This weeks preps check-in

[Gazrok]

Interesting on the lamp oil. I'll have to check, but that explains a lot.

 

[Brent S]

Well, I had a pretty good weekend. Some prepping, some working on stuff here. The porch I closed in started getting trim made and installed. I have a stack of rough sawn pine boards that I am turning into trim, and got most of the Windows trimmed inside. That isn't really so much for prepping, but it felt good to see progress on the porch project. It is prepping related if you count that I hardly ever turn the heat on now that the porch has the wood burning stove set up. (Ok, a stretch here, but proud of the work so far ).
I finally got around to pruning the grape vines and blueberries! It was about 4 hrs of using a hand clipper, and aside from blisters and a sore hand, I'm ok. Unfortunately I still have about 60 fruit trees to prune and spray still. Hopefully by next weekend my hand will be back to normal. I've been having problems with the peach trees getting a fungus just before the peaches are ripe. I've learned that spraying a copper and sulfur solution on the trees starting now and up till the blossoms start will fix the issue. Here's to chemicals! I try to go as organic as possible here, but it needs a little help occasionally. This reminds me to advise everyone to start gardening now, while you have access to food from other sources. Believe me, it isn't as easy to learn how to get things to produce well, and if it's your only source of eating one day a little experience will help keep you afloat. I also finished tilling the greenhouse today. I think I'll start planting this week so I'll have some plants to take out to the garden for spring. I've had about a third of the greenhouse planted with cold weather crops, but will get some seedlings going now. It would be nice to not have to work all week, and just be able to stay home playing farmer/homesteader. Oh well, can't have it all. Hope everyone had a productive weekend, and stayed safe.

 

[Maverick]

I gone through my older equipment and cleaned and tested, never know

1952 413D Colman stove my dad purchased new, 1958 Big Hat Colman lantern another one purchased new

This Wed we pulling the big tent out and setting up and clean, I grew up with this equipment, need to take care of it, the kids love these older equipment They been cleaning my 60s equipment stoves/lanterns/cat heaters all day and been loving it.

 

[jimLE]

that reminds me..i do need to get my tent out.not only to air it out.but to make sure it's still water proof.especilly seeing how we're getting some light rain here..

 

[Gazrok]

Wow, 60 fruit trees? At most, my plan is for about ten tops, lol. That's a lot of work Brent!

 

[Brent S]

I gone through my older equipment and cleaned and tested, never know

1952 413D Colman stove my dad purchased new, 1958 Big Hat Colman lantern another one purchased new
View attachment 5294View attachment 5295

This Wed we pulling the big tent out and setting up and clean, I grew up with this equipment, need to take care of it, the kids love these older equipment They been cleaning my 60s equipment stoves/lanterns/cat heaters all day and been loving it.

The new stuff isn't built as well usually too. I had a Coleman stove for thirty plus years and it still worked great. I gave it to a friend from work that was going thru rough times and was going camping with no supplies. I liked it, but am glad I was able to share some prepping supplies with someone that had little.

 

[Brent S]

Wow, 60 fruit trees? At most, my plan is for about ten tops, lol. That's a lot of work Brent!

Yeah, it wasn't smart! I'm a sucker for clearance fruit trees! Each season when they are on clearance I would bring a few home, and after a few years I created a full time job! I think having a few less would let me take better care of them. On the upside though, each year is a crap shoot as to which ones produce, so having more at least increases your odds of eating fresh fruit. I have a pretty good mix with peaches, nectarines,pears,plumbs,cherries,figs and several different types of apples. I'm still eating on the loads of canned apples I put up last year.

 

[Brent S]

This was what I got done over the weekend on the front porch. I'm working on the trim now, and plan to install the flooring before long. I really wish I had more time to play with the projects at home! I tell people that it dosent matter if you only install 1 piece of trim, or whatever it is your doing, each day. No matter how little you're able to do, as long as it keeps moving forward you'll complete it before too long. Right now it feels like I'll finish this in three years, but hopefully it won't be that bad. Slowly but surely.

