Lightning

As I've been moving those 30 foot lightning rods across wet fields as the thunder heads roll in I've wondered about some things about lightning. I've been told that lightening can travel as far as 3 miles from once strike to the next. So using that tricky little thing with 5 seconds per mile, I've decided that any closer than 15 seconds and I need to stop moving pipe. But then I feel like I quit way before I really am in danger, so I decided to do some research on lightening. My research was not reassuring. I learned that lightning can strike as far as 10 miles from where it is raining and that if you can hear the thunder you are within striking distance. That sucks as my first warning sign that lightning is coming is that thunder rumbles quietly on the other side of the mountains. Oh well, I suppose I can only hope that that research was done at a lower altitude than I am at and that my 15 second method will continue to keep me safe. Off to move my 30 foot lightning rods!

Alternate uses for... Coffee filters?

A while ago I was searching my family's food storage room for an item, and I stumbled across a package of coffee filters, which baffled me as to why they were in there as we don't drink coffee. So I asked my mom about them, she told me she had bought them to filter water in case of emergencies. So picture you need to get water from the creek :P you get it, and run it through the filter to remove the big pieces and then boil it to kill off other delightful things in it, or if you can't boil it at least you'll have been able to filter out the bugs, bark, and other objects you might find in creek water. In that frame of mind I stumbled across this interesting article on Yahoo, as well as the suggestions past 12 that came from the comments at the bottom of the article.

1. Clean windows and mirrors. Coffee filters are lint-free so they don't leave behind any residue.


2. Save a bottle of wine. Broke the cork? No problem. Just place a filter over a pitcher and carefully pour the wine into it.


3. Line flower pots. Place a filter at the bottom of the pot to prevent soil from leaking out of the drainage hole.


4. Protect china and non-stick cookware. Place a coffee filter between dishes or pans when storing or packing.


5. Wipe off smudges. In a pinch, you can use to clean eyeglasses, camera lenses, televisions, and computer monitors.


6. Keep your microwave clean. Prevent splatters by covering dishes or bowls in the microwave with coffee filters. Using another plate is your best bet, but filters are a good alternative to plastic wrap. And you can easily reuse them a few times.


7. Make a bouquet garni. Tie up bay leaves, parsley, or other herbs in a coffee filter. Drop it in your stew or soup pot, and easily remove it when you're done cooking. Recipes often suggest cheesecloth for this process, but a coffee filter is an easy-to-find alternative.


8. Diffuse the flash on your camera. Place a coffee filter over your flash to soften the brightness. You can also try putting coffee filters over lights or lamps to lessen the harshness of direct light when taking indoor photos.


9. Make sachets. Tie lavender or other dried flowers and herbs in a coffee filter to make great-smelling bundles you can store in drawers and closets.


10. Use for sewing projects. Coffee filters make a great backing for embroidering or appliqueing soft fabrics.


11. Make tea bags. Wrap loose tea in a filter and tie with a string.


12. Use for storage. Wrap Christmas ornaments and other rarely used fragile items before packing away.
13. Use for Baking. Make muffin "scones" by placing filters on a cookie sheet and dropping dough onto it and baking.
14. Use for straining. Strain plain yogurt through it and wind up with a more firm, 'greek type' yogurt for dips and recipes.
15. Stop bleeding. They’re the perfect fix to stop bleeding from razor nicks when shaving.
16. Absorb Grease Use them to absorb the grease from fried foods. Put them on the plate and put your french fries, bacon and other fried food on top. Or when browning hamburger after the burger is brown and you need to pour it off, drop a coffee filter in and stir it around a bit to soak up the grease instead of trying to drain it and losing the meat. Then just throw it away.
    
17. As a splash guard. Use a coffee filter to cover dishes when they’re cooking in the microwave to prevent messes.
    
18. As a drip guard. Stop that Popsicle from dripping all over the place. Poke one or two holes in the filter and put the stick(s) through it.
    
19. Use for potting. Line your plant pots with a filter to keep the soil from leaking out of the drainage holes when you water them.
    
20. As a buffing rag. Use a coffee filter to apply shoe polish.
    
21. As an odor eater holder. Put baking soda into a coffee filter and put it into shoes or a closet to absorb and prevent nasty odors. You can even put potpourri into the filter, tie it up and put into your drawers, etc.
    
22. As a funnel. You can use the cone-style coffee filters to safely pour in oil and other liquids into your car’s engine
23. As emergency...necessities. Emergency toilet tissue, emergency baby wipes
24. Excess moisture absorbers. line small Tupperware with them for grapes or strawberries in lunch bags.
    
25. Crafty supplies. use them in craft projects.
26. Strainers. Recycle your frying oil, use them to strain the grease from what ever then store the used oil in the fridge until next time.

That is all for that thought.