This topic contains 829 replies, has 126 voices, and was last updated by 
Daisy 1 year, 6 months ago.
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The people who are the most prepared are the ones who make preparedness a habit. Sometimes you may not feel like you’re doing much, but if you do just ONE THING each day that…
***Teaches you something
***Produces something
***Practices something
***Prepares somethingThese baby steps will ALL ADD UP.
Now, I know we’re getting a late start. It’s a week into November. But for those of you who participate and let us know ONE THING you did to prep every day for the rest of the month, you’ll get a free copy of my PDF, The Prepper’s Book of Lists. We’ll go by the honor system for this. (I’m not going to go through and check that you’re telling the truth.)
Here are the rules to win your book (and get better prepared.)
1) Every day, you must check in and let us know what you did to prep. If you can’t get to the computer, you can post the following day and let us know what you did the previous day.
2) Prepping activities can be anything that makes you more self-reliant or better prepared. It can be as difficult as building a chicken coop or as simple as reading an article – we’re all at different levels here. Preserving some food, cooking from scratch, making a costume for your kid’s recital? All of these things practice the skills you need to thrive. Improving your fitness, going hunting – all of it counts!
3) If you can’t think of something either constructive or nice to say about somebody’s efforts, please scroll on. Otherwise, you’ll incur the full wrath of Mama Bear Daisy. Or even worse, Selco will see it first and he’s far scarier.
4) At the end of the month, I’ll provide instructions for you to get your book!
I hope you’re in! This is a great way to make preparedness a daily habit.
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Great idea Daisy.
I see a lot of those new to the prepping community who are so overwhelmed. They say they feel like they are so un-prepared. What to do? Where to start?
Well, start at the beginning. Start small. Start simple. What can you immediately affect today to make yourself more self-reliant?
Could be a easy as putting yourself on a budget, skipping that daily mocha lattee, half soy, half whales milk, dry, with organic lemon twist.
Making dinner at home from scratch.
Taking a first aid course.
Starting a herb garden.I will try to participate.
But I feel I am a one-off. Everyday I have to tend to the livestock. Nearly everyday I make a dinner at home, as much as possible, from scratch.
I will try for doing things outside my daily routine. -
I’m in! Let’s get this party started!!! Today, I am going to a “going out of business” sale. They specialized in camping and hunting gear, so hoping for some great finds. Also, re-stocking my canning lids, salt, etc. I’ve gone through a TON of lids the last couple of weeks.
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AnonymousI’ll see what I can do to participate. A lot of the prepping things I do are just daily things for me, but when I pull out something new I’ll be sure to add it. Today I’m going to be stocking up on some more plastic gloves and batteries. Might do more, not sure. Oh yesterday and this is huge for me I sewed up my husband’s pants, by hand!!! Trust me that is huge LOL.
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AnonymousI’m in, sounds like fun.
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Excited for this challenge. Have been a little lax so need to step it up. So far this month: 1st sewing, 2nd redid winter pig pen and moved them, 3rd moved goats and planted garlic, 4th cleaned yard and emptied fire pit of ashes. 5th cleaned house and laundry catch up, 6th made plans for spring farm projects and today I am making jam.
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I’ll join. Mine might be a lot more article reading than normal as Nov is kind of crazy hectic this year.
I love these kinds of challanges. They are fantastic for providing the oomph to finally finish those lingering projects.
Ps. Thank you to whomever fixed the forum text input box! Wayyyyy better to work with.
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Woohoo! This is going to rock.
Today, I’m working on organizing preps in my basement. We moved last week and everything is in chaos. It would take forever to find anything right now. Due to a flash flood that put a foot of water in the basement of our former rental, we ended up packing fast in just a week so nothing got labeled. Oh, the regret I am having right now!
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Today, move the cows for what should be their last time before bringing them in for the winter.
Bringing the goats in today.
Finish the last of prepping the barn for the live stock. -
I love challenges! Since today is the 7th day of the month I am getting rid of 7 things in my closet so I can find what I need in a few seconds.
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My prepping has been a bit more lax since September because of illness and two surgeries. For now I think I’m getting back into ‘routine’.
Here’s what I’m doing:
dedicate $10.00 per weekly grocery run to stock up on canned goods of things we actually use.
Stocking up on things from Tops when they have their 10 for $10 deals (but I’m picky about what I get and I don’t buy things we won’t use)
Buy canning lids
I’ve found that Aldi’s canned goods are reasonably priced and the quality is good.
Recently I took stock of our Booboo/ouchie kit and found where I needed to fill in some places.What I am going to do this weekend is clean out my car and get my winter emergency stuff in there. A heavy winter has been forecasted, and I don’t want to be stuck.
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Looking forward to this! It’ll keep me on task, and I’ll definitely learn from the group.
Thus far in November:
~I’ve cleaned out and mulched my gardens, and laid plans for new raised bed gardens.
~Learned how to back bread and cinnamon raisin bread from scratch. I’ve never successfully done this.
~Cleaned out and completely reorganized my kitchen pantry. I learned that I am very unorganized and need a better system for my food storage. A lot of food went to waste.
That covers the first week of the month. Go me! 😁 -
Ok. I’m in. Today I intend to drive into town for the first time using my emergency flood escape route. And I’m going to try to do it without GPS.
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I’m in. I do hope I remember to post in everyday!
I’m always reading articles and researching info on the web, so that one is easy. Yesterday I came across a reference to the book “Locusts on the Horizon”, and while I couldn’t find the ebook, I found their website of the same name. Lots of good info there. Today I scoped out some shelving in the garage. Needs to be cleaned up (think mice droppings and dust– ugh) but once it’s clean it’ll be another place to store canned food.
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@Odd Doll
Ok. I’m in. Today I intend to drive into town for the first time using my emergency flood escape route. And I’m going to try to do it without GPS.
Great!
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Today I’m rotating everything in the BOB I keep in the trunk and re-supplying all the cold-weather gear that I refused to lug around all summer. Let’s do this!
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I’ll sure try and remember to come here every day. So far this month I’ve purchased 8 dozen cans of campbells soup, my local Co-op had a really good sale on. 24 cans of creamed corn and niblets. Cleaned out the freezer. Started reading a book on solar power, this one is going to be a toughie and I’m going to have to hand it off to hubby. Bought yarn to make fingerless mittens for myself and my daughter.
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I am in I will try to de-clutter some today. I need to make room for supplies.I need to put the items I do have in order.
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I am going to learn about first aid. A dog bit off part of a finger, so some skills in that regard will help.
I have the preppers book of lists as I purchased it in a bundle. Its really good. Thanks Daisy for the all the great info.
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Bought a portable stove for my BOB
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I’m in. This sounds very helpful!!!
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I’m in! Today I will wash out buckets for our bulk purchase of flour and buckwheat.
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I’m in, today is gumbo from scratch day and measuring for canned food wall storage. Something that I have needed for awhile!
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I’m in too. I need the community and support offered by a group. I have been ill for several years, finally diagnosed with lupus, fibromyalgia, psoriatic and rheumatoid arthritis, several various minor autoimmune disorders, and smoldering multiple myeloma. Took me down a bit, because I also have severe depression, panic attacks, anxiety and ocd. Getting to where all the meds are meshing well, and physical pain is only at about a 4 or 5 most days. Yesterday I cashed in a ton of change and laid in an additional 2 week supply of water for 4 people, got a short haircut for ease of care, and an oil change. I had voted by mail early, so that was done. Sorted through several 1000 emails to print out some I wanted to keep, and watched election returns. My hubby is not really on board with prepping, but he grudgingly humors me, not helping, but not complaining too much.
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Blclcc1, My hubby is the same, he kinda, sorta, maybe understands why I need/want to prep but he loves me and humors me. He is even building shelves in a storage room down in the basement for the food (well, not for a while now, he fell off the roof on Saturday and fractured his clavicle) including upside down wire shelving to hold cans.
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Today I filled 2 5 gallon buckets with some Black and Pinto Beans. Put in Milar bags and sealed them.
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I’m in.
I am retired military. I just finished building a home in a rural area of Up-state New York. I am getting my other home (in a large city) ready to sell. I have been constantly moving things to the new home. With the moving, things are really disorganized.
This month is going to be about inventory and organizing.
This last week and weekend, I inventoried and organized my food stuffs. I now have a rough paper copy with items and expiration dates. I have about 13 months worth of food.
Today, I tackled a few extra items I found in with my food stuffs. I laughed when I found my gas mask. I inspected it and still have three sealed filters! Lol.
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I’m in! I have a feeling I’m going to be doing a lot this month anyway!
today the toilet seat broke at the hinges (only a month old) so I had to fix an alternative my elderly Mom could handle until I can get to the hardware store tomorrow.
I took the seat and cover off of the toilet.
I pulled the Prepping toilet from downstairs and modified it a bit to fit over the existing toilet. Learned about a new tool: ratchet wrench
Had to find something heavy to bolster the base so it wouldn’t tip: went with sandbags.
F/U questions: If your toilet lid and seat break beyond repair in an emergency situation and you have family/group members that can’t do a toilet squat, do you have a stand by seat?-
tenacity, I have the chair type potty with a bucket which can be used without the bucket to set over the toilet bowl. I got it when my husband was sick and kept it after he passed away. I found some medical bucket liners at the thrift shop and got them very cheaply, so if need to, we can deal with toilet problems.
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My grandmother had an old cane chair. The caning was removed and she had a chamber pot underneath that she used at night so she didn’t have to go out to the outhouse. I plan to do the same with a 5 gallon bucket
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the “chair” potty is a GREAT idea.
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I’m in too!
Yesterday I learned how to find south, and conversely north, with the sun and an analog watch.
Today I finally opened the packaging on my compass and am trying to learn how to use it. I’ve also started teaching my teenagers how to build a three-day menu and cook food at home. (Figured we had to start somewhere, right?) -
I’m excited to start this. I bought canning jars, sugar and pectin to make jelly for Christmas presents instead of buying gifts.
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Great idea! Today iT is my youngest 16th birthday. We went out to a restaurant which we only do 2x per Year on the childrens birtday. All the other days i cook from scratch. I dont know of Any other way. I got her a A1 size backpack for her drawings, a couple of artist fine liners and sketch materials. Some drawing books too. Good for a lot of of grid entertainment. No sweet sixteen parties here. Recently I ordered a lot of stuff to make some bo’s for on the road in the bus to school. Last year there was such a heavy snowfall they almost couldn’t come home because the busses were pulled of the road by the company. This year they will be well prepared. Thank you daisy an Selco for this challenge!
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11-7-2018 Today I installed the grow lights for my indoor growing area – 4′ x 6′ raised bed. The lights will be run by a solar generator when SHTF but for now can be run off house current. I practice square foot gardening and this will be my test bed. If everything does well I have placement plans for future beds and lights.
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The challenge sounds like fun! Today I began the process of making organic Apple Cider Vinegar for the first time. Hope it turns out well but it will take about 6 weeks or more for the first fermentation, so it will be quite a while before I find out, lol.
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I’ve done apple cider vinegar! I had one good batch, one horrible batch, and one I’m not really sure what happened batch. 🙂 then I moved on to sauerkraut, which I use more of. Fermenting is a fun one to learn.
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I am in!
Like Crow bar, we tend livestock and gardens and such daily so just assume that is a daily task. 🙂Today we are cleaning out an old fenceline to build a new fence to move the cows to for a few months-here in FL that requires one person on a tractor and another with a machete….grape and virginia creeper vines can be a nightmare. This will also free up a smaller pasture so I can expand the spring garden. Can never have enough zipper peas or black eyed peas. Or okra.
I am also expanding my medicinal herbal gardens-adding in 15 more beds or so for medicinals. (yarrow, astragalus, etc.) I list this now cause this is something I will work on daily, whether it is starting seeds or hoe-ing up beds, etc. This is all towards a greater level of self sufficiency in the future.That being said, today what I am doing towards prepping is more research on gardening methods, greenhouse plans, and pulling some turnips to put in the freezer.
I am looking forward to reading what everyone else is doing!
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AnonymousI bought 2 more large, 40 ounce, jars of peanut butter and two extra boxes of crackers while buying groceries at Walmart today. Peanut butter expires 8/2020. Crackers expire 4/2019, so I can’t stockpile too many of those.
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I need to build up my food prep list again too. I let this lapse over the last few months.
Bad prepper…
Perhaps that’ll be my to-do for tomorrow.
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I’m in because I need some motivation. I read prepping articles almost every day so I will try to get a little more creative than that.
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I hope to participate daily! I a quite a bit behind where I would like to be. 🙂
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I’m 80 years old, live alone in a house I own in a rural area and have always laughingly said to family “I’m a semi-prepper; but I think my grandchildren are noticing and I am pointing out to them the “prepper” things I do. This daily challenge will be fun to actually make a point of taking specific action as much of what I do now is sort of routine. So, recently I decided to try to do some indoor gardening with herbs. I brought in from outside pots containing rosemary and parsley. I watched some youtube videos on how to root herbs from grocery store purchases so I have that effort underway with some parsley. Yesterday, I started some spinach seeds planted in a bag of potting soil covered with a clear plastic container and placed in a high sunny area outside. Our fairly moderate winters should allow a continual harvest of spinach all winter (I hope) as it takes 30 minutes to drive to the closest town and keeping fresh veggies on hand is a challenge. Today I’m going to check my modest supply of canned goods in my pantry and determine again how much I might need of each food item to last at least six months. These I’ll order on line for delivery to my house.
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This came at the perfect time. Today I decided that social media is a time suck. It doesn’t matter how much I cut back I can still get sucked in. So today I’m reprioritizing my time to do more things that matter, like this. Looking forward to reading all the posts.
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I would love to participate but I will be away for about 2 weeks,Family business. Hope I can do another one
Thanks
mamacando -
I’m in. So far This month I have, sealed chocolate candy bars for later this winter – I know but at 90% off! Put the garden to bed for the winter months, planted clover over said garden. Cleaned the chicken coop and readied it for winter. Stacked firewood, this is an ongoing chore as I help hubbie with the wood.
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I’m in! This is the perfect month to start such a challenge. I get lazy when the weather turns cold!
Today, I took a class on Wild Edibles. Learned a lot even though it is November. -
AnonymousAdded a silcock key to my ghb today.
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My neighbor had two trees cut down and the tree trimmer told me he was paying to take the wood to the dump! I asked them to leave it for me and they were happy to do that. So every day that I have time I’m taking a cart-load or two of wood and stacking it up next to our house or behind the garden shed (harder to get to). It’s all maple and birch! Pretty good and understandable except I don’t have a wood stove – yet. Funny that in this small town people can’t be bothered with wood! Been working on drying some greens too. I’ve been snipping off parsley leaves, celery leaves, chard, and drying them on the solar dryer for use this winter. Small steps, I know, but I see savings and prepping everywhere. I also have a copy of the Tightwad Gazette in the “reading room” for daily inspiration. For extra money I’ve been selling the excess stuff on ebay and a local facebook site and converting the dough into useable supplies. So each one of these things go on daily right now.
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Hi all – just joining here. A few days ago, I did an exercise that my daughter, who has cancer, suggested I do. The goal of the exercise is to discover what you are really passionate about.
1. Divide a piece of paper in two lengthwise. At the top of one side write “One billion dollars, healthy life to 100, always ensured success”, and on the other side, “Only 18 months to live with same health, same finances”
2. On each side, under the different headings, write down what you would make sure you did under each set of circumstances.
3. Now compare the 2 lists, and find the similarities.I went ahead and did this and, lo and behold, it became a real priority organizer, which seems to me is the essence of prepping.
Although you are supposed to really look at the similarities, I found out that my 18-month list was a real wake up call, both for my personal priorities and what I needed to do in order to prep – things like making a will, making sure my family would have enough to live on if I died (I am the main breadwinner right now), setting up systems that would take care of them if hard times like food shortages, etc., struck. It gave me some concrete things to do. The only thing that wasn’t on my short-term list that I will be trying to do is to learn as much about medicinal and food plants as possible each day, especially in the context of foraging and learning about the common “weeds” that grow around me already.
So today, I am going to organize that list into concrete actions to be done in the months ahead. I also have both fibromyalgia and polymyalgia, so my preps are going to have to be realistic for someone in my condition.
I am really looking forward to this forum!
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Today I braved Walmart and added several items to food stores. I also harvested the last of the Lima beans since a frost is in our forecast.
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Wow, I’m very impressed with all the stuff you guys have going on!
One thing I want to add: it’s okay to be real here.
This isn’t one of those forums where you will be scoffed at because you go to concerts in the city or order pizza from time to time. We come from all sorts of different backgrounds and settings here and it’s really great to get ideas that relate to those things!
So, if you’re being shy, DON’T!!! 🙂
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Ok. I am with Daisy on this one.
When she first posted the challenge, there were a few responses.
Now, WOW!
OUTSTANDING!!
I read everyones responses, and my head is absolutely spinning! Absolutely great for everyone’s efforts! Inspires real confidence!Ok, back to yours truly: Moved the cows. Brought the goats into the barn. Need a little more work to get the barn up to speed, but by this weekend the cows should be in too!
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I just joined the forum this afternoon. Today I added tree leaves to a new compost pile and harvested some seeds from the garden for next year.
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Today I relearned how hard it is to start a fire on wet ground, with green wood. I also relearned how very very smoky some fires can be.
I say relearned, because honestly, I knew all this, but didn’t really think about it as important until I applied some preparedness mindset.
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Hi! The past 2 days I’ve been harvesting seed from sunflowers, squash, cucumbers & tomatoes. Today did 1 pumpkin – got the seeds then made a pie.
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Today was cutting up raw chicken breasts and cooking them up into large chunks to freeze for fast meals.
The last three days has been caramelizing 12 pounds of onions and then dehydrating them. I don’t even like onions and these have been snacked on more than I care to admit. -
I’m in for this challenge. Yesterday, I put away the applesauce I canned on Saturday, all clean and labeled. Today, part of my subscribe and save Amazon order came and I put away the first aid items I’d ordered. Also, working on a grocery list for tomorrow’s shopping trip. Now, gonna cook supper with enough for the next 4 days till I have another day off work.
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Yesterday: dehydrated strawberries
Today: tested our camp stove. Checked the troop’s camp stove (tomorrow a deep-xlean is in order).
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Today I looked into making some Christmas ornaments for my tree out of used canning lids. I found the ideas on Pinterest. Did some grocery shopping and stocked up on vegetables, beans and toilet paper. Bought a Buddy propane heater for any future power outages that occur during the winter along with a new pair of jeans that are fleece lined. Filled the car with gas and cleaned out the fridge.
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Definitely want to join. I’ll try to stay on top but working full time and kiddos with their sports doesn’t leave much time. I promise to make a great effort.
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I filled up the car with gas this morning on the way to work. Also went through my first aid kit for the car, added some items I’ve used and a few more it was lacking and tucked it back in the car.
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I’ve been prepping for a while but also need to step it up as I have been slacking lately. I ordered a kit today off Amazon that will help me to learn how to suture. It comes with a pad that resembles actual skin as well as sutures and an online tutorial designed by nurses. Looking forward to practicing!
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I practiced making bread from scratch.
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Today I signed up for revolver beginning class for this Saturday to begin your education on the best way to move forward in securing personal protection.
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We make sure our gas tank in the car never gets below 1/2 full. We have extra oil, antifreeze, windshield washer fluid set aside.
We had a good sale at the grocery store last week. Progresso soups were .99 a can if you bought 10. We got 10 cans, took the 10 oldest cans out of our food storage – donated those to the food bank and added the new, longer dated cans into food storage. -
I just saw this today. So, I decided my prep would be to create a totally new dish with exactly what we had. That was a bit tricky since I haven’t ever made this before, nor did I have what all it “needed.” I’m basically learning to view recipes as guidelines and I’m learning how to generate natural flavor as much as possible with each dish (i.e. when using fresh mushrooms, no need for anything other than to slice and saute – minus butter or oil. mushrooms have loads of free water that ends up in the pan as they cook down, which lends for more flavor vs the addition of a fat.)
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Today, I took 2 lunches with me to work. I always take an extra Sammie in case I have workers with no food. But Today I did it so I wouldn’t be caught off guard if things went late…and they did. I am trying to save money to fix my truck that was damaged in the storm and do Christmas, so NO eating out. Being prepared with food will save a lot.
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Joining the challenge late … a few days ago I constructed a “pallet planter”, lined it with coffee bean burlap sacks, filled them with coco fiber and organic soil, watered them down. Today I poked holes in them and planted some lettuces up top, then strawberries, then herbs and squash at the bottom. As with most things from scratch, building it AND planting it was harder and took longer than I anticipated. I think the key is to start at the bottom and work your way up, and plant them when they are small! I really love that I put casters on it and can move it easily, change the sun exposure, etc.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by
Bella Isola.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by
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Also just saw this today. And just finished putting in an order for bulk herbs to make up some mixes this winter.
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I’m in! Yesterday I watched a video on preparing plant medicines at home. I also read several chapters in a book on making foods from scratch and started a list of ingredients and equipment needed for various foods so I can start getting anything I don’t already have. I visited a Hispanic market and bought a tortilla press.
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Today is glove day. I took inventory of my gloves and realized that what I had was crap. Did some research on ANSI ratings and put some gloves on my Amazon wish list. I will research safety googles later today. I have a set of plastic ones, but I suspect that they are hardly adequate.
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Today I am filling up with gas when in town, changing oil and checking antifreeze levels. A good day for also reviewing my “bugout” bag I keep in the car. It’s been over a year. I’ll watch some more youtube posts on growing herbs and greens during the winter months indoors. Checking on the spinach “greenhouse” I’ve started by using a bag of potting soil covered with a clear plastic container. Yesterday there was a lot of condensation inside the container and not sure what I should do about that, if anything.
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This morning I zested a couple of organic lemons and swapped out that fresh lemon zest for the older, spent lemon zest in a bottle of lemon extract I’m making. Love those cute swing-top bottles as containers for homemade extracts!
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Taking canned goods and long term storage inventory and probably reorganizing the pantry, today. Also making a shopping list for tomorrow (payday!) since it is a good check I will be buying extra, so today I have to figure out what that ‘extra’ will be.
I also have some little papayas to set out on the south side of the house and a curry leaf tree to find a place for.
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On my way to the bank to pay off my mortgage!!!! I knew we were close, but when the bank manager called yesterday and informed me of our balance, I knew we had to bite the bullet and pay it off. Tough time of year to do it, but, next month I can hit the crazy sales for Christmas, with plenty of capital. I get some of my best prep deals in December.
Oh! and yesterday, I scored ten packs of mantles for our camping lanterns, and two sets of solar lights for canopys.-
This reply was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by
Coffee girl.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by
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Anonymous@coffee girl, congratulations on the mortgage!!!
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Thanks to everyone congratulating us about the mortgage. We doubled payments when we could, to get it paid off early.
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Yesterday I started taking inventory of my food storage.
This morning I bought a super bright LED “lantern” style flashlight.
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Still in the basement organizing stuff. Looks like I’ll be done today or tomorrow.
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I am buying extra can vegetables.
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I am in for this challenge! So far in November, I helped give booster shots to the cattle, fixed a gate in the cattle fence, planted garlic, raked leaves into the garden for mulch, mowed/mulched leaves, paid off a credit card(that has no interest charges for 1 year), bought 24 cans of Progresso soup which were on sale, and today I am looking for dairy-free recipes that I can make for Thanksgiving since I just found out that I am lactose intolerant.
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Thursday Nov 8. Today I registered for a first aid class through my school… and I get humanities credit as well! Double score! I am also cleaning out my car and adding extra blankets, gloves, hats and hand warmers to the back in case I get stuck (older car).
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Yesterday’s prep was to buy the canned ingredients for a soup we liked, write type the recipe on cardstock and put into a page protector. All this went into a box so if we need a quick dinner as well as part of our long term storage.
This is the recipe we used https://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/seven-can-soup/?printable_recipe=78065 I substituted navy beans for black beans since my husband doesn’t like black beans.
I’m on a hunt for more recipes with shelf stable ingredients I can get at most grocery stores, so if someone has one, I’d love to see it.
Today I made the mixes for two hamburger stroganoff and put them in jars. I have already browned meat in the freezer to use with this. (I also made two 1/4 recipes of this into a 1/2 pint jar for my college aged son to use when he is cooking for himself.)
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My prep for the day is updating my medical directive with the attorney.
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Today I am rotating and taking a newer inventory of the specialized medical supplies we keep for emergencies. If we have less than the desired amount of anything, I’m scouring the internet for coupons!
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I guess I’ll start with yesterday. I read part 3, chapter 4 of “Left of Bang”. It is a book written by Patrick Van Horn and Jason A . Riley that teaches how to recognize when bad people are going to do bad things BEFORE they do it through situational awareness and reading body language. I am not the most observant person, and this is a skill that I really need to develop.
And now for today. I work more than 40 miles from home and I have come to the conclusion that I cannot carry my get home bag 40 miles in my present condition. I spent 45 minutes in the gym this morning in order to work on that problem. This is an ongoing task and will take me many months to fix. But, you gotta start somewhere…🙃 My husband and I are also going to a meeting of our local hunting/gun club tonight.
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Today I received the 10ml rollerball bottles. I will make some essential oil blends for me and the children to take with us on the road. I will be dehydrating the last zucchini’s today to add to my food supply. That’s all.
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Today I started off watching a few prepping videos on youtube. I don’t usually watch them because I don’t stay in my chair long enough but it’s drizzling outside. I also moved some lamb’s quarters with the seeds still on the stalks to an area where I want them grow next year. I love to munch on lamb’s quarters while I’m watching the dog. Later I’m checking my over sink storage to see what I can free up for pantry stuff.
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Today I stared cleaning my shop and barn to install electric power and lights. I modified the plans to incorporate emergency solar powered lights so I can still work if the power goes out.
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Ok I think I’m in the right place. Sorry to all if I posted help earlier.
This forum I guess I can say is starting of my prepping to dos.
Actually today I’m making eggnog with our eggs and use alcohol to preserve. It’s like 1 1-2 oz of 80proff to each egg. I’ve seen different recipes one says cool dark place one says fridge. I might make two batches and try both to see if one preserves better. -
AnonymousWe live on-grid in the country, with no access to natural gas lines in our area (for a stand-by generator), and almost always lose power when we get a lot of rain. We lost power this morning right around midnight, and awoke to it being off around 7am. I have plug-in lights (that come on when the power goes off/to be used as flashlights) all over the house. My husband let me know that 2 of our older lights (different brands) are on their way out, so I ordered more today. They come in super handy when the power goes out after dark, so we can see our way around the house, and then turn off those that aren’t immediately needed to save as short-term flashlights.
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Yay, I love these challenges!! So, yesterday (11/7) I managed to find a 40 pound box of hamburger patties on sale for $35…so I bought it and separated the meat to go in our freezer. I also found spiral hams for 99 cents/pound, and a turkey for 28 cents/pound…so I filled my freezer up!!
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Excited to join the challenge. Hope I can keep up. Yesterday I finished planting my fall veg garden. Today I will do some sewing to repair a shirt.
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I am enjoying reading all these posts. I am getting some great ideas. Someone mentioned the thrift store, so….. Today, I went to the thrift store and I SCORED!
Everything that had a cord was 50% off. I bought a new breadmaker, still in the original unopened box for $3! I also bought a barely used box fan for $1!
I also bought a barely used HUGE Coleman cooler for $8 (with original stickers still attached)! It looked like someone took it camping and used it once. The cooler will be perfect for transporting frozen items from the grocery store and such. When the power goes out, coolers are also key here for storing the perishables. In this area, the electrical power goes out for extended periods at least several times a year. With a spring ice storm this year, I lost power for 4 days.
I searched the thrift store books and found — “Wood Stove Cookery” for 10 cents!!! I haven’t cooked on my wood stove yet… That will be a challenge for another day! I now have no excuse.
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11/8 – Today I started organizing my food storage room and taking an inventory of what I’ve got in there, expiration dates, etc.
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Homesteading is always busy for sure. Covered the garlic and asparagus with mulch. Inventoried my 3 gal food buckets and Am giving Simon the pig, the rancid pancake mix and Graham cracker crumbs!
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AnonymousNot planning on being online to much tomorrow since I will be doing some bulkish shopping and figuring out where to put everything. Will be getting at least 10lbs of carrots to can and whatever else comes up.
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Anonymous@Loving Life, I love thrift stores! I have got two bread makers, two pasta machines, a dehydrator and so many other things from the thrift store. I have saved thousands of dollars at our thrift stores.
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Today I updated the budget to determine how much we can realistically dedicate for prepping / becoming more self-reliant.
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I am in! Yesterday I processed my saved tomato seeds,ready for next year.Today I scored some free firewood from work.There may be more tomorrow.
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Today I made gluten free pancakes instead of buying a gluten free pancake mix. I need to change it a little and then I will stock up on the ingredients that I need.
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Today I added some kitchen scraps to my compost for my garden.
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Canned 14 jars of jalapeños and froze a quart of chopped banana peppers. Rotated sheep and goats getting sheep closer to the barn for shearing on Saturday.
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Today, I reviewed the prepping article mentioned in the info on the challenge. I batch cook all my meals from scratch on the weekends. I used to sew all my own clothes, but due to time constraints I have been unable to keep this up at the present. However, I recently repaired by hand all my clothes that have needed mending for the past year! I have completed some introductory herbal medicine courses and am in the process of curing some tintures: hawthorn, oregano and goldenseal. Will be pouring those off this weekend. Winter medicine. This morning I made a new batch of tooth soap and earlier in the week, I made a nice big batch of homemade mouthwash with essential oils and food grade hydrogen peroxide. That does it for today!
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Just signed up and am posting for the first week of November, then daily after that. Thanks for doing this!!
During the first week, I’ve made maple sugar, canned cream of celery soup, cream of mushroom soup and will be doing cream of chicken soup tomorrow. Also have cut and dried my lemon grass for tea, made mulberry jelly and elderberry jelly. Already have elderberry cough syrup on the shelf. These forums help keep me motivated and my pantry shelves stocked. Thanks so much for all the encouragement, suggestions and ideas from all of you. -
I read about cooking rice to reduce arsenic. Practiced fire starting as well.
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Wood stove cooling is a skill and each type of fuel creates different heats, I have a pinoneer princess it works well but I prefer for ready to eat when home meals to cook to boil and use a wonder bag to finish it.
Bagging barley what was layed out to dry, digging some onions and potatoes last of season as temp now in minus at night and day
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11-8-2018 Prepped approx. 20# honey crisp apples for the dehydrator.
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I topped off my gas tank today, re-filled a 3-gallon and 5-gallon containers of water, and picked up our special orders (buckwheat & flour).
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Used Daisy’s template for the emergency preparedness binder to get a prepping notebook started, plus printed off some articles on saving water and money. Hope to be working on it every day while doing other things, too.
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Bought four packages of white taper candles, 6 in each package, from work (Trader Joe’s) we only have these in the fall now until they run out. I get them every year, still have a few packages from last year, pretty good deal with the employee discount. Nice bold light in the dark. I’ve used them during power outages. Add to my candle stash. Making a list of what I want to accomplish this weekend.
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I’m late starting this but earlier this month ordered a new soldering iron so I can solder some more solar panels.
Have been organizing so I can find things easier (an ongoing task). Yesterday mended a neighbors ripped coat.
Today cooked a roast beef dinner and got out the snow scoop- we will have too much to shovel.
I have been working on a recipe book for all ‘make from scratch’ things we use.
Went through some gardening magazines and saved articles I would use and made a pile to toss and another pile to give away. -
Went to the store this morning to buy hubby a new winter coat and got it 40% off which then entitled us to get a discount on a turkey. Picked up the turkey for 37 cents a pound. Finished making the gift tags that coordinate with the Christmas cards I made. Made supper using some food out of the freezer that had been in the freezer a while. I did all my mending and washed up all the dishes.
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Like Skypony, bought Trader Joe’s taper candles. Also moved bulk-purchased grains into 5 gallon buckets with gamma lids.
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I am going to do my best. I am unfortunately forgetful. So today I read an article about an armed man coming in to a ladies house and robbing her at gun point. So I reorganized my weaponary to make sure there is a defense weapon in every room.
Tomorrow will be labeling to prep for dementia. As simple as labeling the cat food container and the fridge and stove 😉 🙂 if I accomplish it I will post again 🙂
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Ok, let’s see how today went. went to a thrift store and found a dehydrator that I will reserve for drying onions, an air popper for popcorn (works great!), and a small food processor (each was less than $4). I read several more chapters in “Homemade Pantry, 100 Foods You Can Stop Buying & Start Making,” by Alana Chernila, and again made notes on ingredients needed. I started a batch of homemade buttermilk. I also caught up on some mending, and hand basted hems in a pair of pants for my son.
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Today was fairly productive. Husband took down two trees in the front yard, with the help of a neighbor. The wood will be kept under tarps to age. Filled 3 gallon & 5 1/2 gallon bottles with water – put away. Added 4 1 liter bottles on water to freeze in the big freezer. Added 4 cans of Coleman propane to the tubby those go in. (WalMart has these in a two pack – comes out to $3.12 a can)
Researched getting minimum two more rain barrels (40 or 50 Gallon). Also researching a Berkey – this might be our “Christmas present” to ourselves. -
Went grocery shopping today – Trader Joe’s where the olive oil I buy has went up 50 cents since last month so I got 3 bottles. Also went to Grocery Outlet and Raley’s.
Did some laundry. Bought a shirt at Costco last week and wore it one day this week. It shed everywhere, so washed it so I can return it.
Sending thank you notes to some helpers of a church event so working on getting their addresses.
Sent a recipe for tomato basil bisque to a lady to make for an ill relative. -
So I decided to add a little more food to my long term storage. I washed the containers out really well and put in some more pasta and beans.
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Today I ordered a120 MRE meal kit.
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Still putting up seeds. Finished sunflowers & zinnias today. No, you can’t eat flowers, but they attract bees to your garden. Have so many sunflowers seeds from giant sunflowers, going to give away packs to friends – whether they garden or not – donate to library.
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Yesterday I picked up a wood crate from work that is going to be repurposed as a rotating canned food storage.
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Yesterday I learned how to dry wall repair. I also started researching ow to reapir walls in general with what you have on hand. Today I am updating my supply inventory and putting together a list for the next supply run.
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I’m a little late to this but I love this challenge. It will force me to be more deliberate about prepping. Yesterday I worked on some handmade Christmas gifts and led a Bible study. Today I hope to be canning our pumpkins. I’looking forward to learning from this challenge too. It may point out some places I need to be more intentional in our prepping.
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Today I brought up my Big Berkey from the basement that I have never used and am going to get it running for the first time.
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I have a busy day today, what with working and everything… I need to find a better way to carry. The tank top holster just isn’t going to work. So I read an article and reviews on belly bands. I think I found ove I want to get. I’ll order it today.
I am also going to pick up two bottles of propane (like for the grill) after work. They work really well with one of the backup heaters that we have. It looks like winter is here a little early. After I get home, I’m going to put my winter supplies in the car (emergency heat sources, a week worth of food and water, and sleeping bags). You never know when there will be an accident or something and you’ll be stuck in your car for hours. And I don’t want to run dowm my gas to keep warm.
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Yesterday I went out and bought a 1 kilo bag of pasta, dated it and put it in my moisture & rodent proof bucket. did the same with a 1 kilo bag of white sugar.
This morning I have started putting together a winter emergency kit for the family vehicle, and as an extension of such, started knitting a large blanket that will be kept in the SUV in case we ever get stranded. (It can get as cold as -40 up here, so you never know when a blanket might come in handy!)
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Expecting a snow storm around 6 or more inches starting this afternoon, so I did a quick inspection this morning. This is the first major snow ice storm of the season, so I just wanted to double check
The only thing I needed to do this morning is fill the wood circle beside the woodstove. I have wood stacked near the house, but I don’t plan on going outside during the storm. The chainsaw has plenty of fuel and started right up. I am charging the cordless chainsaw. The SUV is full and winterized.
I probably have enough cash on hand, but I am headed out to the ATM to get some more cash. I read the Emergency Funds thread here and reassessed my cash on hand.
I have plenty of water, food, meds, etc to get me through this and more. No rush to the grocery store unless I want to get some special ingredients to try out the breadmaker that I bought yesterday at the thrift store. If it’s not busy, I will stop and grab some items for the bread machine.
Thus is why I prep, no rush to go to the grocery store. I have enough supplies to last through the winter and more.
Maybe during the storm, I will continue on the unpacking and inventory. Next is pet supplies.
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I would like to get another big bag of dog kibble, but that would require a rodent-proof tub, which I don’t really have room for yet. Of course, if I could raise the gumption to go through some of my boxes and get rid of a few, I would have that room that I need. Bloody inconvenient insomnia and resulting lack of energy!
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This morning, at the request of one of my prepping buddies, I did online research about the nutritional content of energy bars and some candy bars to see which ones might be good to stockpile. (So far, assuming no allergies to nuts, PayDay bars and Greens PlusBars are sounding like pretty good choices).
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Husband and kids are handling the shopping after work today so I am putting up green beans, turnips and mustards this afternoon.
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I acquired some free second hand retaining wall blocks to build cold frames over my garden and to construct a compost bin.
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I didn’t get to town yesterday as planned but handy-man completed some winterizing things for me. And, I continued to review youtube on growing plants inside during the winter months. Today, I’ll do yesterdays in-town activities. Have spent a bit of time this morning reviewing my spending plan for the next two months, setting a realistic budget for Christmas activities. Have begun the last few years giving farm animals through Samaritan’s Purse to needy families around the world in the name of my teenage grandchildren. They really like that I do that. All the older one’s have already been on a number of mission trips and recognize the blessings we enjoy here in America. For lunch today have set out several frozen items from left-over meals: cabbage rolls and little individual baked apple pies. I cook for one so freezing individual portions of every meal I cook saves me so much money and time.
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This week I have been taking an inventory of our food storage. I do not have one area in the house to keep it all and so I easily lose track of my supplies.
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We trimmed a dogwood tree and burning bush in front of the house. Now we can see better out the front windows. It was misty and only 33* but it felt good being outside. Keeping fit and healthy are preps, too.
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Today I am going to the grocery because they have a lot of shelf stable groceries on sale including canned veg at 4 cans for $1. I will probably buy the max they allow. Also peanut butter is 3/$5…another great deal. Tomorrow my task will be to put this all in food storage and rotate others to the front of the line.
Thanks Daisy for all you have done to help me. -
AnonymousJust starting out and am very new to forums. Just signing up to this is my prep for the day. I am an old guy but there is always things to learn and practice so here goes. thanks
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Hey, OldGuy!!! I’m an OldGal not used to forums but I’m getting a lot of good ideas. Hang in there and post everyday. You’ll become less uncertain as you keep at it. Good luck with your prepping….I figure we older folks don’t have to go overboard, but just doing some simple things everyday will keep us busy and involved with life. I’m learning some new gardening skills.
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Day 1….. I’m putting a plan on paper to start.
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I’ve been busy today. My first priority today was to finish cleaning up the fraudulent use of my son’s debit card. Annoying and time consuming.
I have been reorganizing my first aid supplies. The old tackle box I have been using was filled to overflowing and made things very difficult to find. Yesterday I bought a new easy to carry storage container and have moved everything to that. I have a list of things we need to have it in.
I decided that our 72 hour to go backpacks were both not easy to access and in the way stored in the coat closet. We had bought a bench to sit and take off things like muddy or snowy shoes and boots and it has storage under the seat. I moved all the backpacks there and later this week will go through them and update them as needed.
I also ordered a packet of mylar bags with O2 Absorbers. I will use them to make my own freeze dried meals. Some will be for one person, most for 2 people, and a few for 4 people. I plan on spending some time today and tomorrow searching for recipes that we like. I generally test the recipes using a combination of fresh and freeze dried ingredients. I don’t want to use the expensive freeze dried meat until I know we like the recipe. Once I have several recipes, I’ll make a bunch of meals in the Mylar bags. If I buy a #10 can of freeze dried ground beef (or chicken) I want to have a variety of recipes using it so I can get the entire can of meat used the same day. It will take time, but one day at a time and I’ll get there.
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Today I start the challenge. I am hitting up the local grocery for their annual thanksgiving stock-up event that saves tons on pantry fillers!!
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Another day a new day to prep. I read what others are doing and I feel so down. If I can buy a extra can good that is all I can afford. I am trying to do better but it is hard. Today I am organizing. I am listing what I do have. If the SHTF I will just put my self in the way of the bullet so others can live.
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I am trying to get healthier so I rode my bike today
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Lee Smith, if you can buy only one can extra, that’s one more can than you would have had. I have found some great deals at the dollar stores too– both name brand and their house brands. You can do this!
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Hey @lee Smith!
Don’t feel so down. Look at each day as one small step.
Watch for the grocery sales where they sell the canned goods. Check out your thrift stores and yard/garage sales. Look for ways to use what you already have on hand. You can watch You Tube videos for ideas.
Keep your chin up.
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Today, I start reviewing a recent purchase of an Herbal Cold Care course taught by Rosemary de la Foret. I will start assembling ingredients necessary to put up some more herbal medicine for winters colds and flus!
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Lee, that’s one can extra you wouldn’t have had before! Way to go!
Today we went for a long walk, even though it was raining. (Fitness is a real priority for me right now.) We also organized our medications and first aid supplies.
I took the day off work and am relaxing a bit with my daughter. We tried a new-to-us veggie from the farmer’s market: purple Brussels sprouts! Very delicious!
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I’m in although a little late. Today I am making a pot of veggie soup. Brought in the potted plants since our first hard freeze is coming tonight. Harvested the last bit of mint for the season and laid it out to dry.
I think this is a fabulous idea. Sometimes knowing where to start or just knowing you are not alone in the process is just the thing to get people moving in the right direction.
