Prep Genrl Weekly prep thread - December 10-16, 2023

[SouthernBreeze]

I got up feeling much better this morning. Today is house cleaning day, since I haven't been home long enough this week to do much. Laundry, sweeping, mopping, dusting, etc. Rain, today, so it's a good day to do indoor chores. If not too much rain, Cary wants to get back to work on the wood pile.

I picked up my RX, yesterday. I always research any new medications my doctors prescribe for me, before I take them. This new medication is supposed to be for help in drying up the fluid around the retina. When I researched it, it is for high blood pressure and chronic heart failure. What?!!!! I'm already taking meds for high blood pressure, so I'm not taking this, until I can speak with my PCP doctor which will be Tuesday at the earliest. I could not find anywhere that this new med is for wet macular degeneration treatment. The new drug is Eplerenone/25mg/day. Maybe one of you nurses will know about it. I already take Losartan/50mg/twice daily for high BP. I don't know if my mac degen specialist made a mistake in the drug she prescribed or not. I'm scared to take it.

 

[kyrsyan]

Body did not want much sleep. I expect that I will be taking a nap. Son has headache.

I got started deep cleaning his room. That got him upset even though I was doing all the cleaning. We have a compromise. As long as he needs calm and quiet, I will stay out. When he starts getting rowdy, I'll come back and finish. I have most things swept up in a pile right now.

Since I couldn't be in the room, I got his new humidifier with hydrometer & thermometer set up and connected to the app. Then tested them. Then moved out the old humidifier and separate diffuser. This humidifier allows essential oils in the tank. Two devices out, one device in. And the hydrometer device will automatically turn on the humidifier when the humidity level drops below a certain level. I just need to now figure out what humidity level works best for him and his headaches. And we'll probably test some oils over time. I know hinoki wood helps him. There may be some more oils that will help.

And I wish they made a smart dehumidifier that I could put in the bathroom.

Friend is coming up tonight and we are piling thrift stuff in the van so I can drop it at the thrift when I go to my GP appointment next week. I am only purging and it is much needed. Part of me wants to have a yardsale or put stuff on FB, but that always turns out to be a massive pile of aggravation for very little reward.

And last night I was seriously debating the dumpster to clear the garage and how we could prep for it by clearing some things to thrift first. Then I reminded myself to clear the house first. Then I can tackle the garage.

 

[nomifyle]

We got rain last night for several hours, therefore it is over cast out side and in the 50's, although the sun may peak out late in the afternoon.

DH brought in two small zucchinis this morning, he said the vines are dying. We had the most beautiful yellow squash plants with lots of blooms that did not produce, must have been male. I didn't get my green onions cut and they are drooping, oh well.

have a couple of loads of laundry to get washed, it would be a mess if the power went out and I didn't have that done. Although our newer generator will power the washing machine, but not the dryer.

I've listened to a couple of doom and gloom videos, plus what is going on the the Q thread. Only God knows what is going to happen, if and when. I'm not stressing about it. DH well remembers a dirt floor and no electric and I'm pretty well prepared to do without, so for the most part we are good. Got enough wood cut for a couple of years, although so our weather has been somewhat mild. The sunny days are wonderful.

 

[John Deere Girl]

I got up feeling much better this morning. Today is house cleaning day, since I haven't been home long enough this week to do much. Laundry, sweeping, mopping, dusting, etc. Rain, today, so it's a good day to do indoor chores. If not too much rain, Cary wants to get back to work on the wood pile.

I picked up my RX, yesterday. I always research any new medications my doctors prescribe for me, before I take them. This new medication is supposed to be for help in drying up the fluid around the retina. When I researched it, it is for high blood pressure and chronic heart failure. What?!!!! I'm already taking meds for high blood pressure, so I'm not taking this, until I can speak with my PCP doctor which will be Tuesday at the earliest. I could not find anywhere that this new med is for wet macular degeneration treatment. The new drug is Eplerenone/25mg/day. Maybe one of you nurses will know about it. I already take Losartan/50mg/twice daily for high BP. I don't know if my mac degen specialist made a mistake in the drug she prescribed or not. I'm scared to take it.

You may want to talk to the pharmacist first. They should be able to tell you what meds will work best together.

 

[Meemur]

Raining here. No complaints because we badly need moisture and it's still in the 40s, so no ice.

Had a short argument with myself and then went and purchased more "heavy items" for the pantry: laundry soap, cat litter, and another 30 (or so) pounds of potatoes from a neighbor. These were odd sizes, unwashed, and will get stored long-term in the basement. I should have enough now to make it through April (plus onions and turnips).

