09:05 – I got email from Jen to update me on their progress. They have all their food neatly stored on shelves in the basement, with the exception of the 50-pound bags of dry staples. They’re planning on having a packing party next weekend with her brother and his family to get those into Mylar bags and on the shelves. They also picked up several kiddie pools, which they plan to leave on the shelf. They’ll deploy them on the basement and garage floors, wash them out, and fill them with a hose in an emergency, which will increase their stored potable water significantly.
Jen also had an interesting across-the-fence conversation with one of their neighbors this week. The neighbor had noticed Jen and her husband hauling in cases of canned food and asked Jen if she was one of those prepper types. Jen hemmed and hawed and finally told her neighbor that she and her husband were getting more concerned about current events and had decided it’d be a good idea to lay in some supplies in case of emergency. She expected the neighbor to tell her she was nuts, but was pleasantly surprised when the neighbor told her that she and her family were also preparing for bad times. Jen was surprised because they’d known this family for years and had no clue that they were also storing food and other supplies. They had a long conversation, and the upshot is that the neighbors are going to come to the packing party and help Jen and her extended family get their dry staples into Mylar bags this coming weekend.
Prepared neighbors are a Very Good Thing, and Jen’s story made me wonder how many of our friends and neighbors are also preparing. I know of at least one family a couple houses down the street who’s doing so, but there may be others in our immediate neighborhood. It sure makes it easier to know that you’re not on your own.
Just put up some dog stairs to my recliner for my aging cocker spaniel. She cannot jump up on the recliner or the couch anymore.
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/animal-planet-pet-stairs/1017274910
Yup, she is spoiled. Everyone in my house is spoiled! Except me!
Thanks for those powdered egg URLs. I am going to buy three cans from Walmart, the price is great and free shipping. Might should buy 5 or 6 as I love eggs. I am also tempted to buy a couple of the smaller cans for experimentation.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Augason-Farms-Emergency-Food-Whole-Eggs-Dried-Egg-Product-33-oz/21777161
The swimming pool is up to 72 F and it was 82 F here in the Land of Sugar today. All I need is another 15 F and the swimming pool will be usable. Maybe in six weeks but probably more like eight weeks.
Prepared neighbors are a Very Good Thing, and Jen’s story made me wonder how many of our friends and neighbors are also preparing. I know of at least one family a couple houses down the street who’s doing so, but there may be others in our immediate neighborhood. It sure makes it easier to know that you’re not on your own.
I would not be surprised if the large minority of people in the suburbs and exurbs are preppers to the extent of at least a family month of food in the house. And guns and ammo. Around here, it is just common sense with the possibility of a hurricane wiping us out for a month or so. Plus, we have a large amount of LDS living around here.
Have you tried the scrambled egg mix? I wonder what the difference is?
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Augason-Farms-Emergency-Food-Scrambled-Egg-Mix-36-oz/21777156
Looks like these Augason Farms folks are willing to dehydrate anything and sell it. Butter, sure. Milk, sure. Beef Stroganoff, sure. Rice and wheat, sure. Spinach flakes, really?
http://www.walmart.com/search/?query=Augason%20Farms
“Around here, it is just common sense with the possibility of a hurricane wiping us out for a month or so.”
I’d be curious to know, or how to go about knowing, how many and which peeps in the vicinity here are into prepping at least a little bit. Our big threat, normally, is weather also; mainly winter blizzards and ice storms.
Our big threats down the road are potentially a large-scale financial collapse nation- or world-wide, and/or ditto for the Grid. I’d much rather just have to deal with the occasional ice storm or blizzard.
We had a winter wonderland here last night around midnight, briefly, a snow-covered landscape, but it was gone by this morning. It’s 14 right now.
Mrs. OFD is back from Harrisburg and Fort Indiantown Gap, PA.
http://www.dmva.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/ft__indiantown_gap/7269
Look closely at the pic of the troops running their entry exercise; what’s that troop doing in the background, just kinda standin’ there, yakking….could it be one of our vaunted female warriors??? Yeah.
