Blessings Darlings!
Back in May I posted about eating weeds, and how bitter some of them are. And WAY back, when I reviewed the Hunger Games books, I posted about how the author had clearly never eaten the dandelions she had her characters eat and enjoy. And folks in Pagan groups online seem to post ALL THE TIME about edible wild plants - "And the seeds of plantain and etc can be ground into flour and cooked and eaten!"
Well, yeah, they can be. But the odds are you aren't going to enjoy eating them. That we know that they can be eaten is not a celebration of edible weeds so much as a commentary on how desperate folks have been in the past, by folks who are NOT desperate, and have never eaten them, today.
Yes, for us preppers and, probably, for us pagans it's important to know options that you have. But that has to be coupled by having actually DONE the things you are telling others can be done. Armchair knowledge without experience is 99% useless.
I LIKE bitter foods, and can't eat most wild greens without 1 - only harvesting the youngest leaves; 2 - soaking them in several changes of CLEAN water before cooking 3 - cooking them; 4 - mixing the with other foods to help hide the bitterness. My husband does NOT like bitter foods - if I was to assume that, in time of Great Need, I could feed him them, and I'd find out right quick that he'd ot be able to choke them down. And a friend HAS gathered and ground seeds from plantain, cooked it, and found it pretty much inedible.
"Intellectually knowing" that something can be done, "Intellectually knowing' how to do something, is not at all the same as having done it. This is both a prepper and an occult fact.
Put down the book. Turn off the internet. Go out there and DO SOMETHING.
Frondly, Fern
Showing posts with label preparedness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label preparedness. Show all posts
Sunday, July 26, 2015
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Before First Aid
Blessings Darlings!
Today I saw a FaceBook post from a friend. He's teaching first aid, and wanted to know what to teach along with that. This is my reply ....
About a decade ago, my boss collapsed - Atrial Fibrillation. It took 18 minutes for the EMTs to arrive (that's a story for a different time). One of my coworkers was a volunteer firefighter, had spent the past year and a half I'd worked with her claiming how ready she was to deal with anything.
That coworker froze. I, along with a woman from the loan office housed next to ours, did CPR and kept the boss going until the EMTs got there and defib'd her.
Why did the 'trained' person fail, while I could function (even tho' my CPR training had been two decades earlier)? Because in ALL things I didn't procrastinate, instead my habit was to deal with problems as them came up (and try to head them off, of course, but that, too, is a story for a different day. OTOH, my coworker was the youngest child of many, and her siblings would usually step in to 'help' her if she was slow in doing things, or her boyfriend would handle unpleasant things, etc.
Cultivating the habit of handling problems (that you failed to prevent) as they happen, so you don't freeze and act out the habit of putting things off and having others handle them, is to me the most important thing to learn along with the skills involved in first aid.
Frondly, Fern
Today I saw a FaceBook post from a friend. He's teaching first aid, and wanted to know what to teach along with that. This is my reply ....
About a decade ago, my boss collapsed - Atrial Fibrillation. It took 18 minutes for the EMTs to arrive (that's a story for a different time). One of my coworkers was a volunteer firefighter, had spent the past year and a half I'd worked with her claiming how ready she was to deal with anything.
That coworker froze. I, along with a woman from the loan office housed next to ours, did CPR and kept the boss going until the EMTs got there and defib'd her.
Why did the 'trained' person fail, while I could function (even tho' my CPR training had been two decades earlier)? Because in ALL things I didn't procrastinate, instead my habit was to deal with problems as them came up (and try to head them off, of course, but that, too, is a story for a different day. OTOH, my coworker was the youngest child of many, and her siblings would usually step in to 'help' her if she was slow in doing things, or her boyfriend would handle unpleasant things, etc.
Cultivating the habit of handling problems (that you failed to prevent) as they happen, so you don't freeze and act out the habit of putting things off and having others handle them, is to me the most important thing to learn along with the skills involved in first aid.
Frondly, Fern
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Put On Your Big Girl Panties.
Blessings Darlings!
I have typed that phrase, "Blessings Darlings", in almost 500 posts now. It's not that I'm blessing you, you know - it's more like the Irish concept of "Catch the Blessings Already Sent Your Way."
But it's becoming more and more apparent that what my view of a 'blessed state of being' is is different from how others see it. And we differ primarily in the role of the God/dess/es in achieving that state.
I see being blessed as being an adult, handling the every day events of life yourself. Many every day events of life are great - birthdays, graduations, getting jobs, etc. Some aren't great - deaths and diseases, money issues, etc.
Being blessed, to me, is being able and WILLING to handle those things yourself. Get a splinter? Remove it (yes, own tweezers, and face the discomfort, and get it done), wash the area, maybe slap on some antibiotic ointment and a band-aid, and go one with life. No need to ask anyone else for tweezers you don't have and get your body fluids on their stuff, no need to get paranoid and make offerings to the God/dess of your choice that you don't get an infections. And I DO assume your tetanus shots are up to date. Because as a functional adult, you should be able to handle this.
So, too, most aspects of, say, storms. You'll have homeowners insurance, flood insurance if necessary, know where you can evacuate to if needed, have the sense to get out in time to get to where you can evacuate to, etc.
Others don't seems to see things the way I do. They can't start their day without checking Tarot or some other form of divination to see what's going to happen. They start their day asking for peace and protection, rather than for the strength and ability to handle what happens. And, yeah, they've been doing this for so long that they do NOT have any personal strength, no personal flexibility, no ability to handle things. And no skills at first aid.
Functionally, they've been asking the Gods TO MAKE THEM INTO INFANTS, totally dependent on the God/dess/es and others.
Fuck that bullshit.
How about asking the Gods to send what you need to grow strong, wise, and experienced. Ask them to send you challenges that will, over time, push you to learn new things.
In other words - ask to grow up, while you work on growing up yourself.
And, if you have to pull that Tarot card/set every day ... pull the cards in the morning, but don't look at them then. Look at them in the evening, to see what you should have learned from the day.
Frondly, Fern
I have typed that phrase, "Blessings Darlings", in almost 500 posts now. It's not that I'm blessing you, you know - it's more like the Irish concept of "Catch the Blessings Already Sent Your Way."
But it's becoming more and more apparent that what my view of a 'blessed state of being' is is different from how others see it. And we differ primarily in the role of the God/dess/es in achieving that state.
I see being blessed as being an adult, handling the every day events of life yourself. Many every day events of life are great - birthdays, graduations, getting jobs, etc. Some aren't great - deaths and diseases, money issues, etc.
Being blessed, to me, is being able and WILLING to handle those things yourself. Get a splinter? Remove it (yes, own tweezers, and face the discomfort, and get it done), wash the area, maybe slap on some antibiotic ointment and a band-aid, and go one with life. No need to ask anyone else for tweezers you don't have and get your body fluids on their stuff, no need to get paranoid and make offerings to the God/dess of your choice that you don't get an infections. And I DO assume your tetanus shots are up to date. Because as a functional adult, you should be able to handle this.
So, too, most aspects of, say, storms. You'll have homeowners insurance, flood insurance if necessary, know where you can evacuate to if needed, have the sense to get out in time to get to where you can evacuate to, etc.
Others don't seems to see things the way I do. They can't start their day without checking Tarot or some other form of divination to see what's going to happen. They start their day asking for peace and protection, rather than for the strength and ability to handle what happens. And, yeah, they've been doing this for so long that they do NOT have any personal strength, no personal flexibility, no ability to handle things. And no skills at first aid.
Functionally, they've been asking the Gods TO MAKE THEM INTO INFANTS, totally dependent on the God/dess/es and others.
Fuck that bullshit.
How about asking the Gods to send what you need to grow strong, wise, and experienced. Ask them to send you challenges that will, over time, push you to learn new things.
In other words - ask to grow up, while you work on growing up yourself.
And, if you have to pull that Tarot card/set every day ... pull the cards in the morning, but don't look at them then. Look at them in the evening, to see what you should have learned from the day.
Frondly, Fern
Monday, February 11, 2013
Hoping for Mud Season
Blessings, Darlings!
I mentioned "mud season" in last week's Imbolc post. For those of you with lawns rather than pasture areas, let me explain this a bit. Mud is what you get when you combine pastures with animals (especially hooved animals) with rain. Mud season is when you have a spring with normal rains.
Unfortunately, most of the US (and a goodly part of the rest of the world) hasn't been having normal mud seasons. The serious drought continues across the US. Worldwide, humans used more wheat than we harvested (and in the the US, most of the wheat is winter wheat, which relies on spring rains, rather than winter wheat which relies on summer rains).
While the area I'm in isn't having a current drought problem, my area isn't the breadbasket of the nation/world. That blighted area of the Great Plains IS that breadbasket. This has been going on for almost a year, and the weather pattern does not seem to be changing at all.
Rains. Long and slow and renewing. We needs it.
Frondly, Fern
I mentioned "mud season" in last week's Imbolc post. For those of you with lawns rather than pasture areas, let me explain this a bit. Mud is what you get when you combine pastures with animals (especially hooved animals) with rain. Mud season is when you have a spring with normal rains.
