Homestead Update 10-30-16

Just a quick post to let you know I am still alive. I haven’t had an outbreak of psoriasis in 3 weeks so maybe the medicine is finally taking effect. Our cotton is almost completely harvested and the yields were pretty good.

I made this cherry picker basket to lift up with the bucket on my front end loader on my tractor.

I had to replace the security light on the front of the shop. While I was at it I replaced my American flag. She’s flying pretty and proud ain’t she? I had to buy that light at Home Depot, they don’t sell metal halide lights at Lowe’s anymore. All they had were fluorescent and LEDs and I thought the metal halide would be brighter.

After I took the old one down, I had second thoughts however. This old one got hot enough to burn and melt the wires and ballast in the fixture, that is why it quit working. If I hadn’t already mounted the new halide light, I think I would have opted to put up an LED light. I have decided I really like the LED lights in the house even though they are really expensive up front. As the lights need replacing around here, I replace them with LEDs. Someday they will all be LEDs unless they come up with something better in the next few years.

I planted these mustard greens 4 weeks ago and they have grown big enough to pick. Sweet Thing has already picked several sacks and took them to her mother and sister. I guess the next sack will be mine. I love fresh greens!

I grew a few cantaloupes to go along with the peppers and tomatoes I grew in the raised bed I made. I am declaring the raised bed method a success! Next Summer I will have a couple of more beds ready. Until then, keep prepping everyone!

Incandescent Light Bulb Ban

I was in Lowe’s today and I picked up a few more of the old style incandescent bulbs to put away for later. The government has stuck it’s nose in our business once again and in it’s infinite wisdom it has decided these bulbs use too much energy, therefore, we will be forced to buy those CFL pigtail bulbs from now on. Or, better yet you can buy the LED bulbs for $10 a piece instead of the good old cheap incandescent bulbs. Well, I don’t like the quality of light that comes out of those bulbs, so I bought 10 dozen of the 100 watt bulbs last year and put them back. This year I will get twice that many 60 and 40 watt bulbs to put back for future use. Good luck trying to read by that awful fluorescent  light put out by those CFLs. Thanks, Big Brother. Have you added some spare bulbs to your preps? You might want to get some soon before it is too late. Keep prepping everyone!