Prepping: Home Emergency Plans

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Dead Battery: Happened to me this week:  Had to pull out one of our Home Emergency Plans to keep having a smooth week.

Six Basic Home Emergency Plans

These are going to happen to everyone, if you live long enough.

  1. Dead Battery:  Car Won’t start and you have to be somewhere.
  2. Electricity Goes Out (Daytime):
  3. Electricity Goes Out (Night/winter)
  4. Washer hose busts and floods the house.
  5. You slip and fall.
  6. You’re having chest pains
  7. A stranger comes to the door.

1. Dead Battery Got Me this week.

Elaine went out to make a grocery and wine run Friday morning.  It was cold.  Car wouldn’t start.  I forgot to get the “replace the battery that died last month” item done on my to-do list.

The fix was simple:  Change Elaine into the pickup instead of the old Lexus – call our car guy and got in Friday afternoon for a new battery.  Meantime, the heavy-duty charger had the Lexus starting on its own in 15 minutes.

Batteries are like politicians:  Once they let you down, get rid of ’em.

Slightly less complicated if you have Uber of Lyft in your ‘hood.  But in the Texas Outback?  Could be weeks (or never) for them to show up.  We can’t even get a pizza delivered out here.

2. Electricity Goes Out (Day)

Pretty simple:  Lock up house after calling in the power outage after making sure you paid your bill and after calling a neighbor or two to ensure there’s more than just your home involved.

Don’t open the fridge or freezer and find a coffee joint with wi-fi.  Do some shopping.  Whee!

3. Power Outage (night)

You did have a flashlight on your nightstand, right?

Smart meter ought to alert the power company (as in previous, too) but if not, is your power outage phone number right there in plain sight in a big enough font to read without glasses?  If you don’t have heat, as a result,  don’t waste the cold by opening up the fridge and don’t use hot water.  It will stay warm for a while.

You should have your cast iron grill ready to plop on the BBQ and the stainless coffee pot ready for the side burner.  BBQ breakfast when it’s 38F outside?  Brisk and refreshing.  The first time…

4. Water Hose Breaks Floods House

Yes sir, or m’am, this is a pisser, ain’t it?  Here’s the short list.

  • Turn off supply lines to washer.
    • If pipe is broken elsewhere, turn off water at the water meter.
    • You did get that water meter wrench we said to keep handy right?
    • And if you turn off the House water, you know not to leave your water heater on, so the elements don’t get exposed, over heat and add in the cost of a water heater, too, right?
    • You got pipe caps and hot set glue?  Plumber you can trust?
  • You get the Wet or Dry shop vac and get after the mess.
  • Call the insurance company…get them out right away.
  • Rinse and finish the half-washed clothes and get it dried.
  • Call spouse…drink in hand. It’s only a terrible hassle and mess.

5.  You Slip and Fall

Around here, if that happens, you simply call the spouse unit:  “Alexa  Tell EVERYONE I have slipped and fallen in the gym.,..”

If you conked your noggin and aren’t awake,  whoever finds you should say something like “Alexa:  Call Dispatch” which, although Alexa is not for calling 9-1-1, you can still program in an emergency number and have her call.

When you get old, you think about these things.  Immortality and invincibility are young person delusions.

6.  You’re having Chest Pains

  • Summon help (see previous).  Tell ’em to get thee to an ER stat.
  • Take one baby aspirin immediately and chew it up  It will taste awful.  It will reduce clotting.
  • Make note “In next lifetime, make the spouse take the damn CPR course.”
  • Deep-breathing.  Better:  Oxygen tank.  We’re 2-deep on these: Medical oxygen from the plane’s O2 system and a tank of welding O2.  Not as pure, but O2 or dead>  Umm…pretty easy question for an old geeze to answer.
  • Relax.  *Who’s kidding who?” When you hear sirens coming or a couple of EMTs are shocking you back into your body I’ll grant you it’s not the easiest thing to do, I’m told.
  • Not in a hurry to find out?  Get these to the treadmill.

7. Stranger Comes to Door

  • Check drive for vehicle(s).  If none seen or recognized, call police and ask them to be on line as you go to door.
  •  (lock and load if rural).
  • Stand to side of door.
  • “Who are you and what’s your business.”
  • A clever crook might claim to be a cop.  You already have them on the line.  Ask them how to handle it – follow their advice.
  • “What is your shield number?  I’m on the line with police and units have been dispatched…”
  • Talk to the operator and don’t open the door.,
  • If rural, that is a 12-gauge Mossberg pump with 00 buck and a rifled slug for their vehicle engine compartment, right?

