82F and 90%RH. Never got a drop of rain yesterday, hope today goes the same. Openweathermap (henceforth OWM) has our high at 97 or 98F. It’ll be much hotter than that here in my driveway.
The march to war continues– https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-06-21/trump-backs-down-military-strike-iran-last-minute
This looks like classic Trump to me, promise some outrageous thing, let everyone freak about it, then offer the compromise. We’ll see. I’d prefer not to have a nuclear Iran, and the weaker they are, the better for stability in the middle east.
Lots of kid activities this week so not as many preps as I’d like, and I’m getting ready to head back to Chicago to help my mom with selling her house. I’ll probably be there a week.
The little tiny caterpillars were back with a vengeance and ate all the leaves off one grape vine and most off the other vine. It did reveal on bunch of grapes, which I split with littlest child. They were tasty with thick skins. I sprayed them with the thuricide and I hope the vines recover for next year. Grapes are a huge PITA.
We have one little apple growing on the tree, and one orange is still clinging to its tree too.
Peppers are still producing but tomatoes aren’t showing any fruit. Cukes and zukes haven’t died yet. The stems usually spit open at the ground level and get eaten by ants. I’ve been hitting them with different things hoping to find something that will get them thru the summer. Seems to be working so far. The plants in the one raised bed are still slowly bleaching to white and dying. No time to investigate that further. It MUST be an issues with the soil.
I did add another bucket of rice and some more cans to the stack. I can tell the hand warmers I’m using as O2 absorbers are working because the buckets ‘dent’ in.
I’ve mentioned it before but I think prepping to make tortillas/pita/naan/ or some other flat bread makes more sense than risen breads. They take less time, effort, and fuel. The staples of poor rural people and indigenous people the world over are refined by long history to be efficient in all those areas. (that root you have to smash for hours being an exception necessitated by a lack of alternatives.)
Someone mentioned that my SWAG at a couple of months food for my family was missing some things… yup. It was. There were LOTS of things missing from the list, but it was intended to show that it doesn’t have to be hard, or rocket science to stack a good amount of food. Also it’s what MY family (and by extension, most families I know) will eat. (If I was hispanic or german, the list would be different (and have more pickled stuff on it if german))
There are actually canned beans in the list (red, black, refried,bbq, drunken (borracho), and several others are on my shelves.) For preps, I prefer canned beans to dried. The water is already in the can. The cans are safe from rats and other vermin. The liquid in the can can be used as ‘sauce’ over rice. Of course, they are more expensive than dried beans, but they can be eaten cold from the can, only need to be warmed up to make them tasty, have flavor already added, and are generally easier, quicker, and thrifty with fuel.
If your family already eats chick peas, or dried beans, by all means store them in your preps! I wouldn’t want the list to be seen as EX-clusive. You should always feel free to go beyond or tweak for personal preference. For example, someone else mentioned canned potatoes. I have canned potatoes from a couple different makers with different styles of potato in them. I really like one particular can of sliced new potatoes. I’ve served them as a side dish lots of times. We don’t eat many potatoes though, and most canned versions don’t taste that good to me. I did list pouches of instant potato though. The name brand is really good, especially the varieties with added cheese and other flavors. If we had a real ‘no shit, hit the store for one last run’ event, besides all the overlooked cans, I’d grab bags of potatoes and onions. They store well (up to a year in good conditions) are cheap and versatile. But we personally don’t eat them often, so I usually only keep a couple of pounds of heritage baby potatoes in the pantry, and 10 pounds of onion… we do eat a lot of onion.
And I have to get the wife and kids out the door so I need to continue this later….
what did you do to prep this week?
nick
President tRump is a master of trolling. The Dumbocrats fall for it everytime. I’m hoping Independents are seeing the folly of the Dumbos and tRump is a shoe-in.
This looks like classic Trump to me, promise some outrageous thing, let everyone freak about it, then offer the compromise. We’ll see. I’d prefer not to have a nuclear Iran, and the weaker they are, the better for stability in the middle east.
Iran will eventually have a nuclear weapon. Everyone learned from what happened in Libya, and none of the mullahs want to be executed by sodomy using a red-hot bayonet shoved into their posterior.
I have been away from the ‘net for the last weeks or so. Took the great-granddaughter to Orlando. Time at Disney wore me completely out. The heat and long walks to and fro took their toll. I had promised her we would do whatever she wanted. That turned out to be riding primarily two rides, Teacups and Dumbo, over and over and over. We did meet and greet almost all the Princesses and Tinkerbell too. I can’t believe that with so much to see and do we spent 6 solid hours in Fantasyland. Oh well, she was very happy. It occurred to me that the Teacups and Dumbo were first introduced at the original Disneyland in 1954 and I rode them myself at age 5. Teacups were still fun for me even 62 years later. Dumbo, not so much.
