2021-05 May 2021 Prep Journal and To-Do Lists

I was just too busy and tired all week to get a chance to post on the April thread or to do an end of the month update on my April To-Do List last night, so I will do it here, and then move the things I wasn't able to finish over to a new list for May. I feel like I've worked my tuchus off all month, but looking at my list, you wouldn't know it!

My April to-do list:

1. File my taxes! (I have a refund coming, and it's just silly to let the government use it for free.)✔
2. Continue to go to all the consults and follow through on all the testing and advice to get and keep me healthy. ✔
3. Get my 2nd Covid shot and find an appointment for Abby as soon as she's eligible. ✔
4. Groom the tangles out of Muttley's coat. 2/3rds finished...sigh.
5. Keep losing weight and improving stamina. ✔ Down 15 lbs!
6. Continue to track spending, income and expenses. ✔
7. Dig and plant potatoes, plant peas and other cold-hardy veggies, more winter sowing and start more tomatoes in house, set up tomato supports and weed the beds, dig and move rhubarb out of chicken pen. Potatoes were dug and some were planted back, 1 raised bed and several flower beds around the house have been weeded and planted, I'm still harvesting broccoli from last year's plants, but I'll be buying tomato plants this year. 🙄
8. Unstick stuck 5 gallon buckets and finish cleaning them, wash up the 2 stacks of smaller buckets and store away/put to use. Finished washing up the smaller buckets and put together the air compressor nozzle, but haven't used it to try to blow the stuck buckets apart yet...May's list.
9. Strain diesel into clean buckets with gasketed lids, clean up the old buckets and switch out lids where needed.May's list.
10. Drain old fuel and oil out of generator, add fresh and test. May's list.
11. Plant the bulbs, perennials and plants I bought in March, as well as any I buy this month. NO MORE NEGLECTED PLANTS! I haven't planted every single one, but made a good start on them, plus all the plants I splurged on at Lowes this month, with BONUS POINTS for finding and planting overlooked, but still viable plants and bulbs missed last year!
12. Hawk and chicken proof the chicken pen, including removing trees that interfere with overhead netting, install netting, start sorting out the good layers of nice big eggs from the ones who lay smaller eggs, sell the ones who don't earn their keep. May's list.
13. Replace the leaky fitting on the framing nailer and start building hay, lumber and equipment storage. Didn't replace the fitting, but did start work on the first shed. On to May!
14. Haul home enough hay to last through to July. ✔
15. Finish getting the truck and horse trailer ready to travel. Need to get the new tires on the trailer and a new brake controller unit for the truck, as well as an oil change and fluids check. ✔
16. Continue to sort and organize my books and add to list of missing books from series I collect. ✔
Added:
17. Pull apart the front porch steps and patio area, relevel ground, finish cutting and placing cement board, replace steps and place patio blocks for seating area. ✔
18. Scrub and spray paint plastic lawn furniture in pretty, bright summer colors. ✔
19. Take Abby to see a horse she wants to buy. ✔ and she bought him.
20. Replace electric tiller that finally died. ✔
21. Set a few broodies on clutches. ✔2 clutches set, with one of those clutches now being up to 3 hens all setting on the same eggs - that's gonna be interesting next week when they all start hatching! 😁 Then, a couple days ago, a hen brought out a hatch of about 18 unexpected chicks. No telling how many other hidden nests will result in surprise chicks, but I'm pretty sure there will be more! 😃
22. Take the last 2 BBQ-sized propane tanks to town and exchange them at the Amerigas kiosk. ✔
So, plenty to move forward to May's list, but I think I did a fair month's work in April.

