Earthy Views

Maintaining and cleaning your blade fan.

August 26, 2021August 25, 2021 Earthy Views

Have you ever taken apart a fan or heater to clean it? I have been doing maintenance on many of my appliances over the years. When you start a project please unplug whenever you’re working on.

Things you might need

Rags
Screw driver (I love the multi bits)
Little bushes
Compressed air
Toothpicks
3 in one oil
New paper or old towel to put dirty projects on.
Soap and water
Somewhere to put your little parts

Benefits to cleaning and maintaining your fans, extending it’s life will save you money, better cleaner air flow, less likely to have the motor get clogged and smell weird. Having pets I clean my fans about 2 times a year, fir in the near the motor is not good for air flow.

I have a little fan/heater that we have had for over 10 years, I took it apart to clean it. Boy do they get caked up, lucky it did not start on fire! I used nylon brushes and toothpicks to clear on the metal heating plate. This project took me a bit over a half an hour, I would think the next time it will be a bit less due to not having to slowly put the pieces back in the order I took them out in. It was a bit more involved than working on a blade fan. I might do a post just on the heater for now it is the light version.

When you first start taking things apart, take lots of photos or take notes so when you try to get it together it is easier to put it back together. Never force things apart or together. Even when things are a bit stuck, be gentle but firm. When I take things apart to clean them I often will put small parts in a container or ziplock bag.

Heater fan look at the grunge that came out of it, worked and smelled better after a cleaning.

I used compressed air, Q Tips, old clothes, and little nylon bristle brushes to clean the parts.

When I take a fan apart I clean the blades and guards with warm soap water and dry them with a towel. Before putting a fan back together I use 3 in one oil on the shaft that goes into the motor.

Taking apart a simple blade standing fan is fairly easy. Take the front guard off, often there are clips to pull up and sometimes small screws. Next you take off the blade nut, This is located in front of the blade. Some turn clockwise, others turn counterclockwise. You are then able to get the blade off by pulling it forward. They can be a bit tricky, just be patient, it will come. Once the blade is off there is a nut near the back grill that is the one closest to the motor. All the removed parts can be washed with soapy water and the back near the motor can be wiped with a soapy damp cloth. After that blow out between the holes with the compressed air. It will take you 10 or 15 mins to clean the fan without heavy grime.

One of the steps I take is if the motor shaft is not spinning I will take some WD 40 and spray it as near to the base of the shaft as I can before reassembling then plug it in and use my finger strength to get it spinning again. If you get no motion after a few spins with your fingers it might mean a seized motor. Also if it smells burnt this would be a good time to take it to the recycler and buy a new one.

Once the parts are dried off with a towel you can put them back together the back grill sometimes has a handle. They also have some plastic pegs to line up. When everything is lined up then you can screw the first nut back on and line up the blade to go back on and start reversing the steps taken to take it apart. Clean your table top fan. He goes though a few steps I did not cover, If you feel confident you can try it how he did it.

The multi blade window fans are a bit more complex, I might give them a shot one day, till then you will need to find a great blogger or Youtuber that has the know how to walk you through those steps!

If you are inspired to give this a try or have done your own projects it would be great to read how it went for you. Have a great week and stay cool!

Canning though a busy schedule

August 19, 2021August 20, 2021 Earthy Views

This year has been very busy in my life, so where do you fit in canning? Normally I have an organized process for canning. If you where looking for this on Thursday something went wrong in the auto post. It is here now for you to read!

Sort out my jars, match them with the right sized snap lids and rings, wash everything but the snap lids. This year I almost thought canning should be put on hold because we are trying to pack up to move. My logic was empty or full the jars will be moved. I do need to eat this fall and winter. Then a market had salsa ingredients on sale and a friend shared garden food. Soon I will be canning spicy pickles and making grape jelly.

Grapes shared with me They are vegan so as a thank you for sharing I will make some vegan jelly

Well no time for my fancy methods of matching jars the right size for the right substance. It was more like buying cheap ingredients and scrambling to find 6 or more jars, just grabbing what I can get my hands on or moving boxes out of the way to get into the place where I keep some of the canning jars. Then find a few unused snap lids and dig in a few places and boxes for rings. I had recently bought an induction burner from Ikea, which I used for this as it puts less heat out into my kitchen than using the burner on the stove, it’s been way too hot for that.

