Chances are No One is Coming to Save You.

I'm amazed at the number of people around here who wait for the government to do something for them.  It's usually people who aren't actually from around here.  Yeah, I'm not originally from around here but I fit right in with the locals.  You know, self-sufficient people.

This morning a gal from Minnesota was complaining that her road was only plowed until the blacktop ended.  Around here, that means the dirt part is probably not a county-maintained road and it's up to the residents to take care of it.  Someone on her road probably should've already thought of getting it plowed by a private entity.  If she's the only one on the road after the blacktop ends, that someone is her.  

In other news, the neighbor's well guy came out and looked everything over.  The diagnosis?  The pipes are roached.  So when it thaws, there will be water everywhere but in his home.  Years ago, the same well froze and Hubs helped them thaw it out, using a space heater.  It was assumed they would do something to stop the well from freezing again.  Umm... nope.  Here we are again and this time it's so much worse.  Blerg.

In other other news, Texas is also roached.  Poor planning combined with leaning toward 'green energy'... but I repeat myself... is to blame.  The poor planning part reminded me of a time when Hubs was pushing for the city he managed to buy more wells, but he got blowback because the wells they currently had were sufficient for all the residents to have water.  Forget the chance the city might actually grow or anything.  Forget the chance that one of the wells might go bad or have a problem or anything.  He eventually won and they bought two more wells, which, if I remember right, was good because one of the old wells had a problem not long after.  Stuff happens.  It's better to be prepared than to get caught with your pants down around your ankles.

This is why we have R-30 insulation in the house now.  When we got here, it was like R-5.  That first winter here was freak-nasty cold like this, so that spring we re-insulated.  We didn't actually need that much insulation again until this cold snap, but we're damn glad we have it now.  We're also damn glad Hubs re-plumbed the place with PEX rather than PVC.  The one thing we didn't do that we should've done was put in a wood-burning stove.  You know, in case we lose power in a cold snap like this.  Thankfully, we never lost power, but it could've been bad.  The stove is on the list of things to do ASAP.

Self-sufficiency, people.  Oh, you might have nice neighbors.  One of our other neighbors told us that if we lost power, we were welcome at their house because they have a generator and a wood stove.  (Generator... on the list, too.)  But not everyone is as nice as that.  Be prepared. Chances are when the shit hits the fan, no one is coming to save you.  

Self-Sufficiency and, Oh Yeah, a Sale

Before I get started with the real post, here's the opening salvo for the Accidental Death sale.  Someone in the UK bought a copy before I even got started, so that's a good thing.

 

"

Nothing exciting ever happens in Serenity, CO. Especially not murder...

Starting today, Accidental Death is on sale for only 99c/99p. (Always free on Kindle Unlimited.)

US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XM6VJ9U

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Accidental-Death-Dennis-Haggarty-Mystery-ebook/dp/B00XM6VJ9U"

 

Now, on to the actual post of the day...

 

I'm a big fan of self-reliance.  Whenever possible, I put my little thinking cap on and figure out how to do things with a minimum of fuss and expenditure.   

Take that picture up there.  Did it myself.  Oh, if you blow it up and really look, it's not perfect, but it works.  Made the cover of the book, too.  I like it.  

This weekend, I used some old insect repellent to drive away a rat.  Then I went out and got the stuff  in the insect repellent and made my own rat repellent.  Fingers crossed it works.  I haven't checked yet this morning.  That was not exactly cheap, but probably cheaper than paying someone to come out and trap the little bugger.  

The way our house is laid out, the morning sun comes through the sun porch window, through our office window, and smacks Hubs right in the face.  I thought and thought about that one, and tried some things that were lame and didn't work.  Then I got the idea to use a piece of black felt cloth I'd picked up years ago for another project, hang in from the plastic shelving unit and slide the unit in front of the sun room window.  Tada.  When the sun goes past a certain point, slide the shelving back.  Easy peasy.

Years ago, I sliced my finger open.  Probably could've used stitches, but it was Easter Sunday and who wants to face an ER bill?  Cleaned it up, put some bandaging on it, and then used to two popsicle sticks to keep my finger in place so the wound wouldn't keep popping open.  Barely have a scar now.

Hubs is the same way.  The bracket holding my muffler on rusted through and snapped, leaving my muffler hanging there with no support other than the pipe itself.  He took some wire and gerryrigged a fix.  That's held up for about three years now.  Then, when the grill had a rust problem, he found a way to fix that, too, using a couple metal brackets.  Good as new... well, almost.  It works, and that's the important thing.  Hell, after we moved here, Hubs taught himself everything about how to re-plumb a house and then did it.  Why pay a plumber, right?

Where there's a will there's a way.  

Self-sufficiency.

Sometimes, it would be easier to just pay someone else to do stuff.  Sometimes, it's necessary.  Like with anything electrical.  Neither of us wants to have anything to do with that, so we call our electrician.  He's reasonable and he's got loads of experience not electrocuting himself.  I also am willing to pay people to do covers I don't think I can pull of by myself.  And, of course, I pay an editor because I can't see everything that needs to be fixed in my own work.

But, still, I do whatever I can whenever I can do it.  

How about you?  Are you likely to do things yourself or find someone else to do it?