by Pete Thorsen
Then we did the same a two other places that had batteries. Then we went to Home Depot and I got all the electrical items I needed to hook up the batteries and solar panels. We stopped at another grocery store and loaded a lot of groceries and other supplies into the covered trailer behind my old truck. Then on the way out of town we stopped at a large equipment rental place where I hooked a flat bed trailer on to the heavy pickup and loaded a backhoe on to it. I found some fuel cans inside and drained fuel from several machines to have some for our vehicles and then we convoyed back home.
At home I just left the backhoe on the trailer though I unloaded the extra fuel then I worked the rest of the day on placing the batteries and hooking them up to the solar panels and getting everything functional. The girls worked unloading all the food items and putting them away. I added getting shelving supplies and building shelves to the lists.
We tried using only the power from the battery bank and it worked though I did shut off the pump temporarily to not overload the system. I added LED bulbs to the lists so we would use less power for lighting. For now I re-hooked up the pump and started the generator so we had full power in the house. Running the generator made me realize I have to get a big battery charger so I can charge the batteries with the generator if necessary. Tomorrow our new water system is on the agenda but I think it will take me two days at least to complete the system.
More Work on the House
This morning we left with both pickups including taking the backhoe. On the edge of town there was a water tank dealer next to a trailer dealer. I exchanged the covered trailer for another flat bed and I used the back hoe to load the big water tank on to the new flatbed trailer. We then left one truck there to be picked up on the way back and went back to Home Depot for all the plumbing supplies I will need for our new water system.
While I worked on the plumbing the girls took a cart and went shopping. They got a whole stack of different ‘how-to’ books, picked up an assortment of LED bulbs and some compact fluorescent bulbs also. A couple more lamps and a nice BBQ grill. Besides the plumbing, I got a large assortment of tools and two portable propane heaters. From the propane cage outside the store I took all the full propane tanks after I busted the cage open. We decided we had enough for today and left, picked up the other truck on the way, and went home.
I worked the rest of the day digging the hole to set the tank in and trenching in the pipes to the house. With the tank set in place and the pipes hooked up to it I then wrapped the tank with the plastic aluminum colored ‘bubble wrap’ insulation before I refilled the trench and back filled around the tank so it was almost covered in dirt.
I brought the pipes from the tank through the house and hooked them to the incoming water line from the pump. I put valves in place so the tank could be isolated from the house water and easily drained if that ever became necessary because it got too cold or cracked or whatever might go wrong. Finally I had everything done and I started the generator and began putting water into the tank. When there was a hundred gallons or so in the tank I shut down the generator and drained the tank out to help clean the tank and the lines. Then I just let the tank fill completely and shut down the generator.
Our new water system did not have as much water pressure as when the pump was on but it was plenty for normal use. It was a big job and I was glad it was done though it did go much faster than I thought it would. I think a tank full of water will last us several days before we have to use the generator to fill it again. That will really cut down on our fuel usage.
That reminded me to add a fuel storage tank to the lists so we have plenty of fuel on hand for the trucks and generator. I decided to park my truck in town and get another diesel truck so everything will run on diesel so we only need one fuel storage tank. By the time I get done and cross one thing off the ‘to do’ list it seems like five more are added to it.
This morning we drove both pickups in to town and exchanged my old one for another lighter duty diesel pickup. We stopped at several stores and got three good laptop computers and many educational programs covering a wide range of topics. We even included a couple of video games for Mia.
Then we got a new TV and DVD player and a copy of just about every movie we could find. I put a two wheeled cart and many large totes in the pickup also. Then it was off to the library where I brought in the totes and cart and we filled them with a huge assortment of books which I then got to cart out to the waiting pickups and load.
From there we stopped at a school and found many school books to help us teach Mia (neither Kim nor I were ever teachers but we will do the best we can). We stopped at the gun shop where I picked up an assortment of guns and ammunition so I can teach Kim how to shoot and have a variety of guns for her to try. I even included a pink Chipmunk rifle to start teaching Mia.
We went back home and mostly relaxed the rest of the day even watched a Disney movie together that evening.
This morning I started teaching Kim (and Mia) about gun safety and then took them out to try shooting. Kim had never shot before so she had not learned any bad habits so things went quite smooth and soon she was enjoying herself and trying several different guns.
When I took the small pink 22 rifle out Mia was so happy she got to try shooting also and with her own special rifle. She showed how careful she could do everything and watched and listened carefully to everything I had said. The shooting was thoroughly enjoyed by all of us and we had a very good time there as a family. Later I showed them how to clean their guns and we never went anywhere all day today just worked and played around home.
But there is still a lot of work to be done and we started again this morning leaving in one pickup together. We stopped at a propane dealer and I broke in and got the keys for one of the delivery trucks. It took me awhile to figure out how to fill the truck and then we left the full truck on the highway to be picked up on the way home.
