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Month: April 2024

Wed. Apr. 10, 2024 – My name is Bond, Municipal Bond, and I’m here to indenture your children…

Wet and dreary today, with warm thrown in… it’s almost like we have to pay for all the beautiful days we had recently… or just that there is variation in the weather. Naw, it’s a conspiracy. Stonecutters or Illuminated probably. In any case a little rain started last night and continues…

[yes, I know the ellipse isn’t used in a grammatically correct way in the paragraph above. I use it as a conversational gimmick, to suggest the ‘trailing off’ of a thought, or as a longer than normal pause in the narrative flow. I’m cool like that.]

Anyway…

Did my pickups yesterday. Chatted with one of the auctioneers who I’ve been dropping verbal hints on for a few weeks. I know he’s politically conservative, most small business owners are. Now I know he’s a doomer and a prepper too. He’s working on his BOL. I won a knock off version of the Big Berkey (sp?) filter and that was the opening he needed. He asked me if I meant to use it or flip it, and to share with him how it worked if I used it. That led to a chat about securing drinking water supplies, and other personal infrastructure. He had intended to go full off grid solar, but ended up with a diesel generator solution because in his words, “he doesn’t care about the noise because he’s way the F out in the middle of no where.” I was surprised he didn’t know about the solar company bankruptcy auction that morning, but he’s an auctioneer on the platform, not a buyer. He did think about keeping the filter for himself. This makes three of my auctioneers that are active preppers or getting started increasing their level of preparedness (that I know of.) He also mentioned that he was prepared to defend what is his from those who might want to take it.

I know that this place has a preponderance of “like minded” people especially wrt certain ideas and topics. That’s to be expected given the focus of my life and the blog. I like to think that there are others who visit, that we don’t hear from too often (but of whom I was reminded while going through some old posts and old comments yesterday) that may have differing views or rate the hazards of life differently. And that is great. Right now, I want to encourage EVERYONE who comes here, and through them, everyone they influence, to consider the cost of prepping vs. the cost of NOT prepping, if the future plays out the way I, and many many others, expect it to. Consider that it’s not just those few of us here, or a few other corners of the intarwebs that think bad things are coming, and indeed have already started arriving. Ordinary people from all walks of life and all situations are taking a look around and deciding to make changes to their lives to better prepare for what they have decided might be coming.

Think hard about what you can stack, actually and metaphorically, and then take action. It’s a bit of ‘preaching to the choir’ I know… but I’m specifically preaching to the others not already in the choir today. No matter what happens, even (especially) the normal trials and tribulations of life, stacks and preps will make it better. There are plenty of stories shared here of the minor, and even potentially major, problems overcome more easily and with more style due to having prepared for problems. Come and join us on the journey.

Stack.

nick

Read the comments: 93 Comments

Tues. Apr. 9, 2024 – …world without end, amen.

Still here and it’s a bit muggier and a bit warmer. Might get some actual rain. We did get a light misty drizzle at various points yesterday, and the sun poked through for just long enough to get a glimpse of the eclipse if you were ready for it. I wasn’t.

I wasn’t particularly effective yesterday wrt working my lists… That’s a problem I’ve been having lately and I’m not sure of the cause. I just lack motivation some days. I did advance a couple of projects, and made some small progress on outstanding issues. I was feeling a bit sore from all the string trimmer use in the back yard, but that’s just an excuse. One of the things I did get fixed was the vacuum breaker/backflow preventer repair for the sprinkler system. I need the sprinklers working so I can have a garden, and so my yard doesn’t deteriorate further. We’re starting to be the shabbiest house on the block as more people move into the neighborhood and renovate. I’m convinced we’ll look like a time capsule if I don’t allow W1 to paint all the brick white or grey. Grey and black are very much the palette of the times.

WTF is it with the Simpsons show accurately predicting the future?? Remember the episode where the school took all the colors away? I drove past a line of parked vehicles the other day, and for three blocks of tightly packed vehicles there was not one car or truck that was brightly colored. Champagne and a dark blue were the closest things to different- white, grey, silver, black, and blue so dark it looks black dominated. Every parking lot is the same. Occasionally an older sports car will stand out, or a dark red vehicle will catch the eye. And it’s not just cars, all the new housing is mostly variations on black and white and grey. Color has gone out of peoples’ lives. That is a profound indicator of the times and mindset, I believe.

Hard times are here for a whole lot of folks, and they think they will be getting harder. No one is buying bright color, when they are feeling bad about the future. The local exception is all the low rise apartment complexes here. They are re-branding and painting themselves with muted versions of bright colors– “south of the border” colors. They are renting to illegals, and it must look like paradise to them. (New spanish names for the complexes, and signs about being “zero deposit communities” are the ‘tells’.) I’m adding the changes in product colors to my ‘indicator’ list, as a symptom of mood and zeitgeist.

