Relieve Your Pain

Everyone has a pain or ache at some time or other. It could be from over using muscles that you haven't used in a while; bumping into something causing a bruise; joint pain from arthritis or again, over use; back or neck pain which many of us have or simply a sinus headache from allergies.

Our first reaction is to reach for some medication we can swallow and hope the pain goes away. The biggest problem with this is the medication is dispersed throughout our entire body just to alleviate a pain in one spot. Have you ever read the WARNINGS on the medications you take. Scary, isn't it. This solution usually just turns off the pain receptors in your brain and does nothing to help correct the problem.

Our second reaction is to try an ice pack or a heating pad. This helps as a temporary solution  but as soon as you remove the ice pack or heating pad the pain returns. Plus, this solution may not be possible if you are not at home.

Our third reaction is to buy some over the counter cream you can rub on to try to alleviate the pain. Some products appear to work better temporarily but the pain takes forever to ease off. This is usually because of the high menthol (8% - 10%) which only mask the pain but does nothing to alleviate the pain. Plus, it usually smells to high heaven and you would not be caught dead wearing this out in public.

There's another solution.

Have you ever heard of 'Real Time Pain Relief'? The Best Smelling Rub On Pain Relief on the market. Why is it better? Keep reading.

You cannot buy this in a retail outlet unless they are a vendor with the company. Usually, you can only buy this from a vendor at a festival, on-line or by phone calling direct to the company.

So, why is 'Real Time Pain Relief' better than everything else on the market. The answer is simple .... why mask pain when you can resolve it.

Capsicum - Contains the active ingredient Capsaicin, which is derived from chili peppers; it is used to reduce pain, boost blood flow, promote better circulation, and deplete Substance P. Substance P is a neurotransmitter used to send pain signals to tell your brain "this hurts" to minimize additional injury. Most mainstream pain relievers stop the brain from receiving very important "pain" messages and that's not good. Real Time Pain Relief simply reduces Substance P in your body and helps restore the Natural Pain Threshold.

The best part about this ingredient is that it is of a type that does not irritate the skin.

MethylSulfonylMethane(MSM) - Clinical trials have discovered this ingredient reduces pain, especially for people suffering from arthritis.

Arnica Montana -  Reduces inflammation and eases pain associated with sprains, bruising and muscle aches. It has been proven in a double-blind study to be as effective as Ibuprofen without the harmful side effects.  
          Personal experience - I was working in the garden with a friend driving in stakes with a sledge hammer .... I was holding the stakes. The sledge hammer flew off of the handle and hit me on the inside of my upper arm causing a bruise and quiet a bit of pain. I rubbed on Real Time Pain Relief and the pain went away and the next day the bruise was gone. Fantastic pain relief.

Glucosamine and Chondroitin - Protects your body from cartilage degeneration, promotes cartilage production and improves joint function.

Emu Oil - Emu Oil is the only natural oil that penetrates through all 7 layers of your skin, carrying ingredients into the body to reach muscles and tissues. Additionally, Emu Oil is a powerful oil with anti-inflammatory properties that reduce pain and swelling associated with arthritis.

Aloe Vera - A soothing nature-based ingredient; it is used for a variety of conditions, such as, skin infections and burns.

Menthol - Provides a cool, refreshing sensation as it helps increase blood flow to ease pain.

Each ingredient in Real Time Pain Relief is carefully chosen and precisely formulated to offer maximum pain relief, while promoting healing to help you take your life back from chronic pain and Enjoy Living Again!

Never before have all of these ingredients been included in one product. That is why products you purchase at the store are cheaper because they only contain one or two of these ingredients but do not have the same effect. You must try 'Real Time Pain Relief' to appreciate the benefits you will receive from using it.

www.IgotPainRelief.com 

I feel so confident this product will make such a huge difference in your life, I will send you a free sample just to try. Simply write me a short note at IgotPainRelief@gmail.com about the problem you are having along with your address and I will immediately mail you a sample to try. Now here is the great part of my offer. When you see what 'Real Time Pain Relief' does for you, you will receive Free Shipping for all product you order. You can order from my web site, above or by calling 24/7 at 877-787-7180. If your order is at least $10 and you use Promo Code 92601 you will receive some free samples with your order.

