Jul 2010 Personal Preps

[fern]

Went to General Dollar tonight with my coupon. They had salt and it was marked $2. I picked up one anyway and when I was checking out it rang up at 40 cents. I am going back tomorrow and cleaning them out of salt. That is the best price I have gotten to date. Then I may head to the store in my Mom's town and buy them out. They had quart jars for $7.25 too and I bought all they had. The pint and half pint were just a dollar less. I bought all their storage bins. They are only $3.50. I am filling my basement up!

I did walk through Gabriels tonight too. Our store is mostly clothes but I did see pretty nice and quite heavy quilts. Long checkout lines so I did not invest in anything today. Going to go back and get those though. They are as nice as the one I currently use and paid a lot more for. Thanks for making me spread my wings one more time. Will try Family Dollar and Big Lots over the weekend.

[WillyPete]

I went out and picked up a few more items today, couldn't really afford it but figured I won't have to worry after too much longer.
I picked up 2 more pounds of salt, 5 pounds of sugar, 5 pounds of rice, a few pounds of noodles and some beef and chicken bouillon cubes. Not too much for nutrition but I use them for flavor more than anything else.
I picked up several storage containers at a Dollar General and three more 6 packs of Ramen noodles. I will eat them but I don't like all the sodium in them. Still, as much as I sweat, I'll need it for the electrolyte replacement. We can also eat them without using the seasoning packet to avoid any added stuff that may not be healthy. I'll be loading up on canned goods next paycheck.
Have to halt my proceedings for a little while, budget is getting stretched a bit thin, running out of money before I run out of month don't ya know.

[fern]

Please offer any good options because my current prep is not a nice one. I have hung no trespassing signs all over our property today (doesn't look good in this pretty little neighborhood) and have traps ready to set in the garden tonight. Three nights ago, someone went into our garden and took all the squash that were growing and just devastated the plants. The next night, the same with the cucumbers and I sat outside until 3AM waiting for them that night. We were just getting ready to pick the first of them and now we have none and only destroyed plants. I am beyond furious. 4 kinds of squash for my little grandbaby is gone. Cucumbers for juicing is a thing of the past. Our carrots and beets are ready and that is where I plan to lay the traps. Was thinking of bear traps but decided that was too mean. This is a human animal because their footprints are all over. All the ripening tomatoes are under my bedroom window. I will hear them if they come that close. Any suggestions?

The preacher that keeps coming over told me that the 3 teenage kids on the street behind ours will devastate my garden as they have his for the last two summers since they moved in. He said he caught one of them one time and that this problem only started when they moved in two and a half years ago. I tossed his words to the wind thinking his home is so close to their yard and mine isn't. Proved me wrong.

I did go to Tractor Supply today and looked at the solar powered electric fencing. Not sure that would be a better option? Cannot figure a way to wring their necks with it.

[Toepopper]

Boy, that just makes me furious and its not even my garden. I don't blame you for wanting to ring their necks. If you live within the city limits, report it to the coppers so its in their log book and if you live in the county, call and report it to the sheriff dept. so they are aware of the problem. If you set out bear traps, mouse traps, land mines, or dig a deadfall trap and one of those punks gets hurt it will be YOUR butt that gets into trouble, not them. Same scenario with laying in wait for them with a gun or a 2x4, the law will go after you and portray them as the victims. I think the smartest thing to do is get one of those motion sensing game cameras that you mount on a tree or some inconspicuous location ( two would be better, mounted from a different angle ) and get a picture of them in the act of ripping off your fruits and vegetables. That is evidence that you can take to the law enforcement people, identify the culprits, and press charges against them.

[fern]

Ha...that is the exact thing LG told me to do. He even went to the store and took a pic of one and text it to me with the price. OK. I will go take down all my signs. Really thought that covered me if anyone entered the property. I think I am going to sit in my truck all night tonight with my camera since there is no where to buy one of those motion cameras on a Sunday night. I will just pull back in the driveway until I am even with the garden. Gotta be up at 5 AM anyway. Thanks Toepopper. Even though you burst my angry bubble...it feels better. If someone stepped in the trap they would ruin the plants hopping around anyway.

[WillyPete]

I feel your pain fern, I've had trespassers too often destroying or stealing at some land I'm allowed to hunt, owner isn't very happy either.
Toepopper is right, even though I would love to litter the ground with "toepoppers" for them. You will be the criminal and they will be the victim even though the facts are the opposite.
Game cameras are your best bet since they can provide all of the evidence needed to punish them, unless some bleedin' heart liberal socialist lawyer type manages to get them off with the slap on the wrist they've obviously become accustomed to being given.
When you do get the evidence you need, don't back down to the lawyer types or those kid's parents. If they're such good boys why are they destroying your garden? Call for the court to process them fully; trespass, destruction of private property, vandalism, theft and anything else that comes to mind.
I do like the electric fence idea, you can say it's there to keep deer out of your garden and it would be completely true, deer will come out to eat your vegetables, that fence is for keeping them out of the garden. Those boys should not have been there.
Best of luck fern, you will triumph one way or another.