OK ... someone asked for this so here it is ...
Back when GC and I got together I was a lot of things, but "prepared" for anything was not one of them. I'd never been without power for a whole 24 hours, never been stuck out on the road with anything other than a flat tire, nothing ...
GC, however, was one of "those" people ...
He nagged and nagged and nagged at me to let him buy a generator. As the Minister of Finance, I however, was deadset against such folly ... they take up too much room, they stink, they are too noisy ... blah, blah, blah ...
GC finally traded someone here on OSA a rifle for a generator in 2006.
Oh, well ... at least it didn't cost me any real money ...
Fast forward to December, 2007. Wonderful little ice storm that was ... All the hotels were full; all the restaurants were closed because they didn't have power either ... And we were without power for an entire week. Ours was the last block in this area to come back on.
I cannot tell you how happy I was when GC fired up that big old stinky noisy generator.
I figured out pretty quickly that I should have let him store some gasoline for it because sitting in line at 7-11 with everyone else in freezing weather to fill up 5 gallon gas cans sucks.
So ... While I may be prone to learning my lessons the hard way, I do at least pay close attention when I am inconvienced in some way ... This is what I learned:
1. A generator is a must. You don't use it often but when you need it, you need it B.A.D.
2. A generator is nice but gas to run it with is even nicer ...
3. MREs, while not my favorite, are pretty tasty when you are hungry.
4. An electric can opener is worthless if you don't have electricity ... (Who knew?? LOL)
5. Like a generator, a fireplace is worthless if you don't have any wood to burn in it. We now have a couple of ricks minimum stored away in the backyard ALL the time ...
6. Yeah, gas heat is great but if you don't have the electricity to run the blower on the gas furnace, again ... life can be so unfair.
7. Thermal underwear (even if they have that funky fly stuff guys need in the front) are pretty danged nifty ...
8. You are gonna have downed tree limbs. You can cut them up with a hand saw, or a chain saw. Chain saws are better. Again, if you have the gas to run them ...
9. You can use camping equipment in the house and cooking a pot of beans in the dutch oven in fireplace is better than a cold MRE any day.
So, now, here we are today. GC is still one of "those" people. He drives me nuts because he prefaces every purchase requisition with "Remember when I got that generator we didn't need?" but I'm one of "those" people too. I don't like having to do without, I don't like having to spend my money on hotel rooms in the town I live in (at least I should get to TRAVEL somewhere nice ...) and I really don't like living with GC when he is inconvenienced in any way and still has to go back and forth to work.
Last year we upgraded to a bigger generator and sold the old one to a member here for something like $50. This new one has a push start button on it because, with my neck injury, I couldn't pull the start cord on the old one to get it going if I had to. I still don't relish the thought of being without power for any length of time but a generator, some wood for the fireplace and the equipment to cook outside (or in the fireplace) with makes the difference in being inconvenienced and being in real trouble. I will NEVER be without a generator again in my life.
Back when GC and I got together I was a lot of things, but "prepared" for anything was not one of them. I'd never been without power for a whole 24 hours, never been stuck out on the road with anything other than a flat tire, nothing ...
GC, however, was one of "those" people ...
He nagged and nagged and nagged at me to let him buy a generator. As the Minister of Finance, I however, was deadset against such folly ... they take up too much room, they stink, they are too noisy ... blah, blah, blah ...GC finally traded someone here on OSA a rifle for a generator in 2006.
Oh, well ... at least it didn't cost me any real money ... Fast forward to December, 2007. Wonderful little ice storm that was ... All the hotels were full; all the restaurants were closed because they didn't have power either ... And we were without power for an entire week. Ours was the last block in this area to come back on.
I cannot tell you how happy I was when GC fired up that big old stinky noisy generator.
I figured out pretty quickly that I should have let him store some gasoline for it because sitting in line at 7-11 with everyone else in freezing weather to fill up 5 gallon gas cans sucks.So ... While I may be prone to learning my lessons the hard way, I do at least pay close attention when I am inconvienced in some way ... This is what I learned:
1. A generator is a must. You don't use it often but when you need it, you need it B.A.D.
2. A generator is nice but gas to run it with is even nicer ...
3. MREs, while not my favorite, are pretty tasty when you are hungry.
4. An electric can opener is worthless if you don't have electricity ...
(Who knew?? LOL)5. Like a generator, a fireplace is worthless if you don't have any wood to burn in it. We now have a couple of ricks minimum stored away in the backyard ALL the time ...
6. Yeah, gas heat is great but if you don't have the electricity to run the blower on the gas furnace, again ... life can be so unfair.
7. Thermal underwear (even if they have that funky fly stuff guys need in the front) are pretty danged nifty ...
8. You are gonna have downed tree limbs. You can cut them up with a hand saw, or a chain saw. Chain saws are better. Again, if you have the gas to run them ...
9. You can use camping equipment in the house and cooking a pot of beans in the dutch oven in fireplace is better than a cold MRE any day.
So, now, here we are today. GC is still one of "those" people. He drives me nuts because he prefaces every purchase requisition with "Remember when I got that generator we didn't need?" but I'm one of "those" people too. I don't like having to do without, I don't like having to spend my money on hotel rooms in the town I live in (at least I should get to TRAVEL somewhere nice ...) and I really don't like living with GC when he is inconvenienced in any way and still has to go back and forth to work.
Last year we upgraded to a bigger generator and sold the old one to a member here for something like $50. This new one has a push start button on it because, with my neck injury, I couldn't pull the start cord on the old one to get it going if I had to. I still don't relish the thought of being without power for any length of time but a generator, some wood for the fireplace and the equipment to cook outside (or in the fireplace) with makes the difference in being inconvenienced and being in real trouble. I will NEVER be without a generator again in my life.
