I wanted to write a blog about the mental aspects of living the rural life and
living off grid(we have electric but didn't for awhile).It was an eye opener of how much your mind can really absorb and still be able to function at the same time.
When the lights go out, every thing is quiet. You don't hear a certain buzzing from the electric going through the currents. You hear silence and a little panic sets in because you know that without electric you can't run household appliances or electronics. Well we figured out how to run the electronics out of the truck with the help of a little plug in gadget. Mental barrier number one solved. Knowing you have a way of calling someone if you need to. I don't like the dark,it's on my list of jumpiness. But with oil lamps and a coleman lantern,it made things easier. Barrier number two solved. Cooking was easy, I have a coleman stove I cook on and I still cook on it. Yeah haven't found a way to get a stove yet. Barrier number three, eating hot food solved. Keeping food cold was a challenge, we used a cooler with ice but ice will only last maybe(depends on type of cooler you have)three days. We got through that, just have to be careful and watch your ice and make sure your food isn't spoiled. Barrier number four solved keeping food cold.
Ok now we kept the water hooked up for health reasons. But our bill is very low here. Flushing and washing dishes weren't a problem. Washing clothes however was at first, so I tried the 5 gallon bucket with the plunger, worked great got the clothes clean and we put up a line so I could hang them out. Now we still wash every now and then but most times we go to the laundry mat.
A lot of people couldn't and wouldn't do these things but believe it or not it happens all across America as prices soar and they just can't afford basic essentials. Now is the time to train yourself to learn basic skills as doing things yourself. Training your brain at any age to be put into a survival situation can be a challenge. I started doing these things before we left Texas. I was already getting use to doing cooking on a coleman and using the oil lamps. I read everything I could on gardening and growing stuff. Bought seeds and garden tools and books.
At night I think is the hardest part of living rural and off grid. Your hearing become acute to the night sounds. Pretty soon you know what each sound is. Your dog drinking water, cars going by, the sound of a train in the distance. The creak and crack of the house settling. The wind blowing and the distance thunder. The sound of crickets and frogs and when they go quiet usually something is just moving around like a opossum or raccoon. Or deer, in our case. The point is you don't have to be afraid of those sounds. You become use to them and can sleep. After awhile they don't bother you but if there is a sound that doesn't keep in harmony with the others, you can pick it out quick. THEN you can do the same thing during the day. You are more aware of your surroundings when you're out in the yard and you automatically look and see every tree and bush and you have a tendency to watch everything. When I am out in the yard I can spot a passing deer or a stray dog or cat just by the movements in the bushes. My mind tells me something is moving around and I need to look.
Your mind will settle down after awhile and you can go about your everyday life. Now if I can get these damn frogs to shut up yep I'll be happy!
living off grid(we have electric but didn't for awhile).It was an eye opener of how much your mind can really absorb and still be able to function at the same time.
When the lights go out, every thing is quiet. You don't hear a certain buzzing from the electric going through the currents. You hear silence and a little panic sets in because you know that without electric you can't run household appliances or electronics. Well we figured out how to run the electronics out of the truck with the help of a little plug in gadget. Mental barrier number one solved. Knowing you have a way of calling someone if you need to. I don't like the dark,it's on my list of jumpiness. But with oil lamps and a coleman lantern,it made things easier. Barrier number two solved. Cooking was easy, I have a coleman stove I cook on and I still cook on it. Yeah haven't found a way to get a stove yet. Barrier number three, eating hot food solved. Keeping food cold was a challenge, we used a cooler with ice but ice will only last maybe(depends on type of cooler you have)three days. We got through that, just have to be careful and watch your ice and make sure your food isn't spoiled. Barrier number four solved keeping food cold.
Ok now we kept the water hooked up for health reasons. But our bill is very low here. Flushing and washing dishes weren't a problem. Washing clothes however was at first, so I tried the 5 gallon bucket with the plunger, worked great got the clothes clean and we put up a line so I could hang them out. Now we still wash every now and then but most times we go to the laundry mat.
A lot of people couldn't and wouldn't do these things but believe it or not it happens all across America as prices soar and they just can't afford basic essentials. Now is the time to train yourself to learn basic skills as doing things yourself. Training your brain at any age to be put into a survival situation can be a challenge. I started doing these things before we left Texas. I was already getting use to doing cooking on a coleman and using the oil lamps. I read everything I could on gardening and growing stuff. Bought seeds and garden tools and books.
At night I think is the hardest part of living rural and off grid. Your hearing become acute to the night sounds. Pretty soon you know what each sound is. Your dog drinking water, cars going by, the sound of a train in the distance. The creak and crack of the house settling. The wind blowing and the distance thunder. The sound of crickets and frogs and when they go quiet usually something is just moving around like a opossum or raccoon. Or deer, in our case. The point is you don't have to be afraid of those sounds. You become use to them and can sleep. After awhile they don't bother you but if there is a sound that doesn't keep in harmony with the others, you can pick it out quick. THEN you can do the same thing during the day. You are more aware of your surroundings when you're out in the yard and you automatically look and see every tree and bush and you have a tendency to watch everything. When I am out in the yard I can spot a passing deer or a stray dog or cat just by the movements in the bushes. My mind tells me something is moving around and I need to look.
Your mind will settle down after awhile and you can go about your everyday life. Now if I can get these damn frogs to shut up yep I'll be happy!
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