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 (@generikat you can relate!) ate the electric cable connecting our solar panels to the battery. Our stove broke and we had to come up with a fast Plan B for cooking - many of you have enjoyed our delicious Pizza Oven meals. Then a month ago our inverter retired with all the fanfare of a new years firework party.
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!
Ons kyk maar Noord.... Onward and upward 😀
True north!!!
Now I somewhat understand the situation and the fact that it has improved and I am glad about that.
And now I read that you have not been well. Rest and enjoy your wife's care. I'm sure you will be better and not sick again until the next blue moon ;)
Very nice! ...the next blue moon. Looks like you're right, thank you very much.
I wish you and your family a pleasant end of the year and a better new year.
Happy New Year!
Sending you all of the 'energy' that you need to get through this.
Keep us posted. I love your pictures and personal stories.
Big hug!
Thank you!!
It needs courage for the life you have chosen, it's not for everyone, but it is a rewarding life, you can't get bored for sure :)
Really glad that things are getting better!
Definitely no boredom @traisto. No two days are the same
Yay!!! I was hoping to see THIS post much sooner and was actually getting a little bit worried. But now you are back for real, with POWER. What a relief to hear after all the bad luck you have had.
Here's to a much better 2022 - Happy New Year, @buckaroobaby!
Thank you @oceanbee. It's nice to be missed ;) Don't know how I'll catch up with everyone unless I just scrap the lost weeks and carry on.
That is probably the best thing to do 😄
Ha! What a wonderful gift! God bless your wonderful family! ❤️
Only now do I catch your comment Denise. Still trying to get on top of being offline (except for wangling a plan which would've made an electricians teeth curl!) It was an incredible gift. Without which I don't know where we would be....and on THAT note....
The gift I just saw you gave. Truly. I am speechless. I don't understand why. Or how my thank you would express how blown away I am. I showed my husband. He asked me what I will do. I said to him "I can't even give Denise a hug! I can't give her a batch of goatie soap or cheese" He said that possibly that is the true beauty of a gift. It doesn't need reciprocation. It is a priceless gift of love from the heart of the giver not expecting anything in response. But we are truly grateful. I cannot express to you how much. The first thing I will buy is a box of tissues because my eyes are leaking
Because I can. Because having a little bit extra when you need it will make a difference. Yes, exactly this: The true beauty is it doesn't need reciprocation. I am so glad you recieved it in the manner it was given. I know your heart and its turly beautiful. Have a wonderful night. ❤️
Thank you Denise ❤
It is a true pleasure. ❤
Wow @buckaroobaby you’ve been through so much! What a beautiful way to end your post, “Here’s to a Son lit future.” And that sweet dog warmly lit. Mmmm... ♥️
It is part of the refining fire @alexanderfarm. Everything that is worth anything has to be tried and tested, pressed and stressed. Pressing olives to make oil. Grapes to get wine. Rough diamond for perfect jewels. His People to bring glory to His set-apart Name
Hey @buckaroobaby ... Asking down here in the hope it's not too intrusive. Minismallholding said you'd muted her and is worried it wasn't accidental? She's a bit concerned and worries she's done something to offend you? I said I'd ask - I hope you are okay and it was an error? 💖💖💖💖
Oh my WORD @riverflows!!! Is that what happened. Sorry @minismallholding! No wonder I don't see her posts in my feed. This is so frustrating but kind of answers questions. I keep seeing she commented but when I go to read - it has vanished! It must be a hive glitch ..... rather a glitch in the matrix. It happened to me last year with @dswigle. She had to contact my brother to find out if she had offended me. It takes a lot to offend me. Really. What would cause a self mute? At first I thought maybe one of my kids was messing around on the laptop. Now I really don't understand it
That is frustrating! I can remember how I wondered what I did, but, I have had the same thing happen to me. I wonder how many others this has happened to?
That's partially why I tagged you Denise. What would cause this? I guess most would just assume they had caused offense and move on but you and @minismallholding did something about it. I'm just concerned this happens again. Or has and I don't know it
Did you look through your mute to see if it was in fact muted? I found that the buttons on the cell phones are so easy to press. That's one of the first things that I do. I can't tell you how many people unfollow each other because the button is so close. On another note, I have found that there are many glitches when I'm using one front end over the other. When I'm having little glitchy things happen like uploading and such I just swap to another front end and many times this fixes it. Your times when everybody has a rep 25. Tiny little things. But there's plenty of glitches.
Except that I don't use my phone for Hive. Only my laptop is set up for Hive. And these days with both my businesses closing I pretty much only use my laptop for Hive. It's just wierd. No obvious explanation
Sounds like more of a glitch then. It certainly is strange though.
There @minismallholdimg. Phew!! 💖💖💖💖💖 It's always horrible when it happens but it was nothing you did or said, so rest easy!! Xx
Wondering if there's a way to check if you've muted someone yourself, now. It took me a while to find out who muted me. I've got a couple of others muting me, but I don't know who they are.
How do you even see that someone muted you? Was it because I wasn't answering you? I didn't check if you were muted I just couldn't understand how your comments popped up but were missing when I tried to read them
Someone commented that my comment was hidden on your post, so I thought that's what may have happened, but wasn't sure. Then livinguktaiwan sent me this link where you can check if someone has muted you: https://www.cutehive.com/muted.php
Now I'm going to pop over and check it out. Seems wierd that you would want to mute people - unless they are real wackos!
There was someone who had too much going on in their feed, but didn't want to be rude and unfollow people, so they thought muting would be like Facebook, where they could still visit the page when they chose, but it wouldn't come up in their feed. 😆