It's back again (in another three days anyway)! September is National Preparedness Month and once more, I'm planning to participate in the 30 Days 30 Ways challenge. The goal is to do some type of preparedness activity every day for the entire month and to post about it here in this thread. It's meant to be an interactive, social activity, thus a thread to share with everybody.
I put together a starter list of ideas a few years ago, which I'll link here. Some of these I've done, some of them I haven't, and I'm always adding new items and removing old ones. Here are some ideas: Prepping Idea List.txt (https://ufozs.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;attach=3274)
So post your progress this month. Even if you don't do something every day, anything that you do accomplish helps you to be better prepared! By sharing what you do, it helps others to be motivated and acts as thought-starters for the rest of us. Remember that every little bit counts!
Last year's thread: https://ufozs.com/smf/index.php?topic=2512.0 (https://ufozs.com/smf/index.php?topic=2512.0)
Day 1 - Swap out smoke / CO / explosive gas / high water alarm batteries
Why mess with a winning formula! Once again, I've started off the month by swapping out the batteries in all of my household detectors.
Fortunately (and somewhat by design) they all use 9v batteries and several years ago, I switched over to using rechargeable 9v batteries (see links below). I did test several of them as I removed them today, and they all pegged the battery tester, so they appear to be holding their charge quite well. It only took a few hours to top off enough batteries to have fully-charged ones to put into all the detectors. Since the EBL batteries are slightly smaller (physically) than the PowerOwl, I'm able to use those in any detectors where the battery compartment is a bit tighter.
Yeah, I know that I should be doing this 2x a year, but I frequently end up forgetting to do it in the spring. It was nice to discover that the batteries are all doing a good job of lasting a full year anyway, as that allows me forgiveness if I forget to charge them up in the spring.
PowerOwl batteries and charger: https://a.co/d/2GAtWKs
EBL batteries: https://a.co/d/flX29gl
Who else is participating this month? Chime in with what you're doing!
Day 2 - Inspect all fire extinguishers / fire blankets
All of them are still in the green (other than one that doesn't have a gauge), they're all within date (except for an old one that came with the house and I just keep in the garage as a backup), and none of them have any damage - lots of dust / cobwebs though! I also confirmed that the fire blankets are all packed and ready, and that I can get to them all easily.
Once again, this is a repeat, but it's good to do each year. While the fire blankets (https://a.co/d/epIvcPf) are no-name stuff from overseas, the extinguishers are all either Kidde or First Alert.
Total count:
- Six 5lb refillable - bedroom, front closet, kitchen, basement workshop, garage, truck
- Three 2 to 3lb (only one of which is refillable) - car, garage (old, this one is just a backup), basement
- Four fire blankets, all of which are at least 1.5m x 1.5m in size - bedroom, car, truck, workshop
I've still never had to use any of these for an actual fire and I'm hoping that never changes! But it's nice to have them, just in case! I have used one of the fire blankets a few times when cutting metal, just to keep the sparks contained, and they worked great for that (although repacking it afterwards was a pain). I should probably add one for the kitchen and maybe for the garage too, so I might buy another pack of them sometime.
Day 3 - Ordered a pair of choking rescue devices
I already have a similar model (https://a.co/d/24eGIIC) in each vehicle's first aid kid, but I bought two more from another company (https://a.co/d/gSiwaIY), one for my house and the other to donate to our CERT. They should arrive tomorrow and I'll drop one off in our CERT meeting next week. While the two I already have should work fine, I went with this one that has an easier to use handle, and is FDA registered (yes, I checked their database). I could've gotten LifeVac, but that would've doubled the price for what is essentially the same thing.
Given that I'm single, having something like this around could potentially save my own life if I were ever to start choking. And I actually do know someone who lost an adult relative when he choked on some food while driving, so it does happen.
Quote from: EBuff75 on September 03, 2025, 01:48:15 PMDay 3 - Ordered a pair of choking rescue devices
I already have a similar model (https://a.co/d/24eGIIC) in each vehicle's first aid kid, but I bought two more from another company (https://a.co/d/4mpJHCghttps://a.co/d/4mpJHCg), one for my house and the other to donate to our CERT. They should arrive tomorrow and I'll drop one off in our CERT meeting next week. While the two I already have should work fine, I went with this one that has an easier to use handle, and is FDA registered (yes, I checked their database). I could've gotten LifeVac, but that would've doubled the price for what is essentially the same thing.
Given that I'm single, having something like this around could potentially save my own life if I were ever to start choking. And I actually do know someone who lost an adult relative when he choked on some food while driving, so it does happen.
Second link doesn't work for some reason, Ebuff.
Quote from: 12_Gauge_Chimp on September 03, 2025, 03:36:26 PMQuote from: EBuff75 on September 03, 2025, 01:48:15 PMDay 3 - Ordered a pair of choking rescue devices
I already have a similar model (https://a.co/d/24eGIIC) in each vehicle's first aid kid, but I bought two more from another company (https://a.co/d/4mpJHCghttps://a.co/d/4mpJHCg), one for my house and the other to donate to our CERT. They should arrive tomorrow and I'll drop one off in our CERT meeting next week. While the two I already have should work fine, I went with this one that has an easier to use handle, and is FDA registered (yes, I checked their database). I could've gotten LifeVac, but that would've doubled the price for what is essentially the same thing.
Given that I'm single, having something like this around could potentially save my own life if I were ever to start choking. And I actually do know someone who lost an adult relative when he choked on some food while driving, so it does happen.
Second link doesn't work for some reason, Ebuff.
Thanks! Not sure why, but the link kept double-posting. I had to delete the text and re-create it with the link to get it to work. Weird.
Quote from: EBuff75 on September 03, 2025, 05:23:01 PMQuote from: 12_Gauge_Chimp on September 03, 2025, 03:36:26 PMQuote from: EBuff75 on September 03, 2025, 01:48:15 PMDay 3 - Ordered a pair of choking rescue devices
I already have a similar model (https://a.co/d/24eGIIC) in each vehicle's first aid kid, but I bought two more from another company (https://a.co/d/4mpJHCghttps://a.co/d/4mpJHCg), one for my house and the other to donate to our CERT. They should arrive tomorrow and I'll drop one off in our CERT meeting next week. While the two I already have should work fine, I went with this one that has an easier to use handle, and is FDA registered (yes, I checked their database). I could've gotten LifeVac, but that would've doubled the price for what is essentially the same thing.
