I haven't posted for quite a while. In the past month I've had three days off. Wait! I thought this new job was going to give me more time off by working longer hours. That's true except I had a conference which was not only the work week but over my three day weekend as well. Then I taught a class up near the state capitol for two of my last three days off. Somehow, I'm working more and sleeping a lot less.
One of the pluses of all this work is I am making quite a bit more money. Since I don't have any bills other than the house I've put some away and some I've spent. I wrote about buying the Prius. It's not bad for a car, especially considering I haven't driven a car in almost 30 years. First it was a van, then a suburban, then truck. I still have the truck but it spends most of its time in the garage. Getting 50 mpg is great as long as their isn't an EMP. Then I'll be praying I'm not too far from home!
Last year I made my own solar oven. It worked pretty well. Then the glass broke. It was supposed to be safety glass but it wasn't. Little shards of glass were everywhere. I'm glad the grandkids weren't around. I'm going to built a better one. GI Jim told me about one he built. He used an old stereo cabinet. What a great idea! I just bought a real Sun Oven. It finally came today after ordering it over two weeks ago. I have not been very patient. I had never seen one up close until GI Jim had his seminar up in Prather. That one worked so much better than mine so it convinced me to buy one. After all, if I'm going to spend money on preps then I should spend it on a variety of things. I like the look of the Sun Oven. I don't know if the actual oven area is really big enough for a crowd of people or just a family. I will experiment and let you all know. Just not right now. I'm tired!
I was not happy with the packaging. It had Sun Oven written all over the box. While I know they want to get some advertising, how much advertising are they getting inside a FedEx truck? The advertising comes when it sits on my front porch waiting for me to get home or from the busted down box in the trash. Instead, I'm pissed off that they put prepping info on the outside of the box. That's not much different than some of the food storage companies whose boxes scream emergency storage supplies. Who'd want to buy from them?
Being in the car for a couple hours every day gives me the opportunity to listen to the news. First thing this morning was about people in another country getting taxed on their savings to pay for their government bailout. Makes me want to pull most of my money out of the bank. I'm not getting much interest on it anyway. I also keep hearing about how the stock market keeps reaching record highs. I don't understand this. There is nothing going on that should warrant that. A couple weeks ago, when at that time it was at a record high I pulled my money out of the stock market and put it into cash. Sure I won't be riding this wave of high earnings. At this point I really don't care. I think it's fake. I wish I was old enough to pull it all out without being gouged by huge penalties. I'd pull it out and stick it in the safe at home.
Or maybe I'd spend it all...
I went to the grocery store the other day. One of the grocers asked if I was finding everything alright. I said I was finding everything that I couldn't afford to buy. I was amazed at the high prices. I really didn't buy much of anything because I couldn't bring myself to spend my money that way. It's a good thing we have a full pantry and there's fruit on the trees. We are eating oranges and grapefruit right now. And lots of eggs. 18 very happy hens are laying way more than three people could ever dream of eating.
I also heard about a family who shuts off all their electricity every day except for their refrigerator. I like that idea. Actually, I'd prefer to keep the washing machine over the fridge. But I like my freezer.
I have some goals that must be accomplished by the end of the summer. I will have enough solar to run my necessities at the house. I will have a 3000 gallon or larger water tank in the yard and a way to fill it that doesn't include the 220 v pump. I have a small hand pump but that would be used for emergency 1 gallon a day type of living. I want something to fill the tank. I still want to get the talapia. Every time I'm in San Diego, where the one fish store sells the fingerlings, the store is out of stock. Every time! I want to get the fish. If I have to go to the Salton Sea and scoop them out myself I may end up doing that!
The raspberries are growing exactly like I planned. They have spread out and in another year or so will completely cover my brush pile. I don't know if we are going to get any raspberries this year. That's OK if we don't. I just want the plants to get big and strong.
Finally, the grandkids... I feel bad for them at the moment because they don't get enough of my time. They will starting this weekend since I'm not traveling or working weekends for the foreseeable future. Boy pulled a fast one, or so he thought. I told him if he got all As and Bs for grades and all satisfactories and outstandings for behavior I'd get him a phone. The grades he can do without much effort. He's a real smart one. The behavior, now that's a little harder. OK a lot harder. I haven't had too many complaints from the teacher lately other than missing homework assignments. Sorry, the kids are now in the after school program where they are supposed to have an hour for homework that is being supervised. I expect the homework to get done at school. If Boy doesn't do it then keep him in for recess. Whatever it takes.
Anyway, I came home from work last night right before dinner just like I normally do. Boy comes running into the dining room, report card in hand. I Get A Phone! When are we going to go get a phone? I looked at the report card. A, A, A, B, A, all looks good there. O, S, S, O, S, S, S...Wait a minute. Boy it all looks good except this S...it looks like the grade has been changed. Perhaps it was an N - needs improvement? Who changed the grade? Believe it or not, Boy actually told me he did! The truth instantly? I was shocked. Then, of course, he said it was all the teachers fault. That's my grandson. Why is it the teachers fault? You only have missing assignments from days I bring you to religious school? All the rest of the assignments are in on time? I don't believe that. "It's true," he said, "everything has been turned in on time except for that." I came up with a great idea. Since I am off on Friday I will go to your classroom and have a chat with the teacher. If you are right then I will get you a phone. If you are not telling me the truth then I will give you a spanking then and there, in front of everyone. I will not stand for you wasting my time or your teachers time. He told me that I shouldn't come to the school on Friday after all. I reminded him that every time he doesn't do his homework he's pushing that phone away. If he wants the phone then he does the work. It's not a hard goal to reach.
Oldest Grandson went into the Army this week. I got the privilege of dropping him off at the recruiters for his van ride to the airport then his first airplane ride to Ft. Sill. He will learn some wonderful skills. I'm very proud of him.
