Upcoming weekend plans

This weekend I will be in class on Friday night from 6 to 10, then 8 hours on Saturday and 8 hours on Sunday.  Sounds like fun, no?  I am taking a CERT class to learn how to help my community in the event of a national emergency. The class sounds intense.  Not only is [...]

Local library video and desert survival

I checked out the video Stay alive! a guide to survival in mountainous areas from my local library. Random comments after watching: According to the host, Preston Westmoreland, if you have ever heard the idea that you could add whiskey to water to clean the water than that is not true.  Ummmmm, I have never heard [...]

What to put in a BOB and June 29 feature at Conspire

A BOB (Bug-Out-Bag) is a pre-packed backpack everyone should have ready in case the SHTF (Shit Hits the Fan).  One’s BOB should include the following things; Duck tape, canned foods, a can opener, knee-pads, gloves, a change in underwear, a poncho, a flashlight, spare batteries, a map of the surrounding area, first aid kit, pharmacetucals, [...]

Pop goes the wasteland

I spent the last three days at the Phoenix Comic-Con for both fun and research. I was surprised there were so few direct references to the Apocalypse. None of the panel discussions centered around the end times, one was about dystopian futures, and while that is related one does not need an armageddon to imagine [...]

Weekend update: Getting hot, hot, hotter!

It is starting to get hot in Phoenix.  For the grand experiment I am going to see how long I can go without turning on the air.  At some point it becomes too hot to sleep, and I have a day job.  The goal is to see if I can make it to June  15. [...]

What I learned about feral cats and a defense of phoenix

Up North, where there is winter, only the strong surivie.  In Michigan, a cat can have about one litter a year.  Here in Phoenix they can have three.  So Phoenix has a feral cat problem, much larger than cities outside of the sunbelt.  Lets assume that a feral cat living on wits alone is like living [...]

Compost tea and solar panel

I got the idea of making compost tea from the Grow  House as well as the book Gardening When it Counts.    It is also my first experiment with solar energy.  The solar panel pictured above hooks up to a tiny little air pump.  This system is supposed to be used in backyard ponds.   I bought it [...]

Update on How to raid your library- Green Building

The last temporary visit of the local library yielded some useful videos on how to prepare for Humanity’s waterloo. There were two decent videos on how to build an enviromental house.  From what I have seen so far, the community of people preparing for civilization’s curtains tend to be a conservative bunch.  One place where [...]

One man’s apocalypse is another man’s golden age

These wonderful shots of abandoned buildings in Detroit got me thinking. While Detroit died the Sun-belt bloomed. Maybe it is our time in Phoenix? Some idiots who count money for a living think my town is the unhappiest place to be in America.  Well, frak them. Maybe I am just being defensive.   When National [...]

Weekend plans: Brittlebush, Creosote and a hole

I am looking forward to the weekend.  I had to work last Saturday, which made the last two weeks go long.  I have not been able to do many experiments in the last couple of weeks, so I spent more time doing internet research.    This weekend’s plans include the following: Turn Brittlebush leaves into medicine. [...]