Comments on: Lack http://thetexasring.com/2010/06/30/lack/ Common Sense In A Ridiculous World Thu, 17 May 2012 21:35:14 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Lynne http://thetexasring.com/2010/06/30/lack/comment-page-1/#comment-1186 Lynne Tue, 06 Jul 2010 21:28:30 +0000 http://thetexasring.com/?p=314#comment-1186 I know it sounds odd but I'm enjoying learning and doing stuff the old way and being as independent as possible. I don't think I would have ever thought of roasting my own coffee, making jerky, beer or smoking my own meats. I think prepping has been good for me mentally as well. Instead of feeling like a victim. I have projects lined up for the rest of the year. From doing more food preservation to making my own beers and wines and my own cleaning products. James I don't know if it will help but it takes me at least a couple of tries on anything new I am learning. I tend to make just about every mistake in the book and invent a few of my own until I get the "feel" of the process. That's why I practice so much now, I need to get those mistakes out of the way. :) I know it sounds odd but I’m enjoying learning and doing stuff the old way and being as independent as possible. I don’t think I would have ever thought of roasting my own coffee, making jerky, beer or smoking my own meats. I think prepping has been good for me mentally as well. Instead of feeling like a victim. I have projects lined up for the rest of the year. From doing more food preservation to making my own beers and wines and my own cleaning products.
James I don’t know if it will help but it takes me at least a couple of tries on anything new I am learning. I tend to make just about every mistake in the book and invent a few of my own until I get the “feel” of the process. That’s why I practice so much now, I need to get those mistakes out of the way. :)

]]> By: James the Wanderer http://thetexasring.com/2010/06/30/lack/comment-page-1/#comment-1185 James the Wanderer Tue, 06 Jul 2010 19:56:28 +0000 http://thetexasring.com/?p=314#comment-1185 Hey Cheri! Ever read _Farnham's Freehold_ by Robert Heinlein? "You tear or damage a book, and I'll bind that book in human hide!" or similar. I feel much the same way = Kindle and Nook are nice, but books don't need batteries or Internet to function. Lynne, I don't think any of us really like what comes out, since we see the pimples and warts when others see the smiles and dimples. Keep it up anyway - if no one read what I write, I'd be annoyed, but not diminished - just lonely. I do like Kurt's ideas on video - that could be a treasure for generations! Cheers! james Hey Cheri!
Ever read _Farnham’s Freehold_ by Robert Heinlein? “You tear or damage a book, and I’ll bind that book in human hide!” or similar. I feel much the same way = Kindle and Nook are nice, but books don’t need batteries or Internet to function.
Lynne, I don’t think any of us really like what comes out, since we see the pimples and warts when others see the smiles and dimples. Keep it up anyway – if no one read what I write, I’d be annoyed, but not diminished – just lonely.
I do like Kurt’s ideas on video – that could be a treasure for generations!
Cheers!
james

]]> By: Lynne http://thetexasring.com/2010/06/30/lack/comment-page-1/#comment-1173 Lynne Tue, 06 Jul 2010 03:21:30 +0000 http://thetexasring.com/?p=314#comment-1173 Well I'll keep working on it. It's something I can practice on and I always enjoy the writing process. It's just when I'm done I'm not always pleased with the finished product. :) Well I’ll keep working on it. It’s something I can practice on and I always enjoy the writing process. It’s just when I’m done I’m not always pleased with the finished product. :)

]]> By: Kurt http://thetexasring.com/2010/06/30/lack/comment-page-1/#comment-1149 Kurt Mon, 05 Jul 2010 07:01:41 +0000 http://thetexasring.com/?p=314#comment-1149 Well Lynne, maybe the thing to do is for you to tell a story. I mean that literally. Get somebody to video tape you doing what it is you need to get across, then transcribe it for you. If nothing else, the whole idea of video is getting more attractive each day as younger people don't want to read it, they want it in video format. You could tell people as a story, what you think they are likely to need, then have it available as a checklist. You could tell the story of how you pickle, and I'm sure many would love to watch, plus then they could have it transcribed by the person helping you do it. Well Lynne, maybe the thing to do is for you to tell a story. I mean that literally. Get somebody to video tape you doing what it is you need to get across, then transcribe it for you. If nothing else, the whole idea of video is getting more attractive each day as younger people don’t want to read it, they want it in video format. You could tell people as a story, what you think they are likely to need, then have it available as a checklist. You could tell the story of how you pickle, and I’m sure many would love to watch, plus then they could have it transcribed by the person helping you do it.

