I don't miss it a bit and don't plan on getting a new one!
Showing posts with label Living without Electricity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Living without Electricity. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
Still Living Without a Microwave!
I updated the feature post (over in the left column), last week and just wanted to provide an update to it. I wrote that post 2 1/2 years ago and we still don't have a new microwave!
Thursday, January 5, 2017
Easy Ways To Add Moisture To Your Home This Winter
Is your house too dry in the winter? It is easy to tell, try going through the day without a static electric shock! You can always purchase a humidifier to solve the problem, but that costs money and electricity.
What is my solution? I offer three inexpensive ways to add moisture to your home!
#1. Set out bowls of water throughout the house. This is the easiest one to do! Once you set them up, all you need to do is fill them once a week or so. I fill mine when I am watering my plants. Note of caution, don't put the bowls of water on the floor, someone will kick them over. When I lived in a different state, the heat vents in our home were in the floor. I would put the bowls of water next to the heat vents. My family was always knocking them over. On top of a cabinet or bookcase where they will not be disturbed works better.
#2. Skip the dishwasher drying cycle and open the door to let the dishes air dry. I typically don't use the dishwasher, instead I opt to wash them by hand. However, if the dishes pile up and overwhelm (this usually happens at holiday time), I will grudgingly use the dishwasher. All you need to do is turn off the drying cycle. When the dishwasher stops, open the door. Quite a bit of steam and moisture will be released into the house! It will warm the air and the dishes dry quite quickly!
#3. Don't use the clothes dryer! Drying your clothes on a clothes rack in the winter is an easy way to add moisture to your home! In addition, there are quite a few other benefits of giving your dryer some time off:
What is my solution? I offer three inexpensive ways to add moisture to your home!
#1. Set out bowls of water throughout the house. This is the easiest one to do! Once you set them up, all you need to do is fill them once a week or so. I fill mine when I am watering my plants. Note of caution, don't put the bowls of water on the floor, someone will kick them over. When I lived in a different state, the heat vents in our home were in the floor. I would put the bowls of water next to the heat vents. My family was always knocking them over. On top of a cabinet or bookcase where they will not be disturbed works better.
#2. Skip the dishwasher drying cycle and open the door to let the dishes air dry. I typically don't use the dishwasher, instead I opt to wash them by hand. However, if the dishes pile up and overwhelm (this usually happens at holiday time), I will grudgingly use the dishwasher. All you need to do is turn off the drying cycle. When the dishwasher stops, open the door. Quite a bit of steam and moisture will be released into the house! It will warm the air and the dishes dry quite quickly!
#3. Don't use the clothes dryer! Drying your clothes on a clothes rack in the winter is an easy way to add moisture to your home! In addition, there are quite a few other benefits of giving your dryer some time off:
- You will save money. In my opinion, this is the biggest benefit in forgoing the dryer. There is a significant difference in my electric bill between the months I use the dryer and the months I don't. (Your mileage may vary if you have a gas dryer.)
- Your clothes will last longer. All that lint your dryer produces, isn't good for your clothes. What is lint? It is the breakdown of the clothing fibers. While you can do some creative things with the lint your dryer produces, your clothes will be better off if they don't produce it in the first place.
- It will help reduce allergens. If you have allergy problems, you can greatly reduce your exposure to pollen by drying your clothes indoors. While I am not opposed to drying clothes outdoors on a clothes line, many neighborhood associations forbid it (including mine). In addition, any sensitivities to the chemicals in dryer sheets can be eliminated when you air dry your laundry.
If you have a basement, you have a ready made area to hang a clothes line. However, not everybody does. I know someone who hangs her clothes on the back of her kitchen chairs. She lives in the southwest and the clothes dry very quickly there. Here in the southeast, our clothes don't dry that quickly, so I use another solution. I use drying racks. I set them up at night so they are not in the way. By morning, the clothes are dry.
Here is a picture of my racks in use a few days before Christmas.
I usually put them in the family room. With a hot fire going in the fireplace, they can even dry in just a few hours! If you are interested, there are many places you can get drying racks. Google it and you should find lots of sources.
Here is a picture of my racks in use a few days before Christmas.
OK, I will admit skipping the dryer does take some planning. If you need a certain piece of clothing right away, this idea may not work. However, I can state it is easy to do, and it will make your house warmer and add a significant amount of moisture to the air. In my opinion, when compared to using the dryer, the additional time it takes to hang the clothes on the racks is no more than a few minutes.
Almost everyone finds static electricity and very dry air in their home annoying during the winter season. (And we all know dry air makes your skin feel dry too!) These tips will help you to add moisture to the air without a lot of time and effort. This will raise the humidity and make the environment in your house feel warmer and more comfortable without turning up the thermostat. You won't get as many static shocks when you walk across the rugs or pet the dog either!
And best of all, these tips are a frugal answer to a common problem!
Thursday, September 29, 2016
Cleaning the Non-Electric Way
The anti-viral medicine I am on for Shingles makes me foggy and unable to concentrate well. (The warning label on the pill bottle says not to drive - no problem! Being contagious, where would I go?) So it doesn't surprise me that while I was in the refrigerator looking for something, I accidentally dropped the box of baking soda that was in there to absorb odors. Of course it split open; all over the floor and a small rug I have in front of the refrigerator door.
I was too tired to pull out the vacuum and too sore to beat the rug outside with my rug beater. (You do have a rug beater, don't you? You can see mine here.) My Hokey rug sweeper came to the rescue!
First, I used a broom to sweep up the baking soda from the floor and then swept the rug. (Did you know you can get a lot of dirt off a rug just by sweeping it with a broom?) Then I took the rug outside to shake it. While this did the trick for 90% of the problem, I still had a spot in the middle of the rug where the box broke open.
A few swipes with my Hokey and the problem was solved!
While the Hokey was really designed to pick up crumbs and other small objects (not powders), I think it did a very good job on the baking soda. I am satisfied until I have the energy to either beat it clean or pull out my vacuum.
I often use my Hokey to pick up dog hair, dirt as well as leaf & grass clippings brought in on wet paws, and crumbs that found their way to the floor after dinner. It is a very handy tool to have!
I was too tired to pull out the vacuum and too sore to beat the rug outside with my rug beater. (You do have a rug beater, don't you? You can see mine here.) My Hokey rug sweeper came to the rescue!
First, I used a broom to sweep up the baking soda from the floor and then swept the rug. (Did you know you can get a lot of dirt off a rug just by sweeping it with a broom?) Then I took the rug outside to shake it. While this did the trick for 90% of the problem, I still had a spot in the middle of the rug where the box broke open.
A few swipes with my Hokey and the problem was solved!
I often use my Hokey to pick up dog hair, dirt as well as leaf & grass clippings brought in on wet paws, and crumbs that found their way to the floor after dinner. It is a very handy tool to have!
Friday, August 22, 2014
Living Without Electricity: Living Without a Microwave
You may recall that a few months ago my microwave broke. (You can read that post, here.) Now, I don't use the microwave often, but my husband does. We called a repair man to fix it but it was old and beyond repair. So, we started looking to replace it. I don't have a regular microwave, I have an Advantium Oven. Advantium Ovens are more like a microwave/convection oven combination. It speed cooks. For example, it can bake a potato in 10 minutes. A new one costs $1,400.
When we went to the appliance store to look at one, we realized that not only did we need a new one, but it was going to require a bit of demolition work to get the new one to fit. This is because ours is 14 years old and the new models are about 1 inch bigger. My tile back splash is in the way! Ugh!
We decided to wait. My husband announced that if we can go without a vacuum cleaner, we can go without a microwave for a year! I was all for it! So, we started our journey without a microwave. We don't miss it! As a matter of fact, food tastes better when you don't use the microwave! Not a little better, a lot better! Everything has so much more flavor! Potatoes and vegetables are so good, they don't require all the toppings most people use. (Another plus here is weight control - those toppings are fattening!)