My reasoning: I can walk/bike to local farm stores (and the regular grocery store), but I can't haul heavy stuff without a car, and I since I can't predict what will be happening with gas, it seemed prudent to do some further topping off.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

I've listened to a couple of doom and gloom videos, plus what is going on the the Q thread. Only God knows what is going to happen, if and when. I'm not stressing about it. DH well remembers a dirt floor and no electric and I'm pretty well prepared to do without, so for the most part we are good. Got enough wood cut for a couple of years, although so our weather has been somewhat mild. The sunny days are wonderful.

I've stopped reading, watching, or listening to all the doom and gloom stuff. We've done all we're able to do, and will trust God for what is lacking, unless He tells us to do more. I'm no longer adding more to our food or storage supplies. I'm back to only replacing what I use. By the time Cary gets the wood pile finished, we'll have 13 cords of firewood cut, split, and stacked under roof or tarp, so we're not lacking for fuel for cooking and heat. December and January are usually our coldest months. So far, December is rather mild.

We remain ever watchful to know what's going on in the world and around here locally. We don't intend to live off of doom and gloom, though. Those days are over for us. I think God intends for us to enjoy life, not cowered in fear that something bad is always going to happen. You're right, Judy. Only God knows.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

You may want to talk to the pharmacist first. They should be able to tell you what meds will work best together.

Since I already take BP medication, I'm afraid this new med will drop my BP too low. That's why I'm afraid to take it without some kind of consultation. Maybe our pharmacist will know. It will probably be easier to talk to him than it will be with my PCP. Thanks for the idea!

 

[briches]

I had ordered some new towels after Thanksgiving, and they have finally arrived and are now washed and ready for use. I got 8 bath sheets, 4 washcloths and 4 hand towels. We will be good for awhile. The bath sheets are larger than I expected.

Hubby has his greenhouse going for winter, and it is doing beautifully. He spent time yesterday and this morning organizing some of his seeds.

I wrapped presents this morning for hubby, and it feels good to have that done.

We are headed to a friend’s house for a nice wine dinner tonight. It will be fun.

I stopped at dollar general yesterday and picked up four more things of low dose baby aspirin (36 count each) for a $1.00 each. Hubby takes a couple of times a week.
I want to have plenty of cheap items like that that I can get.

(Two year’s worth of toiletries /OTC meds is my goal).

For those of you with pets, how much dog food do you keep on hand?

 

[SouthernBreeze]

For those of you with pets, how much dog food do you keep on hand?

We only have one dog with a weight of around 70 lbs. We stock 100 lbs/year of dry kibble, and he also gets table scraps when appropriate, and lots of rice stored just for him for making his own dog food if need be.

 

[kyrsyan]

Since I already take BP medication, I'm afraid this new med will drop my BP too low. That's why I'm afraid to take it without some kind of consultation. Maybe our pharmacist will know. It will probably be easier to talk to him than it will be with my PCP. Thanks for the idea!

Pharmacists will know the possible interactions better than the GP. So consult them on those possibilities.

Then go to GP with that to decide the future plan for medications.

 

[Meemur]

For those of you with pets, how much dog food do you keep on hand?

6 months of kibble and 8 months of canned for my cat. I'd follow that with a dog, too.
Even vac-packed and kept cool, the kibble is like crackers and doesn't store well for me long-term.
If possible, I would grab 2 more bags if I saw additional supply chain problems in the offing.

She can also eat table scraps if necessary. She's older now, and I would rather not disrupt her diet, unless
that can't be avoided.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

Pharmacists will know the possible interactions better than the GP. So consult them on those possibilities.

Then go to GP with that to decide the future plan for medications.

I just tried calling our pharmacist, but he had already left for the day. Dang it! Not open at all on Sundays, and I'll be out of town all day, Monday, in Florence, Alabama.

 

[Marseydoats]

Raining here. No complaints because we badly need moisture and it's still in the 40s, so no ice.

Had a short argument with myself and then went and purchased more "heavy items" for the pantry: laundry soap, cat litter, and another 30 (or so) pounds of potatoes from a neighbor. These were odd sizes, unwashed, and will get stored long-term in the basement. I should have enough now to make it through April (plus onions and turnips).

My reasoning: I can walk/bike to local farm stores (and the regular grocery store), but I can't haul heavy stuff without a car, and I since I can't predict what will be happening with gas, it seemed prudent to do some further topping off.