My spicy salsa. on a later time I will post the recipe

Canning has a few simple principles. You need a few basics. Preserving agents like salt, sugar or something with higher acid content. Clean and sterile supplies including jar snap lids and rings. Then you add heat (water bath or pressure) to kill bacteria and to create a bond between the seal lid and jar.

If you’re in a pickle just use mismatched jars like I did. The one thing to note: If you use a pint jar (470ml or 16 oz) then stick with the same size in a water bath to make sure they are covered by the water. Set aside 1 to 3 hours depending on what you are canning. In another blog I will go into more. For now here is a canning basics link This is a 1 hour canning video. It has great tips.

If you have preserved food or would like to try something, I would love to read what you would like to try or what you love to make. Something I love about canning is you can modify recipes and avoid things you might not like or that fit your diets.

Vegan conversion kit

August 12, 2021August 12, 2021 Earthy Views

This week I feel compelled to put on my Swedish Chef hat, First, you take the human, then you take the chicken… Scratch the chicken, tosses the chicken over my shoulder.. Those that became vegan as a statement against the harm in using animals for food or to Support the PETA (People for The Ethical Treatment Of Animals) movement might be offended by my tossing the chicken.. No chickens were harmed in the making of this blog. The Swedish Chef is a Muppet and so was the chicken.

Sometimes people are tossed into changing their diet rapidly due to health problems. Some doctors and scientists feel that a well-balanced plant-based diet can have positive effects on things like diabetes, heart blockages, high blood pressure, edema, allergies/sensitivities..

So where do you start, mmm tree bark and weeds. Switching to a plant-based diet does not need to be gross.

From animal milk to plant-based beverages, what you choose will be impacted pending on other allergies or sensitivities. If you are able to have nuts, there is almond, coconut and other nut milk. I would say cashew but they are not a real nut, they come from a fruit. They are lumped into the same category as nuts. There are also grain beverages, oat milk, rice, barley buckwheat, soy

If you want to try to make plant based beverages yourself, invest in a good high-speed blender.

If cheese makes you weak there is vegan cheese too. If you are blessed to have some local artisan, you might find some vegan small batch choices. Many are made with nuts so if you have problems with nuts you might need to ask more questions. This website gives 175 vegan cheese choices for Canada and many in other parts on the world.

Vegan oils and fats, there is vegan margarine, I use olive oil in most of my recipes and for cooking.

For people that love marshmallows, Dandies makes large and small ones. I was also able to find some from May to I think Sept at Trader Joe’s in the USA. Here is Trader Joe’s vegan products There is this marshmallow fluff that is so good on things like the vegan brownies if you are not being watched by the spoonful!

Moving away from eggs, see the chicken came first in this blog! If your recipe calls for eggs you can use a flax meal mix and water, chia seeds with water, apple sauce, silken tofu, banana and commercial egg replacer ( people that have other food problems need to be mindful of the commercial stuff, it is a blend of different ingredients). Egg replacers recipes.

If you need a replacement for your jerkies. I have read there are some yummy jackfruit and carrot jerkies. Vegan jerky recipes.

Now if you are someone that enjoys chocolate you can still enjoy that flavor. Carob chips are yummy and you can use cocoa powder in recipes. I used to make vegan brownies for parties, many enjoyed them especially my vegan gluten-free people

Hot cocoa Use the dairy-free beverage of your choice, cocoa powder and sugar or sweetener best suits your diet If you use your non-dairy substitute you will have a vegan, gluten-free, paleo beverage that is safe for diabetics.

When I see a recipe it is an inspiration for what I do. I’m often thinking how I can modify it for people with different diets. Warning the recipe had meat in the writing, I converted it. Asian Ground Turkey Bowls

I cut carrots, red onion, green beans from my friends garden, chickpeas, red chili flakes In my recipe, I added 1 tablespoon/ 15ml of sunomono mix I keep in the fridge. I make it in my empty rice wine vinegar bottle so then when I want it I just make the noodles and cut veggies and then I have a nice salad. You can omit the fish sauce or use vegan fish sauce. To thicken it I used potato starch in place of cornstarch, I took out the sesame seed and replaced it with sesame oil. I heated all the fluid in the pan with the potato starch, then tossed in the other ingredients and served it on rice.

