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| Our sign on the main canyon road. |
Wednesday 1/29. Happy Birthday, Elsie!! Mother Nature gave Elsie a soft, white blanket of snow in celebration of her special day. We awoke to 17 degrees and 4-1/2" of snow. More fell off and on during the afternoon, each time chasing the fog away. And the sun was able to break through a few times.
JB had to clean the panels first thing, then he shoveled pathways after breakfast. I stayed inside to wash the dishes and do the laundry.
I absolutely have to finish Dance With Dragons so I can get on with my life! Took breaks to start making valentines.
So nice to see snow falling again. This is more like winter.
Thursday 1/30. It was 23, overcast and breezy this morning with another 1/2" of snow. After morning chores, we decided that after lunch we would drive MAX down to our sign on the main canyon road, where our road branches off. It was a great ride, although with the breeze we often found ourselves driving through small flurries as the snow blew off the trees. The dogs thoroughly enjoyed themselves, running at least six miles to our three. Even with this new snow, we should be able to drive JB's Jeep down the road.
I was finally able to finish my book late this afternoon. Only problem is, now I have to wait for the next one. T'is an enchanting world in which to immerse oneself.
The overcast skies broke into patches of blue in the afternoon, and the sun's rays scampered over the south ridge and down into Rose Camp. Such a great winter day!
I have had some questions regarding our solar power system. We have a bank of twelve GEL/AGM batteries, which are good for being in a non-heated shed but are a bit more pricey than regular batteries. Fortunately, we were able to purchase used ones. We have four solar panels mounted on one large pole. And we have a non-standard sine wave inverter, which produces "dirty" power. At the time we purchased it we had just lost more than 60% of our savings in the great Wall Street fiasco of 2008, so we really could not afford the standard one that was almost twice as expensive. We also have the necessary charge controller. This set-up gives us all the electricity we need for our home, but because of the type of inverter, we have to use the propane generator to run the clothes washer and well pump, and we cannot charge batteries for tools or even flashlights. We charge them using the JB's shop generator. On a really cloudy or foggy day, we also use the generator when we wash the dishes, for the cistern water pump, and that gives us enough of a charge for everything else. Otherwise there is plenty of power for our lights, computers, printer, TV and microwave. We do hope to one day be able to afford a standard inverter. Larry and Elsie, however, have 14 solar panels with a standard sine wave inverter, and can run a small village! Elsie has an electric refrigerator, washer and dryer, garbage compactor, and dishwasher (which she only uses in the summer), in addition to lights, computers, water pumps, etc. And Larry has a shop full of electric tools. But in the late fall and early winter, when the sun goes so far south and does not reach into the canyon where they live for more than a couple hours a day, they need to use their generator for an hour or so in the evening to power up their batteries. JB says that Home Power Magazine is an excellent source of information on solar power and the various systems.
Friday 1/31. This morning is 16 with a heavy overcast and more snow predicted, and the valley fog is creeping up from the valley into the canyons.
Thought for the day: Dogs are like furry little life-teachers; they are the goofiest looking gurus. They remind us that the true joys in life are happiness, love, affection and, of course, food. And let's face it, they are right. Lucy Schwartz
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