What have you got to lose .... except your pain.

Your email will not be sold or given away except to send you information about how to deal with your pain.

Wine Making

Have you ever considered making your own wine? It is really quiet simple and you can buy wine kits to make your own Merlot, Zinfandel, Sake or whatever you like from a kit for about $2.50 per bottle. How much does a bottle of wine cost retail? You can also make wine from most anything you can juice, such as, apples, peaches, blackberries, strawberries, store bought juice and even tomatoes. The best thing about making your own wine is it does not have sulfites and other chemicals in it. It taste fresh and the alcohol content is usually a little greater than store bought wine.

My wife and I are just learning and we have about 5 gallons of apple wine percolating. I am writing down the instructions as we go so this blog will be updated as we proceed to each step. I would love to have you follow along but if you get into a rush, there are many sites you can reference for making your own wine.

Since we live in apple country, we decided to try making apple wine as our first wine project. With two bushels of apples, not only do we get about 5 gallons of wine but we also canned 18 pints and 2 quarts of apple sauce. We also could have made apple cider vinegar but we decided that would be another project.

The following is our process for making apple wine and apple sauce.

We use a steam juicer so we wash our apples and slice into quarters removing any bad spots before putting them into the colander on the top of the steam juicer. We then steam as much juice out of the apples as we can and save the skins and seeds that remain in the colander. This process will occur several times until we have juiced all of our apples.

We then pour our apple juice into a large pot to heat but do not boil. The main reason for heating the apple juice is to dissolve the sugar (lots) we are going to add to it.

Fill the Hydrometer and get a beginning reading. With the apples natural sugar content, the reading will be around 5%.

Add sugar, about a cup at a time, stir until it is dissolved and test again with the Hydrometer

Do not go over 20%

You can expect to add 6 cups or more of sugar to get a 20% reading on your hydrometer.

Note:    As fermentation occurs, the yeast feeds on the sugar and what is left is alcohol. So, when you do your hydrometer test later in the fermentation process, you subtract your new hydrometer reading from the 20% and the result is the alcohol content (ie  20% - 10% = 10% alcohol   or    20% - 0% = 20% alcohol).   You also do not have to start at 20%. You can start at 18%, 15%, 10% or wherever you wish to start. Just remember what % you started at after adding your sugar.

During fermentation, when the hydrometer gets back down to 0%, you have 20% alcohol (40 Proof) or you can stop the fermentation process wherever you desire. I will tell you how to stop the fermentation process later on.

After adding the desired amount of sugar, pour the juice in either a one or five gallon Carboy bottle. Stop at the upper curve of the bottle to allow space for expansion.

Add one Campden Tablet per gallon to stop the natural fruit fermentation.

Note:   If you do not do this step, when you add the packet of yeast, juice will be overflowing the bottle.

Add one packet of Lalvin Yeast for 1 – 5 gallons of juice.

Fill the Air Trap with water up to the Max Line and cork the bottle.

 That's it. The fermentation process begins. The room temperature should be around 65 - 70 degrees.

For the next two months keep water in the trap to keep outside fragrances from getting into the wine.

Note:    The Air Trap is simply like a 'P' trap on your sink or toilet. It allows fluids to go down the drain but the water that remains in the trap keeps the odor from coming back into the house.

Making Applesauce

Take the remains (skin, seeds, etc) and put them in the Squeezo to make applesauce.

Apple sauce will come out of the side of the strainer and the skin and seeds will be deposited out of the end.

Add seasoning, such as cinnamon,  to taste.

Use the skin and seed remains of this process (Mother) to make Apple Cider Vinegar or add it to your compost bin.

America's Desire to be more European

We seem to have this burning desire to be more like Europe. Why? My guess is the people who have that desire have visited Europe but do not know anything about the culture. It all just seems so .... romantic. The old cities, castles, side walk cafe's, coffee houses. My, my, my. It is just all so different and exciting when we visit there.

When did we lose our desire to be exceptional Americans. Anyone who thinks Europeans have it better than us have never spent much time in Europe. I worked for an international company for 25 years and spent a great deal of time working with another international company based in Germany. Let me give you some insight on the European lifestyle.

