Down in the Ozark Hills

New year

2012-01-31T08:31:00.000-08:00

I am looking ahead to this years garden. I've already tilled out one garden plot. My Sun Joe is still working fine. I've had reports of one dying from a reader (Thanks Jim). Also if you Email me and don't hear from me, I got a bad habit of not checking my email. So be patient. This year it was much easier to till the garden space. Less rocks, roots and other stuff.

I know it's still early to have tilled. But the weather was so nice I couldn't help but get out and do it. I will be building a garden fence around it in the next couple months. Get a few materials here and there. I bought a hand post hole digger the other day. Ain't no law that says you got to build a fence all at one time. But with the scum in DC, who knows...

The fence is as much to keep the dog out as anything else. She will run off most of the freeloading wild life. She runs around the place raising hell at night.

I learned a lot from last years garden. The freeloading wildlife was a problem. The dog will keep them away this year. Water (lack of) was what did the most damage. The garden was doing fine, but no rain did it's damage. I had tried to hand water as much as I could, but physically wasn't up to the job. Ain't making excuses, just stating fact. This year I got the watering system all figured out.

I did have some trouble with insects, mainly caterpillars and squash bugs (we used to call them stink bugs as a kid) eating on my tomato plants. Those I hand picked and squashed. If it had rained, I am sure the garden would have done just fine. The plants where all doing very well, but no rain for months did the garden in. So I am ready to tackle this years garden, armed with the knowledge gained from last years.

The dog is an important addition, she raises hell, chases deer away (damned things eat everything in sight). She does bark too much, especially when the coyotes strike up the band. Which is just about every night. Got a pack of them about, haven't seen any, but they do carry on each night.

I've got used to her barking I guess. Haven't seen a deer around here in awhile. I ain't complaining.

I've been cleaning up the area behind the TT. The electric chainsaw has made it easy. I am impressed by it, I must admit. It gets the job done. I have always been careful with chainsaws, once saw a guy just about take his leg off with one. Electric chainsaws just seem safer to me. Though one must never ever become complacent with one. I added some pictures of the area, which I haven't shown many pictures in the past, it was a mess back there.

Now the old MH is gone, I decided to clear the area out. Winter is the best time to clear areas out. Come summer it will turn into a jungle. I know this a Duh thing, but winter is not a time to set on ones backside. The side yard has some nasty brush back there. As I've stated before, my pole saw is on of the most useful tools I own. It has snipping thing that works on the brush and makes clearing it easier. But there is so much of it that it is time consuming to cut each one individually.

I don't do much each day, can't bust my butt like I did as a young man. But the point I am making is that I do a little each and everyday. Since I am physically limited, I think about everything I do. So I do it very efficiently. There fore I get a lot done with a limited amount of effort. Work smart, not hard still holds true.

I will plant some grape vines and blueberry bushes back there when I can. Then a few melon and squash mounds. I am going to plant as much near the TT as I can. Putting stuff too far apart is another issue I learned last year. Too much walking for my old tired bones.

This winter hasn't been too bad. We've had some cold snaps, but in general it's been pretty mild. That's pretty much it, nothing exciting going here. Which is just how I like it, boring and uneventful.

Till I breakdown and go buy another cup of coffee...

Coffee can heater

2012-01-03T10:05:00.000-08:00

My electric heater setup does work, but does fall a little short. It got down 10 degrees the other night. The heater was on at 750W full on. It dropped to 50 degrees in here. As a disclaimer, I use what I call a coffee can heater, so use this info at your own risk. Nanny wants to control every aspect of our damned lives, but I've actually used my little coffee can heater for years and done so safely. I use it to boost the heat in my TT. I took a big coffee can and cut the bottom and top out. I set this on my propane stove over a burner and put a small fan behind it to circulate air.

Works pretty good. It will bring up the temp in here a lot in about a half hour. I only use it for “boosting” heat, I don't leave it on all the time. Mostly in the morning to bring the temp up. Then once the temp is up I cut it off. This method doesn't really use that much propane. I have two 75lb bottles. The valve is messed up on one. These bottles last a long time. A propane furnace running all the time will eat a fair amount of propane. My little coffee can heater runs a long time on a bottle of propane.

I've used this method for years for extra heat. Again, I know the risk of using such a thing, so some common sense needs to be used in using things like this. Cold doesn't bother me much. I sleep snug as bug in a rug. My zero degree sleeping bag works just fine.

Moving on, a couple of guys came by and wanted to know what I was going to do with the old MH on my property. They agreed to tear it down for the scrap metal. I said it's all yours. It was an eyesore anyway. They've been working on it. We've gotten a lot of rain lately and it's too muddy to work back there.

But I am glad to see the eyesore gone. I like looking at nature, not trash. I broke down and got me an electric chainsaw. Had to drive 45 miles to a Sutherland to get it. All they had was a Poulan 3.5 HP. I swore I'd never buy anything with Poulan printed on it again, but for $69.95 I bought it anyway. The Poulan Gas chainsaw I got is useless. Takes an act of congress to start the damned thing. I've used the electric one and it seems to do the job. Which is all that matters in the end. Frankly I think the electric chainsaws are safer. Don't get worn out trying to start the damned things.

I am cutting down some small oak trees, I call them suckers. They will never make it to old age anyway. I am stacking the straight sections up and letting them dry out. The wood when cut up into little pieces will make great cooking wood for the Weber. Oak makes mighty fine fuel wood for a grill. As you all know I like to barbecue. I threw a Cornish game hen on the grill Xmas day. Drank me some brandy (EJ VSOP), had me some oyster dressing and sweet potatoes. Brownies topped with whipped cream for dessert. Simple, easy, tasty. The weather was perfect.

I said in my last post I had two dogs, make that one. The one is a damned good dog, the other one was worthless. So I got rid of it. Dogs are like people, some are great, but most are worthless. Around here you earn your keep or...

That's pretty much all I got to say for right now.

Still here and kicking

2011-12-02T09:00:00.000-08:00

Still alive and kicking. Winter weather is here, it got down to 13 degrees here last night. The trees are bare, except for the oak leaves which hang on most of the winter. Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving, I did. Bought a small ham which I hickory smoked to perfection on my Weber. A good excuse to drink brandy and smoke a cigar or two. Made a pouch out of aluminum foil, filled it with oyster dressing and chucked it on the grill. Had some sweet taters and homemade pumpkin pie. Had some store bought pie last year, nevermore. I make a fine pumpkin pie, if I do say myself.

It was 65 degrees Thanksgiving day with the sun shining. Glorious view, glorious day. When the trees go bare, the distant view of the hills enlightens me. I had two dogs show up at my place last month. One is an excellent dog, the other I got chained. It was a chain or a bullet. The one dog is as bad as the other is good. I ain't the worlds biggest dog lover. They got their uses. The bad dog chewed up my TT black water dump hose !?!?! Dragged every piece of junk it could find over to my yard, shit all over my yard, etc. Some dogs just ain't no damned good. The other runs free and is an excellent dog. Keeps the freeloading wildlife away.

So life here in the sticks is pretty good. I've avoided politics for a long time, I hate democrats and can barely stand republicans. What I am seeing just disgusts me. I figure things will just keep getting worse and worse. I ain't going to worry about it, the die is cast and what's coming should be clear. That's all I got to say.

I ain't prepping much these days. I am pretty well setup. I do like to keep certain things on hand. These are more daily living items than TSHTF stockpiling. I am pretty well set in that department. But here you never know what will happen. Never know when a winter storm might strand you for a week or so. I haven't had any serious problems with my Suburban not starting in a long time, but one never knows.

The heater setup I talked about in the last post works. It ain't perfect. I have to run it longer than I had first thought. But still it shouldn't cost more than $35-$40 a month in heating cost. When it get's really cold, I fire up the propane heater for a boost, bang on the gas line and it does start. $40 a month for heat is still well below what most people pay. My bedroom does get a little cold, but I like it that way. I got a 0 degree rated sleeping bag that keeps me plenty warm. It does get a little chilly in here at night as I just run the heater 15 minutes on/off at night. But a sweater take care of that in the mornings, till I get the temp up a little.

I think I will breakdown and get an electric chainsaw. I hate the gasoline ones I got, too damned hard to start. Winter is the best time to clear areas. I don't have much to clear, but I got all winter to clear it. Since I can't work like a twenty year old no more, I do just a little at a time, works for me. I got months to get it done.

I am planning next years garden. I learned a lot from this years garden. It wasn't a total failure. I did get some stuff out this years, it's not like I didn't get anything. This year we had a drought, not as bad as some areas, but a couple months with no rain did wipe out a lot of plants that were doing great. I am designing a water system. I can get all the water I need, I just got to haul it. I am thinking about getting a sump pump.

If I can hook it up to a garden hose, I can get some large totes I've seen, to haul water over here, put the sump pump in it to pump water to my garden. That's the idea, I need to look deeper into it.

But that's what I am thinking on right now. Sump pumps are submersible. I should be able to add a fitting to hook a garden hose. I need to research it all, but that might work. I just need to be able to water my garden. The dogs should keep the freeloading wild life away. The good dog chases the deer away, I don't see the freeloaders around here like I did. I saw them everyday before, now only occasionally and they run off when the dog lights out after them.

