Ambergris

NELL GREENFIELDBOYCE, BYLINE: The last time a deadly new bird flu showed up here - seven years ago - it really hit poultry farms. BRYAN RICHARDS: In 2014, 2015, we saw, I think, somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 million domestic poultry affected. GREENFIELDBOYCE: Bryan Richards says that virus didn't infect many wild birds. This time, it's different. RICHARDS: We've got wild bird detections in 32 states. GREENFIELDBOYCE: Richards is the emerging disease coordinator at the U.S. Geological Survey's National Wildlife Health Center. He says this virus came across the Atlantic a few months ago, probably carried by migratory birds. RICHARDS: It can kill some waterfowl, but I think there's pretty clear evidence that some waterfowl likely are not affected by it. And therefore, they're perfect transport mechanisms for taking it very long distances. GREENFIELDBOYCE: Since this virus arrived, it's killed birds that belong to more than 40 species - mostly ducks and geese, but also scavengers like black vultures and bald eagles that presumably eat the carcasses of birds killed by the virus. David Stallknecht is a bird flu researcher with the University of Georgia. He says there have been large die-offs of ducks in Florida and snow geese in the Midwest. DAVID STALLKNECHT: This outbreak in the wild bird population is a lot more extensive than we saw in 2014, 2015 - just a lot more birds appear to be affected. GREENFIELDBOYCE: So far, he hasn't seen indications that any species will lose so many birds that it will become threatened. But the spread of this virus in wild birds suggests that this outbreak may not burn itself out like the last one did. Ron Fouchier is a flu expert at Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands. RON FOUCHIER: There's a chance that the virus will stick around, and this will become a long-term problem. GREENFIELDBOYCE: He says that's what this virus has done in Europe, where it arrived a few years ago and never left. It's been causing massive die-offs in wild birds and continues to strike poultry flocks, resulting in the deaths of more than 17 million poultry birds since December. Fouchier says there's only been one known human infection - a farmer in the United Kingdom who lived in close quarters with ducks that got this flu. That person tested positive but didn't have any symptoms. FOUCHIER: We haven't seen any other farmers or veterinarians or other people being infected. GREENFIELDBOYCE: Still, since this bird flu arrived in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been keeping a close watch. Todd Davis works on animal-to-human diseases at the agency. He says bird flu viruses related to this one have sickened and even killed people during past outbreaks in other countries. That's why public health officials here have been monitoring the health of more than 500 people in 25 states who have had contact with sick or dead birds. C TODD DAVIS: Because humans have no prior immunity to these viruses typically, if they were to be infected and spread the virus to other humans, then we could have another pandemic virus on our hands. And so that's our primary concern. GREENFIELDBOYCE: Besides testing any people who show flu-like symptoms, they're also closely tracking genetic changes in the virus, looking for anything that would suggest it might become more of a threat to people. Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR News.

Apr. 21—WILLMAR — The daily update on the status of avian flu in Minnesota now shows 50 sites of infection and nearly 2.3 million birds impacted. According to the state Board of Animal Health web page, H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza was confirmed Wednesday, April 20, at two commercial meat turkey sites in Todd County — the first confirmed sites in that county, each holding 30,000 birds. A third new site listed Thursday was in Stearns County, a flock of 63,746 commercial meat turkeys, bringing that county to six total sites. Based on West Central Tribune archives, the fourth new flock listed Thursday appears to be the seventh site identified in Kandiyohi County, a commercial meat turkey flock of more than 38,000. The eighth site had been listed one day earlier on the web page devoted to avian flu response in the state at bah.state.mn.us/hpai. Michael Crusan, communications director for the Minnesota Board of Animal Health, did not have information immediately available to confirm that, but told the West Central Tribune that the board is receiving updated information many times a day, while the web page is updated just once a day.

backyard chicken flock (non-poultry My guess is there's a zoning or other code category for "backyard chicken flock" that can be of ducks, and that they don't have a similar category for "backyard duck flock." Or Guinea hen?

