Your letters are an inspiration. I grew up in rural Canada with an outdoor backhouse, a well 200 yards from the house and a rain barrel to catch water from the roof. The latter was used for bathing and laundry . We used wood to heat the house, with a backup electric stove. Electricity was only available from the mid-1940s on.
Your challenges and your practical attempts to make life livable in difficult circumstances remind me of the old folks, and how we lived at that time. We never felt deprived and most of our thoughts were positive. Just like yours. I will continue to follow your positive story and wish you every success.
As a long-time prepper, I'm going to toss a few things out here that you might not have thought of.
Water filtration--after you allow the big pieces to settle, filter out the small stuff before using the bleach. This can be done with disposable coffee filters if available. You can also use layers of clean t-shirt material or something similar. Pour it through the filter media into a clean container.
Consider rain catchment. If your roof has gutters, divert them into whatever large containers you can find. You still need to treat it, but it's cleaner at the start than pond or river water.
Lighting--rechargeable flashlights are great as long as you're getting some power. Keep an eye out for solar-powered garden lights. I don't know if you can get them, but you let them charge during the day and use them for lighting at night. Good for low-level, general-purpose lighting.
I could write you a small book, but I won't. If you have questions, let me know. I can answer or point you to Internet resources. I really enjoy your work and want to see it continue.
Translating the site into Russian - probably easier, with web translators - or Ukrainian might hep a lot of people... or just find plans that work and translate them.
If worried, a battery powered CO2 monitor might be useful.
And yes the central Japanese heat was in a cast iron charcoal burner below the table and blankets. My Japanese house has a tile bath (ofuro) inside with two pipes to a stove outside that could use wood or charcoal to heat circulating water. With a wooden cover the bath stayed warm. Water was removed and used to wash off with soap before entering the bath to enjoy the hot water. Generally kids went first, seniors (both sexes) next. They were washed by the adults. Then after those the adults in the house could finish. Kids tolerate a bit too hot better than seniors and adults can just abide whatever was left f the heat. I was living with two families in a kind of farm house with 5-6 kids, three seniors and six adults. Bathing was quite an operation done weekly for all.
Your letters are an inspiration. I grew up in rural Canada with an outdoor backhouse, a well 200 yards from the house and a rain barrel to catch water from the roof. The latter was used for bathing and laundry . We used wood to heat the house, with a backup electric stove. Electricity was only available from the mid-1940s on.
Your challenges and your practical attempts to make life livable in difficult circumstances remind me of the old folks, and how we lived at that time. We never felt deprived and most of our thoughts were positive. Just like yours. I will continue to follow your positive story and wish you every success.
We are praying for you all as well! Nancy and Rick
As a long-time prepper, I'm going to toss a few things out here that you might not have thought of.
Water filtration--after you allow the big pieces to settle, filter out the small stuff before using the bleach. This can be done with disposable coffee filters if available. You can also use layers of clean t-shirt material or something similar. Pour it through the filter media into a clean container.
Consider rain catchment. If your roof has gutters, divert them into whatever large containers you can find. You still need to treat it, but it's cleaner at the start than pond or river water.
Lighting--rechargeable flashlights are great as long as you're getting some power. Keep an eye out for solar-powered garden lights. I don't know if you can get them, but you let them charge during the day and use them for lighting at night. Good for low-level, general-purpose lighting.
I could write you a small book, but I won't. If you have questions, let me know. I can answer or point you to Internet resources. I really enjoy your work and want to see it continue.
Garden lamps - great idea. We have a good garden shop. I'll ask.
One thing the people in those apartments could do is to collect rainwater - https://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Water/Water.htm#RainWaterHarvestSystems (if you've got a tarp and a funnel, you could probably use that in a rainstorm to fill up gallon jugs - and if the tarp is clean, probably no need for clorox - and there's lots of other useful info on this site - https://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Cooking/cooking.htm#Bill And then this, too: https://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Water/RVCompostToilet/RVCompostToilet.htm
Translating the site into Russian - probably easier, with web translators - or Ukrainian might hep a lot of people... or just find plans that work and translate them.
I can suggest a supply of lamps using 18650 rechargeable cells. Get a bunch to recharge when power is up. They last longer than small cells and are not expensive. See https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/power-outage-how-many-lumens-how-many-batteries-for-lights-and-more.367513/. The http://thrunite.com/ts1-self-rescue-light/ is useful, somewhat expensive but quite well made. As are many Thrunites.
If worried, a battery powered CO2 monitor might be useful.
And yes the central Japanese heat was in a cast iron charcoal burner below the table and blankets. My Japanese house has a tile bath (ofuro) inside with two pipes to a stove outside that could use wood or charcoal to heat circulating water. With a wooden cover the bath stayed warm. Water was removed and used to wash off with soap before entering the bath to enjoy the hot water. Generally kids went first, seniors (both sexes) next. They were washed by the adults. Then after those the adults in the house could finish. Kids tolerate a bit too hot better than seniors and adults can just abide whatever was left f the heat. I was living with two families in a kind of farm house with 5-6 kids, three seniors and six adults. Bathing was quite an operation done weekly for all.