The Town Day and Oatmeal Made Easy

Today I went into South Carolina on a new adventure. First, the town stuff, then the adventure stuff.

The gas across the state line is 20 cents cheaper per gallon, and there's a Save A Lot that, well, can save you a lot of money on some items. But, beware! Today they charged me $7.99 for dry milk per box, not the $6.99 posted on the shelf by the item. You bet I called their attention to the decrepancy. The flour was more, so by passed that and instead got real Yellow self rising cornmeal. You know how easy it is to make corn bread when you use this stuff?

Vegan Corn Bread, Cast Iron Style

Measure 2 cups self rising corn meal and 3/4 cup flour into a bowl. Add 1/3 cup dry milk if you like for more protein, 1/3 cup oil, and about 1 3/4 cup water to make a medium thick batter. It should look and feel like thick pancake batter. I also add 1/2 teaspoon of salt because of the flour. (Straight self rising products don't need salt) You don't need eggs, but add one if you like. I don't use them. Still all this up and pour into an oiled, about two tablespoons,  cast iron 10 inch skillet. Put the flame on low, cover with a tight lid, and let "bake" for about 15 minutes. Turn off heat, let coast another 10 minutes. Lift lid and check, it should feel firm.

I use this method for corn bread when I don't want to heat up the whole oven. When I use the oven, its full of other goodies as well. Never run a part way empty oven. Baked potatoes, a nice quiche, some cake if you want sweets.
Back to town day. I'd heard Burger King was instituting the Oatmeal option. The sign in town said, Oatmeal $1.99. Are you serious, BK? Oatmeal is so easy to make, why on earth would anyone pay $1.99 for a bowl of it? I will divulge that I never buy stuff that I make at home, like oatmeal and grilled cheese. Just me.

Make oatmeal so easy by bringing to a boil in your tea kettle enough water to pour over the 1/2 cup you've placed into a mug. Let this sit a minute or two so it "cooks".  Season with cinnamon, couple dashes of salt, sweetener of your choice. I add raisins once in awhile. Add other nuts or dried fruit, serve with some milk on the side. Yummy. Cost, about 25 cents before fruit or nuts are added. Cheap.

I bought my gas and headed home, stopping by this park called Stumphouse Tunnel Park. The town of Wallahalla keeps it up and running. The gates close at 5 every day. After all these years, I finally took the time to do this. I will definitely come back to hike the trail down to the Issaqueena Falls and take the yellow blazed trail labeled B.RR Trail. Not sure what that even stands for.

The park has a lot of huge garbage bins which are black bear proof. The reach in handles show you they are serious. There's a shelter, and several wonderful signs which give the rich history behind this park. The railroad tunnel was never completed because the Civil War got in the way. I'm going to be writing and posting photos over at my hiking blog, http://brawnyview.blogspot.com if you're interested.

I bought a huge box of soap powder today. Writing my novel has made a true practitioner out of me, and I don't know if I will ever recover. One thing for sure, I'll be ready!

CreateSpace Option Out

I was reading over the pricing and print options over at CreateSpace, an affiliate of Amazon.com.
This company will print books, on demand, which allows an author to do e-books, yet make them available in hard copy to those who don't Do E-Books.

Turns out, and this does make sense, considering the high cost of paper, ink, labor, etc, the author make a few cents and the rest of the funds go to that company. Not a lot of incentive for the author unless you want to do a souvenir copy to put on the shelf.

For instance, many people write a book, and want it on the shelf. It may be a family tree thing, a memoir of a trip, a journal of sorts.

By using CreateSpace.com you can accomplish this without contacting a separate printer or publisher. Do the work of setting it up in Word format, add the photos, edit it properly and upload the files to their site. They even have a calculator to show you how much they receive per copy and how much the royalty will be given a set price.

http://www.createspace.com


Many people aspire to write a book, and I encourage them to go for it. Using the new online apps, it doesn't even require much financial investment. It requires a lot of time and commitment, however.

A Measured Response, End of Days Novel Available

A Measured Response is the first book in the Trilogy End of Days.

I finally have it it finished and uploaded to the Amazon.com E-Book department, otherwise known as Kindle for PC.

This book took an incredible emotional toll on me. I had no idea how involved I would become with the whole survival/ apocalyptic scenario. It sort of wrote itself, unfolding daily. I walk and bring a notebook with me in the mornings on my wilderness hikes. The story would unfold in this atmosphere, and the trail miles would slip by while my mind worked it out.