Unfortunately, most of the US (and a goodly part of the rest of the world) hasn't been having normal mud seasons. The serious drought continues across the US. Worldwide, humans used more wheat than we harvested (and in the the US, most of the wheat is winter wheat, which relies on spring rains, rather than winter wheat which relies on summer rains).
While the area I'm in isn't having a current drought problem, my area isn't the breadbasket of the nation/world. That blighted area of the Great Plains IS that breadbasket. This has been going on for almost a year, and the weather pattern does not seem to be changing at all.
Rains. Long and slow and renewing. We needs it.
Frondly, Fern
Monday, November 19, 2012
Long Term Food Storage
Blessings Darlings!
A few months back I wrote a post that was kind of 'intro to Fern's approach to long term food storage'. Here's the link. As I said, it's an intro - my approach to long-term food storage is calorie based, that is, first I stored the minimum basic calories we'd need, and from there I round it out.
How I round it out is what this post is about.
Again, first I made sure we had a pound of grain per person per day for one year (plus a bit extra for sprouting) rounding THAT up to 400 pounds of grain per person per year. But corn/wheat/rice aren't complete proteins, so relying on those ONLY would cause severe malnutrition. That's what causes the distended bellies in the pictures of starving children. And, obviously, they don't have all the other macro and micro nutrients that a person needs in their diet.
So from that based I added things. First, olive oil, to cover essential fatty acids. Metal cans, stored in the cool basement. It's also nice to fry some food with, adds lots of flavor. Second, a basic supply of a daily vitamin/mineral supplement. Third, covering the proteins.
Actually, I rotate the purchases of all of those. Yes, I buy them in that order, but I don't get ALL of the first before moving on to buying the second or third item.
I have a varied approach to the proteins. As I noted in many other blog posts, I grab fresh meat when it's on sale and usually have a lot in my freezer. That, used sparingly, would kick up the protein in the diet very well, and the fats in it as well as the protein add to the calorie count. After that, I have canned meats, and some freeze-dried meals that have reasonable protein levels. But I don't count on them for the TRULY long-term. For that I have stored dried beans/peas and canned dry milk. About 140 pounds, for the 3 of us, for a 6 month period.
If you look at my approach, it's like a set of concentric circles - like a bull's eye pattern. First circle is basic calories. Second circle are macro & micro nutrients, which I've just outlined. After that there are other circles, like #3 - 'things that help me cook' with tea/coffee, sweeteners, herbs/spices, dried fruits, etc. And #4 - bulk to fill plates/stomachs like dried veggies, etc.
Clearly, no one in my household has either celiac disease or are diabetics. My circles are what works for THIS family. Your family may have different things in each circle.
I've read of some people whose approach is to have oil, vitamins, and protein supplements as their first circle, saying that will prevent starvation, then go to all grains/fruits/vegetables in outer circles. It's not my approach, but they looked at THEIR needs and made their best decisions.
So, that's how we do it at Chez Fern.
Frondly, Fern
A few months back I wrote a post that was kind of 'intro to Fern's approach to long term food storage'. Here's the link. As I said, it's an intro - my approach to long-term food storage is calorie based, that is, first I stored the minimum basic calories we'd need, and from there I round it out.
How I round it out is what this post is about.
Again, first I made sure we had a pound of grain per person per day for one year (plus a bit extra for sprouting) rounding THAT up to 400 pounds of grain per person per year. But corn/wheat/rice aren't complete proteins, so relying on those ONLY would cause severe malnutrition. That's what causes the distended bellies in the pictures of starving children. And, obviously, they don't have all the other macro and micro nutrients that a person needs in their diet.
So from that based I added things. First, olive oil, to cover essential fatty acids. Metal cans, stored in the cool basement. It's also nice to fry some food with, adds lots of flavor. Second, a basic supply of a daily vitamin/mineral supplement. Third, covering the proteins.
Actually, I rotate the purchases of all of those. Yes, I buy them in that order, but I don't get ALL of the first before moving on to buying the second or third item.
I have a varied approach to the proteins. As I noted in many other blog posts, I grab fresh meat when it's on sale and usually have a lot in my freezer. That, used sparingly, would kick up the protein in the diet very well, and the fats in it as well as the protein add to the calorie count. After that, I have canned meats, and some freeze-dried meals that have reasonable protein levels. But I don't count on them for the TRULY long-term. For that I have stored dried beans/peas and canned dry milk. About 140 pounds, for the 3 of us, for a 6 month period.
If you look at my approach, it's like a set of concentric circles - like a bull's eye pattern. First circle is basic calories. Second circle are macro & micro nutrients, which I've just outlined. After that there are other circles, like #3 - 'things that help me cook' with tea/coffee, sweeteners, herbs/spices, dried fruits, etc. And #4 - bulk to fill plates/stomachs like dried veggies, etc.
Clearly, no one in my household has either celiac disease or are diabetics. My circles are what works for THIS family. Your family may have different things in each circle.
I've read of some people whose approach is to have oil, vitamins, and protein supplements as their first circle, saying that will prevent starvation, then go to all grains/fruits/vegetables in outer circles. It's not my approach, but they looked at THEIR needs and made their best decisions.
So, that's how we do it at Chez Fern.
Frondly, Fern
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Obligatory Sandy Post
Blessings Darlings!
Hurricane Sandy has just about finished having her way with my area now. Howling winds, torrential rains, 5 leaks in the house, etc. We didn't lose power, in fact very few in our county have lost power - probably because the derecho took down most of the at-risk trees at the end of June!
Being a prepper, I didn't have to hit the store for supplies. I did hit the stores before the storm because the Spawn wanted to make lasagna so he gave me $ and a shopping list. Most of the other carts had one or two cases of bottled water and other supplies each. Which was a surprise .... Spawn had mentioned that when he hit Walmart for catfood the place was sold out of water. I guess the supermarket had a new supply come in. Cases of water being easy to spot in carts I notice them, but didn't feel the need to examine carts closely to see what else folks were getting at the last minute. There was no run on ricotta, crushed tomatoes, mozarella, etc.
Just because I didn't 'shop for the storm' doesn't mean that I didn't do some preparing over the weekend. I did all the laundry - even changing linens a day early. I filled two 2-gallon buckets with water for dishwashing if power went out. I worked on the back log of ironing. I made sure all the carpets were vacuumed. All cell phones and computers were charged. I made sure that the camping stove and some fuel were in the house, not the detached garage. I moved all loose stuff from around the house into the garages. I made and bagged ice and filled the freezer. The usual stuff before storms.
The leaks were surprises, even tho' all were on the windward side. Not that I'm saying that McMansions are well built - I'm TOTALLY not saying that. First the frame around the front door - from bad construction of the tiny ... 'not porch' over the front door. Then a leak in the garage - bad intersection of the side of house with the 'bump' on the first floor to make it a two car garage. Then the leak by the window frame facing the wind. Then a second leak in the garage. THEN the leak in the foundation, soaking part of the carpeting in the finished basement, causing wet spots in the drywall, putting two book shelves full of books and software at risk ... because there wasn't proper drainage around the house - the hill drains towards the house and construction hadn't included a ditch to divert the water.
Those extra empty frosting buckets from Walmart were put to use, and I preventing more serious damage in the basement by using the carpet shampooer to suck up the water from the carpeting ... every one hour at first, then every two hours, then every 3 as the storm passed. If we had lost power I'd have used every dang towel in the house, and possibly have pulled up the carpeting and padding to protect it.
Now that things are calmer, I'm going to haul bones out of the freezer and start some more stock. It's gotten cold out and I want to make soup.
Frondly, Fern
Hurricane Sandy has just about finished having her way with my area now. Howling winds, torrential rains, 5 leaks in the house, etc. We didn't lose power, in fact very few in our county have lost power - probably because the derecho took down most of the at-risk trees at the end of June!
Being a prepper, I didn't have to hit the store for supplies. I did hit the stores before the storm because the Spawn wanted to make lasagna so he gave me $ and a shopping list. Most of the other carts had one or two cases of bottled water and other supplies each. Which was a surprise .... Spawn had mentioned that when he hit Walmart for catfood the place was sold out of water. I guess the supermarket had a new supply come in. Cases of water being easy to spot in carts I notice them, but didn't feel the need to examine carts closely to see what else folks were getting at the last minute. There was no run on ricotta, crushed tomatoes, mozarella, etc.
Just because I didn't 'shop for the storm' doesn't mean that I didn't do some preparing over the weekend. I did all the laundry - even changing linens a day early. I filled two 2-gallon buckets with water for dishwashing if power went out. I worked on the back log of ironing. I made sure all the carpets were vacuumed. All cell phones and computers were charged. I made sure that the camping stove and some fuel were in the house, not the detached garage. I moved all loose stuff from around the house into the garages. I made and bagged ice and filled the freezer. The usual stuff before storms.
