Category Archives: Sustainable living – survival

Water Your Garden with Bath Water? Here Is What the Pragmatic Prophet Says …

Leave a reply

This did not work out too well. The bathtub drain became clogged and I had to hire a pair of plumbers.  The plumbesr tried to sell me on replacing my entire drainage system with an inferior plastic pipe.

Two other pairs of plumbers had tried the same gambit in years gone by. One of the plumbers would get on the roof and run a video recorder on a cord down a sewer exhaust vent. The other would propose the high cost project on the basis of the tiny tendrils of root hairs hanging down through the ceramic sewer pipes.

As with the other two plumbering pairs, the third pair would not be dissuaded from the hard sell pitch, despite the fact that I asked, then demanded three times, sternly, that they stop. What an exasperating experience that was for me!

I ended up with a $75 snake job, which did the trick (despite dire warnings that it would not do so). They finally left.

I figure that sewer drains don’t function right unless I let tub water drain down them a few times a week. That is my guess. –Alice B. Clagett, 25 May 2025

Image: “Man Carrying Two Buckets,” by TriviaKing at English Wikipedia, 22 June 2008, in Wikimedia Commons … https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Man_carrying_two_buckets.JPG … CC BY-SA 3.0

Image: “Man Carrying Two Buckets,” by TriviaKing at English Wikipedia, 22 June 2008, in Wikimedia Commons … https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Man_carrying_two_buckets.JPG … CC BY-SA 3.0

Dear Ones,

Water prices are so high here in Los Angeles these days the wild surmise goes round that the LA Department of Water and Power has been purchased by the mob to grow marijuana in the sewage treatment facilities, and that we homeowners are footing the tab! What with the COVID lockdown, there are no bar tabs to be footed today. Wilder urban legends have gone the rounds, over the years. Who can say?

Until the truth be laid bare, water in LA is costing up to $600 a month for a person with a backyard lawn and a modest home in the ‘burbs. How are we to afford to water even a container vegetable garden when water prices are so high? Here is what I came up with; it is cost effective, offers a little daily exercise, and feels just right for sustainable living …

I thought if I could find a very good stopper for my bathtub, and tough, flat-bottom buckets such as are used to feed horses in horse stalls, then I could scoop up the water in the tub after a shower and use it to water the vegetable garden.

I needed a water-tight drain stopper for the bathtub, and that was hard to come by. I found that, because of the age of my house, the tub drain I needed was not a standard size sold in the local hardware stores. Online I found 3 sizes of drain stoppers, and none of them fit the bathtub drain.

Finally I found at Amazon … https://www.amazon.com … a multi size bathtub stopper (1-1/8 inch to 1-7/8 inch). It came in a two pack, and I found it offered a firm seal at the largest size graduation. If you cannot readily get a snug drain stopper for your bathtub, then the multi size drain stopper may work for you as well.

The next thing was to find durable buckets that would conform to the flat bottom of the tub. That was a little easier, as feed stores and Amazon sell ‘flat back’ plastic feed buckets with strong metal handles. I picked two buckets, each with two-gallon capacity, as very large buckets full of water would be too much for me to carry.

It turned out the buckets I picked were perfect for the job. One side was flat, so that the bucket would lie flat when the handle was attached to the wall of a horse stall. That flat side, laid against the bottom of the tub, allowed me to scoop up almost all the water in the tub.

I placed the partly full buckets on an old towel next to the tub just before taking the water outside, so that water would not drip through the house. This has proven a no muss, no fuss way to water my container garden using shower water.

In addition, I keep a regular bucket in my kitchen sink for dishwashing and daily use that water to keep up those outdoor plants that are not able to survive with the amount of landscape water allowed Los Angeles homeowners by the LA Department of Water and Power.

Hope these tips help green the gardens of LA!

In love, light and joy
This is Alice B. Clagett.
I Am of the Stars … and so are you!

Written and published on 24 July 2020; revised on 25 May 2025 and on 7 September 2025
Location: Los Angeles, California

Search Amazon .. https://www.amazon.com … for: Silicone Multi Size Bathtub Stopper (2 pack)  … and …  Little Giant Plastic Animal Feed Bucket (2 gallon) 

…………..

