So long candles ... So long solar glitches. So long cash ... Does this mean I'm back on Hive? Kind of ... mostly ... sort of ...
Some of you know our homesteading year has been fraught with challenges and engraved with sorrow. Constant Solar challenges. Bizarre diseases in the gardens and plagues of bugs around the homestead. Sadness at saying goodbye to two beloved pets who have been an integral part of our homestead. My beautiful Emma goat died a couple months after my special Great Dane. Both have worked by my side in nearly a decade here. Now their places are irreplaceably empty.
To kick start this year a hail storm destroyed two of our three solar geysers. The cows (
My ingenious Husband has come up with alternative solutions for hot water and lighting our house at night. But the expired solar inverter was a huge blow.
It is not a simple or cheap problem to solve. I thought I was kissing Hive goodbye while we relied on smoke signals and candlelit nights.
Going back to Eskom for power is simply not an option. Looking across our fields is rather amusing for me. On the road is one of the Eskom power lines servicing the entire valley, while across the fields stand our solar panels. We had access to neither for a few weeks.
Then, miraculously, a family member bought a replacement inverter. This is no small gift. All the wonderful rain has kept the homestead wet and rain tanks full - but now we can pump water again. And we are back online!
Off-grid living is far more challenging than one would think. Living without modern amenities is not for the faint hearted. When there are problems with your self-sufficient systems, coming up with alternatives to supply basic essentials can be nerve wracking. Especially on already depleted funds. However the miracles and blessing far surpass the struggles. Even the losses are endurable considering the beauty of the love of each special animal. So long struggles! You are bearable because of Hope. Here's to a Son lit future!