Given that I'm single, having something like this around could potentially save my own life if I were ever to start choking. And I actually do know someone who lost an adult relative when he choked on some food while driving, so it does happen.
Second link doesn't work for some reason, Ebuff.
Thanks! Not sure why, but the link kept double-posting. I had to delete the text and re-create it with the link to get it to work. Weird.
Links can be weird sometimes, but at least it's fixed now.
Quote from: EBuff75 on September 02, 2025, 07:31:54 PMDay 2 - Inspect all fire extinguishers / fire blankets
All of them are still in the green (other than one that doesn't have a gauge), they're all within date (except for an old one that came with the house and I just keep in the garage as a backup), and none of them have any damage - lots of dust / cobwebs though! I also confirmed that the fire blankets are all packed and ready, and that I can get to them all easily.
Once again, this is a repeat, but it's good to do each year. While the fire blankets (https://a.co/d/epIvcPf) are no-name stuff from overseas, the extinguishers are all either Kidde or First Alert.
Total count:
- Six 5lb refillable - bedroom, front closet, kitchen, basement workshop, garage, truck
- Three 2 to 3lb (only one of which is refillable) - car, garage (old, this one is just a backup), basement
- Four fire blankets, all of which are at least 1.5m x 1.5m in size - bedroom, car, truck, workshop
I've still never had to use any of these for an actual fire and I'm hoping that never changes! But it's nice to have them, just in case! I have used one of the fire blankets a few times when cutting metal, just to keep the sparks contained, and they worked great for that (although repacking it afterwards was a pain). I should probably add one for the kitchen and maybe for the garage too, so I might buy another pack of them sometime.
I like to see dust and/ or cobwebs on fire extinguishers. It means they were not needed. That is good thing.
One of the things I do when doing my annual fire extinguisher check is to remove it from the bracket and gently tap the cylinder side from top to bottom and then invert it to make sure the powder has not compressed. You generally can feel the powder move when you do this.
Quote from: EBuff75 on September 03, 2025, 01:48:15 PMDay 3 - Ordered a pair of choking rescue devices
I already have a similar model (https://a.co/d/24eGIIC) in each vehicle's first aid kid, but I bought two more from another company (https://a.co/d/gSiwaIY), one for my house and the other to donate to our CERT. They should arrive tomorrow and I'll drop one off in our CERT meeting next week. While the two I already have should work fine, I went with this one that has an easier to use handle, and is FDA registered (yes, I checked their database). I could've gotten LifeVac, but that would've doubled the price for what is essentially the same thing.
Given that I'm single, having something like this around could potentially save my own life if I were ever to start choking. And I actually do know someone who lost an adult relative when he choked on some food while driving, so it does happen.
They arrived this afternoon. I opened both of them up and confirmed that they're functioning properly. Mine went into the hall closet and the other one is on the table to take to our CERT meeting next week. Since we're volunteering at our local Oktoberfest event in a couple of weeks, I figured this was something that I should pick up before that, just in case!
Quote from: EBuff75 on September 04, 2025, 03:24:16 PMQuote from: EBuff75 on September 03, 2025, 01:48:15 PMDay 3 - Ordered a pair of choking rescue devices
I already have a similar model (https://a.co/d/24eGIIC) in each vehicle's first aid kid, but I bought two more from another company (https://a.co/d/gSiwaIY), one for my house and the other to donate to our CERT. They should arrive tomorrow and I'll drop one off in our CERT meeting next week. While the two I already have should work fine, I went with this one that has an easier to use handle, and is FDA registered (yes, I checked their database). I could've gotten LifeVac, but that would've doubled the price for what is essentially the same thing.
Given that I'm single, having something like this around could potentially save my own life if I were ever to start choking. And I actually do know someone who lost an adult relative when he choked on some food while driving, so it does happen.
They arrived this afternoon. I opened both of them up and confirmed that they're functioning properly. Mine went into the hall closet and the other one is on the table to take to our CERT meeting next week. Since we're volunteering at our local Oktoberfest event in a couple of weeks, I figured this was something that I should pick up before that, just in case!
And just to compare the two, the Senvok is on the left and the SFEIXE on the left. The actual mask part that goes against your face appears to be identical between them and are interchangeable between the units. However, I do prefer the D-handle style of the SFEIXE over the 'Atari joystick' style of the Senvok. It's more intuitive and easier to use. Both of them seem to pull about the same amount of suction. I would also guess that the one-way valves are the same, just in different locations. The total volume of the storage bags is about the same, with the one from Senvok being slightly wider and taller, but shorter in length.
ChokingRescueCompare.jpg
When I tested them on myself, both of them were able to pull air out of my lungs, even with my mouth closed and with a week's growth of facial hair. I made a sort of pig grunting noise in the process!
Day 4 - Harvest acorns for acorn flour
Last year I tried harvesting and processing acorns for the first time. It didn't go well... Even after leaching them several times in boiling water, they were still quite bitter. I dry roasted a handful of them, but they just weren't that good and I ended up dumping them outside for the squirrels.
I don't have ideal oak trees for this, as all of mine are pin oak, which is part of the red oak family. Doing a bit more reading this year, it turns out that red oak acorns are harder to leach. The linings (a sort of skin like those you see on peanuts, called testas) don't come off as easily and this is where a lot of the tannins are contained. It doesn't take too much of that to make them taste bitter.
But, I'm giving it another shot! I spent about 45 minutes tonight wandering the yard, sidewalks, and road around my house, until I had about a quart of them... Yeah, there aren't very many acorns this year, probably less than a quarter of what there were last year. One good thing, I discovered that there are burr oaks on the other side of the street, which are part of the white oak family and are supposed to be a lot easier to leach.
After collecting them, I came inside to float test them to find and discard bad acorns. I had... 23 that passed the test... Hmmm... this might be more work than it's worth this year! I had hoped to try doing two different leaching processes - hot water (like I did last year) and cold water (which requires a rough chop/grind first) to see if I could get better results with one or the other of them. I've also given up on doing the dry roasting (unless the burr oak acorns lend themselves more to that) and will just try making flour this year. Of course, that means I'll need to get a mill of some type (which sounds like a problem for Future EBuff to deal with - maybe a trip to an antique store will turn something up).