I did a lot of research for this book because the weaponry and battle scenes needed to be accurate. The skills our people use are fairly detailed. The second book is now in progress.

Writing my first novel has been unlike any experience I've ever had.

Wood Stove Platform and Progress

I oiled my stove, that's the reason it's so beautifully black.
The legs have been "cemented" on with that great caulking stuff I used to glue the front panel on. The stuff hardens like rock and can withstand temps up to 1,000 degrees. The legs were the weak spot. Everything in life has a weakness.

The blocks are each 12 inches square and the platform is 2 x 3 feet. Once the cement cures, I'll move the stove forward so its two feet from that back wall. The pipe will go through the window at a 90 degree angle, then 90 degrees up past the roof. I checked the draw, it should be perfect.

Each of these blocks was $1.58 at walmart. I could have bought grey, but this color seemed more rustic.
This studio was a 12 x 16 steel beam and pressure treated floor. I insulated it with 13 R factor and paneled it. The building was delivered in 2005 and until now had not had any real source of heat. Now it will be toasty warm, with a pot of coffee ready on the back burner. I'll be installing pipes next week, I hope.

Livin' For the Apocalypse

I just finished watching the premier hour long show called Livin' for the Apocalypse.

Four family groups were show cased, three of which lived in the southwest, and one in St. Louis, Missouri. All of the main preparers were at least middle age, except the young couple living in Mesa, AZ. They were my favorites by far.

The people stocked a lot of food, and three have turned this "vision" into a business with websites and sales helping to support their efforts.

I love the young couple with two kids, age 2 and 5 because they have turned their home into a sustainable renewable lifestyle. Even if the apocalypse doesn't happen next year as they feel it will, they will be off the grid.
I especially loved the in-ground empty swimming pool which was turned into a green house. They grow food in it all year long, plus have a pool to grow tilapia (fresh water fish) and chickens. They have goats as well, and rain gutters collect enough water to fill cistern. All of this work is positive energy towards a sustainable lifestyle, regardless.

One family has 7 children and a bunker below the business they bought. Watching them go into that bunker I felt claustrophobic. The narrowness of the cement bomb shelter was stifling. I wonder how long people could be sequestered like that without murder.

Speaking of which, the last preppers interviewed, two women roommates, said they were always taught if you shoot it, you eat it. And if people came to take what they had they would shoot, and may be cannibals if things got that bad.

This was an interesting reality show. I hope there's more of them. My man and I were both amazed at some of the stockpiling of vast amounts of food.

Comments welcome. Did you see it and what did you think?

Caulking for Cast Iron Stove

Today I went into town and bought a tube of cast iron and fireplace caulking. To my surprise the stuff cleans up with water. I clipped the end off the tube and applied it with my finger.

The directions say to remove all loose debris first, wet with a bit of water, then use a putty knife. I found it easier to smear it into the grooves with a finger. After it cures, it directs you to use a low fire to help it solidify rock hard. The manufacturer claims it withstands temperatures of 1,000 degrees. You may not think so, but wood burning stoves can generate some serious heat, so this rating isn't as overkill as one might imagine.

The finish of this caulking is a grainy blackness, much like the stove itself. I made circular motions to improve the randomness, and found it very pleasing. The old cast iron lid was used as my palate, and intentionally became black as well. Sort of a two birds with one stone.

The simple tools I always keep around help in these projects. Metal shears, needle nose pliers, hammer, both kinds of screw drivers, a caulking gun, and scraps of pliable metal. Outdated licence plates are ideal.

Tomorrow we will lay the cement blocks I also bought today. Each one is 12 x 12 and my protective area will measure 2 feet wide by 3 feet deep, a lovely terracotta. Stay tuned.

A Free Sample Ho-Sex and the City Review

This post is definitely female logic, so guys, sorry for any quantum leaps. I've been thinking a lot about the comments over at a friends blog where someone mentioned, "rampant feminism". That's food for thought.

So, the other day in Walmart a lady was giving out all kinds of Brach's candy samples. The chocolates, the jelly beans, the orange slices all brand name deliciousness.  I could never do that job because all the samples would end up in my tummy.

Well, she also had coupons for the delectables, and I being weak for jelly beans actually bought a bag.

