Lorinne Anderson

I have to share "my new favorite thing" that just proved it's worth in the recent windstorms.  They are under counter or closet lights that are rechargeable.  The original goal was to provide soft light in the kitchen, in the evening, when you just want to grab something quick, and don't need the overhead lights; but during the recent windstorms they were absolutely lovely, lasted well past the six hours the power was out, easily portable, and a happy addition to our battery light setup (along with motion activated hallway 'nightlights' that double as flashlights, and others that double as power banks).

I must have spent six hours wading through all the lights on Amazon (I know, ugh, but sometimes this is the only place to source oddball stuff like this) until I found several that suited, ordered them all, and then tested them.  The Moston performed the best overall, based on (my criteria) length of time between recharges, color of light (warm, daylight, bright), effectiveness of motion sensor and dimmer features, strength of light (at both dimmest and brightest).  

***edited: yes, there are lots of other lights, this one, based on my research was the best for battery life and size, choice of color (warm, daylight, white) and motion sensor.  Another we got to trial (Ez Valo) with great reviews, noted as "the best" on and off amazon had a nasty habit of pausing at least 30 seconds before relighting if movement was insufficient to keep it lit, the Moston simply relights, immediately; I found this most annoying when it went out mid drink pouring! The Ez Valo also had a detachable power source, this misleads one to think there are lights the full length, but the detachable portion has no lights and is 4 inches long. Lastly, I fear the tiny pins and the connection is designed to fail; it was also $10 bucks more!  In Canada, the Moston are $32 bucks.

MOSTON Dimmable 60LED Motion Sensor Night Light Rechargeable 2500mAh Battery-Operated for Kitchen Under Cabinet Counter Pantry  
***edited the link:  https://www.amazon.ca/MOSTON-Rechargeable-Battery-Operated-Wardrobe-Cupboard/dp/B089WB263K/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?keywords=moston+closet+light&qid=1668214966&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIxLjgyIiwicXNhIjoiMS44MiIsInFzcCI6IjEuNTUifQ%3D%3D&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1

To me, the biggest key is the initial cleaning of the wound.  

Dettol, Alcohol, and Hydrogen Peroxide used to be the "go to" for wound cleansing; but now we know the truth.  Although they do a great job disinfecting wounds by removing bacteria, dirt, debris or foreign bodies, these products damage the healthy tissue in the process.  This delays healing creating a higher risk of infection down the road and other complications due to the slower recovery.

Instead, I highly suggest that using sterile saline is a simpler and healthier option.  I adore the line of pressurized sterile saline offered by hydraSense.

After a thorough cleaning, yes, keeping the flies off is critical, and bringing them into an indoor bathtub or shower stall is ideal; often has a separate thermostat allowing for simple temperature adjustments, easy to clean, disinfect, and safely contain most critters.  Keep in mind, the floors, tubs and shower stalls tend to be chilly, you may need to add quilts both for footing and for warmth.

Ongoing wound care: this needs to heal from the inside out; keeping the surface moist, is key.  This can be done with a sterile Manuka honey dressing, ointment, or other sterile wound care product, topped with either a clear dressing or the standard Telfa (non stick/non adherent) pad and either a "stocking" or use vet wrap to gently wrap the torso (I believe that is where the wound is).  Dressing must be replaced daily so wound can be inspected and flushed if necessary.

Lastly, birds do not make pus like us, it is solid, rubbery, and literally needs to be carved out.  Do not mistake this substance for skin healing.

HydraSense: As much as I hate plastic, and this stuff is sort of pricey, it is super simple, and incredibly effective for wound flushing, eye flushing, and of course its actual purpose, nasal flushing.  This is their "gentlest" version, there is an adult version with a slightly higher pressure.

What is nicest about this specific product is the unique pressurization that propels the saline, there are no 'accelerates' etc., plus, it does not suck in air like most squeeze bottles of saline, potentially contaminating the interior of the bottle.

If I understand correctly, this is not just grocery store/food, you intend to not shop period for anything off at all, and to be self sustaining, 100%; including no internet shopping.  Below is what might cause a challenge, in my opinion.

Supplies for repairs to: fabric, roofing, plumbing, machinery, appliances, tools etc. as most of this is cheaper to do yourself, stocking up here might be critical.  

Always think about the critical infrastructure: well, power, heat/cooling, plumbing and everything you need to sustain or repair these systems.  

Have a well thought out disaster plan (fire, flood...how will you evacuate, get the animals to safety, and safeguard your home, farm and investments).

Health Items: thermometer, first aid (bandaging, splints, crutches, air cast...in case someone gets injured.

Food: all that stuff that expires and becomes useless; you mentioned baking soda, but lots more stuff has a very limited shelf life.  Supplies to store and preserve food (sugar, salt, vinegar, dehydrator, mason jars...).

Treats: all that once in a while stuff like ice cream, candy, special bakery items.

Animals: from baby bottles/formula to daily grains/hay to parasite/infection/disease control.