I may try a local park to see if I can find enough acorns to make this worthwhile. In the meantime, I'll dry these and continue reading to get a better idea on techniques to use for processing.
Day 5 - Routine vehicle checks and charge the jump packs (plus some more acorns)
Check the fluids, tires, and air filters and top off as needed. Also took the car through the carwash (which did a terrible job that I had to clean up after when I got home), plus vacuumed, and cleaned the windows on it.
I need to take my Suburban to the tire place and have them check the rear passenger tire as it's got a slow leak. I've checked several times and never see anything stuck in it, so it's probably a valve stem or just that it's not completely sealed against the rim. But topping it off every few weeks isn't that onerous, whereas dealing with the tire store on a Saturday is a madhouse!
It was really windy here today and so I went out and gathered up some more acorns. I'm improving - this time more than half of the ones I collected were good, which added about 30-35 more acorns to the pile! Tomorrow I need to clean up the yard - the wind knocked a ton of twigs down and it looks terrible right now. Damn oak trees... >:(
Day 6 - Shred old files - bills, statements, prescription info (the stuff that's stapled to the prescription bag every month), etc.
I try to remember to do this every year, but apparently I forgot last year as I had about 2 years worth of stuff to shred. This is sort of just a financial housekeeping thing, plus it helps to provide extra space in my filing cabinet.
I do check my credit report 3x a year, once from each of the three bureaus (you get one free pull, per bureau, per year), but my next pull won't be until next month the way that I've got them spaced out right now.
Well i did unpack some stuff today still unpacking the move. Found my old Coleman mini collapsible lantern used 4 AA batteries. The granddaughter proceeded to pick it up toss it on the floor and brake the screw that holds the batters in.
They don't make that style anymore. Like this one.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/388922083011?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=388922083011&targetid=2295557531950&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9016293&poi=&campaignid=21400677539&mkgroupid=173029508628&rlsatarget=pla-2295557531950&abcId=9448483&merchantid=656333244&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21400677539&gbraid=0AAAAAD_QDh8cF0VQSgKI3UxH0LxXXF-IT&gclid=CjwKCAjwt-_FBhBzEiwA7QEqyKuqUxJdlOpoVuXjhfp1-hYxuJIyjzl4z71FwHY1S18so_J82i9fHhoCUp8QAvD_BwE
Quote from: Rednex on September 06, 2025, 07:45:56 PMWell i did unpack some stuff today still unpacking the move. Found my old Coleman mini collapsible lantern used 4 AA batteries. The granddaughter proceeded to pick it up toss it on the floor and brake the screw that holds the batters in.
They don't make that style anymore. Like this one.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/388922083011?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=388922083011&targetid=2295557531950&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9016293&poi=&campaignid=21400677539&mkgroupid=173029508628&rlsatarget=pla-2295557531950&abcId=9448483&merchantid=656333244&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21400677539&gbraid=0AAAAAD_QDh8cF0VQSgKI3UxH0LxXXF-IT&gclid=CjwKCAjwt-_FBhBzEiwA7QEqyKuqUxJdlOpoVuXjhfp1-hYxuJIyjzl4z71FwHY1S18so_J82i9fHhoCUp8QAvD_BwE
That's a bummer! There are tons of lanterns that are similar though, so you should be able to find a replacement fairly easily. E.g. these lanterns that NT2C posted about last year: https://ufozs.com/smf/index.php?topic=2041 The deal isn't going on anymore, but it's an option.
Day 7 - Update wallet contact list
I've carried a mini "address book" / contact list in my wallet for many years and it had been just about a year (gee, I wonder why that is?) since I last updated it. Not a lot of changes, but there were a few edits to put in. Then I just had to print it out, trim off the excess paper and fold it. I've got it sized so that it's about the width of a business card, so I just need to fold it over twice and it fits perfectly.
I also printed copies for the bags in each vehicle, plus the one here at home, one for my emergency prep binder, and one for my address book (which already has most of these in it, but just to be safe).
Not a sophisticated prep, but an important one, just in case I should ever lose my phone or need to retrieve a number without having internet access.
Day 8 - Restart hydroponics (again), sprouts (again), and collect (more) acorns!
Today was all food-related. I'd ended the latest round of hydroponics (https://ufozs.com/smf/index.php?topic=153.msg34780#msg34780) earlier this year and just hadn't gotten around to setting it up again again. So tonight I removed the old pods/roots, gave the whole thing a quick once-over scrub, mixed more of the fertilizer for it, and put some new seeds in. I only planted 4 of the bays (out of 12) because these are all leafy veggies that will take up a fair amount of room. More of the buttercrunch lettuce, some romaine lettuce, and two varieties of spinach because I'm going to get it to grow sometime! This time I put 6-8 seeds in each pod. Maybe that will be enough to get it to sprout...
Speaking of sprouts, I'd gotten out of the habit of doing those (https://ufozs.com/smf/index.php?topic=999.msg22178#msg22178) as well. But this afternoon I soaked some seeds and then put them into trays this evening. The trays are in the closet for the next 5-6 days and then they'll move to the south-facing window sill. Right now it's peas and mung beans, but the current seed bags for both of those are nearing the end, so they'll likely run out within the next week or so. That's not an issue, as I have a lot more to pick from, sealed up in a bucket in my basement.
And while I was out working in the yard tonight, I collected a few more acorns (I was literally just putting them in my pocket while I worked). Once I was done out there, I took a quick spin around the block and got a good bit more. The burr oaks seem to be dropping more acorns now and I got quite a few of those. The small park by my house turned out to be a bust though, as it doesn't have a single oak tree! I'll have to walk down the street on the other side of me next time, as I think it's got a bunch of oaks.
Day 9 - Sharpen & clean EDC knives
These are all fairly sharp already, so I just broke out the strop and went over each of them until they'd slice through some cardboard like it was barely there! Also cleaned off the blades (I'm terrible about cleaning tape goo off of them) and used compressed air to blow out the inside. I could've taken them apart for a full cleaning, but this was good enough for now!
And if you're interested, my EDC consists of a SOG Mini Aegis and a Leatherman Juice S2. I also cleaned my previous EDC, which was a SOG Flash I, which I sometimes carry when I'm dressed up more (it's smaller and more discrete).
