Before we start with this weeks “What did you do to prep this week” segment, I would like to thank Kenny H and Mark L for their generous donations this week via paypal. Thank you both, it is very much appreciated. I’m going to use the money to buy this book and this one.
The winners of our most recent non-fiction writing contest will be announced tomorrow morning 1-29-2012. Sorry for the delay, but the way things happened (I was flooded with entries right before the deadline) it could not be avoided.
If there was an entry posted that helped you personally, please let us know about it in the comments below… How did it help you? Why?
If you’ve not downloaded your copy of ”The Wolf Pack Cookbook“ now is the time to do it for only .99 cents! 
Now let me see – what did I do to prep this week… 
Yesterday, I went to my local Stihl chainsaw dealer and bought a new STIHL MS 180 C-BE chainsaw with 16 inch bar to replace my 9-year-old (but still cutting) Stihl chainsaw. The Easy2Start™ system seems to work great and would be a plus for anyone with shoulder or back problems…
Worked on my compost pile, put up a metal gate at the entrance to my property, cleared away some under brush with my new chainsaw, ordered a copy of “Health Myths Exposed 2nd Edition” and started reading “Gunfighters - True Tales of Outlaws, Lawmen and Indians on the Texas Frontier” great stories by the way…
Well that is it for me this week – what about you. What did you do to prep this week?
{ 780 comments… read them below or add one }
hi all, not a lot this week prep wise. i put new grips on the 2 old revolvers that i bought last week. put a new grip on the wifes carry gun. made a sam’s run. i’m banned from going by myself from now on(spent too much). got the usual stuff to replace what we’ve used like detergent and hand soap etc. …going to the gun show in fishersville in a few minutes. need a few small parts to finish an ar i’m building. i’ll be the short guy in the old school army pt shirt:) the dw fell in love with that ruger lcr22, so i ordered her one,should get it next week. of course i had to order one for myself too. i think it will make a great canoe gun. thats about it this week. off to the show. stack it high!
You did some great prepping rr, no matter what you say. I’m heading to a gun show in Little Rock weekend after next, hope to get the new Ruger SR 22, and some ammo as well. Will try to go to the gun show in Bossier the next weekend to see what they have in Louisiana, and will look for Brad. Take care, my friend.
tk, thanks. i checked out the sr22. it gets great reveiws, better than walther even. it feels better made, if that makes any sense. if i didn’t have the walther and a couple of mark2′s already i’d get one. let me know how it runs,accuracy wise. its certainly lighter and better ergonomics than the mark2. now that i’ve been carrying the lcr, the mark2 feels like a lead anchor. getting gun poor these days. i’m starting to get the ” i’ve got too many, must sell all but one or two” feeling again. getting the feeling to standardize, again, too. take care, don’t let the rain wash you away!
River – lol – I’ve been banned from BJs for the same reason.
Light week here too as I covered a few power and security items.
2 packs of 12 D batteries
Stored my gas powered generator (w/ fuel stabilizer)
Installed backup battery for home security system
New lock with deadbolt on inside garage door
Getting there…
Worked some crazy hours this week, so I didn’t get as much done as I would have liked to. :( As far as preps go, I picked up a few items from Costco:
- Got 20 packs of organic chicken breast for 2.99/lb.
- Got 5 lbs of stew meat
- 20 cans of roast beef (this stuff is amazing!)
- 12 cans of chicken
I also ordered Geoff Lawton’s 5 DVD permaculture series:
http://permaculture.org.au/store/cartview.html?id=53
Can’t wait to get these DVDs! They are filled with tons of useful information, and it’s going to take me years to digest them.
I should also note that I haven’t had a cigarette now in two months! For anyone out there who is thinking about quitting, I can definitely say it’s possible. Hopefully I never pick one of these nasty things up again!!!!
The Prepper,
Good for you…
Great news on the smoke free zone. I’ll bet it hasn’t been easy but you did it.
Congrats….That’s a tough thing to do.
Congrats! Keep up the good work
Nice!
I am planning on quitting also. I am having hip surgery next month and my surgeon told me “If you go out for a smoke while in the hospital, take your bags with you and keep going.” Sooo, tomorrow is my quit date. That will give me 3 weeks of being smoke free before the operation. That should give me long enough so that I don’t bite any nurses. At $10 a pack in NY, 1 pack a day, $300 a month, $3600 a year, that’s a lot of cash for prepping. Not to mention the thousand or so other reasons.
Holy cow! They are only $3.50 a pack here and I thought that was high!
Cali and NY never saw a tax they did no like. They hit us really hard a few years ago, to pay for the SCHIP program so that we could pay for health ins. for children whose parents only made 80,000 a year. Got to love those guys we elected, lol.
don’t worry TigerLily, if oddbama and the Democommunist Party stays in office a 2nd Term, they’ll be 10 bucks + where you are located too.
I would recommend you consider using the patch if you begin to experience severe withdrawal. Your Dr. should explain how it works and the benefits it may offer you. Good luck with your surgery and take care of yourself.
Col. D
Col D
I have been using the nicotine gum for a few days now. I would use that when I fly cross country, spending the day in airports and on planes. That’s something that should get interesting after they add two pounds of metal to me. Body cavity searches here I come.
Thank You for the thoughts.
They also have Wellbutrin (a very mild anti-depressant to help w/ withdrawls), flavored nicotine gum and lozenges and “smokeless electronic cigs” that give you water vapor mixed with a bit of nicotine in various doses.
Everything I’ve heard of this new drug “Chantrix” is bad news… stay away! Lots of really nasty SE’s.
It’s a tough endeavor…. but best of luck.
Oh… and some have had instant success with hypnosis.
Again… best wishes at success!
SaratogaPrepper,
If your surgery is hip replacement surgery, I have great encouragement for you. I’ve known 3 people who had the surgery. Every one of them reported back that they were better and had less pain – even the day after surgery! – then they did before.
To all trying to quit smoking,
My mom quit smoking 30 years ago, and said the withdrawal was terrible. She called her doctor on the 2nd day, who gave her a sedative – enough for a week. She said it helped her immensely – so another thing to think about. I never started smoking because my dad coughed every night for 45 minutes when he went to bed, and it just never sounded like something I wanted for me.
Hugs, and the very best of luck to all of you – think of all the extra money you will now have for prepping!!!!
Michele
Yes, I am having my left hip replaced. Everyone has told me the same thing. Plus, they wish they had done it earlier. I’ve been putting it off for 2 years, but can no longer do 75% of the things I would like to be doing. It’s time.
SP
My mother has replaced both hips, one of them twice as she wore the first one out. Other then no more table dancing she can do pretty much anything the rest of her body will allow. (Just completed two cruiese). She says its a “hell ” of a lot easier then knee replacement.
Get it taken care of.
Awesome, Prepper! It is hard to quit but well worth it. I bet you can take a deeper breath now than you did two months ago! Congrats! Wish we had a Costco near us – that is a wonderful price for organic chicken.
The Prepper, Great job!
Hurray! for you, Prepper. Good to hear…keep up the good work.