Real life stories from the younger vets in our group occasionally mention how useless they are in the combat scenarios Over There. Apparently they don’t do very much and whine and bitch all the time, and otherwise flaunt their goodies in hopes of trapping some poor bastard and that’s about it. I’m sure there are exceptions but hey, I’m only reporting what they tell us.
@Mr. Lynn; your son ever mention anything about this?
For the prepping kit, you know, to clear excess foliage… http://xm42.com/
First, very few women can meet the Marine Corps physical requirements. The ladies that I met were all MPs and tough as nails. All Marines must be able to do three??? pullups at their yearly test and that knocks most women out. On the other hand, they can do situps until the world comes to an end so all the Marine ladies end up with six packs. I met one who was six months pregnant and she still had a flat stomach and still pulling duty shifts. I wondered if the kid had any room in there. The wife told me to pipe down.
Those soldiers in that picture look to be assaulting an urban position. No telling what that soldier lady is talking about. I’m going to say probably discussing the exercise.
I’d be curious to know, or how to go about knowing, how many and which peeps in the vicinity here are into prepping at least a little bit. Our big threat, normally, is weather also; mainly winter blizzards and ice storms.
I have no idea whatsoever. I would advise any prepper to keep their mouth shut about their guns and food storage.
It’s 14 right now.
Really? You have got to be kidding about that place being a paradise on earth. I am already thinking about transitioning to short sleeve shirts for office wear.
“…to clear excess foliage…”
I hear tell there’s a whole lotta that in Mordor-on-the-Potomac and Babylon-on-the-Hudson.
“…the Marine Corps physical requirements…”
Yeah, those must be the exceptions; the ex-Marines in my current group are my age or thereabouts and haven’t had any recent experience with women Marines. The Army guys were the ones dissing them in the combat scenarios they were in. I saw some of that after I got out and was in the cops.
“No telling what that soldier lady is talking about.”
Yeah, probably just talking about the exercise, and not the HGTV channel, the sale at Wall-Mutts, or the asshole bf back in Germany. Or asshole gf back in Germany.
I have been wondering about the possible relocation of our housing. One of the criteria that I might like to have is a chicken coop. Of course, protecting chickens around here is tricky with all the dadgum varmints like coyotes and free range dogs. That would mean no HOA and a severely fenced in area.
The wife’s grandparents out in Noodle, Texas used to raise and butcher their own chickens. She still has nightmares of being chased by a headless chicken when she was four.
Your choice, of course, but I wouldn’t relocate for such a trivial reason.
We had chickens in the back yard, fenced in to a coop. Somehow they got out and some were found in my cot when I was a baby. After that mum insisted that my father get rid of them.
Lynn, you’ve got a perfect place for poultry already, if the poultry are ducks. Just tether a floating island in your ponds, and keep Muscovy ducks. Feed them in a pen at night, and keep them confined most of the morning so you can locate most of their eggs.
The powdered eggs are pure eggs. The scrambled egg mix includes powdered milk. It’s a lot cheaper to buy the powdered milk from the LDS home storage center.
That would mean no HOA and a severely fenced in area.
Some of the areas in Houston explicitly allow poultry in coops.
Your choice, of course, but I wouldn’t relocate for such a trivial reason.
We are looking to change our domicile, either though additions or via relocating, in order to make things more comfortable for our daughter. I am trying an addition first but that is not going well as the HOA has refused to allow us to move forward (two denials so far). We are trying a third variation on the addition that may be approved, I give it 50/50.
We have been on the constant lookout for larger house in the same HOA because we like the location so much. Very convenient for getting done what we need to get done. We also also looking for a home in the general area.
We are also considering building a home on the back of our office property. That is 1/2 mile away from our present home. There would be no HOA there, just the county. We would have our own septic and operate off the office water well. We would pull new electric lines and have a natural gas line run to the property. I would eventually spit the office nine acre property into a three acre home property and a six acre office property. In order to do this, I have to jump through all sorts of financial hoops so I am not in a hurry and will probably not do anything at all.