 

[Trapper]

Been busy with many projects. Bought 3 coleman lanterns last summer on thrift sales. One worked that used 1 lb propane tanks for $5. The other two use white gas but had clogged generators. Paid $15 for the pair and $20 in parts and they work like new. Now I have 5 coleman lanterns.

I also restored 5 kerosene wick lanterns and have 5 more glass oil lamps. I can easily lights the whole house up if I needed to. For some reason my wife says we are good in this area on our preps!

I also loaded and stored another 1k 9mm rounds. Ammo preps are almost complete. Should be done by the end of the year. I figure depending who gets elected for president this fall will cause another panic buying shortage. I plan to have this area done with components to reload stocked up.

Next up is to tap maple trees. Three weeks of lots of work. Hope to have the pneumonia I have been fighting behind me before the tapping starts.

 

[jimLE]

i've been redoing my haves and don't haves list today.so i can plan better on what to do and get next.and in what order.

 

[Gazrok]

Yeah, it wasn't smart! I'm a sucker for clearance fruit trees! Each season when they are on clearance I would bring a few home, and after a few years I created a full time job! I think having a few less would let me take better care of them. On the upside though, each year is a crap shoot as to which ones produce, so having more at least increases your odds of eating fresh fruit. I have a pretty good mix with peaches, nectarines,pears,plumbs,cherries,figs and several different types of apples. I'm still eating on the loads of canned apples I put up last year.

Cool. I'm looking to do about:

4 Apple trees (2 different kinds)
2 Orange trees
1 Pear tree
1 Avocado tree
1 Banana tree
1 Cherry tree
1 Lemon/Lime hybrid (half of it is lemon, half lime...grafted)

Mostly going to be a hunt for the right varieties at the right price (and right starting size). Can really add up money wise.

 

[Brent S]

I got trees from box box stores, great price, but they don't know what grows well in your area, nor care. There just told to sell whatever the mega nursery sends them. It might be wise to go talk to your local ag extension and see what grows well there. If you're a good Gardner, then you can get anything to produce, but I like hardy, low maintenance plants. I used to love the Japanese plumb trees in central fla. if you could beat the birds and possums to the ripe fruit they were so sweet! I also mention them as they grew wild and were tough plants.

 

[Brent S]

Cool. I'm looking to do about:

4 Apple trees (2 different kinds)
2 Orange trees
1 Pear tree
1 Avocado tree
1 Banana tree
1 Cherry tree
1 Lemon/Lime hybrid (half of it is lemon, half lime...grafted)

Mostly going to be a hunt for the right varieties at the right price (and right starting size). Can really add up money wise.

I also like getting two of each for cross pollination. Lots of plants will self pollinate, but I also like having a backup if one dies.

 

[Brent S]

QUOTE="Trapper, post: 82346, member: 950"]Been busy with many projects. Bought 3 coleman lanterns last summer on thrift sales. One worked that used 1 lb propane tanks for $5. The other two use white gas but had clogged generators. Paid $15 for the pair and $20 in parts and they work like new. Now I have 5 coleman lanterns.

I also restored 5 kerosene wick lanterns and have 5 more glass oil lamps. I can easily lights the whole house up if I needed to. For some reason my wife says we are good in this area on our preps!

I also loaded and stored another 1k 9mm rounds. Ammo preps are almost complete. Should be done by the end of the year. I figure depending who gets elected for president this fall will cause another panic buying shortage. I plan to have this area done with components to reload stocked up.

Next up is to tap maple trees. Three weeks of lots of work. Hope to have the pneumonia I have been fighting behind me before the tapping starts.[/QUOTE]
Sorry about the pneumonia, hope it clears soon. I got that damned pneumonia shot after encouragement from my doctor and my arm was so sore I thought it was going to fall off. Oh well, at least I didn't get pneumonia.