The leaks were surprises, even tho' all were on the windward side. Not that I'm saying that McMansions are well built - I'm TOTALLY not saying that. First the frame around the front door - from bad construction of the tiny ... 'not porch' over the front door. Then a leak in the garage - bad intersection of the side of house with the 'bump' on the first floor to make it a two car garage. Then the leak by the window frame facing the wind. Then a second leak in the garage. THEN the leak in the foundation, soaking part of the carpeting in the finished basement, causing wet spots in the drywall, putting two book shelves full of books and software at risk ... because there wasn't proper drainage around the house - the hill drains towards the house and construction hadn't included a ditch to divert the water.
Those extra empty frosting buckets from Walmart were put to use, and I preventing more serious damage in the basement by using the carpet shampooer to suck up the water from the carpeting ... every one hour at first, then every two hours, then every 3 as the storm passed. If we had lost power I'd have used every dang towel in the house, and possibly have pulled up the carpeting and padding to protect it.
Now that things are calmer, I'm going to haul bones out of the freezer and start some more stock. It's gotten cold out and I want to make soup.
Frondly, Fern
Friday, October 19, 2012
Man Down!
Blessings Darlings!
I have a VERY good first aid kit. Full boxes of face masks and bandages and other supplies, full bottles of alcohol and such, lots of pressure wraps, 1st aid book, arm slings, eye patches, etc.
Yesterday it came into use.
I was outside hanging laundry. The Chubby Hubby decided he wanted breakfast, came up to the kitchen to pour a bowl of cereal/etc. Discovering he was too low on cereal for a full bowl, he headed down to my office to grab a fresh box of cereal. Box in hand, he hurried back upstairs ...
and tripped on the stairs. Landing hard and at an awkward position on his right leg - momentum making that awkward knee/leg alignment taking even more of an impact than his already too-substantial weight. Pain ensued.
I came back in at this point, finding him gasping in pain. Quick evaluation - whatever it is, we don't have a car to get it X-rayed right now. He didn't hear a pop (he wouldn't have, even if there WAS on, his hearing rather sucks), nor did he feel a pop (better evidence than his hearing). RICE is clearly called for - Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. He agreed to only some of that. He can't work in the lab with Elevation, but I can be his servant for getting things (rest), I grabbed compression wraps from the 1st aid kit and snugly wrapped the knee (compression), and I filled a bag with crushed ice and tied it on to his knee. And he grabbed some NSAIDs.
The compression made an IMMEDIATE difference in how the knee felt when moved. And the knee didn't hurt when NOT being moved or when NOT bent. He also didn't feel anything inside 'rubbing oddly' or 'rolling around' when moving.
Today the knee is not as painful when bent. He's still avoiding bending it, it's been re-wrapped for compression after his shower, etc. There is no 'unsteadiness' in walking on it when unwrapped. So he PROBABLY didn't tear anything.
It seems to me that being able to immediately compression wrap the knee made a huge difference. It didn't swell, complicating anything. It made the CH feel better - always a good thing. I didn't have the stress of knowing what to do but NOT having the supplies on hand, nor a car to get the supplies. Biking or walking to the store could have been done, but being cash-strapped just now buying the supplies would have been another stress.
Also, I just got off of chat with NARIC, the National Rehabilitation Information Center. They are a not-very-well-known font of information and referrals. I only know about them because some of folks there are friends of mine. If you need info on ANY sort of rehab issues, they are the folks to ask.
Clearly this 'event' is not yet over. But at least it seems to be moving in the right direction.
Frondly, Fern
I have a VERY good first aid kit. Full boxes of face masks and bandages and other supplies, full bottles of alcohol and such, lots of pressure wraps, 1st aid book, arm slings, eye patches, etc.
Yesterday it came into use.
I was outside hanging laundry. The Chubby Hubby decided he wanted breakfast, came up to the kitchen to pour a bowl of cereal/etc. Discovering he was too low on cereal for a full bowl, he headed down to my office to grab a fresh box of cereal. Box in hand, he hurried back upstairs ...
and tripped on the stairs. Landing hard and at an awkward position on his right leg - momentum making that awkward knee/leg alignment taking even more of an impact than his already too-substantial weight. Pain ensued.
I came back in at this point, finding him gasping in pain. Quick evaluation - whatever it is, we don't have a car to get it X-rayed right now. He didn't hear a pop (he wouldn't have, even if there WAS on, his hearing rather sucks), nor did he feel a pop (better evidence than his hearing). RICE is clearly called for - Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. He agreed to only some of that. He can't work in the lab with Elevation, but I can be his servant for getting things (rest), I grabbed compression wraps from the 1st aid kit and snugly wrapped the knee (compression), and I filled a bag with crushed ice and tied it on to his knee. And he grabbed some NSAIDs.
The compression made an IMMEDIATE difference in how the knee felt when moved. And the knee didn't hurt when NOT being moved or when NOT bent. He also didn't feel anything inside 'rubbing oddly' or 'rolling around' when moving.
Today the knee is not as painful when bent. He's still avoiding bending it, it's been re-wrapped for compression after his shower, etc. There is no 'unsteadiness' in walking on it when unwrapped. So he PROBABLY didn't tear anything.
It seems to me that being able to immediately compression wrap the knee made a huge difference. It didn't swell, complicating anything. It made the CH feel better - always a good thing. I didn't have the stress of knowing what to do but NOT having the supplies on hand, nor a car to get the supplies. Biking or walking to the store could have been done, but being cash-strapped just now buying the supplies would have been another stress.
Also, I just got off of chat with NARIC, the National Rehabilitation Information Center. They are a not-very-well-known font of information and referrals. I only know about them because some of folks there are friends of mine. If you need info on ANY sort of rehab issues, they are the folks to ask.
Clearly this 'event' is not yet over. But at least it seems to be moving in the right direction.
Frondly, Fern
Friday, August 10, 2012
Survival Calories
Blessings Darlings!
You already know that I encourage all y'all have a survival store of food (and water) in your house so you're covered for emergencies like the recent power outages, or snowstorms, or whatever. So I saw a link to an article on "A Year of Food Storage for $300 for a family of FOUR !! " and had to check it out. Here's the link: http://americanpreppersnetwork.com/2012/08/a-year-of-food-storage-for-300-for-a-family-of-four.html#comment-27897
And ..... if you relied on that for a year of food for 4 people, you'd starve. Never mind the lack of vitamin A, C, Calcium, etc - I sat down with a calculator and the USDA nutritional database and worked out the calories. If you made the soup out of it that she recommends, and carefully rationed it so each batch fed 4 people over 2 days .... each person would get 415 calories a day. Okay, she says to add a table spoon of oil (not included in her 'to buy' list, or priced in), that would raise the amount of calories per person per day by 13.
Anything under 900 calories a day is considered a starvation diet .... for a sedentary person. In a survival situation while you MAY be hiding in a bunker .... if you're going to be making this long-simmered soup you're going to need fuel for a fire and water. Cutting wood and hauling water, while very Zen, take a heck of a lot of calories.
In response to some of my objections, one woman said she lived for 40 days on only V8 and vitamins. Sure, it can be done - it would cause some real harm to a growing child. And a friend of mine says he lived for 3 months on just mushrooms and cocaine. You can be pretty sure he wasn't felling trees during that time.
Short term you can get away with that, if you aren't doing much physical labor. A sedentary adult woman burns 10 calories a day per pound of body weight, a sedentary man about 12, just to cover basic body functioning. If you sit on your butt all day AND have a good layer of fat, you can fast a good while. But in a real crisis situation, you're going to be working HARDER, since you won't have electricity and all our electric-based slaves. Find and haul water. Find, chop, and haul wood. Have enough wood to cook the soup for an hour or two (chickpeas take rather a while to cook). Eat. Clean up - more water and fire! Care for your garden, by hand. Fence your garden, by hand. Expand your garden, by hand. Forage for wild foods. Wash clothes by hand. Wring clothes by hand. Dig latrines. Knit. Repair clothes. Preserve food if you have a surplus - going to build a solar dehydrator? Etc. Will you be building or rebuilding houses, or roads, or digging out collapsed buildings to find either survivors or supplies? Could be.
More calories will be needed, not less. Back in the day - looking at serfs in England - each adult male would eat two pounds of bread a day plus anything else they could get. Two pounds of wheat alone would be 3700 calories.
Frondly, Fern
You already know that I encourage all y'all have a survival store of food (and water) in your house so you're covered for emergencies like the recent power outages, or snowstorms, or whatever. So I saw a link to an article on "A Year of Food Storage for $300 for a family of FOUR !! " and had to check it out. Here's the link: http://americanpreppersnetwork.com/2012/08/a-year-of-food-storage-for-300-for-a-family-of-four.html#comment-27897
And ..... if you relied on that for a year of food for 4 people, you'd starve. Never mind the lack of vitamin A, C, Calcium, etc - I sat down with a calculator and the USDA nutritional database and worked out the calories. If you made the soup out of it that she recommends, and carefully rationed it so each batch fed 4 people over 2 days .... each person would get 415 calories a day. Okay, she says to add a table spoon of oil (not included in her 'to buy' list, or priced in), that would raise the amount of calories per person per day by 13.
