What have you done today to prepare?

Here is a picture of the well guy pulling the pipe from the well in order to replace the pump. 

I've seen this online before, so I thought I'd list what PH and I have done today to get more "prepared" for when TMHTF (whether it be job loss, economic collapse or worse).

PH left early this morning to go pick up some of his tools from his father's house, buy concrete to continue working on the piers of the house, and to get fencing.  When he arrived home I was hanging laundry, and I heard a loud rooster crowing.  I thought it was PH messing around, but he brought me a beautiful Americauna rooster!  This guy is beautiful, but pricey.  I had stopped at the man's house where he was purchased, but he wanted high way robbery prices for his poultry.  I had talked to PH about a beautiful rooster he had, a red sex-link named Rufus.  PH came home with another one, as Mr. Greenjeans (my name for chicken guy) wanted $50! I was very excited, though shocked that PH would pay $30 for this rooster, but he said he wanted to make me happy.   It is one of the best gifts I've had in a long time.  How funny is that?  I'd much rather have a chicken, goat or Berkey filter for a gift than flowers or a fancy dinner.  I'm so strange, but at least after 23 years PH knows the way to my heart. 

So here is MacArthur (named after our American General), we have a banty rooster named "Napoleon", just cuz he's 'lil (ha! ha!):

General MacArthur

We had to go into town to the post office (dropping off Frontier House from Netflix), so we stopped at the Ace Hardware in the small town closes to us. 

I purchased:

two replacement globes for my oil lamps (need two more)

macaroni and cheese (Kraft) that was on sale

kool aid ( we don't drink it much, but I try to keep it on hand)

new 20" chain saw

PH also unhooked the empty propane tank from grill/burner and put in his truck, he can refill it at work for much cheaper than my paying for a refill.

I have my kerosene bottles ready, and will fill two of them on Monday at the local oil company.  Much cheaper!  (I was paying $21.99 for a gallon at Academy or Ace).  By using the oil company, I am paying $5.40 a gallon.  I can fill up four gallons for the price of one.

Once that is done, I'll fill my oil lamps, trim the wicks, and talk to PH about making oil lamp holders to bolt onto the metal walls of our container cabin.  I have six oil lamps, plus four battery operated (AA) lamps.  The PDs use one of these as a lamp in their loft.  Plus, when I go do laundry at night, I hang one from the ceiling in the wash house.

PH also disced the dead cantelope/watermelon vines under.  We were going to plant, but with the heat.  We decided to wait until the end of September (for now) and plant the cold weather crops.  Hopefully, they will need less water than those that would be planted now. (Heat index 110 today).

Our chicks are starting to hatch today...one has died so far, but another has broken through, and we are waiting for it to emerge all the way from the shell.

Water, water everywhere

We have water!  I am so excited!  PH opted to not repair the wiring on the previous pump.  Our old pump was a 7.5 hp irrigation pump that was here when we purchased the property (almost 4 years ago).   I've been wanting a way to get the water out of the well if our grid electricity went out.  We have a generator, but the old pump needed way too much electricity (amps) and our generator couldn't provide it.  So, PH (relunctantly) replaced the old pump with a 1.5 hp deep well pump that we can operate off the generator, if needed.

We will work on the non-electric aspect of getting water out of the pump, hopefully soon.  So, PH spent this evening flushing the tank, because the initial batch of water that was pumped into the tank smelled really bad.  Smells like sulphur, and when we would drink it, it tastes like when you touch a metal fork to a filling.  Pretty gross.  The water in the tank was emptied into the pond tonight, and filled with fresh water.  Tomorrow PH will replace the water filter here in the house, and we hope this takes care of the issue.  I am moving up the Berkey filter purchase closer to the top of the list.

I've been able to wash lots of clothes today, and hung most on the clothesline.  But due to rain in the forecast tonight, put the last load in the dryer (PH work uniforms). 

PDs and I also went through a ton of clothing today, and have a huge stack of clothes to get rid of, and one to put into a tub for winter clothing.  Washed sheets for the beds, and the girls cleaned out their loft.  I was able to wash dishes, mop the floors, and clean the bathroom as well.

On the list for tomorrow is cleaning out the fridge, finishing the kitchen, making Wild Mustang Grape Jelly, organizing the outdoor kitchen, cleaning the living area and decluttering lots of stuff, plus continuing with the laundry.  The PDs will be picking up trash around the land, and cleaning up the playground. 

Our chicks are scheduled to hatch tomorrow (13th of August), and tonight PD#1 heard a little peep, at first I thought it was the tea kettle, but when I opened the incubator, sure enough one egg has a cracked little hole!  I picked it up and heard a peep!  We are so excited.  We have a dozen eggs in the incubator and it'd be great if they all hatched, or at least most of them.  I wasn't sure our little banty rooster was doing his job.  My girls (hens) are bigger than he is, one is a Rhode Island Red and the other three are Buff Orpingtons.

I checked on purchasing additional hens and a rooster yesterday.  They were beautiful, but the gentleman was asking $25 a bird.  That is way too rich for my blood.  On the positive side, these people are fully aware of the potential problems looming ahead.  My first group of people in "main stream" society who have it going on.  They have two RVs, where family members have moved in with them.  They are raising chickens to sell for income, and have a huge yard (1 acre) to be able to grow a garden, and could even have a couple of goats.  I mentioned that to them, and the lady said it was in their plans.  I was very pleased to see "someone" waking up to what is going in the world around us. 

Day 5 of no water - Bathing

Front gate

View from the gate looking down the driveway

Here is the start of a mini tour of our homestead.  Blogger isn't cooperating tonight, so I've only been able to attach a couple of pictures.  Our "cabin" is on the right at the end of the drive.