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We have had a lot of lake effect snow here in the Northwoods so I am out removing it using the old ‘armstrong’. I guess that counts for improving fitness.
Daisy, have you tried kohlrabi? If you like brussels sprouts you would probably like it. I use the chopped up leaves too and like to cream it with a white sauce.
I will get back to organizing stuff later today. -
Stocked up on some medical supplies.
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Lee, please don’t feel badly if you can’t prep a lot all at once. Most of us can’t do that either. Remember the saying, “slow and steady wins the race”. Many times I haven’t had the funds to buy all the prepping items I wanted right then, or even any at all. At those times I focused on learning new skills, (using the free resources available online or at my local library) or on doing my own product research online to enable me to make lists of exactly what preparedness items I wanted to buy, or make, or barter for, when I would later have the money to do that. Doing that advance research is very helpful because then, when you later have the funds, you can act quickly when you see great sale prices on items on your list (or spot them at a thrift store, or flea market, etc.). Hang in there 🙂
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Made a batch facial soap and shampoo bars. Looked up my pantry journal to start doing an inventory Soon.
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This is great, and the motivation I need to get more organized and prepared. Today I started packing our 72 hour food supply bucket for a family of 4. Yesterday I read the fiction book, Getting Out by Ryan Westfield, and the day before, I put my winter emergency bag in my car filled with extra blankets, clothes, and diapers.
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Started a four dough started on 11/8/18. So far today only work.
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11/9 – Today I mulched up my leaves and started them to composting, covering my garden, etc., so that I’ll be a little ahead of the game come spring.
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Cleaned out the back of the truck in prep for getting a round hay bale but alas, my hay man is out of hay right now. He says he’s got three lakes in the middle of hay field; if it ever dries out he may get another cutting. No problem– I’ve got a back up plan for my little herd of cows. About to put the “Dolly Partons” on the outside faucets; it’s supposed to freeze in a couple nights. Moved plants in. Fixed the old brick bbq so the stray cat can sleep in there if he wants. And still inventorying some old glasses and plates to give to the kids; I need to free up some room for pantry things. Need to get more rice and mustard. We go through rice like t.p. Which reminds me– probably should get more t.p. too for the stock. Just because.
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working on my maple sugar – it’s great on dried apples instead of cinnamon. I have done some of both and as fast as they get eaten, I’ll probably do a lot more.
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Purchased more beans for my stash.
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This a good time of year for sales so today, 9 Nov, I got butter on sale for 70cents off regular price of $3.00 so piled my basket high! Also got spaghetti and butternut squash at a huge sale price so got several and put them in the cold room to store. Got bread flour at $1.40 off regular price so stocked up and stored them in the grain frig. Picked up some extra wood matches since it will be wood stove season soon. Overall a good day for saving $$.
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Today I’ve been preparing for a short trip to my Dad’s 88th. I don’t just take what I need for the trip, but also prepare and pack for delays, diversions, and disasters. Weather ‘may’ be a factor so I have to consider this as well.
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11-9-2018 Finally printed off information sheets for a hard copy in my garden book – MORINGA. I have three healthy trees that I harvest several times a year, gently air dry the leaves and turn them into a powder. I then seal the powder into jars. It is so easy to reference electronic files but one day …
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Today I watched videos on hand sewing, learned about ripped seams, and filling in tears.
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Today I cleaned and disinfected the dehydrator and food processor recently purcgphased from the thrift store and have pinto beans soaking so I can make burritos for the freezer tomorrow. I also watched a video on emergency water preparations.
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The cows are in!
Of course, 30min before I hump it out there to bring them out of the fields and into the barn, it starts to snow. Like, blowing, thick, snow.
Took about an hour total. I was soaked from head to toes. Thankfully I had on wool socks and a wool hat.
We probably got 2 to 3 while I was out there and it is still coming down. -
Not fun, Crow Bar! What part of the country are you in?
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Just read about the challenge- I like the idea. I’ve been on the road 3 days, getting a family member through her court hearing, and now she’s all set with her probation officer, and I’m home, I will be doing the challenge.So far this month I’ve prepared my camp for winter, signed onto a new forager’s blog, planting indoor herbs, and decluttering my bedroom.
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11/9 Today I worked on purging my bookshelves. bagged up a bunch to donate to our local library for their use or their booksale, did several book reveiws online, ordered a supply in of dog food for Bubba, our beagle/terrier mix, and for our daughter and son in law’s pitbull mix, Jade. Try to keep at least a 9 month to a year supply on hand for each, stored in metal trashcans. Works great, keep each bag in mylar separately, and they stay fresh, with no pest or rodent problem thanks to the metal cans. I am using the freed up space on the bookshelves to store more canned foods and water, behind the piles and stacks of books. I figure out of sight is good, so I try to use any available space. I keep an index card in my recipe box that lists what is hiding where, so my daughter or hubby would know if something happened to me.
Extra canned beans, 10 cases of different varieties, purchased yesterday on sale are now cozy under the sofa. Lots of reorganizing in the pantry on the agenda this weekend, need to do inventory update.-
I love your idea! I never thought of behind the books as a place to stash. Thanks for sharing that :0)
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I like your idea of using an index file to keep track of where everything is stored.
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Today canned potatoes that were starting to sprout. Stayed up late last night reading LDS preparedness manual. Found some holes. Printed off some pantry inventory sheets to start fall/winter inventory.
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@daisy,
Central, or North Central NY.
Meh, it is what it is. Gotta get done. Just have to suck it up and do it.
I have moved the livestock in pouring rain, heat waves, and snow before. Dress accordingly.
I wanted to keep the livestock out in the fields till NOV first. Everyday after that is bonus in regards to hay consumption. -
Got it, Crow Bar. We’re expecting snow next week here in Virginia. It’s supposed to be a crazy winter this year.
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I know I didn’t post yesterday because I forgot. BUT I am still going to post what i did yesterday, and what I have done today:
Nov. 8th: Check Preppers Daily, and also other international headlines. While I knows it’s not a full-proof way to go, I can still find out/hear about things that I do not hear inside the US. I go through StartPage and hit places newspapers in India, Austrialia, New Zealand, and more.
Nov. 9th: Made sure to add to small emergency fund I keep at work. My goal is to have $100 accessible for emergencies.
Nov. 10th: Going to find out how to fix my shoes! :0)
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Ordered two filters for or Berkey-clone water filter instead of one at a time. A few weeks ago, our town had a boil order in place because the water main broke – and wouldn’t you know it, the water filter puttered out right at the same time, and we were broke on top of it (we’re freelancers, it’s feast or famine – that’s something that needs to be remedied, too!). So when we got the money, we ordered two! The plan is to order another when the first one is finished so we’re never without.
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Today I learned how to use my new dehydrator that DH got me. Tomorrow I will try making jelly with a family recipe.
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Love this idea. Yesterday, the 8th, stocked up on good chicken soup which was so cheap that I couldn’t make it for that price, toilet paper, and paper towels. Today, the 9th, bought 2 large turkeys for 47 cents per pound. Will cook then can for future use at a great price. Also, had a visit from Red Cross who educated us in fire safety and installed smoke detectors in our home.
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Today was a good day! Ordered two more rain barrels (50 gal. each). Added $30 to our cash “stash”. Reorganized our entire food storage. Got bags of items for the food bank that will be expiring before January 19 plus now everything is back in it’s proper “home”. Husband counted up propane cans and kerosene. Strawberries, raspberry bushes, blackberry bushes, blueberries all have their winter mulch in their pots. Might try to get some potatoes planted from this past year’s crop just to let some winter over.
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11/9/18
Hi. Today’s preps
1) practiced cooking made baked chicken and roasted chicken to freeze,
2) Hubs and I had a tec free night, we played cards all night3) read my prepping book,
4) I am trying to fast at work to condition my body some in case SHIT and I need to go more than a few hours with out food
I didn’t get things labeled like I had hoped to but that is ok 🙂
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Today I picked up my new glasses and added to our cash stash. I also delivered farm fresh eggs to some friends.
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Paid on our last loan besides our house. Check all balances on accounts.
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Today I ordered some back up filters for my gravity water purifier.
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Knitting a new scarf tonight, big long infinity one so I can double it around my neck, and wear it at work. Making it from a Carron Big Cake (big round thing of yarn multicolors, looks like a cake) that I got for Christmas last year. Going to be 40 tonight, big brr drop for here. Washed two loads of fuzzy blankets, they are in the dryer now.
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Today hubby and I met with the lawyer to sign our new wills and power of attorney papers for finances. Told our kids they need to set aside an hour or so for us to explain our estate to them and how to deal with it all when we pass away. Made some brownies using dehydrated raspberries in the dough. Washed up the last of the flower pots brought in from outside and put away. Cleaning off my bookcase and passing on some cookbooks to my daughter in law. I bought 2 cookbooks for my son for Christmas that tell how to cook with cast iron. Just need to buy the pans now for him. He is getting involved in prepping so we want to help him out. Made tacos for supper to use up some of the last tomatoes from our garden that have ripened.
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Just checking this posts right
I am prepping a bit daily. Will post more tomorroe -
While I was cleaning the freezer I found a couple of big baggies with chicken bones so for the last two days I’ve been crockpotting them, along with a bag of veggie scraps that I found frozen as well. I have two HUGE bowls of stock in the fridge right now that I’m going to scrape the fat off of tomorrow and then can. I should have at least 7+ quarts worth. If there’s any left over I’ll boil it down to almost nothing and put in a container back in the fridge and once it’s jellied I’ll cut into squares, put on a plate, freeze and once frozen I’ll pop them all into a baggie, so easy to just grab a couple and use when you need a flavour boost. Ice cube trays work well too.
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Not too much prepping today. Did laundry and spent a lot of time reading/looking at pictures of the Camp Fire here in North California. Used my hankie. Hoping for a double shift tomorrow so I have extra money to stock up on baking supplies – this is the time of year they should be the least. Things like brown/powdered sugar, flour, and chocolate chips are some of my favorites to stock up on!
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I never buy brown sugar. All it is is white sugar and molasses so I make it as I use it and if a recipe calls for it in the ingredients I just dump both in without mixing it separately. Works for me.
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Making jam from berries and grapes I froze this summer and stocking up on additional water.
Thank you so much for this information from others
Sara -
Bagged & tagged cleaned pumpkin & other squash seeds. Went thru/cleaned up remaining apples from picking a month ago. Made an apple cake, gave bad ones to chickens.
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I have stopped prepping for awhile . Cant speak for everybody , but it starts to create a siege mentality over time , that is not really healthy . At those times , I stop , and walk away from it , think and do more positive things in life .
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Two days of slaughtering and butchering pig.
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Still snowing on and off here. I love the crisp white covering. It is so peaceful.
On a light note, here’s how you know you live in rural area. With a ice/snow storm approaching, instead of long lines at the grocery store, you have long lines at the county dump (trash and recyclables — no curb side service here). Lol!
As I waited yesterday at the dump, I saw one of my neighbors, do being rural folks we were all down right neighborly. I didn’t realize how many single/widowed/divorced gals lived in the area just like me. I got some great tips, including on cooking on my wood stove. I also scored some seedlings in the spring.
Last night, I warmed up stew on the wood stove.
This morning, I inventoried my dog supplies. My dogs are my fur kids, so I ensure they are good to go. I have a rotating supply of dry and wet food. My dogs are good for at least 10 months on dry food. I also have several cases (18) of wet food, which has a longer expiration date than dry and is much easier to store. I also have treats, toys and flea/tick meds set aside. All in, the puppers are good for at least 12 months.
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I am in and ready to go.
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AnonymousGoing to add super glue to my first aid kit today. Also check over my first aid kits in the car and at home. Thanks to Daisy for your daily email that talked about it and the link to Chuck Hudson’s article
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Today I am plotting out next years garden.
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This weekend I am starting a binder to print all the prepper things I have been saving on my computer (recipes, how-to’s, first aid instructions, etc…).
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Until a few years ago, my father thought I was crazy for pile stocking lighters, matches, candles etc… Well not anymore!
Since the first of November, without knowing about the challenge, this is what I’ve done:
1 – Revisited my calling tree, to add people that would be great asset in an event of emergency, remove those who have prooved to be unworthy of trust. 2 – Went dumpster-diving on a inspired moment and got a huge load of Halloween candy. We did not plan to do it beforehand, we will in the future. You should have seen the faces of the kids with us! 3 – Went grocery shopping and bought some bouillons cubes to add to our EDC kits and to put in with our stocking stuffers. 4 – Repackaged some pulses, planning to can some in the upcoming weeks so that we can use quickly when needed. 5 – Made a list of supplies needed to be restocked. 6 – Checked my camping stove, made sure it is in working condition and that we have enough butane stashed away. 7 – I belong to a group wher we share information about gardening, cooking, learning. Started a list of subjects I would see brought up for our Regional and National annual meetings about being prepared. Some of our members are single and vulnerable, I want them to be taken care of and well equipped. 8 – Replaced batteries in all alarms and other needed equipment. Put the used batteries in a container for later evaluation of their remaining charge for use in a pinch if needed.
I had written those in my planner after completing them, so that I could keep track of what I’m doing. That’s why I’m able to post today 🙂 I do small tasks like that on a daily basis as a way to keep my mind sharp. I was sick two days and used that time to read up my book Extreme weather survival guide from national geographic. A 35$ book I got for 3$.
Have agood one
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AnonymousToday I am drying 10 trays of carrots and working on putting up other fruits/veggies I bought yesterday. I also got some soup to make with some squash I baked, some will be eaten this week the rest will be frozen.
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November is a challenging month in trying to prepare due to lack of funds. Don’t know if these thing are considered preps are not, had a hundred gallons of propane put in the tank. Got a turkey for Thanksgiving that Walmart had on sale, not a fresh one, but frozen, the family will not know the difference after I get it brined and smoked, the money I saved on the turkey will go in my money jar.
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Today was dollar store day. Picked up safety pins, toe covers, and clear water proof bags with zippers.
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Today I blanched and froze brussel sprouts, made bread, hot pockets and casseroles to freeze and some to eat.
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Today I am concentrating on cleaning out the freezer part of the fridge and then the frig part. I decided I needed to to just buy lettuce and milk for the rest of the month to make sure we eat what we already have. The other thing I am doing today is making sure I get cardio exercise in to stay healthy.
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Friday Nov 9. Bought a jump starter to keep in my car because… my battery went dead while I was cleaning out my office. 🙁 Tough lesson, but now I have one in my car for future use.
Saturday Nov 10. Car maintenance and prep for winter. Charging battery, putting new coil packs on. Going through preps and putting similar items together. After closing my business, I am quite surprised to find how many sets of paper plates and disposable utensils I have!
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Today I watched a replay of the latest video presentation on purifying water in an emergency by Glenn Meder (inventor of the Survival Still). I also finished reading Dr. Arthur T. Bradley’s latest book, <span style=”text-decoration: underline;”>The Survivalist: Solemn Duty</span>.
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Today I went to a study day of the Dutch beekeepers association. I learned about making skep hives and beekeeping with skeps. Will participate in a course later on this winter.
Did the very last humongous zucchini in the dehydrator to make zucchini powder.
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Day 2. I’m working on setting up my car kits. With winter coming, that seems the most important right now.
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Well, yesterday I put a chunk of cash away for my emergency fund. Today I finished reading a book about survival personalities and what it takes mentally to be a “survivor”. I live in a hurricane prone area. I personally have been through so many storms that I am unable to accurately count them all. But what I will tell you is I have seen how rational people can turn to hysterical mush after 2-3 days without first world comforts. I never want to be “that” person. I am consciously putting forth the effort to be more self reliant. I am comforted by the fact that I am not alone in my quest.
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Today I am making sure I get all my new food acquisitions in the pantry correctly. Rotating food can be a pain, but is so necessary. Tomorrow my goal is to inventory my essential oils and make a list of “need” and “want”. Then I want to put together an abbreviated “What to use for…” and print it out to store with the oils.
I love this Daisy! It helps me organize me thoughts and plan ahead. And even if you’re not there asking me why I didn’t do what I said, it helps to keep me accountable just by writing it down.
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11-10-2018 Today I planted a navel orange tree and the garlic. Harvested the last of the roses for the season – time to make rose water and Kami McBride’s Firestorm Tea.
I may not be perfect but parts of me are excellent!
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Oh Vegmom, so sorry. Glad to see you are trying to help empower your son through this.
Made a loaf bread and a another batch of immunity booster (lemon, garlic, ginger and honey). Read a couple of herbal remedy articles.
I make laundry soap using 2 parts castille soap, 1 part washing soda and 1 part borax. Use vinegar as a laundry softener. I agree, washers just don’t seem to work as well as they used to especially with no agitator.
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I agree with preppy p about vinager as fabric softener. I will admit I usually run my towels twice they don’t seem to get clean.
Ran out of homemade laundry soap back to store bought. I’m frustrated at myself for more store bought items but working on letting myself be ok with that. Do what I can when I can.
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Today hubby and are home together very rare these days. We are going to inventory our canned goods and make our list for shopping next time we have a day off together. We are the people who you don’t want to get behind in the grocery store as we shop monthly. We are actually pretty fast at it as we’ve been doing this way of shopping for years.
My goal is to try and have less store bought canned foods and can mine own. Canning takes time and some days store bought just has to work. 😃
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Got the cows taken care of. They were happy cows, running over the hill for their treats. They’re about an hour from our house so it’s an event to get down there do stuff. I did see turkey, raccoon and hog tracks while we were down there. The turkey tracks were as big as my hand.
Other than that, not much done today. Some things may yet get done tonight but it’s looking meagre for now.
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Today was road trip day for me. Overnight stay with two dogs along. As I was backing the care, I made sure to throw in my cold weather boots just in case something happened and I was walking a ways. Tennis shoes are good but not when you are trekking in single digit wind chill. Then I started looking at my go backpack. Now this doubles as my work backpack. I amde sure that today it was strictly go and then rethought how I have it set daily to be easily convertible from work backpack to go backpack. Realized that I do need to replenish some of the medical supplies in.
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Started the “every day”pantry inventory. (2 prep pantrys to go!) Wanted to do a happy dance when I realized I have canned close to 600 jars of food over the summer! Sheared sheep this afternoon. Fleeces were awesome. Hope to have some blankets made and some yarn spun. Harvested indigo.
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Yesterday I did an inventory of my dry and canned goods. Definitely need to add more to it, but its slow going.
Today I started learning about making simple leather shoes.
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Some good sales at the grocery store. I added soup, crushed tomatoes and chili beans to my storage pantry.
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Today, started separating clothes to put away for winter and did inventory on what I need to replace for the season and spring. Hope to downsize while I am at this.
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My daughter and grandson moved in with me several months ago and moved into the bedroom when I had much of my home canned goods It was moved to the third bedroom, but, along with other extra things in that spare room, the now pantry room is a mess. I have not been able to start organizing it as I felt I couldn’t make a dent. Today was the day I started making the dent! I took all the linens and other cloth items and put them in the large suitcase that was sitting in the room. I’m not sure anyone looking would notice a difference, but I do!
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First real day of cool here in the South. Got my jackets and coat out. I just feel so down I can not get in a good grove.
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<p style=”text-align: left;”>Ok, here goes. Every week I check sales on food and keep my eyes open for good fruit, veggie and meat sales. This month I’ve canned chicken (49 cents a pound), pickled okra, friend and frozen okra($1 a pound), pears( free from trees), tomato juice, diced tomatoes($20 a box), apple pie filling, and apple sauce($6 a brown bag full). I’ve reorganized the food pantry, bought red and white wheat for grinding and made a new wheat bread recipe. Bread flower bought in bulk to try a new white bread recipe as well. Both were very good! Cleaned out the root cellar to make room for 5 new bussel of potatoes as the previous five rotted (don’t know why, what an awful smell!). Maintaining my winter garden of dragon tongue green beans, kale, carrots, turban squash, beets, and cabbage. Made sure my stock of hand and toe warmers, propane, hot chocolate was sufficient for the outdoor market I vend at through December. Used the mini emergency kit out of my purse to light the propane heater. Chopped and stacked wood for the wood stove. Checked kero in tank for house heater. Organized dressers for winter clothes and donated unwanted items. Filled 5, 5 gallon containers of gas and KERO for emergency use. <span style=”text-align: center;”>Collected Mason canning jars and bought lids and rings. Just this week, the kitchen cabinets were cleaned and organized along with the fridge. Guns were cleaned. Cars serviced. I’m sure there is more. I drive my family crazy. I follow a monthly Preppers U calendar.</span></p>
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Today, I batched prepped and cooked all my meals from scratch for the week! I also cleaned my bathrooms with my homemade cleaner made from Castile soap and essential oils!
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I picked up some items at the dollar store that were listed on one of my list. I got some socks, bandanas, super glue, rope, and other stuff. Then when I got home I started a 72 hour kit for my mom.
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As a freelancer, it’s “feast” time this month, just in time. The next several months may (and are typically) “famine”, so I joined with some other ladies in a co-op order and got enough spices and herbs for a year, plus some dried red peppers, wool socks and a few other things.
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I can’t remember if I posted earlier today but I don’t think I have. I’m really enjoying reading these posts and getting some GREAT ideas for things I might want or need to do. Using molasses with white sugar as a substitute for brown sugar was a new idea for me so I’m definitely buying some molasses soon. I’m trying to start some spinach seeds under a clear container outside but the weather here has done a sudden nosedive so I may need to change course and put them under lights inside. Indoor gardening is a whole new area for me but I’m interested so will keep trying different things. Someone talked about buying turkeys for canning as the price is good this time of year so I’m toying with that idea for next week. At the grocery store I found a good deal on some canned chicken. Love this forum as it has given me a much needed kick-start for my little prepping efforts. Thanks everybody!
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Wednesday I set up a budget. Thursday I took a friend to her court hearing (my first experience at a court hearing), and walked . Today I hit 4 craft shows to get ideas for Christmas gifts- got some good ideas! Also walked today (am 71, and trying to work on my balance, as I do fall down.
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Today I took my “beginners hand gun” class. Did really great at my first target practice & scheduled follow up private consultation class to select & purchase my personal protection weapon with appropriate accessories. Very interesting & empowering!
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It’s my Friday, slippers and jammies after a long week, contemplating my to do list for the weekend from my cozy rocking chair as I sip sake and finish the scarf I started knitting last night. Added a bag of dog food to the stash.
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Today was fairly productive. Husband and I had a nice long walk – weather is finally cooler. We both weighed ourselves. He is down to 190, I am down to 158. We picked up more soup on sale for .89 a can (Progresso ready to eat – no water necessary). Made an appointment for the car to be serviced next week. Also made an appointment for the furnace to be serviced. Chimney has been cleaned and top has been repaired. I cut my husband’s hair this evening – saved about $11 there. He isn’t going to cut mine, he flat out refuses because he is afraid he will totally butcher it. Oh well, it would grow back in eventually. Working on the 17 year old granddaughter’s Christmas present. Also working on the present for the 22 year old granddaughter’s boyfriend. (I sure do need another project!)
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I made a large soup pot full of “clean out the fridge” vegetable soup. Cleaned out my office and filed away all the paperwork. Purged another pile of cookbooks I no longer use. I now have another shelf for prepping books that are useful.
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I made sure to charge my phone before I left the house. In addition, I resisted the temptation to purchase ready-to-go food at the grocery store and purchased essentials instead.
I took two walks with two different friends for fitness and fellowship purposes. 🙂
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11-10-18
bought a oil lamp as a thrift store, bought 10 pounds of burger on sale to freeze, discovered new veggie the dogs like and began day one of no caffeine. One less vise for SHTF
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<span style=”font-size: 100%;”>Just joined the challenge today. Hopefully I will remember to post daily. So far this month I have done a few things. I don’t remember which days I did what but here goes. </span>
I got my daughter to try a homemade remedy (honey garlic ferment) for cold symptoms. Now she wants to know how to make it herself for when she moves out to her own place. {She and her kids moved in with us a few months ago because of a nasty divorce}
We [husband and I] spent the day getting oil and brake fluid and many other necessities for the truck and he did a lot of maintenance today.
We both added money to our ‘vacation’ stash.
Made a list of who to make xmas gifts for with a granddaughter’s help.
Made plans to go from pumpkin to pie with grandchildren helping.
Donated 3 big boxes of books to library to make room on my kitchen bookshelves.
While waiting for our new truck battery to be installed, checked out the “emergency car kits” in the lobby at Les Schwab. I realized I already have 99% of the items at home and can (and should) make my own for each vehicle.
And signed up to start this challenge. All in all, not too shabby.
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I don’t think I am smart enough to figure out this forum on my dumb phone so forgive me if this is the wrong place. 11/10-we worked on fortifying fences for livestock. It is hunting season in our area and we have some unsavory neighbors who might “mistake” a jersey heifer for a buck deer! 11/11-will entail church and then stockpiling firewood for those cold cold winter days and nights!
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11/9 and 11/10 cleaned out chicken coops and spread all the hay and such over the garden. Winterized the pullet coop. The older hens in the other coop go to freezer camp next week. Today; 11/11, we go to camp to drain pipes and final winterization. We might be too late, it was 21 degrees when I got up this morning.
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Keep the Sabbath day holy. Spiritual and mental health day. My favorite day of the week. What a delight!!!
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Yesterday, the winds gusted something fierce here. I haven’t fully surveyed the property, but at least 4 good size trees fell yesterday. More firewood to be cut up in the spring. It will go into my rotation for chopping, stacking, seasoning, etc.
Yesterday, I lost power for about 4 hours. It gave me an opportunity to go through my no power checklist. I heated up soup on the wood stove.
I also continued my unpacking, inventory, and organization. This morning, I focused on toiletries. The only area that I seem to be lacking is toilet paper! I don’t have my 12 month supply.
I am headed out today to fix the potential toilet paper shortage. The local grocery store (only 25-30 minutes away) has a Veterans Day Sale with an extra 11% off for vets, like me. I plan to stock on certain sale canned goods and tp.
<p style=”text-align: center;”>Happy Veterans Day!</p> -
I can’t post every day so I’ll just post a “round-up” of the week. Vacuum packed 2 half-gallon jars with tea bags, 2 with cheerios, 2 with crackers. Did mending by hand. Baked bread. Dehydrated a few bags of frozen corn and frozen peas. I’m almost finished with Christmas shopping, I hope to be done by the beginning of Advent. And best of all – spent time with the grandkids!
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I think my phone is spying on me again; my post are not going through 🕵🏻♀️
I just registered this (Sunday 11/10) morning but I read about the challenge last week and began with skills/preps on Friday (11/8). Here’s my breakdown:
Friday (11/8) Filled water containers at Glacier refill station ($0.35 per gallon & obtained 24 gallons; $8.40 subtracted from monthly “Preparedness” budget envelope.
Saturday (11/9) Pulled out 13 pounds ground beef from deep freezer to pressure can today (Sunday 11/10); Started red onion flats for new raised bed sqft garden (build was started as normal “new house-new location-start over plan” prior to challenge).
Sunday (11/10) About to start home canning 12 pints of ground beef to have on shelves—part of food preparedness for power outages and “what’s for dinner, Mom?!” daily emergencies! 😏
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you have been really busy. I was wondering if you put oxygen absorbers in your jars with the tea bags?
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Learned about bug out bags today; eg weight, necessities for your own particular climate ect. Some helpful info for this N00b.
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11/11/18 It’s Veterans Day and I am taking this opportunity to post about the upcoming events while I am still sober enough.. We will spend the day in celebration with the vets by having a BBQ. There will be plenty of beer and homemade mead to drink and lots of floor space for the inevitable sleep overs with breakfast being served totally from prep stockpile. How is this prepping? These vets are the CORE of our survival group and it is necessary to play once and awhile.
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I think I mistakenly posted my daily prepping activities in the wrong section so I’ll repeat the info. here. Today, so far, I’ve updated my 9-typed-pages-long Wish List for preparedness items (Yup, it’s really that long!), checked to make sure my first ever batch of homemade Apple Cider Vinegar (from apple scraps) is bubbling but not foaming over or molding, and discussed the various uses for half-gallon Mason jars with a friend who hadn’t seen one that size before. (For any of you who might not already know, the half-gallon size jars are great for storing dry pantry items but shouldn’t be used to water bath can anything but juices).
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First, let me say Happy Veterans Day to all the Veterans. Second, you sound like the best prepper to be. You are taking time to rest, mentally at least, and using your stores to feed people. Sounds like a great day.
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Today I started making draft snakes for all my exterior doors. We have a new Aldi store opening this week not far from my house, so I’m getting my grocery list updated to take advantage of the $5 off coupon and the sales. Reading the book Last Light and taking notes.
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11/10/18
Today I started organizing my pantry and keeping a written journal on the contents. That way I know what I have and what I need. Yesterday night organic calendula so I can infuse some oil. Going to make some salves with it.
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11/11/18
Did some organizing today. Brought plants in… sage rosemary thyme oregano and strawberry plus hibiscus. Cleaned kitchen. Fed my sour dough starter. Making bread tomorrow and starting my calendula infused oil.
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AnonymousTook inventory of my canned foods, need more strawberry jam. Other than that it is Sunday cooking.
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Whew….some changes since I’ve been able to stop in here. Since I’ve been in a location without Internet service for the past 3 wks, I won’t qualify for this challenge….BUT it’s such a good idea that I’ll jump in now anyway. I haven’t been home because I’ve been taking care of 2 elderly family members…emergency situation. Not sure they are “up to speed” yet but my disease told me that I MUST go home and take a rest. So here I am.
I guess for prepping, the past 3 wks reinforced how VERY harsh it is to have someone injured/ill/old…even during “normal” times. During times of upheaval, our situation might have ended with a death..or at least a very long period of painful convalescence. Since this is my 3rd event of this nature in the past 2 decades, I learned/relearned about useful medical/daily necessary items.
To deal with this situation, we had or needed: chucks pads, adult diapers/pads, lots of tissue boxes, commode/raised toilet seat, need 2nd walker, need 2nd quad-cane, should acquire some bed-to-other-room communication devices—instead of banging cane on the wall to wake someone, a LOT of simple-preparation meals [no one has energy], better thermometer, non-spill water containers with spout/straw for bed use, adult bibs to save laundry, disinfecting wipes, moist hand wipes, lot of hand lotion after repeated hand washing, disposable plates, cups cuz no time for LOTS of dish washing, positioning pillows- for comfort of those in bed too much, night lights- for up-in-nite trips, bed clothes: stretchy-drawstring-comfort, massage lotion/oil, ice/gel packs, pill boxes with compartments for easier daily use, charts to make sure things get done/pills taken on time/etc., ..
Probably a LOT more but my brain is still fuzzy. I lost significant weight during this time..[ahem, which is good] 🙂 …but emphasizes how very physical it is to take care of ill/injured/old person(s).
I keep thinking how dreadfully difficult it would have been in a grid-down or worse situation. To be fetching/boiling water for drinking/sanitation. To be emptying the commode into a hole dug in back yard. To not have medical services coming to the house for therapy. Just knowing which Physical Therapy movements will strengthen/repair the damage….that would be vital information for an injured person’s recovery!
At home here, I have a stock of tasty soups [wish they were homemade/home canned] exactly for when we are tooo sick or wiped out to fix anything else. In this situation, soup/sandwich [PB&J] was sometimes all we could afford to fix with our limited energy! They did not have nearly enough food for this type of ordeal…not really being prepper types. My DH and I went to fetch many things during those wks and just before I came home. Getting out shopping themselves just became much more exhausting/problematic.
A simple thing that happened that points out another big problem. They only had two sleeves of saltine crackers [the sickbed standard] but I managed to upend and spill out one entire sleeve….leaving only one. [2 is 1…1 is none…3 is a “guarantee” ] Well no, I don’t believe in guarantees but we all know the principle. Stock more! In a time of STRESS….accidents happen a LOT more frequently. My fuzzy brain…oye, what a problem! It’s like mentally wading thru mud! You make so many dumb, illogical, potentially dangerous mistakes. And you make them repeatedly! Ack! Thus it takes more time to constantly re-check yourself and ….others.
Keeping one’s temperament sweet, patient, cheerful is another ‘stretching exercise’ I participated in during these weeks. 🙂 It surely does help the patient to heal if the environment is healthy.
That’s what I learned/revisited during the past 3 wks.
–OldMtWoman
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Anonymous@oldmtwoman ((((hugs)))) and you have earned a nap!
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@oldmtwoman thank you very much for this good insight how to prep for one gets older! Wish you a speedy recovery.
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Today I attended a protection seminar with 2 of our 4 legged homestead security team 😉 This evening i made a list of heirloom seeds for all the veggies we like to grow and am researching good books on saving seed.
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It’s Veteran’s Day and I can’t remember if I checked in yet; so the be on safe side I’ll report again. Cooking for one is a challenge and too often it seems I end up throwing leftovers out if I forget them in the fridge….this morning I did a careful review of what’s there that needs to be used up this coming week and worked out a menu for the week that should finish everything before it goes bad. I also checked on the winter spinach garden I’ve tried to start but it may be too late outside so will be moving this inside under grow lights tomorrow when help comes. Mostly a quiet Sunday for rest.
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Today was about getting beds and heat in the shed for my two dogs so they are not out this rainy cold weather that has hit this week.
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Put the candy board that I made for the bees on the bee hive today in case they run out of honey to eat this winter in their bee hive.
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I bought extra canning lids.
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Limed 50 quail eggs and cleaned out fridge, prepping for harvesting Simon the pig tomorrow. Harvested carrots and beets. Set up butchering station with freezer paper, knives and cutting board surface. You can never overdo the preps for 300 lbs of meat.
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Raked leaves for the compost pile and turned the pile.
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@oldmtwoman best wishes on a quick recovery for you and them.
I make the smaller zip lock freezer bags with chili and thick soup you can boil ready in a few min and if better and cheaper than store stuff. For thick soups I like cream ones or cheesy, making crackers is easy and fun plus they taste better with less rat and insect parts.
You can use a wonder bag boil pot of rice put into bag eat 8 hours later, can do same with stew, think of it as powerless crock pot
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Can’t remember if I posted yesterday. I ran errands, bought more soup on sale, stocked up on batteries, and later shoveled a large porch we don’t use often of a foot of snow. Very tiring because I had removed snow the day before. Today is a day of rest.
Also made a mouse trap to get a critter the dog were barking about last night. Drilled a hole in each side of a cat litter bucket and ran a dowel rod through with toilet paper roll on the rod, then covered the rod with peanut butter.
Today I went to church and later worked on prep notebook. Cleaned the garage enough to get the car in out of the snow. Will do more organizing there later.
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Forgot to mention put a ramp up to the bucket for mouse to get into it.
My snowblower got repaired! yay! I’m an old fogie and shoveling really gets to me.
After repairing snowblower the kind neighbor even blew out more snow.
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Today I went through the car and truck emergency backpacks in preparation for winter driving. The car”s is just a “slide-off/stuck” kit while the truck’s is pretty much a “get home bag”. Needed to change out food, medical stuff with expiration dates, and also updated some of the equipment in each. That project required a trip to three different stores but got pretty much everything I needed. Some of the food stuffs were bulk dehydrated foods so I broke it into equal amounts and then vacuum sealed each with our Food Saver. Still some more work to do on the truck’s kit but will finish it up tomorrow.
Nice afternoon so took the pooch on a two mile hike through the forest. (Got to get the legs ready for ski season)!
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This is long – but it’s been a great exercise for me today, for thinking about food stores and refrigeration needs, especially related to our family’s health needs.
We are doing the Orthodox Advent Fast (Orthodox/Eastern Catholic fast that mirrors Lent, 40 days before Christmas) for the first time in my life. It’s not as severe as the Eastern Christian Lent, because eggs, oil and wine are actually allowed (Lent in the Eastern Church is basically very low-fat vegan for 40 days, with oil and wine allowed on the weekend only).
Especially since this is so unfamiliar for me, I am taking the opportunity to come up with a list of menus that (1) abides by the rules of the fast of my new “culture”, (2) uses my food stores, (3) meets the needs of both a diabetic and another person with Celiac disease and cancer, and (4) reduces the need for refrigeration (one of my prepping goals). I still have to figure carb counts for diabetic needs 🙁
Veggies will be fermented (can sit out several days) or rehydrated or made fresh from veggies that can sit outside of the refrigerator if necessary (for a few days). Gathered greens will have to be cooked immediately. The specific type of vegetable broth (a remedy from a Korean friend) and the juicing are geared towards the needs of the family member with cancer. Refrigeration will be mainly for the vegetable broth and fresh greens, if necessary.
Spices will be extremely important, for both digestion and flavor.
So here’s my list:
EGG DISHES (can use egg powder or store bought eggs which, as I learned in India, do not have to be refrigerated if used up within a week or two, even in tropical heat):
– Frittata with rehydrated dried vegs or any fresh vegs that can be bought at the store or foraged and cooked immediately.
– Vegetable patties held together with eggs and/or flax meal
– Vegetable omelet
– “Coffee cake” made with a lot of eggs, coconut flour, a bit of honey and some dried fruit
– “Veggie pudding” made like the “coffee cake” above, only savory
– Egg-drop soup made with dried mushrooms, onions, ginger, and carrots (dried or fresh) in vegetable broth made with shitake mushrooms, burdock and Korean radish (root plus dried leaves).
VEGETABLE DISHES
– Home ferments like home-made sauerkraut and other pickled vegetables, put in the crock as soon as I buy or gather them
– Curried, rehydrated dried vegetables
– Curried or stir-fried fresh veggies that are more “durable” (like carrots, burdock, Korean radish, etc.)
– Dandelion and other wild greens (mostly dandelion this time of year) cooked Greek style
– Raw juiced fruits and veggies (buy them and use them within a few days)
BEAN/LEGUME DISHES
– Lentil/bean salads made with olive oil, vinegar and other herbs plus fresh or rehydrated veggies
– Stewed rehydrated squash and beans
– Hummus
– Other bean spreads, to be dipped with veggie sticks and/or gluten-free bread (made with millet flour and flax meal).
– Mexican black beans and home-made corn tortillas (using masa)
– Falafel in gluten-free wraps with tahini sauce
– Pasta i fagioli (bean, veggie and pasta dish)
– Bean and veggie soup made with vegetable broth (made with shitake, burdock and Korean radish (root plus dried leaves)).
– Vegan baked beans
– Indian dahl (made with split red lentils)
– Ful medames – a Middle Eastern dish of cooked fava beans served with vegetable oil, cumin, chopped parsley, garlic, onion, lemon juice, chili pepper and other vegetables, herbs and spices. Often served with hard-boiled eggs – yummy for breakfast
Rice, buckwheat, oats, gluten-free bread (millet + flax), corn grits and potatoes available as starches.
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Today was a headache day. Argh! I did work on the worm bins in preparation for a class I’m giving Saturday. (Yay, red worms!) Outside of that all I did was go see one of the DDs with DH. Halfway through that I took a med for my head, which made me groggy but took the pain away. I’m still loopy so tomorrow I will work on preps again. Fingers crossed I’m pain free!
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AnonymousWe took a walk together and came home and went through our freezer and wrote down what is there and how many and what part of the freezer it is in. We also took a count of our supplies by the freezer so we know what our emergency food supply has. Also set up our kitchen better to utilize counter space to use our blender and juicer better.
Have a nice day.
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Hi OldMtwoman, I feel for you! I spent 9 years as the primary caregiver for my elderly parents (4 for my Dad then 5 for my Mom) but I never had to take care of them both at once. No wonder you needed a respite! Your excellent list of the items you used caring for your infirm, elderly relatives got me remembering what I used. Here are some other things peppers might want to add to that list: a lightweight transport wheelchair, a gait belt, a transfer bench, removable bed rails, (a hand-cranked hospital bed would be useful too – but costly), small foam bed wedges, a waterproof mattress protector, an eggcrate foam or manually inflatable air mattress topper to help prevent bedsores, eggcrate foam and/or inflatable ring chair cushions to help prevent pressure sores from long periods of sitting, Tegaderm or similar dressings to treat early stage pressure sores, bedclothes that are easy to open so the caregiver can change adult diapers and wash a bedridden patient without having to undress them (what worked well for my Mom was light, cotton, Summer-weight robes that had a full-length front zipper that completely opened. She wore them instead of nightgowns), No Rinse shampoo “caps”, lots of Bath-sized body wipes, over-the-counter test kits to check for urinary tract infections, over-the-counter Azo urinary pain relief tablets, a blender (electric or hand-cranked) for making high calorie, nutritious smoothies for patients who can’t chew or swallow well or who have to be tempted to eat enough calories each day, high calorie formula Boost or Ensure or Jevity to supplement the diets of patients who have “lost their appetite”. I’m sure there were a lot of other things I used when caring for my elderly parents but those are the ones that readily spring to mind.
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Oops, the spelling correction feature on my computer changed preppers to peppers in my last post – sorry 🙂
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Another decent day for prepping. The rain barrels are full except for about a foot at the top. We’ve had freezing temps and I really don’t want a burst barrel. We cleaned out the car and repacked the trunk & backseat so everything is sorted and ready to go quickly. Worked on a list of all our batteries – Duracells and rechargeable ones. We picked up an extra fan that will run on batteries also. We’ve had excellent luck at Home Depot finding “power” tools that run on batteries. Everything from radios to 14″ chainsaws.
