Bad News, Good News...

Warning, if bodily functions bother you, offend you or otherwise make you squeemish, then you might want to skip this post... Ye have been warned!

A couple of things going on, first I am discovering that my body doesn't like 100 mcg of selenium per day, that's what is in 3 drops of a liquid form made by BodyBio, I got it because I know that selenium is one of the cancer fighting supplements. Gotta be careful with selenium, from what I have read, one can take up to 400 mcg per day safely, I figured 100 mcg would be a breeze... NOT. Apparently my body decides to have lower bowel issues when I take that dose, at least that is what happened the 2 times I did take it. The first time, I barely, and I do mean barely made it to a bathroom, I normally don't have that sort of trouble, it's usually the other way around, I have to convince it to exit my body... not this time, there was rather painful gas and shortly after, well lets just say I'm nicely cleaned out now, glad no one was within visual, aural or olfactory range.

Being who I am, I needed to know if that was a one-off, coincidence... I waited a couple of days and did another 3 drop dose first thing in the morning... same results by the afternoon, painful, extremely uncomfortable gas, and again, barely made it to the bathroom.

So, I'm sitting here looking at this full bottle of selenium, still wanting to take it, so I'll try doing one drop and see how things progress from there, if one drop does the same thing to me, I suppose I'll stop using selenium and look for another anti-cancer product.

Now that you have had the TMI from my blog, this is the good news part, I won! I won a couple of first aid books from Pete over at http://patriotsagainstthenwo.blogspot.com, if you haven't visited his site, or it's been a while, then hop on over, there is always something interesting and... hmmm what do you get when you add scary and educational? Sceducational? Pete and I shot a couple of emails back and forth and we both feel like things are getting bad here in the good ol' USA, I feel like I'm in a safe place, at least safer than in the city if/when TSHTF. I rely on my faith and my knowledge of what is written in the Bible, if you aren't familiar, you should get that way, I fully believe we are in the end times and this is going to be a bumpy ride. I'm not too worried though, I've read the "end of the Book" and I know which side wins. :)

ps
To any non or unbelievers, don't bother trying to convince me otherwise, I'm a lost cause as far as you are concerned, and quite happily so, NOTHING you can say or do will/can change that.

pss
If you would like to learn about some of the things I've been currently studying, just go to YouTube and look up Chuck Missler, you can also insert the terms "end times" or "learn the Bible in 24 hours", I am absolutely fascinated by what I've been learning.

All written text from this blog are copyrighted and owned by Wretha unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved, You may download or copy for your own personal enjoyment, but please do not distribute without written permission. You may post a portion of this (or any) message from this blog on another site as long as you include a link back to this site and the original message.

Wretha,

Thanks for visiting!

Talk of Another Bug

Primitive Bob, or PB as he is known in these parts, posted a new post about our new bug, see it here:

http://primitivebob.blogspot.com/2011/11/moma-bug-and-new-baby-beetle.html

We got it delivered right to our driveway on Friday by our good friends J and M from Odessa, thanks so much!




All written text from this blog are copyrighted and owned by Wretha unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved, You may download or copy for your own personal enjoyment, but please do not distribute without written permission. You may post a portion of this (or any) message from this blog on another site as long as you include a link back to this site and the original message.

Wretha,

Thanks for visiting!

DVD Set Giveaway

OK, Pete over at Patriots Against The NWO is at it again, this time he's giving away a set of DVDs, this set is from Alex Jones and they look pretty good. If you don't know who Alex Jones is, you need to pull your head out of the sand... ;)

Check out Pete's site and this great giveaway here: http://patriotsagainstthenwo.blogspot.com/2011/02/new-world-order-giveaway.html



All written text from this blog are copyrighted and owned by Wretha unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved, You may download or copy for your own personal enjoyment, but please do not distribute without written permission. You may post a portion of this (or any) message from this blog on another site as long as you include a link back to this site and the original message.