Over 30 years ago, when I graduated high school, one of the gifts I received was a Victorinox Executive (black) (https://www.victorinox.com/en-PE/Products/Swiss-Army-Knife%E2%84%A2-and-Tools/Essentials/Executive/p/0.6603.3) which I carried daily up until around 2012-ish. At that point, the knife was showing it's age, with one scale that was refusing to stay on. So I just put it in the bathroom, in case I needed some scissors (those tiny little buggers are the sharpest scissors that I've ever owned!) or the tweezers (hands-down, the best tweezers that I've ever used). It's stayed in there ever since and any time I need to get it out, I have to be very careful that I don't lose something when it basically comes apart in my hand. So tonight I sent an email to Victorinox asking about repairs. No idea if they'll be covered or not, but it's long past due for me to have it fixed.
Oh, and I collected more acorns again tonight! The strainer that's holding them while they dry is getting almost full!
Day 10 - CERT Meeting
We had our monthly CERT meeting this evening. The main topics of discussion are several upcoming events that we're assisting with - Oktoberfest and the Movie In the Cemetery (a fundraiser for our historic society). We also discussed how National Night Out went last month, particularly some interactions with a few other local groups where we discussed doing some future things together. We don't have any training sessions on the calendar yet, but are hoping to run a new CERT membership class early in 2026. We also talked about several other events that we aren't officially involved in: doing cleanup at the cemetery the week before the event, the fire department open house (which used to include other community organizations), Trail R Treat (local event the day before Halloween where businesses set up tables and hand out candy at the park), and Olde Fashioned Holidays (a Christmas-themed event with hay rides and Santa).
I also dropped off the choking rescue device that I donated and showed it to a few other people, including an ER nurse. We also talked about trying to order new batteries for our AED, as they're currently backordered. One of our members said that he may have some extra pads/electrodes for it at work, as they had accidentally bought the wrong type for their own AED and he thinks they got the ones that go with ours (and can't return them).
Other topics included talking about UPS systems and battery backups, laughing at a local story where someone brought a grenade to the police department for disposal, rather than just calling them (as a result, the PD was shut down for several hours while the bomb squad responded), and plans for some of the equipment in our trailer (generator, printer, radios, repeater).
Yep, it was a fairly long meeting (about an hour and a half), but lots of good discussion. I'll claim this one as my prep item for the day.
Oh, and some more acorns collected, of course. :)
Day 11 - Check out antique and secondhand shops
It's been a minute since I went to any of my local antique or secondhand shops, so that's what I spent the evening doing. I hit up an antique "mall", a Salvation Army, and a Goodwill. The antique store would've been fine if I was just looking for collectibles or home decor sort of things. For anything like tools or usable vintage kitchen items, it wasn't so great. To be fair, it's half antiques and half crafts. There is another large one that I've never been to that I may check out in the future.
Secondhand shops? Meh. I've been to the local stores in the past and there's not much there. It's about 90% used clothing, with a smattering of everything else. The Salvation Army store was better organized, but didn't have as much. The Goodwill store is (as usual) a bit of a mess. I always see these great stories online about people finding incredible deals, but I'd usually be happy to find a decent skillet for less than the cost of new...
The specific item I was looking for was a manual grain mill to use with the acorns, but no dice. I could buy a new one on Amazon, but I'm hesitant to spend $50+ for something that I may never use again if this doesn't work out! And from doing some research online, it looks like I'd need to spend quite a bit more than that to get one that's actually any good.
My basic (cheap) options are to get an electric mill that's really just a glorified blender, or a manual one that may leave bits of metal / paint / chrome in the flour (per a lot of the complaints). That first option piqued my curiosity and after poking around online, I found that yes, you really can make flour in a blender! So I think that'll be the way to go, since I already have one of those. If it doesn't end up working, then I can order something else, but I'll go the cheap option first.
And yes, I collected more acorns again tonight!
ETA: I did order some cheesecloth to use during the soaking / milling process today. I think I'm all set with everything else that I'll need.
So far the only thing prep related I've done is make a small first aid kit for my photographer's vest I wear during the winter.
Other than that, I haven't really done much.
Quote from: 12_Gauge_Chimp on September 11, 2025, 08:26:30 PMSo far the only thing prep related I've done is make a small first aid kit for my photographer's vest I wear during the winter.
Other than that, I haven't really done much.
As I've said before, anything is better than nothing! Given that the average person doesn't even have a first aid kit in their car, let alone one that they carry with them, you're now better off in that regard than probably 99% of people!
Quote from: EBuff75 on September 11, 2025, 08:30:18 PMQuote from: 12_Gauge_Chimp on September 11, 2025, 08:26:30 PMSo far the only thing prep related I've done is make a small first aid kit for my photographer's vest I wear during the winter.
Other than that, I haven't really done much.
As I've said before, anything is better than nothing! Given that the average person doesn't even have a first aid kit in their car, let alone one that they carry with them, you're now better off in that regard than probably 99% of people!
That's a good point, Ebuff.
It's not the best FAK, but it'll come in handy for scrapes and minor cuts at least.
Quote from: EBuff75 on September 08, 2025, 08:30:53 PMDay 8 - Restart hydroponics (again), sprouts (again), and collect (more) acorns!
Today was all food-related. I'd ended the latest round of hydroponics (https://ufozs.com/smf/index.php?topic=153.msg34780#msg34780) earlier this year and just hadn't gotten around to setting it up again again. So tonight I removed the old pods/roots, gave the whole thing a quick once-over scrub, mixed more of the fertilizer for it, and put some new seeds in. I only planted 4 of the bays (out of 12) because these are all leafy veggies that will take up a fair amount of room. More of the buttercrunch lettuce, some romaine lettuce, and two varieties of spinach because I'm going to get it to grow sometime! This time I put 6-8 seeds in each pod. Maybe that will be enough to get it to sprout...
Speaking of sprouts, I'd gotten out of the habit of doing those (https://ufozs.com/smf/index.php?topic=999.msg22178#msg22178) as well. But this afternoon I soaked some seeds and then put them into trays this evening. The trays are in the closet for the next 5-6 days and then they'll move to the south-facing window sill. Right now it's peas and mung beans, but the current seed bags for both of those are nearing the end, so they'll likely run out within the next week or so. That's not an issue, as I have a lot more to pick from, sealed up in a bucket in my basement.
