Forum: Maine Preppers III

Continued from here

bird-dog – at 11:23

Lisa, Al, and Others nearby, this would be a great opportunity to see where Maine stands! I have several medical appointments that day but I’ll try to change them. The keynote DHHS representative has not been identified yet. I hope that at least one of us can go!

Maine State Government Pandemic Influenza/Avian Influenza Preparedness Summit

Wednesday September 20, 2006 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Augusta Civic Center, Augusta ME

Registration: Registration deadlines are September 11, 2006 if no special accommodations are required

>>> http://www.neias.org/maineflu.html

Lisa in Southern Maine – at 19:38

Hi Birddog - just a short note from me today. I can’t go on the 20th. Full client schedule and have no place to reschedule them too, as I’m tightly booked for next 7 weeks. If you go I want to hear all about it please, and thank you!

Hi all! Hope everyone is well. Hope we stay that way. Bf simmering more actively now, and my preps not completed. Well, they probably never will be but a couple of very important items still not attained. I’m beginning to feel a little pressured, as though I have an unknown but impending deadline that I may not meet. Feeling somewhat spooked tonight. Check in folks. Tell me where you’re at. Take care.

Hello Lisa, all is well here in Massachusetts. Celebrated our wedding anniversary tonight with a dinner out, still in the vacation mode, even if DW had to go back to the salt mine. Spooked a bit myself last couple of days, the news out of Indonesia seems to be worsening. Can’t seem to make myself do the last of the prepping and make some order of it all. Think I am burnt out right now. Hope that someday we will all meet at Gritty McDuffs for a brew and tell tales of the Pandemic and how we managed to live through it while non-preppers wished that they had listened to us! Of course we would have to check and see if they allowed parrots for bird-dog. Fiona rules!

Hope you had a lovely anniversary NauticalMan. Those salt mines…we really need to do something about them…Keeping preps, or getting preps, in order is a bit time consuming isn’t it? We have worked hard at this. I hope our efforts end up being good enough. And yes…a brew (Guiness on tap, long double pour for me) at McDuffs is something we’ll have earned! Birddog could put Fiona in her new little parrot carrier. That bird lives better than I do! Thanks for checking in NauticalMan. The voices on this thread are ones I love to hear.

Lisa, would you believe I have some Guiness in my preps! Don’t know about the shelf life, can’t keep it in stock, although I am only a one beer per session person, I really love the dark stouts, try Murphy’s Stout also.. Everyday brew is Ipswich Dark Ale, very nice. They even go with lobstah! And steamahs!!

birddog - haven’t heard from you in a week, and haven’t seen you pop up on other threads. I hope that you are well and just taking fluwiki break. Things have been pretty quiet overall, so if you have taken break you really won’t have much catching up to do. Please check in.

birddog - I don’t know why my above post says anon. Clearly says my real name in ‘author’ section…I’ll try again, so that you have no question as to who is inquiring after you.

that’s better!

Hi Lisa! Sorry I’ve been so quiet, my niece from Mayo and my sister from CT were here (separately) plus I had that appt in Mass. last Tues. which threw me off a bit (now the doc is thinking acute porphyria- will do a test for it on Wed. & he doubled my neurontin— he first asked me if I’d seen the movie ‘The Madness of King George’! sheesh…he’s lucky that he’s so nice!).

My niece left yesterday and it was such a joy to have her here; my sister too. Exhausting though. My sister really acted like she thought that I’d lost my mind regarding the preps so I challenged her to accompany me to one of my doctor’s appointments so that she could ask him directly if preparing for panflu was a healthy endeavor. She declined the invitation though. Ha. Too bad, really… She did help me sort through clothes and that was such a gift. More room for you-know-what! And she plans to return to India in the Fall although she did ask me to keep her informed of the bf conditions there. Humoring me, probably!

I sent her off with a solar radio, a silk sack for her sleeping bag, a screen and seeds for sprouts, much information, etc. and my niece left with a crank flashlight, a copy of Barry’s book, a Kelly Kettle (from Mayo..lol) and more.

I’ve received another large order from Honeyville, and since yesterday have managed to spend way too much money on preps---more propane, a small but powerful LED lantern, a crank flashlight(replacement), another catalytic heater from Coleman, a digital thermometer to track the conditions in the crawl space, more large Sterlite containers, camo. clothing for sneaking around outside if prep mauraders are about, more toothbrushes, water, rice ‘n beans, more powdered milk, batteries, meds, cat and bird supplies, Will’s and Dr. Woodson’s books, bleach, the Monty Python movies marked way down, *A PIPE*! <G> to smoke my Top and American Spirit tobacco as I can’t seem to roll cigs. (of course it’s ONLY for WTSHTF!--sort of..LOL) On and on…

My sisters and niece joked constantly about all coming to my house if/when the shtf. Big joke! If they only understood…I really tried to explain without losing my composeur, ie w/o getting my ‘buttons’ pushed. So frustrating though and so *not* funny.

Lisa I loved reading your thoughts on the ‘dream’ thread —so comforting!… and interesting.

The cats are doing very well but continue to need to be monitored around Fiona; the three of them are a riot together. It’s nice to have our quiet little space back.

Did you choose a wood-stove? I hope that you and your family have eased into the school year smoothly and are doing well.

And NauticalMan, a belated >> HAPPY ANNIVERSARY << to you and your ‘dear-wife’! BTW, I also like Murphy’s and Guinness but Smithwicks would be my ‘Everyday Brew’ if I didn’t have a glass of BB’s RWFK with my supper most nights. Guiness is the only brew in my preps though and only one six-pack at that. More may be in my last minute prep run. Have almost enough Jameisons and cheap wine though! BB would be proud of me…

I still need to catch up on the other threads… but probably not tonight. Oh and where’s Al? Good night y’all!

Hi birddog! So very glad to hear from you! I thought this might have been the visit time, and went thru our thread to confirm but couldn’t find it. I’m just glad you’re well. acute porphyria huh? In the old days, this was diagnosed with a unrine test, the watson-schwartz I think. I know there are different kinds of porphyria, but the few I’ve seen did get better with treatment. And the treatment I most remember was food glorious food, tons of it, carbs. In the hospital, these patients were the bane of the kitchen staff! If this is your diagnosis, and lord knows it would explain so many symptoms, you may have to change your prepping habits towards carbs and more carbs. But I’ve been in psychiatry for years and treatment has likely changed. I have seen people recover from this well. A rare phenomonon. Your doc did well to consider this.

This week in prepville, more kleenex, water, canned butter, replacement filters for air cleaners, inhalers, Joan Armatrading :), food-storage bags. Hopefully I’ll go to Kittery trading post for gun this weekend. It depends on what shape the pocketbook is in. Don’t worry, I’m a perfect shot - it’s one of my few skills, and it will never be in boy’s vision, although I do want older boy to take 3 day intensive firearm safety course designed by an ex-detective aquaintance (spelling?). If tshtf, I’ll not have anyone raiding what I’ve worked my ass off to store. Not a single calorie will be forcefully taken from my boys. I will share with my neighbors though, carefully.

What will you do in your camo if raiders threatening? What is your protection/defense plan? Mine is only a gun and 2 dogs. The older dog will be especially helpful and the younger will follow her lead. She corrals human threats - herds them away from the house with deep growl and muscles tense, looking ready to spring. She is a good deterrent, but can’t do this on her own. I want her to back me up. I don’t want to put her in the position of primary defender with me backing her up.

How about a cig rolling machine? They’re cheap and roll perfectly every time.

I’m sorry about your sister’s attitude. My eldest brother refuses to recognize that any bf prep reference has been made by me. He plays deaf. It’s worrisome, but there is simply nothing that can be done to make someone ready to take this seriously before they’re ready. You gave them good gifts. They’re lucky. Perhaps your sister will review the literature you gave her on her long flight back to India. She may change her opinion about the liklihood of bf pandemic. Do you think she would come to your house if shtf? My bother (not eldest) said same thng and I said - “I need to know now. I’ve put away for 3 people. If you’re coming, I need to know now so that I can start stroting food for you and your family. Or I’ll give you a necessities list and you can start working on it yourself.” His response was that he was sure my sister-in-law (family practice doc) was on it. She’s not. I asked. She doesn’t ‘really’ think it’ll happen.

I love the dream thread! Northstar dreams well. I check in for updates of her dreaming mind regularly.

I have not chosen wood stove yet. I’m wondering today if I can do that in 2006. Things are tight. I wanted wood in now, but not happening this month. I keep thinking I’ll find a way. And I usually do, when I think this way. A little more patience I guess, although it is very hard to find that patience about this important heating issue.

I’ll bet it is nice to have your house back to yourself. Visitors are exhausting! Glad kitties and the empress are doing well. I’d love to see them play. I watch my dogs wrestle and laugh! Lilly grabs Seymour by his collar and tries to flip him, he opens his huge moth and encircles her snout and as much of her head as can fit. He jumps over her body like a deer, and she tries to time his midair leap to headbut his expose belly. They are so very funny and much loved.

Alright. By and take care and I’m so glad all is mostly well with you.

Hi Lisa. I did buy a small cig. rolling machine and have used one in the past but now have problems with muscle spasms even just holding the cig. to lick the paper. I think the pipe may be easier…nice look though <G>. Now if I just had a few seeds… if you know what I mean. Haven’t been there and done that since the early 70′s and, of course,i didn’t inhale. LOL! Loved the smell, not so much the feeling. I’ve heard that it *is* very therapeutic though. Hummmmm Anyway, medical M. should be legal for those who need it, to say the least!

Thanks for the information about your experiences with porphyia. I do have many of the neurological symptoms but fortunately none of the major psychological ones (yet?) though I have always been a bit wacky. Does that count? <G>. It seems unlikely to me that the MND would be due to this dx as it is definitely not intermittent(sp?)/acute but has been progressive and chronic for the past three/four years. I’ve thought ‘neuro-sarcoidosis’ as I’ve had the arthritis and the elevated serum ace levels for several years too. The doc still thinks that it could be something like ALS but can’t figure out the neuropathy angle. I’ll do the 24 hr. U. test tomorrow, have NordX handle it, and may have the results within a week.

Massive carbs would be fun; I could use a little more weight, but I’d have to give up my RWFK and nicotine gum according to some porphyria sites! Guess I could do it but would have to find another vice --- maybe knitting with gigantic needles? I used to love to knit. That could be fun and relaxing. It just doesn’t seem bad enough to satisfy this ‘child of the sixties’ mind-set. I’ll just crank up Jimmi Hendrix, the Cream, my Motown, CSNY, early Stones, Cat Stevens, J. Cash, etc. and get by that way. I did buy the new Dylan---great cd.

About the defense issue. I’m thinking of finding a dog at the shelter, possibly taking a firearm class and spending time at a range, and possibly buying a gun; that is, if my hands can hold and fire one. I do have three cans of wasp spray (I wonder where I got that idea!). After my home was invaded, the guy arrested, and who then proceeded to stalk me when released, several of my local sheriff guys suggested that I buy a gun. I bought a cell phone and pepper spray instead and was very very careful. This new situation really has me scared so I have been figuring out different senarios and ways to protect myself; some that I won’t mention on here right now.

I have said to my friends and family that if they have plans to move in with me they need to bring food, etc.. I’ll give them a list OR they need to give me the money to buy it for them and then *they’d* have to pack it away here. I can barely do my own ‘for crying out loud’. Other than that, I can’t help them. I would love to have another’s company esp. for security and games but would be fine solo! LOL. I’m working on having a neighborhood meeting to hopefully get some people aware and prepping. That would be the greatest security solution. I think that they’ll just shrug it off though… I have mentioned it to some in the past without finding any interest. I do have, as many of us do here, a 30 gal. trash container filled with bags of rice and beans for neighbors who are in dire straits. They’ll have to find their own water! Have you seen the Steri-pen? I think that’s what it’s called. It’s a UV water sterilizer- Beans carries it. Very cool!

It’s late again…shoot/and I still need to read the news thread.

BTW, The Common Ground Fair is this weekend. You should take your boys! Many prepping ideas there but it *would* be a long drive from Southern Maine. No dogs allowed though, even in cars in the parking fields.

thanks Lisa, yup, I’m doing really well most of the time! Great rain-storm tonight too! Cozy.

Hi everyone, just checking in. I’ve been non-stop busy with work and child and roof repair, etc. I plan to catch up on old posts tonight. Bird-dog, hope you’re feeling OK, regards to Lisa and Nautical Man and all your animal children!

Off to work-

Hi Al, I’m doing very well. Thanks! …and the critters are thriving. And do you believe this day—so brilliant! Have a good one!

(Be sure to read the ‘Pigs in China …’ thread tonight - very disturbing but incredibly important.)

Nice to see that all my Maine “cousins” are doing ok. Birddog, isn’t it great getting old. They call them the Golden Years for the same reason they call CA the Golden State, we both turn brown, shrivel up and blow away! Happy at least that your resident critters are doing well. Will you be joining us at Gritty McGruffs after the Pandemic with Fiona in her parrot carrier?! That would be something to see! Take care of your good selves BD, Lisa, Al.. Be Well All….

birddog - how about really large knitting needles and some soothing funky herb? Ya know, I figure sip might give us all a really good excuse to revert to some of the more carefree behaviors of our youth! Mellooowwww sip. Sounds good. And what is RWFK but pure carbohydrate. Can somehow be justified if we work on it.

I have a pen sterilizer - miox - $129.95 in May at Plan for Flu.com. It was about the same price everywhere online and Bean overprices sometimes so now you have baseline for this model anyway.

A dog is, imho, a necessiety for pandem. security. I’m really glad you’re thinking about going to the shelter. The perfect pup will choose you! If you want to take the firearms course run by that aquaintance I mentioned, he sets his up as a 3 (?) day intensive all about respose under threat and how to manage if at home danger. He covers an awful lot more than breaking down and reassembling, loading, safe carriage and target practice. I’m sure he charges a helluva lot more too. His program was center of guns and ammo magazine this summer, June or July. If you can get back issue you can read about it. It’s supposed to be excellent.

Neighborhood meeting…I’d love to updated as to that progress.

Al - nice to hear from you. Sounds as though you’ve been accomplishing a lot! How’s the puppy?

NauticalMan - I checked in on MA thread. Thought I’d come visit you instead of you always having to visit us here! Hope all is well on this beautiful day!

Hi guys!

NauticalMan - Yes I’ll definitely be there with you all at Gritty’s, Fiona too! My nephew has worked there for several years part-time while going to college. And hey mister, speak for yourself re.’the Golden Years’ LOL. Maybe it’s because I’ve never married or had kids/have been a free spirit, BUT *I* still feel young… Todays G.Y.’s are the 70′s IMO. ;)

Lisa, I also bought that small red Miox filter in the spring (as the package claimed to also target viruses) but this sounds to be even easier than the Miox! I picked up the Miox at the camping store next to Wild Oats in Portland - same price there. I’ve also bought a box of rock salt and some extra lithium batteries but still need to order the strips.

This is so tempting and hummm, I could give the Miox to my niece… Somebody, please stop me. Help! <just kidding>

SteriPEN Water Purifier >>> http://tinyurl.com/hop6f

birddog - really nothing wrong with having both, is there? Sounds like a good backup to me. And you’re young because you never married or had kids…!

No Lisa, just kidding. One of my older sisters had five kids and she is a million times more active and youthful/carefree(?) than I am!

where in ME are all of you from, I am likely moving in the next couple months to the Bangor burbs. Nice to know Maine is preppin’

Hi Mav in Colorado!

We welcome you with open(ed?) arms! This is very exciting to have a fellow ‘wikian’ move to our glorious state. Especially *you* who has prepped, has shared on the ‘board’, and has had such useful work experiences. Poor you Mav, to have to move your preps across the country like BB. You may/will be safer here though.

