tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89393595458877874682024-03-05T00:20:18.832-07:00Under the Coffee TableRecipes, skills, how-to instruction on things that have worked for me.Sailorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921177435940480006noreply@blogger.comBlogger89125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939359545887787468.post-24059553555870474462016-11-04T10:49:00.000-06:002016-11-04T10:49:00.017-06:00Getting Back in the HarnessIt has been a long time since I did any blogging, especially on this site. In the time since my last post we have turned our lives upside down and moves to SW Oregon, and retired.<br />
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We now are on a 5.5 acre 'farm'...or more accurately, very large yard badly overgrown with blackberries. But we don't mind that so much. As weeds go, blackberries are pretty great, still there can too much of a good thing. We also left our great food storage cellars behind, as well as our productive raised bed planters.<br />
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So there is a lot to do just to get back to the line of scrimmage so to speak. We also have somewhat different preparedness needs here than we did back in Delta. We are also getting older, so that is something that has to be taken into account as well.<br />
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I guess that is the main thought to this post. Things change in all of our lives. Sometimes we don't see that change for a while because life is so busy. Annie and I got several reminders of how much things had changed as we packed and went through the backs of the closets. One of the most striking things that we came across were old 72 Hour backpacks for the kids that still had their children's clothes in them. And they are grown moms and dads themselves.<br />
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It would be nice to 'get prepared' and then put it on automatic and go about life. There are certainly milestones that can be accomplished, but in large part it is a pattern of living, a pattern of thought that has to be cultivated much like a garden. <br />
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Well, time to get busy. I have a wood stove to install, bills to pay, church work to do. No rest for the wicked. Hope you all have a nice day. <br />
<br />Sailorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921177435940480006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939359545887787468.post-70198157198051582682013-08-17T21:12:00.000-06:002013-08-17T21:12:09.144-06:00Zucchini ChipsZucchini chips:<br />
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Peel and gut the zucchini and chop it into chip sizes. I cheated and used the fine slicing blade on our Kitchen Aide food processor. <br />
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Sprinkle generously with a flavor of your choice - we tried white cheddar and Parmesan popcorn flavors and Splenda/cinnamon and that was what we like best. The dried chips seemed to have a slightly sweet natural flavor that went better with the cinnamon.<br />
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Don't be shy about putting on the flavorings. The moisture in the zucchini dissolves the flavorings and prevents the fan from blowing off the spices. It takes about 10 hours at 125 deg F.<br />
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So they probably aren't cheeto's, but then they have almost no calories either. <br />
<br />Sailorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921177435940480006noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939359545887787468.post-61780020965430355552013-07-11T13:44:00.002-06:002013-07-11T13:45:24.260-06:00Hot Water Heater Safety Valve Maintenance or Blow Up Your Home.......<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is a great little tutorial on maintaining your hot water heater relief valve:</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Zd7M_aiYnss" width="420"></iframe><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now of course if that is too much trouble......:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/9bU-I2ZiML0" width="420"></iframe></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">or.....:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/0rXwcDkobUY" width="420"></iframe></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Aren't these all great videos? Amazing what an exploding water heater can do. </span>Sailorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921177435940480006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939359545887787468.post-80716425223041945712013-01-30T15:11:00.000-07:002013-01-30T15:11:43.744-07:00Get Ready, Get Set.......Garden<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwtujLFv6xQE-oawcJjqXQyT6pRkgLtBcToIURPNKbL3IP0_5LTNsdyOCfMxLM9phDGH0lmR1DEr3acFvOsG5gapUpDLSbxEng6sLJcSKNfau2eH2RAPoHKCMv0-_ga6JU6x2hiI1nZg/s1600/P1020517.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwtujLFv6xQE-oawcJjqXQyT6pRkgLtBcToIURPNKbL3IP0_5LTNsdyOCfMxLM9phDGH0lmR1DEr3acFvOsG5gapUpDLSbxEng6sLJcSKNfau2eH2RAPoHKCMv0-_ga6JU6x2hiI1nZg/s320/P1020517.JPG" width="320" /></a>We have a lot of snow on the ground right now, and I think that more is coming. But I can't help but feel good about spring. <br />
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The garden books have been coming fairly regularly, and even worse, the baby chick catalogs. I'm not really thinking of getting any chicks yet, but I know that it is about time to get ready to plant the early garden.<br />
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I was just in a planning meeting for our coming spring outage. We will be totally concentrated on the outage work from about March 16 until the end of April. So I know I only have about 6 weeks to get in the cool weather crops. If I don't get them in before the outage, they will still grow, but it will get hot, and they won't really like it.<br />
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What to plant for the early garden? You can plant these crops as early as you can turn the soil. It doesn't matter if there is still some frost in it.<br />
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<ul>
<li>Lettuce</li>
<li>Arugula</li>
<li>Peas, both garden and snow</li>
<li>Onions, both seed or sets</li>
<li>Carrots </li>
<li>Beets</li>
<li>Swiss Chard</li>
</ul>
I think you could also plant <br />
<ul>
<li>Cabbage</li>
<li>Kale</li>
<li>Turnips</li>
<li>Broccoli</li>
<li>Cauliflower</li>
<li>Celery</li>
<li>Potatoes</li>
</ul>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_SuuTPjrCzNEXy-d9nkpx7bQsjhLmD6sl0YVeNGAAWU7AYQ3lwe5KEkokmxdmnEclQVB1wC3MQK81Xv0XGl-7bx1dCfl1fU_H-in0jFWGApuClST3uieuVTaVZ6gZ3x8iElk6ct9ybQ/s1600/P1020525.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_SuuTPjrCzNEXy-d9nkpx7bQsjhLmD6sl0YVeNGAAWU7AYQ3lwe5KEkokmxdmnEclQVB1wC3MQK81Xv0XGl-7bx1dCfl1fU_H-in0jFWGApuClST3uieuVTaVZ6gZ3x8iElk6ct9ybQ/s320/P1020525.JPG" width="320" /></a>I'm a little nervous about the potatoes that early, but I think the rest of them would be OK. The thing is, the seeds won't germinate until the soil warms up, and then when the little plants come up, they are already pretty used to the outdoors and are tougher then if you got them from a green house and transplanted them (think broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage). I'm sure that you could get a hard enough cold snap late in the spring to kill them, but they are pretty tough. Not like apricot blossoms or tomatoes.<br />
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Anyway, this is just a little reminder to my Nearest and Dearest. I like to buy my seed from <a href="http://www.mvseeds.com/index.html" target="_blank">Mountain Valley Seeds</a>. They come in a foil pouch, and are resealable, and you can buy in quantity at a reasonable price. Happy digging!Sailorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921177435940480006noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939359545887787468.post-47356081695828688862013-01-30T12:53:00.001-07:002013-01-30T12:54:28.502-07:00Home Made BatteriesHere is a fun little video on how to make batteries from pennies, cardboard and vinegar, or pennies, washers, cardboard and vinegar. Oh, and of course, electrical tape. Seriously this could be a handy thing if you badly needed a battery. It's probably a lot easier to keep some extra batteries around the house, but this was pretty impressive anyway.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/rIdPfDHeROI" width="560"></iframe><br />
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This guy has a lot of interesting things on his site. This project reminded me of Phoebe's brother melting things.... :)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/GCrqLlz8Ee0?feature=player_embedded" width="640"></iframe><br />
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this:<br />
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<br />Sailorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921177435940480006noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939359545887787468.post-82973614172639802032012-11-13T12:40:00.002-07:002012-11-13T12:41:15.536-07:00Anatomy of a Breakdown<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://readynutrition.com/resources/the-anatomy-of-a-breakdown_12112012/" target="_blank">Anatomy of a Breakdown</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I thought this was a great article. Tess Pennington analyzes just what happens when you are caught up in a large scale disaster. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She outlines the stages that are experienced when people are separated from the electrical grid, from clean water, sewage, transportation and/or gasoline, and normal food and water distribution. You should probably read the article as it is good and informative, but not hard, but I'm going to give a short outline of it if you are pressed for time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. The Warning: </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There usually is a warning, and often times the warning comes several days in advance of the disaster, earthquakes being exempted from this generalization. Tornadoes sometimes only have scant warning. For one reason or another there is a part of the population that decides to stay behind.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. Shock and Awe: (1 to 2 days)</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What a great phrase, but accurate. It is hard to wrap your mind around the colossal forces that are unleased by these huge and/or violent storms, or the earth moving around like a carnival ride. It is so far out of our experience that we can't comprehend it. Those that stay behind are almost always somewhat unprepared for what overtakes them, and the majority are very unprepared.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. The Breakdown: (3-7 days)</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is the time when people run out of water, out of food, out of fuel. The find themselves stranded and shocked by the loss of home and community. Many of these unfortunate are the ones that the news guy sticks the mic in front of and asks how they feel. Duh....not great. Those news guys can be so annoying. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">People are expecting things to go back to normal, but with powerlines down, substations trashed, often water mains broken, pumping stations damaged, things don't come back to normal very soon. The roads might be torn up, rescue resources are stretched to the max and people are hungry, thirsty, cold/hot and very pissed off that their entitled needs aren't met. Looting begins. You are pretty much on your own then.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. Recovery: (8-30+ days)</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sometimes this takes years, and things are never the same.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We have a long history of self sufficiency, but we often are lulled into complacency as well. Lots of times we think that a year's supply of food is a ridiculous amount to have, or we despair that we can hardly afford to pay for this weeks food, yet alone to build up a reserve.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We can't do it all at once. It is a day-by-day process. We have to learn to eat differently. We have to take advantage of all the little resources that are at hand. Often a good source of food is to process the food that we normally would throw away as being out-of-date, or fruit that is a little soft or bruised.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can dry it, bottle it, make soup out of it, and bottle the soup. We throw away hundreds of milk and beverage conatiners that would work just fine to store water in. We throw away many glass jars that can be used to can jellys and jams, many with pop up lids can be used again and again (we will talk another time about what can be safely bottled in what jar), but you don't always have to buy brand new jars.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">WalMart has a hundred camping items that will work pretty well in an emergency. Buy one per week. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Try to get by even for a night eating out of your food storage, cooking and lighting with your alternate sources of heat and light. We had a power outage for a couple of hours early in the Spring. We were fine for the essentials but couldn't sew, couldn't blog, couldn't surf, couldn't watch TV.....how embarrassing that was. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The truth is that is we don't prepare ourselves for troubled times, we will be unprepared, we will be afraid, and we will probably have to go out into the crowds of frightened and anxious people and won't be able to stay quietly in our homes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just a few thoughts. Read the article, there is a lot more there than I have.</span><br />
