Spring fever...literally

 I love spring I really do but along with all the beautiful blooms comes allergies...which I suffer from a bit more with my lupus. There are those menopausal type weather days...30 degrees to 80 to 50 ...hot and cold. Colds are abundant as well as flus and viruses. In any case I am starting to want to learn more about extracts and their uses and maybe even how to make them. My mom had just recently come down with a virus. A nasty one that has been going around. Now my youngest appears to have it as well and last night I started getting the horrible sore throat. I have a friend who mentioned olive leaf oil just a few minutes ago and since this chimed right in with my new interest in extracts I looked it up. I am not sure if I can find it here locally though I hope to. I did find this interesting article though on how to make your own: how to make olive leaf extract in a slowcooker Hmmm wonder if olive trees will grow in Oklahoma? Of course I had to look this up also right now. Apparently the young trees are susceptible to cold but someone wrote about growing them in a place where it got down to -9 In their experiment adult olive trees could withstand certain temps with Mission and Ascolona trees surviving that temp. Why Olive leaf oil? Because apparently it is not only an antibiotic it is also an antiviral. That thing where when you go to the dr. and they say "Oh I'm sorry it is a virus and there is nothing you can take or do other than sit it out" Yeah that. I am seriously tempted to try it. On another note I bought some clove oil for my husband for a dental infection and it did relieve the pain and infection seems to have gone away.  I have also been trying to use my plant book and learn what different plants we have around here and their uses. We are also starting an herb garden and soon to finish a portable chicken run so they can get more grass and bugs while it is nice out. I shall return to blog more later but for now have some things to get done.

Sign of the times

 This picture I took after the May 10 tornado that knocked one of our 50 foot tall cotton wood trees into a leaning position and it to this day rests against its sister tree which is starting to lose it's grip on the earth. The sign says "A house is built with boards and beams, A home is build with love and dreams" It pretty much says it all. The little plant is an easter egg plant that was one of the only of dozens of different plants we'd planted that year. A sign of hope for us. It went on to produce a few fruit before the drought and heat took it. 

I live and grew up in central Oklahoma. It is known for it's severe weather and tornadoes but up until the May 10 tornado I'd never really experienced one. It seems now looking back to have been a sign of things to come. We were lucky. Our house was still standing. We had no land line phone or electric and we lost our food. It was hot and there was fear that the big cottonwood would fall. There was outside damage our porch lost a support beam and our tin on our carport roof was peeled back like a sardine can. Our van was damage (back glass busted in) but we were all okay and our house itself was okay. I have noticed a lot of times things like this come as a warning. I have learned to pay attention. It was a huge wake up call. Though while tornadoes and severe weather are common for us the extreme weather has been on an increase. I've noticed tornado alley seems to have shifted towards Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky (where I have family) Etc... They have been bombarded these last couple of days and looks like more may be on the way if I read the news on it right. They were still recovering from last year in some places. News on tornadoes that struck several states  They said there was a threat for later today also and alerts have been put out. I am wondering if Oklahoma is going to see a severe spring or if we are just going to jump right to a hot summer after a non existent winter. Our winter except for a few short cold days and a bit of snow one night...was pretty much like early spring for us. Now our temperatures are heading up into the 70's and close to 80...more indicative of late spring early summer. Things are blooming early also which is beautiful but if you are mindful of the changing weather patterns is something to be leery of. Something my Mom taught me is nothing is ever 100 percent. Still though I've learned even as a very young kid to pay attention to nature and what she is telling you. People don't really do that anymore though it seems they are starting to. Here is another sign of change: Texas drought changing migration patterns in birds I am watching all of that both in the news and at home. I've noticed there are certain birds that are not really common to this area showing up and some that are I am not seeing. Jays are one thing I haven't been seeing for awhile. Gulls are showing up at our local lake which I have seen some around before but never seen them really stick around like that. Pelicans also which normally hang around Oklahoma but not here. I also saw some interesting footage of a pod of about 2000 dolphins appearing to flee the coastline of California. May mean nothing at all but I am watching for news on that as for that large a number seems unusual. Some people are wondering if it is a fore warning of a large earthquake. I usually take several news sources and compare them (and I try to make sure it is the more reliable ones) For us here in Oklahoma there has been a change in the behavior of wildlife as they search for sources of water and food. They are encroaching on the urban areas. Especially skunks and mice. It is eerie when a group of owl show up hooting back and forth we've had that happen a couple of times now. Keep an eye on your local wildlife, plant life, and weather patterns. It can tell you a lot.  