These may seem like ridiculous things to write a column about.  To some, it will be like writing up “How to deal with first contact space aliens when they land in your back yard.”  (You do have that, and a solife “How to kill zombies plan” ready at all times, right?)

BONUS:  Flat Tire Plan

Not to be too alarmist, but you ARE going to have a flat tire.  Only thing that’s not certain is WHEN.

So there’s a checklist for this every time you leave home.

  • What’s the weather?  Can I change a tire with what I have on or in the car?
  • Do I have rubber gloves to keep somewhat clean?
  • Did I check the spare time pressure in the last 6-months?
  • Is the cell phone charged?  Have AAA’as number?  Lyft or Uber?
  • Does my route have safe places to get out of traffic to change the tire?
  • Do I have the right tools to break the lug nuts (on the ground) and then take them off on the jack?
  • Does the jack work?
  • Do I have 20-minutes of leeway in case of a flat in my schedule?

This is the kind of checklist a super-competent person goes through every time they pick up their keys.  Only idiots don’t do this.

Seriously:  If you plan on things like having a flat, or a plumbing disaster, you’ll maybe remember to get that new tub of hot-set glue at  Lowes next time you’re in or fill the air in the spare.  Or, that new washer hose that’s always been on the sketchy side, but you keep hoping it will go another year…

Many home made disasters are the result of:

  • Thinking “It will never happen to me…”
  • Failure to plan for the unlikely event it actually does happen.
  • Skating on home repairs and trying to shirk what needs to happen.  It’s like arguing with gravity:  Most people can’t do that, either.
  • Doing half-ass repairs that will then fail at the most inopportune possible moment.

Where are Your Soft Spots?

We go through this all the time out here in the woods.

Yes, there’s a shotgun near the door.  Yes there is oxygen.  Yes,  we have lots of Band-Aids and plenty of super-glue for emergency wound closures.

A lot of people don’t think about this stuff…but when anything but “normal is going on” you will need a wide assortment of tools, devices, creams,  ointments, and materials to come through unscathed.   Make a list.

Like people that own swimming pools that aren’t fenced and haven’t learned how to save a drowning victim, everyone has exposures that can become major failure points.  Few ever study their lives like an ambulance-chasing lawyer or a loss prevention specialist, a criminal, or any of the many other trades that monetize bad things happening to people in their homes.

Some weekend – while you’re working around the house – notice eversything you do.  Have a back-up plan for each activity?

You can’t really think I’ll be spending part of today being one with my burn barrel without a plan laying out precisely how to respond if something goes wrong, do you?  Charged hose.  Fire extinguishers in the shop and office… sure, you know the drill.

But who actually  does that kind of continingency planning  habitually?

Here’s a hint:  I’ve passed 71 now…and if you’re not there yet, experience teaches that some of these things actually can shade the odds a bit in your favor.  Life isn’t fair, or fun.  But you can win with enough planning.

Prepping isn’t always cases of water and MRE’s.  Life’s little pissers happen all the time and they involve prepping, too.

Write when you feel safe…really, really, safe..

george@ure.net

54 thoughts on “Prepping: Home Emergency Plans”

  1. Another quandary: Are you old because you have continually obsessed on contingencies for EVERYTHING, or are you worrying about everything ’cause your old ? Or maybe old folks just have better organization and more experience rationalizing their paranoias and obsessions.
    Nonetheless, your rant sounds like the sort of analysis I find myself doing when everything is quiet.

    The big stuff I worried about when I was younger, like how do I stay out of debt and keep a positive cash flow are less urgent issues than they once were. Avoiding the more mundane snakes and spiders of daily existence is more pressing. Living for the day, they sometimes call it. The deities are in the details, I suppose.

    • Well, in partial answer to that quandary, I am older (not much) than George, but never ‘worry’ about anything. However, I am prepared for many things that happen in life. Not because I worried about something happening, but because I am lazy. Things are so much more work when you aren’t prepared for them.

      Maybe I was a boy scout in a previous life. Who knows.

      A side affect of this is that I am the ‘go-to’ guy for most friends and family.
      Darn! That is getting to be work as well.
      Just can’t seem to win that battle.

      On the other hand my mother worries about everything.
      If worrying was an Olympic event, she would take Silver easy.
      She would worry about where to put the trophy.
      However she doesn’t prepare.

      The fact is that almost nothing that she worries about ever seems to happen.
      For example, she has worried about dying for the last 40+ years, and at 95 she is still here and going strong.

      Of course most of that is from staying away from the leading cause of death — doctors.

