Today I made / bought / learnt .... (for a post oil world) 2

Ludi

Sold an old sofa and chair we no longer wanted, on craigslist.

Hurray for getting rid of extra stuff!
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patience · Expert Joined: Jan 04, 2008 Posts: 1519

I found a couple 60 lb. cast iron wheel weights for garden tractor #2 for $50 (cheap). Then I discovered small puddles under both rear tires on it and determined that somebody had put "fluid" in the tires for weight. That consists of calcium chloride (road salt) and water, a very corrosive combination, used only because 1) it's cheap, 2) it won't freeze, and 3) it's really cheap. Until it LEAKS, it's cheap, then it gets real expensive, corroding steel wheels into oblivion.

After 4 hours of hard labor, I have swapped the better tires onto the better tractor (#2), put #1 on blocks until later, and dismounted the leaky tires, the hard way, with a hammer and tire irons. They are 16" wheels, and that is a job. The dismounted tires are quite good, but the tubes are shot, so I'll replace them and remount them after we sandblast, weld up, and paint the damaged rims. And, I got both sets of wheel weights wire brushed and painted, and re-installed. (Already had one pair.)

For a few bucks, I could have had the tire shop do this, but the rusty fluid is a mess and they charge extra for that (I would too). So, this was really an exercise in "living poor", that is, the way I would do it when life gets hard, and I don't have a choice. A trial run. And yes, it's working out fine. Some satisfaction in that ability.
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Local fix-it guy..

Sinister · Coal Joined: May 25, 2008 Posts: 8

I spent the weekend going through some files I got off the net on, farming, livestock, solar, hydro, biogas, water and a whole slew of other survival topics. The articles had been put together for use in the 3rd world and are very informative. Browse the topics here: http://www.cd3wd.com/CD3WD_40/CD3WD/index.htm
Download the whole 13 GB torrent here: http://www.mininova.org/tor/1490200
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Death is certain, Life is not...

davep · Expert Joined: Jun 21, 2006 Posts: 1251 Location: Europe

frankthetank

I turned into a garbage picker again this weekend and got yelled at by my wife. I grabbed 2 different sized dish network sat dishes and a bunch of coaxial cable, along with the mounts for the dishes. It looked like gold to me...women just have a hard time seeing that.

Now i've got to figure out what the hell i'm going to do with them!

Neighbors have got to think i'm the biggest fruit cake in town.
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"Oil is going up because we use too much oil, and the capacity to replace reserves is dwindling"
-President Bush 11/07/07

AnIowan

Bought a few extra bags of beans/rice at the store. I'm going to buy some bulk beans at our local coop and see about vacuum sealing them at with my new sealer when it arrives. My parents have found some young walnut trees they are going to dig up and bring us at some point.

However, I am to that point of "oh sh*t" there's so much to do, that I'm not getting much done. I feel we aren't in a too bad place close to Seed Savers, a good source of spring fed water, and a start on some preps, but damn, I feel like my window was two years ago!

WisJim

We put 2 old VW vans on Craigs list and sold them within 12 hours. Also sold a boat that one of the boys had sitting here. A couple weeks ago we sold another running VW van, and now I have just the best one left--hope to sell it so I can buy more PVs to add to our system.

The new chickens are in their new house in the orchard, with an electrified portable fence around them for predator protection. Had a small (150# or so) black bear around the house--hope they don't like chicken.

The strawberry crop is nearing an end for the year, and we did better with the berries than we thought we would, even though we had to be gone during the peak of the season, and had friends and family pick them then.

We started eating new potatoes Saturday, and will soon have the first ripe tomato from the garden--pretty good considering that our spring was long and cold this year. Supper Saturday was boiled new potatoes, fresh picked peas, onions and asparagus sauteed with some fresh eggs. Breakfast lately has been centered around piles of fresh picked strawberries, with lots more going in the freezer.

I've been picking lots of potato bugs from potatoes, tomatoes, and eggplant, but not nearly as many as most years.

topcat

Replaced the old clothes line poles.

Now have a three-liner, and can walk under it without having to duck.
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"...the problem is today we have unknown unknowns."
Dominique Strauss-Kahn; IMF chief

Ludi

Working on the back garden which is becoming the "Kitchen Garden" as the main garden transitions to orchard and perennial crops.
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madison · Heavy Crude Joined: Mar 12, 2005 Posts: 255

Yesterday I planted a 10 x 8 section of tyfon and a 10 x 8 section of alfalfa in the field next to our preschool (that our school owns). The Director wants it eventually to turn into a community garden Smile

I am hoping to talk to him this week about adding some fruit trees and berry bushes.

Sometime this year I will be adding asparagus, cardoon and artichokes, and sunchokes if I can get any!

JoeW

Over the weekend, I installed foam pipe insulation on our hot water pipes in the basement. We have fuel oil hydronic heat & hot water in our house. Would you believe there is about 90' of copper pipe exposed in the basement? And that's just for the hydronic heat. The basement stays as warm as the rest of the house. Or at least it used to!
Fuel oil is $4.50/gallon the last time I checked.

AnIowan

1) Wife got her wisdom teeth out (better now being knocked out then in the future biting the bullet).

2) Talked to the local solar installer and set up a meeting time to discuss what kind of a system would be good for our place. I've been working trying to learn about the ins and outs of solar power, but I have this feeling I know very little. I'm worried about the initial cost of any system, but I know whatever we put in now will benefit us and will also get the nuts and bolts of the system in so future additions won't be quite so costly.

3) Researched plans for building a chicken coop. If anyone has plans (or advice) for someone who's got very little experience in such a venture, post or send me a private message.

Ludi

My sympathies to your wife, Iowan. Sad

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No original ideas are contained in this post.

AnIowan

Jenab6

Milkweed, burdock and chicory are all in flower now.

I have identified three more edible wild plants near my house:
(1) hairy lettuce
(2) yarrow
(3) plantain

Hairy lettuce grows on a fleshy central stalk about 3 feet tall. The large, deeply cut and irregularly lobed leaves alternate up the stalk on either side. Tastes a little like dandelion: maybe a bit better.

Plantain is another salad plant, like wild lettuce, dandelion, violet leaf, and linden leaf. The taste of plantain is less than excellent, though. It's chalky to my taste.

Yarrow is a tea plant, I think. I've got some of the feathery leaves in the oven baking dry now.

I recently made some goosegrass (a.k.a. clever) berry quaffee. This is a closer match to the flavor of coffee than dandelion root is. Much closer. But you need a lot of berries to make a decently strong cup of brew. You should also have a good mortar and pestle to grind the berries after they've been oven-roasted dry.

Tonight, I drink yarrow leaf tea. Tomorrow, I'm thinking chicory root quaffee. A fellow could become a real gourmet if he spends a long time in the woods.