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0). Attribution: By Alice B. Clagett.
More license information
…………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………….

sustainable living, survival, water conservation, gardening, lockdown, lock down,

Pragmatic Prophecy: Western States Pact and Possible Decentralization of the United States . by Alice B. Clagett

Leave a reply
  • FORMATION OF THE WESTERN STATES PACT
  • POSSIBLE DECENTRALIZATION OF THE UNITED STATES INTO LOOSELY FEDERALLY RULED ECONOMIC REGIONS IN YEARS TO COME
    • Decentralization Stressors
      • COVID-19, AIDS, and Less Federal Revenues
      • The Price of Water and the Potential Need to Grow Crops
  • COVID-19 LOCKDOWNS VERSUS THE COMMON GOOD
prophecy icon

Image: “Prophecy icon,” self-portrait, copyright Alice B. Clagett

Dear Ones,

FORMATION OF THE WESTERN STATES PACT

As you may know, a Western States Pact has been formed in response to the COVID-19 issue. To date, the states involved are Washington, Oregon, California, Colorado, and Nevada …

Link: “Colorado & Nevada Join California, Oregon & Washington in Western States Pact,” 27 April 2020 … https://www.gov.ca.gov/2020/04/27/colorado-nevada-join-california-oregon-washington-in-western-states-pact/ ..

This is a power block or united front asking for financial help from the federal government in response to the impact of COVID-19 on their states’ economies.

POSSIBLE DECENTRALIZATION OF THE UNITED STATES INTO LOOSELY FEDERALLY RULED ECONOMIC REGIONS IN YEARS TO COME

While this power block has a focused purpose, it does present a small step towards consolidating a Western economic region, in a way that is reminiscent of this possible timeline for relative decentralization of the United States into economic regions, with less control by a federal government as a possibility in years to come …

Link: “What If: Will the United States Become Less Centralized?” by Alice B. Clagett, written and published on 6 December 2019 … https://wp.me/p2Rkym-fnm ..

Decentralization Stressors

COVID-19, AIDS, and Less Federal Revenues. Among the stressors, in the current scenario, would be COVID-19 affecting the current economy of the large United States cities; AIDS (which prevents having viable offspring) affecting the Eastern Seaboard economic region (which is hard hit by AIDS) first, and other regions later; and in the short term, inability of the federal government to provide financial aid because of decreased tax payments next year because of unemployment caused by lockdowns this year.

The Price of Water and the Potential Need to Grow Crops. In addition, here in Los Angeles the price of water has made it untenable to raise crops; water prices may rise elsewhere in the United States as well. For those in the cities, I suggest a power block lobbying for reasonably priced water. For those who can move away from the cities, I suggest moving to regions of plentiful rainfall, so that a sustainable or survival-oriented lifestyle can be maintained if necessary.

COVID-19 LOCKDOWNS VERSUS THE COMMON GOOD

My feeling is that riots and curfews are happening in New York, Los Angeles and elsewhere because people who have no savings have been prevented from making a living by lockdowns in the urban areas of the United States. My hope is that our mayors and governors will see the wisdom of balancing relatively few lives lost through COVID-19 against social unrest caused by inability to get work.

Italy, for instance, was very hard hit by the epidemic, yet their people are going back to work and reopening churches. In addition, Dallas, Texas is doing so. From available news, the resurgence of COVID-19 in Wuhan, which reopened for business a while ago, has been far less in numbers than the good caused by the ability of the people to feed and clothe themselves.

In other words, I feel that, in terms of lockdown or return to normalcy, we must weigh the common good against our fears regarding possible, but as yet unproven, negative outcomes. For all we know, the worst is over, and better days lie just beyond the horizon, nearly within our ken.

In love, light and joy
This is Alice B. Clagett.
I Am of the Stars … and so are you!

Written and published on 2 June 2020; revised on 13 May 2023

…………..

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0). Attribution: By Alice B. Clagett.
More license information
…………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………….

government, economics, social unrest, United States, California, Wild West, COVID-19, health, community health, politics, taxes, common good, economy, Cities of Earth, countries of Earth, Los Angeles, New York, fear, Italy, emotions, lockdown, Texas, employment, water, agriculture, Pragmatic Prophecy, lock down,

Coronavirus: Urgent Plea to U.S. Mayors and Governors to Establish Stores of Staples in Case of Shortage . by Alice B. Clagett

Leave a reply

Written and published on 7 March 2020; updated on 8 March 2020

Dear Ones,

I was in my local Walmart a few days ago and noticed they were short of staples such as rice and dry noodles, and out of bags of beans. I feel each family must buy what staples we can, as soon as we are able, given what is available in the stores. I feel we might wish to store up enough for 3-4 months for our family, in case stores run short of supplies.

Bottled water is also important to have on hand; second best would be water filters such as Brita or the like. I also suggest water disinfectant in whatever form can be purchased, in the unlikely case urban water supplies should be compromised.