We then hooked up the covered trailer we had dropped off a couple days ago and again stopped at Home depot to get supplies for me to make and install many shelves to store all the food we had and what we still needed to bring home. I also got a smaller apartment size refrigerator and a small chest freezer. I think we will remove the large full-sized refrigerator there was in the house that was such a waste of electric because we have very little to put in it.
The chest freezer I told them we would need when I shot a deer for meat. And we yet again loaded more food and headed home only stopping to pick up the propane delivery truck along the way. This afternoon I worked making heavy duty shelves for all our canned food. In the one room we have picked to be our pantry, I shelved all the walls to the ceiling and built freestanding shelves for the center of the room. Then we unloaded the food we had brought home today on to the new shelving.
We have plenty of room for more food and I told them we will fill all the shelves at some point. I told Mia that it will take a lot of food if she is going to grow up to be ten feet tall.
I slept like a log the last several nights from all the work I’m doing. But I feel like I should be working even harder because I know a bad winter is coming and it’s up to me to get us prepared for it. I sure hope I’m up to the task and don’t forget something important.
This morning I went to town alone. Now that Kim has done some shooting she felt safer being alone with Mia and I said it would be a fast trip anyway. While I was gone the girls baked their first batch of cookies. Kim had made sure we had several cookbooks because she had never cooked much but that was about to change.
I was only gone a short time and returned with another large propane tank which I set next to the smaller original one and plumbed it in line with the other. When I was done I used the delivery truck to fill both tanks with propane then made another fast trip to town and refilled the delivery truck and parked it near the tanks.
Then after thinking a little more about the possible very long cold nuclear winter I ran in and brought out yet one more of the biggest t
anks the place had in stock and I both hooked it up and filled it from the truck. We now had plenty of propane with the three tanks and the truck full besides. I’m positive now that we enough propane even for a very long winter so I’m pretty sure we will not freeze. And that was just the propane. We will also have plenty of firewood by the time I am done getting plenty for the possible long winter.
Today we again went to town. It is definitely getting colder here every day. So we went to Dick’s Sporting goods and we all got some boots and heavier jackets and some gloves. I also had Kim get some work gloves (I got several pairs for myself also) because I told her hard work will be coming soon and she gets to help.
She actually stuck out her tongue at me! I promptly told her that was no way to treat the king. Then we went to several stores looking for a wood stove to set in or in front of the fireplace at home. I had taken the fireplace measurements with so we would know what would fit and what we will need to seal around it. After looking everywhere we thought might have one we went back and loaded the one that we decided might work the best.
I also got a bunch of fire bricks, some furnace cement, and some regular cement along with a little stove pipe in the correct size. Kim picked up a fireplace set with a shovel, brush/broom, poker, tongs, and ash bucket. Then it was back to a grocery store for more food (like almost every trip to town). I spent a lot of the rest of the day doing a very careful installation job of the wood stove.
When I was done Kim complimented me on the job saying it looked very professional. The stove we had picked required no electric and had a flat top that we could cook on it if we want to. It has double glass doors so we can watch the fire or open them so we can roast hotdogs or marshmallows. I said the next day we will start the hard work of getting firewood though I told Kim that I did have a plan to make the job a little easier for this first year at least.
Getting Ready for Our
First Winter
In the morning we took one pickup with a covered trailer behind and I made sure both Kim and I had our work gloves with us. Then I just drove through some residential areas and stopped a few times very briefly before driving again. When I stopped and backed the trailer up to a large pile of firewood they realized my plan.
I told Kim this would be much easier than cutting it ourselves. Kim and I loaded the firewood into the trailer until it was full then the small amount of wood remaining we put in the back of the pickup before driving home. At home I backed the trailer very close to the house and simply unhooked it and left it there. I told them that would keep the wood from getting wet and saved us the trouble of handling it twice.
The next day we again went to town and first picked up another covered trailer and with all three of us looking for wood piles we found enough again to fill the trailer. I said I would like to have at least four trailers full of wood and more would be better. So we spent several more days hauling wood.
When we were loading wood Mia’s job is keeping a lookout for dog packs. Both Kim and I carry handguns and my shotgun is always close by. I have shot and killed two more dog packs since we have got our new house and I think that might be the end of the dogs but all of us keep up a vigilant watch for more of the feral dogs.
Finally today I have called a halt on the gathering of firewood. I think we have plenty for at least one or maybe even two winters. We now have six covered trailers stacked plumb full of wood sitting near the house along with a stack outside against the wall of our close to the back door. We are all glad the wood gathering is done for this year.
Our next step is to fill up with food for the winter and into the following summer. So we now do a trip everyday into town for food. Even the girls are tired of ‘shopping’ for food now. We went to grocery stores in surrounding towns also where we just brought back canned goods. The canned goods will likely all freeze and burst in the stores over winter and we don’t want them to go to waste.
