The Propane Ran Out Yesterday.

(Above is what shiny new propane tanks look like. FYI.)

In addition to generating our own electricity with diesel, we have propane. Or should I say, we usually have propane...

Propane fires up the grill, fuels our heaters in the winter, heats our water, and runs our gas stove and oven in the kitchen, and the dryer in the laundry room. And we are OUT. Not counting all the other things you need propane for, just take a moment to think about one thing: Hot Water.

How many times a day do you reach for the hot water tap? You want to wash your hands, your face, your dishes. Make instant oatmeal for the kids. Take a shower. Run your dishwasher. That kind of thing. It's not fun to have hot water. I could more easily deal with it if I could possibly. Heat. Some. Water. But, I can't. So, it's hard. I'm not looking forward to that diaper change later this morning. At least we have Water today, so that's better than when we have no water sometimes. But still. I really wanted to take a shower today, there are pots dirty in the sink, the dishwasher is full of dirty dishes AND I have piles of laundry down the hall that I was working on.

The laundry, I suppose I could still do most of it. I usually wash clothes in cold anyway, but I couldn't dry them. I'm not excited about our "clothesline" out back, it's made of metal or something, and I'm nervous about getting residue streaks on my good clothes. Maybe it's my paranoia, other people use the clothesline all the time, but that's what I think about. I suppose the laundry can wait anyway.

Why do we run out of propane? (this happens to us, basically just to us, several times a year). There are other homes on the ranch, each with their own propane tanks. But we are the ones who run out the most. Why, you might ask. We sure did.

When we ran out in the middle of winter and had no heat, we asked the propane guy. He showed us our tank. He said, "Well, see how your tank is all rusty and is a darker color? Well, I'm afraid if I fill it too full, it will get too hot and 'pop off.' So I can only fill it about 40%. I keep telling C.G. that it needs to be painted white, but she says she likes how it looks all rusty." (C.G. stands for CowGirl which stands for #1's mother, my MIL).


This was several years ago. Do you think any ONE of us can remember to buy a bunch of white paint for metal at the store ANY time we go? (FYI--I put it on the list TODAY) And sure, I like the "rusty" look also, just not when it affects my ability to take a shower.

The propane guy did offer to paint it, but we said, "That's okay, we can do it." In our infinite (read: nonexistent) spare time, I suppose.

Now, how do we get the tank filled? I know, you are dying to find out. Waiting with baited breath and what-have-you. It entails a simple phone call. IF we lived in a place that had a phone!

We ran out last night, around dinner time (of course). So that was after business hours (of course). I could have driven 20 miles and left a message with the gas company, but I didn't. I emailed CG's bookkeeper/friend and asked her to make the call. I could have had CG make the call on her way to the city this morning, but she was leaving at 4AM (not during business hours) and I was afraid it would slip her mind by the time business hours rolled around. So now calls have been made, but apparently 8AM is before business hours, and the gas truck driver didn't answer his phone either.

I know it will happen today. I know we will get 40% of the propane we need. I just hope it happens sooner, rather than later. There's a lot of stuff I could be doing with propane. Nothing is ever "easy" around here, you will soon realize.