I'm still working on my May list, but since some of these are being moved from April, I can at least get a list started. 😁

May 2021 To-Do List:

1. Take Abby to get her 2nd Covid shot May 2nd.✔
2. Continue going to all ordered tests and referrals, even though I'm already feeling much better.
3. Finish grooming the tangles out of Muttley's coat and give him a bath, then keep him groomed.
4. Keep losing weight and improving stamina.
5. Continue to track spending, income and expenses.
6. Use new tiller on the garden and do what planting is safe in May as we move through the month. By end of month, pretty much everything should be in the ground.
7. Transplant rhubarb to amended soil in main garden from chicken pen.
8. Unstick stuck 5 gallon buckets using compressed air and finish cleaning them.
9. Strain diesel into clean buckets with gasketed lids, clean up the old buckets and switch out lids where needed.
10. Drain old fuel and oil out of generator, add fresh and test. 
11. Plant the rest of the bulbs, perennials and plants I bought in March and April, plus gladiolus corms from last year. NO MORE NEGLECTED PLANTS! 
12. Clean and spray paint planters to match lawn chairs ✔ and plant flowers and herbs in them.✔
13. Hawk and chicken proof the chicken pen, including removing trees that interfere with overhead netting, add another row of chicken wire to top of pen, install netting, start sorting out the good layers of nice big eggs from the ones who lay smaller eggs, sell the ones who don't earn their keep. 
14. Replace the leaky fitting on the framing nailer.
15. Keep working on the sheds for lumber drying, hay and equipment storage.
16. Start getting some riding time in.
17. Use sump pump to drain the pool, scrub and pump again, level ground again and install new pool pump, solar pool heater and iron removal sock, refill pool, turn on filter pump on a timer, reseed lawn all around the pool area and keep chickens away from it - I want to be able to swim this summer!
18. Get the oil change done on the F-150. ✔
19. Order pool bleach before the price goes up any more. ✔
21. Remember to treat the cats and dog for flea and tick prevention ✔, cats for tapeworms.
22. TBA

manygoatsnomore, When I changed my habits of eating, I figured out, that it was coming off paintfully (I'm gonna let that ride, you'll see why later) slow, 1 lb every 10 days, or 3 lbs/month. It seemed unfair to be going so slow. So I set my mind. I said to myself, 3 lbs/month, then in 6 months that's 18 lbs, and in a year, that will be 36 lbs.....and then I kept with it day by day, and tried to focus on everything else. I wrote the lbs in a calendar, and it was consistent. And poof, one day it was done, completely and I was below my goal weight. So now you know why I chose a hobby to take over my focus on the food issues. It's worth it. I'm really proud of you. I hope you are proud of yourself.

Abby had her 2nd shot yesterday...she had chills and didn't feel well overnight and this morning, felt better this afternoon and then it came back tonight. She said she was just really, really cold. Hopefully, it will all be over tomorrow. It's still better than taking a chance of getting Covid.

I had my echocardiogram today. Shows mildly elevated pulmonary artery pressure. Have to wait and see if my pulmonologist is okay with that or wants me to see the specialist at OHSU. Other than some mild valve insufficiency all around, everything else looked pretty good, if I'm reading it correctly. I'm really feeling pretty good overall. Getting back to my old self.

I found more plants at Wilco Sunday, so now I have even more planters to fill. 💐🌻🌼 Somehow that seems like a step backwards to knocking that one off the list, lol!

eta: I finally get to spend a day at home tomorrow, and it's not supposed to rain, so my plan is to spray paint a bunch more planters first thing in the morning and plant them up as soon as they are dry. There's plenty more to work on, so I hope to check a couple things off before the day is over.

I added a couple things to my to-do list, just so I could check them off, lol. I finally paid to get my oil changed in my pickup truck, and I ordered more pool bleach before the price goes up any more or it's not available at all. I could still use liquid bleach, but the tabs are still cheaper and last longer. I have some pool bleach on hand, but not enough for the whole summer.

feather and manygoatsnomore Congrats to you both on your weight loss goals! The last few days I too have been contemplating taking off a good 10lbs. This time of year, walmart has light weight ladies tee-shirts for a great price that I wear under my work shirts because the fabric is gross feeling. when I stocked up on my normal stack of medium shirts ... Either they got smaller this year ... Or that 10lbs I added is more like 15. I suspect both and traded them for larges.
I keep planting things and adding raised beds around the place... With a good mix of peat and potting soil into the sand. Which means that even tho I haven't moved my hot weather plants out yet ... I've run out of room! Yikes!