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Sailorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921177435940480006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939359545887787468.post-41620963559757809262012-10-01T21:32:00.002-06:002012-10-01T21:32:29.490-06:00Zucchini Casserole....or SoupOK, so I haven't got this dialed in yet to have the same texture and consistency as a potato or rice based casserole. But for that small failing, it is darned good if I say so myself, and it has two other benefits.<br />
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<ul>
<li> It is a very low carb receipie</li>
<li>It gets rid of monster zucchini</li>
<li>You probably won't mind eating it fairly frequently</li>
<li>It is easy to make</li>
</ul>
Ingredients:<br />
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1/2 Sweet onion<br />
1 Bell Pepper<br />
Zucchini - quite a bit. About 1/2 of a club sized zucchini, peeled.<br />
1 pint of chicken broth (mine was canned)<br />
2 Tbl spoons tapicoca<br />
1 cube of bullion<br />
1 package of bratwurst, or sweet Italian uncooked sausage<br />
1 chunk of cheese, cheddar or colby<br />
Parmesan cheese to taste<br />
Pepper to taste<br />
2 med sized tomatoes<br />
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<i>Optional - to add to the chicken broth: </i><br />
<i>Celery seed - some</i><br />
<i>Oregano - some </i><br />
<i>Hot red peppers- some, depending on how tough or crazy you are.</i><br />
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Here is how I make it:<br />
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Drop onion and bell pepper into food processor and chop into a mince.<br />
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Replace mincing blade with slicing blade. Slice zucchini into long slices with kitchen knife. Drop long slices into food processor with slicing blade and hence chop into small pieces. The food processor bowl should now have minced onion and pepper on the bottom, covered with sectioned, sliced zucchini. Empty the bowl into a casserole dish - long, flat and wide, according to how much zucchini you used.<br />
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Pour in the seasoned, tapiocaed chicken broth. Dice the tomatoes, or more if you want, and spread over the top. Press the raw bratwrust or Italian sausages into the zucchini. Shred the cheddar or colby cheese on the top, sprinkle on a little parmasean cheese and bake, covered in the oven for 60 min at 350 deg F. Uncover and brown with the broiler, but be careful as it is easy to get distracted and burn the whole thing to a crisp. Theoretically easy to get distracted.<br />
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I'll get a picture posted the next time I make it, but I wanted to publish it now. You can probably add more tapioca, and it will just thicken it up. <br />
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Enjoy., Sailorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921177435940480006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939359545887787468.post-17236782471098523412012-09-06T22:15:00.003-06:002012-09-06T22:15:45.326-06:00Fall Planting GuideThis year's garden wasn't as big in square footage as some of our past gardens for a variety of reasons (big tree removal and a busy summer), but it was somewhat saved by a three row, late summer planting of beets, chard, and arugula.<br />
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I don't know how many of you like to eat boiled greens, and actually there should be a fancy French term that would make them sound better. Boiled Greens.....if I didn't know that they were so good, I wouldn't have anything to do with them either. What is so good about them, you might ask? Well they are easy to grow, fresh, and full of vitamins, a good source of calcium and fiber. And.....basically not fattening at all if you don't put a pound of butter on them.<br />
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There are a lot of crops that you can plant in the late summer/early fall that will give you another crop. Most people look at you strangely if you tell them you just planted another row or two in your garden, and it is late August or early September. But that is fine. The weather is typically warm enough to allow the seeds to germinate quickly and to grow well, but not so hot that they plants get stressed from lack of water, or become strong flavored from the heat. You won't get a second crop of sweet corn, or any watermelon etc, so don't even think about it. You can get great crops of salad greens (lettuce, cabbage, arugula etc.), and boiled greens (<span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="fr" tabindex="-1"><span class="hps">verts</span> <span class="hps">bouillis..... as the FrAnch are fond of saying...) (chard, collard greens, beets, spinach, mustard greens etc.). If you had known and planned well, or have a time machine, you could probably get a second crop of peas. Onions will over winter...beets and chard will be very mild flavored from growing in cooler weather. We have had chard overwinter, but it usually in the really cold weather.</span></span> <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4zigOiO9MIZkupR5VsBIbUJswZEqOTYSStY6D99v2-_kWVWg6Hc2U8i75D4n-Arv1wjQEx391RAVjf6ck43oUqOVyav0VQTGp5htqyw2ZL1YH98zqrDcXD5F0BOXeBcUVyXZ0jE64w/s1600/Seeds.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4zigOiO9MIZkupR5VsBIbUJswZEqOTYSStY6D99v2-_kWVWg6Hc2U8i75D4n-Arv1wjQEx391RAVjf6ck43oUqOVyav0VQTGp5htqyw2ZL1YH98zqrDcXD5F0BOXeBcUVyXZ0jE64w/s200/Seeds.JPG" width="200" /></a>Sometimes, in late summer or early fall the stores have moved the seeds to the back of their storage room, or have gotten rid of their stock of seeds completely. This can be a frustration. We get our seeds from <a href="http://www.mvseeds.com/index.html" target="_blank">Mountain Valley Seeds</a>, and they are always ready to ship. They ship all of their seeds in airtight mylar covered zip baggys, so they are protected from light and moisture. If you keep them in a cool place the seeds will last for a long time. Also, Mountain Valley ships in quantity if you want. So if you think you will be eating a lot of one variety, or want to plant a small field, they are the ones to order from.<br />
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Here is a good <a href="http://library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1107248863600-93/Fall+Plant+Guide5.pdf" target="_blank">guide to fall planting</a> that you can save to your computer as a PDF or print or not. Not only does it give you an idea of days to harvest, but also of frost tolerance and of other characteristics. For instance, it shows that beets have a better flavor when grown in cool weather. We have noticed that broccoli is mild and sweet when grown in cooler weather, and gets a really strong taste in the heat of the summer. I haven't planted a late crop of broccoli, but we noticed that the second growth after the main harvest was always better tasting than the main crop. I don't know if our plants were water deprived in the heat, or if it was the heat itself that gave it the strong taste, but the second growth was always better.<br />
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I guess that is about it for now. Happy harvesting! Sailorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921177435940480006noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939359545887787468.post-43804588126708700962012-09-05T16:14:00.000-06:002012-09-06T06:48:33.235-06:00Why Bother?<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is the end of the season, just about. Our garden was interrupted by the partial removal of a large locust tree, and as a result of a busy spring and summer, and other projects around the house, I didn't plant the garden that we have had for the last few years. We did get the raised beds planted, and I got some late chard, beets, and arugula planted in the main garden. But that is OK. Now we are contemplating a move to a house with a small farm, or a really, really large and overgrown yard. We are contemplating raising chickens, milking goats, raising and even more of our own food, and I have to ask myself why I bother. It is better that I ask that question first, and have some kind of an answer ready, because a lot of people ask me why, and sometimes I flounder with my answers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I started this blog several years ago, there were multiple, immediate crisis' going on in the financial world and I felt that this might be a way to help make family members more aware of how dependent we all are to institutions and infrastructure that might fail, or that we might not be able to access, for any reason.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Time has moved on. The crisis of Lehman Brothers has morphed into the Eurozone crisis..... and that will probably move on to something else. More immediately, we have had children out of work for extended periods of time, others that struggle to make ends meet as they raise families and try to complete their schooling. So our family wasn't at the economic center of the hurricane, but they got plenty of wind and rain and 'power outages'. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So in the here and now I find myself contemplating the future, contemplating a move, retirement, and a completely different life. And so the question: 'Why bother? Why do you want to tie yourself down. Don't you know that you can drive to Costco (at probably any given distance) and get more food cheaper than you can raise it, and much easier? Why do you want to bother?'</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Part of my love for the rural and pastoral is a love for peace and quiet. Part of raising a garden or raising stock is about a connection with my past, with Grandparents, and Great-Grandparents, patient, hardworking, full of faith and hope. When I am digging, hoeing, planting, gathering, weeding, building....I remember stories of lives and times gone by, and I hope that I can live up to their standards of conduct and faith. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Part of it is the good things that you raise. And you know how clean the lettuce is. You know how much (if any) sprays were used. What you pick is fresh and at it's peak of flavor and nutrition. It is good not to have to run to the store every time you need an apple or an onion- you always end up buying other things too. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Economy, nutrition, nostalgia, contemplation, and peace of mind. Your mileage may vary, and gardens and stock care might be just a big pain in your backside, but I guess these are some of the reasons why I bother to raise a garden, and why I'll probably go to the bother of gathering eggs, and milking until I'm too old to raise a shovel.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(P.S. Here is a <a href="http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/nflw/2012/09/01/nflw_20120901_64.mp3?_kip_ipx=1211545445-1346890506" target="_blank">Prairie Home Companion</a> audio clip on small town life and gardens supplied by Mike - {Thanks Mike} ) </span><br />