Wretha,

Thanks for visiting!

I Won and A Great Video

Thanks so much to Pete over at Patriots Against The NWO for having a great giveaway, I won this book Reader's Digest Back to Basics: How to Learn and Enjoy Traditional American Skills, it's a great book, I have a copy that I borrowed from a friend, but I couldn't talk her out of the book, not for money or trade, so when I saw that Pete was offering this book as a prize, I jumped at the chance and won, thanks! Oh, BTW Pete has a great invention called a Slinky Jr Shortwave Antenna, check it out on his site. :)

Thanks to everyone who have made their Amazon.com purchases through my links, I have had a lot more orders through my site this month and I am well on my way to getting the keyboard I want, but I still have a ways to go, so keep up the good work everyone, you are helping me more than you will ever realize, this will allow me to practice piano at home so I can get good enough to play piano in church. :-) My goal is to be able to buy this keyboard with the money I earn on line, it's been a struggle to wait, but you know what they say, good things come to those who wait.

Next is a great big DANG, if the rest of us were half as good with a pea-shooter, we wouldn't need a gun to bring dinner home, I'm not knocking guns, but if you don't have one handy, this would certainly work instead. Watch this video, I am amazed at his skill, I love his down to earth manner too, he reminds me of some of the people I know in my neighborhood.





All written text from this blog are copyrighted and owned by Wretha unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved, You may download or copy for your own personal enjoyment, but please do not distribute without written permission. You may post a portion of this (or any) message from this blog on another site as long as you include a link back to this site and the original message.

Wretha,

Thanks for visiting!

Music

I have a new sponsor, this is for a great company that teaches you how to play piano by ear. I have tinked on the piano since I was a kid, though I haven't touched one in years. I never learned how to read music, I could put together a few chords, as long as they were easy ones (the key of C mostly). I had always hit this glass ceiling of playing. I have started a new music ministry at our church, at the same time our pianist quit (not related in any way to what I am doing). I had been tinking on the piano a bit at church, with the same results as before. I decided it was time for lessons, I knew I wouldn't be able to afford private lessons, even if I could, I didn't think I could find anyone locally who would teach me the style I wanted to play.

I started looking for gospel piano on line and found this company. They offer a course specific to gospel style of playing (think music you would hear at a black gospel church). I started to order just the first course, but they offered a great deal if I would go ahead and get the whole course, they offered a payment plan so I ordered the whole thing. I am so glad I did, I have only watched the first DVD lesson and it has made such a difference in my playing. I can't wait to watch the rest of the DVD lessons and implement what I learn.

Today was another praise and worship service at church, afterward we had our first rehearsal for our Christmas music special. Between the end of the praise and worship service and the rehearsal, I was practicing on the piano, the other people herd me, which was the point, my fingers get nervous when I think anyone can hear me, so I need to practice when other people are around to get used to it. Anyhoo, we started our rehearsal, we were using recorded Christmas music CDs, one of the songs just was in the wrong key for everyone to sing, it also went too fast for everyone's liking. The leader of the Christmas music program asked me to play that song on the piano, and I agreed! I can't believe I'm doing this. I played the song, Joy To The World with our violinist and guitar player, this is going to be an instrumental version. I found the song quite easy to play. I would probably NOT be doing this if I hadn't started my lessons with this company.

Check them out, if you have ever wanted to play piano (or organ, guitar, drums or vocals), you don't have to be able to read music (I don't read music), this teaches you to play by ear. It doesn't matter if you can play or not, they can teach you. I chose gospel style, they teach other styles too, but they specialize in gospel styles.


All written text from this blog are copyrighted and owned by Wretha unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved, You may download or copy for your own personal enjoyment, but please do not distribute without written permission. You may post a portion of this (or any) message from this blog on another site as long as you include a link back to this site and the original message.

Wretha,

Thanks for visiting!

Sale Ends Tomorrow!