But this post is about the free samples. If a person is always giving out free samples with no strings attached, why would you spend any money buying them?  If she'd said, come back and I'll give you a free bag of candy, I wouldn't have bought any.

Now, Sex and the City is just a story of a bunch of Free Sample Ho's, in my honest opinion. Always giving it up free, putting it out there to the UPS guy, the shoe salesman, the lawyer. I don't get it. Used to be we'd worry about should I let him kiss me on the first date. Used to be we'd worry about losing his respect, or if he'd bother with a second date, or let us meet his mom.
Used to be we'd want a ring before we gave out on a regular basis.  I know, things have changed.

Free Sample Ho. Free Sample Bitch.

Is that Rampant Feminism? I'm thinking these type of HBO series are bad for our society. It makes women into cheap thrills, users, players, without commitment or classiness.

Of course, we have the Ho that sells it or trades it for a promotion. We call them whores.
Women can use their bodies to win fights and gain protection. Guys don't think that's fair.

My friend always says if you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck.

Bears and Earth Quakes

Today was interesting. I saw a beautiful black bear lope across the old gravel road  on my morning hike. He looked very healthy. I say he because the mother bears around here have cubs.

My life partner was hiking the other day and came near a mother with two cubs in a tree. He backed up and she seemed even more agitated, so he turned to notice a third cub right behind him. Because he does carry a firearm when he hikes he wasn't real alarmed. Further consideration caused him to buy serious bear spray and carry that as well. Neither one of us wants to hurt a mother bear with cubs or create any orphans in the woods.

We generally hike alone because I'm a morning person, and like hiking in the cool of the day, while he likes hiking early afternoon. This works for us.

While I was writing on my computer, the floor began to shake. I thought maybe the washing machine had a very unbalanced load, but wait, the washing machine was not running. Nothing was running. I paused my work and felt the chair also shaking. I thought then maybe a bear had crawled in under the house and was tearing up the floor. I stood up and it quit.
I've been through a couple earth quakes, small ones. But the east coast doesn't get earth quakes, not like this.

We turned on the news and found out sure enough, a 5.8 that jiggled about 22 different states.
Never a dull day in the mountains.

A Duct Tape Happy Mistake

I didn't know duct tape would melt into this wonderful sealant. I was just creating a prototype stove pipe for a mini wood burner, basically to see if it would draw, and how much heat it would produce.

I had to hold two coffee cans together, just temporarily, and I did it outside, with buckets of water nearby should things get out of control.

Bottom line, it drew well, but holy cow, I had flames coming out the pipe end. When it was out, I discovered this really cool pattern created by the duct tape. And, it was glued for eternity, or so it seems now.

A Cast Iron Stove For $35

Saturday is not my normal town day. Its usually crowded and hard to find parking spots. I like a mid week town day when everything is open, getting in and out early before the school buses are running.

For some reason, I felt to go in yesterday. I had a package to mail before they closed at noon, and decided to see how the flea market was doing.

You may remember a post a couple weeks back where I was wanting a wood stove, and considering a "packer" style which is created for tents and hunting trips.

Much research showed me I didn't really want such light weight galvanized steal in my studio.

Anyways, I pull into the flea market parking lot, which sadly was pretty empty. The first booth I walk to had a cast iron wood stove. It was love at first sight. Sure, my darling had some flaws, but love is blind. I asked the price without slobbering Too much. I called my man at home and asked advice, considering some important pieces were missing.

After consultation, and some bargaining, the man gave me a discount, took the legs off and helped me loaded it in the trunk of my Geo.

Back home, I proudly put it back together, created the missing pieces from and old licence plate, and got the sliding door unjammed through hammer and oil persuasion.

The legs had biblical issues: they'd been laid up where moth and rust do decay. An extra nut on the end of each bolt and it is standing pretty sturdy.

Next town trip I'll pick up some stove caulking and decorative bricks to serve as a protective floor padding. There was an extra top lid for the stove laying inside it, I just set it below the stove on the floor to show it to you. It needs sanding and stove paint.

Now, just between us friends, the trail gods knew I would be second guessing my new love. I knew that like new cars and pregnancy, buying this little stove was just the beginning of my installation adventures.

On the way home, I stopped in an indoor flea market for fun. It too was sadly under whelmed with clientele. There, in one of the booths was the same stove I'd just bought, only the missing piece was there, and the bottom door slid perfectly. Asking price, $275.