      • Just finished a phone conversation with a long time friend. Both of us agreed that as long as food tasts everything is OK. Your world may different?!

      • Staying away from doctors is something learned too late and repented upon after paniced into “care” that gets paid for over and over ….

  2. I’ve actually extended the life of a couple of automobile batteries by hooking them up to an 8 stage battery charger. Try it.

    Stranger at the door sounds like it’s becoming a huge problem everywhere. We hear similar stories after telling people our story. Young male is ringing the doorbell and knocking on the door frantically ( first hint , right ! ). Claims to have found a twenty dollar bill out front of our house and wants us to open the door so he can give it to use ( yep , hint number two ! ). It ended quickly when I came from around the corner with an 870. Racked. Good bye problem.

    Is it possible to ever let your guard down anymore ?

    You mention the ambulance chasing lawyer. My wife and I think similarly but ours goes ” act like you will have to stand before a judge and explain yourself “…

  3. I have one of those battery charger/air compressor portable combination ‘things’. I have discovered that if I carry it in my truck that the tire ‘low pressure’ warning light never comes on. The opposite is true if I leave it in the garage. Hope this helps.

  4. My old Fire Chief’s favorite three:

    1) “Don’t become part of the problem.”

    2) “What isn’t drilled, won’t work.” (“Drill” = “Test”)

    3) “Stop! Think for ten seconds, anticipate, and avoid trouble.”

    73

    • Many here in this world, are scripting and directing living crime scene movies in their lives, playing the both the roll of the victim and the director. Recruiting unsuspecting and yet eager volunteers to play the roll of the adversary or criminal. All the while hiding the plot and script deep in the subconscious psyche. Completely oblivious to the cycle as it continues to be replayed over and over not only within their life but the lives of their children’s children. with no chance of parole or hope to ever escape the prison of cyclical detention.

      I cant tell you how many people who I have met along the path; that simply are amazed to find out that they live their lives trying to resolve hidden trauma or impact. Most exclaim “That’s crazy!” or ” you are nuts!” as denial is the throne upon which King Ego sits and shouts commands, guiding the soul by the planets and stars (*astrology) agilely maneuvering an individuals life through the deep sea of language. Is it any wonder the analogy of the “tongue as rudder” and “Even a fool can be thought wise if he remains quiet” are old addages and commonalities within all religions that there is record of?? Most all mayhaps even you are simply cluelessly directing and participating in a cycle of perpetual abuse. I have told so many time and time again, “at some point dear, you have to come to the conclusion that it is not the other person that is abusing you but you are punishing yourself over and over for a crime that you didn’t’ commit and holding accountable someone else for for a crime that they are simply unaware of. You volunteer and set the stage and scene in which you play the role of martyr as you stand for values you believe in but do not hold too because if you did hold to them??? you would have forgiven that person and walked away a free woman or man.

      ~ So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains and never even know we have the key. ~ The Eagles, Already Gone.

      Even at the Genentic level (*note: not a plug for past life regression) many who live on this planet are simple roll playing over and over what the Bible calls “generational curses”. when they simply can be the last link in a long chain of “spiritual poverty”. Most are completely oblivious to the participating role. Simultaneously both as cause and effect in systematical and multi-generational working out of “Generational PTSD.”

      Your old Fire Chief albeit very wise speaking to all men in a language not foreign to them as well as at a level of comprehension even the most corked alcoholic could understand forgot to mention or was unaware of #4. True Hero’s don’t know they are Hero’s! The ones who think they are Hero’s??? they are usually the first victims.

      to the above, I will give you an anonymous example of exactly what I am talking about. I have to run and take care of something really quick then I will be back.

  5. So many people think that “prepping” is a one stop shop at Costco and a few shells for whatever weapon is around. It is a lifestyle of careful contemplation of various possible scenerios and how you would address them before the event is staring you in the face. It’s a blessing to be able to go and do a quick inventory, know what is needed to fill in the gaps, and then put the tea kettle on and finish my book. Do it NOW folks . Don’t wait for the corporate shills tell you when it will be too late.

  6. Ok George just what is this about? Did I check the spare time pressure in the last 6-months?
    Just kidding I know full well you make boo boos. :)

  7. Good neighbors are always a good prep. In this world, they are few and far between. You have to be one as well.

    73

  8. George

    “Did I check the spare time pressure in the last 6-months?”

    You should always have a can or two of Fix-A-Flat in your cars trunk and a spare car key in your wallet.

    I also carry emergency money in my First Aid kit just in case. Because Justin Case shows up all the time!