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<br />Sailorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921177435940480006noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939359545887787468.post-56277082024580556702012-09-05T13:37:00.000-06:002012-09-05T13:37:07.868-06:00Raised Beds On the Cheap- The Frugal FarmerI ran into a nice video on building raised beds with recycled pallet wood. Your mileage may vary in that you might not be able to find pallets with the same dimensions.... but you are smart and can probably adapt this video to other scrap wood that you might be able to acquire.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/sEUd-m2rBEI" width="420"></iframe><br />
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Enjoy. Our raised beds are made from cinderblock and are probably more durable than wood, and we are pleased with them, but they cost more, and they were quite a bit of work to build, especially the capstones.<br />
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Also, re-claiming pallet wood:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/6RvFHiZa5fQ" width="420"></iframe><br />Sailorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921177435940480006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939359545887787468.post-31608535332041040462012-08-28T12:43:00.002-06:002012-08-28T12:43:19.095-06:00Urban Farming Website<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It has been a busy summer, and for some reason I just haven't felt the urge to blog much.....OK - any. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But today I did run across an <a href="http://www.urbanfarmonline.com/?navm=tophome" target="_blank">interesting website</a> that can probably give most of us (no matter what our skill or knowledge level) some good information about being more self sufficient and (thus, to my way of thinking) having greater peace of mind. I'm not sure, but I think it is a new site for that family in California that raised some huge unbelievable amount of food on 1/10 acre several years ago. They look like the same people in one of the pictures. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They have information on everything from gardening to bee keeping to chickens to goats. Probably you aren't interested in all of these, perhaps none of these, but if you are, it seems like a good place to start.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span>Sailorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921177435940480006noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939359545887787468.post-34958944888108789462012-07-20T12:31:00.002-06:002012-07-23T14:14:52.844-06:00FYI - Not Much Rain This SummerJust a quick note - huge areas of corn have been affected by the dry weather in the mid-west this year. Our whole food system is based on there being plentiful corn. Meat, dairy, poultry, and ethanol for a gasoline additive all depend on the abundance and cheapness of corn.<br />
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What the ultimate effects of the drought will be, I don't know, but I can't imagine food becoming cheaper, or gas for that matter either. It seems like once food prices go up, they are sticky, and they tend to stay up as long as the businesses can keep them up.<br />
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Just sayin'.........as an old friend said once, after looking at the results of my hay stacking efforts 'Well, it looks like h--- now, but it'll look better in a snow drift'. And so it is with our efforts to fill the pantry during the harvest. It may not seem like much now, but you will be glad you did later on.<br />
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<a href="http://www.thedisciplinedinvestor.com/blog/2012/07/23/animated-drought-monitor-last-12-weeks" target="_blank">Here is an animated drought map for the last 12 weeks. </a>Sailorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921177435940480006noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939359545887787468.post-77621428918375397872012-03-03T11:03:00.000-07:002012-03-03T11:03:46.959-07:00Post Script:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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P.S In one week we get to 'Spring Forward' and while it seems like you are getting less sleep, you will be getting and extra hour of light in the evening. Sailorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921177435940480006noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939359545887787468.post-15088250542742025562012-03-02T17:47:00.001-07:002012-03-02T18:23:39.562-07:00On Your Mark, Get Set......... Plant!When the weather is cold, and the snow is deep, the seed companies send out the catalogs. I'm always glad to see them. I don't mind the winter cold so much, but the yard looks dreary is generally improved by a good snow. Even though the early pitch to gardeners is probably mostly motivated by trying to beat out the competition on getting the first order of the sun deprived gardeners of the country, it is still a nice service to all of us.<br />
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Gardening is a funny pass time. It doesn't beckon and call you out, or even invite you to think much about the coming season until it finally gets warm. It's hard to get excited about getting the early, cool weather seeds in the ground when the weather hasn't even gotten to the cool stage yet. It seems much better to tackle an indoor project, or just goof around with a game or YouTube when the temperature is low and the wind is blowing. And after last night's storm, I know I will be inside for a while - you do have to be able to see the ground before you can do much digging.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtpjVG4vbG7-luWs9hf3Ah62P3vC-bVY3hex4RQMjbFYPY-QaLxMFZ7YRn91-HxzDq_e_rVjlIHpD7aGAIP5wBPihRc9RqPrFT2GGU4kj8B1Z94oOMvNCY_IO-LGqMoH0tGvw1K30kzQ/s1600/P1270050C.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtpjVG4vbG7-luWs9hf3Ah62P3vC-bVY3hex4RQMjbFYPY-QaLxMFZ7YRn91-HxzDq_e_rVjlIHpD7aGAIP5wBPihRc9RqPrFT2GGU4kj8B1Z94oOMvNCY_IO-LGqMoH0tGvw1K30kzQ/s320/P1270050C.jpg" width="245" /></a>So, on a snowy day what is there to do? Well, a couple of weeks ago when it was still dry, but we were getting ready to take down a dead tree, I thought it might be time to stop using the rototiller for a lawn/garden ornament and took it, the lawn mower and the weed whip down to a small engine repair place to be repaired. He was able to get to work on them right away, and will have them back to me in plenty of time to put them to work. Also, the tree removal people gave us a 50% off price on removing a dead locust tree because they needed the work and it was not too busy. You know that the first nice weekend in April there will be the start of the tidal wave of garden interest. The stores will be packed, the small engine guys will be over loaded and the tree trimmers will be more expensive.<br />
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We got the tree down, many of the branches converted to firewood, and the trunk loaded and transported to a friend that has a sawmill.<br />
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Early spring is a good time to start your gardening. As soon as the soil is thawed you can start to plant your early season crops - peas, carrots, beets, potatoes, onions, chard, lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, kale, turnips. We are talking seeds - don't rush out to buy the early plants from the green house because they will get killed as we are still in frost season.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGuMWoanrxjPbzoLTNPTQb9Wt30vylTSOv8O4rI4NdvgpTPi7YYQDPfGZhXNmUsQN_PWeuB4FgFSvy7dUKuGtAUeloqJ0Ms7LjsLWoUvLgvbRJI2G2_zAo4B7sbzv_c1x8otNDaqg9Cg/s1600/P3020062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGuMWoanrxjPbzoLTNPTQb9Wt30vylTSOv8O4rI4NdvgpTPi7YYQDPfGZhXNmUsQN_PWeuB4FgFSvy7dUKuGtAUeloqJ0Ms7LjsLWoUvLgvbRJI2G2_zAo4B7sbzv_c1x8otNDaqg9Cg/s320/P3020062.JPG" width="320" /></a>Another thing that I like about early spring is you don't have to do it all..... later in the year it is so much work. Work, work work...dig, plant, water, weed. Now it is cool. You can get a bag or two of steer manure from Home Depot or Wal-Mart or from the steer (if there are any in your neighborhood), spread it out on the row you are going to work on and do a little digging- you want to break up the soil and mix in the manure, then break up the clods with the rake until you have a nice seed bed, then plant the seeds, cover them to the appropriate depth and call it a day. You don't even have to water. It is kind of surprising later in the season, when it gets warm, how much you got done. The cool weather crops will be very happy, and they will grow well for you. Don't expect any peas if you plant them on June 1.<br />
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There is a lot of work to be done in the spring. Digging in the garden, especially early in the spring often reminds me of a story that Grandma told me. She probably told it only once or twice but since spending the years that we spent on the farm, it made a huge impression on me. The story is pretty short - It was that my Grandpa always used to go out early in the spring to get the ditches in shape. His ditches weren't leveled by laser, there was no concrete lining or steel head gates. They ran along the highest part of a field, and were usually sod. He would go along each spring and shape the sod, clean out the sand and silt, and shovel smaller lateral ditches to further divide the water to the rows. Grandma said that he put a file in his back pocket and would go out and shovel all day. That's the story, but this is how it plays in my mind....<br />
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I imagine that the shovel was kept almost as sharp as a bread knife - you can't cut sod with a dull shovel. So I see him out there, all alone, the grass just coming up, wind blowing a little. It's cold if you are standing around, but he isn't. The shovel flashes regularly in the sun. His arms are corded with muscle. His hat is pulled down around his ears. He works steadily, hour after hour, a break at noon, more shoveling in the afternoon until about 4 p.m. Then he comes in and forks hay to the cows, milks 3 or 4 cows, feeds the chickens, chops and saws some wood for the stove and then comes in for dinner. He sits down and Grandma and Harlan, little children then, climb onto his lap. He eats his supper in the warm kitchen with his sweet little family. He is so tired, but happy with his work and his life. They put the kids to bed, maybe they read from the Bible. They might have a radio....I don't know. But soon it is morning again, the sun up just a little earlier, milk, feed stock, take the shovel and head back to the ditches. And all without an iPod.......... <br />
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I guess that is about it. Back to taxes..... Some of you have told me that you wanted a reminder of when to get your gardens started. Now is the time. Start small, make it easy. It should be a happy hobby that gives you some peace, some exercise, and some good food. <br />
<br />Sailorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921177435940480006noreply@blogger.com2101 W Main St, Delta, UT 84624, USA39.352385460693178 -112.5771188735961939.349315960693175 -112.58205437359619 39.35545496069318 -112.57218337359619tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939359545887787468.post-86010847917283380682012-02-29T15:40:00.002-07:002012-02-29T15:40:31.609-07:00Chili in a Bottle<i>Note: This post sat in the 'draft' bin for a long time. Usually when a post sits in draft this long I delete it and move on, but this has quite a few links that I put in to try to explain just when and why you might want to use pressure canning, and when and why you might want to use hot water bath canning, and even why canning works to preserve food. Being a geek, I find an interesting tie between processing food and early experiments in germ theory that were first done several hundred years ago. Your mileage may vary if you are not scientifically inclined, or you might just enjoy a quiet browse through some new material. </i><br />
<br />
After <a href="http://dontcrowdthemushrooms.blogspot.com/2010/02/super-easy-chili.html">whipping up a batch of chili</a> for a family reunion that we couldn't attend I was wondering what to do with it all. Annie isn't a big chili fan, and I would be eating it in my lunch until the end of the month. Finally I thought - bottle it, and blog on it. The idea to do another blog on bottling came when I was chatting with one of my daughters about her anticipated garden. She said that she might even try canning. The more I thought about this, the more I thought that it is entirely too shrouded in mystery, because for the most part, it isn't that hard.<br />