We are going to visit my brothers and sisters next week. I'm actually taking some time off work. I'm going to tell them about my new Sun Oven. Imagine baking without any wood, charcoal, electricity, or propane? It's the way of the future and a huge leap in self sufficiency.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Some tips from my Hazmat class
Way back in 2010 (seems like such a long time ago) I wrote a post about about dangerous goods and hazardous materials accidents. http://whatifitistoday.blogspot.com/2010/11/dangerous-goodshaz-mat-transportation.html Although I've changed jobs and no longer work for the state, this new job also requires Hazmat training. In class the newer guidebook (2012) was passed out. Afterward a couple of the students threw out their old, 2008, book. I was able to grab one out of the trash before it got destroyed by food waste being thrown on top of it. So now I have the 2012 at my office, and a 2008 in each vehicle and in the trailer.
The book is really valuable because it gives you the name of the material, the potential hazards including to your health, and fire or explosion. It tells you what type of protective clothing you need if you are cleaning it up and also distance and direction for evacuation, whether from spill or fire. The book provides you with information on how to put out the fire and what to do if it spills or leaks. Lastly it provides first aid directions if you breathe it or touch in.
Today I took a few notes that I thought were important from a preppers point of view. Many of us want to buy barrels. I know I do. Right now I'm using heavy duty Rubbermaid trashcans and also metal trash cans. Last weekend and GI Jim's expo he had barrels. They were only $30, which is a great price for the barrel, lid, and ring. I was reading the markings and labels on the barrels since they were used. (Markings are the stickers that have the written descriptions, Labels are the pictures and numbers) Two markings said peaches (which I thought was odd to have peaches in a 55 gallon barrel). The others didn't say what was in them. During the class we learned of three grades of barrel when used for waste products. Grade III was for general use and cost the company $42, grade II was for universal waste, and grade I was for hazardous waste. This barrel cost $165! If I want to store grain in the barrel I only need grade III.
Do I believe the markings on the barrels at GI Jim's? Jim isn't adding any labels or markings; the barrels have those on them. Look at the other markings and labels on the barrels. That can help define what was in them. I certainly wouldn't want anything hazardous to have been in them before they come into my possession. Another trick? Look to see if the letters UN (with the U on top of the N) are in a circle. If so, then it means hazardous grade and more than likely held something hazardous. Same goes with boxes if you buy or are given used corrugated boxes. Look for the UN.
Another topic of discussion was lithium batteries. You know they are in just about everything nowadays. They are in kids toys and much of my electronic gear. The lithium battery is replacing a lot of AA and AAA batteries. They are a huge problem! Since both the positive and negative poles are on the same side of the battery it is easy to accidentally catch things on fire - like your pocket! Don't get these batteries wet. The corrosive material easily comes out when wet. It will corrode whatever it touches. These things are dangerous around children. Kids are swallowing them and the corrosive materials will ooze throughout your body and eat everything in its path, including your organs.
How about that shootout in Las Vegas? The one person in the Range Rover shot the guy in the Maserati. The Maserati then ran into the taxi which exploded, killing three people. The taxi was fueled by propane. The investigation is still trying to figure out if a stray bullet exploded the tank or if the explosion was actually caused by the Maserati hitting it.
Finally, a little odd information... the cereal Kix, which is supposed to be really good for you, has TSP in it! Yes, trisodium phosphate. The stuff that you use to clean your floors and walls is in the cereal. I'm not sure why it's there. Makes me not want to keep Kix in our diet.
That's about all for tonight!
The book is really valuable because it gives you the name of the material, the potential hazards including to your health, and fire or explosion. It tells you what type of protective clothing you need if you are cleaning it up and also distance and direction for evacuation, whether from spill or fire. The book provides you with information on how to put out the fire and what to do if it spills or leaks. Lastly it provides first aid directions if you breathe it or touch in.
Today I took a few notes that I thought were important from a preppers point of view. Many of us want to buy barrels. I know I do. Right now I'm using heavy duty Rubbermaid trashcans and also metal trash cans. Last weekend and GI Jim's expo he had barrels. They were only $30, which is a great price for the barrel, lid, and ring. I was reading the markings and labels on the barrels since they were used. (Markings are the stickers that have the written descriptions, Labels are the pictures and numbers) Two markings said peaches (which I thought was odd to have peaches in a 55 gallon barrel). The others didn't say what was in them. During the class we learned of three grades of barrel when used for waste products. Grade III was for general use and cost the company $42, grade II was for universal waste, and grade I was for hazardous waste. This barrel cost $165! If I want to store grain in the barrel I only need grade III.
Do I believe the markings on the barrels at GI Jim's? Jim isn't adding any labels or markings; the barrels have those on them. Look at the other markings and labels on the barrels. That can help define what was in them. I certainly wouldn't want anything hazardous to have been in them before they come into my possession. Another trick? Look to see if the letters UN (with the U on top of the N) are in a circle. If so, then it means hazardous grade and more than likely held something hazardous. Same goes with boxes if you buy or are given used corrugated boxes. Look for the UN.
Another topic of discussion was lithium batteries. You know they are in just about everything nowadays. They are in kids toys and much of my electronic gear. The lithium battery is replacing a lot of AA and AAA batteries. They are a huge problem! Since both the positive and negative poles are on the same side of the battery it is easy to accidentally catch things on fire - like your pocket! Don't get these batteries wet. The corrosive material easily comes out when wet. It will corrode whatever it touches. These things are dangerous around children. Kids are swallowing them and the corrosive materials will ooze throughout your body and eat everything in its path, including your organs.
How about that shootout in Las Vegas? The one person in the Range Rover shot the guy in the Maserati. The Maserati then ran into the taxi which exploded, killing three people. The taxi was fueled by propane. The investigation is still trying to figure out if a stray bullet exploded the tank or if the explosion was actually caused by the Maserati hitting it.
Finally, a little odd information... the cereal Kix, which is supposed to be really good for you, has TSP in it! Yes, trisodium phosphate. The stuff that you use to clean your floors and walls is in the cereal. I'm not sure why it's there. Makes me not want to keep Kix in our diet.
That's about all for tonight!
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Today's Preparedness Expo at GI Jim's
Today we went up to Prather to learn something at the Preparedness Seminar that Jim put on. The size of the crowd varied throughout the day but ranged from 10-30 people all day long. We didn't quite get there at the very beginning of the day. We did make it for the tail-end of the first talk. It was an interesting talk about different herbs. We got to taste some of the fresh herbs. We were also able to sample some tea sweetened with Stevia leaf. My favorite was the chocolate mint, which is a mint plant with small leaves that had a chocolate minty flavor.
