Every once in awhile it's nice to disconnect again. Sometimes it's not a planned disconnection for me but I welcome it now with open arms. A couple of nights ago, while listening to the CBC on a very cold winters evening, my power unexpectedly shut down. The winter tends to be the leanest time of year for power generation here, as we have limited sun which is my largest percentage of generation. The cold also plays havoc on my crude little power system. Batteries don't like the cold too much, and while mine are sitting at the top of a hill in a Rubbermaid box that is stuffed with insulation, this is not a recommended way to live a life off the grid. The issue is that when I started this project, I started with very little money and little knowledge on what I was doing. As time rolled on, so did my knowledge of what worked and what I was doing wrong. Normally, a hybrid power system consists of photovoltaic panels, wind generator and a back up gas generator. This is what my little systems consists of now. I found in winters past that when my batteries became too low from overuse, I would fire up the gas generator and run it for 12 or so hours to fully recharge the batteries. This keeps them fresh and prolongs their live as you're not over discharging them. Well, with a financially lean winter this year, I was faced to decide if I wanted to put gas in my generator so I could watch television and play on Facebook, or buy some extra groceries to see me through till my next gig. Inevitably, I spent too much time on the computer and wasted too much time watching television causing my precious power reserves to become depleted and not leaving me with enough to even run the fan for my composting toilet. Rather than getting bent out of shape at this, I decided to embrace it and take the opportunity for self reflection, reading, and I even started the odd craft. I found myself freed from the connection I have to the little bit of power I use. I was reading by candlelight and spent a great deal of the evening just listening. This is what the original yurt experience was for me, this is what I somehow wanted again. Every now and then I encourage you to try the same, go into your basement and flick the breaker and choose to "disconnect" with your family. It may just be the best evening you've spent with them in a while.

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