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Being one of those people that often has to tell you how the watch is made, when all you wanted was the time, I thought a little background was maybe in order. I will make it brief, and you can make it as detailed as you would like.<br />
<a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microorganism#History_of_microorganisms.27_discovery" title="Anton van Leeuwenhoek"><br />Anton van Leeuwenhoek</a> discovered that there are forms of life so small that they couldn't be seen by the naked eye. He made the first microscope, and it's lens was a droplet of water. Later he made better lenses out of glass - grinding his own. <br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Pasteur"><br />Louis Pasteur</a> - go down to germ theory and you can read about Pasteur's experiments with broth. Basically, those experiments allowed people to see what causes food spoilage, and to come up with a simple way to preserve food. We have all been brought up knowing about microbes and how they grow and travel, and what they can do, but this was big stuff. To be able to take a nutrient broth and show that it wouldn't spoil if all the microbes in it had been killed through boiling, and that no new microbes could enter due to the design of the glassware was amazing stuff. But enough theory, time to get practical.<br />
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Canning food is nothing more killing any germ or spore in the food, and sealing it so that no germ or spore can recontaminate it. What you are canning is important - some things are harder for microbes to grow in than others, and consequently do not have to be processed as long or at as high a temperature. Let's make a list:<br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>Easiest to hardest to preserve:</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Jams, jellies, kim chi, sour kraut and pickles are the easiest to preserve, and in some cases actually don't need any processing - they can be put into clean jars, hot from the kettle. This is a 'hot pack'. They are acidic (sour) and/or have a high sugar or salt content. It was common practice in my Grandma's kitchen to seal jams and jellies with liquid paraffin to keep out the dust. It's possible that a little mold might grow on the top of a jar of jam if you didn't do anything to prevent it, but it is unlikely that it would be anything that you couldn't scrape off - it wouldn't penetrate deeply into the jam.</li>
<li>Fruit, fruit juice, salsa, spaghetti sauce, tomatoes and tomato juice etc. - these are all sour, but don't have a high sugar/salt content. Botulism microbes and/or spores can not live in an acid environment, and so these things generally can be canned successfully with water bath processing. Note: some varieties of tomatoes are 'low acid' and can allow growth of botulism. Typically, at our house we add 1 tablespoon of either lemon juice (to fruits and fruit juices or tomatoes) or 1 tablespoon of vinegar to tomatoes. We usually don't use vinegar with fruits - you could as far as canning safety is concerned, but it has a stronger flavor than lemon juice.</li>
<li>Soups, meat, pinto beans - anything not acid - these things all need to have pressure processing. Pressure processing raises the temperature to above the point of normal boiling any elevation. Some pressure canners have different weight sets that allow you to pick from a variety of settings. Ours only allows 15 psi of pressure. I guess you could fiddle with the stove's heat controls to keep the pressure below 15 psi, but I don't know why you would want to. Complete directions for pressure canning are beyond the scope of the bullet point, and probably beyond my level of expertise. Here is what I do: I put about 1-1/2" of water in the bottom of the canner, add the jars (these should be at least room temperature, or hotter -preferably very hot.), put the lid on, turn the burner temperature control to just below 'HI', and let it go. When the pressure gets to 15 lbs (this is about <a href="http://www.boilerroomservices.com/Facts/SteamTables.pdf">250 deg F</a>), the weight will begin to rock and release steam. I turn the burner down to about half-way to HI and let it cook for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes I turn the heat off and let it cool naturally. It usually takes about 4 hours for the pressure to dissipate. I usually wait until 12 hours or so has past before removing the lid. This allows the pressure and temperature in the bottles to equalize with the ambient temperature and pressure and keeps the bottles from leaking around the seal, or worse, breaking. </li>
</ul>
<b>General Stuff to Watch:</b><br />
<br />
<b>Bottles</b>: they have to be clean: hand or machine wash. It is good if they are also warm - 175 to 200 deg F. If you put hot food or liquid into a cold jar, the thermal shock can break the glass.<br />
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<b>Lids</b>- These also have to be clean. It is good if they are new, but not absolutely necessary. I always use new lids when I am pressure canning just because it takes to long to process, and I just don't want a problem. For jams - the easiest - I often reuse lids, especially if they are decorative.<br />
<br />
It is good to soak the lids in boiling water. The world won't stop if you just hold new lids under a hot tap for 30 seconds, but if you are reusing lids, you should probably keep them in boiling water. This has more to do with softening the rubber seal than it does with sanitation.<br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>Food:</b> For water bath - non pressure canning the food must be acid- sour. This is because botulism spores can survive and grow in the absence of air and in a non-acid environment. Pressure canning kills the spores, and makes it safe to can non acid foods.<br />
<br />
So there you go. If you have questions, put them in the comments section and I'll give you an answer, and even try to make it right. :)<br /><br />
<br />
<br />Sailorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921177435940480006noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939359545887787468.post-18027356633656131512012-02-17T18:06:00.000-07:002012-02-17T18:06:21.195-07:00Ward Christmas Party Chicken Slaughter(This was actually written about December 20, 2011, so if it seems a little dated, it is.) <br />
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Got your attention? It's not exactly bait and switch title, but close. There <u>was</u> a chicken massacre before the Ward Christmas party, but I don't know where or when it actually took place, a chicken gulag somewhere. I use a little more care when I volunteer offhandedly to help with Ward parties. I spoke at the wrong time to the wrong person (R.S. President) and before I knew it (seriously - in 3 minutes she had talked to the Bishop and changed the menu from the traditional ham to dutch oven chicken - it was official) , I was in charge of the meat for the Ward Christmas party - about 200 people.<br />
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I know there was a chicken massacre because Annie and I bought 29 trays of drumsticks, thighs and breasts in preparation. We actually kind of lost count of the number until we went to the dump. It got to be a blur. Three trays (styrofoam) filled a dutch oven, so that makes 9-2/3 ovens packed with chicken.<br />
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Unfortunately, I only have two ovens of any size, and since it was pretty bitterly cold I thought it best to cook them inside - ahead of time- rather than outside on the day of the party like you might do in the summer. We did this once before, maybe 25 years ago - and it worked out well. I just borrowed a bunch of ovens and stacked them.<br />
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In cold weather, and especially if there is wind, it is a lot harder to get the chicken done to falling-off-the-bone tender. If you'll pardon the expression, I chickened out. The sequence went like this: I packed one dutch oven with chicken parts, cooked it, put a new dutch oven in the big oven. Put the hot one outside to cool, deboned the chicken, made gravy from the juice, packed meat and gravy in a 1 gallon ziplock and repacked the oven with raw chicken, put the new hot one outside.......lather-rinse-repeat. It took a couple of days to get them all done, and then it was time to thaw the bags of chicken and gravy. But, you can feed a big family or small army with dutch ovens. The more the merrier. In the end we fed the ward and there was some left over.<br />
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It was a long introduction, but what I really wanted to post about was the left-overs. We had two big dutch ovens, and three of our biggest Farberware kettles full of de-boned chicken when the party started. When it ended, there was probably almost 2 gallons of chicken still in one kettle. I tried to get everyone to take some home, but they were surprisingly reluctant and in the end we took it home. In addition to the cooked chicken, there was the bones. 29 trays of chicken will create a bunch of bones - our turkey roaster was crammed-jammed full of them. I could barely get the lid on. The first boiling gave us about 8 quarts of rich broth. What to do with all of this good food?! Our freezer is pretty well full, and needs to be defrosted anyway, so freezing it would probably work, but it is a lot of work.<br />
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Last night I brought in two of the kettles and stuffed 7 quarts full of chicken and broth, and after about an hour of gentle heating in hot water, I pressure canned them. I'm not sure how much there will be in the end. I'm sure that there is another 7 quarts that will be ready to go tonight, and then I will boil the bones one more time, and I think I will get at least one more 7 quart batch.<br />
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I guess that the reason for this post is to illustrate that food is available for storage when you least expect it. Since we had the ward dinner and ended up with the left-over chicken and all the bones and broth, we found that a friend in our ward has a contact at one of the local grocery stores and gets ripe-to-over-ripe fruits and vegetables on a routine basis. Sometimes she calls us at about 8 pm - you are not really thinking about food storage at that time of night. We go over and she has a wide variety if produce in anywhere from good-but-ripe, to cut-out-the-bruise to hmmmm-this-should-go-on-the-garden condition. It's not likely that you will be able to get access to the cast-off's of your local store, but the point is that you don't have to buy everything at full price. When corn is 10-for-$1, it's time to bottle/freeze corn. Do the strawberries look a little ripe? You might be able to strike a deal, especially at a stand or smaller store.<br />
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Note: In the end we had 18 quarts of chicken and broth.Sailorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921177435940480006noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939359545887787468.post-75536343712676570822011-10-18T16:04:00.000-06:002011-10-18T16:04:45.765-06:00Get Your Peanunt Butter While It's Cheap........Bad harvest, poor crop. <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203476804576617201300103560.html?mod=WSJ_Markets_RightMostPopular">Major brands are planning on raising prices next month</a> - November 2011. FYI.Sailorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921177435940480006noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939359545887787468.post-6695415914322878092011-10-05T21:26:00.000-06:002011-10-05T21:27:15.152-06:00Leave Your Troubles Behind.....Our Hometeachers came by tonight and gave us a nice lesson on the Church Welfare system, and how able the Church is to respond and help in so many areas in the world when there is an earthquake or a hurricane or other natural disaster. This line of conversation led to various points about personal preparedness and no matter where you live, you can find yourself in a situation where you will not be able to buy what you need.<br />
<br />
We talked about hurricanes and tornadoes and the possibility of an earthquake along the Wasatch Front. We have had a tornado, but it was a little one and it's damage was not widespread. If an earthquake struck the cities up north, even Sweet Haven might find itself without power, communications, natural gas, and possibly resupply of food and fuel. <br />
<br />
