Preparations Update

[Tank-Girl]

Do you have any 5 gallon buckets or something you could transfer the material into? 50 lb bags will be hard to deal with in a car. Buckets will divide it up a little bit.

Unfortunately I don't and I just looked up where their depot is and it's way, WAY across town.
Awesome....not.

 

[Caribou]

Around here the grocery store bakery gives away plastic buckets with lids. Usually 3.5 gallon but some 2 and some 4.
5 gallons= 19L

 

[Weedygarden]

Unfortunately I don't and I just looked up where their depot is and it's way, WAY across town.
Awesome....not.

There is no way I could move them. They will load them and then you are responsible to unload? I once had a 50 pound bag of wheat put into the trunk of my car. I removed it scoop by scoop. The same is true when I buy concrete mix. I have someone load it in my car, and then I have to remove it, scoop by scoop. A 5 gallon bucket works for that and will keep it dry if I don't use it right away.

 

[Amish Heart]

Husband ordered a big pack of tp (just because) weeks ago from Walmart. And it came today! He's been teasing granddaughter that we will run out of tp, and it sends her off screaming. Until she went to see that we have some stored. So, 30 rolls arrived. The package (of Scott brand) actually said on it that 1 roll lasts 1 week. Ha Ha. Not sure about that sometimes.

 

[Caribou]

Did you can in glass jars? I have often wondered about what it would take for any of us to can with metal cans. I never could get on the list at the LDS cannery when they had that option. Their list of what they canned was great with many good products including chicken, beef, beans, fruits, soups. I wanted to participate for the product as well as the experience. The lists for sign up were always full.

I've done both but have had problems with the cans more. Also getting cans is an issue. I have a can sealer but never use it. Jars can be used repeatedly and with my Tattler lids I'm set for life.

 

[Caribou]

Husband ordered a big pack of tp (just because) weeks ago from Walmart. And it came today! He's been teasing granddaughter that we will run out of tp, and it sends her off screaming. Until she went to see that we have some stored. So, 30 rolls arrived. The package (of Scott brand) actually said on it that 1 roll lasts 1 week. Ha Ha. Not sure about that sometimes.

The wife uses 5 times what I do.

 

[WVDragonlady]

Husband ordered a big pack of tp (just because) weeks ago from Walmart. And it came today! He's been teasing granddaughter that we will run out of tp, and it sends her off screaming. Until she went to see that we have some stored. So, 30 rolls arrived. The package (of Scott brand) actually said on it that 1 roll lasts 1 week. Ha Ha. Not sure about that sometimes.

The 30 pack ( scotts) I get at walmart says: 30 rolls= 30days

 

[Weedygarden]

As I was driving around the last few days I was out, I went to Dollar Tree. It was first thing in the morning, and that seems to be a better time to find supplies. Dollar Tree tp rolls are slimmer, not nearly as much tp on them. I grabbed 3 packages, so 12 rolls. Did I need it? Nope! But I got it and put it in the queue. I am being a little more conservative with my usage, as are probably many Americans now, and one of the small Dollar Tree tp rolls lasted me a week.

 

[Sentry18]

So today I prepared a package to send to my in-laws. And I didn't do it for them, I did it for my wife. My in-laws didn't take the COVID-19 thing seriously at all. I suggested back in late February or early March that they should consider buying some supplies, but they didn't feel it was necessary. Now they suddenly find they have no masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, or anything else. They also just decided today that perhaps they should be staying home instead of eating out, golfing, going to wine tastings, shooting skeet, socializing with neighbors, etc. I am not sure what is going on in AZ but they must be living life like normal or something. Anyway my wife said her Dad called her and said he wished they had some protective equipment and asked if I had any to spare. Then she came over to me with her sexy Norwegian accent and hazel eyes giving me the "I will make it worth your wild" look. Next thing you know I am putting masks, nitrile gloves, hand sanitizer, and disinfecting hand wipes into a box.

When I brought her home to meet my parents my Dad said to me "Wow, she's a looker. You're going to have a hard time ever saying no to her." He was wise then, he is wise now.

 

[angie_nrs]

So Sentry.....your 'preparations update' is that you have less preps today then you did yesterday?

Awwww......but just think of all the love coming your way from your inlaws and wife.

 

[Sentry18]

So Sentry.....your 'preparations update' is that you have less preps today then you did yesterday?

Awwww......but just think of all the love coming your way from your inlaws and wife.

An update is an update.

My father in law will write a check and call it even. My wifey on the other hand...

 

[Tank-Girl]

Looks like rain is in the forecast for tomorrow.
As if shifting all those bags wasn't going to be hard enough.
It'd be a disaster if they get wet.
I also need to get some top-up groceries which I'll do first thing in the morning while I'm feeling sprightly because dollars to doughnuts there'll be no puff or care factor left to get it done after I shift the bags.

 

[ssonb]

Well it just went nutz here again! The governor of GA went and declared a state wide lock down for ten days effective friday and the "grasshopper" preppers are out in force cleaning out the stores once more. Lucky me gets his job declared "essential " so I get to go to work anyhow.

 

[Sentry18]

So I come home from work and the wifey is busy working from home, so I head down to the man cave to spend some time with my metal mistresses, oops I mean guns. Anyway I am getting the wife's shotgun upgraded and I can't find the Magpul hand guard I bought for it. This leads me into the storage room where I start digging through open and unmarked boxes. I open the 3rd box and find it, along with a bunch of other gun parts and pieces. Then I see another box out of the corner of my eye. Way in the back, behind some other stuff. A box of 50 standard 8210 Plus N95 masks (plus a couple trauma kits). I already had a comfortable supply of N95 masks and charcoal activated surgical masks, but I sent some to my parents and some to my in-laws and was just thinking it would be nice to have some more. And now I do.