We haven't been able to shower since Saturday.  We have been going swimming every night though, and I do mean night.  Around 9 p.m. we jump in the pool and swim around, jump out, soap up, shampoo hair and then pour water from the pool over our heads to rinse.  PS2 is enjoying this new ritual.  He loves running around without anything on. 

My bath tub for the moment

I did two small loads of laundry in the Wonder Wash tonight.  Towels and a few light clothes.  I am not sure I am doing it right, as one of the towels didn't come out really clean.  I think I need to use spray and wash, and allow the clothes to soak in the soapy water before cranking the handle.  I like being able to wash something to wear if needed, and not having to wait for the water or even electricity for that matter.

The well man (WM)came out today.  It wasn't a positive experience.  Not because of the work needing to be done, but the man's attitude was very unprofessional.  For being an older man I expected more from him.  I don't know why, but I assume they were raised in better days and were taught manners.  He and PH had "words".  To give PH some credit, he managed to keep his cool longer than I thought he would.  PH is known for telling it like it is, and he refrained until the well man was very rude and insulting, then PH told him what he thought.  WM was making us feel like he was doing us a favor, and that we were less than desirable people, plus because he came out here he was losing business.  PH told him that it wasn't our fault that he didn't use an appointment book, and didn't know how to schedule himself.  He also told him that our money was as green as anyone elses.  We were paying him, he wasn't doing it for free.  PH told him that our children were staying with relatives until we had the water issue handled.  The man said it wasn't his concern.  Basically PH told him that if he was unwilling to do the job let us know, there were others who would want the work.  Suffice it to say after the WM finishes the job in the morning, we won't be using him again. 

PH had the option of replacing the wiring again on our 7.5 hp pump, or putting in a new 1.5 hp pump.  PH chose the 1.5 hp pump, and we will keep the other as a backup, just in case...The WM pulled 300 feet of metal pipe out of the ground and has left it lying beside the well opening. 

So, this time tomorrow I pray we will have running water.  I really need to catch up on laundry, do the dishes and clean in here...I could do all of it without the water on, but it would make it a lot easier ;-)

I am happy about the new pump, because there is the potential to be able to run it with our generator in the event of a power outage.  Now to get the fuel tanks brought home and start filling them with gasoline...just in case.

Day 3 of No Water - Dishes

Heating up water on the stove to wash dishes

We are on day three of no water to the house.  We have about 400 gallons left in the tank, and I did get about 10 gallons from the town house to have inside.  We are saving the 400 gallons to flush the toilet when necessary.  PH felt that at his age he didn't want to be digging a hole for an outhouse in cement hard dirt, UNLESS he absolutely had to..

I've been able to wash dishes today and make laundry soap.  Tomorrow PS and I will do laundry while PH is at work.  I'll try to remember to take pictures of the Wonder Wash in action.

PH was able to sell some items and come up with the money to fix the well.  He even looked at the Bison Pump information on line, and asked me to contact the representative to ask a couple of questions, and email a picture to see it will work with our well casing.  I was so excited.  If we are going to have to pay a couple of thousand for a new electric pump, I'd rather have a non electric one.  PH looked at the Solar Jack pump also.  It will be a little more work, but you have no idea how I have been wondering about what to do for water "just in case".  I knew PH would be able to come up with some way to get water, but I still worried a little (ok, I worried a lot!)

In keeping with my plan to cook from my storage, or what I have on hand, we had baked potatoes with butter, bacon, onions and cheese for dinner.  Drank raw milk from the local dairy.  Man I love that milk!  We had plums for dessert instead of cantelope.  PH picked seven the other day, and we are really tiring of cantelope.  It will be back to eating them tomorrow before they go bad. 

Did I mention one of my hens is broody again.  She is sitting on one egg.  She gets really flustered when I open the nesting box door to check on her.  The other hens aren't laying.  I assume due to the extreme heat (103 today).  My incubator eggs are due to hatch this week, I can't wait. 

Asked PH to check on getting some used fork lift batteries at his work.  I'd like to use them to power the house (t.v./dvd/computer/modem/lights) by charging them with the generator.  We don't have solar panels yet, just a few solar lights/lanterns.  Often I use the car battery and inverter, but it runs the car's battery down really quickly. 

On a different note...what is up with our tattle tale "Commander in Creep".  Everytime I turn around the man is on television trying to convince the citizens of this country that he is not to blame.  What happened to the buck stops here?  He is "in charge" (snicker) so it is his fault.  Just like blame or praise could be laid at the feet of any of the past Presidents.  I hesitate to use that word, as I do not consider the current man occupying the White House to be "my" President.  Out here on the Prairie we didn't vote Democrat (or Republican either), and because we don't  believe he is a legal leader we do not acknowledge him..We are rooting for the Republic of Texas, actually, the Nation of Texas is a better fit ;-)  I truly hope no one is buying this schmuck's white wash...

 Please keep your eyes open, with the S&P downgrading the nation's credit worthiness (with just cause, should have been lower), the possiblity of hyperinflation is in our future.  I am praying that the Lord spares us at this time, but I am not confident the Lord will, it may be our time.  It is for certain our dollar is even more devaluted, so I look for price increases to be rampant, as well as, loans being even harder to obtain.

We went swimming again tonight.  I love swimming in the dark.  Floating there while looking up at the night sky.  The moon and stars are beautiful.  We saw one meteor streaking across the sky...the height of the Perseids isn't here yet, but every now and then you can catch one.  PH was excited to see one moving rapidly from South to North.  We need to break out the telescope again.  I don't believe we have used it since last summer! 

Off to bed, we'll be up early to get the laundry done and on the line before the heat of the day hits us.