Discussions
Reply to: Ham radio recommendations? Posted September 4, 2020
Reply to: Weird pandemic coping mechanisms? Posted September 4, 2020

This prepper joined a Facebook group on prepping that is a non-firearm climate change international group, back in 2018, after I had moved back into my house when Hurricane Irma flooded it. So when Sars-CoV-2 showed up I had to change plans from moving to a new area.   This really made me mad!  I am living alone, and was about to retire so I could move!  Staying with my intention to move i started trying experiments to practice some of the prepping skills that were discussed in the prepper group.  I set up a aquaponics mini farm using the stuff that I had.  Only thing I lacked was the LED lights which I got at the pet store aquarium section.  We were on shutdown, but pet stores were considered essential.  It was not perfect but my 20 gallon guppy tank gravity fed into 3 tubs using 5/8″ tubing and filters that passed through 16oz sized yogurt containers stuffed with aquarium floss. The last bed had a pump that returned the filtered water back into the guppy tank.  That I was able to get at hydroponics store when things opened up a few weeks later.  I did not wait for the pump and planted my beds with lettuce, basil and arugula.  It was still cold out so this was in my livingroom!  The cool thing is it is completely portable!  I can break it down if I have to and reassemble it in another room, or basement, or garage! At a time when feeling powerless, cheated of my goal intent to move, this was what gave me solace.  Seeing my sprouts come up and noticing daily progress of SOMETHING! At last!  Last week i built a solar oven.  Meantime I learn as much as I can from wherever I can!

Reply to: Prepping for Hurricane Season Posted August 25, 2020

The hardest decision is whether to stay, or to hit the road to stay with friends, or hotel.  We want to believe the storm will miss us directly, avoiding all the effort to get out.  Irma was slated to hit Miami area until day 3 before landfall.  It took a jog to the west and headed toward us. In SW Florida 5 days from Irma’s landfall was the last chance to leave if one wanted to find a hotel anywhere between SWFL and South Carolina.  By 4 days out from landfall, no hotel was available as far as North Carolina.  Why?  Because Irma was so big, the whole state was going to be in its path.  5 days was the last chance to catch a flight out of my local Airport.  By day 4 there were long lines down the highway for gasoline, and water was in very short supply.  The interstate was already congested on day 4. Day 3 back up plan came into affect.  Stay with friends.  We had 2 cats.  Hotels were taking pets before Irma, but not anymore here locally.  All the animal shelters were full on day 4.  So, we tried to find friends who would take two humans and 2 cats.  The friends we knew who would take us had left the area ahead of us.  A friend would take us but not the cats.   There were others on my street who stayed and had to be rescued by the Redneck Navy and the National Guard. Day 2 prepping for evacuation.  Our zone had been called to leave.  The plan was to stay through the worst of land fall and return to the cats the next morning.  We cleaned out freezer, salvaged what we could from fridge and cubbords, packed our clothes for the night, with our BOB, water, radios, phones, papers, and photographed every room with closets.  Before leaving I turned off the power, and shut off the water, shut the hurricane shutters with the cats safe in the back porch, fed them generously. That eve we moved our stuff to friends house, and shared what food we had to use up to avoid spolage. Storm appreach day one was an exercise of waiting as the weather worsened.  That night power went out about 2 hours before the worst hit.  Tornadoes passed us a few miles away.  The sound was memorable. I won’t bore you futher.

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Reply to: Ham radio recommendations? Posted September 4, 2020
Reply to: Weird pandemic coping mechanisms? Posted September 4, 2020

This prepper joined a Facebook group on prepping that is a non-firearm climate change international group, back in 2018, after I had moved back into my house when Hurricane Irma flooded it. So when Sars-CoV-2 showed up I had to change plans from moving to a new area.   This really made me mad!  I am living alone, and was about to retire so I could move!  Staying with my intention to move i started trying experiments to practice some of the prepping skills that were discussed in the prepper group.  I set up a aquaponics mini farm using the stuff that I had.  Only thing I lacked was the LED lights which I got at the pet store aquarium section.  We were on shutdown, but pet stores were considered essential.  It was not perfect but my 20 gallon guppy tank gravity fed into 3 tubs using 5/8″ tubing and filters that passed through 16oz sized yogurt containers stuffed with aquarium floss. The last bed had a pump that returned the filtered water back into the guppy tank.  That I was able to get at hydroponics store when things opened up a few weeks later.  I did not wait for the pump and planted my beds with lettuce, basil and arugula.  It was still cold out so this was in my livingroom!  The cool thing is it is completely portable!  I can break it down if I have to and reassemble it in another room, or basement, or garage! At a time when feeling powerless, cheated of my goal intent to move, this was what gave me solace.  Seeing my sprouts come up and noticing daily progress of SOMETHING! At last!  Last week i built a solar oven.  Meantime I learn as much as I can from wherever I can!

Reply to: Prepping for Hurricane Season Posted August 25, 2020

The hardest decision is whether to stay, or to hit the road to stay with friends, or hotel.  We want to believe the storm will miss us directly, avoiding all the effort to get out.  Irma was slated to hit Miami area until day 3 before landfall.  It took a jog to the west and headed toward us. In SW Florida 5 days from Irma’s landfall was the last chance to leave if one wanted to find a hotel anywhere between SWFL and South Carolina.  By 4 days out from landfall, no hotel was available as far as North Carolina.  Why?  Because Irma was so big, the whole state was going to be in its path.  5 days was the last chance to catch a flight out of my local Airport.  By day 4 there were long lines down the highway for gasoline, and water was in very short supply.  The interstate was already congested on day 4. Day 3 back up plan came into affect.  Stay with friends.  We had 2 cats.  Hotels were taking pets before Irma, but not anymore here locally.  All the animal shelters were full on day 4.  So, we tried to find friends who would take two humans and 2 cats.  The friends we knew who would take us had left the area ahead of us.  A friend would take us but not the cats.   There were others on my street who stayed and had to be rescued by the Redneck Navy and the National Guard. Day 2 prepping for evacuation.  Our zone had been called to leave.  The plan was to stay through the worst of land fall and return to the cats the next morning.  We cleaned out freezer, salvaged what we could from fridge and cubbords, packed our clothes for the night, with our BOB, water, radios, phones, papers, and photographed every room with closets.  Before leaving I turned off the power, and shut off the water, shut the hurricane shutters with the cats safe in the back porch, fed them generously. That eve we moved our stuff to friends house, and shared what food we had to use up to avoid spolage. Storm appreach day one was an exercise of waiting as the weather worsened.  That night power went out about 2 hours before the worst hit.  Tornadoes passed us a few miles away.  The sound was memorable. I won’t bore you futher.