Well, I just got my latest shipment in of canned butter. As I put that last beautiful yellow, red and gold can on the shelf, I stepped back, I bent my arm, clenched my first, gave a quick jab into the air as I whispered loudly “YES!!!”.
I then heard a small soft voice from the other side of the basement, “Dad! You are soooo weird!!!!
Oh well. 8-D
I get that look … you know the one I mean … every time the older two see what I’m having them lug in from the latest prep safari. LOL!
Kathy in FL – at 18:36
But do you get “preppers high”? Surely it’s not just me. Is it? …(he asked as he keeps hitting the page reload icon)…
Yeah … that uber satisfied response to doing something you know is right. LOL!
I get that every time I MAKE the time to can some additional meat. Every time I add another 50 pounds of staple products to the preps.
Ahh, weirding your kids out, nothing is sweeter. I swear it’s good for them. I mean, how will they develop into fully independent people if they don’t realize at some point that you’re just a little weird. And there is the added benefit that they’ll learn to appreciate weirdness — that you can be weird and still be a great person. They certainly aren’t going to learn that if they go to schools like the ones I went to, where weird = outcast. You don’t have to be “normal.” In fact, I might argue that it might be more interesting not being normal, except that I have no hard data to back that up.
And yeah, I get the prepper’s high. When my powdered eggs arrived from Honeyville, I put on my favorite Los Lobos CD and danced as I tucked them away. . . . Weird.
yea know just what ya mean, I just put away another 10 bars of bath soap to go with 40 that are already in there, and I just put away another 5 big boxes of kleenex , and I now officially have 50 bottles of dawn dish soap, and seems like the more I put away the more it sorta tickles. I laugh to myself and say , girl ya gotta get a life, yup, then I throw two more bottles of Lysol in the cart. it ain’t never gonna end. and I do know for a fact that we, us, the flu wiki people are different in our own way, yea I get the high too. one of these days we’re all gonna hafta be tethered like baloons or we’ll float off. LOLOLOLOL but it’s all GOOD……YEAAAAAAAA
gardner – at 18:49 And yeah, I get the prepper’s high. When my powdered eggs arrived from Honeyville, I put on my favorite Los Lobos CD and danced as I tucked them away. . . . Weird.
My powered eggs should be here Monday, and I was thinking alot on those lines!! I can’t wait!! 510 eggs. YEAH BABY!!!
JWB - Trust me, you are not alone. At least, as far as I know, a preppers high is legal;-)
Wow, I came home with a wind up lantern last night, really excited to have something other then fire hazards. I said turn off the lights and wind this baby up, DD looked at me, rolled eyes, mentioned that I was getting wierder and then ignored me. But I thought it was awesome!
That was me above anonymous – at 19:21
JWB – at 19:00. 510? That’s just what I got. 3 #10 cans. I figured I might need two at most and added a third just in case.
Well…..Today I had a “Prepper’s Low”. I am just starting to pack up the house that I’ve lived in for 10 years. We are moving 2 States away. I started packing my Preps……..my husband picked me up 45 boxes. The Moving company recommended “book boxes” for canned goods. More durable. I went through 20, and didn’t put a dent in my Preps. O.K. maybe a small dimple. I felt like I was truly disturbed, as I unloaded 5 10lb. bags of flour from my file cabinet. Not good. Not good at all. I am going to get my Preps to my new house first thing. I think I will just tell the movers, those are “books” in those boxes……..my Prepper’s low.
Commonground,
You are WAAAAY ahead of the rest of the planet!
You are only ‘disturbed’ by what you know.
Lets see a little smile….!
When the kids roll their eyes up in their heads at parents goings on, just remind them that it is in the guide on raising kids that every parent is required to embaress their kids!
For me it’s a little thrill every time I leave the store with extra “something”, an even bigger one when I go to the restaurant supply store and pick up 1/2 doz. heavy-duty plastic food storage cartons. Now if I could just find someplace to put them.