]]> By: Lynne http://thetexasring.com/2010/06/30/lack/comment-page-1/#comment-1107 Lynne Sun, 04 Jul 2010 05:13:24 +0000 http://thetexasring.com/?p=314#comment-1107 I do wish I was better writer. I want to tell you why I think you should prep and how to do it. But I don't express it well, or post. I'm good at check lists and stuff as add on. But not so much on stories or basics. I wish I could express all of the trials of baking my own breads. and getting good at it. Doing my own smoke, and cures. Yes it does take some practice. yes I pickle, cure and smoke. But I'm a lousy story teller. Well not so much a lousy story teller as a lousy writer. I'm working on that. I'll have to work on that. I do wish I was better writer. I want to tell you why I think you should prep and how to do it. But I don’t express it well, or post. I’m good at check lists and stuff as add on. But not so much on stories or basics.
I wish I could express all of the trials of baking my own breads. and getting good at it. Doing my own smoke, and cures. Yes it does take some practice. yes I pickle, cure and smoke. But I’m a lousy story teller. Well not so much a lousy story teller as a lousy writer. I’m working on that. I’ll have to work on that.

]]> By: Lynne http://thetexasring.com/2010/06/30/lack/comment-page-1/#comment-1099 Lynne Sat, 03 Jul 2010 23:38:14 +0000 http://thetexasring.com/?p=314#comment-1099 Linda, I forgot to ask have you used your calf's milk replacement in any recipes? Do you need to reduce the sugar content in a recipes like biscuits and stuff? It may work great for sweet breads like brioche or cinnamon rolls. I am looking to to try it out as a powder milk replacement. Do you need someone to try it out and report back? Congrats on the Kitchen counter. This is a great time to tryout some new ways of doing stuff. I have done my own sourdoughs for breads with just a little yeast to start the process. I use Active dry yeast and it can last 5 years in an air tight container stored in the freezer and a least a year in cool dry storage. I use mine pretty fast since I bake my own breads. No, it doesn't need to be warmed or bloomed. It's very forgiving if you are new to baking yeast doughs. Linda, I forgot to ask have you used your calf’s milk replacement in any recipes? Do you need to reduce the sugar content in a recipes like biscuits and stuff? It may work great for sweet breads like brioche or cinnamon rolls.
I am looking to to try it out as a powder milk replacement. Do you need someone to try it out and report back?
Congrats on the Kitchen counter.
This is a great time to tryout some new ways of doing stuff. I have done my own sourdoughs for breads with just a little yeast to start the process. I use Active dry yeast and it can last 5 years in an air tight container stored in the freezer and a least a year in cool dry storage. I use mine pretty fast since I bake my own breads. No, it doesn’t need to be warmed or bloomed. It’s very forgiving if you are new to baking yeast doughs.

]]> By: Lynne http://thetexasring.com/2010/06/30/lack/comment-page-1/#comment-1098 Lynne Sat, 03 Jul 2010 22:49:49 +0000 http://thetexasring.com/?p=314#comment-1098 @James, You are correct on the rice and beans that's why I consider them just a start on your prep. I have over 40# of pasta of different types. Lentils are a great source of protien and good for long-term storage. An herb garden is a great way to add all those flavors and sauces. Whole Spices, and Gallons of different oils and vinegars. I have over 150 # of lump charcoal for cooking/smoking not counting the 2 other propane ovens I have as well. That's the great thing about having an RV/travel trailer you have an extra oven and fridge that can run on propane. If you can keep your meat from spoiling for a day or 2 you can get to work smoking, drying and salting that meat away for the future. That's my project for this summer is preserving meats and making a modified root cellar for vegies and fruits. I hope to get a good Solar oven this year. I think that will be my last major purchace for equipment. @Cheri I think it was Kurt Saxon that had plans for raising your own catfish in a couple of 55 gallon barrels. You should be able to google it. I go to the dollar stores for those soaps, shampoos plus extra razors, generic meds and tooth brushes. I picked up a couple of Mediterranian, Mexican and Oriental cookbooks there as well, so I have new recipes for all my rice and pastas to try out. I buy a lot of my canned meats there as well. I have a some great Italian recipes to tryout with sardines, clams and smoked oysters. I get chunk chix, and ham for flavor and protien. I have been picking up Kerosene lamps on sale and at yardsales. I like the light they put out for reading/working better than just candle light. Plus I have a kerosene heater as a backup heat source. If you don't have it yet I recommend Cast Iron "Dutch Oven", a 12" cast iron frying pan and a good Wok. All of these can be used over an open fire or charcoal as well as a regular oven. @James, You are correct on the rice and beans that’s why I consider them just a start on your prep. I have over 40# of pasta of different types. Lentils are a great source of protien and good for long-term storage. An herb garden is a great way to add all those flavors and sauces. Whole Spices, and Gallons of different oils and vinegars.
I have over 150 # of lump charcoal for cooking/smoking not counting the 2 other propane ovens I have as well. That’s the great thing about having an RV/travel trailer you have an extra oven and fridge that can run on propane. If you can keep your meat from spoiling for a day or 2 you can get to work smoking, drying and salting that meat away for the future. That’s my project for this summer is preserving meats and making a modified root cellar for vegies and fruits. I hope to get a good Solar oven this year. I think that will be my last major purchace for equipment.