Anything under 900 calories a day is considered a starvation diet .... for a sedentary person. In a survival situation while you MAY be hiding in a bunker .... if you're going to be making this long-simmered soup you're going to need fuel for a fire and water. Cutting wood and hauling water, while very Zen, take a heck of a lot of calories.
In response to some of my objections, one woman said she lived for 40 days on only V8 and vitamins. Sure, it can be done - it would cause some real harm to a growing child. And a friend of mine says he lived for 3 months on just mushrooms and cocaine. You can be pretty sure he wasn't felling trees during that time.
Short term you can get away with that, if you aren't doing much physical labor. A sedentary adult woman burns 10 calories a day per pound of body weight, a sedentary man about 12, just to cover basic body functioning. If you sit on your butt all day AND have a good layer of fat, you can fast a good while. But in a real crisis situation, you're going to be working HARDER, since you won't have electricity and all our electric-based slaves. Find and haul water. Find, chop, and haul wood. Have enough wood to cook the soup for an hour or two (chickpeas take rather a while to cook). Eat. Clean up - more water and fire! Care for your garden, by hand. Fence your garden, by hand. Expand your garden, by hand. Forage for wild foods. Wash clothes by hand. Wring clothes by hand. Dig latrines. Knit. Repair clothes. Preserve food if you have a surplus - going to build a solar dehydrator? Etc. Will you be building or rebuilding houses, or roads, or digging out collapsed buildings to find either survivors or supplies? Could be.
More calories will be needed, not less. Back in the day - looking at serfs in England - each adult male would eat two pounds of bread a day plus anything else they could get. Two pounds of wheat alone would be 3700 calories.
Frondly, Fern
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Doomsday Preppers
Blessings Darlings!
There has been some discussion online about what Nat Geo's intention was in airing the show - was it to encourage prepping? To make preppers look odd? Something else? So I figured I'd activate my sleeper cell over at Nat Geo and get the inside story.
The story is about .... eyeballs. Ratings. Viewers. Apparently, what people watching TV want to watch is shows about people mostly like them .... but with an interesting difference. So middle class people who look at the problems around the world and DO something to prepare to weather them made it to TV.
Actually, Nat Geo doesn't even produce Doomsday Preppers themselves, it comes from a third party company, so Nat Geo doesn't do the editing or selecting families or anything. Nat Geo has more than one show dedicated to groups that, while the members are still part of society, they do or believe something somewhat .... fringe. I don't know if all of the series about 'fringe' folks are from 3rd party companies or not.
Word is that the third party company couldn't find folks outside of the US who prep. Which tells ME that preppers outside of the US have better OPSEC than US preppers have. Nat Geo seems to feel that means that folks outside of the US don't feel they'd survive doomsday.
Frondly, Fern
There has been some discussion online about what Nat Geo's intention was in airing the show - was it to encourage prepping? To make preppers look odd? Something else? So I figured I'd activate my sleeper cell over at Nat Geo and get the inside story.
The story is about .... eyeballs. Ratings. Viewers. Apparently, what people watching TV want to watch is shows about people mostly like them .... but with an interesting difference. So middle class people who look at the problems around the world and DO something to prepare to weather them made it to TV.
Actually, Nat Geo doesn't even produce Doomsday Preppers themselves, it comes from a third party company, so Nat Geo doesn't do the editing or selecting families or anything. Nat Geo has more than one show dedicated to groups that, while the members are still part of society, they do or believe something somewhat .... fringe. I don't know if all of the series about 'fringe' folks are from 3rd party companies or not.
Word is that the third party company couldn't find folks outside of the US who prep. Which tells ME that preppers outside of the US have better OPSEC than US preppers have. Nat Geo seems to feel that means that folks outside of the US don't feel they'd survive doomsday.
Frondly, Fern
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Planting Taters
Blessings Darlings!
I have a LONG list of things to blog about, but have been too busy to blog. But since I threw out my back yesterday just getting READY to plant potatoes .... I'm taking a few minutes to write a bit while the pain killers kick in today.
I didn't muck up my back this time as badly as I did last year. This year I was just carrying too much weight in manure to the garden and my back said no. So I stopped. But did get back to it today, carrying lighter loads.
PLUS I changed how I was going to plant the potatoes. No hills this year. No working with the clay soil with them at all. Nor am I doing anything like 'official' raised beds. No, this year I'm using garbage bags.
I still have some big black 45 gallon trash bags that we used when moving - for transporting clothes that were in closets on hangers (bunch about 10 - 15 items on hangers together in closet. Take a big garbage bag, bag the clothes from the bottom to the top-by-the-hanger. Tape bag shut around narrow part of hanger). They were kind of beaten up by the move, had tape on 'em, some have holes.
So I took them to the garden. Put in a layer of straw 4 - 6 inches deep. Dumped a 3.5 - 4 gallon bucket of well-aged horse manure on top of that. Add two seed potatoes, there will be plenty of room for two plants. Top with 4 inches of loose straw - more will be added when the vines start. I had enough manure to get 6 bags, 12 plants, started.
Lazy? Yes. More manure than they needed? Probably. Will the bags last the season? Yes, I think so. Will they last more than one summer? Heck no. Could I get something done without making my back worse? YES! And that was REALLY important today. Almost magical. Totally Kitchen Witchy.
Potatoes are a planting priority for me this year, since I'm planting both calories and nutrition. A bushel of lettuce is great to eat, but in hard times it won't keep you alive as long as a bushel of potatoes. It's just part of my survival / prepper / preparedness approach.
Frondly, Fern
I have a LONG list of things to blog about, but have been too busy to blog. But since I threw out my back yesterday just getting READY to plant potatoes .... I'm taking a few minutes to write a bit while the pain killers kick in today.
I didn't muck up my back this time as badly as I did last year. This year I was just carrying too much weight in manure to the garden and my back said no. So I stopped. But did get back to it today, carrying lighter loads.
PLUS I changed how I was going to plant the potatoes. No hills this year. No working with the clay soil with them at all. Nor am I doing anything like 'official' raised beds. No, this year I'm using garbage bags.
I still have some big black 45 gallon trash bags that we used when moving - for transporting clothes that were in closets on hangers (bunch about 10 - 15 items on hangers together in closet. Take a big garbage bag, bag the clothes from the bottom to the top-by-the-hanger. Tape bag shut around narrow part of hanger). They were kind of beaten up by the move, had tape on 'em, some have holes.
So I took them to the garden. Put in a layer of straw 4 - 6 inches deep. Dumped a 3.5 - 4 gallon bucket of well-aged horse manure on top of that. Add two seed potatoes, there will be plenty of room for two plants. Top with 4 inches of loose straw - more will be added when the vines start. I had enough manure to get 6 bags, 12 plants, started.
Lazy? Yes. More manure than they needed? Probably. Will the bags last the season? Yes, I think so. Will they last more than one summer? Heck no. Could I get something done without making my back worse? YES! And that was REALLY important today. Almost magical. Totally Kitchen Witchy.
Potatoes are a planting priority for me this year, since I'm planting both calories and nutrition. A bushel of lettuce is great to eat, but in hard times it won't keep you alive as long as a bushel of potatoes. It's just part of my survival / prepper / preparedness approach.
Frondly, Fern
Monday, March 5, 2012
Jerky!
Blessings Darlings!
I made my first batch of jerky! And it's GOOD!
You see, a big ol' whole rump or round roast was at a good price at Costco. So I grabbed it. I used some immediately for fried rice. I canned some, for stews later.
Then I sliced thin two pounds of it, added a marinade (I practically grabbed the marinade recipe at random from the internet), let it sit overnight, then slapped it into the dehydrator. Later in the day, it was done.
Easy peasy.
And remember, I don't have a great dehydrator. Mine doesn't have a variable heat setting, but DOES have a fan.
Everyone in the family likes it. No one has had food poisoning. My son gave some to one of his managers at work, and HE likes it (he doesn't have to lie to me, either).
Yay!
Since cheap tough meat is still on sale, I may well make more. Actually, I had BETTER make more .... this stuff's going FAST.
Actually, I'd love to make some salmon jerky, if I can do that with previously-frozen fillets. Has anyone tried that?
Frondly, Fern
I made my first batch of jerky! And it's GOOD!
You see, a big ol' whole rump or round roast was at a good price at Costco. So I grabbed it. I used some immediately for fried rice. I canned some, for stews later.
Then I sliced thin two pounds of it, added a marinade (I practically grabbed the marinade recipe at random from the internet), let it sit overnight, then slapped it into the dehydrator. Later in the day, it was done.
Easy peasy.
And remember, I don't have a great dehydrator. Mine doesn't have a variable heat setting, but DOES have a fan.
Everyone in the family likes it. No one has had food poisoning. My son gave some to one of his managers at work, and HE likes it (he doesn't have to lie to me, either).
Yay!
Since cheap tough meat is still on sale, I may well make more. Actually, I had BETTER make more .... this stuff's going FAST.
Actually, I'd love to make some salmon jerky, if I can do that with previously-frozen fillets. Has anyone tried that?
