A few days ago a reader sent an email asking why I had not posted our “What Did You Do To Prep This Week?” question last week. I’m sure others were thinking the same thing, but were afraid to ask.
To be honest, I had nothing to report myself last week so I skipped a week until I had something to report to you all. As I’ve said before, we should all try to do something, even something small every week to further our preps. But as we all know it isn’t always possible.
Last week I felt like an ant under a magnifying glass with the sun shinning through. One bought of bad luck after another, I won’t get into details here because I’m sure you have enough problems of your own to contend with, but that’s why I had nothing to report last week.
Sorry.
At least I did get something done this week.
Yesterday, while trudging through a flea market in Somerset Ky, I picked up several useful survival items – small propane grill $6, four boxes of 12 gauge #6 shot shells for $10, ten large tubes of toothpaste .25 cents each, safari hat $2 and three old 1970′s issues of the Mother Earth News for $1.
Started lifting weights again, after a longer than normal “rest” of several months. Before, I stopped I’d been bench pressing 230 lbs – now I’m lucky if I can do 200 lbs. Felt like, I was going to pass out when I tried – but I’m sure, I’ll get back to where I was in a few weeks.
What did you do to prep this week?
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Wish I had something grand to report, but it was a slow prep week around here. We were busy starting school (home school) and getting prepped for that took most of our time and cash. I did manage to get another 8 empty soda bottles washed and refilled though, so that’s something at least.
Mel,
Doing anything beats going nothing – I’d love to be able to put back two weeks worth of storage foods every week and a case of ammo but as we all know that is not always possible at least not on my budget.
Picked up another pressure canner (Steamliner Model A), two food mills and a bean slicer at the recycler’s. Grabbed some alum and pool shock for emergency water treatment. Finished a simple solar cooker and planning on testing it. It’ll probably need better reflectors, but it’s a first attempt.
Debating picking up a couple of Doulton’s Stearasil filters, but need to work it into the budget.
Read up on biosand filters, but not sure if I’m going to try building one yet.
Not going to make the gun show, but may stop by the ranch store and pick up ammo.
just a friendly warning – you may want to check the comments on the coleman fuel rusty can thread.
i had a very unpleasant experience today with some stored calcium hypoclorate…
i don’t know why my latest post in that thread has not show up yet but i am positive you will find it interesting…
dsd,
You might want to repost it – I looked at the comments and in the spam folder and could not find it.
Good call. Maybe I ought to write a short essay on chemical/flammable storage.
I’ve got the hypochlorite sequestered, but it could be further removed. In case I don’t get that essay written, separate the following: acids and bases, oxidizers and organics, flammables, ignition sources and combustibles, reactive metals and water. Never open containers in a poorly ventilated area and never place your face over a container when open.
Separate cabinets made of compatible material are advised. Always label any container, even temporary vessels. Always use protective gear when handling chemicals. Nitrile gloves, a rubber apron, closed toe impermeable shoes and safety goggles or face shield. Chemical burns really suck.
i would welcome any info on the topic if you are an expert with advice.
in researching more about the issue – the plastic bucket did not appear to be leaking any chlorene gases – it is outside now awaiting a trip to the pool store to examine and replace. but there is no odor around it and the small plastic bags did not ever exhibit any oder either – these are available in retail stores on the shelf and in walmart – so think – they can’t be leaking large amounts of chlorine oder or they would be a health risk
what i think may have been the issue – was they were in the garage – in their own area – own their own shelf – but just a month or two ago we had a very hot period – so possibly the breakdown of the individual plastic bags may hvae been heat related – the temps were in the low 100′s and then in an uninsulated garage the temps easily could have been 120 or so for days, or weeks…
i will explain and ask the pool chemical place about this soon – and try to find a best case storage solution – but my concern for others still is there – i worry someone may have a small plastic bag of this chemical in a bug out bag in thier car or other potentially hot storage area and may suffer if they are not in an airtight container such as mine was.
thanks for any insight or expert advice you can provide on safe keeping of these items. knowing what is what – as you say, acid, base, oxidizer etc is not my strongest suit of knowledge.
I bought 10 lbs. of bacon ends and pieces for useing in soups and and baked beans. The bacon grease can and will be used for frying and flavoring, just as my mother did many years ago. I remember her greasing a cast iron frying pan so many times wih a slab of pork belly. Right after I came home and put the box in the freezer I read an article about the price of bacon going up and a shortage of pork products and bacon. I now have a lot of bacon from other sales. Also, by shopping in a butcher shop)(yes, there are still few around) I found some wonderful boneless pork chops at a decent prce.
Thanks for the reminder about the bacon pieces – I need to fill up my crispy bacon pieces jar and render some fat, too.
In Ontario, our bacon prices are through the roof but the rest of the pork prices are quite low… but thanks for the bacon fat reminder!