Making the sunomono dressing is easy rice vinegar, sugar, and fresh lemon juice, soy sauce ( on that is gluten free if you are celiac.)

If you are changing your diet, please monitor your health. Vegans can have some problems with getting enough of certain nutrients and can have problems with lowered iron. It is a good plan to let your practitioner/ doctor know you are making the changes. Having regular blood work may be part of a way to keep on top of it. These changes may affect your blood sugar and blood pressure, you may end up lowering your cholesterol. Some of the cool changes you might see if you choose your conversion!.

Please share your experiences and post your favorite vegan foods, take care and remember we are like cucumbers over 80% water, in our area it is warm again grab some extra water for yourself!

Keeping safe around smoke and smog

August 5, 2021August 4, 2021 Earthy Views

Do things around you get you asking questions? This is how some of the topics I blog about come to life. Over 2.5 hours east from my home, in the town of Lytton there was a bad wildfire that took out the town. Animals and people were displaced with nowhere to live. Many of the areas around have been devastated by fires over the years. In 2019/2020 Australia had so many devastating fires that took out a vast part of the animals and land. Fire fighters from many parts of the world came to their aid.

This is how the air looked in my town with the smoke, the sun had a orange hue.

As a result of the fires, my area has been dealing with smoke drifting in so bad some days that I had to wear a respirator outside to water gardens. It feels strange to put on a respirator (I feel like a character from Star Wars called Darth Vader) that I use for house repairs. It helps to prevent my breathing from getting bad.

There are many areas in the world that suffer from pollution. Many Cities in India and some places in China struggle with air quality. In many areas you can check a website or app for daily air quality. Some of the things they do to reduce the intake of pollution is mask goggles, cloth over their nose and mouth.

On to the difference between smoke and smog. Smog is kinda a catch all for air pollution so smoke is under that umbrella. There are different kinds of smog.

Photochemical smog is an accumulation of exhausts from vehicles and other gas run equipment including factories and industry off gassing.
Smoke is a result of fires domestic, rural or wildfires.

All sources have small particles that enter our bodies.

When you have poor air quality and lung challenges you need to be mindful. Even without lung problems air pollution can have hidden health effects.

Ways you can safeguard your health, close the windows in your home and have a good air purifier with multi filters. If your lungs or general health is poor, owning and wearing a respirator on bad days can reduce what your body takes in via the airways. Your body will still take in some of the pollutants but it will not be directly into your airways.

Use products they don’t contain volatile chemicals, I switched to a green company call Shaklee after many trips to the hospital with breathing problems. I was so grateful I switched my health got better when I changed. If you have questions about this company please send a message. I might do a future post on this. Learn about indoor air quality.

When Air Pollution Gets Worse: 10 Tips to Protect Yourself

If you have lung conditions such as asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) , Covid or Covid long halers, cancer (especially lung cancer) heart or any other condition that limits your breathing or overall health, stay in safe places with minimal invasive chemical cleaners or other indoor pollutants. If you have struggles with breathing and you have a inhaler please carry it with you if you must be outdoors. If ever you have a sudden struggle with breathing even if it is a new health condition, please seek medical help.

When To get emergency help. In our area you call 911 for an emergency that will have them dispatch an ambulance. If you need to use this or other services there may be a private cost that you need to pay out of pocket. Some extended health plans will give you aid or reimbursement.

If you can’t take a deep breath/ choking, gasping for air
Became dizzy, light headed
Blue lips or nail beds
Signs of shock
Low blood pressure
Blood oxygen is low. You can buy a small pocket O2 (Blood Oxygen Saturation Monitor ) sensor for your home use. You can buy a finger monitor for less than $25 dollars on Amazon and many medical supply places. Knowing what are healthy blood oxygen levels.

Photo by Pixabay from Pexels Firefighters work hard and are exposed to so much danger.

Last year in late summer I had to have a family member call the nurse services line in our area (811 in Canada) If you call them in Canada have your health care number/services card ready, it might be attached to your drives license. It is free to call. When My family explained I had cold sweat while having breathing problems, chest pain, problems talking and swallowing. They said hang up and call 911, an ambulance was dispatched and they had to take me to hospital. It was very scary. So if you are worried then it is better to get medical help than be scared and in poor health.