Just in case you are a procrastinator like me, here is a quick reminder, the sale at Honeyville Farms ends tomorrow, if you are going to order from them, do it asap!

Greetings from Honeyville Farms:

SALE ENDS TOMORROW!  DON'T MISS OUT ON OUR BIGGEST SALE OF THE YEAR AND YOUR CHANCE TO SAVE 15% ON YOUR ENTIRE ORDER*!  USE COUPON CODE "FALL" DURING CHECKOUT.  HURRY, SALE ENDS TOMORROW, TUESDAY, 10/05/2010 AT 6:00 PM PST.

TO ORDER, VISIT:

http://store.honeyvillegrain.com

Just a friendly reminder that the Honeyville Food Products Sale ends tomorrow evening, 10/05/2010, at 6:00PM, PST (Pacific Standard Time).  Don't miss out on your chance to save 15% on your entire order*.  Just browse to http://store.honeyvillegrain.com and add items to your cart as usual.  During checkout enter the coupon code FALL on the second page of checkout and click Apply to activate your discount.  Your savings will automatically be deducted from the total.  We appreciate you as a customer and hope that we're doing everything possible to earn your business.  Don't miss out on these great savings on top of our everyday low prices.

Don't forget to check out our new products in the What's New Section.  Visit us online at http://store.honeyvillegrain.com/newproducts.aspx.  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us directly at the phone number or email address below.

Regards,
Chris Ondatje
Director of E-Commerce
Honeyville Food Products, Inc.
chriso@honeyvillegrain.com
(888) 810-3212 ext. 1001

*OFFER VALID FOR INTERNET ORDERS ONLY.  15% off does not apply to shipping.  Newsletter Discount is valid from Thursday, September 30, 2010 thru Tuesday, October 5, 2010 at 6:00PM PST.  For assistance call (888) 810-3212.
This message was sent by: Honeyville Grain, Inc., 9175 Milliken Ave, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730

All written text from this blog are copyrighted and owned by Wretha unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved, You may download or copy for your own personal enjoyment, but please do not distribute without written permission. You may post a portion of this (or any) message from this blog on another site as long as you include a link back to this site and the original message.

Wretha,

Thanks for visiting!

Good Deal on Freeze Dried Foods and Such

Got this in my email today, thought I'd pass it along, it's a good deal and they have super cheap shipping, we all know that the S&H charges always run the bill way up! Has anyone had any dealings with this company? If so, please let me know your experiences with them, good or bad.

Greetings from Honeyville Farms:

SUMMARY:  OUR BIGGEST SALE OF THE YEAR!  15% OFF YOUR ENTIRE ORDER* from Thursday, September 30, 2010 thru Tuesday, October 5, 2010 at 6:00PM PST.  Simply enter the coupon code FALL during checkout. This week we're introducing our New Survival Backpacks featuring Freeze Dried Entrees.  We're also blowing out our Powdered Whole Eggs by the case with our lowest price of the year!  Save on these and all of your favorites for a limited time.

DISCOUNT CODE:  FALL

http://store.honeyvillegrain.com/newproducts.aspx

LONG VERSION

Don't miss out on our biggest sale of the year!  These 15% off sales are few and far between so make sure to stock up and save.  From Thursday, September 30th, 2010 thru Tuesday, October 5th, 2010 you'll get 15% off of every item in your cart*.  Just order as usual and enter the coupon code FALL during checkout.  The coupon code field is on the second page of the checkout process.  Enter the FALL coupon code, click the APPLY button to the right, and the savings will automatically be calculated.

This week we're introducing 2 new Survival Backpacks featuring Freeze Dried Entrees from Wise Foods.  These kits have everything you need should a disaster occur.   We're also making room for new products by blowing out our Powdered Whole Eggs in the case.  Save an additional 15% on top of our clearance price.  A great buy.

