Sarah

Mmmmm, but they're so good. A tad on the sweet side, but yummy! Muscadines, too.

Raspberrys? Blue? Wild straw? Goose? As for muscadines, we do wine with those.

Trouble is, I can't get tposts to pound in. Too many rocks. I've been fastening cattle panels to trees to make my fences, LOL.

Do you have a water hose? A mini water jet drill head, ($30?), hose attached, on shovel T handle. That is how we 'probe' for possible locations.

Common here. They arm twist you, or spouse, etc, into signing a 'I will cover all overages' paper, then go to the moon with padding. One of ours is deathly alergic to a type of insulin. Wife took him to emergency room for DKA. He did not recieve the incorrect insulin, but it showed on billing, after a lot of hassle trying to get a cost breakout. Insurance company gave the breakout to our patient, not the hospital. He blew the whistle. Worse, for every shot, he was charged for a whole vial. Sad thing is that he still has to pay the overage, about $5000, as she signed the paper. Judge was simpathic, but... Signed Contract.

Sarah

Mt Rider,

When it comes to acorns and tannin, which process used depends on the size of the material to be tanned.

For small scale, like rabbit skins, the oil extractor is the way to go. This process also allows one to also salvage the 'log' for consumption. Yes, on 'many waters'. (Scratching my head, I know that you can use an old style coffee perculator to do this, but can not remember where that reference is. There is a recipe for the filter material you put in the grounds hopper.)

For large scale, like full sized cow hides, the process is large container simmering, cooking down the water to 'liquer' which gels when cooked down enough. A 55 drum will produce about three half inch cubes. Two cubes will do a full hide. The problem with this process is that it makes the remaining 'log' more bitter, almost impossible to rid the tannin. In other words, if you want acorn meal, boiling/simmering is not good! But it is a good cottage industry, those cubes sell!

As to having to work to get it, I agree it can be labor intensive. The sieving out the shells is the hard part.

Sarah

Mt Rider, the heating is to increase extraction amount, not to get the machines to work. Not with the ones here, anyway. And you are thinking 'hemp' for the straining... There is another use, often overlooked, acorns. To extract tannin for leather tanning. Then take the 'log' and toss in a cotton sock or equivalent. Throw sock in springhouse, flowing water leeches out the last remaining tannin. Do you like soft granola bars?

Sarah

edited to add: Cotton is used to strain gasoline, and remove much iso alchohol.

ScrubbieLady,

Hmm... I did not realize that the USPS mylars were that expensive. I see your point.

Most of our outbound is paper or disks. So the PMFR is actually cheapest for us, when you add in tracking/insurance/etc.

If I were looking to 'gear up' with standard boxes, such as for your store, I would be looking at ULines multidepth boxes. Uline.com. They used to carry the brown paper, and mylar in rolls and sheets. (It's been a while...)

Have you considered using a/the zip-in-zip-in-zip trick? Folded content in smallest, press out air, put in middle bag, press out air, put in third, press out air. (I have access to a shirt press)(zip/mylar self seals and opagues in it... ) Slap on weight label. You know package size from zip size, look up on chart, and away it goes... (Sad thought, I do not have updated charts. Gotta order some more... )

Sarah

I ship Scrubbies which are lightweight but bulky. Costs me some money because the size of the package and the weight determines the rate you pay at USPS. That is why the website asks what kind of packaging you are using.

 

I can't use flat rate boxes because of the lightweight nature of my product. Now, the friend that ships soaps gets off really well because she can put some heavy stuff in those boxes and the price is the same.

There used to be, probably still is, the 'mylar' pm envelopes. Not the pillow packaging ones. Now there is a first class version. You might want to check that out. We recieved a large lot of alpaca samples, football sized, that way. Less than $3 each.

But you do have UPS and FedEx, so count your blessings. We can't even get the USPS to pickup.

Frankly, my heart goes out to the rural carriers, they are being whipsawed, especially in gifting times.

For us, paper, the only 'safe' way is to Priority Mail, Flat Rate. For disks, ditto. Those the USPS will pick up at our little PMO. But this year, the USPS has a lot of red faces with the number of such going 'awry'. Oh, and in case you missed it, PM used to be guaranteed to make the date. If you did a PM, and it was two day, you could file full value if not delivered on time. Not anymore. You only can get back the postage. And another heads up, the first class envelope thickness standards are changing also, apparently to block out the useage of disk mailers, as PMFR would be cheaper.

