Pioneer Woman & First Aid
Sunday, May 06, 2012 | By pamphyila
Now, I am not advocating these measures - just want to TELL you all what happened to me last week & how I dealt with it ....
I have been having allergic reactions on my right hand/arm. Went to the allergist & she prescribed some cream and added another antihistamine to my regimen - Ok - swelling, itching went down. (The Caladryl my hubby bought me helped a lot, too...)
THEN I woke up on Friday with two purple blisters-type lesions on my middle finger & it was all swollen. To make matters worse, i had a ring on that finger, which was cutting off circulation, & was now too tight to get OFF.
Called the nurse hotline of my HMO & they told me to go to Urgent Care, which I did. Arrived MUCH too early (my fault) - & had to wait from 12:30 to 2PM (They have a lunch break?) Then I waited some more & finally saw a doctor who confirmed what I thought & said the ring had to come off - but they didn't have the right tool - then I was directed across the street & down a block to another building - & they didn't have the tool, either. They wanted me to go to the OR - but knowing how OR's run & that I was not on the point of dying, I would have to wait another 3-4 hours - so I just drove home AND
After some trying, I banged the ring open with a hammer! (I have had silver rings which have broken in the back by themselves when I DIDN'T want then to - so....) I then opened up the ring with a screw driver - AND THEN I lanced the blood blisters or whatever they were with a pair of nail scissors I had heated on the gas stove to sterilize! Then I washed it all in hot water & applied an antiseptic ointment & a large bandaid -
The doctor at Urgent Care actually CALLED me to see what had happened - which I explained to her & told her that I would watch it & if it got any worse, I would go back to the doctor.
Well, it is a few days now, & it is all healing up nicely! The Urgent Care doctor did make an observation that helped, asking me if I gardened - which I do, a little - perhaps I was reacting to something in the garden (or the pesticides the gardeners apply)....So now I am looking for gardening gloves!
See - sometimes being PIONEER WOMAN & applying a bit of first aid WORKS! We all have to know some first aid in case of emergencies, too - no?
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Street Construction: A Day without Water
Sunday, August 08, 2010 | By begonia
The chickens have had a hard week. It has been blisteringly hot and dankly humid. (The heat index today was 98°F.) The work on the street in front of our house is intensifying. The back hoe made terrible screeching noises that hurt their little ear holes, so the girls did a lot of squawky complaining. (Fortunately, no one noticed over the commotion on the street and the heat and diesel fumes that made all my neighbors close their windows and turn on the air conditioning!) It was an extremely stormy day today. (There were tornadoes all around us.) The dump truck loads of sand they dropped in the street are drifting downhill like blowing snow.
I haven’t been trapped in my driveway yet, but it is still early days. At some point, we are told that we will have to park our cars on side streets and walk in and out. I can hardly wait.
Yesterday, they turned the water off for most of the day. It takes a situation like this to really appreciate the simple, basic things we take for granted like clean running water and flush toilets. It was a good thing that I had picked up those 7-gallon blue plastic water containers with spigots last year at an end-of-season moving sale. I filled them in the bathtub and set one on the bathroom counter for washing hands and one on the kitchen counter for washing and rinsing dishes. These more than did the job. I purposely had more water on hand than strictly necessary just in case they ran into problems and didn’t get the water turned on again as predicted.
At another sale, I had found a Whole Foods water container of the size used in water coolers for one dollar. It holds 3 gallons, and I used this for drinking and cooking water. Once again, it was more than enough, combined with the 1-gallon Pur water container in the refrigerator.
We capture and save water from our dehumidifier and central air conditioner (as well as rain water that comes off the roof). We usually use it to water plants. I save all my plastic clumping kitty litter containers for the purpose of storing this water. It takes an amazing amount of water to fill the tank of even a low-flow water saver toilet. We also learned that you have to turn off the water to all your toilets or they make unearthly moaning/whistling noises and all the water syphons back down the water supply lines in the toilet tank! (We probably should have shut off the water ourselves at the main valve where water enters the house and saved all those gallons we had already paid for!)
It is now almost too effortless to turn the spigot and have clean potable water. I’m keeping one or two containers filled with water on hand regardless—you never know when they will break a water main or two! Begonia
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When the power goes out
Tuesday, May 25, 2010 | By bulrush
What do you do when the power goes out? How do you cook? Will you have safe, drinkable water? How will you stay warm?
Did you know these things won't work in a power outage (unless you have a generator):
- Furnace: needs power for the blower to circulate air in the house
- Air conditioning
- Electric stove. Gas stoves will work, but might need to be lit by matches.
- Electric heaters.
- Cell phone: cell phones will not work if the cell tower does not have power.
- In the city, water will only be available for a few days, until the water tower runs out of water.
- In the country, where homes have their own well, water pumps will stop immediately.
- Gasoline pumps at the gas station will stop working, unless the gas station has them on a generator. So you won't be able to buy gas for your home generator.
In my research I wanted to mention that alcohol stoves are the safest stove to use indoors. They emit the least carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2) which can be dangerous.
On my site below I have some links to hints if the power goes out, and links to alcohol stoves. They work well, and are cheap and easy to make. The simplest stoves can be made from 2 soda cans of the same size. If your state collects 10 cents per can, you are only spending 20 cents on a stove.