By now we have a huge supply of food at our house and all the shelving is full. Plus there are a large number of five gallon pails full of food stacked neatly against one wall of our garage and plastic totes full of even more food in the garage. No canned goods in the garage where they might possibly freeze though because we use it only for dry storage items out there.
Yes we even have two covered trailers that are full of dry foods that will not be hurt by freezing. There is another large stack of toilet paper in the garage which Kim says is enough for about three years. Kim and I have tried to forget nothing and I have put many cabinets up in the garage to store even more items.
I have also increased the number of solar panels we have and even have spares stored in the rafters of the garage. The haze in the air I think cuts into the output of the solar panels but with all the ones I have hooked up now we should be fine, I hope. I even have a couple brooms so I can sweep the snow off the solar panels this winter.
I have now also got a three hundred gallon fuel tank which I have buried and put a hand transfer pump on top of and have filled it with diesel fuel to which I have added fuel conditioner. I have brought home another diesel generator that can power the well pump if something happens to our other one. Both Kim and I have no idea what to expect for the winter. It is already quite cold with nighttime lows in the twenties almost everyday and it is still only fall!
Last night I decided it was time for me to go hunting and this morning I left with my rifle. I was back only a couple hours later dragging a small buck deer. I hung the deer from an a-frame contraption I had built for that purpose and took the skin off. I then quartered the deer and brought one quarter into the garage and Kim helped me cut it up and wrap it in the freezer paper we had brought home (two cases) just for that purpose. We got the whole deer cut up, wrapped, and in the chest freezer today. After looking in the freezer and seeing all the room left in there I told Kim I will shoot two more deer and so the freezer will be mostly full.
It took me almost a week but I did bring home two more deer and the freezer is just about full now. We had also brought home a meat grinder and we made hamburger out of the venison scraps. We also have a meat slicer I think we can use to thin slice some of the meat and make jerky in the oven. It will help heat the house and I bet those two girls will like eating jerky too. I don’t think I have ever found anyone who doesn’t like jerky. I checked and there are a couple recipes in one of Kim’s cookbooks.
Tonight we made a venison pizza. Kim seemed a little skeptical about it but I noticed she sure ate her fair share so I think we all liked it. We have a large supply of canned chicken and I think there might be a BBQ chicken pizza in our future.
Mia is such a trooper with all the work. She never complains and does any job we give her. Kim has never mentioned leaving and going off on her own. We all get along so good; you would never know that we are not really a family or maybe we are a family now.
It’s a Nuclear Winter
Both Kim and I try to keep Mia busy and always learning but having fun also. One day we made ice cream in a couple different flavors. That was a big hit with all of us and we for sure will do it again. Kim is always cooking and baking different things and Mia is always there helping her and tasting. We often play games as a family in the evenings.
Always we help Mia with her reading and she loves to read. We have made more trips to the library and also to several book stores. We have brought home so many books for all of us. I built book shelves and put them up in the living room. We had brought home many different games that we often play in the evenings now. With the temps dropping almost everyday we are spending more and more time indoors.
Kim has put heavy drapes up to cover the windows at night to help hold in the heat. The wood stove is working great and we also have the gas fireplace we use and with all the baking and cooking Kim does it stays nice and warm in the house. When Kim does some baking all three of us are usually in the kitchen. It is warm there and though Mia and I say we just want to help, I think Kim suspects we really just want to snea
k some of the goods as soon as they come out from the oven.
It seems like everyday Kim and I draw closer together and Mia is a big part of our lives. We have regular classes to teach Mia English, Math, Science, History, and everyday living. The classes are serious but all three of us enjoy them. Even though both Kim and I at first questioned our abilities to teach Mia, we now realize that she is so hungry for knowledge that we both think she could even teach herself.
Though neither Kim nor I are very religious both of us hold strong Christian values like the United States was based on so we try to include this in Mia’s schooling also.
We commonly watch one or two movies a week and often Mia has questions about many things in the movie. She seldom plays the video games we had got for her but is often on her own laptop using the many learning programs we installed on it. Watching Mia gives both Kim and I hope for mankind.
Boy this winter continues to get worse just like I had predicted. Temperatures often fall to zero or even as much as ten below and I am so glad I remembered to winterize the motor home. I never had the time to build a shed over the mostly buried water tank but I did cover it with a tarp and then added more dirt on top with the backhoe so it is totally covered with soil.
Our house is quite large but because we do not use the forced air furnace the bedrooms stay very cool and the food storage room even cooler. Which is totally OK with all of us. We all sleep well in our cool bedrooms. The wood stove is working great and Kim uses the oven almost every other day for something so the main part of the house is warm. Even though the sun still is not as bright as it should be we still get a lot of heat through the front windows during the day time.
