If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.
Loren Eiseley
It is cold inside the house. It was 6 AM when I first woke up. Down in the room that should have been the warmest it was minus 2.
I opened the fire and scraped the ashes, there were coals that might ignite some kindling. I had none made. The idea of chopping some in the dark seemed like a great way to loose a thumb.
So I filled the fire with full sized boards, i needed something flamableto start the boards. I remembered a large yogurt tub that I had left in the fire room for the boys to drink from incase the steel water bowls were frozen like today.
I filled there frozen bowls with water and put them on the wood stove.
The fire room seemed like a good place to hang for awhile. It was interesting. The front half of my body facing the fire of course warm and my back not so much.
I just checked the weather services they say it is close to -40 outside. The problem is that it is always colder here than predicted.
It was definitely colder.
I was coming up on the most spiritual part of my day. It involved a bamboo paper filter, ground coffee, hormone free powdered whole milk.
And of course hot water just heated on the wood stove. Yes it is that first cup of coffee of the day.
I remembered that I had used the last filter yesterday. Oh no, i searched through the drawer looking for a loose filter. In a desparate panic papers start flying everywhere. Nothing no filter no coffee.
I check the drawer underneath hoping a loose filter fell in there. Then I saw it a box of bamboo filters with 60 or more filters in it. I hid them away for such an emergency and forgot about them.
Sometimes a bad memory can be a good thing.
Coffee made, onto breakfast. Hot oatmeal. I had Chia seeds, honey, the last lemon, the last avacado, the last of the oat milk.
Yup all sounded great. I through in a handlful of cacao nibs, good for memory they say. I cut the lemon in half and used the squeezer jar. I used the whole lemon.
I put some quick oats in the bowl added all of the lemon juice, chia seeds, both halves of an avacado and some honey. Hot water and oat milk and I had a breakfast.
Might sound aweful but was amazing and all good for for the body.
It was also a lot of bulk, that made it time for the morning BM.
The bucket was full. I am a composter, except in winter it goes in the fire. The bucket had been in a cold room and was frozen.
The fire was all hot coals, thats the right time for that. I put the bucket beside the fire to warm it up enough to get the garbage bag of duty out.
Finally it came out and I put it in the fire. It barely fit in with a few kicks.
Then that was helping to heat the house. Pooping in water one of our most precious resources when the world was drought stricken seemed ludicris.
That wasn’t the problem of the day. That was a dead generator, a flat tire, a snowstorm and a cloudy day.
All my batteries were dead, solar, drill batteries, and powerbanks. Soon my internet would stop working.
It was too cloudy for solar, my generator was dead, the new one was in town, the van had a flat tire. I needed drill batteries to run the tire inflator.
No power, no flat tire inflated, no vehicle, no travel to town to get the generator. Then add the coming snowstorm, no power, no vehicle, no travel and back to no power. It wasn’t going to be solar all week.
I did have my old generator, it had not run in months. If I could get that running I might be able to charge a drill battery enough to inflate a tire.
That required me to drain the gas tank, drain the fliat bowl pour fresh gas in pull on the starter rope and pray it starts.
All before the snow arrived. The old gen was too big for the gen shack.
Outside it was still 30 below. But if I could get it running I could still charge batteries and travel into town next week. I could survive.
If i could’t get it to run. I would be standed here. No internet no phone.
I worked on the old gen for an hour before I could get it to fire.
I quickly took it outside and started it. It ran rough but it ran. I made sure every battery charger was charging drill batteries. I hooked up every devixlce and powerbank I could and waited.
When I saw two bars on one battery I hooked my tire inflator to the flat tire. It got about halfway there and died. I grabbed another battery and it finished.
Got the dead gen loaded it in the van.with doors open. I got Gracie outside and rolling down the highway.
To the village first picked up mail and freight. Then onto to town. With some assistance and new funnel, the gas was drained from the gen. Then the new one was loaded into the van.
Next to the bank to pay this months bill. Then to the drugstore because it has the best prices for cheese.
Groceries next, stopped for a plant based burger and coffee then gasoline. The new gen wss more powerful and would burn more gas.
With all that done I made the trip home. Groceries got unloaded but not the new gen that would have to wait. My back was hurting. The pain was very bad.
I had to rest for a few minutes then onto unpacking groceries. After load the fire with the wood I had cut.
I need to cut more and the cats need more water. That would have to wait awhile.
I went to feed the cats, they needed more food, another trip to the van. I had no knife with me so I carried a box with two big bags of food to the kitchen.
I cut those open and filled the food bin. Then I lost my drill, after retrieving a light and searching everywhere to no avail.
I had a thought, it was in the food bin covered in cat food.
I am back in bed and eating my cold plant based burger. I would have some cold coffee but that would mean reaching two feet over.
I can’t move. Too much pain.
I am just leaned back watching Castle. It is as far as I can go. I am done. Oĥhhhhh
Except I needed to cut firewood and get water for the cats.
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