When the Power is Out

"The two most important days in your life were the day you were born and the day you find out why." Mark Twain                       This is for real! 12 minute video gives you the "why/who?"                                                             Click the highlighted link.  Because we need to watch for this,  America could come to its knees with a one, two, three punch. Talking heads are saying how FEMA is already stretched thin.  So, keep an eye on the news;  Orville dam in California -- word on the street ...

How to Survive and Thrive When the Power is Out - J.L. Noakes : Xlibris Now available in your local bookstore and on Amazon.com http://bookstore.xlibris.com/Products/SKU-001006390/How-to-Survive-and-Thrive-When-the-Power-is-Out.aspx When the power is out is a compilation of secrets, recipes, remedies and daily basic know-how for living at a time without electricity. Great Grandmother survived very well without electricity and passed on her household secrets, preserved here before they are lost to us forever. Take a look inside-----  ISBN:978-1-5035-4866-4 Section 1 Analyzing a disaster (natural and man-made) 35 Items that disappear first after a disaster 10 diseases seen first after a disaster Section 2 On your own Your sister, husband and 6 kids. . . . Section 3 Water and the human body Thirst and dehydration Collecting water To make a simple saline solution To make an oral hydration solution That water is not safe Filtering water the natural way S...

The temperatures this February evening dropped rapidly as the wind kicks up the powdery white stuff and lands it in places where it is least welcomed. The woodstove chimney shivers with protests as old man winter admires his own strength. It seems as if it were forever since the warmth of the sun comforted my old bones. I think I'd even welcome a huge wood spider stomping across the ceiling right now as opposed to this draft streaming through the cracks of our tired old cabin. Husband and I had a serious discussion last week about whether to continue the homestead or move to warmer digs. We even went as far as to contact rental agents, we felt this was the right move, at least at that moment.  When it came right down to it, what we discovered, we didn't have the heart to leave, to just abandon, our homestead children. So until or when our bodies finally have had enough, we will continue to dedicate ourselves and to nurture that which we have etched out of this foreste...

More U.P. pictures over at http://handygranny.com in da woods. Evening at Stromburg Lake campgrounds, Dickinson County Not a ripple in the water makes the lake look like a mirror. (Click on the pictures to enlarge) Early morning, still ripple free. Breakfast cooking. Stromburg lake is man made. Here is a picture of the dam that was made to back up a small river to make the lake. This dam is slightly different than what you would expect. This picture of the inside of the dam facing west. The next picture is the other half of the dam facing east. The afternoon sun was warm and friendly with a light breeze tickling my cheek, combined with the constant rush of the falling water over the dam, I was lulled into a wonderfully comfortable hypnotic meditation. Suddenly, I was slapped back into reality when 3 guys in a boat show up. I was kind of pissed. I guess boys must play. On my way back to camp, a dragonfly begged for my...

Our first attempt at a covered growing area. Worked pretty damn well! Keep scrolling for the really great idea. In floor heating system. We need the extra greenhouse growing space. So what to do? We have no extra money and no time to save up for the good stuff. So here's what we came up with;                                        We started with a few 2X2's and built a 3 sided frame. We positioned the new greenhouse over an existing raised bed. Next we threw some chicken fencing over the frame and used staples to hold the chicken wire in place. A snow storm came before we were able to finish this, it held up very well. If you look at the inside roof area, you can see that we braced the wire on the top. Now all we need to do is close up the ends. With this ty...