Not having a microwave requires a bit of planning because you can't just defrost something in a few minutes. In addition, it takes a bit more time to cook. How much more planning/time to cook? In my opinion, not enough to notice! A few seconds to pull meat out of the freezer a day or two in advance, 10 to 30 minutes in advance to steam the vegetables on the grill, in the Sun Oven or on the stove. A few minutes in advance to defrost a slice of bread (if the bread isn't on the counter already.) About one to one and a half hours in advance to bake potatoes.
The biggest difference for us is we must think about what we are going to eat a few days in advance. This is the hardest part. When you are busy, most people don't think about what they are going to eat days in advance. So, we plan out what we are going to eat for the week on Sunday afternoon. Then, on a daily basis, first thing in the morning, I will take out anything that needs to be defrosted. For example, on Monday, I will take out the meat we will eat on Wednesday. If we are having potatoes that day, I will also pull them out and set them on the counter. (If they are on the kitchen counter, I won't forget to put them in the Sun Oven later in the day.)
I should mention here that I don't think the work involved with cooking takes any additional time. For example, it takes the same amount of time to prepare potatoes for the microwave as it does to prepare them for the Sun Oven. It also takes the same amount of time to prepare vegetables for the microwave as it does to prepare them to be steamed.
Some one at church asked me if I missed my microwave. I answered truthfully, not one bit! Instead, I have decided to store baking pans in mine. This is one appliance that I don't think we will ever replace!
My microwave may look pretty, but it doesn't work!
When we went to the appliance store to look at one, we realized that not only did we need a new one, but it was going to require a bit of demolition work to get the new one to fit. This is because ours is 14 years old and the new models are about 1 inch bigger. My tile back splash is in the way! Ugh!
We decided to wait. My husband announced that if we can go without a vacuum cleaner, we can go without a microwave for a year! I was all for it! So, we started our journey without a microwave. We don't miss it! As a matter of fact, food tastes better when you don't use the microwave! Not a little better, a lot better! Everything has so much more flavor! Potatoes and vegetables are so good, they don't require all the toppings most people use. (Another plus here is weight control - those toppings are fattening!)
The biggest difference for us is we must think about what we are going to eat a few days in advance. This is the hardest part. When you are busy, most people don't think about what they are going to eat days in advance. So, we plan out what we are going to eat for the week on Sunday afternoon. Then, on a daily basis, first thing in the morning, I will take out anything that needs to be defrosted. For example, on Monday, I will take out the meat we will eat on Wednesday. If we are having potatoes that day, I will also pull them out and set them on the counter. (If they are on the kitchen counter, I won't forget to put them in the Sun Oven later in the day.)
I should mention here that I don't think the work involved with cooking takes any additional time. For example, it takes the same amount of time to prepare potatoes for the microwave as it does to prepare them for the Sun Oven. It also takes the same amount of time to prepare vegetables for the microwave as it does to prepare them to be steamed.
Some one at church asked me if I missed my microwave. I answered truthfully, not one bit! Instead, I have decided to store baking pans in mine. This is one appliance that I don't think we will ever replace!
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Make Your Own Chili Pepper Powder Insecticide/Critter Repellent
This week I have run out of a few things: chili pepper powder, garlic powder, onion powder, personal soap, chicken broth and parsley flakes. Normal people would just go to the grocery store and purchase these items. Will I? Of course not!
I will make my own! I still have issues with critters in my garden so the first thing I made this week is the chili pepper powder. I am going to state the obvious here and say is not possible to make your own chili pepper powder if you don't grow your own chili peppers. You may recall that last year I grew three plants and harvested about 250 chili peppers. They produced all summer and fall! Here is a picture of my plants from last year. You can barely see some of the red peppers peeking out from behind the leaves. I also saved some seeds for this year. The plants this year are not quite this big yet.
One you have picked some peppers, cut them up and dry for storage.
I vacuum sealed mine in a food saver bag and stored them in my pantry. I took them out yesterday and opened the package. Here they are.
The next step is to set up the grinder. I have a Wonder Junior Deluxe Hand Grain/Flour Mill. I use the stone grinders when I make flour and the metal ones when I grind pepper, garlic and onions. The spices can embed themselves into the stones (and be difficult to remove). I don't want the spice flavors to mix with the whole wheat flour so I solve that problem by using the metal grinders.
When you have made enough powder, fill your jars. I have some old chili pepper powder jars that I purchased from the store a few years ago.
I am not using this powder in recipes. (I have a lot of digestive problems and can't eat chili pepper powder.) The label from the store states that the purchased version contains salt as well as garlic powder. Since mine is just for bug and critter repellent, I don't bother adding these ingredients.
I made enough powder to fill four jars. It took a few hours to hand grind that much because I was multi-tasking and doing a few other things at the same time.
The last thing to do is to sprinkle it on the plants.
This is woad. I haven't had a problem with critters eating it in years past, but this year it must taste extra yummy! You don't need this much powder. Just a few sprinkles will do. I poured too much because I was focused on taking the picture and not focused on sprinkling.
Processing food in a non-electric kitchen would not be possible without my Wonder Junior! It is a must have kitchen appliance for me! This afternoon, I think I will grind some garlic powder!
I will make my own! I still have issues with critters in my garden so the first thing I made this week is the chili pepper powder. I am going to state the obvious here and say is not possible to make your own chili pepper powder if you don't grow your own chili peppers. You may recall that last year I grew three plants and harvested about 250 chili peppers. They produced all summer and fall! Here is a picture of my plants from last year. You can barely see some of the red peppers peeking out from behind the leaves. I also saved some seeds for this year. The plants this year are not quite this big yet.
One you have picked some peppers, cut them up and dry for storage.
I vacuum sealed mine in a food saver bag and stored them in my pantry. I took them out yesterday and opened the package. Here they are.
The next step is to set up the grinder. I have a Wonder Junior Deluxe Hand Grain/Flour Mill. I use the stone grinders when I make flour and the metal ones when I grind pepper, garlic and onions. The spices can embed themselves into the stones (and be difficult to remove). I don't want the spice flavors to mix with the whole wheat flour so I solve that problem by using the metal grinders.
When you have made enough powder, fill your jars. I have some old chili pepper powder jars that I purchased from the store a few years ago.
I am not using this powder in recipes. (I have a lot of digestive problems and can't eat chili pepper powder.) The label from the store states that the purchased version contains salt as well as garlic powder. Since mine is just for bug and critter repellent, I don't bother adding these ingredients.
I made enough powder to fill four jars. It took a few hours to hand grind that much because I was multi-tasking and doing a few other things at the same time.
The last thing to do is to sprinkle it on the plants.
This is woad. I haven't had a problem with critters eating it in years past, but this year it must taste extra yummy! You don't need this much powder. Just a few sprinkles will do. I poured too much because I was focused on taking the picture and not focused on sprinkling.
Processing food in a non-electric kitchen would not be possible without my Wonder Junior! It is a must have kitchen appliance for me! This afternoon, I think I will grind some garlic powder!
Friday, June 6, 2014
Looking For Our Piece of Non-Electric America
My husband and I just got back from a trip to Tennessee to look for some homesteading land. We are looking for acreage. Enough to keep one or two beef cattle, a milk cow, a horse or two and chickens. The need for partial electricity or no electricity at all has been the subject of many discussions between my husband and me!
This is our third trip looking for land this year. (I apologize for not creating enough posts in advance to publish while I was gone.) And, I am somewhat disappointed in the land we visited. We were so hoping that one of these properties would be "it"! We did a lot of research on the properties before we went. Cutting out a few of them because they didn't meet our requirements. However, my experience has shown me that there is no substitute for walking the land. After visiting all of the ones we thought had potential, my husband and I agreed that we were not going to make an offer on any of them.
It is back to the drawing board to start all over in looking for our non-electric homestead.
This is our third trip looking for land this year. (I apologize for not creating enough posts in advance to publish while I was gone.) And, I am somewhat disappointed in the land we visited. We were so hoping that one of these properties would be "it"! We did a lot of research on the properties before we went. Cutting out a few of them because they didn't meet our requirements. However, my experience has shown me that there is no substitute for walking the land. After visiting all of the ones we thought had potential, my husband and I agreed that we were not going to make an offer on any of them.