I am also considering a garden fence. I got over seven acres of wood. I may cut me some small trees and make me some posts. Hence buying the electric chainsaw. Tack some chicken wire to the posts. I am trying to do the watering system and fence on the cheap. The cheaper the better. Now, I don't know how it will all turn out. I start with an idea and sometimes it turns out entirely different than I thought. That's how life works out anyway. You got to start with the idea, then move to the implantation. Sometimes things work out as planned, other times they work out, but not as planned.

During the winter I like to put out bird seed. I like watching the birds. They can be fun to watch. I'll sit here at my computer and look out and watch the birds. I find it gratifying.

If you've ordered dehydrated veggie, they ain't cheap. But I find a can of dehydrated peas and carrots lasts a long time. So while the upfront cost is a lot, it stretches out and seem to be reasonable. Dehydrated veggies are easy to use and make cooking easier. No prep work. I take come rice, dehydrated peas, carrots and celery, throw in some beef or chicken bouillon. Nuke it for about 18 minutes and get a good meal out of it. Very easy and tasty.

While you may bulk at the high price of dehydrated veggies (like I do), it can really make cooking a lot easier and the cost per serving is actually reasonable. I haven't ordered any in a few years. If you look around on the internet, you can find bargains. I will when I start getting low, order some more. I am a fan of dehydrated veggies. Fruit is more expensive than I like, but some things like certain veggies I can justify buying. Powdered eggs taste like crap, but are great for baking and are great for batters. Ready made meals really aren't cost effective, but used to make other meals can be very cost effective.

I like the taste of most dehydrated veggies. They can also be used in soups, stews, etc. Easy to make soups I might add. Since some canning companies line the cans with a plastic that maybe bad for your health, this might be healthier. Don't take my word for it though. It's just that certain canned items maybe poisoning you. So be aware.

I can when I can find it, buy meat I have to cut up myself. I found a chunk of KC strip. About 7 lbs for about $14. I cut 7 KC strips out of it. Threw a couple on the grill, cut a few up for stir fried beef. Then make up some rice like I said in an earlier post. I've been buying chunks of beef for years when I can find vacuum packed chunks of beef. The $14 chunk I jumped on like a duck on a June bug. I haven't seen a chunk like that in way too long. I had a place out in California years ago that sold big old chunks for really cheap beef. Top sirloin, rib eye, filet minion.

Vacuum packed meat looks brown and nasty. Open it and let the oxygen get to it and it turns nice and red. Sharpen up the old knife and go to work. I am always looking for deals at this one store, they have various cuts of meats. When I see a cut I like, I jump all over it. Those steaks I bought recently where about $2 a pound. The pre-cut ones over $5 a pound...

I refuse to watch CNN or MSNBC. I only watch FOX sometimes (it sucks pretty much but I track the economy, I like Cavuto). I heard a piece about how if the EURO goes down it might drag us down with it. I've been aware of this for a long time. Our wonderful banksters have big bucks tied up in Europe. Stinking globalists wet dream. Our tax dollars have been going to the IMF bailing out the Euro zone for some time. This is old news to those of us who track these things.

What surprises me is how much air play this is being given by Fox. When Fox is covering this, it gets my attention. It's hard to tell what might happen. I've repeated this numerous times, I don't have a crystal ball. But I can read the writing on the wall, can you ? Now, while I am not saying a collapse is about to happen, if the Euro goes down, TSHTF is highly likely. This is basically what FOX is covering on the news right now as I type this post. Interesting.

It's important to understand, I ain't saying the sky is falling. But if the Euro goes down, expect a potential collapse of the world economy. Expect potential rioting here and all over the world. This is more a heads up than a dire prediction. But in the world I live in, two plus two equal four. I'd rather it not happen and be wrong, then oblivious to it's possibility. So take this all with a grain of salt. Personally I ain't changing my plans one iota. I am not running to the store to stockpile this and that, if I think the point of no return is about there, I may buy some things on my EBL (emergency buy list). But I ain't even close to that right now. But I am always vigilant.

Now, I assume my readers are likely aware of all this. I am not going to insult your intelligence. It seems the Fed is going to fire up the printing presses yet AGAIN. They are going to prop up the dollar with help from other countries central banks to save the Euro. What does that mean to you and me, HIGHER PRICES !!! Gasoline is going to cost more, food will cost more, everything costs more and the value of the dollar becomes worth even less than it is now. It's THEFT PLAIN AND SIMPLE. It the globalists Ponzi scheme. At some point it's going to collapse like all Ponzi schemes. It's inevitable. It's like gravity, you can't defeat it. Who will (is) pay for all this BS, you and me. That's the writing on the wall.

As a survivalist situational awareness is everything. Being aware of what might happen is as important to what is going on directly around you. Expand your situational awareness out to cover the current world economy, if it doesn't make you somewhat nervous, you ain't paying attention. Things ain't right and most people are somewhat aware of this. Many don't want to face the facts and may be in denial, but at some level most people know this situation is FUBAR. I love it when the Dow goes down, because when it goes up I know the next time I buy gasoline, it will cost more. I know when the Dow is up, food will costs more. I've been watching the Dow for years. It hit 488 today, watch it drop like a rock in the near future. 488 means we will all be paying more tomorrow, just saying.

Till I buy another cup of coffee...

Heat

2011-11-01T08:03:00.001-07:00

This blog is about my living in the sticks. It's about living in a TT (Travel Trailer). I relate my experience. TT's get hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's just the way they are. So heat in winter is IMPORTANT !!! I was at the VA and my doctor was telling me about a guy who lived in a TT and had an $800 heating bill in one month. I just grinned. If this guy was that stupid, then that was his tough luck. Me, I ain't that damned stupid.

My TT has has a propane furnace. I have been fiddling with the damned thing for two years. Pulled the ignitor, cleaned it, gaped it, it will spark. The problem is the gas line, I have to tap it with a wrench often to get it to fire up. In other words this sucker is just unreliable.

So last year I bought a quartz heater. These crank out a lot of heat. But you have to sit directly in front of it to stay warm. So this year I bought a oil filled radiator heater. I bought it because it has a 600W setting. It's simple math really. 600W on 24/7 at $.08 a kilowatt = about $32 a month. I could live with that. Problem is 600W left on all the time might not be enough to keep the place warm. So I have a quartz heater and oil filled radiator. What's next, an infrared heater ? Well a light bulb went off above my head.

Infrared and quartz heaters don't heat the air (at least not very well). They heat things very efficiently, just not air very well. So those fancy infrared heaters have a heat chamber (metal chambers which transfer heat to air) and a fan to circulate it. These heaters cost anywhere between $150 for the cheapest and $400 top end. Ouch.

But (infrared heaters) are very cost effective on the operational side. Costly up front, economical to operate. So here I am with a quartz heater and an oil filled radiator heater. What to do, what to do.

Duh, use the quartz heater to heat the oil filled radiator. Gee, aren't I smart guy. Now, the oil filled is never powered on. It's passive in this little experiment. The quartz heater heats it up. The quartz heater has a 750W setting. Set at 750W the max 24/7 (if left on all the time) cost is about $43 a month. But if I cycle it on and off, less. So I go to China Mart, get a mechanical timer. This one has 15 minute on/off increments.

Set 15 minutes on and 15 minutes off, the cost is about $21 a month !!! Will it keep me warm when the cold winds blow, I don't know. It hasn't gotten cold enough to test. But it looks pretty good so far. To me testing is IMPORTANT. Until you test it, it's just theory.

It got down to 27 last night. I left the heater on with a 15 minute on/off cycle. The temp inside this morning was 58 degrees. The timer ( A Brinks by the way ) has a switch for timer/no timer. By flipping the switch, it times or doesn't. So I can switch off the timer to “boost” the heat (leave it on longer). Once the temp comes up to where I want it, I can put it back on the timer 15 on/off. It seems to maintain the temp pretty well, dropping off slowly. So the occasional “boost” might be necessary.

The thing is temps vary a lot in winter. So sometimes you need more heat and sometimes less ( I know, DUH). So based on my tests so far, except on very cold days, I should be able save money on this heater setup, it can't cost more than $43 MAX a month (it's the math of it), this is a known. The oil filled in front of the quartz definitely makes a difference. It was like the missing ingredient.

The fan in the quartz heater blows air over the oil filled fins, transferring the heat to the air. When the quartz cycles off the heat to air transfer continues as the oil filled radiator cools. Then the cycle starts again. Will this keep me warm this winter, I'll let you know. But if it does, this setup cost me $94 total. A lot cheaper than a commercial infrared heater. Now, I may be wrong, when the temps get to 20 degrees, it may not be enough.

So I'll have to crank it up some, but max cost would be $43 a month with the quartz. Where I live you pay a $25 monthly fee rather you use electric or not. Connect fee they call it. But I pay $.08 a kilowatt which isn't too bad. But even if I had to run the heater 24/7 (highly unlikely) then the cost of my total electric bill shouldn't exceed $70-$80. This assumes a very very cold winter. Anyway I can save money if this heater setup lives up to expectations. Cold weather will tell.

I tested this setup for safety by the way. The last thing I want is to burn the place down. The radiator heater is mostly metal, the few plastic parts never get hot (something I carefully monitored). The draw on the TT circuits is only 750W. This isn't going to overload my electrical circuits. I monitored the quartz heater to make sure it doesn't overheat with the radiator directly in front of it. So I am convinced this is a safe setup, I wouldn't leave it on at night if I had any doubts. I didn't make it to old age by being stupid...

