Jay Angler

Sorry, no pictures today. I have quite a good collection of Spider plants which are great because it takes a *lot* of 'ignore' to kill them.

However, my sunny front window plants are totally permie... a Holy Basil for my DiL, a pot with baby walking onions which I use the greens from, a Ginger plant that my DiL abused... I'm hoping it's just dormant for the winter, but I'll keep you posted, and lastly, my baby Dragon Fruit plants that are germinating on top of the water heater, are getting transplanted into small pots as they poke their noses up. I have 5 so far that look like they're going to grow, but they're awfully small and our house is really too cold.

It won't be long before I'll need to be starting tomatoes and peppers...

Rebekah Harmon wrote: Now the fibers touching my skin all day has improved. Wonder if I'll notice any changes?
What changes have you noticed from switching undies?

I was forced years ago due to allergies, to switch to all cotton underwear. Eventually, I had to swap out bras for "A" shirts. Recently, so much of the cotton has spandex in it, that I've started sewing my own out of stained 100% cotton T-shirts. Some I hand sewed for the practice, but most I machine sew for efficiency.

I started making a cotton bra, but the pattern I was following didn't allow for the normal size difference between right and left breasts (it is normal for left breasts to be larger because they have a better blood supply). I got busy with other projects and haven't tried to unpick and resew, but I suspect I will do so at some point.  

Did you notice any changes by switching to at least "mostly" cotton?

Nancy Reading wrote:... I'm looking at my falling apart slippers and thinking they may be the next candidate!

I once made felted slippers, using dog fur. I wasn't very good at the felting part as it was my first go, but I would say the concept has promise.

I used deer leather I processed myself to protect the felt on the bottom. However a friend recently gave me her leather purse with the zippers broken, so I have a small stash of thicker leather if I decide to give it another go.

Why do sailors eat shellfish when a storm is forecasted?  

It's the clam before the storm.

What do you get when you cross a snowstorm and a freezer?

Cold comfort!

In climates that are warm, people often think that insulation isn't needed. The reality is, good insulation helps keep summer heat out, and then it's there when you need it if Mother Nature throws a curve ball.

The year we moved to British Columbia, over the New Years period we got 3 ft of snow - considered the storm of the millennium. People used to heating with electricity were in trouble if theirs went out. But even if it stayed on, their inefficient houses left them with heating bills of hundreds of dollars.

We had come from Ottawa, Ontario, so our kids still had warm clothing and we had lots of warm blankets. The house came with a very inefficient wood stove, but at least it could burn wood. Rather than being "open concept" the house was of an age where the kitchen had walls and doors that closed. When we had power, the baseboard heater, or the stove if I was cooking, could keep this one room warm.

This was also not an extremely cold storm. Not like Ottawa cold! However, anything below freezing can result in hypothermia, particularly if you get wet shoveling snow. My understanding is that areas not used to cold, are at risk of significant cold arriving soon. It wasn't that long ago that people died in Texas when they got atypical weather.

Read Pearl's advice above. Consider which direction the wind is coming from. Air gaps with stagnant air are your friend, and this thread, ones she's linked to, and others on permies will tell you ways to slow the air down and keep you warm.

Beware of candles or any open flame! They will devour your oxygen and risk deadly fire. If you can create a sheltered area outside using tarps, tables, boxes etc, then a camp stove or similar will give you a place to heat water to bring inside. Stack up the snow to windward and that alone may give you a spot to cook.

Good luck to everyone in the path of this storm - stay safe!

There looks to be some nastier weather than typical for many areas of North America that's on it's way. My sister, whose region is referred to as Canada's "Banana Belt," is currently shoveling out from a major snow dump.

There's tons of good info in this thread and others here on permies, so everyone please prepare yourselves for what might be coming!

We've got bad cold snaps forecast for several areas of North America on there way. Atypical weather patterns increases the risk of a power outage, so I am shamelessly bumping this thread containing many ideas for simple ways to stay warm.

Not sure it mentions borrowing a dog or 3 for the duration...

thomas rubino wrote: If Chickens are like pigs, they will huddle together to stay warm.

From an incredibly young age, you can trust chickens to be heat seekers. I had to move a young chick into a Muscovy duckling shelter and I was relying on the Muscovy mom + 5 half-grown youngsters to keep the chick warm overnight and he did just fine.

We have moved to rubber buckets for freezing weather. They tolerate having hot water poured into them, and they're easy to flex to get any ice that forming out of them. Size matters - it is easier to keep some water unfrozen in a larger container than a smaller one.

Using old sheets to trap heat in a smaller area than the whole coop will also help. We're more likely to find birds sleeping in nest boxes instead of on their perches when the weather is fowl foul (yes bad pun... couldn't resist), so if you're really worried about the young birds, a large cardboard box with bedding and a chicken-sized entrance will help them "cuddle up". Just cut a few extra holes for air! With my last group of pullets with an adult "mom," I used a dog crate to accomplish this.

Hopefully it will all go well.

Do you know any one who would loan you a large dog crate for a few days?

Prop the door open, start bribing the chickens with something they love - worms, bits of bread, bird seed.

When they're used to you bribing them, put the bribes in the back of the crate. Every chicken you catch, you can give to new, responsible owners, or build your own coop in your back yard, and be that responsible owner.

I hesitate to blame the chickens for their irresponsible owner. The chickens are only doing what chickens do - scratch in the dirt for seeds or bugs.

You might want to do the research for the new home before you catch any of them.