Ok, i purchased brand new freezer-had replaced 35 year old standup unit.
-picked tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and squash-gave away or preserved.
-Set up gun storage rack.
-purchased one 50 lbs bag of sugar, rice, and wheat-and will store in mylar with 6 gallon storage buckets shortly.
-Kept reading & learning.
-reviewed equipment needs & fall planting needs.
You run this site and yet feel you have done nothing. Ha, step back and look at the number of people you have helped! Remember it aint always about prepping yourself cause if you are the only one who makes it, it will be a sorry place. Thats coming from me and I don’t even like most folks. You have done great things!
Matt,
Never thought of it that way – really everyone who posts comments here or writes a guest post has the potential to help many. Thank you.
I agree 100% with Matt. MD, your blog has provided so much in the way of inspiration, ideas and a can-do spirit. It’s been invaluable in our prepping! Thanks!
M.D…….my entire family reads your blog everyday.You are in our conversations often.We all learn from you.Thats my hubby,me and our 6 adult chidren and spouses.Dont ever think you dont do everyday!!You prep………….by helping to get the rest of us ready!!What you do for everyone is important!
Rhonda Sue and Mel
Thank you – I wish I could do more for everyone.
Last week
My son got me 4 wheels with tires with 30-50% wear on them for free! That’s money I wont have to spend anytime soon for tires and 4 spares which are high value if you have ever lived in a storm ravaged area right after it hit and before the debris gets cleared.
Purchased an additional quantity of “on sale’ canned veggies, meat and fruit to be rotated and used in my upcoming muzzleloader and youth deer hunting trips.
I taught my son to use the dryer lint as fire starter and we did several practice runs with flint and steel. He informed me that he had purchased several days of canned food items that required a minimal amount of cooking for storage and had located a suitable area in his 1 bedroom apartment. Of course he would come here if possible but with last years freak 5 foot snow drifts he discovered that aint always going to happen!
My wife got 3pks of 8×8 Outdoor pressure sensitive nylon patches for quick and easy fixes. One for the BOV and the others for the packs. She also got a spare chew toy for the BOV for the dog.
I got in my tomato seeds from wintersown.org and stored them.
I went of a 36 mile river run 4 wheeler ride with a friend and a with a 4 wheeler borrowed from him. I took along my BOB slightly modified with shovel, extra rope etc. The bag was great until a point when I lost it off the rear rack and drug it 300 yds before someone caught up with me. The bag survived great, my pride not so much, hahaha. So much for having it together huh. Great experience all in all and good training on 4 wheeling and good physical workout too. Murphy was with us, so we spent alot of time pushing, dragging and repairing. Great time though!
This week
I ordered 2 fire starters from http://www.meritline.com/survival-fi…–p-42588.aspx for $6.
I got in my 3/0 braunamid sutures from KV Supply for my BOB medical kit I am building for myself. I also stocked several small packages of triple antibiotic.
I spoke with a co-worker who is very concerned about the current economy and his situation about storing things like food and water. He was very receptive and we got into a little deeper discussion about it. I believe he will come back later and perhaps follow through with my suggestions after I cited things like Katrina, the blizzard last year etc.
Discovered http://www.HomestyleMercantile.com. They are located in Mulberry, Arkansas. Their business statement is “Good Folks Selling Good Things at Good Prices’. These are the nicest people and they are having a Fall Wheat sale right now. Up until now, the people on your blog are the only ones that I have been comfortable with asking questions and getting encouragement and advice. It is nice to have someone who speaks the same language. Needless to say, I bought wheat, oatmeal, popcorn, salt, local honey, and colloidal silver. Sometimes, I go back and read what other people have “done to prep this week” and I see new things that I never even thought of doing. I sure do appreciate you and everyone who does such neat things and then is willing to advise others.
Not much going on here. It has been too hot for me. Just trying to survive that. We did put a bunch of raisins out to sun dry. The grapes are so good this year.
Also ordered 4 cases of soup to restock my canned soup supplies.
Spent a lot of time twiddling my thumbs trying to figure out what to do next. The Gerald Celente newsletter says we don’t have much time left.
We bought a 30 ft. enclosed trailer. We are building shelves along both sides of the unit for a moveable storage place. I dont want my stuff across town in a place I cant readily access. It has a/c too. I am pretty excited about getting this moving project done and getting on with the next phase of our lives.
I returned this week from a two week camping trip with the family. Although we were not totaly “roughing it” I can see a few areas that we will have to work on to get ready for a SHTF day. I spent some time at the range and practiced with my bow after returning home.
this week I used my food saver vacuum machine to store some sugar, flower, powdered milk, powdered eggs, and some seed. I am also training myself to use a Bow and a Crossbow. A friend had an extra and gave it to me. There may be a time where useing a gun may be to noisy. I never used a Bow so it’s a new experience.
