The Propane Tank

We got our new propane talk delivered today! It was the next step in getting our power up and running on the cabin. We had to go from a 250 gallon to a 500 gallon tank so that we had enough propane to run our generator full time. We will be installing our solar as soon as possible but this will do for the time being.

These guys are pros! They came in and took the small one out, fitting the larger one and then transfered the propane. Then they ran a poly line through the trench from the tank to our generator. It was all done within a couple hours!

Jer and Ron are very proud of themselves for setting up the electrical system. These are our batteries that they are sitting on. They was upwards of a thousand pounds!!

Here are the inverters, the battery charger and the computer that runs the whole system. The power comes into these from the batteries, generator and solar and is changed into 110V just like a normal grid-tie house. Then it is sent into our home.

We did have some complications on the awesome day. When we went to power up the generator, it didn't work. Come to find out, while the generator was our shop waiting for us to install it, the mice got into a HUGE bag of bird seed and decided to store it in the generator. Ron and Jer were very upset to say the least. The propane guys had never seen anything like it! The seed was stuffed in behind the spark plugs and any other small area in the motor housing. Needless to say, we have a very large project ahead of us cleaning it out. We have a backup generator to use for the time being but it will not allow me to use the washer, dryer or refrigerator! So until Ron and Jer get this fixed or the generator guy comes next Thursday...I will be camping it! Thank goodness for ice chests!

As I type this, the Citrus Heights house is all packed up and ready to go. I won't be able to post until we get internet up at the house but I will be taking lots of pictures. Wish us luck!

A learning experience...

Jeremy and Ron headed up the hill to see if we would be able to continue our move. When they showed up there was a lot more snow than they expected. They were able to get all the way through to Kentucky Flat Road but that is where the trouble started. The snow was up to the bumper of our big truck, so it was plowing the snow then, the trailer was plowing what the truck was leaving behind.

Then they decided that they should turn around and that is where the trouble started. They got stuck....very stuck! So Jer called a buddy to help them out. Shawn came to the rescue in his Jeep and got the truck out and then the trailer out.

After a couple hours, they were able to get on the road again and come home. Once Jeremy got home we decided to not chance it again until the next week.

Let it Snow!

Jer and Ron took a trip up to the house to get more work done. When they were driving in on Thursday to drop off the new appliances the snow was not too bad. They were able to get to the house, move in the Washer/Dryer, Fridge/Freezer and a few other items. However, when they woke up the next morning it had snowed...a lot! So it ruined my trip I had planned with my mom and my sister who came up for the weekend. Jer and Ron came down the hill early to make sure they were able to get out with the trailer. After seeing these pictures, I knew our move was going to be a little delayed. I didn't know that we would end up getting over 3 feet of snow over the course of a few days to the point that we wouldn't even be able to make it to the house.

What to Plant?

This is the flower beds that are in front of my house. I am trying to think of what I want to plant. I have been thinking rosemary, thyme, and lavender. What do you think would be best? I would love something easy but functional.

New Appliances

Jer and I went and bought the new appliances for our house. We decided to get energy and water efficient machines even though they aren't necessarily typical "off-grid living" appliances. I am so excited to do laundry! OMG...what am I saying?!?

Here is the new fridge/freezer combo. We are going to put the fridge in the house and the freezer in the mudroom. We like the look of the "built-in" but have no room for it in the cabin. So we bought the vents and will store them until we build the house and we can put the two units together. The space of these units will be nice, especially with the grocery store being 45min away!