We also spent a day at Clear Water beach collecting sea shells and another day of down time at the pool to let me rest my tired bones.
It was her first airplane trip and she was very nervous before takeoff. Once we were airborne she was happy as a clam and never worried again.
I don’t think we will be doing any more traveling for the foreseeable future however. I left the wife with my son to get her to dialysis and she had a couple of bad incidents. I need to stay closer to home to help her monitor her health. Given that I am spending the vast majority of my time and energy these days as caregiver I have decided to retire at the end of the year when the wife’s Medicare will kick-in and pay for her treatments. Making this decision was scary as it is jumping into an unknown. We already have the retirement home bought and paid for but so much has to be done to get all the other details sorted it is intimidating and I HATE the thought of moving again.
Trump trolling? I wish I still believed that. Unfortunately, I have come to the conclusion that he simply has no brain-to-mouth filter. He says (or tweets) whatever pops into his head, whether it makes sense or not. While that does have the effect of trolling, it’s a lot scarier. I can just see him ranting about Iran and calling for an attack. Then backing down only after his staff have repeatedly challenged him.
The only reason the US cares about Iran is because of Israel – which has far too much influence on US foreign policy. GTFO, and let the countries there sort out their own problems. The Shrub and the Peace-Prize started enough wars – Trump doesn’t need to start another one.
– – – – –
@Harold: Good luck with the transition to the retirement home. I hear you about moving. My wife and I have lived in our current home for 20 years – the longest either of us has ever been anywhere. But it’s too large for us now, especially with the kids about to move out. We’re building what will hopefully be our last-ever house – but neither of us is looking forward to the transition. To being there – yes. To moving – ugh – no.
We also spent a day at Clear Water beach collecting sea shells and another day of down time at the pool to let me rest my tired bones.
I grew up in Palm Harbor, just north of Clearwater.
Try Sanibel/Captiva, a couple of hours south, off the Fort Myers coast, if you want a less busy/commercial beach experience. We used to go there for every 4th of July and try to return whenever we can.
Greg: We had a great day at the Clear Water Beach state park. Lots of shells and gentle surf. As soon as we showed up, little Addie spotted a group of kids about her age and ran over to make friends. It was an extended family of Jamaicans visiting for a family wedding and they welcomed her in and shared their beach toys. Growing up in Mississippi, Addie makes no distinction between people based on skin color and treats everyone alike. We had a wonderful time at the beach and shared some amazing Jamaican snacks.
Brad: Agreed that in addition to the hassle of a physical move (we have lived here for 11 years and collected too much junk) there will be the transition to a completely different lifestyle. I will be running my rental and ATM business directly while my son moves on to his future in Florida. My retirement will consist of maybe two days a week driving to fill the ATMs and a couple of days a month doing rental related paperwork. In addition we will be living in a very different location and need to discover new doctors and shopping areas.
I am completely burnt out with IT after almost 50 years and literally could not care less about my current work. I need a complete mental reboot and the time to devote to giving my wife the care she needs.
Greg: We had a great day at the Clear Water Beach state park. Lots of shells and gentle surf.
Ok. Sounds like you went to Caledesi.
When I was a kid living in Palm Harbor, there wasn’t even state ferry service out there. You had to either own a boat or know someone who did.
I’m a little sad about what has become of Downtown Clearwater and the entire stretch along 60 from the airport out to the beaches, especially over the last 20 years. The Scientologists are only partly to blame, but they’re an easy target.
I will concede that the Scientologists did an amazing job with the Fort Harrison Hotel restoration.
Also, try to hit Gatorland the next time you are in Orlando with kids if you haven’t been already. The people who run the place know *exactly* what they manage in terms of tourist attraction, and they have the right sense of humor which makes the place fun.
My parents vacationed in/on Sanibel for years. The time I was there it was very nice.
Home from swim practice, headed out to troubleshoot a client issue. Kids will have to sit in his theater and watch movies while I work.
n
From @nick yesterday:
@lynn, no one ever eats rehydrated eggs plain! You add stuff for a scramble, preferably lots of stuff with strong flavors!