It is back to the drawing board to start all over in looking for our non-electric homestead.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Living For One Year Without A Vacuum Cleaner
No Vacuum? No Problem! - Final Update
For those of you who have been following my vacuum cleaning saga, March 2014 marked my one year anniversary of living without a vacuum. For those of you that haven't read my other posts on this topic, my vacuum cleaner broke in March 2013 and I wanted to see (for myself) how our great-great- grandmothers kept their houses clean without an electric vacuum cleaner.
Reading about how our ancestors performed their daily household chores is a lot different from living them! I have a much greater respect for electricity and the convenience it brings to us 24 hours a day. Still, I never, ever want to be dependent on electricity to live. I use it sparingly, and always with the knowledge and skills needed to accomplish the same task without it.
This post took over one month to write. This is because I had to decide whether I was going to purchase a new vacuum or not. I spent a lot of time looking at vacuum cleaners, reading online reviews and going to stores to look at a few different models. I have decided I don't like any of the ones I saw and I am not going to purchase a new one. Most are made of plastic and cost too much money!
Rather than purchasing a new one, I took the old broken one (it had spent the last year living in the garage) to see if I could have it fixed. Well, I wouldn't call it fixed but it now runs. It used to have two speeds, now it only has one that works. And, a good portion of the cord is covered in duct tape. It looks terrible, but I don't care. It runs and I can now vacuum the wall-to-wall carpet in the bedrooms. (Although, I still don't plan to use it often. The area rugs will stay on my wall-to-wall carpet to protect it.)
I also had a little hand held canister vacuum that came as a companion to the large upright vacuum. It was for the hardwood floors. It is beyond repair and finally went out in the trash. I am not going to replace it either.
I also had a little hand held canister vacuum that came as a companion to the large upright vacuum. It was for the hardwood floors. It is beyond repair and finally went out in the trash. I am not going to replace it either.
Instead, I am going to continue cleaning the hardwood floors and area rugs the same way I have been doing it for the past year. Dust mops, brooms and a push carpet sweeper are the order of the day at my house! Over the past year, I have truly grown to love my Hoky Pr3000.
It really picks up Molly's hair on both the small carpets and the floors. It picks up small wet spots (melted ice on the kitchen floor) and heavier things like pennies too. I will also continue to beat my area rugs outside (in good weather). When I beat my rugs, they come out cleaner than they ever did using a vacuum! Try it yourself and see! I really didn't think they would be cleaner, but I am a true believer now. You will need a rug beater to accomplish this task. Much better results than using a stick. Mine decorates the wall when not in use.
I officially declare the no vacuum experiment a success!. I now know that you really don't need a vacuum cleaner to keep your house clean. It can be accomplished the old fashioned way and you can still live a modern life. No one entering my house can tell that I haven't had a working vacuum cleaner in a year!
I can not say enough good things about this carpet sweeper. Even if you have a vacuum, I believe this sweeper should be on the 'must have' list! It will save you from having to bring out the big vacuum for everyday clean up!
You can see the details of exactly how I kept the carpet and floors clean in these other posts:
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
No Vacuum, No Problem!
9 Month Update
As many of you may know, my vacuum died about 9 months ago. I decided to go without one for one year to try to understand just how my great-great-grandmothers managed to keep their houses clean.
Although it has only been 9 months, I almost feel like I have never had a vacuum! I don't even miss it! All I can say is, it really is possible to have wall to wall carpet and not have a vacuum. I never would have believed it if I didn't experience it myself.
Still, winter cleaning is different than summer cleaning. Since winter arrived, I haven't been outside much to beat the rugs. It has been way too cold! I can't stand cold weather, so I make do by gently shaking the rugs on the floor. (The rugs on the wall to wall carpet are also gently shaken on the hardwood floor.) It does make just a bit more dust in the room I use to do this, but not enough to be a problem. What I have noticed is the rugs are not quite as clean as they were in the summer when I was beating them. They seem to gather dirt faster than they did in the summer. While I do notice it, it isn't a big enough issue to get me to go outside and beat them in the cold! I will continue this 'indoor cleaning' practice until the weather warms up!
This year, we have the additional problem of lots of heavy winter rain. All the rain brings mud into the house, so the rugs have mud on them as well as normal dirt. When mud is ground in, even vacuuming won't remove it, so I don't think my lack of a vacuum is contributing to this problem. My solution has been to wash the rugs more often than was needed during the summer. This is quite a bit of effort, (I am not thrilled with this chore) but it gets the rugs clean. I wait until I truly can't stand the rug any longer and then wash it. In the warmer weather, I was washing the rugs about every 3 months. Now, I am washing them monthly. The rugs at the entryways are washed more frequently than that.
To make this solution work, it is critical that you have washable rugs! Many of mine are from the big box stores. (The rest I made myself.) I like the fact that you can get rugs inexpensively at the big box stores! They have lots of colors and styles to match any decor. If washing the rugs wears them out, I can easily replace them. (So far, so good on that point - my rugs are holding up well for now!)
I truly believe the key to not having a vacuum is a good broom. Don't skimp here! Purchase a really good one, the best you can afford. You will be glad that you did later! It will get a daily workout. Another 'must have' item is my carpet sweeper. I know I have said this in previous posts, but this journey/experiment would not be possible without my Hoky PR3000.
It will even lift the nap of the wall to wall carpeting! The strokes it leaves look just like a vacuum did it! My carpets look great!
While I am managing well by washing the rugs more often to keep the mud out of the house, I will admit, all this rain has created one problem that needs special attention. Even though I wipe Molly's feet off when she comes inside, I have mud on the carpet in my master bedroom (This is the only room with carpet that she enters frequently.) I can tell because I have white carpet and now a large spot at the foot of the bed has a slightly red hue. I can even feel it when I walk on the carpet. I have two solutions to this problem and I think I will incorporate both. First, I am going to have to shampoo the carpet. I am not sure if I will rent a carpet cleaner or just use a mop with some Resolve cleaner. Once I do that, I will place an area rug over the 'problem' area to avoid this in the future.
I expect I will have to rearrange all the rugs in the house to find a suitable match for the ones needed in the master bedroom. I want to avoid the purchase of any new rugs for this purpose, if at all possible.
I will let you know how it all turns out at the next update! In the meantime, the experiment will continue!
I can not say enough good things about this carpet sweeper. Even if you have a vacuum, I believe this sweeper should be on the 'must have' list! It will save you from having to bring out the big vacuum for everyday clean up!
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Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Light Fixtures? Yes! Light Bulbs? No!
I don't turn the lights on at my house. There really isn't any need because I have lots of windows that let in natural light. At night, if I really need to see, I will grab a flashlight. My husband has the opposite view point. He tells me he likes living in the 21st century. He likes the convenience of lights coming on when you flip a switch. He has been spending more time at home lately (always a good thing!) and less time on the road for work so what happened next was inevitable.
Last night, he asked me where I store the light bulbs. My answer was to check in the light bulb box that I keep in a closet. He said the box was empty. So I looked myself to see what was there. I haven't bought a light bulb in about five years, but I really was sure I would find something. Well, there were light bulbs, but most of them were speciality bulbs. I didn't have any all purpose light bulbs. So, we went around the house to see exactly how many we needed.
Moving through the house, we turned on every light to see if any bulbs were out. (I knew a few of them were, but I didn't know how many.) I really must show you some of what we found. This is the light in the family room.
This is the light in the master bathroom.
Here is the light in another bathroom.
Here is the light over the shower in the master bathroom. I knew this one didn't work. It hasn't worked in about four years.
I don't even know what kind of bulb it needs. I have lived in this house for 13 years and I never changed this bulb. I am going to have to get a ladder to get up there to see. (FYI - my husband knew this light didn't work too. But when all the other lights in the bathroom worked, he could see. Now that we are down to only one bulb working in the entire room, he can't see anymore as he is getting ready to go to work. Hence, the complaint that started this adventure.)
Here are the lights in the kitchen.
Sorry for the weird angle! If you look closely, you can see that one of the fan bulbs is missing. I believe that bulb broke about three years ago. The spotlights are over the work triangle stations. One for the refrigerator, one for the oven and the one that is out is over the cooktop.