The prepper, good going! Quitting the cigarettes when I was 22 was one of the best things I could have ever done. Keep up the good work and put that money to prepping.
Way to go Prepper. My wife and I quit about 1yr. 8mo. ago. One of the hardest and best things I have ever done. MOre money toward prepping etc. Keep it up it is worth it.
Awesome!!! probably just about the best prepping thing you could have done. The inability to fulfill an addiction might destroy some people post SHTF. For that reason, I have been weening myself off caffeine (pop, not coffee)
SickSkilz
Glad to hear your not giving up coffee.
My sister gave up smoking and coffee about the same time years ago. When she gave up the coffee she got to feeling really rough. She went to the doctor thinking she had the worst case of the flu and he laughed at her saying she was having caffeine withdrawel. She said it was rougher than the cigerettes to quit.
Sick, no way could I give up on coffee! Its apart of my preps. I’d give up liquor and chocolate before giving up coffee lol.
Well jarhead and ellen, sorry to disappoing but I am only not goving up coffee because I never was a coffee drinker. Once I gave up caffeine cold turkey and had a very bad headache for 2 weeks. Then I un gave it up. Mu vice is mountain dew and mellow yellow. Was uupto about 4 20 ounch bottles a day. Now trying to stick with just one so when te SHTF, I can give it up without much impact.
Great news prepper!!!
Prepper, congratulations…I have been thinking about your goal to quit the cigarettes – good on you…keep us updated – what a wonderful gift you are giving yourself and your family…better health is priceless…I know. cheers.
Good job on quitting the smokes.
If you’re not aware of how factory made cigs are made, this video will help you to understand. in the end its tobacco juice with many chemicals added then sprayed onto paper , the paper is then shredded and rolled.
http://vimeo.com/24466769
So awesome job to you Sir!
The Prepper
Congratulations on the quitting smoking.
I have no will power. Never did.
But had to tell this story of my ex-ex-ex- sil. He developed a heart problem so he started chewing the nicotin gum. Well he became addicted to it and now they buy it by the case. Pretty sad story for the gum and him.
Ellen,
I can relate. I quit smoking years ago with the Nicotine gum. I chewed that gum for a year and a half. Then I realized I had a gun chewing addiction and not a nicotine addiction. Now I am trying to break my Trident habit.
Ms Gayle… I am trying to locate the article you did with the best months to buy stuff. The “May is National Coconut Month and coconuts are on special”, article. What did you Title that?
Thanks
Good Job Prepper! It’s tough but Oh So Worth It! I quit a 25 year 2.5 pack a day habit 10 years ago next month. Hang in there. You can use all that saved dough for a LOT more worthwile Prepping!
Way to go….The Prepper,I am on day 3 without one it’s still kind rough going but you just gave me a boost of hope:)
Congrats Prepper! Quitting smoking is hell. I quit almost 2 years ago using Chantix…but it took me 2 attempts with Chantix and finding some helpful dosage instructions online that neither the prescription info nor my doctor told me about. I still have the remainder of my last pack of smokes, stashed with my prep stuff, just in case I need it for barter.
YAY The Prepper,
I started smoking at a very young age and quit twice, the longest for 8 years. Unfortunately when my husband passed 4 years ago I started again. Have attempted to quit twice since then but I have a serious lack of willpower. My divers are amazed that I smoke and still use so little air when I’m diving and accuse me of skip breathing all the time.
Hopefully, this will be the year for me too… I wish you all the success in the world.
DG
Prepper:
I picked up some roast beef from Costco too. I’m not sure what the heck to do with it. How do you cook it? Maybe put it in Hamburger Helper? TIA. Cos
Beef & Noodles, Tacos, Enchilades, BBQ Beef
Cos, heat it, drain it and use it in tacos and burritoes for one. Makes a decent substitute for meat in a stew or soup as well.
Cosmo, its meat, burn it and eat it lol. Went to the gun show down in Costa Mesa, what’s with the weather, it feels like 100 outside.
cosmo, cook it in the oven at a low temp(300 degrees) until it is very tender, falling apart if you will. Tear into small pieces and add a good bar-be-que sauce. Mix it together and it makes a mean bbq sandwich. Almost as good as brisquit.
I haven’t made any in a long time, but when I was first married and on a VERY tight budget, I would shred it, add more gravy and some onion and serve it over mashed potatoes, rice or biscuits. Delicious…and CHEAP back then.
cosmo…can you explain what your ‘roast beef’ is…on my side of the pond it is a large slab (1-3 kgs of meat). Is that what you mean? If it is not – can you elaborate…so I know what you guys are talking about -because the gun talk goes right over my head.
If so, the name says it all…put it in an oven – on a large tray with high sides – seasoned with salt/pepper, rub some olive oil all over it, and have it surrounded by peeled and cubed veges like onions, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, a pear or an apple…and then let cook at approx 190 degrees Celcius – depending on the size/weight and how you like your meat – whether pink in the middle or well-done…
Chloe:
The cans from Costco, (A large super store), are about 14 or so ounces. The meat is cubed into small 1 centimeter or smaller chunks. There is a thick gravy in the one I’ve opened. I think burrito’s may be the way to use it. I’m kind of hoping it can be used with rice or noodles as an expander, but think the canned chicken is a better option.
P.S. Love your posts Lady. Cos
cosmo…I can’t stop laughing…thank goodness you explained what roast beef is on your side of the pond…
Disregard my instructions regarding roasting in oven…for your roast beef…still laughing…
You guys have so much good canned stuff on your shelves – huge variety.
If you do end up getting a slab of meat for oven roasting…forgot to mention to pierce the meat (about 12 places all around the slab of roast meat – with a sharp pointed knife, and poke a clove of fresh garlic in each and then plug each hole with either/mixture of fresh rosemary, basil leaves, oregano etc…about 12 or so cloves of garlic should do it. Can also rub the outside with cayenne pepper for a little extra kick.
you can do this in a dutch oven when outdoors too.
thanks for your kind words..I am really enjoying being able to share prep talk, and get to know a great bunch of people – all so unique – all at the one time…cheers.
Chloe – you’re making me hungry. Mmmmmm, roast beef!
donna, I know…am going to get one out of my freezer this afternoon, and cook it tomorrow -just how I described to cosmo…the leftover meat will be sliced, and will have it cold on sandwiches, topped with the veges…I agree, yum.
Chloe, the roast beef at Costco is canned like tuna, but in a larger size. Tuna here usually comes in squat little 5 oz can; the Costco roast beef cans are similarly proportioned, but more like 10-12 oz can.
The meat is already cooked and ready to be flaked into a casserole or soup, or mixed with mayo/mustard for a sandwich spread. Grate and saute the veggies you mentioned, mix in the flaked meat and you’re well on your way to a yummy hash!
Ahhh, hash. Love it. Can make it with any meat (beef, pork, chicken, squirrel, rabbit, etc.).