Yep, we’re already on the downward slope. It can slow, or accelerate from here. My feeling is “accelerate”. Dramatically. Afterwards, people will say “who could have seen it coming” or “it happened so suddenly”. But people DO see it coming, and the seeds were planted years ago. I expect that people will adjust and tolerate for a while, as the lily pads slowly double and double, until the pond is half covered… and that last doubling, when the pond is suddenly completely covered will be the point most of them finally react. There will be hurt, and surprise, and anger. Feelings of betrayal. And violence as people lash out. Someone will harness that. Someone will direct that anger. It’s going to be ugly on a scale not seen in a LONG time.

Are you ready for that? Stack some more things. Have someplace to go if you have to leave. And pray that I’m wrong.

nick

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Mon. Apr. 8, 2024 – ah, the sun’s going out! We’re all gonna die!!!!111!!1 “let’s go watch”

Cooler and overcast with a chance of thunderstorms. That’s from the national forecast. Local calls for clouds, north of here is calling for clouds. Where the totality is is likely to be covered with clouds. It’s a cruel universe that sets up a compete solar eclipse and then hides it from us.

Spent yesterday avoiding work. Cut the whole back yard for the first time this year. Some of the weeds were 5 ft tall. Had to use the string trimmer first, then follow up with the mower to mulch and level everything out. That took a good long time. Then I blew the debris back onto the lawn and used the mower to mulch them, and since I had the blower out, I blew all the leaves in the front yard too. The lawn guys tend to blow the leaves toward the house, where we have some plantings. There used to be bushes there, and sometimes mulch. Not so much anymore. But they don’t like picking up leaves so they blow them there, as if they were mulch.

Took a while to blow all the accumulation out onto the grass and then use the mower to mulch it. It was dark when I finished up.

All that to avoid setting traps in the attic for whatever creature is scrabbling around up there. I’m convinced it’s possums using the soffits to move around. I don’t see any obvious evidence in the attic proper, and nothing is eating the rat bait. I’ll set the traps today, if we don’t got searching for the eclipse.

Wife is convinced we should head to the BOL and onward into the path of the moon’s shadow. But she’s also convinced that it will be poor weather. So there is conflict in her soul about leaving early today to try to make a viewing location in time. We didn’t leave last night, because of the weather forecast, but if things change… I won’t have to put the traps in the attic.

[man, my writing is disjointed and choppy at 2am]

I’m up for the road trip if she decides to go. Otherwise, I’ve got plenty to do.

IF we stay home, I’ll be doing all the stuff I’ve been shirking for the last week. And dropping off auction stuff, if I can.

Oh, and shopping if I get the time, because this stuff won’t stack itself. Join me?

nick

Read the comments: 72 Comments

Sun. Apr. 7, 2024 – getting close to tax time…

Cooler and still clear, warming later… which is yesterday’s weather as well. Although there was periodic overcast yesterday, and I would really like ‘clear’ today. In fact I thought it might rain in the late afternoon. Didn’t though.

Did my driving around and pickups. Stopped at goodwill bins and scored some great books. Literally volumes of the great books of our time. These I’ll send to auction, as my time for reading history is limited, as is my desire. At 50c per book it’s ridiculously cheap to build out a library to rival anyone’s. You do have to take what you get, and fill it in over time, but eventually, everything comes to the outlet.

You never know what you’ll find either. This time it was a giant instapot with the air fryer attachment and accessories, and a complete Panasonic bread maker.* The japanese brands of bread makers still bring crazy money online. A Champion juicer will provide a bit of spending cash too. I filled two carts with appliances and books, no clothes, no electronics. I almost never do that. I found about half a flip top bin’s worth of “smalls” for the local auction too, stuff like old cookie tins, novelty salt and pepper shakers, and a HUGE coral. I’ll keep the smaller brain coral for my collection, but the branching piece that is as big as a basketball will likely go to auction. The bag of seashells will definitely go, and could do really well as there are large and unusual specimens.

I haven’t been doing much thrifting or yard sale shopping lately. I’ve been too busy, and my auctioneer put me on hold. I’m trying to get rid of stuff, not build inventory, but adding fresh pieces to the stuff coming out of storage helps bring up the average price per lot, since I’m a better judge of what will sell now than I was.

In any case, I’ll be testing the instapot and breadmaker today. I’ve already sorted most of the stuff and put away what went into the stacks…

Thrifting is a great way to build your stacks, as is estate sale shopping. Most people will look right past the stuff a prepper wants, like sewing supplies, books, and camping equipment. So as we get back into yard sale season, look around and see what you can stack.

nick

*It’s rare to find a complete breadmaker. The highest value to weight ratio in the bins is the paddle for a bread machine. Second is probably the bread pan. (leaving off collectible cards and ephemera, and mostly considering stuff that you see there all the time) The paddles are almost always missing, and the pans are gone about 1/3 of the time too.