    “Like people that own swimming pools that aren’t fenced”

    Our society conditions people to live like their sitting on the sofa and all is well. Dumbed down and soft!!!

  9. safe, when the ump doesn’t call ya out! hahahhahah

    I am more interested in the nomadic lifestyle at this position of clarity in my life….. may be ship bound out of Europe, Ft Lauderdale or stay local and come out of Long Beach.. life in Airbnb’s and perhaps own a few….

    I am weighing my options and will make a decision based on best advance my “Life education” and optimal route to point Z.

    I’ve been eyeing a 2011 911t with 34K miles on it. as a residence/ office/ get er to point be quick like. Black on black…. I will send ya a picture Mr. Ure. I have 16 years invested into my Teamster pension. However, driving truck is not my own skill and I know many people in the business field, feeling comfortable to pass my SIEE and 75% ready to pass my series 7 at the moment, I am mostly playing golf and relaxing as I weigh my options. no doubt about it I could easily scrore a job as the Casino Manager for Carnival Cruize, comes with free room and board for 7 months, free gym membership, also extremely discounted airfare and hotel prices around the world along with a $95k salary. work 7 months and 2 months paid vacation.

    casino’s must be shut down within 3 miles from shore, so every port I would be free to roam…. and I can and will be able to do 2 months west coast tour’s hitting everything from Cabo to Acapulco then switch to east coast out of Maui or Ft Lauderdale 2months hit every port from Bahama, saint Thomas, Grand Cayman, then fly over to spend the next 2 months hitting Naples Italy, Benidorm Spain, Athens Greece then spend 2 months out of Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo…. should be able to stack $85-140k and my Porsche will be waiting for me in storage in Palm Springs for my return, fully detailed and ready for a drive for an afternoon brunch in the Texas Outback.

    then purchase a few houses around the country and maybe a few in other countries, to rent out as Airbnb’s while I do another round of tour’s. or not…. idk as of yet…

    lol

    so, what to do? what to do? its nice to have options…….

    wait!??? how do you save $140K on a $95k a year salary???? Well silly when you are the Casino Manager, who do you think the owners of all those Night Clubs at all those ports are going to are going to want to talk and have a good working relationship with???? that’s right! The Casino manager who will send those high rollers and whales their way when they get to port. ahhhh for a percentage of the door or kick back for filling their house while in port.

    still that may not be the best path to take…… time will tell… and I may go down and get on the Union A list and grab gears for a year down here…. its really that easy.

    Maybe Mark has a Job for me in San Francisco??? I do have an offer as a project manager up in Santa Clara, but that place is expencive as *F to live there. $800k for a crappy 3 bedroom with one bath??!!! maybe if its under the table. lol

    off to Run 3 miles and get some vitals for my fiddle.

    have a great weekend.

      • lol I am not using a smart phone at the moment. I turned it off for a month. only 6 people besides George knew of my Departure From Seattle to the Greater Palm Springs area. I quit my 120k a year union job, gave away everything I owned except a few items of personal value like the .54 Caliber Thomson Center Black powder mussel loader I made when I was 13 years old, in the 7th grade class called “History of Firearms” by one my all time favorite Teacher Mr. A. (may he rest in peace) at Soldotna Junior High, Soldotna, Alaska. Fun Fact, Soldotna is Russian for “Soldier”. And Yes, I am completely aware of the fact that these days it is completely preposterous that 13 and 14 year old kids were allowed to take a class where you had the choice of building a small cannon, black powder mussel loader, two Black powder flint lock pistols or a real bolt action cross bow. I also forged my own bullets, browned my own barrel, made my own powder horn and at the end of the year long class won 1st prize at all day field trip shooting tournament. I chose the The Smith & Wesson Model 29 44 mag, six-shot, double-action revolver as my trophy, Donated by a person who had completed the class 14 years prior. Yes, I was fully aware that is the gun that Dirty Harry used. hahahahha I also, have wished many times I would have built a mini cannon. The kits for building them were $350 and that was a lot of money in 1983.

        and I also gave a few things to my friend to hold in his safe, old ID’s, a copy of my ssn, birth certificate, copy of my DD214, a copy of my car keys.

