2-16-19 Potato Plants Breaking The Surface

This year I planted potato seeds in buckets on January 29, 2019, using a (new to me) method of planting, planting them deep, about 8 inches, cover with dirt to the top of the bucket as this method requires no ‘Hilling’. Just plant them deep, cover them with dirt and forget them until harvest time! I was surprised when I looked today, 17 days after planting they are already breaking the surface!

Link to the original posting and planting method:

https://livingprepared.blogspot.com/2019/01/growing-potatoes-no-hilling-method.html

The soil in the first bucket being pushed up by the new plants.

The soil in the second bucket showing some potato plant leaves popping through.

A closer look at the new leaves.

The new planting method looks promising after seeing the plants popping through from their long journey through the 8 inches of soil on top of them!

Spoiled Can of Luncheon Meat

Today, I opened a can of Great Value Luncheon Meat and found it spoiled. The Best By Date was 11-21-20, twenty-one months to go!

As with most supermarket can food products the first sign of spoilage is leaking or bulging/swollen top or bottom of the can. When it comes to SPAM type foods and other rectangle shaped cans if the sides of the can have bulged it’s bad. This can the sides were still depressed indicating it still has a vacuum and the food inside should be good.

This can is my first ever bad can of a supermarket can meats. I would really hate to find out I have a pantry loaded with can goods like this one.

This is today’s can.

  

A look inside, yummy! I don’t have a clue as to what was growing inside this can.

Another look at what I found after opening.

The Best By Date.

Who Was Mr. Gorsky?

ON JULY 20, 1969, AS COMMANDER OF THE APOLLO 11 LUNAR MODULE, NEIL ARMSTRONG WAS THE FIRST PERSON TO SET FOOT ON THE MOON.

HIS FIRST WORDS AFTER STEPPING ON THE MOON,

"THAT'S ONE SMALL STEP FOR MAN, ONE GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND," WERE TELEVISED TO EARTH AND HEARD BY MILLIONS.

BUT, JUST BEFORE HE RE-ENTERED THE LANDER, HE MADE THE ENIGMATIC REMARK "GOOD LUCK, MR. GORSKY."

MANY PEOPLE AT NASA THOUGHT IT WAS A CASUAL REMARK CONCERNING SOME RIVAL SOVIET COSMONAUT.

HOWEVER, UPON CHECKING, THERE WAS NO GORSKY IN EITHER THE RUSSIAN OR AMERICAN SPACE PROGRAMS.

OVER THE YEARS, MANY PEOPLE QUESTIONED ARMSTRONG AS TO WHAT THE 'GOOD LUCK, MR. GORSKY' STATEMENT MEANT, BUT ARMSTRONG ALWAYS JUST SMILED.

ON JULY 5, 1995, IN TAMPA BAY, FLORIDA, WHILE ANSWERING QUESTIONS FOLLOWING A SPEECH, A REPORTER BROUGHT UP THE 26-YEAR-OLD QUESTION ABOUT MR.GORSKY AND THIS TIME HE FINALLY RESPONDED BECAUSE HIS MR. GORSKY HAD JUST DIED, SO NEIL ARMSTRONG FELT HE COULD NOW ANSWER THE QUESTION.

HERE IS THE ANSWER TO "WHO WAS MR. GORSKY?":

IN 1938, WHEN HE WAS A KID IN A SMALL MID-WESTERN TOWN, HE WAS PLAYING BASEBALL WITH A FRIEND IN THE BACKYARD.

HIS FRIEND HIT THE BALL, WHICH LANDED IN HIS NEIGHBOR'S YARD BY THEIR BEDROOM WINDOW.

HIS NEIGHBORS WERE MR. AND MRS. GORSKY.

AS HE LEANED DOWN TO PICK UP THE BALL, YOUNG ARMSTRONG HEARD MRS. GORSKY SHOUTING AT MR. GORSKY,

"SEX! YOU WANT SEX?! YOU'LL GET SEX WHEN THE KID NEXT DOOR WALKS ON THE MOON!"

Bug Out Vehicle Heater Solution

There are many BOV’s to choose from, the most common are converted Utility/Work Vans, Pick-up trucks and RV’s, either a trailer or motorhomes. One of the biggest issues with all of then is having a safe way to heat the interior. In a cold climate it becomes a serious issue, nothing I can think of is worse than being wet and chilled to the bone all day and all night.

The commonly used propane catalytic heaters have several issues, one being the humidity they create while burning propane is so bad the walls of your BOV are wet sometimes to the point of dripping, that dampness is also in your clothes, blankets and mattress. Another is you must have a window partially open to let oxygen in the BOV, kind of defeats the purpose of the heater. Still, another is they are either on-or-off so trying to maintain a comfortable temperature is not possible by their design.

I recently came across a Hot Air Heater that resolves all the issues. It is propane fired, has a thermostat you can set to your temperature liking, is relatively inexpensive and uses very little propane and 12-volt electricity. It uses outside air for combustion and exhaust making it very safe and efficient.

This heater is called “Propex HS2000”. Cost about $500.

Manufacturers Link:

https://www.propexheatsource.com/heaters/hs2000-furnace/

A user demo video link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VEBR8fh-Bo

Specifications:

Average propane consumption = 5 ounces per hour

Heat Output = 6,483 BTU’s (equivilent to a 1,900 watt electric heater)

Voltage = 12 volts

Current Consumption = 1.9 amps continuous running and .04 amps standby

Air Throughput = 60 CFM

Fuel = Propane

          An 8.6-pound cylinder of continuous use = 27.5 hours of heat

          A 29-pound cylinder of continuous use = 91 hours of heat

These are continuous running amounts. Once the inside temperature is reached and the furnace is cycling about 50% of the time to maintain the space temperature the propane and 12-volt current should be reduced by about 50%.

The Bet

Jack, a handsome man, walked into a sports bar around 9:58 pm.  He sat down next to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at the bar and stared up at the TV as the 10:00 news came on.

The news crew was covering the story of a man on a ledge of a large building preparing to jump.  Alexandria looked at Jack and said, "Do you think he'll jump?"

Jack says, "You know what, I bet he will."

Alexandria replied, "Well, I bet he won’t."

Jack placed $20 on the bar and said, "You're on!"

Just as she placed her money on the bar, the guy did a swan dive off of the building, falling to his death.  She was very upset and handed her $20 to Jack, saying, "Fairs fair... Here's your money."

Jack replied, "I can’t take your money, I saw this earlier on the 5 o'clock news and knew he would jump."

Alexandria replies, "I did too, but I didn't think he'd do it again." 

Jack took the money.  Alexandria went back to work at the US Congress.