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Nov 1- I read an article from Jim Cobb’s magazine Prepper, “It’s the End of the World.” The article talked about doomsday throughout history, pandemics, volcanoes, EMP, and other things. Lots to think about. Nov.2- I finished reading Yellowstone Inferno by Bobby Akart. It is a series about Yellowstone erupting and how 2 people survived. Nov 3- worked with friend on start of a new greenhouse. Nov 4-. I moved leaves over the fence to decompose on bad soil. Nov 5- A package arrived with butane cylinders for my butane burners. Nov. 6 Election Day. We voted early so if things got crazy (and they did with massive voter turnout) we wouldn’t be caught in the mess. Nov 7- Replaced batteries in 2 6 volt lanterns and 2 D cell flashlights. Nov 8- Went to meeting with a group of like minded people. I knew several from other meetings. We talked about several different subjects as we ate dinner. Nov.9- read from Urban Emergency Survival Guide. Followed news about fires in California. Tried contacting family in fire zone. Nov.10 Message from family, we are alive but house is probably gone. I picked up more meds from pharmacy. also bought more band aids. Nov. 11 I looked for composting toilets on line. I found a recipe for bread using cranberry sauce. Will make some soon.
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Today we took plenty of water with us along with our food and vitamins when we left the house.
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Filled 11 gallon jugs of water today from Smith’s. Added holiday cards to my Etsy shop this morning, let my peeps know on my Facebook page, sold three, working on a new design to add tomorrow. My busy season.
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Made granola and vegan cream of mushroom soup with rice. Working on a list of bills/websites/passwords. My husband takes care of keeping things running and I do the “boring” stuff like the finances. I want to make sure he knows what to do if something happens to me. I also have been trying to learn a few things over the years like minor electrical, painting and small household repairs.
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Today I purchased a little more dried beans
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Replaced broken part on my tractor.
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I never thought about vacuum sealing crackers in a half-gallon jar, how long will they last that way?
Another question, when storing meals in a Mylar bag, what is the best way to seal it?
Yesterday I researched and found some “meal in a jar” recipes and will try them with fresh ingredients before I try the freeze dried ingredients. If we don’t like the recipe with fresh ingredients, we won’t like it with freeze dried ones.
Today, hubby and I are going to inventory the cans of freeze dried food so that I’ll know what to buy with the Black Friday sales.
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AnonymousToday I will be dehydrating some frozen potatoes, making a herbal inventory list to see what I have and need. I got to make a walmart run list too.
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Today before and after work I will be working on my storage, I bought pickles on sale (didn’t have time to make them this year), little cans tomato purée, freeze dried Parmesan.
Have to check the salted lemons I made and grind lemon rinds from the concentrate I made. I put those in a small jar end freeze them. I use them in muffins and other cooking.
Will have to check the crock with wine vinegar. My parents gave me two some what older bottle of wine to add to the vinegar. I also have to check on the status of my canning lids order.
Today I will print the material from the course ‘bloom’. I tried to join the class but it was either 1am or 3 am… which is even for me quite early 😉
I measured out all my old oils and will make laundry soap this week.
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Yesterday purchased extra pair of prescription
glasses and put that and the old pair in different emergency bags.
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Friday: sorted remaining apples that were picked last month. Bad ones to chickens, made good ones into a cake.
Saturday: sharpened all knives.
Sunday: made 3 batches of soap; put summer garden/yard to bed
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I missed a day or two so here is a catch-up. A local butcher shop had chicken breast on sale so we bought 80 pounds for $1.00/lb. That is frozen until I can find time to can it. I made a big batch of laundry soap. That will last us for months. The herb bed is mulched and I still have pumpkin to can. We have earned a “free” turkey from a local grocery store so I have to pick that up and at some point, it will be canned.
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As mentioned in yesterday’s mornings post, I inventoried toiletries and found that I had a toilet paper emergency as I only had about 6 months. I went grocery shopping (11% veterans day discount) and bought about 6o double rolls, baking supplies, and more cans with my savings. I also picked up some great Thanksgiving sale items (baking supplies, etc) to add to my supplies (Thanks to the poster for this tip).
I returned home and decided to out the tp in my shed. I looked up in the rafters and there was the tp (120 rolls of 7th Generation) i couldn’t locate earlier. Lol! I added the amount and location to my inventory list.
This is why I have been inventorying items with location and expiration date.
After reading other posts, i wanted chili. I started it this morning. It smells so good. I will freeze some for later this winter.
Also this morning, I organized and inventoried storage supplies (trash bags,mylar bags, plastic wrap, etc).
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Since rainy days and Mondays always get me down and today is both…I am going to so some research on water storage/catchment.
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I missed a couple of days, it’s a good thing though as I was offered some extra hours at work and a promotion woohoo! More money to stock up. I did manage in the last few days to make jam from the berries we picked and froze this season, take advantage of a sale on canned goods, winterize my windows, organize my craft supplies, winterize the garden, took care of the burn pile (including some papers with personal info) and call my Grandma who is a wealth of information and my favorite person. Today I’ve made a menu plan for some bulk cooking and will start crocheting some gifts.
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I am a few days behind updating but have been putting up vegetables, did a trip for thanksgiving and preps, keeping up with house work and cleaning out closets, etc. We think a few of our goats are expecting so keeping an eye on that and the little bull we are raising by hand. I went ahead and put in a few little herb beds since it is still warm here and won’t be seeing any kind of freeze for some time. Can always use more calendula and borage.
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Unpacking canning jars and getting the wood stove ready for heating the farmhouse.
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Today I watched 2 online videos about how to make and cook in an Apple Box oven. I also downloaded a tutorial on that subject and added the necessary supplies to my preparedness “Wish List”.
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Today I’m having the brakes checked on my car so I’m trying to be sure my care is in good mechanical condition when an emergency arises. Also continuing to go through papers and organize go bags.
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Now I know what to put in a bug out bag it was time to find a place to bug out to.Looked at some maps and found one which I could get to and back on a tank of gas
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These are hard times in this house. Because of no job and little money I can do little. I am using my extra foods instead of saving more. I can add no happy to my post, I can only say stock up on supplies when you can, hard times come.
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It’s Monday (11/12) and today I thought it appropriate to work on updates to our family’s emergency binder and bug out bags.
Our current location keeps the wild fires at the forefront of my mind and I REALLY like having options in my “panic plan” (the affectionate name I have given to our emergency plan since I’m sure the rest of the world is at the brink of the “zombie apocalypse” we have all been predisposed with through media).
I, too, would like to say, I am am extremely grateful for this forum! Although I have felt a great need to secure the “holes in our preparations”, I think having this challenge gives me a more direct line of sight so to speak on what needs show the greatness need for attention. Thank you Daisy and Selco and of course the rest of the Organic Prepping team for y’alls dedication and diligence to the time we all live in!
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Hi Im new here to this challenge but not to prepping! So what did I do today for prepping? Dehydrated cilantro and bell peppers I dumpster dived for. Yesterday we did our shopping and I caught a great sale on canned veggies so I bought a case of corn peas and beans. Everyday I take care of the animals that feed us today, tomorrow and in the future. Oh I went on line to My patriot supply and bought a weeks worth of freeze dried foods to put in my truck kit . Can’t do much with the outside stuff right now since it is raining and cold so I am going to stay cuddled up next to my beloved woodstove.
Look forward to reading and sharing!
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Picking up .49 soup and veggies today.
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Moving freezable supplies home from camp today, and working on decluttering at home.
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I’m a few days behind posting. On 11/10 I made Lavender Lemon Jelly for the first time. It was my Great-Great Grandma’s recipe. On 11/11 I made Elderberry gummies for our family (also a first for me). Today I am rotating our pantry supplies and starting a shopping list for next week. Thank you for helping me to be aware that even baby steps help. Have a great day.
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Found and downloaded a 400 page FREE PDF from the Altons. Dr Joe and Nurse Amy from Doom and Bloom. “The Survival Medicine Handbook”
http://dl.iranidata.com/book/daneshgahi/The Survival Medicine Handbook_ A Guide for When Help is Not on the Way-Doom and Bloom (www.IraniData.com).pdf
Thanks and you’re welcome to those who commented on my saga of caring-for-elderly post. As of last evening’s animal feeding, I’m now completely off-duty. I pulled something low in my back and ow! So my activities are going to be restricted until I can get that calmed down. Could barely move last nite and just a bit better today. Hmph! I didn’t even DO anything but turn and… {rolling eyes} Oh well, needed that rest anyway.
OldMtWoman …as Ziggy said in cartoon: Old age ain’t for sissies!
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This reply was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by
OldMt Woman.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by OldMt Woman. Reason: fix link
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http://dl.iranidata.com/book/daneshgahi/The%20Survival%20Medicine%20Handbook_%20A%20Guide%20for%20When%20Help%20is%20Not%20on%20the%20Way-Doom%20and%20Bloom%20(www.IraniData.com).pdf Old Mt Woman, is this the link you were trying to post?
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This reply was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by Coffee girl.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by
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well crap!! I can’t get the link to work on here either, and there is no option to re-edit or delete posts.
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to help your back, put a tennis ball in an old nylon, very long sock or cut off leg of ‘longies.. just need it to be long enough to grasp in each hand.
on a clear space on a wall, position ball on back, lean into to wall and massage sore spot.
others have done it on the floor but that didn’t work for me..
hawthorne
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This reply was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by
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I must have run out of EDIT options and the link is still not good. Um…??? What now. It’s a great resource and I’m not sure why the link isn’t working.
OldMtWoman
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Fiecider making day. Need to locate my horseradish.
http://freefirecider.com/rosemarys-story/ This is from a forager’s guide to the zombie apocalypse.
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Sunday, November 11, was a busy day. All I had time for prepping wise was to review a couple of columns from different sites.
On Monday, November 12, I am creating a couple of new tinctures to add to my herbal medicine cabinet. They should be ready in about 6 weeks.
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Today I worked on reconfiguring my laundry room. I wanted more options for hanging clothes to dry indoors now that it is cold and snowy.
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Sunday I worked both jobs, so other than planning my menu for Monday and taking meat out of the freezer, there was not much prep work. I did save some music from the dump as a friend was throwing it out.
Today, Monday, I put the eye of round steaks in the sous vide as soon as I got up; which was 9:40 am – so a great sleep in for my day off. My friend dropped off a working frig that I’m going to recycle thru my electric company. She put it in front of the mail slot so I need to move it. She is in another county that doesn’t offer this service. Tomorrow is garbage day, so I’ll search around to make sure all the trash and recycle leaves.
Besides the steaks, I’m making mashed cauliflower and sautéed mushrooms. I cook enough on my day off to last till my next day off which is Saturday. Tonight, I’ll portion out those next 4 dinners to take to work ( I work 2:30 pm to 11 pm).
i really enjoy reading all of your activities!
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Mended 3 skirts and 1 slip.
Inventoried one shelf of the over-stuffed pantry. Sure wish my hubby would put things back where they belong! There are 5 shelves so I will do one per day.
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Sunday: Bought some extra items for my stash when I went food shopping
Monday: Joined a Fitbit challenge
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Lee Smith, you’re right, you never know what’s coming. Wishing you all the best.
I am working on decluttering now that winter is setting in. Made pasta/veggie soup and pickled beets. Ordered extra pet supplies for their first aid kit.
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11/12/18 Made Rose water and Kami McBride’s Firestorm Tea which uses Mallow. The first time I ever saw Mallow growing I thought it was a weed (it actually is) but now I purposely have it growing in a raised bed. I also started a double batch of mead for next years Veteran’s Day celebration.
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Put my truck “get home kit” together with updated food and some new supplies only to find out I don’t have enough room it the pack. Since I really like the pack I’ll have to go through everything again and remove a few items. Another rainy day task. Getting the truck serviced today and ready for winter driving. Also going to Costco afterwards to do some shopping. It’s pretty near impossible to shop a Costco without picking up a few items for the preps. But not for the “get home kit”!!! No more room there!!
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AnonymousToday I worked on my protection items and made sure all were clean and in safe places in case they are needed. Had time to work on a shelf in my safe that has been an issue and was able to make it work. Yes!
Got a couple of walkie talkies ready to place in my car for preps. These are very low level line of sight units but may come in handy if cell phones did not work but could be used for only short distances. I have my Ham radio amateur expert license and do have a handheld device that I can take with me also. Here in Astoria, Oregon, we have a couple of repeaters that are solar and batter backed up in case of emergency.
Have a great day.
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Today I purchased an extra bag of rice and two jars of peanut butter when I was grocery shopping. It’s not huge, and yet it is something.
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Quartered the pig for the overnight freeze.whooh hoo couldn’t of done it without lotsa help. Looks like 350 lbs of meat to process tomorrow and the day after.
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Straightening out the cupboards and putting items on index cards with places and how many and putting oldest where it will be used first.
Thanks to whoever it was that suggested index cards. My old method of keeping track didn’t work as well. Why didn’t I think of this already?
Also worked on paperwork.
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Today I went back to continue the stock up of canned goods and the price was even cheaper today. Sooo I bought more than I needed! Hey I can always share with the less fortunate and the canned food drives now! Also started our road to better health with our company gym membership with my son. I’m gonna hurt tomorrow! Also milked my jersey and made butter and homemade chicken Alfredo from fresh squeezed raw jersey milk! Doesn’t get any better!
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Picked up sale on barbed wire half a pallet at local farm store. Dug more potatoes from under snow.
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Took my beginner pistol class yesterday & signed up for USCCA tonight. Scheduling a private class to choose my self defense pistol & received more training so I can take the conceal carry class.
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November 12- I started moving the cinder blocks from the front driveway to the back yard. I started setting the cinder blocks up for a backyard cooking area. This will take some time for me to complete. I will work on it again over the weekend.
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I am doing the baby steps since I had a total hip replacement a couple of months ago and I’m just starting to get back into shape.
OK, so far this month: cleaned out the gardening beds, wrapped the fig trees (frost this past weekend), dehydrated 5 lbs of carrots and the last of the celery in the crisper. Since we heat with wood, I helped out with the stacking of the cut wood. Can’t exactly chop yet, but will get there by the end of the winter. I cooked every day, only ordered out for lunch once.
Today will be getting my recipes together for baking breads for thanksgiving. And of course, laundry, cooking, and general cleaning of the house.
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AnonymousToday I finish my dehydrated potatoes and start some apples. Getting some blankets out and washed for cooler temps and checking my garden plants and making list for my list.
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11/12 put shredded carrots and shredded potatoes in the dehydrator. Now that the major canning season is over, I am working on organizing the pantrys,…again. It doesn’t take long for things to get muddled when you’re trying to keep ahead of the bounty. 11/13 cleaning out the wood furnace and replacing some pipe. We’ve been heating with the wood stove in the livingroom, but will need the furnace soon. Hubby is working long days getting everyone else prepared for winter, so we are falling behind at home.
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Cleaned space on the upper rack of the freezer to hold cakes and sides I am making for Thanksgiving. Going out to town later to pick up the cast iron smoke box ordered for the grill. My smoker bit the dust after years of use and not having the funds to replace it I had to get something that would turn the propane grill a smoker.
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Oh, I really enjoyed this last time you did the daily challenge.
So far this month, I’ve:
created the habit of cleaning my kitchen before bed, no matter how tired I am (15 week old baby); made extra waffles to keep in the fridge for quick breakfasts for school kid; donated junk I didn’t use/need; recaulked my bathroom; caught up laundry completely and done 1 load a day since; worked on potty training my 2 year old 😳; made draft stoppers for the bottom of my doors; froze a big batch of chili into 4 family size portions; made homemade bread every 2 days; and made a scarf for my 5 year olds Christmas stocking. Working on the 2 year olds next.
DH and I have also decided to install a gas fireplace and built in shelves/cabinets in our living room. That’s a future project, but it’s being planned so it counts for me.
Looking at it all like that, I feel like I’ve got plenty done.
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Another snowstorm this morning, no winds like the one over this weekend.
This morning, I thought about the reasons I prep. In part, I did this due to some posts I have read on this website and to help direct my efforts in prepping.
I think everyone should have do some prepping to withstand natural disasters and sometimes just plain bad luck. The degree you do the rest is a personal decision.
For example, this morning I looked at my vaccine records and added this information to my prepping folder. I had my flu shot this season and all my vaccines are good for another year minimum.
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I know I haven’t posted since the 10th. But from the 11th – through today the 13th, I wanted to say that I have been practicing the prep of both giving and receiving help. There have been two unexpected deaths that occurred at the same time. One is impacting me at work, and the other, at home. The prep I’ve been using is asking for, and giving of, help. I think we forget sometimes that death is something to prepare for. During this time, even with the weight of things on me, I can still take the time to realize someone else might have a greater need. Which allows me to recognize when I am in over my head, and i need someone else too. If we don’t practice something now (such as asking for help) we will not do it later when the need arises (such as giving help too.)
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thank you for the reminder that death also presents tasks to be done.
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This is always a crazy month. The transition from fall to winter always teaches me something new about my preps.
I haven’t had a lot of time on here because of a class I am taking but here is what we have been up to since Friday.
Friday, we did the switchover in our BOBs and added hand warmers, winter gloves, outer and base layers.
Saturday, we prepared the garden for winter and moved pots to the greenhouse and put row covers over winter tender annuals so we could continue to harvest.
Sunday, we erected an new compost bin to start with winter leaves.
Monday, I am retrofitting work trucks and gear for winter. Added mylar blankets to the first aid kits.
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@Earth Chick,
Good call on updating the BOBs for seasonal changes!
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Slept late due to a bad cold but finally drug my body into standing position. Was required to make changes to insurance so spent a while updating my personal insurance information, printed out copies and put them in my Trust folder in the fire safe. Made bread; a big casserole, and separated a bulk chicken order into family sizes. Brought two rabbit does from outside into the cages on sun porch to monitor birth oft their babies. In the evening I’ve been crocheting gifts for elderly neighbors.
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Day 3 I looked around the house and storage rooms for items to have handy if needed. Honestly I was surprised at what all I had just laying around.
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Day 4
I had to look hard at a BOB for my granddaughter. She is 10 months old, and trying to take in consideration her growing and future needs is harder than I anticipated.
Advise is appreciated greatly.
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Look what i found at a flea market for a whopping 2€: a hand cranked grain Mill. I have an electric one so this is nice!
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I’ve been under the weather for the past few days so I’m behind in posting, so here goes.
On Saturday we got some practice with our ham radios. Our local ham club provided communication for a trail marathon. We had a high of 36 degrees and it was a rough go for the runners. Next time I will be sure to beef up my first aid kit, as it was really needed.
On Sunday, we got some twigs out of the woods and tried out our new rocket stove. We found out, it isn’t as easy as we thought to scavenge wood that is dry enough. We found out we need more practice at that and that we need to store the stove with good, dry tinder. My homemade dryer lint/parafin bombs will be perfect for that!
On Sunday, we put in a few hours on the wood stove we are installing. It’s going to be a while yet.
Today, I made suet cakes for our chickens! One died overnight☹. I think she got trapped between the outdoor roosts and the coop and froze, so we need to move things around so it doesn’t happen again.
Hope I am feeling better tomorrow. I’ll take work over being sick any day…
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We have a dehumidifier being delivered today so I have to stay home. Think I might organize a few cupboards, put all the pickling ingredients together on an upper shelf ready for next year.
Went through my Amazon list of free ebooks and did a lot of weeding.
Making home made bread today and large biscuits that can be frozen and used for hubby’s breakfast sandwiches.
Instead of canning all that chicken stock I decided to freeze it instead.
Still working on the fingerless mitts for my daughter.
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Made lunch from the freezer items. I’m continuing to use up the food I have in the freezer instead of buying more.
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Today I finished “curing” some Egyptian (Walking) Onion sets for Winter storage so I put them in a container in the refrigerator along with some packets of local heirloom tomato seeds I’d saved, and some herb seeds sent to me awhile back by a generous member of another FB group.
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I listened to two more podcasts in an online herbal course.
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@Xant Dewitt,
How big is it? Hard to tell without something as a frame of reference to the size.
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COLD, rainy days really get me down! But pushing on…I went through my storage and reorganized it.
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Big drop in temps, cold, damp, gray day making it hard for me to do much today….definitely has me looking at my winter things, especially pulling out the long johns and sweaters….read the article on this web site about what to do in an earthquake as I live in the New Madrid hot spot for potential quake….feel occasional tremors here but have experienced a 6.6 quake one time in Costa Rica so I know what a “big one” can feel like….pretty scary for sure….recently had the gas man show me how to turn off the gas at the point of entry into my house, so I think that’s something I would add to things to check out and do should we get a big one similar to the one that formed Reelfoot Lake back in the late 1800’s I think it was. Earthquakes happen without warning typically so mostly it seems to me the best thing to do is to practice reminding oneself to remain calm and not panic.
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Read some articles and saw a couple of videos on situational awareness
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Not per sa prepping but it’s almost end of the year so I’m pulling files purging paperwork.
Going through pictures. Thinking on making a collage of all these all four by sixes.
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I’m still working on my preps. I’m upgrading my medicine box and adding some over the counter meds to it. Things that might be needed if we have an emergency where we might not get out for a while, today I bought tylenol, advil, anti-diarrhea meds, nausea meds, anti-acid and vapor rub to add to the med box. The new one is easy to carry and has slide out boxes for some items. I wish the dividers were a bit more user friendly, but it works. While I was out, I picked up a couple jars of the spaghetti sauce my husband likes and bought two. With those two, a can of pureed tomato sauce, a pound of ground beef and spices, that will make enough sauce for 6 meals for the two of us.
I don’t remember if I posted yesterday but I spend some time organizing my recipes and pulling out the ones that can be used for food storage.
Hubby had started building shelves in my food storage area when he fell off the roof 2 weeks ago and broke his collarbone. This is going to slow down things until that heals and he can start using both arms again. That’s OK, I have boxes I can put things in until he is healthy again.
Someone was talking about why they prep, and I thought I’d share our reasons. Our biggest fear is an economic situation where we cannot afford to meet all our expenses. I’m on disability and my husband wants to retire in the next 12 to 18 months. In the past I used to make freezer meals to make life easier on the days when I had to work late or my medical conditions made it difficult to cook meals for our family. This has saved us from economic trouble during two job losses and an injury that had me in the hospital for almost 3 months and even two years later, I’m still healing and learning to adapt to my new normal.
I want to expand from just freezer meals to include canned goods, dehydrated items and freeze dried items. I became a consultant (I’m not active and not really looking to be active) so I could get a discount and the ability to buy early during sales. My goal is to have two years of food in storage before my husband retires.
The other situations I am prepping for are natural disasters common to my location; tornadoes and blizzards.
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I just finished feeding one of the two stray cats that come around here. Buster is so chubby that I thought he must be someone’s baby but when he showed up with ice matted in his fur this morning? Hmm, maybe not. I fixed him up a box with newspaper to help keep him out of the wind. Don’t know if he’ll use it but it’s there. Worked more on the worm class preps today. Watched a couple of prepping videos on Youtube. I’d do more but this class looms over me like the sword of Damocles; once it’s done it’ll be easier to work on some other preps. I’d like to go over my y2k prep notes. I ran a ton of things off then and I’m sure they’d be useful now.
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Made a nice pot of chili using food storage supplies. Worked to fill orders for home-based business. Picked up supply of egg noodles.
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This morning after the frost was gone I got up on our second story roof and ran heat tape up and down the valleys and across a section of overhang where we had an ice dam cause a leak last year. Did a pretty decent looking job if I must say so myself. One more roof top job to do, but it can wait until tomorrow!
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Well, the horses really enjoyed the first batch of applesauce. I truly do know the importance of turning off the stove before chasing after a dog that decides to suddenly go walk about after the mail truck, but sometimes I just don’t think. The second and third batch were really good tho. Next step is to rearrange and clean out the pantry for all the stuff I now plan on canning. I know—should have done that first but I’m trying.
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I had my eyes tested this morning and ordered new glasses. Stocked up on some of the specials at the store and found dried baby lima beans and black eyed peas on sale. Bought 4 bags of each of the types of the dried beans. Attending a class on homemade Christmas decorations and gifts tonight.
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Yes, Amy Dixon, that is the link. It’s a long link and the blue highlighting doesn’t seem to want to include the whole link. Thanks for trying. Thank you also for your contributions to Elderly/ill care items!!! I made a copy of that list to add to mine.
So here’s the “back door” for that medical resource link …. [cuz we preppers ALWAYS have a back door…] 😉 If you want the Alton’s book, it’s available in paperback thru Amazon for just under $40. If you want the free PDF…..Google “Dr Joe Nurse Amy PDF“. One of the options should be to the link we can’t seem to post. While you’re at it, go take a look at their site. All about medical, esp. in a post-stuff-hits-fan situation. I’m not in any way associated with them but I did audit a suturing class when they were “in town” once.
As for today, I’ve been reviewing/updating my major prep list. I decided to organize it under PRIMARY, SECONDARY, and TERTIARY. Tho NO ONE’S Plan A is to evacuate, we’ve been under wildfire danger so many times that I’ve got quite an emphasis on it anyway. And the Camp wildfire news is creeping me out! 🙁
So my list of Stuff is divided into PRIMARY: This stuff is the very basic and very mobile. Ensures I have SOMEthing to address shelter/clothing, light, water, food, tools, business[I.D., certifications, deeds, ins.papers, etc], and all my other 12 categories. At least the very basics in each category. And it might have to fit in my pockets/pack…..if worst comes to worst. [this part of LIST makes me itch…just thinking of good stuff I’d have to leave behind!] 😮
SECONDARY involves the exact same categories but would include more & better. As in the case of being able to EVAC with our vehicles loaded. So….what, beyond the PRIMARY list, would I also bring? Secondary is the more durable equipment [too heavy perhaps to move fast] and/or more quantity. Mountain house packets and cans instead “lifeboat rations”, for example.
TERTIARY would be for a situation where I’m SIP or able to really load up most of what I have. Prep stuff would still be the most important and this list helps me not to forget anything. [bitty house/stuff crammed all over] Included here would be buckets of grain …..as well as Secondary- Mountain House and Primary- lifeboat rations.
I highlight things-still-to-be-purchased in YELLOW. Like an ice machine that I could refill coolers by using the inverter in my vehicle to run it.
OldMtWoman …with a brain leaking data…and I keep stuffing it back in!!!
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Well, yesterday, November 12, was something of a bust if I was supposed to do something to prep. But I did learn what should be a valuable lesson. I worked so hard I didn’t have time to cook or anything else because I did not examine a job carefully enough before accepting it, missed a document with content that I am not qualified to process, and so spent the entire day on only this part of the job trying to research and do a good job because it was too late to send it to someone else, and finally turned in the entire job a day and half late – which is absolutely NOT a good thing in my profession. Then, this morning, a pressured, hurried project manager in Italy tried to get me to take a rate far below my <span style=”text-decoration: underline;”>agreed on</span> rate (which allows me to actually pay my bills) by simply saying in the email, “Thank you for taking this job. The rate for this job is the usual one for [name of company].” So I had to ask “And what is the rate for [name of company]? I already have an agreed on rate with your agency.” They did finally agree to my usual rate, but not without some back and forth and the project manager complaining.
The reason I mention both incidents is that these problems are becoming more frequent in my industry, and they are expected to become worse as the economy worsens. I suspect this is happening other places, too. So it’s time to increase caution as well as negotiating skills. I have put up a large note with big writing “CHECK ALL DOCUMENTS BEFORE ACCEPTING A JOB!!” and “CONFIRM RATES BEFORE STARTING!” I used to be able to depend on an agency to automatically pay my agreed rate, or even just send me work I was qualified to do. But now they are so pressured to reduce costs and hurry, hurry, hurry, that questionable things are happening all the time. It’s a recipe for disaster (and my family’s financial ruin).
So for November 12, a lesson learned.
For November 13, today, I will have to be content with packing a backpack for tomorrow so I can work and plan while I sit in coffee shops and waiting rooms while my daughter has tests in preparation for cancer surgery. I am working on lists for food and consumables storage, medicine storage, and getting the house in order (really clean) for someone who might be on chemotherapy next month.
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Today I spent my day presenting a project in nursing school. When I got home today I continued reading my survival manual by James Wesley, Rawles and I also did this yesterday. Tonight is breakfast for dinner since the day was long. But we have made more of an effort to limit eating out. This is so challenging with small children and a mom and dad that put in long hours. But I’m thankful because during the recession my husband struggled to get 40 hours in a week but now he’s turning down work because he’s working so much. Gotta get it while the getting is good.
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Yesterday and today I’ve been working on creating a plan (similar to the S.H.E. plan http://organizedhome.com/shes-organized) to keep my house clean and organized. The goal is to be able to find what I need when I need it while still maintaining a clean and tidy house. Hopefully this will lead to some free time to learn new things.
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11/13/18 Made an apple pie with some canned sliced apples that needed rotation. Oh OK, so the apples had a month left but the cooler weather was screaming for apple pie. Harvested rosemary and have it drying in the herb rack. Wrapped burlap around the moringa tree trunks to help keep them warm.
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Ack….. correction: Thank you CoffeeGirl for the attempt at posting the link. Amy D did the elderly list.
Memory-Challenged OldMtWoman …
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I have really enjoyed reading everyone’s posts. I find it interesting on why others prep, what their priorities are, etc. Deep down I think I prep mainly as a way to have some control. We take personal responsibility very seriously and the though of being dependent on someone else is unnerving.
Made another batch of pumpkin granola. We seem to be going through it rather quickly. My husband brought in some shelving for me so I worked at organizing the cookbooks. Started trying to compare health insurance plans. Washer sprung a leak so we had to fix that.
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AnonymousToday is done, tomorrow I finish up the apples on the dehydrator, bring in some peppers when I get a break in the rain, and get some winter stuff started. Hubs is doing some hellmart shopping in the way early AM hours for bulk stuff we are running low on. I also got to clean and demineralize my Berkey tomorrow.
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Hi OldMtWoman, you’re very welcome 😊
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AnonymousToday I got some winter coats into the car in those vacuum bags that you get all of air out. Seemed to work pretty good so far. Still shrunk after we went to town. Also added some other items to my car prep for winter. We do not get much snow in Astoria Oregon but to get inland I have to go over 2 passes one way and a higher one the other way so chains may be required especially when we travel for the holidays.
We are trying to use up old food in our little freezer (the other is the one in the refrigerator…even smaller. So we had some frozen sausage that has not tasted all that great and we followed a recipe to make it into pork, apple and a little onion sausage patties.
Thanks OldMansd
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Put winter scarves, hats and gloves, ice scrapers and blankets in the car and truck before heading to a pitch-in lunch with like minded friends.
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Today wasn’t as productive as I had hoped but we did get some tasks done that we had been procrastinating about. We rehung the heavy drapes in the Living room. Really helps with winter heat when we put the liners under the drapes, but of course the drapes have to come down, liners get attached, and drapes go back up. Going to get an estimate to have honeycomb blinds put up in the living room and dining room windows. I’ve gotten the print outs done for our list of food storage and general prepping supplies. We plan on taking everything out, checking dates, and putting everything back (neatly!). Our estate agent has been by to pick up our donation to Toys for Tots. He will be by again right before Thanksgiving for our food bank donation, and then two weeks after that coats, hats, & gloves. I’ve knitted & crocheted 7 scarves this year, found gloves at a really nice price (6 pair), and we’re going to donate the last few coats of my Father’s. (he passed away in 2001 – definitely time!)
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Packaged 100 lbs pork. ‘Nuf said.
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My wife and I live full-time in our trailer, traveling and working. Prepping is a passion of mine. Some areas are good, some are not. Prepping is a constant work-in-progress, especially in a tiny space. Lately I’ve been working on compiling a document to keep our plans-of-action as a quick reference guide, an Emergency Playbook if you will. I realize we won’t be able to go to it when the situation is rushed, but it will give my wife and I a chance to openly talk and get on the same page on what to do in an emergency.
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Today I ordered some budget information from Dave Ramsey, as I figure out how to pay off my credit cards. I also finished closing up my cottage for winter, and brought the rest of the things home I need. Supposed to get a foot of snow tomorrow.
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Caught up laundry and reorganized a food storage area putting everything on index cards. Moved the older things to the front to rotate and use up old first.
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Yesterday the 12th didn’t get a chance to post, added a few more holiday cards to my Etsy shop, got more orders. Started printing last night Printer jammed and died with the first card, Ahh! Lucky for me, it started acting up a couple of months ago and I researched printers, chose a new model, bought it and it’s been in here still in the box taking up space like a coffee table. So out with the old broken printer, and hooked up the new one. Two is one and one is none!
Today the 13th I ordered ink for the new printer and more card stock. Tonight relaxing with some warm sake and knitting another scarf. I usually make one for everyone in my family for Christmas and not me, this year, I’m making a couple of them to keep. Wore one today as it was quite chilly.
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Today, I worked at putting the on-sale sugar I bought yesterday into zip lock bags and stored it in my pantry room (no ants allowed). I also organized the shelves, i.e., moved things around. I also found the cans of pumpkin I was sure I had, but had bought another can so I can make my grandson a pumpkin pie. Finished browning the steaks I cooked in the sous vide for the next 4 dinners. Hung up laundry and did a load/dried towels. Vacuumed around and scrubbed the bathroom and loaded the dishwasher and brought in the garbage can. Work is almost over and I’ll fold towels and unload the dishwasher when I get home. Tomorrow, I’m babysitting my friend’s 99 yo Mom before work so I’ll only be doing the minimum of getting ready and cooking breakfast.
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Right now, I’m laughing at myself. We just had a mini power outage of a minute or less just when I was about to hit Submit in here. Well, I lost my post. I’m on tablet so no recovery. I will go sit at the kitchen table to figure out what I had written, then I will post. 🙂
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Yesterday was a very busy day. The day and today are mostly about storage planning.
Yesterday, I met with my contractor about my laundry/storage room in my walk out basement. I am in the process of putting the finishing touches on the house I had built in Up State NY. I am done with everything main house wise except for the laundry and utiility room. Next summer is the garage. I have had the building done in phases as I have watched too many people go way over their budgets. Thankfully, I am still on budget.
After organizing most of my preps and storage items, I knew what kind of shelving etc, I wanted. We also discussed the garage I want built next summer.
Thinking about why and what I am prepping for has really helped me focus on my storage needs. I have various reasons. I view it as a form of insurance (a financial depression, pandemic etc are all very likely events). Also, living in this rural area with the storms, power outages; some form of prepping is a way of life. My contractor had great ideas about shelving and storage as “almost all full-timers have a storage room with extra food and supplies”. You can’t just drive a couple minutes to the grocery (20 minutes) and hardware (Lowe’s is 50 minutes). For me, prepping is a necessary peace of mind activity, not a seige mentality.
I love reading the posts as we are all in different stages of prep and age. I have gotten so many ideas from the posts. I have added prioritized a dehydrator to my wish list. As some mentioned finding one at the thrift store, I will start looking. Someone mentioned Dave Ramesy. I love his way of thinking. I have gifted his books to many friends.
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AnonymousWasn’t planning on it, but I cleaned my dried lima beans. I originally planted 30 seeds and by time I shelled and sorted I had 1/2 lb of seed for next year. Not to bad.
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This morning I sliced, par-cooked, soaked in ice-water with added lemon juice to prevent browning, drained, and then dehydrated some extra Yukon Gold potatoes I had bought awhile back, so they wouldn’t go to waste.
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Because of the rain I only did a short ride today. Because of the rain I was able to organize my pantry 🙂
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Here I go again, this time type innotepad before transferring in here.
Found out Monday that my cousin misbehaved at the hospital, he has Vascular Dementia at 53 years of age. Made me think that I need to be ready for anything for him. I’m responsible for him, am the one who got him the help and services he badly needed. So last night’s bout of insomnia was productive. Found a shelter near four facilities where he could be transferred. This will help ensure that I can get to him any which way. I made a list of friends close by as well, just in case. All contact information has been renewed. Woke up to a phone call telling me that the level of care he needs is now evaluated as higher, so change of facilities. Good thing I was ready to 1-face those facts, 2-relay needed info to the nursing team, 3-not panic. I had already included the location in my plans for shelter.
Reprinted some profile templates for each family members and group members. The missing information will be filled during the holidays as well as new photos taken. Because there will be at least 20 of us at my parents’place, I’m drawing a plan of the house and the land with the strategic locations, plus indicate who sleeps where, where to go get dry wood, water, supplies etc…
Right now, I’m getting cozy in my livingroom, wanting to stream survival shows while my chickpeas and broad beans are soaking. Listening to the strong winds hitting my windows and door, sooting me better than any lullaby could.
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Finished up the last part of an online herbal course and made another batch of benonite clay toothpaste!
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Made another batch of soap and lip balm today. Will make some more lip balm. That’s it for today. I have a couple of very busy weeks at work at the moment. It is hard to find the time to do extra things.
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I mentally walked through a possible scenario. I realized that I can’t put a bandage on, with one hand holding a flashlight. Also realized that the tweezers were hard to find.
Puts headlamp in first aid kit. Puts tweezers in plastic baggie and labels it
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Emptied the rain barrels after filling all of the lidded buckets to store in the garage for winter. We live 1 mile from the border of the next county so we are about the last home to get power restored after a snow or ice storm. Always need that water for flushing toilets.
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lilac5 farm
had to laugh re: ‘last in line’. we lived on a farm in the OR coast range for 25 years. when ever a storm hit, some one would holler ‘fill the bath tub’
that was our toliet flushing sorce. hawthorne
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Oh, dear! My generator is scheduled to automatically do its weekly run on Weds mornings;, however, this morning I noticed it did’t kick on. When I went out to check it out and try to start it manually, battery just wouldn’t get it going. Hmmm….battery needs replacing perhaps? but just put a new one in last year….we’ve had a sudden drop below freezing temps, might that make it harder for generator battery to kick on? and wouldn’t you know it, we’re getting a nasty early weather situation here….schools letting out early, rain turning to ice and snow….well, hopefully no power outage in my rural area until I can get someone to check out my generator. Received box from Amazon this morning with year’s supply of tp and some other non-perishable pantry items I was getting low on….practiced making my Italian bread recipe….can’t get the hang of shaping the loaves just yet but it taste good….snow means grandkids tomorrow sledding in my back yard….good slope for the little ones.
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They are calling for our first big storm here. Hubby and I working on firewood for the furnace. It’s already cut and split, just hauling it around to the back porch. Labeled and put up two cases of assorted dehydrated vegetables. I have to take a break from that until after Thanksgiving.
Old Mt Woman, I tried. I have the pdf file but don’t know how to post a file on here. I have the hard copy also. I keep the pdf files on my kindle.
covered the strawberry patch with straw and rolled up the water hoses that I use for watering the chickens. It’ll be carrying water now until spring.
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We are feeling under the weather so doing nothing today.
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Thanks, CoffeeGirl. I couldn’t either. But I described how to reach the PDF so hopefully folks can find it thru Google search. 400 pages of medical data for after-stuff-hits-fan. Have you had a chance to go thru it yet? It’s on my To Do list.
THANK you, Corsaire….putting LIGHT into First Aid Kits is a no-brainer I missed. Hands-free headlamps preferred but I got right up to at least tuck in one of those dollar small LED flashlights. Hmph, we’re out of the multi-pack. Put note up to buy another multi-pack. With mobility issues, I try to keep tools stored at point-of-use. Guess how many hammers I have around the farm? Same with those cheapo-but-good flashlights. The batteries won’t last that long, even with LED. But they are replaceable!
Hoping to peel a half bag of WILTED potatoes I found in closet [out of light] after being gone with elder-care. Need to just boil/mash or they’ll go to waste. DH doesn’t know to look for such things while holding down the fort in my recent absence.
OldMtWoman..hoping for better mobility tomorrow..
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I didn’t post yesterday- I moved snow-
Lovely Lovely little flakes falling gently one by one till the whole #$%^&*( driveway is full of them
I also charged ham radios and made a list of what I wanted to buy in the city today.
Today I scored some things I wanted on sale and bought more food- a lot more. Also drove someone to a medical appt and started to alter a sweatshirt that didn’t fit right. Use it up, make it do. I can sew and the neighbors ask me to sew things for them- case in point- two neighbor kids were horsing around and one tore the whole sleeve off the other’s coat so I fixed it. They didn’t have money to throw away on a new one. I’m amazed that so many people just toss it and buy a new one.
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Made pumpkin pie with garden pumpkin and put the rest in the freezer. Made an apple pie using apple pie filling that I canned.
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11/14/2018 Don’t know when or how I did it but I have a hairline Middle Phalanx Fracture on my ring finger. “Doc” had come over with his kit and put a mini splint on it – 6 weeks he said. Lucky I am still able to bend my knuckle and am able to perform many duties except heavy lifting with that hand. I picked the pomegranate’s (twice as many as last year) and juiced the arils and am dehydrating pom/cranberry fruit leathers. Tomorrow starts my vacation from work and am hopeful that I take advantage of the extra time to do things; not just go brain dead because of all the extra time. Weather has been cooperating and will stay mid 70’s through the weekend.
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Not a lot to report. Did a lot of personal stuff today that isn’t necessarily prep stuff, but did get a flu shot, picked up new eye glasses, and took a 2 mile hike with the daughter and the dog. I also broke up a big tray of pork chops from Costco into meal size portions and used the seal-a-meal to repackage them for the freezer.
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I was sick today, and spent the morning in bed. But I made some soup later, and it tasted so good. Organizing my teas tonight, so I can easily make it tonight and tomorrow. Taking elderberry syrup.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by
DeeDee Forager.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by
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Reviewed the list of important documents and made changes where needed. Settled on where to put a new backstop in. This moved up in importance after finding out one of our neighbors hikes through the back of our property occasionally with her grandkids. Property lines don’t really mean much here we’ve discovered.
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About a month ago someone dumped a rooster onto our property, we named him Foghorn. Lol, he’s a nice rooster and the guy next door has chickens and a rooster that Foghorn joins in morning crowing. Our rooster, I call him Chicken and he runs to me when he’s hungry, sleeps in the hay shed up high on some fluffy Timothy. I get home just at dusk now and if I get gas or shop after work it’s already too dark for him to hop down and eat. I don’t like him going to bed hungry so, I’m getting to my point now, lol, I decided not to buy out new Trader Joe’s potato chips with horseradish and garlic right after work, but come straight home so I could feed Foghorn, and I made a nice dinner for me from the fridge and pantry. Those potato chips are darned good… I’m thinking tomorrow I’ll buy them at lunch.
