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

patience · Expert Joined: Jan 04, 2008 Posts: 1761

FoolYap,

I don't know why they would stop exporting. Maybe they need a lot to rebuild after their earthquakes, or they are just ticked off at Bush for criticizing their "human rights" policy. Or maybe it's all hot air. But I went to Home Depot and loaded up anyway, since it was part of my plans, and everything made of steel has been going up since the Australian mines flooded. A year ago? Last January? Major interruption of iron mining anyhow, and ore went up about 50% I think. My wholesale steel cost went up 52% from January 08 to May 08. The commodity "bubble" may burst (correction), but I'm convinced it is a good long term play to buy all the steel stuff you want soon, if not already.

Likewise, I think synthetic rubber products (already up big time), plastics (same), and non-ferrous metals will all go up as energy costs more, and petrochemicals go up accordingly. The dollar index is bouncing back now, and metals, oil and other commodities are down a bit, so I see that as a buying opportunity. Nonetheless, my cracked and foggy crystal ball is unreliable, so I'm not going nuts about this, just buying what I know I will use. There is also reason to hedge against shortages down the road a ways, since our dysfunctional economy could at some point prompt the govt to institute price controls, causing immediate shortages of whatever.
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patience · Expert Joined: Jan 04, 2008 Posts: 1761

We found a food service supply store and got 50 lbs. of parboiled rice for $34.00. High, but it cooks in a jiffy. Hit the big box stores and got a quantity of nails, and stocked the home medicine cabinet. Bought a few AA batteries, but will shop the net for more. Already have rechargeables. Worked some more on organizing storage.
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Local fix-it guy..

Bytesmiths

The goats have been getting in trouble. That means they're bored.

So today I raked up a bunch of thistles I had scythed a couple days ago to keep them from going to seed, and spread them out where the goats are tethered. Kept them busy all day!

They won't eat the fool things when they're live, but after they've been cut for a day or two, they dive right in. Contains lots of iron.
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countrymomma · Tar Sands Joined: Jun 07, 2008 Posts: 43 Location: Midwest

patience · Expert Joined: Jan 04, 2008 Posts: 1761

Stopped at the steel/auto salvage place on my way home from a business delivery yesterday, and scored 9 sheets, 2' x 12' galvanized roofing like new, except for nail holes that I'll reuse. Also got several pieces of 3/4" all-thread rod x 5 ft. long, and a chunk of heavy steel angle. The bill was $27, or about 12 cents/lb.

edit: The roofing looks like it will become our new henhouse, and doors for the barn addition. New metal roofing has gone up a lot here. to about $65/ square, which is 10 ft. x 10 ft. area covered, what I found would have cost over $130 new. Keeping cost down! Dad said the way to make money raising animals is to not spend as much raising them as you'll get when you sell. I can use the trimmings from the roofing to make feeders, too. The trough style, with a rotating dowel on top to keep them from perching on it.
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Laurasia · Intermediate Crude Joined: Jul 10, 2004 Posts: 534

Regarding the Chinese stopping exporting nails - maybe it's a temporary thing; they have closed down many factories until the Olympics are over (to reduce pollution), and maybe the nail-making operation has been part of that, just like the deal with latex gloves (will be in short suppy since the producer has been temporarily shut down).

Regards,

L.

Ludi

Started the deck for the second storey of the screen porch.

Raccoons have started attacking my precious melons. Sad

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mercurygirl · Light Sweet Crude Joined: Jan 29, 2006 Posts: 1290

Shannymara

Showed son and husband how to use hammock tent:

Pictures of latest stanchion my husband built this week:

Goats lounging around, I think the 2 elder does will be giving birth again soon:

Yes, that is a doghouse in the chicken pen. We have to build them a new coop. They were going to be co-housed with the goats, but I learned the hard way that sometimes they sleep on the floor of the shed, and when they do they get squashed to death by the goats laying down on them. And here I was worried about them getting trampled during the day! Live and learn. So they have a doghouse to huddle in if it rains (fat chance), and they are in a totally enclosed pen (including netting over the top) with an electric fence. They are only about 30 feet from the house, and the pen is also within a fenced yard on our 10 acre place. Though there are many predators around, so far we have had no losses to predation this year. I'm sure that will change eventually if we don't build them a more secure coop for night time, which we'll be doing in the next couple of weeks.

My annual gardens are a total loss this year. I left the seedlings in their flats too long, planted too late, and didn't have enough time to plan and set them up properly because we moved in early May. Not to mention the heat and drought. But that's not such a big deal. I don't consider depending on an annual garden for food security to be a good survival strategy, although I do want to keep getting better at it.

Actually my potatoes and eggplants are doing okay.

I got some yams to plant, and have started learning about what I can forage here.

Continuing to slowly build up food stocks.

Trying to enjoy what we can, while we can. Life is fairly easy right now, and I expect that to change soon.
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"Every junkie's like a setting sun..." - Neil Young

patience · Expert Joined: Jan 04, 2008 Posts: 1761

We put 27 pints of sweet corn in the freezer today. I wanted to can it instead, but my wife wasn't feeling well, and blanch and freeze was easier. Also got a quart on the stove cooked to eat next week and a couple of fresh ears for supper. All off 2 rows 75 ft. long. We'll do more next year. Bush beans are blooming, so that will be along soon, but 4 rows of potatoes need dug first. They will wait till next weekend, since the vines aren't all dead yet. I want to get the potatoes out pretty soon, though, and plant turnips and kale. If we have a late fall, those will grow until a hard freeze, maybe late November here. The pantry shelves are getting full.
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patience · Expert Joined: Jan 04, 2008 Posts: 1761

Ordered a wood snath and a 30" scythe grass blade yesterday from Neeps Lawn and Garden. Wood snaths were out of stock several places, and this outfit was the cheapest that I found anyway. Search the site for snath if you want; the link is for blades:

Neeps Lawn and Garden

Had an aluminum snath years ago, and didn't like the balance as well as the old wooden one. I don't seem to fit the European style as well, but it's probably the result of what I'm used to using. I checked EBay and Craigslist first, but found either rusty antiques or none at all. This is for mowing difficult areas, but I can make a wood cradle for it if necessary, should we decide to grow some wheat.
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Local fix-it guy..

Bytesmiths

coyote

Small-time first-year gardener here... we've had some decent produce, but yesterday we harvested just about the biggest, reddest pepper I've seen. It was unbelievably sweet and juicy. My girl doesn't even like peppers much, and she was as astounded as I. We ate it in awe.

Hoping to make some more of those! Smile

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"If a path to the better there be, it begins with a full look at the worst." — Thomas Hardy

patience · Expert Joined: Jan 04, 2008 Posts: 1761

Bytesmiths,

Good point. What I said was confusing. That long grass blade is easily bent and ruined on anything but grass. My difficult areas are just very steep, unsafe to mow on a rider. No big tough weeds or brush. Well, I don't have a brush blade, and don't want one now, 'cause my old back doesn't like the jerks. For that stuff, I go for a machete, or lopping shears now.

My last experience with a brush blade was as a kid, cleaning out an unused pig lot, with 7 ft. horseweeds and wormweeds. One mighty (and only semi controlled) swing stuck the end of the blade in an old wood post. Yanking it free disturbed the nest of wood boring bumblebees inside, who sent a couple squadrons out to attack. Spent the day soaking the stings in whatever, and left the weeds for Dad to deal with--and the bees.
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Local fix-it guy..