        I packed clothes, a few pictures, some other documents and I left town for the next chapter of my life. life! the grand adventure!!!! live it! play it! work it! make it what you want!!! or you will get chewed up and spit out like all the other lonely slaves!

        why wish you can travel the world and see it. or look at pictures of places on line you want to go, why live in a cube, drive a cube to work at another cube and never have your dreams be anything other than fantasies???? F that! I came here for the party! all of it! the good the bad, the hilarious to the sorrow! savor it all!!!

        so, I made some changes…. and ended up not getting married to that absolutely stunning and breathtaking woman…. will never forget doing a line off her A, at 330 am in Dicks drive in burger parking lot on a Tuesday then looking up through HUGE moon roof at the space needle, the last night I saw here and left for California.

        don’t get me wrong, I have a brand new 2019 Chrysler 300S, one down from the SRT8, Has 404 HP, full leather, SRT8 rims and break package on 20’S. heated seats, and just super posh comfy as well drives like a nascar in Sport mode with the paddle shifters… Super fun to drive down HWY 101 at 230am between Santa Clara and Santa Maria at 120++mph racing along with a new black Mustang GT, A newer blue BMW M3 and a newer Red little Volkswagon GTI. It has a full 75k mile bumper to bumper warranty… so I may just keep that.

        the 911 Turbo is just a thought…. because I can tell ya how many times George raved about his back in the day. 0-60 3.2 seconds with a top speed of 185 mph… You can chew up some assphault on I-10 through Arizona and texas if I remember right… last time I was on that Hwy??? I had just bought a brand new 1993 Mustang GT, 5.0. lol

        like Sheryl Crow said,

        “I’ve been swimming in a sea of anarchy
        I’ve been living on coffee and nicotine
        I’ve been wondering if all the things I’ve seen
        Were ever real, were ever really happening

        Everyday is a winding road
        I get a little bit closer
        Everyday is a faded sign
        I get a little bit closer”

        anyway, brb!

      • Plus my friend,

        what if the USA goes Tits up?? I will have made many many in person and real wealthy contacts throughout the globe, my passport worn and well used… and with a couple of fully refundable airline tickets to anywhere in the world that don’t expire for a year??? Purchased by me using my Carnival or Princess or Norwegian cooperate discount??? and having a few Airbnb Houses I purchased for pennies on the dollar available in a select few countries?????

        might! just might come in handy…. *shrugs,

        the topic of the article is “Prepping: Home Emergency Plans”

        so those are my prepping for Home “Emergency” plans.. hahahahahhahahahah!

        Ubjection George????? Sustained! I am holding to the topic…. and my auto will serve as home on wheels, after I sign up to do Lyft and Uber. Its a tax write off after I do 3 rides. Thnink of it as a “tax shelter.” hahahahhaahhahahaah!

        Hey you pay home owners tax??? i don’t… i get my shelter for free and write off my car as a business expense!

        then, I can trade it in if I like for that Porsha.

        i know, i know… i look like a idiot in real life… really.. Honestly, im pretty smart. And i have a way with women…. that most don’t. I cant help it if i naturally smell like fresh baked snickerdoodle cookies!!!! hahahahahhahah!

        My Last girlfriend before miss ‘stood me up at the alter” is a former Playboy Centerfold, several appearances on Playboys reality TV show and had 3000 suiters. I asked her why did you pick me???? hahhahahahahahahahahha! She looked at me grabed my hand and squeezed and said, Andy….. you are the most real person i have ever met in my life. I have never been around anyone who is like you… hands down, you are the most authentic and genuine person and so secure in who you are i have ever met. You get along with everyone from Ruthless Drug dealers to little childern to Super Elite Rich to the homelss begger on the corner. I said, ohhh i thought it was because I have a big package! hahahha she said, laughed and said well there is that… but that’s not the only reason. She leaned over and gave me a kiss on the cheek. then she took her hand off my leg and went to take a bite of her McFlurry and just as she got her mouth to the spoon full of ice crème and had her face close to the cup?????

        i brake checked at 80mph and drove her face in the ice crème and she was fricken livid! i was laughing soooo hard and she smacked me and dumped the damn thing in my lap i pulled over and she jumped in my drivers side of the car on my lap and my buddy and his date in the back seat said, “Sooo much for going to the dace club tonight! and I was laughing sooo hard and she was pulling my hair, grinning ear to ear and telling me what an asshole i am! She had ice crème all over her.hahhahahahahahhahahaha! and was getting it all over me! hahahahhahahahahahah!

        This is why! Leather interior is not an option in my cars. It is mandatory! Simple green cleans it all up in a matter of minutes.

        hahhahahahahahah!!

      • Addendum: I had followed up on all former “predictions” because it fit my business — so I’m not entirely “behind the moon.”

      • Coffee and cigarettes and lack of sleep will give you a dizzy spell that the doctors blood pressure pills will destroy your kidneys
        Fixing making you a lifelong slave pay check..