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AnonymousContinued today getting the car ready for winter. Put some emergency food in and should be pretty good except to get the car serviced this month before traveling. Also worked on getting my lansky knife sharping kit going to touch some knives up that needed some tlc.
We have been having some fun doing mini barn quilts for our apartment. Continued to do one more for our daughter to take south for holidays. Included a picture of the 2×2 quilt pictures
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Got a decent start on listing our supplies. Working on the middle granddaughter’s Christmas present. Working on the Christmas present for the oldest granddaughter’s boyfriend/not quite fiancé yet. Planned our trip to Costco tomorrow – added AA batteries because we hadn’t used any in quite some time, needed 3 yesterday evening and Oops! We had none. Have 10 Water Bricks waiting to be filled, emptied “old” water and refilled those bottles. Not a bad day but just seems like I was spinning my wheels.
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My family member shared his cold with me so I’ve felt terrible today. I rested, drank some elderberry syrup I made last year, and snuggled under a blanket. I had a meal all ready to take to work so I didn’t have to cook. Did get a text from my boss adding another OT shift next week so that will make 23 hrs for this pay period. Love me some overtime. Paying off my credit cards so I can retire next year. Did do something stupid today. Daughter opened the doors to clear out smoke from her cooking. I forgot we are breathing smoke from the (very awful, sad) Camp fire and it really irritated my throat. Gargled some salt water and that helped.
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Prep today 11/14 Wednesday. Prepping everyday is really hard then I thought it requires thinking what do I need to do what can I do to be self sufficient. I’m very set in what I do daily; get up, clean around the house, feed the animals, go to work.
Today was going through our coat closet. We have so many coats that easy access has become an issue. My work personal I’m going to see if they want some. We have several great houses around here for teens and adults. I don’t want them going to Goodwill or other shops like that so I will find other charities that items go directly to the people.
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Went to the Hunter’s meat sale at the store and stocked up on some pork tenderloin which they sliced for me into loin chops. Took my daughter to a food pantry so she could get herself through some hard times she is experiencing. Paid the bills, worked on the grocery list and menus. Thawed some hamburger to make a quadruple batch of chili for the freezer for Thanksgiving since my family is planning a soup bar for the main meal this year.
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@flamingolady I love your idea of a soup bar for Thanksgiving!
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Today I dressed more warmly than I needed to when I went out. In addition, I am making bread in the bread machine overnight and beans and rice in my thermal cooker overnight.
Making the beans and rice in the thermal cooker is also saving us money on our electric bill, which we are having fun lowering. 🙂
Also, I made my next business event on Facebook and completed my holiday gift guide which I’ll be promoting soon.
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@red carnation
would you be willing to share your recipe for rice and beans in the thermal cooker? I have what we call a hay box. Which I haven’t used in a while. Would be great to start using that again.
I also live to try to save on utility bills. But I have 2 teenagers at home with no wish at all to be on board. Fun days.
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Kept up with daily tasks of laundry, dishes, etc. Put gas in the car. Finished Christmas shopping for my kiddos (unless I find a bomb sale on more flashlights for them.) Spent time with my mom; we taught my 2 year old some more letters and more sign language. We are learning as the kids do. We also ate chocolate and watched sappy Hallmark Christmas movies because it was fun.
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AnonymousOnly prep plans today are taking my dehydrated carrots out of the freezer and getting them put in storage now that they got their 72 hour freeze. I’m taking a lazy day that is way past due.
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Hi Crazy Me, just wondering – why did you freeze your dehydrated carrots for 72 hours? Do they get bugs in them? Thanks.
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The 13th, I sorted and did inventory on some of the shelves in my pantry.
Today, I read some articles about raised bed gardening and wrote out some plans for next Spring. Wrote a supply list of the needed items to fulfill the project that I can fill from what I all ready own.
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ACk, I just realized I didn’t write in yesterday. Prep-wise I watched a few videos and downloaded another list. I love reading other people’s lists. I didn’t do a lot but still forward movement, right?. I was still getting ready for the worm class this Saturday– and then they let me know they wanted to reschedule it. So now I’m giving the class in January– yay!!!
So today will be brainstorming for Thanksgiving and working on preps. -
I’m late to the game. We just moved in the last 6 weeks, lets say unpacking is my days.
The Winter Season is hitting us early. My husband and I spent one day this week prepping the gardens, I cut 14 lawn bags of perennials down. Don’t think the deer like me.
We added a whole house natural gas generator to the house.
We added honeycomb shades to all the windows to insulate against the cold, we need to save up for indoor storm winds
We changed our cars over from summer to winter preps. Our closets to winter.
We have been slowly restocking our pantry with sales.Cooked all meals at home and baking bread.
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#oldmansd I loved the pictures of the quilts. The quilts are beautiful and will hopefully be family heirlooms. I treasure my two quilts made by my Great Grandmother.
Expecting over 9 inches of snow starting late today, so this morning I double-checked the winter storm preps. I also started my big snowblower. All is ok, so I can sit here and enjoy the snow.
All the posts about Xmas got me thinking. I had a nice chat with my step-mother. I have gotten her enthused about prepping. I am blessed to have some lots of extras on certain things, so for Xmas I am going to share the wealth (extra books, toiletries, lanterns etc) with her.
After reading the posts, I also started a box of supplies (mostly canned goods near expiration) for the food pantry here. The thrift store I shop at helps support the pantry, so I also started a box of extra clothes etc.
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This morning I watched a couple of videos online about bread making techniques. I need to work on improving my bread making skills. Now I’m heading to the kitchen to cook a very simple casserole of Spanish Rice and browned ground beef – snow is expected here today so gotta have that warm and filling “comfort food”, LOL.
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I listened to 2 podcasts while I crocheted a blanket for my granddaughter for Christmas. The podcasts were on baking bread and homesteading in the 1940’s.
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Tried to post on November 14, but Internet went out because of ice storm. Spent most of the time in coffee shop or doctor’s waiting room trying to get daughter taken care of (cancer). So discussed diversification of income with husband so it’s not all via the Internet. Made plans for diversification both on and off the Internet for both money and barter. Took one concrete baby step in that direction by sending an inquiry to a potential direct client.
Still dealing with ice storm and Internet outage this morning, but found that hot spot on cell phone is a great backup, so we’re in business again! I use Republic Wireless (which I know isn’t available everywhere, especially further out in rural areas – for my husband’s sister who lives in the “boonies”, nothing but Verizon works, and her bill is over $300 per month!), and the extra gigs only cost $5 per gig. I would urge people to look at cell phone plans very carefully. Republic Wireless provides me with all I need for my business for less than $24 per line on a smart phone with unlimited calls and texts and 1 gig of data per month. Extra gigs are cheap and can be bought on the spur of the moment without hassle, right from the phone. And there are even cheaper plans out there, but I don’t know anything about their coverage (like Mint and Freedom Pop). And by the way, your smart phone doesn’t have to be top of the line for this to work. There are smart phones out there that work for less than $100.
Cell phones can always go out, too, of course, so I’m thinking of looking into another backup in addition, but don’t know what that will be yet. Any suggestions are welcome.
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Whelp, we are forecasted to get 6 inches tonight. Lows in the mid-20s so that is warmer than last night.
Will gas up the truck, check the snowthrower, and a few other checks.
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Flu season; epi and pandemics perhaps. Did some research on prep materials and took stock of what I have and what I needed.
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Today I finished dehydrating apples for the granola I am making later.
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It is really a challenge some days to do something prepping related. My husband and I carpool to work, and we are gone about 12 hours every work day…
But I believe in this lifestyle and really want to be in the best position possible when something happens. So, to that end, I purchased a belly band yesterday. I am hoping that will be a more accessible option than what I currently use. Today, while waiting for my husband at the doctors office, I read an article on wheat berries and which type of wheat to use for different kinds of baking. Over the next couple weeks, I would like to learn to bake my own bread, and this is good weather to practice. Besides, the chickens won’t mind the ones I screw up…
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Bought the 30 day food supply bucket from emergency essentials and got a free uv purifier and a 115 hour candle.
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Busy day today. Had a course work related, made hand and feet balm and herbal balm with my own harvested beeswax ( very proud of that😬).
cut up the soap I made they are curing now
received more survival stuff for the mini Bob I’m making for the children some paracord and little compasses it will be fun to fill the mini military bag I have bought for them last year they got stranded near school because of heavy snow so I want them to have a small bag with handy stuff
i had a excercise st work with ham radio guys they tested the equipment in the building during the excessive it was very interesting to look at them working
ordered cotton wicks for my kerosine stove like this one:
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Rendered lard. Made bacon. Gonna can pork and beans…tomorrow🙄
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Making chicken soup because we have flu.
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Clutter-clearing. I count that as a prep cuz with this very tiny house, if anything is outta place, you can’t find anything. An unexpected crisis comes up and — the last thing I need would be tearing the place apart looking for crisis-related-items!
Also, I did an exercise some years ago and didn’t turn on the lights after dark. Did all the usual things with alternate lighting. Y’know…..if there is a nice bright candle(s) or lamp or battery lantern up on the table…. 😮 …the floor where you’re walking is still very dark. Therefore, to prevent accidents which are 10X the drama during a crisis anyway, I try to keep pathways clear. Large dog in the way doesn’t help.
DH just brought home the rest of my stuff from the elderlies….since the back injury means I’m not returning any time soon. They are doing okay. I worry more about memory issues than physical rehab which is coming along great. So anyway, my pathways are CLUTTERED! Hazard!! Using my reacher [a REALLY great disability/injury tool to have!!] is getting a workout!
Yeah, this OldMtWoman is workin’ on it!
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11/15/2018 Since the engine needed to be pulled we went to a group members house to pull it and replaced the oil pan gasket on LT (little truck). We then replaced the oil filter and of course treated LT to some new oil. I ordered 25# of various wheat berries from Palouse and transplanted the Chilpen pepper seedlings to their new home.
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Today wasn’t a really exciting prepping day. Got batteries at Costco – also some extra chicken for the freezer. Swept the kitchen and the bathrooms. Vacuumed the house. We’re supposed to have wind and rain this evening, we’ll see how much we actually get. My prayers for the Northeast right now, it looks so very bad on television. Husband is from Minnesota and I’m from New Jersey so we understand bad weather. Out here in the Pacific Northwest we don’t get much snow, in the lowlands at least. We haven’t had more than 2 inches of snow in 4 years, and that was followed by two days of rain. We’ve had two serious storms, and got through them with lots of determination & plenty of preparedness in advance.
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Took a long drive today on the back roads of north western Montana. Snow on the peaks, but the roads were clear. Some great retreat property out there, but the winters are brutal.
Made lunch today using some Costco canned chicken. (The emergency food). It was passed its “use by” date, but only by a few months. If I don’t post tomorrow it will be because I’m dead from food poisoning! Actually, one thing that makes it very hard to spend $$ on canned food is how seldom we eat it. I mean why would you eat canned food when there is plenty of cheap fresh and even fresh organic foods around. So we buy the canned stuff and it sits and sits. We usually eventually donate to the food bank.
After lunch the pooch and I took our afternoon hike. Finally got my GPS working. The hike is actually 2.75 miles, not 2 miles, and will be longer soon when we have to stick to the road in stead of the trails because of the snow.
Oh, and the problem with the GPS, it was just the nut behind the wheel!!
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Today I was so thankful that it was only the Internet that went out for us – and that I had a backup with my cell phone hot spot. Some of the town had no electricity, either, but not most of the businesses. I will have to admit, I was not expecting the entire town that I live in to be paralyzed just because the Internet is out! But it is, including the gas stations! We have to go to another town if we want to buy anything or get gasoline.
The town is still waiting for both electricity and Internet to be restored, but I was able to order a year’s worth of diabetic supplies online (paid $180 for what would cost well over $1000 in the drug store).
Made “anti-cancer” soup for dinner (shitake and enoki mushrooms, Korean radish including leaves, burdock root, garlic, and ginger). Put some fresh water mussels cooked, on the side for those who wanted to add them to their soup. Then toasted some flat bread made from millet and flax in the oven until it was crisp and put out some hummus for dipping. It was a very filling meal, gluten-free and Advent Fast-compliant.
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Today I practiced mediation skills between two co-workers…a good skill to have in any circumstance.
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Made bread and granola. Went to town for a mailbox and post. We will set it tomorrow. Hung a blind on one of the patio doors. The cold weather has finally set in. The dog (husky) can’t seem to get in enough walk time lately. She is really the only one in our house that likes winter.
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Last night I hand washed two items that we needed and hung them up to dry. Today I cooked an entire chicken, baked bread, and decluttered the house. It looks better! I took water with me when I went to run errands.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by
Red Carnation.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by
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<h2 class=”user-nicename”><span style=”font-size: 80%;”>@xdewit, yes, I would be happy to! I take about 3 cups of pinto beans (use whatever kind you like), add a clove or two of garlic and a small onion (for flavor), and bring to a boil on the stove. As soon as the beans start to boil, I put on the top container (it fits into the larger container), and add about 3 cups of rice and boiling water. Salt to taste. After 12 minutes, remove from heat and let it cook overnight. In the morning you’ll have rice and beans ready to pack into someone’s lunch. If you soak the beans ahead of time, you of course would not need to boil them as long. How’s that for a non-recipe recipe? 😉 </span></h2>
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Watched some prepping videos and read a few articles. Spent a lot of time taking the dog out and in. Beautiful day today after the cloudy cold of the last three days, so I trimmed a bush that was much too much over grown and she watched. Bugs everywhere– tiny spiders floating on strands of web, butterflies checking out the pansies, faux ladybugs crawling everywhere. I even saw on of those pus caterpillars (but it was dead) on the wall by the front door. I’m slowly moving the dying lamb’s quarters with the last of their seeds attached to areas I want to have them grown next year. Bermuda grass (the roach of lawn grasses) doesn’t seem to grow where the lamb’s quarters grow so I’m doing an experiment to see if that’s really true. I’ll know next year when the LQ comes up.
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Took care of some health issues this morning. Made cookies to put in the freezer, and watched tutorials about finishing the sheetrock by learning how to apply joint compound mud in our family room. Looked at what is needed for the in house and car first aid kits.
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@red carnation thank you so much! I m going to try this bit will do it during daytime so it will be ready when we come home! Thank you so much, I really need to use my hay box again
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I cleaned out our big closet and reorganized it so it’s manageable. Found an extra first aid back pack that’s been in there for a while. Now it’s more accessible if we need it.
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Ran to the bank at lunch, scheduled for an early lunch, so there was no line! Then went to Dollar store got some cute wrap for Christmas and stocked up on items for first aid kit. Stayed up til midnight last night printing orders and postage and wrapping them to mail. Dropped them at the post office before work.
Tired tonight, doing laundry and reading. Also bought the potato chips, and got home in time to feed Foghorn.
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AnonymousGot some more ice melt that is not supposed to kill the grass or flowers at our apartments here. It is left up to me to keep main walkway and mail area clear of ice and snow and I do not want to hurt the grass or flowers that one of the other residents have been taking care of. We live in a 1914 Astoria Oregon house that has been converted into very cool apartments so we like to help one another. Only five apartments and all are friendly.
Also, my wife and I are working on a home made christmas gift this year due to just retiring on disability and still waiting to see what money we get to live on. Also trying to go more organic and be healthier. So we have made most of our dinners from scratch this month.
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This cold has me pretty lazy and slow. Did come to work today. Did laundry, folded laundry, and loaded/washed the dishes. Recycled some old magazines to work for use in activities/crafts. Recycled most of the mail. Package arrived for grandson birthday. Three family birthdays before Christmas – what great planning! lol
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Today I will attend a course about crisis and disaster management. I have a part in our local and county crisis and disaster management. So when shtf I have to go and do stuff. We have to attend x courses per year to keep up our knowledge level. Guess that is also some kind of prepping?
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Well this post will show up on Friday but as I’m still finishing up Thursday that’s what I’m counting it as.
Besides reading several posts posted from this forum I shopped and stocked up. I’m having surgery soon and the holidays so I shopped in preparation of both.
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Thursday, I made 2 loaves of bread from scratch, which I’m going to cut into slices and then freeze so we always have some. I will probably cycle through the frozen bread once a week since my kids really love garlic bread with everything. I also murdered some of my pumpkins and made pumpkin purée. I reorganized some of my kitchen cabinets to make getting to daily items easier. I listed several household items for sale on Facebook to earn some extra cash for the fireplace I want installed. Then I went on a date with my husband ♥️
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Yesterday before the snow storm, I made a quick run to drop off items at the food pantry and thrift store. I needed to clear clutter out. I had canned goods nearing expiration and clothes that didn’t fit or that I hated.
Dropping off items at the thrift store, I had to stop and see what new items they had. I scored one cast iron pan, perfectly seasoned. Better yet, I spent about 20 minutes chatting with an older lady about cleaning and cooking with cast iron. She had great tips about wood stove cooking.
I also stopped at the local hardware store. They had a sale on pet friendly ice melt, 40% off so I bought the maximum quantity allowed. My ice melt inventory is now at least through 2 winters. I also bought a couple extra bags of sand.
The snow started; we are expecting at least 9 inches, so here in the High Peaks area, I expect at lest 12 inches. Before going to bed, i shovelled off the deck of about 3 inches and had at least another 6 inches this morning.
Besides shovelling this morning, I started my organizing and inventory of medical items. I definitely need to add to my medical stash. I have good refence books. Someone mentioned the Altons’ books, I have several and they are worth downloading. Any recommendations on a good natural healing/herbal book or course?
Off to weather the snow storm; keeping my fingers crossed that I don’t lose power. No big deal if I do as I am prepared and could hold out until the thaw.
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This morning I looked through my list of the books in my own “prepping library” to see which ones I have in physical form and which in digital form. I made a note of which ones I want to be sure to have in “hard copy” in case there is no electrical (or battery) power to run my laptop or e-reader. I also wrote down which new books I’d like to get to fill in the gaps in my library. Then I downloaded back-up copies of my digital format prepping-related books onto 2 sets of flash drives (gotta have a back-up to the back-up after all, LOL).
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After the course i went to a friends garden. He is sick and stays with his brother. I picked the last eggplant, some kale and lettuce. Then another neighbor called and he had another box of persimmons for me vi picked those up as well.
Have to figure out what to do with all those eggplants and persimmons. I also have 2 bags with quinces to process too. It will be a busy weekend.
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11/15 snow! snow! snow! shoveled guess what! Chickens aren’t happy and the wood got wet! Snow built up on t.v. and internet satelite dishes and it was too high for me to clean off, so intermittent signals yesterday. Baked bread and filled a couple large water containers/just in case. 11/16 time to empty the piggy bank…seriously. I save the change all year and cash in before Thanksgiving. That is what I spend on Christmas. We don’t go over board, because for us, it isn’t about the presents. Quiche and fried trombocino squash for supper. Dehydrator is full of squash and squash steaks for the freezer.
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A new Aldi opened yesterday in our town, so today was stock up day on the sale items. Dehydrating cranberries, making a double batch of chili for the freezer, and resetting the temperature in my fridge and freezers now that I have a thermometer for that purpose. Filled the car with gas and did more Christmas shopping.
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AnonymousFor preps today, we are taking car in to get serviced before any travel next week.
Also went through some keys to re familiarize myself to what they go do. Gun safe, other lock boxes, etc. Just to make sure none are laying around. We have some grand kids coming this weekend and I want them to be safe.
We are making our breakfasts from scratch in the sense of using whole foods, fruits and some protein diet shake that is organic…so basically a super smoothy. Through is some kale, spinach, almond milk, cinnamon, dark chocolate powder, 2 cooked organic eggs, some nancy’s probiotic yogurt and 1/2 banana…add other stuff depending on mood and makes a pretty good breakfast. Been doing it for at least a month and I feel better plus losing some weight.
More than you wanted to know but it is all part of preparing for what may come.
Have a wonderful day…
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Another “what if” scenario. Since I live in hurricane territory, it was mold; eg growing fast. So to add to my list are extra batteries for my multi-tools, and dry-bags, spray bottles. I dont have the arm strength to do major work manually.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by
corsaire.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by
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Making pork stock, and still rendering lard. Cured salt pork. Turned the bacon. Buried the guts. Yup Simon is a lot of work.
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@Padded,
Yep! Been there! Done that! Good on ya! My hat off to you!
I got a batch of pork I am curing right now for a T-giving dish. Heavy on the brown sugar. Should be ready tomorrow.
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I don’t think I have checked in for a few days, still working on things, most small.
Tuesday: continued updating first aid kit and moving things to new box.
Wednesday: created inventory cards for items in basement storage. I used Word and made business card sized inventory cards. I have a binder with card holder pages and a divider where the items we have on one side and items we have used and need to replace on the other side.
Thursday: Went through the black friday ads to see if there are any prep items we could use. I foster kittens and my last litter left on Tuesday so today I cleaned and disinfected the “kitten room” (AKA Master bathroom)
Today: PIcked up two 3-4 week old foster kittens to raise until they are about 2 pounds. The way these boys are eating that won’t be very long. This is one aspect of prep that I haven’t thought about. If I have foster kittens, I need to have food and supplies. Depending on the age of the kittens, I would need kitten formula, canned food, dry food, litter and a litter box. If they are tiny, like my current guys, I would need a way to contain them and since they are babies they will need toys. Looks like I have my list and i need to start stockpiling things. The local humane society provides me with all the supplies I need, so I need to set aside a few supplies with each litter. Last winter I ran out of canned food and the kittens wouldn’t eat dry food, I had to run out in a snow storm to buy kitten food. That’s one thing I don’t want to do again.
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Today I made granola and put my kitchen scraps in the mulch.
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Put away the last of the garden hoses for the winter and also took the car to the tire shop to have the snow tires mounted. Changed the oil in the snow thrower. May need to change out the spark plug as it seemed to miss every so often when it was idling. After 6 winters I guess it’s due!! Went to the shooting range to try out a used rifle I recently purchased from a friend only to find out the range closed yesterday for the year!!!
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Beautiful sunny day today after miserable rapid drop in temps with 2″ about snow. Discovered my Generac Generator is sick again and trying to decide what to do. It costs an arm and a leg to get the Generac service guy out here (rural area) and I’m just not sure whether to keep repairing this thing or not. Moved my effort at growing a winter garden outside under a clear container inside a shed and am thinking to try grow lights. I really like fresh spinach and lettuce but getting to town is a real challenge and hate to ask others to pick up for me. Some of the challenges of being 80 years old, living in the country….but it’s where I want to stay as long as possible. Bought a package of face mask at the dollar store today. Seeing Californians wearing them durig heavy smoke made me think, “why not add these to my emergency supply stuff in the car.” Never know when something like that might come in handy. Had my handy man move my rain barrel to a better location. Appreciate all the great ideas I’m getting from others in this forum.
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I baked 3 loaves of bread with sour dough starter that is over 30 years old. Two loaves will go into the freezer.
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Baked several acorn squash to use later in the week. Made peanut butter. Put cashews on to soak so I can make “cheese” tomorrow. Cut and composted the last of the annuals and summer veggies. Moved some leaves to the compost pile and put some around the bamboo.
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11/16/2018 Started modifications on an outdoor raised bed by taking off the shade structures – will be putting up new ones later. Once finished one section will become my new potato bin. Transplanted the Anaheim pepper plants to the new grow bed inside of house. Harvested all the above ground Yerba Manza (lizard tails) leaves and are dehydrating them. If we are lucky enough to get a freeze this winter then I can dig up the roots. This plant grows like a weed but that’s OK – think iodine because a poultice of these leaves will cure much. Found the book “The Complete Book of Breads” 1973 version and I am particularly interested in the yeast alternative entries. Received my wheat berries order (WOW that was fast shipping) and packaged them for long term storage.
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Rather busy day. Updated our Medicare/Medigap insurance. Recycled a huge pile of magazines – put some aside to mail to various family members. Dropped off 3 bags of food (non-perishable) at the food bank. Dropped off food, non-clumping litter, and a few towels to the local animal shelter. Got started on my Mother’s income taxes – 93 years old, bedridden, dementia, on Hospice care – so it must be done to file as soon as I get all statements. (good gravy is it THAT time of year already?) Charged both Goal Zero generators, charged all Ryobi batteries, sorted all the batteries that we got at Costco, added first aid supplies that we picked up at Wal-Mart, and got two loads of laundry done. Whew!
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This reply was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by
Cheryl Greene Cheryl Greene.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by
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Got enough cranberries to make cranberry sauce for the two holidays plus dehydrate some. Got bananas to make chips for the grandchild. Got half the shopping done for Thanksgiving– “What do you mean they don’t have Uncle Ben’s ???” And two pie pumpkins for the seeds (the flesh will go to the worm bins.) Talked with hubby about routes to get out of town if we need to and where to meet up. It doesn’t sound like a lot but it was important.
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Finished work today by 10:30 in the morning, but really, really exhausted (hard week). Laid down for a nap right after lunch and slept for 4 hours! Not good for getting things done. But did manage to put together a Thrive Market order, hoping what I ordered will last 3-4 months. I get my oils and fats from them, because those are really hard to produce unless you have enough land for animals. Ordered coconut oil, ghee, olive oil, sesame oil and a bunch of other stuff that doesn’t have to be refrigerated.
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I don’t have a basement so my food preps are everywhere in the house it seems like. I took over a closet and made shelves in it. Today I was still working on putting everything on index cards and where it is. Doing that a space at a time.
Did I mentioned I filled the car with gas yesterday? ALso did laundry today- doing a little each day to keep it up all the time. Bought Selco’s book and started reading it. Thank you , Selco and Daisy.
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A list kind of a day. Started the list at lunch. What I’m going to attempt growing next year, what I have to do to the soil to get it in shape, first aid kits, the one in the car the one in the bathroom, what’s left of the horses one, seems they’re scattered in too many places. Round them up central location, and see what’s lacking. See what’s lacking in the pantry, going to Sam’s on Monday, need a list. Right now making some tea, slippers on, list book on top of Vermont Country store catalog, that’s what I’m doing next.
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Just ordered Selco’s latest book.
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Picked up Elderberry syrup.
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November 16 – Today I did lots of cleaning and camouflaged extra food we have in the house.
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Friday: I made bread and murdered a couple more pumpkins for purée. I started going though my kitchen pretty hard to get rid of stuff that I don’t use and is just taking up space. I obviously won’t get rid of my manual utinsels, but I have more kitchen knives than I can store in a drawer so some have to go.
I sold an old dresser for a pretty penny, which will be used to fill the holes that have happened to my food storage this last month.
Laundry is caught up, House is “clean” as it can be with 3 kids, sheets and blankets are all clean and ready for anything. My 5 year old is dying to get snow here and it hasn’t happened yet. Send some this way! 😉
Gathered up the trimmed branches from my grandpa’s yard, cut them to the size of my fireplace, and set them out to dry for a year. You can never have to much kindling, my grandpa says.
Hopefully Saturday is as productive.
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The 15th I really learned a lesson. My husband always took care of the secondary heating. He passed away July 1. I didn’t think about it. The electric went off during an ice storm and was off for almost 24 hours. It really got cold during that time in the house and concerned me for the plumbing. I had oil lamps and candles, blankets, and food which I could eat but no other heat source. So… Monday, the man is coming to install a propane wall heater which will keep my home (and me) warm and keep the pipes from freezing. Hard (and sad) lesson but a valuable one. Yesterday, I spent the day figuring out about the heat source for this home and the home that I am moving into in the near future. Have two heat sources figured for both. Would be a shame to have all of my other preps taken care of but freeze to death because I have electric heat.
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This morning I recharged my 3 old Goal Zero Lighthouse lanterns that I got years ago during an “open box” sale, and which are still going strong! I also checked my supply of alkaline batteries to see how many I have left and when they expire. I’m hoping to find some good sale prices on rechargeable batteries so I can gradually replace the alkalines. If anyone has recommendations on the best place(s) to buy rechargeable batteries (AA, AAA, C, D, and 9-volt equivalents), I’d love to hear them 🙂
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Yesterday Friday the 16th I started cleaning the freezer. I got through two baskets pulled out a container of veggies and some hamburger because of date
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AnonymousMy husband is on vacation til after thanksgiving so my online will be hit and miss til then so I’m posting now for all of it.
I will be doing some bulk cooking, starting with pancakes today. Maybe some quick breads, banana and applesauce types. I have several squash that will be cooked or canned, maybe dehydrated.
I have homeschool paperwork to get to and general paperwork that I have been ignoring. Filing and upkeep are not my strong suits.
Keeping an eye on my plants outside and a few houseplants inside that I’m trying to revive since the mother plant ended up dying off recently.
I have several inventory list I have to make and update.
I also got my crafts to keep up with. I’m about done with my beading and just started a cowl that will hopefully be done by the end of this month. I also want to make some mittens and maybe a thick hand muff for my daughter since blue finger tips do not look good on her (she is tiny as a rail and doesn’t wear cold well at all).
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I think I have not posted in a day or so because I have not done anything. I am feeling so bad with coughing and being cold despite the heat being on. I have to get over this soon for there are family coming for Thanksgiving. Just want to climb in bed and pull the cover over my head and sleep.
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Couple of days ago i got my pantry planner out. Today have spend taking inventory. Hopefully I can finish that tomorrow. Forgot how much good stuff I have canned: today I made curried cauliflower soup with some bread. It is chilly so nice to have soup.
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Hi grannyj smith, I hope you’ll be feeling better soon!
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Made dog food. (Leavings fron lardmaking)Ordered xtra battery for baofeng and antenna too. Canning broth and soaking beans for pork and bean canning marathon tomorrow
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@thepaddedcell – fantastic name! 🙂 What’s your dog food recipe? We do homemade dog food too.
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I added 20 cans of tuna ($.49 a piece!), 20 cans of smoked ham (got these for a buck a piece at the grocery salvage today, they are normally $2.59 a can at Kroger!), 10 cans of mackerel to the food storage today. I canned 7 quarts of chili beans, 14 pints of speckle butter beans this morning. We save our dryer lint, burnt out candles, and egg cartons to make fire starters, got 24 done today while waiting on the canner to cool off. Vacuum sealed 20 pounds of jasmine rice and 10 pounds of oats.
It was a busy morning.
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Watched a new video course on how to knit. I did a bit of knitting several years ago so have some needles and thread already on hand. The video served as a refresher in getting started again. I’m thinking to make spare mittens and hats in a variety of sizes for storage and possible gifting when things might be more challenging than they are today. Plus, it will give me something productive to do as my declining physical strength means more frequent rest periods. Still stewing a bit over what to do about “sick” generator. I have gas heat and a gas grill. During a short-term electrical outage, I have oil lanterns, flashlights, candles, etc. Using my mobile phone and computer can be done through my car charging device and I have a small solar panel thingy I bought; I just need to figure out how to use….bottom-line, I think I’ve decided to just let the generator question float for a while and hope for no major, long-term outages for a period of time.
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Made my thrift store rounds, and added a decent rain poncho to my prep list. Will probably pick up another P100 cartridge set for my mask.
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Cleaned out the medicine cabinet and the cabinet in the master bathroom. My intention is to clean out one cabinet/draw a day. Finally finished wrapping the fig trees, they now have both chicken wire and plastic around. Good thing since we had our first snow this week. Trying to eat from the freezer, I have to defrost one and I only want to have to put a little bit in the snow come Jan. Not too much this week, alot of extra time at work.
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I bought Selco’s book yesterday evening and read till very late and got up and read the rest of it today. Thank you for sharing, Selco. Very valuable lessons in that book.
Also I fixed my oven that wouldn’t light by cleaning the thermocouple. I didn’t know I needed to clean it- am I the only one who didn’t know that? I do better with low tech than with machines and such.
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Whew….miss a day on this thread and it takes a while to catch up. 🙂 Y’all are doing soooo much towards prepping! { thumbs-up }
Yesterday [Friday] I woke up feeling awful. Not microbe-sick but high fatigue and the back strain was screaming. Dunno why….but you play the cards you’re dealt. Mostly in bed. Helped a bit with laundry in the evening when the “awful” was receding. I did read several interesting articles on declutter/organize. Nothing particularly new but for motivation. Cleared a little more of the stuff in bags/suitcase from staying with elderlies. Planning in my head which part of the process of declutter is reasonable to begin first…second…
Since my one comfortable chair was now clear this morning [Sat], I finally sat to peel those WRINKLED taters and will boil them …later. Soaking in cold water. DH has to run in town for our elderlies again today. They have an urgent need both yesterday and today. Hopefully that will taper off soon….for their sake as well as ours. But that’s what we’re currently here for…
Being older…and with some disability…is annoying enough when one likes to get things accomplished. But then to crater-out with fatigue+injury….hmph! I NEED to accomplish something visible….soooon! Anyone else relate to that?
OldMtWoman gettin’ antsy!
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AnonymousWent through our tiny pantry to see what is there and check dates. Got grand kids heading our way and we will know what they might like that we have on hand.
Will type up the list and post on inside of door and mark off as we subtract or add to it.
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11/17/2018 My sister called with great news – she found some elderberry bare roots and the seed company will actually ship to Arizona. I wanted to plant NOW in my indoor garden (with the grow lights) but the company refuses to ship until February. My sister is mailing me a box of dried comfrey leaves – WAHOO! Something ate the roots of my last surviving comfrey plant; our heat is brutal and I baby any plant I can get to grow. I hear many people consider this a weed; I should be so lucky. I think of putting up another indoor garden box set up and strictly growing comfrey in it. My son requested some homemade lavender salve and is willing to wait for it since I used up the rest of my lavender oil in the comfrey salve. Went outside to harvest some more lavender flowers and noticed a bunch of baby lavender plants growing all around. Transplanted them in my fish aquarium grow box to keep them safe. I love free things. Harvested around 40 aloe vera stems and will let the aloin drain overnight. First batch of Yerba Manza is dry and I picked a second batch for the dehydrator.
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I made more soup for the freezer, stocked up on vegetables and water. Researched more meals to can.
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@OldMt Woman – you are actually an inspiration! I should do as well.
Actually, I am really grateful for all of the postings here – have learned a lot.
Shopped today and stocked up on lots of lentils, black beans and navy beans – cooking black beans in the pressure cooker right now. Starting motherwort and skullcap tinctures (sleep and nerve aids). New St. John’s wort tincture will be ready soon – it’s not just for depression, but really helped me with healing after surgery recently. If the depression is due to constant physical fatigue or the body needing to heal, it can lift depression very, very quickly if used in larger amounts for just a few days (1-2 dropperfuls every 2 hours or so until you feel the depression is gone. Then stop and just get plenty of rest, eat right, and move).
Finally got a really good pair of winter boots that I hope last a decade or more.
Planning to read Selco’s book tonight.
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OldMtnWoman..yes I can so relate. I have to see progress. Some days I can work all day and yet still feel like I did nothing because I can’t see a visible difference.
We dug a hole and poured concrete for a new mailbox. Dug some blackberry canes for transplant. The crockpot did the cooking today – black beans.
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Saturday November 17, canned food day. We try and use our items at least once a month. Still haven’t worked with our very long term storage (20 year #10 cans).
Breakfast; corn beef hash with diced potatoes, spam, eggs (from our girls), and frozen hash browns.
Lunch; beef sausage, pineapple, crackers, cheese.
Dinner; canned whole chicken, potatoes (my first attempt at canned potatoes), and asparagus.
Not 100% all from the pantry but most. The whole chicken was very salty but could be a great start for making a soup.
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Lunch was leftovers, as was dinner. Husband raked up a full yard waste bin of leaves. I got the sheets changed and put the winter blanket on the bed. We added canned soup (10), canned chili (3), 2 bottles of bleach, 1 jug of laundry detergent, and 4 bottles of juice to our food storage. Gassed up the car, which goes in next week for it’s oil change. Looked at the advance Sunday paper but no coupons – probably because of the holiday. Will start looking at the last minute grocery sales so we can add some things cheaper than usual.
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End of a long busy work week, got a couple holiday items from work before they’re gone and some candles, dinner from the pantry, Finish up knitting a scarf tonight, wasn’t going to make any for Christmas, but was wearing one today and a friend commented, I’ll make one for her. She still wears one I gave her a few Christmases ago. Busy weekend of stuff to do tomorrow, so relax tonight , slippers, warm sake and finish a scarf.
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Made money from my home-based business by vending at our local farmers market. Added winter items, matches, handwarmers and hot chocolate to our vending crate as we will be outside for the next 5 weekends. Filled the car. Picked up needed items from the store to get us to Monday.
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I worked on a quilt I’m making for my daughter. It’s also great therapy for me.
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11/17/2018 My friend and I took an hour-long walk together; I purchased cacao on sale. It’s a delicious way to have your hot chocolate without chemicals or sugar.
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Drove 180 miles to my sisters house in Canada to celebrate her birthday. On the way on the back roads my car announced that one of the tires was low on air. Just had the winter tires put on yesterday. I figured that is was something minor, which it was, but couldn’t help but think what I would do if it was a true mechanical problem. The spare is one of those tiny tires to get you to the next service station, only in this case the next station was a long, long way away!! Made it safely there and will head back home tomorrow.
Very glad that I refreshed the emergency pack in the car last week. I had food, water and warm clothing if I had to hang out on the road for any length of time.
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Lights out.
Whoever came home to the lights out? I have!
We have motion activated battery operated light through out the house. First thing I did was switch on the one in the dinning room. Next was to light the lamp. Oops lamp fail the wick wouldn’t move up to light.
This prepping is helping me realize I’m preparing but don’t have things dialed in.
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Yesterday we picked up 36 boxes of meat from the 2 steers we had butchered. Had to weigh each package and then fill and deliver orders. We also donated several hundred pounds to area food pantries. Cold, tiring job but worth it. The profits will help us feed the herd for the winter. Today is family time. We have a membership at a museum in the city which expires on Friday. Going to lunch with son’s family after church then to the museum to see the Christmas display.
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@oldmtwoman . Feel better and keep going. Slow and steady wins the race. Have the battle is the good attitude and you certainly have it.
On Saturday, I finished inventorying and organizing my medical preps. I have a first aid kit (including super glue, quikclot, and a small trauma kit) on each floor of the floor of the house. I have a huge wish list of items to acquire.
This Sunday morning, I practiced my snow shoeing. I am putting cross country skis on my list. I have seen them at the thrift store. I will research a bit more and pick up a serviceable set.
After reading the posts about lights/power out, I double checked my flaslights and lanterns to ensure that with lights out they are accessible in all parts of the house. I added one lantern to the basement walkout sliding doors. I enjoy reading the posts; they are also very useful.
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This morning I signed up for Carolyn Thomas’ online bread making course. I’ve watched about half of the video lessons so far and have downloaded her e-book and the course materials. I’m looking forward to trying out the techniques demonstrated in the course, particularly the method of sprouting wheat berries to neutralize the Phytic Acid before grinding the berries into flour.
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Not sure if my post went through….but just in case it didn’t, going to do a power outage run through today to see what gaps might exist in my lighting. Also, plan to go through my bug out bag I keep in the car as it’s been a while.
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<p style=”text-align: left;”>We have friends that lost everything in the fires in California. We are looking at different evacuation plans based on how much time we have to get out. He told us he had no warning, the ash and black smoke on his doorstep was his clue to run! Right this minute, I could not evacuate with everything I deem essential because the transmission of our 97 Dodge Ram Dually with 5.9 Cummins Diesel with 120 gallon tank on board just died. In good working condition, we can travel half way across the country without stopping for gas. To do it right, we need $5000.00 to fix it. I don’t have that kind of money laying around. I am safe in my home, but this latest tragedy for our friends has brought home how quickly things change. I’m trying not to stress about the truck because it is a big part of our bug out plan, but it certainly weighs on my mind. We have lists of what to grab if we have 5 min, 15 min, 30 min, 1 hour. No matter how much time I have, with the current vehicle, I couldn’t even take all the people. I’ve watched YouTube videos and changed the starter and heater fan in my vehicles, but this is beyond my scope of expertise.</p>
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Today I continued with my food storage. I’m shocked how much I forgot I had… I need to use more jars as of now. Admiting that I have been adding and adding because I have gone to a personal shtf situation for years. I struggled with my finances. But now I’m debt free found a good job which will turn into full time position as of the beginnings of 2019. I’m good. Financially and now I found out pantry wiise too. Just have to ignore teenage nagging when I open another jar of home made jam. Lol.
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Working on restocking the freezer with dinner rolls, sandwich bread, and hoagie rolls. Have two bread machines going and hand working a loaf or two while I’m waiting on those. We’ll bake them to about half done and then put them in the freezer for a bread we can throw in the oven for quick additions to meals without having to wait 3+ hours for homemade bread. Cleaned out the fridge and reorganized. Took inventory of powdered dehydrated stuff, found two half gallon jars of milk and buttermilk powder that got shoved to the back of the pantry still vacuum sealed. Hope everyone is having a great day!
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Thanks HieronymaT, PeppyP, LovinLife for kinds words. Today I seem to be back on track for healing and it’s such a relief. DH works today so I’ll be doing PM chores. Woke to frosty fairyland this morning 🙂 and now the sun is out.
OldSkiBum…that sounds like you were prepared for your road trip going bad…tho thankfully it wasn’t too bad. THIS is why we are who we are! Safer. Calmer. Ready…more than most folks, anyway! 😉 Also Lee’sHomestead with your lights-out. These “dress rehearsals” are annoying but are so enlightening [no pun intended]. lol In our arid climate, I can’t even put lamp oil into the lamps…it dehydrates to a sticky gum.