See our CLEARANCE ITEMS at:  http://store.honeyvillegrain.com/clearance.aspx

 Visit us at http://store.honeyvillegrain.com.  ACT NOW as this discount will end promptly on Tuesday October 5th at 6:00PM PST.  If you have any questions, concerns, or just want to place an order over the phone call us, toll-free, at (888) 810-3212.  We're happy to help.

Thanks for your business.

Regards,
Chris Ondatje
Director of E-Commerce
Honeyville Food Products, Inc.
chriso@honeyvillegrain.com
http://store.honeyvillegrain.com
Toll-Free:  (888) 810-3212

*15% off discount does not apply to our already low flat-rate shipping fee of $4.49.  Discount valid for INTERNET ORDERS ONLY placed from Thursday, September 30th, 2010 thru Tuesday, October 5th, 2010 at 6:00PM PST.  For assistance call (888) 810-3212.
This message was sent by: Honeyville Grain, Inc., 9175 Milliken Ave, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730

All written text from this blog are copyrighted and owned by Wretha unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved, You may download or copy for your own personal enjoyment, but please do not distribute without written permission. You may post a portion of this (or any) message from this blog on another site as long as you include a link back to this site and the original message.

Wretha,

Thanks for visiting!

Wildfires

One of the things we have to contend with while living in rural areas is wildfires, often there is little information when a wildfire is raging nearby, sometimes the information you do get is second or third hand and becomes exaggerated over time. I found a link to a site that shows active fires in the USA, it gives the locations, size and how contained it is, if you live in an area that is prone to wildfire, this will be a handy link for you.

http://activefiremaps.fs.fed.us/

Yesterday we awoke to smoke from a wildfire nearby, we do have great volunteer firefighters in the area and they seemed to have it under control, then this morning the smoke was worse than ever, it has cleared out quite a bit, but there is still a haze in the air and we can still smell smoke, it appears that the fires are being put out, so no worries about this one, I'm very glad to have this link now, without it, we play phone tag trying to find out what other people know.

All written text and audio podcasts from this blog are copyrighted and owned by Wretha unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved, You may download or copy for your own personal enjoyment, but please do not distribute (text or audio) without written permission. You may post a portion of this (or any) message from this blog on another site as long as you include a link back to this site and the original message. Wretha, properly pronounced wreetha, (included for the text reader), Thanks for visiting!

Poo Digester

This is something I have thought about doing, making an anerobic poo digester. Click on the image to see it full size.

This looks fairly simple to make, of course everything has challenges, I think this is doable. Here is the text that goes with the image:

Organic waste is introduced through the screwed filler cap where it is broken down by bacteria in the slurry. Heat is an important factor, the process working best at around 40° C (around 105° F). Locating the Digester tank in a sunny area will supply the necessary heat.

As gas is produced, it is forced through the Scrubber, which helps to remove any sulfur compounds in the gas.

The methane then passes through the cleaner tank, which removes any carbon dioxide from the gas. The gas is under pressure from the header tank.

The header tank ensures that the Cleaner Tank has a good level of water, and also puts the collected gas under pressure. The higher the header tank, the more pressure is produced.

From time to time, (about 6 months) the sludge is removed from the Digester tank. This sludge, and any liquid recuperated, makes a very good, sterile fertilizer. Any pathogens that may have been introduced are killed off at 40°C, the working temperature of the digester.
Link to the original story: http://kcisupport.awardspace.co.uk/Projects/biogas-mk2.htm

Another link about making methane
http://www.afrigadget.com/2010/05/03/building-a-one-stage-anaerobic-digester/

What do you think?




All written text and audio podcasts from this blog are copyrighted and owned by Wretha unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved, You may download or copy for your own personal enjoyment, but please do not distribute (text or audio) without written permission. You may post a portion of this (or any) message from this blog on another site as long as you include a link back to this site and the original message. Wretha, properly pronounced wreetha, (included for the text reader), Thanks for visiting!