And while I was out working in the yard tonight, I collected a few more acorns (I was literally just putting them in my pocket while I worked). Once I was done out there, I took a quick spin around the block and got a good bit more. The burr oaks seem to be dropping more acorns now and I got quite a few of those. The small park by my house turned out to be a bust though, as it doesn't have a single oak tree! I'll have to walk down the street on the other side of me next time, as I think it's got a bunch of oaks.
Three of the four bays are sprouting, including one of the spinach plants! (first time on the spinach) I also realized that I'm almost out of the speckled peas that I use for sprouting, so I just ordered a 5 lb bag of them. I've usually ordered them 1 lb at a time, but the price difference is so huge (just twice the price for 5x as much) that I decided to go for it. Now I just need to keep up the planting so that I don't end up with the seeds sitting around for several years!
Day 12 - Power Station testing (and MORE acorns!)
I topped off my Bluetti Elite 200 V2 and I'm doing a capacity test right now (will probably wrap up in the early hours of the morning). I've got a spreadsheet that lists all sorts of specs, questions, and test results that I have partly filled out. I just need to go through all of the steps on it and record everything. Hopefully I'll be able to publish a review soon. I also have the spreadsheet partly filled out (specs only) for the Elite 100 V2. My goal is to complete the testing on both of them this month and post reviews.
Tonight while I was collecting acorns, one of the neighbors came out and we talked a bit. That's one of the houses where there are a lot of the burr oak acorns falling and she said that I was welcome to walk around in the lawn to get as many of them as I can. As a result, when I came in tonight, I'd collected nearly as many tonight as I had gotten up until now! I had to move the dried acorns to a box so that I have room to dry this batch.
The cheesecloth has arrived (needed for filtering when I'm draining the acorn mash during the cold water leaching), and I may try to start processing the acorns this weekend.
Day 13 - VPN, more acorns, and continued power station testing
I finally got around to getting a VPN to use here at home (I've had to use one for work for many years). I ended up going with NordVPN, mainly because in the most recent tests, it offered significantly higher speeds than Proton and it offered 2x as much online storage as part of the package. Pricing was similar, given that Nord is tossing in an extra 3 months free. I've got the software installed on my computer and phone now. Still need to do the laptop and tablet. I could set it up on the router, but that risks running into issues with the VPN for work, so I'll leave that for now.
Today I weighed the acorns that I've collected so far and I've got about 8.5 lbs. On top of that, I probably collected another 2-3lbs today.
Finished with the AC capacity testing on the Bluetti and after recharging, I'm now testing the DC capacity. Still a lot more tests to run, but so far, so good! DC is going to take a while, since the only output that I can really use for testing is to plug in a few 12v floodlights, and that's only pulling 80-85w. I started the test midafternoon, but given that it's a 2074Wh power station, the test will wrap up sometime... late tomorrow afternoon...
Quote from: EBuff75 on September 13, 2025, 08:10:24 PMDay 13 - VPN, more acorns, and continued power station testing
I finally got around to getting a VPN to use here at home (I've had to use one for work for many years). I ended up going with NordVPN, mainly because in the most recent tests, it offered significantly higher speeds than Proton and it offered 2x as much online storage as part of the package. Pricing was similar, given that Nord is tossing in an extra 3 months free. I've got the software installed on my computer and phone now. Still need to do the laptop and tablet. I could set it up on the router, but that risks running into issues with the VPN for work, so I'll leave that for now.
Well, I've spent quite a bit of time this evening fiddling with various settings, but I think that I've got my system configured properly. Turns out that when Nord installed, it only put in some of the rules that the Windows Defender Firewall needed. After I added the rest of them, my speed test (for upload) went from 0.8Mbps to the normal 300+Mbps and the latency dropped to 4ms (from occasionally timing out before!). Ahhh... much better!
Day 14 - Process acorns, evening with friends
I collected another ~3lbs of acorns today and processed a small batch of them this evening. As expected, a significant number of acorns that passed the float test were still bad. I've probably collected 14-15lbs all told, but I'm guessing that between shelling and ones that are bad, I won't even end up with half that weight. It did take a long time and I only did a small amount tonight. I'm tempted to try using a small nylon spin brush on a Dremel or die grinder to see if that works better for cleaning off the internal "skin" on the nut meats, as scraping it with a knife is really, really slow. I've got about a cup of rough cut acorns meat soaking in the fridge. I'll drain the water tomorrow and refill until the tannins are leached out.
Spent the evening hanging out with friends. Everyone is so busy that it's been a few months since we've gotten together and it was a really nice night. Tried out a few whiskeys while we were there and we had some great Chinese food.
Oh, and I also finished up the DC capacity testing on the Bluetti. Still have some more testing to go, but at least I've got a few of the longer ones done now.
Day 15 - Changed water filter and defrosted frozen water line
I really like my GE refrigerator, but every so often the water line in the door freezes. I was overdue to change the water filter anyway, so I made it a two-fer and defrosted the water line while I was at it. About a half-hour with the door open and a hair dryer and it's working again. I did move everything out of the door first, then packed the freezer opening with folded towels (I didn't feel like moving everything into coolers for a short time like that). Possibly the most annoying part was running the water dispenser for 5 mins, as recommended after changing the filter...
I'm also still running tests on the Bluetti and I switched out the water in the first batch of cold-soaked acorns. I'll have to do that a few more times before it should be ready.
Day 16 - Initiate book discussion, more acorns, more power station testing
Okay, I've been writing out some notes for a while about books in my collection that have preparedness / survival themes in them. I've started off with just the adult fiction books (https://ufozs.com/smf/index.php?topic=2891) (with later threads for YA fiction, non-fiction, and reference). Yes, it's a decent list, and I'm only about half-way through the ones that I identified on a quick sweep of my library (which is extensive - probably somewhere around 4000-5000 books). I likely missed some in the process, but I've probably got most of them in my list. Please read it, comment, and add your own. Part of the point that I was trying to make is that even in non-preparedness sort of books, there are often things to be learned. There could be medical events that characters need to handle, natural disasters to survive, or undead to avoid.