Frondly, Fern
Friday, February 24, 2012
Squash Plant Pests
Blessings Darlings!
Lately lots of folks have been blogging about their plans for their upcoming gardens, and sighing about he bug-based problems they encountered last year. I know that my neighbors and I had LOTS of problems with our squash from bugs, both from them simply sucking the life out of the leaves and from them turning the vines to mush.
Now, unlike my neighbors, I DID get a really good crop before the bugs toasted the squash plants. But my squash season ended earlier than it had to. I don't want a repeat of that.
This year I plan on dealing with the insect problems better than I did last year. Which is why I've been researching the problems and solutions NOW.
VINES TURNED TO MUSH
The biggest problem, which killed the plants totally, was that the vine turned mushy not far from the roots. So mushy that the vine literally detached from the roots!
Cause:
I knew that this was a result of squash vine borers in the stem mucking about first, and now know that the mucking about allowed the vine to get infected and turn to goo.
This year's approach:
First, I'm going to plant the vines farther apart - I had them too close last year so I had a hard time finding and treating ANY problems, as well as a hard time harvesting!
The vine borers like the first foot or so of the vine, I will check it often for signs of rot. If there IS rot I'm going to cut into the vine and squish the borers, then work on re-rooting the vine farther along it's length. Like about a foot farther down it's length. To do this I'll anoint the vine with rooting hormone and mound earth over that part of the vine, topped with some compost or plastic to help keep it moist. Once new roots form I'll cut off the vine on the 'old root' side of the new roots, to try to keep the rot away.
University of Illinois - where I was an agriculture major - says that the ONLY pesticide that squash borers are not immune to is carbaryl (I have NO clue what that is), and to try applying it once a week. I'm not trying that myself.
SUCKING BUGS ATTACKING LEAVES
We had a really nasty infestation of these, but while they reduced harvest they didn't kill the entire plant.
Cause:
We had two different insects at work here in the Mid Atlantic: regular old squash bugs as well as stink bugs. They act the same, they are treated the same, they even look pretty much the same - both 'shield bugs' type. They have different colored eggs, but they are the same size, both lay 'em under leaves, and both lay them in the same pattern.
This year's approach:
First, since I've already determined to have the plants farther apart, I'll be able to check the leaves for egg masses better. Once found, I'll squish those egg masses! I may put boards down for the bugs to gather under and squish them there, too. Yes, both types of insects CAN smell bad when squished.
I might also try diatomaceous earth on these buggers and see if that helps. Pyrethrins are my back-up plan, if needed.
BACTERIAL WILT
This wilt can kill a plant in 6 weeks, sometimes even before it fruits at all. It's not a problem I've had ... yet. But I'm preparing.
Cause:
A bacteria - but it's carried/spread by cucumber beetles. Smalllish, striped beetles. If you don't have the beetles you won't have the problem.
This year's approach:
Keeping alert for the beetles will be the first thing. If I see them I'll probably do the diatomaceous earth, or if needed go for rotenone.
These are the main threats to your garden's squash supply. With out them, two hills of zucchini will feed a small army. With them, you may not get any zucs, let alone any more nutritious hard squashes.
Frondly, Fern.
Lately lots of folks have been blogging about their plans for their upcoming gardens, and sighing about he bug-based problems they encountered last year. I know that my neighbors and I had LOTS of problems with our squash from bugs, both from them simply sucking the life out of the leaves and from them turning the vines to mush.
Now, unlike my neighbors, I DID get a really good crop before the bugs toasted the squash plants. But my squash season ended earlier than it had to. I don't want a repeat of that.
This year I plan on dealing with the insect problems better than I did last year. Which is why I've been researching the problems and solutions NOW.
VINES TURNED TO MUSH
The biggest problem, which killed the plants totally, was that the vine turned mushy not far from the roots. So mushy that the vine literally detached from the roots!
Cause:
I knew that this was a result of squash vine borers in the stem mucking about first, and now know that the mucking about allowed the vine to get infected and turn to goo.
This year's approach:
First, I'm going to plant the vines farther apart - I had them too close last year so I had a hard time finding and treating ANY problems, as well as a hard time harvesting!
The vine borers like the first foot or so of the vine, I will check it often for signs of rot. If there IS rot I'm going to cut into the vine and squish the borers, then work on re-rooting the vine farther along it's length. Like about a foot farther down it's length. To do this I'll anoint the vine with rooting hormone and mound earth over that part of the vine, topped with some compost or plastic to help keep it moist. Once new roots form I'll cut off the vine on the 'old root' side of the new roots, to try to keep the rot away.
University of Illinois - where I was an agriculture major - says that the ONLY pesticide that squash borers are not immune to is carbaryl (I have NO clue what that is), and to try applying it once a week. I'm not trying that myself.
SUCKING BUGS ATTACKING LEAVES
We had a really nasty infestation of these, but while they reduced harvest they didn't kill the entire plant.
Cause:
We had two different insects at work here in the Mid Atlantic: regular old squash bugs as well as stink bugs. They act the same, they are treated the same, they even look pretty much the same - both 'shield bugs' type. They have different colored eggs, but they are the same size, both lay 'em under leaves, and both lay them in the same pattern.
This year's approach:
First, since I've already determined to have the plants farther apart, I'll be able to check the leaves for egg masses better. Once found, I'll squish those egg masses! I may put boards down for the bugs to gather under and squish them there, too. Yes, both types of insects CAN smell bad when squished.
I might also try diatomaceous earth on these buggers and see if that helps. Pyrethrins are my back-up plan, if needed.
BACTERIAL WILT
This wilt can kill a plant in 6 weeks, sometimes even before it fruits at all. It's not a problem I've had ... yet. But I'm preparing.
Cause:
A bacteria - but it's carried/spread by cucumber beetles. Smalllish, striped beetles. If you don't have the beetles you won't have the problem.
This year's approach:
Keeping alert for the beetles will be the first thing. If I see them I'll probably do the diatomaceous earth, or if needed go for rotenone.
These are the main threats to your garden's squash supply. With out them, two hills of zucchini will feed a small army. With them, you may not get any zucs, let alone any more nutritious hard squashes.
Frondly, Fern.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Garden Time!
Blessings Darlings!
Now that it's February it's time to start your garden.
Yes really.
Time to map out what you want to plant, and where, in your garden. And in what order: if you plan on planting some spreading vine type plants (squash, sweet potatoes) you can put early harvested crops (spinach, lettuce, radishes, turnips) in the path of those vines. You'll have eaten and/or stored the food by the time the vines reach that part of the garden.
Order a few seed catalogs to look over vegetable varieties and get an idea of what area they take up by the time they're harvested.
It's also time to start seeds. I've started herbs and onions so far - not that they are starting well. Being low on money I'm using OLD seeds, and only the thyme is doing really well, Still, one parsley seed is up, a bit of oregano, one red onion. There's still time for them .... and it's not like my house is kept at 70 degrees as they'd like!
I'll be starting more seeds today, Gods willing and if the creek don't rise.
I don't use grow lights or any fancy set up. I'm using a sunny room, south and west exposures. I'm starting the seeds in potting soil and using egg cartons instead of pots. They are set in old baking pans. I'm REALLY low tech here (oh, the irony!).
In a month or so they'll be day tripping on the deck on warm days to start hardening off.
Considering all the challenges my gardening faced last year (clearing sod, wet spring, drought in summer) I had GREAT crops. I'm hoping to do as well this year .... AND have better deer protection!
The garden is a fundamental part of everything in both the preparedness / prepper / survival / survivalist line AND in the broke / cheap / cheap eats / broke line as well. Start now. You won't regret it.
Frondly, Fern
Now that it's February it's time to start your garden.
Yes really.
Time to map out what you want to plant, and where, in your garden. And in what order: if you plan on planting some spreading vine type plants (squash, sweet potatoes) you can put early harvested crops (spinach, lettuce, radishes, turnips) in the path of those vines. You'll have eaten and/or stored the food by the time the vines reach that part of the garden.
Order a few seed catalogs to look over vegetable varieties and get an idea of what area they take up by the time they're harvested.
It's also time to start seeds. I've started herbs and onions so far - not that they are starting well. Being low on money I'm using OLD seeds, and only the thyme is doing really well, Still, one parsley seed is up, a bit of oregano, one red onion. There's still time for them .... and it's not like my house is kept at 70 degrees as they'd like!
I'll be starting more seeds today, Gods willing and if the creek don't rise.
I don't use grow lights or any fancy set up. I'm using a sunny room, south and west exposures. I'm starting the seeds in potting soil and using egg cartons instead of pots. They are set in old baking pans. I'm REALLY low tech here (oh, the irony!).
In a month or so they'll be day tripping on the deck on warm days to start hardening off.
Considering all the challenges my gardening faced last year (clearing sod, wet spring, drought in summer) I had GREAT crops. I'm hoping to do as well this year .... AND have better deer protection!
The garden is a fundamental part of everything in both the preparedness / prepper / survival / survivalist line AND in the broke / cheap / cheap eats / broke line as well. Start now. You won't regret it.
