For many weeks I have been bothered by the solar power issue.

I regret I did not GI earlier so that I could have planned to purchase solar panels, deep cycle batteries and the necessary connections.

I have debated obtaining a credit card, which seems to be the only feasible way of getting the solar powered devices needed before the masses awaken.

But then I would go into debt and could not pay off the charges next year when I most likely will lose my job at the factory.

I can not purchase a solar panel system on my current paycheck budget before Y2K UNLESS I STOP BUYING EVERYTHING ELSE I STILL NEED.

And yet, in my neighborhood, absolutely nobody has a solar setup. (If anyone in my city of Pollyannapolis has such a system, I would be shocked.)

If I manage to get an array of solar panels, then they would be placed on the south side of my roof, which is in full view of the predominant traffic avenue.

I live in a conservative neighborhood; people notice new and odd additions. Then they gossip. Very much.

And if I have solar power generated lights and other electrical devices humming brightly in the dead of Winter while my neighbors are shivering in the dark, my residence will stick out like a comforting lighted hearth enticing extremely unhappy DGIs.

Can you say "unwelcome visitors"?

What regrets do YOU have in the limited time left prior to Y2K?

-- Randolph (dinosaur@williams-net.com), September 18, 1999

Answers

I would rather try to get along without electricity and instead have plenty of food on hand. I've had a small 1500 generator for many years. I will only use it to recharge my electric shaver. and maybe use it for kitchen appliances like a blender. It will be interesting to see how we all get along without electricity. One thing for sure, if no electricity, NOBODY will work!

-- smitty (smitty@sandiego.com), September 18, 1999.

The only regret I have is that my neighbors aren't GIs. Business as usual and time is slipping by. Ohhhh wellll!!!

Your better off not having those solar panels because you will have some jealous neighbors and you'll just be inviting trouble to your house. You'll get plenty of "unwelcomed visitors," are you prepared for that?

-- bardou (bardou@baloney.com), September 18, 1999.

I have to agree with you on the Solar Panel Issue. I live kind of in the "boonies" so neighbors wouldn't be much of a problem. The other thing is, I have 1/2 acre that needs to be cleared, not enough money to pay someone to do it. So I have no easy place to grow food. Problem with distance between septic tanks and growing food. It was just all too big for me to handle, so I had to give it up to God. I battle my human controlling nature on a daily basis, to remind myself, that I can not control everything. What will happen, will happen. I have made the best plans I could, with the money I had. Heaven's blessing to us all.

-- Nana (drac@mediaone.net), September 18, 1999.

Randolph -- Do you live in Annapolis? That's where I went to school. Email me.

-- BigDog (BigDog@duffer.com), September 18, 1999.

I too gave a lot of thought about solar energy. Unfortunately I live in an area that doesn't have much sun during the fall/winter/ and some of spring. I chose solar battery rechargers. And a few solar appliances. So when there is a sunny day I can use them. (I even made a solar oven- and it works!) You can only do your best with what you have. Be creative. If your concerns are with your neighbors, get to know them (if you can) I have learned that knowing your neighbor (polly or doomer) gives you a better position in dealing with them during an emerency. Just my input, Ice

-- ice (icemanltd@webtv.net), September 18, 1999.

BigDog:

No, I don't live in Annapolis. I live in Williams County, the most northwestern county of Ohio, which borders Indiana and Michigan.

I was being facetious about the DGIs who live in my city, to which I gave a whimsical name. They are totally complacent, which bothers me daily.

I don't intend to mislead, just to entertain as bandwidth is allowed by Mighty Chuck the Mad Deleter. ;)

-- Randolph (dinosaur@williams-net.com), September 18, 1999.

bardou: check out my update on the question to you which I posted on Friday night.

Yes, I am ENTIRELY AWARE of the "unwelcome visitors" scenario.

When I talk to DGIs, they seem amused. GIs are NOT amused.

There will be much trouble, bardou.

-- Randolph (dinosaur@williams-net.com), September 18, 1999.

Our four solar panels are concealed by a privacy fence--you don't have to put them on the roof. When the fence was built (before Y2K awareness) I took lath strips and screwed them over the gaps between the boards so nobody can see through. We can power our water bed heaters to keep us and the cats warm. I wish we could afford more panels and batteries so we had enough power to cook with and enough to run a fan in the summer. Y2K or not, I like the idea of free electricity.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), September 18, 1999.

smitty:

You're right on about electricity.

Most Americans don't seem to truly realize how dependent they are upon this wonderful juice.

And when the power grid fails, there will be many frowns fermenting into dangerous anger!

