I hate painting.

     Sorry for the absence but I have been putting in some hours on my daughters place. I am only good for 4 to 6 hours a day and in this heat I have been getting  up at 5.30 and getting on site at 7. and working through till noon or so. I try to finish a job or 2  each day.
   I can hear you thinking Whoop ady crap that a half day to us. You got to remember I have been retired and piddling for 5 years the last 2 weeks have been a change in my routine big time.

   The reason for the big push is I want this place finished by September 1st . Today I had to block in and paint the bedroom walls and ceiling , plus the trim. While I had the ceiling paint open I did the whole place .  So it was 700 sq.ft. of ceiling out of the way. I have 2 rooms left to paint and hang trim . The electrician will give me an estimate this weekend on running the mains. The end is in sight .

Over My Dead Body !!!!

    H/T to wirecutter. Obama/Clinton  both feel this way.

   Not going to happen!!!

A free kindle book on prepping . As seen by a syrian aid worker.

  This book is free  7/23/16     https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IW3JLJ2/ref=wl_it_dp_v_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3M9E43J6VP06R&coliid=I15HK3RACVVYRA#nav-subnav

  It is a  quick read and gives some good points to think on. It will make you think about "bugging in " vs "bugging out" and the how and with what. It gives a different perspective.

Read this before you go to the grocery store.

    Ok we are a rich country and shortages of food haven't happened in the United States since WWII . Then it was only a few items that were short as the military had priority. We as a nation are spoiled and think it will never change.

    Venezuela Is an oil rich nation surpassing even Saudi Arabia in oil reserves . Due to low crude prices , bad policy decisions and corruption Its citizen's are suffering severe shortages of Basic food

 items. This has been going on for over a year now it is to the point the POOR are starving because they cannot find or afford what is available. this article is wrote from a upper middle class perspective.
http://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-venezuela-diary/

   Now make a grocery list and go shopping don't worry about this our government would never let this happen, or would they? This isn't  an Apocalypse novel it is a former top 10 economic nation.

    This is US if the world loses faith in the dollar. This is US if terrorist take down the grid . This is US if ____________, any hundred different things were to happen.

 

   Prepping is no longer  just about your parents fear of Nuclear War.

Got a dehydrator today.

       The other day I posted that Aldi's had a dehydrator starting today for 19.99 . It is one of their weekly special buy's and some time's they get gone quick. I had to go to Lowe's for a door and wood for my daughters place and Aldi's is across the street so I swung in and got the dehydrator.

   I got back home at noon and it was to hot to go hang the door . So I unpacked the dehydrator sliced up some potatoes, blanched them and loaded it up.  They have been on 11 hours now and when I get up in the morning they will be done. Next after potatoes will be onions and peppers. I plan on 2- 5 gallon buckets of potatoes and 5 gallons of onions and peppers in 1 gallon bags separated.

   This unit is not a top of the line but for 19.99 it looks like it should give several years service. It is a lot bigger than I thought and had 5 trays for the money I am happy.

A solution

   We have a problem in this world with an ideology .

   

  Thankfully there are still some old farts left who have the Solution

 What'cha think ?

A chub of sausage saved me 400$

   Yesterday's post was about re packing potatoes . In boosting on hand food prep's I have been keeping 3 cases of  Boston Butts and a case of Ribs . By getting them on sale and freezing them I can have a lower cost when doing the BBQ and have a good meat supply if things go to hell. Plus it rotates regularly. A case of butts weighs 80 plus pounds and ribs 40. At this time I have 80 lbs. of cut pork to smoke for sandwich's. 24 packs of smoked sausage and 36 chubs of Dean's sausage. My butcher found the sausage in the back of his freezer 2 days past the sell by date sold them to me for 1$ a pound. Now I have over 400$ my cost in meat once smoked and sold it is 1400$ plus.

   This morning my wife made biscuits and sausage gravy . I was out back getting ready to cut the back yard , she asked me to bring in a chub of the Deans because she used the last in the house. I got a OH SHIT moment when I opened the chest. Defrosting  every thing was just beginning to thaw. The meat was still frozen but fading fast. The 2 liter ice bottles I use to cool my distiller had saved me from a full thaw. The compressor had locked up tight. 

    I have 2 freezer's but the second one is small and it was holding corn my wife was going to cut for fried corn, Its her project tomorrow . I got every thing swapped and repacked but if I hadn't gone for that chub of sausage I had no reason to check it before Thursday morning.

  While a freezer going out can cost a person a lot of money its not the end of the world .?! But if it is an EMP that caused it ,it could be the beginning of the end of the world . A second freezer would be useless. My choices would be Smoking, Canning or Brining.

  I will continue with a freezer but I think I need to diversify some in meat storage.

  

De hydrated potatoes Cheap repack.

    No I didn't slice and dehydrate my own . I have been looking at ordering  # 10 cans or 5 gallon pail from wal mart.

 A can is 7.06 and with a 50$ order ships free . But when I was at Aldi's they had  their brand of scalloped potatoes for 79 cents.

   This box is 5 serving of 27 grams verse 20 grams servings Augason Farms Dehydrated Potato Slices  Plus you get the cheese powder and that is expensive alone.