Several times I was asked if I had learned anything. I am happy to say that I did pick up a few tips along the way.
I liked the first tip. I'm not sure it would really save lots of space or weight but it's a great idea anyway. The presenter took out a large tube of toothpaste. This takes up lots of space and weight. True but we use the large tubes in the trailer, bugout place, and at home. The bags all have the small tubes that the dentist gives away, or you can buy them for a dollar. Sure they are a lot more expensive than the bigger tubes in cost per ounce but if you are looking for some toothpaste in a small space and weight, that's what we do. OK, back to the tip. Remember the candy that was on wax paper? Rows and rows of little sugar dots. The tip with toothpaste was to take a piece of wax paper and make little dots with the toothpaste. Then sprinkle each dot with some baking soda. Let it sit out to dry. When dry you can cut the way paper into strips and roll up your strip. Put it into a baggie and you have little toothpaste drops. They will rehydrate with water.
Jim is selling 55 gallon metal barrels with lids for $30! I brought the Prius so no barrels for me. I'll have to come back sometime in the near future with the truck.
One speaker gave a demonstration about using the seal-a-meal to seal bags and also canning jars. She gave one answer to one question and I was able to provide a response about how I do things. I think it was helpful to know that there's more than one way to do a lot of this stuff. After all, it's not just about storing things up. You need knowledge and skills - not just stuff.
Pacific Grain and Food in Fresno sells just about everything in bulk. They've been in business since 1982. How could I have never heard of them? I'm going to check them out and see how their prices are.
AMP-3 (www.amp-3.net) came in from Portland. Beth was a good speaker and spoke about not only medical supplies (her husband is a doctor) but also just some practical safety ideas. Do you have a pair of shoes, boots, or slippers (hard bottomed) right next to your bed? If you live in an earthquake prone area your #1 issue may be broken glass on the floor. So you make it through the earthquake just fine and then cut yourself all up trying to get out of your house? Just a reminder!
One of the products I bought from AMP-3 was a product called Splinter Out. It's like a small needle only it has beveled sides rather than round. It's easier to get out the splinter. I don't remember how many were in the pack, maybe eight or ten. Each one was individually wrapped to keep it sterile. It's better than a needle and not too expensive.
AMP-3 had specific activity medical kits. For example, the kit for carrying on your bike included items for cleaning up "road rash" if you take a spill. Brilliant!
Jim's son offered to bring people out on a camping survival training weekend if he can get enough people interested. He promised it wouldn't be too remote or uncomfortable, and would be a great learning experience. I don't know what the price would be but for anyone who thinks they may have to spend some time in the woods or wilderness, I'm sure it would be worth the price. For his high school senior project he spent three days in the woods with nothing but what he carried in his pockets. He built a shelter, procured his food, and made it back in one piece. He reminded us that when you are trying to figure out what you can and can't eat, if you know what a bear will eat then you can eat the same thing. If a bear is getting into certain plants (because you see it in their droppings on the trail) then find those same plants for yourself!
There was a ham radio discussion. Not lots of detail but something worth checking out in the future.
One speaker taught us how to make colloidal silver, and what it was good for. He also reminded us that Chia seeds are a great source of food. They aren't just for spreading on your Chia-pet. The Native Americans ate them. Once you know what the plant looks like it's easy to learn where you can gather. Or, just buy them from the store. Cayenne pepper will stop bleeding. Pine needle tea is a good source of vitamin C. (I'm kind of spoiled having citrus trees in the yard, but citrus doesn't grow as easily at the bug-out place.) This speaker also emptied some of his pockets and sacks. He had several knives, flashlights, a fire starter, and other interesting things in his everyday carry. Of course, his everyday carry included wearing this gear all over his body. There wasn't any hiding the fact that he is prepared for whatever may come his way.
There was a demonstration with a Sun Oven. Several pieces of meat, each about 2x6 inches and 1 1 /2 inches thick, were cooked for a few hours. The meat tasted great. There was also Thrive dehydrated and freeze dried foods. There were samples of chili, corn soup, and something else. I tried the soup and it was really good.
There was one father and son there making paracord bracelets. We didn't buy one but he still showed me how to make them. I've always made mine just braiding or what I call "quick release" chain. Now I know how to make the ones that are advertised all over the place. He said they take about 15 minutes to make and people were picking their colors of paracord and in no time at all he'd make one. I don't have his contact information or prices but if anyone is interested I can get the information for you. He had pink, purple, and all those girly colors that Girl liked. Boy like the the red, white, and blue paracord. I'd never seen that one before. I'll have to have Jim order it for me.
It was a great learning experience for the kids. I think their favorite was watching the video on using the steri-strips and also taking out slivers. Oh, I bribed them too. Be good the entire time and I'll give you each $15 to spend at the end of the day. The very end, so there's plenty of time for each of you to mess up and save me lots of money. Neither messed up. Girl bought a flashlight and also a military survival book. She had a dollar left and wanted to buy some junk food but couldn't figure out what she wanted. I told her no because her two items may have only cost $14 but with tax she went over by 50 cents. She's done buying. Boy bought a knife. This one had a secret compartment in the handle to hold matches and fishing gear. It had a little stone to sharpen the knife. It cost him (me) $12. I gave the person a $20 and she gave me $8 back. Boy then spent $2 on a fund raiser candy bar. Then I had a wonderful senior moment! Boy said he still had $6 left (after all, she had given me $8 back!) so he went to the dollar store a couple shops away from GI Jim's and bought more junk food. He walked out with a dollar and I let him keep it! What was I thinking???
Several times I was asked if I had learned anything. I am happy to say that I did pick up a few tips along the way.
I liked the first tip. I'm not sure it would really save lots of space or weight but it's a great idea anyway. The presenter took out a large tube of toothpaste. This takes up lots of space and weight. True but we use the large tubes in the trailer, bugout place, and at home. The bags all have the small tubes that the dentist gives away, or you can buy them for a dollar. Sure they are a lot more expensive than the bigger tubes in cost per ounce but if you are looking for some toothpaste in a small space and weight, that's what we do. OK, back to the tip. Remember the candy that was on wax paper? Rows and rows of little sugar dots. The tip with toothpaste was to take a piece of wax paper and make little dots with the toothpaste. Then sprinkle each dot with some baking soda. Let it sit out to dry. When dry you can cut the way paper into strips and roll up your strip. Put it into a baggie and you have little toothpaste drops. They will rehydrate with water.