:(

-- Randolph (dinosaur@williams-net.com), September 18, 1999.

Weird answer, but its true. I wish I already had two or three more kids.

I can't think of anything else I would reasonably want to do, besides convince some Southern California relatives to spend New Year's here, but that won't happen without some official guidance or warnings, which aren't forthcoming.

-- S. Kohl (kohl@hcpd.com), September 18, 1999.

Nana:

Have you considered square-foot gardening? If you can access good compost and have adequate sunlight, then you can raise many plants in a small space.

However, you must be willing to destroy hungry pests, which will concentrate upon your plotted plantings.

I agree with you that we must surrender our limitations to the Living God. He is our only hope.

And this is the MAIN reason I know we shall make it to the other side.

-- Randolph (dinosaur@williams-net.com), September 18, 1999.

Old Git:

I know you're a survivor, and I hope Sweetie has the same inner strength.

A while ago I sent you a private E-mail, which you may not have received.

I had wondered if you have sufficient stabilized fuel for Sweetie on his long treks to his place of employment.

At this very moment I am waiting for my 55 gallon blue plastic water barrels to drain. I had a close encounter from a DGI neighbor, but I side stepped nearer to the road, and he did not notice that I had been emptying the barrels.

Do you have more barrels to store Wasser? I remember reading where you have obtained a drum which you had to clean thoroughly.

Certainly The Floyd has beat against The Squall.

"We don't need no procrastination.

We don't need no thought control.

Hey, spinners, leave our minds alone.

All in all, you're just another brick in the Squall."

-- Randolph (dinosaur@williams-net.com), September 18, 1999.

Get my autobiography published which includes several chapters about my wonderful prelonged rehearsal of TEOTWAWKI.

-- Not Again! (seenit@ww2.com), September 18, 1999.

The first thing we did after "getting it" was order a 12,500 watt diesel generator, a trace SW 4024 inverter, and SW Air 403 wind charger. The Trojan L-16 battery bank(12) came later. The thing I regret is that many of our relatives do not and will not "get it" and I know we are not able to feed/house all of them. It is continually and extremely stressful to ponder the possibilities in that regard.

-- jeanne (jeanne@hurry.now), September 18, 1999.

It seems to me that alot of people a "fiddling while Rome is burning!"

-- Gerri (bigwu@msn.com), September 18, 1999.

Bugging out! To a lovely secluded knoll in Cascadia, ocean breezes, terraced gardens, boulders, waterfalls, ferns, towering firs, green canopies, rushing streamlets, orchards, mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), September 18, 1999.

>If I manage to get an array of solar panels, then they would be placed on the south side of my roof, which is in full view of the predominant traffic avenue...people notice new and odd additions.>

I have the same problem. We have lived in our new home "in the country" for 2 months now, and have tried to meet most of our seven neighbors. Our house faces south, I have two 100 Watt solar panels in the basement. When I mount them, they will be in full view of the neighbors and anyone else who comes down this cul-de-sac.

However, I am a "ham" (amateur) radio operator, and I have told the neighbors that I am involved in emergency power-off backup community operations, and will be intalling the panels soon, after I erect the 30 ft antenna tower. This seems to make sense to them - it actually will be TRUE shortly anyway. I'm still nervous about "outsiders" driving down the 2-block cul-de-sac seeing the panels, but if it's a 9-10, we can block the entrance - it's a long, narrow street. Several of my neighbors are armed, have wood stoves, etc, as am I. I'm in God's hands in this, but I need to do my part.

If you are a "ham", you have a ready excuse for solar panels. If not, ask around (pray!) for some activity you could be involved in that would involve the panels. Ask around in other forums.

all the best!

-- Bill (tulsanok@aol.com), September 18, 1999.

Move. That's what I'd like to do, but haven't been able to. Not that I haven't tried, but I couldn't find what I was looking for.

However, on the up side, I live in a freehold townhouse with 2 adjacent believing neighbors. The guy beside me has a 5000 watt Coleman generator, same one I have + other preps. I gave him a Coleman Focus 12 propane heater for his birthday. (I gave it to him after he longingly looked at the 3 I bought for $4.00 each at Wallmart - that's another story.) The first time I called his home in a disguised voice and and said "This is the Y2K police" I scared his wife because she knew he was guilty of stocking up. :-)

-- Cable_man (tlangan@iname.com), September 18, 1999.

I wish I could have more time. Time to travel overseas. Time to travel to visit old friends. And of course, more time to prepare. There is so little time. I don't mind changing my lifestyle; in fact, it has been a blessing in disguise. I just resent the way Y2K consumes my time. Life is short enough as it is.