There is a new HOA being built 1/4 mile away from our office property. I have heard through the grapevine that they have also bought the property between the new HOA and my office property. That may make my office property “interesting” some day.
“The scrambled egg mix includes powdered milk.”
Anathema! Proper scrambled eggs contain nothing but eggs, butter, salt and pepper.
I am trying an addition first but that is not going well as the HOA has refused to allow us to move forward (two denials so far)
The Americans with Disabilities Act may be your friend. The threat of a lawsuit for the HOA failing to allow accommodations for handicap purposes may be in your favor. Get on the wrong side of the ADA and it can be expensive.
“Proper scrambled eggs contain nothing but eggs, butter, salt and pepper.”
There it is.
“Proper scrambled eggs contain nothing but eggs, butter, salt and pepper.”
Adding milk or cream will make them fluffier, and extend the amount….
Costco bacon crumbles and shredded cheese will make them tastier.
Sriracha sauce, in moderation, will make them fantastic…
My toddlers like them with Crystal brand hot sauce and ketchup…
nick
Sure, Mr. nick; I throw all that stuff in there and other stuff besides, but then they ain’t simple-ass basic scrambled eggs anymore. They’re omelets now. Or frittatas.
Which I made for myself earlier today with leftover baked spud, diced scallions, black pepper, and cheese, with a bit of milk. Dumped Old El Paso medium salsa on top and Bob’s yer uncle! Oh, and a big dash of garlic powder, too.
The Americans with Disabilities Act may be your friend. The threat of a lawsuit for the HOA failing to allow accommodations for handicap purposes may be in your favor. Get on the wrong side of the ADA and it can be expensive.
I do have an alternate spot in the back where I am almost guaranteed approval. But I am reserving that space for a new game room.
And yes, I am planning on a wheelchair friendly shower and a handicap toilet. We are not there by any means but “pray for the best and prepare for the worst”.
“Adding milk or cream will make them fluffier, and extend the amount….”
Aaaargh! This is a common misconception. Adding foreign liquids to scrambled eggs really just makes them watery. Yuck.
If one wants fluffy egg dishes, just beat the eggs more (though that loses the pretty Vatican-flag colourscheme of true scrambled eggs), or separate the yolks and beat the whites untill stiff – that’s really how to make a soufflée (omelette). If you want more eggs – add more eggs!
However, I do agree that scrambled eggs are a perfect vehicle for other tastes. Smoked salmon and caviar are rather good with them, as are freshly-chopped chives, ham or bacon bits, grated mature cheese etc, etc…
“If you want more eggs – add more eggs!”
Sometimes you run out of eggs before you run out of hungry mouths….
FWIW, our local store branded liquid eggs can be frozen and stored until the cartons break down. Note that these are not liquid egg substitute, but real egg with very little added. They still make good scrambled, when thawed, after a full year of storage.
nick
I considered dehydrating liquid eggs myself rather than buying dried eggs, but the economics just doesn’t make sense. WalMart sells a 32-ounce (907 gram) container of liquid eggs for $4.88. A medium egg weighs 50 grams, of which 6.5 g is shell, leaving 43.5 g of actual egg liquid. That 907 gram container is the equivalent of 20.85 medium eggs. The Augason farm egg powder costs $17 for the dry equivalent of 71 medium eggs, or 3.41 of the WalMart liquid eggs cartons, which would cost $16.62. I’d have to be able to dry that liquid for a total of $0.38, including my labor, electricity, and packaging, which means the Augason Farms dried eggs win hands down.
Just out of curiosity, how much do fresh eggs cost? My local supermarket sells eggs from about EUR0.17 each in 12-packs or trays of 30. “Bio” and “free-range” cost a little more.
Denis, in the southern US they cost about $2 usd/ dozen for ordinary eggs. They can cost 2-3 times that for “cruelty free, free range, cage-less, organic” or other buzzwords.
I buy at a warehouse store for $2 / 18 eggs.
No one here sells by the egg. Minimum would be 6, normally sold in dozen (12) or 18. Some stores, notably hispanic markets and warehouse stores sell bulk, but I haven’t priced that.
nick