The little Swift gets amazing gas mileage for which I am grateful but even so the costs to fill it are rising up and its fall which means that its time do a full rotation on the winter storage gas in case of power loss due to winter storms, high winds and ice storms.. The longest we have been without power is 5 days but the farm was without power for 3 weeks during the ice storm. we are on a very small grid, less then 300 on our loop.. and while I will give credit that most of the time they get the power back within 48 hours.. anytime there is something that hits bigger/wider.. our little grid is most certainly not considered among the “lets get that one done now list”
A “facebook” friendish in a local group was taking about price of gas as the group was talking about that it could reach 2 dollars a liter or for my USA Friends that would be 4.5 liters per gallon so that would be 9 dollars a gallon.. currently locally I am paying 1.50 a liter or 6.50 a gallon. What is gas prices at your local area currently?
Gas mileage certainly was a factor when we were looking for our coming vehicle and we had indepth talks about eletric vs hybrid vs gas.. its far more tricky then you would think.. Maybe you live in a place that has good power rates but we do not.. given the massive lack of charging stations, the only thing we could consider is hybrid.. and we did look at it but then we also looked at our planned trips, places we were hoping to go (all in canada) its a massive country and so much we have yet to see but its not developed yet for hybrid or battery.. its fine for the small city driving, its fine for the main highway if you are careful and plan well.. but once you get off the main highway. No, Nope..
Now trust me, while we are dreaming of packing up, loading the dogs and with planning for the farm and gardens/harvests and more, we are also aware that the world is in flux and that it might or might not come to pass..
Gas prices have a massive influence on many things, far more then meets the eye.. it effects layer after layer after layer.. and each layer adds just a bit more pressure and a bit more cost to goods. Goods that are already costing more for a number of reasons.. and will continue to rise at least for the next while..
I am watching as peaple that have for the past 19 months said again and again.. just a bit more and we will be back to normal.. o peaple.. back to normal.. i guess that for some its possable. However for most.. that before is gone..
Rising interest rates, Inflation, recession (lets hope) Depression, the unevenness of the global view means that we are in for a lot of coming hurt.. Even for those of us that have “step out sideways” on the system, who have made the choice to live on a different beat.. we have been harshly reminded that we still use the system.. Reminded by needing health care, reminded that we still use “go to the store and get X or Y”
I was a 80’s child in alberta and let me tell you with a pipelining father, it was a very rough time.. to say that we were poor at times is a soft way to say it.. and I will leave that there.. but even as young as I was I remember a number of stark things that happened.. I remember sitting and listening to the adults talk and I can honestly say that listening to peaple talk on the groups of current issues, I am seeing history repeat itself.. the same questions, the same worries, the same fears..
It was a long slow 10 year crawl up into the 90’s and for some they never recovered, for others they hit the sweet spots and thrived.. I expect that will be the case again.. I am honestly not going to worry about the 10 year plan, its there.. I think like so many, I will just in the here and now.. with a side eye on the winter and 2022..
I think a few of my closest friend are going to be giving me a rant or two over a coffee while they snarl at me.. you see we all had sit downs and real hard talks 10 weeks or so before the lock down, I took the time to book/drive/lay out what I felt was coming and how could we help each other, how can we prepare etc.. and I made it clear at that time that I felt that 2022 was going to be “Big BAD B$&#h” year that we need to get ready for.. I really had hoped I was going to be wrong.. I wanted to be wrong.. I wanted them to come back to me and say.. ha.. WRONG..
Sadly I do not think that they are going to get to tell me I was wrong.. I think point in fact that we will be sighing deeply and having heart to heart talks on the hardships, on the pressure being felt, on the modifications being made..
We will also see hope, We will listen to music, we will make music, we will sing, we will dance, we will dig fingers into wool, into soil, we will gather, we will see the things that went and are going right, we will see the light in peaple we care about, we will smile and laugh at the children enjoying simple pleasures, we will snuggle our cats, our dogs.. we will make and eat good food, we will hold some things in higher regards, We will share what we have and help each other in so many different ways..
In short despite it all there will be flowers in 2022.. do you know how I know this.. because we will plant them, tend them and stop and enjoy them.. There will be time made to stop and smell the roses..
Just another Day on the Farm 
Thanks VJ!
Good morning, friend. Gas prices in our area are around $3.30/gal but they’re predicting $5/gal soon. Diesel is closer to $4/gal. Unfortunately, all 3 drivers in our family drive full-sized V-8s so it’s going to sting. We picked up an older 4 cylinder Jeep for oldest yesterday (going to sell his V8) but I suspect it may become hubbys vehicle since he has to drive farther—Son and I only drive 12 miles round trip each day. The bigger struggle in this area is heating oil, propane, natural gas. My mom’s heating oil fill went up more than 30% over last winter.
o how I miss you on FB I respect your choice but I do miss you 🙂 I remember part of the reason’s why you choose the bigger trucks but yes, its going to sting.. that jeep will help on costs for oldest.. and yikes on momma’s heating costs.. PS, I edited your post so I could reply but not have your personal names in the post.