Printed? You 'lost' me there. I do not think I want to know.

Speaking of changes...decades ago cocaine was one of the ingredients in Coca-Cola and it was sold as a medicine. Makes one wonder what common products we use today that future generations will gasp at.

Future? Umm... I would say present.

OK, I know I should not be reviewing trends, and should be sanitizing the statistics, but some are so 'jump into your face' that I can't help but notice.

We see a lot of hits for folks looking to find alternates to 'modern' stuff. Examples: caffeine, crystal sugar (useage ratios of honey, sorghum, stevia, etc), nicotine (herbal alternates), poly glycol...

I love my 'job'.

Sarah

Amusing. It is that time of year, where I have to do the statistics. Then I see this post...

I saw a lot of hits for people searching for 'soda' via the online search engine on the public accessible section of the Librum. I wonder how many of them is from people who have those machines, and are looking for more economical means.

For those interested in making their own 'soda' water and syrups, grab a 'checkout' copy of MFE, it's free. Monograph on Flavoring Extracts, 1891.

Not to drum up sales, just the opposite.

Amazing how tastes have changed over the years. Some of those are 'yucks' to me.

Sarah.

Hmm.. Forum lost my reply.

Daylilly, I agree, I have never encountered this stuff before though.

We have it now.

DH grabbed a can of 'brush cleaner' at Ace. Sunnyside is the brand. It works. I have about two dozen left to do.

Thanks

Sarah

Thanks, folks. I will try some of these. The WD-40 especially (here, hubby, hubby, hubby...). Peanut butter? (hmmm...)(thinking maybe that olive oil lamp fuel would work). Sorry, I do not have hand sanitizer (too English). Now rolling in flour to de-sticky, so I can handle them. Also on the attempt roster is paint brush cleaner.

Sarah

Not sure of just which section I should ask this in, so if I missed, please move...

We have a LARGE group of pyrex/glass jars, of various types, primarily square, which will take standard jarring lids. The problem is that they have that <censored> hot melt adhesive for the labels. Sure, the labels soak off, but the gum, for lack of a better word, remains. I can not find anything to cut the gum. Soap, Dawn, goo-gone, spray bumper sticker remover, acetone, finger nail polish remover, brillo, steel wool, green pad, etc.

Any ideas other than my DH's suggestion of a propane torch?

Sarah

We also noticed that at one of the other plain people stores (where we bought our meats) they had a label for "deodorant rock" but the shelf was empty. Looking forward to getting my hands on one to give it a try :-) MrWE2 won't use anything without an anti-perspirant, but I asked him what he'd do SHTF when all the anti-perspirants run out :-)

The deodorant rocks are also called 'Thai stones'. There are various ones. All are of mineral salt composition. I seem to remember a brandname of 'Crystal'. Not for everyone, some people react to them, but they can last a LONG time. Also under the Crystal brandname were lotion, and roller-ball applicator packaging.

Sarah

Army, and MtRider,

Not a lost skill, but amoung our peoples, not much used in the traditional ways. It has evolved into more of a 'end use' skill, even amoung the master level craftsmen. We have one here as instructor. He no longer teaches the barrel making/setting/banding/shocking. No demand. Umm... (checking the schedule...). His next cycle he has two shingle making and one slab making hands-on courses. As I thought, it is production of 'arts and crafts' materials for market. This cycle, he had one course, wood steaming, where they can bend odd shapes to seal, but also used in various furniture making, think 'rocking chairs'.

What are you wanting to do with the skill? That is how I would approach the research.

Also, I would check out the 'rustic' carpentry works out there. Also 'steamed' wood work. Also wood joint references. Also 'wax work', as the barrels are parafin wax or lard sealed for use. Also alternate 'tanning', such as acorn tannin, which is used with the wood swelling to seal, as wood barrels are still considered the best container for such work in small scale DIY. And as always, our 'check out' references are avaiable for you to smorgasbord here at the Librum. Also, references on iron work, to make the hoops cheaply and DIY.

Have fun!

Sarah

of the Librum.

Punch your model number into eBay, with 'CIS'. Constant Ink Supply. At the Librum's printers *ALL* are so equipped, as we have to use a lot of 'alternate' inks in our restoral work. But, I can not begin to calculate the cost savings when used with 'normal' inks.