Thank you trail gods. I can stop second guessing.

Some Interesting Quotes From Napoleon B.

Bonaparte had some interesting adventures. We know him best from the picture of him with his right hand tucked into his shirt between chest buttons.
But most importantly, because  he was
"Faced by imminent war against Britain and bankruptcy, he recognised French possessions on the mainland of North America would be indefensible and sold them to the United States—the Louisiana Purchase—for less than three cents per acre ($7.40 per km²).

Also from  the Wikipedia article
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_bonaparte  we read, "Due to his longtime success in these wars, often against numerically superior enemies, he is generally regarded as one of the greatest military commanders of all time."


I found these interesting quotes while looking up: the logical end of defensive war is surrender.

The battlefield is a scene of constant chaos. The winner will be the one who controls that chaos, both his own and the enemies.

It requires more courage to suffer than to die.

In politics, stupidity is not a handicap.

Doctors will have more lives to answer for in the next world than even we generals.

and finally, here's food for thought:

Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.

Apparently Napoleon was a military genius. He died only 62 years of age, conquered Europe and ended up in exile. I don't know if that means his wisdom is good or bad, but I find them interesting.

I wonder if he hadn't been in so much debt with all the wars he was busy fighting, how we Americans would have ended up with that massive chunk of land?

Jobs For All Who Want Them-My Green Power Idea

I can't believe its that time again. Do we really have to start choosing our candidates already?
Now, I know its a really big deal because things are not going so good. The one big thing we need is jobs.

With enough jobs people could buy homes again, they could enjoy our country's natural beauty, eat some of the great food our country cooks up in nice restaurants, and pay taxes. Yes, we could pay some taxes and maybe our elected officials would get back to work and off the streets. I just don't want to put up with the campaign trail again, so soon.

Mr.President, I have an idea for jobs.

We know how to make wind mills and wind farms. We know how to do solar panels. I've been dehydrating apples in the back window of my car all week. I took a lovely solar shower today. All cheap. Just plastic and glass.

I'm no scientist, but we have plenty of technology to combine solar and wind to make one viable contraption for your average American family. I believe a good science teacher could challenge his high school class to come up with an affordable system this year.

This solar flashlight always seems to be ready to go, even though I keep it in my purse on a key ring.

This yard light operates via rechargeable  battery by solar power, and it has been working for over a year. Each only cost a few bucks at Walmart.

As I drive across the country, I'm amazed by the wind farms. Hundreds of windmills, out in the open fields, basking in the sun. How come there are no solar panels installed on the bases of those windmills? There could be double the energy gathered from the same amount of land.
While they are installing the cables to transmit the wind power generated to the main storage facility, bundle that right up with a solar panel cable  transmitting all the electricity that has been gathered from the solar panels installed on the base of that windmill.

When it's night or stormy, the wind power will charge the system, when its still but sunny, the solar panels will charge the system. When its even party cloudy, and mildly breezy, both will work together.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_farm

Windmills have been used to pump water for centuries. What if it just ran a turbine instead, on the homestead.

I believe we could create and manufacture an affordable system like this. I envision something every family could go to home depot and buy for $100 bucks. It would be simple enough the average person could take it home and set up in the yard and assemble themselves. It would be a minature version of those colosal giants on the windfarms seen across the land.

Mr. President, think of all the jobs that would create! It would be a long term solution, a real solution. Think of all the clean energy and all the oil we could avoid buying. Imagine the emotional boost our economy would get. That's some change I could believe in.

Just thinking.

Our Recession is a Drowning Man

I'm getting pretty tired of the media suggesting we are about to enter into another recession. We've been told the last recession ended in 2009. Excuse me, I'm sorry. Have you seen the long lines waiting for food, jobs, and help preventing foreclosure? Has the media seen the smash and run, the rise in bank robberies, and the pitiful return rate on anything a body might have in savings, not to even mention whole 401Ks lost from the planet? These are not the signs of recovery, or a non-recession.

I read last night that the rate of American children living below the poverty level is now 20%.
http://news.consumerreports.org/money/2011/08/the-us-child-poverty-rate-has-reached-20-percent.html?EXTKEY=I91CONL&CMP=OTC-ConsumeristRSS

Apparently, some economic indicators at some point went up, and the recession was declared "over".
Not that any normal person would have noticed.
Just because a drowning man is able to take a gulp of air does not mean he's not drowning anymore. Just because a drowning man can make a stroke towards shore does not mean he is saved.