What did I do to prep this week?
Added 6 months of flea prevention for the cats to the home pharmacy.
Husband cleaned engine and transmission of post-EMP transportation.
Added a case of canned fruit to the larder.
Shot some .38 special revolvers and decided I liked those better than 9mm. I’m just more accurate with them.
What did I do to prep last week?
Added 50 pounds of cat food to the larder.
Prepared a garden plan for my first vegetable garden for next year.
Bought an inexpensive pair of two-way radios.
Husband bought some new seals and gaskets for the post-EMP transportation.
I prefer the .38. A 9mm is so big in my girly little hands, and harder to hide while carrying concealed. As a female, I don’t want to look deformed, carrying this big bulky lump under my shirt, but I’m not living life unarmed.
I figured I would strap my CCW to my ankle. Since I don’t wear skirts or skinny jeans, I’m set.
Think very seriously about that ankle rig. They are good in vehicles but put you in a very undefendable compromising position with both hands busy and your head open if the aggressor is close. If you are walking through a parking lot and someone approaches you do you really want to drop to a knee? Food for thought anyway
My wife canned a batch of salsa. We found a salsa mix at our favorite farm market. We used 6 pounds of our own tomatoes to make it, and it tastes fantastic. Just rough chop the tomatoes and put in a pot. Add the salsa mix and heat. Place the salsa mixture in jars (we used the small jelly jars) and water bath the jars for 40 minutes. If you have enough of everything else (tomato sauce, juice and whole tomatoes canned) and you need to use up the last of the tomatoes, I highly recommend this. We got the medium heat, but they also offered a mild and hot. Kids love it, too. Hey, we finally found a way to get the kids to eat fresh tomatoes. We needed more pint and quart canning jars. My wife has been scouting garage sales all year because we hate having to pay full price for the jars. Seems more and more people are canning as just a few years ago, every garage sale had a small supply of jars laying around but not as many this year. I stopped at Walmart looking for quart jars. They were out of stock but I noticed they charged $10.00 for a dozen with rings and lids. I left empty handed and stopped at the ACE True Value Hardware and got the exact same dozen jars for $7.99. If I have to buy jars again, ACE will be my first stop. I blanched three dozen sweet corn this morning and got several freezer bags full. About 5 cups per bag, 6 bags total. I love this time of year because you never come back from the garden empty handed. It’s a good feeling to see the shelves in the basement and the freezer filling up. Tomato sauce, tomato juice, green beans, carrots, dill pickles, strawberry jam, peach jam, blueberry and blackberry jam, frozen sweet corn and frozen garden peas. Hope to keep the water bather and pressure canner going for a few more weeks.
Made some plum pickle from wild cherry plums, went to the Wilderness Gathering and bought a couple of basic Mora knives for just £8 each at the Scouting tent, watched a wooden spoon-making demo, Tried my hand using a fire piston – I couldn’t get the hang of it, but my daughter got a fire going first time and bought a piston. Bought lots of jerky and fruit leathers (mostly for the inspiration), made some bourbon and horseradish jerky. Marinated some green olives in lemon thyme, garlic and lemon juice with a smidgen of sugar then dried them – great for a nibble! Found some Kilner jars at a local charity shop and a book “Foods that Harm, Foods that Heal”. Added some tinned items to my store and bought large bags of pulses from a Chinese supermarket.
Started getting materials together to make a peg-rag rug. A winter occupation that keeps you warm at the same time. :-)
Not alot this week. Today my younger son and I cashed in our recycling then went to Wallmart and bought ammo. I told him to keep it for his rifle. I gave him 100 rounds earlier this week.I am trying to get him more into prepping.He is 20 and a good kid.He knows something is coming down the pike with the obamanomics.He has a mosin rifle and a winchester 22 semiauto that I gave him. Later today I went back to wallmart for grocery shopping and bought a few small things to save for later.I am also encouraging him to start handloading for his mosin. Steve
Increased my reserve prescription medication from 90 days to 180 days. Reviewed and updated my hurricane preparation and made a list of those items I’ll need if we get hit this year. Am preparing to do my “Labor Day” operational check of all my equipment. Bought some more charcoal to replace what I’ve used this summer. Routine replacement of some food items in rotation.
The window for preparing for Hurricane Earl is fast closing. Those along the Atlantic coast take note!
They started boarding up the windows on the bridgetenders house on our new draw bridge this morning. (coastal NC). I think we will be alright down here on the west bank of the Pamlico Sound but if I were in DelMaVa or Long Island I’d be taking note and getting ready. We’ve got a big high pressure system camped out over us right now and that should keep the brunt of the storm off of us but with a storm this big and powervul you never know.
Made a decision on dehydrator and grain mill, ordered both. Had only planned to buy one this month but Ready Store had a deal I couldn’t pass up yesterday.