I have a couple of #10 cans that are in my OH SH!T pile of long term stuff. I prefer the HEB liquid whole eggs (not egg whites only or egg beaters). I freeze the quart milk carton packages and thaw one occasionally. I just used one that thawed when my freezer door got left open a crack. Just as good as new. With any kind of addition at all they make great tasting scramble…
I’d be interested in smaller serving packets of dried egg. A #10 can is a commitment once you open it. Please let us know how it goes.
Hey, where were you when I opened that #10 can during hurricane Harvey when we had three feet of water in front of the house for 2+ days ? We ran out of fresh eggs so I figured why not. I discovered why not. The scrambled eggs were horrible even with cheese and ham. I forced it down with half a jar of salsa.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Augason-Farms-Dried-Whole-Egg-Powder-Certified-Gluten-Free-No-10-Can/21777161
Next I tried omelets with voluminous cheese, ham, and a few other vegetables. Still horrible. More salsa. Then the wife tried the dried eggs in a pancake batter. Not as horrible.
Swan Eaters: every parent has a child who is a disappointment
https://www.gocomics.com/swan-eaters/2019/06/21
I love grandma gypsy.
“Welcome to the longest day! Hundreds of revellers and modern-day druids watch the sunrise over Stonehenge as they celebrate the summer solstice”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7165391/Hordes-sun-worshippers-gather-Stonehenge-ahead-traditional-summer-solstice-sunrise.html
Man, what a long day ! About time for them to start getting shorter. And, cooler !
Hat tip to:
https://drudgereport.com/
Powdered Eggs. I was asked, so I tried them this morning. Plain scrambled with a dab of black pepper. When I first dumped the powder in the water it looked like there might be issues with mixing, not so. I used a small whisk but could have used a fork. A teaspoon of bacon fat in a pre-heated pan. The eggs seemed a bit thin compared to fresh eggs when I poured them in the pan but they cooked up just like fresh eggs. A bit bland but I was sort of going there on purpose for a straight up comparison. Wife said okay for backup but would prefer fresh eggs – she is also used to getting something closer to a fritata than scrambled eggs unless they are fried or boiled. I think they are okay but would jazz them up which I do anyway, and great as an ingredient in other dishes. I first became interested in powdered eggs many years ago when I wanted to make up my own pancake mix that required only water and a little oil, that is what I will do with the rest of the package I opened. Just checked Walmart Augason Farms price for 2 lb 1 oz – regular $35.08 (today $27.98) vs. this, WildRoots, 2 lb 4 oz for $11.49 ((less $3.00 yesterday) at Costco (maybe not all stores). 13 egg ea packets and better price, no contest – does not show up for me at Costco Online, this may be a regionally introduced item.
“Galveston Seawall, other cities will be under water by 2100, according to sea level simulator”
https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Galveston-other-coastal-cities-could-be-under-14017752.php?cmpid=trend
The Houston Chronicle is a publisher of fake news constantly. And they wonder why their readership is continuously dropping.
My parents vacationed in/on Sanibel for years. The time I was there it was very nice.
Sanibel/Captiva are still nice. We just went last year.
Publix (FL’s HEB) is a getting little too creepy in terms of absolute dominance of the grocery business on the mainland, but that’s the only big change we noticed in the area since we spent a week there in 2010 before leaving for WA State.
Hurricane damage doesn’t last long on the islands.
Cooler, not. In most places in the northern hemisphere, July is the warmest month.
“Galveston Seawall, other cities will be under water by 2100, according to sea level simulator”
Didn’t Galveston remain mostly flood free in the hurricane which nearly flooded your house?
The Houston Chronicle is a publisher of fake news constantly. And they wonder why their readership is continuously dropping.
Back in WA State, my wife’s Prog associate and “spirits blogger” husband came from Houston via Fredericksburg. The husband even worked for Spec’s flagship for a while.
@paul H, thanks for the report! I haven’t seen them at our costco, but I’ll keep my eyes open. I figured I’d be pretty well into the apocalypse before I went to my dried egg backup cans… It would be nice to have smaller packaging on hand though, especially for baking.
n
WRT powdered eggs: I had to eat way too many of them when I was onboard my submarines. Even though we had great cooks, even their best “magic” couldn’t overcome the cardboard flavor and horrible texture.
If you want eggs, keep chickens.
I don’t make any of my food judgements based on experiences in the service, the cooks on our ship consistently ruined both canned spinach and filet mignon.
“Cuba Ration Lines Grow Tense as Economy Flails”
https://www.wsj.com/articles/cuba-ration-lines-grow-tense-as-economy-flails-11561109406
“HAVANA—A 91-year-old former comrade of Cuba’s late dictator Fidel Castro recently startled Cubans when he announced government plans to breed ostriches to help feed the masses.”