As far as our locations are concerned: obviously Lisa lives in Southern Maine, Al is Down East possibly in the stretch between Rockport and Acadia, and I’m on the coast between Rockport and Harpswell. Sorry to be so vague but once you settle in, hopefully we’ll all get together and exchange our addresses, or not.

My sweet brother and his family live in Winterport and he works at the University of Maine in Bangor - all ‘non-preppers’ as are the rest of my siblings. My sister from CT. is even planning to move back to India this Fall for an indeterminate length of time! Oh well, I tried. <sigh>

‘gotta go but if we can help, we will! Just ask…

Thanx Bird dog! Nice feeling to know preppers before I even get there. I have heard and read so many great things about Maine. That is the ONLY reason I am even considering a move. I plan on flying out in the next couple weeks to potentially “shake hands” on the deal I’m working on and have a good look around. Not so worried about the move except for the timing of it. I don’t want to be doing it in the middle of a bad winter dump. I would be relocating somewhere 10–20 miles outside of Bangor. Will be looking for a nice wooded 5–20+ acre place. Any area suggestions would be great. I have a bit of a heavy heart about possibly leaving here, I know I will miss the Rockies. Our hockey league starts here tonight and I would likely have to bail out on my teams mid season. I hear you guys play some hockey out there ; )

←-GSP lover here, “The Ultimate Bird Dog” !!

MAV in Colorado

Speaking as a non-native Mainer (but given honorary status by Lisa, bird-dog and the rest) have been going “down” to Maine for about 40 years and still am amazed how little of it I have seen. Thousands of miles of coastline, mountains. Been all over the world, and there is much beauty out there, but Maine is still my favorite place. In fact, New England has a lot to offer, weather possibly a downside, but we have the most glorious Fall! Good Luck in your relocation. Possibly you will join us for the post Pandemic celebration?

Well MAV - from one beautiful place to another! Welcome! You will have tough winters but may be used to that depending on where you are in Colorado. Ever been in a nor’easter? Now, those ocean blows are fun. Sometimes we have ice storms so beautiful they’ll make your heart ache, everything, absolutely everything wrapped in a perfect glistening layer of ice and when the sun comes out it glistens and sparkles like billions of diamonds. So beautiful. Welcome MAV. Some really good people here too, people on the same farm for generations and people newly settled from all over the country. Still so much forest, lot of Appalachian trail and other great hikes.

And, yesterday (might have been Wednesday actually) a pandemic conference was held at state capital and 1000 people attended! So, Maine is getting ready!

Hi birddog - today I had to go clothes shopping for work. I absolutely hate the process of clothes shopping, and the money clothes cost. A very depressing day, but it’s been a few years and when I didn’t even have a pair of black pumps to wear to the office this week I realized no more putting it off. That’s prep money for next couple of weeks dammit! And the whole time I’m doing the Kittery crawl, pawing my way thru clearance racks, I’m thinking “this just DOESN”T MATTER!!!Who cares!!!More important things are looming and clothes are the last thing anyone should be worried about right now!” I always get pretty bitchy when I clothes shop, another reason I don’t do it often. But really, spent money to look professional to keep practice going to prep to isolate where no one will give a s*** what I’m wearing anyway. ARGHHHH. Rant over. Apologies conveyed.

I hear you, Lisa. I’m another who hates, hates, hates clothes shopping (aaaahhh!) on most days and in times like these, it *does* seem particularly rediculous and wasteful. For years I’ve made an effort to dress up for the classical concerts in the summer out of respect for the barely teenage Julliard students and their peers. They work so hard! This summer I didn’t spend a cent on clothes, just cobbled up bits of this and that and felt very satisfied (and duely respectful). When my sister was here and helping me sort through my closet and bags of clothes- some over thirty years old!, I kept thinking to myself “If/when tshtf, it may be years before I can find another new or frayed and perfectly faded red Woolrich flannel shirt or an enormous well-loved misshappened sweater. It did help to know that the too large or too small or too short jeans would be going to Nicaragua as well as summer sweaters, shirts, and dresses. Someone will love to have them and I really do have enough *stuff*. Plus the bloody hassle of bagging and unbagging clothes in the fall and spring and then NEVER wearing them, year after year after year!!

Anyway, so sorry you had to spend your prep money on undesireables.

Today I had my old woodstove and chimney cleaned. I also had a tree-man come to give me an estimate on an eighty-ninety ft. pine that has three stalks(?-can’t think of the word!) growing from its trunk, one of which is very dead- the middle one. The tree is right next to my house and so beautiful. A million little souls use it for food, nesting, a pathway, etc. The guy said that the entire tree must go. I’m *so* sad about it. I love this tree but mushrooms are even growing on the dead part and if it falls I’ll definitely be a goner. Plus of course, who SIP’ing needs a smashed house in the middle of an ice-storm, snow-storm, or hurricane. The stove guy said that my stove needs work inside of it too and that a new one would save me on wood/burn longer and be better for the atmosphere. He doesn’t sell stoves and I do trust his judgement. He said that I could probably get 3–4 hundred for the old one. Since I’ll need to take out a loan for the tree, hey…why not a stove too? I don’t know. I do want to feel safe though.

After reading Gaudia-Ray’s and others’ posts yesterday <gulp> and today, I’m almost at a topping over point. Bought more propane, containers, all the usuals and then worked in my crawl-space. The cats were down there too having a grand time stalking the mysterious dark one/ my shy beast with the glowing eyes and the scraping gait. An Odradek? Anyway, doubt I’ll make it to the C.G.Fair this year. Or maybe I’ll wake up tomorrow and go. I do love those animals and have been fantasizing over buying some fresh new wool. I also want a grain mill!

NauticalMan, I realized after my post to Mav that I left you out. I’m sorry. You are definitely one-of-us! please forgive me! <smile>

stay safe and warm--- b-d.

birddog - thank goodness for wikipedia. I now know what an Odradek is, and surely if anyone has one, you do. Sorry about your tree. I have 2 that have to be taken down and it is most saddening. By the way, did I tell you that the squirrels are going absolutely nuts with my chestnut trees this year? They’re coming from all over (as most of the county’s chestnuts died in a virus/fungal/some kind of outbreak in the 90s). Very busy year, which indicates much snow. Last year they left a ton on the ground. This year the ground is clean and they’re shaking them off the branches! The trees are dripping with nuts, a really good crop.

What thread for Gaudia-Ray’s post?

Home Depot has some wood stoves at really good price.

Have a good day. I’m going to look for the thread that put you on edge now. Lisa

What thread for Gaudia-Ray’s post?

Hi Lisa- I can’t remember which thread it was on but here is a link to FluTrackers where LaidbackAl posted G-R’s comments. If can you find the thread/post on FW, please tell me where it is! My poor brain…<grin> thanks :-)

>>> http://tinyurl.com/ln2ub

bird-dog, no apologies needed!

Sorry about your old pine, always sad to see an ancient tree taken down, especially one that has been there as part of your life for so long, but it will make some good kindling for your new woodstove. From what I have read the new ones are very much more efficient and clean burning. I have an old Mid-Moe, bought back in the late 70′s or so, no catalytic converter or anything, actually heated my house with it from the basement for a few years until I realized how much work it was, and wood is very expensive here in the Boston area. It is still there, crank it up for a couple of days every winter to keep the squirrels honest and the chimney clean and dry, still works fine and will be a backup source of heat for two or three weeks as wood storage is limited. Have to pray that we have power most of the time if IT happens. The news does not look good, China/Indonesia look like ticking time bombs with the countdown getting short. And as Monotreme and others say, there does not seem to be an excess of folks out there tripping over each other to tell the truth. Lisa in SM, are you saying you have American Chestnut trees in your area? Or are they horse chestnusts? Thought they (American) had all died from the blight years ago. Remember seeing some saplings years back in Walden Pond area, but understand these are old roots which keep sending up growth, only to die back after a few years, sad, like the American Elm of which there are only a few left here and there, only one in my town that I know of now. Guardia Ray’s comments have been very much of a downer, sorry don’t remember which thread. If I find it again will let you know. A gloomy, rainy day here and I am sure, there, maybe a dose of SMFK would be in order this evening! Have to build up resistance to the enemy! Nice welcome to MAV in Colorado. MAV, do you like lobsters? If so and you move to Maine you will have died and gone to Heaven, because Maine lobsters are the Finest Kind as they say down there, and to quote a friend in Maine, they are Some Good!, which is a very high compliment indeed from a man of few, but cogent, words! Be Well All

ayah, it’s comin down ha’d. beautiful!

Hello again all, Nautical, Lisa, bird dog and now MAV. Hope all is good with all of you. I’ve been in Court (or prep for it) non-stop for a couple of weeks, so I’ve been offline and am still behind on reading all the comments. We had a good prep morning, however, when we scored over a hundred kids books, mostly Newberry Award winners and classics so my girl is thrilled-she loves books! She started a lending library in her bedroom recently.

I did spend nearly all day today at the Commonground fair drooling over the woodstoves and hydrogen fuel cell vendors. The Green Store (in Belfast) had such a packed display I couldn’t get myself in there. Note to self-to spend spend quiet, childless time at the Green Store in Belfast-what a fun place. At the fair I finally had a chance to check out, and actually touch and feel the AirX wind turbines that I’ve been eyeing online and I plan to purchase one soon since I have a ship’s mast lashed to the back of my home, put there by the crazy sea captain who used to live in my house before I bought it. The ship’s mast might be the perfect location for the AirX and lessen the need for solar panels because I have lots and lots of wind here.

I only wish the fair had more vendors in the energy/shelter department. I’m actually debating whether to return tomorrow but if it rains in the morning, I’ll probably forget about it. One of my favorite animals of all time (other than my own animal children) is the goat. We were sad that we never made it over to see the bunnies and the goats. I got so bogged down at the fair between running into people that we know and stuffing our faces at every possible opportunity and checking out all the alternative energy vendors, that I failed to get us over to the animal and livestock area. My little girl was disapointed and I was sad to miss the goats. Well, we finally stopped for our last snack of the day at the fallafel and gyro stand. I ordered a gyro, while my daughter looked suspiciously on. We sat down and I tried it-OK but not the same as the gyros of my youth. My daughter finally worked up the nerve to approach the cook to demand what it was made of. “Goat”, he replied. We discretely got up and I pitched it, uneaten, into a trash can some distance away. Isn’t it wonderful to be completely irrational?

Also I forgot to add that MDI had a 3 point something earthquake several days ago. Does anyone know how the panflu conference went on Wednesday?

Oh Al, I’m so envious that you made it to the fair! and so happy for you! The goats are a favorite of mine too and the percherons and the cows and the highland cattle and the enormous pigs and on and on and on. It’s such a lively and humane event. Did you buy any wool? I may rally tomorrow if the weather isn’t too nasty.

Here’s an article with comments regarding the meeting on Wednesday from the Kennebec Journal >>> http://tinyurl.com/qv3m5. I was sorry to not be able to make it.

and the link for the Avian Flu ( Bird Flu ) | Maine Health Forum: ›>> http://tinyurl.com/ophky

I’ll find the link later…. b-d

I have the book and plan to start it soon (when I can extricate myself from the F-W’s clutches one of these nights…if you know what I mean!!! My a** is starting to morph— d. ulcers anyone? )

NPR >>> http://tinyurl.com/qthfw

TOM MULLEN

Audio for this story will be available at approx. 1:00 p.m. ET

Weekend Edition Sunday, September 24, 2006 · Host Liane Hansen interviews Tom Mullen, author of “The Last Town on Earth” (Random House, ISBN: 1400065208) , a historical novel set in the town of Commonwealth in Washington state. The story takes place in 1918 at the height of the flu epidemic and a community gripped by fear tries to prevent an outbreak of the disease by keeping anyone from entering or leaving the town. (7:44)

thanks to all for the open arms. I’m crackin’ up, ROTF (bird-dog – at 12:39 ayah, it’s comin down ha’d.)

Soo much to look into from a preppers point of view. Not just BF you know! Do the prevailing winds run up the coast or southernly? Nearest nuclear plants, other terrorist targets etc, etc. Its taken me quite a while to scope out the risk factors associated issues here in the rural Rockies. My emergency solar set up will be less efficient up there I guess. Wind turbines sound good. Not sure how consistent the winds are around Bangor. Much to do, much to do!

MAV, lots of wind in Maine, even in Bangor, not to worry. In less windy locations, just erect the turbine high up on the lightweight mounting kits they sell. Since I live on the coast, I’m just going to use the mast because it’s there, stuck on the end of my house and well grounded. I’ve seen those lightweight AirX turbines mounted on suburban homes up here to supplement solar panels. There are also plenty of homes up here off grid or utilizing solar energy. Here on the coast, it’s a big selling point for resale.

Nuclear plants? None in the state anymore, I believe. The plant in Wiscasset closed years ago. The nearest one is in New Hampshire, Seabrook, I think. Small solar arrays, enough to power several compact flourescent lights, a laptop and a small LCD color tv, would work well here in Maine, I’m told. There are probably some terrorist and defense targets but the population is so small here, so is the risk, comparitively. Portland, Searsport and Eastport have ports but must be far down on the list of targets due to their relative minor importance and lack of proximity to population centers. Maine seems to have a tradition of self sustaining and community focused resilience and is likely to fare better than anywhere else I can think of in the United States. This place is very safe. Bangor has an international airport but it’s small and if one was SIP, then any contact with anyone would be unsafe, anywhere. Anybody else have thoughts on this?

Would guess that the prevailing winds would be southeasterly in warm weather, or NW in cold, if they turn NE in a storm, that is what we NE folks call a nor’easter! and the weather can get very dicey!

No nukes in Maine, only one was in Wiscassit on the coast, but was shut down. I think it has been taken apart, but not certain. For sure though, the spent fuel is still on site like all the rest, awaiting some kind of decision where and when they will store all of it. Other risk factors include mostly power plant pollution from midwest, making Acadia National Park one of the most polluted in the nation on occasion.

Would guess that the prevailing winds would be southeasterly in warm weather, or NW in cold, if they turn NE in a storm, that is what we NE folks call a nor’easter! and the weather can get very dicey!

No nukes in Maine, only one was in Wiscassit on the coast, but was shut down. I think it has been taken apart, but not certain. For sure though, the spent fuel is still on site like all the rest, awaiting some kind of decision where and when they will store all of it. Other risk factors include mostly power plant pollution from midwest, making Acadia National Park one of the most polluted in the nation on occasion.

thanks. I have been prepped for and consider all threats equally. I wouldn’t even be seriously considering Bangor if I didn’t think it was in the top 10% safest places to be in this messed up period of history we are all living in. What implications do the proximity to Canada have? Any? just wondering. Bird migration? Weren’t there some confirmed LPAI birds found a few months ago?

I do really like the self sufficient way of life Mainers are know for. That and the fact that some of ‘em play hockey!!

Well, shoreland birds are a risk here. But all migratory birds would pose a risk everywhere, I should think, eventually. The LPAI birds in Canada were found about 5 hours driving distance away. There are a few border crossings to Canada, hours up north but the birds don’t go through them! Seriously, however, potential terrorists might attract more attention up here so from that vantage point, it would be much safer than a state with a normal sized population.

Another positive for Bangor is the availability of really rural and really affordable real estate within easy commuting distance of downtown.

I suspect civil disorder would not pose the risk here that it might near major population centers due to the unusual character of the residents of this state-very innocent IMHO. Take a look at the crime statistics here—at least outside of southern Maine. More due to substance/alcohol abuse and domestic violence, less capital and property crime. Very telling. I make home visits for work and I’m struck by how most old time, rural and farms families up here (i.e. outside of southern Maine) are fully prepped, have “put food by” as a way of life, are used to living without power from time to time, have devised ways to access water without power, have generators, etc. Hunting, gathering farming and gardening is a way of life here. For years this state also had an “extraction” economy based on natural resources (fishing, quarrying, lumber). Lots and lots of fresh water up here. Stephen King is Bangor’s (and Maine’s) most famous resident but he also has a home in Florida. Any guesses as to where he’d isolate his family if TSHTF?

