The Old Folks Home

[CapricornFarm]

Anyone have fun weekend plans? I had dinner last night with a fun bycer and his family.
I know I need to get into the graveyard tomorrow. Monday is rain so sewing!

I am going to work on the cage I am building and possibly shovel poo.
Good luck on your graveyard work.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Remember awhile back, hurricane Irma hit our area unusually hard. While we had power the entire time, all of our neighbors went 6 days without power. This time, we've prepped like we were going to get hit with another Irma, or worse. I spent some of my time yesterday, moving most things out of the garage, into the shed. I put a tarp across the whole garage floor, then set up all the freshly cleaned cages for my chickens.

On an amusing note, Dh has always given me a hard time about using the generator if the power goes out. It's for dire emergencies only. Yesterday morning, he was giving me his usual hard time about using the generator, if the power goes out. I looked at him, and said, "you know the dire emergency we're to save the generator for?" "Yes", he replied. I said, "well THIS IS IT." The look on his face was a Kodak moment. It's like he was saving it for a zombie apocalypse, and anything short of that was not enough of an emergency to use it. I reminded him, it's not a one use only item. It can be used over, and over. Sheesh. We had 2 full tanks, and I made him fill 3 more, so I now have 5 full tanks. I mentioned that I could get through 7 - 10 days on the 5 tanks.

He mentioned that according to his calculations, which are somewhat flawed, 3 tanks would only give me 3 days worth of power. He further mentioned that I had to be extremely conservative with it, so it would last at least 21 days, or more. Oh, and I couldn't run it at night, since the sound would carry more at night, and people would try shooting us to loot us, and take our food. "Then shoot back", was my response. He's definitely got a doomsday mentality. I reminded him it was a local disaster, not country wide. In addition, I was not staying here with 3 kids, longer than a week without power. I have several friends, and family in other states, with electricity, that I could visit for a short time, until power was fully restored here.

Considering his reaction(s), I think I understand his thinking a bit more, and we will be making a few changes soon, regarding propane. I had told him when we first moved in, that instead of so many individual tanks that are enclosed in what looks to be a shed, I wanted him to call the gas company, and have a big tank installed. I wanted a gas range too. He mentioned how the tank would have to be buried, so no one could see it, and he didn't think it would be safe. I couldn't understand what he was talking about. Now, digging into his doomsday brain, I understand a bit more. Yeah, I think we will be getting a big tank. He can rebuild the shed around it, like the one for the smaller tanks, if he's so concerned about it being seen.

So he's a prepper! Never hurts to be prepared. I have bug out bags, medication bag and other items just in case. We have a wood stove, assorted fire arms, propane tank, propane stove and heater. Enough chickens, quail and turkeys to feed us along time.

 

[microchick]

OMG, we were wondering what might have shredded the bark off one of our trees. Looked like it was up pretty high for the small bears around here. Well we haven't seen any big cat tracks near the river.

We have one picture of me standing alongside the tree holding a tape measure for reference and the damage to this tree started at about 7 feet. We had neighbors look at it that we figured would know what they were looking at and they both were pretty amazed. They all said the same thing-that they had seen that kind of marking caused by 'something big' such as a bear or cougar.DH is trying to find the picture but at the moment it is evading us.

 

[getaclue]

Cap, I am not anti-prepper at all. The point was, there is a conflict in his prep scenarios that are hindering him from emergency preparedness, as well as a SHTF scenario.

 

[getaclue]

micro, just be careful, and alert when you go outside.

 

[Cynthia12]

Oh boy..this hurricane reminds me of when our family was in Mexico when Hurricane Wilma hit..at a cat 5! We were blessed to have been able to be taken inland to Miridia..spelling. I had fallen during evacuation...my right shoulder! They brought in a Dr. while we were waiting for the buses to be ready to go. The Dr. Said..you need to go to Cancun to see a Dr. He could tell it was dislocated. I said, I'm not going to Cancun! This hurricane is going to hit there too! We were at a place down the coast called Alkumal. Anyway..yes, it..moved..slow! Did a number all the way up to Cancun. Cancun was hit pretty bad..then it veered off..towards Florida. Hurricane Wilma hit Florida at a Cat 3. Side note..once we were waiting in Miridia..they had the offer for some of us to go to the airport to make a huge roundabout to get home. Again, I say, ...I'm not going..to Florida..the storm will go there! Yep, the folks that headed out to the airport, came back shaking their heads. The airport in Florida..closed. Pretty quick, Miridia wasn't allowing people in, or out of the city. It was a crazy vacation. We did get a lot of rain when the hurricane passed along the coast across from us. Like I said, we were blessed. Photos after...the motel we had stayed in...partly gone on one end. The pool was literally filled with sand...most of those beautiful palm trees were down. Google..hurricane Wilma. Mexico.. Florida. It was huge.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Morning all sitting here second cup started laundry and cleaned my cat boxes .. none of us are doom sayers but we have water for 2 weeks saved BF goes with what I ask that way

 

[CapricornFarm]

Cap, I am not anti-prepper at all. The point was, there is a conflict in his prep scenarios that are hindering him from emergency preparedness, as well as a SHTF scenario.

Oh I get your point, but at least he has some preps. I couldn't believe during Katrina people had no food or water in their homes.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Goes straight back to the ones that cornbread aint done in the middle

 

[microchick]

We try to keep a years worth of canned goods, veggies, beans, peanut butter, jelly, etc on hand. Canned meats not so much but man we are good on the bean supply! Since we heat with wood and harvest from our own timber no shortage there. Our van always has 35 gallons of gas in it plus we have the 500 gallon farm diesel tank for the tractors....we can always eat chicken, LOL. Don't tell my flock I said that. Important medicines are kept in a large tool box. With us tho, our big concerns are tornadoes, severe thunderstorms with straight line high winds, ice storms and blizzards.....in case of fire, grab the medicines, and run like H..E..Double toothpicks, grabbing as many pets along the way as we can. We have virtually no fire protection where we live. Mainly just buy a lot of hotdogs and marshmallows and pass them around to the firefighters once they arrive....45 minutes after the fire starts.

Hurricanes are just so unpredictable. They remind us who is really in charge of mother Earth.

I spent the afternoon out doing some work on the coop and run that I've been putting off this summer. Now to tackle the kitchen......

@ronott1 I forgot about you having undergone that surgery for stenosis. You have first person experience with it. Still, so sorry you do have that experience. I hope to avoid surgery but know it is a possibility down the line. I would have much rather had it when I was younger than face it now as a senior citizen. My big fear is falling and suffering a compression fracture that puts me flat on my back.

No way to get or enjoy a vacation.