What did you do today? 2016 version

[NW-Bound]

OMG! Some people eat the peanut shell!

Well, that could start a new trend. I'd bet peanut shell is rich in fiber and has very few calories. It could keep one full for hours. All we need now is for nutritionists to research and tell us it is also full of antioxidants, vitamins, and other good stuff.

 

[REWahoo]

Not so fast: Beware of the bezoar

The National Peanut Board website states, “many people report they enjoy peanuts, including the shell, and food scientists indicate that it’s okay.” The Peanut Board breaks down peanut shell content as follows: 60 percent crude fiber, 25 percent cellulose, 8 percent water, 6 percent crude protein, 2 percent ash and 1 percent fat. The composition differs based on peanut varieties and manufacturing environments. Other than dietary fiber, peanut shells offer virtually no nutritional value.

Intestinal Blockage

Eating a large quantity of peanut shells may provide fiber, but can interfere with normal digestive function. As described by Dr. Dean Edell on the Health Central website, peanut shells can accumulate in the gastrointestinal tract. Often, the buildup of foreign matter causes stomach distress and creates a mass that cannot pass through the intestines. Referred to as a bezoar, the term typically relates to ingesting hair or fibers. However, it also applies to a collection of any consumed material that lodges in the abdomen. In extreme cases, surgery may be required to remove a bezoar.

Can I Eat Peanut Shells? | LIVESTRONG.COM

 

[braumeister]

All we need now is for nutritionists to research and tell us it is also full of antioxidants, vitamins, and other good stuff.

Please, no!
Then they would have to attach little labels to every peanut shell:

This product contains chemicals known to the state of California to cause cancer ...

 

[MRG]

Not so fast: Beware of the bezoar



Can I Eat Peanut Shells? | LIVESTRONG.COM

I've eaten all the cellulose I can have, no thanks.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Early Retirement Forum mobile app

 

[NW-Bound]

New word for today: bezoar.

Thought it is the same as the hairballs that my cat coughed up occasionally, but the dictionary says it's "a small stony concretion that may form in the stomachs of certain animals, especially ruminants, and which was once used as an antidote for various ailments".

What? People used to swallow stones as medicine? No wonder the lifespan was so short then, what with bloodletting and all the quacks.

Anyway, I am typing this while snacking on some peanuts, roasted in the shell. And no, I never eat the shell.


PS. I got these peanuts at Winco for $1.49/lb. This store has bulk food items for less than packaged goods, and roasted peanut in the shell is one of them. No expensive shipping necessary. They do not have raw peanuts for me to try to boil with some spices. A recipe on the Web calls for using crab boil, which makes it interesting as I like spicy food.


PPS. I recall stopping at a roadstand on a Florida highway to buy some boiled peanuts. Nothing special there, and it was simply too salted. Did not know that the Southerners kick it up a notch with jalapeno and crab boil. Now, this is something I have not had.

 

[NW-Bound]

Today is a sad day for me.

We were set to go leave the home tomorrow. I checked the attic one last time, expecting not to find anything new, but what did I know? A cracker left up there was gone. Rats!

Whatever remains does not like cheese, or meat, but grabbed that cracker. Darn! And I thought I got rid of them all. This is now more alarming, because I have sealed up the holes in the garage ceiling, and have found no new ones. I also inspected the roof, and perhaps I did not know what to look for, but found nothing. The rats cannot stay up there without being able to get out for food and water. They might have found a way to travel through the entire attic space between the ceiling of the garage and the home, going all the way to the attic of the 2nd floor.

I immediately went out to get a $100 WiFi surveillance camera, and installed it in the attic, watching the new bait I put out. When it senses motion, will send the video by FTP to my network drive. I want to know and see what I am dealing with here.

Watch this space for a video of my intruder.

 

[MichaelB]

Critters in the attic? Sorry to hear that. You should see droppings, though, and not just missing food.

 

[W2R]

Today is a sad day for me.

We were set to go leave the home tomorrow. I checked the attic one last time, expecting not to find anything new, but what did I know? A cracker left up there was gone. Rats!

Whatever remains does not like cheese, or meat, but grabbed that cracker. Darn! And I thought I got rid of them all. This is now more alarming, because I have sealed up the holes in the garage ceiling, and have found no new ones. I also inspected the roof, and perhaps I did not know what to look for, but found nothing. The rats cannot stay up there without being able to get out for food and water. They might have found a way to travel through the entire attic space between the ceiling of the garage and the home, going all the way to the attic of the 2nd floor.

I immediately went out to get a $100 WiFi surveillance camera, and installed it in the attic, watching the new bait I put out. When it senses motion, will send the video by FTP to my network drive. I want to know and see what I am dealing with here.

Watch this space for a video of my intruder.

Wow! Let's hope it's something like this, instead of rats:

 

[NW-Bound]

I thought about other animals and insects, but my electric rat zapper caught 6 up to now. One was a baby rat, and one would expect it to have siblings.

Yes, there were rat droppings, but no fresh ones around the bait area since the last one that was zapped. They might just grab the cracker and ran off to somewhere else to eat. My attic space is a very convoluted space, and by following the AC duct they can go to the 2nd story attic.

 

[braumeister]

I recall stopping at a roadstand on a Florida highway to buy some boiled peanuts. Nothing special there, and it was simply too salted.

Boiled peanuts is strictly a Southern thing. When I lived in Alabama you could buy a sack of them at any gas station. Never really saw the attraction myself, but I'm a damnyankee so my opinion doesn't count.

However, if you want to see what true peanut perfection is, I would invite you to try these:

LEHMAN'S GOURMET SOUTHERN-STYLE PEANUTS

Quite seriously, these are the most awesomely good peanuts I've ever had.