I also collected another 4-5lbs of acorns tonight and drained/refilled the water that the first batch is soaking in. That one is mainly a proof-of-concept for me, and will likely result in only about a cup of flour once it's done. I'm probably over 20lbs of acorns collected at this point and had I really felt like going into my neighbor's yard waste bins, I might've been able to get another 50lbs today! (he cleaned a bunch of them up for tomorrow's collection)
And I'm still testing the Bluetti power station. I'm a bit suspicious about one of the results that I got in my testing, so I modified how I did it to see if it holds up. I think that I made a mistake the first time (ran the test too fast), so this should give me a little better results.
Day 17 - Lube locks & doors (and as always, more acorns)
This is something that I tend to forget to do regularly, which is to properly lube the locks and hinges on my doors. I'm in Michigan, and with winter coming, it can get pretty cold. Don't want to have a lock get iced up because of improper lubrication! The current recommendation for locks is Teflon lubricant, or Silicone as a secondary. Graphite is okay, but it can bond with moisture and end up getting gummy.
I looked through all my lubricants, but didn't have any Teflon. I had a couple of Harbor Freight items that I wanted to buy anyway, so I got those and picked up some B'Laster Pro-Grade Multi-Purpose lubricant (https://www.harborfreight.com/pro-grade-multi-purpose-lubricant-56819.html) that uses Teflon. Of course, after getting home and using it on the locks, I went to put it on the shelf with the other lubricants and immediately found the other bottle of Teflon lube that I already had. Oops!
After doing the locks on the house, shed, garage, and both vehicles, I switched over to Silicone spray (actually, a combo Silicone and Teflon from DuPont (https://www.lowes.com/pd/DuPont-Teflon-10-oz-Silicone-Lubricant/1007929)) and did all of the exterior door hinges. That's the doors, storm doors, gates, and even my mailbox lid. I also sprayed all the moving parts on my garage door, which is what I bought the Silicone spray for in the first place.
I still need to do all the vehicle hinges and door / window seals (to keep them from freezing), but that'll be another task.
And if anyone wants an unusual recommendation for exercise, I can tell you that picking up acorns will work up a sweat in nothing flat! It's basically having to squat, stand, squat, stand, over and over and over as you move around picking them up. Within 10 minutes I'm dripping sweat and by the time I finished filling the bucket (which only took about 20mins) my entire shirt was soaked through!
No idea what I'm up to for total acorn weight now, but it's got to be 25+ pounds. I did swap out the soak water again today, as it was still orange-brown from the tannins. I should be about getting to the point where it's almost done though. Then I'll need to mash/grind everything down as much as possible and I can try to make something with it.
My grandparents gave me "My Side of the Mountain" by Jean George when I was a kid. I remember the kid in the book using acorn flour.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Side_of_the_Mountain
Quote from: Red Tamarillo on September 18, 2025, 04:42:32 AMMy grandparents gave me "My Side of the Mountain" by Jean George when I was a kid. I remember the kid in the book using acorn flour.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Side_of_the_Mountain
I've got a copy of that in with all of my other YA stuff from when I was a kid, although I never read any of the sequels. And you're right, that was one of the foods that he used when he was living off the land. Acorns were a staple of the Native Americans and since I've got so many of them here, I thought it was worth trying out!
Day 18 - Oktoberfest Prep and Acorns
I'm going to claim the work that I did this evening to get ready to volunteer at my local Oktoberfest as my daily prep! I've got a list to work from (this is about the 9th or 10th time I've worked there) that I revise each year. Tonight, I rearranged my truck and loaded some of the larger items (canopy, chair, some lights, etc.) to take along. Most of them really won't be needed, and it's only about a mile from my house, but it's handy to have everything with me. I also charged power stations, fans, and USB power banks in preparation. Tomorrow, I'll load the rest of it and head over after work to help CERT set up our security / first aid / traffic control station.
I collected another 3-4lbs of acorns today. I could've kept going, but the bucket was nearly full and I'm running out of space to put them all. I have ordered some drawstring burlap bags which should work nicely for storage. Lots of airflow to keep them dry. I hope that the size is right - I ordered 14x20inch bags, but it's sort of hard to judge how much those will actually hold. It's a 10-pack, so that should be enough (unless I really keep going with the collecting!). Poured off the water again today, but tomorrow I'll test the acorns to see if they're still bitter or not.
Day 19 - Nothing
I didn't have the chance to do anything today. I started work early because I had to leave early to go volunteer for our local Oktoberfest event, which I just got home from. Unless you count working at the event. A few of us from CERT did discuss how we could get more people involved, as we could really use more people for things like this. I'll be back there again tomorrow from noon until sometime after midnight.
I did break out the Nebo Rambler (https://ufozs.com/smf/index.php?topic=2076) for one of the other volunteers to use to charge her phone. She really liked it, particularly because it had wireless charging.
Day 20 - Nothing again! (Oktoberfest, day 2)
I was working at Oktoberfest again today (12 hours, from just after noon to 12:30am). We did use my Eurmax pop-up canopy at the second entrance (to stay out of the sun), sort of as a test for when we replace our CERT canopy in the near future. I also contributed a cold pack when we had a patron fall this evening and injure her wrist. We had already taken down our setup and put away the group's first aid bag, but my truck was right nearby and I had some cold packs in it. One of our members is an ER nurse and she helped the woman out and recommended that they go for x-rays, as it appeared that she might've broken something.
That was about the peak of excitement today. We gave out a number of band-aids for kids, mostly due to scrapes from the bounce houses and one skinned knee from falling on the pavement. Besides that it was just answering lots of questions, opening / closing barricades for the hay wagon to get in/out, and lots of sitting around. We only had three people for half the day and with two entrances to manage, that doesn't really give us much of a break. But everything went well and the weather was beautiful, so all-in-all, it was a good event!
Day 21 - Charging, clean-up, acorns!
As I mentioned several days ago, I prepared quite a few things to take along to the Oktoberfest event here where I was volunteering the last few days. First aid, lights, tools, a canopy, etc.. Last night (this morning really) I unloaded my Suburban and brought everything back into the house, and also put everything back to normal inside the truck. I knew that there was some rain in the forecast and wanted to get that done so that I wouldn't have to carry loads of things inside in the rain. For the batteries that I'd used during the event (USB power bank, power station, radio, power tools), I put those on the chargers overnight before going to bed.
