Smartie's Bar & Grill #74

This is a close-up of the ice on one of our peach trees.

There are still folks without power in these parts, including the area around Fort Pickett in Blackstone.

The electrical co-op said everybody should be back on the grid by this Sunday, which means some people will have been without power for 15 days.

This is why we have a whole home generator, a portable generator to back that up, and a large wood burning fireplace to back them both up...



Be prepared...

 

How about the daffodils are they going to be harmed by all of the ice? My daffodils are up and blooming and so are the wild daffodils.

 

The garden spots dried out enough that my husband could plow again a few more times and it will be ready to plant. The temperature is supposed to be in the eighties next week what a difference.

 

If you don’t mind me asking what make and capacity is your whole home generator?

I’ve stuck with portables because I have things that need powered strung over 14 miles, but a dedicated auto start unit for the home place is tempting!

 

I don't mind at all. We've got a Generac 14kW (purchased 2013 for around $7K installed) which runs everything in the house - most importantly the well pump, hot water heater and HVAC unit - except our electric oven and clothes dryer. 14kW is good for a small, one-story house like ours but if you've got a larger home you'll probably want a bigger generator.

I also made sure to get the generator and installation & service from the same company (Generac), and while it may have cost us a little more money it was worth it. The techs at the Generac dealer were top notch and if anything went wrong (which it didn't) I knew I wouldn't have to contend with the manufacturer and installer blaming each other for the problem with me stuck in middle.

It is nice, but we had to get a whole home generator to run our well pump and hot water heater, and it was definitely a bonus to have it to run the HVAC unit since we've been knocked off the grid during the coldest and hottest times of the year. Most importantly, my wife, who is as tough as they get (country girl & Army vet) loves it even more than I do, and if you thought Hell hath no fury like a spurned woman guess again. A female deprived of the basic creature comforts of civilized living - especially a hot shower - is a cranky beast no man wants to get trapped with for 1-2 weeks.

I will say that it is still nice to have a sturdy portable to back-up your whole home during an extended power outage. I've never been a fan of dogging my machinery around the clock so it was nice to be able to power the house 24/7 with two generators working in shifts. That's not something I would have done to one generator for 10 days.

 

Thanks for the information.

My house is small but I have to run a 1.5 horse submersible quite a few hours a day certain times of the year. A 14kW would do my house and the well though. I’ve toyed with the idea of a 30kW or so PTO driven generator on a trailer since I have tractors around all the time and lots of diesel. I’m assuming you are on natural gas? We don’t have NG so it’s diesel, gasoline or propane for me. The only thing is a PTO takes time to hook up etc. while yours just starts up when the power fails and goes. Can’t make up my mind. With a PTO driven generator I could run my shop and engine block heaters on other tractors as well which if it’s -20 to -30F is essential.

Good point about backing up the backup for long term outages. You can keep things going while you service the other unit at least.

 

So then you'll have to keep a close eye on yer Meter.Making sure you
don't get billed for usuage that is out of whack.I guess you could take
a look at it a few times a day and take a reading.They are usually at the back of a
residence.Alex Jones has a copy of a order from the State that explains
what happened in Texas.The Biden Adm. issued a new order to mandate
how a Grid is controlled in case of an Emergency.Or a Disaster.
The texas grid board is contolled by 6 members.5 of those members
are from outside Texas.Just one Grid board member is from Texas.
The order was given even before the deadly temperature dropped.
There was no need for Texas to shut off power.Let alone water.
It was done as Executive { Federal order } in order to keep other
states from trimming back on their power.Like the Way California had
rolling brownouts last summer during a heat wave.
It was also Political in Texas.To be able to poke fun at Texas
which has been solid red for decades.Texas had no trouble calling
the state for Trump on Novemner 3rd.I see where Beto is out
running ads mocking How Texas handled their Freeze.
Yes,Wind Farms had problems with Wind Turbines getting
soaked with freezing rain/sleet.But that is like 23 % of where Texans
get their power.5 % from solar.
I'd like a Home generator.Generac is commercial and highly rated.

 

Makes no nevermind.Farmers who plant each season usually go by
seasons as to when to plant { what time of the year and month }.
Peaches are very finicky.They gotta be picked at just the right time.
There's a really good - Alfred Hitchcock Hour - from the early 60's
starring Bruce Dern and Teresa Wright and Pat Buttram - Green Acres -.
It's ... - Lonely Place - { 1964 }.
About a young Tramp who ends up at the back door { Kitchen screen door }
on a Peach Farm,looking for a free meal { bite to eat }.
One of the better roles by a young Bruce Dern who started off
in Hollywood playing mostly heavies.
Then there's one I'd love to get from Alfred Hitchcock Hour
- The Jar - { 1964 } Which also has Pat Buttram.A truly one of a
kind thriller.Creepy as all get out.Quite a cast also.

 

Everyone should know the character he played.
He also adopted an acting technique that was used to
great effect by Oliver Hardy known as :
Breaking the Fourth Wall

 

You're welcome.