NauticalMan, I forgot to wish you happy anniversary so happy anniversary and many more!

Thanks for the info Al “Another positive for Bangor is the availability of really rural and really affordable real estate within easy commuting distance of downtown”

Thats is something I am looking forward to investigating. I will be working in Bangor but would like to find some “really rural” acerage within 30 minutes of town. I love the woods and trees.

Al, thank you for the anniversary good wishes.

Hi Everybody!

We’ve been quiet here for a few days and I hope you are all ‘gettin it together’ and enjoying the process when you can.

I’ve been agonizing over canned butter ‘n cheese, Black Berkeys vs White Berkeys, moving canned items from the barn to the house, marking the ex. dates and contents on the tops, sorting them by year, carring them down into my wet crawl space, placing them in plastic totes, marking the totes, checking my grains, flours, beans, etc. for bugs, still ‘thinking’ about using my oxygen absorbers, moving a cord of wood from my driveway so as to allow the d**m tree guys to get their equipment in on Tues to take down my tree, and on and on and on. Plus I’ve been fighting a chest cold. I did get a single prescription of Tamiflu and have another to be filled later. The drug store said that that was all they had at the moment! There was much hushed discussion between the pharmcists. Hmmmm

{I also have been spending MUCH time alerting my Senators to vote for the Specter Amendment. Hopefully the Supreme Court will address this insanity and protect our rights. It literally makes me sick. Sorry for the comments but… Grrrrr.}

MY HOUSE IS A MESS and I’m looking forward to getting everything put away. When that happens I’ll mosey over to the animal shelter and gaze into to some deep dark eyes for awhile. I feel confident that I’ll find a match! Plus this extra time is giving ‘the girls’ including Fiona a safe space for working things out between them.

The kitties are fabulous and I’ve been letting the outside (with bell-collars on) for a few hours during the day with supervision (ya right!) and they are loving it. One got out last week at dusk and I couldn’t find her for what seemed like hours so the bells are good for alerting the birds and for me finding them when I need to. A poor poor mouse was batted about for over an hour last night.

There was an article in my local paper the other day >>> “Brunswick hospitals gear up for ‘overdue’ pandemic”

 >>>> http://tinyurl.com/fnljy

It was great to see that they’re preparing but these quotes were not helpful IMO!

“There really isn’t much to treating flu, so it can be done at home if you’re careful about sterilizing,” she said.

“Treating flu symptoms is the same whether its seasonal flu or pandemic avian flu. The main focus is to reduce fever, prevent dehydration and encourage bed rest.”

I have to run but I’ll check in later. Hope you all are doing well!!! I’m on my way to Damariscotta to the Green Store and the stove shop/hardware store, and the health food store. Maybe Moody’s too! I’m picking up a friend who has several hours to kill while his car is being worked on. He helped me with my wood. Nice guy!

Hi birddog - hellish week here. Youngest child with concussion/ruptured eardrum/puncture wound one inch hand. Older boy hovering with worry. Cellar flooded - broken drainage pipe washing machine, but no preps ruined as all elevated thank goodness. Only prepping this week is mylaring/o2 absorbers to cereals and crackers. Actually quite a lot, which is good. More of this kind of munchie food than I thought.

Please be careful with this respiratory infection. I am seeing a lot of secondary pneumonias, even in my young 20ish clients. Be cautious, OK?

What are Berkeys?

My house is a mess too, so much so that it’s depressing me and I plan to reclaim some space today!

I hope you made it to shelter! Hope beautiful pup chose you!

Take care and enjoy this beautiful day!

Oh boy, Lisa. I’m so sorry to hear about your youngest! That must hurt so much. Please tell him that your friend ‘bird-dog’ says ‘Hi’ and she hopes that he feels MUCH better soon. Did this give you any new ideas on survival for you guys during SIP?

Thank goodness your preps were ‘OK’! Whew. BTW, where did you get your mylar bags and what size did you order?

The Berkey is something Edna Mode has been touting(?) on the water thread. Here’s the website >>> http://tinyurl.com/fvuhz, but a better picture and description is here >>> http://tinyurl.com/gvopf. Out of the blue, someone paid me back a loan so I ordered the Big Berkey (Black…thanks edna mode!) AND the SteriPen (made in Maine and I received it Thurs. and is soo easy and compact. Can only treat clear water hence the Berkey.) and I just ordered 12 cans each of butter and cheese. I think that LAWKI will be incredibly different; at least water is not a problem now. (I also paid off my credit card. I’m feeling much gratitude to tptb {same as Tom DVM’s}.).

I saw an amazing wood-stove >>> http://tinyurl.com/hgxjr <<< yesterday in Damariscotta that has a removable area on top to load wood or use as a grill or hold a pot for cooking; very efficient too but very pricey. I hope to go to a local Jotal shop today to see their stoves. Would definitely need to take out a loan… need to anyway for the poor tree.

I’ve been drinking alot of ginger tea, throat coat, gypy cold care, eating lots of vit C., honey, zinc lozenges, occiccilium(sp?), and more. Feel like I’m under water though.

I need to get caught up on the news here. AND my way out-of-control house awaits me. D**M bags/totes/containers/cans EVERYWHERE!!! I hate it. So much to do.

Take care and I hope your boys move quickly past this event. So sorry…

What a time to give up smoking. Boys dad home today, from Bali. It took him 2 days to get home and the minute he got out of the plane he was calling to see them. Indonesia is getting hot and he has no clue. Still no warnings from his company. And no report of warnings from his Indo friends. He was there for start of Ramadan and things seem to be carrying on as usual for the people of Bali. He brought me home the most beautiful handcarved triparite carving of Buddah in child, adult, old aspects. It latches like a round heavy wooden box and opens to the three hinged together but separate carvings. Incredibly beautiful, and he was so excited to give it to me because he knew I would find it exquisite…the whole thing made me so sad. The day when I can’t bring him his boys after such a trip until incubation completed is very, very near, and I see how much he craves them after a separation like this. I am very sad for him and the boys and me and the rest of the world. Things seem inevitable at this point, new infections a constant simmer in the background, white noise starting to humm. My throat is heavy and constricted with this sadness. When I was buying (more) nicotine gum today the 20ish girl who was the cashier expressed shock at the total. She asked “Have you tried to give it up without this stuff?” I smiled and said “oh yes. It’s not a pretty site”. She looked at me so sweetly and said “Well, I’m glad you’re doing it. My dad just died in April of lung cancer”. Oh dear. Poor sweet girl who has now robbed me of any selfpitying excuse to go buy cigs to dull the ache in my throat. Time to rent something on-demand, which I never do, but really need something mindless tonight. Maybe a chick-flick, and I can cry with the heroine. Nite all.

And birddog - all the remedies in the world are meaningless if you don’t let a tired body get the extra rest it asks for to heal. Are you giving yourself that? Extra rest?

birddog - “I must say though I was thinking that I might not ever see or talk to her again.” I see that you’re sad too. What a very heavy thought, that you might not see her again. I’m sorry. And you’re right about the Dalai Lama. I wonder what his thoughts are on this?

Here is mylar site: http://tinyurl.com/pwuz6. I got 10″ by 14″ and 8″ by 10″ bags. Larger ones hold 5lbs flour, 6lbs rice easily. Smaller ones I use for cereals/crackers/cake mixes etc… I use the 200 and 100cc o2 absorbers for large bags, 50cc for smaller bags.

I had looked at the Harman stoves a while back. Beautiful and heavy.

Now I want a Berkey, really badly. How can that be? Something I didn’t know existed yesterday I’m absolutely longing for today. It’ll go on the list, in 3rd position.

Hope your day is good!

Thanks Lisa. I wrote you a long post last night (late) and then lost it. So frustrating. I’m a one finger type’r- something to work on during SIP <;)> so the posts take awhile to create (really it’s my brain…<G>).

Isn’t the Berkey beautiful! I have to use Brittas on all my water(well) and even then it’s still full of minerals/iron so I’ll be saving $$ in the long run. That’s my other excuse anyway.

I saw the Jotul stoves yesterday and they cost less than the Harman and are also beautiful. I have a ‘Jotul 8′ now but as I said before, is very inefficient— the catalytic deal has rusted away, etc. I still have to talk to my credit union about a loan.

Regarding the Dalai Lama…we could all write to him; it couldn’t hurt. Did you ever see ‘The Last Emperor’? I’ve loved that movie for years. So sad though.

I’m starting to want a manual grain grinder. I had one 30 years ago when I was eating somewhat macrobiotically and I loved it. It disappeared when I moved from the Phila. area to Maine. I wish that I had it now. It seems silly for one person to have though but I truely love the process of grain to bread. Deeply satisfying…

And the day goes by… and I have a MILLION chores to do rather than read the fluwiki for hours and hours! I hope your day goes well too. bye.

Thanks for the mylar site…amazing. I will defintely order some bags from there.

{Then they can sit around with my bag of oxygen absorbers and wait for me to get my a$$ in gear. DOH.}

Hello to fellow Mainers, I haven’t been following things too closely over the summer but have felt the need to stay on top of things during the past month. Bird-Dog and Lisa, it sounds as if you both are very well prepared. I feel most times that it’s impossible to be as prepared as I will need to be. Between having three big kids that can eat the whole house (but wouldn’t touch rice or beans) and being limited financially it seems quite daunting. I am wondering if any one from Maine has natural gas and has contacted the natural gas company about their preparedness. It is nice to read other Maine citizens’ posts, since anyone I actually have mentioned this to looks at me a bit strangely.I did contact the person in charge of the pandemic / business planning conference about audio or video from portions of the conference but she wasn’t aware of any plans in that regard.Did anyone here attend?

bluetide - I feel that same sense of impossibility…still so much to do and wallet bottomed out a couple of months ago. But still, we are in a much better position to get by than we were 6 months ago.

I was unable to go to the conference and I don’t think bird dog or Al did either. If you can get cd/video please post, I’d be very interested. One paper said 1000 people attended, which is a lot compared to other similar events. I felt better when I heard that number. The ripple effect of a person who went updating their business or doctors office or school system could be considerable.

It seems like forever since you’ve checked in here on the Maine thread. I hope all is well with you and your family. Take care. Lisa

Thanks, Lisa. Have you thought about or tried to get Tamiflu from a doctor around here? My (unfortunately new to me) doctor, when I asked her what she thought of avian flu, replied that she doesn’t operate like that, she simply treats what’s in front of her. I didn’t pursue it. My children’s doctor doesn’t even want to give them a flu shot, so I know that’s hopeless….. I’m determined to get us all the flu and pneumonia vaccine this fall, though , especially with the posting a few days ago that said the flu shot may offer some slight protection since the ‘N’is the same in both.

bluetide

Here in MA the public health nurse gave both DW and I our pneumonia vaxs early this year no charge. You might want to check with your town/city public health department. My town also gives the flu shot free for Medicare patients usually in October, $5 for all others. And other years the pneumonia shot is also available at the same time.

hello to all my Maine friends, been busy, youngest married this past weekend, nice time. Gave them (both daughters) Doctor Woodson’s book and Tamiflu for all of them including the new spouse months ago, but do not know that either have done any prepping. Sigh! even hard to get immediate family persuaded. Hope all of you Down Maine are well, Lisa, bird-dog, Al. Now that the above is past, will try and figure what is left to prep that I can still afford to do. Noticed one of those “use only indoors” log racks in Bean’s catalog, maybe I can make room next to the existing one in the garage which would give me about two face cords of wood, think that would be close to a real cord, maybe enough to get me through a month in the coldest part of Winter if, sorry, WHEN, TSHTF. Hate to be morbid, but seeing all those vibrant happy young people enjoying themselves the other day made me think that they might possibly be the hardest hit in that age bracket. God help us all.

bluetide - I’ve been given the moral :”well if we let everyone stockpile there won’t be enough for emergency workers”…”how could I make the choice to do it for you and not for all of my patients?”…etc…to which I replied Roche hasn’t declared shortage, and, you could do it for me because I asked and you could do it for all of your patients if you chose”. Anyway, I ended up getting a nurse practitioner friend of mine to write the script, which is not a nice thing to ask her to do. I’m going back to boy’s doctor next week with Reuter’s Roche press release from Monday in which the company says there will be plenty of tamiflu avail this flu season, and I’m going to ask again (double dosing issue, need more). I am getting boys and hopefully self flu vac and pneumovac this year. Neither my boy’s doctor nor my NP friend have received their vaccines from supplier yet and even if boy’s doc has it in in time for their Nov. physicals, I was told the vaccines would not be given during this time, that I’d have to call for their flu clinic dates. Seems unnecessary to me, would enhance efficiency to administer with appts I would think. Frustrating, the resistance we run into. Frustrating and unnecessary.

Oh NauticalMan - there was a bittersweet essence to that wedding, wasn’t there? I’m glad it was a nice time. You know, there is a possibility that the s**t won’t hit. That possibility does exist. But I’m still trying to push with my preps too. Also pushing vit. D (non-synthetic) on everyone I know at this point! Take care and stay in touch, Lisa

Lisa in Southern Maine: It’s funny you should mention getting a script from a friend, that is how I am getting the flu and pneumonia vaccines;in fact, she told me she had so much vaccine left over last year she had to throw alot out! my kids are not compromised health wise, but they do volunteer work with people who are and I believe that reason ‘qualifies’ them to get the shots, too, from their doctor. I’m not optimistic about the Tamiflu script, but I am printing the article you mentioned as well as another showing the drastically lowered death rate from flu when Tamiflu is used. If those don’t work, I am forced to order online, which is sketchy and expensive.Did you fill your scripts all at once or are you holding on to them? My next concern is figuring out emergency heat;I’ve heard it’s supposed to be a cold snowy winter.I guess they can’t all be like last winter.

bluetide - I filled the scripts immediately, and will again if I can get more. Can your friend write you a script? Can you get her to get one written to her for you? Underhanded I know, but if you trust her and she knows someone…I’m working on the heat issue too. Trying for wood stove - saw small one with top burner for 700.00 at local store. Would suit us fine, but installation would run cost up and trying to work out how to afford this with both kids birthdays and holidays approachng and recently slammed with back to school shopping cuz damn kids won’t stop growing! There are some reputable on-line pharmacies, but they require a script too. And yes, according to the nut-collecting squirrels of my neighborhood, it’s going to be a viscious winter. Tell me what you decide on the heat. If I can’t pull off wood stove which is strong number one choice, then propane heater must suffice.

Lisa: I ordered the Mr. Buddy propane heater the other day. That and a few barbecue size tanks will get us by for a brief period of time.I felt the need to get something in place soon for some reason. I am looking in craigslist daily for a fireplace insert for our FP (wood burning) Buying anything like that used makes me nervous, though. We are going with a direct vent natural gas stove downstairs. We have two chimneys on our 1st floor, but the chimney guys said it was way way expensive to break through the wall and through the chimney and then line it too. So. A little overwhelming. And we just had a birthday too, I thought ‘I’ve been through 39 birthday parties so far with these children no wonder I’m tired of them’ but then of course seeing the look on their face as you are singing Happy Birthday makes it (mostly) worth it.