So far the test look very promising. After all essentially this is the same thing as one of those fancy infrared heaters. If anything the quartz elements are bigger and the oil filled radiator is bigger too. This could mean better heat to air transfer, more surface area. Cheaper and perhaps even more efficient than one of those infrared heaters. So when it gets cold I can test my theory, but I am convinced at this point I got a good heater setup.

Moving on, while purchasing the timer something caught my eye. An indoor/outdoor thermometer. $10 bucks at China mart. I normally don't make snap buying decisions, but I bought it. It has an indoor unit and an outdoor unit. It take batteries. Is wireless. The indoor unit reads the outdoor unit. It shows both indoor and outdoor temps. Plus lets you know the highs and lows for the day. Nice to have. This is very useful for testing my above heater setup. Being a retired software engineer and all, I love this kinda stuff. Putting stuff together, experimenting, collecting data, doing the math makes me happy. It's what I do. But this little cheap indoor/outdoor thermometer is pretty cool and very useful.

One thing I learned was that my TT inside temps stays about 18 degrees (on average) above the outside temps with no heat on. This is fairly common in houses and apartments. So the indoor/outdoor thermometer has paid for itself. Most TT's, RV's have lousy insulation. This old beast I own is fiberglass over 1 ½ inch of foam. I've been winterizing, caulking, putting rubber flaps on the doors, etc. I may put plastic over the windows or not, hate to impair my lovely view. So this place should hold the heat fairly well as it is now. Frankly the lower my heating bill, the better. Who doesn't want a low electric bill ?

I have an open can of dehydrated eggs I've been using. I use it to coat chicken strips, then put some salt and pepper in a baggie with flour. Dip the chicken strips in the egg mix, put in the flour baggie, then place the coated chicken strips in an oil filled (maybe 1/3 filled) cast iron skillet. Awesome is all I can say, if I do say so myself. So there is another use for dehydrated eggs from the survivalist stockpile. I am not the worlds biggest fan of chicken, but this simple recipe (mine by the way) knocked my socks off. A little Cheyenne pepper would spice it up a bit...

The powdered eggs for some reason really coat the chicken well and holds the coating together. None of that half coated chicken nonsense common with beaten eggs, the coating is thick and tasty. This would also work with fish I might add.

The trees are turning and thinning out. Lovely time of year here. Other than that, I am just living the good life.

I've had a bill collector calling me lately. Some old BS I have disputed. The statute of limitations is just about out. I haven't dealt with one of these sub human scum in years. To me there is nothing lower than a bill collector. Now, I could change my phone number. But there is nothing these maggots can do to me. I know many people hide from these maggots. I love picking up the phone and tearing into these filthy low life's. I've written before that I know the law frontwards and backwards. I laugh at lawsuits, which is the only thing a bill collector can legally do.

Because most people in this country are ignorant of their legal rights, these scum bags get away with murder. Every time they call, I fire off with “You are in violation of Federal law, cease and desist. You are calling me on my cell phone, which is also a violation of Federal law: Do they stop, no they don't. So why do this ? Why don't I just change my phone number ?

The answer is I am giving them enough rope to hang themselves. These maggots have been calling family members and discussing this alleged debt with them, also a violation of Federal law. See where I am going with this ? I actually look forward to getting harassing calls from these maggots. Cha-ching.

Now you may think I am being boisterous here. I can assure you I know EXACTLY what I am doing. I toy with these retarded little monkeys. I warn them, I quote USC15 to them, yet they still call. What kind of pathos do these retards suffer from. They are clearly retarded. They think no one can easily put an end to their BS. Because most people don't know they are covered by a plethora of laws. It is illegal for a debt collector to call your cell phone if you've told them not too, raise your hand if you knew that. These morons know nothing of the laws they violate and assume everyone is as stupid as they are.

I have always said that knowledge is power. My long time readers know that I promote learning and knowledge. The most important things you can acquire. I'll be honest, I get a sadist delight out of messing with these little monkeys. How low in life do you have sink to do that kind of work.

I like playing with bill collectors like my cat likes playing mice. And we all know the final outcome...

Why do people put up with this crap ? Because they are too stupid to learn to defend themselves. Bah, Bah, Bah !!!

As I said, I know EXACTLY what I am doing. These maggots buy paper. The whole corrupt banking system has been shuffling paper, they package it, repackage it, resell it. Derivatives are a prime example. Personal debts are the same. These companies often don't even have the evidence to successfully launch a lawsuit. So they use threats and intimidation to scare the mentally incompetent into paying up. Most people wet themselves when they get sued. Me I laugh my ass off. No I am not insane. I know how to fight back. Since I almost always counter sue, it can be profitable for yours truly.

Any idiot suing me unknowingly gives me the power of discovery. It is a powerful weapon I can and do use against any attacker. They never see it coming. I could prattle on all day about this stuff. The point I am trying to make is this, learn to protect yourselves. Defending yourself isn't just about owning a gun, got to know how defend yourself against all threats. There are many attorneys out there that hate my guts. We dumb creditors are supposed to wet our pants when the big bad bill collector calls and their ambulance chasing shysters sue. I am old school, pay backs are bitch.

So you see, I am having a ball out here in the sticks. I shouldn't toy with the mentally incompetent, but it is so fun. ;-)

Until I buy another of cup of coffee...

Retreat

2011-09-30T08:04:00.000-07:00

It's not uncommon for me to write four or five posts, then delete them before I post them. Coming up with stuff to write about isn't always easy. I am well aware that some of my readers know I've been blogging for sometime. I am also aware that some new readers may stumble across my little blog and not know this. I've written extensively about survival. Survivalist have gotten some bad press. You know, the crazy people who live in compounds, wear camouflage and walk around with black weapons. So the term prepper became popular. I don't live in a compound, but do live in the sticks. The only camouflage I own is Mossy Oak ball cap. I do have a black weapon or two, but don't walk around with them.

My place in the sticks is my retirement place. Of course it also doubles as a retreat. I have never said things would collapse. I frankly don't know if things will collapse or not. Now, in one sense I would say this country is in collapse right now. Definitely in decline. But to me collapse means TSHTF or TEOTWAWKI. I can't say that will happen. I do see inflation, joblessness, more people losing their homes to foreclosure, etc coming. Hard times. This is why I live out here.

I can drop a deer and do it from inside my TT. I can and have shot out through my window. I can grow a garden, granted this years garden was a bust, but I know what my mistakes were. I didn't have the money this year to put together a water system. I ain't rich. Next year the 3 big problems I had ( 2 months with NO rain ), no garden fence (free loading wild life) and some insect issues will be resolved. I learned what I am up against this year, so next year I can correct these problems. Life is a learning process.

Will things break down to TSHTF, I have no idea. I don't live out here in the sticks because I am paranoid that the sky is falling. I live out here because I am a borderline misanthrope (well maybe borderline isn't right, just plain old misanthrope). I am sick of the BS humanity is. Too many assholes to deal with. Out here you mess with me, it ain't going to end well.

Some guy who has come back here before looking for the people who used to own this land, drove up my driveway, past my no NO TRESSPASSING sign, drove around my parked Suburban and drove further back on my property. I grabbed my 1911 and confronted the SOB. I had been inside my TT when this BS happened. I didn't point the 1911 at him, I got a rule, I don't point a weapon at some one unless I am going to pull the trigger. I read this guy the riot act. He apologized and then left. I couldn't believe this clown disrespected my property like that and let him know about. It should be clear that my place is private property. Anyone with common sense can clearly see it as the attached photo clearly shows. You can't drive to my place without going past the NO TRESSPASSING sign. I don't think this asshole will be back, if he does, I won't be so nice...

I don't have to listen to boom boxes out here, the neighbors dog is over a quarter mile away and doesn't bother me. Sound travels out here, things sometimes sound closer than they really are. If I want to go out and take a piss, I don't have to worry about the cops showing up at my door. Same goes for burning 30 rounds through my Yugo M70 under folder. Out here no body cares, instead of calling the PO-LICE, they are likely to grin, most out here have the same kind of fire power.

All my neighbors are well armed, I can tell most weapon types by the sound of their report. Trust me the sound of gun fire is a daily thing out here in my neck of the woods. I often add to that sound myself. I love the sound of gun fire echoing through the hills. After all out here we do cling to our guns and we got a lot of them.

I also love fall time here. The trees are turning, the chill in the morning is refreshing. I love fall light. The sun changes the look of things. The woods start thinning out. It's a process that happens every year. To be in tune with it is very gratifying. You can have your cities and stinking burbs. All I hear at night is the hoot owls, whippoorwills, the county dog communication network and the occasional yipping of coyotes making a kill. No rap crap, no constant thrumming of human activity, no city/burb noise. Peace and quit, the sounds of nature, not the incessant noise of mankind.