These stoves can be used to boil water to make it safe to drink (not applicable in a flood zone where dangerous chemicals will be mixed in the water), cook food, and provide a little warmth. However, never leave an alcohol or any stove burning when you are asleep.
home.comcast.net/~chuckr69/
I have spent years collecting this information and testing much of it myself while camping. It works. I hope you find it useful also. One page "Building your own emergency kit" is presented as a single page so it is easy to print out. Your computer won't work if the power goes out!
The topic of emergency preparedness is a broad one, so big I cannot cover it here, but my pages will give you a good start. Be sure to make the process fun for the kids also, and practice your preps by turning off the main breaker switch to the house. Make it a "camp at home" night for the kids, and test your camping stove, cook meals with it.
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Hormone Attack
Sunday, March 28, 2010 | By savannasmommy1989
Im seven months pregnant tomorrow and I sure do feel like it. Im starting to feel so big and blah and bitchy. Everything is pissing me off and making me cry. Its hard to find my safe place anymore. At least I have my rock, Seth. Boy without him I'd be no where I wanna be. I love him. He does stress me out a lot but overall he is a good guy. He is just so 23. Like, I know I'm only 21 but people say I act so much older and I know I do. I feel like I'm 41 and have all the responsibility. I think Seths lack of being able to be a full adult somes from his mother but thats another post. Anyways, back to my emotional breakdown, I had a really rough day today. Work was just annoying-seeing as though Im not paid to be a cashier, Im paid to deal with idiots-, and I get home and the house is a disaster. Seth always promises to do this or that and he doesnt follow through. I get so mad when he doesnt do anything around the house on his days off. I feel like its all left for me to do and its so not fair. I see him play video games and play football and I cant do anything I want because Im busy doing the housework. I have a 5 day a week job too, Im pregnant, why should I be the only one scrubbing the frickin toilet? Am I the only one using the toilet? No!! But whatever. Ill either get over it or get on with it. One way or another I'm just hoping he wakes up from his dream or whatever before its too late and I completely lose my mind. Pregnancy is such a bitch. It just gets worse at the end. You feel so ugly and moody and achy and whiney and that no one cares. All you want is some me time that seems so non existant, unless you dont already have kids--congrats--. I just want to get through this, all of this. I want to feel better about pretty much everything. Because bottom line is it all could be so much worse, sooooo much worse and I should just enjoy what I have while Im still able to enjoy it. If I died tomorrow I wouldnt want my last memory of talking with Seth to be us fighting over him being lazy. Send the tranqultiy my way. Anyone got a non alcoholic beverage that makes you feel as good as a regular? I could use one right about now.
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I need help!
Wednesday, January 06, 2010 | By RhiannaAbel
I so need your help, its boys why are they so crule? Well girls as well, even girls a little bit more because they bitch like all the time.
I am in love with this boy called Scott, hes so nice and charming well at least he was when I sat next to him in History in year nine now i'm in year eleven, my so called best freinds Emily and Tasha they suddenly decided to tell him that I fancy him! Which at first I denied it but not I just play along the only person who wont tell anyone is Claudia so I tell her everything. Plus I tell my mum and my younger sisters Alex, Pixie and Vanessa I dont dare tell any of my brothers, dad or my older sister Jamiee because she will just make fun of me, Lloyd would teese me at school and him and Scott play on the same football team!
Now hes become really horrible to me and bullying me kind of, saying he hated me and stuff I really dont like it seans as we used to get on really well, plus be really good freinds!
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Buying a Bicycle for a Child
Saturday, January 02, 2010 | By Monique63
If you purchase a new bike for your child, place their
picture inside the handle bar before placing the grips on.
If the bike is stolen and later recovered, remove the grip
and there is your proof who owns the bike.
I thought this was a terrific idea!
Monique :)
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Oh No I have BEAR Problems!
Tuesday, September 01, 2009 | By Rockcandy248
Oh Dear! I have statuary problems, I cannot quit taking bad pictures with them!
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The "Save Me" Box
Monday, August 17, 2009 | By moonseekerjade
This has saved me on more than one occasion.....I have a box of "goodies", Extra's, regifts,etc...I put everything and anything in there,lotions,candles,toys,anything that you buy on sale,things given to you-that you'll never use,etc,with it is wrapping paper,tape,bows,bags,cards....when one of my kids hits me with a birthday party,or I forget a birthday,whatever the reason, I am always ready with "THE SAVE ME" box,A girl I use to know gave me the idea,she had a craft box with things she "might need",so I went further and made a "SAVE ME" box, Trust me,you'll thank yourself one of these days.
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help!!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009 | By sarahg_75
I am starting up my own interior decorating business and I need help with a name for my new business. My name is Sarah Gardner if that helps. THX =)
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Alarming!
Friday, January 23, 2009 | By Monique63
My mum got my brother up in the loft today to install a fire alarm up there. Until I spoke to her on the phone today I never even thought to do that.
I have smoke alarms in all rooms except the bathroom but never thought of the spacious loft above me. I am 'alarmed' at myself for not thinking about this also.
So, I am passing on this tip - it could save your life one day.
Monique
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