 

[Rob Painless]

I'm jealous of all y'all's fruit trees. I live in the land of NO trees (on the plains, were they don't occur naturally) and here on my 3 acres it seems to be especially difficult to get any to grow! There is a layer of caliche a couple of feet down that really fights the roots of most trees. I have planted dozens of different trees but gotten almost none to take hold and live. We did have an apricot and a peach but the borers got the peach little by little and then a couple of years ago, some disease came in during our drought and killed our apricot. Killed lots of other apricot trees around here as well, plus several folks' cherry trees. I did get some plums to live & were going very well, living to about 3 years old, but then we got 3 late freezes into late May and THEY all got killed. Yuck. I guess I'll keep trying.

I also restored 5 kerosene wick lanterns and have 5 more glass oil lamps. I can easily lights the whole house up if I needed to.

Sweet! I like my kerosene lamps & lanterns! One of my prize possessions is the Aladdin lamp that was my great-grandmother's when my dad was a little boy. He remembers that when they brought it home it was one of the nicest things in the house and when they lit it that night, it "was so bright, they almost couldn't stand it". But compared to the typical kerosene lanterns they were used to, I guess it would have been. I redid the burner assy and put a new chimney on it, but I still haven't lit it....not sure why. I should go ahead and do that. The base is a milky white glass that stands about 10 inches tall & was made in about 1937.

 

[Brent S]

I'm jealous of all y'all's fruit trees. I live in the land of NO trees (on the plains, were they don't occur naturally) and here on my 3 acres it seems to be especially difficult to get any to grow! There is a layer of caliche a couple of feet down that really fights the roots of most trees. I have planted dozens of different trees but gotten almost none to take hold and live. We did have an apricot and a peach but the borers got the peach little by little and then a couple of years ago, some disease came in during our drought and killed our apricot. Killed lots of other apricot trees around here as well, plus several folks' cherry trees. I did get some plums to live & were going very well, living to about 3 years old, but then we got 3 late freezes into late May and THEY all got killed. Yuck. I guess I'll keep trying.




Sweet! I like my kerosene lamps & lanterns! One of my prize possessions is the Aladdin lamp that was my great-grandmother's when my dad was a little boy. He remembers that when they brought it home it was one of the nicest things in the house and when they lit it that night, it "was so bright, they almost couldn't stand it". But compared to the typical kerosene lanterns they were used to, I guess cit would have been. I redid the burner assy and put a new chimney on it, but I still haven't lit it....not sure why. I should go ahead and do that. The base is a milky white glass that stands about 10 inches tall & was made in about 1937.

Have you tried any bushes like blueberries of black berries? It concerns me that no other trees grow naturally there. You probably have two options, one is dig out an area and fill with topsoil. The other is make large containers to fill with soil. Even in good conditions they are susceptible to disease and climate. I noticed three or four plumbs that have diseased spots on them. I'll probably cut them down to protect the others. Good luck, and I'd love to see a picture of the lamp!

 

[Gazrok]

I also like getting two of each for cross pollination. Lots of plants will self pollinate, but I also like having a backup if one dies.

Not a bad idea. When first planning this, it was just going to be some apple trees, and an orange tree, but then some in the household got on avocado kicks, etc. (and some variety would be nice).

 

[Arcticdude]

Ordered a new JD 65 hp 4 wheel drive tractor today, with loader, back blade and post auger. Hired a contractor to build our barn this spring. It will be 48x24 with 2 stalls, tack room and loft. It's going to be busy around our place once the snow melts. Only a couple feet of snow left and melting fast.

 

[jontte]

just changed my water I had stored,got some more ammo for my mosin and it's stored in proper ammocans and the usual;rice and canned stuff from the store.

 

[Arcticdude]

I'm a new grandpa today. My daughter gave birth to a new 7-1/2 pound baby boy this morning. Mother and baby are doing fine. Dad just got laid off at the mill last week, so things are going to be a little tight until he goes back to work this Spring.