Frondly, Fern
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Havamal, Part 6
Blessings Darlings!
Welcome to this week's installment of my free-associating to the words of the Havamal. For those new here - the Havamal is from the Prose Edda of the Norse, and is attributed to Odin. I'm not using either the best translation or the best ordered version ... but I was sure this one was public domain. I've found other translations online since then, better, but I'm going to use this one thru' since I started it. The better versions are mentioned in a great comment in, I believe, the first part of the series.
On to the text!
Little a sand-grain, little a dew drop,
Little the minds of men:
A11 men are not equal in wisdom,
The half-wise are everywhere
Well, YEAH. I'm giving up on reading the 'calls to the editor' part of my local paper.
It is best for man to be middle-wise,
Not over cunning and clever:
The fairest life is led by those
Who are deft at all they do.
It is best for man to be middle-wise,
Not over cunning and clever:
No man is able to know his future,
So let him sleep in peace.
It is best for man to be middle-wise,
Not over cunning and clever:
The learned man whose lore is deep
Is seldom happy at heart.
Is my confusion over the difference between 'half-wise' and 'middle wise' a translation problem?
Welcome to this week's installment of my free-associating to the words of the Havamal. For those new here - the Havamal is from the Prose Edda of the Norse, and is attributed to Odin. I'm not using either the best translation or the best ordered version ... but I was sure this one was public domain. I've found other translations online since then, better, but I'm going to use this one thru' since I started it. The better versions are mentioned in a great comment in, I believe, the first part of the series.
On to the text!
Little a sand-grain, little a dew drop,
Little the minds of men:
A11 men are not equal in wisdom,
The half-wise are everywhere
Well, YEAH. I'm giving up on reading the 'calls to the editor' part of my local paper.
It is best for man to be middle-wise,
Not over cunning and clever:
The fairest life is led by those
Who are deft at all they do.
It is best for man to be middle-wise,
Not over cunning and clever:
No man is able to know his future,
So let him sleep in peace.
It is best for man to be middle-wise,
Not over cunning and clever:
The learned man whose lore is deep
Is seldom happy at heart.
Is my confusion over the difference between 'half-wise' and 'middle wise' a translation problem?
I have to admit my personal prejudice is in favor of being of greater not lesser wisdom. And that I see 'cunning and clever' as being different than wisdom. Maybe more like being smart-asses, or con artists. But the "The learned man whose lore is deep Is seldom happy at heart" line makes it clear that even my educational elitism is what's being addressed here.
Then again, I see happiness as a choice, not something conferred or chased away by eduction, brains, wealth, etc.
Brand kindles brand till they burn out,
Flame is quickened by flame:
One man from another is known by his speech
The simpleton by his silence.
Early shall he rise who has designs
On anothers land or life:
His prey escapes the prone wolf,
The sleeper is seldom victorious.
Early shall he rise who rules few servants,
And set to work at once:
Much is lost by the late sleeper,
Wealth is won by the swift,
Ah, Procrastination, my old friend! Friend? No, more like a foe I've made strong over the years, fool that I tend to be.
A man should know how many logs
And strips of bark from the birch
To stock in autumn, that he may have enough
Wood for his winter fires.
Preparedness. Yes, I'm there. If anyone reading wants links to the web sites that help you figure out how much of what food you need to stock to have a year supply... let me know. Logs, food, water source - know how to supply and DO supply your own basic needs. Then...
Washed and fed,
one may fare to the Thing:
Though one's clothes be the worse for Wear,
None need be ashamed of his shoes or hose,
Nor of the horse he owns,
Although no thoroughbred.
As the eagle who comes to the ocean shore,
Sniffs and hangs her head,
Dumfounded is he who finds at the Thing
No supporters to plead his case.
Once you've met your own needs yourself, you can go to the AlThing proudly. Still, if you are there asking for something .... you need to also check with others to see if they agree with your view. Never assume the support of others.
It is safe to tell a secret to one,
Risky to tell it to two,
To tell it to three is thoughtless folly,
Everyone else will know.
Often words uttered to another
Have reaped an ill harvest:
Two beat one, the tongue is head's bane,
Pockets of fur hide fists.
You have the right to remain silent. Do you have the ability? Freedom of speech lets you say what you want. It does NOT mean that what you say has no repurcussions.
And, for your preppers --- OPSEC! (operational security, for the rest of you).
Moderate at council should a man be,
Not brutal and over bearing:
Among the bold the bully will find
Others as bold as he.
Again ... don't be a douche.
These things are thought the best:
Fire, the sight of the sun,
Good health with the gift to keep it,
And a life that avoids vice.
Not all sick men are utterly wretched:
Some are blessed with sons,
Some with friends,
some with riches,
Some with worthy works.
The halt can manage a horse,
the handless a flock,
The deaf be a doughty fighter,
To be blind is better than to burn on a pyre:
There is nothing the dead can do.
It is always better to be alive,
The living can keep a cow.
Fire, I saw, warming a wealthy man,
With a cold corpse at his door.
A person can be old. A person can be ill. A person can have physical/mental/emotional disabilities. But being helpless and worthless is not one of them. As I told my mother, a decade ago when she started losing her sight and felt she couldn't help a cousin care for the cousin's grandson .... "You put the bottle in one end and change the other .... and the baby lets you know if you got it wrong!" [and thanks to Melilot for the line, BTW]
A son is a blessing, though born late
To a father no longer alive:
Stones would seldom stand by the highway
If sons did not set them there.
He welcomes the night who has enough provisions
Short are the sails of a ship,
Dangerous the dark in autumn,
The wind may veer within five days,
And many times in a month.
Okay, I don't get why these lines have been put here in the version I'm using. Do they flow better in more normative versions? At any rate - you descendants are likely the only ones who will honor your .... but do all descendant have to be biological? Nah, says I.
And it finishes with prepping. Okay. Fine. Short sails, maybe, allow you to tack, to move where you want to go despite where the wind alone would have you go? Is that it? I dunno.
And so ends Part 6. Tune in next Wotansday for Part 7!
Frondly, Fern
Brand kindles brand till they burn out,
Flame is quickened by flame:
One man from another is known by his speech
The simpleton by his silence.
Early shall he rise who has designs
On anothers land or life:
His prey escapes the prone wolf,
The sleeper is seldom victorious.
Early shall he rise who rules few servants,
And set to work at once:
Much is lost by the late sleeper,
Wealth is won by the swift,
Ah, Procrastination, my old friend! Friend? No, more like a foe I've made strong over the years, fool that I tend to be.
A man should know how many logs
And strips of bark from the birch
To stock in autumn, that he may have enough
Wood for his winter fires.
Preparedness. Yes, I'm there. If anyone reading wants links to the web sites that help you figure out how much of what food you need to stock to have a year supply... let me know. Logs, food, water source - know how to supply and DO supply your own basic needs. Then...
Washed and fed,
one may fare to the Thing:
Though one's clothes be the worse for Wear,
None need be ashamed of his shoes or hose,
Nor of the horse he owns,
Although no thoroughbred.
As the eagle who comes to the ocean shore,
Sniffs and hangs her head,
Dumfounded is he who finds at the Thing
No supporters to plead his case.
Once you've met your own needs yourself, you can go to the AlThing proudly. Still, if you are there asking for something .... you need to also check with others to see if they agree with your view. Never assume the support of others.
It is safe to tell a secret to one,
Risky to tell it to two,
To tell it to three is thoughtless folly,
Everyone else will know.
Often words uttered to another
Have reaped an ill harvest:
Two beat one, the tongue is head's bane,
Pockets of fur hide fists.
You have the right to remain silent. Do you have the ability? Freedom of speech lets you say what you want. It does NOT mean that what you say has no repurcussions.
And, for your preppers --- OPSEC! (operational security, for the rest of you).
Moderate at council should a man be,
Not brutal and over bearing:
Among the bold the bully will find
Others as bold as he.
Again ... don't be a douche.
These things are thought the best:
Fire, the sight of the sun,
Good health with the gift to keep it,
And a life that avoids vice.
Not all sick men are utterly wretched:
Some are blessed with sons,
Some with friends,
some with riches,
Some with worthy works.
The halt can manage a horse,
the handless a flock,
The deaf be a doughty fighter,
To be blind is better than to burn on a pyre:
There is nothing the dead can do.
It is always better to be alive,
The living can keep a cow.
Fire, I saw, warming a wealthy man,
With a cold corpse at his door.
A person can be old. A person can be ill. A person can have physical/mental/emotional disabilities. But being helpless and worthless is not one of them. As I told my mother, a decade ago when she started losing her sight and felt she couldn't help a cousin care for the cousin's grandson .... "You put the bottle in one end and change the other .... and the baby lets you know if you got it wrong!" [and thanks to Melilot for the line, BTW]
A son is a blessing, though born late
To a father no longer alive:
Stones would seldom stand by the highway
If sons did not set them there.
He welcomes the night who has enough provisions
Short are the sails of a ship,
Dangerous the dark in autumn,
The wind may veer within five days,
And many times in a month.