Water water?

Well today we got our 30 day notice about the water stating that the city of Tecumseh would be buying water from the city of Shawnee. They use a chemical called Chloramine which can cause serious problems with people on dialysis or with fish. I all ready have problems with the water anyway. When I take showers I become ill the next day or so. The dr told me it is likely a reaction of my lupus and to basically treat it as an allergic reaction because that is pretty much what it is. Not to the water itself but to the chemicals used in treating it. This last shower I had was pretty bad my skin was very red for the rest of the night and part of the next day and felt and looked as though I were severely sunburned. (Still hurts some) and I also have some respiratory problems from it like allergies. In any case I am going to have to use a lot of caution when using the new water source. Likely the reason my reaction was so bad this last time was as the lake empties more and more (it is pretty much completely gone at this point) they have to get through all that sediment and such ....well I'm sure you get the idea there. You are basically getting the treated version of what is left on the bottom of a pond. Because that is basically all that is left there is a small pond and not even that. 
Now I've also noticed all our pine and cedar trees have dropped all needles which is a sign of severe drought. I'd been noticing it and it hadn't really registered til I started watching the other trees around start to bloom with an early spring. On a good note this apparently save me some of my serious allergies I normally suffer as I am allergic to pine and cedar. On a bad note this means the drought is very significant which I really all ready knew. Plus pine needles make for some great tinder and there are a lot of pine trees around so as wildfire danger increases...which it is... this could be a problem. 
I have about resigned to calling myself a prepper. I hate to in a way but honestly I guess I fit the title somewhat even if it is loosely. I never feel prepared for anything. I am trying though and I usually say I'd rather be prepared and have nothing happen than not be and have everything happen and be left feeling lost. I am not an extreme one by any means at all. I am storing water mainly because I've been hearing some alarming news and also because of the drought, the severe weather that has changed across the country...though I've noticed tornado alley seems to have relocated more towards  Missouri and all off in the other direction. We've now been through just about every weather condition it seems that is possible, drought, tornadoes, blizzards, and I see the reason to be prepared even if for just that. I don't believe in the "end of the world" I believe in a rapidly changing world which really is just how it always has been. In any case I am storing water because that is a big thing. If you have it set aside then you have it and it stores pretty much forever it seems as long as it is stored in a clean container etc. Also in times of drought like now we use the outside containers that may have water in them (til they start evaporating like last year) for the chickens and plants that we are trying to keep alive. 
That is something else with the early spring we thought we'd risk it and try to start some seedlings early and so far they are starting to sprout. We are hoping they take hold and will grow. We are experimenting with different ideas to help them stay alive in drought conditions. We want a greenhouse but since we don't have that yet (looking at some plans to make one) we are trying some other ideas out. Using the water from the run off of an a/c during the summer...if it will keep going I am looking at the likely hood of another extreme summer like last year well into the 100's (stayed about 110 or so in the shade and in the sun the thermometer was going way higher of course) in that kind of heat there can be power outages as everyone is running a/cs and such. Anyway we are wanting to try directing the run off into a planter we have and I am going to put my herb plants in there. I all ready have a basil sprouting. I want tomato trees if I can keep them alive. We want to use canvas as partial shade. We are also looking for drought resistant plants.  
On another note about the water one thing I've seen is where they are wanting to replace an aging infrastructure that is constantly losing water through leaks. AWWA report on infrastructure. There 
is also some fear that the dustbowl will return by some...concerns about dustbowl return and there is this Drought monitor They have our location under long term moderate but it seems our little local area is more like severe. It has not changed really from when they had it noted as exceptional. Minute amounts of rain that make no difference is really the only reason they changed it I think. The lake continued to fall. I am sure there are other factors in there that they considered but still...
It is quite noticable to anyone that we are going through some changes as I'm sure the earth has gone through in the past (Antartica used to be a tropical area) The changes right now seem rather rapid but who knows... 
Will post more later. I've been in a blogging mood lately.

Politics and Preparedness

 digital  painting I did using a program called artrage. Using mostly the oil paint setting. I find doing art relaxing and yet energizing at the same time. It tends to clear my head some.

