John Weiland

Ken W Wilson wrote:Are they frozen solid? If they are only partially frozen they are probably ruined. It seems like if they’re completely frozen, and you keep them frozen, you could cook with them. Just guessing though.

It turns out that about 1/4 of them were frozen solid and those more bunched in the middle were actually fine.  So I just took the frozen ones and tossed them into a bag and put them into the chest freezer.  It works pretty well for soups and stews just to grate them from frozen using a serrated knife.....seems to work good enough.  Thanks!....

Mike Jay wrote:
The problem is that I live in an area that is pretty cloudy in the early winter (mid Nov to mid Jan).  

Mike, just adding this data to the discussion.  The array noted here is probably at about the same latitude as your location.  The picture below is a rolling tally across last year of production from a 4.2kW array....a demo operated by a local power coop.  The site describing the demo is here:  https://www.rrvcoop.com/energy-mix  .   From that page, find the line "You can view real-time production by clicking on Solar Demo."  where the words 'Solar Demo' are hot-linked.  Just in case this provides some real-world data in a similar climate for your calculations.

Mike Jay wrote:

My thought would be to use a wood fired electrical generation method during those two months whenever the batteries get low.  Is there such a thing for residential scale applications?  

Mike, is there another place where you've indicated your major power draws in the winter time?  It may help to approach the question simultaneously from a production and use view that would reveal points for nipping and tucking on the power equation.

One thought that comes to mind is to use some sort of RMH in the greenhouse for keeping that warm....maybe you are already doing that.  I'm not sure about the next part, but depending on the size and discharge status of the battery bank in mid-winter, could you use one of those small, inverter-generators to re-charge the batteries during low-draw periods such as during the night or when you are away for a while?  I realize it may seem unwise to leave a generator unattended, but I'm wondering if you could get to a point where you know how long the gennie will run on X gallons of fuel, and fill it just enough to run out of gas/diesel when the battery bank is recharged.  The quiet operation of such a generator would (hopefully) not be obnoxious and the fuel consumption also possibly at a minimum.  Just musing here.....

Bryant RedHawk wrote:..... the only thing I miss is being able to send my writing to my agent as a file, now I have to burn a CD and mail it, just takes longer.

Redhawk,  I'm curious as to why you can't just EMail your writing to him as an attachment instead of burning a CD?.....

Also, a related topic as I'm re-reading some chapters of Leonard Shlain's "The Alphabet versus the Goddess:  The Conflict between Word and Image" about how literacy engages the mind in a different way than imagery.  There has been discussion here and elsewhere before about turning off the digital for extended periods of time,......but my question is whether or not anyone has tried to go for extended periods without reading/writing.....without engaging with the written word.  Clearly that is a more difficult undertaking as this is how we've mostly come about storing information and communicating it for several hundreds of years now (although to varying degrees and not true for all cultures).  It's one thing to come back from a vacation where you deliberately turned away from all digital/cellular communication for that period, but has anyone taken a break from reading as well an noted any interesting changes.....possibly better attunement to the natural surroundings or an (re)awakening of senses that you maybe did not know that you had?

!DOH!.....

So we left some storage onions and garlic harvested this past fall in a room that is cool but never freezes......at least not usually.  Circumstances collided and they froze, but that room won't stay frozen.  Is the best solution at this point to bag them and transfer to the chest freezer?  Has anyone taken them and gone immediately from frozen chopped onion to dehydrator for preservation?  Pickling?  Other options?.....  Thanks!

Eric Hanson wrote:.....In most cases, once a person goes off the "use as directed" route the patient runs out early and then tries to get extra pills.  This is where a doctor is faced with a real dilemma.  Is the patient using his pain meds for legitimate pain and truly does need more, or is the patient just trying to get more drugs from the doctor?  It is not an easy decision, but that is one of the reasons that doctor's get paid the money they do.  They have to make very consequential decisions about a patient's health and sometimes do so when a patient is being less than honest.  And a doctor's liability seemingly never ends.

Agree with this view, but just adding the following that addresses risk factors that may result in problems even when used as prescribed (my bold text to emphasize agreement with your view):

"Opioid addiction risk factors

Opioids are most addictive when you take them using methods different from what was prescribed, such as crushing a pill so that it can be snorted or injected. This life-threatening practice is even more dangerous if the pill is a long- or extended-acting formulation. Rapidly delivering all the medicine to your body can cause an accidental overdose. Taking more than your prescribed dose of opioid medication, or more often than prescribed, also increases your risk of addiction.

*The length of time you use prescribed opioids also plays a role. Researchers have found that taking opioid medications for more than a few days increases your risk of long-term use, which increases your risk of addiction. The odds you'll still be on opioids a year after starting a short course increase after only five days on opioids.

A number of additional factors — genetic, psychological and environmental — play a role in addiction, which can happen quickly or after many years of opioid use.*" -- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/prescription-drug-abuse/in-depth/how-opioid-addiction-occurs/art-20360372

My asterisks flank the content that I felt deviates a bit from your view....not greatly, only slightly, but nevertheless in a way provides context to the situation.   In the end, like so many chemicals/processes that can provide relief, there is so often the 'crutch' aspect to them that must be carefully monitored and weighed against other factors, such as terminal illness or complete lack of alternatives.

Dave B: "....And sometimes, my thoughts are in response in something that recently happened, but may not have triggered an immediate noticeable emotional response. And that's a tricky thing, too. Sometimes, I get very delayed emotional responses to things. Like, when I saw an ambulance rushing by, then, it reminds me of a memory I have, and then that memory triggers the emotion of crying."

