Day 11

Electricity

In this area, I am completely unprepared. If we loose power, I have a generator for short term. Long enough to can up what is in the freezer, I hope. But other then that, we will be out for the count. Even now that it is almost the end of September…almost 6pm… it is getting dark. I do feel like I could go to sleep, but could I sleep till the sun comes back up? Nope! So what to do with no power?

The fridge would become a storage area in the summer. In the winter we might be able to use it like the old ice chests. I do have several clocks that run on batteries, so we would know what time it is for a few months till they died. I have one old mantle clock that needs some work, but will keep time once it is up and running. No television, no washer, no microwave, no computer, no freezer, no fridge, no cell phones, no house phone ( voip ), no radio.

What we do have is a ton of board games, puzzles and cards. We have books and crafts ( sewing, crocheting, knitting, tatting ). Not to mention the work that will need to be done. With no appliances, the work  load will have at least doubled. Laundry will take longer, cooking (for those that don’t cook from scratch now) will take longer, finding food will take longer ( no grocery stores ), heating and cooking will take longer ( gathering wood & starting a fire ). Plus, now candles need to made as does soap and other cleaning product. Clothes need to be fixed, altered or made.

For the people that do most of this everyday, I don’t think that it is going to make much difference to them.

The radio is something that I feel will be a real loss to us. Everyone in the family is very into music. So maybe I need to look into some type of small solar unit so that we can still have music.

Need to Do or Get

1. Get mantle clock fixed
2. Look into more games
3. Get a solar panel to electricity for the day time radio use.
4. Get belt  or two for the treadle sewing machine

Yart

Day 10

Lights

This is another area where we are good. I could not make it indefinitely, but I could make it a year, hopefully. I have a lot of tapers, jars and 11 oil lamps. Not to mention all the votive and tea lights. I have the supplies to make a few more candles but nothing of any significance.  I also have a couple gallons of lamp oil and a couple gallons of olive oil ( more for cooking, but I still have it. ) Wendy Brown talks about making and using tallow candles. These are candles that are made with animal fat. At our living history museum, they have a tin smith. He makes candle boxes for tallow candles. The box has a lid and a latch. Now your thinking why do I have to lock the box….? Well, he explained that it is because critters will want to eat your animal fat candles. So if your going to make them keep them in a safe place. The reason I went with tallow before bees wax is because tallow should be easier to find unless you have bees already.

If you have bees or can get wax, ie; neighbor, friend, family, then you can make candles with the wax.

But whatever way you make them you will still need to have wicks. These are cheap and won’t take up much space in your box of supplies. You can dip or pour.

Need to Do or Get

1. Get more wicks
2. See about purchasing wax in bulk. 5 or 10 pounds
   See about getting bees

Yart

Day 9

Laundry

This I can say that I am pretty good on. I have a line outside and lines strung up in the basement. I haven’t had a dryer since we moved in here, that was almost 11 years ago. ( I have an electric dryer and a gas line. Never got around to either getting a gas dryer or putting in an electric line. ) I have a wash board and I have a mop bucket to wring the clothes out. Now I haven’t had to use either of these items as I still have use of my washer. I have them none the less if the need arises.

As for laundry soap, I have what I use normally about a 2 month supply. Then I have the washing soda, borax and fels naphta. That should last me another year. ( I have made before, so am use to using it. ) Then I also know the how to’s of making lye and using animal fat to make real lye soap. This I have never done but I do understand the principles behind it. So hoping that I should be fine for washing clothes!

Need to Do or Get

1. Learn to make lye
2. Learn to make soap with said lye

Yart

Day 8

Livestock

Well, Lets see I can’t have chickens or goats. What I am allowed to have is bunnies. We only have 1 buck right now. We are still working up the gumption to raise them. The raising part doesn’t bother me but the harvesting does. I know I need to get over it. It is a meat source that my family would be grateful for when the stores are closed. Alas, I am squeamish. Yep, big baby here. My biggest fear is that I couldn’t do it quickly and the animal would suffer…. and haunt me forever. I need to find someone that would let me watch them do it. Reading in a book or even watching it on you tube, just doesn’t seem to do it for me. To be able to ask questions and see the answers would suit me fine. I think that once it is dead I could process with no problems. So at least with that part I’m ok. Plus, the skins could be tanned and used in a great many applications.