We talked about an epic trip that S2 and D2 took one day on their bikes. We were slated to pick Annie up at the airport sometime in the early evening. These two kids were pretty restless and wanted to go on a bike trip, so I told them to take off, and I would pick them up along the way. I had chores and projects - I don't remember exactly what, but I didn't get on the road until they had about a 5 hour start. We drove and drove in the old Ford Van and I kept thinking I would see them over the next hill, but that was not happening and I was getting worried that something had happened to them. Finally about 43 or so miles from Sweet Haven we caught up with them. They hadn't taken much in the way of supplies - if you read this S2 or D2, please fill in any detail that my old brain has forgotten. I think they took some water, but used it up, and didn't take any food. They were expecting me to pick them up much sooner than the 5 hours it took me to get on the road. I was amazed at how far they had traveled. I think D2 was 9 or 10, and S2 would have been 13 or 14.<br />
<br />
Many years ago, when I was in college, I was surprised to find a good friend show up at my doorstep, on his bike with little more than a book pack and light jacket. He had biked down from Moo U. to Flatirons U - about 60 miles when he decided that he just couldn't go back to his apartment. He really couldn't. As he approached his apartment, coming back from class, he saw several police cars and police men, and they were packing his roommates into the cars and they were in handcuffs. Lief continued right on by the scene and just headed out of town. It seems that one of the roommates had a marijuana plant in the window of his room, and a meter reader saw it and turned them in. Lief didn't know what was going on at the time, but he knew he didn't want to get hauled off in the confusion and so he just disappeared. I doubt that the police spent any time looking for him, but a lone guy, riding a bike is much less conspicuous than a guy in a car with a color, make, model and license plate. So he just continued on down and stayed the weekend with me. On Sunday I rode about half way back with him, and when he got back to Moo U. everything had been sorted out, and he was in not trouble.<br />
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I didn't start this post with the idea of singing the praises of the bicycle, but that must be a little on my mind as these stories came easily to mind. We see quite a few long distance bicyclers on the roads going to and from Sweet Haven. Some of them have panniers and packs, some of them are hooked to trailers. None of them are moving very fast. But they have all come a long distance - we know this because Sweet Haven is near the edge of no-where, and many miles from any city of even modest size. Sweet Haven is not in a well watered, verdant, fruitful landscape. The topography varies from reasonably productive, irrigated farms nearby, to juniper covered desert hills, to parched sandy flats, to empty, seemingly endless greasewood covered plains. And still they manage to come. Carrying water, food, shelter, dodging cars, semi-trucks and buses, the crawl along the roads at a few miles per hour. When night comes, they might be in a town, but they might be on the road and just pull off into the scrub and make a quiet camp. You will never see them, not at all the same as if they were driving.<br />
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I guess that I don't have a real conclusion to this other than I am frequently surprised how far you can go, and how much you can carry on a bike. If you had to go from the airport in SLC to Sweet Haven on foot it might take you two weeks. On even an bargain basement bike, a thrift store special, and weather permitting, you would stand a good chance of making it in two days, at the most in three. All with no gas, no electricity, with nothing more than a tire pump, a patch kit, a couple of gallons of water, and maybe a jar of peanut butter and a couple of loaves of bread. <br />
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If you have <a href="http://www.airfreetires.com/">airless</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bell-No-Mor-Flats-Bike-Inner/dp/B001UGAJYA">flat free</a> tires your bike repairs are decreased by 95% - just my opinion. You can drive over broken glass, sharp rocks, and puncture weed without a qualm. Try 'em, you will love 'em. We recently and somewhat reluctantly retired our old Yard Sale/DI Specials and are now riding about Sweet Haven on regular tube, and worried about the bumper crop of puncture weed that is everywhere. So far we haven't had a flat, but I know that it is just a matter of time. And after following the adventures of our Intrepid S2, who bikes 7 miles each way to work and home, except when he has to walk 25 blocks in the rain because of a flat tire....well I think I am going to be ordering some new airless tires and then we can ride without worry.Sailorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921177435940480006noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939359545887787468.post-59970754291176253412011-08-09T21:41:00.004-06:002011-08-09T22:54:33.209-06:00We All Need A 'Bottom Bank'<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Some of you might remember a few years ago when some near (and hopefully dear) relatives of yours were going through South Jordan and were stopped and had their truck impounded because they were/are not the best at book work, and a just-past-teenie-bopper-girlie cop took exception to their lack of organization and had the truck impounded.....</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So, there we were, grandparents in our mid-50's at 11:30 at night, on the Redwood Road sidewalk with the contents of the truck cab and truck bed stacked beside us like a couple of homeless people. We could not see how this had come to pass - it just seemed beyond bizarre, but it might have been worse.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As it was, we called Chandler and he and Julie brought us their extra car and we drove home and came back on the next Monday and paid all the fines and tow charges and claimed our pickup. But what would we have done if we hadn't had a cell phone, or someone to call, or any money to walk to a motel.....</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We are wonderfully fortunate in that we have a depth of resources that could help us, but not everyone is so lucky. In this article : "<a href="http://scienceblogs.com/casaubonsbook/2011/08/barbara_ehrenreich_on_the_crim.php">The Criminalization of Poverty</a>" , Barbara Ehernrich writes about how, if you are poor, it is very possible for you to end up being a criminal, and it isn't that hard. I'll just include a short quote - the part about having your car impounded kind of struck home to me:</div><br />
<i></i><br />
<i>"...... there are two main paths to criminalization, and one is debt. Anyone can fall into debt, and although we pride ourselves on the abolition of debtors' prison, in at least one state, Texas, people who can't pay fines for things like expired inspection stickers may be made to "sit out their tickets" in jail.</i><br />
<i> More commonly, the path to prison begins when one of your creditors has a court summons issued for you, which you fail to honor for one reason or another, such as that your address has changed and you never received it. Okay, now you're in "contempt of the court."<br />
Or suppose you miss a payment and your car insurance lapses, and then you're stopped for something like a broken headlight (about $130 for the bulb alone). Now, depending on the state, you may have your car impounded and/or face a steep fine -- again, exposing you to a possible court summons. "There's just no end to it once the cycle starts," says Robert Solomon of Yale Law School. "It just keeps accelerating.""</i><br />
<i></i><br />
<i> </i><br />
<i></i><br />
<i><br />
</i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">It is of course a good thing to not be poor - we all are working to avoid that. Things happen, rocks fly up and break windows and headlights...... there is an endless limit to what can break, or what we need or think that we need. But we all need an emergency fund of some kind.</span><br />
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">When our kids were little, they would sit on their money when they were playing 'Monopoly' so as not to let their siblings know how much they had. One charming daughter coined the term 'bottom bank' for this little trick. It was a good thing. I don't know if she won or not, but she had a pretty good poker face, and I don't think her siblings knew how much she had in the bank.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We have all been advised to have some money available for emergencies. If you are being advised by a financial guy, they will talk about having 6 months of your yearly wage ready to go - which I think would be nice, but is really silly. I don't know of anyone that really <u>needs</u> money in the paycheck-to-paycheck sort of way that we and most of the people that we knew actually live that has anything like that. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">But when you think about actually falling into poverty, we should all have some kind of reserve that can be a 'last resource'....something that we would not use even to pay our cell phone bill, or for high speed internet... Maybe it's only $50, maybe if we save our change we can grow it to $500 or $1000 or more. That would be a pretty nice rainy-day fund for when the rain is coming down hard. We are not a nation of savers. Saving doesn't come easily to me, but it is important. Anything you can save will give you some power in your life. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Here is a little clip that shows the value of a 'Bottom Bank' over an investment bank...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<div style="background-color: black; width: 368px;"><div style="padding: 4px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><embed allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" base="." flashvars="orig=" height="293" src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:cms:item:southparkstudios.com:222624" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="360"></embed><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 4px; padding: 4px; text-align: left;"><b><a href="http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s13e03-margaritaville">Margaritaville</a></b><br />
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</span></div>Sailorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921177435940480006noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939359545887787468.post-63807730778456587872011-04-18T12:13:00.000-06:002011-04-18T12:13:00.575-06:0083 Year Old Japanese Woman Escaped Tsunami on Her Bicycle<object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" height="374" id="ep" width="416"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="movie" value="http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/apps/cvp/3.0/swf/cnn_416x234_embed.swf?context=embed_edition&videoId=world/2011/03/16/dnt.tuchman.japan.woman.escape.bike.cnn" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000" /><embed src="http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/apps/cvp/3.0/swf/cnn_416x234_embed.swf?context=embed_edition&videoId=world/2011/03/16/dnt.tuchman.japan.woman.escape.bike.cnn" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" bgcolor="#000000" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="416" wmode="transparent" height="374"></embed></object><br />
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This is kind of fun. Annie and I ride our bikes around Sweet Haven quite a bit, especially in warmer weather. We used to get some looks from people whom I assume think that unless you under 30 or dressed in $500 worth of bike costume gear and ride a $1000 bike, that you have no business on one. We often ride to church, which is admittedly pretty close, but got quite a few disbelieving looks for a while as well. We even reclaimed the bike rack parking place from the cars - first come, first served after all.<br />
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So I was really interested to watch this little clip about this lady that escaped the tsunami on her bike. She was a farmer all of her life, and is proud of being strong and fit. Actually, as I write this, I remember the story that Mom told me several times of Great Grandpa Barthel ( I think) and his bike. If I remember the story right, he never learned to drive a car and rode his bike into his late 80's. (Mom: If you read this, correct any mistakes in the 'Comments' section). Anyway, I thought is was a great story. Hope you enjoy it as well. Happy riding!Sailorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921177435940480006noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939359545887787468.post-16047857687868524812011-03-17T17:43:00.000-06:002011-03-17T17:43:27.327-06:00Taming Chaos with a Personal Plan - by Scott Stewart of STRATFOR<a href="http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/20110316-taming-chaos-personal-plan">Taming Chaos with a Personal Plan</a> is republished with permission of STRATFOR.<br />