So while this place is my retirement place, it's also my retreat and mini homestead. I am a firm believer in being well prepped. I got pails of bulk food, cans of dehydrated food, canned goods. I got gear on top of gear, camping gear, cold weather gear, tools, guns/ammo. I use rechargeable batteries I have one 60W solar panel and a small solar battery charger. My Mag light has rechargeable D cells. My LED lantern can be charged from my little solar battery charger or the big panel which I charge a deep cycle battery with. So I am pretty well setup to handle at types of situations. All this stuff is good to have if you live out here in the sticks. Should things go to hell, then I am as ready as I can be. I guess I like the old boy scout motto, be prepared. Because prepared I am.

I have been working on saving money. I have been working on putting together a better diet. Something I have problems with, I can understand many complex things like Quantum Physics, Cosmology, bio chemistry, etc. But getting the perfect diet together drives me nuts. Just something I am not good at. I have a food stockpile. Pails of bulk food. Beans (all kinds), rice, barley, popcorn (for grinding into cornmeal), wheat, rice, etc. I got cans of dehydrated stuff. Powdered shortening, margarine, eggs, etc.

So to save money I have been tapped into some of this stuff. I opened a can of dried eggs sometime ago. It's good for cooking, I can stand it scrambled, but it's not my first choice. I opened some cans of dehydrated peas, carrots and celery. I like rice, but it needs other ingredients to be palatable. I took some rice, put it in a microwaveable bowl, added a couple teaspoons of dehydrated peas, carrots and celery, some beef bouillon. Not bad. Not bad at all. I am trying to lose some weight so this kind of meal is good for that.

Dehydrated stuff is EXPENSIVE !!! But I figure a can should last a long time, so may actually be cost effect over time. I don't need a full can of canned peas or carrots, so I don't waste any. It doesn't take much dehydrated veggies to make a meal. A few tea spoons really soups the rice up. Tastes pretty good.

While I am not a vegetarian, I don't mind forgoing meat at every meal. We Americans eat way too much meat (I fly my finger middle at PETA). So I ain't preaching, just making an observation. I like a big juicy steak as much as the next guy. Little furry animals taste good.

I know how to eat right, I understand nutrition very well, but it can be expensive and hard to put together. While I am a good cook, meal planning eludes me.

Dehydrated veggies where better than I thought they would be. It's good to know how this stuff tastes. It's EXPENSIVE and I have been reluctant to use it. But it's good to know if the stuff is edible.

So until this old misanthrope decides to go buy a cup of coffee...

Fall is coming

2011-09-06T08:47:00.000-07:00

I like fall, it cools off and the trees change color. I tend to get out and do things when it cools off. Campfires feel good, sitting out under the stars. Moon lite nights and a campfire are a special treat. Love the changing of seasons.

I got a concrete block to stand on, opened the Suburban hood and reseated all the spark plug wires, especially on the distributor. Likely the problem with my Suburban. Don't know if this will work, have to wait till it rains again. But at least I am better provisioned that I was...

Been going over my stockpile, making sure I have this and that. I have been trying to save money. Until recently I needed this and that, my wallet has been a little thin lately. I define saving money as two distinct things, CR (cash reserves) and saving money ON living expenses (COL). Any money I can save on COL is money I can put into the CR. I have been working on reducing COL to the bare bones.

I've been shopping where I can buy food cheaper. Five miles out of Varsailles MO is a little store called the Dutch Country Store. I bought 5.5 lbs of skinless chicken breast for $10.05. Some of the breasts are mightly small, which is perfect for me. I take the smaller ones, nuke in the microwave, then toss in the cast iron skillet. Browning it and using a spatula to break up into smaller pieces. Can then be used for chicken stir fry, chicken burritos, tacos, etc.

The bigger pieces I cook on the grill. Make some barbecue sauce (catsup, molasses and some hot sauce works good). I have a talent for taking things out of the cabinet and coming up with a meal. I made barbecue sauce by putting some crushed peppers in some water, nuking it, strained it, added catsup and molasses). Barbecued chicken breast labor day weekend. Mighty good.

There are other good sales out at The Dutch Country Store. 50Lbs of spuds for $14.95, other good foods for less. They sell bulk items galore like a lot of the Mennonites do. Flour, corn meal, pasta, in a plastic bag, etc can be had cheaper than at the chain store. I've been cooking more and shopping smarter. Got to lower that COL. I am doing what I can to boost my CR. I will eat beans and rice if I must, but frankly eating survival rations ain't my idea of living. So I tend to go for the ingredients that can make a large variety of things. It can be cheaper that way. This works for daily living or in case TSHTF. It's all in the details.

I am not too concerned about a collapse these days, but then again I am where I want to be anyway. If it happens, so be it, if not so be it. That's how I see it. Since my garden is done for, I haven't been shooting at the local wildlife. If you got stuff to protect, the wild life is a threat, when not, I tend to leave it be. I see a buck and his doe everynight feeding on the remains of my garden, I just leave them alone. Next summer the war will begin again, interesting to ponder on how things change when you are protecting something.

The best time to clear out wooded areas is the winter. You can see what needs doing. Get into areas that are nearly inaccessible in summer. I have a small area I am going to clean out. Expand my garden into it. I figured one screw up with the garden was spreading it out over too wide an area. I am going to concentrate it as close to the TT as possible, fence it, get a dawg. This might help with the free loading wild life. So I'll be cleaning up around the TT. Once you get an area cleaned up it's easy enough to maintain, so I'll chip away at it this winter.

I got all winter to get that stuff done, it's not that hard on my old body if I do it a little at a time. Slow and steady wins the race. While I hated to see this years garden fail miserably, I have learned from my obvious mistakes. I should have my cash problems resolved by then, allowing me to afford a fence and water system. Not making excuses, just stating fact.

I was watching Hillbilly: The real story (again) last night. I am of Scot-Irish decent. Some king kicked my ancestors out of Scotland and they moved to Ireland, then headed here (rowdy bunch of drunks and hell raisers are my clan). I got Native American blood in me too as many Scot-Irish took Native American wives. Independent cusses all, the kind that built this country. Which I realize is why I am so damned indepenent minded. I despise ALL authority. Always have and always will. One of the reasons I live out here in the sticks. It's in my blood. Guess it's why I dislike the monkey collective so much.

I spend a lot of time planning and working on getting things done. My priority is getting a cash reserve built up. But I also want to make damned sure I have everything on hand I need. Never know what might happen. I ain't taking no bets. But I find being well prepared is always a good thing to do. I have analyzed my daily life and my daily needs. They aren't all that much, but it's best to have the things you need on hand. It's actually a lot of work getting prepared be it TEOTWAWKI or just getting stranded out here for a bit of time. I find things daily that I want to adjust or stockpile. It's time consuming work. As long as I've been at it, I am still not satisfied that I have all I need or that I haven't overlooked something. Sometimes you just have to wait for a problem to happen to know you didn't get it right.

It's the effort one puts into keeping ones life working like clockwork that matters. If you aren't making the effort, you're likely not doing well in life. Life is struggle, accept that simple fact and the world becomes much easier to deal with. So enough philosophizing.

Fingers crossed, the Suburban started after a good rain and hasn't been giving me problems (fingers crossed). So likely that was the problem, but only time will reveal the truth. So till I buy another cup...

Stranded

2011-08-26T10:29:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I posted. Still alive and kicking.

Before I talk about being “stranded”, I want to say that the heat and lack of rain pretty much did my garden in. I have a few plants left that I managed to keep watered and those that where more heat resistance. I know those further south have had it much worse than me. I am not happy about losing the garden, but such is life. I know what I need to do to make next years garden a success. Live and learn. Drought did me in, nothing I could have done about it this year. Next year I will fence in most of the garden area, get a water storage tank and water pump. Freeloading wildlife is still an issue. The aged urine and rotten eggs do work some, but a garden fence and dawg is necessary.

I went out to start my Suburban not long ago and it wouldn't start. I was “stranded” for 4 days. The gas gauge said I had gas, but I didn't trust it. So I had a tow truck come out and put gas in it, it started. I've because of experience had this problem before, never trust your gas gauge 100%, experience has taught me that. So I escaped a big mechanical bill so I have no complaints. This wasn't the problem by the way, more on that later.

This was a minor problem in reality. I wasn't really in dire straits or anywhere near it. But it did bring back some memories and showed me some short comings in my stockpile. I have plenty of food stocked. What I found myself short of was paper towels, TP, cooking oil and hand sanitizer. Actually I had enough of the above to hold me over, but if I had been stranded much longer, I could have felt the lack of these items. I didn't, but it made me aware of how much I need to stockpile more of these items, which I will. These may be simple things, but to me they are vital things to have on hand.

I've been stranded out in the sticks before, I have some bad memories which I won't go into much, one disadvantage of living in the sticks is that sometimes you can get stuck out here. Now, don't get me wrong, if I have to survive out here, no problem. I can do it. But I ain't a masochist either, I like living the good life like anyone else, if I don't have to suffer, I sure as hell won't. But this being “stranded” for 4 days did made me think on what I am lacking prep wise. So I see it as ultimately a good thing, it showed me what I am lacking prepwise. I know, I know always the optimist.

Now, I use a lot of paper towels. I haul all my water in. So I use very little water. But I find paper towels very useful for cleaning stuff. I wipe out my cast iron skillet and paper towels work well. Now, I could buy a bunch of dish towels and wash them, but frankly paper towels work for me. If any so called “environmentalists” don't like it, I got a finger I'll flip in your direction. Green is a flaming liberal joke, I don't tolerate fools and green knuckle heads. The world would be better of without this fools.