Enjoying reading everyone’s adventures in prepping….and life. RdLucai….your report is distressing tho. In wildfire country…I hope you can get adequate transportation very soon. 🙁 We also have the LISTS that are according to how much TIME we estimate we have before we must leave. People first. Animals next if possible. Business and I.D. type paperwork ALWAYS at-the-ready for a Rip-N-Run. Glad your friends got out but their lives will be so very tough while they reestablish everything! Ach..these wildfires! 🙁
OldMtWoman
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by OldMt Woman.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by
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Today I learned how to use a signaling mirror/mirror for signaling.
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Wrote down recipes from budget101.com in between marathon canning. Made soft fat lard,3 qts so far.
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I have CRS (can’t remember stuff) so I cannot remember if I posted yesterday LOL. I made my homemade meatballs yesterday. Today I finished some sewn rabbits for my sister’s gift.
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AnonymousMy wife and I went on a mini hike only 2 miles but with a bad knee…pretty good. Keep trying to get some walking in as I can.
Purchased Selco’s book and have been reading it.
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Made it back safely from my excursion to Canada. Put extra air in the suspect tire and the low air alarm still went off about 50 miles down the road. Still, no emergency. On the way home stopped at a hardware store and picked up some Stabile for my stored gasoline and some Sea Foam to help clean the motors on the outdoor tools. Also got an email from the manufacturer of my favorite CCW that it was being recalled for a safety issue. The email was supposed to have a Fed Ex label attached so I could mail the gun back postage free. I didn’t see it so now I have to do battle to get the free shipping for the gun!!
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The wildfires have reminded us to revisit our plans. We live at the tail end of a road – one way in/one way out. If the road is blocked our only option is to take the lake.
I put the blackberry canes I dug up yesterday into pots until we can get a spot ready for them. The dog and I found a beauty berry growing on the edge of our leech field this morning. It has the prettiest bright purple berries.
Made bread and tried a new granola recipe. Will not make it again.
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Daughter and I started a list of things for our go bags, especially after reading about the fires in California. That’s not our particular danger, but we’re starting a plan with the goal of being able to leave with not much more than 30 seconds notice.
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Yesterday I finally got around to building my small container garden. I was able to use some water I collected and supplies I had been accumulating little by little. I live in Florida so this is actually a great time to plant as we have warmth mostly every day even in winter and spring. I cleaned my back porch which was a big job considering I had to keep an eye on the little ones while I did it. I realized that I am really out of shape! Yikes, a few hours in the garden and I feel like I did cross fit yesterday. So that really proved to me that I need to make an exercise plan and stick to it. Today, I picked up a few items for my stockpile and I cleaned out my sons room and got rid of four bags of toys, to the thrift store they go. My daughters room and my room are next. I just can’t figure out how I continue to accumulate stuff when I am constantly cleaning out rooms, drawers and closets.
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I caught up on the dishes and laundry. We celebrated our son in law’s 50th birthday which was a fun afternoon. Was given a gift card and plan to go to Dollar Tree and stock up supplies. Finished my draft snakes for the exterior doors and vacuum sealed the remaining rice.
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Finally got my energy directed at making a double batch of homemade laundry soap. We’d used it down to the last. Should have done it when I could have door open…well, I still opened the door but it was a LOT warmer this afternoon. Do not like the smell of Fels Napha when I grate it. Whew! I use: One cup each of OxiClean, Borax, Washing Soda, and Biz. Plus a grated bar of any laundry soap […could use Ivory]. I sometimes double the washing soda. I use my grain grinder’s veggie slice/grate option to grate the laundry soap. Fast and easy.
I put all the ingredients separately into the juice bottles when I buy them, so nothing gets accidentally wet. I also store in the juice bottles when I mix them together as laundry soap. [We’ve had flooding in our basement area too many times to chance my supply]
OldMtWoman ….done for today!
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Another mildly productive day. Husband got two of the benches (HIS territory) in the garage cleaned off. (There was actually a counter top under there! I thought all that stuff was levitating!) Food storage is almost completed. I’ve started a printed list of each category/each item/ and quantity. Actually found some things that would expire before Feb. 2019 so made up two bags for the food bank. Caught up on laundry, vacuumed the house again, got 4 Christmas cards made. Worked on the middle granddaughter’s Christmas present. Got the pantry in the kitchen and two other cabinets emptied and sorted. Brought up toilet paper, tissues, and trash bags from storage. Picked up two Sunday papers – already cut out the grocery coupons, sorted out what we will use and the rest are ready to be sent on to others who will use them.
If anyone has elderly friends or relatives please, please talk to them about their lives & experiences. Tape record the conversations, use your phone or whatever you have. We didn’t do this before my Father died, now it is my Mother who has dementia, she can no longer talk. Does your family have many photographs? Sit down with your relatives and mark who everyone in the picture is! I did not do this either and now I have a storage tub full of pictures from the late 1800s and early 1900s. I have no idea who 80% of these people are and no way to find out.
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Went to church this morning and worked on paperwork in the afternoon.
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Well, here we are on Sunday again. Where did the week go? I haven’t posted to this blog since Monday the 12th! Well, here we go. On Tuesday (13th) I gathered up some firewood. It’s not cut into usable pieces yet. On Wednesday (14th) I inventoried my supply of water preps and compared it to my list of water prep requirements. Let’s just say I need to obtain more that just a few items to get to where my checklist says I should be. On Thursday (15th) I gathered information off the internet on medical supplies. I know I have a long way to go to get prepped there. Friday (16) I distilled the information I gathered on Thursday regarding medical and first aid supplies into a rough checklist. I was correct in my assessment that I have a long way to go to get ready for medical emergencies. Saturday (17th) was the day I bought a copy of all of Selco’s books. I have some extended and detailed blog posts from Selco from years ago when he first started sharing his experiences. I wanted to have all his inputs compiled in one place. Today, Sunday (18th) I am again taking a break from physical and knowledge based preparations to replenish my spiritual condition.
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11/18/2018 When you look at it the everyday chores of life <span style=”text-decoration: underline;”>IS</span> prepping. When you cook, clean, do dishes, do laundry you are staying one day ahead of SHTF. Afterwards who wants to deal with a dirty house or a mountain of laundry when things are more difficult to accomplish. That being said – I made HOOCH for the holidays and then made my first batch of witches yeast (made from potatoes) and once ready I will experiment using it as a yeast replacement in my existing breading recipes. I cut up and processed the drained aloe vera; some into juice for the freezer but most of it went into the dehydrator.
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I sit in front of a computer every day for work and I don’t like to do it on the weekend, so I will post everything for the weekend. First off, I want to say how VERY GLAD we are that we moved out of California last year. After becoming preppers, my husband and I realized that Southern California was the absolute worst place to be in a SHTF scenario, so we left. One daughter is still there, so we are hoping that she will come to that same understanding before it is too late. But until she does, we will maintain a place for her to evacuate to…
We were busy this weekend. I think because we are so anxious to get a lot of things done before winter hits. On Friday, we bought another load of wood. I have no idea how much wood we will use over the winter and I want to make sure we have enough. Then on Saturday, I cleaned out the floor of the chicken coop. I spread the wood shavings and stuff on the site where we want to put the garden next year to beef up the soil. We are putting a sod roof on the chicken coop (it is straw now, sod to come) and have a water barrel to catch water for them. It is not clean water (because it is running through decomposing straw) and I researched how to filter the water. I am ordering activated charcoal to make a simple filter. Then I made a batch of apple cider vinegar (the first time) and two batches of soap (not the first time). My husband organize some of his tools in the garage so we can park my vehicle inside during the winter and then finished putting up the backer board for the tile behind the wood stove.
On Sunday after church, we laid most of the tile on the backer board. I can’t wait until we put in the stove! I am so looking forward to wood heat instead of electric.
I am really looking forward to Thanksgiving and being able to see our daughter for a few days. I would like her to help me inventory our medical supplies and put together the first aid kits, but she is bring her boyfriend and due to opsec, I don’t want him to know what we have and where it is. So that task will have to wait for another time…
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11/17 and 11/18 Wow! Everyone has been super busy. I’ve been cleaning and de-cluttering. I have donated clothes and excess housewares and bric-a-brac to the Salvation Army’s drive for the homeless. I appreciate the fact that they use the money from what they sell to buy food and warm clothes for them. I need to get my house in shape for Thanksgiving dinner. Baking starts tomorrow. Today (11/19) it is to the market for a couple of things and to take a friend who doesn’t drive. She is hosting a dinner for her friends who have no family to go to. It usually ends up being about 20 people. I am happy to be able to provide her with home grown pumpkin and eggs. I put up my dehydrator until after Christmas now, unless an amazing sale comes up. I am going to take advantage of the low sweet potato prices and can some and freeze some. Mine didn’t do well this year…..too wet.
It’s not much for prepping, but every little bit helps.
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It was a very busy weekend – I batch cooked all my food from scratch on Saturday and Sunday. I made another batch of toothpaste over the weekend. This morning I made a batch of bathroom cleaner, some tub and tile scrub and a rosewater facial toner! I also downloaded some more prepare information to review over the holiday weekend.
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I missed posting yesterday. 🙁 Most of the day was spent with family, watching Christmas movies and eating homemade brownies. DD passed on some info that may affect our BOL plans. Read a few articles on food storage… and that’s about it. Yesterday was a slow day for prepping here.
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<span style=”font-size: 100%;”>Its been a whole week since I posted! 😲 I’m not doing well on keeping my log of activity up because I’ve been busy with my actual activity! Last weekend I finished updating our emergency binder. I repacked 72-hour bags and managed to get 36 pints of ground turkey added to my food supply. It looks to me that we are right on track to have my one year supply caught back up and ready to go again by December 31 again this year! Woohoo for small victories!! I finished last week with 2/4 sisters crochet Christmas presents done. I’m counting that as a prep since it’s scarfs, mittens, and ear warmers (as opposed to hats). Technically, crochet is a skill I’m trying to perfect 😁 This week, all week, we are building another set of raised garden beds. Because we are taking Thursday off (that day I’m adding quarts of bone both to my food storage) we should have another 60 square feet for growing purposes!!! I’m very excited for that! 🥦🥒🥕🍅❤️</span>
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AnonymousMy goal this week is finalizing a capsule wardrobe that will work for our current living situation (full-time RV living) and when the SHTF. I am hoping to get down to less than 50 pieces which includes shoes/snow boots, socks, unders, jacket/coat, gloves and warm scarves. Oh, and a couple pairs of earrings 🙂 Then I’ll re-access and see if I can reduce things further. My DH, who has always lived very minimally, laughs at me and says, “Your’e such a girl!” True enough.
If anyone else has done a capsule wardrobe, I’d love to have your input!
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Took advantage of the thanksgiving sales and purchased some canned goods
If anyone is interested in emergency food supply Woot is having a sale on Patriot Pantry 1 week food supply in an plastic ammo can.
I am waiting on a small LED lenser or Nitecore flashlight. I have a larger LED lenser and the $60 I paid for it was worth every penny.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by corsaire.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by
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Another gray rainy day but sunshine probable tomorrow! I didn’t get the car emergency bag looked at as planned so that is at top of my list for today. My neighbor is taking a look at the sick generator, doing a bit of troubleshooting….battery is strong, oil has been changed recently. He thinks problem may be in starter button. I’m leaning toward a new spark plug. He did get my rain barrel moved so will be more convenient for small garden I’m thinking about for next year. So excited that the celery stalk base I cut off and put in water is now pushing up new growth. Not sure what to do next but I think maybe planting in potting soil? Watched a youtube video on how to regrow things we purchase at grocery store and he didn’t say what to do next. All part of my inside winter gardening effort. I think I’m in good shape for lighting needs in case of a temporary electrical power outage…sufficient number of candles, flashlights and oil lanterns. Fortunately, in a truly severe longterm emergency, I do have family within walking distance of my rural home. Son is a bit of a prepper also, so I think we’ll be just fine. We’re from old stock, our family settled in this area back in early 1800’s so we are really at home with the old country ways….our rural area didn’t get electricity until 1940s via the TVA dam projects. My how times have changed but we are passing on knowledge of the old ways to our young. Who knows what kind of world my grandchildren will experience? But they definitely ARE NOT SNOWFLAKES. 🙂
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Another busy day at work. We had another exercise but this time in crisis communication. I’m responsible for the whole crisis management education and organise different exercises during the year. We hire trainers. I love the exercises because it gives you a way to deal with crises.
In the morning I baked an olive bread which we have with canned fennel carrot soup.
Tonight I will fill 3 jars of honey for the coming honey examination later this week. That is always very exciting.
Tonight I will can the persimmon butter I made during the day in the slow cooker and hopefully make some deodorant with beeswax
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Today, I drove back to my other house in Pennsylvania. I am getting it ready to sell and wanted to celebrate one last Thanksgiving here.
On the drive, I spoke to a good friend; she just retired as a nurse practitioner. Her DH is a surgeon. I was asking about my first aid kits. She has tons of extra medical supplies to donate, including a suture kit. DH is going to give me remedial lessons in suturing etc.
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Today I called Dutchman’s Country Store in Cantrill, Iowa and spoke with a member of their staff about shipping a bulk quantity of their Dutch cocoa powder to me. They have what seems like a great sale price on it now through Christmas. I’ll have to double check the price charged by stores in my area that also sell bulk panty items to be sure but it looks as though I’ll save a lot by ordering the sale cocoa powder even with the shipping cost! If so, I plan to order at least 10 pounds of it and then re-package it in Mason jars with Oxygen absorbers to keep in my storage pantry for several years.
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Today I downloaded some more info from the ‘net and worked on getting ready for Thanksgiving. Had to run to town to get some new drops for my eyes; it seems I’ve developed an allergy to the preservative in my old ones which gave me a major case of red angry eyes. Fingers crossed that this one works longer than few months. I’d like to get this settled before things hit the fan. (My glaucoma doc and I spend more time talking about our allergies than my eyes. It seems he’s a big proponent of balloon plasty; personally I’m not too keen on someone ripping me a new one up in my sinuses but he swears by it.) Still need to clean out the upper cabinets in the kitchen for storage space. Tonight? Tomorrow? I hope so.
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I did some reading over the weekend, mostly about herb gardens, indoor and vertical gardening. Still working on my daughter’s fingerless mittens, almost finished one though. Don’t know if it’s me or the yarn or the knitting needles, but the yarn is splitting and it’s driving me nuts. Thought about riping it all out and crocheting them, but I tried with a hook and it’s terrible to work with…so I’m just going to get it done and finished.
Latter part of last week we made some extras for the freezer. I love cooking once and eating 3 or 4 times. Made some home made mac and cheese with ham chunks, and on Sunday we made Chicken Enchilladas. Put the extras on a sheet to freeze and I’ve popped them in a large ziplock.
Bought some more sprouting seeds off Amazon.ca too.
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<p style=”text-align: left;”>My family doesn’t do much of anything but family time on Sunday. So I read a bunch of articles, and started in on a gardening book.</p>
Today was the daily grind. Made bread, did a load of laundry, did dishes, pumped to add to my freezer stash, made a grocery list of things we need to buy. I also did an inventory of kids shoes and realized I don’t have the next size for my 2 year old (weird), and that I need to update my 5 year olds snow boots. Did a review of Christmas gifts for my kids this year. My 2 year old went through a growth spurt so I need to buy her new jammies (dang it) but the store down the road is having a sale so I’ll hit that up tomorrow. -
We finished setting the mail box on our cabin. It will be officially sold after closing tomorrow. I’m so going to miss it. Blew the leaves from the porches and around the house so the new owners won’t have deal with that right off the bat.
Made veggie/pasta soup. Enough to last several days. Made a batch of laundry soap and refilled my cleaning bottles with a vinegar solution.
Chery Greene, I wish I had recorded family history years ago. I know so very little about my father’s side of the family excep what I could glean from distant relatives on a genealogy site. My mother’s parents died quite a few years back and while I did hear stories growing up I don’t have details or names to go with faces. My mother is not very cooperative on these things sadly.
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Made a huge dent in my Christmas shopping and stocked up on dish soap. Picked up my new eye glasses so I have my old ones for back up. Ate a meal out of the freezer so I have room for meat as it goes on sale.Vacuum sealed some chocolate chips and dried beans I found on sale.
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Cleaned the out fridge yesterday, washed all the fluffy top blankets as the silly dog lost his dinner all over them, quick find a soft place to vomit! But it was good because he ate the Velcro strap of my wrist brace,and the scoop part of a plastic spoon, and they needed to come out. Just when I thought he quit doing that, ha. Spent a while on Amazon downloading free ebooks that I was interested in. Then read one I bought a while back, Dust to Dust, pretty enjoyable, read it most of the night, then worked on a scarf I’m knitting.
Today wrapped up a print order, got it ready to mail, lunch with my Daughter, post office, store got water jugs filled, dropped books at library, the ink I ordered from Epson came today, card stock came also from a paper company. Making chicken soup in the crockpot, finishing a project and will work on a scarf later, and that is pretty much my weekend.
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When we brought our freezer beef home on Saturday, I was in a hurry and just shoved it into the freezer. Today I rearranged the freezer and updated the inventory. While it wasn’t raining I filled all of the bird feeders, brought shoes and clothespins inside that were on the back porch, and threw out the dead mums. And I finished crocheting a blanket for my granddaughter for Christmas.
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11/19/2018 Each new recipe is tested and recorded. First bake bread with never before used yeast replacement for real world use. Once measured ingredient success is achieved then alternative baking methods are tested ie: using the roaster oven with the solar generator then testing the recipe using the solar oven outside during the winter months and once again during the summer. I need to made a new batch of Witches yeast and re-test the real world recipe tomorrow. Not a total failure but only edible as a last resort; I can do better.
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Thanksgiving is ready – just the two of us. I bundled up extra coats, hats, scarves & gloves (2 bags full) our estate agents are collecting those for a “Warm the County” drive. They are also collecting extra food for the food bank, specifically after Thanksgiving because donations are better for big holidays and drop off when the holidays are over. Sorted and put away the latest shopping for food storage – everything was on sale, plus I had coupons on everything we needed. $112 total but paid $49 after discounts and coupons. Taking the car tomorrow for the oil change, etc. just to get it a little more protected for winter. I’m from NJ & Husband is from Minnesota so “winter” has a different meaning on our side of the mountains in WA.
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LovingLife….that’s a great opportunity to learn suturing and get medical equipment that’s harder to find than standard First Aid materials. !!!
I accidentally ran into new data about my disease. Interesting. Confirms some things we already know and it means there is some specific vitamins that I’ll need to stock up on. I read several articles about bugging out sooner than later. Hopefully we’re as ‘bugged’ as we need to be, initially.
Appreciated the sunny warm day. Communications disrupted by area phone problems and our old phone set that needs replacement. That’s floating to the top of the To Buy list.
OldMtWoman
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Sorted the Frontier Coop order today that arrived over the weekend. Four of us ordered – mine was mostly dried veggies and herbs in Mylar bags and some containers for storing bulk items.
This isn’t really prepping – more like “resistance” and motivation to veer my business off in a slightly different direction: Received an email today from an international corporate home office that says the office is located in Wisconsin (but the details point elsewhere). This company actually bought up TWO of my clients, one in Europe and one here in the US, and now, a few years down the line, they are trying to get everyone to fall in line with uniform rates, uniform resumes on file, etc. The reason I don’t believe they are even writing from the US is because they want a “Europass CV” (I told them that since this would require quite a bit of my time, they would have it when I no longer have any paying work…. They already have my resume and I’ve worked for them for nearly 15 years!). I’m a little mad. I wish these big corporations who really aren’t interested in quality and just want to squeeze every bit of blood out of the companies they buy up would stop buying up my clients!
The email was entitled: “Gentile Reminder – New Production System – Your Feedback is Requested”
I got a few giggles out of that one today.
So I’m going back to working on marketing strategies to find new clients for the future – it’s a constant effort.
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I dressed more warmly than necessary when I left for meetings. Also, I ordered the cheapest meal possible when I joined some friends for lunch.
Over the weekend, I made a couple of sales.
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Made a slow cooker meal for my family using food storage supplies. Worked on home-based business.
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AnonymousHad to fix our living room stand light…grandkid was sleeping in chair next to it and I guess he was swinging his arms about or something and caught the lampstand and it fell over busting the glass on the top into a lot of pieces. He went into our guest room and told his mom who had him put a chair over the area where the glass broke…worked great and kept anyone from walking in that area before we woke up and fixed it. Happened in the middle of the night.
So after understanding what had happened we got the stand out of the way and vacuumed up the glass. Then went to Goodwill and found something that could take its place. Took some tinkering but it looks and works fine now. We also had him test the chair out in full recline and made sure there was no way he could hit it again.
While at Goodwill, we found a great pair of gloves for why wife that are warmer than what she has so we got those. Also found some books on cooking that were cheap. Most of my stuff in on my iPad so needed some hard copies just in case.
Thanks
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I recently heard from several members of another online group that Honeyville is closing its brick-and-mortar stores and will no longer be selling No. 10 cans of food storage items. I am not sure if that is correct, or if it is, what that would mean for their online sales. However, just in case their website shuts down, today I started downloading the free recipes available on that website that use long-term food storage ingredients such as freeze-dried foods, grains, etc. I’ll keep them on a flash drive and print out hard copies for my food storage recipe binder.
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We used to have a nice big Honeyville store here in AZ and they downsized years ago to a “closet”. I just checked their website and the AZ store is no longer listed. I think food storage has gone off the radar for many people.
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Had two days off work in a row so cooked a lot. Pumpkin pie, brownies, caramel cake, crack slaw, and cornbread on Saturday. Sunday was my thanksgiving dinner – turkey breast, mashed cauliflower, roasted brussel sprouts with garlic, bacon, and cheese in a sauce, dressing, and a piece of cake. Dished up 7 meals for my 7 days of work before a day off stint. Yesterday, I finished up laundry and dishes. Planned on going to the bank on my way to work but ended up at the atm on the way home. Gas prices are down 6 cents here I noticed when I filled the car. Today I’m helping daughter by making a trip to the post office for her then off to work. Oh yeah, shirts I ordered arrived yesterday. Really is spelled ‘relly’ so I have to handle that. Two family birthdays this week.
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Today, I started reading the “Panfemic Series” books by Bobby Akart. I am on the first book, “Beginnings”.
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Not much today. We did another crisis table top exercise but this time with the front office. I got another box of persimmons. My persimmon butter try didn’t work out. So have to figure out what to do with them.
I printed all the assignments from the bloom course today which I will put in a new fauxdori I ordered. I will have a prepping note book, one for canning records and another one I don’t know yet.
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I dehydrated some apples and grapes for yummy, healthy snacks
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I decided to check my yarn stash to see if I had enough to crochet another Christmas gift. Surprise. I found a skein of yarn that goes with my granddaughter’s blanket which I thought I finished yesterday. After ironing this morning, I’m back to working on her blanket.
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Wasn’t able to post yesterday as it was a travel day. A real life survival exercise negotiating multiple airports during a holiday week!!! Was going to log in and leave a post, but by the time I figured out how to use the airplane internet, for $8.00, they shut if off as we were getting ready to land. Currently down in sunny Arizona for a few days. Prepping until I’m home will consist of planning and physical training. Enjoy a 7 mile hike this morning in the beautiful red rock country. Lots of families out hiking and mountain biking.
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Anonymous- Organized the RV’s basement to make more room for food storeage
- Re-certified for Basic Plus: CPR, AED, and First Aide for Adults
- Watched youtube videos on making jerky
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Sink was stopped up and vinegar and baking soda wasnt working, so off to the box store to buy a sink plunger. Dollar store had reading glasses so one went into the first aid kit. Also checked out woot and amazon for black friday things I could use, and added things to my wish list . Also scanned the grocery circulars
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Yesterday was cleaning out the bedrooms and found the book “patriots”. Hadn’t read it yet so will start before the day is over. Worked on list to go to large town a ways away. Have been going thru paper and magazines and saving prep and gardening articles I want to keep.
Also have been working on genealogy lately. I’ve done that for years. Its like working a gigantic jigsaw puzzle. That’s nothing to do with prepping but something I want to do. Will make scrapbooks for Christmas for my kids.
Hmmm I should make a prep notebook for them too.
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Hmmm….today started out with bad news. [not our elderlies…tho they needed DH to come drive today..expected that one] A new crisis that will consume energy/time. A lot. So we immediately made some choices to eliminate parts of our life that consume too much energy/time/money. One drastic cut….but it’s been a long time coming. Change can be painful and disturbing….even if at the same time, it’s going to set you free in some ways.
Cleared out a bunch of bottles [vinegars, soy sauce, mirin, etc] from a bucket stashed “near” the pantry area. Now all of the above are sanitized [dang mice!] and put in order on shelves. Sanitized bucket and put the frozen turkey in there submerged in water. Need it thawed by Thurs. of course. {roll eyes} Order from chaos, even in little ways, is always good prepping.
OldMtWoman …it’s been a long day
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After three very long years of extensive renovations our cabin has been officially sold. Sad see it go but oh so happy to not have the stress. Hopefully we can get back to the basics and relax.
I’ve been adding extra pet supplies with each order. Finally got it all organized. Cleaned out 2018 paperwork to make room for 2019. Made a large batch of lentil veggie chili. Will freeze half for when there’s no time to cook.
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OldMtnWoman, sorry to hear of the additional bad news. Yes, change is so difficult even if it ultimately is for the better. Wishing you all the best.
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Picked up flashlights and handwarmers. Got new tires for my daughter’s vehicle. Worked on my business. Made a dish with leftover turkey in my instapot.
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Got the closets cleaned out and organized in extra bedroom. Propane heaters are now up front and center. Lamps all have trimmed wicks and clean chimneys. All solar charging items were in the front windows today soaking up sun as we’re supposed to have 3 days of rain – I sure hope so, we are still in a moderate drought – don’t let anyone tell you that it rains too much in WA state! Husband used pressure washer on front porch, he plans on doing the back porch after the rain stops (that is if it ever starts!) We plan on filling the new Water Bricks (3 1/2 gals. each), cleaning behind & under the sofa in den, sweeping and mopping the bathrooms and kitchen, and putting heavier blankets on the bed on Thursday and Friday. No “Black Friday” here!
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Just discovered new glaucoma med will not work with me. Tachycardia is not my favorite feeling, and the new med also exacerbates asthma and shortness of breath. Phooey. Back to the drawing board on that one. Watched a couple of videos after I made the dressing for Thanksgiving. I’ve been a little slack on prepping these last two days, getting ready for Thanksgiving. It’s been prep-lite here but on Friday I’ll hit it again.
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So I wanted to throw out a prep challenge to those folks who haven’t done it yet (those who have already tackled it should ignore my rambling).
Do you have a printed bug out route by foot or bike, to get to your bug out location?
If you plan to bug in, do you have a route to get home from the places you travel to most regularly?For my family, we will bug in. But we visit family in 2 other states.
With that in mind I have located bicycle stores (yes raiding is wrong, but keeping my family alive is more important than corporate profits, especially if we are talking about a situation where the rule of law will be disappearing within a few days [like an EMP]).
So, find bike stores, then plan route home, avoiding major cities and major highways.
I assume my family and I will be bugging out as soon as the poop drops, while the roads may still be full of people staying in their cars a day or two (so no using the highways unless we want to get mugged).
So I’ve used Google Maps to plan the route, based on the bicycle option.
I’ve also considered avoiding blatant roadblock areas like major bridges and typed in notes about using train trestle bridges or snow mobile bridges and the like).
Lastly, consider that there is usually a service (dirt) road that runs along the power lines, and that can be used to avoid people, though it may be more hilly.
Now print up the maps and store them with your spare tire or glove box.Just an idea to consider.
Best,
JP-
Not sure this is going to post under JP‘s dread. Great ideas I had not thought about when I’m over the mountains and had to get home. Locally I am kind of in trouble as I have two bridges So if they get taken out I guess I’m taking a swim. Good thoughts though
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Lee’s Homestead,
When it comes to alternate routes, where I am we have train bridges here and there, and hiking/snow mobile bridges. The snow mobile bridges are generally great. You can usually look up your local ATV/snow mobile club and get maps.
Best,JP
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Having a pot luck at work tomorrow, my standby to bring, Brownies. Got a big box of brownie mixes last spring from Sam’s, 2 eggs some butter, boom, brownies. They are too sweet for me, hurt my teeth but will be a big hit with the crew, and still have two mixes left in the the big box. Enjoying my crock pot chicken soup for dinner that cooked all last night. Now back to knitting.
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Today I vacuumed, did a load of laundry, and stocked away some change my husband found.
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11/20/2018 My sister’s comfrey showed up – a huge box of dried leaves. In return I promised to send her some finished salve. Cleaned the outside water garden establishing the lizard tail and water cress perimeters and cleared deadfall. Started the lavender and comfrey oils. Ground dried rosemary and dried globe mallow for storage. Mickey (my dog) is doing his part by catching and killing another rat. Wrapped burlap around the lemon, apple, orange and tangerine tree trunks. Night time temps are in the low 50’s already.
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Anonymous11/20/18
Read more in Selco’s book.
Made sure I had gas full in car instead of waiting until tomorrow before we head to Thanksgiving. All set at this point. Enjoy reading through all of the posts that I have showing up in my email.
Spent part of the evening playing mine craft with the grandkids. Finally had them working together and not killing each other and everything else they saw. I think they got a hint of how much easier it would be if you can trust someone to help you…
Have a nice evening.
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Thank you, Peppy P. Congrats on selling your cabin. Same as us, sorry to let go but being free of it has advantages.
John Park…maps and routes NOW are better than “one second after” you can’t get them anymore. Very good prepping!
Sorry to hear about medication fail, RufusJ. Scary!
Made huge pot of pasta sauce w/ sausage. Easy to reheat and save energy [mine and stove]. I love to cook once and eat 2-3X….even with minor changes to the original.
OldMtWoman …augh, can’t type…need bed!
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Yesterday didn’t really get any prepping done except getting rid of items.
Tuesday, November 20 cleaning buckets day. Cleaned our gamma lid buckets to get ready.
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Snow tires on, first aid kt upgraded (from basically a leftover box of bandaids…oops), got pulled into a video on hand hewing wood and shingles. I don’t have the strength to do it myself, but it was educational to watch.
Next on the list, a long walk in the great outdoors.
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Today’s prep is for thanksgiving.
I’m brinin our turkey as it’s to soak 10-12 hours. We skinned this turkey so it won’t need much drying time. So this will be my first time brining a turkey and cooking a turkey without any skin. I hope it turns out well.
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Over yesterday and today, defrosting the wild turkey my boyfriend shot last year – will be delicious as always! Been busy making homemade pies and eggnog, stuffing and cranberry sauce. In between, managed to clean out and re-organize my studio. Got my treadmill fixed and able to get back on it for my regular morning exercise routine! Safe travels and Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
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@john Park,
Great suggestions!
I have to ask, can you ride a bicycle for a prolonged period of time and or distance?
I used to race bicycles, like Tour de France style. Short rides were 30-40miles, long rides were 70miles. A day. 5 or 6days a week.
For me, I would be hiking it from town. According to Google maps, it would take me about 5hours by road. I know a lot of people say to stay off the roads! Tacti-cool OPSEC! Have you ever really tried to hump it through heavily wooded terrain? You could almost double your get home time. And now that winter has set it, humping it in the snow covered fields is even harder. I noted that in a post on Winter Travel.
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This morning I downloaded more food storage recipes to print out. I also recharged my little Bolder LC40 flashlight made by Anker. I really like it! It gives out a lot of light for such a small flashlight, seems to be quite sturdy, and fits well in my hand. I’m thinking about getting more of them to give as gifts.
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John Park, it’s great that you’re planning ahead for a possible bug-out route! Unless your family rides bikes often, it would probably be better, though, to get bikes for them now and practice riding over your proposed route with your gear. That way you wouldn’t take the chance that the bike stores had already been cleaned-out by the time you got there, or that you could be shot as a looter. Also, I’d be a little worried about leaving an annotated map to my bug-out location in my vehicle. Maybe I’m being overly cautious but I wouldn’t want to take the chance that someone other than a family member or trusted friend might find it and use it to track me to my bug-out location. Perhaps one alternative might be to make the map but leave the last portion of the directions incomplete (and memorize that portion instead) so a stranger wouldn’t be able to follow the map all the way to your final destination?
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Today I have been organising steam juicers and pressure canners. Also received my aluminium jars and lip balm sticks for my own products with beeswax. I plan to sell them on farmers markets again to make some extra cash. I would love to buy some property in the near future.
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Did some research on making alcoholic beverages. Sadly producing spirits at home is still illegal in most of the USA. Wine and beer seem to be ok.
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Hi, everybody! I’m really enjoying reading your posts and getting so many great ideas. Thanks for sharing. My bug out bag I keep in the car keeps sliding off my to-do list each day. Little ole procrastinator me hoping no need for it before I finally decide other things don’t sound like more fun. Jumped up and down like a kid yesterday (well, my 80 year old body has limits on the jumping thing) but my spinach is at last sprouting!!! I moved the “unit” inside my tool shed because it’s so unseasonably cold here; but, today I’m rethinking the move because of a lack of good light. I’ll keep playing around with the idea and just maybe I’ll eventually get a crop of spinach. Just delighted with growing the celery from the base I cut off. Once it got started it’s growing like crazy every day, so I’ve now planted it in some miracle grow potting soil and have my fingers crossed. Am keeping this in my laundry room with what I hope is adequate natural light. For you serious gardeners, I’m sure my little efforts at growing plants indoors is comical but at my age it’s serving an important function. It’s something I’ve never done before, the plants are living things so I feel a commitment to get up and take care of them and the project makes me excited to make the effort to get up and keep on going. My posts are too long, but it’s nice to think there is someone out there who might be reading them. Today I am so very thankful for my internet and computer and mobile phone. Counting blessings every day is a good life habit to develop. It will get you through those inevitable dark times in life. 🙂
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Muffy1938, I totally agree with your excitement over gardening. I am in my late 30’s and I attend a college with very young women and men and none of them can understand my excitement for my garden. I am not even near a master gardener but I am really learning. Growing plants is very rewarding.
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I’m ready for the challenge. I’m a beginner, but I have a few things in mind I can start. I already filled my water bottles the beginning of the month. This challenge will be a good kickstart for me for the new year. I’m looking forward to it. Thanks!
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Well, yesterday I got so busty I forgot to check in with my preps. But, I have been pretty productive. I find that making it a daily goal has really helped me stop procrastinating. So yesterday I purchased four used back packs for Go bags for the family. I should have had this done and ready to go last summer so I am ashamed to say I didn’t get to it. But its finally in the works. I also planted more tomatoes, peppers and arugula in my little container garden. I was surprised to see that many of the plants my local extension office recommended to plant this time of year were out of stock. I also met an older lady at the thrift store who started to talk to me and it appeared she might have been a prepper too. I find that encouraging considering I live in a suburban area. I keep the conversation light though. I am always careful not to say too much. I am struggling not to get consumed by the consumerism of the holidays this year. We are finally in a position that we can make purchases but I am trying to remember whats actually important in life.
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I am working but I keep forgetting to post. I liked the idea of flashlights all over the place. I have them in some places but not all. I bought a command caddies from Amazon and hung them up in the linen closet on the door and the basement storage door and put in two flashlights with extra batteries. I should add the same things on the door of the entry hall closet, the basement door, the dining room buffet, and each of the bathroom doors.
I am collecting and printing potential storage recipes so we can try them and see if we like them. Right now my plan is to try a new one every week and if we like them then put together a box with the ingredients on the shelf in the basement food storage area. Right now these boxes are stacked in the “future” bedroom waiting for shelves to be added in the food storage room. My husband has all the materials to build the shelves but broke his collarbone, so may be up to 2 months before he can continue with that. Until then, I’ll just stack the boxes in the other room. In the last month, I have made 6 boxes with the ingredients for 2 meals in each.
I have updated all our Bug Out Bags and moved them from the entry hall closet to a storage bench next to the front door.
We inventoried the freeze dried food and will use some of that for the “meal boxes”. This weekend, we will inventory the items in the freezers. My goal is to have enough food for 2 years before my husband retires. This can be frozen meals or my food storage boxes. Right now, my goal is to add one box with 2 meals in each to food storage and 3 to 6 meals to the freezer each week. I am also making some meals using freeze dried ingredients in mylar bags.
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DH, aka as Typhoid Terry brought something home from work this week, well, probably earlier, but I started feeling icky yesterday and today it’s pretty bad. So, I’m not doing much, going to watch some Frankenstein Chronicles episodes on Netflix and continue working on the fingerless mitts.
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Baked 2 loaves of pumpkin bread. One for tomorrow’s brunch and one for the freezer.
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Today I survived the hoards to get my organic free range turkey! 🦃
After that melee, I returned to start the brining and the baking. I am attempting to do everything from scratch this year! (Except for the wine!).
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my organic free range turkey came via UPS, really.
Familyfarmerdirect. They are out in PA and ship just about anywhere in the lower 48. Lots of great stuff. Not the cheapest, but its quality.
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Thanks, Old Mt Woman. Still waiting to hear back from the doc on the glaucoma med. I’m glad to know it’s not something they’re worried about. Made the cranberry sauce for tomorrow. Cleaned and vacuumed, and took the dog out and in several times. Tomorrow is another cooking day (smoked turkey) and then off to the kids’ house for Thanksgiving. I won’t prep much tomorrow.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by
RufusJ.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by
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After cutting and chopping and making a pie for tomorrow I spent the rest of the day trying to get my new medication. The pharmacy I use listed it in their formulary so I ran down there, After waiting 1.5 hours I was told YES it was in their formulary but NOT in stock, it was available only through mail order. What a waste of 5 hours. (Sorry if I scared anyone with the caps 🙂 The plan for the rest of the day is to put my feet up and count my blessings.
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Muffy1938, I’m enjoying reading your posts, and all those sent in by the other members of this forum. I’m learning a lot from seeing what everyone else is doing to prep and what products and services they recommend. It’s very helpful. I hope everyone has a very Happy Thanksgiving!
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Got my uv water filter today and a bucket that has enough food for 1 person for one month. Man, is it heavy! Stocked up on a few supplies, packing tape, Swiffer pads, chicken. Made another new recipe in the instapot. Read the Venezuela article and am so thankful I have plenty to eat and constant electricity. I know that it could all change in a blink. Home-based business is doing well this time of year. A really good book I’ve read recently that you might enjoy is “Lights Out” by David Crawford. Lots of practical strategies in a shtf senerio.
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11/21/2018 Made individual MRE’s today: 6 Tomato Soup-Spice Bread, 8 Corn Chowder, 8 Potato Chowder, 24 make ahead oatmeal, 10 Irish Soda Bread, 8 Pineapple Muffins, 2 Potato Chowder, 12 Apple Pie Parfaits, 30 Hash Browns, 8 Galactic Pies, 8 Spaghetti w/meat sauce bark. These are just add water meals. I finally found great recipes for individual meals from long distance trail hikers. These have all been tested and DH approved.
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Yesterday I made another 2 batches of soup for Thanksgiving. I made enough so there would be leftovers to can or freeze for future meals. I discovered that the turmeric supplement I stopped taking last week is so vital to my good health. Bought more to stock up so I won’t run out, and trying to deal with the depression I’ve been experiencing since I stopped taking it.
Today I made 3 pies from pie filling I canned and supplies from our stores. Found more canning jars at the thrift store and some silverware hubby wants to use to make yard art. Stocked up on crackers. Cleaned the house and caught up the laundry.
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Anonymous11/21/18
Used a list to get us ready to travel south for Thanksgiving on the freeway. Had lots of stuff to bring and only forgot one thing that I had not put onto the list. Good reason to make lists for bugging out
Read all the posts made today and got some ideas to check out. Thanks to all posting!
Will read more of Selco’s book tonight.
Have a nice Thanksgiving
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Muffy, it’s the little things in life that often are the most rewarding. I was so excited when my lemon seeds sprouted. Sometimes it’s just the challenge.
Rufus, better luck with another med.
Been a day of fixing things around here. Washer started leaking again. I think I managed to track it down though. We’ll see when I do another load. The vacuum attachment then broke in the middle of cleaning. Took it apart but was unable to fix it. Will have to wait to hubby to address. We moved woodpiles and pulled up some t-posts today.
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Rather productive day. About 1/2 of the food storage is listed now. Garage is about 1/3 straightened up. Got rid of many many little things that I’m sure my husband will never miss. I have never, in my life, seen so many wee little bags with one screw and one molly in them! He was working on one side of the garage and I was on the other. I kept asking “do we need this?” and after the first 30 minutes he didn’t even turn around to look anymore. He just said “Pitch it!”. Worked for me.
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Today I prepared 3 days’ worth of natural remedies (including a couple superfoods) and put them in my purse. I also purchased multiples of cacao powder since we love drinking it. It’s a superfood and a healthier version of hot chocolate/cocoa.
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Today I refilled the working pantry with dehydrated stuff (tomatoes bell peppers celery peas mushrooms etc).
Tonight im going to an honey examination of my beekeepers association. Unfortunately I found out that my honey is lightly fermented. This has been a warm and sunny summer with lots of food for bees for a long time. Probably the bees, who are a greedy bunch, got too much foods do didn’t take enough time to get the moist out and sealed too soon. We’ll see tonight when I learn about the water content. I don’t own my own refracto meter yet. On December 9th I start with a two year course for honey and other bee products examinations. I will learn about the best to buy refractometers there. Probably have to save some more money.
I bought to books today about bees: an historical bookend a book about the ethics of beekeeping. There is a lot to do to do about this subject at the moment.
I printed some scientific articles about fermented honey also about bee product examination
I also printed the new assignment for the bloom course.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by
Xant Dewit.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by
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Happy Thanksgiving! This morning I read an interesting article on Prepping Tips for the Chronically Ill and Disabled. Now, I’ve got to hurry and get ready for Thanksgiving dinner 🙂
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Amy, you mentioned an article you read on prepping by the disabled or chronically ill. I’m neither of those, just less physically able at 80 years old. Could you point us to that source? I’m getting the impression there are several “older” folks on this forum and some of our prepping concerns are perhaps unique to us because of age and or physical limitations. Happy Thanksgiving! I have so much to give thanks for….just so grateful my ancestors came to America so that I had the privilege of being born here.