Okay, I don't get why these lines have been put here in the version I'm using. Do they flow better in more normative versions? At any rate - you descendants are likely the only ones who will honor your .... but do all descendant have to be biological? Nah, says I.
And it finishes with prepping. Okay. Fine. Short sails, maybe, allow you to tack, to move where you want to go despite where the wind alone would have you go? Is that it? I dunno.
And so ends Part 6. Tune in next Wotansday for Part 7!
Frondly, Fern
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Crumbs
Blessings Darlings!
The Julian calendar says today is Imbolc - which is a milestone and high day to be sure, but it's still just the middle of the 'hungry time of the year'. So making food stores get thru' till first good harvest is still a priority, especially for those of us who farm and/or garden.
Part of the art of frugality (and surviving, and MacGyverism in general) is the 'expanding the marginal utility' of everything. You know - re-use, re-purpose, re-cycle type mind set. Like - I just started onion seeds in egg cartons.
That's a feature in my kitchen as well. Not JUST pre-planning use of leftovers, tho' I certainly do that.
Let's talk bread.
We who make our own bread know that it has, especially in winter, a variable lead time from starting it to getting it on the table. Yeast prefers warm weather, and we who use as little heat as possible have house temperatures that vary greatly day to day. This is because, while I raise the temperature for a few hours in the morning and evening, after that the rate at which the house temperature drops varies by how cold and windy it is outside. So I have to pre-emptively bake bread, anticipating need.
I don't always do this well. Sometimes I get a lot of bread in the house at once, and there is risk of some of it getting moldy before it all gets used. That's where making bread cube dressings for chickens and such comes into play, or making bread puddings, etc.
So the LOAVES can have their marginal utility expanding. But what about bread crumbs? After all, slicing that lovely, crusty home-made bread really does produce a heck of a lot more crumbs than you get buying pre-sliced bread!
First, how would you collect the crumbs from slicing? In my case, I've set it up so the cutting board we use for bread sits in a low-sided quarter baking sheet. It nests very nicely! Slice bread, the crumbs stay contained. And they build up FAST.
So, you have lots of crumbs, now what? First you use them in the dishes that normally require bread crumbs - topping casseroles, frying foods, buttered crumbs on veggies, etc. But when the Chubby Hubby or the Spawn leave slices of bread out that they've cut badly (like, they only got half a slice, etc) then I end up with LOTS of stale bread and crumbs. What then?
The you look online, and find lots of recipes for cookies made from bread crumbs! They aren't half bad, either. I'd share them, but I really haven't changed them at all, and I don't have the links handy (Printed them out LONG age).
Crumbs. They're for dinner. And dessert.
Frondly, Fern
The Julian calendar says today is Imbolc - which is a milestone and high day to be sure, but it's still just the middle of the 'hungry time of the year'. So making food stores get thru' till first good harvest is still a priority, especially for those of us who farm and/or garden.
Part of the art of frugality (and surviving, and MacGyverism in general) is the 'expanding the marginal utility' of everything. You know - re-use, re-purpose, re-cycle type mind set. Like - I just started onion seeds in egg cartons.
That's a feature in my kitchen as well. Not JUST pre-planning use of leftovers, tho' I certainly do that.
Let's talk bread.
We who make our own bread know that it has, especially in winter, a variable lead time from starting it to getting it on the table. Yeast prefers warm weather, and we who use as little heat as possible have house temperatures that vary greatly day to day. This is because, while I raise the temperature for a few hours in the morning and evening, after that the rate at which the house temperature drops varies by how cold and windy it is outside. So I have to pre-emptively bake bread, anticipating need.
I don't always do this well. Sometimes I get a lot of bread in the house at once, and there is risk of some of it getting moldy before it all gets used. That's where making bread cube dressings for chickens and such comes into play, or making bread puddings, etc.
So the LOAVES can have their marginal utility expanding. But what about bread crumbs? After all, slicing that lovely, crusty home-made bread really does produce a heck of a lot more crumbs than you get buying pre-sliced bread!
First, how would you collect the crumbs from slicing? In my case, I've set it up so the cutting board we use for bread sits in a low-sided quarter baking sheet. It nests very nicely! Slice bread, the crumbs stay contained. And they build up FAST.
So, you have lots of crumbs, now what? First you use them in the dishes that normally require bread crumbs - topping casseroles, frying foods, buttered crumbs on veggies, etc. But when the Chubby Hubby or the Spawn leave slices of bread out that they've cut badly (like, they only got half a slice, etc) then I end up with LOTS of stale bread and crumbs. What then?
The you look online, and find lots of recipes for cookies made from bread crumbs! They aren't half bad, either. I'd share them, but I really haven't changed them at all, and I don't have the links handy (Printed them out LONG age).
Crumbs. They're for dinner. And dessert.
Frondly, Fern
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Kotatsu Heating
Blessings Darlings!
Winter has finally arrived here on the east coast of the US. It's 31 degrees F as I type, and not due to get much warmed today. A second round of freezing rain is due tonight/early tomorrow morning. Nothing particularly out of the ordinary.
Being broke, cheap, and green, I keep the heat here turned low. The house is set for 60 F right now. Spawn has a tiny space heater he occasionally runs in his bedroom, Chubby Hubby has a larger space heater in his lab. My areas - the kitchen and my office - have no space heaters. I feel the cold less than they do, for one thing. Second, when I'm in the kitchen I'm cooking and otherwise moving.
But in my office I'm sitting at my desk all day. And my office is in the basement. With the heat vent closed. What I do to keep warm on days like today is, well, first line of defense is dressing warmly, but what I'm typing about today is a modification on the Japanese Kotatsu heating system.
Kotatsu heating is having a small heating element under the table you are working at. Houses in Japan aren't the Tyvak'd air-tight things we aim for here in the US - they allow air in, so here weren't problems with carbon monoxide poisoning! So you'd have the tiny smoldering fire under the table, a light table cloths, and you'd be kept warm in a cold room.
Now they use electric heaters.
Me, I've got another system going. I have one light tea light candle, in a glass jar. My desk has a partition (so my legs don't show if you were sitting across from me) so that side holds in the heat, and it has sides on the left and right. My legs go into the cubby hole ... and I have attached a curtain (using Velcro) to that opening. This keeps the heat in.
It really makes a HUGE difference in my comfort level on cold days. I'm not saying my upper back is very warm, it's not (I might put on a sweater on colder days), but my legs are VERY happy and my hands are very happy (I can put them under the curtain for warmth, but they don't seem to need that with my legs warm.).
And tea candles are cheap! Craft stores have them for about a dime each on sale, and I get the for way less at garage sales.
One candle. An unused piece of material. Hours of warmth for a nickle.
I'm a happy Fern.
Frondly, Fern
Winter has finally arrived here on the east coast of the US. It's 31 degrees F as I type, and not due to get much warmed today. A second round of freezing rain is due tonight/early tomorrow morning. Nothing particularly out of the ordinary.
Being broke, cheap, and green, I keep the heat here turned low. The house is set for 60 F right now. Spawn has a tiny space heater he occasionally runs in his bedroom, Chubby Hubby has a larger space heater in his lab. My areas - the kitchen and my office - have no space heaters. I feel the cold less than they do, for one thing. Second, when I'm in the kitchen I'm cooking and otherwise moving.
But in my office I'm sitting at my desk all day. And my office is in the basement. With the heat vent closed. What I do to keep warm on days like today is, well, first line of defense is dressing warmly, but what I'm typing about today is a modification on the Japanese Kotatsu heating system.
Kotatsu heating is having a small heating element under the table you are working at. Houses in Japan aren't the Tyvak'd air-tight things we aim for here in the US - they allow air in, so here weren't problems with carbon monoxide poisoning! So you'd have the tiny smoldering fire under the table, a light table cloths, and you'd be kept warm in a cold room.
Now they use electric heaters.
Me, I've got another system going. I have one light tea light candle, in a glass jar. My desk has a partition (so my legs don't show if you were sitting across from me) so that side holds in the heat, and it has sides on the left and right. My legs go into the cubby hole ... and I have attached a curtain (using Velcro) to that opening. This keeps the heat in.
It really makes a HUGE difference in my comfort level on cold days. I'm not saying my upper back is very warm, it's not (I might put on a sweater on colder days), but my legs are VERY happy and my hands are very happy (I can put them under the curtain for warmth, but they don't seem to need that with my legs warm.).
And tea candles are cheap! Craft stores have them for about a dime each on sale, and I get the for way less at garage sales.
One candle. An unused piece of material. Hours of warmth for a nickle.
I'm a happy Fern.
Frondly, Fern
Monday, January 31, 2011
Expectations
Blessings, Darlings!
It's January 31, and more 'winter weather' is expected. Well, duh - ANY weather we get now is 'winter weather' by definition. It's bloody winter!
Okay, this time it might be an ice storm. Which, like the heavy wet snow we got last week, means trees taking down power lines.
Are YOU ready for electricity-free days?
What alternative heat sources do you have? Are they SAFE heat sources? Every year there are news stories about people heating their houses using charcoal or whatever and dying from carbon monoxide poisoning. Don't be one of them!