And Prepper, you have my admoration. I tried to quit two weeks ago (cold turkey) and withdrawal was more than I could handle (head ache, shakes, etc.) I was 6 the first time they cought me under the house with a pack of Camels and a box of matches. I was 11 when they gave up on me. This is the first time I’ve seriously tried to quit and it’s not as easy as I thought. I thought I could do anything I made up my mind to do. Guess I’ll have to turn this one over to the Lord. Again, you are my hero. Don’t give up!
My great-aunt quit smoking at 80 after starting to use snuff as child. She would go as long as she could without a cigarette. Then she would light up and smoke until the symptoms were gone and put the cigarette out until she need it again. She finally got to where she just didn’t feel the need any more. Good luck!
Lantana…that sounds so good…am going to check it out online…maybe Aldi’s in Melbourne have it…the beef I have in preps is corned beef…so, thank you…will follow this up.
Anything I get from US/overseas costs + + in shipping fees. cheers
We made shredded beef tacos out it the other day. They came out amazing! All we did was shred the beef and add a little bit of the bulk taco seasoning from EE. Delicious!
I don’t know about everyone else but now I’m hungry…..
just sayin…
Laughing Out Loud, Anonymously….
Morning Wolf Pack:
This week was pretty light in quantity but picked up a couple of things that we are short of:
Got another 5 gal water jug w/spigot;
24 rolls of TP (the brand I like was on sale again);
4 cheap compass’ to put on the straps of the backpacks;
1 can of 62 gr 5.56 ammo (Wal-Mart is now carrying Federal in 30 cal cans);
a 3 pack of 11 gal clear storage tubs w/locking lids.
I also got my long wanted air rifle, a GAMO Whisper in 22 cal. Midway was evidently getting rid of them (the .177 is more popular) because they we as low as $161 (normally $235+). I also picked up 1000 rounds of 14.5 gr pellets. The whole deal was delivered for about $205.
So keep your radar on, and your preps moving forward. The storm clouds on the horizon don’t look pretty.
JP in MT – what do you shoot the 5.56 in? I have been toying with getting an AR recently but I hate making a purchase without being 100% confident and I don’t know anyone that has an AK or AR personally so I feel in the dark.
Sick, there are many of us AR/M4 owners here.
Any questions feel free to ask away. I own two rifles an AR15 and an M4 as well as a 24″ upper (barrel) for long range shots with precision. I also own an SKS and an AK! The SKS I have had for 20 years, the AK for about 18 and the M16A2 since 1990 (in service) and AR for about 16 years.
I have hunted with the SKS and AR15, put maybe 50,000 rounds each through the AK, SKS, AR15 and about 1,000 rounds through my new M4 since I’ve had it 2 months.
Riverrider and JP are well versed and river actually has built them and many others here have extensive backgrounds to help.
Hi SickSkilz, A good place to meet fellow shooters & check out difernt guns is the local range.
SickSkilz:
I have 2 AR’s, both chambered in 5.56x45mm. 5.56x45mm is the military caliber for a .223 Remington. The 5.56 is higher pressure and SHOULD NOT BE USED IN A SEMI-AUTO RIFLE CAMBERED FOR .223 Remington!
Mine is a Rock River w/2 uppers. The 1st is a tactical M4 style flat top with a fixed front site. The 2nd is more of a target upper called a Coyote. Both have a 1/9 twist; this will work well with both 55 and 62 gr bullets (62 gr being the ‘new’ military ammo). I am planning on putting a piston kit in the M4 style upper. I have used AR-15′s/M16a1′s/M16A2′s/M4′s in civilian and military configurations. I have fired enough rounds fast enough to cause the gas tube to glow bright red without using full auto mode. And I hate replacing the gas tube that has been heat damaged!
My wife’s (yes, marrying a soldier has many advantages) is a Daniel Defense in the M4 style. Her’s has an M16 style bolt and a 1/7″ twist (better for heavier bullets like the 75 gr Hornaday HP’s that are with it). It’s a good twist for hunting applications (4 legged). Both have low power optics in the M4 style. The Coyote has a higher power pistol scope mounted in the “scout” style and a “7″ thread protector”; meaning I don’t need to wear hearing protection when I shoot it and there is zero muzzle flash and/or dust cloud when fired.
If money wasn’t an issue I’d go for a piston Lewis Machine Tool in the M4 style. If my finances are blessed, I’m looking at a 1/7″ twist 12″ barrelled M4 (requiring a BATF $200 tax stamp) with it’s own “7″ thread protector” and a boat load of 62 gr Steel Core FMJ and 75 gr HP’s.
Just my 2 cents worth.
JT: I just ruined my keyboard with drool….. Sure wish I still lived in WYO. Kalifornia doesn’t let us own the evil stuff you have. Cos
JP, thanks for the heads up. I have a Gamo with the interchangeable barrels .177/.22, but wouldn’t mind adding another since the RWS weighs as much as an SKS.
How is the weight on that rifle?
Jarhead 03:
I don’t have a scale to weight the GAMO, but scoped it weight about what my CZ 22 mag does and is VERY well balanced. I goes to the range this week so more later.
First, MD, thanks for writing this blog. I’ve been reading a lot of the older posts and found quite a few outstanding gems to help with my prepping.
This week I received my order of 5x 100′ of paracord, the real stuff. I compacted one of the lengths using a sinnet knot to make it more easily transported and used.
I unpacked my BOB and reassessed it’s contents. I’ve determined that everything is a little skewed from optimum. I have good clothing, excellent medical supplies, adequate food, but very poor ability to hydrate. I have a couple of bottles of water in my pack, about enough for a day and a half. My next step is acquiring a dependable method of purifying water to remedy this.
Thanks again for the blog.
Jay in LA ,
You can search this blog for more details, but a Katadyn or Seychelle filter bottle is a great addition to your BOB. I like the Seychelle which is available inexpensively from the Mormon online store @ http://store.lds.org and go to Home & Family, Self Reliance. If you can find any water source, this bottle should allow you to use it.
Yep, either once of those are great water filters and it comforting to know that you have thousands of gallons of water potential rather than a couple hundred just from storage. I have the Katadyn one myself.
The only thing I would say to those using this as a primary source of water purification is that it does very little against water born viruses. So if SHTF situation is anything viral, you have to boil or add chlorine to kill anything in it.
My approach would be to first add the correct amount of chlorine, then filter out both the the viruses and chlorine.
Actually, the Seychelle Advanced filter is effective against viruses. Look here under the “Advanced Seychelle Filters” tab: http://store.seychelle.com/Replacement_Filters-Flip_Top_Replacement_Filter_Advanced.html.
The ones I ordered from the LDS store contained two advanced filters plus the bottle for $22.00.
Each filter is only effective for about 100 gallons, but in a BOB, that is a lot of water you don’t have to carry.
Jay in LA, welcome to the Wolf Pack. There are plenty of companies making water bottle type water filters out there. I have one and also include a filter straw. If you can’t find any just respond with my name at the beginning and I can get the names for you.
Good call on the actual GI 550 cord, most anything with “mil-spec” is junk in my eyes.