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wow, am I so glad I found this web site and the challenge proposed!!! I have finally gotten to the review of my bug-out-bag I keep in the car always. I’m a bit ashamed to say how very long since I even looked in the bag, but thank goodness I did today!!! Clearly, there are some important items in the bag. I initially used a list developed by Daniel C. Friend called Inventory for Basic Survival Kit originally published in American Survival Guide, March 1990….oh, my. But upon reviewing the list, it’s really still quite adequate for basic emergency requirements. However, over time some of my items (batteries for example) are completely useless; all my food items have been eaten long ago; I have a water container but nothing at all to purify water with; there’s a down coat, rain poncho, but no spare boots or space blanket, etc. SO, I’m going to spend the next week replenishing this bag!!! I might also look for a more current list of what’s best for a bug out bag. I live in Tornado prone area as well as the New Madrid fault line which scientist say is way overdue for a “big” one. I’m also curious how everyone thinks about being told to “evacuate?” Would you? My neighbor says he would evacuate immediately if told to do so by authorities. I’m not so sure about that as I wouldn’t want to get caught out on a highway traffic jam, nor get funneled into a football stadium (think New Orleans). I guess it would depend on the circumstances, for example the fires in California. Hard to know….
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Muffy 1938, I also live in a tornado-prone area but I have a basement and an outdoor in-ground shelter. I am located at the far outside edge of the New Madrid fault, which supposedly would get mild shocks but the ground would not liquefy. Can’t really out-run either one of these natural conditions. The only thing I would evacuate for would be a wild fire, which is a low probability in my area, but considering the earth’s current volatility, could happen. Since I have a small farm, my concern is evacuating my animals to a safe place.
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Thanks, Farmmom!!! I don’t have a basement nor an in-ground shelter, but when the tornado siren sounds (which means a tornado has actually touched down in our area) I can very quickly get to one of the local church basements which is always opened up during tornado watch moments. So far I just hunker down in my bathroom and pray there’s no direct hit on my house. 🙂 I guess my inclination is to just stay put. I have tried to create an environment where I can survive for a period of time without the “grid.” But this forum activity is really helping me get focused again on emergency preparedness. It’s been a while since I looked at info concerning the New Madrid fault and the area most likely to be affected if it really did a major shift. I don’t have animals as you do and I can’t imagine the challenge finding safety for them might be for you!
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Yesterday I was on the register for four hours, thankfully an hour on an hour off, with last minute Thanksgiving shoppers, for the most part very cheerful folks but I was zombie tired last night and fell asleep while knitting in my rocking chair lol. We had a pot luck in the break room and new dishes came in all day long. It was an culinary adventure, from the sublime to the horrifying lol.
Today I am going to my daughter’s where she will cook the Thanksgiving dinner she grew up helping with, and making it exactly like her Momma always made, while I sip the champagne I brought and play with her Corgi puppy and she shoos both of us out of the kitchen, just like I used to do. It’s my favorite holiday, well a little under Christmas.
Tonight I will print up samples of my latest pieces, photo them and add them to my Etsy shop for Black Friday and wish I had gotten everything ready last week.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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To Muffy1938,
Try Ready.gov. They should have a section for “special needs” which includes elderly folks. Lots of good info at that site. Some is pretty basic, but I suggest you give it a look.
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I’m on a 7-day stint of working (day 4) – with a double today and tomorrow, so prepping involved reading and thinking about what I need. I made a grocery list so I can shop Saturday after I sleep in. Doubles are great, but I only get about 5 hours sleep between and I’m getting too old to do too much of that! Bonus – no traffic! lol I’m getting ready to retire next year so I’m working on how I can afford that. Many lists. Have 2 family birthdays this week so visited them and handed out their gift yesterday. I was gifted a roasted chicken, part of a pie, and some bagged popcorn. I’ll bring food to work and my coworkers eat it up. I picked the meat off chicken and froze it for the potluck next Tuesday – making chicken, bacon, avocado salad at the request of a coworker. My electric company picked up an old frig yesterday so that’s gone. I’m not going to admit how much I’ve been online shopping. 🙂
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Anonymous11/22/18
Read through the emails today and followed some links to keep learning about preparing, especially for older folks
Watched a video about turkey tail mushrooms and how to be sure that is what they are. The video also showed a wild bee hive that they could see into and I had not seen that before
Hope you are having a nice Thanksgiving. We are on the west coast so it should begin shortly
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Checked the flashlights that were not in my hurricane box (those were checked in March and again in June )and realized they needed batteries. Checked my stash and I had the “uh oh” moment. Gonna check out the blackfriday circulars and see whats up.
Happy Thanksgiving as ya’ll are awesome
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by corsaire.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by
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AnonymousHappy Thanksgiving! It’s been a beautiful day here in East Texas, with sunny blue skies and temps in the 60’s. I grilled Canjun spiced chicken and we ate outside. I also switched out sweet potato pie for the usual pumpkin that I make. Gotta keep things Southern y’all!
We did do a bit of prepping today. I downloaded and printed off Daisy’s “Personal Emergency Preparedness Binder” pages and will start working on that this coming week. DH jiggled some things (?) around on the hot water heater and it appears to be fully functional again. So now we can run it off propane again when we need to.
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Happy Turkey Day. Visiting friends in another part of the country so prepping is limited to reading and planning. Spent some time researching a replacement blower for our gas fireplace. The company that installed it before we purchase the house wanted $330 for a new blower and estimated 1.5 to 2 hours time to do the replacement, which would be $200 to $300 more. Need to look at the problem in more detail but found replacement blowers for much, much less on lne. Need to pull the old blower so I can figure what is involved with the install. There is access under the fireplace so I can’t figure the 2 hour replacement time. Unless they were going to take the whole fireplace apart!!!
Also read about the evacuation of the town of Paradise last week and why so many people didn’t get any warning. There will be much more written about this in the near future. Bottom line: always have a plan B and C, even for warning.
My note earlier today about Ready.Gov for info on planning for elderly folk, it’s there. If you go to the site and click the “Make a Plan” tab. It has good info for older folks. Also good info on getting warning for various emergencies. Highly recommended is a NOAA All Hazard radio (I have several around the house).
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Thanksgiving was a hit. I made everything from scratch, including rolls.
I had some great post dinner conversation with one of my guests, a doctor who sits on various NIH boards. We discussed my current reading material, Pandemic Series. He had some interesting tips and ideas.
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Hi Muffy1938, The article I mentioned in my recent post, which, as best I recall, was titled “Prepping Tips for the Chronically Ill and Disabled”, appeared recently on the BackdoorSurvival dot com blog. You can still access it by going to that blog’s homepage and clicking on the name of the article. It was written by a multi-talented and very well-prepared lady I know, who is a retired Registered Nurse.
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Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We spent Thanksgiving with the kids and their in laws and grandkids so it was a full house. I snagged the turkey carcass to make soup/broth in the next few days– and outside of reinforcing ties with the family, that was the extent of my prepping today. I did have a good conversation with one son in law about bow hunting and the merits of one kind of bow over another. It was a great Thanksgiving !
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Spent Thanksgiving with my oldest son and his roommate. We had brunch with no sign of a traditional Thanksgiving menu. But we still had to go out for a walk after eating!
I looked through the Black Friday ads. Nothing that I need so desperately that I had to shop on Thanksgiving.
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11/22/2018 Planted Kumquat Tree, wrapped trunk with burlap. Read the LDS Preparedness Manual section on Testing your preparedness emergency sanitation – Controlling odors and TEOTWAWKI smells bad. Made a checklist to check various areas of prep. Made 50 hydration packets and stockpiled in various areas: BOBags, vehicles bags, first aid kits and kitchen.
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I wasn’t able to do too much today because of Thanksgiving, but I did make an 8oz glass of water when I got home with half a lemon and two capfuls of Braggs organic apple cider vinegar. A great drink after eating a heavy meal today. Y’all enjoy your day. Happy Thanksgiving!
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Happy Thanksgiving
Cooked acorn squash pasta casserole and steamed broccoli. We had to plug a gap in the soffit today. Kept hearing what I though was a mouse in it but turned out to be a bird. He flew off so we quickly stuffed his entry with steel wool. Organized paperwork and began preparing for taxes.
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Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Opened a can of raisin bread. Had breakfast with the kids and their wives before they headed off to the other relatives.
The brined turkey was a little salty and was still a little tough but the meat close to the bone was moist. Not sure what to do as we did not eat a lot of the bird.
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Yesterday, read some articles about winter preparation and tips for saving electric but still being warm. Today, I have visited with friends who are like minded and discussed some prepping issues in the area where we live.
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Spent the day with family enjoying good food, games and discussions about emergency heaters.
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Husband and I are “alone” this year. Mother is in an adult family home under Hospice care. Kids & Grandkids are thousands of miles away. It is just us and we survived.
I sat on the floor after lunch and sorted/reorganized all our prepping books & journals. Yes, I did get a little side tracked because some I haven’t read in awhile. I didn’t spend too long catching up, well, okay, maybe just a bit too long, but I had a wonderful time. Found a few things that were listed over the summer that we haven’t gotten done yet so we’ll tackle those tomorrow. (we are definitely not Black Friday shoppers!)
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What a great day with family and friends! I saved the carcass of course! Talked with my kids about their hurricane preparations which I realized (just before Michael) that I am prepared…but were they? Both know what needs to be done so that relieves my mind 🙂
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Thanks, AmyD for the Preps for Chronically Ill/Disabled. I collect data/ideas like that…for obvious reasons.
Muffy I read all of yours and it’s great to keep on learning and doing!!
Yesterday was a blur but I finally got my new heating pad. It’s electric …but I do have hot water bottles and cloth bag of rice for non-electric means. Mainly it’s great for getting me warmed up quickly and not turning up the furnace. I just get a chill that’s hard to reverse. This is energy efficient. Till the lights go out.
Today…I’m just going to say we all survived. Up at 7am to cook turkey- I had 3 hrs sleep due to DH having muscle pain and up and down in the night. Got to elderlies at noon and began final food preparations. Cooked potatoes were being mashed with the hand mixer but that elderly forgot to drain the water. 😮 Strained what was left with a cloth and it worked. After eating, fridge had no room so I set leftover turkey in roaster outside [below-freezing temps] on the deck. NOW DON’T LET ME FORGET THAT! ….yeah, I very nearly forgot that!!! Would have made racooons or stray dogs verrrrry happy. {roll eyes}
AND DH had to take one of our elderlies to ER…..no, I did not poison anyone with the turkey. But that one had been having pains anyway. They did come home later …. needs to be checked with regular doc. {sigh} The whole day wore me out to the point of being less than brilliant.
But nonetheless, we had another holiday with our elderlies. Each one may be the last at this stage. So we are all THANKFUL….for MANY things! An attitude of gratitude is a good survival skill!
OldMtWoman
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by OldMt Woman.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by
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We had a heavenly day at home with just our family. I made ground beef, gluten-free pumpkin pie, and roasted vegetables. It was a simple yet filling and delicious meal.
We took a nap after lunch; after we woke up, we took a nice brisk walk.
As for prepping, I cooked our entire meal today from scratch. We also stayed away from the Black Friday sales tonight (good for our safety).
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Not much prepping today. I’m awfully tired. I did looked and researched some houses on the market. But that is so difficult at the moment to find something suitable. Prices are way too high and they keep in rising while at the same time my government is speed travelling toward getting houses more climate friendly in the best future. Doing so probably every homeowner has to spend another 50-60.000€ towards a greener house. When I would buy a house that pricey, I would never be able to save for that amount of renovations.
Dificult , difficult!
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Visited a high end out doors/camping/hiking site and purchased a ginormous hot pink flajaraven backpack.
Well not really.
While flajaraven is excellent, carrying a high end hot pink backpack is hardly grey man.
But I did visit a high end overstock-discount outdoors/camping/hiking site and came out with a fannypack and a small dry bag. Also headlamps at a box store sale, and the batteries. The money for the headlamps was for christmas lights, so no lights this year.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by corsaire.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by
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Recuperating from Turkey Day, lol. Did some online shopping this morning to get Christmas gifts for some friends, then bought a small coffee grinder for myself that I’ll use to grind up the whole spices I stockpile, right before I need to use them, so they stay fresh as long as possible. I buy dried herbs and spices in bulk, seal them in Mason jars with an Oxygen absorber in each jar, and store the jars in a cool, dark, dry place for a 3 to 5 year shelf-life.
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Great idea!!!
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Hi OldMtWoman and others who have mentioned my posts. I don’t know any local folks who are “preppers” so I feel like I’m getting to know some great like-minded people who are also funny and help make me laugh. Thanks all. Well, the big thing for me yesterday was discovering how inadequate the bug-out-bag I always keep in the car is so I’ve made a list of everything in the bag currently and made a prioritized list for getting it back up to basic standards. Today my handyman neighbor helped me sort out my tool shed so I can really get into some serious inside gardening. The spinach is taking off, but better grow lights are definitely going to be required. So that’s tomorrow’s trip to town. My little celery stalk growing from a cut off base is doing well on my kitchen counter under a window. Next going to plant the root-filled bottoms of green onions I bought at the store to see what they’ll do. I’m watching youtube videos all about indoor gardening and getting lots of good ideas. Talked with my sister who lives in another county about what I’m doing. She also is older and lives alone with only electric heat. Got her to thinking a bit more about what she might need to do for warmth and cooking should we have a big ice storm and lines are down for sometimes days before they can get to the rural areas. She really just figures she can go to a motel, but conceded that in the future that might not be an option. I felt glad that I at least got her to thinking. We both decided that whatever comes we’d rather just hunker down in place than get in our cars to face the unknown alone. We don’t live in flood zones or areas likely to have wild fires or near hurricanes. Tornados are the most likely event for us. But at our ages we don’t get terribly stressed out about anything like that, or much of anything anymore. Life is too short not to laugh and enjoy every day. Be blessed everybody!
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<p style=”text-align: left;”>@muffy1938 . You and OldMtWoman are an inspiration. Keep laughing and enjoying life!</p>
Yesterday and today, I thought about how blessed I am with good friends. I have worked hard and been lucky enough to see that real rewards. Some of the biggest rewards are my friends.Yesterday, I was pleasantly surprised as I cooked an awesome Thanksgiving feast — all my contributions, except beverages, from scratch. By cooking from scratch, I was also able at buy all organic supplies and stay under budget!
Today, I worked on my annual budget 2019. After completing most of my inventory, I have decided to dedicate more money toward my preps and forward purchases. For some of the items, I won’t need such as raidation tablets, I think of as insurance. Other items, such as extra candles and lights, I know I will need and use when the power goes out from storms, but I just have lots of extras. I view it as rotating through supplies and getting items when they are on sale.
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Today was fun. I created my own essential oil upholstery cleaner with 1/2 rubbing alcohol, 1/2 white vinegar, 5 drops lavender oil and 5 drops rosemary oil. It actually worked really well on my couch fabric. I also saw a post about the LDS Preparedness manual and downloaded that to read. I got out my two books “It’s time to plan not panic” by Barbara Salsbury, “Outdoor Survival Skills” by Larry Dean Olsen and “Living off Grid” by Dave Black. I’m going to get pointers out of each one as I go along. These should keep me busy with reading for a while. I also made another apple cider vinegar & lemon water drink…nice & tasty! Finally I got my workout in: weights (legs) & elliptical to stay prepared for whatever comes my way. Yay! This forum definitely keeps me reminded to do something each day. Thank you!
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by
VLC Truthseeker.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by VLC Truthseeker.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by
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VLC, how do you apply your cleaner? I normally use a water and vinegar mix to wet the stain and help with the blotting then I sprinkle with baking soda, let dry then vacuum. We have a lot of cats and they really, really should not have carpet. I’m always looking for something that might work better.
Rained most of the day. Sorted a few more cookbooks. Made dog treats. Did some deep cleaning.
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WIND today. Mach 5 gusts. Thus reading about the dangers and solutions to PM 2.5 in the air was timely. PM = particulate matter….atmospheric. In smog, vog [volcano outgassing], smoke [like massive wildfires 3 states away], dust….etc. Indoors or outdoors. The 2.5 represents the size that can get past the blockades within our nose and even the bronchial tubes…..meaning it can lodge in bronchial tubes and/or in lung pockets. Google “PM 2.5” and see what that looks like compared to human hair or fine grains of sand. TeenyTiny. Especially important data if you live in areas where air quality is worsening. Or if you have any airway weaknesses. Our area is choked with DUST today and I’m staying inside.
We’ve always kept N95 masks [respirators] and I use them if forced to go out in this level of DUST/WIND. N95 keeps out 95% of 0.3 micron [micrometer] size particulate matter [PM]. If you live in wildfire danger, you probably already keep some of these masks handy. Part of my EDC due to bronchial issues with PM. So I was reading about how to get rid of bits already down in bronchial/lung areas. Unfortunately, it got too technical for my background. Saved to read later with better concentration/focus.
Tip on breathing masks….especially N100 or N95 quality. They are hard to breath thru cuz they’re blocking so much fine stuff. I buy the more expensive ones with the exhalation valve. Well worth the $ if you need to do any labor and actually BREATHE while working. [during an EVAC, for instance] Allows you to breathe out readily but valve closes when you inhale. Still hard to wear but choking/coughing is not nice either. OTOH…breathing might be more of an issue way up here in our very high elevation. Dunno. Less O2 so we have to suck in pretty regularly ….
OldMtWoman
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by OldMt Woman.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by
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Yesterday was turkey/family day. made 3 pies (from scratch of course). A day for relaxing and unwinding. Getting my snowblower fixed- it conked out again. Realized that cleaning the thermocouples on the kitchen stove worked but there is something else the matter with the bottom oven. Top oven okay so it took longer to make pies as it is smaller.
Also realizing how many places I have things stashed and still working on getting all food onto index cards. Wish I had done that in the first place. Bought more index cards. I use one card for each type of food and crossed some off as I have been using up the oldest stuff. I even ate a can of chili dated 2011 and it was okay. Tossed a very few cans that had rusted on the seams.
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Mildly productive day. Husband ordered our Big Berkey, two extra filters, and the stand. In a few months we’ll order 4 more filters just to have on hand. Husband and neighbor across the street took down two trees in the front yard that were leaning over the road and our driveway. Neighbor kept all the wood. They use it for bonfires (!) in their backyard. We do have a wood burning fireplace but no insert so it makes the rest of the house cold if we use it. An insert is on the eternal list. Right now the next thing on the eternal list is a Lavario for laundry if the power is out too long. I have my grandmother’s washboard and a big steel washtub so we could do laundry, it would just be so much simpler with the Lavario.
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We went to 3 stores beginning at 6:30 this morning. Got some Black Friday gifts at Kohl’s with 2 $10 free coupons and 15% off, went next door to Lowe’s and bought one gift using a $5.00 gift card they gave away for early shoppers and used DH’s Veterans discount for the other gifts. We stopped at Walmart and stocked up on $.99 cranberries, $.39 sweet potatoes and canned vegetables. Finished and home before 9. This evening we went to the tree lighting on the square in our town. The Holiday Season is definitely here!
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Today I perused catalogs (much better than fighting Black Friday crowds), looking for prep-lite presents I can give family who don’t admit they’re into prepping. It’s not that hard; lots of things that aren’t strictly prep can be used for prepping. Supper was left overs from yesterday, and they were sure good– dressing, wild rice, turkey and cranberry sauce, and the best scratch mac’n’cheese I’ve ever had. Yum. Tomorrow it’s down to see the cows and drill some holes for fence posts. And organizing info tomorrow afternoon. Weather’s turned warm again and all the bugs are back out.
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Today I made beans in my thermal cooker. I really enjoy the time and money saved cooking.
In addition, I am finishing plans for my Small Business Saturday Sale. 🙂
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Been pretty busy these past two days. Used a bunch of my canned goods for our Thanksgiving dinner. I picked beans over the summer, and I canned 28 quarts and used some for dinner. I also put up corn on and off the cob and made creamed corn for our feast. I used the pears I picked and canned for pear salad. Right now I have 16 empty quart jars that I used for this massive feast. Feed a lot of people. Used dried milk from emergency essentials to make rolls. I’m pretty sure the only thing I had to buy was the Turkey. Picked up more water. I usually find a great black Friday deal on EE, but everything was too expensive. Someone mentioned the Lavario portable clothes washer. I looked that up and it was out of stock. I currently have a bucket as no a plunger for washing clothes without electricity. The lavario is on my wish list now.
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11/23/2018 Preparedness checklist from the LDS Manual – I am pretty much on track but need to have a quarantine area with supplies to last 2 weeks for any late arrivers from our survival group – had not thought of that. I needed to set up a changing area outside the house to keep the dirty clothes (and smells) outside and a wash area and the cleaner clothes put on before coming into the house. I found a good alcove to set this up with and am clearing out a few things before setting up the new area. I thought this was a good idea since the outdoor heavy duty work clothes will not have to be washed as often. This will also keep the dirt and smells from being tracked into the house. For cleaning I stocked up with more ammonia since its shelf life is longer than bleach and not affected by heat like bleach is. I will save my bleach for sanitizing.
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Anonymous11/23/18
We arrived home safely on the highways…big part of today.
Stopped along the way and increased my preps at a sale…good ammo sale.
Purchased Daisy’s book. ” Have Yourself a Thrifty Little Christmas “. Reading some in it and talked it over with my wife for a while as we drove. Got some good ideas and will keep reading.
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Yesterday I canned some of the leftover soup from Thanksgiving, 7 quarts and 2 pints. Stocked up on freezer containers for the remaining soup that couldn’t be canned, and freezer paper wrap since my brother in law called to say he shot a deer and was donating the meat to us. Spent a few hours last night at church helping to sort and bag all the food that was donated for our annual food drive for the low income families. This year we set a record on donations and will be able to feed 119 families with each one getting about 3 bags of food. Today we will be processing the deer with my bil to stock our freezer and to can.
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11/22 Well, Thanksgiving was……..Thanksgiving. Most of the dinner that I prepared for 20 people was from food storage or homegrown. The few things I had to buy were on sale. 11/23-24 making turkey bone broth to can. There was an awesome sale on sweet potatoes this week at the farmers’ market that I go to. 39¢ a pound!! I’m canning those today. The sweet potato pie was a hit at dinner, thursday. Now, I’m just waiting to hear back about a part-time job. I spoke to the supervisor of the one position, last week. I haven’t heard from the other job (the one I would prefer!). Both are good, part-time positions, in work that I have done many times. My health is better, and I am getting restless.
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Yesterday Black Friday long day I work retail over all people were nice we kept a moving until about 5pm by 6pm it looked like a regular Friday. Posted about how to keep spices from clumping. I realized that I. All our supplies I don’t have any spices saved for long term. We have ready made #10 cans of food but then we also have #10 cans of basic items to make meals with but no spices to add flavor.
Watched a video presentation from a lady who was talking about her storage and she talked about having basic food recipes that she puts all the ingredients including spices in a 5 gallon bucket for storage. Her idea was less but more approach. Have a lot of the same meal required less thought in regards to supplies needed.
Still thinking on it.
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Yesterday was one of those travel days from hell. After spending a few days with friends in Arizona it was time to head home. We had checked-in with our airline the day before but since our friends don’t have a working printer we decide to get our boarding passes at the airport. We were checking bags anyway. An hour and forty-five minute drive to the rental car place then a shuttle bus ride to the airport, everything seemed to be going okay. When we got to the airline counter and started going through the procedure the agent advised us that our plane had left 20 minutes ago!! As much as we think we have this travel stuff down, we didn’t consider the time change. We had made our reservations in Idaho online months ago and were flying out of Arizona. During the course of this trip we went back to standard time but Arizona doesn’t change!! Our nifty computer calendar program had failed us, but we were negligent in double checking our schedule. Also, we should have printed our itinaries before we left home so all the flight times would have been right in front of us.
Well, they got us on a flight about five hours later, about the time we should have been pulling into our driveway at home!! Some obvious prepping lessons for us. With computers and electronic calendars we get very complacent. I find the same thing when I rely on my phone’s GPS when driving rather than scouting my route on a map first. More on this trip in my next post. Good news, made it home safe, arriving at about 1:30 a.m.!!!!
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Went to get some honey from the pantry and discovered it was infested with ants. Learned how to avoid it in the future -place the jar in a saucer of water.
While at walmart I practiced situational awareness and how not to blend in, eg Woman with a lime green back pack.
I am going see what festivals and flee markets are around and practice more there.
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Love the great ideas I’m getting from other posters. I went to the LDS preparedness manual and struck gold as far as good basic, usable info. Spent too much time reading and printing out info, but got some good stuff. Put in a three ring binder for future reference. Internet is great, BUT when it goes out as it does occasionally (like last night) in our rural area, having hard copies of things might be important. Checked on my spinach garden this morning in its new home and it’s doing great!!! Researched and finally ordered a beginning grow light that I think will work just fine. Beautiful sunny day here added to my happiness quotient today….got some winter/Christmas decorations out of storage so looking forward to changing out all this Fall stuff. Oh, did I mention a window on my 20 year old car decided not to go up. An electrical problem of some sort I guess and I can’t get in for repair until next Tues. My kind neighbor handyman made a temporary plastic/duct tape covering for it. I feel like a real red-neck country gal and isn’t duct tape just awesome? The LDS manual said I should have a list 10 roles so that’s going way up on my priority list. What is it they say in the country – you can fix anything with bailing wire and duct tape. Might just be true. 🙂
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AnonymousMy husbands vacation is done and reality is here. The dryer broke, we fixed it. Well he fixed it. I just announced it was broke and got him a flashlight. Made more laundry powder. My fall planting isn’t going too great, but we got radishes coming up. I am cutting back my coffee and sugar because my skin is going insane. My eczema is directly linked to hell and currently so is my mood. I’m doing the smart thing and keeping my colorful comments to myself for a few more days til I can act semi-rationally. 😇😇
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We had rain this morning then it got sunny and almost warm. We planned to use the chipper/shredder on the brush and branches we have piled in the garden but it wouldn’t start. My husband said he should have tried to start it this summer and not let it sit for an entire year. Lesson learned.
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It’s been a lazy few days around the Topaz household. Thanksgiving it was just 3 of us as my daughter went east to her cousin’s wedding. We had a ham (spiral cut that really just needed heated), with homemade everything else: sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, spinach balls, rolls. Yum. Yesterday I used part of the leftover ham to make and freeze ham rolls. I made 3 meals for hubby and I and then 4 meals for my son. He lives in an apartment style dorm and when I can I make things and put them in our freezer and he can pick them up when he is ready for them. Today, hubby cut most of the meat off the bone and has a ham and swiss cheese quiche in the oven for dinner. He has enough chopped ham and grated swiss cheese to make another quiche later, that will go in the freezer. The hambone is in a ziplock baggie for soup. We still have ham in the ‘fridge for sandwiches.
Friday, hubby and I went Black Friday shopping and I picked up hats, gloves and scarves for our BOB. I also ordered up some freeze dried food for our food storage.
Tomorrow when our daughter is home, we are going to bake the turkey, along with homemade mashed potatoes, gravy, scalloped corn, spinach balls and vegetable lasagna cupcakes. Any leftover lasagna cupcakes will go home with our daughter to freeze. When I made the spinach balls for Thanksgiving, I made plenty and froze them before cooking. We will cook what we need for tomorrow and then package the rest up for son to take with him. I’ll take all the meat off the bone and make freezer meals: Turkey tetrazinni, turkey pot pie filling, turkey cordon bleu casserole, and others.
Monday life goes back to normal, only with probably another 12 to 15 meals meals in the freezer.
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Missed Friday so will post twice today. The getting home from Arizona saga continued:
So we landed at our “local” airport at around 11:00 pm last night, eight hours after we had planned (see previous post). The baggage claim is usually super fast – usually on the carousel by the time we get there, but last night it took a while and our baggage was some of the last off the chute. Got to the car about 45 minutes after landing and started the 1.5 “or so” hour trip to our home. Quiet chilly and some snow on the ground. The storm had passed through, but about 20 minutes later we caught up to it and were in a full blown snow storm, and of course the plow crews were at a minimum last night. (Of course, it’s a holiday weekend!) In their defense the weather guessers did not predict the amount of snow that we got.
Well, I had put the snow tires on the car the day before I left on the trip so that was good. But it’s a little sporty hatchback and quite low to the ground. All I know is if I got out of the tire tracks ahead of me you could hear and feel the underside of the car scraping the snow. But the real fun was when we got away from the built up areas with lights and into the darkness of the country. It’s after midnight now and very few vehicles on the road to follow. Then you can’t see the road because the snow is coming at you like Luke Skywalker going into hyperspace! Amazingly, when we still had about 45 minutes left in our drive the snow turned to rain and we could actually see the road again!! Interesting because we were heading up into the mountains. Oh well, some interesting weather phenomena, I’m sure.
Spent a while this afternoon online looking at portable generators that might work as a backup power source for the house. Need to check in with an installer about a transfer switch and other recommendations.
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<p style=”text-align: left;”>Bad migraine this morning and afternoon, but I am finally feeling better. When I started feeling better, I checked my stock of migraine medicine.</p>
I read a few more pages of the Pandemic series. Talking with my medical profession friends, they are concerned about this area, especially as many families do not vaccinate against past diseases we had almost eradicated. The possibility of mutations is pretty scary.The other area that is scary is how easy you can catch an infection in times of disaster and emergency. I have more ointments and antibiotics to my medical list.
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Muffy1938- Ever watch the Red Green show? He was the king of duct tape and very funny. I have to add more of that too. I really like Gorilla tape.
Today I refilled some water jugs and read from the book “Patriots”. Not too crazy about that book- seems too contrived. I found out that the copy I had had some pages missing when it was printed. Left a big gap in the story. I am also working on rotating foods and identifying gaps that need filling.
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Hubby fixed the vacuum cleaner so I felt inclined to use it. Baked bread and made another batch of granola. Moved some leaves to the compost pile. We talked over our preparedness plans and how to move forward. With the cooler weather upon us, the dog and I spend a lot of time walking. Gives me an opportunity to work on plant identification.
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Looks like I last posted 5 days ago, on Tuesday 🙁
It’s been a bit rough and I have been exhausted. On Wednesday, got up at 4:30 in the morning to go to church 1.5 hours away – not my usual practice on Wednesday. Got back home in the early afternoon and finished shopping for Thanksgiving and stocked up on fruits and veggies for juicing. This year, we’re on our own because all travel plans were canceled when we thought my daughter was having surgery on this day. But it’s OK. We’re just roasting a chicken I got from a local farmer. No sense having a bunch of turkey meat left over when we’re keeping Advent Fast. No real prepping.
My plans for lots of fancy bean dishes flew out the window – I’m so tired – a flare up of the fibromyalgia and the polymyalgia. it’s all omelets and salad or beans and salad with corn grits or rice…. so much for fancy stuff.
On Thursday, had a very nice Thanksgiving meal for the 3 of us and then took our pumpkin pie and some whipped cream to the nursing home to see Dad (Alzheimer’s – too severe to care for at home, and he gets violent if he’s not medicated), and I made sure to spray as much whipped cream on his pie as he wanted, and more, and we all had a great time with lots of laughing. No prepping, but I did think about what in the world we would do if everything fell apart and the nursing home was no longer an option. 🙁
I welcome any constructive ideas.
On Friday, I observed Buy Nothing Day. Also started trying to make up for the work I didn’t do on Wednesday and Thursday (12,000 word project due on Tuesday morning). Started preparing for Sunday (soaking beans, washing clothes). Washed a quilt and hung it out to dry. Looked at my list of prepping tasks for the rest of the month – but didn’t get anything done.
Today, Saturday, worked again. I don’t like to do money-making work on Saturday. I like Saturday and Sunday off so I can do other things / rest. Two non-work days in the middle of the week sort of messes that up when you’re self-employed and need to pay the bills. Saw the Black Friday sale for Sun Ovens and really wanted one, but decided my wallet needed me to find a good set of plans for making my own again (used to have one made of cardboard boxes that actually worked, but it got destroyed a few years ago). This time a better one with more insulation and tighter seams…Looking at this site: https://www.solarcookingatlas.com/make-sun-oven-solar-cooker.php# and this one: http://solarcooking.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Solar_cooker_plans
If I can build one that works in the winter, I know it will work in the summer 🙂
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Husband got surge suppressors on sensitive electronics. I got caught up on laundry, changed the sheets, added heavy blanket on the bed. All the liners are up on the drapes. Whole house is vacuumed, dusted after vacuuming, (strict rule from my Mother – you must always dust After vacuuming!) Husband got the driveway done with the pressure washer, all leftovers were lunch today, cleaned out the fridge after lunch was over. Garage is all cleaned out, boxes broken down and into recycling. Batteries are all listed, rechargeable batteries are all listed and on chargers.
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Got a couple of great bargains from Amazon on Black Friday! Sold several items in my Etsy shop too. Signed up for two classes in Udemy, also Black Friday specials, one will help my small business one will help in prepping. Got three orders ready to mail, mailed them this morning.
Worked all day, store was quite busy. Found out my Aunt who just turned 94 passed away. She’s had dementia for the past five years living in a facility. Spoke with my Cousin tonight, she still recognized her as family but not much more. Sad. She was my sort of stand in Mom. I wrote to her often when I was a scared young single Mom alone, made me feel like I had family.
Probably just have some wine tonight. Made a big list at lunch of all the things I need to accomplish this weekend, which starts now, well, in the morning.
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We went down to check on the cows today and put out alfalfa cubes for them. They love them, and it makes it so much easier to see how they’re doing, instead of running all over the pasture trying to flush them out of every little hideaway. Everyone was accounted for so we went off and drilled some new holes for posts for a working pen. Used our brand new auger for it and it was wonderful. It took about a minute a hole, and once the hole was made we dropped the post in it so the cows wouldn’t step in the holes and break their legs. Next week we’ll concrete them in and drill more holes. The water levels were fine in the troughs and the well was working. It’s on a solar panel and works like a charm.
More tomorrow! -
It’s nice to come here and read about everyone’s day. Laugh out loud at some posts. Sad to hear about others…..Skypony’s aunt. 🙁 The ridiculously difficult time OldSkiBum had getting home. Whew!
Gonna pull “old woman” trick and tell you of a time years ago: DH and I had a ride home like OldSkiBum. DARK nite….terrible SNOW [space ship going into warp drive describes it SO well!] Forced to go faster than we could see – otherwise the WIND was pushing the car sideways into the ditch on other side. So slick were the roads. Nearly missed our turn….had not twelve cars with lights on been sitting there- they were too afraid to go up the hill beyond where we turned. We made it down one more road…had been traveling for 20 miles and 3 hours when we hit the snowdrift with a big PHOOOOMPH! About 4′ of blown snow drift.
Thot CAREFULLY about what to do next. We only had one set of gloves…and one hat. But wrapped up in other bits of clothes. Still about half mile from our house – we were stable managers and 15 horses waiting for us…and two dogs. So we bundled up with what was to hand…and brought nearly nothing so as to not weight ourselves down. Probably wouldn’t have done it except we DID know every inch of that road. Knew fencing would stop us if we veered off the road, unknowingly. Was a location that one could end up in miles of open pastures but not this road. Also knew everyone if we had to stop at a house. Was an awful trip in dark, wind, snow. But we climbed over several more 4′ drifts and finally made it home.
Changed into dry/proper clothes to go get hay to horses. Keep them alive in this unseasonable weather. To get hay to one set of horses, I wrapped an entire bale up in a nylon horse blanket [slick material] and crawled on hands and knees, dragging it. Up a snowdrift so tall that it topped completely over the fence. But I got hay to those 7 horses. DH and I flipped yard lights on and off to signal each other – where we were. That we were still ok.
FINALLY got to go inside and get warm. People died in that 2 day blizzard cuz they didn’t prepare and/or didn’t know how to improvise. It was mid-Oct for pete’s sake! I’d just picked off the last green tomatoes! Now, drifts taller than me nearly covered 2 horses but we watched to see if we’d have to dismantle the fencing to get them out. But actually the drift kept the wind blocked for them. Did dismantle fence to release them after the storm stopped. Clean up was almost worse cuz hard wind drove snow into everything – including the hatch of our car…when we got back to retrieve it. A drift inside it!
Ach…telling old tales. Today I got outside to remove the last [hopefully] of the stuff from a temporary “shed”. Supposed to be done already but LIFE keeps happening. Y’all know how it is. Think we got it all…only trash and ruined empty boxes to deal with now. Snow came down hard during this … [not amused] and quit soon after we were done. BUT it’s one more thing off the To Do Before Winter list. On the next list we added: Untangle the mess dumped in the garage now.… {roll eyes} At least garage doesn’t leak from faulty tarp roof tho!
OldMtWoman ….I got to ACCOMPLISH SOMETHING…which is exciting to me!!! 🙂
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by OldMt Woman.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by
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11/24/2018 I packaged for storage 15 pounds of hard white wheat berries and made 32 pancake/waffle MRE’s. Canned 12 pints homemade enchilada sauce. Finished clearing out changing area and DH is building individual cubicles from scrap wood. These will have hooks and a shelf. I set up the wash station table with all the necessary items needed for clean up and a hamper bucket for socks/undergarments that will need washing. I hung drapes for privacy. This is such a cool idea for keeping the dirt/smells from entering the house that I may start its use now. Outdoor work gear can be worn until they stand up by themselves before I need to wash them.
Next is clearing out and insulating the quarantine area which will double as a mini medical clinic.
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Today we took about a 3-mile walk. In spite of being dressed in four layers, I got cold at the end. I need to do something about that. Any recommendations on women’s thermal wear that is not made out of fake stuff?
I also played around with power saving mode on my phone.
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Red Carnation, many years ago I had a job where I was outside from 6am to about 9pm every day and then slept in a tent, year round. Silk long johns, wool socks, and sorrel boots plus wool hat, heavy duty outdoor coat and gloves and I was toasty all the time. I tried all sorts of long johns before I tried the silk ones. They are expensive but worth every penny.
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@topaz Gemstone, thank you! My boots are toasty. I’ll look for silk long johns. Have a fabulous weekend. 🙂
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Anonymous11/24/18
Today we made our own Thousand Island dressing from scratch except for using mayo. Did check out the recipe for that and will use it I think next time.
One of my favorite things to do each day is to read through all of the postings. I keep picking up some ideas and appreciate what the group is writing.
Each day we try to get at least 1 mile in walking. I have a bad knee so have to use cane to get around. At times we go longer but has to be pretty flat. So that has to be factored in if we had to try and walk away from some issue.
Have a great day tomorrow.
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I am posting for yesterday and today. I posted yesterday evening and the system bumped me out. Yesterday I started reading, “It’s time to plan not panic” by Barbara Salsbary. I’m learning how to put together a really good Bug Out Bag. I rode bikes outdoors yesterday evening. I managed my finances. I pulled out my paracord bracelet to wear more often. So far today I’m cooking breakfast biscuits and grits. I’ll write later today about what this Sunday. The day is still young.
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Yesterday the wife took all her used up candle remains, the saved up dryer lint, and cardboard egg cartons. Melted down the candles. Poured the wax into the egg cartons and put in the dryer lint.
Instant fire starters!
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OK! It was a very busy Thanksgiving weekend and I hope everyone had a great time! We had our wild turkey and it took us a whole day to put a fabulous meal together, but we did it – all whole foods made by us! Friday, we took the dog and ourselves for a very LONG walk. We all needed it. Thursday was incredibly cold in the Northeast and the exercise and fresh air were very welcoming! Saturday and Sunday so far have been spent prepping and batch cooking from scratch all the meals for the week (turkey frame soup and leftover veggies being one of them!). This is something I do every weekend. Got all the laundry done using my homemade laundry detergent and got the bathrooms cleaned with my own DIY cleaner. Tonight we’ll celebrate with a little homemade and very delicious Keto eggnog!
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@vlc truthmaker, thank you for the book tip. I was not able to get a copy of that particular book but I got ‘just add water’ on ebay.co.uk. I didn’t know about this author.
I’m still working on getting more organised. My space is limited so I have to be creative.
Yesterday I had a good sale on avocados. Only 0,29 €. I cut them in half and put them in the freezer.
Also finished my bucket with dried herbs like lavender, rosemary thyme sage, mint and rose petals. I use this in my bee smoker. It smells nice, gives a good smoke and is free because it is all from my garden.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by
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AnonymousToday is my Monday, gotta get ready for the week. I had a ‘why not’ moment and decided to put a few fall/winter lettuce seeds in my water beads just to see what might happen. Sort of a hydroponics twist. They might sprout, they might not. 6 seeds, not a huge loss and if they grow that would be awesome.
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Researched concealed carry laws. Purchased tuna in the vac pack ( not canned) were on sale and with an expiry of 2/21.
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Sunday. A quiet day for me. Tried a new slow-cooker recipe using up some pork pieces in freezer. Lots of spices and curry with orange juice, raisons, unsweetened coconut flakes. Not bad for something different. Reviewed some youtube videos on making fire starter from wax and dryer lint someone had mentioned on a post. Think I’ll try that. Also, ordered a seed catalog from Baker Heirloom Seed Co suggested by another other youtube homesteader type. Can’t remember if I mentioned also ordering a grow light for my indoor winter gardening effort. Bought a timer also for it. Talked with my handyman neighbor about removing tree branches that block sun from my south windows. Found a lot of youtube videos concerning gardening ideas for the elderly or disabled. I think gardening is definitely going to help me keep physically up and about as well as mentally engaged. Hoping to maybe get my diabetic neighbor who seems to have given up involved in some measure. She’s 10 years younger than I am and it makes me sad for her. Attitude is so important to how well we age and how well we cope with life’s journey. Wish I might redo those “too many times” I let things stress me out, that truly in the grand scheme of living didn’t make an ounce of difference 10 years down the road. I love some of the “older” folks on this forum whose stories make me laugh. Can’t remember who was telling about a terrible blizzard they managed to get through, but that was a great memory. Thanks for sharing.