Think about what your backups will be if one of you gets injured or becomes ill...this is where everything can go sideways when you only plan for best case scenario; always plan for worst case, cover your butt.

I do not in any way intend for my comment to be discouraging, I just love playing devils advocate!  

I am excited for the challenge you are about to embark on, and jealous of your abilities and plans; I certainly would cave within a few months!  

Good luck on this adventure, please share where you had your triumphs and difficulties so others can more easily follow in your footsteps.

Full disclosure, I am NOT a fan of roaming cats, they have no discretion when it comes to killing, tend to reproduce at a phenomenal rate, attract fleas, ticks and other parasites to your property, and are prone to fighting, leading to pricey vet bills.  Plus, with your allergies, a cat seems to be incompatible.

I would hit up the local raptor (bird of prey) rehabilitators and see if they have any owls or hawks needing a release site. Of course, this would mean netting the top of any form outdoor chicken run.

Perhaps consider a dog that is a ratter; most terriers were originally bred to deal with unwanted rodents of all sorts, but still would require annual vetting for check ups, vaccines etc.

Build a barrier.  This is not the easiest solution, but it is the most effective, especially long term.  I use metal roofing buried two feet down, and at least 4 feet high so that these guys cannot dig under or climb over and access the critical areas; just make sure there are no over hanging trees, etc. that could provide a bridge.  

Often when folks are taking down a barn or metal roof this can be had for free as it cannot be reused for building due to the fastener holes, which obviously doesn't matter when building a fence.

As Jay Angler wrote: "...teachers teach stuff with no relation to the real world."

This was my biggest complaint, and why I was a pain in the butt.  I would always ask for context (ESPECIALLY WITH ALGEBRA); where, how will I use this in the real world?

I was fortunate, and am truly indebted to many of my teachers. Especially that I was taught to read with PHONICS and learned how to break down a word into its components, so that even a word I had never seen before could be broken down, its root word(s) located, so that it could be pronounced, spelled and comprehended.

Miss Astel who didn't actually kill me for being so difficult (I was the only one in the class who knew how to read), and taught me that it is not just ME that matters.

Miss Woodward, my second grade teacher who turned our classroom into a learning lab with duck and chicken eggs we hatched and raised, along with the guinea pig (who also had babies) and salmon eggs we raised and released.  Our desks were around the perimeter, the center was the "zoo".  From these animals we learned everything: reading, writing, observation, projection, planning, logging, tracking, math, multiple sciences (ecology, biology etc.), compassion...Never have I been so engaged in learning as I was in this room.

Mrs. Gibson my third grade teacher who realized that most of the "troublesome" kids were actually bored and started a special program that removed us from class for an hour a day and put our unchallenged minds to work on critical thinking, planning, decoding, problem solving, riddle solving, how to look beyond the obvious.  We then had to make up what we had missed, keeping us from irritating the teacher and being "disruptive" in class.

I am still angry that I was denied access to the "intermediate" section of the library for years, as access was based on age, not ability.  I remember vividly the day in second grade I challenged the librarian to pick any book from the age appropriate "primary" section, so that I could prove I HAD read them all...30 books later, I got special permission to borrow from the intermediate section.  I will never understand why they would restrict access to books, knowledge or thwart a child that WANTS to read.

I pity the teachers in high school who could not explain the REASON we were learning stuff.  Especially Mrs. Smedley, my poor 8th, 9th and 11th grade algebra teacher (the only subject I every actually failed, and did so multiple times).  I simply could not, and still cannot grasp why there are LETTERS in a math problem???  Yet, in 10th grade, I had a different teacher, and got B's...

Please teach reading with phonics.  
Please teach math in a manner that makes sense in the real world.  
Please teach science in a manner that is relatable and has real world applications.  
Please teach geography and history together, as they are so inextricably linked.  
Please teach about other nations, cultures, languages and include this in history/geography so there is context.  
Please teach that everyone is different; that differences should be celebrated and admired, not challenged to conform.  
Please teach that EVERYONE is valued, regardless of religion, race, economic status, clothing taste, hair color, gender, gender identification, who their parents are or who they choose to share their life with.
Please teach pride in a job well done.
Please teach that the journey that is as valuable, if not more so, than the destination.
Please teach that it is okay to say no when one is uncomfortable or overwhelmed.
Please teach compassion, not pity; strength, not bullying; love, not hate.
Please teach that uniqueness is to be cherished, and celebrated not squashed into a "box" and forced to "conform".

Every child should learn to swim.  Life skill or Life saving skills should be mandatory.

I would also like to see mandatory drivers Ed so that everyone was taught to a standard level.

I will always be grateful that all 8th grade students were required to take a modified program that included cooking, sewing, metal work, wood work and industrial art (silk screening). This "forced exposure" made a real difference in gender mixing in these previously, primarily, single gender classes.  Cooking continued to be very popular with the guys; with at least 50% continued participation.  Female participation continued to be 25+% of the traditionally male classes.