Its always good to assess what you need and don’t.
At some point you have to say – I can’t carry everything in a bag that will allow me to be indefinately free. I usuall cary two bottles of water and my “sippy cup” 40oz wattle /coffee steel end of the world mug (I even glued a compass to it – just tobe cheeky – my lady was like WTF!……heehee)
In my car (and really I rarely get farther then 300 yd from my vehicle) is at least a case of water.
really how much do you drag with you – I evaluate my carry every six months (spring and fall) – If I don’t use it twice in that time It goes to a secondary bag in the car
just sayin….
First off, thank you to everyone who wrote an article–I feel like I learned something useful and/or was challenged to rethink an issue each time a new article was posted.
The three articles that I found most immediately useful were:
Dehydration by Garden Mom (1/4/12) – Just got a dehydrator, and her explanation helped me get started. The tip on dehydrating boiled pasta for quick rehydration with limited resources is one I’ve seen nowhere else.
Primer by Lloyd (11/29/11) – My only exposure to this topic was uncles who are outdoorsmen. Lloyd’s detailed descriptions clarified how to match a tool to the needed use, and helped me see where to begin.
I also wanted to mention Chris’s article on barter (11/21/11). My day job involves a lot of negotiation. I find that so many people are wedded to the idea that the stated price is the actual value. chris’s post highlights that value comes in many forms, and what is valuable to oneself may not be the same for someone else.
Lantana,
Although she has finally gotten used to it, when we were first married, my DW would get embarrassed when I tried to negotiate a better price on items, especially at retail stores like Sears. As it turns out, some retail stores like Radio Shack actually have a quantity price break you can generally get if you ask. We once spent more than 4 hours at an auto dealership working through several sales people until I finally met with the sales manager. I had all of the facts from sites like Edmunds and in the end got nearly the price I wanted, saving more than $5K off the sticker price. In the end my grumpy DW acknowledged that it had been well worth the time as we drove the new vehicle home. I’ve always had the attitude on negotiation, that the worst that can happen is that they say NO, and to date I’ve never had anyone refuse to sell to me after the attempt.
good on you…and most people only have 3 ‘no’s’ in them…so if they say ‘no’ to your first offer…just keep at it…offer same amount again…give them time to say ‘no’ etc..you are already good at negotiating…this will be a piece of cake for you…try it and see…
And I don’t usually mention money first…I held back when I wanted to buy a m/bike once – off a neighbour who was a few years older than myself, and he only used the m/bike to ride to work – had the m/bike sitting on his front lawn with a ‘for sale’ sign on it….but no price – so I went over. (was prepared to pay $800) – he said $200 – I was stoked…he had no further use for it – had just been sitting under his house.
had I put my offer in first, before letting him tell me what he wanted for it…would have lost out…and I probably would never had known that he would have accepted just $200…12 months later I sold bike for $2,000. cheers.
O.P. The next time that you buy a car talk to the fleet or internet sales dept. Don`t screw around with the lot lizzards. If they won`t give you a deal go elswhere for it. Fleet sales make very low commisons but hi bonuses for volume. They will deal because they need the volume.
OK, I just fell off my chair laughing! In the truck driving world, “lot lizards” has seriously different definition!!! As in…the “female entrepreneurs” who prowl truck stop parking lots selling “companionship”.
I can just see them prowling a car lot!!!
I worked on buying and storing bulk wild bird seed so that I can keep a great source of protein always close to me. You can read about the benefits to making your land a place where wild birds want to be and how here on my site http://hillbillymom08.blogspot.com/2012/01/feeding-birdsto-ensure-source-of.html
Well my chickens got into my garden this week and undid all the planting I got accomplished last week. So tomorrow I’ll start again (and this time make sure the garden gate is closed.) On the plus side, the girls did a good job of working the soil so it’s really nice and loose.
Oh, I hear you, I have had my share of chicken break in, which is why I now have sheep fencing on the inside and snow fencing on the outside of the same fence line, cuz they have to stay out, unless I put them in the chicken ark for the working the soil.. I tell you that was one of the smartest things we built last year.. its made to fit the bed and walkway size, so you just move it every day and let the chickens be chickens, compost and tillers all in one, plus bug removal is free.. Love it.
A Chicken ark? I never heard of that but boy that sounds like a great idea!
Also called a chicken tractor
Rock, if the chickens don’t learn their lesson they make a pretty good meal to make up for the damage lol.
farmgal,
Just wondering what size oars it takes to row a chicken ark?
I’ll bet it’s a drag to get it started moving. Did Noah build those oars?
We don’t have an ark so I’ll have to spade the garden myself instead of delegating the work; Pick the bugs too.
Itty bitty ones?
Have fun picking those bugs :)
I’ll spray them with TDL propaganda.
farmgal – I’ve used a chicken tractor for more years than I care to remember (MEN article mid 1970′s I think). Back in those days, MEN would arrive and I’d spend the following month trying out their latest project – and a lot of them I still use today.
My procedure is to first fence the pig in the garden plot (after harvest), then just before re-planting, move in the chickens. Saves a load of shovel work.
Careful what you say here. TDL will make you pay them minimum wages, medicare and SSI tax.
Yeah, kind of a perverse version of the old saying, “if you don’t work, you don’t eat.” but in their case, if they don’t work, they get eaten…
rockchalk,
Planting last week? Wow!!! Won’t be doing any of that here until perhaps mid May, although they just recently changed us from Zone 5 to Zone 6 so in theory I can plant a bit earlier. Not sure I’m going to trust the change though for at least a few seasons.
For prepping this week:
We are doing something that needs to be done, getting rid of junk. Both of us had major medical problems and for the past 18 months all we did was collect. This paperless society is buring us alive.
Went through the garage and shed and started in the house going thru every closet and cabinet. Wife is now retired and unloading decades of teaching materials. This will making room to store prep items in now freed up closet/cabinet space and any room one enters there will be no signs of prepping or storage.
A grocery store had Planters Recipe Ready walnuts, 1 lb package for 1.99. Best by date was Oct 2012. Bought 15 pounds. Cardiologist said I should eat walnuts as they are rich in Omega 3 .
Local gun shop had target ammo 10% off. Bought. 500 rounds 9MM.
Added 12 pounds of Red Mill steel cut oatmeal ( .10 an ounce) to inventory.
After reading Cliff from Douglasville piece on water I double checked all our plans.
Eagle, has the wife considered donating any useful school materials to local schools? That way you both clear some room and help out some teachers and students.
How is the Red Mill oatmeal? I normally stock quaker and seal it.
Jarhead 03 – Bob’s Red Mill oatmeal is my all time favorite. It reminds me of the oatmeal my grandmother made. Yum. I have other Bob’s Red Mill products also – TVP, Barley, vegi soup mix. All are really good.
Garden mom thanks, not sure if its regional so I will look for it. I’m a huge Utz fan and they don’t have my favorite honey mustard pretzels lol.
I mean they don’t sell them out here.