Dollar Store Crafts

In these financially trying times, it's nice to have some inexpensive (aka cheap!) hobbies. Often times things made with cheap craft materials look, well, let's just say it, cheap, tacky, sometimes downright ugly. I found a website that shows you how to make nice, sophisticated looking items, crafts that don't look cheap, it's called Dollar Store Crafts. It's about stuff made with things you can find at a dollar store, most everyone has at least one of those within driving distance, I even have one in the next town over, two now that I think of it.

I found this site a couple of days ago, it's pretty well laid out, nicely categorized, the projects are many and they are easy to find. I am still strolling through their stuff. The thing I really like about their crafts, they look good! These don't look like the cheap components they started out as in life. For example, the latest (to date) craft they show, it's how to make realistic roses made of, ready for this? Coffee filters. This is one of their more time consuming projects, but the process looks pretty simple and the finished roses look fabulous. It reminds me of the tissue paper roses I learned to make as a kid, only better.

Don't you think these look lovely? And pretty realistic too.

I'll make this a short post to make up for yesterday's novel. Visit Dollar Store Crafts site, you will be happy that you did. :)

Oh, I found even more fun things on this site, here are some of my favorites, for now...

Budget laptop case for $2,

Soda bottle coin purse, you have to see this to believe it! Kinda reminds me of Pacman,




Make a doggie yurt for under $10,

Make a perpetual calendar and pencil holder,

Make a reusable Swiffer cover and duster.

What are your favorites? I really want to know.



All written text and audio podcasts from this blog are copyrighted and owned by Wretha unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved, You may download or copy for your own personal enjoyment, but please do not distribute (text or audio) without written permission.


Wretha,
properly pronounced wreetha, (included for the text reader),


Thanks for visiting!

Yet Another Visit,.,

OK, am I being paranoid now? I received a visit (on my other off grid blog) from none other than the Department of Homeland Security, or it was US Customs and Border Protection, when I looked up the "visitor", it gave me both. Go here to see a laundry list of the other nameservers being hosted under this same domain, it's some scary stuff.
http://www.robtex.com/dns/cbp.dhs.gov.html



















I am completely at a loss about this visit, I am giving this visitor the benefit of the doubt that they are visiting for purely personal reasons (having nothing to do with their job) and I obscured the IP address, I still have a copy of the original image though containing the IP address.

I shouldn't feel strange about this, I'm doing nothing wrong or illegal, in fact, I'm doing what most people SHOULD be aiming toward, I'm shrinking my "carbon footprint", I'm using less of everything, I'm at virtually zero pollution... I stay close to home, I haven't purchased anything that would raise a red flag with any government agencies, I am trying to teach other people (if they are interested) how to live like we do, closer to the Earth... heck, I even filed my taxes even though I didn't have enough "income" to have to pay in, and what I did claim, was barter and I could have skipped putting that down as they would have had no way of knowing about it, but I went ahead and claimed it. Our current POTUS should be happy with what I am doing, I did some research on our current POTUS, and found this speech, Keynote Address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention | July 27, 2004, this is an interesting excerpt from that speech:

That is the true genius of America, a faith in the simple dreams of its people, the insistence on small miracles. That we can tuck in our children at night and know they are fed and clothed and safe from harm. That we can say what we think, write what we think, without hearing a sudden knock on the door. That we can have an idea and start our own business without paying a bribe or hiring somebody's son. That we can participate in the political process without fear of retribution, and that our votes will he counted - or at least, most of the time

Let's hope he holds these same beliefs now that he holds the highest office.


I don't like feeling like I'm a criminal, or worse, when I have done nothing wrong, everything I do is 100% legal. Being a Conservative does not make me a criminal or threat to this nation.

I have more I'd like to say, but now I'm concerned about opening a can of worms and making myself an even bigger (potential) target.

So I don't know what to think about all of this, am I being paranoid?