The light in the laundry room is out too. That has been out for a few weeks now. It is one light fixture that holds two bulbs.
All totaled, we have 29 light bulbs out. I honestly didn't know we had that many out! How could I know when I never turn the lights on? My husband's comment was "Normal people don't live like this!" My comment back was,"Well, we do!"
I guess a trip to the store is going to be necessary. I don't even know how much light bulbs cost anymore! I don't want the new kind with mercury in them - even though they use less electricity - I think they are dangerous. If purchasing all 29 at once is too expensive, I will have to ration myself and only buy enough so my husband can see while he is getting ready for work. Then, I will purchase a few more each week until we replace all of them.
Maybe I should ask Santa to bring me new light bulbs for Christmas
Last night, he asked me where I store the light bulbs. My answer was to check in the light bulb box that I keep in a closet. He said the box was empty. So I looked myself to see what was there. I haven't bought a light bulb in about five years, but I really was sure I would find something. Well, there were light bulbs, but most of them were speciality bulbs. I didn't have any all purpose light bulbs. So, we went around the house to see exactly how many we needed.
Moving through the house, we turned on every light to see if any bulbs were out. (I knew a few of them were, but I didn't know how many.) I really must show you some of what we found. This is the light in the family room.
This is the light in the master bathroom.
Here is the light in another bathroom.
Here is the light over the shower in the master bathroom. I knew this one didn't work. It hasn't worked in about four years.
I don't even know what kind of bulb it needs. I have lived in this house for 13 years and I never changed this bulb. I am going to have to get a ladder to get up there to see. (FYI - my husband knew this light didn't work too. But when all the other lights in the bathroom worked, he could see. Now that we are down to only one bulb working in the entire room, he can't see anymore as he is getting ready to go to work. Hence, the complaint that started this adventure.)
Here are the lights in the kitchen.
Sorry for the weird angle! If you look closely, you can see that one of the fan bulbs is missing. I believe that bulb broke about three years ago. The spotlights are over the work triangle stations. One for the refrigerator, one for the oven and the one that is out is over the cooktop.
The light in the laundry room is out too. That has been out for a few weeks now. It is one light fixture that holds two bulbs.
All totaled, we have 29 light bulbs out. I honestly didn't know we had that many out! How could I know when I never turn the lights on? My husband's comment was "Normal people don't live like this!" My comment back was,"Well, we do!"
I guess a trip to the store is going to be necessary. I don't even know how much light bulbs cost anymore! I don't want the new kind with mercury in them - even though they use less electricity - I think they are dangerous. If purchasing all 29 at once is too expensive, I will have to ration myself and only buy enough so my husband can see while he is getting ready for work. Then, I will purchase a few more each week until we replace all of them.
Maybe I should ask Santa to bring me new light bulbs for Christmas
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Do You Watch Too Much TV? Turn It Off And Read A Book!
I am trying to talk my husband into cutting off the cable. Over 300 channels and we watch a total of 5 or 6 of them! Besides, hearing about all the mayhem in the world on a daily basis is depressing! We can catch up with the news on a weekly basis on the computer. If a crisis happens, it will be all over the Internet anyway!
He still hasn't agreed, but I am working on it. The TV is our biggest consumer of electricity! While I have (and use) air conditioning during the hot summer months, we don't set it to a low temperature, nor do we run it for very many weeks. Instead we let the passive design of our house do the work and stay on the main floor as much as possible. This strategy keeps the electricity use low.
Anyway, back to the TV. I can tell you for a fact that you don't need it! Try turning it off for a day or two! The world will not end without you knowing it. I promise! It amazes me how much can accomplish in the evening hours when the TV isn't on. If you get tired in the evening and don't have the energy to do any more of the daily chores, then try reading a book! You can learn anything you want from a book. You can also be entertained! As we all know, when Hollywood makes a movie from a book, you always hear someone say that the book was better!
Do you like history? There are many excellent authors that write compelling stories on key leaders that shaped America. David McCullough is one of my favorites. In our house, we have his books on John Adams, Harry Truman and the wonderful book he wrote on the Revolutionary War called 1776.
I also like the historical novels from author Gloria Waldron-Hukle. She has done extensive work on her family history and has written three wonderful books about her ancestors. Her first book: Manhattan, Seeds of the Big Apple was about her relatives who were some of the first citizens of New Amsterdam! (New Amsterdam was what the Dutch called New York when they arrived in the new world.) Each of her books focuses on a different period in American History, and the characters are real people that lived during those times! They are extremely well written and fun to read.
If you wish to be entertained with pure fiction, let me suggest an author I was introduced to this past summer. Dorothy Gilman
Ms. Gilman died in 2012 of Alzheimer's disease, but she left a legacy of fun in the books she wrote! My favorites are the Mrs. Pollifax series. The first book sets the stage for the rest in the series. The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax. Mrs. Pollifax is a widowed grandmother. She doesn't like her life anymore, she thinks it's too boring. She decides to become a spy! Ms. Gilman wrote 14 books in the Mrs. Pollifax series. This summer, I read all of them! If you like Agatha Christie's Miss Marple, you will LOVE Mrs. Pollifax.
Mrs. Pollifax doesn't know how to be a spy. But, from her years of experience in living, she does know human nature very well! She puts that knowledge to work in the missions she is given. Many times I have laughed so hard at her antics that I ended up with tears in my eyes!
Books don't have to cost a lot of money. If you have a Kindle, purchase the digital version. They are also very reasonable. If you have no extra money to spare, borrow one from your local library for FREE. Visit your local library and stroll the shelves. I am sure you will find something that interests you!
Try turning off the TV and reading a book for one night. Do it together as a family. A few days later at the dinner table each person can talk about the book they are reading. I am sure you will enjoy yourself much more than you do watching TV!
He still hasn't agreed, but I am working on it. The TV is our biggest consumer of electricity! While I have (and use) air conditioning during the hot summer months, we don't set it to a low temperature, nor do we run it for very many weeks. Instead we let the passive design of our house do the work and stay on the main floor as much as possible. This strategy keeps the electricity use low.
Anyway, back to the TV. I can tell you for a fact that you don't need it! Try turning it off for a day or two! The world will not end without you knowing it. I promise! It amazes me how much can accomplish in the evening hours when the TV isn't on. If you get tired in the evening and don't have the energy to do any more of the daily chores, then try reading a book! You can learn anything you want from a book. You can also be entertained! As we all know, when Hollywood makes a movie from a book, you always hear someone say that the book was better!
Do you like history? There are many excellent authors that write compelling stories on key leaders that shaped America. David McCullough is one of my favorites. In our house, we have his books on John Adams, Harry Truman and the wonderful book he wrote on the Revolutionary War called 1776.
I also like the historical novels from author Gloria Waldron-Hukle. She has done extensive work on her family history and has written three wonderful books about her ancestors. Her first book: Manhattan, Seeds of the Big Apple was about her relatives who were some of the first citizens of New Amsterdam! (New Amsterdam was what the Dutch called New York when they arrived in the new world.) Each of her books focuses on a different period in American History, and the characters are real people that lived during those times! They are extremely well written and fun to read.
If you wish to be entertained with pure fiction, let me suggest an author I was introduced to this past summer. Dorothy Gilman
Ms. Gilman died in 2012 of Alzheimer's disease, but she left a legacy of fun in the books she wrote! My favorites are the Mrs. Pollifax series. The first book sets the stage for the rest in the series. The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax. Mrs. Pollifax is a widowed grandmother. She doesn't like her life anymore, she thinks it's too boring. She decides to become a spy! Ms. Gilman wrote 14 books in the Mrs. Pollifax series. This summer, I read all of them! If you like Agatha Christie's Miss Marple, you will LOVE Mrs. Pollifax.
Mrs. Pollifax doesn't know how to be a spy. But, from her years of experience in living, she does know human nature very well! She puts that knowledge to work in the missions she is given. Many times I have laughed so hard at her antics that I ended up with tears in my eyes!
Books don't have to cost a lot of money. If you have a Kindle, purchase the digital version. They are also very reasonable. If you have no extra money to spare, borrow one from your local library for FREE. Visit your local library and stroll the shelves. I am sure you will find something that interests you!