Jarhead 03
When the wife announced retirement, anything useful was taken by others, about 5 filing cabinets of material. Still had 20 years of”stuff” from one office, plus all the materials she kept at home. As we go through it all anything that is useable we give to local churches for Sunday School.
Red Mill oatmeal, steel cut, is our favorite. Tried Honeyville, which is good and McCanns (pricey). For some reason we just like the taste of Bob’s Red Mill. We aslo have four cans of Honeyville stashed. Never could find Quaker steel cut oatmeal. The local commissary stocks Red Mill grains in limited amounts. When I see it, I buy it as it goes fast. I now have 18 24 oz bags on hand. Am trying to get up to 24 bags, or 6 months worth.
Eagle – if you haven’t chucked the teaching materials your local homeschooling group might really appreciate the resources. The best materials I ever got were not a “what to teach” but a “how to teach” from a retiring teacher. It has made a huge difference is effectively communicating the information to Monkey.
Lake Lili,
We did let members of the church who home schooled and they were over in a flash. Made out like bandits with paper, 100′s of pencils and pens, notebooks and teaching materials. Once the final cut is made will let them know and what they can’t use some church Sunday School can have .
What was interesting was the interest the homeschoolers had in some dated local area material my wife used in the 60′s and 70′s when we were stationed in Alabama, Alaska, and Colorado.
eagle, the older stuff really has more information then the new stuff has. It is kinda sad really, what all is getting taken out of the textbooks.
I’m sure they had a field day! Agree with TG. One of my best finds was a stack of Ranger Rick magazines. Good information that can keep Monkey reading happily for hours. A lot of the current materials are so political that you spend more time adjusting the perspective than teaching the nuggets of information that have value.
Well not much to tell.
Ordered a bunch of free seed catalogs. Figure if I have them in front of me will be able to see who has the better deals and not have to flick and flack between internet sites which makes me dizzy. I have definately become the older generation-I remember relatives sitting around evenings looking at the seed catalogs.
I printed out more for a my note book-wish I could remember to get a binder.
Read prepping blogs-no one is hopeful
Read an article on the internet about the serge in being a prepper. It wasn’t the article that kept my attention it was the comments. According to the comments we are defunct 1950′s bomb shelter idiots and defunct-er Y2Ker’s.
What they are not seeing is that we are trying to become self reliant people that won’t have to worry about a lot of aspects of living.
A few of them were of the attitude they didn’t have to prep they would take what they needed. Have we not heard that before???????
And if nothing happens we are still ahead of the game and most assuredly a lot better off than they are.
Waiting to see what you all have done.
Ellen, you hit the nail on the head. I would rather be comfortable at home when a disaster hits than one of the mass that waits in line for water, MREs and what ever the Red Cross can scrounge up along with donations.
Friends joke about me keeping my GHB when we go on trips (in their vehicle) and the one time the car had a flat in 20 degree temp I pulled out my sleeping bag, climbed in it and said wake me up when you get it fixed. I was nice enough to let them use my gloves lol.
We prep for the worst and hope for the best. We also keep the economy going.
Jarhead 03
Well I do not understand why they cannot get it through their heads that it would just in general be smart to prep if for no other reason they wouldn’t have to worry in the long run.
You know, I’ve wondered how much of recent growth in the economy comes from an uptick in people preparing for uncertainty in the future.
Those who will take what they need may indeed get their wishes, starting with small arms ammunition, minus the case, powder, and primer of course.
Exactly!
i read that same article. they can call us names but they will be the ones in the street fighting for rations.
Chonte’in MD
Well at first I was p_____. Then I got to laughing.
Their thinking is about as astute as a rock.
And I for one would rather talk to a rock.
Ellen
The media and others may laugh, but when the power goes, it isn’t fun. Last major hit we took was Hurricane Ivan in 04 and the entire three county area south of I-10 lost power from 3 to 40+ days. That year Florida was hit by 4 major hurricanes in 60 days and there were not enough power crews.. The lines for MRE’s and ice were long, plus no power and 90 degree heat caused total loss of all perishables in food stores.
Until power was restored we took cold showers, keep the generator running for the fridge and freeze and ate like royalty with a 2 burner and 1 burner Coleman stoves. Beats driving around looking for gasoline and other things.
People don’t plan on failing or preparing, they fail to plan and prepare. When you are prepared, you sleep a lot better when the winds howl.
Eagle, your last line says it all. When the scat hits the oscillating air rotator, its a lot easier to sit back and watch then to stand in those lines.
where r u eagle? We were without power for 2 weeks after Ivan. I cooked with the rack out of my oven placed over some cinder blocks….and used wood from fallen trees for my fire, lol. I also lost 6 bushels of peas I had put in the freezer…..
BamaBecca,
We are in south Okaloosa County with a Niceville zip code. Ivan put 14 feet of storm surge on the beaches and up to 8 feet in the bayous. We are about 45 feet above sea level so water wasn’t an issue, The winds sure were. We have underground utilities and the storm took out all the power poles for 1/2 mile before they went underground. It has been since 2005 with Dennis with no hurricanes. We are overdue.
yes we are indeed. I worked on the coast for a year with the Corps of Engineers after Katrina….and I sure don’t want to see that kind of devastation again. But living so close to the coast, it becomes a fact of life for us. Its amazing how many people DONT prepare for it, isn’t it?
eagle…totally agree…preparing for natural disasters is role play for us preppers…we just take it in our stride…and use the experience to see just how prepared we really are…just in case SHTF…
cheers
Just a little note of interest: William R Forstchen “One Second After”, will be on Coast to Coast on Monday night, from 10pm til midnight, Pacific Time. Sounds like it will be an interesting program about EMP. I have not read the book, so will be listening with interest.
What channel? We have read the book would like to record it to watch the show?
CR, c2c is a radio show and carried on many stations around the world. I am pretty sure you can also listen over your computer, or download it to mp3. As I am on a landline, my only choice is the radio. Check out the website: coast2coastam. I will double check and make sure this is correct.
That would be: coasttocoastam.com
I went to coasttocoastam.com and saw that the Forstchen interview is about EMP/Rise of Asia. For those of us unable to be awake when it is broadcast (lol), notice that they have an archive of past programs so we should be able to download or listen later in the week.
mountain lady…can go to http://www.4shared.com and download the book – and then can read it at your leisure…just enter the book title into the search bar…there are lots of free books there to down load…hope this helped…cheers.
chloe, thanks for that information.
Worked on OPSEC; finally filled the 6 barrels we bought last September with disinfected water. Covered the barrels with a black tarp and laid plywood sections on the tarp. Then placed all the plants the DW is overwintering on the plywood and added full sun spectrum lights to complete the camouflage. Thanks OhioPrepper for the ‘hide in plain sight’ strategy.
Received an assorted package of “easy Thread” needles; they have a small gap in the eye so that old people (DW) can easily get thread into the eye.
Missing Lint Picker.
HD, where did you get the wide eyelid needles? I sew from time to time and was thinking those would make life a bit easier. I used to run the thread through needle for my grandma when I was kid.