What do you do to limit your exposure to pollutants? Have a safe week, try not to over do activities in the heat and bad air quality. Enjoy extra water.

Airbnb Shawnigan Lake

July 29, 2021July 28, 2021 Earthy Views

What do you need when you need to take time away? I like quiet, clean and near nature. Being by the water calms my mind.

I decided time to get away, we did not have time and money for a long trip with a huge expense attached. We were coming to Vancouver Island to see family, clear out the cobwebs of the brain and maybe find a place to live.

I would recommend if you need to take the ferries to and from Vancouver to Vancouver Island to make a ferry reservation. BC Ferries booking was only $17 for the reservation each way, the down fall was needing to be at the terminal 1 hour to 30 min prior to reservation cut off. Going to the island it was a scary close to the cut off, with others on the commute having emergencies. They did honor our reservation. We learned to give time for long lines at the terminal. The trip back we arrived a hour before cut off, much less stress.

We had booked a place to stay using Airbnb. We arrived 10:30 pm, our Hostess had given us good instructions so we were able go in and quietly get settled. The other people were up and still enjoying tv in their space.

The tranquility of 7:30 am the next morning, birds and mostly quiet. Sitting with the sun at my back and tea in my reach. There are some traffic noises. About to sit back and read my book as I enjoy my tea.

On the far side of the road is a lake that I walked too, the view and quiet of 6:30 am was what I enjoyed, it made me feel calm. Just after 8 am there were humming birds near the flowers and a baby bird chatting in the distance.

Some of the flowers the humming birds enjoyed, those little birds are fast I could not get a photo this time.

The place we stayed had two rooms for guests, we were in the Beach Room. The rooms both had full fridges, portable air conditioning and celling fans. Each room had a locking door with a key. It was a bit interesting sharing a bathroom and a kitchenette. I was able to try an induction burner that was very nice, they heat and cool very fast. She has a kettle for us that love tea that was a blessing. With the pandemic and our lifted restrictions it was a bit hard for me to share close space… The other people there had a lovely little white bulldog named Pickle, she was such a love bug.

If you have never used a Airbnb it was quite the experience when we used an app on our cell phones. On the android Iphone platforms if you search in the play store Airbnb Vacation Rentals & Experiences. My search I put in the Airbnb app. You can also do it on the computer or other devices. You will create an account and can then search. I had to go on to the app and choose places in areas that suited our needs. The app shows information with photos about the place and the host. It can give you a neat way to explore many different areas including places to stay in different countries. You and the host send messages back and forth thought the app. Our host was rated as a Superhost, who are experienced hosts who provide a shining example for other hosts, and extraordinary experiences for their guests.

I was grateful to have a host that was a good match for us. Julie was kind and laid back, she had flexibility for our later then expected arrival. She shared her outside space and had a barbeque for guests to use, she allowed guests to be part of her world. On Saturday night she and the other guests hung out at the propane fire pit. That is also where I enjoyed my early mornings with nature and reading my books.

Please share about a lovely time you had at an airbnb? Might inspire use to use the place.

Coffee shops and bistros

July 22, 2021July 21, 2021 Earthy Views

When you think about a light place to have a snack, light meal and a drink what do you imagine? What does the environment look and feel like?

If your not sure what a bistro is, it is small and inexpensive place where people can go to eat. Up until putting this blog together did I know what it meant. I love learning when i share a blog idea with you.

What foods do you enjoy seeing when you look over the menu?

I went out to work in a different town. It was well after lunch and I was feeling hungry. With my food challenges it is not always easy to find foods that are good for me all the way around.

There was a sign that indicated gluten free, I don’t get as excited as some who can’t have gluten get due to not being able to have corn, nuts and mushrooms as well.

Went in looked over the menu and some of the pre packed house brand foods to see ingredients would be safe and they were. This little place is looking hopeful.

This is the menu on the wall, The glare was really hard to get the photo. Here is their menu.

We ordered, they were a bit short on some of their lunch items. The staff was cool and trying to meet our needs. We are flexible, so it’s not too hard to make us happy.. It was very busy there, this is because it is very hard to find places to get gluten free or other unconventional diets. The Polly Fox also had foods for vegans and people on Keto.