As of late I have had some kind of ADD thing going on. Paying attention to the news from all over (finding new sources of news while I'm at it). Watching what is going on in politics which in the past the word politics would cause me to immediately zone out and go deaf. It was the most boring topic ever and right now I am really incensed over it. Especially with what I am seeing going on. It is like the people (who would love to be) in power are wanting to drag us back not so much to the dark ages as to the time of the crusades or something. I will rant on that in a bit. I have not lost interest in other aspects of the news but what I've been seeing lately is rather alarming. As much as it may seem like it I do have interest in other things and I do not spend all my time in some doom and gloom state ...I think of it more as a state of awareness and one of being prepared for whatever may come along that is with in ability to do something about. That in itself actually can reduce worry and bring about calm if you know you have one less thing to worry about. One thing that has been bothering me is watching the gas prices shoot up so rapidly. Knowing what that means for prices for food and commodity items. That is going to hurt as well as the fact that we have a lot of appts and therefor are always having to go somewhere. You can condense trips as much as you can but it doesn't always work. Here is a thought. I think they need to make one of these....electric from a bike and use that design to make one that say you use the bike to go from A to B and it somehow stores the power it creates much like this design does but while you are actually traveling ...not stationary then when you get home you can remove the power thing and use it to power items in your home. I am sooooooo tired right now so forgive me if I am rambling or not making sense but I hope you get the idea. Then it would save on gas (for places that were close enough to make the trip using a bike wouldn't help any on those hour long trips we have to make)...provide exercise (which people really need a lot more of including me)...and also provide electric to take the edge off your bills when you get home. :) If you wanted you could even incorperate the cheesy looking rain cover thing I've seen a few times. This particular model (the stationary one I posted) was about $300-400. Not something I could really afford but would be well worth it if I could afford it....I have 3 teenagers who keep griping that they are dying of boredom and two adults. 

Anyway and then there is this new bill being passed in Wyoming. Doomsday bill  This particular source is the Star Tribune but there are plenty of other news sources reporting on it if you google it. This is the particular article I chose to share CHEYENNE — State representatives on Friday advanced legislation to launch a study into what Wyoming should do in the event of a complete economic or political collapse in the United States.

House Bill 85 passed on first reading by a voice vote. It would create a state-run government continuity task force, which would study and prepare Wyoming for potential catastrophes, from disruptions in food and energy supplies to a complete meltdown of the federal government.

The task force would look at the feasibility of

Wyoming issuing its own alternative currency, if needed. And House members approved an amendment Friday by state Rep. Kermit Brown, R-Laramie, to have the task force also examine conditions under which Wyoming would need to implement its own military draft, raise a standing army, and acquire strike aircraft and an aircraft carrier.

The bill’s sponsor, state Rep. David Miller, R-Riverton, has said he doesn’t anticipate any major crises hitting America anytime soon. But with the national debt exceeding $15 trillion and protest movements growing around the country, Miller said Wyoming — which has a comparatively good economy and sound state finances — needs to make sure it’s protected should any unexpected emergency hit the U.S.

Several House members spoke in favor of the legislation, saying there was no harm in preparing for the worst.

“I don’t think there’s anyone in this room today what would come up here and say that this country is in good shape, that the world is stable and in good shape — because that is clearly not the case,” state Rep. Lorraine Quarberg, R-Thermopolis, said. “To put your head in the sand and think that nothing bad’s going to happen, and that we have no obligation to the citizens of the state of Wyoming to at least have the discussion, is not healthy.”

Wyoming’s Department of Homeland Security already has a statewide crisis management plan, but it doesn’t cover what the state should do in the event of an extreme nationwide political or economic collapse. In recent years, lawmakers in at least six states have introduced legislation to create a state currency, all unsuccessfully.

The task force would include state lawmakers, the director of the Wyoming Department of Homeland Security, the Wyoming attorney general and the Wyoming National Guard’s adjutant general, among others.

The bill must pass two more House votes before it would head to the Senate for consideration. The original bill appropriated $32,000 for the task force, though the Joint Appropriations Committee slashed that number in half earlier this week.

University of Wyoming political science professor Jim King said the potential for a complete unraveling of the U.S. government and economy is “astronomically remote” in the foreseeable future.

But King noted that the federal government set up a Continuity of Government Commission in 2002, of which former U.S. Sen. Al Simpson, R-Wyo., was co-chairman. However, King said he didn’t know of any states that had established a similar board.