We got them at
http://www.starcrest.com/product/storage+and+cleanup/sewing%2C+laundry+and+ironing/selfthreadingneedlessetof48.do?search=basic&keyword=needle&sortby=newArrivals&page=1
In case the link doesn’t work; its Starcrest of California, item 75122. The cheep price fits my cheep attitude.
Getting close to grandma’s age? I’m there.
HD, I’m 38 almost 39 lol I’m a youngun lol. My gf think I have the soul of a viking that was reincarnated as a WW II flamethrower and recycled in 73 to be a Marine lol.
Jarhead,
That is a funny description. LMAO.
Jarhead
Judging from what you have written It sounds like your GF knows you pretty well.
Jarhead – 1973? You and M.D. really make me feel my age! To think that I moved here and began prepping before you were born just seems…strange.
It’s nice for me to actually feel young for once! Every other place I go to I always seem to be one of the older folks even though I’m only 34. Born in 77.
TigerLily, I will be 70 on Thursday, although I do not act my age, lol. I was prepping before you were born and I keep on keeping on. I do have to get some of those needles.
mountain lady,
Happy Birthday. Don’t be running with those young ruffians and be sure to be home before dark!
TigerLily,
I turned 67 earlier this month. So am almost twice your age. You’re just a pup! :)
I just started prepping last Spring! and am on a roll!
Happy Birthday, Mountain Lady! Many more.
K fields, yes ’73. My dad was 49 when I was born and all my uncles were WW II vets cousins served in Vietnam and grandpa in WW I.
My family were and some still are farmers.
Its why I’m a bit different than most my age and why I joined the Marines at 17. Dad was a depression era kid so I know first hand what he went through and he believed it could happen again. He passed away 5 years ago.
mountain lady…happy birthday for Thurs…I don’t act my age either…wonderful to hear you are still going strong…
Jarhead – Sorry to hear your Dad is no longer with us but I’m sure he was proud as can be with the man you’ve become – I know I would be had I had a son.
In case you don’t remember, my comment about M.D. was referring to a post he made a while back that I had commented on concerning changes I experienced in TN before I moved here. I discovered I had grown up, gotten drafted, gotten married and moved to CA all before M.D. was born (well, I moved the same year he was born). I mean, I knew a lot of the current survivalists bloggers were younger than me, but that really put it into perspective.
Your mention of 1973 brought back those comments and made me chuckle at the memory.
K fields, I love TN. I have family there and experienced two great experiences and that is fishing for catfish and fish fry. My family is from the south with roots all over.
H-D:
Thanks for the link. I order several packages for our preps.
About how long did it take your to arrive after you ordered them?
JP,
I think about 4 days.
lol my grandmother still as us thread her needles she keeps them stuck in her lamp shade pre threaded so it’s there when she needs them.
Chonte, I keep a sewing kit in my hiking/camping packs and my needles are threaded. Learned after having to sew my uniform pants while in Korea in the winter. Took forever even with one of those devices that help you thread the eye of the needle.
I have some pre threaded in my home sewing kit as well.
mountain lady…………
H A P P Y 7 0T H – and many more!
Thank you for all the birthday wishes. Have a magnum of champagne waiting.
I’ve seen them needles in the Dollar General store, in the as seen on TV section.
Where is our Lint-Picker?
bamabecca…didn’t you know…he signed out a few days ago –
in the post by cliff and water concerns…click back and see what he wrote…
am missing his wit – he was very funny with his various replies…cheers.
no chloe, i didn’t know. I was out of commission for most of the past week after major dental work. I’ll look back and see if I can fond the post. Thanks ;)
bamabecca…hope you’ve recovered from the dentist…maybe Lint will check in on a weekly basis.
Oh no! I missed that too and didn’t say goodbye. I’m going to miss his witty comments.
Bought 5lbs of #4 buckshot from Cabelas
Bought 1000 209 shotgun primers
Arranged to obtain 50 brass shotgun shells
Filled my first aid kit and organized all first aid supplies not in the kit into one plastic container.
Investigating some property for a BOL
HandAxeProMan:
Sir: Did you ever read anything from Cpt. Fairborne during the Boxer Rebellion? He said #4 buck was the most effective round for folks up to about 50 yards. I use it alternating with pumpkin balls… for vehicle motors and such. TIA Cos
What is a pumpkin ball
nickname for a shotgun slug.
Riverrider:
Thanks! I forgot to include terminology for non-weps folks. I will try to pay attention from here on out. Cos
Actually it’s slang, but generally used incorrectly. Solid projectiles for shotguns come in at least three types. The rifled slug, which has a rifling pattern molded into the side of the lead projectile, and is meant to be fired in smooth barrels. The Sabot, which is generally a rifle caliber bullet, in a plastic carrier, meant to be fired from a rifled shotgun barrel, and a solid slug or pumpkin ball, which is contained in a standard shotgun wad style sabot, and may be fired from either type of barrel, although the rifled barrel provides more accuracy.
You should BTW, never fire a rifled slug from a rifle barrel, since the twist direction and twist rates can interfere with one another and cost you accuracy; although it is generally not a dangerous practice.
Slang for a soild projectile in 12 gauge 0.72 cal. 20 gauge would be 0.615 cal.
Got a nasty cold and was down most of the week.So was misses axel.I managed to get some water stored and a bit of food though.Dinked around with the toyota a bit.
axelsteve saw you had grandparents on Fidalgo island….they still there? familiar with the area.
Grannyj They are both passed now.I still have a stepdad there.I also have a aunt and uncle on whidby.My mom used to teach nursing at skaggit valley colleg. I have not been there since 1980.
Being a bookkeeper I’ve been a little busy, what with year end, quarter end, and wits end.
I think it was this week that I racked some peach wine, or was that last week? LOL!
Bought some rounds for my pistol, also took empty brass to my reloading friend, and tried to straighten out a HOI escrow problem before it bit me in the butt. I wheedled and whined and bought some time, and hopefully it’ll be fixed next week or so.
Determined I don’t have to file 1099′s this year (for me), and while looking for receipts to enter to get a head start on filing income taxes, found some silver I’d forgotten I had. That’s always nice. Locked it up, but counted it all first (it ain’t much).
I was going to go to a gun show today, but had to work instead. It’s just as well, if that escrow problem persists I’d rather have cash. The gun show is too far away to get to if I left now. And too far away in general. Think I’ll wait a month and hit a bigger one closer to home.
Now that I’m rattling around with some free time I might try to hook up the solar panels to the inverter etc. doohickeys and get them running. Or maybe get me some stuff to mix my own potting soil, because seed starting time is nigh. Or fire bricks for the rocket stove heater I want to build.
I really need to test my homemade rocket cook stove that I made around Xmas. Dry wood, now that’s a challenge.
Penny Pincher, don’t know how much your friend charges you for relaoding but if you know what he shoots, try picking up all the brass you can and offer it to offset costs.
I hit the Gun Show south of where I live. Nice 45 minute drive down near the beach was well worth it since its in the 90s.