Lest

C. Letellier your post of the solar ice maker shows a genius idea (albeit one that requires ammonia), one I am afraid most folks did not "click on" to see the possibilities this offers.  So I am going to play a little cut and paste with YOUR link so that everyone see's what it is all about.  

Perhaps one of the clever minds here can come up with a smaller version for use on off grid homesteads??? No need to cut and store river/lake ice for summer cooling, just "grow your own ice" and use an old fashioned ice box or to chill a summer root cellar to a cool enough temperature.  If this unit costs $7,000 US to build, a unit 1/10th the size should be 1/10th the cost...or $700 - pricey, but a one off cost for continuous, maintenance free, labor free ice production as long as the sun shines!

"An ISAAC produces six blocks of ice each day, weighing ten kilograms each. If an icebox requires five kilograms of ice per day to stay cool, then one ISAAC will be able to supply domestic refrigeration to twelve households. The cost of a standard electric refrigerator, plus the constant requirement of expensive electricity, would be much higher.

The ISAAC Solar Icemaker operates in two modes. During the day, solar energy is used to generate liquid ammonia refrigerant. During the night, the generator is cooled by a thermosyphon and ice is formed in the evaporator compartment as ammonia is reabsorbed to the generator.

The ISAAC Solar Icemaker is an Intermittent Solar Ammonia-water Absorption Cycle. The ISAAC uses a parabolic trough solar collector and a compact and efficient design to produce ice with no fuel or electric input, and with no moving parts.

The daily ice production of the ISAAC is about 5 kg per square meter of collector, per sunny day. The construction of the ISAAC Solar Icemaker involves only welding, piping and sheet metal work, and there are no expensive materials. It is estimated that, when produced in-country where wages are low and transportation costs can be minimized, the 11 square meter ISAAC can be produced for less than $7,000. When produced in-country, the creation of urban employment is an additional advantage of ISAAC technology.    

The ISAAC design was developed by Energy Concepts Company. Over forty systems have been built and twenty installed in seven countries. The ISAAC is on display in Annapolis, Maryland and at Sandia National Lab, Albuquerque, New Mexico. ISAAC is now being distributed and commercialized by Solar Ice Co. "
https://www.energy-concepts.com/_pages/app_isaac_solar_ice_maker.htm

Prescribed burns are a damned if you do and damned if you don't question many times.

IF we had not interfered with Mama Nature for decades if not centuries, natural burns would have continued, and handled things.  BUT, us humans decided we did not want natural burns (generally based on forestry/money/logging) and put a stop to natural fires because the were destroying "valuable" trees, or other items of value to humans.  So for the past century, at least in North America, we have been of the mentality and the government has essentially mandated us to FIGHT forest fires. Sadly, now this means massive, weather altering, life destroying fires of mammoth size now occur, putting not just valuable items at risk, but entire towns, and cities are being decimated, and lives of humans, livestock and wildlife are being lost, or irrevocably damaged and destroyed.

Now we are at a place where the ecosystem is so disturbed, natural burns have been denied, so now we kinda, sorta have to engage in prescribed burning to deal with all the under-story buildup that OOOPS just so happens is now RIGHT BESIDE residential developments or putting harvest-able logs at risk.

I may be simplifying this significantly; but the moral remains the same.  If we had just let Mama Nature do her thing, the question of prescribed burns would be moot.  Now it may be the only way to correct our mess is to engage in prescribed burns...

Coffee grounds and used tea bags are still very high in caffeine which is toxic to dogs (don't know about other animals); please use care if putting out and about or in compost if you have dogs - ingestion of sufficient quantities (depends on size of dog) can be fatal.  Below is from the pet poison hotline:

"Caffeine is most commonly found in coffee, coffee grounds, tea, used tea bags

Threat to pets:  Pets are more sensitive to the effects of caffeine than people are. While 1-2 laps of coffee, tea or soda will not contain enough caffeine to cause poisoning in most pets, the ingestion of moderate amounts of coffee grounds, tea bags can easily cause death in small dogs or cats.

Signs of caffeine poisoning: Within 1-2 hours of exposure: mild to severe hyperactivity, restlessness, vomiting, tachycardia (elevated heart rate), hypertension (elevated blood pressure), abnormal heart rhythms, tremors, hyperthermia (elevated body temperature) seizures, and collapse.

Treatment: Induce vomiting and give multiple doses activated charcoal to decontaminate. Aggressive IV fluids to help with excretion, sedatives to calm the pet, specific heart medications to reduce the heart rate and blood pressure, anti-convulsants for seizures, antacids (such as Pepcid) for stomach discomfort and diarrhea. Caffeine may be reabsorbed across the bladder wall so a urinary catheter or frequent walks are needed to keep the bladder empty.

Prognosis: Excellent in pets with mild signs of poisoning (such as slight restlessness or a minimally elevated heart rate). Poor in those with severe signs of poisoning such as collapse and seizures."    

https://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/pet-safety-tips/is-caffeine-poisonous-to-dogs/