    • Interesting stories here! I have no idea how to do those things and get those results. We all have different skills, though remarkably similar desires. Not all of us know how to “have fun” without attracting the attention of law enforcement, so we don’t.

      The words “real” and “authentic” in social interactions confuse me completely, as does the reflexive phrase “be yourself”. The mind can’t seem to process this at all, yet people use these terms and expect others to understand. I do understand being honest, generous and decent, but the other terms are just strange.

      I can’t imagine sleeping well in any modern car if you’re a big guy – especially a Porche 911, even if you do have a soft body with you as a mattress. The classic cars from the 60’s with proper full width bench seats and no console or seat belt holes were great.

  10. well lets just say I feel safer spending most mornings reading what you have to say! thanks for a helpful and informative column, enjoyed it and i agree with you! thanks for the help!

  11. My wife and I go early Sunday morning to the grocery store because it is less crowded. Faster and less chance of contagion.

    This morning I heard a shopper behind me coughing and sneezing heavily. He was covering his mouth with his hand and probably absorbing all but a few ricochet shots.

    Didn’t get too concerned until I saw him in the bakery section handling several loaves of bread until he found the one he liked.

    If the Coronavirus hits this town, we’re in big trouble!

  13. Over the years, auto battery plates have been thinned out. You can almost set your watch ~5 years when it will die on you. Some really old 6V car batteries with thick plates are still around and work.

    An old sage told me, “Learn from mistakes made by others, because you can’t possibly live long enough to make them all yourself.”

    Another word of wisdom from the sage, “There are more horses-asses in the world than horses!”

  14. Add a section called I live in Saskatchewan Canada and the power goes out at -30.
    Having a pretty wood stove stuck in your living room is awful handy! (Twice so far this year).

    • So is some thermite powder and a gas can to get it going.
      Seriously I’ve heard tell (this IS Texas, mind you) that it gets so cold up
      there that flames can free. And all the once hot girls treat the guys like ice…

  15. George, I always keep a battery pack from Harbor Fright in my trunk. It’ll save grief if you’re stuck in a parking lot with lights on or some other connected load. I’ve also used it to help many others rather than bothering with jumper cables. It even worked as an extra battery to start a diesel. Just keep it fully charged. Regarding tires: Definitely remove your wheels at least once a year and smear anti-seize on the brake drum or hub! I’ve had wheels rust in place that took whacking on for 15 minutes with a sledge hammer to loosen. It doesn’t take long to rust – even in a salt free zone. It might be the steel that’s being used today. Carrying a sledge hammer might be a bit much. If you can put a full sized spare on board, it makes sense, along with a 12V compressor. The cheap compressors won’t do much but they will fill up a tire eventually if it’s just a bit low.

    If you keep your gate locked and have another locked one halfway down the driveway, any visitor will be there without a car nearby and better have a good excuse. Berms are your friend. Unfortunately, we have a census coming up and that’s yet another opportunity for the unwashed and unwanted.

    • Leave the sledge hammer home.

      Simply loosen the lug nuts or screws, then drive the vehicle around slowly in a figure 8 for a few minutes…

      • I tried that and no-go. I drove home three miles on a wrecked tire and did the sledge hammer thing. Then the same on the other side. YMMV. I’m just saying that these things can happen and the obvious fix won’t work. I have no idea why those wheels were so badly rusted on.

        I’d have hated to drive 50 miles home on rural roads at night if it happened in the wrong place!

  16. battery tender has kept my everstart going for over 10 years!

    https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-021-0123-Junior-Charger/dp/B000CITK8S/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=battery+tender&link_code=qs&qid=1582485296&sourceid=Mozilla-search&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyMTc0QVNaQjZPWjlBJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMTM0OTAyMU5WSkdOQVE4RFlHVSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMjU2MTk0MkJKQ0wwWVg5TVJPOCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

    you need to drive at least 7k miles/year for optimal battery health.

    for chest pains some cayenne will have you pushing the mower in 24 hours or less:

    https://earthclinic.com/ailments/heart-attack/

    i take a couple tbs of crystal hot sauce daily to get some vinegar as well (cures everything due to alkalinity).

    tire shops hate fix a flat and wont touch a tire if they know it’s in there so use a spare if possible.

    unannounced visitors are ignored (i’m looking at you snoopy census zombie). if you sell precious metals use a fake phone # to avoid such scrutiny.

    • Mr.X….