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Still not feeling the greatest after a really bad migraine that last 2 days, so I am taking it easy.
I am almost finished with the Pandemic series. While reading, I have added several items to my wish list of survival item. Like insurance, I hope I never need it, but you don’t want to be caught without the basic coverage.
<p style=”text-align: left;”>I have picked up some good deals on Amazon. I also had some Amazon points that I saved up, so I was able to get quite a load for free.</p>
<p style=”text-align: left;”>I am really enjoying reading all the posts by everyone.</p> -
It’s been a busy week, so I’ll post what I did all at once… We went to a meeting for our local ham club this week. We learned about grounding and antennas, which will be useful when we put in our home station. I stocked up on canned veggies during the Thanksgiving sales and made turkey stock from the turkey to put in the freezer. We also had a little scare with our furnace yesterday. We haven’t finished installing the wood stove yet, so we cleaned, filled, and tested one of the kerosene heaters that we have in the garage. Most of the rest of our week was spent finishing putting up and grouting the tile that will be under and behind the wood stove, and sanding and polishing the stove. I will put the other coat of polish on it on Tuesday, and then buff it and light it on Wednesday. Then it will be ready to bring in the house!! After all the work we have already put into it, it looks like mounting it and cutting the hole in the roof will be the easy part… 🙁 And lastly, I made homemade toothpaste!! Ok, it’s tooth powder, but we will see how it works. I’ve been complaining to my family about how I want to get fluoride out of our lives, and this is the first step.!
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Something happened to my typing don’t know what so I think its starting over.
Went to church this morning. Yesterday cleaned out the car so today will go thru bug out bag. Making a ccokbook with only basic stuff from scratch. Gassed up the car and checked the mail. I’m not planning to bug out as I already live in my bug out place. I need to solder some more solar panels.
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Hubby and I ground up the venison we got yesterday from my brother in law. We shouldn’t have to buy any hamburger for the next year. Plan to can some and make chili to can from the venison.
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So far today I ordered an aftermarket fireplace blower for our gas fireplace for $118. Tomorrow I will call the local fireplace store and tell them I don’t want them to order the $330 one they quoted me. Nor do I want them to spend 2 to 3 hours pulling the old one and replacing. In the meantime, I decided to pull the existing noisy one. (Even if I break it I have a new one coming). Took about 3 minutes to pull it out. Sat on the hearth messing with the old one and made a temporary fix, literally with bailing wire (actually tie-wire) but the same thing. Put the old on back in (this took all of 10 minutes to line everything up) and it’s much quieter. I will still replace the old one as my fix is only temporary. I might keep the old one around and try to make a more permanent fix. Good to have a spare.
Also finally got around to reworking my truck “get home bag” so all the stuff fits. Replaced a nice Kelti Tarp with two heavy duty, but disposable ponchos. Still packed pretty full, but I think it’s got most of what I might need for two or three days. Put two heavy sandbags in the back of the pickup for extra winter traction, as well. Next project is to pull my amateur radio (2 meter) antenna off the old shop roof and move it to the roof over my present day shop. I’ll need to order more coax once I figure it all out. Need to get off my rear and do the roof work today or tomorrow since the window of a non-icy roof is rapidly closing for the winter!! Days here are getting pretty short. Most light is gone by 4 pm.
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Several more inches of SNOW during the nite…wasn’t expecting that. Friend came to plow and finally did take $ [DH told him it was for the repair-snowplow-fund]. I dropped 3/4 of the “roof” of the sorta-storage shed [that was never meant to be]. Easiest way to deal with a LOT of new snow up there. Only one corner now…til we get the junk hauled away.
OldMtWoman….just a little more PROGRESS on projects! 🙂
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Today I am making some more granola because I gave the other to my kids.
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Cold and windy hear today. Ran errands first thing this morning. I try to get out and back before the crowds. Made peanut butter and cookies. Worked on clearing out unnecessary items
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Today the wind came in and blew the warm air away. We fed the stray kitty who showed up after being missing for two days. I like to keep him around to catch the field mice, plus he’s a nice soul. Went to church this morning and then headed up to see DD and her two year old. Watched a couple of movies with them while playing with the grandson, and then came back to leftovers (yay!). Tomorrow I get to hang around for a delivery that requires a signature– I hope the package comes early– so I’ll reorganize some shelves and clear some things out.
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Apparently we have a serious wind & rain storm coming in. (pray for the Midwest & Northeast!) We cleared off the decks, put away tables and chairs, umbrellas. Checked the water barrels – let off some extra so they wouldn’t overflow. (we have GOT to get two more barrels!) Ran some errands. Had Thanksgiving leftovers for lunch. Set up a 4′ Christmas tree even though grandchildren are far away – we just decided we missed a tree. (convinced Husband we really really did not need a 7′ tree!). Planning a trip to Cabela’s. Found out they don’t give “points” on your loyalty card if you use gift cards. Their thought is you got “points” when you purchased the gift card there. Well. We have never bought a gift card there. We purchase our gift cards at our local department store where we get better rewards. So. That solved the issue of driving 40 minutes to Cabela’s or 30 minutes to Bass Pro Shops. (owned by the same conglomerate) We plan on loading up on reloading supplies, small propane canisters, and possibly warm socks if there are any left after Black Friday.
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Ordered big box of AA batteries from Amazon, running a little low. Filled the car with gas, got two gallons vinegar, some scrubbing supplies and Christmasy stuff from Big Lots. I rescued a very rusty cast iron dutch oven today. It’s soaking in vinegar. Watched a video on how to clean it up. Slowly coming along. Got my old large format printer up and running, had to get ink for it. Made print of a new painting, added it to my Etsy shop for cyber Monday. Got three orders for Christmas cards yesterday, printing them tonight. Will mail them tomorrow. Tackling a couple items on my clean this house list. Finished my big scarf last night, super warm, a long infinity one, nice design, wraps twice around my neck. I try new patterns and new stitches. Lol sometimes it works great, sometimes not so much.
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Been working many hours so my prepping has been worked in where I can. I purchased some lightening deals on Amazon, some coconut oil I like from Tropical Traditions, Lankato sweetner that was on sale, and shopped on a few other sites and then changed my mind before ordering. I picked up my daughter’s turkey carcass today. Tomorrow, I’m making some turkey pot pie and cooking the bones to make turkey broth. I’ll can it in a few days. I finished my Tupperware book party – got a few gifts and something for me – the grater. My friend sells Tupperware and we used the grater for a church dinner we hosted. It worked so good I want one. Needed a few groceries so stopped on my way home from church – got home in time to put things away, pack my lunch, break that turkey carcass down into zip lock bags for later processing, and head to day 7 of 7 days straight working. I am ready for my day off!
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Yesterday I was out all day and evening going to several discount grocery stores in 3 different towns, whew! Found some great buys on canned goods and bulk foods so I got several items to add to my storage pantry. The turkeys were no longer on sale though, so next year I’ll have to remember to shop for those *before* Thanksgiving so I will have some to can. Then I went to a couple of local Dollar Tree stores but couldn’t find the wooden tapered rolling pins another poster mentioned as being good for pounding down sauerkraut. Maybe they haven’t been delivered to the Dollar Tree stores in my region of the country yet? Today I mostly rested but I did unpack some of the food storage items I got yesterday and add them to my inventory list. I also ordered some No. 10 cans of freeze-dried blueberries and shredded cheddar cheese from an online merchant’s extended Black Friday sale.
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I dressed very warmly when I went out, and brought plenty of water along. In addition, I tried to use the heater in the car minimally in spite of temperatures around 25 degrees.
I also cooked beans and chicken to eat this week.
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Anonymous11/25/18
Had our healthy shakes this morning with lots of good organic stuff in them. I let my grandson try a tiny bit last week and after sputtering and gagging he got the taste out of his mouth. I asked him what he thought about my breakfast shake and he said, “It smells like cinnamon but tastes like death!” It certainly does not taste like fruit loops but we are trying to make our bodies healthier so are trying more natural stuff.
We looked up the recipe for Organic ranch dressing and got something more to make it. Will be doing it as soon as our store bought organic ranch dressing is gone.
Looked through all of the emails everyone is writing today and enjoyed them very much.
Thanks
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11/25/2018 Have to hurry and finish big projects as this is our last day of vacation. I painted the individual cubicles for the change area. Went to the hardware store to buy new hoses for the washing machine – one had cracked. Guess it was a good excuse to wash the floor.
I am having a hard time getting my mind wrapped around the quarantine area and am going to research more on the type of facility, where to put it, and just how user friendly to make it. I was hoping that by making it multi use (mini medical clinic) the practical side would help but it actually made it more confusing. I don’t have the resources to make a stand alone building livable in both hot (122 degrees) or cold (40 degrees) and will have to rethink using some place in the existing house. But where? Don’t have a basement nor livable attic and no extra “spare rooms”. Time to really work this one out.
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I’ve failed at keeping this up.
Thursday was Thanksgiving so of course I ate too much, but I came home and gathered the food that we will not eat before it goes bad, and stuck it in a box. We are teaching our children to be generous so they each get to go to the store with $10 and buy several items to put in the box. At the end of the week, we will donate it to the local food bank.
Friday, I finished our Christmas shopping (I hope!) and took advantage of several Black Friday sales. We got 5 beanies with headlamps attaches, 5 headlamp/flashlight packs, 5 10 packs of batteries, 3 pairs of fuzzy socks (me and my girls love them!), and another gas can.
Saturday, we organized some stuff in the basement family room so we can fit the treadmill we are borrowing from my grandpa. I went through some old freebies from my last baby delivery, and I organized them in the spare bedroom but for easy access.
Sunday, all I did was go through some old boxes of junk and got rid of anything useless. And spent 44 minutes down memory lane with pictures of my parents pre-divorce.
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Saturday November 24th got to spend the morning together. Hubby made breakfast before I got up such a wonderful man.
We pulled out veggies and are going to learn how to use our wok we’ve had for over a year and barely used. Figure if we can cook in the wok with canned veggies then fresh will be as easy to use.
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Sunday November 25 long day 10 ours at work my feet hurt. My shoes aren’t even that old uhg.
Today was hubby day to prep. He made Swedish meatballs and stroganoff that we will set up for quick meals for him to take when he leaves town or if I’m working my fun hours this holiday.
Have a box of carrots and potatoes I need to can. I was hoping to make pickled carrots. I bought them at a farmers market and they were great.
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Sunday was our 46th anniversary. My husband has a sinus infection again so I treated him with tea and honey plus some over the counter meds from our supply. It was a beautiful day with temperatures near 60. I walked the perimeter of our place to make sure we are ready for winter which is coming again this week. Today we have a plumber coming to check our well and pump. DH tried to figure out the problem we are having but sometimes you need a professional. He will be watching and learning though for the next time.
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Moving kinda’ slow this morning. Granddaughter spent last night with me, a regular Sunday night event I look forward to. She’s the youngest (11 yrs old) of five girls and looks forward I think to some free time away from the older sisters who sometimes try to dominate her. Now that I’ve begun to look more seriously at my preparation for life’s potential challenging moments, particularly through the lenses of the limitation of an 80 year old body, I’m beginning to feel a bit overwhelmed with how much more I perhaps should try to do. So, my goal today is to set some limits on what is realistic for me and to prioritize that list of prepping to-do. Finishing up my bug-out-bag is definitely at the top of the list. Not sure what’s next but I’m pretty good at sorting through the noise to find what’s right for me. Also, focusing on how grateful I am compared to so many older folks out there. I have food, clothing and shelter (in a rural area) sufficient enough for an extended period of time. A few coins set by for emergencies. A family unit that lives within walking distance of my house. And, healthy enough to actually walk there should I need to. 🙂 Life is good. God is good. I love reading everybody’s posts. Feel like I’m making a new community of friends! A friendly shout out to OldMansd and OldMt Woman and others who make my day more interesting!
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Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, I got behind in my posts. But, I have still been prepping. I stored some water and made a few prep purchases. Took care of some yard work and tended to the garden and compost pile. You should see the crazy looks when I tell friends that I have a compost pile! It cracks me up. My mom says that I should have been a country girl instead of a city girl. I would honestly prefer to move out to a rural area but the family isn’t on board…..maybe someday I can convince them otherwise.
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Yup, got behind on posts too, so here’s rundown. Gave jowls to friend who asked for them b4 time. Made more dog food outta trotters and rice.. Exchanged service of taking care of animals for help with slaughter of pig. Purchased a food saver vacuum, finally….. at black Monday prices!😄 finagled deal for use of Wi-Fi hotspot password and exchanged lard for Apple chips for smoking bacon and hams. Qts of pork and beans look good, will have to try one so I can tweak recipe if need be. Hope to can split pea and ham as soon as ham is ready, may make split pea with bacon since even boneless ham takes long time to cure and smoke. Got pig yard cleaned up and ready for goat babies in April, in the meantime am sure the goat house/Pig house is gonna get used in the meantime, am sure the extra room is appreciated. Whew , and that ain’t the whole story even……
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AnonymousWas planning on working on getting squash prepped to can tomorrow but those plans are changed since I took a picture break and my newly, working towards vegan daughter, decided to make vegan pancakes. They are pretty tasty. My husband and I are talking about faraday cage options using what we have vs. purchasing a lot of expensive things. We are also looking at alternative forms of communication to take place of cell phones if they go down. Brought in a few peppers from outside, plants are still blooming for the moment and peppers look good but they are taking their sweet time getting ripe. I also broke down and bought some real winter gloves instead of the Family Dollar ones I usually buy. We are loaded for hats and scarves but lacking on gloves.
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Not much done today… I had another course in crisis management. Today we had a scenario what to we had to do in our roles in crisis management when a plane would crush on our city. Right I really prevere more realistic scenarios like the school bus who drove of a dyke the other day with 50 children in it and only 1 adult (the chauffeur). I was on duty that day and went there with the mayor. Luckily no grave injuries. But a lot of work afterwards for the municipality processes. If the accident would have happened 100 meter up the dyke there would have been a lot of casualties.
Anyways. That is what I did.
I also joined a branding course for my business to be. Why I concider that prepping? Because I hope to make some me extra cash in the future so I can invest in a house and the greenness of the house. The house will be my pension.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by
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Working on the home business today. Getting ready for some big shows. Getting a car fixed, hopefully today. Getting colder, need to load the wood box.
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The flashlight debacle continued. Even with new batteries a few were barely working. So off to the trash and off to Amazon. With help from fakespot, I found a set of 2 which will do. And speaking of the Amazon I ordered a 3 pack of gauze, but only 1 box came. Chatted with a rep who sent out another………1. Chatted with another rep. She didnt get it at first. I explained again with the link to the product ( even though I gave the order #), which clearly showed 3 pack. I ordered another set and getting a refund. We’ll see if they get it right this time.
Learned about mobs and flashpoints also
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I went to town today to run errands and buy more supplies. When I buy groceries I add a little more to the SHTF food supply. Stocked up on batteries too. Reading others posts about winding up the gardening produce makes me want summer instead of beginning of winter. Up here in the frozen north all the summer and fall stuff is done or as done as its going to get.
Also fixed a couple of sweatshirts that did not fit quite right, I took the bands off and shortened them and made new hems. No more overly tight bands and creeping up. Why don’t they make clothes to fit right in the first place. Maybe they do but I’m not going to buy anything that doesn’t fit exactly right anymore. I’ve got too many clothes anyway. Got to thin some of them out and make more space. also cut up some old flannel sheets for Swiffer.
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Doing a little happy dance today! I drove a friend to an appointment in the next state over and, on the way back home, I decided to check out a Dollar Tree store in that state. Got lucky and found some of the little wooden tapered rolling pins so I bought a few for myself and a friend to use as sauerkraut pounders. Then, when I got home I saw that the Chef’s Choice food slicer I’d purchased online on Black Friday had already arrived! I’m looking forward to using it to make uniform, thin slices of food to dehydrate.
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Finally recovering from migraines that lasted from Friday through Sunday, I have been taking it easy. Today, I made the most of Cyber Monday on Amazon. I purchased some nice emergency supplies.
I downloaded the Yellowstone books.
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Lilac5- happy anniversary!
Loving life, glad to hear you’ve recovered from the migraine. I always feel like I’ve been run over by a bus afterwards.
We took some items to Goodwill. Trying to declutter. I’m hoping to whittle down to just necessities but I don’t think it’ll happen. Made granola and fed the ginger bug.
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Anonymous11/26/18
Today we were able to fix up a sheet by using a pillow case to repair the bottom fitted sheet. My wife sews a lot and it was cool to not have to buy a replacement for the ripped sheet. Looks pretty good.
we also worked with my leather kit a little to make some custom leather labels for my Daughter who knits hats and wanted to personalize with her initials. Got the design down and a test one made that she likes so tomorrow will make those.
Found a recipe online as to how to make a blanket lose a dog smell. Worked great and just got it down and no smell left at all.
Working on getting my disability payments coming through my company. It has been a slow process and we keep praying and hanging on. So did not buy any Monday deals from Amazon. Our new saying is “not until we get a check” so looking online for cheaper everything.
Thanks
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I also got behind on the posts. The roofers are putting a new roof on the newly acquired house. I am now learning about being a contractor and finding out how to cut corners (but in a good way and not unsafe). Working on ways to keep warm in this weird fall season. Read some articles about triage, emergencies, splinting, and other medical issues. Worked on the big first aid kit. Worked on organizing the pantry room again.
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Food storage is almost organized. Batteries are all logged in the book. The rain barrels are fill and closed off now. We have to (HAVE to) get two more water barrels ordered, especially with overflow valves. I think I mentioned that we ordered the Big Berkey with extra filters. Other than that we have just been cleaning the house in preparation for the holidays.
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Ordered one of those light-weight, fold-up backpacking stoves today. The type that runs on fuel pellets. It should be lighter and smaller than what I have currently in my get home bag. Cyber Monday!! Pulled the amateur radio antenna off the old shop roof and looked for a spot above my current shop to mount it. Need to get some “wet patch” or similar to seal the holes in the old roof and to the new holes about to make when I remount it.
Not much other prepping activities today other than a two mile hike at a brisk pace. Tomorrow the car goes in for a service and a recall. Sixty plus miles to the dealership and nothing to do while I’m there other than web surfing!!
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Finally got that inventory done, plus washed clothes, dishes, vacuumed the dog’s spot in the living room– and put the turkey carcass in the slow cooker with all the stuff to make turkey bone broth. It smells really good. I’ll let it simmer for a couple of days, then strain, cool, defat it and freeze it. Did a little Christmas shopping online. Fed the stray cat and up came a little crippled possum as well. We’re having cold nights now.
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Printed cards all morning, filled five orders got everything ready to mail. Lunch with my daughter, went to Sam’s with my big list, restocking low items in the pantry, got fuzzy blanket, fuzzy socks and a pair of shoes. I usually wear one pair of shoes until they are raggedy now I have a back up. Dropped books off at the Library. Ordered more supplies from cyber Monday deals. Some laundry, trimmed my hair, Have to clean off my Kitchen work space to work on a project tonight, first put all the pantry stock stuff away. Looking like a crazy hoarder. Busy day. Started a new scarf last night.
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Today I had plenty of water with me when I left for an appointment. I also dressed super warm and had my phone charged.
Reality check: I went to the store for a few grocery items. Bananas and some produce were very low or not there. A store employee told me that they get 2 trucks every day, and the 6 am truck wasn’t coming til 8 pm due to snow (read: JUST snow). I purchased multiples of what they did have and will continue to make this a priority.
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11/26/2018 What a wonderful day – a beautiful 77 degrees for a high and humidity in single digits – I would not complain if it stayed like this ALL YEAR LONG. Trimmed back the pomegranate for next years new growth. You have to work slow because they have thorns 5-inches long. OUCH! I need to research how to use them in the blow gun. Need to find a poisonous plant to make into a tar-like substance for dipping. Sorry I got a little dark there but today was the first day back at work and I am not happy with the world right now.
While watching a Christmas movie (Sleepless in Seattle) I was going through a box I inherited when my MIL passed. I put it aside to go through someday, well someday was today (she’s’ only been dead 15 years) and amongst the pieces of paper (my junk – her treasures) I found a photo book about the size of a pocket bible. There were many photos of people, some dated 1946 and even DH could not tell me who they were. It was frustrating because here is history LOST. I need to make sure my photos identify people so in 25-30 years from now their history will continue. There is no one alive who can help us identify the photos. I did find a historical treasure tho. I am guilty of throwing out “stuff” so thank God for the people who don’t – I found a war ration book from 1943.
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Made a large pot of chili with some of the venison hamburger we ground up yesterday and then canned 5 quarts of the chili. Caught up the laundry and dishes and started decorating the christmas tree in the living room.
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{wave} back at Muffy. lol You’re fortunate Grkids are so close. Ours are far, far away. 🙁 But…maybe we’ll move closer someday. For sure they won’t move here.
Xant Dewit….wow! I used to drive school buses…long ago. Drove tour buses and about any other size of people-mover too. Loved handling the big rigs and people laugh cuz I’m small. But people do the stupidest things around school buses. I about got into it with more than one who threatened MY kids on the bus with their stupidity. Hmph! So glad to hear your extraordinary incident had only minor injuries. But HOW did a bus end up in the dyke???
Loving Life…sorry about migraines. Yike, 3 days? Bet it wipes you out! I get doozy headaches tho not officially migraine. Can’t lay down/ can’t sit down or head will explode. Have to stay upright and pace. Lasts hours but not days. Nasty tho but ….thankfully I haven’t had one in a while. \0/
Red Carnation…that is ominous. Our Just-In-Time delivery of goods, esp groceries will play into how long it takes to create crisis if ever EVERYONE runs to the stores at the same time, right? It’s a good time to Not Be There!!! [that’s one of my current sayings when it comes to safety – Don’t Be There!]
OK…not much today. Collected a few recipes for my Binder and my little Everything spiral book. I keep Post-StuffHitsFan [or just homesteading] type recipes/data in a particular binder. [I have LOTS of binders …by category] AND I have a 3″x5″ fat spiral notebook. I carry that around most places. It has all sorts of things in there that I can’t REMEMBER but would be handy for emergencies of the more serious type. But I refer to it for usual daily things too.
EXAMPLES: recipes for rehydration [someone sick and can’t keep down water]….how to make ink from lamp soot….my mom’s egg noodle recipe…..my friend’s homemade laundry soap recipe….wind speeds for categories of hurricanes…..how to make an ‘expedient’ COB outdoor oven with kitty litter [clay], grasses, and …. ??
See? I forgot the third thing WHICH IS WHY I have all these weird/varied things recorded in this small notebook. I add new things from time to time. Keep it in a Ziplock – waterproof.
OldMtWoman …’nother tool in the never-ending battle with memory!
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by OldMt Woman.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by
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Bought a Hide-a-Bed couch on Facebook a few days ago. Finally got it inside and was steaming it when we found a big black widow. The couch is now at the curb with a sign saying free and an explanation. If it’s not gone in 2 days, it’s going to the dump. Seems a waste but we already have enough issues without bringing a possible nest inside. 😳😖🤢😵
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Post Thanksgiving Holiday – Monday, November 26, reviewed my finances and made changes to my plan to increase savings. Got them implemented.
Tuesday, November 27- spent some quiet time this morning reviewing supplies for DIY Xmas gifts. Did not spend ANY MONEY on Cyber Monday!
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@peppy P. I do feel like I got ran over by a BIG semi, not just a bus. Lol. After a big migraine episode like this last weekend, it takes several days before I feel like myself.
I am continuing with getting the house in Pennsylvania ready to go on the field market in the Spring. I have lots of decluttering and moving things to the Up State house. I am trying to decide on how much prep stuff to leave here until the move. I have decided the basics and just plan on my bug out location to be the Up State NY house.
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Beautiful sunny (but cold) day….well for us it’s cold at 30 degrees….I’m getting my bug out bag ready to go back into car….ordered some needed things for it from Amazon….store shopping is just too challenging for me right now and though I’d love to buy locally to help our local businesses, the convenience for me of on-line shopping is winning out…whatever, I feel pretty good about my BOB progress and hope by the end of this week to have it 96-hour ready as recommended by the LDS materials I downloaded. One errand I must do today is taking car to repair shop. Electric window thingys not working properly and oil change is way over-due. I have some new audio-books downloaded on my phone so hopefully that will keep me distracted enough to behave myself while waiting. Patience is a virtue but I’m still practicing that skill a lot! Trying to limit my computer time…I know I spend far too much time on my computer! I’m toying with the idea of doing a trial run of no-power-no-internet scenario….wondering how long I can force myself to go without…hmmm….like breaking my coke habit….won’t be easy, but I somehow feel this is something I should do just to see how long I can keep my spirits up and positive, particularly not being able to know what’s going on out in the world. Hmmm…..it will be there when I go back but perhaps I may find life so much more peaceful and quiet without all that noise I’ll give it up all together….nah, not going to happen…:)
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@oldmtwoman it happens a lot here: cars and busses alike , they drive too fast and can’t hold the vehicle in the curves (is that the word, not sure). Scary for all those children. The other week we had a cyclist killed by a car that stirred of the dyke. The cyclist route was next and below. What are the odds that happens? Well it does here😱
@prepperfan305 a black widow’s nest??? That is very scary!!
today at work I looked up what my county gives out on different hazardous incidents and what we should do they even give an info graphic in English: https://www.zeelandveilig.nl/sites/zeelandveilig/files/2018-06/ongevallen_met_gevaarlijke_stoffen_en.pdf
isnt that fun LOL?
today I received a new door bell, an old fashioned one. Love that!
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I’m really curious about your lds links. May I ask someone to post the links? Tia!
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Xant Dewit….hi, I found this link to info really good….I’m not LDS, but the info seems to cover a lot….hope this helps….I printed out the pages most relevant to me….222 pages total but good table of contents…
https://thesurvivalmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/LDS-Preparedness-Manual.pdf
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Forgot to mention: today I bought daisy’s Book the oreppers canning guide. How cool is that😬
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The day the coffee maker died.
singing, bye, bye Miss Keurig , bye bye
put the kcup in the Keurig but the Keurig just sighed.
Ordered a stainless steel faberware percolator. Went to the thrift stores to see if I could find a decent coffee maker , but alas some old and junky and a Keurig…no thanks.
Found neoprene sleeve for storage, and got a reality check on bug out bags; eg too heavy, awkward, too many pockets ect.
For gray man situational awareness. It was spot the snowbird. Yes sir, the man with the flamingo pink shorts. Woman wearing long sleeves. ( Jeans are ok in these parts, long sleeves, not so much )
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Yesterday, I pulled out our camp stove to see if it still worked. Today I am going to buy more cylinders for it so we have an alternate cooking source.
Today (still trying to get in shape) I rode my bike. I got bit by a loose dog. My husband came with the first aid kit and fixed me right up!
On a side note, the deputy said I should carry while I ride…worst advise ever!
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AnonymousOver the weekend DH and I had a long discussion about prepping in general. Since we are full-time RVers we have limited space to put aside food and water. We also don’t want to add much more weight to the RV. Dehydrated food is making more sense to us all the time and doing some kind of water filtration, even filtering the water from our gray tanks and reusing it. We also discussed whether we would bug in or bug out in a SHTF scenario and decided that in our present state of unfitness we’d be better off bugging in.
By the end of the weekend we determined that our number one prepping goal now is to lose weight and work on strength training. We are in our mid sixties and even if we were at our ideal weight we’ve lost a lot of muscle tone over the last few years. If something major happened and we were forced to bug out, we’d be in deep trouble. Maybe we could walk five miles if it didn’t involve hilly terrain. It’s a sobering thought.
Yes, I still plan on prepping in other ways. Yesterday I purchased some beef jerky that was on sale and I picked up some more hydrogen peroxide at the dollar store. But trimming down and getting stronger is the priority for the foreseeable future.
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Today I continued updating my 3-month and long-term pantry inventories. I considered ordering some powdered honey on sale but I have a lot of honey in jars, and I’m not sure what use I’d find for the powdered type. What do you all think? Is powdered honey useful to have in storage? On a (little bit) sad note, I had to toss out my first-ever batch of homemade apple scrap vinegar. It wasn’t moldy but it had developed a bit of an “off” odor. I think I doomed it when I accidentally strained out the mother a couple of weeks ago <that’s a newbie mistake I won’t be making again, lol>. I got more apples and will try again in a few days. Never give up, never surrender! I’m not going to let some puny apple cores and peels defeat me <smile>.
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Crazy day. Just can’t seem to get anything done. Trying to file a trademark. Need a degree for that. Cars need fixing, but time and money keep us on our toes. The only thing I seem to have some control over is food, so I made a nice chicken pot pie. Comfort food on a cold night. Got the wood box loaded. I’m on the lookout for an economical oven as mine is on its last leg. I’m amazed that I can still cook edible food with how crazy the oven is behaving.
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Corsaire I love spot the snowbird!
Cleaned and sanitized today. Packed up some additional items for donation. We discussed putting in a fireplace or wood stove. Hubby prefers the fireplace. Trying to plan out the updates so there is a logical sequence of events. Played a rousing game of catch with one of the cats for ear treatment. He won. Used up the last of the lentils in an eggplant and lentil chili.
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Oh Bunny McCoy! I, unfortunately, know exactly how you feel. I have a huge Rubbermaid tub of Mother’s pictures. Mother is 93, with dementia, in Hospice care -bedbound. I have no idea who any of these people are and obviously there is no way to ask her now. Everyone! Start going through these pictures & mementos now with your parents & grandparents.
On to today’s prepping. We had a whole stack of Cabela’s/Bass Pro Shops gift cards and decided to use them up. Cabela’s butter pretzels to make Christmas gifts with, Coleman propane tanks for the Mr. Buddy heaters, loads of reloading things (from bullets to powder) for the Husband. We had planned on using up all the cards but still had $15 left on one card so I told the cashier to use it on the next person after us.
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I love that Cheryl Greene “paid it forward” with the extra on her gift cards. Wishing we might try to promote this idea more, especially now at Christmas. I have occasionally paid for the car behind me while going through a drive-through window such as Starbucks. One time I was eating alone during one of my solo travel trips, and someone picked up my dinner tab. Don’t know who it was to this day, but I felt really grateful for that kindness shown me by other diners. I’m still waiting on my grow light. Still in shipment from somewhere but should be here I’m told on or before Dec 4. Picked up one of those head-lamp gizmos to wear for hands-free working to go in my BOB. Loving gas prices in our area…down to $2.05 a gallon today so thinking to fill another 5 gal can to have on hand. Wondering what the “shelf” life is for gas….I think you’re supposed to put some sort of stabalizer in it. Will check that out. I genuinely look forward to reading all the new posts everyday and wishing Daisy might start another contest or something to keep this conversation going….I’m learning so much from everyone and really enjoying that sense of community I feel as I don’t have anyone locally that I know who shares this interest. They’re probably out there but I’m a retired 80 year old woman and not out and about much anymore. I especially enjoy reading OldMtWoman’s daily sagas…. she’s got to be a “hoot” in person!!! And OldMansd’s updates on health issues that affect our ability to do things. I wonder if a special forum for the 60 plus types sharing ideas for dealing with age related limitations and adjustments we have to make might be a good idea. A couple of seniors are on here who are living in a RV I think and trying to work out how to store stuff in limited space. Spinach Report: it continues to do great!!!! Got down to 21 degrees here last night so I left a small heater on in the tool shed where I put it. Might not have been necessary, but I’m still learning about indoor gardening.
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Took the car in for servicing today and an airbag recall. About 45 minutes into my 1:15 hour drive to the dealership I get a call from the dealer saying they don’t have the part for the recall (they had it but obviously used it on another car!!!). Still got the service since “winter is coming”.
Also ordered some coax connectors and such for moving my 2 meter ham station into my shop. Still need to get on the roof and mount the antenna. Just waiting for a day when it’s not raining/snowing. Also sent my EDC pistol off for a safety recall. Six to eight weeks till I get it back. Darn!!! Had a heck of a time trying to download the Fed Ex mailing label provided by the manufacturer. After must frustration finally got it!
That’s it for today’s prepping.
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Corsaire….loved your ode to the departed Keurig! lol
As for BOB reality check…. {sigh} everyone has that reality check…repeatedly. ‘Course it doesn’t take much weight to go over my limit. DH’s GetHomeBag is a battered old grey backpack [purchased old on purpose] with incorporated wheels. He would mostly be going straight home on mountain highway. But if anything got tense, he could carry it cross-country if he had to. Would sure slow him down cuz….he’s old too and the wheels add weight. Only the hope that it would get him further/faster makes the wheels a good idea. And anything is too heavy in this mountain terrain… But he keeps up with dog in the hillsides each day so, eventually he’d make it.
Dala Barnes….OW! Dog bite is serious even if it’s not deep or damage. My little finger and my own dog’s tooth came into unfortunate contact some months back. I did the usual scrubbing out…x2 cuz it was dog’s mouth. Dog and human mouth means a higher than normal infection rate….a LOT higher. Mine wasn’t that deep but that thing got infected despite my better-than-normal care. I’m nearly offended …cuz my body fights off that type of infection very well. I STILL have a tiny, red, swollen area. Probably have to slice it and restart the healing. 🙁 If I get around to it. The rest did slowly heal but I used hot poultices and tea tree oil and allll the things I usually do not have to use. Since you mentioned “loose dog” ….was someone able to see if it has updated rabies shots, at least?
Amy Dixon ..re: honey. DH ordered some dehydrated ginger plus honey. We use the ginger for hot tea…double warms you up, and good for warding off illness. In this case, the dehy honey was in the mix but I’m not sure how else I’d use it. In our arid/chilly region, I switch out any honey I buy; put into wide-mouth canning jars. Cuz it always goes crystallized on me. Impossible to get out of small mouth jugs or jars. Can’t heat it enough in large plastic containers to return to liquid and get it all out of there either. Had an ongoing war with a gallon jug for over a year til I finally just sawed open the heavy plastic jug. Hmph!
I’m older and try to gauge my projects so I finish in one day. Tiny house and unfinished projects will block walkways. Today I was getting rid of a mouse that had discovered something of interest under my bed. [I HATE foul, nasty rodents!] Took me so long to take everything that is stored under the bed outside to throw away or sanitize. It’s a high bed. A lot under there. Haven’t purchased the new vacuum yet….made me sorry today cuz the old ones are next to useless. Well, I’m almost done putting things back under there… But ran flat outta steam! I did fill a mouse hole [yeah, just like Tom and Jerry cartoon] with steel wool! DH cooked late lunch and put together meatloaf tonite. Enough to have for a few meals. We both cook like that.
Anyway, any time I can sort/clean an area of this tiny house….it means I can re-log into my brain WHAT’S WHERE for preps. Shifted one small tote nearer to the door. It’s one that should go out if we had a BO or EVAC, but isn’t a top priority. Trying to sort and store things with that in mind. At this point, I have no idea where photo albums are??? Shoots…I couldn’t even find the meat loaf/bread pans tonite. Whole kitchen’s been moved due to constant mice invasion but…WHERE did I put those? Probably right under my nose..
OldMtWoman …would like a bit more space and STOP with the rodents!
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The two loose dogs, the one that bit me and his companion are now spending time with animal control. The officer told me that they did not have shots hence the quarantine.
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Yesterday a family member was telling me how she is embracing minimalism and has been told if there is something she rarely uses that is $20 or less and can be gotten in 20 minutes or less–to get rid of it. I just let her talk.
Today I nursed myself back to about 90% health with natural remedies. It’s nice not to be sick for weeks anymore. 🙂
I also discussed with my husband about having more food and water at home.
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My days are blurring together. I honestly cannot remember yesterday. Hubby did make it home last night. We had major winds so spent time making sure was prepared for the wind. Basically only a plastic table blown over we lost nothing else.
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Tuesday November 27 boxes day. Funny but we stock up on boxes as they burn quick and take up very little space. They can be cut to cover the windows so they block out light from inside. Also if we need to leave the boxes I bring home are uniform easy to stack if evacuation is required.
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Anonymous11/27/18
I worked on leather projects today and learned how to use a sewing awl correctly. My wife is much better than I am with it but I could use it slowly. Will try some more projects I have in mind. One soon will be a “possibles pouch” to put into my BOB.
I put a backup Sleep Apnea machine in my car that my wife and I can take turns using if we were to get stranded. I also have a connection to be able to use it off the battery. It is not as nice as our new ones but it has kept me alive in the past. I am one of those lucky people who must use it to stay alive. So a limited bug out is doable but I am working on my health to see if I can do better. Again, I am one of the unlucky who had apnea even when at ideal weight and with higher weight just makes it worse.
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Worked on the raised bed garden supplies needed and took inventory on the seeds that I have/need/want. Watched some videos about farmers market ideas for extra money making. Trying to use what is in the freezer so nothing goes to waste. Made dog food for the three dogs and made them very happy! Learned how to thaw out a lock to get into the barn to feed. Sounds silly but since DH passed away, everything seems like a new world. I have had to learn things that most people take for granted as he always took care of it. Piece of advice: make sure both people have basic knowledge of how to do everything in the prepping activities as when one cannot continue due to multiple reasons, the other can step up and continue without too much difficulty or duress.
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I have not been here since November 14, the times flies really fast, Here’s a list of what we have done in the last fourteen days:
Food: cut pumpkin – canned jam, bake and freeze breads; apples – apple sauce and pies; rotate all of our inventory
Emergency kits: restocked battery box; added more waterproof marches, candles, bandaids etc… added three different maps with itineraries, hid as many essentials as we could in our car by taking advantage of nooks and cranies.
Education: enrolled in renewal of first aid and cpr class; reading several notebooks on homesteading-gardening written by my family, following our local emergency group on social media,
There is a lot still to do, we love it. By taking a step at a time, we have more fun and are not overwhelmed.
Stay safe
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11/25 thru 11/27 the canning went good. ten pints of turkey bone broth, a dozen quarts of sweet potatoes, plus some still in the pantry for fries, baked potato, etc. Cleaned the chicken coops and finally got the darn timer on the light to work right. De-cluttering still, but pulled a muscle in my back, which is not good. I start my new part-time job this week-end. So, I’ll be in pain for that, but “what doesn’t kill us, makes us stronger’. Several of us should be as strong as oxes by now. I’ve been reading some of the books that I’ve accumulated. Dr. said not to do too much for a couple of days, so, reading it is! I’ve also been practicing sign language………NCIS showed me that it is a good, silent, stealth language, so it may come in handy some day. 11/28 is just reading, relaxing and practicing the simple things, sign language and knot tying.
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@oldmtwoman. I hate the mice too. The summer and fall have been horrible. Everyone in my area have been complaining. I like the plastic snap traps, they seem to be the easiest and most inexpensive way to get rid of the varmints.
Yesterday and this morning, I continued sorting through items at my Pennsylvania house. I have been donating quite a few items. I have also found items that I can pack up and use if needed. For example, I found 6 full sets of BDUs. I put them in a box, labelled, and they are ready just in case.
I am also continuing my reading of Yellowstone. Still on the first book. Wow!
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This morning I made a list of monthly subscriptions that I belong to that I really do not need. I have canceled two of them thus far that will save me $48.00 a month. Also, I fished out my copy of Rich Johnson’s The Ultimate Survival Manual to read. I will start with Chapter I – Essentials: assembling an At-Home Survival Kit. I have already started a First-Aid Kit, but will review his suggestions for additional items.
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Today I was at a meeting for work to get instructions for a crisis incident excercise somewhere next week in our county (13 cities). We don’t know yet when nor what the excerise will be ( from a maritime accident, nuclear or big multiple car incident, terrorism to an electricity outage in the whole county). We don’t know yet. It will be exciting though.
I also am looking for another car which will be much more a big out vehicle the the one I have now (resembles more like a biscuit tin then car). It also will be more easily to travel with my dog two children and my business to markets.
I arranged everything to start my business for my appointment at the chamber of commerce this Friday. It also will be exciting to be able to earn some extra money for future self sufficiency projects.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by
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I have not been able to post lately due to getting through Thanksgiving and feeling so bad, got the flu and let myself get dehydrated and other issues from the dehydration. Had lots of company for Thanksgiving but no help in preparing the food which was thirty pounds of turkey, fifteen pounds of smoked ham, side dishes, cakes and pies, just wanted everyone to go home that evening after eating, but some stayed till Friday evening. I love Thanksgiving, but so glad it’s over.
Now that I am feeling better I started working on the pantry and purchased things I was out of for making biscuits and pancakes, hope to do a little bit of stocking every month as I can afford it.
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minimalism is great…..
until you cut yourself and realize you can’t run to the store and things don’t get delivered in 2 days during a storm
Sorry, the number you have reached A-m-a-z-o-n prime has been disconnected, please check your supplies ahead of time.
Did inventory of dental supplies today; result, I need stuff. The container I had hoped to put some first aid supplies fell apart in my hand. It was outside in the sun for a few weeks, so my fault. Added a few more items to my wish list.
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Yesterday I cleaned out the fridge and made lunch and supper from all the leftovers. Made a list of things that should be in my first aid kit. Today I got both of my Christmas trees up, cleaned up the mess and helped hubby find enough lumber in his attic stash to rebuild his workshop bench top. Made my grocery list so I can get the shopping done tomorrow.
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To those working on getting in shape – good for you! Something very near and dear to my heart. I wish you success in your endeavors.
Made laundry detergent. Put apples on in the crockpot for apple butter. Repackaged bulk nuts and seeds. Baked bread.