*    They pay 50% and greater of their salary (mandatory) in taxes to support their social programs
*    They do not jump jobs to better their salaries and position in life. Basically, if you work at a retail store, restaurant, motel, or corporation, you will most likely retire from there.
*    Only the upper middle class and upper class own homes and apartments (A one bedroom apartment will cost over $200,000). Everyone else lives in high rises and usually rent just one room and use a shared bathroom with the rest of the hall. Europe is very class oriented and you remain in your station for life.
*    Very few people own campers or boats because gas and licensing is just too expensive.
*    Compared to the population, few people own cars. Too expensive to buy or operate. Most people use public transportation (bike, walk, bus, train and cab).
*    It cost a minimum of $5,000 for a hunting license and you must have written permission of where you will hunt.
*    Most Europeans do not like taking a bath more than once a week. Too expensive. Why do you think the best perfumes come out of France. Just a few years ago the Prime Minister of France was trying to get their citizens to take a bath a minimum of 3 times a week. I doubt he succeeded.
*    Restaurants do not rely on you to leave a proper gratuity so they include 20% in the price of the meal.
*    Universities set a quota on the number of people that can enter each major every year based on what the government estimates will be needed. When those quotas are met, that is ALL THE PEOPLE allowed into the universities for that year. Not only that but only the cream of the crop is allowed to enter college.
*    You are not allowed to work overtime except for very short term reasons. If a companies employees book too much overtime, the government will require the company to hire more people.
*    Cities are very compact which makes it easier for transportation, such as, walking, riding bikes and busses. Unlike America where we are spread out all over surburbia and rural areas.

If you think you wouldn't mind the State making all your decisions for you, read this article from Jan 3, 2013.

By Anna Andersen, The Associated Press                                                         Jan 03, 2013

REYKJAVIK, Iceland -- Call her the girl with no name.

A 15-year-old is suing the Icelandic state for the right to legally use the name given to her by her mother. The problem? Blaer, which means "light breeze" in Icelandic, is not on a list approved by the government.

Like a handful of other countries, including Germany and Denmark, Iceland has official rules about what a baby can be named. In a country comfortable with a firm state role, most people don't question the Personal Names Register, a list of 1,712 male names and 1,853 female names that fit Icelandic grammar and pronunciation rules and that officials maintain will protect children from embarrassment. Parents can take from the list or apply to a special committee that has the power to say yea or nay.

In Blaer's case, her mother said she learned the name wasn't on the register only after the priest who baptized the child later informed her he had mistakenly allowed it.

"I had no idea that the name wasn't on the list, the famous list of names that you can choose from," said Bjork Eidsdottir, adding she knew a Blaer whose name was accepted in 1973. This time, the panel turned it down on the grounds that the word Blaer takes a masculine article, despite the fact that it was used for a female character in a novel by Iceland's revered Nobel Prize-winning author Halldor Laxness.

Given names are even more significant in tiny Iceland than in many other countries: Everyone is listed in the phone book by their first names. Surnames are based on a parent's given name. Even the president, Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, is addressed simply as Olafur.

Blaer is identified as "Stulka" — or "Girl" — on all her official documents, which has led to years of frustration as she has had to explain the whole story at the bank, renewing her passport and dealing with the country's bureaucracy.

Her mother is hoping that will change with her suit, the first time someone has challenged a names committee decision in court.

Though the law has become more relaxed in recent years — with the name Elvis permitted, inspired by the charismatic rock and roll icon whose name fits Icelandic guidelines — choices like Cara, Carolina, Cesil, and Christa have been rejected outright because the letter "c" is not part of Iceland's 32-letter alphabet.

Full international coverage from NBC News

"The law is pretty straightforward so in many cases it's clearly going to be a yes or a no," said Agusta Thorbergsdottir, the head of the committee, a panel of three people appointed by the government to a four-year term.

Other cases are more subjective.

"What one person finds beautiful, another person may find ugly," she acknowledged. She pointed to "Satania" as one unacceptable case because it was deemed too close to "Satan."