Jim is selling 55 gallon metal barrels with lids for $30! I brought the Prius so no barrels for me. I'll have to come back sometime in the near future with the truck.
One speaker gave a demonstration about using the seal-a-meal to seal bags and also canning jars. She gave one answer to one question and I was able to provide a response about how I do things. I think it was helpful to know that there's more than one way to do a lot of this stuff. After all, it's not just about storing things up. You need knowledge and skills - not just stuff.
Pacific Grain and Food in Fresno sells just about everything in bulk. They've been in business since 1982. How could I have never heard of them? I'm going to check them out and see how their prices are.
AMP-3 (www.amp-3.net) came in from Portland. Beth was a good speaker and spoke about not only medical supplies (her husband is a doctor) but also just some practical safety ideas. Do you have a pair of shoes, boots, or slippers (hard bottomed) right next to your bed? If you live in an earthquake prone area your #1 issue may be broken glass on the floor. So you make it through the earthquake just fine and then cut yourself all up trying to get out of your house? Just a reminder!
One of the products I bought from AMP-3 was a product called Splinter Out. It's like a small needle only it has beveled sides rather than round. It's easier to get out the splinter. I don't remember how many were in the pack, maybe eight or ten. Each one was individually wrapped to keep it sterile. It's better than a needle and not too expensive.
AMP-3 had specific activity medical kits. For example, the kit for carrying on your bike included items for cleaning up "road rash" if you take a spill. Brilliant!
Jim's son offered to bring people out on a camping survival training weekend if he can get enough people interested. He promised it wouldn't be too remote or uncomfortable, and would be a great learning experience. I don't know what the price would be but for anyone who thinks they may have to spend some time in the woods or wilderness, I'm sure it would be worth the price. For his high school senior project he spent three days in the woods with nothing but what he carried in his pockets. He built a shelter, procured his food, and made it back in one piece. He reminded us that when you are trying to figure out what you can and can't eat, if you know what a bear will eat then you can eat the same thing. If a bear is getting into certain plants (because you see it in their droppings on the trail) then find those same plants for yourself!
There was a ham radio discussion. Not lots of detail but something worth checking out in the future.
One speaker taught us how to make colloidal silver, and what it was good for. He also reminded us that Chia seeds are a great source of food. They aren't just for spreading on your Chia-pet. The Native Americans ate them. Once you know what the plant looks like it's easy to learn where you can gather. Or, just buy them from the store. Cayenne pepper will stop bleeding. Pine needle tea is a good source of vitamin C. (I'm kind of spoiled having citrus trees in the yard, but citrus doesn't grow as easily at the bug-out place.) This speaker also emptied some of his pockets and sacks. He had several knives, flashlights, a fire starter, and other interesting things in his everyday carry. Of course, his everyday carry included wearing this gear all over his body. There wasn't any hiding the fact that he is prepared for whatever may come his way.
There was a demonstration with a Sun Oven. Several pieces of meat, each about 2x6 inches and 1 1 /2 inches thick, were cooked for a few hours. The meat tasted great. There was also Thrive dehydrated and freeze dried foods. There were samples of chili, corn soup, and something else. I tried the soup and it was really good.
There was one father and son there making paracord bracelets. We didn't buy one but he still showed me how to make them. I've always made mine just braiding or what I call "quick release" chain. Now I know how to make the ones that are advertised all over the place. He said they take about 15 minutes to make and people were picking their colors of paracord and in no time at all he'd make one. I don't have his contact information or prices but if anyone is interested I can get the information for you. He had pink, purple, and all those girly colors that Girl liked. Boy like the the red, white, and blue paracord. I'd never seen that one before. I'll have to have Jim order it for me.
It was a great learning experience for the kids. I think their favorite was watching the video on using the steri-strips and also taking out slivers. Oh, I bribed them too. Be good the entire time and I'll give you each $15 to spend at the end of the day. The very end, so there's plenty of time for each of you to mess up and save me lots of money. Neither messed up. Girl bought a flashlight and also a military survival book. She had a dollar left and wanted to buy some junk food but couldn't figure out what she wanted. I told her no because her two items may have only cost $14 but with tax she went over by 50 cents. She's done buying. Boy bought a knife. This one had a secret compartment in the handle to hold matches and fishing gear. It had a little stone to sharpen the knife. It cost him (me) $12. I gave the person a $20 and she gave me $8 back. Boy then spent $2 on a fund raiser candy bar. Then I had a wonderful senior moment! Boy said he still had $6 left (after all, she had given me $8 back!) so he went to the dollar store a couple shops away from GI Jim's and bought more junk food. He walked out with a dollar and I let him keep it! What was I thinking???
Friday, March 1, 2013
Interesting day at the Home Show
The city had a huge home show at the fairgrounds. I got there right when the gates opened. Having a list of things I wanted information about and also just to be a looki-loo with things I could never afford, I was hoping that the day would be successful. It was mostly a dud.
There were some good products that I'd be interested in having in my home. The first was a solar attic fan. You remove a couple of tiles from the roof and put this thing in. It runs on a thermostat so whenever the attic gets over 100+ degrees the solar powered fan opens up and pulls the hot air out of the attic. Each fan would cover about 1200 square feet. The cost at the show? $650 installed. I wonder how much it would cost at the store and I install it myself? I will check into it since it's a good product.
I want a sunroom in the front of the house. I tried to make my own this winter using heavy plastic. It worked but looked absolutely horrible. We had a heavy wind and it torn all the plastic down. But, it convinced me that I do want something permanent. I stopped by half a dozen booths that sold patio covers and sun rooms. We will see how many call me to set up a consultation.
They had some really nice looking yard art. I like metal decorations that rust out in the yard. Some of the prices were fantastic. When I looked behind their displays they all had boxes and boxes of this stuff and it all came from China. No. I may buy a necessity from China if I can't get the same product made somewhere else but I will not buy chachka (useless crap) from China. I don't need it at all, even if the prices were cheap. I would rather buy something like that from the guy down the road who makes it all in his garage, even if the price is more.
