(written on the 29th)
So… the sun came up, which… meant I could turn off my headlamp.
🙃
But I was still at it.
All day I was still at it. It was mid 90s yesterday, around 100 today.
Or maybe vice versa?
With the sun up, and with me feeling more comfortable making loud noises, I did even more vacuuming, trying to get all the fiber glass out of everything.
When the local Bomgaars was open, I headed that way to buy outdoor caulk to seal all the holes that were no longer going to be used because of the new design. I also bought a bunch of washers and nuts and whatnot to use for the install of the two new panels that I bought.
After getting back, with all my stuff still spread out all over the ground from the overnight efforts, I started to caulk the holes.
I had put a tarp that Hans lent me inside because I was going to continue working and drilling and whatnot and didn’t want more fiberglass going everywhere, but then, being such a hot day, the caulk was really runny, so I ended up with splats all over the inside on the tarp.
Sideways. Seemingly everything was going sideways. It wasn’t reasonable to try and get the caulk off the tarp right away, because it was just smear everywhere and make an absolute mess, so that necessitated letting it dry, which was going to take a good little while.
So I tried to get the new solar panel configuration figured out, trying to install them. I had been able to dry fit them and felt like my new setup was going to work, but when I got it put together to bolt down for a final fitting before drilling the last big holes, the gap on the sides between the solar panel and the top of the van was so much bigger than it had been when dry fitting. 😕
Still, I kept at it, getting the first panel on relatively simply, but the second panel fought me and fought me and fought me.
I tried again and again and again, but something was just stuck. Eventually, after so many efforts trying to get it in, frustration building and building, it culminated with the stuck bolt breaking one of the solar panel cells.
😞
Still, I kept at it, trying to figure out if this design was going to work or not. I was thinking that if it would, I could get eight panels on my roof and pretty much not have to worry about power issues at all with anything I wanted to run, within reason, at least.
So now I had a busted cell on one of the panels in addition to the rest of the nightmare.
Simplify. I’m trying to simplify, but I just seem to keep complicating life.
I did, eventually, get the broken panel to slide in, and I got a few nuts on the underside to hold it in place.
I spent some time after finally getting the second panel to bolt on checking to see if I was going to be significantly lower in voltage from the damaged solar panel, but it was about that time that the clouds rolled in, so I wasn’t able to do a trustworthy test.
As best I can guess, however, it doesn’t look like there’s going to be a significant drop in voltage?
🤞
Heather made me some food or a smoothie or something. I don’t even remember now, I went inside, enjoying that while taking basically my first real break in like 30 hours? 😅
After that break, I headed back out, working and working and working. I tried to get the fiber glass out of all my bedding and clothing.
So. Time. Consuming.
So much time wasted, and potentially, all in a failing effort because it looks like the new design isn’t going to work.
And now with a damaged solar panel.
Did I ask the Lord to Break Me? 🙃
Started cleaning everything up while Heather and Hans were out doing laundry, and while pulling the tarp out of the van, proceeded to knock over Little John, all the way out of Rover and onto the ground.
Update down. 🥴
Yeah… poo all over the underside of the lid.
That took probably an hour or two to clean up.
[sigh]
I worked and worked. Rain drops started coming, and so I worked even harder to get stuff packed back in quickly.
Heather and Hans came home, and I was still going, headlamp back on. 😅
I don’t remember what time I finally went to bed, but… I finally made it.
Gratitude:
- I’m grateful that despite my frustration, I didn’t melt down when I realized I’d broken the solar panel cell.
- I’m grateful to my sister Heather for being a wonderful support on a trying day.
- I’m grateful that the solar panel appears to still be viable despite the broken cell thing.
- I’m grateful the rain didn’t do more than spit a few drops here and there.
- I’m grateful for uncomfortable blessings that allow me to practice being unfazed.
Success:
- I didn’t really even blink when the pootastrophy happened. I just sort of accepted it immediately and got to work. So despite yesterday’s meltdown, maybe my reactions today were evidence of progress.
Improvement:
- Be better at the “Let go, accept, review” process (I.E. the outcome was less than I hoped for, but I gave a worthy effort, and since God was ok with it, then I’ll let go of the hoped-for outcome, accept whatever is, and review my efforts and the circumstances to see what I might be able to improve in the future.)
Thought of the Day:
“Do not run faster or labor more than you have strength and means provided…” (D&C 10:4).
Thus, the Lord has given us what might be called the “wisdom and order” and “strength and means” tests.
Unwisely, we often write checks against our time accounts as we never would dare do, comparably, against our bank accounts.
Sometimes we make so many commitments that they become like the vines in the allegory of Jacob, threatening to “overcome the roots,” including the “roots” of family relationships, friendships, and relationships with God.
~ Neal A. Maxwell
Hand of God In My Life Today:
I’m still clean. I’m a broken record on this, but there are, to me, some truly miraculous things going on in this area of my life. 🙏
Lift the world.
Bring it on… still. 😅
~ stephen
Lift the World 