Yes the electric/hybrid vehicles…until they can come up with a way to make that feasible when you live in the north and everywhere you go is miles…no thanks. Then there’s the initial cost – that will never be in my budget.
Our vehicles are diesel, and while it’s creeping up, it’s still cheaper than gas. I can go about a thousand km on a tank. The draw for me though, is in a pinch, should the #%^* hit the fan, I can adapt it to run on fryer grease should I need to. Or kerosene…etc. We used to have a customer at a shop I worked at that ran his on recycled McDonald’s fryer oil. Only drawback – the shop always reeked of French fries when he was in.
I well remember the 80’s…we moved to BC in ‘77. But I clearly remember that friends of my mom and dads from Alberta, were literally walking into the bank and dropping their house keys on the counter and walking out. Not a good decade there.
You’re right of course, about this next few years going to be rough as well. The hits will keep coming. Supply chain issues continue to be an issue.
Hubby went to town yesterday to grab a box of 12” ardox nails. None to be had until he finally hit Rona, then only half a box. He bought it.
Keep on keeping on I guess.
I hear you on the price tag, there will need to be some heavy duty padding from the goverments in the terms of rebates to get folks to line up.. There is one on the floor in the states right now.. 12, 500 rebate but its got a catch.. its USA made only for certain percent from 20022 to 2026 and then after 2026, it has to be full made in the states.. and while they are talking and looking to canada for more rare minerials, we are not China and the costs will be higher to do a proper rare earth mineral mining here..
the 80’s were brutal, families ripped apart, business that closed up over night, houses just walked away from.. but that one is very tricky. now I do not know if its only in alberta and I will do some research into it as its worth its own post at some point, but I know that alberta passed new laws to stop jingle keys drop and go.. now even if you give the keys to the bank, you can not walk away like they did in the 80’s.. as long as you are working and income, they can and will come after you.. these new rules have lead to something very interesting happening in a lot of city’s Is that they are offically and unoffically splitting houses.. its not just “family combining” its two household combining.. Having said that, I expect there will be alot of peaple underwater on their homes that will hold out far longer then they should trying hard to not have to give up the other assets.. As for the next few years would it make sense to you if I said.. to many balls in the air.. so much being juggled.. and some things really could land in a better or worse way.. but for now.. yes.. get what we need and if possable grab a extra box and keep on keeping on..
Agreed agreed. I will be honest and say that as prepared as I am to weather the storm, as many things that I do not have to worry about, the fact that I don’t have a mortgage is the only reason I feel like I can breathe right now. I have a lot of concern for those that did the mortgage deferral at the beginning of the pandemic. I feel like there are a lot of people just hanging on by their fingernails. This winter will be very telling I think.
I am waiting to see if they extend the pandemic supports, otherwise all the personal and two of the business end this coming week.. One part of me says they can’t extend it again.. and they really can’t extend past Nov without writing it in a totally different way as they are hitting the end of “emerg use” and it needs to go to the floor in parlament.. it ends two days before they are going back so hard to do even for the current goverement.. but we will see.. I agree, I have family and friends that took every single deferral they could and took every dime they could in extra, and I about went cross eyed when they were like.. we have so much more money now.. lol.. its all glitter.. but taking it away from those that did it so they could play, alot did it because it was well and truly needed.. they were effected, work places closed in some cases more then once.. and yes they used that money wisely but its still going to hurt in the long run.. I hear you on the breath on the mortgage being paid off..
Gas here on Vancouver Island is about $1.57 / liter and rising everyday. Uggg.
I was a teen/young adult in Northern BC and Alberta in the 1980s. I remember those times all too well. I will never forgive or forget.
I too fear what 2022 will bring, but I am also looking forward to the sun that will shine and all the flowers that will still bloom regardless of how many pennies we have in our pockets.
Take care.
Hi Crafty, thanks for the update on the pricing.. I imagine that like us, you will be timing out your trips, I know we certainly are.. We are trying to keep it down to one main trip per month but its been really trick in the past year because there has been so many medical appointments.. and not all of them are close either, I wish some of them were much closer, hubby’s once a month feet clinic is 45 min each way and so on.. I hear you on the 80’s.. I know that time in many ways left “scars” in terms of being without and I know that influences how I see some things.
I had to end the post on the possable with flowers.. the sun will shine, Miss Wigglies will have adventures, books will be read, friends will share a coffee an visit.. you take care as well