What did you do today to prep?

[erudne]

Got another fire about 8 miles away, repairing LBE, working on learning my mildot for ranging and hold over/windage, prepping for BBQ and spot fires

 

[The Heretic]

A little side note here,if you want to do sprinklers cause you live in forest fire alley?
Install then OUTSIDE on top of the roof.....where the sparks fall.
My ex faher in law Lives in Palmdale Ca. Had o install sprinklers and a 1000 gal water tank.TPTB said they can't ensure fire protection.
I just couldn't understand why they wouldn't have them on the roof where the fires start down there
$5 in pvc and another $5 in sprinkler heads.And no sprinkler service fees
Keep safe

I put a soaker hose on my roof yesterday to cool the roof and take a bit of the load off the A/C. I can't say it actually helped. It might have, it might not have - it probably did, just not sure how much. I did notice a difference in the amount of water reaching the gutters between when the sun was hitting the roof and when it wasn't. I have it turned on just enough so the water gets to the gutters, which is why I used a soaker hose instead of a sprinkler.

If there was a forest fire near me I would be using more sprinklers and a lot more water, but not necessarily on the roof. I think the best thing a person can do to mitigate a fire starting on the roof is to not have a shake roof - especially cedar shakes. I have asphalt shingles, but my next house will have a metal roof and siding with a PVC pipe installed along the peak of the roof with small holes in it - enough so that when I turn it on it can either wash down debris from the trees if the pressure is enough, or if the pressure is slight it would cool the roof in the summer.

 

[mjbskwim]

Well they ain't that smart in CA.
No,lot's have tile but there is asphalt and shakes.They actually put shake roofs on down there.
And it's mostly out in the fire alley ,cause they look cool out there in the wilderness.Right?
Lot's of folks around here recover with metal.Just makes sense.
I like the soaker idea,but if ambers are a flyin' I'd have the sprinklers on full blast

 

[The Heretic]

Naturally asphalt will burn, but it won't catch fire anywhere near as easily as a cedar shake roof. Shake roofs look rustic, but they are a general all around pain and fire hazard.

You can get metal roofs that look like most anything shake, tile, shingle, etc.

 

[erudne]

There are also ceramic tiles that look like cedar shingles, or slate, or even tiles!

 

[mjbskwim]

Naturally asphalt will burn, but it won't catch fire anywhere near as easily as a cedar shake roof. Shake roofs look rustic, but they are a general all around pain and fire hazard.

You can get metal roofs that look like most anything shake, tile, shingle, etc.

The big thing down in Ca is the Santa Annas.they blow the ambers everywhere.
Hopefully we won't have that kind of winds with our forest fires

 

[mjbskwim]

OK this wood collecting is getting out of hand. My Stihl homeowner's chain saw doesn't work right. it's getting warranty work right now.Shoulda got a farmer's at least.
Anyway,they gave me a saw to use and I of course,use it as much as possible.Forgot the gas can after lunch.
Then hurt my shoulder and took the loaners back.
So i went up today to just cull out the good stuff without a saw.
Easy peasy as there is plenty left from the commercials that they cut but can't sell. Plenty of left overs and little stuff.
I did do 3 cuts with my bow saw and a few with the axe.
I need help.I don't even have a wood stove...completed,completed.I do have a rocket stove started in the garage

 

[Stomper]

Clearly, a man can never have enough wood.

 

[mjbskwim]

Clearly, a man can never have enough wood.

Never mind

 

[Stomper]

Never mind

 

[erudne]

installed new deep freeze, continued w/paint project
found some 22 Shorts updated my cleaning supplies, finished repairing my LBE

 

[shel3702]

Today I asked my dental hygienist which dental tools she uses on me the most. She even sort of showed me the "scraping" motion used with them, and how she holds them. She said there are two dental tools in particular that she uses on the majority of her patients for dental cleaning, and that these two could do about every cleaning task.

They are:

Hu-Friedy Model SBH1/26, which is something called a "1/2 Barnhart Curette,"

and

Hu-Friedy Model SU15/306, which is something called a "U-15 Towner/30 Jacquette Scaler."

 

[Oathkeeper1775]

Worked on the final stages of a major water well project; monitor well systems, back-filling trench (screening rocks for a good pipe bed and trail gravel), patching drywall, putting tools and excess materials away, and cleaning our TEOTWAWKI water totes.

Will insulate new pipes in crawl-space before winter.

Stats on water usage for two people for 13 days (laundry and shower for one at a family member's home):

Rain water for Toilets and garden = 225 gallons.
Drinking, cooking, & dish water =85 gallons.
Sun-warmed Camp Shower for one = 30 gal (@80 gal. if for two).

 

[mjbskwim]

Well I've been cutting wood at around 6-7kft a couple times a week.Little half ton chev won't carry much before the yarding hook it the receiver drags,lol.
Yesterday was 2 loads. First was fire wood then I went for some "ornate" pieces,as a local sawyer said. Ha the neighbors are wondering who's helping load for that old guy,haha.Just me
So I've got some acclimation to the local elevation.I didn't want to unload the truck last night,then the same first thing this AM.But I had about 9' hanging off the back,so couldn't take it.
So down the hill to the park to walk the beasts.Probably 200'? rise/drop between river and here.
Last year hunting,the same walk almost killed me.Had to stop every 50ft for air.
This morning I walked back to the house at a pretty good pace,not stopping once to catch my breath.
And I wasn't even breathing hard when I got home. Sweating like a pig but normal breathing.
Feels pretty dang good
Look out elk and deer

 

[Sgt Nambu]

Nice work man! Keep that up and you'll be immortal!

 

[erudne]

finishing paint project, removing old deep freeze, more deer fencing, weed spraying, wood cutting.
I've been reading '299 Days' #6, it's far less a "how too" novel than I had expected but it has some insights that are helpful, especially about how SF interacts w/indigs

 

[mjbskwim]

Nice work man! Keep that up and you'll be immortal!

Haha,yeah so this morning the Immortal went to the hot springs so his joints would work some what smoothly today

 

[tfbit]

Received a shipment of a #10 and a few pantry cans of bouillon powder from The Ready Store yesterday to add to the food stuffs. Also grabbed another pack of Aquamira to put up another 55 gal blue barrel of water. Bought a couple of flats of Nalley's Chili while it's "on sale" ($1 a can, not great but better than Winco's green label price) at Bi-Mart. Found a practically new Leatherman Crunch at a pawn shop today for $40. Plan on loading about 600 rounds of near MK262 spec 77 gr 5.56 tomorrow.

http://www.thereadystore.com/advancedsearch/result/?q=bouillon
http://www.thereadystore.com/aquamira-water-treatment

 

[Oathkeeper1775]

Raked more gravel out of the trench back-fill, gathered more free pallets, and replaced two inoperative Alliance $6.00 spigots (+s&h) with two $2.00 3/4" PVC sched 40 ball valves.

 

[The Heretic]

I think today I am going to be doing some firewood cutting and splitting and stacking. It looks like the temps will be tolerable for doing some outside work - it is ironic that I will be doing this to keep warm in the winter.