@Cheri I think it was Kurt Saxon that had plans for raising your own catfish in a couple of 55 gallon barrels. You should be able to google it.
I go to the dollar stores for those soaps, shampoos plus extra razors, generic meds and tooth brushes. I picked up a couple of Mediterranian, Mexican and Oriental cookbooks there as well, so I have new recipes for all my rice and pastas to try out. I buy a lot of my canned meats there as well. I have a some great Italian recipes to tryout with sardines, clams and smoked oysters. I get chunk chix, and ham for flavor and protien.
I have been picking up Kerosene lamps on sale and at yardsales. I like the light they put out for reading/working better than just candle light. Plus I have a kerosene heater as a backup heat source.

If you don’t have it yet I recommend Cast Iron “Dutch Oven”, a 12″ cast iron frying pan and a good Wok. All of these can be used over an open fire or charcoal as well as a regular oven.

]]> By: Oldmanriver http://thetexasring.com/2010/06/30/lack/comment-page-1/#comment-1097 Oldmanriver Sat, 03 Jul 2010 21:33:09 +0000 http://thetexasring.com/?p=314#comment-1097 Cheri, There are 12 books in the foxfire series. You can still get them, just google foxfire books. From how to make blackpowder to home cures for diesease they have a little bit of everything in them. Also when I graduated high school I went on a people to people trip to the Soviet Union. Some of the thngs we were supposed to bring with us for barter were perfume, make up, toilet paper, cigarrettes, condoms, feminine products. Those were the things that were in the biggest demand. I had a buddy that traded some makeup samples for a soviet ww2 officers uniform, complete with medals lol. That just shows you how valuable that kind of stuff is when you dont have it. Cheri,

There are 12 books in the foxfire series. You can still get them, just google foxfire books. From how to make blackpowder to home cures for diesease they have a little bit of everything in them.

Also when I graduated high school I went on a people to people trip to the Soviet Union. Some of the thngs we were supposed to bring with us for barter were perfume, make up, toilet paper, cigarrettes, condoms, feminine products. Those were the things that were in the biggest demand. I had a buddy that traded some makeup samples for a soviet ww2 officers uniform, complete with medals lol. That just shows you how valuable that kind of stuff is when you dont have it.

]]> By: CheriVNB http://thetexasring.com/2010/06/30/lack/comment-page-1/#comment-1086 CheriVNB Sat, 03 Jul 2010 02:14:15 +0000 http://thetexasring.com/?p=314#comment-1086 Love Sci-Fi. A couple of other things I have been meaning to mention on the prepping... I keep all the small sized grooming products, soaps, shampoo, lotion, etc. from hotel stays, even the kind I don't like. For instance, conditioning shampoo, I hate it but if water is scarce it will be more practical and great for barter! Don't overlook feminine hygiene products, all types, they could be used for first aid and trade if you don't need them. They may replace silver, second only to ammo, just kidding. Thought of that a month ago but failed to mention it. A book can be read by candle light and reduced solar in winter may limit computer time. My one regret is I have no trout stream on the property, can't you raise sardines in a tank? Cheri Love Sci-Fi.
A couple of other things I have been meaning to mention on the prepping…

I keep all the small sized grooming products, soaps, shampoo, lotion, etc. from hotel stays, even the kind I don’t like. For instance, conditioning shampoo, I hate it but if water is scarce it will be more practical and great for barter! Don’t overlook feminine hygiene products, all types, they could be used for first aid and trade if you don’t need them. They may replace silver, second only to ammo, just kidding. Thought of that a month ago but failed to mention it.
A book can be read by candle light and reduced solar in winter may limit computer time.
My one regret is I have no trout stream on the property, can’t you raise sardines in a tank?