<<<>>>

I think I didn't make myself clear in my message, I don't think the government is "spying" on me, they have come to my site in the open, they haven't tried to disguise their visits. I fully realize that if they wanted to spy on me without my knowledge, they are fully capable of doing so, whether or not they are "spying" on me, this isn't what I'm concerned about.

Think about this, what if a car from the homeland security was parked outside your house and were openly looking at your house, I feel like most people would be disturbed by that, even though they have done nothing wrong, it would still make you wonder why they were there.

In the current political situation, with people being classified as potential domestic terrorists, their only crime is being a Conservative, Christian who listens to Rush Limbaugh and other conservative talk shows, yeah I am a bit concerned when the Department of Homeland Security visits my site, am I on this list of potential domestic terrorists now?

Wretha

Thanks for visiting!
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Short But Sweet-Audio Interview

Hi, here if a fun and interesting interview with Nick Rosen, he is a published author and journalist. One of the subjects he writes about is living off grid, his book How to Live Off-grid: Journeys Outside the System is full of stories about people living off grid in the UK. Nick also has a website about off grid living, http://www.off-grid.net.

Go get you a cold one, then click "play", sit back and enjoy, it's just under 15 minutes long.

The site where I found this interview is called EcoShock, there is lots of green audio fodder there. :) Oh, they also have a blog, check it out too.



To read all of my messages on Off-Grid.net, click here:
http://www.off-grid.net/section/wretha/

To read all of my messages on Earth Power News, click here:
http://www.earthpowernews.com/

Wretha

Thanks for visiting!
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Small House Plans

OK, so you have a property, but no home on it, or maybe you have been looking for land, a place away from the city, away from the crowds, but if it already has a home on it, the price skyrockets, you could afford to get land with no home, now what? Assuming your land (or potential land) is located in a place with no or few building codes, you can build your own home, that's what we did, and we were able to use recycled materials, making the costs minimal. Bob didn't have a "plan", though he had a rough idea of what he wanted to end up with. For those with no idea how to start, I have found a couple of small home plans to get you started, these are designed to be low cost and easy to build, you can use new materials, used materials or a combination of each. Here are the links:

This one was printed in '95 so the prices they list are out of date, but it should still be pretty cost effective to build.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Green-Homes/1995-04-01/The-World-of-the-Microhouse.aspx

This one is really good, it will cost you only $5.00 for the plans to build this cabin, it's not too much to ask, and it helps to support the author, LaMar. LaMar lives in this cabin, he lives off grid full time, he will answer any questions you may have, check it out, there are lots of pictures.

http://www.freewebs.com/simplesolarhomesteading/

I'll search out more small house plans and post them here, look for the updates.

http://www.countryplans.com/

http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/

http://www.townandcountryplans.com/

http://tinyhouseblog.com/

http://www.summerwood.com/plans/cabins/

http://www.small-cabin.com/

Wretha

Thanks for visiting, I love comments (but not spam), you may leave anonymous comments (you do not need to sign up or sign in). I do moderate/approve each comment, if your comment doesn't show up within a day or so, try to leave it again, if you still have trouble, email me.
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Short, Interesting Article

Are they talking about me??? How about you? I don't know if I agree with everything they say, but the bigger truth is evident, being more self sufficient, being ready to face the possible tomorrows by getting prepared today.

http://green.yahoo.com/news/ap/20080524/
ap_on_re_us/environmental_survivalists.html

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2 Comments

lornkanaga said...

Good stuff--thanks for sharing. I emailed the article to friends and family.

BTW, I don't think you're an environmental survivalist. I think you're smart, and you're doing what your heart tells you to do.

May 25, 2008 3:10 PM

Wretha said...

Thanks lornkanaga, I found the article interesting, people do stuff for different reasons, I do think about if/when the SHTF, I hope it never does, though we (collectively) cannot keep going like this, something has to give!

Wretha

May 25, 2008 5:37 PM