WASHINGTON, March 30, 2022 – The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a non-commercial, mixed-species backyard flock (non-poultry) in Berkshire County, Massachusetts; a non-commercial, mixed-species backyard flock (non-poultry) in Johnson County, Wyoming; a commercial poultry flock in Johnston County, North Carolina; a non-commercial, backyard chicken flock (non-poultry) in Franklin County, Ohio; and a non-commercial, backyard chicken flock (poultry) in Kidder County, North Dakota. Feb 16, 2022 State Department of Agriculture asks growers to take safety precautions An outbreak of bird flu could disrupt the supply of fresh poultry if it spreads through Georgia. A deadly strain of Avian Influenza has been found on a commercial turkey farm in Indiana, a chicken operation in Kentucky and in a backyard flock in Virginia. Georgia boasts a $4 billion industry and is the nation’s top producer of broiler chickens. The Georgia Department of Agriculture says there are reports of infected wild birds in Hart County, Georgia, but not in its chicken flocks. The department on Wednesday suspended the sale of live chickens at trades shows, flea markets and other outlets. It called on growers to implement biosecurity practices to protect their flocks, such as keeping birds inside, limiting their exposure to outdoor water sources and maintaining sanitation. This strain of the bird flu is highly contagious and deadly to poultry, which is Georgia’s most lucrative farming sector. No human cases of the virus have been found in the U.S., the USDA said. State officials are quarantining the infected operations in Kentucky and Indiana and killing and disposing of the birds to prevent spread of the disease. Agriculture officials said the flu does not present a food safety risk if chickens or eggs are handled and cooked properly. Any cases of bird flu should be reported to the Georgia Avian Influenza hotline at (770) 766-6850.

April 21: For the first time, a highly contagious strain of bird flu has been detected in three dead bald eagles in Georgia, the state Department of Natural Resources announced Thursday. Testing at a federal lab in Iowa confirmed that the virus was responsible for the deaths, according to Bob Sargent, a program manager with DNR’s wildlife resources division. The strain of avian flu is also believed to be the culprit behind disruptions in breeding by bald eagles along the Georgia coast. There were roughly 30% more failed nests that did not fledge young eaglets along the coast so far this year, the state said. In other parts of the state, eaglets appear to be fledging at normal rates, Sargent said, though results of a statewide survey won’t be ready until later this spring. “We’re concerned, but I would not say that we’re alarmed by this,” Sargent said. “Birds in the interior of the state are exhibiting normal nesting success.” The strain of bird flu detected in the three dead bald eagles is known as highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI. It is found worldwide, is untreatable and often lethal to birds that contract it. No cases of the virus have ever been detected in humans in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Human infections have occurred in other countries, most often after long periods of unprotected contact with infected birds, the CDC says. One infected bird each was found in Chatham, Glynn and Liberty counties along the Georgia coast, but DNR said additional eagle carcasses are being tested. A total of 11 other birds, including multiple species of ducks, have also tested positive for bird flu this year in Georgia, DNR said. Several eagles have tested positive in surrounding states, including the Carolinas and Florida. Wild birds in 30 states have been found infected so far this year, including birds in some commercial and backyard poultry and pheasant flocks, mostly in northern states, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Georgia’s poultry industry has not reported any cases as a result of this outbreak. The last cases to affect Georgia’s chicken industry were in 2015, according to state Department of Agriculture spokesperson Bo Warren. Still, the stakes are high for Georgia’s chicken producers. Georgia is the top U.S. producer of broiler chickens, a $4 billion industry. In a statement, Warren said the bird flu cases show that “it’s imperative that we remain vigilant in protecting our domestic bird populations from the virus and follow all biosecurity protocols.” Symptoms of HPAI in birds include lethargy, tremors and seizures. DNR says the public should report sick or dead birds to the agency, but such birds should not be handled.

Most of my clothes are bought used, or bought to coordinate with every other item I own. I own three pairs of shoes: Light, dark, moccasin/slippers. There's a pair of rubber boots and a pair of yard sandals I share with whoever goes in and out. We coordinate trips to town. If something didn't get picked up or dropped off, it has to wait until the next planned trip. (This business of having to go in to the office several times a week is cutting way into the savings, though.)

