[Beachchic]

Amplifying maybe…

We’ve had very few days of sun shine this entire month I wrote it down we may have 5 or 6 not with my notebook at the moment. Our skies are always streaked, well thats not even the word for it because they are solid gray. We’ve had rain like crazy I’ve got an experiment going…set a 5 gallon bucket out Jan 1 and its 3/4 full of RAIN we’ve had 5 days of 60-62° 4 days of mid to high 50’s and the rest has been between the teens and 40’s. January and february is our coldest usually in the teens as the highs and most snow months…well use to be. Today was our second day of snow and it as just a dusting. We’ve moved more into the south weather, not complaining because God is in control but allergens and bugs are going to be attrocious because they are not being controlled with the cold.

[Beachchic]

We was in this position 4 years ago when we bought our current home. We had a gas boiler with baseboard heaters throughout and it was so limescaled up it crapped on us. We ended up right at the begining of all this mess installing a gas furnace along with all the ductwork. We had 8 grand in the furnace, central air unit and ductwork through our almost 2,000 sq foot house. Of course this was done in November of 2020 so I am sure prices have rose astranomically!

[Beachchic]

We have a years worth and are somewhere in for a second year I need to inventory again I try to do it once a month but its been 2 months since I last did.

I have been testing the last few years what I can grow in the house and greenhouse through winter its not much because we dont have a heat source for the greenhouse it is a goal to work out over this winter. I can keep lettuce, spinach and carrots for sure until February and then it is too cold so I have to take a break for a month. We have seeds for several years plus this summer I started seed saving. We are extending our 35×45 garden this year. So it should be 45×45 now. Our fruit trees are still 1-3 years from providing fruit but we have them and are adding a few more.

We also have fertilizer as well as animal manure because we have rabbits and chickens.

Water is a main concern for us, we have a 10K gallon pool and a hot tub both we only use bleach as our chemicals. We have a rain barrel for the aninals and then a couple of barrels incase we need to collect rain. Also we have a couple of ways to filter water but as far as having a substantial amount of fresh drinking water stored up we do not.

• This reply was modified 2 years ago by  Beachchic.

[Beachchic]

I didnt read through all the coments because there are so many, you all are so good!

I try and thing about small stuff you wouldnt normally think about till its needed.

•Books this to me is one of the most important things, you can learn to do just about anything! I have a large library of books, I am a book worm!

•Plastic and/or tarps: you may need to cover a broken window, keep a sick person in a room off from others, cover flooring around a sick person.

•Various screws, nails, bolts, nuts

•Super glue, duck tape, jb weld, various zipties

•Car window sun blockers: forgive me I had a brain fart cant think of the name. But these are so cheap they can reflect sun in the summer but can draw the sun in for winter, you can make a solar oven with one, many uses for these.

•Various needles, thred, fishing line and fabric: even if you dont sew you never know when you might have to learn. Major cut, clothing repair who knows. Once again cheap and many uses.

•String, rope, wire, fishing line (I know this one was mentioned twice it has a ton of uses! Fishing, sewing, booby traps, animal traps, hanging stuff, tying stuff)

•As BiggKidd mentioned glasses, you may be fine now but whos to say next year or so on you will be? Vision is a pretty high priority I would say.

•Simple tools, hammer, screw drivers, pry bars, nail pullers, ratchets, sockets, axe, mull, shovel, hoe, rake, madock, pitchfork. Have several of each amd a way to repair them because tools break! Dont know how many times hubby has had to use the grinder to recut a stripped screw driver or a screw. Hes had to fix a broken wooden handle on a garden tool. Things happen when you use stuff a lot.

•Pipe fittings, pipe, glue, cleaner

[Beachchic]

I pulled the last of our peas gotta can those. But Ive got lettuce, spinach, yukon gold taters, 2 kinds of carrots and 2 kinds of garlic, parsley and rosemary in my small greenhouse still growing still need to start a few herbs. Lemon tree is in there as well but it is getting too cold so it has to be moved into the house but it has baby lemons starting. I also have bush beans hanging in the greenhouse to finish drying so I can save them for next years planting.

[Beachchic]

This greenhouse would extend my current smallish one that is bursting at the seams as well as my growing season!

[Beachchic]

Glad you got some rain, hope you get some more! Here is southern ohio we got a monsoon, it quickly soaked in due to being dry in fact you cant even tell it rained and it has only been done raining for about an hour and a half.

[Beachchic]

Thank you! I just kind of mixed stuff together lol. I used shea butter, beeswax, plantain/calendula infused argan oil. I love the feel of the argan oil so silky!

[Beachchic]

Thats good, I know of a few people that have had a ton of trouble and then Ive also seen a few youtubers having problems as well. Terrible thing to happenat any time but especially now when it is so essential to grow all that we can.

[Beachchic]

Nope, I started reading and was like my heavens there are so many and they are so good! I basically took what we try and pick up once a month so that we can get a good supply of stuff. We will pick something each month and pick up a few of that item… actually we have gotten to where every time we go to the store which is every 2-3 weeks and we get an item and stock it. Tools are going to be a major thing because just like toiletpaper once people realize they have to garden or make their own repairs there is going to be a run on them! Better to get what is needed now while there is plenty and even on sale.

[Beachchic]

Thanks I will mention that to him!

[Beachchic]

BiggKidd my hubby does this too, always has! Hes used a loader bucket, another car, whatever he could find. Weve always done our own tires, much cheaper! The only thing he cant do is balance them but we do alignments and changing tires out and so on. Its a great skill to have!

[Beachchic]

Just be careful with that straw that it wasnt sprayed with something that will wreck havoc on your garden. Lots have made that mistake unknowingly and it ruins the dirt for years!

[Beachchic]

Dont know if you if you finally got some or not but we got a monsoon last night into this morning will about 8ish. Of course the ground was so dry it quickly soaked it up but it was a lot at once.

[Beachchic]

Thanks Lorri-hilltop! I have a few of Melissas books I think the only one I dont have is Scratch something or other its on my wish list lol. I follow her on youtube and learn alot from her so no doubt this is a grest recipe thank you!