Try turning off the TV and reading a book for one night. Do it together as a family. A few days later at the dinner table each person can talk about the book they are reading. I am sure you will enjoy yourself much more than you do watching TV!
Monday, October 28, 2013
My New Vortex Hand Crank Blender
I got a new Vortex Blender for my birthday this year. I will admit I was very excited to get it. That is, until I used it.
I read all the reviews I could find on this product so I thought I had a good understanding of what to expect. Some of the reviews said the blender leaked from its base, around the blades.There is an O ring in the base to prevent leaks. I didn't know before I saw the blender, but I now know it is a design flaw. The O ring isn't sized correctly. I really don't understand why the makers of the blender don't fix it, but that is a subject for another day.
So having known that this thing has problems leaking, you may be thinking "Why did you buy it?" Well, there were a lot of reviews that said it didn't leak. There will always be a few defective products made (it is the nature of the production process), even with a good design. I thought that is what some of these people experienced.
In my line of business, I am constantly forced to adapt to unworkable situations with what are called 'workarounds'. A workaround is a procedure or process you can use to bypass the defect in the tool or 'system'. Sometimes you must get really creative to get a workaround to be successful in a business process! I put my business experience to work on my blender design flaw and I found a workaround that, for the present moment, appears to be working.
Let me show you my new blender. Here are all the pieces, right out of the box and bags.
It was easy to set up. It doesn't take more than a minute to set up or break down.
I wanted this blender to make smoothies. (Shaking the mixture in a closed container doesn't cut it when you are trying to make a fruit smoothie.) I do have other plans for its use, but this is the primary one.
Put everything in the blender...
And turn the crank.
There are two speeds, slow and 'fast'. The fast speed isn't really fast but it is faster than the slow speed. I would call it about even with the 'mix' or 'blend' setting on an electric blender. ('Puree' speed isn't available here!)
Pour into a cup and enjoy!
I didn't realize the base was leaking until I went to pour the smoothie into a cup. A few drops of the smoothie dripped on the counter. It wasn't a bad leak, it was just a few drops. I washed out the blender and turned it upside down to dry. More drips appeared from the base plate. I tried to get in between the blender and the base plate with a paper towel to dry it off, but it didn't work. The paper towel soaked up the water, but it still continued to seep out from the base plate. Again, not a lot but enough to be an annoyance.
While I was trying to decide if I should send the blender back, I came up with the workaround. Let me explain what I think caused it to leak in the first place. I made the smoothie with kefir milk. I poured the milk into the blender and went to get the strawberries that I picked from the garden. That is when Molly came in to see me and tell me she needed attention. (She currently has an infected ear and is on antibiotics.) It was time for her dinner and medication and she was tired of waiting! So, I turned my attention to her. I left the milk in the blender and put the blender in the refrigerator. When I was finished with Molly, I went back to the blender and made the smoothie. The milk sat in the blender for about 20 minutes total. Plenty of time for it to slip under the O ring and leak out of the bottom.
So the first process change I made was to not let the liquid sit in the blender for too long. (An idiotic notion for a $100 blender, I admit!) The next change I made was to add all the powder ingredients (if there are any in the smoothie) first. Since I usually add a teaspoon or two of stevia to the smoothie mix anyway, I now do it first. Then the fruit, then add the milk last. Quickly turn the crank and get it blended. Immediately pour into cups. My smoothie recipe makes enough for two. If my husband happens to be traveling for work the next time I use the blender, I am going to need to put the extra smoothie into a different container and store in the refrigerator.
I have made smoothies a few times now and the workaround appears to be a successful fix. The question I must ask myself now: "Is the workaround worth it for a blender that my husband paid almost $100 for, or should I send it back?"
I haven't decided what to do yet. I won't use it anymore unless I decide to keep it. The problem is, I can't buy an alternative. There isn't another manufacturer for this product, and an alternative brand isn't available. I fully understand that a hand crank blender isn't a product in high demand by the general public.
At this moment in time, what I can say is that unless you are a hard core, off-the-grid homesteader, I recommend you skip this product and stick with your electric blender.
December 2013 Update: I have decided to keep my blender. The workaround has been quite successful and I have not experienced any additional leaking from the bottom. Still, it is a real pain in the butt to have to do this for a $100 blender. Therefore, I CANNOT recommend this product for purchase. Maybe someday, someone will make a hand crank blender that really works!
I read all the reviews I could find on this product so I thought I had a good understanding of what to expect. Some of the reviews said the blender leaked from its base, around the blades.There is an O ring in the base to prevent leaks. I didn't know before I saw the blender, but I now know it is a design flaw. The O ring isn't sized correctly. I really don't understand why the makers of the blender don't fix it, but that is a subject for another day.
So having known that this thing has problems leaking, you may be thinking "Why did you buy it?" Well, there were a lot of reviews that said it didn't leak. There will always be a few defective products made (it is the nature of the production process), even with a good design. I thought that is what some of these people experienced.
In my line of business, I am constantly forced to adapt to unworkable situations with what are called 'workarounds'. A workaround is a procedure or process you can use to bypass the defect in the tool or 'system'. Sometimes you must get really creative to get a workaround to be successful in a business process! I put my business experience to work on my blender design flaw and I found a workaround that, for the present moment, appears to be working.
Let me show you my new blender. Here are all the pieces, right out of the box and bags.
It was easy to set up. It doesn't take more than a minute to set up or break down.
I wanted this blender to make smoothies. (Shaking the mixture in a closed container doesn't cut it when you are trying to make a fruit smoothie.) I do have other plans for its use, but this is the primary one.
Put everything in the blender...
And turn the crank.
There are two speeds, slow and 'fast'. The fast speed isn't really fast but it is faster than the slow speed. I would call it about even with the 'mix' or 'blend' setting on an electric blender. ('Puree' speed isn't available here!)
Pour into a cup and enjoy!
I didn't realize the base was leaking until I went to pour the smoothie into a cup. A few drops of the smoothie dripped on the counter. It wasn't a bad leak, it was just a few drops. I washed out the blender and turned it upside down to dry. More drips appeared from the base plate. I tried to get in between the blender and the base plate with a paper towel to dry it off, but it didn't work. The paper towel soaked up the water, but it still continued to seep out from the base plate. Again, not a lot but enough to be an annoyance.
While I was trying to decide if I should send the blender back, I came up with the workaround. Let me explain what I think caused it to leak in the first place. I made the smoothie with kefir milk. I poured the milk into the blender and went to get the strawberries that I picked from the garden. That is when Molly came in to see me and tell me she needed attention. (She currently has an infected ear and is on antibiotics.) It was time for her dinner and medication and she was tired of waiting! So, I turned my attention to her. I left the milk in the blender and put the blender in the refrigerator. When I was finished with Molly, I went back to the blender and made the smoothie. The milk sat in the blender for about 20 minutes total. Plenty of time for it to slip under the O ring and leak out of the bottom.
So the first process change I made was to not let the liquid sit in the blender for too long. (An idiotic notion for a $100 blender, I admit!) The next change I made was to add all the powder ingredients (if there are any in the smoothie) first. Since I usually add a teaspoon or two of stevia to the smoothie mix anyway, I now do it first. Then the fruit, then add the milk last. Quickly turn the crank and get it blended. Immediately pour into cups. My smoothie recipe makes enough for two. If my husband happens to be traveling for work the next time I use the blender, I am going to need to put the extra smoothie into a different container and store in the refrigerator.
I have made smoothies a few times now and the workaround appears to be a successful fix. The question I must ask myself now: "Is the workaround worth it for a blender that my husband paid almost $100 for, or should I send it back?"
I haven't decided what to do yet. I won't use it anymore unless I decide to keep it. The problem is, I can't buy an alternative. There isn't another manufacturer for this product, and an alternative brand isn't available. I fully understand that a hand crank blender isn't a product in high demand by the general public.
At this moment in time, what I can say is that unless you are a hard core, off-the-grid homesteader, I recommend you skip this product and stick with your electric blender.