Dried squash seeds and stored. Bought canned chicken, tomato sauce, rice, sugar and Italian beans. Bought more bar soap. Husband put together BOB for each vehicle. Stocked up on pet meds.
Added more canned soup and vegetables to the store. Built two wind generators from salvaged treadmills and PVC pipe. Read a few more books on survival situations. Started laying out where the chicken coop will be. The weather was in the 80′s this week, so we turned off the a/c.
Sunny. Pet meds are a great idea! We have 3 dogs ourselves 2 pitmixes and a springer spanial. Spanials need ear meds and tweazers for removing stickers from feet.We get what is called a poodlecut on our springers feet so they are easier to take care of. Steve
52 jars of green beans! *whew* I could never string and snap another green bean in my life and be happy. But that’s jut one jar a week for a year. I sometimes serve green beans twice a week, so I need more. *sigh*
Cut worn out jeans into strips to use to make twisted-rag rugs on a cold winter day. That silly dog is not making a muddy mess of my kitchen floor this year.
Would love more info on twisted rag rugs. Thanks! How do you make them? What materials do you use?
They’re nothing fancy. You’ll not be seeing them soon in the white house. Cut cloth in as long slices as you can. Wide enough that when you roll it (length wise) you have a tootsie roll about the thickness of a thumb. This all depends on what kind of cloth you’re using. Denim only needs to be about 6 inches wide, the width between the seams of most kids jeans leggs.
I use heavy thread, or even unwaxed dental floss to sew the ends together into long snakes. Twist the snakes as you begin to roll them into a flat rug, either round, or oval, stitching every inch or a little less. The sewing can all be done in big not terribly tidy stitches, so long as the knots are tight. Use all different colors if you like that effect.
We bought the supplies to build shelves in the spare bedroom for preps.Also canned tomatoe sauce,8 quarts and 8quarts of beef cubes.Yummmy!Tryed pine needle tea for the first time…not bad.
Went to garage sales with my brother. Found 3 dozen canning jars, a wood clothes drying rack and a wool blanket. Then made the trek to Costco (75 miles) and picked up rice, oatmeal, more canned chicken, some soup and 12 pounds of baking soda.
this week was spent mostly in prepperation of being a vendor at our gun show this weekend. im a trucker by trade,but buying and selling at gunshows brings guns through my hands that i might not otherwise have a chance to handle and shoot. when/if i find one that i like or that shoots well,i keep it .if not it gets sold at the next gunshow. today i traded up to a colt m4 .22 carbine. im hoping my wife will like to shoot it so much that she,ll eventually take to the ar15. tommorow if i sell 2 more guns that i dont want,ill be able to afford the mossberg .410 pump that i need for vermin eradication around my property.wednesday i opened some beans that i put up in a 5 gallon bucket with o2 aborbers and mylar bags over 2 years ago.the bucket hissed when i opened the gamma seal lid,and the mylar had been sucked in tight around the beans. i made a pot with a big chunk of fat back,and they tasted great. that gives me much more confidence in the way i stored the rest of my beans and rice.
Bought more canned soup and non fat dry milk. Working on maintenance of 5 aging vehicles keeps me from getting more for now.
Definitely not intended to upset anyone but I read where someone added cat food and flea prevention stuff to their stores. I assume this is for a pet or pets but wonder if anyone is raising animals other than the typical cows, pigs, chickens, rabbits, catfish, etc as a food source or fur bearing source after TSHTF?
Heavens to Betsy, I’ve not tried it personally, but from people like concentration camp survivors and such, the rumor is that cat isn’t anyone’s first choice. They’re too lean, stringy and tough. In places where there are big cats, they are not hunted for food, only pelts and trophys. Never heard that native Americans ate mountain lion, nor did South American natives eat jaguar.
Many cultures eat dog, but they are not well regarded by their non-dog-eating neighbors as a general rule. I don’t know if that’s the reason. Some areas of Korea do so, and I’m aware that among those who don’t, it’s an insult to call you a dog eater.
The reports are that the Mountain men all loved couger. My son ate dog on his deployment to PI. He said it wasn’t bad at all.
On the prep side I bought a Benelli Nova 12 ga. barely used for $200 w/sling and ammo carrier for the stock.
Taught a class on using hand tools to build wooden projects.
Learned that some people consider any one with 500 rounds of 22 LR a ‘survivalist’.
Have to remember not to volunteer to donate a ‘brick’ to the Boy Scouts in front of the parents. Scout Master understands. He is donating 200 20ga rnds.