About the kids: Teenagers in particular have a need to be sceptical and cool. They are however very happy when the authorities in their lives take care of worrysome things. As a vetren Middle and High School teacher(and a step mom)I know that they don’t usually come out and say, “thanks for taking care of the crap that scares me” but they really love it. A feeling that you are taking care of the possible bad stuff may feel too childlike to express, but I have seen the consistant results of unprotected lives. Not pretty. A kid only has to FEEL vulnerable to suffer. When we do stuff to protect them they love us for it, even if we are REALLY weird! ;}
Well, coming from a childhood with painful memories of hunger, and a great distain now for Spam, you guys are cool. No one who has ever been hungry would think you’re crazy- so pat yourselves on the back- your children have never known hunger. You are doing a great job.
(As I unpack all the sale items from Superfresh…)
Kids and parents are funny. I remember when I was little, sneaking out to the garden and eating the snow peas, the cherry tomatoes, and even the sweet corn (raw, right off the stalks). I was always afraid of getting caught. Years later I told my mother about these sneaky expeditions. She said, “you were eating vegetables???! Do you know how happy I would have been if I’d known you were eating vegetables?”
gardner – at 19:24
More proof that like minds think alike! At the last second, I kicked it up one more can. I figured that will be a welcome gift to someone in the neighborhood.
Kenpofemme – at 20:33
I don’t have any teenage kids, (that I know of ;-) ). Thank’s for the input. 8-D I do have a 9 yr old ,going on 19.
What a great thread! I laughed and laughed, which is not what I usually do on the wiki. What fun and yes! I too feel great when I bring home another item or two or 6 on the list. It’s really great. Ahhh what the simple pleasures have come to. And BTW, in my public life I play a drug and alcohol couselor and yes, this high IS legal and much less devistating than some can be……a high is still a high and most will tell you that they do drugs because it is just plain ole fun….sor of like the fun we are having….NOT! Thank you for the lightness I have felt here.
The “sneak” means a “peak”!
LOL, guess I have wierd kids. Daughter #2 was watching me stash jelly (we hit the store just as they were marking an entire shelf down to 54 cents/jar for clearance ~ yay!!) and said, “Wow, Mom, that’s so cool….now we have a library at home (bookshelves on every wall) AND a grocery store!” lol
And daughter #1 turned off all the lights the night I got the Brinkmann lantern to see if she could do her history project by its light (she could). All four have been warned off the crank radio, too, because they were so fascinated….guess I am raising the next generation of preppers. ;o)
Petticoat Junction – at 22:29 AND a grocery store!”
That is so funny! My daughter said the same thing last week when she walked into our storage room, “ Wow, we have our own store! Where’s the candy?”
Feather Pillow – at 21:53 You are a witness to more than I could ever imagine. You are no doubt someone who will pull many through. Thanks. I’m glad this thread put a smile on your face.
I have been at this for nearly a year and I still go down to the basement just to look at what I have on the shelves. When I first started prepping I had a few extra cans of soup, some crackers and an extra jar of peanut butter. I would look at what I had every night and rejoice as it slowly grew. Every time I walk past my water tank I give it a pat and feel reassured. I still feel a sense of accomplishment when I fill up another 2 liter soda bottle with tap water. It’s a good thing and I know that my granddaughter feels safer because she knows I am looking out for her.
FYI: One Honeyville egg serving is significantly less than a Hillbilly Bill egg serving. YMMV.
I want to thank Eccles for motivating me to take my WeatherRadio out of its package and wind it up - it is sooo good! (ok, the proper winding is really tiring, but my shoulder injury is much improved, so I could.) The 5-leds with-magnifying-lens flashlight is bright enough to read by, I found my nearest weather channel (and never had a weather alert radio before!:-)) need to check for cell phone charging compatibility, and find a headphone around the house that can go with it, but it is nifty (and would make a fantastic holiday present, especially if Eccles hints on care and feeding were printed out and sent with it). It is so handy. (Now it deserves some sort of weatherproof holster…)
Now if there were only a time-lock-release chocolate storage system…
A time release for chocolate storage is set by the owner. I always set mine at Now. A chocolate storage system lock-release needs to be set up with the alert radio. It will only open after the alert for SIP has gone out over the airwaves. Do you suppose Eccles can wire that up for us? I agree with Hillbilly Bill. My PPF goes down everytime I look at how much is on the shelf. Of course it goes up when I read the news, but there is comfort in being as prepared as I can be today. But about tomorrow .. gotta go to the store. And everytime I look at my treadle singer, I smile. I love my Elna computerized sewing machine, but emotional health security is that treadle machine. And my brand new shiny beautiful Black Berkey.