They had dozens of solar companies with displays. Only one wasn't interested in talking to me due to my low monthly electric bill. The rest said that they could install either grid tied or off grid. I wonder if they could do both? Run the house on the batteries and when the batteries drain down and the solar can't keep up to go onto the grid until the batteries charge back up. It would be a lot of manual switching back and forth but it would be well worth it. I'll be asking lots of questions if any of the companies get back to me.
They had several different nurseries there. H&E is having a citrus tasting next weekend. That way you can taste the different types of fruit and pick the tree that you like. There are many different oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit, kumquat, etc. Have you ever done a side by side comparison? I haven't. It sounds like a great way to promote your trees. Unfortunately for me I will be out of town next weekend. I was told that my lime trees keep dying because they are being planted in too wet of soil. The clay soil around here gets saturated during winter and just doesn't dry out. I need to add some extra sand to the soil when I plant the lime and also plant it in a high spot rather than where I was planting it, which was in an area that got some runoff from the cement patio. Good tip and I'll try to get in to purchase another lime tree.
They had the usual set of pots and pans, only 5 times the price if you bought it at the store. Same with the vacuums. Want a knife? Never dulls! Watch as the sellers cuts tomato after tomato. How about samples of balsamic vinegar and flavored oils? The vinegar came straight from Italy and was over 25 years old! It cost more than a decent bottle of wine at about $20 for 16 oz. The oil was a mix of grape, olive, and sunflower with garlic, lemon, lime, and coconut as some of the flavors. Or was it coconut vinegar? I can't remember. There were interesting flavors of oil but would I want to buy 4 bottles for only $100? It came with a nice cardboard holder.
My favorites were the outdoor kitchens. For only $25,000 you can have a better looking kitchen outside than inside. I just want something that I can use for canning during the summer so I don't heat up the house. If I had a spare $25,000 I'd be thinking about this. I will never have a spare $25,000, but it was fun to look.
I'm looking for some decent screen security doors. I've found some on line with Home Depot for about $175 each. The expensive ones are around $800. The Home Show had the $800 kind; none of the cheaper ones, so I guess I'll be buying them from Home Depot.
I was surprised that Fresno Rack and Shelving wasn't there. They sell a great product, where you can custom order your heavy duty shelving to the width, length, and height that you need. Didn't matter though since I don't need any more shelving.
There was one hydroponics vendor. Their design had the water on the bottom and then what looked like 12" PVC pipe about 4 feet high. There were little pockets in the pipe where you stick your plants. The water would cycle on every 15 minutes and water the roots. It seems like a nice idea for someone that's older and can't bend over to garden. I asked if they had a solar version (although this wouldn't work at night) and they said no. I just wonder how much it costs in electricity to keep the thing running all the time?
Someone was selling his version of a trellis. He had a metal pipe laying on its side and hanging from hooks up at the top of a fascia board with holes drilled every six inches or so. He had another metal pipe with holes drilled in that was propped up about 6 inches about a raised planter. The wires were gridded rather than just straight. It was a good idea. (Picture in your mind a metal clothesline with the wires crisscrossed rather than straight across, and then hung up on your house) It was really heavy duty with the metal. It would hold up some nice heavy plants (I was thinking espalier fruit trees) but whatever it was hanging from would have to be able to hold up all that weight.
There were lots of food vendors. Most of it didn't even smell good. I guess I'm getting too old to think that greasy corn dogs and fries smell good. I didn't buy anything. In fact, other than the $5.00 I spent on parking I didn't spend any money. Someone was giving away extra tickets so I didn't even have to buy a ticket.
There were some good products that I'd be interested in having in my home. The first was a solar attic fan. You remove a couple of tiles from the roof and put this thing in. It runs on a thermostat so whenever the attic gets over 100+ degrees the solar powered fan opens up and pulls the hot air out of the attic. Each fan would cover about 1200 square feet. The cost at the show? $650 installed. I wonder how much it would cost at the store and I install it myself? I will check into it since it's a good product.
I want a sunroom in the front of the house. I tried to make my own this winter using heavy plastic. It worked but looked absolutely horrible. We had a heavy wind and it torn all the plastic down. But, it convinced me that I do want something permanent. I stopped by half a dozen booths that sold patio covers and sun rooms. We will see how many call me to set up a consultation.
They had some really nice looking yard art. I like metal decorations that rust out in the yard. Some of the prices were fantastic. When I looked behind their displays they all had boxes and boxes of this stuff and it all came from China. No. I may buy a necessity from China if I can't get the same product made somewhere else but I will not buy chachka (useless crap) from China. I don't need it at all, even if the prices were cheap. I would rather buy something like that from the guy down the road who makes it all in his garage, even if the price is more.
They had dozens of solar companies with displays. Only one wasn't interested in talking to me due to my low monthly electric bill. The rest said that they could install either grid tied or off grid. I wonder if they could do both? Run the house on the batteries and when the batteries drain down and the solar can't keep up to go onto the grid until the batteries charge back up. It would be a lot of manual switching back and forth but it would be well worth it. I'll be asking lots of questions if any of the companies get back to me.
They had several different nurseries there. H&E is having a citrus tasting next weekend. That way you can taste the different types of fruit and pick the tree that you like. There are many different oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit, kumquat, etc. Have you ever done a side by side comparison? I haven't. It sounds like a great way to promote your trees. Unfortunately for me I will be out of town next weekend. I was told that my lime trees keep dying because they are being planted in too wet of soil. The clay soil around here gets saturated during winter and just doesn't dry out. I need to add some extra sand to the soil when I plant the lime and also plant it in a high spot rather than where I was planting it, which was in an area that got some runoff from the cement patio. Good tip and I'll try to get in to purchase another lime tree.
They had the usual set of pots and pans, only 5 times the price if you bought it at the store. Same with the vacuums. Want a knife? Never dulls! Watch as the sellers cuts tomato after tomato. How about samples of balsamic vinegar and flavored oils? The vinegar came straight from Italy and was over 25 years old! It cost more than a decent bottle of wine at about $20 for 16 oz. The oil was a mix of grape, olive, and sunflower with garlic, lemon, lime, and coconut as some of the flavors. Or was it coconut vinegar? I can't remember. There were interesting flavors of oil but would I want to buy 4 bottles for only $100? It came with a nice cardboard holder.
