Disqus - Latest Comments for TuxGirl

Re: Introducing the “I’m a Mormon!” Facebook App

TuxGirl — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 11:19:22 -0000

Out of curiosity, does it do anything to weed the scriptures down to selections that are more inspirational? I mean, I don't know how helpful it would be to have various sections of Numbers posted (the begat chapters are what i'm thinking more particularly of, although there are plenty of unusual sections of the Old Testament)

Re: How To: Adventures in Food Storage with Mylar Bags

TuxGirl — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 00:08:00 -0000

I know that in Washington state at least, a number of people have had problems with rodents getting into food-storage in mylar bags, so if you're going this route, make sure that you store the bags someplace rodent-proof. I know enough people who've lost the majority of their food storage because of rodents chewing through the mylar bags, that I'm sticking with #10 cans for now.

Re: New Author: Wade

TuxGirl — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 02:25:20 -0000

Wade,
I read a very interesting book earlier this year (a couple books ago), and it actually kind of discusses some of these problems. It's called "The American Frugal Housewife", and is available from project gutenberg or a couple other places.

The book was originally published in 1832, and discusses a lot of stuff that most people consider "useless trivia" but that I thought was fascinating and potentially useful if there were to be an extended emergency, or if someone just wanted to become completely self-reliant.

Pretty much, the book was written as a manual for new brides and housewives. It discusses how to save money, the role of women in the family (and what their education should be like), how to make soap, and how to preserve and prepare various foods. It goes very in depth on things like how to create lye, then test the strength to ensure it's the correct strength for your soap.

The one area I would shy away from the suggestions is probably with home remedies. Laudanum is not generally a home remedy I would recommend... :)

Overall, I suggest that if you really want to learn some of these things, you should get a copy of this book and read it. I read it as an ebook since it was free that way, but I'm seriously considering buying the book in a p-back form to keep with my storage stuff. :)

Re: Preparedness Bookshelves

TuxGirl — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 22:59:55 -0000

I have a few food-storage (what to store, etc) books, and then the book I mentioned earlier on this blog, "The American Frugal Housewife." I would *love* to get more books about how people lived and survived in the 1700s and 1800s. I'm interested in the history of those time periods, and also in the idea of how normal people lived their lives. It's really quite interesting to me, and pretty useful in a TEOTWAWKI type of situation :)

Re: Ham Radio: Emergency Communication

TuxGirl — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:23:19 -0000

I'll second the view that the test for the technician level is not too hard. In our area (Washington), a couple of Stakes from the LDS Church got together a class and out of the class, almost everybody passed the test (including a couple of children). During the class, we discussed every possible question for the test (there's a defined set of questions), then after finishing that, we went and took the test.

I would join one of the meetups, but unfortunately, I don't think my Yaesu handheld would be able to reach all the way to Utah. We have a multi-stake sign-in on a regular basis here, though.

~Erin (KF7BZH)

Re: Solar Cooking Challenge and Special Price

TuxGirl — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 20:53:17 -0000

How much sun do you need to have to get one of these working? (I'm not in Utah, so I'm doubtful it would work nicely in my area). Also, what types of backups have you prepared for cases where you don't have the requisite sun (for example during a cold winter day, or a miserable rainy day)? In my experience, I need a warm meal *more* on a day when the sun's not out...

Re: Suspension of Disbelief

TuxGirl — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:18:26 -0000

I'll admit to enjoying quite a few things that a lot of people consider drivel. I tend to enjoy upper-middle-school and young adult lit in addition to other areas of literature, so I admit to enjoying things like Harry Potter, Twilight, etc. I don't claim at all that Twilight has high-quality writing, but I'd say that Stephenie Meyer writes to her audience well, and does a good job of telling a very interesting story that captures my attention and interest easily. :)