      Battery tender.. I am contemplating using tesla battery banks to replace my absolyte battery bank. I have one battery already ..perfect voltage and a great deal of storage. I am thinking three of them that should theoretically give me 21 kw hour storage ffg or my backup system.
      My backup system is no hooked up to The solar panels and is an outback..
      Ok now my question ineed to hook ups grid tied BMS to monitor and maintain charge off the batteries. A conventional tesla power wall has all of that built into the system.
      would you have any suggestions or should I dispose of That idea and just buy the tested package deal. Like most home made projects ( like my home made freeze dryer) they take more money in the long run to get working properly so buying the unit outright is more than likely the best bet.
      I am open to any suggestions anyone might have

      • thanks anyway Mr. X.I truly appreciate your considering it…. I will ponder it for a bit.. you can get the tesla batteries already assembled cheap enough.. I am just unclear what battery management system I would need.. and if it would be cheap enough to put it all together efficiently and still save money..
        I built a feeze dryer a few years ago.. by the time I got done tinkering with it.. I not only had to baby sit the dumb thing but considering time and money I could have bought a system right from the start.. so I ended up just buying one.. when I built a satalite system forty years ago.. they didn’t have any to buy.. and it was a pain in the butt.. today I wouldn’t even touch it.. the comercial.. can you hear me now.. always gets a chuckle out of me.. because I was sitting on top of a ladder and yelling can you see anything yet.. LOL LOL..but it did the job.. with slave labor in china making them for pennies.. its just easier to buy the already tried and true one.. I am leaning towards doing that with this to.. depending on what the battery management system I would need will be.. right now with just the batteries it will be six grand.. three tesla are three times that much and has a warranty..

  17. Agreed, “Life isn’t fair, but you can win …( for a while). Just remember the mortality rate for humans is still 100%. I used to give talks to MD’s R/T death / dying / hospice and many of them had a real problem answering the question; What is the mortality rate for human beings?? they always wanted a qualifier added to the question.(It is a stand alone question- and pretty damn simple)
    As to no Pizza delivery, I figure that gives your “best places to live score ” an additional automatic 5 points. (Also 1 additional point for every 3 miles from a McBurger and 1 point for every 2 miles from a Wally World.)

      • George, I would say that you need about another 12 points to feel fat and happy BUT you get one (1) off- set point (that is plus points) for every mile under twenty miles to the nearest hospital (this offset is specific to anyone over 65, and yes George you qualify.)

  18. “Batteries are like politicians:  Once they let you down, get rid of ’em.”

    Unfortunately…we treat our politicians like they are old betsy the car.. you’ve had it forever.. did your regular maintenance ..then the alternator goes Out.. you think heck betsy’s been good reliable I’ll fix it ..then the power steering hose etc. Its letting you down right and left. But you have invested a lot of money in betsy. It still acts like its going to do its job. Politicians know what we want to hear toss a dead horse in the arena drag it around maybe even give a polished I. Care speech…only to let you down again. Yet we still vote them in..
    I have to replace one of my battery banks. 24 absolyte.. phew big loss . But when it’s time its time…

  19. Lol lol lol lol… just watching a show on tv.. commercial comes on.. the grill Mark’s on the bun is of a racey picture from the old Victorian days..lol lol lol..
    I never caught it before..lol lol I must be slipping. Or not paying attention..

  20. I know it’s something not everyone can do but even doing it piecemeal while we can is something.

    Having a full set of new tires for, at least, your most important vehicle(s), with or without the rims, is going to be better than having no tires at all when the set you have on your vehicles wear out or if you have a blow out. As things begin to look increasingly like shortages, at the minimum, will be upon us and the US$ devolves to its intrinsic value having a full set on hand and giving a garage tech a silver half or full dollar to mount it will make things a lot easier in the coming dystopia. If you’re lucky you may even find a tire machine in a garage that’s going out of business to put in your own garage. Make sure it handles both old steel rims and the new aluminum ones.

    The more you can do for yourself the better. The balance comes in letting others, even those you’re willing to help, know how much you have to help.

    • If you have a slide hammer bead breaker, a couple of tire irons, a 3″ tiedown strap, some dish soap and a decent compressor, you can demount and mount your own tires. No machine necessary, and it will all fit in the trunk of a car(except the compressor). You get to work out for free – no gym necessary. Spare valve stems and a pull-in tool are important too.

      Personally, I’ll never, ever use fix-a-flat. It gooes up the inside of the tire and patches won’t adhere. Carrying tire plugs and tools is a good idea, but often a tire is wrecked beyond repair from a blowout or a slower leak causing it to deflate on the road. At least one spare tire on a rim is mandatory. I used to carry two – one mounted and an extra when running long distance with iffy tires or heavy loads.

