sipping propane

SIPPING PROPANE
Well, I can tell from yesterday’s lack of comments that no one seems to be too concerned about ten friggin percent oil production decline. Oh, not to worry, the illuminati conspiracy will simply uncap millions of top secret oil wells buried under the polar ice and flood the market after the price goes over a hundred bucks a barrel. Not. Listen up, people. There is no giant secret plan to rape us over the price of oil. That is chump change ( the government gets more in taxes on gasoline than Chevron gets on finding/drilling/delivering the stuff ). The big money is creating currency out of thin air and charging interest on it. And that has already been done until it killed the economy ( yes, lack of energy ultimately is responsible, but the derivatives market imploding would have gotten us anyway ). Thinking that the powers that be control secret untapped oil is just another form of wishful thinking, trying to deny that we are in for a serious die off. Fine. Believe what you wish. I tried, using hard facts. You want to believe that the Easter Bunny of Saudi Arabia will come along at the last minute to save your mortgage, SUV and college education in liberal arts. Have fun with that. In the mean time, the one or two loyal minions that are silly enough to panic along with me might want to see my propane use figures for last year. I can’t remember if I’ve already covered this, but it’s what you get.
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Northern Nevada ain’t some crap hole like Montana or Michigan ( winter cold wise, anyway ). But it is cold enough for me. Keep in mind that there are two separate Nevada’s. Both politically and weather wise. Las Vegas in the south is low desert, hotter than hell ( literally ) in the summer. It is also more violent and liberal than Hades. Picture it as another L.A., with hotter and drier summers. The rest of Nevada is part of the Great Basin, much higher in elevation. It is cold in the winter, and not really hot in the summer, usually no more than 90 ( 95 is as hot as it gets on average, 100 is a heat wave ). The great thing about the Great Basin is the lack of people. Subtract Salt Lake City on the eastern edge, and take away Carson City and Reno on the western edge ( all living off mountain snow run off ), and you have almost no population at all over a huge chunk of land. Perfect for taking over and holding after the apocalypse. If you are interested in buying a commission in my future army, feel free to contact me. Winter weather is usually a low in the teens. When lucky, it is a low in the twenties. Worse than that, the cold weather starts immediately in the Fall and only slowly retreats after the start of Spring.
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As I keep bragging about, I get plenty of heat from solar exposure. No, it isn’t an elaborate or expensive add on to the trailer, just the correct exposure. It can be in the 30’s or 40’s outside, and as long as the sun is out and we stay bundled up inside, there is no need to turn on the heater. The norm is to wear two sweaters and two pairs of socks and a beanie during the winter. And that is before we get dressed to go outside. After that, when we get cold, then it is time to turn on the heater. Taking a shower is usual a thrill, let me tell you. And, no heat at night. That is what wool blankets and comforters are for. They only cost you once, not every night. Yes, there is a little discomfort involved. Get over yourself, King Shit. You might think you deserve to wake up to an eighty degree house, but that won’t last long into the future.
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Anyway, a quick run down on propane use from last year. We stay a little cold in the morning ( hey, you are already drinking coffee, you might as well use it to stay warm ) and then in the late morning, if it isn’t going to warm up because of clouds or it is abnormally cold outside, the heater gets turned on. Otherwise, if the sun is out, we can wait until early afternoon. Sometimes we don’t have to turn the heat on until the sun goes down. The first week of last December, we used the following hours of propane. Day one, 4 hours. Then 4,3,2,5,4,5. By the end of the month it was in the 7 and 9 hour per day range. Mr. Buddy heater uses a gallon of propane every twelve hours on low. We used an average of two hours a day in the fall and six hours a day during the winter. $1.25 a day on average in the winter in propane cost, filling up the five gallon tank every ten days on average.
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A bit uncomfortable at times, but whether you are frugal or if there are future gas shortages ( listen to me, IF…I’m too funny ), a little insulation, a little discomfort, a few extra blankets and good southern exposure will help you stretch out your propane supply. Half a gallon a day might be all you can afford in the future.
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