Hello Mainer friends and others, been offline due to lots of work and other stuff. Lisa, I still haven’t totally solved my heat issue either and I can’t afford one either. I know a new woodstove, installation and multiple cords of wood will run over 2k. I’m attracted to the idea of burning wood-and I love the smell! But the cost to do it really safely is more than I can handle. What a pity since I keep looking at them and torturing myself. Plus, I can’t expect chimney sweepersons to make sure our chimney is maintained long term. I’ve got to get a good, low maintenace back up plan together soon for heating and cooking and am feeling some urgency about it. So far, I’m invested in bulk propane which is our primary heating and cooking fuel anyway. I also have oil heat here which is ungodly expensive and requires annual maintenance and requires electricity to run. So I’m thinking about having the plumber add antifreeze to all our pipes now so if everything shuts off, we won’t have frozen pipes and unnecessary destruction. I don’t have enough propane on site. I only have a 100 pound propane tank at present and the LP company re-supplies as needed. Can’t count on that so we need a long term supply. I want a 400 pound tank to store about a year and a half’s worth of propane for cooking and heating but they are big, ugly and obvious, unlike the smaller 100 pound tanks. So I need to have work done outside before the LP company can put their 400 pound tank in. I’m planning to put it in my puppy’s little bathroom yard which is a small 10 x 8 stockade fenced-in area off our covered back porch. The 6 ft stockade fence height is just tall enough to hide a 400 pound LP tank from casual view. And, hopefully, the puppy won’t vandalize the tank. I don’t want a tank sitting visible out in my front, side or back yard. And even if we increase our bulk propane supply, I’m concerned about not having a second source of heat, just in case we happen to outlast our big propane supply.

Bluetide, funny you should mention the Mr. Buddy heater. I’ve been thinking about getting one as well for the second method of heat—just in case. That may be the cheapest back up plan of all, certainly well under a thousand, including 20 pound canisters. Perhaps the little Mr. Buddy its enough for us to survive if we confine ourselves to living and sleeping in one big room -most likely the kitchen-all winter long which up here is seven months long. What I’m wondering is if I can just go out and buy $600 or $700 worth of those 20 pound propane canisters and stash them, covered with a tarp, under our porch until needed. Do you have to put them in a garage? It would be nice to be able to hide them, instead, close and accesable to the house and I like the fact that I can handle them and they’re not too heavy to carry. Amazon sells the really long hose connections for the tanks. It looks low maintenance to me. The Mr. Buddy Heater plus maybe 15 or 20 canisters ($40 apiece?) might give us bare bones survival heat for an extra winter. We also live in an awfully large rambling very old house so I guess planning on one room living is the answer for us.

I’m so nervous about using wood to heat. I think that maybe old creasote, build up over the years before I lined the chimney when I bought the house, seeped so far into the old masonry chimney that it gave off a strong “burned toast” kind of smell when I really cranked up the woodstove several years ago. I was freaked out about it and never used it again. I’ve since had the chimney inspected by a chimney sweep who said it looked cleaned and he saw no creosote. But the experience and the memory of that smell makes me very wary. My woodstove is a truly tiny, little bitty non-airtight Uncle Henry’s special that cost me $50 seven years ago.

I’m giving up birthday parties this year. I nearly had a nervous breakdown when my little one’s birthday party was poorly attended due to her two best friends no-showing. She was heartbroken and I was as well, for her. I’m going to give us all a break this year and have her pick one special friend to do something with, maybe dinner out and a movie or a sleep-over.

AI: As far as the propane tank storage goes for the Mr.Buddy ( I got mine at WalMart online), they can be stored outside and can get to below zero temperatures and still be functional. What I’m not certain of is how many can be safely / legally stored on my property since I live in a large (for Maine, haha) city.You know, I seem to remember reading that there is a device on some large propane tanks that can be used for BBQ grills. If that’s the case, you wouldn’t need separate tamks for the Mr. Buddy.

Hi Al, don’t know about the present state of your chimney, but if a sweeper says it is clean it probably is. I burnt wood about four years and supplied about 75% of the heat for my house in the NW suburbs of Boston and never had a creosote problem. With stove in basement, had a tremendous draft, threw in a cup of chemical chimney cleaner once a week and made sure to burn it fairly hot all day to make up for the slow night time burn, and once a day, usually before my slow overnight burn, opened up the drafts and did a very hot burn for half hour or so. Did the professional sweep every year, but never much build up. As long as your burning dry hardwoods should not be a major problem, IMHO. Propane heater Mr Buddy sounds like a viable alternative, but storage as you say, can be a problem.

Thanks, NauticalMan. Did you ever experience such an intense burned toast smell as I described? I smelled it mostly on the floor above the one where I was operating the stove. This was on an occasion where I really cranked the stove up and had gotting it burning very hot. Is that smell a sign of anything significant? I also noticed that there were what looked like creosote stains leaching through the masonry wall enclosing the chimney up on the 2nd floor. That’s why I wondered if there could be old creosote built up in the chimney before I had the chimney lined when I bought the house 8 years ago. It’s a very old 1780 cape…

Hello Al

Never had that kind of an odor when burning my stove. More than likely there was some creosote in the chimney before lining it, but would think that it might not have been significant if they were able to install a liner. If the creosote stains were produced AFTER the liner was installed, then I would worry, but if they were there it was probably old leakage. Might want to check the pointing of the chimney bricks. If that chimney is as old as the house a repoint might be needed. Did you have a clay liner installed or one of the newer stainless steel types. They usually work well from what I have heard. Another possibility is that the heat going through the liner is liquifying some of the old buildup between it and the brick. Not an expert as they say, so you might want to look into that further. Had my stove chimney built special for mine from basement up, a friends Dad who was 65 or so to my 35 at the time and a bricklayer did it for nothing and I helped. Could barely keep up with him at the time. He passed on last year and was close to 90, tough old guy! A good wood stove is very expensive, so there are a lot of pros and cons, but wood in Maine is a lot cheaper than here in the city areas, probably cheaper than heating with oil for you if you do not mind the work and can deal with all the safety issues. The old timers must have been happy when they went to coal, remember having a hot air coal furnace when I was a kid in the 50′s, and how great it was to have an oil burner installed and all you had to do was push the thermostat rather than shovel that dusty coal! Hope I live long enough to see my house heated by a fuel cell that also provides some of my electricity and uses a lot less fuel than we do now. My oil burner man tells me they have them now on experimental basis, but will be years before technical and cost issues are solved and they are available in average home.

Hi Maine People! Hope all are well. Cleaned out Renys today. New blankets, landline phone, Camera for computer so that I can work from home - for use with clients who have same setup. Compass. Whistles. Canned roast beef and chicken and clams. Bernie-Os. Toms of Maine refill hand soaps. Little forgotten medical things like adult strength anbesoland more bandaids. And 20 premade Indian meals (this was the splurge!), palek paneer, alu matar and many others. Some birthday gifts for the boys, both coming up in next 5 weeks.

Al - I too am tortured by my desire for a wood stove and my need for an ongoing alternate heat source. I’ve finally decided to do it bit by bit. Will get handyman (whom I don’t have yet, but I know who I want) to build cheap wood rack outside in next 2 weeks. This month, I’m going to buy an inexpensive stove. We just need a small one. I’ll work on the set up over next 2 months and get a delivery in there somehow. I can’t do this unless I break it down. And if it’s not all done this year at least I’ll be started for a 2007 completion. I have a friend who reminds me that as long as I have an axe I don’t need to ever run out of fuel with a wood stove. That sticks in my mind. Lots of woods here, with lots of old dry trees on the ground. I probably won’t get stove up and running for this winter, at least the early part, but piecemealing it feels better than shelving the idea as a whole.

Can’t you sink a 400lb tank?

“I nearly had a nervous breakdown when my little one’s birthday party was poorly attended due to her two best friends no-showing. She was heartbroken and I was as well, for her.” This breaks my heart too! My boys have always been happy with friends to movies and a night out to the CD store and the restaurant of their choice. Boys are easier with the birthday party thing anyway.

Bluetide - tell me how your mrbuddy works out. I’ve never actually seen one. Any progress on tamiflu rx?

Bird-dog - new pup?

NauticalMan - saw pbs special on fuel cells and expo of different college research and development teams cells. More progress apparent in that area than I ever would have guessed. Love PBS! MIT and UMaine were leaders of expo, having fully functional little houses operating on their cell designs. Should be ready for our grandkids!

The hydrogen fuel cell booth was jam packed at the Commonground fair up here. I think I better have a masonry person look at that chimney for repointing and overall integrity. I don’t remember what I had it lined it with. I had 3 chimneys lined when I bought the house out of a total of five chimneys here. This one was either stainless steel or Supaflu poured and now I don’t remember anyone which was which! I wish my old Italian stone mason friend were still around, he used to build the most beautiful fireplaces. Is a good wood stove a necessity or are

I just want to know if I can use it as my backup plan #3 for heating in a pinch. You know how it is here in the winter. On the coast it’s better than inland but you just can’t survive up here without heat. I can’t see myself chopping wood. At the hardware store they told me they sold coal for burning in wood stoves, that you had to get the fire hot with wood first, then add the coal which will burn slower. Is that safe do you think?

Lisa, it’s amazing how much of a basketcase one can become over a child’s traumas. My so called professional detachment evaporates when it comes to my own child. Today I handled things better. When she climbed, conservatively, 30 feet (at least) up the old spruce tree, I tried to keep the panic out of my voice when I discovered her and ordered her down. After she got down safely, I practically hyperventilated in private.

I’ve been eyeing those cheaper local hardware stores wood stoves too. Well, I’ll just get the Mr. Buddy cause it’s the cheapest option right now. But wood may be the best #3 backup option for us-the backup (bulk propane) to the backup (lille Buddy, bbq propane tanks) to the backup (wood). I guess your friend is right-note to self, get an axe.

Which woodstove are you getting? I scoped more out today at Aubochon Hardware today. I have this older cast iron midget of a woodstove, Scandia, I think. No glass doors, but it seems to work, other than my fear of the state of the chimney. I like you’re idea of doing things in stages. I get everything done here the same way, by chipping away at things a little bit at a time. Today I geared up my preps since we’ve been eating quite a few of the canned goods recently. For the first time, I got comments at a store (“what are you doing? Planning on living on a boat?” at one store, “are you buying for a daycare center?” at another). When I bought over 20 boxes of Bandaids at a third store for $1 a box-Bandaids are very special around here-the clerk looked at me horrified and asked me if I was “planning on being hurt a lot”! I just smiled and murmurred “daycare center”.

Lisa, I remember something you posted cautioning not to use synthetic vitamin D3. I have several bottles of them from Sams Club (members’ mark, I think). Is synthetic no good?

Al - I don’t have the links for synthetic vitamin info - it in my head. Remember the much publicized report about vitE not being protective as previously thought? About 2–3 years back? In the study, the participants had used syntheticE, which was later found to actually increase free radical activity as opposed to decreasing it. When users of nonsyntheticE were studied, they showed decreased free radical activ, as did those people who ate high E diets. I have a very strong supplement bias and always urge whole-food and nonsynthetic supplements. Our bodies just know what to do with them. There has been much research on absorption and utilization of different mutivits. Those with synthetic ingredients are excreted at rates of up to 80%, while some whole-food vits have been shown to be up to 80% utilized. A couple of my favorite docs, Russel Blaylock and Andrew Weil, probably have some data about this on their sites.

The woodstove I have my eye on is at a local stove store and I can’t find the pamphlet I took home that gives name/description. I’m sure the info is lost forever, at least in this house, and I’ll have to go back to the store to find out. Such is my life!

“Another possibility is that the heat going through the liner is liquifying some of the old buildup between it and the brick” - now that’s a smart man! I considered your cresote problem, and never came up with that one. And I’ll bet he’s right. We’ll have to draft him to Maine for good. Hear that, NauticalMan? You are unappreciated down their in Mass. Come on up and start living life the way it should be!

It really sounds as though you’re doing well with heat backup, even without the woodstove.

Renys has some good, cheap axes right now. And I attracted a lot of notice today too. The checkout girl was laughing as I kept filling up her little counter space with yet more stuff. It was the magic shopping cart that had a neverending supply of items!

I laughed when I read your tree-climbing paragraph, remembering when my oldest, who was a rabid climber in his younger, shorter years, went waaayyyy up, about 40 feet, and I tried to keep my voice measured, calm, my “Lisa to 3rd floor stat” demeanor, coaxing him down slowly…then whole body with shakes and fuzzy-head when his feet were back on the ground. He was so proud! The higher branches didn’t look strong enough to hold a squirrel!

20 boxes of bandaids? Lord, I thought I was doing well at 3!

Reny’s has canned Indian pudding!

Hi you-all!!

“Reny’s has canned Indian pudding!”

Yes, LOL, I bought some there too a ways back. <G> My Dad and I were the only ones in our family who liked it so it has a special significance to me. I’ve never had it out of a can though, only in restaurants. Ummm steamy hot, ummmm molasses, ummmm corn meal, ummmm melted vanilla ice cream.

This will be short- terrible head and chest cold as do the kitties and even Fiona. BF anyone? Definitely not very funny. Our poor world.

I’m worried about my sister in Delhi(arr.’d there Wed.,returns 12/24), I had a good experience with the very nice tree guys; able to save a third of the 80 ft pine, I bought a Family Grain Mill- Hand Base & Mill for under $120. from aaoobfoods (nice people!), I gave my copy of Will’s book to the tree guys after reading it & am going through Dr.Woodsons’s *new* book now (both excellent & great gifts!), filled a script for Relenza (exp. date 12/06 /;-(), moved all my canned goods into the house and maybe a half so far into the crawl-space. Plus I moved my 80 or so propane canisters(several yrs worth of collecting) into the barn from the house (have a 5 yr. old Mr. Buddy for back-up plus a small prop. Coleman stove and prop. light). I do recommend the Mr Buddy to you guys for another back-up for heat.

I haven’t been out and about for a few days so the hand mill is my major and only prep purchase of the week except for antibiotics for the cats and the Relenza. Lisa, sorry… no puppy yet my de’a - not until we’re all feeling better, my preps are put away, I’ve bought some more org red & white wheat berries, amaranth, oat groats, br. rice and aduki beans for long, long term storage. I might have to go with non. org. but I hope that I won’t have to. I didn’t buy the bells and whistles for the grain mill- no meat to grind and the flaker ‘n veg. graters aren’t necessary. Now if I’d had the $$ I probably could have talked myself into the big deal with even the electric parts…naaa. I *am* sooo excited about the simple hand mill though!

Actually, the vet and doctor bills must take precedent over everything for awhile, from now on. Thats OK! :-)

I’d better get back to bed. Hopefully tomorrow I’d be more communicative. Sleep tight!

Birddog - You’ve been sick since (at least) Sept. 30th. Please, please, please don’t let it go on too long without being seen, as many pneumonias even in 20ish people right now. And goldenseal is not going to do it if it’s descended and converted to pneumonia. Gotta get the big guns out, the cillins, etc…

Congrats on the grain mill.

You got so much done! It must be hard to be so productive right now when you are so sick…(Lisa, at her desk, biting back further unasked for pieces of advice such as ‘you need to be resting!’…oh look, she slipped the advice in in a slightly underhanded passive-aggressive manor. She just can’t help herself!).

I’m hoping your sister stays well too, birddog. Sorry you are worrying for her right now. Certainly strange goings-on in India.

Off to seize the day! Take care, gently and restfully! Lisa

I almost forgot to mention, we felt the earthquake here BIG TIME. The whole house shook and I immediately knew what it was. Somewhat ominously, we live no where near Bar Harbor, although we’re closer to it than when I lived out of state. That’s why I’m wondering if anyone else here felt it further down the coast or was it just us?

Lisa, do you know a source for non-sythetic vitamins? Indian pudding, will pick up a can and try it-never had it actually. bd-get feel better soon! If you have some Sambucol, try it-it cuts cold short for us here, as does roasting garlic cloves.

NauticalMan, perhaps you might think about taking advantage of the slumping real estate market and rusticate up here! Maybe we’ll have even more coastline after a few more earthquakes.