I often “inventory” my storage areas… because the truth is I love to just stand and review what is there. It is a quiet pleasure to know that I have “capacity” to roll with the punches if needed. And the child in me that fears hunger and want… is soothed.
mj – at 09:52
A time release for chocolate storage is set by the owner.
My schedule for eating any and all available chocolate is always immediately or sooner. ;-)
The closes thing to a time release for chocolate that I have found is Betty Crocker Chocolate Cake Mix. It takes time to make it.
My 22-yo daughter rolls her eyes at the preps now and then, but she’s actually glad Mom’s takin’ care of things and prepping for her too so she doesn’t have to think about it. Aahhh, the carefree days of youth…
I think we’re all setting a good example for our kids. They could encounter similar threats later in life and if we happen to not be around, maybe they’ll remember us prepping and do the same for their family. Heck, they might even choose to live a prepping lifestyle.
Today I went to a second appointment with my “new” internist. Screwed up my courage and won scripts of my medications for a year. Tamiflu and a head nod agreement that when BF presented itself in a more “concrete” manner ie HERE IN USA!! She would give agressive antibiodicts for bacterial infections after flu.
I am excited.
Okay I admit it.Today when I put into my pantry closet the newest batch of canned goods and realized that it was practically full to exploding,It was like,cough cough,Good Sh!t man…..
Time to buy another storage pantry? ;-)
You guys are soooo funny! I was on cloud 9 yesterday because our generator is all hooked up and ready to go! It feels great to know we’ll be able to pump water and keep thefridge/freezer going. Who knew?
The UPS guy at my office hates me.
Should I give him a case of canned butter for Christmas as a present ?
LOL
Perp nirvana is when your elementary aged kid grabs the freeze dry catalog and starts marking their favorite fruits for the next purchase.
YES !!!!!!
Prep Nirvana is when your teenage son, (aka the Mobile Preps Destroyer) leaves a note on the grocery store list that’s attached to the fridge saying he opened the last case of the Amy’s Kitchen Lentil soup, and we should get a couple of cases next time we order so that he doesn’t have to revert to canibalism when we “go into zombie attack mode”
I got a ‘prep high’ when, this week, I was able to complete a nice size roofing patch after a Katrina-weakened tree fell onto the house I vacated last year. I DID go buy a square of shingles that matched better than the ones I had on hand. Otherwise, I had everything I needed to repair three rafters, sheathing, felt, etc.
I’ve replaced a few supplies that got low, and I’m ready again.
It wasn’t fun, and it used up a week of vacation, but there was a large ‘satisfaction high’.
Feather Pillow – at 21:53 My friend of 30 years (college freshman roommate) is also a private counselor for drug abuse in adolescents (& some other things, I think she branched out). I mentioned to her in May (when my 22 year old cat died) to do this prepping thing & brought it up again in Sept. (when my 10 year old cat died) and she hadn’t done anything. This time, because we were already talking about death of my cat family the last 2 times we’d gotten together, I told her she’d better do something because he mother was a nurse in the Navy & even though she’s elderly now, she would be busy trying to help somebody who was sick & my friend needed to have some kind of a plan to either figure out how to stop her mom, or how to help her mom!
So I guess my ‘high’ for this week was when we decided to meet for lunch Monday & I sent her fluwikie links to literature she could put in her office for clients, etc. and she emailed me and said she’d read it and thanked me.
Feather Pillow 21:53
Are you sure the lightness you felt wasn’t something else…did you enjoy San Diego?
no name…..Oh so true. I’ve never felt so high and it just keeps getting better and better. San Diego was perfect of course. I am so blessed to be right on track, not too much one way or the other, but it feels just right as Goldilocks put so well. Yesterday we got a post hole digger on sale (to bury buckets if the need arises), and then it was off to the orchard for another bushel of wonderful (they taste like butter) golden delicious apples to dehydrate. My whole lifestyle has changed….much more stable, less chaos, and more healthy. This is great! on so many levels.