Twenty-five pounds of finely ground corn meal completely fills a 3.5 gallon bucket plus a ten-cup container, and leaves five cups for the kitchen. Two one pound, twelve-ounce packages of slow grits will fill a ten-cup container with a little airspace. Two 2-lb bags of quick grits will fill a half-gallon jar with roughly a cup, eyeball-measured in the bag, left over for the kitchen. Four pounds of small red beans will fill a half-gallon jar to the lid with a slightly heaping cup left over. My guess is that settling would make these containers hold more after a little jostling, but topping them off might not be worth buying more.

Doesn't everyone have a packet drawer these days?

When we go through any drive through, we ask for extra napkins. People we know ask for us, as kind of "she's funny that way." Dishes are first cleaned with a good wipe of a paper napkin, or a few of them. This goes very far in reducing the effort of washing dishes, whether they go in the sink or the dishwasher. Paper towels work, but they cost money.

I'm glad your grandson is coming to help you.

The citrus did well. The other fruit trees are too young to do anything.

This is a no-mulberry year. "Big" tree (about two inches thick in the trunk) died from grape-vine strangling and something else unidentified. Baby trees just...did nothing. I'm hoping it's just one of those years and nex year we get a bucketful.

I couldn't handle neurontin/gabapentin. It made me a zombie. But I know people who do fine with it. You should try to have people around you the first few days you are on it, if at all possible.

Fingers crossed!

In the US, food is still very cheap as a total percentage of the average household expenditures. You can bet this won't last. Remember: a day's pay for a measure of wheat (a loaf of bread) or three measures of barley.

Pain and MIL stress might be affecting his BP too.

You've hit a major one: I water down shampoo/conditioner. (I buy them combined because I can't read in the shower). I also water down dish soap before I set it out. I also keep a shower chair in the bathtub. I bought it the day it took me twenty-some minutes to climb out of the bathtub, and I have been very happy to have it ever since. (After going through a couple of models.) I have a subscription to scouring pads that come in a sixpack with a stick. The stick snaps onto a disposable pad, which is supposed to be whipped around the toilet once and tossed. (The next pad is for the next cleaning.) Well, I use the pad for cleaning corners, especially behind the toilet, all around the bathroom. It works up a huge lather, and the stick is delicate enough to remind me not to put in so much effort that I will cause myself a problem. Just wiping up the lather removes the gunk, but wiping up all the lather can be a pain. So I go knock on the door of someone who would never in years (trust me on this--not in YEARS) see gunk behind a toilet or in corners and say, "Hey, do me a favor and go clean up all that blue lather in the big bathroom before it dries. My back is killing me." My bathrooms haven't stayed this clean in years. The cat door in the window saves me from getting up and getting down dozens of times a day. It opens onto the screen porch. There's a cat door on the screen porch too, but the cats prefer to open the screen door. The burglar bar jammed into the frame above the cat door to keep the window from opening any wider makes me feel a tad more secure about this gap. The cat door cuts down on the kitty litter bill, although they prefer to race inside to poop. Buying frozen vegetables to dehydrate is something a lot of us do, I guess. They're already washed, blanched, and cut to uniform sizes/shapes, and they are often cheaper than fresh. The air fryer, the Instant Pot, and in summer the toaster oven/in winter the slow cooker stay out on the counter next to the mixer and the coffee pot. Under grease/dust covers behind them are the blender, the mixer, and less-often used appliances. I can't be digging through cabinets and hauling out gadgets any more. The creme brulee torch, the electric frying pan, and all those things are on a shelf in another room, and will be given away as soon as anyone mentions a desire for them. We got rid of the carpets long ago. Cats and carpets can be a nasty combination. Small rugs are so much easier to clean, and so much cheaper to replace. We have to hire out the mowing, so only a little bit of the yard gets mowed. In a crisis, the yard guy would lose a job. The rest of the ground is rewilding or is planted in ground cover. The yard guy doesn't know the ground cover is edible.

