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Okay, perhaps we all noted I have some water issues bordering on...a syndrome. I've been through 3 boil water situations (weird to learn that's NOT common in the rest of the world).Plus our hurricanes, etc. From high tech filtration systems to low tech charcoal and gravel boxes...it doesn't hurt to know how to treat water for safety. Ensuring a healthy water supply Store at least a two-week supply of water for each member of your family. Store at least 1 gallon of water per person per day. A normally active person needs to drink at least 2 quarts of water each day. Heat can double that amount. Children, nursing mothers and ill people will need more. You will need additional water for food and hygiene. Never ration water. Drink the amount you need today, and try to find more for tomorrow. You can minimize the amount of water your body needs by reducing activity and staying cool. Store water in thoroughly washed plastic, glass, fiberglass or enamel-lined metal containers. Plastic containers such as soft drink bottles are best. Before storing your water, treat it with a disinfectant, such as chlorine bleach, to prevent the growth of microorganisms. Use liquid bleach that contains 5.25 percent sodium hypochlorite and no soap. Some containers warn, "Not For Personal Use." You can disregard these warnings if the label states sodium hypochlorite as the only active ingredient and if you use only the small quantities in these instructions. Add 4 drops of bleach per quart of water (or 2 scant teaspoons per 10 gallons), and stir. Seal your water containers tightly, label them and store them in a cool, dark place. Purifying your water supply In addition to having a bad odor and taste, contaminated water can contain microorganisms that cause disease such as dysentery, cholera, typhoid and hepatitis. You should purify any water you're uncertain of. There are many ways to purify water, none perfect. Often the best solution is a combination of methods. Before purifying, let any suspended particles settle to the bottom, or strain them through layers of clean cloth. Boiling is the safest method of purifying water. Bring water to a rolling boil for 10 minutes, keeping in mind that some water will evaporate. Let the water cool before drinking. Boiled water will taste better if you put oxygen back into it by pouring it between two containers. This will also improve the taste of stored water. Add a pinch of salt for taste. Chlorination uses liquid chlorine bleach to kill microorganisms. Use liquid bleach that contains 5.25 percent sodium hypochlorite and no soap. Some containers warn "Not For Personal Use." You can disregard these warnings if the label states sodium hypochlorite as the only active ingredient and if you use only the small quantities in these instructions. Add 2 drops of bleach per quart of water (4 drops if the water is cloudy), stir and let stand for 30 minutes. If the water does not taste and smell of chlorine at that point, add another dose and let stand another 15 minutes. If you do not have a dropper, use a spoon and a square-ended strip of paper or thin cloth about 1/4-inch by 2-inches. Put the strip in the spoon with an end hanging down about 1/2 inch below the scoop of the spoon. Place bleach in the spoon and carefully tip it. Drops the size of those from a medicine dropper will drop off the end of the strip. Purification tablets release chlorine or iodine. They are inexpensive and available at most sporting goods stores and some drugstores. Follow the package directions. Usually one tablet is enough for one quart of water. Double the dose for cloudy water. Distillation will remove microbes, heavy metals, salts, most other chemicals. Fill a pot halfway with water, and tie a cup to the handle on the pot's lid so that the cup will hang right-side-up when the lid is upside-down. Put the lid on the pot upside down, making sure the cup is not dangling into the water, and boil the water for 20 minutes. The water that drips from the lid into the cup is distilled.

Okay, I need an excuse as to WHY I have bags in my trees! LOL This is not my tree, but we have association yard folk...what is my excuse? I've got the camera and NON-rain!!!!

Actually, Oleta State Park has openned back up after repairs. I think I'll gather up some buddies and do a picnic to find out what's going on. This is the link to the marina/eco tours...turn your sound! And yes, the food is fabulous at the restaurant. I can't find tours that aren't like: See the butterflies! OooOoooh look dolphins! We're kinda touristy oriented (I know, your all shocked!). http://bluemoonmiami.com/ I think the trick is, get the books, get the the tours, just get going!

http://www.plantatlas.usf.edu/images.asp?plantID=935# Using the guides you've sent I think I found one of my critters! Now is he useful, that will be to find out. a ruler huh? I think I can get away with that or a zippo. The thing is, it is cool that I have so much around me besides the obvious coconuts/mango/orange/avacado/banana trees that I think everyone will be hunting. This is only a handful of the large amount of photos I took. I'll put a few more up...I'm trying to figure out how to get them out here small but still easy to see. I wanted to be pro-active so you'd understand I'm serious about finding alternatives. The sites are really a help. I'm waiting on a friend to give me the name of a book...it's something like "encredible edibles in Florida or some such". As Darlene has said, in another week or two we'll be back in OUR planting/sprouting period. Then we can well imagine the wealth of flowering nibblies I may encounter. "Fred Look! There's some strange woman phtographing the weeds on our lawn!!! Call the association!"

(sigh) and I was all proud of myself for craftily snapping away... Still, the idea is, I found so much, and these are but a handful of images. It gives us urban types something to think about, alternative nibbles.

