Finally, I could get the Christmas presents I wanted, at fair prices. Around here, a pair of Sorel or Kamik pac boots only lasts ~3 years, as do Merrell hiking boots. Theoretically, they should last for a decade or more, but not with the daily abuse they get on this property.
So, I bought new Sorel pac boots for my spouse. The last pair was blowing out its outsoles. Ker-flup, ker-flup, ker-flup is not a good way to start a new winter.
Also, I stocked up on tac light style camping lanterns. Those take AA batteries, plain or rechargeable, but not by a solar panel. They are what they are. We rarely lose power in winter, but when we do, the outage can be for nearly a week. Last time that happened, we had a crew from Alabama in their truck camp out by our barn while waiting for the parts to arrive to fix the blown transformer out by the road. Something like 600k of us were left w/o power. God bless ’em. Once those parts arrived, those guys got right on it, and were off to their next job within an hour.
Anyway, I’ve been considering putting in a whole house generator, but for a house this size, it’s expensive, even though we already have the propane tanks to run it. Nope. So, we work with what we have when the power goes out — extra blankets, quilts, 3+ layers of clothing, and whatever works on batteries, solar powered or otherwise.
Still, this is a good time of year to buy presents for loved ones that really should not have cost any more than they are now on sale for.
One year, I got loppers, ’cause my other half killed my old ones. I usually get some sort of tool. The best was the variable speed reversible drill, with a set of screwdriver bits. The next best was a hammer drill. The best non-tool Christmas present was a space heater for our downstairs biff. Okay, it was for both of us, but it’s very much needed in the dead of winter.
Both of us are easy to please with stuff that’s needed, but not ridiculously expensive. If it’s not needed, why bother? If it’s too expensive — WTF were you thinking? We both know that, and adhere to it. It works for us. Heck, dish towels work for me.
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