I bought some parts for my trailblazer in case something goes wrong I will have some extra stuff to come and get. I also got some gear lube so that i can change that myself! Try and save a few bucks to get more prepping supplies. :)
Cereal has been on sale, so have been stocking up on boxes of Shreddies. That made me look at other breakfasty type foods that need to be beefed up – juice, cheese, hashbrowns, oils, bran, raisins, oats, tetra packs of milk. We are now back up to a 3-month supply and heading toward the 6-month. The tourists and cottagers go home soon and our food prices will drop gain… can’t wait for Labour Day.
Josh. Change out the gear lube! How many miles are on it? Did you buy it used? I would also add the gm possi additive to it. We actualy use that stuff at the toyota dealership that I work at.You can buy it at alot of places you don`t need to get it at the dealership.I do my oilchanges at home and drop off the used oils in the auto dept at our wallmart.The tireshop not inside at the automotive dept.They are alot easier to dealwith then the Kragen/o`riely place in town. Steve
Thanks for the tips Steve! I didn’t know you could drop off the used oils at walmart. I am supposed to change my front and rear differential every 50,000 miles. There have been problems with people that don’t do it! But i am using sythentic this time around. It is the first time i will be changing it. It has around 63,000 on it right now. I don’t plan on changing it again for a while. Probably around another 100,000.
One of the things I use my old oil for is my bar chain oiler for my chain saw. It never hits the motor and just lubes the bar so it doesn’t have to be super clean.
Went camping a couple weeks ago, hadn’t been in awhile, brushed up on my rusty camping skills. Enjoyed the company of like-minded camping friends who recommended I get a better tent. When I came home, I bought a new tent at local sale last week, one that I can stand up in. Bought a box of 30 ct granola bars on sale for my ER stash. Extra propane tanks too. One friend who is a financial advisor strongly cautioned me not to buy another car anytime soon, due to billions of dollars across the country waiting to hit in pending foreclosures. She asked me, ‘what would you do with a car payment if you lost your job?’ (my employer, a local hospital, just announced another dept closure by Dec 31 – more layoffs coming.) She also stated that because California is near bankruptcy, that the State could conceivably reach into taxable accounts such as 401k’s and other ‘taxable’ financial accounts and take one’s money as needed. Grim thought.
My friend cautioned that 2011 & 2012 don’t bode well either, and that unemployment will likely remain high. Her own sister has been out of work for two years, can’t find work – no longer qualifies for unemployment benefits, not even the recently added sixth tier for 99ers. Would be homeless without her sister’s help. Scary out there. I don’t like to ‘stick my head in the sand.’ So I’m keeping my car maintained, it’s 7 years old, still runs well. Am paying down my debts as quickly as I can. And I appreciate this blog and the comments from the readers.
Amateur Gardener – I think many people are looking at California as the canary in the coal mine when it comes to the economy. Hold on to your car and fix it up rather than buy a new one. Really, one of the worst investments anyone can make is a new car: the instant depreciation, the taxes, the insurance, the worry about getting the first ding, etc. Although I have a slightly older SUV, which I drive only occasionally, I prefer to drive my 1991 Honda Accord. It runs beautifully, gets good gas mileage, I pay practically no taxes on it, it fits into parking spaces. It’s got over 200,000 miles on it and runs great. If your car runs well, why get a new one.
I have friends who live in California and I know they have a different view about “cars”. It’s a cultural thing out there. One California friend who visited me this spring criticized me about my “unfancy” car. But when I told him how much I paid in taxes and insurance, he wouldn’t believe how little it cost me. Don’t fall for the California cultural pressure to drive a “keep-up-with-the Jones” car. Save your money.
I hope your job stays secure. I used to work in the ER as an orderly when I was in college. Very intense, but rewarding.
Amateur Gardener. A 7 year old car is not that old these days if you maintain it.youOn Nissans some have belts and some have chains may be in the milage range for a new timing belt that is kinda spendy but that is part od vehicle maintenance nowdays.on Some Nissans some have belts and some have chains(not getting kinky here) and it needs to be looked up by vin number.Also on most japanese v6 engines the waterpump rides on the timing belt and should be changed while they are at it.Cheaper to do it now then have it ruin a new belt 5000 miles later.I have a 06 corolla with 283k on it and it runs fine. Steve
Thanks, will keep my car. Makes good sense.
Kudos on returning to weight training. The wife and I have been training constantly for a little over a year with good results.
We’ve found that a rotating schedule of calisthenics, body weight exercises, weight training and cardio training give good results. Stretching is also highly recommended.
Picked up an Eton Microlink radio: solar and crank power, USB output for charging cell phones, flashlight and radio with weather band. Made by Grundig for the Red Cross. Seems well made.
Signed up for hunters’ safety course so I can get a hunting license. No need to have trouble from the game wardens.
Finished a wind break/can-pot stand for the methanol burning stoves I’ve been tinkering with. Test burn next free evening.
Built rifle rack, and rack for hanging vests and holsters.
Built storage shelves for ammo and night vision.
