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

Laurasia · Intermediate Crude Joined: Jul 10, 2004 Posts: 533

Congratulations on the Radio interview, CeeCee, and good luck with the Winter School! I hope many people attend.

As for me, I began installing my fourth & fifth rain barrels. I removed the existing downspouts in preparation for putting in the hardware associated with the rainbarrels. I really assumed that it would be all plain sailing from there. Was I ever wrong! My plans did not work out quite like I expected, and consequently I spent the better part of today trying to improvise, jerry-rig, you name it. As a result, I stayed in the sun too long, so colour me.....TOAST! Embarassed

These weekends are killing me!

Regards,

L.

oowolf · Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2005 4:28 pm Post subject:

Made $3,787 on ebay today! (item#7340799967) A record for me. Now I can get my PV system batteries, then its off to
http://waltonfeed.com/
for chocolate milk powder and peanut butter powder. yum.

Here's another book every serious gardener needs:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1890132721/qid=1123536306/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-7011421-2008063?v=glance&s=books

strider3700 · Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2005 4:39 pm Post subject:

$3787 for a plate? Wow someone will be hating life when things turn ugly. I'd say changing a plate into a battery bank was a great move.
_________________
shame on us, doomed from the start
god have mercy on our dirty little hearts

oowolf · Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2005 5:37 pm Post subject:

My sentiments exactly. I'm unloading all frivolous possessions as fast as I can-converting them into food, seed, ammo, resveratrol and lomatium, and some bullion.
Time is running out, friends.

deconstructionist · Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2005 7:41 am Post subject:

Massachusetts is pretty cool in some ways. last nite i switched our home electricity provider to www.newwindenergy.com. for an extra 2.4 cents per killowatt hour, our home electricity will come from 50% wind and 50% small hydro! it should work out to an average of $5 or $6 extra per month. totally worth it. i wonder if our energy prices will still rise with the oil tides even though we're off the stuff...
_________________
UNLESS

heyhoser · Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2005 10:49 am Post subject:

Hey again, everybody. Back in town for some RandR. Over the last few weeks I've fenced in about two acres for goats. The day after nailing in the last bit of retaining wire along the fence, a woman called me and asked if I wasn't looking for goats. They're a nubian-something else mix, both female, one year old. Seem really healthy. Got them both for $70, which, from my research, seemed like a good deal (plus $10 for some deworming paste she had). Put them in the 'corral', and started on a shelter. Finished most of it in two days, five or ten minuted before it started raining...
A lot of hoeing, hacking, digging, building going on at our place. Most of the rest of the family is shaking their heads and confused about why I've chosen not to go to China for a few months or pick up any other contracts around the US.
It's a lot of work. A lot of setbacks (dogs dug up about 3/4 of the green beans, I swear I could have shot them), a lot of 'hmm, I could have done that better'. But it's all good, and all coming along. Going away from the news for a few weeks and coming back again makes me believe more firmly that this fall is gonna be the crisis starting point.
Rabbits are huge, ready for mating. I'm holding off on that because I still haven't researched what to feed them in the winter.

Best of luck.

Laurasia · Intermediate Crude Joined: Jul 10, 2004 Posts: 533

Well, FINALLY finished hooking up those rainbarrels last night after work. I abandoned all my jerry-rigging and went back to my original plan. Hubby helped a LOT, and the result is simple and elegant. NOW we need some rain to collect in them! Then I can start with my drinking water experiments.

I honestly feel like I'm running out of time, running in place, running up hill and my motor's running down.

Regards,

L.

adirondacker · Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2005 10:06 pm Post subject:

Today DH & I took our grandkids to a County Fair & found some sources there for piglets (for next spring) & for breeding pairs of meat rabbits.

We have been preparing for TEOTWAWKI for many years, but only recently discovered PO. Have been feeling for a long time that the escalating consumerism, debt & appalling governmental policies couldn't continue forever.

Have been reading about Peak Oil now for many weeks. Would really like to thank everyone for all their comments and ideas they have posted. Razz

strider3700

Today I finally finished switching over from my old 220V 1 hp circulation pump to a 110V 45Watt pump. This lets me hook up my complete water filtration system to a computer UPS to give me clean water when the power is out and to give me a chance at running it indefinitely off of solar/microhydro. Next up is to replace the 220V pressure pump and tank to a 110V System to allow it to jump on the backup power as well.
_________________
shame on us, doomed from the start
god have mercy on our dirty little hearts

spearGR · Tar Sands Joined: Jun 29, 2005 Posts: 48 Location: EL LAS

Today I hauled the flooring for the second floor loft over to the new place.It will be going in as of the coming Monday since theres things that have to be finished by then.
My sense of urgency has also elevated and Im glad I will be in the house before the winter so I can start to fine tune details,and theres a lot of em.
I think this winter will be the <test>winter and a <taste> of whats to come in the future.

Also,
we have Barbara and co visiting nearby ,and this weekend we are getting together for a meeting so that will be very interesting.

WisJim

Just finished moving a 400 to 500 gallon stainless steel bulk tank close to the garage so we can use it collect rainwater for the garden and other uses as needed. Have a 100 gallon or so plastic tank, but it will overflow in a good rain. (for you non-farmers, a "bulk tank" is the tank that milk is stored in at the dairy farm, while awaiting pickup by the refrigerated tank truck which hauls it to the dairy. This size of tank is too small for most modern dairy farms and was given to me by a local farmer)

Unless we need to use it as a source of drinking water someday, it may also double as a summer heat sink for the solar space heating system on the garage, and as a hot tub.

Jim

frankthetank

Jim...did you fill those tanks up with this recent rainfall? It came down in sheets Monday night.

edit
I've been using a boat/tarp to collect rainwater. I figure an inch of rain will give me 60+ gallons fo water (give or take) and have been using that to water my container plants.

mommy22 · Heavy Crude Joined: Jul 22, 2005 Posts: 270

Thanks for bringing up the water issue. I've been collecting water in Totes under an open porch umbrella (all plastic...hopefully no lightning bolts!), and they fill up fast. Alternatively, I plan to catch the water in the downspout that runs all the way from my house to the forest behind the house. I plan to get a barral to put under that.
Otherwise, I've cannaed a few more jars of pickles, and am going to put in seeds for the fall harvest. Also, I've been walking/biking more often to places closer (less that 2 miles) to get more in shape and keep my body fit enough to be able to do it without any issues.
I'm going to start my container potatoes this weekend...I've got red potatoes and yukon gold.
Ordered seeds for winter crops, and found some good recipes for tomoatoes...lots in the garden at the moment!

strider3700

strider3700

Well today I gave some of those tomatoes to my neighbour. She pointed out that her and her husband go down to the bay and collect clams and crabs now and again and would I like to come over for beer and crab some time. I figure get friendly with with someone with the gear to catch things in the ocean (It's a whole 5 minute walk from here) would be an excellent thing to have accomplished today.
_________________
shame on us, doomed from the start
god have mercy on our dirty little hearts