This weeks preps check-in

[SheilaT.]

Now I have a couple of empty planters I decided to sieve the roots and crap out the compost and refill one to sow some spinach in. I might sow a few stump rooted carrots in the other, will have to check what seeds I have.

 

[Maverick]

We just finished weeding our garden today. We let the weeds get a little out of hand and it took two days get it all weeded. I tilled another section of the garden so we can plant some garlic and more onion sets. Got the orchard mowed and everything watered.
Yesterday was hot and miserable. The temp hit 87 degs with 19% humidity, and it only cooled down to 65 last night. That's more like August weather. Today is more normal at 62.

Humidity been really low here too 13-24% hovering in the 80s-90s high for this time of year looks like early fire season [emoji20]

 

[Brent S]

I just finished hooking up the new well. It’s not connected to the houses yet, but the 80gal tank is pressurized and I will check for leaks. None visible right off anyways. I watered the greenhouse with it today for the first time. It’s clear and Icy cold, and had double the pressure my hose had connected to the house. Can’t wait to hook up my house to it and have the county disconnect their water line. Unfortunately I have about 100’ of digging to connect to my house, and at least a quarter of that will be by hand due to buried lines and stuff. Luckily I have a backhoe for most of it though.

 

[Arcticdude]

We finished excavating the foundation for the house today. It took about 3 days of digging to get it right. Found out that part of the water line that will feed the house is only 46" deep. We'll have to dig up a section of line and rebury it to 60". The concrete guys should be out to pour the footers next week. Due to the distance the concrete guys have to travel up to our place they tack on an extra $400 per day for travel time.
They finished roofing the shop today and will start on the wiring and siding next week. Also next week we'll excavate the hole for the solar panel mount. The pole mount is a 21 foot 8 inch schedule 40 pipe.
I retilled part of the garden yesterday and the wife planted another dozen tomato plants, some onion and garlic bulbs and lavender seeds. And I finished the fence around the garden and orchard this morning. Just need to build 1 more gate.
Got all the hay home, but I've been too lazy to unload the last trailer load. There's only about 3-1/2 ton of hay left on the trailer, but it can wait.

 

[jimLE]

I pulled a no brainer goof last Sunday. I was using a hand held leaf blower. In which I've done i don't know how many times over the years. I moved my left hand to a diff n better location. Thats when 2 fingertips touched the extremely hot muffler .and it to be no more then 1 sec for 2 burn blisters to show up.been using anti bacterial cream n bandaids ever since.because of this. the aloe vera plant is now on my to buy list.as well,as more bandaids

 

[Kevin L]

I just joined a gym.

I've been stashing guns, ammo, food water, medical stuff, etc..

And, of course, I let myself get out of shape.

I started using the stairmaster (you know you're making progress when you need to vomit), and lifting weights.

Also, about 2/3 to 3/4 of my work commuting is on my bicycle

 

[Brent S]

I just joined a gym.

I've been stashing guns, ammo, food water, medical stuff, etc..

And, of course, I let myself get out of shape.

I started using the stairmaster (you know you're making progress when you need to vomit), and lifting weights.

Also, about 2/3 to 3/4 of my work commuting is on my bicycle

Getting and staying in shape should be a priority, just not sure what my excuse is.... I’m glad you’re making a really good effort.

 

[Brent S]

I picked another gallon of blueberries just now.. the bushes are now about six feet tall, and 5yrs ish. It takes a while for most plants to get mature enough to start producing wel. I’m hoping to get another 15 good years out of these bushes. My point here is if you think you can just plant some fruit trees when times get tough, think again. You’re likely to starve well before they start producing. Plant now while times are good.

 

[Danil54grl]

That's what I don't get about. . Putting off till the time comes. But why when there are so many things that need years in order to get established and produce? Or even planting a garden? It takes time and a lot of work to get your soil right in order to actually produce decently. Doing it on a regular basis is key. My boss lady just said that it was close to the end of season for us. I told her I'm year round here. I pulled up one row of cantaloupe this morning cause they were done, but I will be replacing with some sort of southern bean. Just cause one thing taps out during the extreme heat and humidity doesn't mean you can't replace with something that will grow this time of year. Knowing what works and when to plant is another thing that people need to get used to for their region. Lots of folks plant butternut for a fall crop. Here I plant mine during the spring. I do what works for me and has been proven year after year.

 

[Proud Prepper]

I did some reorganizing in my attic. I counted 412 rolls of toilet paper, 64 rolls of paper towels between there and the bathroom closet. I threw out some old holiday decorations and used the space for old magazines(populer mechanics and hunting, fishing mostly) and paper plates. I will also add the old set of encyclopedia's as soon as I aquire more sealable containers.

Split about a bunch of wood earlier in the week with the electric log splitter.

 

[Arcticdude]

I picked up a pressure washer and shop vac the other day at Tractor Supply and ordered a 30 ton log splitter.
The builders finished the siding on the shop today. We're going to pick up the paint tomorrow. The electrical, insulation and drywall should be delivered any day.
Got the auto start connected to the generator. Also programed the inverter to automatically start the generator when the battery bank drops to a certain voltage. Got the hole dug for the solar panel mount. We got the hole down to 6 feet deep and 6 feet square. All in solid shale.
Yesterday we turned the cattle out. The wife and I took the 4 wheelers out today looking for them. After driving around for a couple hours we found them. For being mid July we still have a lot of lush green pasture left. Should have good grazing through to late October early November, or until the snow falls.

 

[Arcticdude]

I just joined a gym.

I've been stashing guns, ammo, food water, medical stuff, etc..

