bread and milk

Can't teach an old dog new tricks?  HA.  Rosalyn Yalow, the second woman to win the Nobel Prize in medicine  in 1977 is credited with saying "The excitement of learning separates youth from old age. As long as you’re learning, you’re not old.”  I say amen to that because I sure am being forced into learning a bunch of new stuff at an old age as I build this house.  Like how to get electric and water to a place that has no electric or water.  Now these are two things that are as fundamental as bread and milk, unless I want to live totally off the grid, which I do not at this old age!

Apparently, when you build a house in some rural areas, it is necessary to become a member of a cooperative.  Weeks ago I received a thick packet from the Harrison REMC—the rural electric coop.  Yesterday, finally got it all duly signed before a notary public.  Returned it by mail today along with a copy of the deed and my driver's license and a big fat check.  So as of today, I am now a member of the REMC which means the money I pay each month gets paid back to me—sort of.  I paid them a couple of grand up-front to have them run the electric lines to the build site and agree to use $100 worth of electric a month for the next 30 months.  Since I'm building an energy efficient place (on their advice) with a geo heat system it seems unlikely I will use that much energy.  Also I have a wood burning stove as a back-up that is designed to heat 1200 sq feet and the house is less than 1000 sq feet. So essentially, I'm paying for other people's energy use???  You all come on over and flip on all the light switches and leave the doors open so I won't be wasting my money—oh wait, that's my husband and grand kid's job!

Next on the list is water.  I'm glad I don't have to have a well dug and the water line is run to the road.  I just have to "wade" through more paper and lay out some more cash.  Progress is being made!