The garage won't get nearly as hot if you put a radiant barrier in the roof or build a plywood attic to catch the radiant heat. Picture a tent. Sunlight striking one level of barrier, like a tent wall, changes into a different wavelength that heats up the next thing it hits, whether that is the person inside the tent or the lining wall for your tent, which is why 19th century teepees had lining walls and why people camping in the US today get uncomfortably hot in a tent on a mildly warm sunny day. A radiant barrier or an attic floor up below the roof of the garage is the next thing those waves hit. The radiant barrier reflects the waves back up/out, while the attic absorbs them and dully radiates less of the heat on around. Either way, the garage below stays cooler on sunny days.

Red Star still sells cakes of yeast. The two-ounce cakes are equivalent to six tablespoons, and the new cubes of yeast are equivalent to an envelope apiece. The brown jar and a measuring spoon works better for me.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob causes slow degeneration of the brain. Mad cow disease in humans is probably a new variant of that disease. Approximately 270 people per year die in the US from classic Creutzfeldt-Jakob.

Please keep us updated.

(I know I sure use a lot more than half a gallon of vinegar in a year. I use a gallon just for cleaning my kitchen. That doesn't count the cooking vinegar or the bathroom-cleaning vinegar. And do these people not think any pickling will be going on???? And my gallon jug of molasses weighs about twelve pounds. A pound of molasses is about a cup and a half. How is that supposed to last a year? But meanwhile you're expected to go through SIX POUNDS of KOOL AID powder???)

I tried to do these two lists as columns, but couldn't get the format to work. Copy them and past them on your own page next to each other to see the comparison. These are both from websites that only go by the year. You can tell that either one is copying off the other or they are taking information from the same source. Otherwise, where would some of these oddball measurements come from? Wheat 200 lbs Flour 50 lbs Corn Meal 25 lbs Oats 25 lbs Rice 50 lbs Pasta 25 lbs Total Grains 375 lbs Shortening 4 lbs Vegetable Oil 2 gal Mayonnaise 2 qts Salad Dressing 1 qts Peanut Butter 4 lbs Total Fats 13 lbs Beans, dry 30 lbs Lima Beans 10 lbs Soy Beans 10 lbs Split Peas 5 lbs Lentils 10 lbs Dry Soup Mix 10 lbs Total Legumes 75 lbs Vegetables 45 lbs Honey 5 lbs Sugar 40 lbs Brown Sugar 3 lbs Molasses 1 lbs Corn Syrup 3 lbs Jams 5 lbs Fruit drink powder 6 lbs Flavored Gelatin 2 lbs Total Sugars 65 lbs Dry Milk 60 lbs Evaporated Milk 12 can Other 13 lbs Total Dairy 75 lbs Baking Powder 1 lbs Baking Soda 1 lbs Yeast 0.5 lbs Salt 5 lbs Vinegar 0.5 gal Bleach 1 gal Water 365 gal Wheat 150 lbs Flour 25 lbs Corn Meal 25 lbs Oats 25 lbs Rice 50 lbs Pasta 25 lbs Grain total 300 lbs Fats 4 lbs Oils 2 gal Mayonnaise 2 qts Salad Dressing 1 qts Peanut Butter 4 lbs Beans, dry 30 lbs Lima Beans 5 lbs Soy Beans 10 lbs Split Peas 5 lbs Lentils 5 lbs Dry Soup Mix 5 lbs Total Legumes 60 lbs Honey 3 lbs Sugar 40 lbs Brown Sugar 3 lbs Molasses 1 lbs Corn Syrup 3 lbs Jams 3 lbs Fruit Drink, powdered 6 lbs Flavored Gelatin 1 lbs Total Sugars 60 lbs Powd Milk 60 lbs Evap Milk 12 cans Other 13 lbs Total Dairy 75 lbs Baking Powder 1 lbs Baking Soda 1 lbs Yeast 0.5 lbs Salt 5 lbs Vinegar 0.5 gal Bleach 1 gal *Water 182.5 gal