Resorted all preps, [didn't like the way it was set up], now I know where everything is and on what shelf.
That’s about it for this week.
PREPARE FOR THE WORST AND PRAY FOR THE BEST
perhaps you can write an article with your experiences on night vision options – would you share what you have chosen?
i was looking at a new updated one today – the insight MTM v2 but at $12k (to 18K) a bit too expensive for what i need.
sounds like a neat thing to have, but hard to find good information on the more affordable (abeit often slightly older technology) versions
I just got home today from the “Restoring Honor” rally in DC. Whew! I am exhausted from 20 hrs on a bus, all day at a rally, and 20 hrs on a bus home. But I am so glad i went! It was so inspiring to be amongst so many patriots. I have never seen that big of a crowd in my life! I pray that leaders will emerge to return this country to a government based on the Constitution. I do what I can to educate myself and my sons about the constitution and the founding of our country, lest it be forgotten. I wish I could do more, if I think of something within my power, I will try to do it.
Besides that, I was inspired by Luddite Jean’s post from last week and the comments that followed, so I practiced cooking pinto beans with fat in the pressure cooker, and cornbread from scratch. Umm… I think I need more practice! I had better results with my solar cooker. I will try again this week.
I wanted to attend the Restoring Honor Rally myself, but it was clear across the country. Congrats on going and spending time with so many other patriots. Come hell or high water, we will restore the Constitution as the Law of the Land. Keep the faith!
Placed a cache bucket in it’s respective location. Made a short list of items for two more buckets. Looked around our mountain region’s hills and a useful map with various roads and things for navigational purposes. Filled out additional survival gear order forms to send in next week. Reworked the budget to put the money to better use although it did not help much because it is pretty much already at that state. Did additional preparations with a friend as we have planned to do survival together if nothing prevents this from happening. Read about Obama desiring to give AZ and 22 other states over to the United Nations. Began using the unique Shake Weight and it really works the arms which I truly appreciate. Cut the hair length last night so I can get used to it being shorter for survival and while in the woods today with lots of branches, scotch broom and other sticking and stabbing plants, my hair did not catch on anything which was nice. None of the usual struggle to untangle my hair which was not long enough to really catch on anything. Longer hair is nice but short is proving to be the best decision. Re-thinked GPS (global position satellites) and that if anyone were out in the woods they would have to be camouflaged and stay out of view when the skies are not cloudy as the machines have the ability to see very close. Read a pamphlet written by the Christian Action Network entitled “JIHAD in America! Militant Islam: The Religious War Against America” that (near the last half of the page) has related that during the years 2013-2016 Islam (Jihadists) wants to establish an Islamic Caliphate as a world power. ((A caliphate, (from the Arabic خلافة or khilaafah), is the Islamic form of government representing the political unity and leadership of the Muslim world.)) In other words, they are going to try to bring down America and implement their laws of beheading, mutilating killing or stoning to death people whom they bury in the ground up to their waists because those people did not follow their laws or were accused and found guilty. On the same page there is a picture of a real-life Jihadist holding a card in which they have written “Be Prepared for the Real Holocaust!” Getting ready to look for socks with Silver in them. Want to have a few pairs because they help to keep the nasty foot fungus down and getting foot rot while trying to survive would be very miserable. Checked out a nice sword that I just received in the mail. It will be useful for cutting brush and defending against animal and non-animal predators if necessary. It’s been an interesting week and it looks like things are really heating up in the world especially in regards to Islam and certain Muslims. They are ready to institute Sharia Law the world over and it is not a pretty religion.
SrvivlSally
Just read your post, found it very interesting and a bit scary.
However, I would like to know more about your statement: “Read about Obama desiring to give AZ and 22 other states over to the United Nations.”
What do you mean by that, and what would it mean to all of those states. Heck that’s almost half of the country.
Thanks Sally.
They won’t go easily.
Don’t be frightened. The UN is useless and ineffective.
It will never happen.
My brother from Florida is visiting this week so we didn’t do too much towards prepping. This past week we had a hen that had prolapse and we had to dispatch her. Decided to get another hatchet. Went to Walmart this morning and found that they had 25# bags of wheat berries for the first time. I try to buy a case of canning jars every week. Usually I get pint size but this time I got 1/2 pints.
I didn’t do much prepping last week. Some “person”, and I’m using that very loosely here, went around my block and slashed all the tires of all the cars that were parked on the street. This is not a bad neighborhood, none of the homes is under 3000SF, homeowner’s association keeps this place pretty clean, etc. etc… so don’t know what happened here. I just rent a room and of course my car was parked on the street, too. All of my extra money and then some went to buying new tires. So nothing left over for prepping.