'Basic human right'

The board also has veto power over people who want to change their names later in life, rejecting, for instance, middle names like Zeppelin and X.

Eidsdottir says she is prepared to take her case all the way to the country's Supreme Court if a court doesn't overturn the commission decision on Jan. 25.

"So many strange names have been allowed, which makes this even more frustrating because Blaer is a perfectly Icelandic name," Eidsdottir said. "It seems like a basic human right to be able to name your child what you want, especially if it doesn't harm your child in any way."

"And my daughter loves her name," she added.

End of Article

So, if you think you want to be more like the Europeans, you had better look over the above list to see if you are OK living under those conditions. I am sure there are a lot more because the Europeans are very rule oriented. There is a rule for everything and everyone is expected to follow the rules without exception.. Forget individualism because it doesn't exist in Europe. The funniest part of this issue is there are many Europeans who would like to be Americans.


So, for those people wanting to be more like Europeans, they should simply move to Europe. For us Patriots, we'll proudly remain Americans.

Devastating Effect of Fast Food

Devastating Effect of Fast Food

My husband and I have been changing our life style in the way we eat. We only buy organic grass fed beef, we buy fresh vegetables from the local farmers markets, we order our soy free eggs from out of state, we have eliminated all products that contain soy, we have eliminated bread and dairy, we have eliminated fried foods (we only use coconut oil and EVOO) and we have eliminated most sugar products from our diet except for honey and our cocktail or wine. Mentally, one of the biggest changes is reducing our portion size. We share one chicken breast or one steak and if we eat out, we share only one meal. This sounds difficult but it really isn’t. We don’t miss anything with this life style change, we never feel deprived and we always feel satisfied. We do not have the ups and downs we use to experience when we ate anything we wanted.

However, with this life style change we do have a cheat day each week. We usually will make a homemade pizza on this day and a dessert like sugar free brownies or an apple crisp. We don’t eat out much since we feel our cooking is better than what we can get at a restaurant. Plus, we like trying new recipes.

Last weekend we went to a May Fair to view the arts and crafts. On the way home we stopped at a McDonalds and we shared an Angus burger, a large fry (we usually get a small) and a large sweet iced tea (we usually get a small). If we had stuck with our small we probably would have been OK. But then, the next day was Mothers Day and my husband decided to take me out to eat. For lunch we shared a greasy (probably trans fat) blackened grouper with no fries. We knew better but it was Mothers Day. That night we made our homemade pizza which was delicious but it was also more bread even though it was not made with enriched flour.

Now get this, my husband gained 4 pounds in those two days of cheating. He was devastated. It’s no wonder we were considered obese when that use to be our life style. Also, it took 5 days for him to lose the four pounds it only took two days to gain. Seeing this really brought home to us the negative and positive effects food can have on us. Cheat a little, pay a lot.

If you want to see how food effects you, simple weigh each morning when you get up. Make sure you weigh in the nude so different articles of clothing does not effect your overall weight. Record your weight each day and see how the previous day’s food and liquid effect’s your weight.

After weighing yourself for a week, you may also want to consider a life style change. If you need support, contact me.

Prepper Non-Food Items

When preppers prepare for a disaster they usually stock up on food and water. They purchase can goods from the grocery store, can their own meats and vegetables and dehydrate foods. Even though their time, effort and money go into preparing food stores, there are non-food items that are equally important.

For food items, here is a quick rule of thumb of how to prepare for a year.

There are 52 weeks in the year and 7 days per week. Figure out what foods you like, not frozen, and have 7 different types and 52 of each one so your family can have it once a week. As an example, if you like chicken, then have enough canned chicken, store bought or home prepared, for your family to eat chicken once per week for 52 weeks. If you like green beans with the chicken, then store enough green beans for your family to have once per week with the chicken.

That’s it. If you have 52 of each item to cover 7 days per week then you have food stores for your family for one year. If you don’t have that, then you have some more preparing to do. In a pinch, dry beans and rice will keep you from going hungry.

For non-food items, here is a list we have added to our supplies.

