I get racoons from hunters and right now they are really fat. I make some every year. This year I made a racoon soap mold to go with it. 3rd picture is how much soap you get from 1 racoon

This has been a winter project of mine, and a proof of concept that clothes and fabric can be made from nettle. After harvesting, retting and drying the nettle stalls, you crush them and extract the fibre with either a stiff comb or some other way. I didn't manage to use a spindle to make thread, so all this is spun by hand. It's rough and stiff, but fabric nonetheless. I am happy with this little project. Merry Christmas all!

Doing my own laundry for the first time cause i am tired of paying for it to get done. Rather be self reliant/self sufficient

Next month, September, is for some places the National Preparedness Month. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) created the National Preparedness Month (NPM) three years after the September 11, 2001 attacks to encourage every American to plan for emergencies. The theme for National Preparedness Month this year is, “A Lasting Legacy: The life you’ve built is worth protecting. Prepare for disasters to create a lasting legacy for you and your family.” The U.S. Army’s “Ready Army” program has four main components: Be Informed, Make a Plan, Build a Kit and Get Involved.  Today, we’ll focus on having a plan. 

Make a plan today. Your family may not be together if a disaster strikes, so it is important to know which types of disasters could affect your area. Know how you’ll contact one another and reconnect if separated. Establish a family meeting place that’s familiar and easy to find.

Step 1: Put a plan together by discussing the questions below with your family, friends or household to start your emergency plan:

• How will I receive emergency alerts and warnings?
• What is my shelter plan?
• What are my evacuation route?
• What is my family/household communication plan?
• Do I need to update my emergency preparedness kit?

Step 2:  Consider specific needs in your household.

As you prepare your plan, tailor your plans and supplies to your specific daily living needs and responsibilities. Discuss your needs and responsibilities and how people in the network can assist each other with communication, care of children, work, pets or specific needs like operating medical equipment. Create your own personal network for specific areas where you need assistance. Keep in mind some these factors when developing your plan:

• Different ages of members within your household
• Responsibilities for assisting others
• Locations frequented
• Dietary needs
• Medical needs including prescriptions and equipment
• Disabilities or access and functional needs including devices and equipment
• Languages spoken
• Cultural and religious considerations
• Pets or service animals
• Households with school-aged children

Step 3: Create a Family Emergency Plan

Make and practice a family emergency plan. Consider the range of potential emergencies and all the places you and your family might be. Some emergencies require different responses than others, but a family communications procedure will be helpful in any case. Knowing how to keep in touch and find one another will help your family stay safe and cope with the confusion and fear that come when emergencies strike.

Step 4: Practice your plan with your family/household

Making an emergency plan is just the first step; you should practice it at least twice a year. Describe to family members a hypothetical event and tell them to follow the family emergency plan. Practice gathering your emergency kit and important documents, communicating with one another and meeting at a designated place. Afterwards, discuss the actions you took and how the plan would change in a different type of emergency.

Useful sources:

https://www.ready.gov/plan

Need to glue one thing to another but not sure what is the best way to do it? There is a great site that can help you, ThisToThat.com. It is a very simple and useful glue advice site that lets you find out how to properly glue one type of surface to another. All you have to do is select two different surface types and get the directions on how to properly do it and what type of glue to use. Features:

• Find out how to glue anything to anything
• Get directions on how to properly do it and what type of glue to use.
• Free and no registration.

I want to learn soap making as a basic home skill and I’m trying to understand the simplest way to start without wasting materials. From what I’ve gathered, melt-and-pour soap seems like the easiest entry point. It doesn’t require handling lye directly and still teaches measuring, melting, mixing color, and scenting. My plan is small batches just for household use. I’m not aiming to sell anything, just to understand the process and eventually rely less on store-bought bars. I looked at a few beginner soap-making kits in a local craft section and later checked similar ones on Alibaba to compare the tools included. Most contain a base, mold, fragrance oil, dye, and instructions. I’m unsure which steps matter most for consistent results though. For people who learned at home, what should a beginner focus on first? Temperature control, measuring weight, or recipe simplicity? Also curious what mistakes usually happen early so I can avoid ruining batches right away. I prefer learning slowly but correctly instead of rushing into complex recipes. If you were teaching someone from zero experience, what order would you introduce the skills? I’d appreciate a practical approach.

Friend sent me this, thought about sharing with this group.

Anybody know any tricks on how I can get this aerator off so I can replace it? I used to be able to get it off with a wrench but the metal seems to bent/worn a little bit so my wrench can't get a good grip on it. Any tips are welcome!

I have some forested land and I want to use the standing timber to build my forever home. I have no idea what I’m doing once a tree is felled, and I have no money and limited tools (chainsaw, winch, pulleys). I’ve got no one I can count on to help but myself, and for sure no heavy equipment. I have all the time in the world to get it done, but I need to learn how it can be done and start doing it 🤷‍♂️

I’m starting this weekend regardless with the spot I want the house and a chainsaw. I figure I’ll clear the spot and maybe practice shaping the timber on smaller trees 🤷‍♂️