Read more: http://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/wyoming-house-advances-doomsday-bill/article_af6e1b2b-0ca4-553f-85e9-92c0f58c00bd.html#ixzz1nXWnIXnI

This to me says that at least one state has seen there are problems growing and that we may be teetering on the edge right now. I agree with the statement that it doesn't hurt to be prepared just in case. I'd personally rather have a plan in place and never have to use it than to have nothing. I think other states should maybe look into this. Though I do have to admit the whys of some of it (an air craft carrier???) I find somewhat curious. I notice I am not the only one questioning that part of it but all in all. What could it hurt to be prepared just in case? You would think with all the talk from FEMA and all wanting Individuals to have plans the states would each have their own anyway. ....I will continue my long winded rambling here in a few with a part 2. :) 

2012 elections ....WTH is wrong with these people???

Okay I have been getting more upset and more upset as I continue to read what these people have in mind for the future of our country and what they use to advertise that. Lets start with Mr. Randall Terry. He is running for democratic president. Now if you are from another state you might not have run across his campaign ads but a lot of people were exposed to them during the super bowl apparently...I do not watch football so I guess I missed out...(Thankfully!!!) but the other night as my hubby and I were in the middle of our nightly watch tv on the couch together and wind down thing that we do (Person's of Interest was the choice of show for the night) we start seeing a ticker across the bottom of the screen warning about a commercial that would be showing and that it warned against children seeing it and that the channel HAD to show the commercial....yada yada yada. Well we wait and the normal commercials come on so we are going wha???? Next thing you know there is now a full screen warning but at this point we were curious because we had not heard anything about this and figured it was prime time television on a local channel could it really be so shocking? Turns out it could. It starts out with a scene where President Obama is wearing robes (like choir robes) and talking to a group of people and then suddenly cuts away to this speech about how Obama is a baby killer who promotes abortion and birth control and starts showing images of dead babies on the screen. I about lost it. I myself have lost a child and this affected me more than I realized but even the next day I did not want to turn on the television for fear of coming across one of those commercials. I have since found out he bought a bunch more air time which he is going to be showing to a select group ...I think like 40 channels or something??? List of channels and times so you can be forewarned... Watch out list I can't remember in any case I do know that we are one of the places and I now get to look forward to seeing this if I try to watch evening news or Person's of Interest. When I went and read this mans page to leave an upset comment (or three so far) I also read what his wife says to tell children if they should see the commercial. This is his page Randall Terry campaign page  Apparently someone else who commented had a 10 year old son and this person had had a miscarriage recently and the son had glimpsed some of the commercial which upset him greatly. I can only imagine. This is the page for what his wife says to tell children Crazyness  This is a snippet of what she says: When they say these pictures are disgusting, agree with them. And then apply that same logic to other social atrocities that we
have already defeated. Use logic and words like this:
"Yes, we think that whipping your black slave is a bad idea....but we DO NOT EVER want to see the pictures of the slaves' scarred
backs because those pictures are upsetting."
"Of course you would never personally gas a Jew....but what one person chooses to do with their own Jew is up to them. And after
the Jew is dead, we do NOT want to see pictures of the dead Jews." (That's just downright offensive! And, rightly so.)
"Yes, we too object to children working in coal mines....but really....those pictures should NEVER be seen....it might actually change
the laws....and then how would we heat our homes?" 
Seriously -- children working and dying in coal mines was the problem, not how people heated their homes. Likewise, the crime of
murdering unborn babies is the issue here, not any other ancillary issue someone can come up with.Really? Comparing the babies to the holocaust? To a child? WTF??? Okay. One's opinion about abortion and whether they are against it or Pro-choice (Not Pro-abortion as some people put it trying to make it sound like people who are Pro-choice are just wanting to go out and kill babies...people who are Pro-choice believe it is a woman's choice....) is their own opinion but this man took it to a whole different level. To me my own personal beliefs are that it is not something I would choose for myself unless my life were at stake and even then I'd try every route possible to save both lives. I never thought I'd be facing that choice but when I became pregnant with my son having Trisomy 18 (full) I had drs pushing me to get it done and my husband and I decided almost immediately that we wanted to carry through with the pregnancy and we were prepared (as we could be) for his loss or if he were to live (which is very rare for Trisomy 18 babies and if they do they usually die within the first year or are severely handicapped mentally and physically) then we were prepared to deal with everything as it came. For more on Trisomy 18 and Trisomy 13 please go to http://www.trisomy18.org In any case that has heavily affected my point of view on this issue as there are so many parents on those boards having to make that very difficult choice as if they carry on they are normally faced with basically watching their child struggle every day until they die. The ones that have Mosaic Trisomy 18 though usually do fairly well despite handicaps. There are a very rare few with full that make it very far and they have health issues themselves but that doesn't mean their parents love them any less (they are normally girls). While I would not make that choice for myself I cannot condemn those who had to make that choice for themselves. That is my perspective on it. Also with a Mom who worked a lot of different aspects of the nursing field she worked as an OB nurse for a long time and has some stories to tell. When she became pregnant with me I was delivered by the dr she worked for. (one of them) I know that there are situations in which that (abortion) can be the best decision. Now the women who use it as birth control I don't agree with at all. ...
Anyways on to my next candidate: Rick Santorum. He himself has a Trisomy 18 daughter of about 3 if I read right. (at first I thought he was talking about someone else's) He used her as an example of why Insurance should not pay (in some places he said pay fully) for Amniocentesis....um having been through this himself I would not have expected this. I find this ridiculous. His opinion is that Amnio (or other prenatal tests) promote the idea of abortion yet even he himself said the drs push it. That is what I ran into. The drs DID push it. I will agree with that but I don't agree that it means you will decide to have an abortion. We didn't, I know a lot of people who didn't. I have another friend with a beautiful little mosaic trisomy 18 girl who is quite the handful and joy that didn't. I think he needs to rethink this. I think he needs to do something more with the drs that won't do anything to help a child with such a genetic health defect or disability. We had them pretty much sit there during my labor and tell us how they wanted to make sure we knew our baby was going to die. We fully understood that but we wanted our last few moments to not be like that. The predominant problem with Trisomy 18 is a heart condition. They could look into that. I think for him to assume that getting rid of the testing would get rid of abortions though? Not happening. The testing to me gives the parents a chance to know what they are dealing with and for us they did two ultrasounds (well 3 technically) before they even decided to do the amnio. It was a choice and we wanted to know what we were facing. Either way we had to prepare for an unfortunate and early loss of a child OR we had to prepare for the health care of a child who would need a tremendous amount of it. This is his article: CNN article He also recently attacked the current presidents beliefs....erm those are whose business? I am hearing alot of reference to religious beliefs and last time I checked there is supposed to be separation of church and state. This country is supposed to be a melting pot of cultures, beliefs etc. Then again we have a long history of forcing that on others even though the original settlers supposedly came over here to get away from all that...except they weren't really the originals.... There were people here all ready. That is a whole different topic though. Then there is this little beautyYahoo news Santorum (this also covers his attack) but something else he says caught my eye... This section: Santorum has said that he wouldn't try to take away the birth control pill or condoms but that states should be free to ban them. He told a Christian blog last year that as president he would warn the nation about "the dangers of contraception" and the permissive culture spit encourages. He's also questioned whether women should be in combat and said that "radical feminists" have undermined the traditional family by "convincing women that professional accomplishments are the key to happiness." 