So I will stockpile plenty of these (paper towels). I also will stockpile plenty of TP (toilet paper which I was going into town to buy when the Suburban wouldn't start), hand sanitizer, etc. These would be things I would miss. So that's how I see it, sometimes simple things are the difference between hardship and not so hard.

In 1992 I was stranded out on some land in SE Ohio. The car I had wouldn't start and I was 7 miles out of town. I did walk into town and back, I have never forgotten that experience. I was much younger then and it was hard then, but not like it would be now (bad hip and back – Not an excuse, reality). Times where different back then. Cell phones may have existed, but weren't that common and cell phone coverage in that area was near non existent anyway. I was stuck there for sometime and it wasn't easy. Of course I survived it, but I haven't forgotten the experience.

Now I have a cell phone that works most of the time (cuts out sometimes but does work most of the time). I do have AAA, had some cash on hand (I waited 4 days because I didn't know how much it would cost and if I had enough to cover it), so I was certainly not in dire straits. But it did open my eyes to somethings, which ultimately was good. It's too easy to become complacent. It's too easy to overlook simple things. So I see this as a good thing that happened, not something to lament.

It's easy to discount how simple things like paper towels play in day to day life. So I went over all my must have things that would be unpleasant NOT to have. I am in general far better prepped than the average person. I am not bragging, just stating a fact. I have about a years worth of food put aside. I got guns/ammo, gear/tools out the backside. But still I had overlooked some minor things. Prepping is a never ending job.

A couple hundred dollars spent overtime will easily correct the problem. I haven't been officially prepping for awhile. I have let a few things slide which I should not have overlooked. I never claimed to be perfect, actually I revel in my own imperfection, makes life more interesting. Nothing wrong with trying for perfection, but is unattainable in reality. When life shows me something I have not taken seriously enough, I tend to get the message...

Well, I guess that's about it for now. I've spent most of this summer beating the heat. We are getting some relief from the heat, lately the temps have been in the 80's (still hotter than I like). It feels much better though. It is also been rain more, too late to save the garden.

UPDATE I did go into town and stocked up on some things today. I am not one to procrastinate, I see a problem, I fix it.

FURTHERMORE: I have actually written this post over weeks, instead of at one time, so I've tacked somethings on over time. So any seeming lack of continuty is due to that. I tried to start my Suburban the other day and it wouldn't start. So the gas gauge wasn't the problem after all. Damned expletive deletive piss poor designed vehicles. One thing in common that the two incidents had in common was rain. After it rains a lot, it doesn't start. This is the classic cracked distibutor problem. I just had a new distibutor installed a couple months ago. I left the hood up and let it dry out, it finally started and ran fine. So I will have to look further into this. Make damned sure I have everything I need well provisoned because rain is going to strand me till I fix the damned problem.

Looks like I will have to win the lottery to put food on the table (just being facetious). I went to the store and stared at the pice hikes !?!?! I can look at prices and know what I paid just last month or two years ago. Got a brain like a computer when it comes to grocery prices. Having been through a lifetime of hardship, it has made me aware of food costs.

I was shocked at what I saw !?!?!?! Peanut butter was $1.99 !!! It was like $1.29 not that long ago. I buy vanilla cookies for snacking. Last month $1.99, today $2.29 !!! This pattern repeats on everything !!! Criminal PTB assholes.

Milk is more expensive that F'n gasoline !!! I knew printing money out of thin air would lead to this (my long time readers know this to be true, I told ya so years ago), so I am not surprised. But in the last 2 years, many things have doubled in price at the grocery store. I know everyone else is feeling it too. But the price of food is becoming criminal. No other way to discribe it. Also a pound is what, 12 ounces these days !?!?! A gallon is 96 ounces !?!?! A big box of cerel is ¼ full !?!?! Deceptive marketing is what I call it.

I bought a package of American cheese. I opened it and stared. The damned thing was rectangler and not square. You pay a lot more for food and get one hell of a lot less. So now I look carefully at what I buy, because it's clear that we are all getting ripped off !!! I am in an area that has Mennonite stores, that still know the measure of a pound and a gallon. So I can get food there and not get robbed. I have been spending my money there instead at chain stores.

So unless I need something specific, I am avoiding the chain grocery stores as much as I can. I at least have the luxory of being able to save money on food here. If the assholes keep robbing us blind, it is at some point going to piss enough people off to maybe do something (wishful thinking, sheeple go bah).

EVEN MORE: It rain like hell last night, the Suburban wouldn't start today. So the rain cause has been comfirmed. I let it sit all day and it started late in the day, after it had sit all day. I checked it because I wanted to be 100% sure of my diagnosis. I didn't have to go any place, I am stocked up and don't need to go anywhere. But I need to get this stupid issue resolved. I had had the distributor replaced, so I am going to have a nice long talk with the mechanic shop that did it.

This incident has shown me that while on one level I am pretty well setup, I am not as setup as I want to be. Now I am fine tuning a lot of things. Ferreting out any weakness in my plan. Now, if I had to survive out here in the sticks, I am conviced I can do it. What I am working on now is getting any thing I may have overlooked. Which I know I have. Anyone who thinks they have it 100% together is deluding themselves. It's a long, tedious process of getting prepared to be more self reliant. Things constantly pop up to challenge your assumptions. Which ultimately I think is good. It keeps you working toward a better state of being.

Till I buy another cup of coffee...

Heat and Drought

2011-07-16T08:17:00.001-07:00

A lot of the country is in drought and this summer is hot. Many people are suffering from it, that's mother nature for you. The lack of rain and the heat are certainly affecting me. I am not a great lover of hot weather. Being an old guy I know heat can be dangerous. So I protect myself against it. My garden is suffering and I will loose about half of it. My strategy of hand watering clearly isn't working. I water and five minutes latter the soil is just as dry as before I watered it.

In other words I under estimated my ability to hand water. This blog is about my personal observations about living in the sticks. This years garden was as much an experiment as anything else. I have already learned a lot. I will use that knowledge to make next years garden better. Coming up with a better watering system isn't difficult, but I am on a limited budget. I just can't run out and spend money to solve any problem. If I could, no problem. I am not making excuses, just telling it like it is. So I will use what I've learned to improve next years garden.

While I can't hand water the whole garden, I can water and save at least half of it. So it's not like the whole garden is going to wilt. Some things are doing well because I can keep watering them by hand.

I have decided which plants get more water and which I can afford not to water. The beans I planted I don't really need to save. I have plenty of beans, band aids and bullets. So I can sacrifice my beans this year, not a problem (not happy about it, but reality is reality). The other stuff like tomatoes, peppers, lettice, carrots, etc I will make sure get more water.

As I said I am not a lover of hot weather. I do what I can in the morning and evening, when it's cooler.

The heat does limit my ability to water, I can get just so much watered. Again, not an excuse, just reality. I have as stated before, lost plants to the damned freeloading wildlife. Something I can work on next year. A stray cat showed up at my place and I haven't seen a rabbit near the TT in awhile. So a little cat food means some freeloading wildlife is less of a problem. Rabbits, chipmunks, mice, rats are now less of a problem.

My melon patch is about 200 ft from my TT and the rabbits completely ate my cantalope vines and part of my honeydew plants. I was negligent in spraying the plants with pepper juice and spreading around the stinky stuff. Oh well. I don't view this as a defeat, I view this as valuable knowledge to impliment a better garden next year.

I decided to get Dish Network. I couldn't stand broadcast TV a minute longer. People actually watch that brain dead shit ? Not that Dish Network programming is perfect, but at least I have more variety. The reason I got Dish Network was it can get boring here. I'd rather be bored here than in the burbs, but it is nice to have something to watch at night. I'd spend more time outside at night, but sweat just rolls off you even at night. So having something to watch beats not having it. Besides it doesn't cost that much, I got a cheap package.

I've been cooking a little more lately. Saves money cooking instead of buying pre-packaged stuff. I am actually a very good cook. I just get lazy and open a can of soup or pop something into the microwave.

So lately because food is becoming so damned expensive, been buying stuff to make stuff. I make a decent beef soup in the crockpot. Some stewing beef, barley, mixed veggies, etc. Easy meal for a few days.

I take a tube of Chorizo, put it in a skillet, add some peppers and onions, throw it on a tortilla with some cheese, good stuff. Rotini, broccli, hamberbuger, spices, onions, garlic cooked in a crockpot is another fine easy to make meal. Throw some cheddar cheese in a half hour before serving is awesome.

Freezing any left overs for easy future meals. Healtier stuff and cheaper in the long run. Well, that's about it, just taking care of business.

Until I buy another cup of coffee...

Bread

2011-06-29T09:17:00.000-07:00

One of the things I am working on is my health. As in exercise and healthier eating. The gardening and maintaining the property gives me my exercise. The garden will hopefully lead to healthier eating (the war against the freeloading wildlife continues). Like a good prepper I got a pail or two of whole wheat. Now, I got a small hand grinder. Takes about 30-40 minutes to ground 4 cups of flower. It's a cheap one basically, couldn't afford a $300 one. Nothing wrong as a backup, but damned I wear my arm out using the damned thing. I tried using a food processor. Big bust. So I put some wheat in a coffee grinder and happy day, it worked perfect !!! Takes awhile as it doesn't hold much wheat, but beats hand cranking. Little work, just have to fill, grind and dump the flour out often. But not exactly hard work.