Gotta go, off to Neurofeedback (That’s another topic!)

Thanks Lisa and Al! GOOD MORNING! ;-)

Really, it’s not *that* bad… but I do have some Sambucol in my preps so I’ll give it a shot. The kitties are on Baytril with pill pockets and vitamins (no fevers but elavated gamma-globulins(sp?)). I did have pneumonia 10 years ago and had a pneumovax vaccine a month or two ago. If I went to the doc and he gave me a preppable antibiotic would I save it for later? Hey maybe I could start taking my ‘fish meds’ and save the ‘good stuff’ for i/wtshtf! Thats my ‘prep’ mind for you. Of course I’d have to know first if I had a nasty bacteria or virus. I probably picked it up at the NorDx clinic when I had the porphyrin test interactions (no results yet/sent to Mayo C.).

Can anyone recommend a place to order bulk org. grain/beans in super-pails? I’ve looked at Honeyville, Em. Essen., AAOOB, all the ones mentioned in the ‘grain’ thread I think; so expensive for shipping from the West, or not org., or not super-pailed. I know that you Lisa have done it all yourself - you smaaat woman(!) but I just can’t seem to get it together. I have plenty of grains and beans in small bags and cans but I’d like these for years down the line and/or emergency food for neighbors. I’ve worked in natural food stores off and on for years so maybe I’ll ask in some of those. Is Wild Oats up and running yet in Portland? Anyway, thanks!

I’d better get to the vets before they close at 12.

Al, Neurofeedback looks very interesting! NauticalMan “do it”! Your family would *LOVE* to live here. bluetide, HI!, and MAV, any luck yet? I’ve seen that someone has been reading the wiki from the Bangor area and have wondered if it’s ‘you’ MAV.

Birddog - wild oats up since late 2002ish. They put themselves right next to the little healthfood store that’s been there since the 70s. Bas****s! I haven’t been to Portland in a while. I hope the little one survived. The die-hard crunchiegrungies like me kept going to the small one, and they did have bulk avaiability in bins at the back of their store. Some of the big names like Waltons offer organic brown rice and org.quinoa. Another thread yesterday said emerg. essentials offering free shipping for total order if certain number of special items purchased. That person (memory, oh memory, I have a vague recollection of what it was like when we lived together!) ordered 6? #10? cans granola and paid no shipping on larger order put in at same time. Check it out. Went to BJs today - more toilet paper, deod., water, dogfood, cerals - and they were having flu clinic. No line. $50.00 total for flu and pneu. vac. I wish I had the boys with me! But I’m done, and a bit lightheaded and spacey. My body really hates any outside unnatural ‘stuff’. But I’m glad to have this done. Did you get flu shot this year yet?

Hope kitties recover quickly.

I’m dying for a cigarette! Time to chew the 30th piece of gum today!

Birddog - here’s that post, from flu prep 1million thread yesterday.

Scaredy Cat – at 17:51

If you order one of the “group specials” (as long as you order a certain minimum, e.g., 6 cans of mangos) you get free delivery for your entire order.

I did that recently with the granola they have on sale. Ordered 6 cans, free shipping for everything.

and this, from Honeyville grain today - Only $4.49 to ship your entire order, no matter how much you order.

hang onto your wits, do not give into the tobacco jones. Does that gum help?

bird dog, hope the cold gets better. You were fortunate to get an rx for Relenza. I didn’t think it was available anywhere.

Anyone know what happens if you get the pneumonia vax 2 years in a row?

Al - I’m hoping a bitingly hot curry will knock this extended nicotine craving out of my system. The gum does help, but you need to remember to use it enough to deflect worse cravings.

Did you get pneumovax 2 years in a row? If so, you won’t be the first. No major ill effects if you do alright with vac ingredients. I promise it won’t kill you!

You all sound like your doing great-preppin’ away. Thinking about a possible move out there and I gotta tell you, I was a lot “lighter” before all this prepping. I’m sure between all the canned goods, generator, fuel, water and gas cans, ammo etc,etc, etc, I must be a ton heavier. The movers will love me!

BD-no, I’m still in CO but will be out to Bangor the 26th for a week or so, checking things out and “workin’ the deal”!

Lisa - sorry, I meant ‘Whole Foods’! I completely agree!

 I always go to ‘the Whole Grocer’ for everything except for Wild Oats’es smoked wild salmon. Great price! My neice worked there (W. G.) for a year when she and her now ‘ex’ were living in Portland before moving back to England where he was from. I ended up buying org. wheat berries, rye, oat groats, aduki beans, Fiona’s granola (Grandy Oats Classic!) and smoked oysters, kippers, lots of remedies to refill my homeopathic kit, some more natural vit D(!), some Traumeel cream (use it every night on my hands and ankles/feet for pain), some more Sambucol syrup, some more cider-mate, an enormous choc. chip cookie, some cooked rice and autumn stew, and probably more. I also bought some test strips for my Miox-pen filter at the sporting goods store where I had orginally bought the filter. 

The Whole Grocer is doing very well! Certainly a different crowd than the one next door! Much more interesting/earthy. Whole Foods now owns the store but the same people are working there and one occasionally sees Whole Foods labels on goods. Great sale on org. peanut butter! Oh, I did buy some cashew butter too.

As far as bulk goes, Honeyville only sells in bags not pails and does not offer organic AFAIK. I bought all my dehydrated fruits, vegetables, whole eggs, Mexican hot chocolate, and oxygen absorbers from them. Very prompt service on both orders! Emergency Essentials and Waltons are both possibilities but one doesn’t have aduki beans & I can’t remember the problem I had with the other. I’ll let you know what i decide to do. Now that I have *some* whole grains I’ll be able to whip out the mill and try it immediately when it arrives.

No cigs for me either and am getting ‘lock-jaw’ from all this chewing. One after another…chain chewing! It does make me feel better on one level. Just one…

I haven’t had my flu shot yet and up until last year was always able to get it for free as I often work with either elderly or immune-compromised people. The agency had to cut back. I’m sure I could get it free through the ALS Association or the MDA/ALS folks. They are great. I’ll get one maybe if/when I see my doc up here re. my cold(?). Years ago when I worked in the adult shelter I was even able to get the Hep series and TB tests too for free. The good old living-on-the-edge days. Oh well.

It was a beautiful drive back from Portland with the full harvest moon and Garrison on the radio. Just wished my dog was with me to enjoy it. <sigh>

Mav, hurry up before the leaves fall. They’re so amazing right now!!!

Bird Dog - 10:57

Someone from the Bangor area reading the wiki - it might be me.

Hello to all the MaineUH’s.

I’m in Garland ~ 25 miles west of Bangor. MAV in CO -quite doable to work in Bangor but still have rural property. We have 20 acres 1/2 field, 1/2 woods. I would not want to live anywhere else. I very much enjoy the commute everyday into Bangor, there’s hardly any traffic.

I’m also a transplant, from Canada actually. I grew up in Nfld. and still have family there.

MAV in Colorado, hope you have a nice trip and that you find Maine to your liking. Hope you feel better soon bird-dog, hope the “girls” and Fiona are well. Lisa, PBS has some great things on, always interesting. And thank you all, would love to move to Maine, but have two mothers in a nursing home and can not move anywhere right now. Course if I hit that big one, a Summer spot in Maine, and Winter somewhere warm sounds wonderful! Indian pudding! Mention of that brings back my first taste of it at Durgin-Park at Fanueil Hall in Boston about 45 years back. They still make it overnight in a slow oven, topped with that vanilla ice cream.. OMG, think I need a fix of oysters and some of that old Yankee cooking, pot roast to die for, and though I don’t eat that much meat anymore, a prime rib on an oval platter that overlaps both ends. After 130 years or so, they have managed to get it just about perfect! Still share a table with strangers, no A/C, but good old fashioned food, with gruff, but nice waitresses! Ah, I still love New England. Now if only we could cut Winter short!! Al, sounds like your chimneys are good to go. As long as you do a proper installation you should be fine. Forget cutting your own wood unless you are in good shape and like the exercise. It is dangerous and heavy work. Did it a few years, even bought logs, cut them up, split them renting a splitter, too much work. Buy it cut, split, dried, use it as back up or supplemental heat if it makes sense economically. For me that is not the case if I buy the wood, but it is great for a secondary emergency heat source. Price will be forgotten when the power is out. Almost forgot Lisa, we love the Tasty Bite Indian meals, yes, spicy, great flavors. Buy them right on line, sign up for their email and every so often they have a special discount, 10 or 20%, available by the six pack. Some are even Vegan, some vegetarian. Love the Bombay potatoes, various lentil meals, come in an MRE type retort package, shelf life about 18 months. I rotate them and eat some every week. Can you guess I love to eat! It is the Italian blood I think!

Cool, thanks NJKME

I am coming from the spectacular southern Rockies in Colorado (elev. 7200′) so I am inclined (pun intended) to find a place with some hilly acreage if possible. Very encouraging so far. thanks

Welcome NJKME! I’m so glad that you spoke up! Garland *is* beautiful. It must be cool up there tonight.

My brother lives in Winterport and works at the University. He and his family love it up there, the last I heard.

I was wondering who that little-dot-on-the-map was <grin>!

Please stay in touch. We’re a wacky but friendly lot and *are* prepping. The more the merrier. b-d.

MAV in CO - Well we do live in what’s called the Central Maine Highlands and there are a few hills around here but I don’t think we can quite compete with the Rockies. You mentioned GSP - the ultimate bird dog - Do you hunt? DH and I hunt upland and waterfowl - but we’ve come to the conclusion that ducks are probably out this year :{!

Hi there Bird-dog, yes supposed to be very cold tonight. ( And yes we did see that HUGE orange moon, spectacular!!) Yes we are prepping as well. DH bought me a shelf from Sam’s so that I could get all the food stuffs out of his work area but it’s starting to creep back in again **grin**. What map were you looking at by the way? Was it somewhere in the site meter. I’ll be popping in and out. It’s funny to see people discussing what’s at Reny’s since most folks on here have probably never heard of it. We are about 10 minutes from the original (at least I think’s it’s the original) in Dexter. The store sure seems like it’s the original, all the floors were wavy before they had them redone.

NJKME- GSP’s ARE the ultimate bird-dog! No, not a hunter, have had some great GSP’s though. Down to one now. Put down my “boy” down last month :( Looking forward to getting onto a few acres and having room for a couple more. Might consider trying some upland at some point though. Yeah, maybe not a good year for bird huntin’

Hello, all. I think the original Renys might be in Damariscotta? Weird place to store preps? My cat litter box closet. He’ll be sharing his private spot with hundreds of cans. If an archeologist ever excavates this house after a thousand years, she will be very confused…

Bird-dog -

“Whole Foods now owns the store but the same people are working there and one occasionally sees Whole Foods labels on goods.” - this makes me sad! But I’m glad the staff are still there. Such a great place. I went there weekly while at USM for graduate school. Loved the place. Might have met your neice too!

“am getting ‘lock-jaw’ from all this chewing” - and I’m worried about my 30 year old fillings holding up to this strain!

“Just wished my dog was with me to enjoy it.” - So sorry. Nothing else to say here. Wish I could take that ache away, magic wand or something…

NauticalMan - I haven’t been to Durgin Park in probably 15 years! Quite a flashback. The last time was when my parents were still mobile and we took them there and then to a Chieftains concert at…small old music hall right in Fanuel hall area…name please? (memory, oh sweet memory, where art thou hiding dear memory?). Oh, Tammany (?) Hall! That’s it! Great concert. Great night. Grumpy stout waitresses. Love tipping for crusty New England attitude! Although I have about 60 Indian meals downstairs, I now plan to go to Tasy Bites website and sign up for their auto e-mail. Thanks NM!

NJKME - Welcome! What a beautiful area you live in! How are you set for back-up heat? This is the most pressing issue of my preps right now, and I’m always asking about it to others.

MAV - Halloween time is great here! Many of the leaves, so vivid right now, will have fallen, but it will still be gorgeous.

Hi Al! Hi Bluetide!

bird dog, the loss never seems to go away. Her memory is how her spirit lives on in you. On a day to day basis, though, becoming partner to a new animal helps a bit.

Todays’ critter infestation (no I won’t kill or poison-don’t believe in it): ladybug, wasps and rats!

It’s always something here.

But I still love Maine. MAV, wait til you see the foliage up here!

NauticalMan, did you work for the Feds? Just saw the grid thread. Those signing statements are something, aren’t they?

BD, I must be dense. Didyou loose a fury friend recently? Me too. Not quite 2 months ago I guess. I miss him too, such a unique character. My heart goes out to you!!!!

Al - wasps here too, black and brown. Hate those things! One ladybug. I pcked her up and put her outside.

mylared 25lbs Thai sweet rice today, and much cereal. Made haddock in yogurt sauce. Worked with my friend Joan chanting “I’m lucky, I’m lucky, I can walk under ladders…”. I’m distracted by the enigmatic reports from India, getting antsy for more defined information. The ex has trip to Holland next 2 weeks. I’m so glad not Asia again, was Indonesia, then Maylasia, then Indonesia again over last couple of months. Not that Holland will protect him/us if pandemic erupts, but comforting to have him out of the hot-zone while incubation period persists.

Bird-dog - can you get any info from your sister about situation in India?

Al, just noticed your post, been out today, my Mom’s 86th b’day. Yes, spent about 41 years with the Federal Government, thought I made a difference, but was with an agency that had no political appointees, which, as we have seen of late, are not always of the highest quality nor have the best credentials, which is what grates on me so much when I read something like this FEMA appointee debacle. While we have always seen some appointees whose qualifications were not always obvious, at least they would be made ambassador of Elbonia or some such place they could do little damage, now it seems they are put in higher and higher places in order to do the most harm to the greatest number, as long as they are faithfull to their party or leader. Lisa in SM. You are someone after my own heart! I always capture the ladybugs, spiders etc., in a paper cup and release them outside. Sorry wasps, will not take the chance with you guys! Glad you remember Durgin Park so well. I think though that Tammany Hall was a corrupt political machine headquarters in NY back in the late 1800s, with Boss Tweed! There are a number of small musical venues though in that area that could have been where you were. Could have even been Fanuiel Hall itself, right next to Quincy Market where DP is located, very historic hall, been there since before the Revolution if memory serves me. Another glorious New England Fall day today, off to visit relatives in York, ME in AM, should be a copy of today. Best to all of you.

Hi All,

 Lisa, I just read a few posts up that you got your flu and pneumonia vaccine. I’ve noticed a lot of clinics around the Portland area. If anyone else in Maine is looking for either shot, you can go to www.findaflushot.com and put in your zip code and they’ll display any local clinics for whatever range of dates you put in. My pediatrician won’t give my kids the pneumonia vaccine so I’m taking them to one of these places and hoping they will give it. It is definitely beginning to feel chilly and we are trying to find a low priced wood-burning insert for our only decent fireplace. The new ones are terribly expensive, it seems, at least the Jotul and Vermont Castings products I have seen. Is anyone else getting concerned about the ‘dengue’ in India? It’s making me nervous that some folks on this site think it could be H5N1. I keep thinking that surely the symptoms can’t be so similar that doctors throughout the country would, en masse, confuse the two???

Bluetide - at BJs, age cutoff for kids and pneumovax was 9. At other clinics, it’s 14. And yes, I’m concerned about the dengue too. But in India thread, one of the people said if it was h5n1 going h2h, it would already be all over the world. Not an exact quote, but you get the meaning. Anyway, I thought about that and felt more relaxed because it’s true. Many more people would be sick and it wouldn’t be border confined…

Evening All,

Lisa - You were asking about back up heat. Wood is plentiful around here so we have a heat producing fireplace, brand name is KozyHeat. The only problem is you can’t regulate it, sometimes you have to resort to throwing open windows and doors.