Okay first of all did I miss something? What century are we in again? Where the hell is it radical for some women to want to accomplish professional goals rather than family ones? Or is it radical for men too?? I think he missed the boat there. Just because a woman does not want to stay home and be a housewife does not mean she's being all radical. Just the same if a man decides that he DOES want to do so. "Dangers of Contraception" and permissive culture? WTH???? Erm okay there has been a lot of this going on in politics lately. I think this is a bunch of BS myself because something else they are not considering is 1. Contraceptives are not only used by women (and hey guess what ??!!....men too if you count condoms!!) who are single and into multiple partners....they are also used by married women who have decided no more children right now or whose uterus needed a break or they didn't have the money to support any or more than what they have. I suppose that is promiscuous too...2. Women or even young adults who need to regulate their hormones. In some cases depending on the cause and effect ...women who lose too much blood (yeah TMI but important in this case) can become very anemic and this is one of the biggest remedies for those who have hormonal issues is to go on the pill for awhile to regulate things. Hormonal imbalances can become quite serious for some women. 3. Sometimes for ovarian cysts to keep them under control. ...oh and guess what in those last two examples sometimes the women ''gasp" aren't even sexually active!!! Those are only a few examples there are plenty more reasons. A woman can be on birth control for reasons other than just birth control. Besides what is wrong with birth control? To me it helps prevent abortions in some cases!!!  If anything birth control should be even more widely available. This is being used in some foreign countries to help with over population where there are food shortages and such also. You have a problem with women in combat? WTH? I think if they are willing to risk their lives for this country let them. OH I am a little amused by the typo from the article. "The permissive culture *spit* encourages" heheheh :) Okay and now on to Mitt Romney (I so far have not found a decent candidate and am disgusted by them all....) The man seems to have the same beliefs as the others and I now know him as the candidate who can't even take care of a dog right....I will probably have a lot more to say on this subject.