Food Storage EZ Prepper Food Per Person Per Month Provident Living Food Per Person Per Month (4.3 weeks) Grains (Wheat, Rice, Flour, etc.) 32.5 lbs 33 lbs Canned or Dried Meats (Freeze Dried, Beef, Jerky, Spam, fish, chicken, etc.) 1.6 lbs Fats and Oils (Vegetable Oil, Peanut Butter, Shortening, etc.) 2 lbs 2 lbs Beans (Dried Beans, Soy Beans, Split Peas, Dry Soup Mix, etc.) 5.8 lbs 5 lbs Milk and Dairy (Powdered Milk, extra dairy) add about 2 cans of Evaporated Milk per month to the est. lbs 7.25 lbs 2 lbs Sugars (Sugar, Brown Sugar, Honey, Powdered Drink Mixes, etc.) 5 lbs 5 lbs Cooking Essentials (Salt, Baking Powder, Yeast, Vinegar, Jams, etc.) .7 lbs 2 lbs Fruits & Vegetables (Dried) 8 lbs Fruits & Vegetables (Canned) 27 qts Water Storage (Drinking Water Only) 16 Gallons 28 Gallons

I spend a lot of money on BOGO sales. My last grocery trip was just over $300 spent and savings of $135, because only half the items I got were on sale. If I have charted the trip carefully, with coupons in hand and sales in mind, I have sometimes brought home a receipt that said something like $100 spent, $135 saved. Or better. Back when there were three grocery chains in town that took each other's store coupons and honored each other's advertised sale prices if you brought in the flyer, I routinely brought home receipts with 40% to 70% savings marked, but those days are long gone. We buy Pantene not just because it does a decent job at an only mildly eye-crossing price, but because (at CVS) it very frequently puts out good-sized paper coupons and electronic coupons AND often goes on buy two get one sales AND often goes on the kinds of sales where if you buy three, you get a cash coupon to use on anything in the store, AND if you spend X number of dollars on this set of goods you get another cash coupon to use on anything in the store AND ... So sure, we'll use Pantene and we'll buy it at CVS. Planned right, buying the three bottles of it can hand me $15 in cash more than the shampoo costs. If the shampoo section of the pantry shelf clogs up, I can find a good home for it with a clear conscience because (unless I was particularly lazy the day I bought that bottle) it was better than free. DS1 cannot stop drinking his name-brand sodas, but the flavor he gets is the flavor that's on sale. Some kind always is. Similarly, our favorite pasta sauce normally just happens to be whatever is on half price this week. There is pretty much always something on sale. One kind we are particularly fond of, but at $5.50 a jar, we can't justify getting it without a coupon or a sale--preferably both. Sometimes what's on sale is a kind that makes me sick, so those weeks we eat what's on the shelf at home. If there's a BOGO, or B2G1, you have to know (look up or ask) if there's a limit, and not be shy about getting the limit if you can use it. Sometimes it's one pair/trio, sometimes it's six. I normally stop with six pair or four trios, because I don't want to get famous, unless it's a staggeringly good price that only an idiot wouldn't buy the maximum of. (The store is full of idiots.) Sometimes you bring in a coupon for a dollar off a three-dollar item and they apply it to both the one you pay for and the one you get free, meaning you've paid one dollar for two items. This happens to me a lot more often when I bring in a paper coupon than when I use an electronic coupon. Sometimes they apply it to only the one I pay for. That's still not a bad deal. Watch for coupons that say if you buy this milk (or any milk) you get a dollar off bread (usually any bread), or if you buy any cheese you get a dollar off any meat. It's worth buying a little package of meat or bread even if you hadn't planned to, if the dollar off makes it a good deal and you will eat it (or can donate it in a good place). The two stores I shop at most often send me electronic coupons every week. I have to click on the ones I want. I clock on every one I have the most remote interest in. It's marketing information for them, and potentially a dollar (or fifteen dollars) for me. If I want to get things I don't want registered, or if I want to buy an amount I think would be memorable in an unwelcome way, I go back (or go to another location) and buy more with cash without registering the purchase under my phone number or other ID number.