I ask that United States mayors and governors purchase for their towns and states a supply of staples … grains such as wheat, corn, millet, oats, beans, and rice … and also powdered milk for mothers with young children … to provide in case of urgent need should a food shortage develop for the next three of four months.

Maybe our mayors and governors can obtain bulk staples through farmers’ cooperatives in their own states. if not there, it maybe that farmers’ cooperatives in the Midwestern United States will have available the needed staples (at granaries, for instance).

I wonder if Red Cross … phone 800-733-2767 … or the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust … phone 202-720-4221 … might offer foodstuffs for short-term food crises due to coronavirus here in America?

Link: “Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust,” by United States Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service … https://www.fas.usda.gov/programs/bill-emerson-humanitarian-trust … COMMENT: I note this Trust is in cash rather than commodities, and aimed at famine relief in non-United States countries.

If bulk staples can be obtained by government officials, that will help stave off famine in the communities they serve.

There is a possibility of lockdowns on public transportation as cities begin to experience the Coronavirus epidemic; this must be taken into consideration when planning for distribution of bulk staples to the underserved in our local communities. In other words, families who have no other means of picking up government foodstuffs than public transportation might be left to die at home.

I am sorry to be so specific in this regard, but I feel many people are unused to thinking in survival terms, and unable to visualize what may transpire if our mayors and governors are unable to provide for the needs of the underserved in case of famine.

As well, our local government staffs … the folks who would work on food distribution programs … might be depleted, and the government offices themselves might be shut down as the coronavirus passes through the various United States communities.

Thus I feel the time to act, with foresight, is now. That time is upon us.

In love, light and joy
This is Alice B. Clagett.
I Am of the Stars … and so are you!

INTERNATIONAL HISTORICAL INFORMATION ON STRATEGIC GRAIN RESERVES

Link: “Did You Know That the U.S. No Longer Has Any Strategic Grain Reserves at All?” by Michael Snyder, 16 August 2015 … http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/did-you-know-that-the-u-s-no-longer-has-any-strategic-grain-reserves-at-all ..

Link: “Strategic Grain Reserves,” in Wikipedia … https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_grain_reserve ..

Link: “Storage and starvation: Public granaries as agents of food security in early modern Europe,” by Dominik Collet, 1 January 2010, in “Historical Social Research” … https://www.researchgate.net/publication/287007046_Storage_and_starvation_Public_granaries_as_agents_of_food_security_in_early_modern_Europe ..

Link: “The Public Granary: An Historical Basis for State Intervention,” CERES No. 072 (FAO Ceres, 1979, 50 p.), by Community Development Library (CDL) …  http://www.nzdl.org/gsdlmod?e=d-00000-00—off-0cdl–00-0—-0-10-0—0—0direct-10—4——-0-0l–11-en-50—20-about—00-0-1-00-0-0-11-1-0utfZz-8-00-0-0-11-10-0utfZz-8-00&cl=CL1.37&d=HASHf2842d99c1d10f8a9ae536.4&gt=1 ..

…………..

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0). Attribution: By Alice B. Clagett.
More license information
…………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………….

coronavirus, COVID-19, health, community health, staples, emergency supplies, survival, calls to action, community alerts, famine, lockdown, lock down,

How Much Food and Water Should We Buy to Wait Out the Coronavirus? . by Alice B. Clagett

Leave a reply

Written and published on 3 March 2020

Dear Ones,

I took a look at the World Health Organization daily situation reports for the Coronavirus (COVID-19) today …

Link: “Coronavirus Disease (COVID-2019) Situation Reports,” bky World Health Organization (WHO) … https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/situation-reports ..

I see there is a decline in confirmed cases of the virus in the day prior to 2 March 2020 for Hubei, China. According to WHO, the virus broke out there on 31 December 2020. We have 42 WHO reports from 20 January 2020 through 2 March 2020.

Thus we have 20 unreported days and 42 days reported on by WHO, since the outbreak in Hubei. That is a total of 62 days.

If the decline in confirmed cases in Hubei continues in the days to come, then the people of that city will have seen the worst of the outbreak last week. Should this be so, then we can anticipate the epidemic will tail off in Hubei over an equal period of time, which is to say, an additional 62 days.

Thus, in this reasonable scenario, the outbreak will have lasted 4 months in Hubei. Taking that as a touchstone for the duration of the epidemic in other countries, I suggest that we lay in a 4-month supply of food and water supplies (or means of disinfecting water, in case the local water supply might be compromised).

That will allow us to avoid interacting with restaurant and supermarket personnel and customers who might be infected. As well, it will suffice in case food supplies become scarce (as have face masks globally).