Eggs coming out our ears!!

 some of our first eggs (the brown ones...later we got green and blue) 

I had mentioned we have some pretty decent egg production going with the 6 hens and we needed a way to store them efficiently. I would like to direct you to this lady's blog which I found by accident but I had watched that new show "Preppers" and I thought her idea was great about using mineral oil on the eggs and my hubby went to the store and was looking at baby oil which is the same thing only scented so I looked it up and sure enough I completely by accident came across the blog of the person I heard about this from. :) She goes into more detail and I do know that you do not have to store freshly laid eggs in the refrigerator. That you do want to do that with store bought on the other hand as they are likely much older. Anyway here is her link :) preserving eggs in mineral oil. I plan to check her other blogs for canning information as she seemed to have a lot of good ideas. 
the short version is you basically want to coat the eggs in mineral oil and they can last up to 9 months. :) 

Food storage...and high grocery cost

snow pea from May 2011

We started a pretty good garden this last year only to have drought take over. We weren't the only ones with this problem. I was pretty proud of what little we had going though and we have some ideas in store for this coming spring/summer to hopefully combat the high heat and drought conditions. I will go into that later. Something else that has come up is the cost of food. It is really getting high. The last few times we've gone to the store I found the cheapest thing I really saw was a whole cut up fryer for like $5.00 and that was on sale. Which was okay but hamburger which used to be one of those cheap meats has gone up tremendously. Pork seems to be the other cheap meat. I have recently started reading up on canning which turns out to be one of those ..."Why didn't I learn that before?" things. I grew up on a farm/ wooded acreage. I never learned this. Mom said she just never really got into it though we usually had a large abundant garden. My dad had a green thumb when it came to that. Disgusts me that I didn't inherit that from him. I find my plants do great so long as I don't touch them or really water them or ...well look in their direction. I know how to kill, de-feather, and cut up a chicken but not that. Another thing I want to learn is something my grandma knew. She could go out in the wood and identify most plants and use them for a dinner salad. She also cooked old school. She could make squirrel and turtle, things like that. Things people might cringe at now but was fairly common back then. They didn't have plumbing til my Mom got older. Stories like that I actually found interesting growing up and am finding fairly useful now. I think people may find that they need to go back to their roots. Anyway....In my quest to find a good starter pressure canner (which I checked into it and apparently you want a pressure canner NOT a water bath canner to kill the botulism bacteria and such and you can can more things safely with it) I found that so far the Presto gets consistently high ratings and seems to follow the same make they've had forever. I tend to prefer the older model stuff because I truly believe it was made better back in the day. I think in these times we've become a disposable society. Everything is made to be thrown away or replaced with another cheap replica of the same item. I think I've found my starter canner kit. Presto 16 quart canning kit. Walmart sells it for around 74$ which is a pretty expensive start up cost for something I am inexperienced in but I really think in the long run it will save us enough to be worth it. I am a bit nervous about it but also very hopeful.  I like that this one has such high reviews (something I always check) and that it comes with a beginners kit. I want to do this so that we can buy meats and such on sale, make meals, and then store them without worry of refrigeration being a problem as we have lost food to that in the past. (Referring to the tornado) I have to admit I am guilty of thinking of mainly vegetables and jams when I thought of canning and hadn't even thought about the possibility of entire meals to be put up and stored. Wish I had of thought of that a long time ago. As for dried goods something else we recently discovered is an over looked storage container. We sometimes buy beans, rice, things like that to put up because they don't spoil. The problem is during this drought mice have become a problem for a lot of people. Coming in to look for water. We don't want anything getting into the beans and rice (or dried soups etc) and don't want to spend a lot of money on plastic containers. We also like to slip in a bit of recycling when we can. So something we came across recently was using empty pop bottles (which we tend to drink a lot of that ...a habit I'd been trying to break). You can store the rice and whatever in those after disinfecting and drying them. Here is a good link on a blogger who covers this. using soda bottles for storage. I have not tried this yet but I plan to this summer. My worry is humidity in the heat but they also suggest using those little packets that keep them dry. Another suggestion I have is we use a lot of peanut butter and thus have a lot of peanut butter jars on hand. My favorites are those huge commodity sized ones you can find at the grocery store but I'm sure you could use about any plastic or *glass < I worry about them being easily broken...containers that are you are done using so long as they are disinfected and dry and sealed. I am always looking for other suggestions too so if anyone has any feel free to leave a comment.