   I have a few gallon spice jugs with a wide mouth. Today I went and bought 15 boxes of the Aldi's scalloped potatoes. Cost was 11.85 for 75 servings vs. 7.06 for 28 . When I got home I opened the boxes and found my gallon containers hold 8  boxes of potatoes and 8 cheese packs fill one of the empty boxes. I used wax paper under the screw lid to seal my jugs .

   Long story short I saved over 9$ by doing it myself plus got a half pound of cheese powder included. I think I know what I be doing weekly for a few weeks.

 

   Next week  Aldi's  has a dehydrator going on sale for 19.99 . I lost a good one in a divorce its about time for another one.

1 more day of work then a new list.:(

    Making a list has helped move the job along on my daughters place. It has been hot and humid this week and has limited me to 2 hours in the morning and 2 in the evening. Even with limited hours I have framed a wall, door and hung the sheetrock . The hardest part was doing the ceiling . For that I used 4 x8 sheets of luan OSB it paints well and was lite enough for me to put up solo.

    Today I mudded the sheet rock and plan on sanding it in the morning . So my daughter now has a 7 X 13 second bedroom and a small  12 X 13 living room. This is the last of the building stage, next week will be trim inside and out . There is a lot of trim work to cover my poor building skills. I will try to remember to take pictures of the place it has been a while.

   I added this picture to remind me this is what I started with it makes me smile .

My internet got cut off literaly.

    Last Friday one of my Nabors decided they didn't like a wire that was hanging across their driveway. It was about 8 foot above the ground at its lowest point so he got a ladder and sniped it went to both poles and cut it again . Taped the ends to both poles out of the way. Then he did the same to a second line between him and the lady next door.

    The line was the ladies and my U verse  telephone line. The dumb ass told the woman across the street "Now it looks better". I was inside and didn't see him I was trying to get my modem to reset. Well Saturday they came out to hook the house across the street back up. Tek support said I had a bad modem "dot head bastards" This was when I found out about the cut wires. Good I was going to be back online ! WRONG   He didn't have a work order he could only run Her Line. I needed to call tek support .  Well I told him they decided it was modem problems and I called them a few (many) choice names. Seems I had a holy roller that took exception to my language but as we growled at each other his boss arrived and I explained the second cut line was mine. He said the line was no problem but call tek and cancel the modem and get a onsite work order . Ok this time I got a gal from N.Y. who canceled the modem and gave the asshole the work order #. The A hole bitched about taking it out of order till his boss basically told him to shut up and do it  he was onsite.

    Once the boss had hung the line he left. The woman across the street was back online in 20 minutes . It took mister happy 5 hours climbing 6 poles to run down where my line had shorted out. It was 97* that afternoon . Screw him he deserved it.

 

  The supervisor took down the name and address of the idiot that cut the line for billing. I may have been a bit crude but justice is a bitch.

    

Project knock out list. The end is near.

    Spent a few hours working on my daughters place today. I have to admit I haven't done much the last month over there. Today I did replace the utility room floor and patched a few ceiling holes.

   Did a walk around to see where I am  work wise and it isn't as bad as I thought. I think 4 days hard work next week will get the inside construction / repair finished. Once that's done it will be time to hire the electrician to do the pole and breaker box wiring.

    When that is done it still need paint and flooring but I have the material already to go. I think I will have to drop 500 more between the electrician and some luan panels . If I am right I will only be 200 over budget on the place.

   While I am doing this for my daughter it has a carrying cost that is up to 100$ in credit card payments a month. Now once she moves in and we secure her loan that goes bye bye. She will have 5 years at 232$ a month .

 

A you tube vidio of the best presidental candidate!

   Today we saw the FBI woosh out on charging the hilderbeast. So I looked till I found someone that is more Qualified .  it wasn't hard but I like this guy.

He is perfect. He is a real dummy and lets someone put words in his mouth . Of the ones running he makes the most sense .

Sweating and Smoking.

     I hope everyone is having a safe and enjoyable 4th of July weekend. Here it has been HOT!! been bumpin 100 . There are 2 things that people hate on holiday weekends  RAIN and 100 degree's in the shade. It keeps people either inside or in the water.

   Memorial day and the 4 th are when families tend to get together and talk ,grill out,  play and have a few beers. Un fortunantly it is when I am my busiest . This year I have surpassed what I have ever done before with the BBQ .

   Today I had a man come and get 2 butts and a slab of Ribs. I had the smoke bellowing like a freight train sweat and grease felt like it was an inch thick on every inch of my body. The man looked at me and said " THANK YOU" if you weren't here I would be suffering like you have to be in this heat cooking. He said you have earned your pay day this holiday.

  

   Yes it has been a miserable 4 days of BBQing but I know I have spared 80 plus weekend grill masters from the task. I did this post while waiting for 12  Rack of ribs to finish so I can get my last 16 butts going for tomorrow.  I have pre orders that will be picking up before 10 in the morning.

    I hope the next revolution starts in early October so it will be cooler weather for future generations to celebrate.

  Be Safe, Have Fun, and Tip the cook !!!!!