The man is still drowning over here, its the same man, drowning in the same lake, and it's not getting better.

Years ago we were told about a bird flu pandemic possibility. Folks were warned to be prepared to stay put, not go into town, and certainly do not go to a hospital. We were instructed to store up enough food, water, medicines, and hygiene stuff to survive a month. Oprah even had a show on it.

Seemed like I just didn't have any room to store food in any quantity. Then, as this economy became more desperate, and the price of food skyrocketed while returns on any savings lost ground, I found some room.
I've downsized my wardrobe so that one of my "dressers" is now a food storage unit. I feel good about this. It also allows me to stock up on deals if I find them.

I was reading another blog about priorities in survival planning. He suggested that clothing will be much easier to find than food should things go seriously bad. I agree. Clothes last a long time and are easy to come by. Food, on the other hand, maybe much harder to find.

Food Solutions with Free Pasta

Today was my town day, and I had blogged so much about a gallon of corn (10 # can) that I just had to buy one. For a rainy day, and plus, I want the can for a stove prototype I'm working on.

So, anyways, I have to visit the town thrift stores, just can't help myself. Today I found a king size sheet, in brand new condition, that will serve as the perfect backing for my matching quilt for the Master's bedroom.

While I was there I saw they were still giving away the whole wheat pasta. For the last three weeks they've been giving it away. I take two, with many thanks. Today, I finally found out the problem. When a customer asks the volunteer clerk what to do with the stuff, how on earth do you use it, she suggested a cold pasta salad. I learned the reason for this. The recipe is on the flip side of the bag.

I couldn't contain myself. Having cooked with whole wheat pasta, I found myself directing the sweet little lady to be sure and cook it in boiling water. Make sure its done all the way. It will take a little longer than white pasta. Then, when its fully cooked, drain and toss with some hot olive oil in a skillet. Top with spaghetti sauce, heat well. You can add grated cheese if you like. Serve with Parmesan cheese, and a side of green salad.

I didn't mention that a person could saute sliced mushrooms or onions in the oil too, or add some parsley to dress up this simple hot dish. I was just keeping it basic.

She was amazed, stunned that you could serve these noodles like spaghetti. She thanked me and said, "No one cooks with whole wheat in R---County".

I've appreciated the free pasta, and hope none of it goes to waste in any one's kitchen.

Bon Apetite'.

Shopping List for A Survivalist Canner

If I was planning to do much canning of food after a SHTF breakdown, I would begin stockpiling now a list of items without which canning could not happen.

I would have a wood stove. If the power goes out, or a person can't buy propane or operate a generator long term for canning, using a wood stove would be necessary. Canning requires several pots, one for sterilizing jars and lids and rings for those lids, one for cooking or prepping the food, and then the pressure canner or hot water bather. You must have a surface large enough to keep all this hot at once. It doesn't all have to be on full heat. Too much heat will cause excessive water loss from the canner.

A person must have lids. As I posted a few days ago, the flat mason lid with corresponding, yet removable ring, is iffy at best for reuse. The rubber gasket must be piping hot, anchored with the ring, until completely cooled on the jar. The ring can then be removed and used with other flat lids.
So, buying plenty of lids would be paramount. Sometimes they are sold out during harvest time. If they get sold out now, you know they will be sold out if SHTF.

Salt and sugar. You can can and preserve without it, but the food looses quality. Salt in particular is essential to food preparation. You can make sauerkraut in a large jar with salt, be sure it stays below the brine. You don't have to can it either, same with pickles.

Shelving. Proper shelving should allow easy access and have high weight limits. Storage out of direct sunlight, and low humidity. A cool but not damp basement is nice.  You'd be surprised how heavy all these jars full of food can become.

Glass measuring cups, funnels, hot pads and cooling space are all nice to have. Its funny how little counter space some kitchens have now days.

I am working on primitive ways our ancestors used to preserve food. Root cellars, salt brines, dehydration, and natural forest foods. One reason our pilgrims brought over dandelions and kudzu was gifted to the southern states by the Japanese was to take advantage of hearty natural foods which do not require cultivation.