I’m Workin’ on it: I’m so glad your friend is listening. When one tries to approach this issue it seems so hard because it is vital, and yet we often feel that we are being percieved as looney. I have shared a little with my clients. They already have such major things they are dealing with and they simply cannot “hear” any more it seems. Cleanliness is an issue we are working on. I have brought in hand sanitizer and klenex and am encouraging the liberal uses of both. The population I work with is not very healthy. Now when anyone sneezes, though, in stead of saying “bless you” they all say “bird flu” and giggle, but hey, small steps. Have a great lunch on Monday and it sounds like your friend is ready to hear what you have to say.
in stead of saying “bless you” they all say “bird flu” and giggle, That is too funny!!!
Feather Pillow @11:08
I heard an ad on the radio yesterday for a viral killing kleenex…kills 99.9% of all virus’.
Wow, we all need some of that!
I had a high this week-end as I participated in a professional conference in central WI…. before I left my order from Honeyville (a case each of whole eggs, strawberries and peaches) showed up!! Husband was even excited…
While I was gone I did some things just for me… that will satisfy my “inner-soul” during a prolonged SIP I went geo-caching, enjoyed the beauty of the fall foliage in SW Wisconsin against a cloudless blue sky, and foudn commradary in new friends who share my passion for teaching.
When I came home I put was putting things away from my trip and peaked into my medicine/toiletry closet which looks much like a small town pharmacy store shelves, in fact I probably have more of some items on my shelves than they would, definately felt my PPF drop a couple points and a not so small sense of accopmlishment.
Feather Pillow @ 11:08
“Bird Flu” I’m going to start using that! It might help raise awareness
My 3 #10 cans of eggs from Honeyville arrived yesterday!
Now I must be very careful that they don’t fall into the pool. The last thing I need is to have 510 eggs popping up all at once!
8-D
Last week we tried some of our prep items- a DAK ham -I get them in 3pks about 1lb each(6.99) at BJs - baked with canned pineapple, some ‘just add water’ mashed potatoes (2pks were 10/10 on sale), corn relish and steamed fresh green beans from the garden (If I keep eating them there’ll be none left to can!) It was so good. Not like regular canned ham- not as salty and seems much more like just a big hunk of ham carved off a ham roast, didn’t have that ‘pressed’ quality like some canned hams, or that nasty icky jelly stuff- just some broth. The whole meal was really good and we were pleased to realize we could actually feed ourselves well and with a lot of flavor, with our preps. So off I went to BJs on Sat and bought another 2 3pks. I’ll get more every time I go as this is something I’d like to have for a regular meal and it was just enough for the 2 of us. Over the weekend I hit brocolli for .69lb so dehydrated 5 lbs. It felt so good putting the lid on a shiney jar of pretty green bits of brocolli. Then for kicks yesterday I used the stock I’d made from the bones on the split breast (on sale .88lb last week) I’d boned out, to make soup using only my dried veggies and some dried turkey and some potatoes from stotage. It is SO good. The flavors of the dried veggies are much more intense.
So I am just tickled about my prep choices, what I can do with them and how much $ I’m saving by buying all these things on sale -except the hams- they’re always 6.99.-
It seems like a lot but really winds up to be 2.33lb and that’s actually pretty cheap.
I was always a good shopper and I really love to go grocery shopping but prepping has honed my sale-shopping skills. Now it’s become sort of a hobby to see how much I can get for my $$. And like many have said- it’s so calming to go downstairs and look at all those pretty boxes, cans and jars and vac packed things just waiting to keep us safe in our home when TSHTF
Good weekend for us-I got my sister to start stocking water for their family of 5. We also ordered canned butter for the first time, should be here this week. I find that soooo exciting!
Our 6-yo daughter doesn’t question the 100+ rolls of toilet paper in our bedroom or all the water in the basement. Good to train them early!!
