Spent the first part of the morning sweating about money. I've got a few things going on, and they all require it, and I ain't got none.
Looking at my shopping list for regular consumables (food, gasoline, propane, telephone time, ISP) I need to spend about $130 minimum, $80 of it this weekend, and my total cash worth was $66.
Then the next step in the electrical upgrade - I learned today that my new charge controller would cost $175 with shipping, for which I have a grand total saved of $100. I also need to spend a bunch of money on roofing, wire and conduit for the new power shed, and couldn't even afford a box of frickin' nails to finish the framing.
The more I pored over this news, the worse it became. It was kind of distressing.
Then - things worked out. I scored another paying gig for week after next, and that one pays pretty promptly. That should take care of the charge controller. Plus I cut a deal with the guy, who's an Ebay maven, to just go ahead and buy the controller once I've got enough on account with him, so I don't have to worry about delivery time and details.
Then M and I went into town this morning to do a landfill and grocery run which was on its way to tapping me out. But M spotted this guy with a semi trailer who was buying recyclables. I had those four big old AGM batteries and he had a couple of old swamp coolers, so it was worth a trip back to town. That put another $50 in my pocket, which is enough for propane and maybe some gasoline.
I scrounged some really good heavy-gauge cable and conduit, so all I need to complete the power shed is fasteners and roofing and I have enough money in my pocket for fasteners (In the entire little town nearest where I live, there is nobody who sells nails. Nobody. So I really need to plan ahead.)
Still dunno what I'm going to do about roofing, but it'll work out. Because if you keep your eyes open to possibilities, things have a way of doing that. It's a weird life sometimes, but not a bad one.
Sunday, Nov. 17, News and Commentary
9 hours ago
3 comments:
It's a shame there's a distance between us. I've still got 6 sheets of 1/4" masonite that I couldn't manage to give away on Freecycle a couple years ago! Now I'll be the first to admit that masonite as a structural material lies somewhere between cardboard and particle board - but with enough paint or linseed oil it'd probably last several years as a vertical siding!
I still have the 1/2" (uninsulated) steel cables I couldn't give away either. They'd be great it you had to corral a bison! Might be just about time to bring those by a recycler.
A companion once pointed out to me while I was bitching about finances that despite all my regular concerns - things tended to fall into place as the due time arrived. She was right then - and the same POV tends to hold out - for the most part - the many years since that was first pointed that out to me.
Country folk will survive - til they don't anymore... (rinse, lather, repeat)
No wonder everything I try to wash don't come out right!
And it's wonderful to have good neighbors. Last fall I got a load of firewood. It was delivered, but not stacked, just sort of pushed off the truck. Ok, I can take care of that if I work slow.
Then I discovered that most of the pieces were too big for my stove. Most of them were a LOT too big. That I couldn't fix. Just not enough strength to use a hand saw on each one.
A neighbor visited and offered to stack the wood. When I told him it was too big for my stove, he and his son spent a while cutting it all up into nice useful chunks, and then stacking it.
God bless them. Country neighbors are the best. :)
Post a Comment