I see you didn't mention the part about "if only you'd had a quarter next to it for size reference...oops, I forgot to tell you that". Meaning maybe I'd better sneak back on the lot again. Or perhaps nab a few of the critters and do a photo inside, still- hmmmmmmmmmmmmm I can see me, a quarter, a camera and the city's finest having a discussion on the course: "But, honestly officer, I'm researching edible weeds".

Hooorayyyyyy Pogo! Good job! what about the tiny guy next to him? (I thought I'd press my luck here). I thought he had that bane-of-lawns-everywhere-look.

What about me? Any chance I could be gourmet salad fixings? Do I look medicinal? I'm cracking jokes, but I am serious. Right now I'm showing you mystery weeds and I really do want your help identifying.

Am I edible? where are my herb-y folk? We could make this into a game! Identify me!

Here's a sandpit... don't potatoes like sandy areas?

OoooOOOookayyyyyyyy... I went on a little *hike* over to the closed golf course next to a subdivision. It's amazing what you can get away with if you look middle-aged and harmless. It's a chilly day but got beautifully bright! I just ambled onto the grounds and snapped away looking for possible edibles or useful plants. I don't really recognize things but if you see something you know...pipe up! First pic...the obvious seperation from manicured to untamed unruly ex-golf course.

Thanks Lois!! Xerioscaping is very *in* down here. Thanks for the great ideas! University of Miami and the above UF both have some interest programs. I do NOT have a green thumb so I'm trying to look into just what you said...pretty ground cover with uses! that doesn't need as much tending.

I'm going to go with the theory that not every square inch of my suburbs is a toxic wasteland for growing. There is a golf course closed down due to hurricane damage near where I go. I'm thinking of *seeding* it quietly with edibles (herbs? Onions?) maybe not noticible at first by a passerby.Or simply noting what's there (a couple of coconut palms, plenty of the *salad weeds* we mentioned). No, I'll try not to get arrested for tresspassing . Also, an area was partially cleared for subdivisions. Another idea. Theres a huge business corp. park, plus the local city parks. I'm just going to see what's up. I know one sweet friend/neighbor who has a MONDO-huge mango tree, I'm thinking of hinting of an exchange (I already do a pet sit trade with her). I know the status on these places could change at anytime, I'm not talking major $$$ or time invested, more like an experiment-with tasty results? http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/BODY_VH021 What do you think? Tooo crazy?

Well, I looked at cargo net prices and think mosquito/canopy is the way to go. Great for storage on high and in summer to keep skeeters away... http://www.nicamaka.net/

Try not to laugh, but I was looking at the idea of cargo nets too. I saw one strung in a garage with basketballs, sleeping bags, folded up tarps, those vacuum spacesaver bags, and such in it. Up out of the way and ventilated. Have to worry about mildew and bugs down here.

Hey there. Realize this is an older subject but I saw these and thought they were cool, note how the garage door opens under these shelves: http://www.saferacks.com/gallery.php?OVR...;OVMTC=standard

A few more I know http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/f...5315117.html?12 also try it on freecycle.org they have a group in almost every country

Free bucket ideas See below. Ice cream stores. Horse barns. Etc. http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/f...22563306.html?8

I'm bummed

The points are great... I hadn't thought of the major contamination.

Like Darlene has, I'd like to have a backyard full of edible fruit trees and plants. But, I'm thinking of adding greens to my yard not usually recognised as food. Pigweed, Rosehip and cow parsley. Passion flower tea. I know many free greens and such are bitter, but FREE is a good thing. So is edible. Some of it could be *sown* to uncivilized areas or junk yards areas nearby. It's just an idea. what do you think? http://www.foodandwine.net/food/food001.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wild_foods http://hernando.fnpschapters.org/miscellaneous/edibles.htm

That's so amazing that they missed that space. But how cool to find that extra room. I have a rediculously small closet that's being used for linens in a hallway. rediculous as in...it's only 17 inches wide but it's 35 inches deep. I look at it everyday and think...hmmmmmmm. it could be done. Make it look like a niche?

Find your hidden storage space By: JAMES and MORRIS CAREY - For AP Weekly Features Looking for extra places to put things? Your home has all sorts of hidden storage space. Behind your drywall and paneling lie countless hidden spaces nestled between the two-by-four studs. While some are filled with pipes, wiring, and sheet metal duct work, others are wide open and ready to be put to use. The best time to note which are which is when a home or new room is under construction. Take photos or make diagrams of empty spaces that you can open up and later develop into various types of storage. However, this is only for inside walls, as outer walls use this inner space for insulation. If your rooms are already done and the walls are finished, it's still not too late. It just takes a bit more investigation to determine which areas are storage-ready. .

More images and stories on hidden doors/rooms Check out this next to the fireplace one: http://www.shoppingblog.com/cgi-bin/sblog.pl?sblog=1102061 Love the pink accented door! http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/05/garden...;pagewanted=all And a book of how-to: http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Rooms-Compart...a/dp/0967113903 How they did it in WW2: http://people.smu.edu/clclark/thesecretroom.htm Just to give more ideas

Yikes on the morning scurrier!!! Becareful with mothballs, I've know people to have bad reactions to them. BTW! Check out this couple who did not know their 1901 house had a secret room (even has pictures!) http://1901house.blogspot.com/2006/08/secret-room.html