PREP Whats your weekend Prep Project?

Biggest thing I am doing is putting together some new First Aid kits. How about you?

I'll be getting my new water barrels set up.

Berry picking, working in the garden, then sewing for me and various woodworking projects for DH.

I'm going over and inventorying what I have, reconciling all of the lists, and planning for the next few months preps.

Picking produce from the garden and putting it up in the freezer.

Well my weekend project started today. A day earlier than was stated, so I'm happy. Contractor is putting a new metal roof on the house today. They will also be installing a long gutter across the back of the house so I can put in a rain barrel system. Unless a tornado comes through here, I should never need another roof. Have to cut up a small water oak that lightning got 3 days ago. Lightning hit the tree and cut it off about 2 foot above the ground. Looks like it was almost sawed off. Also have a big live oak limb that blowed out during the same storm to get cut up. Will give me a good amount of wood for the wood stove. Got my october bean seeds I have searched for, for years now in the mail from Seed Savers, so will be getting them planted. After that it's back to cutting grass that has grown as tall as me in some areas.

PilotFighter said:

Well my weekend project started today. A day earlier than was stated, so I'm happy. Contractor is putting a new metal roof on the house today. They will also be installing a long gutter across the back of the house so I can put in a rain barrel system. Unless a tornado comes through here, I should never need another roof.

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Sounds great! We hope to be able to do a metal roof with rain barrels and maybe a cistern next year. We just bought the house, but the roof is 20 years old, so we're making plans.

going prep shopping tomorrow, nice 140mile round journey, but we'll buy enough to make it worth while, Sunday i'm gonna cut wood & stack turf ready for the winter, we've had our range converted back to multi fuel, it was multi fuel then we converted it to oil 10yrs ago, with the oil prices going crazy we decided to convert it back again,

KerryAnn said:

Sounds great! We hope to be able to do a metal roof with rain barrels and maybe a cistern next year. We just bought the house, but the roof is 20 years old, so we're making plans.

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Be prepared for the cost, since all metals are going up in price. $6,200 for mine.

Finishing building the grape arbor and then getting the grapes and kiwi vines planted. It's close to time for canning green beans too, they are just starting to get big enough, so I'll do some prep work on the canning equipment for that.

Splitting and stacking more wood. The goal would be another 1.5 face cords this weekend.

I'm also going to go under the trailer and look at what it would take to connect into the water supply from a rain barrel or cistern. I want to be able to have water when the grid is down. I have a couple of 12v pumps, so I'm hoping it won't be too difficult.

I would also like to build another raised garden bed and get some horse manure composting for planting next spring.

I'm hoping to get an estimate done this weekend on how much it'll cost to do my driveway, as well as options for same.

I've got 400' from the road to my house and need even more for the drive around the front of the house, the drive to the eventual garage location, plus a couple of parking areas.

Total should be about 700' long x 10' wide that needs to be done.

-Ross

Repairing windows, Splitting wood, and weeding.

making pickles

well we got our shopping done but when i got home i had to unblock the drains and fix a leaking water pipe too,
Taking the kids down to the beach tomorrow to make sandcastles,

My prep project this week is definitely NOT sexy:


I'm trying to weed my vegetable garden in the late afternoons when the heat index is only in the high 90's;


and I'm trying to keep the chickens cool out there in their little chicken yard.


With temperature heat indexes registering as high as 108 today, and even the regular temp was 100 -- keeping the chickens cool is NOT an easy job!

-Keeping my critters, dogs in good health. They have been given their earmite medicine. All ten of 'em.
-Looking tomorrow for window coverings to keep heat in and cold out. Also to keep light out and security for small windows.
-Dehydrate fruit.

We're finishing the weeding and laying down plastic between the rows in the garden. We also have movers coming to somehow get a 550 lb fireplace insert up into the family room around some challenging corners. Then there's 3 more flower beds to weed and mulch and the the fertilizer spikes for the trees and shrubs and .....

Maybe I'll just take a nap.

Moved built-in fridge last weekend, now working on building large walk-in pantry in its place, will not be visable from any room. Space will be about 15 X 8..Lots of storage and "room" for other things.

I've recently woken up to the fact that I have the remains of a Briggs & Stratton Model "WM" horizontal shaft gasoline engine. Dating from about 1936 these engines were used by Maytag and others for small (1/2 to 1 hp) power needs such as washing machines.

By remains I mean I have the crankcase, oil pan, flywheel, all the internal parts. What I'm missing are the little do-dad's that hang from the engine like carburetor, shroud, pull or kick starter, magneto & spark wire, gas tank.

This engine is attractive to me since any engine may become a thing of value once TSHTF. Imagine what an advantage such an engine may be if you want to create some specialized machine such as a non-grid powered tablesaw or jointer or a rotary dirt screen, or even a motorized wheelbarrow. And the small cast iron B&S engines are tough as nails and will likely outlast me.

Today I went to a Tractors & Gas Engine show over in the Mainiac State. We're not far away here in Cow Hampshire. Lo and behold there were some Briggs parts for sale on the flea market tables.

I found a dandy shroud and paid all of $3 for it. And had a good day looking at all the mechanical antiques in the process. And yet another antique engine will become a "survivor" in the process.

Best,
Joe