This opens up for so many of us with specific dietary needs.

The environment was lit with natural lighting and lovely art.

They had house brand products for sale. They even had a gluten free ice cream sandwich. That is so hard to find within 30 to 60 mins from where my home town is.

This is just some of the things they sell, Here is their order page.

We ordered 2 chicken with avocado sandwiches on different breads because that is all they had. So we got one on ciabatta bread and one on focaccia. For drinks we ordered creamed earl gray and a mocha. We really wanted real cups but they aren’t using them at this stage in the pandemic yet so had to-go cups. Lunch was very yummy. We shared half of each sandwich. I preferred the focaccia.

The toothpicks where like tiny wepons, I might have lost an eye if I did not wear glasses.
They really blended with the bread

We left feeling satisfied. When was the last time you enjoyed a light meal out. What did you enjoy about the place?

Tree rats aka squirrels

July 15, 2021July 14, 2021 Earthy Views

Have you tried to grow a garden with squirrels in town? Let me paint you a picture of me in the heat of those little rodents..

I go out many mornings early to water and check my front garden. It is my way of maintaining peace and tranquility in my world. And take a deep breath and release the bad energy.

Normally going out chatting with the crows or other birds/animals, sitting quietly with nature.

For those that don’t know about squirrels they are usually gray or black, an adult can weigh 400 – 600 g, or 14.1 to 21.1 ounces, and are 23 – 30 cm, 9.0 to 11.8 inches, head and body. Being rodents their teeth constantly grow. When they are not destroying my garden I think they are beautiful.

I get out there, start to look at my plants and what do I see, my little avocado plant I have grown for over 2 years nonked to a stump this sad little stick with the other part of the plant laying limp and wilted nearby! Devastation and anger fill me, knowing who the culprit is. I see if there’s any way I can fix my plant, knowing in my heart it is a goner.

This is not my only time going to my garden to see destruction. I have seen them eat the head off my roses. I have seen them pick off my baby squash and eat them, dig out my seedlings and dig out new plants. The kicker was when I went out and caught one in the act! I look on the ground and there is my first hot pepper of the year with bites out of it and just laying there, with the little fuzz tail running off. Spitefuly I thought serves you right!

This is where my lovely pink roses were.

Sometimes I go out and see them digging and I wave my arms like a crazy person, telling them in a loud voice get out, go I will kick your little squirrel butt! I swear they go and laugh, we get up earlier than you.

I’m sure they think they are good gardeners. But I feel that they should take up other work.

One thing I do is put small clay pots upside down around my seedlings. They are a bit too heavy for them to flip over and it deters them being able to dig out my plants.

This is my tomatoes seedling, they dug them out because I forgot the clay pots.

Have you had anything do destruction in your garden? Would love to read about your woes. Hope you have a calm week free of pests.

Teas for health

July 8, 2021July 7, 2021 Earthy Views

Are you someone that enjoys tea, did you know that many teas have many health benefits? I have used teas to aid many things that ails us from allergies to upset gut for years

Teas for high fluids or edema can be difficult to manage. Edema is swelling that is caused by fluid trapped in your body’s tissues. Causes include diseases, medications and allergies being on your feet to long. Treatment involves lifestyle changes, including diet exercise and massage.

There is a combination of reasons. If it occurs occasionally then you can take tea to help reduce it. If you have swollen feet, hands or other parts, you might need to see your doctor. Make sure your kidneys and other body functions are working well.

If you have any health conditions especially kidney, heart or known or suspected allergies to any of the natural ingredients in the teas, please seek guidance from your health provider. With kidney and heart concerns you might need to reduce your fluid intake, you may also not be able to have quick acting diuretics. Many don’t consider teas or herbs as medicine. They may have contraindications for medications you are taking.

The best water temperature for the herbal teas is below boiling. 80 to 93 celsius or 176 to 199.4 fahrenheit put the water in and let the tea gently submerge. I use a metal fine mesh tea cup and let the tea sit for 5 to 10 mins then sit back and enjoy. You will feel most tea effects between 20 mins and an hour. 8 oz 2 to 3 times a day can benefit your condition.