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, the moment I laid eyes on her, I fell in love. Indisputably good looking, tough, when toughness is called for, the physical attraction, oh my ! I feel nothing but pride when I look at her, my 915 pressure canner. She arrived bright and early this morning, need I say more;o)
Great Thread!
I had a very productive weekend…finishing off a lot of outdoor preps before the cold weather sets in.
Time to shift back to food & water preps…am only at 60 days right now. It really gets you pumped to check stuff off your list!!
I just wanted to say “thanks” to all of you. I often laugh out loud and get a glow in my heart reading all your comments. Part of my gratitude for this thread is that i was able to say to my wife, “Hey, read this. It is a hoot.” I used to give her nightmares about what I fully expect to happen. Now I want to involve her, the wonderful woman she is, without scaring her. This thread gave me a fun way to reintroduce her to the Flu Wiki page again.
Also, I fully felt the preppers high last weekend. Haven’t had much money to prep with the last few months. Was even avioding yard sales. One called to me last Friday though. Purchased two manual rotary Fulton “corn shellers” for $25.00 Didn’t even know there was such a thing. Got a battery operated water pump, brand new for $3.00, it’s a “WaterBuster Power Pump” by Attwood Corp. Pumps 200 gals per hour on three D batteries. Also got another large bow saw for $3.00 Two metal animal traps,very cheap,yuk. Hope I never need them. Feel that way about many of my preps, very glad to have them, hope we never need them.
God bless you all. You are an inspiration and a joy.
I had a high this week-----I was cleaning in my office and found a list I made when I was getting really serious about all of this stuff. I sat down and looked at it I realized I had everything on that list and it was long, and had some real expensive things on it. Water filter, Bosh mixer, wheat grinder, 700# wheat, radio hand crank, and many cases of butter and dried food. I looked and it and it made me feel great. But alas it is time to start another list. We even have a ham radio we are playing with now. When I look at my preps I think goals are good things!!!
Today’s high: Wood all in and stacked. Oil topped off. Propane topped off. Ah.
I’ve had my high for the week. I went into Hobby Lobby, looking for those 10 pd slabs of wax…to make some Buddy Burners. The clerk was marking them UP from 9.99 to 13.99 !!
I grabbed the ones she hadn’t marked yet….plus made a deal with the manager for the slabs that were cracked, broken wrapping messed up, etc. Bottom line: I came out of there with 80 pounds for 64 dollars !
And after I get my mom moved next week, all her cardboard boxes are earmarked for more burners ! Recycle those babies !
I got a high yesterday when we went into Walmart for the first time in almost a year. By the front door where they put sale stuff out, they had those half gallon jars of Vlasic pickles. We store pickles, but the love those heavy duty big decorated jars for storing all kinds of things (once I get the smell out). I take a jar to work once in awhile with some tongs and quart ziplocks and put a sign above it saying,”take some pickles home! But I want the jar”. They get snarfed up really fast. The gallon pickle jars at Sam’s club are great too. They also had a bunch of new flavors of Chunky soup. I picked up a couple of cans then my DGI husband put 8 more in the basket. What a suprise. He only likes them once in awhile.
You guys have inspired me to get to the basement, turn all my cans and jars over and add the new stock that is still sitting in bags on the floor. Thank you.
….err, maybe I will do that later. Gotta watch the earthquake news out of Hawaii. Big one or more. Hope some of those folks are prepped!
Prepper’s high: Last week, I got all the wood in (my back is still hurting from putting the logs away) and I got the excavator 4 days for the price of 1! We managed to lay all the tubes from the (future) well to the house, fill the trenches and level the garden! See, it takes so little to keep a woman happy! And then, preppers’ down: the pilot light on the gas boiler has kept playing up Saturday and Sunday, and I can’t get rid of the thing till the well/geothermal heating are installed in January. No hot water, no gas heating till the pilot light is repared, and I’m still waiting for the chimney sweeper. And this morning I was too lazy/run down to get up early to boil water on the electric cooker so I washed kitten-like in cold water, though, thankfully, was able to shower at work. Sigh.