Bluetide - I was at the pediatrician’s this week as well, 2 yr. old had his yearly. Of course they have no flu vaccine in yet, call again in 2 weeks. I asked about the Pneumovax and he said I was the first parent to ask for it. Was all set to give it to him and my 4 yr. old but they were out of that as well. But what he did give me was 2 prescriptions for Tamiflu. I’ve been talking to him about H5N1 for over a year now so he knows my concerns. By the way his clinic has NO pandemic plan yet, hoping something comes out of the State Summit from a few weeks back. The clinic has ~6 pediaticians and is associated with Eastern Maine Medical Center. No plan, can you imagine? Even worse they used to be getting regular updates from CDC on H5N1 but absolutely no information coming out now. What the heck? Anyway here’s hoping you get your kiddies their vax!!

Well - Bird-dog and MAV I guess I’m feeling your pain. DH and I took our 15 yr. old GSP “Katie” to the vet to be euthanized today. It was time.

aaaawwwwwwwwwhhhhhhhh (sad here for you NJKME) so sorry to hear that-have you ever read the “Rainbow Bridge” ? I will post below for all of us.

The Pneumovax for kids is different than the adult vaccine as I understand it.

not sure how this will format-here goes

Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.

There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.

There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.

The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together…. Author unknown…

NJKME - oh I’m so sorry to hear about your sweet Katie. I hope that she passed smoothly.

And MAV, I love ‘The Rainbow Bridge’. Thank you so much. Sorry about your pup too.

For me having had various four-legged friends die over the years have been the hardest experiences ever. Somehow even more difficult than my parents’ deaths. I still can’t walk toward my car without looking for her ears and feeling a sharp deep sadness that she’s gone. It’s getting much better/easier but she/they leave such an enormous empty space.

Lisa, I did ask my sister before she left for India to please stay in touch if possible and she said that she’d be leaving her laptop at home. I then asked her to call collect or email me from a computer cafe. I emailed her today and mentioned the dengue, chik, and H5N1. I also asked her to inquire as to how the ‘locals’ protect themselves and what herbs, etc. they use when they can’t/won’t use Western medicine. I also sent her a link to the ‘India’ thread just in case. In the past she has not communicated so I haven’t much hope that she will do so now. Sorry. It would be so interesting AND I *am* a bit concerned for her safety!

What a beautiful day today! I stayed home and moved preps, received my Big Berkey, AND a dozen cans of cheese and another dozen cans of butter. I don’t use butter or marg. now but it may make the canned vegetables taste better if I have to SIP. And/or I could use them both as barter(?).

I’m an ‘Air America’ junky and heard BF very briefly mentioned on the Randi Rhodes today. Unfortunately it didn’t sound as if she and the ‘caller’ took the threat seriously. She was on a roll about the million other problems facing us. IMO great hosts on there esp Randi and Sam Seder. /;-)

Thnx Guys for the sentiments. MAV - Thank you for Rainbow Bridge, It’s something I think that my 4 yr. old will understand and gain some comfort from. He’s a sad little guy.

Bird-Dog - Can you tell me more about your Berkley? It’s for water purification/filtration right? I’ve been hearing the term here and there on the boards. Don’t know if it’s something we might need to invest in. Water is the one thing I’m concerned about. I wish we could put in a hand pump, but I’m fairly certain that our well is just too deep.

MAV - you were mentioning the PneumoVax being different for kids. I wonder if you are referring to the “regular” pneumovax that all kids get at the Peds, brand-name Prevnar. My 4yr. old’s immunization records indicate he’s had it 4 times already. I think the pediatrician told me it protected against 6 kinds of pneumococcal bacteria. But that this “other” one protects against 23 kinds.

Gotta go to work - Everybody have a great day.

NJKME Hi! Sorry to take so long to get back to you.

Yes, the Big Berkey is for purifying water. There is much discussion of it on the ‘Water’ thread. And there is a way to make a great set-up using just the ceramic filters and two buckets saving much money. I bought mine from here >>> http://tinyurl.com/zjcyd.

Here’s more info; I bought the black filters, not the white,:

 >>> http://tinyurl.com/gsjvy  and  here with the best pics. >>> http://tinyurl.com/l2e4m. Do a google search.

I haven’t set mine up yet but I’m feeling great relief that I have it. I always use Britta filters and so even if we avoid the assault, I figure that I’ll save money eventually and will be healthier too. Plus it’s beautiful!

I hope that your 4 yr. old is feeling better… so sad!

Lisa, well, test came back ‘high’ on two levels. Guess that means ‘positive’. I haven’t talked to anyone yet and I’m feeling somewhat in shock. I’ll adjust as I always do so it’ll be ‘ok’. As long as I don’t have to go to the MGH often and am forced to be exposed to folks esp if there’s a flu of any sort. Gulp. Hey, I can always say ‘no’. Thank goodness the psychiatic aspects aren’t an issue for me (yet??). So scarey!!! At least it explains the MND and incredible neuropathy. So that’s helpful/good.

Anyway, back to prepping and hopefully to Reny’s today for some silk-type thermal underware. I haven’t ordered bulk grains or beans, tapped out money-wise. Maybe in a month or so… :-)

Have you decided on a stove yet?

Fiona and the cats and I are enjoying this grey grey day. Cosy! …but feeling unsettled.

Hi Bird-dog - Time to get the MGH doc to liason with a local. Many at MGH will do that. I’ve even seem them video and teleconference with local docs for treatment assistance. Boston will be way too high risk to you if viral illness rampant. Do you have a good local doc who would be willing to confer with your specialist? The psychiatric issues may not be a part of your symptom constellation, ever. And if they do occur, well, we have effective and amazing treatments now, thank god. And I will offer you whatever I can in that dept. Keep up on the anti-inflammatories - krill oil, tumeric, ginger, astaxanthin… I’m sorry you’re scared. I’m glad you have an answer. I’m sorry you have an answer.

Haven’t decided on stove yet because behind in bills. Still trying to be patient. Difficult.

Bluetide - did you see NJKME at 21:22 post? Re fireplace? Possible resource for you?

Thanks Lisa. :-)

bird-dog

Just a note to say your in my thoughts and prayers…

bird-dog

You are in my thoughts and prayers…

Hi Everyone

Bird-dog, Sounds as if you’re just learning of some bad news, I’ll be praying along with NauticalMan. Also praying for travelling mercies for your sister.

Nancy

Thanks NauticalMan.

I’m ‘ok’, really(!).

I think that we *all* here deal with hard stuff every day - not to mention the major challenges that we may have to face down the road. It’s very comforting knowing that you’all on the Maine thread and those in the larger ‘wiki’ community are diligently ‘dealing’ with, facing squarely, a situation that others would choose to ignore, deny, run from. I love the honesty, humor, respect, courage, brilliance, and determination that are(is?) displayed. An amazing place. Good people. ;-)

NJKME - ahh, thank you too!

Yes, I hope that my dear sister takes good care of herself. She is in good hands and for that, I’m grateful. Nepal must be so beautiful, thrilling; hopefully I’ll hear back from her soon. Today I posted on the ‘India’ thread part of an email that I recieved from her yesterday. She did not seem to be very concerned about the Dengue fever in Delhi. Oh well…

(Really though, what could go wrong/feel wrong while in the presence of H.H.!)

Did you see news thread or was it Indo thread about the 7 dead of flu/dysentery in isolated New Guinea village? Sometimes I want to close my ears and eyes and not learn of another possibility, not have to wait for further info to reassure that the incident concerned isn’t THE concerning incident…And now, to add injury to insult, I’m going to bed and the relaxing reading for tonight is ‘The Great Influenza”…A sucker for punishment…Hope you all are well.

Bird-dog - has the MGH crew talked with you yet re W-S urinalysis results? Will they insist on you going down to Boston again for this discussion? Are you still feeling unsettled? And (the last of 20 questions! :) ) are you still suffering with that cold? I read your India thread note today. Wish we could prod your sister into state of more observant concern as she is well-positioned for info gathering. Oh well. Take care. Hope Fi and kitties are doing well. Lisa

Hi Lisa - I called MGH Wednesday and left a message. I’ll call again later this morning and hopefully will connect with my doctor. I guess that I’m still feeling a bit edgy (it’s after 2:30am!) and yes, I do still have some deep congestion. I know, I’d better get some sleep. And yes, if I have a fever later today I’ll call my GP. yada yada yada (G)

How is your boy doing? Hope he’s feeling better. Do the boys ask about your prep activities?

My manual Family Grain mill came today. It’s very light and very simple. I love it! Haven’t tried it out yet though but hopefully tomorrow ie. today. Plus I finally finished storing my canned goods in the crawl-space. What a relief. Next, the totes upstairs. Ugh.

There is *so* much more to do before the house is ready for a dog. I’m getting there though. I desperately need someone to walk *me*! A dog would get me out and about and into the woods for sure.

I took Miss Fiona out for a short car ride to pick up the paper. She loved it, especially looking up and out through the sun roof - such a knucklehead! LOL.

Ok, off to bed.

Have a good day today!

I had an email from my sister today - as you can see, she appears to think that this is all a bunch of hooey and that like most people believe that we’re being manipulated and are over-reacting…:-():

“Hi - fine now - found an internet to use briefly so this will be short. not having Dengue in Nepal I think. Arrived last night. No checkpoints for it that i experienced. (I know you feel the US doesnt get enough of some news but dont forget that reporters NEEEEEED news that is alarming, disturbing, worrying, fear-based, especially with W at the helm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

If only it was true!

NauticalMan, I wonder if you realize the best time to visit China is Nov, Dec, etc. Not as hot then. Guangzhou is the former Canton, an amazing city, parts of it very 19th C western, parts very non-western. Great food, lots of history, incredible shopping. I think the boxer rebellion was there. It’s my very favorite city in China. Unfortunately the H5N1 virus is endemic in the wild bird and poultry population in that particular province but as a fwikian, you know that. Still, a most fascinating, friendly tourist destination, lots of international visitors and trade fairs there, etc. Cheap, last minute airfare (under $1000) can be found through e-savers and airline consolidators, allowing for last minute travel. Just a short (I mean short) walk from most of the better hotels are the infamous “markets” where you can find anything at all as well as live animals in cages, including cats, dogs, poultry, scorpians, etc. Wasn’t it just April that a man or woman there got H5N1 and the only contact w/ poultry may have been walking through the markets?

Preparing for such a trip isn’t difficult at all, it means having some broad spectrum antibiotics available for the trip, maybe a course of doxycycline (instead of larium) for malaria, as well as one or two courses of Oseltamivir or Zanamivir per person. If you need any kind of medical attention there, the chinese hospitals may not be the best place for a westerner to seek care due to the language barrier. Most hotels can arrange for private docs to visit but many do practice Chinese medicine which can be very different and disconcerting for the unadventurous. Most family practice docs here are not equipped to do “travel medicine” for last minute travellers to Asia, especially those going to places (in several of the provinces) where bird flu is endemic in birds. Luckily, there are travel medicine clinics, immunization clinics, even a few here in Maine, although much more variety found near large metropolitan areas—they’ve been a real boon to last minute travelers. fyi

Al, interesting information on visiting China, but considering what is probably going on there at this time think I will pass for now! Do a lot of “traveling” via internet, books and so on. That will have to do for now. It is on my life list though! Given my advancing middle age, better get going on that soon!!

Besides, still some prepping to do, some of what I have done remains on my credit card. My list is getting shorter, but still looking at another rack for some wood storage in my garage, bread machine, some additional Aladdin lamp oil, have most OTC meds, but deficient in sick room supplies. Never seems to end. By the way, my recent visit to York Harbor was great. Older relatives living in an absolutely wonderful senior living facility there, if you can afford it.. A perfect Fall day, as all the days are in New England \:o) !!

NM, what I was trying to say in a perhaps too subtle way is that if you are even thinking about making a trip (I “think” about it daily, I just wouldn’t book it considering what is going on there now), dropping by a travel clinic would help you get the rxs you might want, in addition to the ones you may already have. I did that, so now I have an ample supply of meds via internet (efficacy unknown), plus those via travel clinic and filled in the usa. Forgive my sneaky nature…

bird-dog - “if I have a fever later today I’ll call my GP” - with many adults, pneumonia can be active with no fever. A febrile response is the sign of a healthy immune system. Many adults simply don’t respond that optimally. Even doctors need reminding of this, as they always ask “have you had a fever?” and expect the childlike immune response in a 50 year old body. Diagnose with repiratory symptoms and energy, not thermometer. Please tell me how your new grain mill works out! I’ll get one later if pand. holds off a while. So many other things to do first…

Boys are fine. Youngest well healed. Astonishing to me, the pace of his healing, esp with the puncture wound which was a solid inch long and quite deep. No complications, and I was closely monitoring for infection. They really don’t ask about my prepping. They’re so used to it now it may just seem normal. Older one grumbles about having to carry in the very heavies but on flip side seems to feel proud that he is now the one to do such things. I was so glad to hand that part over, especially the huge bulk bags of dogfood. He swings that 50–60lbs effortlessly over his shoulder. Such a great help. Younger one brings all canned and toiletry items to cellar and puts bags in right area, and I go in and stock and organize. We’ve got a system going without ever having consciously designed one. Older boy makes occasional ‘phooey’ references to bird flu. Younger one accepts with 100% child-faith that all will be well because mom’s on top of it. Oh dear! To be that trusting, leaves me breathless to think of it!

You must be tired today, up till wee hours of morn. Sounds like you’ve finished a lot of prep work.

Al - I am impressed by your sneaky nature and applaud you for it! No forgiveness here, though it was NM you asked for that anyway! I’m thinking about the boy’s PE’s next month and maybe wrangling via travel plans with their MD. I had been just planning to stubbornly argue (my usual bull in China shop technique) but now may structure in more finesse. Travel plans…they have opportunity to go on trip to…Malaysia?…with their dad…will need prophylactic antivirals and antibiotics…The approach is forming. Thanks for the direction! Suggestions and guidance welcomed and appreciated. And Bluetide, this approach might be helpful for you too.

I’ve done it three times. Before the AI concern, I was going to the province in question and had to cancel due to SARS. My poor friend went before me by about a week, then got held up and quarantined for 10 days and could not get home due to being spotted sniffling while getting her boarding pass to a smaller city, child in tow, at the airport. They wouldn’t let her board. She booked back into the hotel and holed up another 10 days and told me not to join her since she wasn’t allowed out of her hotel room. She was pretty scared, not because she was sick (she wasn’t) but because of the immediate authoritarian response she encountered. They take infectious diseases, at least among foreigners and airline passengers, very very seriously over there. I was so dissapointed having already gotten all my travel meds together for the trip, I was left with the doxy, the augmenten, etc but no trip. So the first time was an honest cancellation. I was going to be taking one of those e-savers so I had no cancellation fee. Of course SARS got more intense and the rest is history. I know a lot of people there and here who were isolated due to SARS concerns, going back and forth. That’s what sort of kindled my interest in public health issues and medical mysteries. Anyway I do plan to make the trip. I tried again in April of this year since I am anxious to go again, but of course, as luck would have it, somebody died of H5N1 right where I was planning to be and reading about it on the Fwiki and elsewhere, it brought me to my senses. This time I had told the doc I was “planning” the trip, but I guess I was really just parsing my words. I actually do think, with the proper meds tucked away (and staying away from the markets) that it’s not really any more dangerous in the big cities than here. By that point, I had my 1st scripts for osel for me and my child…I feel badly about my latest time but I am “planning” a trip (parsing again) and that’s what I said to travel clinic. By the way, the HEP (B I think) vaccine they recommend you get if you’re traveling to Asia, especially the countryside and rural areas where I expected to be, is not a bad thing to have been vaccinated for. Anyway, if you are even thinking about traveling to parts of Asia, Africa and elsewhere, it is best to get all the vaccines started well in advance (months, not weeks), even before purchasing tickets becuase some of the preps, maybe it is the HEP-I don’t remember- won’t protect you if given right before your trip. So saying “planning” is accurate in a sneaky way, with plenty of wiggle room. (Oops, do I sound like a political operative?) Interestingly, I ordered osel online two years ago, as soon as I heard about it re: seasonal influenza. I suspect the meds I received back then were not counterfeit due to the fairly early timeline since it was a relatively newer drug at that time. I just thought it would be good to have on hand since I work in and out of people’s homes and handle (carry, play with and work with) children. Since then, I’ve ordered online again but since the bird flu got so much attention I could no longer get it thru the first online company. I got it then, maybe late last year from the same place that I think NM did but during a time of publicity, notoriety and crazy predatory pricing. It could be suspect and not good, no way of knowing, really. I also laid in a supply of amant among other things. NM has been shut down by his doc, as most of us have been, when going in and being direct, so I thought I would share my additional experiences. My ex is a medically at risk person so had no problems getting one pack (at my insistance) from his HCP. By the way, it helps to keep the “travel plan” simple. You know, Bali is a very popular tourist destination as well! Bird-dog, hope you’re hanging in there today. I thought of you and smiled when I visited a child and her pet parrot this week. You must be so concerned for your sister. Send good thoughts so good things will happen to her there.