If you have to be on reduced fluids and your doctor is ok with you having the tea you can have 5 oz up to three times a day.

If any tea or herb ever makes you feel not well in any way, please listen to your body, the teas are to aid you in feeling better and reducing the undesired effects going on in your body. They are never there to make you feel worse.

Being mindful when you have tea is a good idea, if it will make you need to pee, you might want to have your last cup by 3 or 4 pm if you sleep at 10. If there are diuretics they take time to get the fluid out. The last thing most of us want is to forgo a good nights sleep before bed. I have teas that help me sleep about a hour before bed, if that keeps you up or you are waking to pee because of your tea do it earlier.

I use many of my freshly picked plants and herbs for my teas. If you do that you might want to smash them a bit with a muling stick or meat tenderizer. It is called bruising herbs. You can crumple them up in your hands too.

My dried teas and different infusers. the unmarked one is fenugreek. I use the lemon balm just less then a teaspoon, a pinch of the thyme, rosemary and fenugreek in my allergy tea blend. Fenugreek is very stong a very small pinch goes a long way.

Tips for harvesting, preserving and using herbs for tea. https://gardentherapy.ca/harvest-and-prepare-herbal-tea/

Dandelion – helps to detox the liver and is a diuretic, it is high in vitamin C and it is very good in bringing down high fluids.

Mint – diuretic, antispasmodic (will help muscles that are spasming to calm down, if your gut is not feeling well due to tensions).

Parsley- can help with urinary tract infections.

Nettles – Help detox the liver.

Insomnia – when you can’t fall asleep or stay asleep.

Promote sleep – a quiet, calm, clean, and right temperature after a night cup of herb tea be good practices for a better sleep. Avoiding coffee, chocolate, black and green tea 5 hours before heading bed.

Chamomile – reducing pain and inflammation, calming the mind.

Lemon Balm –

Lavender – be mindful if you or anyone in your home has low blood pressure. Lavender can lower your blood pressure.

Passion flower – blood pressure lowering, sedative and antispasmodic action. Side effects have been rarely reported for passion flower but may include nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, rapid heartbeat, and mental slowing. When taking passion flower, make sure you don’t drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how it affects you.

Digestion Runs from our mouths to our anus, we start with chewing or consuming and end with waste products at the other end. When something gets upset it can make use feel bloated and yucky.

Licorice – can help soothe the gut lining when taken before food. When having a problem with my gut I tend to drink this very strong.

Fennel – can help with flatulence and other gas, helps with bringing milk in for breastfeeding. I use about a teaspoon or 5ml of the dried seeds.

Mint and Ginger – can have mixed effects when you have acid reflux and can be soothing when you have nausea.

Allergies of the non anaphylactic. Can cause runny eyes, stuffy nose, scratchy nose ears, and throat as well as swelling and in the extremities Some also get digestive problems.

Rosemary– this is very good to have if you need to study, do a test or concentrate. It is not a good tea to have if you are dealing with high blood pressure. I would avoid this if you are pregnant.

Fenugreek –

Thyme – https://www.verywellhealth.com/the-benefits-of-thymus-vulgaris-88803

Cold and flu virus

Lemon ginger tea with honey.

Pine needle – decongestant (if your head, chest and nose are stuffy, this will help to break down the congestion mucus), expectorant (means it brings out mucus).

Elderberry

Photo by **Tara Winstead** from **Pexels** herbs top to bottom chamomile, lavender, mint.

There is many teas I have used that have not been listed, I could write a book on the benefits of tea. At a later time I might do teas and herbs for when you are pregnant. I hope you can grab a nice cup of tea, many are lovely to drink cold in the heat of summer. Would love to see what teas you enjoy and how they have given you peace of mind and body.

Weather hotter than Humans

July 1, 2021June 30, 2021 Earthy Views

This June our climate had risen beyond the normal human body temperature, which is 37.6 degrees Celsius or 98.6 Fahrenheit. We had a couple days of 42 to 44 degrees Celsius, 107.6 to 111.2 Fahrenheit . Our weather has never been this hot, a few degrees really can affect us.

*Photo by* *samer daboul* *from* *Pexels*

Heat can be deadly to animals especially the fur bearing and humans.

