I miss those diaper days...before they could form words.

Ok, I don't hate electricity but I do so HATE getting shocked, physically not emotionally. I'm sadly at that age where I am not emotionally shocked very often but run me into a 4000 volt electric fence wire and I turn ugly foul mouthed hippie. Charles Manson would back away from me I'm telling you, I get that ugly. I never intend to get shocked but there have been instances where The Poor Farms co-owner has moved a wire without following the appropriate communication protocols and WHAMOO I get bit. Grrrrrrrrrr.

But one must have power unless one wants to be completely Amish and we are not yet that brave. The old decrepit house had old decrepit wiring so a new electrical system with H-panel was installed on a whole new pole in the front yard, (thank you again elder son) and now drop cords rule our lives.

New pole new wiring new life

 

Solar charger for fences. Our only "solar panel"

We have drop cords leading up the decrepit old house to run our freezers, power tools and washer. We have drop cords running down the property to the caravan for a few lights and a tiny fridge there. We have drop cords going out the GBH construction site for more lights and more power tools there. We have drop cords leading out to the electric fencer as well as the vacuum pump for milking our cow.

We did consider solar power but the cost is not cheap. Perhaps if we were in our twenties we'd live long enough to see our investment in solar panels or wind power pay off but that is not the case, so we are very much at this point on the electric grid. We have decreased our power use in other ways through: no microwave, no clothes dryer, no dishwasher, no air conditioner. I don't even use a blow dryer anymore.

There is no dress code here on The Poor Farm so why bother with pretty hair? Clean hair is luxury enough these days.