However, some heavy construction prevented me from going my normal route to work, so I was looking for a way around that. While doing that I realized that I really should know several ways to high-tail it out of the area should a disaster strike. Freeways will be packed of people trying to leave, so it is good to know all of the roads and know where they lead to. That was a “great” way to use up my week’s supply of gas. LOL
But I did feel like I accomplished something.
Bought an ’83 Ford F150 with a new engine and transmission. Needs a bit of work, but I paid cash (after getting rid of my new Jeep and the associated payments). More practical, and I can maintain most of it myself.
Immediately put the truck to work hauling firewood out of the back of my property, have about 2 cords that just need to be split and stacked, all to do over the next month or so, especially now that it is cooling down.
Cleaned up my “beginner” garden and started prepping it for the fall. Going to add a lot more garden area over the winter. Will also spend the winter doing more planning in the garden, something that I failed to do last year and gave me mixed results. First time gardening, though, so I’m learning.
Bottled 10 more liters of drinking water. I have a reverse osmosis filter on my well water but it has a daily limit so I do what I can.
I didn’t get much done this week because I was out of town from Wed until Sunday. The partial purpose of my trip was to attend Glenn Becks
8/28 Restoring Honor rally which was unbelievably large, hot, crowded,
humbling, emotional and inspiring but not in the least bit political or bigoted. Ok I know that is off topic but the reason I posted to tell you good folks that while in a Tractor Supply store in Hagerstown Md we bought 2 small LED flashlights for $3 each. If I had know how good they are I would have bought all they had left in the display. I don’t have it with me but I believe it has 9 LED elements and is powered by 3 AAA batteries that fit in a circular holder such that the flashlight is about as fat as a C cell but only about 3 inches long. It is a light weight, powdercoated, metal case with o-ring seals and a rubber sealed push button switch on the butt cap.
After I found out how nice and bright it is I wanted to get back to buy more but never was able to make it. I don’t know how well if will hold up but for the price it’s hard to beat and a dozen or two of them stored away with the batteries removed would be a welcome addition to everyones preps. I’m sorry I failed to get more.
Also I brought home a half bushel of wonderful, western MD. peaches. Part of them will be canned and put away in the prep foods.
Congrats to you for attending the Restoring Honor Rally. Sure wished I could have been there, too.
Those little LED flashlights are great, aren’t they. I bought one that sounds very much like the one you’ve described, but mine was not purchased at a Tractor Supply store. Mine cost $10.00. You got yourself a very good deal.
I too, purchased 2 of those $3.00 flashlights. Got them at our Busy Beaver Hardware store. My wife’s quit working after about a month. Bad switch.
Mine still works fine and is very bright. I love it. Keep your eyes open this holiday season at the Tractor Supply. Last year, I saw a blister pack with 4 of those lights there in the bins for $10.00.
As for your trip to D.C., I sure wish I could have been there. Sound like there were some very honorable people and inspirational speakers. True role models for everyone.
Well if you watched the rally on C-span you heard more of it than I did.
The crowds were massive and even though I was at the metro station at 7 am I had to stand in line for 2 hours to get a ticket to get on the train.
There were two lines at my station. Each about 150 yards long by 4 or 5 abreast when I got into the line. By the time I got on the train the lines were hundreds of yards long and extending way past the station parking garage. Many people gave up, some got there too late for the rally and just went sight seeing. I was able to make it to the National Mall by the 10 AM starting time but I was at 7th street, about half way between the capital and the Washington monument and over a mile from the Lincoln memorial where the stage was. By 10:30 or 45 I had made it to where I could hear the speakers and by 11 or so I was well up into the crowd and could see the jumbotron furtherist back from the stage. I missed hearing over half of the speakers and never saw any of them except in the distance on the jumbotron screen. Never the less it was a once in a lifetime event for me and well worth it.
The city and govt did, in my opinion, everything they could to hamper the event. They left the Metro on it’s normal weekend schedule rather than running a weekday or event schedule. It was an organized denial of what they had to know was going to be a huge event.
Thanks for the reviews on the light. I don’t have much more in mine than the cost of the batteries so if they last until the batteries are dead I’ve done ok.
Our Kenyan in chief claimed that he did not watch the event on tv. I highly doubt it. I bet you could light ciggeriats off his head beacus he was so mad.I bet that if he could he would take a picture of everyone there for facial recognition. Then he would have the irs audit each taxpayer there. That guy scares me sometimes. Steve
Oh don’t worry. They took the pictures alright. They had a Bell Jet Ranger helicopter configured like an old Heuy (maybe that’s what it was)
Tail # N22PP circling the crowd for 30 minutes or so. I could only read the tail # by using a long lens and then zooming in digitally with my camera.
I checked the FAA web site. It belongs to the Dept. of the Interior.