Not a lot of purchases this week. I received the order from EE that I placed last week. I did order two Sport Berkey bottles at markdown.com for $29.99. I couldn’t pass up that price.
We had temperatures in the 80s this week, so I spent more time cleaning out the gardens and cleaning up the front poarch. My compost has not broken down enough to use in the garden this year. We didn’t get much rain last summer, so I did not have enough grass clippings to put in the pile—not enough nitrogen to heat up the pile. So it looks like I’ll have to purchase more composted manure this year. That’s it for me.
Do you know anyone who raises rabbits? Maybe they would give you some of their manure? That way you can put it right on your garden and you don’t have to purchase any.
Well, she could chase those chickens again and get some that way. Lots of nitrogen!
H-D,
My dog killed the rooster after chasing it through the neighborhood for 20 minutes. LOL I haven’t seen the hen since that day–maybe he got the hen too. Whenever my husband sees the animal rights activist neighbor he coo-coos like a rooster. We now refer to our dog as “the rooster killer”.
Hillbilly mom,
I wish I knew someone who raised rabbits. Unfortunately, I do not.
Gayle,
markdown.com eh? Thanks, I think. All I need is one more crack site on the net, LOL.
O.P.,
The email announcing the sale was from The Berkey Guy, who M.D. recommended. Several folks here have purchased from markdowon.com.
Gayle, thanks so much for the markdown.com tip. My 2 Sport Berkey bottles arrived yesterday. A great deal.
DOL is a ShelfReliance consultant, so got the tip from her that SR is carrying the AquaPail.
The SR site is short on info so found this AquaPail pdf. The pail just went to the top of my shopping/wish list.
http://www.aquapail.mobi/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/AquaPail-Information-Packet-10-3-2011.pdf
bmerry,
Thanks for the heads up. I’ll have to check it out.
We have had a really mild winter here in central Ohio so far so I worked some horse manure into one of my raised bed. The manure has been sitting there since November. I also turned my compost pile. I still have so much to learn about compost!
In fact, I have been doing quite a few things to prep for gardening this year. I have done a TON of research and have been trying to decide what I am going to plant in raised beds and what I am going to try in the in-ground garden. This will only be my 3rd year of actually gardening with it being my 2nd year for the raised beds and in-ground. My first year was pretty much all container gardening.
Finished reading the fictional book “Holding Their Own; A Story of Survival” by Joe Nobody. It was pretty good and would recommend it. There is a little bit of sexual content for those who are sensitive to it. But it’s almost exclusively between a young married couple, which is is actually surprising for today. Also, this book is definitely different from many of the other fiction books I have read from this genre but still would recommend it.
Previously I had purchased and read Joe Nobody’s book on prepping your home for defense during a SHTF type scenario. It’s called “Holding Your Ground” and I highly recommend it. I have also shared it with others. I have found quite a bit of pertinent info in it and I am in the process of obtaining some of the materials recommend to help secure my home.
I am now reading “Storey’s Guide to Raising Rabbits” by Bob Bennett. My wife is opposed to raising rabbits at this time in our small suburban homestead but she is starting to soften her stance. Since it is still winter here and I am sure that the snow, freezing temps and harsh winds will be here before too long, so I am cleaning and organizing the garage so I can keep rabbits in there until spring. Plus, the garage needed the cleaning anyway!
JD,
Horse manure will contain a lot of weed seed, unless the horse ate at McDonald’s. It needs to be composted in a way that the pile heats up and kills the seed.
For the garden, think about heirloom seeds. In a TEOTWAWKI situation you may not be able to buy seeds for next years garden. You can keep heirloom seeds from your produce, but hybrid seed will not have offspring true to the parent.
If you are going to raise rabbits, keep in mind that during the winter you will have to replace the ice in the watering dishes with liquid H2O, if they are in outside cages. We had ours outside. During my learning curve I felt (at 8 yrs old) very persecuted by my parents that I had to go out in the cold twice a day and refill the 1 pound coffee cans with water. For 30 years I could see ice pick stab marks in my hands from jabbing at the frozen coffee cans and missing the ice. I was too embarrassed to tell mom.
If you are going to keep the rabbits outside (I do as well) may I recommend considering going to the plumbing section of your local hardware and pick up those hard plastic end caps, they work like a dream, your choice, give a good solid bang and most times the ice pop’s right out, refill and go, or buy enough that you can just switch them out.. I have had the same ones for coming seven years and they are still going strong. Where as metal bowls that I paid alot more for have not held up near as well with the cold winter use.
For the water bottles in summer, keep a close eye on them, as the bottle will be fine but the nipple can freeze really easy in spring and fall.
farmgal,
I think you’re talking about PVC end caps.
Plastic wasn’t yet invented when we raised rabbits. Thanks for dating me.lol.
Hunker-Down
I think I would rather take my chance with the weeds.
Read a story this week about someone keeping a couple of Happy Meals (I think abt. 8 mos.) and they didn’t mold or look much different than when purchased.
The author of the article was amased the bread wasn’t moldy. He said that was pretty scary.
JD,
Central Ohio? I’m northwest of Columbus and would perhaps like to connect. You can go to my website and send and email if you’re interested.
This week I ordered and 55 gallon blue water drum for $89.99 and that includes shipping. Found this deal at Bay Tec. Have a great week and I am back to cooking. Diane, Michigan
I’ve ordered from Bay Tec before too. They were easy to deal with. No muss, no fuss.
This week was slow, and I wasn’t able to get much done, due to a combination of low funds, laziness, and lots of work hours. I did enjoy everyone’s posts this week. I did make it to a gun show last Sunday afternoon, picked up some .45 APC hollow point rounds on the cheap.
Voting on the posts is hard, because they were all great and informative in there own way. This will sound terribly biased, but hopefully not after I explain. I liked the post Tips for Securing Your Bug-In Location, not so much bc I wrote it, but because after reading all of the comments from the pack on it, it made me realize in a major way that while some of my plans for surviving in the burbs could work, and will hopefully be useful to some when I SHTF, it ain’t something I really wanna do. The comments on it started me focusing heavily on getting my land in Tennessee, out of the city and into a legitimately defensible position. I cant remember who said it, but it was something to the effect of “these are good, workable ideas you have, but how many fights are you gonna live through like that? One? Two maybe?”. Move date is pegged for August of this year. So the comments on my article helped me a lot.
Other than that, all of Gayles posts are awesome. One could pick amongst any of them . Good luck, and thanks to all the writers! Great posts! :)
tfh, did you get your ar15/m4 figured out? went by the show in fishersville today. easily half the vendors had ar’s gallor.
Actually I did take a look at all of them, and I really thought about getting the upper from one particular dealer, but passed (trying to save $). And as it turns out, its good I didn’t, cause the soon to be brother-in-law has an FFL, AND gets friends/family discount from Bushmaster, so the soon to be Mrs Hat is getting me this little beauty for a wedding present http://www.bushmaster.com/catalog_carbon15_az-c1516m4FT.asp Sidenote: you know you have an awesome woman when she’ll buy you an assault rifle as a wedding present…
awesome!