“Comandante Guillermo García raved on Cuba’s main TV news show about the giant flightless bird, “which produces more [meat] than a cow.” The comandante, who runs some of Cuba’s cattle-breeding operations, also extolled the meat of the hutia, a giant rodent endemic to the island, as better than beef.”
“Pushed by the implosion of top ally Venezuela and sanctions imposed by the Trump administration, Cuba has driven into an economic ditch. The government has tightened state rations. Residents stand in lines for hours to buy scarce basic goods such as eggs, flour and chicken.”
“For many Cubans, ration lines and ostrich farms recall the grim “Special Period” in the 1990s after the collapse of its benefactor, the Soviet Union. As the Communist-run island endured near famine conditions, residents devoured cats and fried “steaks” made of breaded grapefruit rind.”
Now cuber is going down. Mmmm, rat steaks !
BTW, nearly everyone in that line for free rice is fat XXX overweight XXXXXXX undertall.
Hat tip to:
https://drudgereport.com/
I did add another bucket of rice and some more cans to the stack. I can tell the hand warmers I’m using as O2 absorbers are working because the buckets ‘dent’ in.
I don’t do plastic buckets anymore after your rat stories. I do steel #10 cans.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Augason-Farms-Honey-Cornbread-Muffin-Mix-3-lbs-15-oz-No-10-Can/24420233
President tRump is a master of trolling. The Dumbocrats fall for it everytime. I’m hoping Independents are seeing the folly of the Dumbos and tRump is a shoe-in.
I have never seen anyone as good as Trump on trolling. I have no idea when he is trolling and when he is telling actual plans. You go Trump !
Took the great-granddaughter to Orlando. Time at Disney wore me completely out. The heat and long walks to and fro took their toll. I had promised her we would do whatever she wanted. That turned out to be riding primarily two rides, Teacups and Dumbo, over and over and over. We did meet and greet almost all the Princesses and Tinkerbell too. I can’t believe that with so much to see and do we spent 6 solid hours in Fantasyland. Oh well, she was very happy. It occurred to me that the Teacups and Dumbo were first introduced at the original Disneyland in 1954 and I rode them myself at age 5. Teacups were still fun for me even 62 years later. Dumbo, not so much.
Awesome ! She will remember this trip with “insert your grandpop name here” for the rest of her life.
And I like the teacups too. Even if I did want to hurl after the third time through.
About time for them to start getting shorter. And, cooler !
Cooler, not. In most places in the northern hemisphere, July is the warmest month.
Yes, August is the worst here (I was kidding !). And when do they start school now, August ! Just in time to cause the electrical grid to have panic attacks. We used to pay the school districts to not start until the Tuesday after Labor Day.
“Galveston Seawall, other cities will be under water by 2100, according to sea level simulator”
Didn’t Galveston remain mostly flood free in the hurricane which nearly flooded your house?
Kinda, there was a couple of feet of water in the east end streets during Harvey. Now during hurricane Ike, the water was five foot deep in the east end streets of Galveston. There is a light pole at the corner of Avenue E (post Office) and Moody Avenue that marks the various floods back to the 1900 great hurricane. Be sure to stop in to Little Daddy’s Gumbo Bar that is a couple of doors down and get a half gallon of seafood gumbo for $14. Do not take it home, eat the whole thing right there ! You might be embarrassed about the size of the bowl when they bring it but not when you are finished.
https://www.littledaddysgumbobar.com/
Oh man, the Big Daddy seafood gumbo is $18 now. I would have sworn it was $14 last summer when I met my cousins there.
Mom took six steps for the first time in almost three months yesterday and sat in a wheelchair for two hours. The bone infection is now gone and they ceased the iv antibiotics this week. She is doing so well that they are going to put another hip implant back in on July 3rd (surgery #4). Mom is still at Methodist Hospital in the Houston medical center (10+ weeks).
Mom is still at Methodist Hospital in the Houston medical center (10+ weeks).
Wow! A routine hip replacement is going to cost $1,000,000+.
Speaking of medical costs. Comrade Bernie says his “Medicare For All” plan will cover illegal aliens, however millions of them are. I think his brain is gone at this point. NWO on the way, Comrades!
Now cuber is going down. Mmmm, rat steaks !
BTW, nearly everyone in that line for free rice is fat XXX overweight XXXXXXX undertall.
The Embargo has far outlived its usefulness. My kids Nikes are Made in Vietnam.
+10^9999!!!!
