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

Terran · Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 3:29 pm Post subject:

So far I got myself a sleeping bag, and some sleeping pad.
I also got myself some leather gloves hopefully that would help. There's alot of supplies I'm going to buy I don't currently have the money now. I brought a solar flashlight a few years ago, I just can't find it.

Aaron · Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 3:39 pm Post subject:

TG

Make sure you take precautions to preserve your seed fortune... They can rot...

FYI - almost any seed can be germinated using a wet piece of cloth in a cool dark place. Once it's sprouts... into the ground it goes.
_________________
"We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time." - TS Eliot*

tkarmo · Guest

Today I set up a battery-powered shortwave radio in a scientific
institution to which I am loosely attached. I also filled
three large garbage pails with water as a precaution against grid failure. Having taken this pair of baby steps, I now feel a little less helpless, a little more able to take FURTHER steps.

Tom Karmo
http://www.metascientia.com (the site with 'Utopia 2184', the peak-oil literary work)

Itch · Heavy Crude Joined: Jun 30, 2004 Posts: 338

I sat on my ass and enjoyed the fruits of mass produced food. Not very productive, but ice cream sure does taste better after realizing that it'll be pretty hard to find soon.

Terran · Posted: Fri Jul 23, 2004 1:27 am Post subject:

I sat down today and had some cheeseburgers from McDonalds, I highly doubt McDonalds would still exist in post oil peak world. I better enjoy it before its too late. I know fast food isn't really good for you, but what the hell I don't feel like eatting anything else.

TripleGemini · Posted: Fri Jul 23, 2004 8:04 am Post subject: Seeds

Thanks for the info on the seeds! I figured I'd have to rotate to a new stock in a year or two. Seeds are inexpensive so rotating my stock should not be a problem. Yesterday I purchased a book on container / rooftop gardening.

CeeCee · Posted: Sat Jul 24, 2004 11:09 pm Post subject:

Dug a bit more of the vege garden to extend it.
Chopped down a tree which has been shading the house - so that inside will be warmed by the sun instead of by a heater.
Told about 10 people about the impending oil crisis.
Bought a second hand book on organic gardening and have started reading it.

Pops · Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2004 8:16 am Post subject:

I’ve been pretty busy lately. We’ve finally abandoned Ca to the Hummers and Low Riders, made it to the new place situated on the last spit of Kansas prairie leading to the Ozarks - and it is so great I can’t stand it!

40 acres, 10 – 15 has great row crop soil, good hay on 20, 40 x 40 insulated metal shop - plumbed for infloor heat, pole barn and several other outbuildings, about 1 acre green garden, 100 yr old, oak framed, 2 story house - built before central heat and air, although we have that too. We’re about 6 miles from a town of 4,000, about 40 from a town of 100,000.

The folks are very friendly, we’ve worked out a deal with the neighbors to work the ground up in return for some of the hay this fall until I can get some equipment together. We’ll plant rye now and broadcast red clover into it in February. I hope to build a roller / cutter by spring to experiment with in the market garden – knock down and cut the rye and plant directly into it as a mulch.

The Amish folks have been great, very friendly.

Aside from doing the usual fix-up stuff, yesterday I started adding insulation to a small room off the summer kitchen to make it into a cold room for now, icehouse for some possible future. It will be about R36 insulation after I add 2x4 walls inside the existing walls and insulate. I hope to retrofit an old refrigeration unit so the cooling coils are in the cold room and the condenser coils are in - and heat, the adjacent battery room. There is a slab next to the building that I'll build into the generator shed for the existing gasoline / propane unit and hopefully, the diesel unit to come.

The best thing I’ve done to prepare for peak oil this week is get rid of about $250k in debt! The only bill I have now is about $600 yr in property tax – Ye Haw!

eusa_dance

_________________
Make a plan and work it:

backstop · Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2004 8:58 am Post subject:

Pops - good to hear that the move went through and that the natives are friendly.

Re. your aspiration to a diesel genny in future, I thought you might be interested by info on the 'woodgas power' option. I expect you know that woodgas-transport was pretty standard in oil-poor countries in WW2 (Sweden took it furthest) but steady development since then has been allowed minimal press.

The basics are a wood-gasifyer and gas cleaner (potentially locally made) feeding a CI engine & Genny or, with high grade gas cleaning, a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell unit (such as the Ceres Power product developed in the UK).

For all fuel cells are still costly (the best estimate I've seen is about $300/kw on a large experimental unit) to my mind they have the huge advantage of being silent and not degrading the peace of the country.

www.gasnet.uk.net/sections.php?name=Qm9va3M=

www.gengas.nu/byggbes/executive_summary.shtml

www.gasnet.uk.net/files/268.pdf

regards,

Backstop

JR · Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2004 9:12 am Post subject:

Pops, can I come live with you? Rolling Eyes

MarkL · Moderator Joined: Sep 13, 2004 Posts: 268 Location: US

Pops, you are an inspiration to us all Smile

I've one more major project to finish before I'll have my house ready for sale. If it ever quits rainin' around here...

Trying to do something every day to keep my peak oil plan moving is my goal but it's tough to break out of the daily routine. It's also tough to break out of this paralyzing peak oil panic phase Crying or Very sad

I have this constant feeling that I have langoliers on my tail...

JackBob

Laurasia · Intermediate Crude Joined: Jul 10, 2004 Posts: 527

Hubby and I installed two more rainbarrels. There was a gully-washer almost immediately afterwards, and both are now full! just added 110-gallons more to my water stash. I'm working (slowly) towards "water independence."

Regards,

L.

Specop_007 · Expert Joined: Aug 12, 2004 Posts: 5956

Does anyone know how much shipping in on the 7 gallon jugs from majorsurplus? I had ordered 2 5 gallon jugs from a website for 12.50 total. Shipping and handling came to 20, so it was over 30 bucks for 2 5 gallon containers. I about crapped. Mad

gogota · Tar Sands Joined: Aug 18, 2004 Posts: 39

I am not in the preparation stage but in the "action" stage. I will abandon my job and house in the city and move into the jungle next month !!