[TeeDee]

Not far from Hartford here. What area are you in?

• This reply was modified 1 year, 2 months ago by  TeeDee.

[TeeDee]

Since it’s happening in the basement and judging by the way the leaves are clipped off, my guess would be you have a mouse that enjoys fresh greens. Set yourself up a bucket trap near there and see if you find any swimmers in the morning. You can also try sprinkling some cayenne pepper on and around the seedlings as a deterrent. It won’t hurt the plants but the critters don’t like it.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 2 months ago by  TeeDee.

[TeeDee]

Aside from the typical beans, bullets, and bandaids and other standard “prepping” items, over time, as my budget has allowed I’ve tried to pick up things that would be needed if fuel or electricity was in short supply or not present as well as things that I might need for making repairs to stuff that I already have. Some things I didn’t have to buy. These are examples of a few of the things that I’ve picked up pre-emptively over time. A solar oven was one of my earlier buys (need to practice using it so I’m ready when/if the need arises). Someone locally was giving away a bunch of bricks so I went and picked them up. They’re stacked beside my garage and ready to be put into configuration for an easy rocket stove if I need it. When my electric coffee maker died I got a good stove top percolator. Best coffee ever and I can cook on any type of stove/fire with it. My Dad had lots of hand tools (drills, saws, planers, etc.) When he passed none of my brothers wanted them because they didn’t see any use for them. I saw loads of potential need for them so I kept them for just in case. I also kept all his jars of nails, screws, nuts, bolts, etc. I recently bought a reel push mower to have at the ready in case gas became difficult to get. I’ve got extra clothesline rope and clothes pins for when the existing ones wear out or break. Extra work gloves and gardening/yard gloves are also put aside. I also bought several strengths of reading glasses along with a few pairs of safety glasses with the bifocal reader in them. To go with those I also picked up a few eye glass repair kits as well as a couple decent magnifying glasses. Instead of getting rid of some of the jeans or other items that I “grew out of” over the past few years, I’ve held a few pair of smaller sized jeans and tops back. I also picked up an extra belt. When black Friday sales were going on I stocked up on extra basics like socks, underwear and bras (no need to be saggy during hard times). I need to get some things for repairing basic mechanical and plumbing stuff still. I have some basics like hose clamps and that type of thing, but extra belts and hoses I don’t have yet.

[TeeDee]

I have a Sun Oven but haven’t put it through it’s paces yet. I need to get it out and start getting proficient with it.
My other alternate sources include
Charcoal grill
Camp Chef propane stove w/grill and griddle accessories and large burners that can be used for canning
Standard size camp stoves – propane and white gas options
Fire pit with grill grate
Bricks for quick assemble rocket stove
Small folding hiker stove – fueled with small twigs and branches
Chafing fuel cans

[TeeDee]

Great tip about saving complete web pages! I never knew you could do that. I always click print and save to pdf if I come across an article or recipe I think I might want to refer back to, but being able to save a web page is even better!

[TeeDee]

Thanks for sharing those suggestions. I’m going to look into them further.

[TeeDee]

Thank you for the suggestion. I’ll check that out. That might be just the ticket. I’m still getting the hang of finding what’s where here on the site. I appreciate the guidance.