My favorites were the outdoor kitchens. For only $25,000 you can have a better looking kitchen outside than inside. I just want something that I can use for canning during the summer so I don't heat up the house. If I had a spare $25,000 I'd be thinking about this. I will never have a spare $25,000, but it was fun to look.
I'm looking for some decent screen security doors. I've found some on line with Home Depot for about $175 each. The expensive ones are around $800. The Home Show had the $800 kind; none of the cheaper ones, so I guess I'll be buying them from Home Depot.
I was surprised that Fresno Rack and Shelving wasn't there. They sell a great product, where you can custom order your heavy duty shelving to the width, length, and height that you need. Didn't matter though since I don't need any more shelving.
There was one hydroponics vendor. Their design had the water on the bottom and then what looked like 12" PVC pipe about 4 feet high. There were little pockets in the pipe where you stick your plants. The water would cycle on every 15 minutes and water the roots. It seems like a nice idea for someone that's older and can't bend over to garden. I asked if they had a solar version (although this wouldn't work at night) and they said no. I just wonder how much it costs in electricity to keep the thing running all the time?
Someone was selling his version of a trellis. He had a metal pipe laying on its side and hanging from hooks up at the top of a fascia board with holes drilled every six inches or so. He had another metal pipe with holes drilled in that was propped up about 6 inches about a raised planter. The wires were gridded rather than just straight. It was a good idea. (Picture in your mind a metal clothesline with the wires crisscrossed rather than straight across, and then hung up on your house) It was really heavy duty with the metal. It would hold up some nice heavy plants (I was thinking espalier fruit trees) but whatever it was hanging from would have to be able to hold up all that weight.
There were lots of food vendors. Most of it didn't even smell good. I guess I'm getting too old to think that greasy corn dogs and fries smell good. I didn't buy anything. In fact, other than the $5.00 I spent on parking I didn't spend any money. Someone was giving away extra tickets so I didn't even have to buy a ticket.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Preparedness Happenings This Weekend
This Friday-Sunday is the local home and garden show. I'll be going on Friday to see if they have anything that I can use for prepping. I assume they will have solar dealers, greenhouses, new garden tools, and who know what. I haven't gone to a home and garden show in many years. From what I remember last time I went there were hundreds of dealers trying to sell you a bunch of things you don't need for a very high price. I do remember that I wanted to put in the iron gate and fence. I guess I wasn't dressed well enough or didn't use the right terminology because I remember getting laughed at when I inquired about one at several gate and fencing exhibits. I remember one dealer telling me that it would cost too much for me. Really? Did he have any idea what my budget was? He never asked. I also had asked for some estimates with other things, that I can't remember anymore. Nobody ever responded. So I'll get ideas and maybe nothing else.
That will work for me because on Saturday I'm going to head up to Prather to go to GI Jim's First Annual Preparedness Symposium. It looks good enough to stay all day. Maybe I will. Here's the flyer:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr79O6saJEqx-m14wov4snw5AGRjMiyIQvf4InVzt6HPVTAeOOKaZNKcxTxyv8zyjtpyg-nf0K1Mnht18C0gIOJ4ib4H0Gh54k1nRhPyKz8NP0H6IISa9Pv_lUHRTRCG7F5W4QtRwZVd0/s1600/Preparedness+Flyer.png The weather will be nice although Jim said that it would go on rain or shine. I'm glad it will be shine and 70!
With these two items on my schedule it looks like Sunday will be the day to get things done around here. I'm still going through things in the garage and trying to get rid of stuff that I know won't be needed in the future. Having a 1250 square foot garage plus a barn that is bigger than that means lots of stuff gets dumped off here by my grown kids and also kept by me. My cousins in New York hired someone to empty out their house. They said it was overflowing and this person came in and charged lots of money and went through their things and emptied out much of the house. The problem with that would be what I consider preps most other people would consider too much extra and get rid of it!
Instead I'm getting rid of more kids clothes and baby items, toys (especially all those horrid electronic noise making baby toys), and a bunch of stuff that I won't use anymore. How many jello molds does one need? I know how many canning jars I need (as many as I can get my hands on!). Of course I need 6 shovels and 3 hoes! Doesn't everyone? Do we need the broken swing that may someday get repaired? No. If I'm not going to repair it I'm going to get rid of it. My favorite thing that I'm getting rid of this weekend? The broken vaccuum cleaner. I have no carpet in my house. One rug. I have a great shop vac. Why do I need a vaccum cleaner that hardly worked when it did work? It's already in the back of the pickup! With the good weather I'm actually looking forward to cleaning out the garage!
That will work for me because on Saturday I'm going to head up to Prather to go to GI Jim's First Annual Preparedness Symposium. It looks good enough to stay all day. Maybe I will. Here's the flyer:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr79O6saJEqx-m14wov4snw5AGRjMiyIQvf4InVzt6HPVTAeOOKaZNKcxTxyv8zyjtpyg-nf0K1Mnht18C0gIOJ4ib4H0Gh54k1nRhPyKz8NP0H6IISa9Pv_lUHRTRCG7F5W4QtRwZVd0/s1600/Preparedness+Flyer.png The weather will be nice although Jim said that it would go on rain or shine. I'm glad it will be shine and 70!
With these two items on my schedule it looks like Sunday will be the day to get things done around here. I'm still going through things in the garage and trying to get rid of stuff that I know won't be needed in the future. Having a 1250 square foot garage plus a barn that is bigger than that means lots of stuff gets dumped off here by my grown kids and also kept by me. My cousins in New York hired someone to empty out their house. They said it was overflowing and this person came in and charged lots of money and went through their things and emptied out much of the house. The problem with that would be what I consider preps most other people would consider too much extra and get rid of it!