There are Brother, Epson, HP, Lexmark, Olivetti, and some others here. For scanner work, Brother. For direct-to-disk printing, Brother or Epson. For bulk B/W printing, HP. For large scale, such as drafting papers, cut sheets, blueprints, etc, the Lexmark. For 'layered' / 'textured' (built up, such as gold/silver spine lettering) , the Olivetti.

I can't advise you on network issues, as our network is hard wired, with each printer on it's own dedicated out-of-date PC. (giggling) (The Olivetti is on Windows 3.3!, no higher drivers for it!).

A warning to you, Epsons are notorious ink wasters. You might also want to research on eBay a 'waste ink tank' to salvage that waste, not to mention extending the printers service life.

Good luck!

Sarah

I think I would like your job, Sarah.

 

 

MtRider ...never too many books!

Be careful what you wish for!

'Never too many books', eh? (checking...) Yes, 677 cookbooks that need ATOCI indexing. Over two dozen in the main section. Seventeen in the 'chute'.

Are you volunteering with cookbooks?

And now tasked with the Popular Mechanics archive work..

Sarah

of the Librum.

The 'english' word that comes to mind is 'deviled', which means cooked (usually boiled), ground, and re spiced. The respicing was the deviling.

Get modern store bolagna and that is what you get. And can you say 'vienna sausage'? But not 'spam', as spam is not precooked, but cooked in the can.

As a child we had a lot of 'corned beef' spread, which was crock pot cooked with spices, and then ground, and respiced, and metal or glass canned. I remember many a late 'comfort meal' of taking a half filled can, filling with water, and simmering on the stove, think 'condensed soup'. Or instead of water, left over mashed potatoes.

Using the VERY old fashioned 'iron ration' mini trays/boxes, men would take this to the field. I would NOT recommend such practice today.

I have sometimes thought of getting some of that 'vegetable protean' and experimenting with that.

I think 'you' people are going to drive me back over to the ICSArchives public cookbook section. I do remember sections in those books about 'light lunch meat spreads' and how to make them, back in the days before refridgeration. I wish the indexes were better though. As always, never enough volunteers.

Sarah

of the Librum

Perhaps I can toss one in here for additives.

One of my little ones halves a bullion cube into the milk. She likes hers soupy. And sunflower nuts for some crunch.

My other one says 'yuck!', but sometimes uses craisins.

Sarah

Update. He loved the labels for the sockets. But they have some sort of 'contact' adhesive, must be air exposed for a bit of time. He did not care for that, so he shellaced them too. It was so funny to watch him scrape off the Avery labels, wearing butchers metal mesh gloves, fumbling a lot of them. Some of the sockets are small!.

I found another use for the magnets. One inside the blouse, one outside. Holds my pen. No more rewinder/chain/behind-ear/etc. And am replacing some buttons by sewing magnets in. I am not so sure that is safe though, considering the strength of these things.

And while I know it is past the season, I now have another 'stocking stuffer' idea for next year. Dremel reinforced cutoff wheels, in fifty packs.

And he got me back. Needles and pins. Of every type and description. Thousands of them! And of course I would drop the stocking, scattered them everywhere.

Sarah

Correction. 1/8 inch. Not 1/4. $7.50. $3 shipping. Fifty count. tablewar.com. Enjoy.

That is a good one!

Magnetic strips? I have better now.

My better half found a gaming company that does the miniature figures and diaramas (spelling?) online that sells 1/4 inch diameter super magnets. He grabbed ten (or was it twenty?) count sets for something like $7 a set. (Radio Shack sells two for eight dollars.) Now all his small sockets are standing 'dress right dress' under the flip top roll around tool box lids. (He dislikes trays and rails). These things are strong! Three hold a large baby food jar full of nuts. I 'snitched' two twenty count bags, and they now reside on my fridge.

I tried supergluing them to push pin bases. Bond is too weak, glue will not hold against the magnet! Also I put one on two of my long wooden spoons, to fish canning jar lids in the water bath.

He also just started using the Avery lazer foil labels to label ALL his sockets. He prints, sissors, sticks, then shelacs them. What he does not know is that he is getting, as a stocking stuffer, several sets of the 'steel eye' labels. mysiteforsoreeyes.com/

Sarah

MtRider,

Space is a issue? Well, I can help there.

If you have access to back issues of The Mother Earth News, (also on microfilm at most major libraries)(or the new 'all issues' multimedia DVD, $50 at Mothers web site) then pay a visit here at the Librum, and type 'hydroponics' in the search engine. You will get about twenty bingos, by issue and page.

