It's Electric!

 

My morning was spent worrying about electricity.  And my afternoon was spent frolicking around the power lines that connect directly to the Canadian grid.  I've been worrying not only about the drop in the stock market that is to provide our income starting this summer, but also how our bills would go up with a 25% tariff on electricity from Canada.  Our life in Western New York is integrated with Canada in so many ways -- and power is one of them.  We buy our power from a community solar farm in New York State, but our power travels over a grid that is fully integrated with Canada. At one point, there was a threat that the power into the US would be shut off, which perplexed me. I have been all around the lines that go in and out of the country and have found nothing that would look to me like a way that could be easily cut off.  As for entertaining the idea of permanently severing the grid, it would be so expensive because the lines are so built up.  Messing with that system would be disastrous. But that is what our unintelligent President and his party want.

 

Frankie and I ran the powerlines today.  The utility right of way is a great area for off-leash field training.  This set of lines is at one end of the line I drew in the Google Earth shot above. We are eight miles from Canada.  The network is extensive.  I can't see how it could be reconfigured.  And in addition to the utility of it all, the power system on both sides of the border is amazing and awesome in so many ways.  Seeing how hydropower is generated through the great force of Niagara Falls is really something to experience.  If you ever find yourself on the Canadian side of the river and around the falls, be sure to drive along the river and stop to look at the power generating stations that were built in the late 1800 and early 1900's. Amazing architecture.  Tesla was not a nasty name back then.  Nicola Tesla built the first hydroelectric plant under the falls and Buffalo, NY was the first city in the world to be lit by electric power, earning the name "The City of Light."

Today I walked around the house and unplugged everything I could. I hadn't been too worried about "vampire" energy drain. But with a looming price increase, maybe that needed to change.

 

Our blinds and drapes are normally kept closed. This is mostly done for privacy, but also because we have a dog who must announce or react to anything that occurs outside. If she is home alone, we leave one of the blinds open for her in the living room, for entertainment purposes.  We never thought twice about turning on the lights during the day.  But that was one place where we could cut back on power. So I went around the house opening curtains today.

The glare from the window in the bathroom made it embarrassingly obvious that I need to wipe down the wall!

I also put away the new white dinner plates from yesterday's thrift adventure.  It may make sense for me to store the surplus somewhere else and take them out when needed. Or I can switch the new ones in and take out any that are chipped (and there are a few).  While I was putting the dishes away, I heard the news that the utility tariffs had been called off, as had the threat to cut electricity from Canada off all together. So we have a reprieve. My guess is this will be a rollercoaster on and off type of thing for the next four years.  And I can tell you my nerves can't take it!

 

This is what I wore to take Frankie out.  The fishing vest is a lightweight, pocket plentiful piece of outerwear. I kept with the outdoorsy look by wearing a hunting camouflage t-shirt.  It's not easy to tell, but the leggins are a jeans pattern (Hanes, bought on sale along with a store coupon and manufacture's coupon, on clearance, at Walgreens).  The denim shirt was one of my 99 cent finds. IMO, if you find a thrifted denim shirt for a buck, buy it. No matter how many you already have. They are a wardrobe staple you can never have enough of. I purchased the Jambu duck boots at Gabe's for 19 bucks because I needed footwear before a hunting event.  They do get worn a lot.

I ordered a pack of 24 iron-on flag patches. They will be affixed upside down! And we had a Mexican inspired dinner -- tofu chili! It wasn't completely vegetarian because I added one strip of bacon for flavor.  But it had roman and pinto beans, edamame, corn, diced tomato, carrots, celery, onion, peppers, and homemade veggie stock (from Sunday). I topped it with Flashfood 5 layer dip, cheese, shredded cabbage, sour cream, and corn chips.  Where would I be without Mexico or Canada?

Have you been an unwilling rider of the tariff rollercoaster?