I bought a bread maker, my old one had seen better days. I've been using bread makers for many moons. Makes funny looking bread, but tastes good. They make great dough if you want to bake it in an oven. Makes great pizza dough too. Since I got a nice herb garden going, throw some fresh herbs in the dough mix and some Parmesan cheese and you can make a great pizza dough. Whip together a crust, throw some fresh herbs on the topping, toss on the Weber, feed some hickory chips to the coals and it's pizza to die for.

I bought an Olster that makes Jams too !?!?!? Might try that with my strawberries and blackberries.

Where I live we got a lot of Amish/Mennonites. So I bought some high gluten flour (bread flour) locally from one of their stores. 10#s for $6.19. Mix with some freshly ground wheat and it makes a good bread. I must admit since I got back to my beloved sticks, I am feeling better.

Now, should a collapse come to pass (I an't saying it will or won't), I figure if I ever get around to getting a 1500W inverter, I should be able to grind wheat powered by my solar panel system, should the grid go down. A $14 coffe grinder beats spending $300 for a good hand wheat grinder. I haven't tried popcorn yet, might make corn meal pretty good, but I haven't tried it. Just a thought. Might have to buy another one as a backup. Just some things to think on. I am always looking for solutions, the coffee grinder for wheat seems to work pretty damned good. How long it grinds wheat ( and maybe popcorn for corn meal remains to be seen). But it makes good whole wheat flour as the picture above a tests.

My garden is doing very well. The last picture of the bigger plot just didn't do it justice. It (the picture) was washed out and didn't look all the good, but pictures don't always capture the reality. So I added some better pitures. We have gotten a lot more rain lately which has helped. We had a 2 week period with almost no rain. I hand watered and kept it going. But now things are doing great. Again, the pictures don't do it justice. The corn is over 3 feet tall (Knee high by the 4^th of July). An there is a lot of stuff growing.

Still fighting the wild life. Eliminated a few freeloaders. Chipmunks seem to tunnel like ghophers. What I thought was a gopher may have been chipmunks. I maybe wrong, but when I reduced the chipmunk population, the problem stopped. That's my thought anyway. I knew chipminks burrowed, but didn't think they tunneled like a gopher. I may be wrong, so don't take it as gospel. Just an observation.

I am at war with the wild life as I've said. The aged urine and rotten eggs seem to work on the deer and rabbits. I see rabbits in my yard all the time, but haven't seen one in the garden yet, they can trim my yard all they want. So I haven't pulled an Elmer Fudd on them (fingers crossed).

I've been thinning out plants. I planted a lot of seed close together, to make sure it all grew. So now I have to do some thinning now things are growing well. I had the most problem with peppers. The seed was either no good or some other problem. I like peppers. Hot, mild, sweet. Doesn't matter, love peppers. I picked up a Stevia plant for my herb garden. I also have mint, so the two should make a perfect tea/mint drink. Stevia if you don't know is supper sweet. I am waiting for the Stevia plant to get bigger before I start picking leaves...

I had mentioned that I was doing my variation of 3 sisters. Most are done in a mound. I just planted corn with a row of pole beans next to the corn and squash (butternut, Zucchini) between one of the rows. The pole bean sent runners over to the corn and are growing up the corn and the squash is doing fine. This is how it's supposed to work as all three plants like each other and compliment each other. Be interesting to see the end result. I had a few ripe strawberries from my patch, tasted awesome.

Again, some of the pictures don't do the garden justice. There is a lot going on. Garden plot 1 has a Condcord grape vine growing in the background. There is lettice (leaf and iceburg), various peppers, beets, radishes, carrots, Souix Tomatoes, green onions, shallots and sunflowers all doing well.

Garden Plot 2 has corn, pole beans, butternut squash, green beans, pinto beans, wax beans, egg plant, Kohlrabi, cabbage, peas, cucumbers and Zucchini growing well.

Well that's about it. The garden is doing well so far. I've learned a lot from this one. Next years will be much better. I take copious notes and intend to use them to improve the garden over time. So until I buy another cup of coffee...

So it goes

2011-06-17T08:05:00.000-07:00

Over all things are going well on the old homestead. It's not without it's challenges. But I am making headway. The deer repellent has been effective. What I overlooked was racoons/gophers/chipmunks. Bad smells work on deer/rabbits, but not racoons/gophers. I started noticing plants being dug up. First my beefsteak tomatoes. Then my beets and peas. How do I know it was a racoons, simple, I see the damned thing coming around every night. The plants only disappear at night. So it's the most likely suspect.

Frustrating to go out and look at the garden and seeing plants vanishing !!! I had been seeing a racoons out front (I get up a few times at night). I hadn't really thought about how destructive racoons would be to a garden. Live and learn. While you're looking one place, something else is sneaking up on you from another direction.

Well, this year is as much an experiment as anything else. So I am using this year to better prepare for the challenges of next years garden. I've learned a lot about this garden so far. Some things that will make next years garden even better. Again I overlooked the problem this damned racoon was causing. I may have eliminated the problem, the old fashioned way, if it survived I doubt it will be around anymore. But I put a serious hurt on that sucker. Hated to do it, but I hate seeing my garden destroyed...

I have concluded I need a tactical light for my shotgun. Can't use a shotgun while holding a flashlight.

My garden is doing well growing wise. I've had to replant a few times. Some of the “survival seed” I bought 3 years ago didn't sprout. Most did, but not all. The older the seed, the less they sprout from what I've read. I can confirm this to be true. Fresh seed is very important. I intend to let some of this garden go to seed. So I'll have fresh seed next summer.

As I've said before, my garden is spread out. I have two main garden plots. I put my melon patch over near my orchard. That racoon dug up my pumpkin seeds. It goes for the seeds. I know it was the racoons because of the digging sign. My watermelon, honey dew and cantaloupe so far have gone unmolested. I did the melons by weed whacking a circle, a little digging in the center and dumping topsoil (I love my new wheel barrel) to form a mound. Very easy to do. I weed whack around the mounds to keep it clear. So far the plants are looking OK, if I can keep the critters out that is.

While I am hardly done buying things that I need, I've reached a point where I have no pressing needs right now. Setting up a place like this is expensive. You need this and that. It's the setup costs that put a hurting on your bank account. While I have WANTS, my list of NEEDS is becoming very small. Now that I nearly have all I need, the cost of living is very small here. It's all the things that you need to setup a place that kills you. The living is very cheap.

The garden should supply me with a lot of food if I can keep the wildlife from eating it all.

Food which as you all know is becoming very expensive. Outside of gasoline and my dip habit, I don't need much. I have 4 towns between 12-20 miles of my place. I don't go into town all that much, so my gasoline costs aren't that much. My dip, which I've cut down on don't cost all that much. My one remaining bad habit, but what the hell. I drink a little, but not all that much. A bottle of Ever Clear last me about a year and several 12 packs last a summer. So it ain't like it costs me all that much. So living here is pretty cheap.

I have been using my herb garden, I put some rosemary and thyme on a rib eye steak and it was good. I like living near Kansas City. Get some damned good steaks in this neck of the woods. The price is reasonable too. Kansas City has been a meat packing town of repute for many years. They know how to cut a rib eye and the KC strip is one of my favorites. I do like a good steak. I sear the outside and like it pink on the inside. A little Gorgonzola melted on top is supreme. I have to settle for bluecheese as I haven't found Gorgonzola around here, Blue cheese is close enough (basically the same thing).

I can start making salads with the lettuce in my garden soon. Just because I live out here all by my lonesome, doesn't mean I don't enjoy life. It's not all work. I grill something on the grill often, drinks a bit, puffs on a cigar and enjoy the fruits of my labor. Life is too short not to enjoy.

I am pretty much a self contained person. I've had people tell me they couldn't live out here all by themselves. Don't bother me one damned bit. I enjoy my own company.

Living in a TT is far from perfect. I broke down and bought another AC unit. I had a 5K BTU one I bought last year. But it only kept the bedroom cool. During the 100 degree weather last summer I couldn't go into the kitchen without breaking into a sweat. So I added a 6.3K BTU in the living room.

Cut a hole in the side of the TT and mounted it. So during the day I use it to keep the place cool and turn it off at night, switching to the bedroom AC unit. Works pretty good.

I ain't a masochist. I'll get AC (as in electric and Air Conditioning) when I can get it. I never said I was monk. I enjoy the finer things in life. I got a stereo, TV (broadcast TV really sucks – but watch the weather and “news”), PS3 (yes I am old gamer). So my life is far from being like a monks. All work and no play make Sunfighter a dull boy. ;-)

About the only inconvenience I have really is I haul in water. But I just hook up a hose (drinking water safe) to the faucet and fill some 7 gallon jugs. No effort really. Fill 1 gallon jugs as needed out of my Suburban. So it ain't all that bad. I may at some point get a water pump and bigger tank. Now, the TT does have a fresh water tank, but I think I need water pressure to fill it. Likely a pressure valve needs opening before I can fill it. RV designers are idiots.

