No More Corn

The next three weeks, I'll be eating a corn-less diet. Hopefully when the vampires (err, doctors) get all their tests done, I'll be able to eat corn again. Why, you ask, is this so annoying? Corn is in everything. I'm not even employing hyperbole. Corn is in the meat you buy at the grocery store, your powdered sugar, you vitamin-C pills, your soda, your bread, your margarine, your baking soda, your cookies, crackers, and pancake syrup.

List of things I can eat (to be updated for the next three weeks):
Kashi cereal

List of Tools for an Emergency

So, as you all read, I did a tool inventory this month. Then I sat down and thought about what I still needed and wanted. I thought I'd share the list I came up with. Without further ado, the list:


Hand Tools
Hammers:
Framing hammer
Ball peen hammer
Caulking mallet
Wooden mallet
Rubber mallet
Sledgehammer

Saws and other Cutting Tools:
Arbor saw (does the job of a chain saw)
Crosscut saw
Rip saw
Bow saw
Coping saw
Miter saw
Miter box
Hole saws
Circular saw
Masonry blades for circular saw
Extra saw blades
Felling axe
Splitting axe
Hatchet
Shipwright’s Adze
Bolt Cutters
End snips
Flush cutters
Machete
Electrician’s Knife
Set of Wood Carving knifes
Drawknife
Utility knives


Chisels and Planes
Set of Chisels (1/8” -2”)
Set of Lathe Chisels
Set of Gouges
Caulking iron
Spokeshave
Scrapper
Set of Bench planes
Block plane
Scrub plane
Bull nosed rabbet plane
Set of Finger Planes

Drills and Screwdrivers:
Brace and Bits
Phillips head screwdrivers (various sizes)
Slotted screwdrivers (various sizes)
Robertson screwdrivers (various sizes)
Hex set

Pliers and Wrenches:
Round nose pliers
Needle nose pliers
Locking pliers
Socket Set
Adjustable Wrench
Set of Open Ended Wrenches (various sizes)
Pipe wrenches
Channel lock pliers

Clamps and Vices:
Bench Clamps
Anvil
C-Clamps (a whole array of sizes)
Gripe
Bar clamps
Quick clamps
Spring clamps

Levels, Measures, and Drafting tools
Spline
Plumb-bob
Carpenter’s Level
Line level
Combination Square
Framing Square
T-Square
Tape Measure
Ruler
Yard Stick
Straightedge

Misc:
Bevel gauge
Spar markers
Marlin spike
Leather palm
Awl
Pin Punch
A set of letter and number punches
Crowbar
Files
Rasps
Wedges for the sledgehammer
Metal chisels
Metal punches
Set of saw horses
Hydraulic jacks

Consumables:
Carpenters Pencils
Sandpaper (various grits)
Glue
Nails
Screws
Washers
Bolts
Chalk line
WD-40

Power Tools
Lathes (Wood and Metal)
Power Saws
Power Drill
Band Saw
Metal Band Saw
Table Saw
Belt sander
Router
Bench Grinder
Jointer
Planer
Jigsaw
Dremel w/flex shaft, drill press set up, and bits

Preps as Gifts

My first introduction to any sort of emergency prepping was the BOB my dh's grandmother made him for Christmas one year, it was an excellent base to work from, and a lot of it is still in his BOB today. In fact, I wish she'd give us such useful things every year.

Preps as gifts can be as big or as little as you'd like. Car kits and BOBs are good medium size choices, especially if you throw in a book about prepping. Information is key. If you want to larger then that, make sure you pick something that suits the giftees needs and abilities. While everyone should eventually have a canner, it's not a good first prep gift for a non-cooker. If you want to go smaller,I gave my sister an emergency kit in a water bottle for her birthday. She's a college student and never without her backpack, so she shoved the water bottle in a pocket and I'm sure promptly forgot about it, but it'll be there when she needs it.

I used:
1 Lexan-type Wide Mouth water bottle (needs to be wide mouthed to get stuff into it!)
1 emergency space blanket
1 leatherman multi-tool thingie
1 mini-flashlight with extra batteries
1 poncho
1 powerbar
1 bag of electrolyte jelly beans (they looked cool)
1 tiny first aide kit
1 whistle
1 compass/signaling mirror
1 carabiner
1 mini-duct tape roll
and then I wrapped about 50ft of cord around the bottle in a turk's head.

Since I was mailing it, I didn't include matches, but I did tell her to go pick some up for it. It cost me about $30 as she is my sister and I got her both a nice multi-tool and solid compass. Both Eddie Bauer and someone else make commercial versions of the emergency kit in the bottle for about $10, though you'd want to beef them up.

Belated Report on Tool Inventory

Guys, inventory is boring, and I just couldn't bring myself to want to write much about it. It's pretty easy if you only have a small stash of tools, and even my medium stash wasn't too bad as it's all neatly tucked away in tool boxes. I ended up doing it in front of the tv (I was watching season one of Psych, which is hilarious and easy enough to do other things during). I'd haul out a tool box, type up everything in it, print out a list to tape inside the lid, and move on. It still took two weeks. Why? Well, it also got cold here, cold enough to break out the winter clothes, which all needed to be washed and fold and put away. The other reason, there are lots of little parts to hand tools, and you need them all. A plane is an excellent thing to have, but if it's missing it's screw or iron, it's not going to do you much good. Extra saw blades are always a good idea, don't just count a saw, know if you have extra blades and what kind they are, a rip saw and a crosscut saw don't do the same job and you'll be upset if you mix up the two.

Once you know what you have, then you can think about what you need. I focus on hand tools, as you never know when the electricity will fail you. I'm not saying I don't have power tools, I love my Makita drill, but I also have a brace, just in case :). What I do have are a few specialty hand tools that I love and that you might not have thought about investing in. I have a whole array of planes. My most beloved is a tiny bull nosed rabbet plane. While I usually prefer wooden bodied planes, this little guy is metal, and can get anywhere. I also have a a set of Japanese saws (they work opposite of American saws) and a bevy of back up blades. Blades snap, go dull, and rust, and the saw is vitally important to almost any work working project. And speaking of dull, no matter how excellent your chisels are (and mine are some of my favorite tools, a beautiful set of Lie-Nielsens) they'll need to be sharpened. Sharpening is one area where I'm still electricity dependent. My bench grinder has to be plugged in. Another area to work on.

Apple Sauce is tasty and delicious

I made 3 qts of nummy and delicious apple sauce from Fireside and Gala apples. My extra tasty hint: added a tps. of Pumpkin Pie spice of extra tastiness. Next step, canning.