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<b>By Scott Stewart</b><br />
Over the past week we’ve seen a massive <a href="http://www.stratfor.com/theme/japanese-disaster-full-coverage">earthquake and tsunami in Japan</a> that caused a nuclear accident, the <a href="http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/20110315-state-emergency-declared-bahrain">Saudis sending troops into Bahrain</a> to quell civil unrest there and the government of <a href="http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/20110311-protests-saudi-arabia-bahrain-and-yemen">Yemen taking measures to expel foreign media</a> as protests have swelled against Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. <br />
We have also recently seen large-scale evacuations of expatriates from Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, and it is not unreasonable to assume that we might see a similar exodus from Bahrain and Yemen if developments in those countries deteriorate. Moreover, in Japan, the risk of radiation and conditions that are not yet under control at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant could force further evacuations there.<br />
In light of this uncertain environment, STRATFOR thought it prudent to address once again the topic of personal contingency planning. Indeed, we also made this topic the subject of this week’s <a class="strat_tip_off" href="javascript:launchPlayer('y5tm3kt1','http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YR2MTtmx4s0')" nd="188111" title="Watch Video: Above the Tearline: Emergency
Evacuation Plans"><img src="http://media.stratfor.com/stratfor_images/playbuttonsmall.gif" /> Above the Tearline video</a>. While we have often discussed this topic <a href="http://www.stratfor.com/personal_contingency_plans_more_ounce_prevention">in relation to terrorist attacks</a>, its principles are also readily applicable to crises caused by natural disaster, war and civil unrest. When a crisis erupts, having an established personal contingency plan provides people with a head start and a set of tools that can help them avoid, or at least mitigate, the effects of the chaos and panic that accompany crisis events.<br />
<h3>When Chaos Reigns</h3>When a crisis erupts due to civil unrest, natural disaster or a major terrorist attack, a number of things happen rapidly and sometimes simultaneously. First, panic ensues as people attempt to flee the immediate scene of the disaster, usually seeking safety using the same escape routes. At the same time, police, fire and emergency medical units all attempt to respond to the scene, so there can be terrible traffic and pedestrian crowd-control problems. In the event of large civil disturbances, roads can also be clogged with protesters, troops and panicked civilians. This can be magnified by smoke and fire, which can reduce visibility, affect breathing and increase panic. <br />
In many instances, an attack or natural disaster will cause damage to electrical lines, or the electricity will be cut off as a precautionary measure. Natural gas, water and sewer lines can be damaged, causing leaks, and in the case of natural gas lines raising the threat of explosions and fire. Earthquakes and mudslides can cut roads and shut down mass transit. Often, people find themselves trapped in subway tunnels or in high-rise buildings, and they are sometimes forced to escape through smoke-filled tunnels or stairwells. Depending on the incident, bridges, tunnels, subway lines and airports can be closed or jammed to a standstill. Grocery stores are frequently inundated by people scrambling (and sometimes fighting) to obtain food and supplies. <br />
In the midst of this confusion and panic, telephone and cell-phone usage soars. Even if the main trunk lines and cell towers are not damaged by the event or otherwise affected by the loss of electricity, this huge spike in activity quickly overloads the exchanges and cell networks. This means the ripples of chaos and disruption roll outward from the scene of the crisis as people outside the immediate vicinity of the crisis zone hear about the situation via the media and wonder what has become of loved ones who were in or near the crisis zone.<br />
<h3>The Need to Plan</h3>Those caught in close proximity to such a disaster site have the best chance of escaping and reconnecting with loved ones if they have a personal contingency plan. While such planning is critically important for people who live and work overseas in high-threat locations, recent events have demonstrated that even people residing in places considered safe, like Cairo and Tokyo, can be caught in the vortex of a crisis. Taking this one step farther, sudden disasters, such as tornadoes, earthquakes, school shootings or the derailment of train cars carrying chlorine, can strike almost anywhere. This means that everyone should have a personal contingency plan.<br />
Emergency plans are vital not only for corporations and for schools but also for families and individuals. Such plans should be in place for each regular location — home, work and school — that an individual frequents and should cover what that person will do and where he or she will go should an evacuation be necessary. This means establishing meeting points for family members who might be split up — and backup points in case the first or second point also is affected by the disaster. <br />
When school-aged children are involved, parents need to take the time to coordinate with the school to learn what the school’s crisis plans are so any measures the school employs can be accounted for during the planning process. A crisis plan should also account for any pets a family may have. <br />
The lack of ability to communicate with loved ones because of circuit overload or other phone-service problems can greatly enhance the sense of panic during a crisis — especially in this age, when people are so dependent on almost-constant communications via the ubiquitous smart phone. Perhaps one of the foremost benefits of having personal and family contingency plans in place is the reduction of stress that results from not being able to contact a loved one immediately. Knowing that everyone is following the plan frees each person to concentrate on the more pressing challenges presented by their personal evacuation. This is critical because someone who waits until he or she has contacted all loved ones before evacuating might not make it out.<br />
It also is important to have a communications plan, which should include the contact information for the designated rallying site as well as an alternate communications hub outside of the area. It might be difficult to communicate from point A to point B, but someone at point A or B might be able to get through to a person at point C. For example, it may be impossible to call from Tripoli to New York, but both parties may be able to call through to Rome.<br />
Alternative means of communication also should be included in the communications plan. If the phone lines and cell phones are clogged, many times text messages can still get through and Internet connections may work to send e-mail. Satellite telephones, though expensive, are also very useful in a communications blackout, as are two-way radios. Analog fax lines can also prove useful when other forms of communication are shut down.<br />
People who are going to serve as communications hubs need to be briefed on the evacuation plan and have contact information (landline and cell phone numbers, e-mail addresses, etc.) for each person who will be participating in the evacuation. The communications hub should also be provided with important personal data on each person, including full name, date of birth, passport numbers, etc. The communications plan also will be helpful in case one member of the family is unable to evacuate immediately or finds it unwise to evacuate at all. In that case, he or she will know where the rest of the family is going and how to contact them once communications are restored. <br />
Planning is important because, when confronted with a dire situation, many people simply do not know what to do or where to start. It is not unusual to find people wandering aimlessly at the scene of a disaster. Not having determined their options in advance — and in state of shock over the events of the day — people quite often find themselves unable to think clearly enough to establish a logical plan, so they just drift around or collapse in helplessness. Having a plan in place gives even a person who is in shock or denial and unable to think clearly a framework to lean on and a path to follow.<br />
<h3>Evacuating</h3>One of the keys to surviving a catastrophe is <a href="http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/20100609_primer_situational_awareness">situational awareness</a>. Situational awareness allows people to recognizing a potential threat at an early stage and take measures to avoid it. Situational awareness also helps people know where to go when an unforeseen disaster strikes. For example, if the airport is closed by the crisis, situational awareness enables one to understand the alternate means of leaving the country, and if a bridge is damaged on an alternative land route, you can locate another way out. Being aware of the layouts of your residence and workplace is also critical. If an office building is hit by an incident of workplace violence or catches fire, people with a plan will know where the fire exits are and where they lead. Situational awareness will then help them realize when an exit could lead them out of the frying pan and into the fire. <br />
Situational awareness also aids in reacting to a dangerous situation while on the move. If a subway tunnel is filling with smoke from a fire or bombing, situational awareness tells one to keep low in order to avoid being overcome by smoke. Better still, proper preparation can lead people to carry important items such as a smoke hood that can be worn to protect against smoke and a flashlight to help navigate a dark place like a tunnel. <br />
For individuals who work in high-rise buildings, frequently travel or routinely take a commuter train or subway, these two items can greatly assist you if the need to evacuate arises. Smoke hoods are relatively inexpensive devices that can be carried in a briefcase or purse and quickly donned in case of emergency. They will usually provide around 20 to 30 minutes of breathing time, which could quite literally mean the difference between life and death in a smoke-filled hallway, stairway or subway tunnel. Likewise, a small flashlight could prove to be invaluable in a crisis situation at night or when the power goes out in a large building or subway. Some of the small aluminum flashlights can also double as a handy self-defense weapon.<br />
Of course, in some situations, evacuation might not be the best idea. If there is no immediate threat at a specific location, it may be more dangerous to join a crowd of panicked people on the street. In some cases, it might be safest to just stay in place and wait for order to return — especially if the shelter is stocked with food, water and other basic necessities. Situational awareness will allow you to make the call on whether to stay or go. <br />
As part of a contingency plan, it is also prudent to prepare a small “fly-away” kit containing clothes, water, a first-aid kit, nutritional bars, medications and toiletry items for each member of the family. It also is a good idea to include a battery-powered or crank-powered radio and other items such as appropriate maps, multi-tool knives and duct tape. An appropriate amount of cash can also prove quite useful. The kit should be kept in a convenient place, ready to grab on the way out. Even if it is impractical to keep all these items in constant readiness, keeping most of them together and using a prepared list to collect the other items quickly can help get one out the door in seconds. Maintaining important papers, such as vehicle titles, deeds, licenses, birth certificates, passports and credit card information, in a central file allows it to be quickly retrieved in case of an evacuation. Of course, passports are of vital importance in an overseas situation. <br />