-- Mumsie (Shezdremn@aol.com), September 19, 1999.

I would like to confiscate al-d's keyboard, but I don't have enough time.

-- Uncle Deedah (unkeed@yahoo.com), September 19, 1999.

>recharge electric razor

How about saving yourself that power usage by purchasing a travel shaver or two. They run on AA batteries and are available at Walmart cheap.

-- cgbg jr (cgbgjr@webtv.net), September 19, 1999.

Set up a home brewery. Beer for gold :)

-- Andy (2000EOD@prodigy.net), September 19, 1999.

Nana - if you have a 1/2 acre that needs to be cleared - you have firewood that can be sold or traded for the food you can't grow. Next year - have some large hand saws available and let people cut their own. Next year, we will have to look beyond the trees so we can see the forest. Practise now looking around at the resources or skills you already have that someone else will desperately need.

-- April (Alwzapril@home.com), September 19, 1999.

re: visible solar panels- we have them on the south side of our house- have always been off grid. and a wind gen mounted up in the air- both very visible. so what?? if you're gonna be messed with, you're gonna be messed with.besides- it's not so simple- if someone came here to steal them- they wouldn't have a clue what to do with them anyway.....

re: stuff I haven't gotten to- well- a root cellar is a biggie- we have the hole dug- that's it- was a swimming pool after floyd!!

Wish I had a team of draft horses and equipment- with another barn to put them in. Also- more hay storage capacity. Also- more fenced pasture. And some savings would be nice.....

-- farmer (hillsidefarm@drbs.net), September 19, 1999.

A water well.

The previous homeowners destroyed this one and hooked up to the water district (nitrate problems in area). Now you can't even get a permit for one. Attempted hand driven "well point" but am already at 18 ft. and if no water within next 3-4 ft. then that system won't work (supposedly water table is between 15-35 feet around this neighborhood). My good neighbors have a well which we will "dip" out of if neccessary, and I am prepared to collect as much rain water as possible (includes 6 55 gal. drums plus some clean trash cans). There is a river within a couple miles if we must.....

-- Kristi (securxsys@cs.com), September 19, 1999.

Kristi:

I think a water well is very important. My mother recently had a manual water pump installed over her original well, which had been in disuse for years. Why?

Um, well, one morning a long time ago I was watering the garden out by the woods and forgot to turn off the spigot before I left for work.

The well ran dry, which made my father angry. So they had a new well drilled, much deeper.

So now there are both manual and electric water wells.

I know of a homestead near Wauseon, Ohio, where the water table is only 12 feet below the surface! All you need is a shovel and elbow grease.

-- Randolph (dinosaur@williams-net.com), September 19, 1999.

I want more guns/ammo, and more FOOD. I already have a 20kW ng/propane generator, which is equipped with a "hospital-grade" muffler. It's about as loud as a central a/c unit, yet still pwers the whole house.

If there's a snowstorm, the noise will be completely blotted out. I REFUSE to bow to the masses; if they try to forceably attack us, they'll be shot. Period. The last thing I REALLY need that I don't have is a set of NV goggles. Hope to have those by next month.

-- Dennis (djolson@pressenter.com), September 19, 1999.

I wish that I'd have gotten around to a composting toilet, would have really helped with the garden. The physical changes required in the house are just to much at the moment.

Yeah, learning how to make beer might have been another thing to have tried. Looks like it probably takes some practice to get right if you have to start from scratch. (What do you do if you can't buy yeast, crystal malt etc.)

A few goats on the lower 6 might have also been a good idea. But it needs fencing, shelter for goats and source of water.

ARGHHHhhhhhhh. So many things, so little time.

-- LM (latemarch@usa.net), September 19, 1999.

I wish I had a stallion. Lots of people, including my neighbor, have mares but how many have stallions?

-- biker (y2kbiker@worldnet.att.net), September 19, 1999.

From: Y2K, ` la Carte by Dancr near Monterey, California

What is the one thing you wish you could do before Y2K, but can not accomplish?

Convince my DGI husband to let me spend any more money on preparation.

-- Dancr (addy.available@my.webpage), September 20, 1999.

Move to a safer, rural place, and not an apartment. Be able to buy things I cannot afford, such as the various means of ongoing survival, like a well, generator, solar panels, garden, etc., etc. Nice dream, but totally impossible. Also, the ability to help my children and grandchildren with preps, one of whom cannot afford it for her triplets. The 6 blankets I sent them this month is small potatoes in light of what we may experience!

-- Elaine Seavey (Gods1sheep@aol.com), September 20, 1999.