There were 2 and sometimes 3 fellows sitting in the open door with their feet on the skid military style. Under the belly of the chopper, up ahead of the skids was a pod that looked like a big pair of binoculars. I suspect it was a big camera lens, maybe even a steroscopic lens. For those not aware, NO AIRCRAFT except Marine 1 is allowed in that air space. Someone high up had to aurthorize it.
So that’s what that heli was…. thanks for checking it out, Charlie. Our gov’t likes to look like they are ignoring us, but we have them spooked and paying attention…
My group saw the lines for the subway, and decided to walk from RFK where our bus parked. We walked about an hour, then got onto a closer train and didn’t have to wait at all after that. We got a decent spot under the trees to the right of the reflecting pond where we could hear everything fine, but could not see a thing, not even one of the jumbotrons. My sons recorded the event on CSPAN, so I could take a closer look when I got home.
Christine do you know if C-Span plans to reply the tape. I suspect not without risking their funding but I’d love to see it. I was at Springfield-Franconia (sp) station on the other end of the Blue line from you.
I suspect there were lines at all the stations.
I checked out the chopper because I knew it wasn’t supposed to be there.
If it had been anywhere else I would have just figured it was a news chopper but not in that airspace.
That’s very interesting. I watched the entire 3.5 hours of the rally on C-Span and could see a low-flying helicopter in the background at times. Even Glenn mentioned that it was violating airspace. We have become serfs under constant scrutiny.
Found fun pin-up girl match books to add to my stash! ;)
LOL Chauvinist!
Picked up 3 Coleman cookstoves at a yard sale for a dollar. 2 have half tanks of fuel.
Been looking at pressure canners as they are starting to go on sale around here. Does anyone have any advice on the size to get for a family of 4. Is there any reason not to get the largest I can find ( I think they had a 23 quart by Presto on sale for $69.98 ) They also had a 16 quart. Is this something that is not necessarily “the bigger the better”. Also looking at getting a water bath pot. I picked up a couple canning books to start reading but any thoughts/suggestions would be appreciated.
Beginners are happy with the smaller ones. If you keep it up, you’ll be happier with the biggest you can get. I have one of each. Sometimes when only doing one batch (12 jars of half-pints) of something like berry jam (doesn’t require pressure cooking, but the pot can be used for waterbathing), the lighter smaller is just a lot less work. When you have something like half a skid of corn you’d pay anything for industrial size!
Begin with small to medium. You can always get bigger as you get more dedicated to the craft.
Be sure to look on-line for ideas and tips. There are a LOT of sites that deal with home canning. I like the gal at Backwoods Home Magazine on-line. She cans just about anything you could imagine and has instructions. Even milk!
Canners can sometimes be found on Craigslist or Ebay for really good prices.
Thanks Mommy, that’s just what I needed.
I’d go with as big as I could find and afford. I have a 23 qt Presto. I just started canning this year and the one thing I found out is that if you can’t do a pretty big batch it’s not hardly worth the trouble.
Drove nearly 2400 miles round trip to CO last week to visit family. Took the route out through KS and returned through NM and TX. It definitely was the “Homestead/Prepper Appreciation” tour. Staying in Metro Denver in a neighborhood where the houses are 8 feet apart and all the sounds that seem only to happen at night, i.e. police sirens, car alarms, trains, planes, and trash trucks made sleeping difficult at times.
Our last night was spent with friends in Southern CO who are Floridians at heart and have lived through a few dozen hurricanes. This made for an easy introduction about Prepping. The husband had been a semi-silent prepper and completely on board but the wife knew if she didn’t wake up, she’d be left on the dock. He’s since read One Second After. SHe’s been encouraged to read it too. Nothing like adding other LMIs to this site and the mission of proper prepping.
To quote Dorothy, “There is no place like home.” Glad to be back.
We are due for a close brush by Earl later this week. I don’t think it will be bad but with a storm that large one little wobble in the eye location can move the hurrican force winds 100 miles or so. I’ve lived in hurricane country for 60 years now. I’m not scared of them but I know which ones to run from.
Big week for the bank account! picked up a case of mt house pasta premavera (25% off w/ free shipping). A copy of Linda Runyon’s book The Essential Wild Food Survival Guide and Edible Wild Food Cards(www.ofthefield.com). The book is very easy to read and very informational however no color photos of the plants :( The Food Cards are super cool!! They are playing cards with color photos of different wild edibles. The back has uses, hints, warnings etc. Really like them.
The best surprise was picking up a copy of Food Production Systems.(www.backyarefoodproduction.com) This is a $24.00 backyard farming coarse in DVD form. Very well done and super informational. Her farm is in central Texas and this is the only DVD on the trials and tribulations of central Texas gardening I have found ! If you live in central Texas and are into gardening and self-sufficiency pick this up!. The best part is the bonus CD ROM w/ over 60 plus documents rangeing from catch water systems to aquaculture to permaculture to chickens to farm dogs. A wonderful info source!
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