Another important part of situational awareness is having the means to receive instructions and information from the authorities. In addition to radio and television, many locations have emergency text and e-mail alert systems that can provide critical information. Overseas, embassies also maintain networks for disseminating information to expatriates such as the U.S. Department of State’s warden system. Individuals should register for such services and ensure they know how information is disseminated before the crisis hits and results in communication disruptions. <br />
When it comes to information pertaining to emergency plans and fly-away kits, the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Administration’s ready.gov site is an excellent resource. For people residing overseas, the U.S. Department of State’s travel information site and the Overseas Security Advisory Council are also valuable resources filled with helpful information. <br />
Now, while it is important to listen to authorities in the case of an emergency, individuals cannot rely on the government to take care of them in every situation because the resources simply may not be available. This means that individuals must have a plan in place designed to take care of themselves and their families.<br />
<h3>Flexibility Required</h3>In order to be effective, an emergency plan must be fluid and flexible. It is important to recognize that even a good plan can be worthless if reactive measures taken by authorities during an emergency impede execution of the plan, or if the catastrophe itself closes down the airport or a section of a primary escape route. For these reasons, it is best to have several alternate contingency plans that account for multiple scenarios and include various routes and modes of evacuation. Once the emergency is announced, it likely is too late to start devising a back-up plan.<br />
Plans must be also reviewed periodically, at least once a year. A plan made following 9/11 might no longer be valid. Bridges and roads included in the original plan might be closed for construction at the present time or could have been changed to a one-way traffic pattern. Communication plans may also need to be updated if family members move or change telephone numbers. <br />
The contents of fly-away kits should be checked periodically to ensure the kits are functional. Flashlight and radio batteries can lose their charge and need to be replaced. Items such as smoke hoods can become damaged by being carried around in a purse or briefcase for too many years. Food can become stale and inedible. Medications can expire. Children can grow and require different sizes of clothing.<br />
Finally, while having a contingency plan on paper is better than having nothing, those plans that are tested in the real world prove to be far superior to plans that are never tested. Running through an evacuation plan (especially during a high-traffic time such as rush hour) will help to identify weaknesses that will not appear on paper. It also will help ensure that all those involved know what they are supposed to do and where they are supposed to go. A plan is of limited use if half of the people it is designed for do not understand their respective roles and responsibilities.<br />
No plan is perfect, and chances are that individuals will find themselves “shifting on the fly” as conditions on the ground change in the event of an actual emergency. However, having a plan and being prepared allows a person to be more focused and less panicked and confused than those who have left their fate to chance.<br />
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Read more: <a href="http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/20110316-taming-chaos-personal-plan?utm_source=SWeekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=110317&utm_content=SECtitle&elq=5639fcc7ea114d39825c9c08468947d3#ixzz1Gu4bdg8G" style="color: #003399;">Taming Chaos with a Personal Plan | STRATFOR</a> </div>Sailorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921177435940480006noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939359545887787468.post-20756288622906792582010-10-09T22:40:00.000-06:002010-10-09T22:40:47.038-06:00Ode to Garden Huckleberry Jam<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwUU1LhnRRUz63fzVeVLEOyRbAhreZr897tjWhYbF5BxtuvtLhyfohAQyupauGBk2j4sHkqLCIauIX3UGHs3vsC6Latyry6q6RRMmGH-1fjdqajdDw4wMZWIIS88QD4Yc158v9RWDMyQ/s1600/P1020538.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwUU1LhnRRUz63fzVeVLEOyRbAhreZr897tjWhYbF5BxtuvtLhyfohAQyupauGBk2j4sHkqLCIauIX3UGHs3vsC6Latyry6q6RRMmGH-1fjdqajdDw4wMZWIIS88QD4Yc158v9RWDMyQ/s320/P1020538.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Garden huckleberries are a pretty plant, related to tomatoes and peppers.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJjFl-jH7njNCunFjOqQF5mSLeo_Tw6OLdMq_4ENcGkxxHvHM7_uYdjbBQEvhSIhTEMklI0d4cb7Tp05W7nRzll1DQaVeJX7mX11-FM4GXE0T-vW_SufdenffG3p2UuHt2lIXTT8zSqw/s1600/P1020513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJjFl-jH7njNCunFjOqQF5mSLeo_Tw6OLdMq_4ENcGkxxHvHM7_uYdjbBQEvhSIhTEMklI0d4cb7Tp05W7nRzll1DQaVeJX7mX11-FM4GXE0T-vW_SufdenffG3p2UuHt2lIXTT8zSqw/s320/P1020513.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Pretty berries. They aren't especially sweet even when ripe, but they make great jam.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj813MAA4sJaGB2MB-sbY7UNuaRJCdk4u05jSVlSM3BaQmdeU8CJRLHNL_iaLzEXo-PU70Do0j0oj56JB75aSM360FL4LAbTbRk3CFPvQejk26YmOgGyge3_gUrq1uWNps7RFUkgXciwQ/s1600/P1020540.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj813MAA4sJaGB2MB-sbY7UNuaRJCdk4u05jSVlSM3BaQmdeU8CJRLHNL_iaLzEXo-PU70Do0j0oj56JB75aSM360FL4LAbTbRk3CFPvQejk26YmOgGyge3_gUrq1uWNps7RFUkgXciwQ/s320/P1020540.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Here are about 16 cups of berries (which took Annie and me the better part of a day to pick - they aren't very big) with about 6 cups of chopped apple.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjczcNQV8vt62vOW4BmepsyjU_TBQymzqR71M_9UONFye3Nb7EKMFFvbfIc_fRSReJBOY7cNIVx8-lspfmmNSrcTLnUahgEhS-db6usl5qXF-ign0ICJNKh9deieloPAN8F1oOVoXH-7g/s1600/P1020541.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjczcNQV8vt62vOW4BmepsyjU_TBQymzqR71M_9UONFye3Nb7EKMFFvbfIc_fRSReJBOY7cNIVx8-lspfmmNSrcTLnUahgEhS-db6usl5qXF-ign0ICJNKh9deieloPAN8F1oOVoXH-7g/s320/P1020541.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>When you add 22 of sugar to 22 cups of fruit - typical jam ratios - you get a very full pot.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyP5lCfZyM1Lbt6NUAJkSY64GOh-zxZ50dANrWl4uViCrxA1bZTi7Si7QrQdr8OIDnC5mnyCX5CUa-pdCDr5gTFlZ_JrkujR3SjKQVypFCrLziSZI27Gw6NB_Vtj4pp1Dn6rkG69wsRA/s1600/P1020542.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyP5lCfZyM1Lbt6NUAJkSY64GOh-zxZ50dANrWl4uViCrxA1bZTi7Si7QrQdr8OIDnC5mnyCX5CUa-pdCDr5gTFlZ_JrkujR3SjKQVypFCrLziSZI27Gw6NB_Vtj4pp1Dn6rkG69wsRA/s320/P1020542.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Here is the fruit and sugar mixed together but still cold. The only extra liquid in this batch is about 1/3 cup of lemon juice added to the apples when I was chopping them in the food processor. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcZPjVvF6cWivThnlcJm41tX3QratE55qmR3sOOiQP95ppBS6E7-ngDZriLYB9AJ3Qr6ooxMHQaxiHdM_2IjecbUNOs3mgrCh7I5png1wGfMV6yS2VeV8oDFHRiZMV9ZcyuLm1xbTXSA/s1600/P1020545.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcZPjVvF6cWivThnlcJm41tX3QratE55qmR3sOOiQP95ppBS6E7-ngDZriLYB9AJ3Qr6ooxMHQaxiHdM_2IjecbUNOs3mgrCh7I5png1wGfMV6yS2VeV8oDFHRiZMV9ZcyuLm1xbTXSA/s320/P1020545.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>This was really too big of a batch.... I should have done it in two batches. When you are making jam, you have to boil the mixture for at least 10 minutes. This has the effect of melting all of the sugar, and making it into a syrup, it also dissolves and activates the pectin (follow the directions on the box. Measure the fruit, add the right amount of sugar - too much is better than too little. Add the right amount of pectin - again too much is better than too little.), and cooks the fruit. I had trouble with this batch because I was afraid to turn the heat up to where it would boil for fear that I would burn the bottom. So I cooked it for about 30 minutes, and still had to take a mixer to the top layer of berries to make sure they were all broken.<br />
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As the fruit mixture cooks it will form a foam on it. You have to stir it constantly, and be ready for the foam to boil up and over the top of the pan. It can be rather exciting. Pull the pan off of the burner to stop the foam from boiling over. You can control the heat a lot better by pulling it part way off the burner than you can by trying to use the heat adjustment knob - it's way too slow.<br />
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You have to realize that you really are making a candy or confection, rather than a healthy fruit treat. It will taste a lot better than store bought jams, but it is mostly fruit flavored sugar syrup. But tasty! :)<br />
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After it has boiled for 10 minutes you put it in hot, clean jars. I like to put them in the oven, and have it heated to about 180 degrees. This makes it very unlikely that the jars will crack when you put the hot liquid in them. You could probably add the hot liquid to cold jars and not have a lot of trouble, but if there is a tiny crack or flaw in the glass, and the bottom cracks around and falls out, you will wish that you had heated the jar first.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5dY3EaOKjoBWXm25zYY0DzfYHLf1sUKOSuA6mKDqRzXS-yHfovpHmEu8Am2UA68ew3ioGGB0qJQdxu_lF6FnOYUUpgNP2EVkIB0vYa5FI3rN5c6OMPAk-b52kB0wCB7WMj_084lG8_Q/s1600/P1020546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5dY3EaOKjoBWXm25zYY0DzfYHLf1sUKOSuA6mKDqRzXS-yHfovpHmEu8Am2UA68ew3ioGGB0qJQdxu_lF6FnOYUUpgNP2EVkIB0vYa5FI3rN5c6OMPAk-b52kB0wCB7WMj_084lG8_Q/s320/P1020546.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>These are pints - 12 to a box. Narrow neck are fine. Actually old jars of any kind are fine. More on that later.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhGFc7v9Khj1Mu66uAUT3nDnNIVcAiMSGLgh9YgLtPavYaWyuYNyno9wJ2GaE1iDCAVNm85IQeiPZqP5fY-KzDjM5-g63JmPJf_rpklorkNzf3RegCQZfYRwcH5A3v4FrfYZ7j7TPccw/s1600/P1020547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhGFc7v9Khj1Mu66uAUT3nDnNIVcAiMSGLgh9YgLtPavYaWyuYNyno9wJ2GaE1iDCAVNm85IQeiPZqP5fY-KzDjM5-g63JmPJf_rpklorkNzf3RegCQZfYRwcH5A3v4FrfYZ7j7TPccw/s320/P1020547.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>If you are going to water-bath process the jam, then you need to leave about 3/4" of air space between the top of the jam and the top of the jar. When the jar is heated in the steam or water bath, the water in the jam will boil a little, and displace the air at the top of the jar. It will be filled with water vapor. As it cools the water vapor condenses and that forms the vacuum that hold the lid to the top of the jar. If you put too much liquid in the jar, their won't be enough room for the vacuum to form. Also, the liquid might get in between the rubber seal on the lid and the jar top. Then it won't seal. In this picture, the lids are in a hot water bath to soften the rubber, and I'm rubbing my finger around the top of the jar top to make sure that there are no nicks in the top of the glass, and there is no jam on top of the glass. It has to be smooth and clean.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvW8SEWMHFr4hPIQ9ci2ZcHBRvxkQ3Bmd0HThdQCUAOhPtaizqdJCA8IDW8RE8yzIirCNTJ9X24Kt1ENRxET1YhpnPDdZ-g-nBU2lQrNgyBBn_r8zo8k7iGyATfzNSJHjXoDcTG7vg3Q/s1600/P1020529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvW8SEWMHFr4hPIQ9ci2ZcHBRvxkQ3Bmd0HThdQCUAOhPtaizqdJCA8IDW8RE8yzIirCNTJ9X24Kt1ENRxET1YhpnPDdZ-g-nBU2lQrNgyBBn_r8zo8k7iGyATfzNSJHjXoDcTG7vg3Q/s320/P1020529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>If you have old glass peanut butter, ragu, or other old jars, they can be used for jam. Clean them well, heat them in the oven and put the hot jam in them just as if you were going to water bath process them. Put some paraffin in the clean can and put it in a water bath and melt the wax. Make sure to use a water bath as heating on the stove directly can be a fire hazard.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEglXSnyMPA8UHS0ImWI1x6eU3AGJhsIIG1Tl4UFOIj9gAaE3d-9OXfQ-lAwc3jKLf01y_zIDWUCipR30F4uQ7W35IjDQEW781oUBMgUgOq7pR2OpaKm4aT87rjflR5ujuSsBit76Q3w/s1600/P1020532.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEglXSnyMPA8UHS0ImWI1x6eU3AGJhsIIG1Tl4UFOIj9gAaE3d-9OXfQ-lAwc3jKLf01y_zIDWUCipR30F4uQ7W35IjDQEW781oUBMgUgOq7pR2OpaKm4aT87rjflR5ujuSsBit76Q3w/s320/P1020532.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Clean the inside neck of the jar carefully after you add the jam. Pour about 3/8" of melted wax directly on top of the jam and let it cool. The was will keep any mold spoor from growing on the top of the jam, and can be used again and again. Also, if you give extra jam away, you don't have to worry about getting your jar back. <br />