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Sat. Apr. 6, 2024 – stayed up too late, slept in, now I’m gonna be behind the 8 ball…

Cool and clear again, warming later. Yesterday was nice again. Crazy to get so many nice days in a row, and not be out rolling around in a meadow celebrating… or something. Today should be similar.

Which will be nice if I end up doing any of the outdoor stuff on my plate.

Friday I did my pickups, crisscrossing town, and burning time and gas. Got good stuff but still, it took longer than it should have when I missed a pickup on my big loop and had to backtrack. That cost an hour and 50 miles. I try to make a loop or to ‘clump’ errands to minimize time and gas expense. Blew it this time.

Today I’ve got a couple pickups that I couldn’t do yesterday, and one that was only available today. I am picking up several AEDs. They’ll need new batteries and pads, but that is a lot cheaper than buying the whole thing new. If you’re 20-40 minutes from help, and think you might be in line for a cardiac event, wouldn’t it be worth $1200 so your survivors could at least know they had every opportunity to help you? Or to actually help? If you have the medical history, your insurance might even foot the bill… Other than tourniquets, I can’t think of any medical prep that gives you the same bang for the buck and is so suited to its use. If you need an AED, you NEED it. It’s cheaper than a moderately nice rifle and some range ammo, and more likely to save a life.

A lot of what we do as preppers is pretty basic, and I’ll admit that having an AED in the house or car SOUNDS pretty advanced, but so did seat belts and fire extinguishers back in the day. Think seriously about getting one or more, and learn to spot them when you are out and about. I used to have the kids count fire extinguishers and AEDs when we moved through public spaces like airports or hotels. You’ll learn where they usually are, and you’ll know where one is if you need it. It’s also a good exercise in awareness. (spotting cameras and exits is good fun too.)

Stack some awareness, and some good habits. And stack some more medical preps. Everything degrades, public services lead the way. The extra minutes might make all the difference in your world…

nick

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Fri. Apr. 5, 2024 – yup, another week gone without TEOTWAWKI, which is a good thing…

Cool and clear to start, warming later. Absolutely gorgeous run of several spring days. Couldn’t ask for better weather. I want MORE MOAR !!!1!!!111! might get it, might not.

Spent most of yesterday morning doing auction stuff, then all afternoon and evening at my client’s house. Got some of his issues fixed, identified what needs more work, and have a sorta plan for how to continue.

Got home late and gorged on pizza. So good.

Today I’ve got some office stuff to do and a bunch of pickups. Good stuff for the kids and the BOL, as well as everyday life stuff. I’d like to hit Costco and HEB too, before the weekend. Generally life maintenance and domestic bliss…

The short week means it flew by for me. I should be at the BOL this weekend but I think I better spend some time here. We’ll see how today goes, but I expect I’ll have a lot to do on Saturday and Sunday.

I’m feeling pretty much over the snotty crud. I’m still occasionally coughing, but only a couple of times a day.

I have some un-stacking to do, and some organizing so I have room for more stacking. It’s a constant battle between putting stuff away, and just piling it up for later. I’m a wee little tiny bit behind on the “putting away” part, and that has to change.

It’s always something…

Use the time we have to stack, organize, improve. These are the good old days.

nick

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Thur. Apr. 4, 2024 – 04042024 – same format in Euroland and in the Great State of Texas…

Cool and clear again, warming later. Basically perfect Spring days. This would be second in a row as yesterday was gorgeous.

Did several pickups yesterday. Jumped the gun on one but fortunately it is very close to one I had to attend anyway, so no driving or time really lost. Also did my kid thing, and did some cleaning up and putting away in the house.

Today I’m at my client’s house to troubleshoot some issues, and to install a couple of additional cams. While there, I’ll check that one of the alternative bedrooms is fully working, as they’ll be moving to that bedroom while doing some remodeling in the Master. I’m happy to have the extra work as there are lots of things I want to buy.

We used to have a saying in the business, “Done is good. Gone is better. Paid is best.” Paying work rocks.

Money is a great prep. Try to stack some!

nick

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Wed. Apr. 3, 2024 – life would be a dream, shaboom shaboom…

Cool and eventually clear? Yesterday ended up clear but started with overcast and even a spattering of rain. By the end of the day it was quite nice, even hot in the sun. Today could be the same and I’d be happy. I just don’t want rain.

Did a pickup yesterday afternoon. Got three more gas powered heaters, some propane, but one at least natgas. It’s spring so people are buying air conditioners. I was buying them in the winter. The auction items are either returns from people who decided they didn’t need the heaters after all, or shelf pulls as stores change out seasonal inventory. I think these were all returns.