  21. Dam… I’m busy with my cardboard project. To teach a grandson just how versatile and strong that cardboard is.. then as I go to crack an egg for an egg sandwich I think..
    What was it George mentioned a while back.. I prefer luan ( I am a fan of luan myself) but for price sake and availability I chose cardboard to show the grandson.. then this dam egg.. an egg is fragile.. it if held wrong will break in your hand. It’s shape gives it limited area where balance can be made . ( I finally was able to stand one on end using the narrow end… my grand daughters teacher said it was impossible well I have been doing that a while now on the wide end but never on the narrow end. So she asked me to do it and send her a picture to show her teacher. I sent the nm picture both ends)
    Anyway .. as fragile as an egg is. If you set it just right you can stand on it.. depending on how you do it I believe you can toss an egg off of the empire state building and have it land without breaking.
    So… I wonder.. how much weight could a styrofoam shell withstand if you used fiberglass rebar in building an underground dome storm shelter.
    You can buy styrofoam form materials .. so we hat if instead of concrete it was filled with a dense foam.. then sealed inside and out.

    ????

    • Would it hold several feet of earth on top??
      It would be relatively cheap to build and finish off…versatile..

      A friend built hexayurts at burning man and a few other
      Shelters using duct tape and styrofoam sheets..this would be more permanent…
      Eskimos have made igloos for ever. In turkey an ancient underground city was discovered dug in extremely light fragile earth .
      Dam I will dwell on this now for a while .

  22. make sure to use distilled water not regular water in your battery. Same with the radiator.

    wait, you did check the water level? right??

    if ya get in a pinch? its better to pee in there than use regular water. Most people run relatively good Ph level in their bodys. you can measure all that if you get one of those ionized water thing a majigs a good ph level holds a stonger charge.

    dont’ ya guys watch MacGyver???

    lol

  24. Travis Air Force Base in California has run out of isolation beds and is urgently trying to “export” 35-50 infected patients to another facility in Costa Mesa, California. The city leaders of Costa Mesa got word of the scheme and filed an emergency lawsuit in California courts, revealing the true numbers of infected people the feds are trying to move.

  25. I have two spare batteries in my garage – they’re deep-cycle batteries that power my little fishing canoe, but I’ve used one of them to jump start my car in the past. If you can afford it, go for an Optima battery – they are pricey but likely will be the last one you’ll ever buy.

  26. lol

    relax! someone just purchased a war. that’s all.. ugh that’s why the market dropped 1000 points. just the shear amount of TP, q-tips and tubes of toothpaste you need to support 100,000 troops for an 6 month war or revolution is astounding.

    all this trade blah blah blah bullcrap, all this virus bull crap. The truth is someone just took out a loan for a war. that’s all. I mean if the trade war was really real?????? then you would see the tariffs dropped on Africa. which are 18.% and just the difference in the Dollar verses most African countries is HUGE compaired to theYuan and there is 2 billion people there begging for a chance to make American’s new iPhones and Nike’s. lol

    THINK!

  27. Nobobdy goes to war with out getting a loan first. Jeesh. Money has to come from somewhere. lol Nobody these days just goes to war over night the shear logistics of moving 100,000 troops and al they supplies and fuel they will need cost’s are Astounding. Alll wars are planned 2 -3 years in advance and the first thing they need before they happen??? Mulah!

    When I saw to days big cut the firs tthing I thought was, ok well we should be having another Ukraine or Syria even in the next 6-8 months, Someone just put a deposit down on a Revolution or war. lol

    anyone who truly understands Trading Computer algorythms??? knows no damn way that could ever create a 1000 point decline. The decline is too damn big to be about trade or any virus crap. lol

    there are factories in Africa just sitting empty waiting to be fired up to take over if the Chinese all get the flue and die. lol

    stop buying the spoon full of bull shit they are selling ya on the news. lol

    ***** Please remember what I said. Im sure I look like an idiot in real life, But I am actually pretty smart. The last time I up and packed and took only what could fit in my car and moved to another state was 1993. I didn’t move to California because I bumped my head on the door coming out of the bathroom one moring and lost my god damn mind! I moved for a reason. I have been living in Seattle for 30 years. lol

    I moved because from my vantage point! it was prudent and needed to be done asap. lol

    have a good week. how much money is 1000 points down on the Dow??? How much money is that if you measure the whole decline across the world markets???? Trust me! Someone just paid for a regime change. lol

    you have to think about whats really going on …. or your just a sheep of another color. just because your a sheep of another color??? doesn’t make you any less a sheep. lol

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