December 2013 Update: I have decided to keep my blender. The workaround has been quite successful and I have not experienced any additional leaking from the bottom. Still, it is a real pain in the butt to have to do this for a $100 blender. Therefore, I CANNOT recommend this product for purchase. Maybe someday, someone will make a hand crank blender that really works!
Monday, October 21, 2013
Top Five Food Processing Tools for The Non-Electric Kitchen
As part of the series, 10 Things You Need to Know How To Do Before You Lose Electricity, I gave the top five non-electric kitchen tools I use on a daily or almost daily basis. You can see that post here. These kitchen tools are critical to be able to function in a kitchen when there isn't any electricity, but they are not the only tools you will need to put food on the table. So, in this post I will show you the top five non-electric food processing tools I use. If, like me, you don't purchase many processed foods, these non-electric appliances are key for you to be able to feed your family when there isn't any electricity.
While using non-electric appliances is extremely important to the way I live, not buying processed foods is also important to me. When you process your own foods, you cut costs, preservatives, and any extra ingredients you may not like or want in your foods! It is healthier, cheaper and doesn't use electricity: a win - win - win in my book! So, here is my list of the top five food processing tools needed for a non-electric kitchen!
#5: Atlas Manual Pasta Extruder Regina
As part of my food storage program, I store whole wheat berries. As long as I have whole wheat stored, I have the ability to turn it into whatever I want: breads, pasta or pies! One of the things I do most with whole wheat berries is to turn it into pasta. To do that, I have the Atlas Manual Pasta Extruder Regina (Santa gave it to me). It is super easy to use and super easy to clean!
This machine makes five different kinds of macaroni: rigatoni, maccheroni, maccheroncini, bucatini and fusilli. My favorite is maccheroni pasta because it looks like standard elbow macaroni with ridges. That is what I am making in the picture below.
You can see more about how this tools works in this post, here. Contrary to some reviews I have read online, I don't have any problems turning the hand crank. The key to easy use is the correct water to flour ratio.
#4: Victorio Food Strainer
This tools is critical for making tomato sauce or applesauce quickly and easily! Before I bought one, I used to cut the tomatoes in half, heat them to boiling and then run them through a food mill. Using a food mill was a time consuming process! With the Victorio Food Strainer, it is possible for me to make a gallon of tomato sauce in five minutes! You can see another post on how to do that here.
It comes with two different base designs, a clamp or a suction base. The one I have has a suction base. I like it because you can put it anywhere, no need to be anchored to the end of a table or counter.
#2: Yogotherm Yogurt Maker
While using non-electric appliances is extremely important to the way I live, not buying processed foods is also important to me. When you process your own foods, you cut costs, preservatives, and any extra ingredients you may not like or want in your foods! It is healthier, cheaper and doesn't use electricity: a win - win - win in my book! So, here is my list of the top five food processing tools needed for a non-electric kitchen!
#5: Atlas Manual Pasta Extruder Regina
As part of my food storage program, I store whole wheat berries. As long as I have whole wheat stored, I have the ability to turn it into whatever I want: breads, pasta or pies! One of the things I do most with whole wheat berries is to turn it into pasta. To do that, I have the Atlas Manual Pasta Extruder Regina (Santa gave it to me). It is super easy to use and super easy to clean!
This machine makes five different kinds of macaroni: rigatoni, maccheroni, maccheroncini, bucatini and fusilli. My favorite is maccheroni pasta because it looks like standard elbow macaroni with ridges. That is what I am making in the picture below.
You can see more about how this tools works in this post, here. Contrary to some reviews I have read online, I don't have any problems turning the hand crank. The key to easy use is the correct water to flour ratio.
#4: Victorio Food Strainer
This tools is critical for making tomato sauce or applesauce quickly and easily! Before I bought one, I used to cut the tomatoes in half, heat them to boiling and then run them through a food mill. Using a food mill was a time consuming process! With the Victorio Food Strainer, it is possible for me to make a gallon of tomato sauce in five minutes! You can see another post on how to do that here.
This tool isn't just good for tomatoes and apples, you can get an accessory kit that works on berries, pumpkins, salsa, grapes, and other fruits with large seeds! I would not be able to can half as much spaghetti sauce as I do if I didn't have this tool!
#3: Victorio Apple Peeler
While I only use this tool continuously on a seasonal basis, I would not be able to process nearly as many apples every year without it! Not only does it core, peel and slice an apple in about 10 seconds, it will peel potatoes just as fast! (To use it for potatoes, you must remove the corer/slicer blade). Before I bought this, I was limited to canning one or two bushels of apples during the fall season. Now, I can do many more. In addition, peeling and coring apples by hand was hard on my arthritic fingers. They would ache for days after I finished canning. Not so anymore! I will never be without this tool again!
While I only use this tool continuously on a seasonal basis, I would not be able to process nearly as many apples every year without it! Not only does it core, peel and slice an apple in about 10 seconds, it will peel potatoes just as fast! (To use it for potatoes, you must remove the corer/slicer blade). Before I bought this, I was limited to canning one or two bushels of apples during the fall season. Now, I can do many more. In addition, peeling and coring apples by hand was hard on my arthritic fingers. They would ache for days after I finished canning. Not so anymore! I will never be without this tool again!
It comes with two different base designs, a clamp or a suction base. The one I have has a suction base. I like it because you can put it anywhere, no need to be anchored to the end of a table or counter.
#2: Yogotherm Yogurt Maker
I use this at least a few times each month. Not only does it make yogurt, it also makes cream cheese, sour cream, buttermilk and anything else requiring a culture. However, I must tell you that it really isn't a necessary tool if you have a warm spot in your kitchen you can place the cultured food while the bacteria are working. A word of caution though, it must be a consistently warm spot, able to stay at the correct temperature the culture needs to perform its work. (Yogurt, sour cream, buttermilk and cream cheese all require different temperatures.) I don't have a consistently warm spot that will stay at the correct temperature, so I bought a Yogotherm yogurt maker. It is so easy and convenient! It stays at the correct temperature no matter where I put it in the house!. It is very inexpensive to purchase!. It has an inner container, styrofoam lining and the outer container. That's it. You can see how it works in a post on making yogurt, here.
I make my own dairy products using a Yogotherm so I don't have to eat any artificial ingredients or preservatives. It doesn't take a lot of effort or time to make your own when you use a Yogotherm! And, everything tastes much better!
#1 Wondermill Wonder Junior, Deluxe Grain Mill
Without this grain mill, I would end up eating all my wheat berries as a gruel. While they taste OK as a gruel, I have no desire to eat it every day at every meal! (Besides, if you ever had to eat it that way every day, food fatigue would set in very quickly.) You could grind your wheat like the Indians did, smashing it between two rocks. However, that isn't a very efficient use of your time and effort. This mill is a bit pricey. I had to save up to get mine. There are cheaper hand mills out there, but they don't last. I have owned a few of the cheaper ones - they all ended up breaking! I have owned the Wonder Junior for about four years now and I have not had any problems with it! It works every time I need it to!
What I like best about this mill is it can grind wet foods as well as dry. Things like peanuts (or other oily seeds), flax, coffee, and cloves! I even read an article where someone used it to grind his own cocoa powder from cocoa beans! It is fast and easy to use. You can set it from a very coarse grind (needed for cracked oat groats) to very, very fine (needed for pastry flour).
In addition to using it for wheat, barley, oats, durum wheat, and peanuts, I also have used it to grind dehydrated chili peppers for insecticide! (For a little powder, I use a mortar and pestle; for a lot of powder, I use the Wondermill Junior.)
I make my own dairy products using a Yogotherm so I don't have to eat any artificial ingredients or preservatives. It doesn't take a lot of effort or time to make your own when you use a Yogotherm! And, everything tastes much better!
#1 Wondermill Wonder Junior, Deluxe Grain Mill
Without this grain mill, I would end up eating all my wheat berries as a gruel. While they taste OK as a gruel, I have no desire to eat it every day at every meal! (Besides, if you ever had to eat it that way every day, food fatigue would set in very quickly.) You could grind your wheat like the Indians did, smashing it between two rocks. However, that isn't a very efficient use of your time and effort. This mill is a bit pricey. I had to save up to get mine. There are cheaper hand mills out there, but they don't last. I have owned a few of the cheaper ones - they all ended up breaking! I have owned the Wonder Junior for about four years now and I have not had any problems with it! It works every time I need it to!