I don’t see our city changing the ordinances any time soon considering that we now have a rodent problem in my area. But I may see if they will let me have bees. I’m not sure why they won’t but I’m sure I will find out soon enough.

Need to Do or Get

1. Look into getting 2 does
2. Find plans to build a hutch
3. Get all the supplies for the does
4. Just do it
5. Go to the city and see if I can get bees.

Yart

Day 7

Growing Food

I know some of you out there are saying I have a black thumb. Or my association won’t let me have a garden. Well, did you know that there are several varieties of plants that you can grow in pots or even hide in among you perennials. Now is the time to see what you are able to do.  I consider myself to be the half-a$$ed gardener.  So I am not the best one for advice. But there are a ton of books on the subject and you could always contact your local extension office.

I have had a garden for the last 3 years. We will be revamping it this coming year. (If only I had more land). The area that I use to garden is on the south side of the house. It is in full sun all day and had no air circulation. With that being said I still get a great many things out of the garden. One of them being experience. The first year I did as the book said and had 16 tomato plants in each of the boxes. Then went down to 12. This year I did 9 per box and they were doing so good. ( See experience) I think I would have gotten at least 2 bushels. ( Had some problems with critters this year ).  I have a dwarf 5 in 1 apple tree in the ground and a dwarf 4 in 1 pear in a pot.  I now have 5 blueberry bushes growing in tires and two grape vines. Plus I have a bunch of mints, chives and sage all in pots. I also have Echinacea and lavender in the ground. I had raspberry’s but I dug them all up and put them at my mom’s house. I am also looking into hazelnuts or a walnut tree.

My best piece of advice here is to try, try and try again. Just because it doesn’t work this year doesn’t mean it won’t work the next. See what grows well in your neck of the woods and give it a try!

Need to Do or Get

1. Get more Heirloom seeds
2. Look into a nut tree / shrub
3. Get lumber to re-do garden
4. Try and find a 4 in 1 cherry tree
5. Look into window farming for winter greens

Yart

Day 6

Food – Long term storage

Metal cans only have a shelf life of about 2 years. Home canned goods could be good for up to 4 years ( with a decrease in nutrients ). But when your hungry, you will eat whatever is available. Doesn’t that just sound yummy! So what are you going to do so that you can eat something edible.

First your going to see what you have available locally and learn how to preserve it.

Can It

Dry It

Freeze It

Ferment It

Pickle It

Sprout It

Store It

Jerk It

Salt It

Smoke It

Grind It

I’m not going to go into a ton of detail on these things. I have been learning over the last few years how to do many of the above. Sometimes I have success other times not so much. I have the luxury of failing right now. My life and the lives of my family don’t rely on me getting it right all the time. But if the time comes when we have no other choice then I am confident in my ability to keep them feed for the long term.

Need to Do or Get

1. Get more canning jars… Can one ever have enough
2. Buy Tattler Lids ( lots of them )
3. Buy more disposable lids
4. Learn how to make pectin
5. Get more salt 
6. Get more seeds for sprouting
7. Buy a bolt of muslin ( for making bags to hang meat ).
8. Get several more crocks

Yart

Practical Magic

Welcome Movie goers… I hope that you have enjoyed all that you have seen so far!

At this stop along the film I would like to share with you just one of my favorite scenes of the movie… Trust me it was very difficult to choose just one but here it is!

Favorite scene

Now that you have watched the scene… Here is a little recipe for you to take on your way to the next stop in the film!

In Blender With Ice add

1 oz Tequila Premium

1/2 oz Hiram Walker Blue Curacao

1 1/2 oz Sweet/Sour Mix

Blend and Strain

Garnish: Lime Slice

But if traditional is more your speed then try this recipe….

1 1/2 oz tequila

1/2 oz premium triple sec (preferably Cointreau)

1 oz lime juice

Rum the rim of a cocktail glass with lime juice, and dip in salt. Shake all ingredients with ice, strain into the glass, and serve.

Read more: Margarita Cocktail recipe http://www.drinksmixer.com/drink5260.html#ixzz1YY6Kp0Sx

 

Remember don’t drink and fly…. and please make sure you have your umbrella in case you decide to jump!

Yart