Now, someone asked me what on earth does two people do with a ten pound can of corn.
First, I wouldn't open it unless in season food was gone. Hopefully we eat out of the garden til frost.
Once fall sets in, the weather is cold, we can open said huge can, divide it into smaller containers. With cooler weather, this gallon of food should last, without spoilage, one week. I think we can eat corn chowder, corn muffins, and corn and venison for a week.

To Can, or Not to Can, That is the Question

Another blogger posed the question, and I debated whether to add my few cents worth in comments, or just take the time to really address it properly on this blog.

As you can see, I chose the latter because really, there are a lot of considerations.
For background, let me say I used to live in Wisconsin, then raised a large family up in northern Illinois. We had two enormous gardens, several apple trees and nearby farmers that gave us all the shelled peas we wanted every June harvest.

I canned all our fruits and vegetables, later opting for a large freezer for most of my produce. We made dried apples, pickles, sauerkraut, katsup, currant juice, you name it. If I could get my hands on it cheap, I put it "up".

Back then you could find products in jars where the lid was the same size as the mason jar. Mayonaise and salad dressing come to mind.  Of course we were warned in all the users manuals not to use the Inferior Jars because they could break. A person learned how to be careful. I learned which jars had that nice thick rubber embedded in its lid, the kind that would reseal when boiled and screwed tightly on a hot jar of steaming hot applesauce. Peanut butter and various jellies come to mind.

You get it, I accumulated jars by the dozen, an ungodly mix of jars that filled several deep shelves in the basement.
Jars are expensive. They are the single most expensive thing you need for serious canning.
I think mason jars are going for nearly $11 a dozen now. If I'm buying them, I never waste money on pints. Get the quarts and you have double the food value for the same price per lid.
Mason jar lids, Bell brand, are not reusable. The last thing you want is to go through all that time and money, and next spring find the seal has popped. If a jar has the least little chip or imperfection, you must discard it. You can not trust its seal.

A good pressure canner is essential. Of course, you can use it to cook roasts and potatoes for supper as well. Its not just a canning pot. It's also good for stews for large crowds. The gaskets must be kept from drying out. A simple rub of cooking oil on occasion helps with that.

Not everything needs to be processed in a pressure cooker. Some things are done by water bath, primarily things with high acid content. These huge pots are filled half way with water which is then brought to a low boil. The jars of steaming hot food is placed on the accompanying rack and lowered into this pot whereby the hot water should cover the jars one inch past the lid.

Tomatoes, fruits, and pickles are examples of foods done by water bath. You can't make pickles in the freezer, and tomatoes do much better in a cooked, water bathed environment as well.
You can make refrigerator pickels, no processing needed, and solar dry tomotoes.
Fruits are better when sliced and frozen. Canning fruits require much sugar or the water saps the flavor right out.

Now, if you price out the #10 can of corn in the store you'll find its not that bad. If you plan on buying corn on the cob, using some form of energy (electric stove or gas), and dedicating one quart mason jar for when SHTF scenario, you'll find that the can is the better deal, price wise.
I have canned on a wood stove. The main thing you must do is be sure the "jiggler" maintains a constant hiss which indicated pressure has been reached and is being maintained. Some canners have pressure dials or gages instead of the jiggler. Never drop the lid of such a pot.
Corn requires 90 minutes of unbroken pressure. If you allow it to drop, you must start over. The reason is you are preventing botulism. If you freeze the corn instead, you mearly blanch it on or off the cob and freeze it. Easy.

I had some friends who short cut the timing on asparagus. After a lengthy near death experience in hospitals and long recovery, they have sworn off aparagus. Botulism is deadly.

From this long essay you can tell I'm not into canning much anymore. It is a lot of work. The cost savings for canning comes as you reuse the jars year after year. You still must buy new lids, pay for the energy cost, and either raise the food in a garden or buy it.

If you plan on buying jars and totally dedicating them to the food storage long term those savings go out the window.
Please ask questions. I probably haven't thought of everything in this discourse.

Link for One Page about Popcorn Lung Disease

http://www.popcornlung.com/PracticeAreas/Popcorn-Lung-Symptoms.asp this is actually at a lawyer's website.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronchiolitis_obliterans where you page down to the information about popcorn lung disease. Its all about that butter flavoring.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2007/09/05/us-conagra-popcorn-idUSN0524254120070905
another place.

Research at your own pace. I do the brown bag popcorn now, see blog posts a couple days ago for complete directions.