Food needs can be supplied at reasonable cost through purchasing big sacks of rice and of beans, which I feel ought to be kept from rodents by being placed in durable plastic storage bins.

The food can be purchased at Walmart or Smart and Final Iris. It is difficult to find durable plastic storage bins that fasten securely enough to deter rodents; Walmart or Target might have these. Of course, sturdier storage, such as metal containers with metal lids, would be better, but these may be available only in rural areas.

For more on the topic of survival see …

Link: “Pioneer Skills: Planning for Tough Times Ahead,” by Alice B. Clagett … published on 19 September 2017; revised … https://wp.me/p2Rkym-7H3 ..

Link: “On Planning with Family for a Natural Disaster,” by Alice B. Clagett … published on 11 September 2017 … https://wp.me/p2Rkym-7Db ..

In love, light and joy
This is Alice B. Clagett.
I Am of the Stars … and so are you!

P.S. It might be good, as well, to purchase a supply of vitamin C, which might help bolster the immune system. My preference is buffered vitamin C powder, which I find to be more agreeable to my gastrointestinal tract. If that is not available (as with the face masks) then whatever may be had must suffice.

…………..

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0). Attribution: By Alice B. Clagett.
More license information
…………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………….

community health, coronavirus, health, COVID-19, survival, sustainable living,

Dried Black Mustard . a story by Alice B. Clagett

Leave a reply

Filmed on 15 November 2019; published on 23 November 2019

  • VIDEO BY ALICE
  • SUMMARY OF THE VIDEO

Dear Ones,

Here is a story about surviving in the wilderness. The location is Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve, Simi Hills, California.

There is a Summary after the video …

VIDEO BY ALICE

SUMMARY OF THE VIDEO

Hello, Dear Ones, It’s Alice. I Am of the Stars.

I have a story for you about survival in the wilderness, especially in a place where there are dried black mustard plants.

One time long ago I went for a hike with some long-term hiking buddies of mine in the tall mountains. It was getting on towards winter. It was kind of cold where we ended up, and the altitude was pretty high. I was really tired, because it had been a long hike. It was barren, and I did not have the right kind of clothes to keep warm from the chill wind that was blowing.

The other people were sitting and talking, and they did not pay much attention to it; but I was cold and shivering. And I saw dried black mustard plants, very close to these ones here …

Image: “Dried Black Mustard 1,” by Alice B. Clagett, 15 November 2019, CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: “Dried Black Mustard 1,” by Alice B. Clagett, 15 November 2019, CC BY-SA 4.0

… just like that. And I thought: Well, anything is better than nothing. I will just go and sit right in the midst of those dried black mustard reeds. So I found a little opening that maybe a few rabbits had sat in, a little like that …

Image: “Dried Black Mustard 2: Little Opening,” by Alice B. Clagett, 15 November 2019, CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: “Dried Black Mustard 2,” by Alice B. Clagett, 15 November 2019, CC BY-SA 4.0

… and I went and sat there. The wind was blowing pretty briskly. But what I found was that I was warm all of a sudden, because so many black mustard stems apparently cut the wind hither and thither, until almost no wind whatsoever reached me.

Image: “Dried Black Mustard 3,” by Alice B. Clagett, 15 November 2019, CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: “Dried Black Mustard 3,” by Alice B. Clagett, 15 November 2019, CC BY-SA 4.0

Now you know what to do when there is no shelter at all in a stiff wind, except for dried black mustard plants.

Image: “Dried Black Mustard 4,” by Alice B. Clagett, 15 November 2019, CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: “Dried Black Mustard 4,” by Alice B. Clagett, 15 November 2019, CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: “Dried Black Mustard 5,” by Alice B. Clagett, 15 November 2019, CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: “Dried Black Mustard 5,” by Alice B. Clagett, 15 November 2019, CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: “Dried Black Mustard 6,” by Alice B. Clagett, 15 November 2019, CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: “Dried Black Mustard 6,” by Alice B. Clagett, 15 November 2019, CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: “Dried Black Mustard 7,” by Alice B. Clagett, 15 November 2019, CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: “Dried Black Mustard 7,” by Alice B. Clagett, 15 November 2019, CC BY-SA 4.0

. . . . .

In love, light and joy
This is Alice B. Clagett.
I Am of the Stars … and so are you!

…………..

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0). Attribution: By Alice B. Clagett.
More license information
…………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………….

nature, Upper Las Virgenes Open Space Preserve, stories, stories by Alice, survival, 2u3d,