If shopping is impossible - either because the store has no power so isn't open, or the streets are impassable, how long can you get by with what you have on hand? How will you cook it without power? If you have a gas stove (and I wish I did!) can you light it safely yourself without its electric starter doing it?
If you're on city water and have no heat - do you know how to keep your pipes from freezing?
WHEN - not IF - weather hits and expected services fail, all the ranting and finger pointing at government and utility companies in the world WILL NOT KEEP YOU SAFE, WARM, AND FED. Your preparations will do that. If you expect to be taken care of by others, it seems odd to me that you don't figure that the others - the utility company - doesn't expect to be 'taken care of nicely' by weather, etc. They are no more prepared than you are. They are less prepared than I am.
Frondly, Fern
It's January 31, and more 'winter weather' is expected. Well, duh - ANY weather we get now is 'winter weather' by definition. It's bloody winter!
Okay, this time it might be an ice storm. Which, like the heavy wet snow we got last week, means trees taking down power lines.
Are YOU ready for electricity-free days?
What alternative heat sources do you have? Are they SAFE heat sources? Every year there are news stories about people heating their houses using charcoal or whatever and dying from carbon monoxide poisoning. Don't be one of them!
If shopping is impossible - either because the store has no power so isn't open, or the streets are impassable, how long can you get by with what you have on hand? How will you cook it without power? If you have a gas stove (and I wish I did!) can you light it safely yourself without its electric starter doing it?
If you're on city water and have no heat - do you know how to keep your pipes from freezing?
WHEN - not IF - weather hits and expected services fail, all the ranting and finger pointing at government and utility companies in the world WILL NOT KEEP YOU SAFE, WARM, AND FED. Your preparations will do that. If you expect to be taken care of by others, it seems odd to me that you don't figure that the others - the utility company - doesn't expect to be 'taken care of nicely' by weather, etc. They are no more prepared than you are. They are less prepared than I am.
Frondly, Fern
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Inching to Independence
Blessings, Darlings!
The extremes in weather this winter have me looking at greater food independence again.
As many of you know, severe freezes hit Florida, making the price of winter strawberries soar. Which I don't really care about, to tell the truth - I prefer local ones in season. Yes, orange juice for the Chubby Hubby has risen a bit in price, but not a lot.
What IS having an effect on me is the rise in price of my staple veggies. Cabbages were apparently hit hard by the freezes, and have started rising in price. We eat a LOT of cabbage here - it's usually inexpensive and very nutrient-dense. And carrots have risen in price rather a lot as well, with a 5 pound bag now going for almost $4 instead of the usual $2.00 - $2.50.
As a result, I've really kicked up my sprouting seeds for current eating. I'm prouting lots of mung beans for stir fries one to two times a week, and wheat for extending salads. I've written about both of those before.
What I'm also doing in kicking up the amount of veggies I've started for 'garden' purposes, seeds I'm starting in actual soil. Every week I'm starting 6 onions (from a bag of pearl onions I bought at the grocer, since the garden centers don't have onion sets yet) to use for green onions/scallions. I've got lettuce started which is sprouted. Seeds have been started for turnips, for red onions, for parsley, for spinach.
In the next few days I'll start my own cabbages, more herbs, etc.
All high-nutrition foods, helping me gain independence in veggies.
Not in calories, not in fats, not in proteins, not in carbohydrates.
But I have to start SOMEWHERE, and it is bloody cold JANUARY.
Frondly, Fern
The extremes in weather this winter have me looking at greater food independence again.
As many of you know, severe freezes hit Florida, making the price of winter strawberries soar. Which I don't really care about, to tell the truth - I prefer local ones in season. Yes, orange juice for the Chubby Hubby has risen a bit in price, but not a lot.
What IS having an effect on me is the rise in price of my staple veggies. Cabbages were apparently hit hard by the freezes, and have started rising in price. We eat a LOT of cabbage here - it's usually inexpensive and very nutrient-dense. And carrots have risen in price rather a lot as well, with a 5 pound bag now going for almost $4 instead of the usual $2.00 - $2.50.
As a result, I've really kicked up my sprouting seeds for current eating. I'm prouting lots of mung beans for stir fries one to two times a week, and wheat for extending salads. I've written about both of those before.
What I'm also doing in kicking up the amount of veggies I've started for 'garden' purposes, seeds I'm starting in actual soil. Every week I'm starting 6 onions (from a bag of pearl onions I bought at the grocer, since the garden centers don't have onion sets yet) to use for green onions/scallions. I've got lettuce started which is sprouted. Seeds have been started for turnips, for red onions, for parsley, for spinach.
In the next few days I'll start my own cabbages, more herbs, etc.
All high-nutrition foods, helping me gain independence in veggies.
Not in calories, not in fats, not in proteins, not in carbohydrates.
But I have to start SOMEWHERE, and it is bloody cold JANUARY.
Frondly, Fern
Friday, January 21, 2011
Soft Tissue Injuries ATSHTF
Blessings, Darlings!
Given my on-going knee problems (tore my medial meniscus last spring), I've been contemplating these types of injuries in an ATSHTF (after the shit hits the fan) situation. While I can't afford surgery to repair this, at least I know what it is and have physical therapy exercises that usually keep the knee functional.
But with the increased physical effort needed to survive ATSHTF, these types of injuries will be more common and treatments more limited. Broken bones can be set. Wounds can be sutured. Disease has avoidance and treatment parameters.
But, torn ligaments, torn cartilage, torn rotator cuffs, arthritis - we're going to have to deal with the pain and limited movement and go on with life. Even access to list of physical therapy exercises will be limited, since without MRIs/X-rays/cat scans our ability to accurately diagnose the problem will be limited, and surgical correction will be right out.
Has anyone our there addressed these issues? I've not found anything about them yet.
Frondly, Fern
Given my on-going knee problems (tore my medial meniscus last spring), I've been contemplating these types of injuries in an ATSHTF (after the shit hits the fan) situation. While I can't afford surgery to repair this, at least I know what it is and have physical therapy exercises that usually keep the knee functional.
But with the increased physical effort needed to survive ATSHTF, these types of injuries will be more common and treatments more limited. Broken bones can be set. Wounds can be sutured. Disease has avoidance and treatment parameters.
But, torn ligaments, torn cartilage, torn rotator cuffs, arthritis - we're going to have to deal with the pain and limited movement and go on with life. Even access to list of physical therapy exercises will be limited, since without MRIs/X-rays/cat scans our ability to accurately diagnose the problem will be limited, and surgical correction will be right out.
Has anyone our there addressed these issues? I've not found anything about them yet.
Frondly, Fern
Monday, January 17, 2011
Prep Shopping
Blessings, Darlings!
As of this moment, I have $12 left to spend on food thru' the end of Thursday, given our food budget and the shopping I've done so far. Which is pretty good, given that I underspent by $8 last week, and I really don't have anything left of the 'need for meals this week' list.
Which leaves me more money than usual to add to our food storage. And that's a good thing since all of us preppers and survivalists and preparedness and just plain broke folks have noticed that food prices have been rising thru' the roof! Last summer's droughts in Europe and Asia, this winter's flooding in Australia and South American (well, summer floods for them) have caused havoc in food prices. Rising oil prices are affecting food prices, too, as is diversion of grain into ethanol and into increased meat production. And the weather we've had in the US is causing 'temporary' jumps in produce prices due to damage to crops in the deep south and California. Even my winter veggie mainstay, cabbage, has been hit hard by the freezes in Florida. Strawberries are off the scale in price!
So I'm looking at what foodstuffs to use the food dollars for. I could use more white wine for cooking, I'm getting a bit low. That won't take much of it. So, do I get two 5 pound bags of sugar and one 5 pound bag of flour to add to my storage? Or do I get another 50 pounds of wheat berries really meant for livestock feed at Southern States or Tractor Supply?
Frondly, Fern
As of this moment, I have $12 left to spend on food thru' the end of Thursday, given our food budget and the shopping I've done so far. Which is pretty good, given that I underspent by $8 last week, and I really don't have anything left of the 'need for meals this week' list.
Which leaves me more money than usual to add to our food storage. And that's a good thing since all of us preppers and survivalists and preparedness and just plain broke folks have noticed that food prices have been rising thru' the roof! Last summer's droughts in Europe and Asia, this winter's flooding in Australia and South American (well, summer floods for them) have caused havoc in food prices. Rising oil prices are affecting food prices, too, as is diversion of grain into ethanol and into increased meat production. And the weather we've had in the US is causing 'temporary' jumps in produce prices due to damage to crops in the deep south and California. Even my winter veggie mainstay, cabbage, has been hit hard by the freezes in Florida. Strawberries are off the scale in price!
So I'm looking at what foodstuffs to use the food dollars for. I could use more white wine for cooking, I'm getting a bit low. That won't take much of it. So, do I get two 5 pound bags of sugar and one 5 pound bag of flour to add to my storage? Or do I get another 50 pounds of wheat berries really meant for livestock feed at Southern States or Tractor Supply?
Frondly, Fern
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