I'll tell you what.

[~MG~]

The power just came back on.
Everythings fine, nobody died.

But I am so fucking over this pioneer shit.
My limit has been reached.
Don't know what that means yet.
I'll figure it out after a long hot shower.
And a long night's sleep in the A/C.

[Hawg]

Slammed here 10 minute storm 50 cent hail at 10 pm last night no power trees down everywhere.

[Dwight]

Ouch . . .

Our power comes past a tree line . . . goes down in about every 3rd or 4th bad storm we have with wind.

It's always some dead tree that lurked in the background and couldn't be seen . . . the SMACKO it comes down and takes down the lower wire on the poles.

May God bless,
Dwight

[~MG~]

So after 9 straight hours of good sleep, I've got the energy and to explain my sorry self, lol.

We are prepped to the max. We have enough food, fuel, freedom seeds & supplies for at least 5 years. What we DO NOT have is organization and practiced methodologies. At least on my part. PO did well hauling in water from the rain barrels by the bucket so we could flush, and running the gens every six hours to keep the freezers topped... he did great overall.

Me? Not so much. I wasn't freaked out or anything, just very confused. I couldn't remember where the inside things were or how to use them... Like the butane cooktop, battery fans, 600w charger, etc... It was all a 24hr struggle.

I didn't mind the storm or even the power out. What has me by the throat right now Is the realization that i'm not as capable as I used to be... So my first paragraph might be incorrect. We might have organization. I just no longer have the ability to see it.. or much else these days.

I need to turn in my Prepper card. I got the stuff - just no longer the necessary skills. This aint a pity party; just an acceptance of the decline.

[T-Man 1066]

MG, I do understand. That is one issue I have with T-Woman. She benefits from my preps, but with her disabilities, would be lost without me. I have wanted to do drills periodically with the family to test for gaps, but she doesn't want to do that. It's always "everything will be fine", until it isn't. Then she is grateful until about 3 hrs after the issue passes, then back to complacency mode.

I don't know if you and PO do practice runs, but I find it helps. Even learning little things.

About a year ago, I we came home to a power outage. We normally pull the car into the attached garage, then unlock the door into the kitchen. Well, with no power, garage door opener doesn't open. So I went to the front of the house, realized that we have a heavy duty screen door then the Main door. Someone locked the lock on the screen door, I don't have keys for it. I never lock the screen door, just the regular door lock and deadbolt. Luckily T-Son was inside and he could unlock the door for us.

But yea, sometimes little things will throw you off.

MG, don't give up on yourself, you do great!

[~MG~]

Thanks. I'm not giving up, I just don't like the extra burden this puts on PO by me not being able to handle my share of things.

[Hawg]

Take care of one problem at a time. Multitasking isnt easy in old age.

[~MG~]

True that. Some of the decline might also be delayed affects of the three head injuries from my time on the mountain, and a small tia earlier this year...

Whatever it is, I figure as long as I remember my name and don't pee myself I'm ahead of the game. LOL

[Texas PO]

Well, I for one think MG did just fine. She handled things like a trooper without complaint. We were both operating on very little sleep and there was a lot to keep track of. She was upset she couldn't remember the small 600W charger, No biggie. Hell, I forget why I walk into the bathroom unzipping my pants, Ohhh yea, I have to pee. Each time we have had to weather a storm and a long term power outage we analyze how things could have been better. Much like a post-meeting analyses, you figure out what went right and what didn't. I'll have more on that later.

One thing is certain, we like our amenities, our creature comforts but it is nice to know you can handle life without them. Yes, it is difficult and unpleasant and I would never want to go back in time and live like they did in the 1850's but it can be done if you are are forced, if only for a short time.

More later.

[White Shadow]

Those scenarios are why I went down the road I did with Anker system. Power goes out I only lose the electric stove, electric dryer, and the electric garage heater ( there are a few other minor circuits that drop, but nothing of note ). Still have water, heat, A/C, lights, internet, etc. and several hours until I have to worry about firing up the generator. Power goes out at night, worry about it in the morning. Getting the solar component installed was supposed to be the next big step so I might not even have to fire up a generator if I'm careful with power consumption.

Stupid power company requirements and weak Anker US sales channel have conspired to cause me headaches on that, but the transfer switch and battery system is fantastic. If I was starting from ground zero right now I would probably still go with Anker as the newer E10 platform is a much better design and certified to avoid all the BS I've run into.

[Hawg]

Another storm just now.... and its officially tornado alley over here. One just missed us by about 2 miles.

[~MG~]

Do you have a tornado shelter?

[Hawg]

Basement

[T-Man 1066]

Another storm just now.... and its officially tornado alley over here. One just missed us by about 2 miles.

I am guessing you are toward the east side, Lansing, Ann Arbor area? Looks pretty nasty on the old radar screen.

[Jester-ND]

My inlaws across the road installed a generator that runs off the tractor PTO.. it will power both of their houses (mostly) , not ours. But with a couple diesel tanks for 2k gallons, we should be good for a spell in a pinch!

[Hawg]

I am guessing you are toward the east side, Lansing, Ann Arbor area? Looks pretty nasty on the old radar screen.

Yup east of East of Lansing. West of Brighton/Howell

[Chiefster23]

We had an extremely violent storm last nite around 7pm. Boom! The lights went out. No problem. We had advance warning so i cranked up the AC to cool the house way down so we could sleep ok. Woke at 0130 to find the power was still out. I fired up the solar/battery system to get power to the fridge. The freezer is still at 4 degrees so no worries there. I energized a couple of circuits from the batteries/inverter so we have necessary lights. Fired up the keurig since nothing else gets done without coffee!!! Next I got out the generator and prepared it for when the wife and dog get up. She will need the microwave for breakfast. Soon I will have to run an extension to the basement sump pump for a little dewatering down there. The electric company app says we have almost 90k people without power and they haven’t even dispatched a crew to my neighborhood yet so it might be a while. I’ve been gaming this scenario in my head for a long time and I have lots of options. We will be very comfortable. I even have a small window AC stashed away that I can breakout and install to keep one room cool if this goes a long time. The weatherman said we had gusts to 80 mph. Lucky I have no damage here, just the inconvenience of no power.

[~MG~]

Sounds like you have things well in hand, good job!
Let us know how things go. Hope you get power soon but it sounds like you're ready and all your good work is paying off..

[Texas PO]

You guys up north have been getting clobbered this year for sure. My aunt in Wisconsin says it's been storm fronts one after the other. That's one thing I wish we had here in Texas is basements.

[T-Man 1066]

You guys up north have been getting clobbered this year for sure. My aunt in Wisconsin says it's been storm fronts one after the other. That's one thing I wish we had here in Texas is basements.

Yep, its been rough one this year...