n6xf's Blog

Hi, until more folks decide to join, I am going to just sit back for now. Email me at n6xf@yahoo.com. Tell others about this forum. chuck

Hi, it would be easier for now if you would just send an email to me if you care to discuss something. I am always intrested to give my 2 cents worth. chuck n6xf@yahoo.com

I don't care to take any kind of pills day after day, month after month, year after year. Well, I guess if my body did not produce something that the body needed, I probably would just have to take it. But as for my joint pains, especially in my knees, I can't immagine taking a regular set amount of paing pills indefinetly. I was told by a bee keeper that he had folks come to him on a regular basis for bee stings to treat their joint pain. Personaly, I doubt that it would help me. But if anyone has tried it and would share their expirences, I'd like to know how it went. chuck

To reach me, email n6xf@yahoo.com chuck

This is a picture of the horozontal trough grower. It will save some stooping over to garden. Using gravel as the growing medium is going to be interesting.

Planted some green beans Friday afternoon, they were up by sunday. Magic.

I found an old CB radio on ebay and got it for $10 bucks. I'd advise everyone to have one of these cheap radios stashed away just in case.

I went shopping today and potatoes were over a $1.00 a pound. It looks like it's time to find a large tub and plant the peelings. I'm glad I live in Florida where I can grow year around. chuck

I didn't used to think it was worth while to go to several stores to food shop. I mean, you drive extra miles just to save a few cents here and there on this or that. However, recently I had to admit that it's more than worth while. It's the only way we can stretch our food dollars. I found one store that sells the majority of their canned vegitable from 43 cents to 65 cents for all the regular things. Corn, peas, beans, green beans, and more. At the big wal-mart, these same items are double the price. On the other hand, I found that the cheapest chicken is at the wal-mart. Meats in general are found at another market that has mostly a hispanic clientel. The cuts are different, and there are more thin sliced choices. I guess that's because they have full time butchers. Next, I am going to start paying attention to coupons. I guess I'm a slow starter, but i hope to get up to speed quickly. What kills me is the cost of bottled water. For my self, I'd never buy it, but my wife won't drink the tap water. I'm thinking of getting one of those slow cookers and buying dry beans. I don't know if it's that much cheaper. chuck

I live in a trailer court where digging up a garden is not allowed. Well, if I was willing to pay $37,000 for the tiny lot my trailer occupies, I could probably get away with a small garden. However, this is Florida, and chances are, a hurricane will probably blow my trailer apart someday. I was already to head out to the country and start preparing for the future, but my wife has a couple of her kids living near here, and I thought that it would be better for her to be close to them in case I kick the bucket. So, I started working on an inexpensive clone of the EARTH BOX that is a pretty good option as a growing platform. The only problem I had with it was the cost. It runs around $40 dollars which is not too bad if you only need a couple of them, but I need around 20 growers. So, I came up with a good working design that costs around $ bucks or so to make. You can go see how they are made and give it a try yourself. http://www.emergencyfoodgrowing.homestead.com chuck

Years ago, getting a ham license was much harder than it is today. Even so, most folks think that it is too hard to even try. The fact is, now that radio building is a thing of the past, the tests are more about making sure the prospective ham has taken the time to learn the basic regulations, and a few simple things about antennas and some very basic theory. When I was first licensed, it was quite different. The idea back then was to provide a pool of trained radio technicians who could serve if needed in the military without a whole lot of training. But, after the electronics explosion in the mid 70's where solid state componets took over for the old fashioned tubes, and printed circuit boards took over the hand wired chassis, it has become much les practical to build your own receiver and transmitter. Yes, some still do it, but 99.99% of the current hams use modern solid state equipment. Also gone is the requirement to learn MORSE CODE. In years past, testing was done by the FCC. Today, it is done by volunteer examiners. Many amateur radio clubs offer special assistance to disabled folks wanting to get their ham ticket. chuck

Thank you very much for being here. With your help, we can all help each other face uncertain times. chuck

Hello, I want to invite you to share ideas and concerns for surviving during the decline of the oil based economy. Many of us will need to find ways to survive when disability checks or social security checks stop coming.

Maybe it won't go that far, but I am sure that many of the support systems for the disabled will be eliminated.

This new forum may take a while to get rolling. I have no expirence as an administrator. I have a hard time with spelling things correctly without a spelling correction feature, so some help is welcome. A moderator would be nice.

Please spread the word about this forum. It originated as a result of a posting I made on the peak oil forum. I thought that there were too may non-disabled folks attempting to show sympathy when what I had hoped for was disabled folks with ideas to share and questions on doing something to prepare for tough times with a spacific disability to work around.

Thanks again for coming by and please feel free to start a new topic. chuck