Highs and Lows
I was anticipating a “high” with Wallyworld closing one location and opening a new supercenter. I have been checking each week for good clearance prices at the old location to find out that they only marked down items that would be discontinued at the new store…so that “high” went to a quick “low” as I had hoped to get some camping supplies at rock bottom prices.
On the other hand the new location opens Wednesday and is rumored to be as large or larger than any other supercenter in the country at 209,000 sq ft and will operate 24/7. This will allow for some late night prep runs!
I was in an antique store yesterday - always looking for non electric ways to do things…
And there is was - in all its glory…
A beautiful, old, well made and working - hand drill… complete with a backwards ratchet - the most wonderful thing in the world - I’ve been looking for one and there it was - and for only $10!!!!! Talk about a high.
Goju – at 16:52
A beautiful, old, well made and working - hand drill… complete with a backwards ratchet - the most wonderful thing in the world - I’ve been looking for one and there it was - and for only $10!!!!! Talk about a high.
I’ve got one too. They are great and work really well.
I bet several years ago you would have thought that sometime that simple wasn’t worth the time to even think about.
8-D
sometime = something
At 9:15 pm on this date I finally filled my last canning jar with pumpkin, what a high for our family we have canned hunderds of wonderful fresh foods this year alot of which we have grown.It was a proud moment. We have canned to share with others if it is needed.
Michigan Mom – at 22:48
Hundreds?
Wow.
We have canned to share with others if it is needed.
That must be one hell of a preppers high. I admire that. I know how much work is involved in canning. My parents were actually child slave operators. 8-D
Preppers high:
I just picked up 2 keroseen heaters in working condition for FREE! They were offered on Craigslist.com under the free section. For those who don’t know, just google your city and craigslist and check it out. I now have collected 3 kero heaters, and can give a couple away to someone who might otherwise freeze here in the metro area.
Michigan Mom at 22:48
Could you please share your canning process for the pumpkins, I’d love to try it, but it’s not in the Ball blue book.
Mahalo
JWB@23:07 Yeah it is alot of work, thanks for the appreciation. I have canned stuff in my china cabinet it’s more important than china. I’m running out of places to put it. If you really want to be IMPRESSED catch up with Malichi on Michigan prep, there is a lady with a mission.
Hawn Kid I’m more than happy to share: Pumpkin, wash; remove seeds. Peel and cut up. Steam until tender. Put through a food mill.Heat through; stir to prevent sticking. Pack hot, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Add NO salt or liquid. Adjuct lids; process at 10 pds. pressure 65min. pts. 85 min. qts. Watch the Michigan Prep for a recipe from Malichi for pumpkin butter- sounds like heaven. Enjoy
Analyst4mkts – at 15:41
Interesting, the Walmart in my area is also closing down and the new Super Wally World is opening Wednesday.
Minneapolis Mom – at 00:07 AMAZING find! Good for you!
HB—same here they are closing old stores and building new stores. They took down our old store and are building a Sam’s YEA------ now I have to drive about 10 miles to Sam’s. Can’t wait
Friday night the temps got down to 32, which is cold in East TN. The heater did not come on, so I got up and turned on the brand new propane heaters. I had a stand alone 500 gallon propane tank with wall mounted heaters in the bedrooms installed this summer. What a great feeling to have instant heat and be prepared for even small/short duration emergencies, like the heater not working on those cold winter nights.
Did some log splitting this weekend with my new Manual 10-ton log splitter. No heart attacks for me. Works beautifully and uses no fuel.
Hillbilly Bill – at 10:00
It is common for Wallyworld to syncronise openings. In the past they used to have all openings on the first day of their fiscal year so that there annual numbers were easier to compare.
I am going to try to visit my store mid afternoon on opening day (scary thought). Lets compare notes to see if preps are front and center for them.
I got a good one for you. Apparently I’m famous unbenounced to me. If I google my real name not a darn thing comes up. Google annoyed Max-not mad yet and all sorts of stuff pops up. Made me grin ear to ear.
I went to my local Dollar General today, and got one of each —of their canned “meat” items; ie. corned beef, shredded pork in BBQ sauce, potted meat, tuna, chicken, turkey, diced ham, Spam, Bacon Grill, etc. Then I took it all to my moms’ and we had a “taste test”….