I do enjoy it when he stirs them up. I also enjoy his more serious moments when he invites *us* to watch the beginning of a cabinet meeting, and then tells the camera operators to shut off when the more private part is about to begin. Transparency with decorum.
I’m going to call “success” for making flour tortillas.
Two cups of mix, half a cup of warm water. Stir with fork. It mixes easily. Then knead a bit. I just squished it around in my hands. Maybe five minutes from getting a bowl from the cupboard to covering. Cover and let sit for fifteen minutes. Then I rolled the dough into a tube, about the size of whop-biscuits. Divided into eight parts. Used a rolling pin, and a tiny bit of flour for sticking and rolled the balls to 1/8 inch thick per directions and cooked a couple of minutes on each side until the color looked right. A minute or two on each side.
They puff a bit. First try here didn’t make round tortillas. Distorted ovals are close enough…. just sort of round like the food trucks had in Reynosa at 3AM in 1978.
Taste? Yep, I’m going to make more. I think I’ve found a use for the electric griddle I never use.
White Wings Flour Tortilla Mix. Made in San Antonio. Since 1899.
More work than opening a package from the grocery store. Well worth the time, just for taste.
Yes, August is the worst here (I was kidding !). And when do they start school now, August ! Just in time to cause the electrical grid to have panic attacks. We used to pay the school districts to not start until the Tuesday after Labor Day.
Portland was always the worst of extremes shortly after the Solstices. Teen wind chills and snow in Winter. 100+ in Summer. Things would usually settle down to “normal” within a couple of weeks, but late December and early July can be brutal.
A sure sign that Summer was extended would be the zoo train running out to the park and back. Unfortunately, they cut that run.
Portland was always the worst of extremes shortly after the Solstices.
Which reminds me … Oregon Governor Kathleen Brown is the poster child for the term “bull dyke”.
Ironically, bounty hunter operations are illegal in Oregon.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/oregon-republicans-flee-facing-fines-state-police-chasing-democrats-demand-n1020571
Home from my troubleshooting. Really weird problem, but once I could cause it, I had avenues to explore. Finally decided it was on the TVs themselves and updated firmware… which was a mess. Had to get them on the network, which went well. They automagically dialed home and decided they needed updates. I confirmed the ok, and D/L’d firmware over a 512 DSL connection. Then I had to set up Roku. These are TCL TVs from Costco, and they have Roku built in. And once you are on a network, you can’t skip it. Set it up using my accounts, as the customer uses apple tv, not roku. A jump from 7.5.0 to 9.0.0 firmware did the trick. My mystery image loss was resolved. Then Roku had to update and D/L 31 updates. Rinse and repeat for 3 more TVs. SLOW, and I dislike being forced to do anything RIGHT THIS FREAKING MINUTE OR ELSE. The TVs are gorgeous and stunningly cheap though, so there is that.
Congrats to Paul on the tortilla experiment.
I’m with the other Paul, the .mil suppliers are probably using mill tailings, sawdust, and feathers in their powdered eggs…
Testing is the key though, TEST YOUR PREPS. Find the hidden assumptions. Find the key dependencies….
n
I’m with the other Paul, the .mil suppliers are probably using mill tailings, sawdust, and feathers in their powdered eggs…
You forgot the rat droppings and cigar ashes.
https://www.amazon.com/Jungle-Upton-Sinclair/dp/1978119879/?tag=ttgnet-20
“Chinese-Produced Zhaoxin KX-6000 CPUs Purportedly Match Intel’s Core i5-7400”
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/china-zhaoxin-kx-6000-core-i5-7400,39694.html
Uh, I won’t be running one of these cpus as I know where it has been.
“Uh, I won’t be running one of these cpus as I know where it has been. ”
–esp since we know what Intel did with theirs, the chicom will be even worse.
n
Uh, I won’t be running one of these cpus as I know where it has been.
Via, one of the Zhaoxin partners, bought out IDT’s WinChip series and most of the Cyrix assets from NSI 20 years ago. It wouldn’t surprise me if the designers are actually located somewhere over here, maybe even in Dallas.
–esp since we know what Intel did with theirs, the chicom will be even worse.
AMD also plays the backdoor game with the NSA.
That said, I really like the A6 9500E I run in my home server. Fedora 30, compiled with the new GCC is extremely smooth on that chip. The total cost of the server revamp was ~ $150 for board, CPU, and 4 GB memory.
Having an alternative (or a few alternatives) keeps Intel honest. Without the first 64 bit Athlon, Intel would still have interns taping out 32 bit P4 variations, and the Core series never would have emerged from the Israeli desert.