PRACTICAL IDEAS AND APPLICATIONS FOR COUNTRY LIVING (C)92 R. SHANNON

    Malo, WA. (Spring 1992) ***

  Today, as I went out into the cold morning to see if the late
spring veggies survived our latest cold blast, I was thinking of how
fortunate we are to have this place. There are so few left. So many
traditional homes with 1/10 acre cost over 100 grand. We still live in
the early post depression with our acreage costing 200 per month. This
comes with the expense of -35 in the winter, with 4 wheel drive
vehicles a necessity to climb the 2 1/2 miles and 1800 feet up a gravel
county road. Some say that no electricity means no grid. We do not
miss the grid.

  With all of the nuclear plant closures, a large amount of used
solar panels have become available at reasonable cost. Many N plants
used solar for external power generation. We purchased 2 used Arco M51
panels for $150 each and hooked them into our two "quasi deep cycle"
batteries. I say quasi because these modified car batteries, made for
RV and marine use, are not really made for long term deep cycle, nor
will they handle the rugged, non maintained conditions such as gel
cells. Today we have two 100 amp hour gel cell batteries. They will
deep cycle 4000 times, operate at 95% efficiency in freezing weather,
operate upside down, store at complete discharge for a year without
harm and are reasonable in cost providing you pick them up yourself
rather than have them delivered at quite a cost.

     Here are the real trade offs. Are you hooked into fast food,
supermarkets, theaters, mass transit and traffic, cable TV, delivered
bottle  water, hours of meaningless socializing, college courses
with no job offers.......?

     Here we have organized sub culture barter fairs, healing
gatherings, solar workshops, food cooperatives, networking, low
profile  building and planning (they get smaller!), continuous music
jams, allowable tipis, outhouses 'o plenty, good neighbors,good food 
and clean air.

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