Cheri

]]> By: James the Wanderer http://thetexasring.com/2010/06/30/lack/comment-page-1/#comment-1083 James the Wanderer Fri, 02 Jul 2010 21:48:11 +0000 http://thetexasring.com/?p=314#comment-1083 Comments follow an exponential growth pattern... Hey Lynne! I've only got a week or two's worth of MREs, mainly to get past the "shock and awe shucks" period of Crunch, and I've been looking at condiments lately. Rice and beans NEED some powerful sauces, or boredom sets in REAL quick. We've got a small freezer, need a generator / power source to keep it solid for a few weeks at least (don't want to eat all your meat due to a grid failure). Maybe I should look into solar, living in a desert and all... Sprouts? Tried once not-too-successfully a while back, need to try again. Growing tomatoes (well, tomato flowers at this point), Bell pepper plants, and strawberries (a couple green ones so far); forgot to plant carrots, could probably get in a late crop. Have charcoal barbecue grill and charcoal, can grill. Dead limb that fell out of backyard tree, unexpected bonus (missed the storage shed by inches, took me and two teen children to pull out of the way and start chopping up). More and more... Texas Lady, this is fun; I've been published before (and even got paid for it!), but I figure this is so rewarding I can skip the paycheck (although, now, if you want to offer....) Please continue flattery as time permits(;-)> . If I'm being chased by bikers, it's because they mistook me for someone else - I (briefly) commuted on a Yamaha XJ-550 when I lived in Bakersfield. And if I did show up, I'd have to move on - unless there's some available land to buy and build on. I might drop by on the way to my ancestral home in Daingerfield (up by Shreveport, still in my dad's capable hands); if it comes to TEOTWAWKI, I'd have no mortgage payment, but the old house probably needs six months of repairs just to be liveable. Life just isn't convenient sometimes. YES, Louis L'Amour, several other Western and outdoor writers ... by candlelight if necessary! Glad you're getting a kick out of these, literate people write well is seems. Hey CheriVNB! Yes, libraries ... with textbooks, technical references, dictionaries, math books, how-to books, Sci-Fi and even romances for those who like them. Private lending libraries may be a way to earn some easy cash, after the collapse. How much would you pay to read a book that describes how to make glass? Steel? Braze aluminum? I've done stained glass work, copper-pipe plumbing and 110V electrical wiring, for starters. Talents, skills and knowledge - how we'll Rebuild the Republic! But I bet I can generate enough 110V from solar, wind and hydro to keep a computer running for hours at a time - with the software that lets me design piping systems for pressure drop, and other "engineering" software I can find for not-too-much money. How much would you pay for a bridge across that gulley on your property that will hold up under your tractor? Or your own hydro power dam on that trout stream? My own little Fluor / Brown & Root / Jacobs Engineering Company side job.... Back to your regularly scheduled reality now. Two inches of journal articles I need to read & digest by Monday or so. Sigh. Comments follow an exponential growth pattern…
Hey Lynne! I’ve only got a week or two’s worth of MREs, mainly to get past the “shock and awe shucks” period of Crunch, and I’ve been looking at condiments lately. Rice and beans NEED some powerful sauces, or boredom sets in REAL quick. We’ve got a small freezer, need a generator / power source to keep it solid for a few weeks at least (don’t want to eat all your meat due to a grid failure). Maybe I should look into solar, living in a desert and all…
Sprouts? Tried once not-too-successfully a while back, need to try again. Growing tomatoes (well, tomato flowers at this point), Bell pepper plants, and strawberries (a couple green ones so far); forgot to plant carrots, could probably get in a late crop. Have charcoal barbecue grill and charcoal, can grill. Dead limb that fell out of backyard tree, unexpected bonus (missed the storage shed by inches, took me and two teen children to pull out of the way and start chopping up). More and more…
Texas Lady, this is fun; I’ve been published before (and even got paid for it!), but I figure this is so rewarding I can skip the paycheck (although, now, if you want to offer….) Please continue flattery as time permits(;-)> . If I’m being chased by bikers, it’s because they mistook me for someone else – I (briefly) commuted on a Yamaha XJ-550 when I lived in Bakersfield. And if I did show up, I’d have to move on – unless there’s some available land to buy and build on. I might drop by on the way to my ancestral home in Daingerfield (up by Shreveport, still in my dad’s capable hands); if it comes to TEOTWAWKI, I’d have no mortgage payment, but the old house probably needs six months of repairs just to be liveable. Life just isn’t convenient sometimes. YES, Louis L’Amour, several other Western and outdoor writers … by candlelight if necessary! Glad you’re getting a kick out of these, literate people write well is seems.
Hey CheriVNB! Yes, libraries … with textbooks, technical references, dictionaries, math books, how-to books, Sci-Fi and even romances for those who like them. Private lending libraries may be a way to earn some easy cash, after the collapse. How much would you pay to read a book that describes how to make glass? Steel? Braze aluminum? I’ve done stained glass work, copper-pipe plumbing and 110V electrical wiring, for starters. Talents, skills and knowledge – how we’ll Rebuild the Republic! But I bet I can generate enough 110V from solar, wind and hydro to keep a computer running for hours at a time – with the software that lets me design piping systems for pressure drop, and other “engineering” software I can find for not-too-much money. How much would you pay for a bridge across that gulley on your property that will hold up under your tractor? Or your own hydro power dam on that trout stream? My own little Fluor / Brown & Root / Jacobs Engineering Company side job….
Back to your regularly scheduled reality now. Two inches of journal articles I need to read & digest by Monday or so. Sigh.

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