Today, I spent quite a bit of time unpacking and repacking bags and otherwise putting everything back where it belongs. For example, I have several bags where I keep all of my USB-powered lights (I used the Onite and Brightech lights that are linked in this post (https://ufozs.com/smf/index.php?msg=44728) - you can even see a picture of how I use them with our green CERT canopy) and I needed to put everything away in them. It's also where I keep most of my USB power banks, various cords, ties, etc.. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever posted about my USB lighting bags (mental note for future post). I had also pulled a number of my Milwaukee tools out and put them into a bag (along with batteries, bits, and a few other tools) and all that needed to be put back. I used the angle grinder and die grinder to clean-up some rough spots on the hay wagon to avoid scrapes and splinters (and found one screw point that was sticking out right into the loading area which I also ground off!).
So I was a good prepper and actually organized and put things back after I got them out of storage. It was several hours of walking up and down stairs carrying things around, but it's back to normal so that I can find things again if I need them.
And before it rained today, I did get some more acorns. My burlap sacks arrived yesterday and I started putting some of the dried ones into a sack when I discovered that a few of them are going moldy already. Apparently the fan didn't dry them out quite enough. I'm still trying to decide what to do to dry them out better. I don't have a lot of great options, as I don't have a dehydrator (which is the recommended method), nor do I get enough sunlight at my house to lay them out in the sun to dry. No woodstove either, and my oven gets too hot, even on the "warm" setting. Maybe if I left the door open the whole time, or if I used the warming drawer. I'll have to see what I can work out.
Day 22 - Drying acorns
Yes, I figured out how to dry them properly! Today, I spent some time experimenting with my oven and found that if I set the temperature dial just barely past the "Off" setting that it will run at right around 125F, which is perfect for drying. The biggest problem (which took several tries to work past) was getting it far enough over for the oven to run for more than a single cycle, as it kept turning back off after reaching the temperature that I'd set and then would stay off. I've got a whole bucket worth (probably 4-5lbs) of acorns being dried (I shut the oven off overnight, but I'll turn it back on tomorrow morning).
This should solve the mold issue that I ran into with the ones that I was trying to dry with a fan. I'll run them for another 10-12 hours tomorrow, then transfer them into sacks.
Incidentally, they smell a bit like nutty, brown bread while they're drying, which gives me hope that making flour out of them will actually turn out to taste good!
Day 23 - Hardware kit for truck; process acorns
One of my to-dos for a while has been to put together a kit of random bits of hardware to keep in my truck. Nuts, bolts, washers, piano wire, cotter pins, hose clamps, etc. To that end, I'd picked up a storage box at Harbor Freight a while ago and tonight I finally went through my stores of all that kind of stuff and filled up the box. It's not a lot, but should help out if I should ever find myself needing a few bits and bobs to get back on the road.
I finished drying the first of the batches of acorns today in the oven. After putting them into a sack, I weighed it and found that it was nearly 6lbs. As that was just one bucket-full of acorns, I think I need to revise my estimate of how much I've collected. It's probably 50+ lbs at this point. I collected another bucket today and it is currently in the oven drying out. That sack still has room, so after they're finished drying tomorrow, I'll add them to it. The acorn storm has slowed significantly and I'm starting to see that the ones on the ground are sprouting. I may get another few days worth of collecting, but it's nearing the end now.
Day 24 - Electrical kit for truck
Building on yesterday, today I finally put together an electrical kit for the truck. I had already purchased a wiring kit (https://a.co/d/3FBpx6Q) (stripper/crimper, wire, wire ties, various ends, shrink wrap, etc.), but it wasn't in the truck yet. I also have a ton of different fuses. So I used a small storage box from Harbor Freight and put in an assortment of fuses (including some that my truck doesn't use, in case other people might need help) and one spare relay. I don't have any of the JCase fuses (https://a.co/d/2XXsYSV) (the tall, boxy ones), so I ordered some of those. The wiring kit only had a short hank of wire (just a couple of feet), so I ordered some marine-grade wire too. I've already got a voltmeter and test probe in my tool kit, so this is just to have the actual items that might be needed for a repair. Oh, and the wiring repair kit didn't have a way to shrink the shrink wrap, so put in a mini Bic.
TruckElecKit.jpg
I've got acorns drying again today. These are going a bit more slowly (probably because it had rained right before I collected them) and probably won't be done until tomorrow.
Day 25 - Refresh vehicle FAK
This was looooong overdue. I found meds in there that had expired 6-8 years ago. Bad EBuff! Bad!
After pulling everything out, I made a list and went shopping. Ouch! It was around $140, although some of that is for other kits as well. I also filled in a couple of gaps that I identified. The problem now is that with the additional items, the bag doesn't have enough room!
Of course, I'd already been looking to get a larger bag, so maybe that's the next step. I really like a couple of the bags made by Damero and Trunab, but one of my requirements is that the bag is orange and they don't offer any in that color currently. There are a few from Lightning-X that might work. If I do upsize the bag, then I can fill in even more gaps, at the expense of even more trunk space.
Decisions, decisions...
Acorn FAIL!! (update)
Last night I noticed something on the floor in my kitchen (where I've been processing acorns), but didn't stop to investigate. Turns out I should have. Of note, my kitchen has some really old, beat-up linoleum tiles that have patterns on them, which is why I didn't clue in to what I was seeing. Today, I was in the kitchen and saw one of the things move...
Yeah, it was acorn weevils! Looks like the float test with the acorns wasn't all that decisive and that a lot of them still have the weevils in them. The older acorns that I'd collected and which were in boxes with the fan on them to dry out were badly infested and apparently it had reached the time for them to burrow their way out. There were hundreds of them under the table, rug, and anywhere else that they could squirm their way to! I vacuumed and got the crevice tool in everywhere that I could reach, but it looks like I'll need to do a complete cleaning of everything in the area. Not to mention doing a very thorough mopping (which it needed anyway) to get up the ones which were squashed from me walking in and out a number of times.
Oh yes, the boxes were relocated to the porch and I can see that a ton of the acorns are now showing holes in them which weren't there just a few days ago. The only ones that I kept were the ones that I'd dried in the oven over the last few days. I'll have to sort the rest of them to see if any can be salvaged or not.