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That is about it for jam. I had a lot of trouble getting this to work. It was hard to put in the amount of sugar that is called for in the recipes. So - measure everything. Some things in cooking you can be casual with your quantities - but in making jam it pays to make sure you have the right amounts. Make sure to boil the mixture for 10 minutes. If you don't, you might have a yummy fruit syrup, but you won't have jam.<br />
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That is about the extent of my experience. Good luck. Homemade jam on fresh homemade whole wheat bread.....mmmmmmmmmmSailorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921177435940480006noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939359545887787468.post-39728757350540307392010-08-27T18:00:00.000-06:002010-08-27T18:00:25.876-06:00Bike Lane Signs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8loRoG7whhZEuGWkZRTT0YQZohzldHWU2HfNalASHibr9bwss6pE95DMT3EsKu7L0F-CrXDPx47y908Aaf2f5_7IH6sSn0rF4zqWzWFPRdfGrM2OxWwJ5xo3itxMtc5LRAQmNKzuA5A/s1600/bikelane_dd97.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8loRoG7whhZEuGWkZRTT0YQZohzldHWU2HfNalASHibr9bwss6pE95DMT3EsKu7L0F-CrXDPx47y908Aaf2f5_7IH6sSn0rF4zqWzWFPRdfGrM2OxWwJ5xo3itxMtc5LRAQmNKzuA5A/s320/bikelane_dd97.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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In math they would say this was 'elegant' - simple, straight and to the point. :)Sailorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921177435940480006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939359545887787468.post-44722695494855150042010-08-14T19:45:00.000-06:002010-08-14T19:45:21.021-06:00One Oven Sunday Chicken Dinner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg02qc9M-5bbGzppcAyg02GrU2MiIPxXHrNyrqTPKLyDaHCKAlKuBEK1sacPU4ZAuIuI6u55yNJZxwdxzLSztQv6YjCoPYaLWfx_QA8GJTQRzKrpvgQ3xUkKVHkCXrrv_KIsE_xmayZtA/s1600/Video+1+0+00+47-08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg02qc9M-5bbGzppcAyg02GrU2MiIPxXHrNyrqTPKLyDaHCKAlKuBEK1sacPU4ZAuIuI6u55yNJZxwdxzLSztQv6YjCoPYaLWfx_QA8GJTQRzKrpvgQ3xUkKVHkCXrrv_KIsE_xmayZtA/s200/Video+1+0+00+47-08.jpg" width="200" /></a>Time hurries on, and if I don't get this posted, the leaves that are green will have turned to brown. My sloth and schedule have let about 3 weeks go by since we had this dinner. It was a broiling hot Sunday, and the swamp cooler and the one-room AC and all the little fans were going full blast and I didn't want to add any heat to the house. I had a Lemon Pepper Chicken all thawed (not un-thawed) and we had some squash from the garden and come corn from earlier in the week. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbVIgn4x-uQHmkxBhJjjG1zw9ETKOdQBWHYQfVNPdF3d_y8A2jh8IbAtT2S3KvP_On30LIQ4VCQbtrjN5ovGG-nc_JtpEgKBJr4VKaaqNugjjzIjxr_vtxGcHsWL_UGUb78KBB5pN06g/s1600/Video+2+0+00+18-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbVIgn4x-uQHmkxBhJjjG1zw9ETKOdQBWHYQfVNPdF3d_y8A2jh8IbAtT2S3KvP_On30LIQ4VCQbtrjN5ovGG-nc_JtpEgKBJr4VKaaqNugjjzIjxr_vtxGcHsWL_UGUb78KBB5pN06g/s200/Video+2+0+00+18-11.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
I decided to see how much I could get into one dutch oven. It all fit, as you can see. This was a deep 12" oven, and it has a little more capacity, but I think a standard 12" would do just fine.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmcw6tcJslJ9n7GAj1lpIgLshY0VL_kUuvF1w1Wu2LQC42C0lSx64uyUiB6mC-PvRDUrCJBZkp6cDufWTS76nJM5knAq-hPfZ2jOMDF7bDAGg6v76tQaLvgQtHRYUvwcqhOhfliLvuAw/s1600/Video+3+0+00+47-07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmcw6tcJslJ9n7GAj1lpIgLshY0VL_kUuvF1w1Wu2LQC42C0lSx64uyUiB6mC-PvRDUrCJBZkp6cDufWTS76nJM5knAq-hPfZ2jOMDF7bDAGg6v76tQaLvgQtHRYUvwcqhOhfliLvuAw/s200/Video+3+0+00+47-07.jpg" width="200" /></a>The zucchini recipe is one that we got a year or two ago. It is actually was for eggplant, but we prefer the squash, and it works really well with more mature fruits. Scoop out the fruit with a melon baller and saute with onions, peppers, and tomatoes- or just what you want. We season it with pesto and garlic, and Italian Seasoning - basil and oregano, and a little black pepper and Parmesan cheese. Add some fried sausage and bake for 30 minutes. <br />
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Since we had the chicken to cook, we didn't do the sausage, but seasoned it Italian and assembled it and put it into the DO. You wouldn't really have to saute the stuffing I don't think, but I had a chicken and some corn in there too, and was worried that I might not have enough heat in one batch of coals.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsE2yscGYPBDN_3v79jm87-tCaO4xBSSIhuq5OmFrcokjmGUetw0R8a9IhDhO4yxWp94YyhzaeVfr34nbtALFu98ObCLEsHhivMrR59PEYPdXhVjV6h0N_a3cvKjlc9hLQ6jIFlxlNnA/s1600/Video+7+0+00+16-19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsE2yscGYPBDN_3v79jm87-tCaO4xBSSIhuq5OmFrcokjmGUetw0R8a9IhDhO4yxWp94YyhzaeVfr34nbtALFu98ObCLEsHhivMrR59PEYPdXhVjV6h0N_a3cvKjlc9hLQ6jIFlxlNnA/s200/Video+7+0+00+16-19.jpg" width="200" /></a>Recently, B & T were down and we did some chicken in a DO, but it was still a little frozen, and the wind was blowing hard. If you have conditions like that, you should probably cut the chicken into pieces as it would cook a lot faster. Ours was done.... but not falling-off-the-bone done. Until I put it in the oven after dinner and finished it off.<br />
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Anyway, there you have it. I had a bunch of little videos to use instead of the pictures, but they ended up being about 350 MB, and it just wouldn't load into Blogger. Have fun.Sailorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921177435940480006noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939359545887787468.post-76447628949055479172010-07-16T22:22:00.002-06:002010-07-17T18:56:42.826-06:00White Panel Vans and RobbersToday I read a scary article written by a lady that survived a <a href="http://www.survivalblog.com/2010/07/surviving_a_home_invasion_robb.html">home invasion robbery</a> . Here are <a href="http://www.survivalblog.com/2010/07/three_letters_re_surviving_a_h.html">three response letters</a> you might want to read as well. Also, I ran across this blog on <a href="http://www.preparednesspro.com/blog/preparing-for-the-worst/">rape prevention</a> - another scary but related topic.<br />
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I couldn't help think about my dear daughter that recently had her home burglarized. She has always been a tender heart, and very afraid of white, windowless panel vans - Robber Vans. Fortunately no one was home, but the burglars took what they wanted and left.<br />
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When I read this article I kind of put myself in this ladies (home invasion) position. I thought about running back to our bedroom, and that I don't have a gun on the night stand, loaded and ready. I would have to ask the robbers to wait while I retrieved a gun from it's hiding place and found the bullets and carefully loaded it....so that wouldn't happen. I could run to the kitchen and maybe find a kitchen knife...but likely many of them would be in the dishwasher. Baseball bat in the coat closet? Run like heck out the back door, race back to the front to the side yard and run over to the Sheriff's house? Not too practical, but the best plan yet. So, no, I don't have a plan. Barricade in the bathroom and call 911 on the cell....<br />
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You who know me know how much I like to shoot, and you might be thinking that I would be agreeing with Susan G. and recommend that you get your concealed carry permit and carry a loaded weapon at all times. While I think this might be kind of fun in a 'I'm Magnum P.I.' kind of way, I don't think that it would be appropriate at this time for most of the circumstances of the people that I know and love. Things may change, and that might be the best solution for some of us at some time, but I hope not. <br />
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I was telling Susan G.'s story to the guy that I ride to work with, and told him of my daughter's recent burglary, and how this Dear Daughter was something of a lightening rod for burglaries .... and started counting up the scary incidences that had happened to people that I care about. And I came to the conclusion that it's not as safe a world out there as we think it is. Let's count them up. Maybe you can think of more incidents, or perhaps you are aware of some that I don't know about. I would welcome corrections/additions/etc in Comments.<br />
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<ul><li>197something Sister has house broken into while at work. Front door latch beaten in with a hammer.</li>
</ul><ul><li>197something Sister has Peeping Tom. Doberman is completely baffled as sister tosses dog abruptly out of door to chase Peeper. Peeper escapes, dog surely questioned sister's sanity.</li>
<li>1977 Sister-in-law seriously wounded and nearly murdered in home by ex-boyfriend.</li>
<li> 1970 or 80something Sister works at store where women are escorted to cars by male employees as a female employee was abducted and raped. (this is kind of fuzzy Dot, but I'm pretty sure you told me this story.)</li>
<li>1990something: Sister-in-law surprises man/burglar in garage. Screams break glass and scare off burglar...not really with the glass. But she scared him off. </li>
<li>2003 Daughter(1)'s car burglarized. Leather bound scriptures and some change stolen.</li>
<li>2004 Daughter(3)'s car burglarized. Stereo and two nice sets of tools stolen (Thanks for the comment J). </li>
<li> 2005 Daughter(1)'s car burglarized. Stereo stolen.</li>
<li>2006? Son-in-law(1)'s car burglarized, window broken, sunglasses stolen...stereo too?</li>
<li> 2006-9? Daughter(2)'s friend was murdered in her home when she surprised a burglar.</li>
</ul>That is about all that I can think of at this time. But I am surprised at how much has happened over the years, and how serious some of it is. The Marshwiggle in me finds it hard to believe that with police budgets being cut, criminals being let out of jail early to save money (especially CA), and Arizona feeling a lot of crime from the Mexican drug cartel turf wars, that things will be better any time soon.<br />
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(Much later) I've thought a lot about this topic since I started the blog entry and I haven't really come to any sweeping conclusions other than security is a topic that is very personal, and very different for each of us, but also one that probably deserves some thought and action. What are somethings that could help make you a less inviting target?<br />
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<ul><li>pepper spray</li>
<li>flash light on keychain - no fumbling when getting in house or car</li>
<li>motion sensing perimeter lighting</li>
<li>security system including alarm</li>
<li>good door hardware and deadbolt</li>
<li> replacing door hinge screws with 3+" screws that screw deeply into framing 2x4's</li>
<li>window, especially basement window security hardware. </li>
<li>yappy little dog, or big scary doberman type. Effective if not targeted by bad guy</li>
<li>I would really like to say martial arts training, and some would be better than none, but unless you are going to get really good at this, maybe it would provide a false security... a la Rachael and Phoebe.</li>
<li>concealed carry. Not for everyone. Or most people. </li>
<li>tasers</li>
</ul><br />
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The simplest thing that I can think of, the one that will give you the biggest bang (metaphorically) for the buck is probably <a href="http://everythingelse.shop.ebay.com/Pepper-Spray-/79849/i.html">pepper spray</a>. For $15 or so you can get an aerosol pepper spray with UV dye in it as well. Like most things you carry in your pocket or purse, a pepper spray aerosol container would probably be a quiet annoyance most of the time. But the time when you feel creeped out, when your Unagi is telling you that you are not in a good spot, well then you will be glad you have it. If, perish the thought, you ever would have to use such a device, then it would sooo be worth the $15 bucks. In the wild, the predators most often go after the animal that will give it the least fight and provide the easiest meal. Human predators are not so different.Sailorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12921177435940480006noreply@blogger.com6