What I like best about this mill is it can grind wet foods as well as dry. Things like peanuts (or other oily seeds), flax, coffee, and cloves! I even read an article where someone used it to grind his own cocoa powder from cocoa beans! It is fast and easy to use. You can set it from a very coarse grind (needed for cracked oat groats) to very, very fine (needed for pastry flour).
In addition to using it for wheat, barley, oats, durum wheat, and peanuts, I also have used it to grind dehydrated chili peppers for insecticide! (For a little powder, I use a mortar and pestle; for a lot of powder, I use the Wondermill Junior.)
The Wondermill Junior is the most important food processing tool I have in my kitchen! With the ability to grind your own flour, a world of different foods opens up to you! You can turn those berries into many different speciality flours to make anything you can think of! You can see how to make some common speciality flours in this post, here. The best benefit is, making your own speciality flours is much cheaper then buying it from the store!
As I have said before, when the power goes out, it is my goal to not even notice! I don't plan to miss a beat in my kitchen, with or without electricity!
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
No Vacuum? No Problem!
6 Month Update
As many of you may know, my vacuum died about 6 months ago. I decided to go without one for one year to try to understand just how my great-great-grandmothers managed to keep their houses clean.
I am pleased to say that I have not felt deprived. I really don't miss the vacuum. At times it does get exasperating. There are times I do think, "It would be so easy to just run the vacuum over this and be done with it." Fortunately, those times are rare!
Beating the rugs does take extra time I could be doing something else. However, I like beating my rugs. They get super clean that way! I believe I get more of Molly's hair off the rugs when I beat them, as compared to using the vacuum. Now to be honest, my 6 months of no vacuuming have been during the warm, summer months. I may feel differently beating the rugs outside in the winter. I will let you know when the time comes!
I really think the reason I don't miss the vacuum has been my Hoky PR3000. Daily, I am amazed at how well it works - on both the carpet and the floors! It even works on my rag rugs!
Although I really love the Hoky, I will admit I give my broom and dust mop a workout as well. And let me also say that it is possible to use a broom on carpet! I do it all the time and it works! At the end of my year without a vacuum, I may find that I really am not keeping the wall-to-wall carpet clean at all. Thankfully, Molly doesn't spend a lot of time in the rooms with carpet so we are managing quite well for now. I haven't seen an increase in her allergies since the vacuum broke. That is my main concern. Plus, the carpets and rugs look and feel clean (to my feet). No one who comes over to my house can tell that I don't have a vacuum! (Well, my neighbors can because they see me outside beating the rugs.)
I will say that the key to not having a vacuum is daily sweeping. When I was canning all the apples, I didn't always sweep daily. It does matter! It takes significantly longer to clean the floors if you don't do it daily!
So for now, my experiment will continue! I will post more updates at the 9 month mark!
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Friday, September 20, 2013
The Countdown: 10 Things You Need to Know How To Do Before You Lose Electricity!
#1: Keep Your Family Safe From Harm
Since we are about to hit the active period during our hurricane season here in the US, I thought it would be beneficial to create a 'Top 10 List' of things you should know how to do without electricity. Most of these things will be extremely important if you had to go without electricity for a few weeks (or longer). However, many of them also apply to power outages of just a few days. So, every Friday, until we countdown to #1, I will highlight a necessary skill to keep your house running as 'normal' as possible. Once you learn about these 10 things, you should be able to keep your house running normally during any power outage from a few days to a few months or longer, if that becomes necessary.
I do want to mention, none of these things will include the use of a generator. While generators do work short term, IMHO, there is no way you can store enough gasoline to keep the generator running for a long term outage. My strategy is to use 18th and 19th century skills to keep my house running. I don't even own a generator.
I created this 'Top 10 List' and the subject matter and countdown order are mine alone. You may not agree with my list. That is no problem! You are welcome to share your ideas in the comments section. We all learn when differing viewpoints are shared respectfully!
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I don't like to think about this, but the world is full of evil. Pure evil. When we (as a society) eliminate God from our everyday world, Lucifer fills the void. I don't like it, but I accept it. And because I accept it, I am determined to protect my family from it if/when it becomes necessary.
When the power is out, long term, because of a winter storm, hurricane, tornado, earthquake or any other disaster, evil can come knocking on your door. Don't think it will happen? How on earth did people turn into such monsters during hurricane Katrina? What about hurricane Sandy? When power goes out for a long time, looting happens. It is almost like we return to living in the wild west!
In my opinion, the most important thing you must know how to do when you lose electricity is to protect your family from others. There are lots of ways you can do this. Research options you are comfortable with and learn how to use them. At our house, we choose to protect ourselves with guns. I went to the range earlier this week and took a picture of my target when I was done. I used a Glock 19 at 50 ft. The target is eight inches wide.
Your answer to personal protection may not be guns. I know some people who are proficient with a bow and arrow. (I think I am going to have to learn that skill!) Some people are skilled at karate. You will need to determine for yourself what is the best way to defend your family.
This is a really important issue everyone should think about. My concern is not about the 'things' in my house. They can all be replaced. My concern is keeping everyone in the house alive and unharmed. I had someone at church tell me once that they could not shoot a person for any reason. I have a different point of view. If the decision comes down to whether I live or the person coming to my house to harm me lives, the answer is obvious. However, I hope I never have to find out what it is like to shoot someone in my home. After all, we are all children of God and I really don't want to have to harm anyone to prevent them from harming me. Still, I will shoot if my life or the lives of others in my home are in jeopardy.
Before it gets to that point, there are some things you can do now to harden your house to prevent unwelcomed access. There is a product called The Door Sentinel that can be easily added to your door to prevent anyone from kicking it in. There is also a kind of film you can put on your windows that will prevent someone from breaking them and gaining access. You can learn about both here. You can also do things like plant thorny bushes under the windows and use motion sensors (on battery backup) on the outdoor lights. It really would be better for everyone involved if you could prevent unauthorized access in the first place!
Police are not always available in the aftermath of a disaster. In a situation like this, you are responsible for your own safety. Think about how you are going to protect your family from others who want to do you harm.
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When the power is out, long term, because of a winter storm, hurricane, tornado, earthquake or any other disaster, evil can come knocking on your door. Don't think it will happen? How on earth did people turn into such monsters during hurricane Katrina? What about hurricane Sandy? When power goes out for a long time, looting happens. It is almost like we return to living in the wild west!
In my opinion, the most important thing you must know how to do when you lose electricity is to protect your family from others. There are lots of ways you can do this. Research options you are comfortable with and learn how to use them. At our house, we choose to protect ourselves with guns. I went to the range earlier this week and took a picture of my target when I was done. I used a Glock 19 at 50 ft. The target is eight inches wide.
Your answer to personal protection may not be guns. I know some people who are proficient with a bow and arrow. (I think I am going to have to learn that skill!) Some people are skilled at karate. You will need to determine for yourself what is the best way to defend your family.
This is a really important issue everyone should think about. My concern is not about the 'things' in my house. They can all be replaced. My concern is keeping everyone in the house alive and unharmed. I had someone at church tell me once that they could not shoot a person for any reason. I have a different point of view. If the decision comes down to whether I live or the person coming to my house to harm me lives, the answer is obvious. However, I hope I never have to find out what it is like to shoot someone in my home. After all, we are all children of God and I really don't want to have to harm anyone to prevent them from harming me. Still, I will shoot if my life or the lives of others in my home are in jeopardy.
Before it gets to that point, there are some things you can do now to harden your house to prevent unwelcomed access. There is a product called The Door Sentinel that can be easily added to your door to prevent anyone from kicking it in. There is also a kind of film you can put on your windows that will prevent someone from breaking them and gaining access. You can learn about both here. You can also do things like plant thorny bushes under the windows and use motion sensors (on battery backup) on the outdoor lights. It really would be better for everyone involved if you could prevent unauthorized access in the first place!
