So, This Power Thing...

This power thing pretty much sucks. You know, since we've been turning off the generator during the day? I have to admit, I DO like the fact that there is no opportunity for the television to be on and the boys watching a movie whenever they feel like it. But other than that, honestly it makes me tired. And a person just sits and thinks about what they can't do with no power. Oh! I should do laundry...but I can't. Wash the dishes...but I can't. Argh.

When the power goes out, the house gets all dark. And HOT. Without electricity we have no fans, and there is usually not much of a breeze. It is stifling, and it's not even that hot out yet. A hot, dark house is exhausting. I don't stay inside all day, but it's very hot outside too. Especially at high noon, when the power's off.

Today, I made the boys pick up all the outside toys and I mowed the lawn. At noon. In the direct sun. And then, as if that wasn't enough, I raked the side yard, and then mowed that, even though it's mostly weeds and dirt. It was awesome. Just for something to do.

I have been reading a book during the power outages, but that makes me tired as well. It's also hard to really concentrate when two boys are running around.

And I guess the point of this whole thing? No one even knows if it will save any money. There are no gauges or valves on the diesel tanks that measure anything. There are no markings on the generator that indicate how much fuel it holds. We can't even begin to calculate the cost per day or per hour without knowing this basic information. To make matters worse, the diesel tanks also supply the ranch truck and the tractor, and there is currently no system in place for tracking anything to do with filling them up, and indeed no way to measure how many gallons are used for anything.

One thing we do know: if left running, the generator will usually run for around 33 hours before it runs out of fuel. Trust me, this we know. But that information is useless because we don't know the capacity of the tank. And I am frustrated with what I have come to call "Faux Math." Meaning, the slinging around of numbers/costs/monetary amounts that have no basis in actuality. CG does it just about every day, and folks on the ranch are wont to follow suit. Me? I need real numbers before I'll even pull out a piece of paper.

So, if you hear anyone say "a gallon an hour," it's probably an exaggeration. How could they possibly know? Does the generator have a 33 gallon tank? Your guess is as good as mine, but I'm guessing no. If you hear, "it would cost us each $120/month," who pulled that amount out of what? Catch my drift?

Number One doesn't know how much the tank holds. He's been advocating for a pump, which would measure the fuel, and auto-shut off valves (which would prevent diesel spills) for years. At this point we can't even figure out how much is going into the truck or the tractor OR the generator.

CG doesn't know how much the tank holds either. She told me that yesterday. But when she says something, people want to believe she knows what she's talking about because of her "years of experience." Or something. But if she doesn't have the fundamental number, tank capacity, she can't figure anything out either. She told me that, and I put my pencil and paper down. No use figuring anything if you don't know the basics. It's all guesswork, which amounts to a waste of time in my book. All she really knows is how much it costs her when she pays the fuel bill.

I understand that it's costing a lot, I just wish we had the facts so we could figure out the best way to save money. How many hours we would really need the generator turned off to make a significant dent in the fuel bill. If at all possible, without risking the food in our refrigerators and freezers in the process.

I still think we need to be investigating alternatives like solar. ABEG needs to get on that. Right after they finish our addition and figure out the water situation. There are priorities, after all.