The geniuses that design this one in some ways where pretty stupid. The thing has an Alarm system which can only be disabled by a key remote. Which I don't have. When I hook up the battery, the damned lights start flashing. So I'll need to find the damned thing and manually disable it. Sounds simple, but I don't know where the damned thing is. Buying a used TT is not without it's challenges.

One final note. I bought a bottle of Miracle Grow Quick Start. Mix a cap full in my two gallon watering can and apply to plants. All I can say is WOW !!! That stuff got my plants growing like crazy !!! Some of my transplants where struggling, I put that stuff on them and they took off big time. I'll be buying more of that stuff !!! When I find a product I like, I say what I think. This stuff is good.

So wrapping up, if you are a prepper and plan to survive by growing a garden, be aware that you need to prepare for many things. Gopher traps, maybe live traps for coons and other varmints. Also some fertilizer and insect control. Just having seed doesn't get it. Not to mention tools. Just having seed don't get it...

So that's pretty much it, just taking care of the daily business of living. Until my next cup of coffee.

Garden to Grill

2011-06-01T07:43:00.000-07:00

I am looking forward to taking food right out of my garden and putting it on the grill. Doesn't get any better than that. Grilling is one of my favorite pass times. I have a lot of oak trees on my land, I am going to start making my own grilling pieces from some of it. Cut some of my sucker trees down and cut them up (after letting them dry out of course). Makes good grilling wood oak. Store bought charcoal is OK, but different woods add flavor.

I may be an OG (old guy), but I am still learning. I've planted gardens before, but it's been a long time. So in a sense I am still learning (relearning if you will). If you don't learn from your mistakes you will repeat them. I have garden plot1 and garden plot2. Plot1 I just scraped out a line and planted. Plot2 I ridged up the soil, used a short pitch fork to make an indentation in the soil at the top of the ridge and planted. Much better results then not creating a ridge. Live and learn. To be honest I didn't give it much thought, but in retrospect, creating little ridges to plant seems to work better where not ridging lets your plants get drowned when it rains. Ridges are better.

My green beans and white corn are flying up out of the ground. Other things are following. I must admit that this is the most ambitious garden I have ever planted. I am not complaining, it's just that I am planting stuff I never considered planting before Kohlrabi as an example. I saw the seeds at a local Amish store and said why not ? Herbs such as Cilantro, Basil, Rosemary, German Thyme, Oregano, Tarragon, Shallots, Garlic. Got to have herbs to flavor stuff. I ain't too shabby as a cook or so I am told.

Ever made Hickory smoked pizza on a grill, awesome !!! It amazes me people give me funny looks when I talk about making pizza on a grill. You can cook just about anything on a grill. It ain't a mystery. Just takes a little know how. Damn I am getting hungry...

So the garden is going and I can focus on my other projects (of which I have many). More projects than money, but I ain't in a hurry. Everything in it's own time.

I looked out the window and saw a garter snake swallowing a tree frog. Stepped outside to watch, the snake crawled off with a mouth full of tree frog. I love being able to watch nature at it's best. I am not afraid of snakes (don't like poisonous ones though but leave the non poisonous ones alone). I'll kill a copperhead or rattler on sight, mainly because you never know...

I've been spraying for ticks and it's working. I've had a few on me, but that's when I go to unsprayed areas. A few I can tolerate, but the last two years I've come here, they swarm all over you. I mean I am talking 100's, I've never seen a place so bad and I've spent a lot time in the sticks. I don't freak out about ticks, but when you pick hundreds of the little bastards off you, that's too much. I hated using insecticide, but war is war.

I am also at war with the critters around here. A garden out here is like putting up a Neon Sign to the wild life, FREE FOOD, COME AND GET IT !!! So I've put a bunch of stinky containers around my orchard and garden. I take eggs, beat them up, add a little water and set in the sun. Deer supposedly don't like rotten eggs (who does). I've filled up some bottles with ammonia and as disgusting as it sounds, sun aged urine. I did all this when I checked my orchard and saw that the deer where dining on my dime (fortunately the damage was not tree life threatening). So far it seems to be working, fingers crossed.

I am out here in the sticks because I love it. I am not happy in cities or the burbs. Nice places to visit I won't want to live there. So I am not cowering out here in the sticks expecting the collapse. I don't wear cameo and play military games. Not knocking it, nothing wrong in my opinion about being a hardcore survivalist. Frankly I don't know if things will collapse or not. I figure the better you are prepared for it, the better your chances should it come to pass. Putting your faith in a central distribution system based on oil isn't what I call smart. Besides natural disasters are on the rise. Consider Joplin, you just never know...

I am sure many will buy seeds hoping that should a collapse happen that they will be ready to plant their own gardens and survive. I am not knocking that, but there is so much more to it than that, got the tools and know how ? It takes tools. As stated above the wildlife sees a garden as FREE EATS !!! Do you have the materials to protect against animals and insects that will find your garden a buffet ? I say this as this is as much a test garden for me as anything else. I've never grown a garden here in Missouri. I am sure there are many things I may have overlooked. So I am learning new things and I am sure next years garden will be even better. I was rushed this year, getting the new garden tilled for the first time. Some of my rows are as crooked as dogs hind leg. Little things like that. It's a learning experience.

I stated in a previous post about using a weed whacker to take things down to dirt. This you will find is a very useful method. Better to start with bare dirt. Plot1 I didn't do it and had a lot of weeds. Plot2 I took to dirt and weeds are less of a problem. That is something I've learned by doing. I am firm believer that until you actually do something, you just don't really know how things will turn out.

So that's about it, I am sure many people would find living here boring as hell, but I've had enough excitement in my life...

I added a picture of my solar panel (older readers will remember I wrote about this last winter). It's a very basic system, might power some lights and keep some electronics charged, but not much more. The problem with solar power is it takes a lot of panels (big bucks) to power things. Even a TT would take a lot of panels, Air Conditioning and Microwaves eat too much power. I ain't living without those if I don't have too. So I ain't going off grid anytime soon. But the pictured system would keep me in lights and keep my E reader powered. I have a small solar battery charger, I use it to keep keep D cell, AA and AAA batteries charged. Keeps my Mag Lite and Emergency/SW radio well charged.

I also included some pictures of my Green Beans. Other stuff is starting to grow nicely and I will show pics latter on...

UPDATE: I added this because of an observation I made last night. I was eating supper and looked up and saw a young buck heading directly for my garden. He got about 6 foot from it and did a 90 degree, headed toward my orchard and did another 90 degrees away from the orchard when he got within about 6 feet of it. I've been applying “aged urine” around both the garden and orchard. As disgusting as it sounds, “aged urine” is where you take a gallon of urine, set it in the sun for a couple of days. I watched the deer for a long time and he stayed away from both the garden and orchard. I have a bunch of rabbits and it seems to keep them away (fingers crossed) so far. Now, my theory kind of got blown when a a doe showed up right in the middle of my orchard, I fired off a shotgun round.

So I've decided to treat the garden area often with “aged urine” and rottened up eggs frequently. I've been spraying some plants with pepper spray as a back up. So hopefully this effort will spare the garden.

Till I buy another cup of coffee or come up with something else to write about....

Been Busy

2011-05-14T10:21:00.000-07:00

Two Years Ago

I've been incredibly busy. I've been getting my orchard ready. I've planted the following

Red Haven Peach

Winesop Apple

Moon Glow Pear

Keifer Pear

Stanley Plum

Blueberry

Candice Grapes

Concord Grapes

A good start. The garden has kept me busy. I am still planting stuff, too numerous to mention. So I haven't had time to post or even respond to comments. Not to mention the myriad of other things I have been working on. I am not complaining, it's all good. I need the exercise and being consistently busy is a plus and not a minus.

I've been seeing ads for a Preparedness Expo in Spring Field Missouri. I have no intention of going, but would be interested in seeing how well it turned out. I suspect a lot of people are nervous. To listen to the LSM you'd thing everything was perfect !!! Well I don't believe that BS for one minute. I am not worried about it personally, I am doing what I feel I have to do. But it looks like the preparedness movement might be going more mainstream. Who knows.

I haven't planted a garden in a long, long time ( Before Mayberry was born - I am serious ), so I find my garden getting bigger than I had planned. I have 7 acres, but not all of it gets enough sunlight, too many trees, so my garden is spread out into different patches. One off my most useful tools is my Weed Eater (it's the only 2 cycle item I trust). I use it to clear and keep the property clear and as a lawn mower. It also can be used to take grass down to dirt. Which I did before I used the Sun Joe to till. I built a few frames, weed whacked them to dirt and used the SJ to till them out, then dumped in some topsoil. Worked well.

I also added a wheel barrel ( one very useful item). Tools are vital to making a mini homestead work, so I have many. Still could use more. Another very useful tool I have is a pole saw. I have been going around cutting off limbs below about 10 ft. It's amazing how much better things look when properly pruned. I also find it useful for cutting brush and sucker trees flush with the ground. I park my ass on a chair and saw away (I've never denied that walking is sometimes a challenge for my old body – just a fact). While I am mainly concerned with functionality, I do like looking at a well maintained property, at least around my TT. A pole saw is a cheap tool for maintaining a wood lot, it's paid for itself many times over.

Now, from a survivalist point of view, you wouldn't want to cut low hanging branches. But I have a little area cleared back in the woods. There are only a few ways to get to my place, easily guarded if you get my drift. Just saying.