Police are not always available in the aftermath of a disaster. In a situation like this, you are responsible for your own safety. Think about how you are going to protect your family from others who want to do you harm.
If you liked this post, you may also like:
- 10 Things Countdown: #10 Think Safety First
- 10 Things Countdown: #9 Maintain Cleanliness
- 10 Things Countdown: #8 Wash Clothes
- 10 Things Countdown: #7 Cool or Heat Your Home
- 10 Things Countdown: #6 Provide Essential Lighting
- 10 Things Countdown: #5 Store Shelf Stable Foods
- 10 Things Countdown: #4 Have & Use Non-Electric Appliances
- 10 Things Countdown: #3 Handle Sanitation
- 10 Things Countdown: #2: Obtain Safe Drinking Water
Friday, September 13, 2013
The Countdown: 10 Things You Need to Know How To Do Before You Lose Electricity!
#2: Obtain Safe Drinking Water
Since we are about to hit the active period during our hurricane season here in the US, I thought it would be beneficial to create a 'Top 10 List' of things you should know how to do without electricity. Most of these things will be extremely important if you had to go without electricity for a few weeks (or longer). However, many of them also apply to power outages of just a few days. So, every Friday, until we countdown to #1, I will highlight a necessary skill to keep your house running as 'normal' as possible. Once you learn about these 10 things, you should be able to keep your house running normally during any power outage from a few days to a few months or longer, if that becomes necessary.
I do want to mention, none of these things will include the use of a generator. While generators do work short term, IMHO, there is no way you can store enough gasoline to keep the generator running for a long term outage. My strategy is to use 18th and 19th century skills to keep my house running. I don't even own a generator.
I created this 'Top 10 List' and the subject matter and countdown order are mine alone. You may not agree with my list. That is no problem! You are welcome to share your ideas in the comments section. We all learn when differing viewpoints are shared respectfully!
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How do you get your drinking water? Are you on a well? Do you have city water? Answering these questions will determine if finding clean drinking water will be a problem or not in an emergency. If you are on a well and you lose power, you are going to lose the ability to get water. I know a lot of people with a well, have a hand pump to allow them access to their well water. People who have city water may not have an issue if the power outage is short term. Longer term, there may be a boil water order in effect or you may not have water at all.
I hope this post will get you thinking about what you would do if you turned on a faucet in your house and nothing happened. Not a drop of water came out. Because this is such a serious issue, FEMA recommends to store some drinking water along with food to get you through an emergency. But, how much water should you store? FEMA recommends families store one gallon per person per day. Well, I know from experience this isn't enough. One gallon won't cover cooking, washing dishes, daily drinking needs, brushing teeth, washing hands, and all other hygiene needs. You will need a lot more than one gallon a day. The problem is water is heavy and takes up a lot of room. So, what do you do? My advice is to take a comprehensive approach. Sort of like a first line of defense, second line of defense and onward. That way, with a short power outage you may only need to use your first line of defense. If the outage lasts for a few weeks or longer (like in a hurricane) you may need to put into place your second and third line of defense, etc.
Here are some things I have identified:
I hope this post will get you thinking about what you would do if you turned on a faucet in your house and nothing happened. Not a drop of water came out. Because this is such a serious issue, FEMA recommends to store some drinking water along with food to get you through an emergency. But, how much water should you store? FEMA recommends families store one gallon per person per day. Well, I know from experience this isn't enough. One gallon won't cover cooking, washing dishes, daily drinking needs, brushing teeth, washing hands, and all other hygiene needs. You will need a lot more than one gallon a day. The problem is water is heavy and takes up a lot of room. So, what do you do? My advice is to take a comprehensive approach. Sort of like a first line of defense, second line of defense and onward. That way, with a short power outage you may only need to use your first line of defense. If the outage lasts for a few weeks or longer (like in a hurricane) you may need to put into place your second and third line of defense, etc.
Here are some things I have identified:
- The first line of defense is to store water. Store as much as you can. Try to gather about 100 gallons. (You may want more if you have a big family.) You can do this in a few ways. Quite a few emergency preparedness stores sell 55 gallon drums for water storage that you can put in your garage or basement. Many are stackable. While they are quite heavy, the stackable ones don't have that large a footprint. Select the location wisely because you won't be able to move one of these drums once it is filled. If that idea won't work for you, you can store water in smaller containers. Here is a blog post about storing water in two liter soda bottles. In this blog post, the author discusses the challenges of where to put all those bottles in a small home. I store water in some of the closets of my home. I don't have the space for 55 gallon drums. I have shown this picture before, but here is how I store my water, five gallons at a time. As you can see from the picture below, I filled this box in August 2012. Stored water should be changed out each year. I need to add this to my 'to do' list because it is time to change the water in this container.
- If needed, another thing you can do to get clean water is to empty out your hot water heater. Make sure you have a manual for your make/model so you know how to draw out the water safely. Be sure to cut the heater off first. You can also open up all the faucets on the second story (if you have a two story house) and then go downstairs and open up a faucet to access the water in your pipes. While this won't amount to a lot of water, it is still better than nothing. When the power comes back on, expect to run the faucets a while to get all the air out. While I wouldn't drink it, you also have access to water in the back of the toilets. This water can be used to wash clothes, clean the house, or just wash your hands if you don't have anything else.
- The second line of defense should get you thinking about what you would do if you used up all your stored water. What comes to mind for me is a water filtration system. There are a lot of good ones on the market that will filter out the bacteria that cause dysentery. The two common bacteria in lake and river water are giardia and cryptosporidium. Filter systems from manufacturers such as Berkey, Sawyer, Katadyn and Doutlon will all produce safe drinking water. Many will filter out other impurities as well. Do some research to see what price range, filtering quality and filter capacity you will need for your family. Some of these filters can handle up to 30,000 gallons of water. This really should be plenty of water for most emergencies you will face.
- All the filters mentioned above will eventually wear out. So, if you need a third line of defense, boiling all water is a good one. However, this requires fuel to do so. BTW - I don't list it as a second line of defense because boiling all your water before you use it is a lot of work! I would only do it if I had no other choice. Cody Lundin, in his book When All Hell Breaks Loose: The Stuff You Need to Survive When Disaster Strikes, talks about using the sun to disinfect water using any clear plastic or glass container (page 177). Alternatively, you can pasteurize water in a Sun Oven. It is easy to do with a WAPI. You can also treat raw water with chlorine. A bottle of liquid bleach will do if the bottle is new - liquid bleach is only good for about six months. Another option is to store powdered chlorine.
- Be sure to think about where are you going to find raw water to treat. Water is all around us if we look for it. Community swimming pools, rainwater collection systems, a lake or pond, a stream or river are all sources of raw water that you can treat to obtain safe drinking water. Next time you are running errands in the car, look around for bodies of water that are near to your home, preferably within walking distance. Think about how you would get that water back to your house so you could treat it. In his book, Cody Lundin has some great ideas on where to find water in the chapter Wonderfully Wet and Wanted Water.
It is really important that you do your own research on the best ways to treat water for your family. This is an issue that is critical to keeping your family healthy! Get it wrong, and your whole family could get sick! Once you are satisfied with your level of research, create a plan for treating water that you can implement, if needed, in the event of an emergency.
Here are some website that give even more ideas:
Here are some website that give even more ideas:
Emergency Preparedness: Water
Water Information from Ready.gov
Emergency Disinfection of Drinking Water
Water Information from Ready.gov
Emergency Disinfection of Drinking Water
Preparing and Storing an Emergency Drinking Water Supply
If you liked this post, you may also like:
If you liked this post, you may also like:
- 10 Things Countdown: #10 Think Safety First
- 10 Things Countdown: #9 Maintain Cleanliness
- 10 Things Countdown: #8 Wash Clothes
- 10 Things Countdown: #7 Cool or Heat Your Home
- 10 Things Countdown: #6 Provide Essential Lighting
- 10 Things Countdown: #5 Store Shelf Stable Foods
- 10 Things Countdown: #4 Have & Use Non-Electric Appliances
- 10 Things Countdown: #3 Handle Sanitation
- 10 Things Countdown: #1 Keep Your Family Safe From Harm
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