Been busy working and prepping

Yes, I have been really been busy seeing patients with the flu.  Gee, if you have a fever, don't ya think that at least one could at least start the Advil or Tylenol?  I am not going to rant on this subject but I do just wonder what people like this are going to do when they can't run to the ER/ED or off to the doctor's office.

I sort of jumped my personal shark.  I had been studying solar energy for awhile and really wanting to get started.  I have a lot of personal prepping priorities and the solar thing was not at the top of the heap.  Had a chance to get a good deal, so I might be up and running with enough stored energy to power a few lights, a microwave oven and a refrigerator.  Not sure at this point how much of this will operate at the same time.  I am meeting a goal of being able to provide at least enough power to operate the refrigerator.  Heat, lighting and recharging cell phones and laptops can be done in other ways.  BUT if I can get this basic plan going, I am going to try expand enough to really impact my use of the grid.   Will probably tick off the neighbors too.  But then again, we are in this economy together, so maybe I teach a few others to become more self sufficient.

Have also been reorganizing my stored goods, bought some more rice, and have noticed a few things.  1.  My store of toilet paper keeps getting grabbed for emergencies because I forget to put TP on my household shopping list.  Easy to fix.  2.  I really need to get some additional supplies for cleaning weapons.  Duh, did I think they would clean themselves?  3.  I have identified some items that I have sort of ignored and now must purchase; additional seasonings, oils, and baby butt wipes.

Tried the canned butter.  Wow, I will never even think about buying Red Feather or whatever.  I used the recipe that Mayberry linked to and tried it out.  When a jar is opened, it does not get too soft, and it does not require refrigeration either.

I am now in an obsessive-compulsive thing about inventorying my stores and making sure that I actually have on-hand and where stuff is located.  So my Excell inventory pages just had another column added for location of each item(s).  I am doing another count while I am at it too.

I am a very active reader of internet news, commentary and, of course, survival blogs.  I have noticed that more of my reading time is being devoted to survivial sites.  Lots of interesting things being done in surviver land but I see a lot of applicable things on "homemaking" and cooking sites.  Simply put, there are a lot of smart people out there who really expect they will have to be self sufficient in the immediate future.

Last weekend we were in ChinaMart and saw several shopping carts with lots of survivor type food; cases of beans, vegetables, bags of rice and the like.  Anyway, it was stuff that had long time storeability (is that a word?).

Georgia like many other states is just flat out broke.  It worries me about how people use to getting entitlements are going to handle all of this.   Georgia Medicaid is already feeling the pain with certain high dollar medications being denied.  Sorry but if the middle class who can't afford health insurance but make too much to qualify for Medicaid is footing the state's Medicaid program, then the entitled will just have to settle for what is on the ChinaMart/Kmart/Kroger $4.00 plan.  Sorry, this subject really gets my dander up and I get crazy when I see hard working people having to make hard choices when others have been given a free ride at the expense of the taxpayer.

Working on a concept for a rocket stove for heat and cooking.  More on that as the plan develops.

Working on possibly getting a couple of hens for increasing protein via eggs.  Apparently there is a group of chicken owners in the metro Atlanta area who have been successful in getting city and town ordinances changed to permit a limited number of layers, even in sub-divisions.  I am currently looking at designs for chicken tractors.  Going to tick off the neighbors on this too.  I see another education process on this too.

If my mother knew all of the things I have already done, am working on, and have planned for the immediate future, she would think I have lost my mine.  If I discuss any of this with her, I would only scare the living daylights out of her.

Warrior