Salt content is a factor for both of us. My mom is diabetic, and needs to prep many more sources of protein then I do…..
The Winners ?
CRIDER Diced Ham in Water/broth - Lowest salt and really, REALLY GOOD ! Corn Beef---Next lowest salt, and REALLY good ! then the tuna, Salmon, canned chicken, & Turkey.
We are placeing orders for full un-opened cases with the manager tomorrow.
Definite losers ? SPAM, Bacon Grill, Potted Meat, Shredded Pork in BBQ Sauce.
Losers were sooooo digusting, and wayyyyy too salty.
I have made it a habit to keep a sack in the car with: plastic forks, knives & spoons, foam plates-Small, baggies, can opener, cups. Then when I run across a new item at a good ? price; I’ll buy JUST ONE; take it out to the car, and do a taste test right there….then if it passes; go back into the store, and clean it out !
Madamspinner – at 03:49 THANKS good to know about thr GOOD meats!
And I never thought about doing a taste test your way before, but thar’s a great idea!
oremus: can you tell me more about your log splitter? We have a whole lotta unsplit wood.
I took my kids to burger king yesterday,we usually don’t but I was tired and needed a break.When I pulled in I saw across the parking lot a couple of boxes sitting by themselves with no cars around.When we were done I saw they were still there.I went over and saw that they were 2 cases or 16 large bottles of v8 splash drinks.I pulled thru the drive thru and asked the young man if he knew whose they were and he said no but if it was him,he would take them.I asked why he had not then done that and he said his boss said to leave them.I parked by them for a further 20 min and then I loaded them in the car.I felt a preppers high having obtained such a haul but also felt some guilt.So did I do wrong?
Michigan Mom, the Ball Blue Book says pumpkin can only be canned safely if it’s in chunks, not pureed (says the heat won’t circulate thoroughly enough in the jars if pureed).
In my opinion, it’s just safer, easier and cheaper to buy the pumpkin already canned at the store.
Northstar – at 10:34
I got mine from Harbor Freight. Online sale of 99.99 (I wish they’d just say 100). I didn’t want to pay shipping since it weighs over 100 pounds so I checked the website if there was a local store in my area. There was, so I called and asked if they had it in stock. They didn’t have splitter 1 but they did have splitter 2 (I think the only difference is color).
The store price was 120 (119.99) but they gave me the online sale price if I would print it out and bring it in. The one I unpacked was red (I think it would be splitter 1), I did not check the item number on the box. I will check next time I’m out at the lake.
One thing I found out, it has trouble splitting short logs as the piston only extends so far. I over came this by putting some short pieces of wood between the piston and log. Since the wood boards extended past the log holding tines, I bent one of them by pressing the bords into them. I just need to watch for that or use a piece for extension that doesn’t extend past the tines.
oremus, thanks so much for putting that up for me. Does your red one handle logs that are larger than 6″ diameter as is the limit for the yellow one? We have a lot of wood that is quite literally tree trunk.
Kim The canned pumpkin recipe came straight fromthe Ball Blue Book!
Thinking on it, the one I got had a black metal base, the hydraulic section was red, so I’m not sure which one I actually got. Probably splitter 2 since that is the one they said they had in stock when I called. I split logs 9 inches with no problem, though they were pretty old logs. I would suspect it could handle wood of 14 inches or so, Maybe you’d have to split, flip, and split again. Next time I’m at the lake, I’ll try something really big.
Michigan Mom, guess I stand corrected. Mine says only can pumpkin in chunks, and last year when I got a wild hair and decided to try canning pumpkin almost every recipe I found said to only can it in chunks. Oh well, live and learn!
anon this one – at 11:11 you know, you can look at that a number of ways, as I’m sure you realize, but bottom line, if someone has driven off and left them then they probably had a car full of stuff or had another problem like a flat that would keep them tied up with tending to that and they might never have come back, figuring the stuff was gone. If it was me, and I DID realize I’d left them, and I DID go back and find them gone, I’d just tell myself that I hope someone is at least enjoying them and they didn’t go to waste — I’d consider it ‘sowing good seed’ as the Bible describes. Now someone could be upset and go ask the manager, who could have gotten your tag number since you sat there so long, but then what are they going to do — hunt you down? Even if they did, you would most likely just reimburse them for the drinks that you might have used between the time you picked them up and the time someone goes to all the trouble of hunting you down to get them back………….
