After the windows were upgraded, I wanted to change the old-fashioned door handles for newer and little discreeter ones. Changing door handles is also not a big deal – a little bit more complicated than the window handles, but not much of a challenge and not much work either. You’ll need some more tools – I strongly advise a power drill – and a little more time.
How to: Change Window Handles
I’ve done some touch-ups in the northern germany refuge yesterday. One thing was changing the 20 year old window handles for new, lockable ones. It’s really easy, also for the inexperienced and here’s how:
Balcony Fire Bowl
I decided to try to only smoke on the balcony from now on, simply because you smoke much less when you have to go out every time. Since it’s winter here and temperatures easily drop below zero, I dug out the old fire bowl that I made from a cheap dollar store Wok and some scrap metal two years ago. Still works fine and makes a comfy, cozy feeling on the balcony.
Homemade Vicks Rub
Since I’ve been really sick as fuck with a tenacious cold these days, here’s a formula for a homemade Vick’s Rub (german: “Wick VapoRub”). I used fragrant oil that I had at hand at home and it works.
– 1/2 cup coconut oil
– 10 drops eucalyptus oil
– 5 drops peppermint oil
Mix thoroughly and store in a tight container. Found here.
Casually Made Serving Tray
I had a leftover piece of plum wood lying around from bass building. Not usable for instrument making anymore, but suitable enough as a kitchen utensil. I like the wood grain, although it has a bad spot in the middle and the olive oil coating really made it look cool.
Squirrel Feeder Build
My neighbour, who is a biologist told me that squirrels have had a hard time the last winters here in urban southern germany and that she doesn’t think the situation will improve much this year. Seems the little critters are so excited about the long and hot summer that they simply forget to collect their nuts as supply for the winter. So I made a “squirrel-nut-depot-all-you-can-eat-bar”.
Simplest Possible DIY Rope Tensioners
Well, I was a boyscout when I was young and, yes, I did learn some useful things back then. So when we set up our new awning lately, I recalled the simple line-tensioners we made back in the days when we went camping with the boyscout group. They’re easy to make, simple to set up and cost next to nothing. Here’s how they work:
My Form of Prepping
So, slowly I’m transforming into one of those quixotic and sometimes slightly weird SHTF-doomsday guys, right? Well, no. Not really.
I just want to be reasonably prepared for the mishaps of life and I like to have a backup for my wife and me if things go down the drain for a couple of days. At the end of the day it is (without overdoing it) not much more than what was ordinary household management for my gradmother’s generation back in their time: A little stockpiling, a little preparation and some common sense of not relying entirely on the everyday civilizational amenities.
Even the german government (!) recommends some disaster precautions (Frankly, I think they’re talking shit – hoarding bananas is not the first thing on my mind when thinking about disaster preparation…). Anyway, here’s what I think is useful and unexcitedly reasonable for two people in a calculated 72 hours of utter darknesssss: