SHELTER in place...ramblings

Discussion in 'General Survival and Preparedness' started by john316, Mar 22, 2020.


  1. john316

    john316 Monkey+++

    speech or writing that is confused or meaningless
    My wife told me not to use ramblings…………
    I do not want writing that is confused or meaningless
    BUT I liked the word! YMMV

    WHAT I WANT IS
    notes...of what is going on
    what worked
    what did not work
    what did you run out of the first week, week 2,3,4,5,6……...how did you overcome it
    what did you want and did not have the first week, week 2,3,4,5,6………..how did you make do
    how did freezing the cream cheese work out………...iwillsayit….bad,bad,bad
    how did freezing the milk and half&half work……………...GREAT

    HOW ABOUT butter,olive oil,flour, grits,oats,bread,crackers,yeast,eggs,……………...GREAT

    (I live in HOT,WET FLORIDA…………

    I am talking about a manual defrost chest freezer that will hold -10 on the bottom half and 0 F at the top

    A self defrosting freezer WILL RAISE the surface temperature of EVERY PACKAGE IN the freezer to above freezing SEVERAL TIMES EACH DAY………..this will cause condensation of mosture on EVERY PACKAGE IN THE FREEZER…………….THIS IS WHY you have ice on every package in the freezer………….and why storage life is shorter than IN A MANUAL DEFROST CHEST FREEZER!
    STUFF KEPT AT 0 F WILL LAST ALMOST FOREVER
    RANT OVER)

    SO.all I want to hear about is ….what went wrong,...what went right,……..what new thing are you going to do when this is over……….
    what was useful………..useless………..what will you do different
     
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  2. Thunder5Ranch

    Thunder5Ranch Monkey+++

    Watch it so you can spend many hours regretting watching it :) Ok it was so stupid it was actually kind of funny.

    ipof.
     
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  3. Thunder5Ranch

    Thunder5Ranch Monkey+++

    And a note to folks that Freeze Milk, it turning yellow is normal and does not mean the milk is bad. When it freezes the water pushes the fat and protein molecules out of the water ice crystals and the separated fat and protein give it yellow hue. For drinking milk that has been frozen 2%, skim reduced fat is better. Whole milk tends to be a bit grainy once thawed and shaken and mixed back up is still great for cooking and if you like something to chew on in yer milk :)
    My own experiments
    at ZERO degrees it is good for 3-4 months frozen
    -10 4-6months
    -20 9-12 months
    -30 don't know I only have 3 freezers I can get that low and have not put milk in them :)

    DSC01390.JPG
     
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  4. DarkLight

    DarkLight Live Long and Prosper - On Hiatus

    Musings?
     
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  5. techsar

    techsar Monkey+++

    Disjointed observations? ;)

    We've been pretty much just going between home and work for the past week. A couple of stops at the grocer, more for observation than an actual need.

    At the house nothing has run out, or become critically low.
    Workplace hours have been cut back, but not our actual work hours. Customer volume has dwindled significantly for both of us.
    Public events have largely been cancelled, or in a few cases been postponed until fall.
    Gasoline has fallen nearly twenty cents per gallon in the past two weeks.
     
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  6. Bandit99

    Bandit99 Monkey+++ Site Supporter+

    Well, I did learn a few things so far... Bit of a story but a baker friend has to close for a while due to the situation so they gave us 15 dozen eggs. I never knew you could freeze them but the wife froze them in cupcake dishes (the silicone type, I guess it's silicone, rubbery stuff) then transferred to Ziplock bags and yeah, no problem.

    I also learned that I do not have enough fuel stored for an extended, real SHTF. I need to work on propane, gas and diesel. They make 200 gallon tanks for fuels that go in/out the back of a pickup using a fork lift. I've got a Skid Steer so...it high on the list.

    Also, want to seriously start looking at solar, enough wattage to keep freeze/refrigerator running, a few lights and power cistern pump when needed. This will be my next major project.

    Other than that... I hate to say it because it will jinx us but think most of our bases appeared covered, no surprises so far...knock on wood!
     
  7. Airtime

    Airtime Monkey+++

    As a kid my mother bought milk once a month, something like 4-5 gallons in half gallon paper cartons and she froze it. The trick to using it was to thaw it in the refrigerator a day or two and then shake the hell out of it before opening. Do that and we couldn’t tell the difference between frozen and not frozen.
     
  8. Bandit99

    Bandit99 Monkey+++ Site Supporter+

    @Airtime Yes, my wife (3rd worlder) said the same thing that you and @Thunder5Ranch said about freezing milk. She use to get hers from the neighbors' cows and her mother always froze it, defrosting it when they needed it.

    I normally keep a case of UHT milk, requires no refrigeration until opened, lasts for a year, and tastes better than powder milk. Most Americans don't like the taste either (I prefer it as all I drank for years overseas) and a bit expensive ($1 per quart) which makes it more available. I don't drink/use it consistently due to the cost but always keep a case around. Unfortunately, the virus hit perfectly while we were using the last of it and it flew off the shelves before I could restock. Another Lesson Learned...

    One last thing, a good respirator. While I have plenty of N95 and N100 masks, a good respirator would/could be very handy. It's on the buy list now. Again, another Lesson Learned...
     
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  9. Oddcaliber

    Oddcaliber Monkey+++

    As a kid my mom would get powdered milk. Better than nothing. Keep some around for times like this.
     
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  10. Thunder5Ranch

    Thunder5Ranch Monkey+++

    Ventured out among the diseased masses yesterday. For that one last thing run. Wonders why everyone was looking at me funny??? Not like I wore the self contained unit or even full shield and hood respirator.

    Want to have some fun during all of this. Get out a bell, dress up in Dark Age style Monks Robes, throw the wheel barrow in the back of the truck and head to town and walk up and down residential streets in town ringing the bell and pushing the wheel barrow, pausing occasionally to yell out BRING OUT YER DEAD. Just be prepared to get a long lecture from the local Leo :)

    Also a GREAT time for everyone to practice their Interpersonal Ballistic Conflict Resolution Skills :)

    DSC01390.JPG
     
  11. ditch witch

    ditch witch I do stupid crap, so you don't have to

    There's some guy with his pic on Reddit, in full plague doc gear (think mask with the beak) standin on a street corner with a sign that says "Wash Your Damn Hands!" lol. Also some folks down in Austin dressed up in dinosaur costumes holding signs that say "At least it's not a meteor!"
     
  12. Bandit99

    Bandit99 Monkey+++ Site Supporter+

    @Thunder5Ranch "...ringing the bell and pushing the wheel barrow, pausing occasionally to yell out BRING OUT YER DEAD."

    LOL! That's too funny! :D:D:D :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
     
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  13. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    It wasn't so funny during the bubonic plague. "As I remember it" anyway.
     
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  14. DarkLight

    DarkLight Live Long and Prosper - On Hiatus

    Stay at home order for the county. I'm "Essential" as I work for a financial institution (we do trades) so I got me my letter(s). 21 days.
     
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  15. hot diggity

    hot diggity Monkey+++ Site Supporter+++

    Week 2. Eating too much salt. Notable increase in joint pain. Realized I hadn't been eating my daily banana. Took potassium suppliment and have experienced considerable relief.

    Vitamins and suppliments will have to augment my fresh fruit until I can resupply.

    Bottles of pills are much easier to store than any alternative.
     
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  16. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    Last longer than bananas, too.

    Have you tried dehydrating nanners, making chips? I have no idea if the nutrients survive the heat, but they sure do go good on Cheerios.
     
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  17. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    @ ghrit Baked Cheerios, who would have though......
     
    Last edited: Mar 26, 2020
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  18. Gator 45/70

    Gator 45/70 Monkey+++

    Sweet !!! Hopefully your pumps and purse matched?
     
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  19. ditch witch

    ditch witch I do stupid crap, so you don't have to

    Something I didnt really consider to be a concern barring total collapse, but is about to become an issue, and it's a direct result of a handful of aholes buying all the TP, is the wastewater systems shutting down not because of lack of manpower but because the Idgit household down the street been flushing mountains of paper towels and who knows what else down the loo. Whoa that's a long sentence.

    Anyhoo. Noticed the flush seems reluctant this morning. If these fools keep flushing shredded t shirts and newspapers and pages from Hillary Clinton books imma be breaking out the 5 gallon buckets and kitty litter soon.
     
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  20. Gator 45/70

    Gator 45/70 Monkey+++

    Day 2, Everyone is running to Lowes and buying up mulch and flowers !
     
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