And, of course, I let myself get out of shape.

I started using the stairmaster (you know you're making progress when you need to vomit), and lifting weights.

Also, about 2/3 to 3/4 of my work commuting is on my bicycle

If you really want to get into shape, why don't you come out here and give me a hand? I need to move our winter supply of hay in to the barn. Good upper body work out.
Or how about helping with the fence? I've got a section about 2 miles long that's too steep to drive the 4 wheelers to and have to pack in the fence posts, barb wire and tools on my back. I've got to split and stack a winter's supply of firewood too. Or maybe you could help me thin a few acres of trees this fall. Or this winter you could strap on some snow shoes and follow me around on the trap line. All great exercise, or so I hear.

 

[Brent S]

If you really want to get into shape, why don't you come out here and give me a hand? I need to move our winter supply of hay in to the barn. Good upper body work out.
Or how about helping with the fence? I've got a section about 2 miles long that's too steep to drive the 4 wheelers to and have to pack in the fence posts, barb wire and tools on my back. I've got to split and stack a winter's supply of firewood too. Or maybe you could help me thin a few acres of trees this fall. Or this winter you could strap on some snow shoes and follow me around on the trap line. All great exercise, or so I hear.

Yeah, all great forms of exercise, but do you have beautiful girls in skintight outfits? I often wondered why people join gyms and that was the best reason I could come up with. Personally I would rather use the energy from a workout on doing something productive too. Seriously though, any form of exercise is better than none.

 

[Arcticdude]

Yeah, all great forms of exercise, but do you have beautiful girls in skintight outfits? I often wondered why people join gyms and that was the best reason I could come up with. Personally I would rather use the energy from a workout on doing something productive too. Seriously though, any form of exercise is better than none.

You got me there Brent. Not too many girls around here in skin tight outfits. Although it's not uncommon to see a beautiful girl on horseback in a tight tank top bouncing around.....

 

[Maverick]

Garden doing good, all the equipment maintenance is done. Got permission from the Forrest Service to remove brush a hundred feet back from the property line on FS land also permission to trim the trees up 10' from the ground, should be done Sundy. They place 2 bulldog brush trucks on the property for staging plus two water tankers they place here earlier in the year, I placed power out there last year to keep the fire apparatus equipment charged, they had a problem a couple of years ago with one of the equipment not firing up.

 

[Kevin L]

I did some reorganizing in my attic. I counted 412 rolls of toilet paper, 64 rolls of paper towels between there and the bathroom closet. I threw out some old holiday decorations and used the space for old magazines(populer mechanics and hunting, fishing mostly) and paper plates. I will also add the old set of encyclopedia's as soon as I aquire more sealable containers.

Split about a bunch of wood earlier in the week with the electric log splitter.

Be careful storing paper products in an attic. The swings in temperature will, over time, cause paper products to deteriorate into dust.

I'm a stamp collector, and I lost some valuable parts of my collection when a well-intentioned girlfriend put stuff in the attic when she was cleanung up my place.

 

[Kevin L]

Yeah, all great forms of exercise, but do you have beautiful girls in skintight outfits? I often wondered why people join gyms and that was the best reason I could come up with. Personally I would rather use the energy from a workout on doing something productive too. Seriously though, any form of exercise is better than none.

I disagree with some of your points, but only in a minor way.

There is a difference between working out in a gym and having an active lifestyle (like farmwork, as arctic dude mentioned earlier).

The difference is that gym exercises are prearranged, sometimes with equipment, and allow you to precisely track your progress.

A gym program and an active lifestyle should both be utilized at the same time, but I don't believe they are interchangable.

When managing diabetes, for example, a gym workout allows you to track and manage your calories in a way that an active lifestyle (like farm work) really doesn't.

P.S. There are, indeed, lots and lots of beautifully stunning girls at my gym, but the irony is that I have little interest in them when I'm trying to keep from vomiting when I use the Stairmaster...and clutching my midsection in agony from all the medicine ball crunches that make me feel like I've been beaten up with a baseball bat.

 

[Proud Prepper]

Be careful storing paper products in an attic. The swings in temperature will, over time, cause paper products to deteriorate into dust.

I'm a stamp collector, and I lost some valuable parts of my collection when a well-intentioned girlfriend put stuff in the attic when she was cleanung up my place.

Yes you are correct. My attic is below a double roof and ventilated, its mostly shaded by tree branches and the part that is not has solor panels. It doesn't get over 105 up there. I seel everything in containers with moisture absorbers. I had tested some paper products for 2 years up there that were not as protected and they were fine.

 

[Maverick]

I've said this before, I had muscle fit guys here that have no endurance and no strength in the right places, they didn't last. In farm work one will be using muscles they didn't know they had and using in a far longer period of time certainly more than a few hours a day at the gym. Muscles ain't shit if they are the wrong one's, looking pretty won't cut!

 

[Kevin L]

I've said this before, I had muscle fit guys here that have no endurance and no strength in the right places, they didn't last. In farm work one will be using muscles they didn't know they had and using in a far longer period of time certainly more than a few hours a day at the gym. Muscles ain't shit if they are the wrong one's, looking pretty won't cut!

I agree, but I said both an active lifestyle and working out should be used together...they are both beneficial, but not interchangable.

I'm currently trying to increase my cardiovascular fitness with combo of stairmaster and cycling. I can't run because I have steel rods and a metal plate in my spine, and I can't handle impact if I want to stay out of a wheelchair.

I can lift weights at the gym, because gym equipment has precise angles and form that let me avoid putting punishment on my lower back.