Yes, whether or not these observations are made towards the self alone or in a family context, this kind of self-reflection can be very informative.  For reasons unexplained early in my marriage, my wife would get SUPER-irritable...around dusk in the late afternoon!  It took some time and self-reflection on her part to realize that the sudden decline and death of father in her mid-childhood was associated with short visits to see him....around dusk of the day. What she found most triggering in the present was the manner in which the light hit the trees as it was setting and hearing a train in the distance.  The particulars surrounding his death were dealt with poorly and the whole grieving aspect for her completely invalidated by her mother and other family members at the time.  She was pretty sure this re-emerged in her life as an 'unsettling' around the dusk period of day later on.  Like you noted....it's a tricky thing and often difficult to pin down due to the mind's desire to "move on and don't look back", even if the body is not really ready.

Eric Hanson wrote:Lucrecia,

I agree wholeheartedly with your friend's predicament.  I think a statement I like to use in class applies here.  That would be to use as directed.  The likelihood of your friend falling into the trap of either addiction or chemical dependence when using opioids for short term pain relief is indeed very low if used as directed.  I am glad we basically see eye to eye on this.

Eric

I think a good debate to research with regard to this particular issue embedded within this thread is that between Drs. Gabor Mate and Stanton Peele, both highly educated and trained in addiction counseling and with rather opposing opinions on the basis and recovery path for addictions.  In fact, Eric, I would encourage you as an educator to possibly take up this topic in your class as a "critical thinking" exercise....weighing the arguments and references of each practitioner, readily found in their exchanges and offerings on the internet.  Eric, as for the recommendation to "...use as directed", isn't that partly how at least the situation in the US got to the point that it did with the addiction?  And please understand that I'm not singling out one facet of the addiction-prone as they interface with the health care system as it seems to be a rather systemic problem with many underlying forces at work here.  I've heard that now the opposite is the case....many with true pain problems are  having a difficult time obtaining the best pain relief because opioids are under such high recent scrutiny.

Greg M. "Has anyone here experienced any connection between depression and anger?"

From humans to rat models, parental neglect in one shape or form often leads to depressive symptoms, often enduring after the neglect has been relieved: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Developmental_impact_of_child_neglect_in_early_childhood

If that is coupled with notion of early life neglect leading to anxiety and anger, and all of this considered along a developmental trajectory, there may be a global link between these factors: https://www.amazon.com/Separation-Anxiety-Anger-Classics-Attachment/dp/0465097162

Probably not the best for clearing stumpy land, but I wonder if a re-purposed beet defoliator would work as a flail brush mower.  The rubber flails (used to protect the tops of the beets while removing the leaves and stems) could be replaced by normal metal flails.  Can't believe someone hasn't tried!.....

Dillon Nichols wrote:......
As with most things in life, having attractive members of your preferred gender observe you maneuvering an unfamiliar trailer and vehicle in close quarters is a surefire way to make things end well.

That's what this guy was missing (old humorous trailer video):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U91Zp9wWS30

Oddo Da wrote:....Yes, this can open you to the risk of being the sucker who always pays for everything but on the other hand, it also allows you to weed out the people who truly want to be your friends/good neighbors from someone who just wants to part you from your money. Let's be honest: 1) if you are new to a rural area, most locals have been there for generations and they do not really need you and 2) if you are new to the area, there are plenty of locals who can take advantage of your "green" status to part you from your cash.

The barn raising, the community stuff is all great but for the most part it is a thing of the distant past. I am not saying that's a good thing, I am just saying it is the way it is.

In general, I can agree with these statements as long as I'm thinking nationally and not locally.  The person mentioned in my previous post who was now elderly and requesting occasional assistance from local sources was himself raised on a farm and knew well the notion of "overstaying your welcome".  He was judicious about what kind of favors to ask for and did not balk at being told that the requested services would not be available.  I'll just say the in our local area, even though no one wants to be 'fleeced', in general people tend to try to help when they can fit it in.  As it happens, the guy most often to help out was the most immediate farmer.....full time dairy operation with additional crops. I suspect it meant little to this farmer to continue with snow-plowing that he was already doing anyway to drive up the driveway of the one in need and blow his out as well.  It's not always just about being friendly, although that certainly is a part of the social capital of the region.  It's also about *knowing*, to the extent possible, your neighbors.  The more interactive you can be with helping out in small ways like this, the more you get to know who's living next to you.

I recall surprise when we first moved here and my wife jackknifed a trailer that was transporting her repaired tractor....the incident force her car into the ditch but fortunately doing no damage to person or equipment.  A guy driving behind her saw the incident, had a pick-up with a ball hitch (who doesn't around here!?...), and nicely offered (and delivered!) on re-hitching the trailer to his pick-up and bringing it to our home. (The assumption of having a cell phone on hand is now changing this type of behavior and most will leave you by the side of the road, thinking you've already called for help....)  My wife is from the east coast and pretty savvy and wary of such offers, but it's not unusual for people around here to do this.  Additional types of assistance of this nature in the 30 years of being here has generally supported this observation.  I'm not saying it's entirely altruistic....and is probably somewhat based on the idea that we all may find ourselves in dire need at some point.  Requesting and receiving help from the neighbors becomes somewhat commonplace after a while, but again possibly on a regional basis.