Bird-dog - any word from your sister? I’m sure you’ve seen this on news and Indo thread. This article gives districts involved. We need her sleuthing. Do you know where in Nepal she is? I hope she’s not in this ‘red’ zone.

Mystery disease’ claims eight lives in Dadeldhura (Nepal) At least eight people have died of an unknown disease in a single VDC in the far-western district of Dadeldhura. Several dozen people in Belapur VDC have been infected with the disease over the last two weeks, reports said. The disease has symptoms like severe headache, fever and cough. Eight deaths have so far been confirmed in the VDC. More than 500 others have been infected with the ‘mystery disease’ in Siddhapur, Sikash and Dhungadh VDCs of the same district. Proper health services are not available in these areas, reports added. No medical team has yet reached the affected areas from the District Health Office. nepalnews.com mk Oct 14 06

Hi Lisa - no, I haven’t heard back from her. I believe that she’s in Kathmandu; I’ll check a map to see if it’s in this ‘red’ zone. Thanks for the info.! I unfortunately sent her the link to porphyria from Wikipedia which states that it (P) is usually genetic. I wish that I had waited until Jan. when she returns to give her the link. That may have thrown her off. There could be many reasons that I haven’t heard back from her though. It would be great to hear how things are ‘on the ground’ re. these illnesses! I’ll certainly pass along any information that I get from her regarding them.

And Al, I have definitely been ‘sending good thoughts so good things will happen to her there’! ;-)

Bird-dog - did you see this? I’ve copied tidbits. Do you think they could draft a single parent? Ex is out of country 50% of time, he couldn’t take them. My parents need care, cannot care for them. I’ve believed for a long time that US would institute pandemic hcw draft. Do they take things like sole parent into consideration? They’d have to, wouldn’t they?

The Health Care Personnel Delivery System (HCPDS) is a standby plan developed for the Selective Service System at the request of Congress. If needed it would be used to draft health care personnel in a crisis.Begin a mass registration of male and female health care workers between the ages of 20 and 45. Provide a fair and equitable draft of doctors, nurses, medical technicians and those with certain other health care skills if, in some future emergency, the military’s existing medical capability proved insufficient and there is a shortage of volunteers.

Lisa, no, I don’t think they could ‘draft’ you or anyone else in your position. Of course I could be wrong considering how crazy the priorities of our government are these days! Maybe could could email Tom Allen and ask him. What a thing to have to worry about!!!

Good idea bird-dog. Lisa, do they draft single parents in the military? I think they do. They souldn’t, should be unacceptable. Contacting your congressman and senators would be an really good idea, also maybe putting it out there to any professional societies you belong to.

I had a generic email (for family and friends) from my sister today. Thank goodness! She says that she is finally doing well. No mention of the Dengue.

‘Today I will go out and about and since it is very clear may even see those

 snow-capped Himalaya at last!’

It must be beautiful!

Al, thanks for your efforts on my behalf. For some odd reason light did not dawn over Marblehead! While I have not read The Doctors latest book yet, or bought it, have most of what he recommended in the first, except for the prescription pain killers/diazepam, and do not think a travel clinic would script for those. When I asked about these meds of the good DR. recently on another thread he did say that the did not mention any of them in his recent info on home care because he wanted to emphazise what people can do without anything but OTC drugs, hydration ect., but that he still recommends those and some new ones in the new book. Think I will order that now. Procrastination has been he** to overcome as it has always been difficult for me to take on too many things/thoughts at the same time. Kind of get frozen in place (FIP)! Come to think of it, maybe FIP is what is preventing so many from prepping for SIP! When I first started to prep it was overwhelming, but as someone said to one of the mods? when they found out they still had not started prepping, just buy that first extra can of something. That’s what I did and it was like the dam had burst!

Now that I am about 95% there am in another lull/procrastination period and am due to bust out! Of course life has a way of intruding on our best laid out plans on occasion, or as John Lennon put it “life is what happens when we are busy making other plans” Apologies to his memory if I don’t have that quote just right.

Regards to Lisa in SM, bird-dog, bluetide. Hope all is well with you and love to all. Bird-dog, hope that some day we can meet you. Would love to meeet the “girls” and Fiona sounds like a fascinating character. Loved your affectionate “knucklehead” designation. Have always been fascinated with parrots, seems to me they counteract the oft used term “birdbrain”!! When I watch the crows in my area there seems to be a lot going on in those small minds. Also the birds have been around and are descended from a branch of the dinosaurs, have existed a lot longer than man and will probably be here when we are gone if we do not destroy their ecosystem.

NM, personally I think having several packs of Relenza and several of Tamiflu, per person, will be worth the huge hassle of obtaining them. Also, just to let you know, generic diaz is orderable online from 3rd world online pharmacies. Stick to 2 mg-raises less red flags. I had to make a car trip with a beloved canine awhile back and my vet recommended and supplied 2 mg since my four legged partner developed a morbid fear of automobiles when younger. The 2 mg helped him make the long journey in the car. So I laid in an additional supply online thereafter. I also ordered extra Clavamox (broad spectrum antibiotic) for the dog and cat as well.

Prepping for child issue has definately raised my PPF. The unavailability of flu vax from pediatricians makes me very concerned. No problems around here getting the vax from big chain stores but they don’t do children! I am over the top incensed that this country can’t handle such basic public health issues. I understand about the problems with distribution and the higher profit margin for vax manufacturers and distributors with the bigger national chains supplied but to effectively leave children out of the loop by bypassing smaller provider offices during the start of a potentially earlier flu season is really unconsionable.

Lisa, bird-dog, NM, bluetide and others-are you more nervous or less nervous following several slow news days and relative quiet? I find myself more concerned, but I wonder if that’s just my subjective anger reaction at having to jump through hoops to figure out a way to get child vaccinated for seasonal influenza.

By the way, crows are brilliant animals, supposed to be the smartest of birds, Fiona excepted. And I saw an eagle last week, what a sight, almost drove off the road.

It *would* be fun for all of us to get together. That’s a great idea!

Fiona is starting to say ‘kitty kitty kitty’ like David Letterman… so cute! If you haven’t seen ‘The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill’ or read the book, do so. It’s an amazing story.

I’m embarrassed to say that I am still feeding the outdoor birds; 3 blk. oil feeders, 3 thistle, 1 beef suet, 1 tray for mixed seed, a half gallon on the ground, and two bird baths (1 heated in the winter)- plus I feed the turkeys, deer, and fox. I know that I should back off slowly but I can’t seem to start. I just love to watch them. I’ve prepped a bit on grain but I need to cut the feeding back as they’ll be up a creek if I run out. Plus of course if the birds etc. become infected. Big dilemma!

I bought The Doctor’s new edition/book and it *is* excellent. And I bought Will’s book too, also a good prep addition plus I wanted to support a fellow ‘wikian’. I’ve decided to buy a few copies of the the Doctors’ or Wills’ books plus copy ‘wiki’ handouts and slip them in my neighbors’ mailboxes without identifying myself. I may have to just ‘go’ with the handouts depending on my finances. I’ll see.

I’m feeling a bit ‘freaked out’ right now but I do have a good list of prep chores to keep me focused. I need to make an appt. with someone(?) one of these days to talk about my heath issues. blah.

It’s a beautiful day and I need to get started and off this !#@#$ computer! Bye NM!

Oh, Hi Al!

I also got an extra order of Clavamox for my cats and I’ve managed to buy two boxes of Tamiflu and one kit of Relenza from a rx from my GP. I’m so sorry that you’re having such trouble finding the pneumovax for your child. I’d be furious too!!!

At least there’s hope that our national priorities will change soon (can’t get complacent though…). If only this virus would slow down to give us much needed time. So scary.

BTW, another great great book - ‘Ravens in Winter’!

And I meant to say “Here, kitty kitty kitty” re David Letterman. :-)

Have a great day you guys!

Al - I think I need more help on 3rd world pharmacy ordering. Possible without script? When I worked on a respiratory unit years ago, we used MScontin often to improve the depth and quality of respirations for those patients suffering various acute and chronic resp. diseases. Has the Doc ever rec’d that? I can’t buy a damn thing, including his book, for a little while so I’d appreciate any info you can give.

At BJ’s last week age cut-off for vaccines for kids was 9. Is your youngest old enough to pass visually for this age? They don’t ask for ID of any kind. Lie if you can :).

And I’ve been very tense about the quiet. Yesterday I actually had to give up any goal of productivity and accept stress-induced brain fuzz. Brought on by considering drafts, of hcw and potentially my boys, by Nepal and eery lack of data, by chic and dengue and encephalitis and misdiagnosis. Was up till 2am last night, lost in reading of Great Influenza. I am captured by the writing skills and historical knowledge of Barry. Reading did alleviate some stress, as he is great teacher and I do best with knowledge. Very unusual for me to pack anxiety this way, to question myself once decision carefully made, ie, “am I nuts? Look at all the money I’ve spent! What if I’m obsessing and not accurately distinguishing reality from obsession?”. Today, back to baseline. Not worrying about my sanity. Still feeling limbolike tension of anticipation.

Bird-dog and Al - Thanks for feedback yesterday when I was feeling impact of potential hcw draft.. Website re ‘how to avoid getting drafted’ says best technique is to not register (too late, nsg license is registered by state) and not to show up when called in for physical. Beyond that, advice is to flunk physical, which I’d do anyway if they do heart monitoring. So, I’ll talk to my NP and make sure my health chart can create speedy exemption. That is my decided upon approach.

I’ve found 2 relatively uninformative articles re Nepal. Going to see if they’re on news thread and if not will post them there. Then off to read Barry, and early bedtime tonight.

Hi NauticalMan!

I just refuse to bring myself to read the book and while I always do better with knowledge, I found that if I just kept prepping, I didn’t have to deal with the anxiety, just the concern. But I’ve been prepping for this for a long while and while I get sad and angry, my nerves still seem steady. Reading that book would send me right over the edge and I can’t risk that. I think I’ve discovered the fix, right here on this thread, curtesy of Fiona…what my insane little household of one grownup, one child, one cat and one puppy needs is a beautiful parrot intoning “kitty kitty kitty”. That would make our bliss here complete!

I’ve never heard of BJs and know that we don’t have a BJs, am not sure if there’s one anywhere within reasonable driving distance, meaning not in southern maine and not in the county. Anywhere else, we could get there. She could pass for 9 if they don’t ask. My child is deathly afraid of shots so I thought flumist might be the better way to go with her. Flumist won’t be in the few pharmacies that carry it in state until early November. I might be able to get her a private flu shot sooner, backchannel again, but I would have to bribe her with a trip to her favorite store---exploitationMart! Even so, as desperately as she wants to go back there (WM), even that wasn’t enough to motivate her and she didn’t think, if push came to shove, that she could manage it. Poor thing. I don’t think it’s worth having 4 adults holding her down to get this accomplished and we’ve been there before-it’s just too traumatizing for her. I thought we’d wait for the flumist and another day maybe try the bribery route with WM if she agreed to take the pneumovax from the pediatrician. In other words save the trauma from the shot for the pneuvax and give her one less shot to deal with with the flumist.

and yes, without scripts. I’ll be routing around for the info in the next few weeks and will pass it on to you via back channel. I need to make one last order before I’m done and can’t swing it now financially. Actually we ought to safely set up a back channel for all of us mainers (and mainers at heart)…maybe through yahoo groups or yahoo or hotmail email addresses?

back channel sounds great to me. Just tell me what to do and I’ll do it! Bjs= Portsmouth, NH. No mist there, I asked.

FYI — Maine preppers…I need to drop out for awhile. You guys take care, really. “Keep on preppin”! Thanks. :)

bird-dog - hope all is well. Take care. Hope to hear from you as soon as you’re able. Lisa

ditto, bird-dog. Hope everything is OK and if not let us know what we can do to help.

Hi All,

Not sure if you guys already know about this…

To find a flushot clinic you can get to Maxim’s site findaflushot.com and plug in your zip.

I feel I’m getting more concerned by the day. It’s not just the regular news reports from overseas but the anecdotal posts. ←not sure if that’s spelled correctly and I don’t see a spell checker here. LOL

Did anyone see the post about someone’s scientist husband that came out of some meeting with the vax specialist from Mayo. Yikes!!

NJKME, yes I saw it and it’s concerning but we already know things are concerning…did you read the thread about cutting bait? That got me concerned even more. I’m so not prepped, so much more to do. How is your stockpile coming?

Hello there Al,

Yes Dr. Woodson really “came out” didn’t he? I don’t think it’s really to plug a book do you?

In regards to prepping I ***might*** be OK with a 1918 type event but if this is as bad as I’m hearing a lot of people allude to, who are smarter and more learned than myself BTW, then I am probably screwed. I would be Ok for the short term but not for a long long term event. How do folks put away food for 2 years? and where do they get the money to do that? and of course I have 2 small children so that’s whom I’m really concerned for.

I have talked to friends about avian flu and a pandemic, I’m torn now as to whether I should start getting really pushy about it. I worry about their kids as well.

Nancy

I CAN”T FIND THE CUTTING BAIT THREAD!!!! Sorry for the yelling, but it’s driving me crazy! Why can’t I find the d*** thing! Help? Thanks! And what meeting? Who’s husband? I think I’ll have to retry tomorrow, when workday isn’t so long and brain less fried! Hope all are well.

And bird-dog - if you are checking in, remember I have 2 strong boys who can do a lot of heavy work for you if needed. It’d be good for them! They could probably do in a day what would take you or I a week. We could supervise, feet up, sipping iced tea…

Lisa,

Especially for you….

Here’s the bait thread.

http://tinyurl.com/yfczb7

I’ll go find the thread that talks about the scientist husband in meeting

be right back

Ok Here’s the other link

http://tinyurl.com/yemp2w

Scroll down to anonymouse for this post at 00:46 on October 16

Hi all, just checking in. Hope we are not all going over the edge! Reading the Doc’s latest thread and having him confirm what I already thought raised my PPF. We have been in Phase 4 since last year, and in my estimation at LEAST since May 2006 when the cluster in Karo, Indonesia hit the fan. Got my list of things I have procrastinated on right in front of me and in the next two days will bite the bullet and run up the credit card.

