Extopian

There is a common misconception that wounds need to be closed in order to heal. Texts on wilderness medicine will include sections on suturing techniques and equipment. They list recommended instruments, suture materials, and methods of making stitches. Unfortunately they don’t mention that suturing is an acquired skill and not easy to do, especially on yourself. Also, anyone who is planning to suture every laceration or wound that occurs in a remote location had also better learn the signs of several interesting wild creatures such as clostridium tetani (tetanus), clostridium perfringens (gas gangrene), staphylococcus, streptococcus, and pseudomonas.

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Popularity: 7% [?]

Spring is here for most of us in the Northern Hemisphere, and for many that means an incredible amount of work is waiting to be done. Garden beds have to be tilled and planted, fences mended, and everything that broke down during the winter needs to be fixed. B ut that’s no excuse not to sneak in an hour or two to relax a little, especially if its a productive fishing outing.  As difficult as it can be finding the time for fishing, it really helps to have a place where you are guaranteed a good catch. What would you give for some “Fishing Insurance”? Turns out, it takes a lot less than you think.

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Popularity: 15% [?]

This is a sample list for a family of three. Your family needs may differ quite a bit, due to your meal preference, dietary or other special needs. However, if you use this list as a base, you won’t go hungry. It also allows for “guest” meals. This is a realistic pantry supply to last a year comfortably. Remember the biggest mistake of pantry-building though, rotate your supplies, using the oldest first, replenishing as you use, in order to keep relatively fresh foodstocks. If you have a family of 4, increase the amount by 25%, a family of 6, by 50%, and so on.

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Popularity: 7% [?]

Don’t you hate it when you grab your chainsaw and head for your woodlot, and once you’re there, the saw won’t start? Or you need your generator to produce elec­tricity to run a pump or a saw for a homestead project and you crank and crank and nothing happens? Drives me crazy when I’m raring to go and my machinery isn’t. Do you almost take it personally? I have in the past. I was sure all the engines in the world had gotten together and formed a con­spiracy to ruin my day. If you feel that way, maybe I can lend you a hand with a few simple tips that can help you around the homestead.

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Popularity: 18% [?]

No one wants to be the harbinger of bad news and no one wants to constantly hear a pessimist predict dire things for the future. However, if history repeats itself, as it usually does, sooner or later we Americans are going to be in for a bad economic slump. Take a close look at what is happening to some of the prosperous countries around the globe. Those of us who can remember the Great Depression hope the slump won’t be anything like that.

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Popularity: 9% [?]

Home remedies have been passed down from generation to generation, but in the modern age with the reduction of extended family and increased presence of commercial remedies and industrialized medical practices, much of this valuable information has fallen to the wayside. Often minor ailments can be treated without a costly, stressful and sometimes impractical visit to the emergency room. While not meant to replace trained medical attention in the case of serious ailment or injury, you may find many of the treatments below useful.

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Popularity: 8% [?]