[quote}My house is small but I have to run a 1.5 horse submersible quite a few hours a day certain times of the year. A 14kW would do my house and the well though. I’ve toyed with the idea of a 30kW or so PTO driven generator on a trailer since I have tractors around all the time and lots of diesel. I’m assuming you are on natural gas?[/quote]

Propane. When we bought our place the HVAC unit was hooked up to a 500 gallon tank of propane so we hooked the generator up to that, too. If the tank is full (400 gals.) we could live off the grid for weeks, especially with our portable sharing the workload.

And no extension cords running through the house...

Maybe you don't have to choose between the two.

If you're willing to drop down from a 30kW to a 24kW or 22kW you could buy a nice PTO driven generator with the four to five grand you save on the whole home unit. That'll give you a sturdy backup to your backup, too.

 

I don't think we'll see any of that gouging that's been going on in Texas but I expect our rates to go up. The damage was so extensive in this region that the cost of repairing everything has to be enormous.

As for Generac's residential generators I can personally attest to their quality, and the technicians at our dealer have been great. I have them come out once a year to analyze and maintenance the unit and we have never had a single issue with that generator in the 7 years we've owned it. I would highly recommend that company to you or anyone else, Fooli.

 

Maybe you don't have to choose between the two.

Gee I dunno bout dat.Then what's a fella supposed to talk about
after work on a payday Friday.If not which one he prefers best.
The left or right one his latest girlie shows off when she spends
moola on a new bra.

 

Ours appear to be okay. What's got my wife worried is all the rain we've gotten lately. It's been ridiculous.

Have you ever had issues with your bulbs rotting?

Nice.

Ours bloomed around this time last year, which was early. I'm hoping we'll see ours bloom in a couple weeks. My wife is a daffodil nut - she's planted thousands of them over the years.

 

Gas now at $2.37 a gallon. For tracking purposes later.

 

Now, that's a pleasant thought...

 

I've been hearing a lot of talk about inflation on the business channels lately.

This year is really off to a crappy start...

 

I believe Generac had advertisements somewhere.I can't place where.
But that is how I found out about them.They had quality commercials
that showed off the difference between their generators and others.
Build quality,sturdiness and reliability.I hope Alex Jones is just puffing
when he states that rolling blackouts may be the norm now.Like masks
and making sure to get a vaccine.I have a large,very heavy fireplace insert
from Harmon that I had to stop using over 20 years ago.I picked up a
touch of pneumonia from burning to much wood.Going in and out of
the really cold garage to cut down smaller pieces of wood.Plus
My Insert had a sealing issue.It was leaking carbon Monoxide
gas.I had a Carbon Monoxide detector and once they go off
they have to have the battery removed.Or they won't stop alarming.
I believe that was the issue.

 

It's kinda funny - the local Generac dealer was running quite a few ads during the recent ice storm that knocked a lot of us off the grid but the people who needed generators the most didn't have any power to watch them.

Oops!

I can't say I derived any schadenfreude from being able to watch them...

 

I planted some that I bought on sale at a bargain for the seller...not the buyer. I planted them and nothing. I have a bed of yellow ones that are doing great and there is one bed that is just starting it is always a bit behind. The ones I planted that was a bargain (?) must have rotted. A year or so back might be longer you posted some pictures of your wife's daffodils that was impressive, I remembered how pretty and what a green thumb she must have. Reminded me of this.
https://www.proctorgallagherinstitute.com/25578/the-daffodil-principle

 

We missed the planting time because of the rains last year and the garden didn't last very long. This year should be better.
We are buying a new tiller today it is time for a new one.
I like Alfred Hitchcock, is his show on satellite or do you buy the CDs?

 

Bummer.

You've got a great memory, daisy, and thanks for sharing the article. I may have to show it to her for a little inspiration.

Last Fall she planted a couple thousand more, so hopefully this year's show will be even better. Unfortunately, we're expecting a lot more rain in the week ahead. I've almost forgotten what sunshine is like...

 

We are getting sunny days now and the next rain is this weekend or so the weather people say. We got 5 inches in one rain, that was part of the system that dumped the ice on you.

 

Can I say who to thank or would that be to callous and political? Nevermind..I'll be good

 

Planted 6 Calabrese broccoli plants.

 

Sorry to burst yer bubble ... But Planting season is at least a few weeks
away.But then I couldn't wait to git out on me Motorcycle.Both yesterday
and Tuesday.When it hit a little over 60 degrees.Yesterday there was a quite
a few motorcycles out and about.My one motorcycle had to be trickle charged.
Took around 6 hrs.With a nice charger { Battery Tender Plus } 1.25 amps.
I believe Daffodils was a favorite of - The Little Rascals - Alfalfa.
Who ended his own life over a petty $ 50 bet.Shot to death by an acquaintance.
Carl ' Alfalfa ' Switzer led a strange adult life.Was a highly regarded hunting
guide.Roy Rodgers and James Stewart were among his Clientele.
Switzers brother Harold commit suicide { shot himself } after killing a
customer over a dispute.
Again ... ' Alfalfa ' preferred daffodils.Maybe it was a Hal Roach thing.
Who managed to live until 100.