So the garden is getting bigger and becoming more spread out. The layout has changed a few times, I started with a general layout, but it evolves as I actually do it. The process works. It's still early in the season, but I am seeing all kinds of things pop up. I enjoy doing this, so it's not like work. I do something for a few minutes, then park my ass in a chair. Think about the easiest way to to do the next step, work smart, not hard...

I am doing my variation of the three sisters, corn, squash and pole beans are all comparable plants. So I did three rows of corn. Between the rows I and planting butternut squash, zucchini, cucumbers. Next to the corn pole beans and peas. The pole beans and peas should climb the corn and the butternut squash, zucchini, cucumbers should grow between the corn. There are no hard fast rules on how you do 3 sisters. I've seen a number variations. So I'll see how it works. The native Americans had perfected this method, the 3 plant types form a symbiotic relationship. That's the plan anyhow. I'll try it and see how things turn out...

Well that's about it. I added a couple pictures for your viewing pleasure of my little piece of paradise. I added a picture of a steak on my beloved weber, life is not all work. I have no idea how well the garden will turn out. The soil here has never seen a crop, so should be pretty rich. Time will tell. Once I get the garden completely in the ground, I may have time to write more, but for now it's busy, busy, busy....

Back in the sticks

2011-04-29T08:10:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been pretty busy. I have used the Sun Joe electric tiller a few times and I have to say I love this thing. Because I was fighting weather, I started my garden tilling when it was just a bit too wet. When it dried out the Sun Joe worked perfect. It still gets clogged in areas that have never been tilled. Rocks, sticks, roots can clog it up, but in general it's not that hard to get unclogged. So I am happy with this inexpensive electric tiller, it gets the job done.

I added 4 fruit trees to my orchard and a blueberry bush/tree or whatever the hell it is. I had one apple tree I planted 2 years ago that survived. I planted the new trees now because I think spring planting makes sense. It gives the tree a chance to grow and establish itself. The first trees I planted in the fall. So I have decided that spring is the best time to plant fruit trees here.

I built a little 4'x4' herb box. Nothing like fresh herbs. I had started some seeds inside. Most have sprouted and I will be planting them in the garden soon. I have a few that haven't started growing yet. The seeds I had where 3 years old. Seeds don't last for ever, so if you have seeds that you've had a few years, don't assume they will grow. I can see some survivalist thinking they got the seed thing covered only to find their seeds are no good five years down the road. Just saying.

So I am getting my garden/orchard going well, it's only April after all. Some might call it work, I find it enjoyable, there fore it's not work to me. Besides I need the exercise anyway. It's healthy tinkering in the garden. I found a good nursery in the area. Planning an orchard/garden takes a lot of effort. So much to plan. While I have 7 acres, a lot of it is woods. So finding places to plant with full sun (6 hours or so) is a challenge. So my plants are spread out. My orchard is about 200 ft from the TT.

The vegetable gardens are around the TT (100' extension cord). I had planned on getting an inverter, but came up short money wise. So until I get one I am limited to 100' to till. Which is OK, I can grow a lot a food in a 100' radius around my place. I have plenty of space to cover my food needs and preserve some of it to boot. I will latter in the season build a dehydrator. I can go solar or I might use the old light bulb(s) in the box trick. But that comes latter.

I included some pics of a wild turkey that I see know and again around the place. I have stared to go out and fire off a few rounds every time I see deer on my property. I like to watch deer and all, but because of the garden, I intend to make the sure they know they aren't welcome around here. Since I can't shoot them and eat them ( illegal and all that), I'll settle on just scaring them off. I've fired of a couple of rounds several time. I just step out my front door and cut loose. Ain't got no neighbors close by to complain. Using Google earth I measured my nearest neighbor. 1200 ft. I love it.

Let me say that garden planning is a lot of work. It ain't rocket science, but doing it right takes some effort. I have spent many hours using Paint to draw diagrams (yes lowly MS paint is a good drawing program). Pulling up PDF files, studying sun and water flow patterns. Redoing the garden plan based on Companion Planting and all that fun stuff. Don't get me wrong, I love doing this stuff. But there is a lot to it and it does take a time investment. But the pay off is more food...

I have some seeds that haven't sprouted yet. It's still mostly a little cool here and I only throw a lump of coal on the fire (turn the electric heater on) when it gets chilly enough. So some seeds won't likely sprout till the temps come up a little. These are things you learn, which I am a firm believer in learning.

I am still scratching my head on where to plant the strawberries I bought....

Since it's rainy here I get done what I can when I can. One of the things I bought over the winter was a Cruz Ereader. It's far from perfect, the touch screen sucks. But I sucked down about 1500 ebooks and many useful PDF files when I had internet. So on rainy days I catch up on my reading. I have enough books to keep even me reading for awhile. I am a veracious reader, I've read thousands of books over the years. I am not bragging, I just like to read and inhale about a book a day on average. Keeping the mind active is a good thing. Knowledge truly is power.

Well, that's about it. So until I buy another cup of coffee in town....

New Beginning

2011-04-18T09:04:00.000-07:00

OK, I deleted the old stuff. I do that sometimes. This blog is going to focus on living the hillbilly dream, mini-homesteading, being more self reliant what ever you wish to call it. I am a firm believer in preparedness. With the world as it is now, not being ready is in my opinion, dumb. This blog is for me is a new beginning which is why I deleted the old posts. Life is transitory as is this blog.

I began this journey back in 2007 when I saw things getting bad in the economy. The high gas prices sent me into a preparedness frenzy. I got together all my SHTF basic preps. I laid out a preparedness plan. I considered many of the common survivalist scenarios and decided that I wanted no part of the cities or the burbs should TSHTF. So I began looking for land. Bought some land and then a TT. I've been working on getting setup in the sticks to be more self reliant. This blog as well as previous ones I've written have detailed that journey. I know I have a few readers who find my writing worth reading. So I will basically post from time to time as to what I am up to. I spent the winter in the burbs because I had some personal matters that need to be resolved.

I am back in Missouri. The place was exactly as I left it. I had been concerned about the place being broken into, that happens to unattended places. I stopped in at the local china mart. Soup was $1.22 for a stinking can of soup. Not the big or good stuff either, just a lousy can of soup. Talk about inflation. Which is why I am hell bent on getting the garden in. I project it is going to get much, much worse.

The above pictures show one of the garden plots, before and after (I ain't done yet). I bought a Sun Joe electric tiller for $159. I had read many rave reviews before I bought one.

I will say that it appears to do the job. It ain't perfect. My ground is a little toward the muddy side, not overly muddy, just muddy enough to clog the thine up. Roots, grass and stones do clog the thing up. I don't care much for the power switch. So is it a waste of money. I'd say it's a value for your money.

The picture above is what it did on Sunday Morning. Like I said, I spent more time unclogging it than tilling. But is that a bad thing ? If the ground was dryer, might work better. The soil I tilled has never been tilled. So I figure it will take a few days here and there. But I am not necessarily disappointed or in a big rush. That's my two cents. If you are in a hurry go rent or buy a gas powered one.

I does get the job done, but slowly. Then again it didn't cost all that much either. Next year it should be easier. Beats the hell out of using a shovel, rake and hoe something my old bones wouldn't take to kindly to.

The first thing I did when I got back was started my non hybrid seed in little transplant able containers. I wanted to get a good start before putting the plants in the ground. The season here allows you to plant some things in April and others in May. So I'll get the April stuff in and get the May stuff growing inside.

I got a few flower seed and herbs (companion planting and all that) from Dollar General. So I can't say they are non hybrid, but they should be OK, most of my vegetable seeds are non hybrid at any rate. I also picked a Concord grape vine from of all places, Aldi's food store !!! Have no idea how it will grow, but it looked healthy and has a good roots system...

I decided to spray the hell out of my area for ticks. I decided on tobacco (since I dip) and Listerine (the mouth wash) and some Lemon dish detergent. So far so good. Cheap as hell to make. I had picked up a 1 gallon spray bottle at Lowes back in burb hell. So I mix the above concoction with some water and sprayed the hell out of the area around my TT (Travel trailer for those that don't know). Don't know if it will work or not, but I am at war with those little blood sucking ticks this year.

I may or may not put up a fence around my garden (unless I win the lottery or something). I will spray garlic and ammonia (rotten up some eggs) around the garden as a deer/rabbit repellent. I'll put in a few Motion sensor lights (Jerry rig a noise maker). If this fails a fence will be added to my list. Live and learn.

I have a lot to do. I don't like the doom and gloom stuff. But I am not one to ignore reality either. The US debt is being monetized. Hell the world debt is being monetized. It has never ended well before and is likely to be worse this time around. Considering all the added circumstances I see a bad storm coming. So I have done my best to protect me and mine from it. Inflation is here and going to get worse. You can see it at the gas pump and the grocery store. Again, I hate the doom and gloom stuff.

I can't say what will happen, no body can. But I feel the signs are everywhere. So I am about as set up as I can be. Now, it things don't go to hell, I figure I am where I want to be anywhere. To see my nearest neighbor I need a pair of binoculars. That suits me just fine. I hate having people up my ass.

So until I go into town and buy another cup of coffee, don't get bent out of shape if your comments don't get posted for a week or two or three. Old Sunfighter is still alive and kicking, living out his hillbilly dream...