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Yesterday, back to work, super busy, dropped packages off at Post Office after work. Did laundry, watched a couple YouTube how tos, slipped into soft warm from the dryer fuzzy socks, enjoyed the heck out of new super soft fuzzy blanket, worked on a scarf, lovely evening.
Big list of stuff to do tonight, more laundry, print out and wrap up an order that came in today. Super busy at work again today, super tired. Think I’ll set the timer Fly Lady style for 15 minutes, you can do anything in 15 minutes, and have a go getting things accomplished before I become one with my rocking chair, knitting and fuzzy blanket.
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Not a good day, not good at all. My Mother passed away early this morning. Haven’t had much energy for anyting but puttered around the back yard to gauge which fruit trees & shrubs we could put in next summer. Spent an hour or so reading my favorite “Prepare Your Family for Survival” by Linda Loosli. Super book as her lists are not the typical “Two parents & two kids with a dog”. Linda has lists for a couple, a family of three, a family of four, and a family of five. This makes it so much easier for the Husband and I to prep.
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Oh, Cheryl, I am so sorry for your loss. You and your family will be in my prayers.
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@cheryl green
im do sorry to hear about your loss. I wish you strenght!
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Cheryl Greene, I’m so very sorry to hear of your Mother’s passing! Sending prayers for you and your loved ones.
OldMt Woman, thanks for your input about the powdered honey! I transfer my liquid honey to glass jars also. If it crystallizes, I can always put the jars in my Sun Oven to heat them up gently.
Today I visited two new-to-me Amish/Mennonite owned grocery stores in my area. I was pleased to see that they carry 25 and 50 lb bags of hard (and soft) white wheat berries at good prices, as well as a lot of other bulk food items. I will be going back soon to purchase some for my food storage pantry. They also carry canning jar lids in bulk quantities (wrapped in a long brown paper sleeve) at a considerable savings! One thing I was amazed to see was the variety of types of cocoa powder they carried. For example, they had: cocoa, Dutch cocoa, “aristocrat” cocoa, and black cocoa. I’d never heard of the last two types. Guess I’ll have to look them up to find out about them, although I’m probably just going to stick with Dutch cocoa powder, lol.
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Anonymous11/28/18
Very sorry to hear about your mom Cheryl.
Went shopping to look for good prices on things we use. Found some and extended our pantry a little.
Read Lynn McCartney’s post about reading Rich Johnson’s Ultimate Survival book and dug out my copy and will spend some time reading through it again to refresh my memory.
I posted about doing some leather work yesterday and learning to stitch a little. I am including a picture of my outdoor rain hats that now sport my initial. I like them…
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@corsaire – Are you kidding me? The only way I could reach Amazon was on Twitter. No thank you 🙁
Yes, minimalism is fine if you are getting rid of junk, but not if you are getting rid of spare can openers.
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Today was strength training-safely in my house 🙂
I have been dehydrating granola and duh hub got really interested in the process. He has been doing grapes, apples, mangos, and pineapple. I am so glad that he is interested in preserving food. He helps with the garden but preserving was my job.
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Watched a movie today about a power outage that lasted 15 months. Made me think of a ton of things I need to get ready in case of such a scenario. We would need more building supplies in case repairs are needed. More gas on premises. I want a book for identification of edible plants. Maybe a few chickens.
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So sorry to hear about your mom, Cheryl Greene. 🙁 These next days/weeks/etc will be hard. Praying that you and yours will have strength/comfort.
Darla….sure do hope those dogs come out with NO rabies! BTDT a long time ago. Glad they have them to know for sure. 🙁
Jessee Jones mentioned a good point! Make sure others in family know the basics around house/grounds/vehicle…and where you’ve hid the preps! 😉 For years I had preps kinda here and there and waaaay back in there. DH had no idea….cuz he was not ‘on board’. He didn’t like to shop and if he knew what I had put back, he would just want to use that up first. Thankfully he got enlightened and it took a good long time to show him all the stuff I’d slowly accumulated. Yeah, even back then I was forgetting where I stashed things! {roll eyes} Well…he was kinda bug-eyed, but thankful for the good start on this whole new topic for him.
I can think of a few things that I specialize in…and he’s clueless. He did waterbath can with me a couple times tho. He cooks so I’m sure he can read instructions in the Ball Blue Book. He has some specialties that I can’t really catch up on tho. Neither of us is all that good in vehicle repair beyond basics.
Today he finally got a chance to take vehicle in to see why one tire keeps getting low. A very small nail with no head. That’s done now. He checked on our elderlies and brought a pizza to both them and home to us. Good cuz I worked hard to finish what I started yesterday. Today was more satisfying — cuz it showed the progress more. Lots of stuff finally back in place or I’ve carved out a new/better place. A few things left and I still haven’t placed the humidifier. I’m all moved back in here now tho…emptied suitcase and stuffed it back in where they are kept. Not an easy chore to even do that! Uff da! Tiny house creativity! At least we can now walk thru w/o breaking our necks. More to do….and I’m making a list of needed bits of this and that. We should to buy sooner, rather than later. Cuz later might could be too late.
OldMtWoman …how come I feel OLDER tonite? Ouch! 😉
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by OldMt Woman.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by OldMt Woman.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by
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When the plumber was here on Monday, my husband asked me to find the paperwork from the well/pump installation. I keep everything in folders in my filing cabinet according to date. I found the papers after 15-20 minutes and decided it was time for a new system. Yesterday while I did my weekly volunteering at the park, my husband went through every file from the 1990’s to 2017. He ended up with half a trash bag of junk for the burn pile and reorganized the important papers by category. I will put new labels on the folders and refile them today. Also plan to bake 3 loaves of cinnamon bread, 1 for us and 2 in the freezer for the Neighbor’s Christmas gifts.
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Anonymous@cheryl Green-my deepest sympathies. Take good care of yourself and hold on to all your good memories.
Today I am making fabric softener and Oopsie bread. DH wants to follow a low-carb diet but knows he’ll miss bread. Oopsie bread (or Cloud Bread) is really more like a meringue-like roll with a crusty crunch. It’ll suffice until I can find some good grain free bread recipes. Fortunately these days there are about a gazillion low-carb and keto websites with some truly fabulous recipes. For someone like me who is never happier than when I’m cooking or baking, perusing these sites is going to be heavenly 🙂
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Last night I found a financial system that might work better for us. Doing all the prep work to implement it at the beginning of January 2019. Wrote down all the tasks we need done & completed by December 22. Partner is not too thrilled, but hey, you snooze you loose.
Watched three hours worth of information about the new to me financial system. While sorting, checking, purging, reorienting items that were still in moving boxes. Two garbages bag later, I feel free! Finally hung my favorite canvas print over my bed. There is a small hidden compartment underneath it so finally will be to hide more in plain sight. Double and triple duty is a must for us. There was a lot of B&E lately, due to lack of work.
Made kidney bean patties from my pantry stock, it will certainly be a nice addition to my survival recipe rotation binder. Only needed five ingredients, all of which are always around us. Checking the gardening seed catalogue to see what else I can grow in our container/raised bed gardens, that I don’t already have in my inventory.
My deepest sympathy goes to you Cheryl. Bless you and yours.
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OK. I took advantage of the end of the book sale yesterday and bought them all. Today, I have started reading “Bug Out Bootcamp”. I have a lot to learn…..Fortunately, the nutrition section is kind of on point with my keto lifestyle. Although I exercise regularly, I am particularly interested in reading the section on exercise to be sure I am covering all my bases with regard to the different components that make up exercise. I think I spend much more time on cardio than strength training. Thank you for these resources!
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oh man, so sorry 🙁 @cheryl Green
indeed @red carnation and the spare can opener reminded me, that I need one. Right before the hurricane hit, a number of my supplies went to my parents. The only thing they had was a flashlight, so food, camping lanterns, phone chargers and my spare can opener went to them They managed to get a few rotisserie chickens on their own.
The short story is that they werent paying too much attention, and didnt think it would hit here. They had a week without power, I had power and just lost internet.
They only thing I didnt replace or recover was the can opener. I purchased them a generator, so they should be ok.
Dog bites, ugh. I empathize with all of you. The dog who mauled my pooch, also bit off a piece of my finger. More details when it gets resolved.
Another lesson on riots, gray man outfits and prep today.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by corsaire.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by
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Get those sun ovens out and practice with them now instead of later. They are a great help when the power is out, I used mine all summer for cooking and baking to save on the bills. Wish I had had one years ago during some of the disasters! I used mine for main courses and some deserts.
I didn’t buy one of those camping ones since I have a family to feed. Intend to practice with it now that the snow is on the ground to see how long it takes in the cold. Having been through a few things I know a hot meal in stressful times can be quite comforting and stress reducing.
Additionally there is no smoke and no strong odors to give you away when food is in short measure.
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I/m so sorry to read Cheryl’s post about her mother. Deepest sympathy sent your way as you move through this life event.
My day is slipping away but I am getting some stuff done. Talked by phone with my sister who is 83 years old and living alone also. I was able to laughingly get her to talk a bit about things she might need to do to prepare for winter challenges. She admitted she probably did need to be a bit better prepared than she is currently and I think she will do the few things we put on her list. I was happy to learn she does have a nearby neighbor who sort of watches out for her that she can ask for help. Yesterday, I found an article written specifically for and about the elderly and the different things we need to think about. Our diminished physical strength is a big concern. I positively hate exercise but know I’ve got to get more serious about that. Maybe a new year’s resolution – again. This morning I checked on my spinach – it’s growing, yeah! My little celery plant from the cut off base is growing also!!! It actually looks like a tiny little stalk of celery. Makes me smile. I still have not planted the roots from that bunch of green onions I bought, but I’ll do that maybe tomorrow. My Amazon order with items for my BOB should be delivered today so I hope to get that bag back in my car by Saturday. Worked on my financial plan today and things are looking pretty good for staying on budget for the year. When I read about the financial situation for so many elderly, I am grateful for my modest means. I have enough and a bit to share so that’s all I really need on my pilgrimage through this life. Sure hope everyone else is determining to enjoy just this day for we know not when there may not be another.
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Thursday 29 turkey stock day. Cooks while I clean. Off to bed I go working until midnight tonight and tomorrow messes with a persons sleep schedule.
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I’m working on the exercise thing too it is harder as we get up there in age, but I’ve been walking lately a bit longer as I go. I can’t wait to try the celery and onion greens!
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Anonymous@Muffy1938 – I so enjoy reading your posts 🙂 Your enthusiasm over your spinach and other gardening endeavors has me cheering right along with you!
Your idea about a forum for seasoned citizens and our challenges is a good one and I’d be grateful for it.
Remember, Muffy, 80 is the new 60. You’re golden!
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Today, I had my heating system inspected and serviced. Everything was good.
I continued reading the Yellowstone series. I definitely don’t want to be anywhere near a volcano eruption.
I ordered some additional medical supplies. I had some extra funds left from my November budget.
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Darla, I’m sorry to hear about your dog bite injury! I hope you’re healing well and that you get good news once the dogs’ quarantine period is over.
Today I ordered a couple more Blackout Buddy lights for the 20% off sale price on Amazon, and started assembling some more Ivar shelving units from Ikea to hold storage pantry items. Other than that, it’s been a quiet day.
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LOW energy day! Positioned rodent poison where dog cannot get it. These little invaders are having me doubt that humans are the apex predators. Hmph! Did a few things today …set up laundry but DH is handling most of it. I’m seriously laid out today. Not a full night’s sleep either. DH is home and taking care of animals tonite. 🙂
OldMtWoman
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by OldMt Woman.
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@OldMt Woman
I’ve used Fastrac poison for rats with excellent results. Contrac not so much; its working ( outside bait stations) but not nearly has palatable to the monsters as Fastrac.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by
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Anonymous11/29/18
Changed out a 6 gallon water jug with fresh. Had been stored for about a year and 1/2 or longer. Looked great and I tasted it…still good. So some articles say that if you are using city water there is no need to add some chlorine. Looks like that is working for me.
Cooking dinner with instant pot…whole chicken and even a little herbs from our front yard..Not much room..have a rosemary bush. Next summer will try and have more.
We bought a can rack…been wanting to try it out. Works pretty good. Got the kind you fill from the front..We are in a small apartment so not much room for the other kind. Worked fine.
Thanks
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Cheryl, so sorry to hear about your mom. Wishing you all the best.
@OldMansd – nice work!
Decent enough day to get outside. Cleaned litter boxes (oh joy), blew leaves from around the front of the house to the compost area and relocated all the house plants back outside so they too could enjoy the next couple of warm days. Began building borders for new garden beds. Looking for new suppliers of bulk items online. Any recommendations would be appreciated.
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Got another new med from the glaucoma doc. I hope this one works. Tachycardia and/or shortness of breath are deal breakers for me. Spent some time looking up herbal alternatives (legal) to glaucoma meds. Cinquefoil tincture has worked for some folks. (Not a doc; just passing on info.) It was almost 80 today and the bugs were going crazy. Spiders webbing up everywhere, and catching tons of unsuspecting victims. Sometimes I wonder if prepping lists are too distracting. Kind of like how people who decide they want to write, so they go read twenty or so books on writing but don’t write all that much. I can get caught up in finding lists, and saving lists, and printing lists, but when it comes to doing or purchasing what’s on the list, I’m not as diligent. My bad.
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Found a way to do a 1/2 hour walk with my dog in the polders early in the morning while there is no light at all. I will get a flash light and wear a reflective jacket. Have to find something reflective for the dog as well. Got my steel nose working boots today. The are for my work during crisis but will use them too in my personal life.
I cooked from the pantry today. Spent too much money this month. So I need to stretch the budget. My pantry is not only for emergencies. It is also money on the bank.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by
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Thanks everyone for your thoughts and prayers. Hopefully this won’t get messy as my brother is something of a twit. Filed for the Death Certificates today. Found out how to file the will at County Courthouse – may not be necessary as there isn’t much to “inherit”. No house, no car, no furniture, Mother had been in Assisted Living, then dementia care, then Hospice so “possessions” are all gone.
On a better note the Big Berkey get delivered tomorrow. Woohoo! Batteries are on sale at Costco – AA & AAAs. Furnace had it’s tune up today. Had to have the ignitor replaced – could have lasted a year – could have lasted 20 minutes, so better to replace it now rather than if it breaks down at 30 degrees.
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Had to see the chiropractor after setting up 3 Christmas trees. Stocked up on groceries, filled the gas tank, did some Christmas shopping and was enjoying a nice lunch with our daughter when I got a notice on my phone from our police department saying the power was out at our house. Apparently someone slid on the light rain/snow mix that was falling and hit a power pole. We raced home but the power was back on. I reset all the clocks that were affected by the outage while hubby fired up the generator to make sure it would start ok to just play it safe since the power company said it would be an 8 hour outage while they performed their work. We made preps in case the power went out again while they were working on it. They had the street closed cause the power pole was leaning over the street.
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Picked up a few things from the store I was low on and got a new stove. I did get a sun oven for Christmas last year and used it over the summer. I made sundried tomatoes and cookies. Got the leaves off the roof and out of the gutters. Got buckets of pot ash on the garden. My dad says this is good for the garden, but I need to do some research. Filled the cars with gas. I want to fill some gas containers cause gas is so cheap right now. I hope I remember to do that tomorrow. Got 10 orders finished and shipped. I care for my grandmother who has COPD and signs of dementia. It’s getting harder to keep her straight with things, but so far she hasn’t done anything to make me worry about her safety.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by
rd Lucai.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by
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Hi, all!!! Is it our last day for posting? I don’t know but I have definitely enjoyed reading all the post and learning so much from those who’ve been doing this prepping thing more seriously than have I. Well, excitement day….the grow light has arrived and my handyman is going to get it all set up for me later today. I told the spinach sprouts that light was coming and I’m here to tell you I think they giggled….woohoo! I remain convinced this new indoor gardening hobby is going to be a great thing for me as it forces me to get up and stay active. With the new light, I’ll thin out a few of the spinach sprouts and sprinkle a few rows of lettuce seeds to see how they do. With heat and light I think I’ll not be having to grocery shop for fresh green things as frequently. And, I’ll plant the onions today as well. It feels like Spring out today with temps in the 60s but headed back down next week. I watched several doomsday youtube videos yesterday and decided that’s not what my prepping efforts are about. For the serious survivalist out there, that may be a way to live; but, for me and mine, we’re simply country folks brought up to use common sense and take care of ourselves. We know how to make-do and we come from pretty sturdy genetic stock, so I think in the main we’ll be fine. We’re also faithful Christians so that gives us a bit of a different perspective on life as well. This activity has definitely been fun and I do hope someone will get a forum started for the older folks who have prepping interests.
PS….I’m almost finished repacking my BOB to put back in the car….so glad this activity reminded me to review that bag and update it….hope not to need it but glad it’s there!
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by
Muffy1938.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by
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I’m with muffin1938 I love the postings. Would it mind continuing posting. It does keeps me focussed every day!
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Friday November 30 about 4 hours of sleep today and a long morning ahead. To many things planned to get done out of the house and I really had hoped for more sleep but the animals had other ideas.
Helping a local nonprofit clean up and run stuff to goodwill. Run my sister around for groceries because she doesn’t have a car.
Working on security system checking memory and the motion sensors are working. Had to clean cobweb away from one so far.
What do others do when they are home with their hunny?
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Continuing to delve through my recent purchases and downloads on survival. Will be grocery shopping later today for meal prep over the weekend for next week. Also, will be mending some clothes that need attention.
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With the wife back home after trying the snowbird lifestyle for a month (before winter has really set in!!) I have now been “directed” into holiday mode. Seems like I just put all those boxes of Christmas decorations away yesterday. My the years go by quicker and quicker. My analogy is that of an old L.P. record. As a kid you are the needle on the outside of the record with it going around very slowly, but as you get on in years, that revolutions goes quicker and quicker and when it gets to the end and the arm lifts up or it just sits there (defending how sophisticated your record player was,) it’s the “end”. I explained this to a friend of mine over an adult beverage a while back. He said it was more like a roll of toilet paper!!! Think about that!! Meanwhile, yesterday and today have been doing battle with the strings of lights for the tree. Have no idea what this has to do with prepping, but I’m sure it does somehow!
The new blower came for the fireplace today. Since it’s raining I’ll probably tackle that job later on this afternoon, although my fix-it on the existing blower isn’t too bad. May wait until the current get real noisy again. Ah, procrastination!!
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Went down to feed the cows and count noses. They were more interested in the alfalfa cubes than the round bale we left them. This may not be a bad thing– hay is scarce this year and anything I can find is really pricey. Blustery day– a storm is coming in tonight and everything feels “broody”. I need to skim the fat off the turkey bone broth and get the rest in the freezer. Then maybe wash the bed clothes and make a list for more supplies. I sure hope we keep up this thread. I’ve enjoyed seeing what all everyone else has been doing; it’s helped keep me motivated for sure!
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Today I reread some of the articles I downloaded from the goodsurvivalist.com. It’s funny how you read them with all their good ideas, use some, and forget the others. I’ve got to add rereading to my list of things to do.
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I made good use of the turkey carcass my daughter gave me. Turkey pot pie for her, one for her sister, one for friend, and low carb one for me. Cooked those bones for 2 days and canned 7 qtof delicious broth. Good rain storm yesterday. Sunny north California days today. Clothes dryer stopped working. Trouble shot problem and ordered new belt that will be here in a few days. Asked my daughter to help install. So, yesterday I went to the laundromat to dry all the laundry. We’re good for a few days. Planning pizza for supper. Pay day today so bills are all paid. Tomorrow will be grocery along day!
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by
dicity. Reason: Spelling
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Did some preliminary research on handguns. Ordered gauze pads cause Walgreens was having a 30% sale and free ship to store. Also hand sanitizer packets.
Got another 1 of the gauze boxes from Amazon, so now a total of 3 which should have been in the original order. I am supposed to get a refund of the first order in a few days. I noticed that Amazon is no longer selling the set, just 3rd party sellers now. Probably because they cant get it right.
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Yesterday I steamed my decoration pumpkins in the instant pot and made pumpkin puree. I put it in a foodsaver bag and froze it for Christmas. I am going to attempt roasting pumpkin seeds again this year. I say attempt because last years batch got too crispy. But I am not a quitter, I will get it right eventually, LOL. I put away more filtered water and I added to my pantry stockpile. I am currently enduring my last week of my 3rd semester of nursing school. Its really tough to get motivated because I am so ready for a break. So I will unfortunately be doing care plans all weekend while my whole family is home, oh joy. They constantly tell us how the misery will be worth it when we graduate. I guess we will see. One great thing is learning how to be an RN adds to my prepping skills and of course job security. I love the work I just hate the grind of homework and studying.
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Like the others I have enjoyed reading everyone’s posts. @Old Ski Bum, Iove your analogy of the record. That pretty much sums it up.
Severe weather on the way and will stay with us overnight. Made sure everything outside was put away or closed up. Made pickled beets and baked cookies. Discovered a chafing spot on the dog from her harness. Put witch hazel on it and switched to her collar. During the winter we walk/hike about 6 miles a day. Come summer not so much. She’s a husky so very heat intolerant but we more than make up for it in the colder months.
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Muffy, you and your lil’ plants are a delight. LOL Plants are uplifting in the middle of dark, dreary winter. Even sprouts! And since we haven’t even reached the mid-point of winter, hooray for all efforts at gladness! 🙂
Thanks for tips on mouse poison, Corsaire. I wrote it down. Don’t know which kind DH is using. It’s a small green brick..comes with a plastic black ‘mouse house’. Advised to use rubber/surgical/whatever gloves to handle it. We’ll see. First venture into actual poison since we’ve always had a cat until recently. I’m ready for these monsters to be gone!
Rufusj ..hoping this glaucoma med works with no ill affects. Relate with you about LISTS! Love lists and love checking things off the lists. I think it keeps my brain organized…but I’ve got more lists than I could possible use realistically. We just need Master Lists, don’t we? 😉
NwPrepr…RN training is a reallly good prep. For you and yours personally. For an income in any post-StuffHitsFan. For income/job security in “normal” times, as you say. Hang in there; you’ll make it! \0/
‘Nother low energy day but I did more sorting/organizing. Checked one of the under-bed bags for any food stuffs forgotten in there. It’s my Grab N Go to visit elderlies bag. Yep…had some peppermint in there…which isn’t supposed to draw mice; rather repel them. But just in case, I removed it before packing up the bag and putting it back under there. Never ending saga with that. Toooo many other cluttered areas which are next on the agenda. Daily stuff…laundry now done but my truck needs gas…from our stored containers or taking it into village? I hear gas is low price right now?
Mostly have been data gathering on Internet. Or just reading odd things. Read a lot about hemp thanks to Daisy’s article. Quite a versatile plant….and detoxifies soil/water? That’s very encouraging. Here I only remember hemp rope in the days before plastics&cousins came to be more popular. I voted yes in our state.
OldMtWoman …wonder what the maid has for supper…..shoot, I don’t have a maid. {roll eyes}
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by OldMt Woman.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by
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I’ve been enjoying all the posts – so much information. I’m not much of an internet person so I’ve got a big yellow pad full of ideas!
Today was fairly good for prepping. Got our 10 Water Bricks out, filled, and stored. Our Big Berkey came by UPS late this afternoon – it is all put together and filtering like mad!
We have decided to not “do” much Christmas. Just can’t find it with Mother gone. She got very childlike at Christmas time. 89, 90 years old she still squirmed in her chair waiting for her stocking, then got all excited unpacking her stocking. *sigh* Loved seeing all the grandchildren & greatgrandchildren with their presents.
Anyway! Tomorrow is December 1. Are we still going to be posting or are we moving to another forum?
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Finished off the month listening to a few homesteading podcasts. Then my husband, son and I cut down 5 dead trees, stacked the logs and piled the branches in the garden burn pile. Also put hay bales in the pasture feeder for the cattle. This evening we all went to the high school basketball games, varsity girls vs their big rival followed by varsity boys. Two very close games and our team won both, boys in overtime. Senior citizens get into the games free so that was cheap entertainment!
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I started reading the Restoration book series by Terri Blackstock. Emp-type solar event causes a world wide power outage. Taking notes as I read. Caught up the laundry and bought a new pair of shoes since mine were starting to crack and wear out. Found 2 beef briskets on a quick sale at the grocery store today. Also stocked up on more toilet paper.
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Yesterday ran to the bank at lunch,early lunch, good timing walked right up to the window. Post office after work, fed a friends two dogs when I got home, dinner tomato soup from pantry. Printed up two orders of cards, laundry and knitting by the space heater listening to a podcast. I usually enjoy knitting in the fall and winter, not so much during the rest of the year.
Today the last day of November, boy it sure went fast now that it’s almost over. It’s been fun, blizzard of activity, my busy season, work all day, work on projects at night, even squeezed in a painting for an online art show. The house is still chaotic mess, but it’s all on a to do list, I’ll get to it this weekend. Downloaded six free how to books from Amazon at lunch today. My daughter finds them and alerts me. Planning on going to Sam’s on Monday morning and getting more fuzzy socks (they are on my learn to knit them list) a few more cases of stuff for the pantry, but mainly one of those heavenly cloud like fuzzy blankets while they still have them.
It’s been enjoyable reading what others are doing, preparing and leading a regular life too. Thank you Daisy and Selko! On to December and get this year behind me.
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Anonymous11/30/18
It has been fun reading all of the postings about a subject important to all of us. Thanks.
Today we cooked down a chicken carcass and made some pretty good soup. Fun to keep learning how to do stuff like that. We also are going to try growing some spinach inside the house.
Hope your December is great…
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Paid bills, went to the grocery store and purchased multiples of almost everything. Went to Michael’s and got 70% off most Christmas baskets for my show tomorrow.
My husband and I made a decision that will keep me closer to home when I am out and about. I am thrilled about this!
News about the earthquake and pictures of roads that are not driveable in Alaska gave me more motivation to prep just in case of disasters or bad weather. Bad weather is prone to happen here!
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Lots of great sales today. Picked up a few groceries and added a few longer storage items. Busy season for the business. Can’t keep up or get ahead. Gonna try my hand at making figgy pudding. None of us know what it is so I found a recipe, and I’m going to give it a try. Paid some bills and bought supplies for the business. Need to check the few remaining things in my garden, kale, carrots, cabbage, and beets to see how they are faring. I’ve not been a very successful gardener over the last two years but my desire is strong. I talked to my BIL about a CSA he is trying to put together for next year. I’m excited to participate.
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Old Ski Bum, loved your vinyl record analogy. Here’s hoping when the needle finally stops making its circuits around the platter we all rise up with the arm, so to speak, lol.
Yesterday, the last official day of this challenge, I spent several hours doing online research about Skyr (a/k/a Icelandic Yogurt) – what it is, the two main types, how to make it at home both with or without an Instant Pot, and which retail stores in my area carry which brands of the two commercially available types (one type is coagulated using rennet, the other type is coagulated using an ultrafiltration technique). Next week I’m planning to buy some Siggi’s plain Icelandic-style yogurt and use part of it as a starter culture, along with some cheese making rennet I already have, to try making a batch of Skyr with store-bought milk. Should be a fun experiment.
I’ve really been enjoying reading everyone’s posts during this challenge and hope we can keep it going in some fashion! 🙂
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I can hardly believe that November is over. ITs after midnight here. Went to a nearby town yesterday and bought a few extra things to stock in the pantry. Needed to get out while it wasn’t snowing. Have been moving snow, got a new part for the snowblower, getting ready for a family trip to get together for a Christmas party with several from out of town all gathering together. Keeping up with laundry, cooking, baking etc.
I have a theory about time. When you are four years old time goes slowly because a year is only 1/4th of your life. When you are 80 it is 1/80th of your life so it seems to go faster and it does.
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I can’t believe November is over! The month went so quick. I so enjoyed this challenge.
Yesterday, I didn’t have a chance to post. I discussed the Yellowstone books with my sister. She started reading the series.
I have so enjoyed posting every day and reading everyone’s posts. These posts gave me so many ideas. The posts made me really think about why and what I was prepping for — taking into account my life style, geography, climate, etc. We all have personal struggles ( age, family issues, being widowed or single, health, fitness level, financials, etc). Community is something that we all need.
With that said, I am happy to have found this forum. I can’t wait to see what is next for @oldmtwoman (will she triumph over those darn mice?) and what great tips I pick up from everyone.
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Congrats, NOVEMBER CHALLENGE WINNERS!
Go here to claim your prize: https://forum.theorganicprepper.com/topic/attention-november-challenge-winners/
And go here to start the December Challenge! https://forum.theorganicprepper.com/topic/december-prep-every-day-challenge/
Thread closed.
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AnonymousI’m running low so I will be making some more laundry soap. This will be tomorrow though since I had a brain splitting headache today and don’t want to deal with any smells I don’t have to.
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What’s your recipe? It seems like all of us have our own little tweaks.
PS: I hope your headache goes away quickly
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Anonymous1 bar Fels-Naptha
1 Oxy Clean container of borax
1 Oxy Clean container of washing soda
1 Oxy Clean container baking sodaI think the Oxy Clean container has a little over 2 cups in volume, but I have never measured it. It was from Family Dollar and weighed 1.3lb.
Use gloves and a mask if you need to. My utility room is outside so I only make this outside, it can be dusty.
Cut up soap bar. If you let it dry out it cuts much easier. Mix the bar in a large container (I use an old wash basin) with all other powders.
I blend mine with a blender used only for soap and store in a large Coffee Mate 2.2lb creamer container. One batch will fill up one container.
I add about 2-3 TBS per load depending on how dirty/smelly the clothes are.
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AnonymousThanks Daisy. I don’t even want coffee right now. Sipping some ginger syrup tea with skullcap and lemon balm. Sinuses are horrible!
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If you make soap from 100% pig fat tallow it does not foam works good for laundry soap.
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I use a similar recipe, and have for a couple of years. Lately, it seems like my clothes don’t get clean. They seem dinghy. Anyone else experience this and if so, what did you do?
My only change from this recipe is that I use Kirk’s Castile instead of Fels Naptha. Is there much difference? -
The problem with the dingy clothes is that modern washing machines don’t produce enough agitation to truly utilize laundry soap. This is why stores primarily sell laundry detergent. Basically a low grade residue is being left on the fibers every time you wash them with the laundry soap. This gradually builds up and then starts preventing them from getting clean. It builds up faster if you have hard water.
To get your clothes clean again you will have to strip them. It is hard on the fabrics so should not be done too often.
To prevent this in the future you have a couple of options. Option 1, use an old washboard or other super agitation method like plungers in a bucket to wash your clothes. This allows the soap to actually function as intended. Option 2, alternate between one load with soap and one liad with detergent. This will prevent the build up as the detergent can gently strip it before it becomes an issue. Option 3, if you have soft water you can add vinegar to the fabric softener portion of your cycle. This will act similarly to the detergent and lift any residue.
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AnonymousLike GardenWeasel said washer machines stink at washing clothes. Not enough agitation and definitely not enough water to do a good job.
I have had good results using just vinegar and allowing the clothes or towels to soak (towels are horrible).
I set the clothes to soak in the hottest water I could use and added about 1 cup of white vinegar and let them soak, pushed them around a bit and let them soak some more. Eventually the water got mucky when the vinegar broke through the soap film. I rinsed the clothing, again in hot water a few times then put them through the wash cycle with no soap at all. If the water is soapy with bubbles or a hazy film, keep washing til the water is clean.
I found the worst thing to use is fabric softener and dryer sheets. While I hate being a human lightening rod taking the clothes out of the dryer, it is better than having so much gunk left on the clothes.
There are a lot of sites you can read about it and some of the different options for stripping fabrics, like bleach, Dawn, prepared enzymes packets. It’s up to you how you do it.
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So I have taken old antifreeze bottles and washed them out and I’m currently filling them with cheap cat litter. This way it makes it easier for pouring out if oil spills from a vehicle or it could be used for the winter months that are fast approaching.
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AnonymousMy coffee isn’t working.
Today I will be making some laundry soap.
I have some butternut squash cooking in the oven to put up and to make soup with.
I need to nail down my shopping list because we decided to do shopping every two weeks instead of every one. I don’t want to miss anything, like my coffee, which ran out this morning along with my brain!
I need to take a good count of my canning jars to see what I have and what I need.
We are putting another $200 towards are electric bill. We pay $200 every week regardless of what the bill is. It helps to just have it out of the way when it comes due. I set my bill to be one set amount each month so whatever I overpay goes towards any balance at the end of the year.
I have to check my garden and bring in any peppers that are ripe and see if anything I planted is moving the soil, or if the critters dug the seeds up. Squirrels are currently on full spastic mode preparing for winter.
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I find walking the dogs seems to get the neurons agoing. Even better than coffee! I know, hard to imagine eh?
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AnonymousOnce I get moving the fog wears off. It’s the getting moving part that’s hard. I make my todo list where I have to see it often and keep going so I can clear each thing as I do it. I’m about 1/2 way done.
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Today I canned 10 pints of applesauce. 🙂
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I have a wonderful friend who let me come pick apples and pomagranets. So far we’ve managed to put up 8 quarts and 10 pints of applesauce. Also 5 quarts of pomagranet juice and a batch of jelly :-).
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AnonymousI’m going to be buying some honeycrisp apples this week while they are on sale. I’ll be making some applesauce and dehydrating some.
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i make laundry wash with similar ingredients, but make it as a gel liquid. i only use 1-2 tablespoons in my front load washer to avoid residue. the water does most of the work anyway. if you have hard water, you will get residue with soap. detergent has ingredients to stop that. you could do a wash load with no soap and get out much of your residue. i also use a half cup or so of vinegar in the rinse, which helps. really dirty stuff soaks all day
and is done in the last load. -
AnonymousI think my main prep item today is the fact I just now did something that is fairly new to me. Signing up for this forum to learn more about prepping is a little outside my comfort zone but this will be good for me. Thanks for setting this up
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I’m putting a plan on paper to start out.
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Yesterday I received shocking news which changed my game plan for the next several days. The son of one of our friends was killed in the shooting in California. He was 23. My son adored him and is struggling with his death.
I have always spoken with my children about situational awareness. This prompted me to take my son out last night to examine potential escape routes in a store. We will continue this exercise all weekend in a variety of establishments. Particularly at his place of employment; a movie theatre. I have a number of other projects scheduled for the weekend, but in light of the most recent mass shooting hitting home, we are focusing on safety. -
Veg Mom
I’m so terribly sorry. What an awful event. It’s always one of those things you just read about. I cannot imagine how horrifying it must be to have lost someone.
I like the fact that you are using this as the impetus for a plan. That is truly the best way to honor the person you lost.
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Yesterday, Friday was keeping up ties with family and friends. For surviving, people can be one of your best assets. My very close friends and family know of my storing and canning foods and know if anything comes down they will come to my place before any other place. This also can be a downfall but I am optimistic on my friends as several have the same values as I do.
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Still not sure if this is where I’m supposed to post. I’m afraid I have an analog brain in a digital world.
Been getting the homestead ready for winter today. Put the lawn mower, weed walker and wheeled trimmer to bed for the winter in the shed. Ran the fuel out of them so the carbs won’t be all gummed up when I go to use them again in the spring. Also brought the snow thrower out and moved it to the garage so it’s in position to go to work. Need to change the oil on that puppy before it’s needed, but I should have a few days before that’s the case. We did get a couple inches of snow last night but most has melted off the driveway today.
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AnonymousI was posting individual post but they got pulled into the main post, so I assume we are supposed to post in that post. When you open the post just click the reply button and you can go straight to the bottom of the post itself to reply and see the most recent postings.
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Today, so far, I’ve updated my 9-typed-pages-long (Eeeek!) Wish List for preparedness items, checked on the progress of my first-ever batch of homemade Apple Cider Vinegar (from apple scraps) to make sure it was bubbling but not foaming over or molding, and discussed the various uses for half-gallon Mason jars with a friend who’d never seen one that size before (BTW, in case any of you don’t already know this, the half-gallon size jars are great for storing dry pantry items but shouldn’t be used to water bath can anything but juices). How’s that for a run-on sentence, lol.
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Today we celebrated youngest child birthday at my families house, which is 100 km away from my house. My mom bought 4 season blankets on sale, while I was at the beekeepers convention, made from wool. Very happy with them because I live in an old house where it can be cold. I also added dried Parmesan cheese to my storage (5jars). Today I got a call from someone who has a box full Sharon fruits. I will get that tomorrow. I have no idea what to make with them yet.
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Today I located a potential source for great fishing although I just realized that the distance would be an issue if transportation were not possible. I will continue to look closer to home for great spots to fish. I am continuing to read How to survive the end of the world as we know it by James Wesley Rawles. Its hard to get the reading in while I’m in nursing school but I feel that the matter of preparedness has to be a priority next to my faith and family.
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It has been a few hectic days, so I am catching up her in the forum on my daily preps. Just before dark on Saturday (the 10th) I got two grape plants in the ground. These are eating / raisin grapes. They complement my concord juice grapes. On Sunday (the 11th) I worked on my spiritual preps. Some may not consider that in the prepping realm, but my position is physical, emotional and spiritual preparations all help to make a resilient person who can withstand hardship in a crisis. Today (Monday, the 12th) I compiled a document about water preps from various notes and came up with a decent rough draft of an instruction manual for water preparation. Its a work in process. It fits the water situation in my area, but I live in an area of the country with less than 10% of the national populations, so some additional work is required to make it more applicable. We’ve had freezing temps down near 20 degrees (F), so the garden is all done except for some kale I’ve been able to keep alive by covering it. It is rabbit food until the cold finally takes it.
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Question. I try to do a lot to prepare myself spiritually for hard times but I know some people don’t like to talk about spiritual issues. Does this count or would you prefer I comment only on my temporal preparedness.
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@shannon Morris would you be willing to compromise todays moral and spiritual absolutes in a time of long long term extreme crisis?
What does spiritually prepared mean to you?
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AnonymousI find that many people who are spiritual find great peace in themselves, and their world as a whole, when they are comfortable and calm in their beliefs. Some people speak openly and others don’t speak about it at all.
Spirituality, in my mind, is something that should give you peace. It can help you stay grounded during the good times and especially during the bad times. That to me would be absolutely essential in a prepping sense.
The problems, when there are any, come when someone declares that anyone who doesn’t follow their path is wrong, and therefore doomed to suffer, in whatever form that suffering comes in. Those people, in my opinion, are not spiritual in their actions.
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@shannon Morri,
I am with Namelus on this one, what is being spirtual preparedness to you?
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This week had been crazy hectic. Tuesday was talking with close family about prepping for a hard winter. That went so-so. Wednesday was talking with a friend about how to do food prep to deal with rising prices and potential shortages. Taht went well. Today is more winter prepping. We are looking at a hard winter and I am looking hard at what needs to be done in terms of what is needed in terms of heating with fire place and what needs to be done if we oose power. Most of our neighbors have wood stoves or fireplaces but not all. Communication needs to be addressed.
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Yesterday we had a very unusual early ice then snow storm come through the mid-south. Haven’t seen that happen in years, so must be an omen of this winter. On Tuesday I brought in two pregnant rabbits so they could give birth inside where it is warm. This morning my dwarf lionhead rabbit birthed 5 kits; so far all are wiggling and momma is getting some rest. Cleaned out the remaining mess and gave her fresh bedding without disturbing her newborns. The other soon-to-be mom is mad at me because I moved her from outside to inside. She is due in 6 days so hopefully she’ll adjust to her new area soon.
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I watered my tomatoes, herbs and lettuce. Read a few more pages of my survival handbook. Did some homework. Our weather has been extremely hot and humid for the week before thanksgiving, even for Florida standards. It has been incredibly gray and dry. My grass is crunchy and even some of the weeds are dying.The weather man never seems to make any mention of how unusually dry it has been. I hate the heat but my immediate family hates the cold so I try not to complain. On the plus side I can grow a garden all year long. I just wish nursing school didn’t zap all my energy. I really wanted a nice garden this year. But so far I think I may need to be satisfied with some herbs, tomatoes, and lettuce. One other success I have made is I think I have finally got my mom and step dad on board with prepping. They are growing a little garden and discussing safety strategies. Believe me when I say this is growth. I think its finally clicking for them.
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I signed up for a half marathon in April. Yes this is part of preppijng as I have some different points of view on how and where I train. I do not wear earbuds or listen to music. It is a distraction and you need to be aware of your surroundings when you run. I run out in the country so I have to watch for four legged critters and slithering critters. Those that slither are the ones I hate.
I also have two German Shepherds. I run with each of the dogs separately but also do sessions with both of them. It is great training time and I do train them for hand signals and non-verbal cues. They have both provided protecteion for me on runs. It is interesting how quickly some will back off when there is a German Shepherd making their presence know. The other thing is I know my neighbors for a ways. We do tend to know each other by our dogs, I know when someone has moved in or out, I am aware of what is growing and different elements of each season. There is also the knowledge of how I can get myself, family, and the dogs out either on foot or in a vehicle. The is a physical benefit to this as well. I work different muscles when I run. It helps in keeping me healthy both physically and mentally.
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During this month the furnace went down. We used the electric heaters. We used the kerosene heater for 12 hours to see how long it took to go through a tank. I bought used sheets to make large wash cloths for bathroom use. I added an afghan to the winter stash for the car. I read many different articles about getting prepped for winter. I started a fire pit for cooking outside. I started a greenhouse. Because of weather and our handy man’s wife being in the hospital the green house isn’t finished. I’m going to get the grills to finish the cooking pit and it will be ready to use. I changed jobs so more stress. Money is tight right now so I’m not spending much money on things I want for prepping. I did buy some emergency lights and 2 oil lamps. Took care of husband’s foot as this is an on going medical problem. So I get to practice my medical skills. I haven’t been able to check in every day with so much going on. My husband no longer drives so I take him places he needs to go when I get home from work.
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