On a related note, it was a poor decision to choose a lunch that had rice in it today... :smiley_sick:
Day 26 - Cemetery clean-up prep
Not a real prep, but it took up most of the evening. Tomorrow I'm volunteering with a clean-up at a local historic cemetery. From past experience, most of the participants aren't actually local (they're board members who live elsewhere in Michigan) and don't bring much in the way of tools. So I emptied out my Suburban and re-packed it with most of my yard tools - rakes, shovels, wheelbarrow, chainsaw, string trimmer, loppers, etc.. I also put a bunch of gloves, face shields, and the like in, along with a couple of power stations and chargers for all the batteries that I'm bringing along. The weather is supposed to be quite nice tomorrow and hopefully we'll get all the trash cleaned up, along with the majority of the downed branches, and trim back the brush along the road that goes through the cemetery. That way it will be looking its best for the Movie In the Cemetery event the following weekend.
Day 27 - Community involvement and movies/videos
I ended up at the cemetery clean-up event for about 4.5 hrs today, even though it was only technically scheduled for 2hrs. We got a ton of work done, everything from cutting down unwanted saplings, trimming back bushes, cutting out grass that's growing through cracks in the road, collecting trash and more. We even re-set a few headstones that had sunk into the ground or were tipping (it would be a massive job to fix all of them, but these were graves that were for family members of a few of the volunteers.
By the time I got back, I was completely wiped out! I did have a discussion with one of the other people there about (what else?) power stations, as we used them to charge up power tool batteries. He's in our CERT group and said he's been looking at them for a while and just hadn't gotten one yet. He really liked the Bluetti Elite 100 V2 that I loaned him to recharge his batteries, so I might've made a sale for them!
After having something to eat and taking a nap, I woke up still very, very tired and sore. I did unpack the truck a little, but most of it's still in there right now (I got out all the batteries and power stations so that I could recharge them). I did watch 'Signs' for the first time in some years. It's only a so-so movie, but the idea of: how would you harden your house if it was being attacked by hordes of aliens (or zombies, or crazed girl scouts who are desperate to sell cookies), is interesting. I'd also probably end up in my basement, just because it's the most easily defensible part of my house, although mine is quite a bit more comfortable than the one in the movie.
So that's it for the day. Building community ties and watching a movie. Now I think I'll take another dose of pain killer and call it a night!
Day 28 - Renew auto insurance
Yep, just some normal adulting. I did review my coverage and considered dropping collision (my car is nearly 20 years old). But collision only costs $60 (per six months), so I went ahead and left it on. KBB says that my car is worth around $2500-3000, which means any type of accident is likely to result in it being totaled, but at least I'd get some money out of it.
I'm still fairly sore from yesterday, particularly in my upper body. Using a string trimmer for over an hour, plus lifting and dragging logs and brush turns out to be some serious work if you're not used to it! Nothing injured, just sore.
Day 29 - Nothing!
I had a bunch of vacation time to use up, so I'm taking this week off from work. Today, I marked the start of my vacation by doing nothing. Absolutely zip, zilch, nada! Futzed around online, watched some TV, snacked, and read books. Didn't even bother changing out of my sweats. I've got some shopping planned for tomorrow, but for today, nothing!
Everyone needs to take a break now and then!
Day 30 - Antiquing, boot/shoe shopping, and a garage sale find
As I mentioned before, I'm on vacation this week, so I spent the day just doing some miscellaneous shopping. I hit up a large antique mall first. No particular goals, but I was curious to see what they'd have for hand tools, and maybe some other items (glass insulators, old books, etc.). There were a few items there, but nothing really jumped out and called to me. I did find a booth that had several grain mills, but the one that was most interesting to me was also missing a tag. Since it's a "mall" that means the people working there don't actually set the prices and would've had to reach out to the seller to get a price for it. Not worth the hassle. Still, it was a fun trip.
I stopped for lunch at Miller's Bar in Dearborn. Yes, that's the one that Jimmy Fallon was raving about a few weeks ago. I've been going there for years, so it's not any surprise to me how good it is! I hadn't been there since earlier this year and I was driving right by it anyway, so I got lunch there. Yep, still good!
The army surplus store was a disappointment, mainly because they're in the middle of a huge remodel and only have about 1/4 of their normal selection right now. In fact, they only had a single pair of boots there that are even in my size (one of the employees checked their computer and confirmed this). I also stopped at a few stores looking for a new pair of Asics shoes, but didn't have much luck. The only store that had more than 2 pairs to choose from also had much higher prices.
But the big stops will be tomorrow, when I'm planning to hit up two different outlet malls, plus another antique mall that's right next to one of the outlet malls. There are Merrell outlet stores in both of them, plus Famous Footwear, so I'm hoping to get both shoes and boots tomorrow. *fingers crossed*
I also emptied the truck tonight from the cemetery clean-up this past weekend. I'd brought some of the stuff in earlier, but there was quite a bit to go. And in anticipation of the amount of stuff I'll need to load up for the Movie In The Cemetery event this coming weekend, I also removed the 2nd row seats to make even more room. This is when I miss my 2004, where I could fold the 2nd row down and have a completely flat load floor. *sigh* I actually toy with the idea of finding a clean 2004-2006 Suburban to replace my 2013, but it's pretty much impossible to find rust-free examples around here. I'd have to look out of state if I want to do that.
There is quite a bit of prep that I need to start on shortly. Things like topping off all my power stations, batteries, and working my way through the rather extensive list of items to pack. The bulk of that packing will take place on Friday and Saturday morning, but I might start in as early as Thursday night. The good news is that the forecast is holding and we should have fabulous weather for the event this year!
ETA: My one find of the day was at a garage sale in my own neighborhood - Seven brand new 100ft spools of 14ga wire for $5! It looks like it was an 8-pack of wire (each spool a different color) that someone only used the black spool. The seven spools are still unwrapped. It's CCA (Copper Clad Aluminum) wire, so not the greatest stuff, but even cheap spools run about $0.50/ft. I've got higher quality stuff for automotive projects, but this will work great for things that don't need to be weather resistant. Score!
How did you do?
I know that a few people have chimed in with things that they've done this month, but are there any other success stories that people want to share?
I wanted to say I've really enjoyed your thread and appreciate the effort that went into it. I haven't been able to keep up but that is a me problem.