Goals for May:
1. Add more raised beds for tomatoes, squash, and melons.
2. Get all plants for this summer into the dirt by 3rd week of May.
3. Get first herb harvest picked and drying.
4. Tend all the beds I have already planted.
5. Keep working on racecar despite huge setbacks.
6. Stay positive on a day by day. I gotta remind myself that The sun came up and so have most of your seeds silly girl, focus on the beauty in that over what you can't do anything about.
7. Continue with the foot soaking self care.
8. Continue to go to bed at a decent time.

nbc3mom, I liked reading your list and how much you are doing. Great!
On the cold frame, we've been doing it for quite a few years, maybe 7 years. I make sure it is open if the weather temperatures are 60 or over. The plastic seems to hold the heat, the sun makes it hotter (like being in a car in the sun), so at 60 deg F I open it all the way. Then I just shut it when the temperatures get to freezing.

We used to have the kind of framed plastic, we lifted the doors and had them propped open. In the summer we removed the framed plastic doors during summer completely. As of this past winter, we now have a roll up door, so it just rolls up and can stay sitting on the top of the cover frame all summer.

lilith, thanks on the congrats re: weight loss...down another pound here! How are you doing on your extra 10#? Oh, how I wish it was only 10 extra for me, lol. Good luck on your list, too. 😊

nbc3mom, that's a nice list, doable, but a bit of a challenge, too. How are things going in San Diego?

I'm feeling better this morning, but I'm still convincing myself to get outside and test my abilities. Until I do, all things are possible, lol. Once I'm out there, I sure hope I'm still feeling well enough to get something done on the gardening front.

To all my online friends - HUGS! I hate that things are bad for you, your families, gardens and mental health!!

I am working at the new job - temp to perm, but the people are wonderful. I am very lucky to find such great people who are willing to train me remotely!

I have been filling the holes in my protein preps with freeze dried cans. My final order will arrive on Wednesday. Unfortunately, I maybe stuck at the farm. The pipeline that brings 100% on NC's gas was hit with a ransom ware attack. It took out the computers including the ones that control the fuel. 😝 NC declared a state of emergency and I am sitting in a gas line. 😝😝 I have enough gas to get to the new house, but I don't like driving on fumes. Four of the five gas stations in town are out of gas.

I have some old gas (lawnmower stuff) and some canned lawn mower fuel that would do in an emergency....And there is half a tank of gas in my truck, but the siphon is at the other house 😝. GRRR just when I think I have it mostly together, something really different happens.

nbc3mom, what a huge task for your dh to be facing. I remember going through all the paperwork my sister left behind and how overwhelming it was - and I wasn't doing it alone! I do hope he's able to come home before the end of the month. Is his uncle doing well enough in rehab that coming home with help coming in is an option? It has to be less expensive than 25K per month! I wonder if perhaps having a nursing student sharing his house might be an option. Free room and board and perhaps a small stipend in exchange for housecleaning, cooking and some help with his ADLs could be a win-win for a mature student.

adinwnc, please keep us updated on the gas situation. I've wondered how many of you on the east coast are being affected by this hack, and am curious about how long it will last, how severe the shortages will be and how high the prices will go.

AD's post has made me face a hole in my own preps. I store diesel for the generator (and for neighbors who help me with their diesel tractors), and I have stored gasoline in the past, but used it up when we were working on getting my Nissan pickup back on the road. I have less than 10 gallons of Pri-G treated non-ethanol premium gas on hand for the chainsaws, but some of that is already mixed with 2-cycle oil, so probably wouldn't be great for the truck engines. I try to keep all tanks at least 1/2 full, but do forget to fill up in town occasionally and let it get below. It hurts my frugal bone to fill up locally, as gas is .20-.30/gallon higher here, but I would in a pinch.

I should have refilled all my gas cans last year while prices were low(er). Now, with prices running about 3.30/gallon, I hate to pay $1/gallon more than last year, but it's better to pay more and have it on hand. Better to have and not need, than need and not have! I just need to find all the right caps for the 5 gallon plastic gas cans and take them to town with me on the next trip.

