Are You a Person Who Plans?

3 concerns that need immediate attention

Stuff happens: Mount St. Helens four decades after it erupted.

I’m binge-watching “Yellowstone” and have fallen in love with “1883,” the series’ origin story. Near the end, a tribal leader told the family patriarch, James Dutton, about a beautiful valley with plenty of water, ample timber, and good hunting. The winters were brutal, he cautioned, but with good planning, they were survivable. “You strike me as a man who plans,” he said.

Contingency plans are vital for successful country living. Things go wrong, power goes out, and, in local disasters, establishing services to the cities and towns typically takes priority to helping those further out of town.

If you plan ahead…if you envision what can go wrong and what is likely to go wrong… and plan for those events before they happen, you can thrive.

Are YOU a person who plans?

Electricity - Power Outages

Maine, with nearly 4 events per year, has more power outages than any other U.S. state. Downtimes in Florida, however, last the longest, averaging about 14 hours per event when major events (hurricanes) are factored in. For routine outages, about two hours downtime per outage is normal, nationwide. (Power outages by state.) But, when you’re at the end of the county road, downtime is more frequent and longer than outages closer to town, simply because there’s more to go wrong.

A couple hours in candle-light doesn’t seem bad, unless your kids are crunching out a term paper, you’re working on a report for work, or dinner is only half-cooked when the power goes out.

To minimize your time in the dark, buy an electric generator that at least can power your essential services, such as your well pump, refrigerator, and stove. One that can also handle lights and a TV simultaneously is even better. This Old House has an excellent how-to-guide for choosing the right generator for your needs.

If you build or remodel your house, be sure to add an external, dual voltage power inlet box so you can run the generator conveniently outside. This feeds power directly into the circuit breaker box. (That’s where the fuses are). You’ll need a permit, and the work must be done by a licensed electrician who also will install an electrical disconnect switch that manually disconnects all power in the house from the electrical grid before allowing the generator to power the house. This ensures you don’t accidently run power into the electrical lines as linemen are repairing the lines during a power outage. (Working on live lines can kill people.)

Accessibility - Downed Trees

If a tree falls across your driveway, how will you get off your property? When western Washington’s notorious storm of ’07 left my county without power for a week (and parts of the Olympic Peninsula powerless for much longer), neighbors chainsawed their way down the county road, cutting their way through whole trees and branches that blocked miles of road…after first cutting their way out of their own properties.

Because the families living along our road took the work upon themselves, one elderly neighbor was able to get the emergency insulin he desperately needed, a nurse was able to reach the hospital where she worked, and the rest of us were able to drive somewhere with cell phone reception to get messages to family and business contacts.

If neighbors hadn’t done the work, the county eventually would have cleared the road. The key word is “eventually.” And, anyway, our driveways were our problem.

Therefore, if you’re ready to embrace country living, buy a chainsaw and become comfortable using it. DR, an equipment manufacturer, lists several factors to consider when selecting chainsaws.

Personally, my hubby and I (yes, I can use a small chainsaw with relative confidence… if I have to) prefer gas-powered models. They have more torque than electric models and work well over multiple cuts, a capability you’ll need if lots of trees come down. Also, if the power is out, charging an electric chainsaw can be a problem.

Electric chainsaws are, however, an option for cutting small trees and branches. They’re lighter, cleaner, and quieter than gas-powered models, and many people prefer them for occasional yard-work.

Unless you need to cut large logs, a small 14-inch chainsaw may be sufficient. They’re lighter, quieter, and easier to handle than the larger models, and that makes them easier to learn to use.

Only use non-ethanol fuel in your chainsaw. Ethanol damages plastics and seals, absorbs more moisture, and separates (making the fuel goes bad sooner). Although many small engines can run on ethanol-augmented gasoline, their manufacturers don’t recommend it.

Buy proper hearing and eye protection, along with chainsaw chaps, and ALWAYS wear them, along with sturdy boots.

Mobility

When I lived in the suburbs, some people had a commuter car and a family car. For country living – especially if you have large acreage or lots of handyman projects – you might want a family car for routine use and a truck or van for hauling things.

When my husband and I first met, he drove his beloved Alpha Romeo everywhere. Then, when he moved to a historic home in Pennsylvania that needed major renovations, he bought a used Jeep for its hauling capacity. (He would tell you it was mainly to pull the horse and horse trailer he bought shortly after moving. That’s true, but it also hauled its share of building supplies.)

The horse and Jeep are long gone now, but the  strategy of having a farm vehicle and a town car survived. And, if one vehicle fails for whatever reason, we have a backup.

Anywhere you live, but especially, where the asphalt ends, be a person who plans.