Instead I'm getting rid of more kids clothes and baby items, toys (especially all those horrid electronic noise making baby toys), and a bunch of stuff that I won't use anymore. How many jello molds does one need? I know how many canning jars I need (as many as I can get my hands on!). Of course I need 6 shovels and 3 hoes! Doesn't everyone? Do we need the broken swing that may someday get repaired? No. If I'm not going to repair it I'm going to get rid of it. My favorite thing that I'm getting rid of this weekend? The broken vaccuum cleaner. I have no carpet in my house. One rug. I have a great shop vac. Why do I need a vaccum cleaner that hardly worked when it did work? It's already in the back of the pickup! With the good weather I'm actually looking forward to cleaning out the garage!
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Kids and hunting
Today we had a family outing and Girl asked if she could bring a friend along. Sure since the two of you are getting along at this moment in time. Girls...one week they are best friends and the next week they aren't speaking to each other!
I am fascinated by this little girl. The stories she tells! When I first met her I didn't pay much attention because it seemed like she was making this stuff up. A pig hunt one weekend. A bear hunt another. Fishing the next and deer the next weekend. Then I brought Girl over to this girl's house. The walls of the house are lined with trophy mounts of just about every type of game and bird imaginable.
Today she was telling us how she can't wait for June. She will turn 12 and will legally be allowed to hunt. She was explaining to Girl the different rifles she owns. Then she brought up the ammunition shortage. Wow, this is coming out of an 11 year old girl? She said that she's lucky because an aunt of hers is a Walmart manager and her parents get told when they get in a shipment of ammo. Nice.
I asked her how big of a freezer they have. She said they have two big freezers at her house plus most of their relatives have freezers too. She said she helps make jerky, sausage, ham, and her parents and grandparents also can some of the meat.
The friend was telling us about her last camping trip. She brought another school classmate with her. They went fishing and ate their catch for breakfast. They threw the bones into the fire. I want Girl to hang around this friend. Perhaps they can go fishing this summer at the pond across the road from our house. Girl doesn't mind catching fish but doesn't like cleaning them. That's not acceptable. I make her clean at least one of her fish when we going fishing! Perhaps her friend can convince her to like it.
I'm not a hunter. I shoot rabbits and squirrels in the yard. That's about all I hunt. I raise meat - lamb, goat, chicken, and when the kids were younger a steer. I've butchered our animals. I'd prefer someone else to butcher them but I will do it myself if I have to. I don't mind cutting the carcass up into steaks, roasts, and other cuts.
I have gone hunting before and am not adverse to it. I do not insist on "fair" hunting; I think this new California rule about not using dogs when you hunt bears in just dangerous and wrong. In fact, we are putting out a salt lick and also throwing out some grain near the bug-out place. Sure I'd like to keep a good fence around fruit trees but how about having some of the trees accessible to the larger critters? Keep the trash locked up? Sure that will deter bears, but if TSHTF, I'd be encouraging the bears to come and rummage through the trash and also to eat the apples off the trees. Let them come to me rather than me tracking them.
I am fascinated by this little girl. The stories she tells! When I first met her I didn't pay much attention because it seemed like she was making this stuff up. A pig hunt one weekend. A bear hunt another. Fishing the next and deer the next weekend. Then I brought Girl over to this girl's house. The walls of the house are lined with trophy mounts of just about every type of game and bird imaginable.
Today she was telling us how she can't wait for June. She will turn 12 and will legally be allowed to hunt. She was explaining to Girl the different rifles she owns. Then she brought up the ammunition shortage. Wow, this is coming out of an 11 year old girl? She said that she's lucky because an aunt of hers is a Walmart manager and her parents get told when they get in a shipment of ammo. Nice.
I asked her how big of a freezer they have. She said they have two big freezers at her house plus most of their relatives have freezers too. She said she helps make jerky, sausage, ham, and her parents and grandparents also can some of the meat.
The friend was telling us about her last camping trip. She brought another school classmate with her. They went fishing and ate their catch for breakfast. They threw the bones into the fire. I want Girl to hang around this friend. Perhaps they can go fishing this summer at the pond across the road from our house. Girl doesn't mind catching fish but doesn't like cleaning them. That's not acceptable. I make her clean at least one of her fish when we going fishing! Perhaps her friend can convince her to like it.
I'm not a hunter. I shoot rabbits and squirrels in the yard. That's about all I hunt. I raise meat - lamb, goat, chicken, and when the kids were younger a steer. I've butchered our animals. I'd prefer someone else to butcher them but I will do it myself if I have to. I don't mind cutting the carcass up into steaks, roasts, and other cuts.
I have gone hunting before and am not adverse to it. I do not insist on "fair" hunting; I think this new California rule about not using dogs when you hunt bears in just dangerous and wrong. In fact, we are putting out a salt lick and also throwing out some grain near the bug-out place. Sure I'd like to keep a good fence around fruit trees but how about having some of the trees accessible to the larger critters? Keep the trash locked up? Sure that will deter bears, but if TSHTF, I'd be encouraging the bears to come and rummage through the trash and also to eat the apples off the trees. Let them come to me rather than me tracking them.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
More on where you can and can't carry in California
It snowed this morning on the way to work. I was driving slow. Never drive faster than the speed you want to crash at. That doesn't make sense for normal everyday driving but on snow and ice on twisting mountain roads, it's something I take to heart. Especially since I'm new to driving on ice and snow. Every mile or so there's a marked turnout off the road for slowpokes like me to pull out of other people's way. I usually end up pulling over three or four times each day. Not a problem. It takes an hour and fifteen minutes when I go fast and an hour and a half when I go slow. Today I was going slow. There was patchy fog to go along with the ice. As I was driving up one stretch a truck was coming up from behind so I pulled over into the turnout lane. The truck swerved a little just to make sure it missed me. As it did so, it hit a patch of ice. The driver tried to straighten the truck out. I was impressed. Unfortunately the driving tactics didn't work. The truck went off the road and into a snowbank. Fortunately it didn't hit any trees. I pulled up a little, parked in front of the truck in a safe spot off the road and got out. I walked up to the truck and realized it was someone from my office. My first responder background kicked in. Checked her out, and her two year old that was strapped into the car seat. All was well. She called for a tow. A highway worker showed up and started to call it in. I told him an ambulance wasn't needed just the tow. I took the baby with me and headed to the office. No sense in having the baby out in 25 degree weather with just his pj's on. The babysitter met me at the office so I didn't have the baby with me all day.