I switched to detergent sheets because I just can't drag those heavy laundry soap bottles up the stairs anymore. And I dropped and spilled one of the big bottles in the washer and made a huge mess. This what I switched to

C

M

www.getcleanpeople.com

They're made in Canada but ship from Wisc. So far I like them. I do heavy farm chores and my clothes get really dirty. I do use laundry boost with the super nasty loads, but I used it with regular detergent as well. They're a little more expensive than the jugs but with what I was dropping and wasting, I figured it evened out.

I really envy you your score on the potatoes.

 

[moldy]

The day has not improved in weirdness. Got a call from an old friend of late ex-husbands. He had moved back to where we lived from decades in California and saw ex's obit. I haven't changed my number in decades, and I"m guessing that's how he found me. Says that he has found God (which I am very happy about) and is writing books. The one he just finished is close to 10.000 pages (no I did not add a zero). Just weird.

Managed to get potatoes canned and the freeze dryer started. I started to make chicken and dumplings, but as it heated, it didn't smell right. I know the broth I was using was old, so I just gave that up and gave it to the cats. Made some minestrone with meatballs and garlic biscuits - they're warming on the stove so when DH gets back it will be ready.

Now I might work on some cleaning. That is a result of some fit throwing last weekend that I haven't gotten to.

 

[kyrsyan]

Son was checking out the new humidifier to play with. After some stern words, he decided that he'd just watch it. It works well with the hydrometer. Typically it ends up kicking on when the heat kicks on. That works. It will keep his sinuses from getting dried out while he's sleeping.

I got hot chocolate mix made. I'm doing dinner and then it's time to do white hot chocolate mix. Then pack a few boxes to go. Thrift store piles in the van. Kerosene heater pulled and went to a new home. Some pantry stuff rehomed. All in all, not a bad day.

 

[philkar]

Lots of work on the homestead completed today anticipating days ahead where not so much will get done! Cleaned out the chicken coop house and then the chickens didn't want to go in with all the fluffy hay. Chickens are so funny! Seeded
the banks of the driveway and planted Forsythia. Cleaned out barn which is an ongoing job! Hubs closed in one end of the barn and is beginning to put up shelving. I guess it is more of a workshop than barn. And last but not least fertilized the collards which needed some help desperately! Now I am sitting! Made a plan for the garden for next year. It doesn't sound like prepping but it really is.
May the rest of your weekend be restful and all that you want it to be.

 

[anna43]

Finished up my Christmas cards and mailed them on Friday. I thought I'd sent all my out-of-state cards on Wednesday and then remembered my oldest dd who lives in AZ. How could I have missed her! I made a concerted effort to contact all cousins on both sides last Christmas and only heard back from two. One of those passed the Monday after Thanksgiving. While it makes me extremely sad, this is going to be the last year I make an effort if I don't hear from anyone else again this year. I always get a Christmas letter from the oldest of my cousins but have not received it yet this year. She is 89 (will be 90 in February). I love her dearly, but we are on opposite ends of the political spectrum, so conversations are like avoiding landmines! Another moved out of state, and I do not have new address and yet another moved to a nursing home and again no address.

I need to do cleaning this week. Last week I wasn't feeling the best and did not accomplish much other than reading a couple books and finishing a 1000-piece puzzle. Hardly useful productive projects. I've been really tired lately and even today came home from church and slept on the couch for three hours. I'm sure that part of it is the lack of sun.

A friend and I are considering spending a day this week going to thrift shops. If we do, I will take my canner lids to the Extension Service to be tested. I really need to do that before I start my meat canning project. Monday is out as the thrift stores are not open then so maybe Tuesday or Wednesday or Thursday depending on the weather. Then we're planning a thrift shop day in mid-January, weather permitting. Thrift shops generally mark down a lot of stuff the week before Christmas and in January they receive a lot of donations of unwanted gifts and/or the items gifts replaced.

A lady visiting church today said she'd recently had a dream of a curtain (like on a stage) that was partly open and then a second dream that the curtain was closed. She interpreted that in light of the worldwide instability as meaning we're going to see major changes in the coming year. Kind of woo-woo, but I can't help but wonder thinking about how many times things were prophesied in the Bible using dreams. Aside from that, only someone with their head in the sand could miss the potential for SHTF looming. As Southern Breeze said above, I'm as prepped as I've been led to be and currently am careful to replace what is used so am trusting the Lord for the rest. Again, I do not think that we as a Christians will be spared the upcoming turmoil, but I know that the Lord will be with me through whatever comes.