This weeks preps check-in

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I am plugging along on painting the house. I work a little on it each morning and evening when it’s cool enough. Am just about to go apply some more paint in a few minutes here. This morning I recaulked a section that will be first coated tomorrow. I throw in some breaks in the pool and hot tub between rounds of projects here. I’m in no rush or any kind of deadline for the first time in my life. The goal though is over the next year (ish) to have everything remodeled and set to last me a good while for minimal maintenance on the place over the next ten years or so. Hopefully the world will stay together long enough for me to finish all my projects….
 
I have a collie that has a beautiful thick fur coat. Since it’s so hot I’m considering goving him a trim. Anyone here ever trimmed a big furry dog before? I’m wondering if it actually helps them stay cooler?
 
I have a collie that has a beautiful thick fur coat. Since it’s so hot I’m considering goving him a trim. Anyone here ever trimmed a big furry dog before? I’m wondering if it actually helps them stay cooler?

My wife used to shave the golden retriever down every year. The labs have learned to like the hose. The boxer just gets annoyed when I throw her in the carport sink.
But she wants me to get a 300 gal stock tank for them for a pool. DB3B9080-D1FB-45CB-9C5E-F6103E0451E5.jpeg
 
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I have a collie that has a beautiful thick fur coat. Since it’s so hot I’m considering goving him a trim. Anyone here ever trimmed a big furry dog before? I’m wondering if it actually helps them stay cooler?

I have a Canadian Eskimo Dog, two coats, he sheds the inner coat in June or so. He is much cooler afterward.
 
My dogs, all three, will allow me to bathe them begrudgingly but they all hate the water. The collie will stay close and watch me in the pool but the other two run just in case I ever decided to make them go in too!
 
This week is carb week. It isn't much but we just filled eight 2L soda bottles with rice. My dad gets 5 gallon buckets from his work for free so now we are starting to fill them with stuff too. One is for egg and dumpling noodles, another for angel hair pasta, one with sugar, another for flour, one for "just add water" muffin mixes. one for breadings and batters like fry krisp cracker meal and shore lunch, one with famous daves cornbread mix... The buckets and bottles are mostly carbs but that stuff should far exceed its "best if used by" dates (what a joke). Everything is sealed well. For only two people, I think we are finally getting to a comfortable place with our food preps.
 
This week is carb week. It isn't much but we just filled eight 2L soda bottles with rice. My dad gets 5 gallon buckets from his work for free so now we are starting to fill them with stuff too. One is for egg and dumpling noodles, another for angel hair pasta, one with sugar, another for flour, one for "just add water" muffin mixes. one for breadings and batters like fry krisp cracker meal and shore lunch, one with famous daves cornbread mix... The buckets and bottles are mostly carbs but that stuff should far exceed its "best if used by" dates (what a joke). Everything is sealed well. For only two people, I think we are finally getting to a comfortable place with our food preps.

for pasta you can't go wrong with spaghetti strands in a 5 gallon bucket - right at 32 pounds if you pack it tite ....
 
From what read late last week, tomatoes will be going up from short supply. Paste, diced, sauce, spaghetti sauce are all high on my priority list.
Not only for need, but a hedge on inflation.

Jarred tomato are usually fine for a long period. Canned not so much. Most of the putrid stuff I saw working in a grocery store was tomato products.

I always watch my rotation on these closely.
 
Im throwing out a challenge to everyone to post what they do for prepping. I know time and money can limit what people can get done. Even one thing a week, no matter how small gets you one step closer to your goals. Over the next year this should be a huge thread and all of us should have 50 projects done.

This week my son and I picked up 700 223 brass and 800 40cal brass to reload. Cost was nothing but an hours time. Now the work starts to prepare it to reload and locate bullets.

What have you accomplished this week?
Major Costco Haul and my new food saver arrived been vacc all my costco hauls.
 
I have canned and jarred tomato storage, but with the amount of tomatoes coming out of the garden, it's a years worth for sure. Some are frozen, some chopped and canned, and some dehydrated.
Really smart to preserve different batches in different ways. Never put all your eggs in one basket as they say. I usually can up to about two years worth of stuff at the most and share the rest with friends or the food bank. I know I could safely eat home canned stuff beyond two years but try not to now anyways
 
My new fuel tank arrived yesterday. I'll get it set up today and fill it next week. With premium non - ethanol at over $5.00 a gallon I'm not looking forward to that bill. Thanks Biden voters.
You really think Biden caused everything? I don’t give him that much credit
 
I just finished dry canning 12 lbs dry pinto beans , 12lbs of black beans and 25 lbs white rice. Man I forgot how hot it was canning beans, heated the house up fast.
Yeah, as hot as it is I do 95% of cooking outside now. Switching in winter of course to help warm inside
 
Harvesting all the grapes. Making and canning grape juice today.
My grapes aren’t even close to ripe. Some Concordes are getting there but the muscadines are far out yet. I thought my fig trees were barren this year but now they are covered in small figs. Just slow starting I guess. My sister just about 40 miles away has already started dehydrating her mature figs. I haven’t checked the blueberries in a while, maybe when it cools down here.
 
Oh, I murdered a tree here for no good reason! The walnut tree that I thought was poisoning the ground wasn’t what I thought. I cut it down and loaded the logs to the sawmill. I thought it was kind of pale for black walnut. The guy was certain it was pecan. Dammit, it was a beautiful tree and wasn’t hurting anything…. Live and learn. Will make some furniture out of it at least.
 
Did 35 quarts. Still have 2 more buckets of grapes to do. And they neighbor said to come pick as much sweet corn as we can, so will be doing corn afterwards.
You should pick your sweet corn first thing in the morning just as the sun starts rising. The plant stores sugar over the night and starts to convert in to starch in the sunlight. If you want it sweet and crisp, set an alarm clock for tomorrow!
 
Even though I’m retired now I agreed to cover for emergencies for when my son is busy or on vacation. So the little turd is in Utah right now, he’s going to Disney in California in a couple weeks, and then to universal in Florida a couple weeks after that. I think I’ve been duped!
 
I’m getting a few apples this year but I pruned the heck out of the trees over winter so not a lot of fruit this year. Hopefully next year will be great though.
 

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