Toilet paper is an essential item. We buy Pom’s Toilet Paper from Sam’s Club. It is two ply and is a triple roll. You get 40 rolls for under $20. To figure out how many you need, keep track of how long one roll will last in each bathroom. So, if a roll lasted for 3 days, you will need 365 \ 3 = 122 rolls of toilet paper (3 cases of Poms)to supply that one bathroom for one year.

Paper towels or dish towels? That is the question. If paper towels, determine how many you need using the same method as for toilet paper. If you go with dish towels that you can wash, Sam’s Club sells them in bulk.

Plenty of Kleenex Tissue unless you plan on using your toilet paper or paper towels. Determine your consumption the same as above. Buy in bulk at Sam’s Club or Costco.

Paper Plates and plastic eating and drinking utensils since you may not have water to wash dishes.

Manual Kitchen Utensils, such as, a can opener and hand mixer.

Tooth paste and tooth brushes. Determine how many you need for a year.

Gas grill and cook stove. If you don’t have electricity, you will need a way to cook your food. We installed a 120 gallon propane tank for our grill and a two burner cook stove that will last about one and a half years. If you also want it for heat then install a larger tank.

Alternate heat source. Kerosene or propane heater, solar heat or fireplace. Install a 250 gallon tank for the kerosene and/or an appropriate sized propane container. Stock up on wood for your fireplace or wood stove.

You need to have clean drinking water. You can have a water bladder that fits into your tub that can be filled before the disaster strikes. You could also have purification tablets, a way to strain and boil water or a gravity fed water filter, such as, a Berkey.

Kerosene Lanterns are great for light and provide a little heat. You do not need to buy the special lantern oil in the stores….just use kerosene. Buy a blue kerosene container at your favorite hardware store and fill it up at your local gas station. Many hardware stores have fragrances you can add to the kerosene. Also have a smaller container to pour the kerosene into to fill your lanterns.

Make sure you have a supply of matches, candles and batteries on hand, as well as, flashlights.

Moist towelettes for bird baths.

Feminine hygiene products.

Medicinal stuff, such as, peroxide, aspirin, antibiotic cream, anbesol, etc.

Hand and bath soap, as well as, anti-bacterial hand wash.

If you are on a sewer system, you absolutely need a portable potty and a supply of hygiene bags. Do not use trash bags as they will leak and end up causing health problems. You can use a 5 gallon bucket with a toilet seat made for the bucket. You will still need the hygiene bags. You can also put kitty litter in the bag to keep down the odor.

If you are on a well for your water, it only works if you have electricity. So you need to install a manual well pump that works when you don’t have electricity. Even if you don’t have electricity for days, weeks, months or years, you will still have good drinking water which is absolutely necessary to stay alive and healthy. If you are on city water then buy the water collection barrels to collect water from your gutter system. You will still need a way to purify your water before drinking it.

Since I am a prepper, I believe you should also have a way to protect your family, your home and your possessions. If you can, buy your weapons from an individual. No city, state or Federal Government can keep you from having arms. There is no law they can pass that trumps the 2nd amendment. If they try, carry it all the way to the Supreme Court. So, stock up.

Buy an ATV (Four Wheeler) that has a distributor with points and plugs (EMP Proof). They make these special without electronics for the same price but you have to ask for them. If you rather have a car, buy an older one that does not have any electronics on it, such as, an electronic ignition.

The above is not a big deal unless you need it and don’t have it. If you are a tent camper you already have your starting supplies. Just keep adding to it.

Walk through each room of your home and ask, ‘If I had to rely on my supplies for one year, what do I absolutely need. Then, stock up a supply that will last you for a year. That’s all there is to preparing a survival list.

Another test you can do is imagine you do not have electric, water or sewer. Now, what food and non-food items would you need to survive. If you think this is far fetched, ask the people of New York and New Jersey who survived Hurricane Sandy.

Here are some businesses that can help you get prepared.

www.carolinareadiness.com
www.samsclub.com

Canning without the Heat

When we first began canning we were living in a condo and did all of our canning in our kitchen on an electric stove. If we didn't run the air conditioner, the house became hotter and if we did run the air conditioner, it simply ran more which cost more money .... to can.