 

[Meerkat]

I was thinking in canning jars but good to know!!!!! I'm not up for a round of botulism! Thank you.

No none of us are, not like you can run to the doctor or hospital if we get sick.

 

[The Lazy L]

Youngest was told today that starting tomorrow he will be working from home. He called the local Internet provider and schedule service. For an Ace his boss gave him a Essential Employee letter.

 

[Tank-Girl]

Well today I brought my manual flour mill online.
The best thing about it is that it comes with two sets of grinder wheels (?).
One is for dry grains like wheat and the other is for oily or wet grains like nixtamalized corn.

I'm still waiting on a phone call from the shipping depot that my order has arrived.
It hasn't rained yet but it's hotter than the surface of the sun.

I managed to buy 3 really nice bulbs of garlic which I'm going to try my hand at growing.
I'll have to give it a false winter in the fridge for a few weeks before I plant it so it'll bulb up.

There was no funds left over to buy superphosphate.
You can only do what you can do with the funds you have.

 

[Tank-Girl]

My grain is home!!
All 33 bags and I am wrecked physically.
Talk about biting off more than you can chew which has always been my way and after a lifetime of doing this I'm guessing it's a pretty safe bet to say that the trait is here to stay.
It's not actually in the house atm.
It's in a untidy pile at the base of the steps. I've left that effort for a time when I don't hurt.
The way I'm feeling atm that might be a little while in the future.
In the mean time I've tarped it and prayed for clear, bright days and low dew mornings.

 

[SheepDog]

Watch out for mice and birds. That is just snack food for them.

 

[LadyLocust]

My grain is home!!
All 33 bags and I am wrecked physically.
Talk about biting off more than you can chew which has always been my way and after a lifetime of doing this I'm guessing it's a pretty safe bet to say that the trait is here to stay.
It's not actually in the house atm.
It's in a untidy pile at the base of the steps. I've left that effort for a time when I don't hurt.
The way I'm feeling atm that might be a little while in the future.
In the mean time I've tarped it and prayed for clear, bright days and low dew mornings.

TG Can I just tell you, I think you're pretty awesome! Also, what kind (brand?) of mill?

 

[Tank-Girl]

TG Can I just tell you, I think you're pretty awesome! Also, what kind (brand?) of mill?

Awwww Thank you!
Both sides of my family - Dad's from Holland and Mum's from Italy both made sure that the family knew the families history as both went through wars, famines and the great depression.
They left diaries and they told us stories and tried to instilled in us how important it was to store and grow food.
Some of us took it to heart finally.
I'm doing what I need to do to take care of myself because I've been hungry in the past because of my own stupidity and there's no way in hell I'm allowing that to happen again.

This is the mill I chose. It's metal which I like. Others were plastic and I could see them breaking.
https://www.grainmills.com.au/shop/grain-mills/new-survival-ark-mill-manual-grain-mill/
By the way it rained last night.
Thank the Lord above that I tarped the grain or I'd be in a world of hurt right now.

 

[Tank-Girl]

Well, all the grain is in the house.
3 bags got damp along one edge and they've been put in a separate pile so I can keep an eye on them.

I'm going to go lay on the couch for a good long while and have a quiet cry.

 

[Bacpacker]

Great Work TG. You've impressed me! A long rest is well deserved.

 

[LadyLocust]

Under the circumstances, I've decided I need to keep our stock of goods topped off at all times: from pickles to bar and chain oil for the chainsaw. We usually keep up relatively well on stuff like that, but I'd like to really have an acute sense of where we are with things. This will take more cleaning and organizing which I've been doing, but at a pretty lackadaisical pace. It will also require more fine-tuning and sorting out of what is not "essential" to us.
PS - I'm beginning to not like that word.

 

[Morgan101]

her sexy Norwegian accent and hazel eyes giving me the "I will make it worth your wild" look.

I fell for that a few times. If memory serves what she wanted to get done, got done. I don't ever remember her making it worth my while. After a few times I called her bluff: "I have heard that BS before" She thought it was pretty funny that she had been caught.

Be that as it may you are the better man for sending the care package. It is the right thing to do, no matter who it is for.

 

[Sentry18]

I fell for that a few times. If memory serves what she wanted to get done, got done. I don't ever remember her making it worth my while. After a few times I called her bluff: "I have heard that BS before" She thought it was pretty funny that she had been caught.

We have 7 kids. She is clearly making it worth my while.

 

[angie_nrs]

We've been super busy! We put up some firewood this past week cutting up dead trees on the property. We might put it out by the road to sell since we have a lot of it cut and don't burn wood for heat. At least that way someone will get some use out of it and we'll put the funds towards more fruit trees. We also got some indoor carpentry projects done in my food storage room that I am super excited about. I've been wanting some work done to that room and now it's super cozy and relaxing. We also bought some seed and fertilizer for the deer plot that needs to get planted in the next few weeks so we can get some venison this fall. I've also moved some guns out of the safe and have them spead out more for security purposes. We did some target shooting recently and I have another gun out now that I want to pull the trigger on when the weather shapes up a bit.

 

[Grumpy521]

I acquired a two hundred gallon water tank that will be part of a new hydroponics system I'm working on. It will grow veggies during the winter and crawfish.

 

[hiwall]

Talked to our oldest son today and he is now jumping on the prepper bandwagon. He ordered a load of black dirt delivered for their new garden. He bought a hand grain mill and a hand meat grinder. They also really boosted their food storage. Now he is going to add rainwater catchment to the house.
He has 200 watts of solar on his RV but he is thinking about a system for the house.

 

[Amish Heart]

HOORAH for you, Tankgirl. You accomplished a lot. Hope you get some rest now.