Mild or low-grade fever: 100.4–102.2°F (38–39°C)

Moderate grade fever: 102.2–104.0°F (39°C–40°C)

High-grade fever: 104.1–106.0°F (40°C–41.1°C)

Things that can happen where body temperatures rise.

You can have an array of symptoms

heavy sweating
cold, clammy skin
nausea or vomiting
tiredness or weakness
a headache
dizziness
muscle weakness or cramping

Humans were not on the menu. Some people I know have air conditioning units, in our area the power use was the highest it has been in years. In fact so much power was used there were spot outages! About 700 or more homes were without power. Sadly so many pets including hundreds of rescue animals ended up in vet offices or died from this intense heat. Learning symptoms of overheated pet

Our neighboring country, The United States of America in Washington state shared this crazy ‘Heat Dome’ . Neither area is used to this kind of weather. Texas, India and the Australian outback get this hot. How do people live like that? If this kind of heat is not your thing then you might want to avoid the hottest places in the world.

I felt really off, my wording was “I feel like garbage”. I woke up dizzy with my heart palpitating, muscle and joint pain. I had no energy or desire to eat or do much. I think I gamed on my computer a bit. Ended up taking 2 days off work. Today I felt more human. Not like a weakened flame thrower. At the end of night two with almost no break from the blast furnace outside that was transferring into our home. Our home is not equipped with air conditioning. Knowing the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

You can eat light meals throughout the day. Keep hydrated with low or no sugar drinks, eating ice, making smoothies with frozen fruits or just enjoy eating the fruits. Meals for the hot weather.

Frozen pineapple and orange juice in the blender

You might wonder how we delayed spontaneous combustion.

*Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc./Patrick O’Neill Riley*

We have 4 fans in 1.336 sq feet Frozen bags of ice in front of 2 of the fans. Cold wet towels on our necks, ice water and iced herbal tea. We kept the bath filled with cold water and would plunge in when needed. Misted the dog with cool water every few hours. And small ice packs under him at bedtime. We picked him up and put him in the van pre-cooled with air conditioning when taking him for his walks. Took him on the grass to do his bathrooming.

Did not find who took this. If you know please let me know I will add them.

Please know the pavement/asphalt is very hot. Go out and touch the surface that you or your pet will be on. If it is too hot to put your hand on for 5 to 10 seconds it is way too hot for bare skin or pets feet.

It even was bordering on overhot for our scaly family member, his ideal daytime temperature is between 75-85°F (24-29°C). Basking spot kept at 88-100°F (31-38°C). At night, keep around 70-75°F (21-24°C).

Please do everything to stay cool. Have you had any extreme heat waves. I have read about friends that had farms, they made frozen treats for the pets. Would love to read your creative ways to stay cool!

Packing Books

June 24, 2021June 27, 2021 Earthy Views

The last while I have been going through books and deciding what to keep and what to donate. Since some don’t know me, telling you I have books does not tell you the extent of my collection. Let me give you a mental idea of the size of my library. We own 3, 7’ by 3’ (35 inches) wide bookshelves. We also have several other smaller bookshelves around the house. All of these shelves are full. I would say hundreds fit on one shelf. Tips for sorting packing books

One of our shelves some already off and packed

I always said if the bookshelves don’t fit, I’m not moving there.

That is a lot of books, moving that many books can be a pain. I strongly recommend sturdy boxes. This is the size I have used 12-5/8″ x 16-3/8″ x 12-5/8″. The amount of books that fit in this size makes it very heavy. Fill any gaps with crumpled up paper.

The best way to know what books are where is to do a photo log of the books packed in the box. Because We have 3 shelves and a number of small shelves I put the shelf number and the book unit number, this will help to make sure when I put them back they go on the right shelves.

I also put tape over the holes the shelf pegs go into when I look at the back much easier. I wrote the shelf number and the unit number on painter’s tape. Then all the hardware I put in a ziplock bag and tape it to the unit before wrapping the unit to move.

Lifting boxes or anything heavy, with your knees hip width apart, bent, put your bottom back without your knees way forward and lift with your legs. and back straight. Hold the box into your body to help reduce the strain on the body and back. I’m not sure how much all the books weighed but wow what a workout!

A couple years back when we had a flood. that is the three shelves and our books

What books do you love, have you had to pack before? How did you decide what books to give away?