I'll drip in the Pri-G before filling them. That is such an awesome product. It's expensive up front to buy, but it takes such a tiny amount for each gallon of gas that it ends up being much cheaper than Sta-bil, and it keeps the gas fresh for up to 5 years. They say you can add it to stale gas and make the gas good again, too. I haven't tested that, but I know the 5 year old gas we put in the Nissan's tank still looked and smelled fresh. The truck runs like a top on it, too (still working on the first tank, with more gas added at the station). They make Pri-D for diesel, too, and all my diesel in storage is treated with it. It keeps algae from growing in the diesel. You can use Pri-D on diesel or gas, but can't use Pri-G on diesel.

I don't know how old is too old for gas for vehicles, but 30 days was too old for my Stihl chainsaw!

Yes, without fuel stabilizers, 30 days IS about the limit for ethanol gas for chainsaws...and if you think Stihl saws are fussy, try a Husqvarna! With Pri-G in it, and non-ethanol gas to start with, I don't have any trouble running my saws with years old gas.

Also, what you store the gas in makes a difference. Metal or #2 plastic cans work great. Soda bottles? Not so much! I would put saw gas in a 2L bottle because it was easier to pour the gas into the saw without spilling. I learned the hard way that saw gas goes bad fast, even treated gas in those bottles. They are just the wrong type of plastic...too permeable.

What I have found is that liquid laundry detergent containers are made of #2 plastic and have a handy dispenser that can be held right over the opening on the saw! I used premium, non-ethanol gas, treated with Pri-G this year that had been stored in a detergent bottle for over a year, and my saws ran (and are running) perfectly.

midtnmama, yes, you can store gas treated with Pri-G for 5 years and run any gas engine on it...car, generator, tiller, etc. See my earlier posts for more details. 😊 Without being treated, gas goes bad pretty quickly.

I am pleased with how my herb garden is going. Many of the herbs I planted last year returned. Hopefully they will fill in the garden by next year. Next year, I'll focus more on medicinal plants.

My sunflower seeds will not grow. I suppose this is because of the cold spring. I want to do more of growing food for our chickens.

My efforts at putting more mulch in the chicken run have resulted in more insects for them to eat (and exercise for me putting wood chips in there. My next step is to fence off the corners of the run and plant sunflowers and gourds in there.

I'll be freezing spinach today for the winter.

manygoatsnomore, can you recommend a good blood pressure monitor? Also, do you have tips on how to take it accurately?

It's been a week now without taking a blood pressure med and other that being a little short of breath with exertion, I feel great. I think my pressure was so high that day because I was struggling to breathe, not because I actually have chronic hypertension. My b/p is normal...the highest reading at rest has been 120s over 70s. Sometimes meds cause more problems than they cure. Since starting on the Symbicort, I'm breathing so much better that I'm sure that has brought my pressure down.

I just got a call from the cardiologist's office with results from my cardiac monitor (which I had already read on line) and to schedule my follow up appointment with her, which we did. Still haven't heard from OHSU. Probably still trying to get the approval from the insurance company. I just want to find out if I do or don't have pulmonary hypertension and if I do, get it treated and get rid of it!

It's not going to be so warm this week, which will really help me in the garden. I'm not a morning person, and when it's hot, I have to get out early and work before it gets too warm for me. If I don't, I can't work until evening. Now, with cloudy, cooler weather, I can put in a full afternoon, which suits me quite nicely. 😁

I need to work on my pool, too. Since the sump pump was the wrong kind, it's back to draining and bailing to clean it up. 😟

The month is half over and my unfinished list is disturbingly long.

I use a lot of whole wheat flour, a 10 lb tupperware container lasts me 5 batches, or 10 loaves worth. We use about that much in a month. I'm not sure of how much we need to keep on hand given that it goes bad faster than the whole grain unground, which we have on hand.
tenbusybees , do you have any idea how much flour you go through for 10 busy bees over a month or more?

I'm estimating needing 10 lbs a month for 6 months or less, so 10-5 lbs bags. We have 3 left, need 7. (needs, 2 people, sometimes 2.5 since DS buys some of his bread)