Then we moved into a house that has a small covered back porch (7 ft x 14 ft). We bought a two burner propane stove to put on the porch and connected it to our 30 gal propane tank from our camper. This works great because we can can in any weather and all of the heat stays outdoors. We have two pressure canners and two water bath canners so we can get more done in a shorter period of time.

The biggest inconvenience of this is I am in my mid 60's and those propane tanks just keep getting heavier and heavier. So, I had a 120 gallon propane tank installed and connected my two burner stove, as well as, my grill. At 80% capacity the tank holds 96 gallons of propane and will probably last 1 1/2 to 2 years. When I need more propane, I simply call and they deliver the propane directly to my house.
This set up is not just good for canning and grilling. As a prepper, it meets our requirement for alternate cooking methods in a lights out situation. And with a 120 gallon propane tank, we will not worry about ice or snow storms knocking out our power or a longer term outage caused by some natural or man made disaster.

My 30 gallon propane tanks will still be used for my camper, as well as, to connect to an energy efficient propane heater to use in emergency situations. I have two 30 gallon and one 20 gallon propane tank to provide for emergency heat. I will also buy more propane tanks if I can find them at yard sales.

Using propane tanks inside your house is a little more dangerous so make sure you have monitors set up close to the tank to detect any leaks. You can use a soapy solution to check your connections to ensure there are no leaks. You can also have the gas company install a quick disconnect connection so you can hook up a heater in a room of your choosing. This is the safest method of using propane inside your house.

So, look at your situation for canning and long term cooking and heating alternatives. Pick a solution that best meets your needs but by all means, be prepared.

Home Made Pizza Recipe

I don't remember where we got this recipe from but it is fantastic.

This is our favorite pizza recipe. Ever since we started making this recipe we have not bought a pizza out. The recipe for the dough makes two 12" - 14" pizza's.

Pizza Dough

1 cup warm water

2 tbl honey

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbl yeast

1 cup bread flour

1/4 cup olive oil

2 1/2 cups flour

Instructions:

Pour in warm water. The water should be about 85 to 115° F. Test it with your hand. It should feel very warm, but comfortable. Add the honey and salt. Mix on low for about 20 seconds. Add the yeast and mix on low for another 5 seconds. Add 1 cup of flour, mix on low for 10 seconds. Add the olive oil and mix until blended (about 15 or 20 seconds more). Add the rest of the flour (and any other additions) and mix on high for about a minute or two. The dough should turn into a ball and roll around the processor. If the dough does not ball up because it's too dry, add water one tablespoon at a time until it does. If your mixture is more like a batter, add flour one tablespoon at a time. Adding water or flour as needed to get the right consistency will assure you always get a perfect dough. Just remember to do it in small amounts. Once the dough is balled up, place the ball on a floured board and knead for about a minute. This builds the gluten which helps the dough to rise and become fluffy when cooked. Place the dough in a plastic grocery bag or a covered bowl and store in a warm, dry area to rise. After about 45 minutes the dough should have about doubled in size. Show it who's the boss and punch it down. That's right, give it a good smack so it deflates. Let it rise for another hour to an hour and a half. The dough is now ready to be rolled out. You can punch the dough down one more time if you want and wait another hour or two before rolling out. The choice is yours. Flour your surface and roll out your dough to the thickness and size you need. This dough can also be made in advance and refrigerated for a day or so, or even frozen. Be sure to let the dough come to room temperature before using. Topping 1 can Tomato Paste 2 tablespoons mashed baked garlic 1 can of Rotel drained 2 tbl basil pesto Sprinkle & spread EVOO on the unbaked dough Spread Topping over the unbaked dough  Add your toppings (Pepperoni, Hot Italian Sausage cooked and drained, sautéed Onions and Black Olives) Cover with mozzarella cheese We buy our cheese from Pete & Fran who make Fresh Homemade Mozzarella Cheese. It is the best cheese you can buy for pizza. They do not have a web site but their phone number is 239-940-0901 and you can find them at the following farmers markets. North Carolina (Waynesville, Asheville & Silva) and Florida( Bonita Springs, Marco Island, Cape Coral, Fort Myers & Sanibel) Bake at 400 degrees for 10 – 12 minutes