I got two more solar panels as well. And then I found a whole auction of panels, distro, inverters, batteries, etc. It’s in town, and it all starts at $5. I’ll be bidding, and I hope I can get some stuff cheap. This auction is decommissioned complete systems, so at one point it all worked together. Just knowing that gives me a leg up on putting a system back together. It would be nice to score some stuff in industrial quantities.

Florida blogger Divemedic is looking into solar for his backup energy needs. It definitely has an appeal, as long as you have storage batteries on site. Grid tied is not a backup. I think it has a place in everyone’s preps, at least enough to run a freezer or fridge, and charge phones and batteries… That is doable for not too much money, and it is quiet, and will last as long as the battery takes a charge. I’ve got electrically powered versions of most things to take advantage of solar after the liquid fuels run out. Now I just have to get the parts together into a system.

Along with all the other things I have to do…

I’ll just keep plodding along, with occasional bursts of effectiveness.

And stacking stuff. That’s the easiest part.

nick

Read the comments: 85 Comments

Tues. Apr. 2, 2024 – no one cares about today. it’s not special.

Warm and clear. Back in Houston, where it seems a bit less humid. Clear for the next couple of days should be nice. It stayed overcast, but got hot and muggy too at the BOL yesterday. Well into the 80s. Spring is well underway.

I slept in, woke feeling more myself than previously. Looking back I see that I first complained of being snotty on the 28th. 5 days or less is great for getting past the worst of it.

I did a few things on my list, finished the door install. Got the threshold installed, and installed the weatherstripping. Then the knob wouldn’t work, so I replaced it only to have the same symptoms happen again. The only thing that changed over the last weeks was the weatherstrip, so I pulled it out.

I didn’t get my garden planted. I spent the afternoon messing with the sprinkler pump. I just couldn’t get it to prime and pump no matter what I tried. I ended up taking the one way valve off the inlet (without getting in the water) and checking it. Seems fine and I took the time to clean it. Nothing worked to get the pump to pump. Motor runs fine though. I’ll have to dig deeper next visit. It could be that it has actually failed. Or the impeller is shot…

So I brought the stuff I was going to plant home with me. I’ll either plant it here, or leave it in pots, and take it up next time. Drove past our shared garden and the potatoes are going nuts. The new peas have all sprouted, and the radishes, turnips, and other stuff is starting to really grow. Even the persimmon tree in my yard went from ‘no buds, I wonder if it died’ to ‘hey, those are buds’ in one day.

The rest of you need to get going on your gardens.

Today I’m catching up on auction stuff, maybe doing pickups. I have several to do, but can do some on Wed. if needed. I’ve also got all the stuff here that should be done, with one fewer weekday to do it. Kids will need rides too.

There’s plenty to do now that I’m feeling better, that’s for sure.

Oh, I finally found the bucket of himalayan pink salt I KNEW I had somewhere. I took it to the BOL. I brought a gallon bag home, which should last several years…

Stacks. They are good.

nick

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Mon. Apr. 1, 2024 – Fool me once, shame on me, fool me twice, shame on you…or something…

Cool and damp at the BOL. It was overcast and cool all day yesterday, until late afternoon, then it got beautiful. Even a tad warm… sun came out, wind died down a bit. Spring. All three weeks are lovely.

Didn’t do much in the way of work though. Given the day, I’m not to heartbroken. Basically I just piddlefarted around in the dockhouse, messing with fishing gear, and occasionally throwing a line in the water.

I did test the sprinklers and determined that they haven’t been watering. The pump lost prime so no water was coming out… or the inlet is under the muck again. I’ll be investigating that today. I really need the sprinklers to run.

Wife did some caulking and painting, so some minor stuff is coming off the list.

Kids had fun with the egg hunt. There is a lot more room to hide stuff here than at home. (yes, we’ll still keep doing it as long as they want to play along. It’s fun.)

Dinner was entirely from the fridge, freezers, and pantry. Oh, except for a ‘heat and eat’ loaf of garlic bread. Ham, baked beans, smashed cauliflower. Neighbor gave us peach cobbler for dessert.

My head is clearing, but I’m coughing more. Dunno if that’s a good thing, but I hate being snotty. I know some of you think Airborne is a scam, but I find that it works for me. Don’t know the mechanism, don’t care, if I can take it instead of more serious meds and get some relief.

Today will be a mix of small things, if the weather holds. I’ve got some blueberry bushes to plant, some herbs, and some squashes. I’ve got a couple of small jobs to finish, and the sprinklers to troubleshoot. At least my head is feeling better. Still don’t want to climb a ladder with a chainsaw, so the limbs might get a reprieve until next time.

I may not now my limitations, but I know when I’m getting close. 30ft in the air with a chainsaw and a stuffed head is dang close…

Better to get some extra sleep and push stuff off until later…

Stack, stack, stack… you won’t regret it.

nick

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