In other words, it’s highly unlikely, no matter what the circumstances, someone would most likely write the loss off.
Now one other thing to consider, if any of them were opened, someone might have hidden a diamond ring in the bottle, like the things Unclaimed Baggage lists as ‘Buried Treasure’ on their websites where people find money in soap-on-a-rope or stuff like that, so drink carefully! :-)
Keep and enjoy!
anon 11:11
No worries, no guilt. You informed management then waited…20 more minutes…you are free and clear in my mind.
If there are any seals broken, I would throw it out. A treasure could become a terror.
Developed a roof leak last spring and got a patch and an estimate for a new one. Was scrimping and saving to put a new roof up AND try to prep when the city inspected and said I needed to do some tuckpointing and painting (as if I didn’t know). So I had to break down and get a loan. Now this isn’t an easy thing for me - I was 2 years from being ‘in the clear’: No mortgage, no credit card, no loans, no NOTHING. But it was the only way to tackle all the upcoming expenses. Got a great deal (lowww payments) through my state VA and have enough to feel, well, a bit more comfortable. I’ve always advised against going into debt on spec, and I wouldn’t have, but damn! I sure feel a whole lot better now than I did a couple months ago. On another matter, my ex-husband (still friends) bought a place in the country. So I was pretty excited - maybe have a country SIP to head out to with supplies! Then found out it was a MOTEL he bought! >sigh< Think it’ll be commandeered as a hospital? (Can’t win for losin’…)
Wolf – at 20:33 Glad you got the finances under control so well…the loan will be easy for you to handle if you’ve already done that well with your overall debt. Way to go!
Glad it’s give you some peace of mind too.
Maybe the country motel won’t turn into a Norman Bates type property!
Peace of mind? I gotta admit, that the arrival in our home of a good firearm (can’t say g*n) does help. One of my nightmares is to be helpless to defend my family from desparate people. Don’t ever want to go there of course… but better to be prepared.
I’m-workin’-on-it – at 22:46 Thanks. I am sleeping better. My previous post poofed - thanks goodness! Unloaded 5 cartons of stuff and being really tired doesn’t make for good spelling, grammar or coherent posting. Back to lurking!
Wolf – at 23:12 Might be a long winter.
But hopefully you’ll be warm, dry, and secure then due to your efforts now! That’s GOOD thing!
Anon for now – at 23:16
Good for you and your family. Now be damn sure you get the proper training for it. And keep it safely stored.
Who’s going to train you with it?
yeah I know what you mean Max. Only I find myelf on the net when I google various things, not by my name, but there I am from various places. and postings. The internet swallows everything and it is regurgitated endlessly. Under our aliases we survive on the internet.
I’ve got butter!! And I’ve got cheese!! Been on my list a looooooong time and felt I could never get them, and now I do. Yea!!! Arrived beautifully packaged in static cling peanuts and I’m grinning. What a luxury this will be. I am so fortunate - butter, cheese, berky and I found canned turkey and canned pork last week at Wally world. Life is truly good.
Yes, it is mj, glad you’re happy!
I stopped in at Save-A-Lot today and found 1 pound bags of carrots for a DIME !!! Got 15 bags, 8 pds of celery, 12 of onions, and 8 of potatoes to can together.
Got my seasonal flu jab an hour ago and… yipeeee….. I managed to convince the doc to give me a prescription for the pneumovax… If you knew how difficult this is to achieve here, you’d understand my big beaming smile despite feeling faint and nauseous from this morning’s shot!
Yippie!!!!Just scored a big berkey with extra filters used twice for camping for 100.00 and a carhart coat and coveralls on freecycle.Feelin the high!!!!
will close due to Forum speed. Restart a new thread if needed.