 

[W2R]

I thought about other animals and insects, but my electric rat zapper caught 6 up to now. One was a baby rat, and one would expect it to have siblings.

Yes, there were rat droppings, but no fresh ones around the bait area since the last one that was zapped. They might just grab the cracker and ran off to somewhere else to eat. My attic space is a very convoluted space, and by following the AC duct they can go to the 2nd story attic.

Have you thought of hiring an exterminator? I think possibly it was you that posted this graphic, in which case you could probably afford some experts to take care of the problem.

 

[NW-Bound]

If I cannot locate the entrance hole, will have to hire someone more knowledgeable to find it. But the daily checking of infestation has to go on for a while, and it would be expensive, I think. One cannot set any trap, then comes back a few days later to see an animal rotting and stinking in this heat.

 

[EastWest Gal]

After bringing son's furniture set downstairs, it was picked up by Habitat for Humanity. Then helped him vacuum and clean his room. He is switching to some nice furniture from my parents we kept in storage for years. Thursday his new bed arrives.

Today he got a call-he starts teaching on Thursday!!!!


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[Dreamer]

Went for a pontoon boat ride today with six ladies and our driver. He was very knowledgeable about the history of the area. We went up the Monongahela River, which flows from South to North. It was a beautiful day. Went to lunch afterward, and 1 of the specials was Meatloaf, which I like very much. It came with Mashed Potatoes, Cole Slaw and Corn. I was stuffed. Came home and napped. I am getting ready to have a bowl of cereal and blueberries for dinner.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Bought a garden truck today. 1996 Ranger with 155k miles for just less than $1k. Looks good. Needs tires.

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[traineeinvestor]

Spent the day reading the printed proof of my novel. Should finish by Friday and have it up on Amazon either over the weekend or early next week.

Struggling with pricing decisions - not expecting to sell many copies so I don't think it matters much.

 

[Hermit]

Yesterday the concrete for my basement and the piers for the front and back decks was poured. This has been a long time coming. Also a lot of work both for the concrete crew and for me. I also got a siding company lined up to do the siding. It took so long to get the basement ready for concrete that I need to get someone in here to get the siding up before winter sets in.

 

[MBAustin]

Finally got around to setting up an HSA. I'm on a HDHP plan now through our retiree medical and just had been procrastinating about doing it. Since in recent years I've had very few healthcare expenses, it wasn't a priority, but then I realized I was giving up the tax deduction as well as the tax-free growth on the $$ that could stay there. With 6 years to go until Medicare, it really is worth it. Decided to go with SelectAccount.

Need to go finish prepping tonight's crockpot dinner - a new chicken tikka masala recipe I found.

 

[Walt34]

Went for my two-mile walk this morning, ate some mint chocolate chip ice cream, cooked six pounds of hamburger into patties that go in the refrigerator and freezer, (and ate one for lunch) got a delivery from Amazon and I'm still waiting for a delivery of two new R/C airplanes. One is very fast ducted fan jet and the other flies at a walking pace. It also has LED lights so I'll try some night flying.

 

[Huston55]

Yes I think I lived it today--DH and I got in the car this evening and I realized my shirt was still inside out (why yes I am a procrastinator at heart), so I just nonchalantly pulled it off, turned it rightside out, and pulled it back on. The street was empty but not sure the nosy neighbor didn't get an eyeful, but DH loved it.

You ARE the BestWifeEver!

 

[MichaelB]

I thought about other animals and insects, but my electric rat zapper caught 6 up to now. One was a baby rat, and one would expect it to have siblings.

Yes, there were rat droppings, but no fresh ones around the bait area since the last one that was zapped. They might just grab the cracker and ran off to somewhere else to eat. My attic space is a very convoluted space, and by following the AC duct they can go to the 2nd story attic.

Which zapper do you use?

 

[NW-Bound]

It's the Victor M240 sold for $37 at Home Depot. See photo linked from Home Depot.

By testing it, I learned how it works (no, I did not use my hand as some guys did on youtube, but with a thin wood stick whose end was wrapped in aluminum foil for conductivity).

This model runs on 4 C batteries, and uses a transistor switching circuit to step up the 6V voltage to several thousand volts. However, it does not turn on until it senses the rat has entered the trap and is well inside it.

The floor of the zapper has 3 separate metal plates between the entrance and the back wall where one puts the bait. When the rat gets between the mid and the back plates, and the electrical conductivity of its feet is sensed between these two plates, that's when the zapper turns on. Even if the rat jumps back, it's still caught between the outer and the mid plates. With my test foil-wrapped stick, I could draw a 1/2" spark between two adjacent plates. It's a lot stronger than the spark in your car spark plug.

 

[NW-Bound]

OK. About the WiFi surveillance camera, I captured a lot of activity last night. It's a big mature rat, and I hope it's the same one that made multiple visits to the bait area. This is a smart surviving rat, and perhaps the patriarch of the pack. It wouldn't fall for the trap.

Seeing the rat gave me the strong motivation to get up early to avoid the heat and to go up in the attic early to inspect for the entrance hole. I found one entry way that was most likely and set traps around it.

Will post photos and videos later in a separate trap, er, thread when this saga comes to a fruitful ending.

 

[braumeister]

One hell of a wildlife adventure you're having, NW-Bound.

 

[braumeister]

Experimenting today. Attempting to duplicate some pork burnt ends I tried at a commercial BBQ place last month. Man, were they good.

Then once that's complete, I have a wonderful salmon fillet that will get smoked for supper. I really love my Q!