At my new job they stated in our initial training that company policy does not allow weapons (guns, since I've seen tons of pocket knives). I heard the story about one employee who brought a gun to work, had it in his vehicle, and then at lunch time brought it out for all to see. He and a couple other guys were admiring it when the employee decided to shoot it. Now they were in the middle of nowhere, against the side of a hill. He did not act in a reckless manner in any way, at least legally. He got fired after lunch.
My new employer had an incident a year or two ago where a fired employee walked into the office and shot and killed several people. It wasn't my office, or anywhere near my office. This is a very large, international company. What's the security like in my office? There isn't any. Anyone can walk in or out. Anyone can walk down the hall, up or down stairs. Many of the buildings have national security interests. And, other than some interior rooms with locked doors, just about anyone could enter and walk around. It's amazing to me that they have such terrible security. You are supposed to sign in on an unmanned log book. There aren't cameras. Now that's comforting.
So I carry. Every day. It's not against the law. It's against the rules so I could get fired. While researching exactly where you can and can't carry, one of the topics that was brought up at my old job was carrying on school grounds. We have these gun-free zones here in California. Read the law! (636.9(l))- (l)This section does not apply to a ... person holding a valid license to carry the firearm pursuant to Article 3 (commencing with Section 12050) of Chapter 1 of Title 2 of Part 4. Section 12050 was changed to 26150 in case you try to look up 12050. If you have a concealed weapons permit you CAN carry in the school. Did you know that? Most don't realize that! I always do carry when I go pick up the grand kids or meet with their teachers. I know it isn't against the law.
So who can't carry at the school even though they may have the permit? A teacher, employee, or student! Why? Because that's in the school rules. The teacher, employee, or student with a valid CCW permit can carry. They'll just get fired or suspended if caught. So I guess it's up to that teacher or employee as to whether they want to get fired. They won't go to jail. It's not illegal.
I work closely with about 10 people at this new job. When you are thrown together you get to know people, or at least as much as they want to reveal. When I went through the new employee orientation part of the training was to tattle on any employee who spent too much time focusing on bad things...like weapons. So no joking about guns, and very little talk about guns. This is very different than my state job since many people there were Post graduated. Here, every once in a while in a one-on-one situation things come up. There's one employee who owns a few weapons and has thought about carrying as he rides his motorcycle across country on his vacations. In a private moment I told him to consider getting a concealed weapons permit from Arizona or Utah or both. It's not too expensive. You then can carry on most of your trip. Just stay out of Illinois!!! Only the criminals are allowed to have handguns there.
I did tell him that I have taken training and he should think about doing so. You can get a good instructor for several hours for $100. That may seem like a lot of money to some but it's so well worth the money spent to get excellent training that focuses strictly on you. I also told him about the process for a California permit. If he used his brain he could probably assume that I have more than one permit. But I will never admit to that. I will never admit to carrying at the office. That could get me fired and I would still like to work for a few more years.
There's an interesting website called http://www.handgunlaw.us/ . I clicked on California and was fascinated by some of their interpretation of the laws. It made a lot of sense.
At my new job they stated in our initial training that company policy does not allow weapons (guns, since I've seen tons of pocket knives). I heard the story about one employee who brought a gun to work, had it in his vehicle, and then at lunch time brought it out for all to see. He and a couple other guys were admiring it when the employee decided to shoot it. Now they were in the middle of nowhere, against the side of a hill. He did not act in a reckless manner in any way, at least legally. He got fired after lunch.
My new employer had an incident a year or two ago where a fired employee walked into the office and shot and killed several people. It wasn't my office, or anywhere near my office. This is a very large, international company. What's the security like in my office? There isn't any. Anyone can walk in or out. Anyone can walk down the hall, up or down stairs. Many of the buildings have national security interests. And, other than some interior rooms with locked doors, just about anyone could enter and walk around. It's amazing to me that they have such terrible security. You are supposed to sign in on an unmanned log book. There aren't cameras. Now that's comforting.
So I carry. Every day. It's not against the law. It's against the rules so I could get fired. While researching exactly where you can and can't carry, one of the topics that was brought up at my old job was carrying on school grounds. We have these gun-free zones here in California. Read the law! (636.9(l))- (l)This section does not apply to a ... person holding a valid license to carry the firearm pursuant to Article 3 (commencing with Section 12050) of Chapter 1 of Title 2 of Part 4. Section 12050 was changed to 26150 in case you try to look up 12050. If you have a concealed weapons permit you CAN carry in the school. Did you know that? Most don't realize that! I always do carry when I go pick up the grand kids or meet with their teachers. I know it isn't against the law.
So who can't carry at the school even though they may have the permit? A teacher, employee, or student! Why? Because that's in the school rules. The teacher, employee, or student with a valid CCW permit can carry. They'll just get fired or suspended if caught. So I guess it's up to that teacher or employee as to whether they want to get fired. They won't go to jail. It's not illegal.
I work closely with about 10 people at this new job. When you are thrown together you get to know people, or at least as much as they want to reveal. When I went through the new employee orientation part of the training was to tattle on any employee who spent too much time focusing on bad things...like weapons. So no joking about guns, and very little talk about guns. This is very different than my state job since many people there were Post graduated. Here, every once in a while in a one-on-one situation things come up. There's one employee who owns a few weapons and has thought about carrying as he rides his motorcycle across country on his vacations. In a private moment I told him to consider getting a concealed weapons permit from Arizona or Utah or both. It's not too expensive. You then can carry on most of your trip. Just stay out of Illinois!!! Only the criminals are allowed to have handguns there.
I did tell him that I have taken training and he should think about doing so. You can get a good instructor for several hours for $100. That may seem like a lot of money to some but it's so well worth the money spent to get excellent training that focuses strictly on you. I also told him about the process for a California permit. If he used his brain he could probably assume that I have more than one permit. But I will never admit to that. I will never admit to carrying at the office. That could get me fired and I would still like to work for a few more years.
There's an interesting website called http://www.handgunlaw.us/ . I clicked on California and was fascinated by some of their interpretation of the laws. It made a lot of sense.
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