- Joined
- Apr 6, 2004
- Messages
- 24,317
- Tractor
- Cat D3, Deere 110 TLB, Kubota BX23 and L3800 and RTV900 with restored 1948 Deere M, 1949 Farmall Cub, 1953 Ford Jubliee and 1957 Ford 740 Row Crop, Craftsman Mower, Deere 350C Dozer 50 assorted vehicles from 1905 to 2006
Dateline 10-27-19 @ 8 pm Pacific Time... Location: Bunker
It has been an interesting almost 24 hours since power went out at 11 pm yesterday.
Thankfully the Hospital still has Utility Power although across the street and as far as you can see it is dark... did have a steam issue unrelated but took about 3 hours to fix... was not supposed to go in today... I was actually on PTO!
I've got Mom's all wired with a transfer switch back when I bought my Honda EM 5000 25 years ago.
Never got a chance to use it so the transfer switch was all for naught.
Right now my EM 5000 is powering 7 neighborhood refrigerators!!! Who knew there were enough cords to cobble together to power the cuddle sack? I was at work and came home to it.
Pluses...
Nephew called to say the tree farm was ordered to evacuate and he moved my Jubilee and Row Crop tractors into the middle of the horse corals nothing near to burn but leaving in the old redwood barn would be a sure loss if fire jumps the creek... last I heard air support stopped the fire advance!
25 year old Honda doing great... after 16 hours with power out the 95 year old neighbor set it up...
Mom's old rotary dial landline phone is the only working phone on the street... almost everyone has Voice as part of their cable package and those that don't have cordless phones that are dead... so Bell Telephone got it right and Western Electric!
My oversize UPS is letting me use the computer and have internet.
I have DSL here at Moms on the landline and with the Modem on the UPS it works great... no one else has Internet. You know when you turn on your computer and see dozens of WiFi... nothing now.
The Verizon cell phone works... some other carriers not... it also can be a personal hot spot... so far so good.
Those magnetic base LED pocket flashlights are fantastic... picked up a few extras and Harbor Freight for $7.95... gave several away and with the mag they stick to the refrigerator top... I have Coleman and LED lanterns and the Costco LED is also fantastic... that is why I bought it.
Checked on all my elderly neighbors and they seem to be doing the best... been here done that before... they have candles, extra batteries... etc.
Weather is cool so no intense heat...
The not so good...
Being the only one with a generator in a small residential neighborhood means my generator has become the neighborhood generator.
One neighbor paid a lot today for a 6500 Briggs Genset... it is gobbling fuel and incredibly loud... almost like torture as it drones on... maybe there will be a new California law on sound pollution?
Alzheimer's and Power Outages don't go well together... I've said it hundreds of times why the lights, stove, oven, etc... are not working but it doesn't register... the Lanterns and LED flashlights in Mom's room are missing in action... not going to look now.
My contractor extension cord has LED indicator which is great... just got to find a way to keep Mom from unplugging it... she sees the glow and says it is going to start a fire... what are you going to do.
Lots of things closed everywhere... kind of a vast no man's land.
The wind gusts topped 80 mph and trees, huge limbs etc... litter the roads... but thankfully no fire. I did loose a section of fence and several patio panels...
The front lawn is full of charred cinders and ash... the nearest fire is about 12+ miles away as the crow flies.
What I worry about is Criminal Activity... in the past Generators have been stolen and homes broken in...
I have the Honda chained down with double padlocks in the side yard...
As long as people continue to behave civilly... it will all work out... if not... all H*ll will break loose.
It has been an interesting almost 24 hours since power went out at 11 pm yesterday.
Thankfully the Hospital still has Utility Power although across the street and as far as you can see it is dark... did have a steam issue unrelated but took about 3 hours to fix... was not supposed to go in today... I was actually on PTO!
I've got Mom's all wired with a transfer switch back when I bought my Honda EM 5000 25 years ago.
Never got a chance to use it so the transfer switch was all for naught.
Right now my EM 5000 is powering 7 neighborhood refrigerators!!! Who knew there were enough cords to cobble together to power the cuddle sack? I was at work and came home to it.
Pluses...
Nephew called to say the tree farm was ordered to evacuate and he moved my Jubilee and Row Crop tractors into the middle of the horse corals nothing near to burn but leaving in the old redwood barn would be a sure loss if fire jumps the creek... last I heard air support stopped the fire advance!
25 year old Honda doing great... after 16 hours with power out the 95 year old neighbor set it up...
Mom's old rotary dial landline phone is the only working phone on the street... almost everyone has Voice as part of their cable package and those that don't have cordless phones that are dead... so Bell Telephone got it right and Western Electric!
My oversize UPS is letting me use the computer and have internet.
I have DSL here at Moms on the landline and with the Modem on the UPS it works great... no one else has Internet. You know when you turn on your computer and see dozens of WiFi... nothing now.
The Verizon cell phone works... some other carriers not... it also can be a personal hot spot... so far so good.
Those magnetic base LED pocket flashlights are fantastic... picked up a few extras and Harbor Freight for $7.95... gave several away and with the mag they stick to the refrigerator top... I have Coleman and LED lanterns and the Costco LED is also fantastic... that is why I bought it.
Checked on all my elderly neighbors and they seem to be doing the best... been here done that before... they have candles, extra batteries... etc.
Weather is cool so no intense heat...
The not so good...
Being the only one with a generator in a small residential neighborhood means my generator has become the neighborhood generator.
One neighbor paid a lot today for a 6500 Briggs Genset... it is gobbling fuel and incredibly loud... almost like torture as it drones on... maybe there will be a new California law on sound pollution?
Alzheimer's and Power Outages don't go well together... I've said it hundreds of times why the lights, stove, oven, etc... are not working but it doesn't register... the Lanterns and LED flashlights in Mom's room are missing in action... not going to look now.
My contractor extension cord has LED indicator which is great... just got to find a way to keep Mom from unplugging it... she sees the glow and says it is going to start a fire... what are you going to do.
Lots of things closed everywhere... kind of a vast no man's land.
The wind gusts topped 80 mph and trees, huge limbs etc... litter the roads... but thankfully no fire. I did loose a section of fence and several patio panels...
The front lawn is full of charred cinders and ash... the nearest fire is about 12+ miles away as the crow flies.
What I worry about is Criminal Activity... in the past Generators have been stolen and homes broken in...
I have the Honda chained down with double padlocks in the side yard...
As long as people continue to behave civilly... it will all work out... if not... all H*ll will break loose.
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