Apples Are In-Supporting the Local Growers

Apples are just coming in locally and I love it. Wednesday I bought a bushel (in a box) of gala "seconds" for $10. Amazing deal. The local growers is in South Carolina, and very good people to do business with. So friendly!

Gala apples are an early variety. Sweet and crunchy, they make excellent cider, applesauce, dried apples and just plain old snackin'. Seconds means they may have a slight blemish, be a little smaller than "normal" have a tiny bruise, or basically anything less than picture perfect.
That all suits me fine cause I'll be processing them anyways.

While I'm at it, might as well try the solar approach. With this sunshine and heat, the back window of my Geo provides a perfect testing ground.
Photos here include apples sliced for dried apples. A two quart mason jar with diced apples for applesauce. Naturally sweet, the applesauce will only need some cinnamon and a bit of salt added once they are solar cooked to perfection.

My garden is doing great if you count the marigolds! I decided to dry a few for winter floral arrangement.

Survival Skills

I planted chives yesterday in a pot which can be brought inside over the winter. I love chives, which taste like onions, mild and green. According to directions, the more you harvest them the thicker they grow. Now, that's like storing up a whole lotta seasoning.

Now, back on the homestead, I'm reading up on how to render lard. This website gives great directions about hogs. http://nourishedkitchen.com/how-to-render-lard/

Of course, with all the wild pigs and bear around here, should things go from bad to worse, we may be eating bear.
How to render bear fat http://www.helium.com/items/2158368-how-to-render-bear-fat-into-lard
is an art I may be learning soon.

According to sources, a medium bear can produce up to 2 gallons of lard. That's a lot of frying! Think of the survival benefits of all those calories.

One of the main things a person needs is a good stock pot. None of these wimpy aluminum things. A good cast iron, or stainless steel with a heavy bottom. A person can do this over a fire outside, or on top the stove.

They suggest pouring fat into mason jars. I'm sure plastic would be hazardous. A person would have to let the fat cool first.

We generally eat very low fat. I use canola oil, or olive oil for my cooking and baking. However, I am learning this skill for furture needs.

Make Your Own Brand of Microwave Popcorn Cheap

Remember years ago when Popcorn lung was attributed to opening microwave popcorn inside the house. Apparently the steam rising off the inside of the bag was toxic.
Some companies started making a variety without the dreaded chemical whose name I can't remember.
Then, shortly thereafter, while watching CNN I learned a trick from the newsroom. A reporter demonstrated what she did to achieve a bag of delicious, fat free, no dishes to wash, microwave popcorn.

Into one lunch size brown paper sack, measure 1/3 cup popcorn seeds. Roll the top over twice and staple (yes, unbelievably) staple twice to seal it.
Depending on the power of your machine, microwave as you would normally do the prepackaged stuff. My microwave takes 3 minutes and 40 seconds.
Now, I do admit it made me nervous to do staples, and I did scotch tape. The popcorn blew it open. After retrieving all the kernels, I tried the two staples. It made a believer out of me.

One it comes out of the microwave, I slice the top open so its like an open bowl. I use the butter flavored spray, and then salt it generously. The flavor is outstanding, no additional calories from fat and you can enhance with spices as you wish. Try some garlic powder!

This costs about half and is much healthier than the stuff they sell to us prepackaged. We've been doing this for several years now and it works.

Photos of Paranormal?

Notice the time, almost one in the morning. The landscape is a winding trail snugged in between ridges and hallars. Steep sloping sides and mountains funnel wild life down this old forest service road. The nearest paved road is 3 miles away. The nearest gravel road is 1/2 mile away.

This motion detection camera did not take any photos of any humans or animals. Only the light. Some have suggested a helicopter. None were heard by us. Perhaps a stealth helicopter?

We're not into ghosts or flying objects. If you have any ideas, please post.

This is the normal daylight shot, with me hiking at 8:30 a.m.

My partner has a trail camera set up to take photos 24/7 on a nearby trail I hike every day. It gives us wonderful wild life photos of bear, coyote, raccoon and turkeys.

These above photos were shot last night.

Information Gathering Process for Survival

The location has been chosen for the new wood stove, that window by the door.
I'd like to install it without  cutting through the roof, going through the ceiling insulation, and then the ceiling.