If you have access to a copy of Saxons' 'Survivor 2', there is about 80 pages on 'guerrila' hydroponics. While we have that here in electronic format, I have no legal way to slip you those, as freebie. They are are in the 'Reference Desk', but you would get off cheaper finding an old hard copy. (Note to self: Get those ATOCI indexes finished!)(I KNOW there was a three 55gal drum design fish farm, heavy on fertilizer production in another of Saxons works, but can't remember which.)

Next, again visit the Librum, and one at a time, grab and read the sixty day checkout copies of the New Alchemists series. (Not trying to drive sales, but if you need the full versions, they are available.)

Sarah

 

Sarah, I'm trying to comprehend all this. When you say "grand mal" type 1 diabetes, are you saying that it is accompanied by seizures or just comparing a very sudden onset?

 

Daylilly, I never saw this. Sorry. And it is another of my 'buttons'. Forgive me if I go in with too much information. It is NOT a kind way to go... Nobody should end this way. Nobody.

Grand Mal type 1 is hard to describe to one who has not witnessed it. I am trying to think of the English term. DKA? Diabetic Keto Acidosis, I think. Patient goes from 'normal' to 'down' in about 48 hours, extreme uncontrollable urination, ditto thirst, renal failure common, extreme production of stomach acids, severe sudden weight loss, and dementia.

Let me look for one of the alert cards... I keep them in the desk along with both types of the packets, as part of our standard first aid kit.

---flash typing, please forgive any typos---

MEDIC ALERT

This patient has MSS and is a brittle diabetic.

Emergency Response:

1) Perform TWO diabetic blood tests using the patients' MODIFIED meter on separage digits.

If greater than twenty points variance between the two readings, adminsiter one packet of PHOS-NaK (brand) supplement attached to this card.

Disreguard reading levels, wait fifteen minutes. Retest and repeat as necessary.

2) Using a standard diabetic test meter readings average 93 points plus/minus 17 high.

3) Once readings are in sync, and if still out of range, treat per acid ketosis.

Physician notes:

MSS is a rare genetic trace mineral retention condition. It normally masks itself as a severe (hyper or hypo) diabetic reaction.

This is normally a temporary side effect.

MSS is the cause of this patents type I diabetes.

Normal rDNA 'N' insulin has no effect.

Normal rDNA 'R' (or 'pig') insulin is partially effective but with guaranteed severe and most likely FATAL adverse effects.

Electrolytic A1c and any electrolytic blood serum meters are suspect. HPLC is the only known way to obtain a true reading.

-------------------

There is more, like don't administer potassium in IV, or in liquid suppliment, etc, but I think you have the idea...

The good news is that MSS is just about 'extinct'. We now know what genetic factors to look for, and the potential victims

get a 'standard' suppliment packet a day which keep the system from going into shock, and killing the pancreas. But we still have some of

the older generations living with the type I complications. They must test and shoot every THREE hours.

The bad news is that the PHOS-NaK is potentially abuseable.

Let me fish out of my drawer some of the packets, which I keep, 'just in case'.

Standard suppliment packet is 160mg sodium (7%rda), 280mg Potassium (10%rda), 250mg Phosphorus (35%rda).

The 'emergency' packets are 480mg sodium (21%rda), 1120mg Potassium (40%rda), 500mg Phosphorus (70%rda), and 200mg magnesium (50%rda).

The standard PHOS-NaK used to be prescription only. Emergency still is.

Maximum allowable dosage is one standard packet a day, as the patient may be getting from normal diet.

The stevia based pseudo insulins have saved many lives. But they have been taken off the market except for emergency response, and then in very restricted areas, based on genetic stocks. Body builders, etc, were 'ripping' by shooting three units (90 points on a standard diabetics meter)(normal reading is 80-180), the body would shock, eating the stored fat.

Sarah

I am growing my very first stevia plant...It's not very big yet, but as soon as it can 'spare' a few leaves, I'm going to experiment with steeping a few leaves in warm or hot water...and using the sweetened water to sweeten stuff with. Has anyone tried that?

It is called 'sweet water' amoung us, but I will be the first to tell you it is an acquired taste. Brew it like a sun tea, start at nine normal sized leaves to the galleon, floating. Move up and down that count for taste, and as the time of harvesting does affect it quite a bit.

Sarah