After reading through his recommendations and comments thought it would be a good time to make one more attempt at persuading the folks in my life. Referenced this thread, The good Doctors comments, wrote up my view and fluwiki’s info as concise as I could without getting too wordy, and sent it off to the usual suspects, maybe 35 or so. Response, zero so far. DW keeps telling me to give up but guess I am stubborn. Did end it by saying that folks are probably sick of my mentioning this over and over and promised this was the last time. Do have two friends who are prepping because of me so not a total loss. bird-dog thinking of you and your gang, best to Lisa, Al, bluetide (haven’t seen your posts lately), and NJKME. MAV in Colorado, have you made your trip to ME yet?

Yeah, Doc Woodson has a lot of courage to have put himself out there so early and keeps at it. Good role model for the rest of us in the hive. Grattan for President! At the very least he should get the Golden Hive award. Along with our mods and a few of TPTB in high places who have spoken out even if they have been stepped on because of it! IMHO of course…

NM, Be out there the 25th for a few days. I guess I missed the peak colors. Oh well, they were nice here. Hope you all got to enjoy them out there. Great info going on here lately. I’m a bit concerned about the possibility of unsettled (less prepped) if I undertake a move in the next couple months. I’ve already let a few items start to “run down” and I don’t like it at all! Some of this stuff is just soo heavy. The thought of paying the movers to move 12 months worth of dog food etc. kills me.

On a completely different note. Some of you may know that I am a strong advocate for being preppared for all threats not just BF. Part of my thinking about a possible move includes evaluating other potential “strategic” targets as well as natural threats. Just so I know what I need to be aware of if I were to move to Bangor. I have heard that there was a submarine base and I know the airport would be a potential target. I sure would appreciate any input on this that you might know about these other considerations.

 Thanks, Stay well all!

Hi guys, wow, thanks NJKME for the links to The Doctor’s and the ‘scientist’s husband’ posts and thanks(!) Lisa for your great offer. I did get MUCH done yesterday by taking that short break LOL; it’s amazing how much time I spend clicking back and forth on here, especially when I should be sleeping.

Ok, it’s 11am and I’d still like to get caught up on so many threads but…will get back later. Thanks my friends! And I *am* doing well! :-)

Oh, and I haven’t heard from my sister since my last post about her. She’s probably having a wonderful time. Hope so!

MAV, sorry I haven’t any inside info on the base. I wasn’t even aware of it. I hope your trip on the 25th is a good one!

Hello all, MAV, I agree with your “all hazards” approach, makes common sense just to have a general understanding of common potential risks. On the base issue I’m curious as well. I know there’s Loring Airforce base which I understood to be no longer active. Perhaps NJKME can confirm. Someone also told me that there are long airstrips up in Limeststone that are not used anymore. Maybe that’s Loring, again I don’t know. Brunwick area has Bath Iron Works. My gut tells me it’s not much of a target. Can anyone confirm this? There’s something in the Cutler area as well, I’m snot sure what. Bangor International Airport a target? Really hard to see how. The airport is really “little” with the emphasis on “LITTLE”. It is often used by other commercial aviation to deplane drunken unruly passengers on flights originating in the UK and Europe destined for other major airports. I know those flights using corporate aircraft to fly terror suspects involved in “rendition” flights have refueled at BIA in the past-saw some news article at the time that news was reported last year. That’s the some total of my knowledge concerning any potential risks up here.

Al- “Bangor International Airport a target?” Not sure but I had found that it was the 2nd longest runway in the US (converted USAF base?) Thanks for the input. I will keep investigating. This would be a good “side project”. I think it’s REALLY important with all that is going on in this world and the more enemies our foriegn policy creates for us every day.

Anon, I had heard that Limestone had the 2nd longest runway in the US but as I said, I do not know. Please let us know what you find out, much thanks.

Best of my knowledge MAV, there is not much in Maine for bad folks to be concerned about. Think that Loring/Limestone is the same, was a B52 base, now closed. Brunswick Naval Air Station is an anti-sub base, but is due to be closed next couple of years, they are trying to come up with alternative usages. This may be where the submarine base thing came from. No subs up there to my knowledge of things. The former Pease AFB near Portsmouth, NH closed years ago, Fort Devens in MA is closed. In fact MAV, New England has lost most of its old military bases as they have all gone south. There are few military related things left. The old Army Reseach Lab in Natick, MA is still there and maybe still an Air Guard unit down Cape Cod, but think I read that is being phased out as they move the planes elsewhere. Think that if we need air cover they will have to come from Wash., DC! As I mentioned before, the only Nuclear plant in Wiscassit, ME is closed. That pretty much leaves lobsters, blueberries, potatos, Moose and tourists! Not much of a threat to anyone, although natives might differ on the tourists!

NJKME - Oh thank you so much! That was driving me nuts! Hate to miss out on something important, esp. when the doc is concerned because I’m harboring a secret love for him! Well, I do feel quite kindly towards him for his support of pandemic education and the wiki. Anyway, thanks again. I’m looking forward to reading both threads. Lisa

OK, heard back from my friend that he heard that the 2nd longest runway in the country is indeed here in Maine and he suggested I check maine pbs since he heard it on a recent tv show on the economic life and history of different Maine communities. I’ll go check that out now. NMan, I do happen to agree with you, nothing much of anything is up here. Might be different if the LNG (liquid natural gas) proponents become sucessful in locating a port terminal up the coast near Canada. No one else wanted it, they tried to put it on Sears Island smack dab in the middle of Penobscot Bay but thankfully it didn’t happen since the Bay is really narrow and the risk is too great. The tribes are pushing for it up north. They so need econnomic opportunity up there (I wish they’d get their casinos up there). IMHO the LNG terminals would be an insane risk. Hopefully it won’t happen.

NMan, Moose really are a threat up here! Vehicle encounters with them (pretty common) are usually fatal.

Bird-dog - hope you break was restful and I’m very glad you are OK!

Al, NauticalMan, MAV - Hello! Hope you are all well. MAV - Portsmouth naval shipyard is still up and running, still active with government contracts. If targeted successfully, the chaos would likely be restricted to southern Maine and NH, and Northeastern Massachusetts. Seabrook nuclear power plant in same general area.

Hi Lisa, yes I agree, chaos would not reach up here, but eventually nuclear fallout would reach everywhere in the world. The Bangor area is hours from down there.

OK, here’s what I found: http://www.mpbn.net/hometown/limestone.html “In 1994, Limestone faced the unthinkable—the closing of Loring Air Force Base. With the recent Congressional vote in 2005 to close the Brunswick Naval Air Station, the reaction by the town of Limestone can serve as a lesson plan on how to manage such a potentially crushing economic blow.

[SNIP]

With the construction of Loring Air Force Base in the 1950’s, the town’s economic focus shifted and its population nearly quadrupled from 2,500 to 9,990. With its closure, the population has dwindled down to roughly the same size it was before the base was built. When the base closed, the town needed to address two critical factors to ensure its survival: first, the need to leverage the infrastructure left behind by the Air Force – most notably the buildings, hangars and the 2-mile-long airstrip on which B-52 bombers and C-130 transport planes once landed; and second, that investing in high-quality education for its young people would better prepare them for the economy of the future, whatever that turned out to be. The town proved to be remarkably prescient on both counts.

Soon after the base closed, the Loring Development Authority was founded. Its mission was to market the former base to businesses across America and promote the availability of Limestone’s low-cost facilities, highly educated work force, scenic beauty and idyllic small-town qualities as incentives for businesses to relocate or expand into Limestone. This strategy has so far been successful. Since 1995, over 20 businesses employing over 1,000 people have moved into the former air base.”

Hi Guys,

MAV, the colors are still fairly good in Bangor, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Well at least I think you will, we are supposed to get ~2 in. of rain tomorrow which will knock some down.

I would think the risk assessment for central Maine would be fairly low, actually anywhere in Maine for that matter. NauticalMan is right, the last set of DoD downsizing saw a lot of Maine militiary sites going. I think Senator’s Snowe and Collins went to bat for us, particularly since Collins is the Chair of the Senate Armed Services Commission (or something like that) I have to admit I don’t follow politics very much. I do know that Bangor has an air refueling wing, the “Maineiacs” they’re called. Bangor does have a really long runway, I think it could even handle a Concorde when they were flying. It’s certainly got a reputation for diversion of flights. Does anyone remember Stephen King’s “The Langoliers”.

It just occurred to me that there was another interesting poster “MadameSpinner” who’s nephew is in Indonesia. She said he has sent his wife and daughters home, that things were getting bad. Did anybody see that post?? She figures that when he gets out that means the balloons gone up. I keep looking for her posts to see if he’s left yet.

Lisa, I have a lot of respect for the doctors that are stepping forward. Doctors Jerimenko (sp??) and Woodson, also Doctor Tom “TomDVM”. He’s outed himself on here and on Reveres’ blogsite.

anonymous – at 13:56 ←ooops that was me on the “unregistered” laptop

Thanks for all the info. everyone. I know Maine to be one of the very best places in the lower 48 to live or I wouldn’t be thinking of relocating! Good to know these things the way this world is changing. Even though some of the bases may be closed down, I still consider them “potential” areas of interest to the bad guys. A big runway for example is important for many reasons and if TSHTF, could be a strategic target. (yes, I am paranoid! but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen!) :)

I don’t know about paranoid MAV. Never hurts to be careful though.

NJKME - I’d love to see a major news magazine, in print or on TV, pick a group of these docs and make them sound like the brightest of the bright, leaders of their profession, heroes…then other docs won’t feel like they’re sticking their necks way out when they’re considering stockpile prescription for a patient. If supportive prep behavior were normalized for these folks they might do it. They’d worry less about suit. And I read both threads you provided links too. The Docs one was the one I felt was too important to miss, and I loved it! Scary though, to consider 8% cfr. Thank you for that help!

NJKME – at 20:13 thanks for the update on the colors. I’ve got a day and a half of meetings in Bangor and 2 days to check out the area real estate. I keep wondering/thinking that now is a maybe not so great time to be moving. Between the potential for BF and winter coming on I’m a bit nervous. I do think Maine is a good choice for me though. I just have to plan things so that I am not caught with my pants down if things should anything happen during the week or so that the belongings are who-knows-where on a moving truck.

Hi MAV - I don’t know what to tell ya’ man. The leaves they’re ALL gone. Quite a wind and rainstorm we had. Someone else on here is moving sometime soon as well. Commonground maybe. TomDVM seemed to be reassuring her that she’d be allright if she moved before year end. Not sure what time frame you are looking at?

Hi Lisa, your idea about a news magazine, yes that would be verry interesting. It seems as if as time goes on more and more of them are coming out. Wonder who will be next?

Awwww! No colors?! Just kidding. We had a great fall color here and I managed to get out in it quite a bit. Had some snow already so it seems we are into winter now. I think BroncoBill moved from Calif.? somewhere east Virginia? maybe. I would say the time frame would be around Dec 1-Jan 31st ish.

MAV, I just heard back from another friend who is not military but interested in military things who told me Bangor airport also boasts a small base which is a re-fueling spot for military aircraft and bombers. Take with a grain of salt because he is a civilian as I said. I still think this place is as safe as it gets. Additionally, the people up here are just delightful!

Thanks Al. that is the same info I have come up with (both topics!) I just have always planned for the worst and hoped for the best. Worst case involves taking out that airport. A stategic target in worst case. I think I will eventually be further out of town. From the maps and Google Earth, north, NE looks interesting. I will have a couple days to tour around next week.

I don’t know the Bangor area and surroundings that well but I get up there regularly perhaps twice a month and I can tell you, for the purposes of a commute, that traffic north of the Bangor exits on 95 drops to nearly nothing even during peak commute times. I rarely see more than a couple of vehicles on N 95 at any given time and often the road seems empty. People often drive way over the speed limit frequently. If you have the time, check out the towns of Lincoln and Millinocket, about 40 and 55 minutes respectively, north of Bangor on 95. Quite a spectacular area, lakes everywhere and Mt Katahdyn is an awesome sight looming majestically nearby. There are also lots of moose up there.

I don’t know the Bangor area and surroundings that well but I get pretty far north of there about twice a month and I can report that, for the purposes of a commute, the traffic north of the Bangor exits on 95 drops to nearly nothing even during peak commute times. I rarely see more than a couple of vehicles on N 95 at any given time and often the road seems empty. People often drive way over the speed limit frequently. It feels like the frontier. If you have the time, check out the towns of Lincoln and Millinocket, about 40 and 55 minutes respectively, north of Bangor on 95. Quite a spectacular area, lakes everywhere and Mt Katahdyn is an awesome sight looming majestically nearby, great hunting, fishing and ice-fishing (although I don’t partake of any of it). There are also lots of moose up there.

sorry, dropped post, then added a bit, but it went through twice.

Sweet!!! I will do that. I’m just thinking a reasonable commute for me would be around 30 minutes from Bangor downtown. So that would likely be my radius. I figure hope to find some wooded acreage with a nice home within that area. Some waterfront is at the top of the want list for the realator. we’ll see…… if I find a place with a underground shelter, I will know I found a new home. haha!

Also, (just saw your post on another thread) HCWs are in high demand in the Lincoln/Millinicket area, a doc friend just turned down a super high guarantee on a position up there (wife and child didn’t want to make the move) so he stayed in Bangor. Wish I was a recruiter!

I moved here and waterfront was at the top of my list too. Oh, by the way, if you’re not born in Maine, as the saying goes, you are “from away”--but they’re nice about it!

This state weathered the great ice storm of 98 so gracefully. I hope the potential for massive chaos is less in this part of New England, it’s an innocent place, I believe.

I’ve already been told to say ayah for yes. Cracks me up. Have to check my map for the Lincoln area you mentioned. I like nice.

40 to Lincoln, 55 miles to Millinicket as the crow flies from Bangor. Might be out of my Bangor commute range. Might be worth a call to the hospital up there though. Thanks for the tip.

MAV - Great luck with your search here! Today is beautiful and should give you a spectacular view of the countryside, tomorrow or Saturday, not so much… I hope you find that perfect bunker! Have fun.

Either Lincoln or Millinocket would be the perfect place to ride out any disaster. Good luck and have fun in your search. Hello bird-dog, Saturday weather supposed to be less than fine?

Hi Al - I guess that the wild weather is forcasted for Saturday, not tomorrow. Hope you’re doing well!

This ‘stage 4/5′ rumor from NM and the possible decision to WAIT! until after the elections is disturbing/amazing. I hope that MAV is successful this weekend. Looks like things may change quickly --- gad, I hope not!

{Boy, I guess R.L. finally and indisputebly showed his true colors --- totally F.U.B.A.R.! …a cruel being, one of many (grrrr).}

I guess a part of me is glad that TPTB may hold off until after the election. A prior ramping up could cause a false rally-ing, and that would be disasterous imo. Definitely mixed feelings here!

RL is a crackpot. By the way, what does fubar mean? I’ve seen it on a tee shirt recently.

A military acronym that means “f’ed up beyond all recognition”.

Also the title of the light/humorous hc book by Sam Seder and Stephen Sherrill: ‘F*U*B*A*R America’s Right-Wing Nightmare’.

Long thread closed and continued at Maine Preppers IV

Hi all, upside is my new log rack from Beans came, now to assemble, add that extra wood to garage. Also more lamp oil from Lehmans, they are very good with service. Have not been here much lately, lot of family stuff going on, my Mom had a rough week in the nursing home, but seems to be pulling out of it ok.

Oh, also got my Panasonic bread machine, notice though that all the recipes seem to use butter and powdered milk and we are slightly and extremely lactose intolerant, maybe some type of good margarine or oil instead for the fat and liquid soymilk could be used instead, will experiment.. Do they make powdered lactose milk? Another thing to research! Still waiting for more cans of butane for my little stove and The Doctors newest book… Good luck MAV, enjoy your visit. Best to Lisa, bird-dog, Al, Fiona and all the little critters!