This metal building has four windows, so I'm going to sacrifice one screen, which would be half  a window opening, and angle the pipe right through that, hopefully a 45 degree angle.


http://canvascabins.com/stoves.cfm

The links here have been very useful in thinking about how it will draw and what my expectations can be heat wise. I expect the stove to actually be overkill. With a 13 r factor insulation, and temps in Georgia seldom below zero, a 12 x 16 building should be a piece of cake.


http://www.walltentshop.com/stoveinfo.html

There seem to be several to choose from, and that's what's sorta holding me up.

What gage steel do I get, and the corresponding weight factor, will it make a huge difference? I tend towards light because then I can move it myself.

I read where horse packers, canoe travelers, r v people all use these packable stoves. Not your classic pot bellied cast iron beauty, but a functional heat and cook source, the lightest one is 22 gage, the heaviest one is 12. There's one in between.

If anyone has experience with these square sheepherder stoves, please comment.

The round ones looked interesting, but space being a huge factor, I am choosing a rectangular stove for efficiency. Posters told how they created a "false bottom" with a metal sheeting insert, sort of an upside down cookie sheet. Sounds workable.

So, just throwing this out there to all you survivalists.

My Car Is A Solar Oven

Today I took out my thermometer and took the temps on the water I have laying in the back window. Yesterday I uploaded some photos of my new solar shower and had the bright idea to check out the platypus.
And, hey, how about a soda bottle filled with water, while I'm at it.

I found the platypus had a temp of 148 degrees, at 2 p.m.
The soda bottle water temped at 142.
The solar shower bag is actually on the seat of the car. I gave it an extra hour to heat because it wasn't receiving direct sunlight.

Now, I temped it and it reads 118, which is plenty hot for a shower. If I wanted to lay it up in the back window I am certain it would achieve the same temperature as the bottles.

So, who knew my car was actually hot enough to cook in the back window? I bet I could fry eggs on the trunk lid. It feels every bit as hot.

The interior of the car is actually gray. If I places a black cloth beneath these bottles, I'm almost afraid they'd burst with boiling water. Maybe tomorrow?

Preparing for Power Outage: The Solar Shower

A few years back I had a solar shower experience. A trail crew had these bags laying in the sun to warm and invited me, a dirty Colorado Thru hiker to enjoy a shower. It only held five gallons, so I was somewhat skeptical, but thought, hey, why not? They told me just grab a bag, and take it into a curtained off outdoor space and hang it up.

The hose hung down and the nozzle was easy to open and shut. Turned out, five gallons of hot water was plenty!
So, today I bought one for home use. Its been very hot and we're running the air conditioner a lot. Some how the thought came, why not utilize all this sunshine and heat and get us some solar heated water.
My partner and I agree, if this works at all, we'll turn off the water heater during the summer.

I got to thinking, while this clear plastic warms in the sun with a black plastic backing. I have a platypus and my car is legendary. Hot, an oven, and why not try this in the back window to serve as dish rinsing water?

If we are ever without power, we can still take a shower. Depending on the season, and the amount of sunlight, it will vary in temperatures. The directions state it should take about 3 hours.

Stay tuned for further reports and photos.

Prepping or Hoarding?

The new trend in America seems to be streamlining and downsizing. Redbook Magazine did a good article in April 2010 about this, listing six easy step to bring your life under control.

Here is the gist of their article:
1-Take the first step by tackling the stuff that really drives you crazy. That's supposed to build confidence to move on to the less crazy inducing categories.

2-Involve your family. Tell them what you plan on doing and why and the article claims they are more likely to follow the plan.

3-Streamline a space. They actually, with a straight face, tell you to designate a few primary uses for each room and stick to the list. Does the writer not have kids?

4-Give you stuff-the keep or toss test. They tell you to consider what if everything disappeared in the room you are about to clean. Would you miss any of it?  At this precise point I asked myself How does Prepping for the SHTF work with decluttering your life? I know if things got bad, I would want a good tool box, lots of assorted glue, paint, nails, wire, tape, rope, fabric, thread, food, containers, just to name a few things. I guess the bottom line is to be sure its all stored neatly and findable.

5-Quit multi tasking. Used to be that was considered a given and looked upon as a skill. Now they tell us it has been proven to impair brain function. No more walking and chewing gum, you guys. Right now I have the evening news on while I type this blog. Bad girl.

6-Prioritize which to them is Physical activity, Escapes, and People. The simple joys in life. They claim by getting control of your stuff and your schedule you have time for the things that matter most.