As Pink Floyd Sang- "Welcome To Machine"

Fuel needed, for our generator is apx. 1 gallon of gas, for about 4-5 hrs. worth of electricity. Not a bad trade off considering without one, we'd have no running water, hot or cold, no lights, & no refrigeration. This is not a carefree system. Every other day, my husband & I need to be sure we are stocked with fuel, in order to make this bit of equipment run, & to be certain this man made machine doesn't self destruct; my husband is diligent about checking the oil on a regular basis, of which he has changed it once already. We have been living out here, in these here hills since '84 , & are on our second generator, due to it's high useage, & the terrible power company coverage that this region is known for.

Aside from the loudness of the machine, I really have no complaints, as the weather is still comfortable, & physically my husband & I are able to manage this inconvenience, though in all actuality he's the one doing all of the work, & me, well, we together, are the home team!

When we were hit with Hurricane Gloria some 25+ years ago, we were without power for 8 days, & had no source of heating our home except for a wood stove, as back then it was in October, with those cold, damp, mornings & nights. We were expecting our son Mike then, who was due in January, so you could just image how uncomfortable I must have been. Our neighbor who was also out of power worked at the nearby community college, & shared the information with me that our tax payer dollars had a hot shower on the ready in the college's ladies room, of which I so eagerly took advantage of several times, as 8 cold damp days, of no running water was indeed a long haul, in any condition, pregnant or not!

We're into day 4 now, some say that this storm has thrown us off the grid worse than Gloria, I certainly hope not, but only time will tell if we reach #8 for Irene. Now if we only had a bit of solar power here, at least it would provide us with the hot water. Maybe someday, if it can be made affordable, only time will tell.

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