TinFoil Hat:
“Sidenote: you know you have an awesome woman when she’ll buy you an assault rifle as a wedding present…” Amen Brother!
I used to get “what do you need that for?” (1st wife, who left for “green pastures” . Now I get “Wow! What’d you get!” Big difference. Plus when we needed money with #1 we could never find anyone who was interested in buying her “collectable” Hummel figurines, but my guns always found a new home and I seldom lost money.
Wow!
She sounds like a keeper!
TH, you better hang on to that woman, one that will buy you guns is very hard to come by! My first wife bought me a gun nearly every year at Christmas, she would ask my shooting buddies what they thought I’d like and get it for me. Her boss had a FFL so it won’t so hard for her to get deals. That woman up and died on me, worst thing that ever happened to me because that opened the door to #2 and that turned out to be the 2nd worst thing that ever happened to me.
I have been looking at AR’s,Bushmaster’s to be specific.Anyone here know if the carbon uppers are reliable or better than the aluminum uppers?
charlie, i have zero experience with the carbon uppers/lowers. bushmaster has been selling them a while tho, so they must be doing okay. jmho.
TFH, you are lucky. My gf asked what I wanted for Christmas and I told 45ACP federal or winchester in 50 or 100 round boxes to the amount she was willing to spend. She refused saying she wanted to get me something I would use. Never worn the shirts and used the beard trimmer a few times when I told her if no ammo get me some good hair clippers. You are a lucky man.
Here’s a grid-down recipe for finger jello:
1/2 cup cold water in a bowl
sprinkle 1 packet of gelatine (1/4 oz size) over top of water
let sit for 1 minute (approximately)
Add 3 oz size jello ( any flavor) and 1 cup boiling water.
Stir well to dissolve all. Let sit about 10-15 minutes until it cools a little.
I pour it into a mini-muffin tin, then let sit until firm.
Ta da – finger jello without a refrigerator.
I have made this twice now – both times it turned out. Then one time I used 1 cup of cold water of the first part (on accident), so I used 1/2 cup of boiling water. This made regular jello that you have to eat with a spoon. But still, yummy and no refrigerator required. Gelatin is important for your joints – I think. Kids like it, but adults really need it.
Also, reorganized my binder. I try to use recipes about once a week, then it gets a little messy.
I actually worked on a little food stashing this week, 25lbs of rice and 25lbs of beans. Took a chance and ordered mylar bags with a zip seal from USA Emergency Supply. They are about a gallon and a half in size with a stand up bottom. They left plenty of bag to heat seal above the zip. They look to be well made, very thick(5 mils) but I will test one with O2 absorbers before I jump on all of them. I wanted smaller containers and the resealable zip in a smaller bag seemed like the hot set up.
Serviced the work vehicle and started my god awful tax return(hawk, spit!), I hate doing taxes but hate letting someone else do them even worse. And to add to my grief I will have to deal with #2 some to finish the job.
BiL, is doing OK after heart cath, goes back in a week or so to see docs and decide how and when to replace bad heart valve.
Hope everyone has a good week.
Good news for the BIL, blindshooter, but bad news having to deal with the ex on taxes. More good news is that this will be the last time with the ex on the taxes, or should be. We will keep your BIL in our prayers. Good on you putting back the food. Keep it up, and take care.
TK, thanks to you and others praying for my BiL. He is one person I could count on and like me understands things are not going to go so well in the future. We talked some today, he told me one reason he was going ahead with the surgery instead of putting it off longer is he is afraid things are going to get bad in the coming years and he wanted to be around full time for his family if/when things fall apart. Also we are not sure the level of medical care will be available later as it is now.
Ordered and received our heirloom seeds from Baker Creek.
Went to 4 of 5 stores in our nearby small town before we found strike anywhere kitchen matches. Bought 5 boxes of 300 each box $1.29 per box. Saw box of 100 various size band aides for a buck picked up a box of those too.
At Wal-mart in a mark down basket buck and under found 2 smaller cans of OFF, nice size for GHBs. Picked up quart size box of Epsom salt for .88
This prep is for LINT……..bagged up all my dryer lint I’ve been saving stuff another gallon size ziplock bag FULL. :>)
That’s it for this week hope everyone is healthy and prepping!
Forgot to mention picked up the rest of the fittings we need to convert our 275 gallon water collector for garden hose. YAY get to use lots of stored rain water on my garden this year.
Baker Creek has the most beautiful seed catalog, the photos are awesome! I plan to order from them when I need more seeds.
MareBear….I checked out their online site and ordered a catalog….thanks for the heads-up.
C.R…..I have been noticing the difficulty finding strike anywhere matches myself. And online they are uber expensive. Where did you find them?
Must be just a texas issue on finding strike anywhere matches. Here in south east ohio, they are readily available in wal mart in multiple areas.
MtWoman found them at local hard ware store that is True Value brand store.
C.R…..will have to see if there’s a “True Value” hardware store around….thanks.
Happened onto this site — hope you don’t mind me answering your request — but Brookshires is the only place I have found strike anywhere matches in NE Texas.
E Texas Gal…thanks! Will check there next week (it’s a bit of a drive to a Brookshire’s from my place).
Friend of mine that lives in PA, was telling me months ago she couldn’t find the strike anywhere’s even at Wally World when we were still getting there them here in MO. This just changed in the last couple of months.
Here in central Ohio you can get them at Wal-Mart and just about every small grocery or hardware store. Good luck.
They don’t have the Strike Any Where matches at our Wal Mart but we get them from our local True Value Hardware Store.
Ordered and received #10 cans of gravy mix and pilot crackers, 1 lb of bean sprouting mix and a box of n95 masks from EE.
Ordered and received the Practical Math Dictionary from Amazon.
May I ask what pilot crackers are? Have seen you all talk of them before and am wondering. Thanks!
LOL, I was wondering the same thing, looked it up, and it’s hardtack! Wonder if ‘pilot cracker’ is the Yankee name for it. . . .
well, its a little less hard and a little better tasting. not much, but a little:)
So what’s in a pilot cracker that makes it taste better than hardtack?
All I know about hardtack is that my great grandmother swore she’d never eat it again after the family left Kentucky, and seventy years later, she was still talking about it.
Must have been pretty bad!
Poor woman.
Hardtack/Sea Biscuits: pg 275, Cookin’ with Home Storage, by Vicki Tate (earlier versions written with Peggy Layton. Recipe and instructions found there. Since you already have them made, a piece could be used for soup crackers. Wrapped in a wet cloth in the morning and placed in a stoneware crock, could be used as bread by evening. Can pour boiling water over it and add honey or molasses and serve as a pudding. Never know when we might have to live like pioneers.
Dang Mountain Lady! I even have that book but never thought to look for Pilot Bread. (Mine were from Mountain House so I’m saving them.) Thank You! Cos
Thanks! Might have to try them. Mountain Lady, your suggestions sound pretty good!
Copperhead, those were suggestions that accompanied the old recipe. The pioneers used it this way and since we can buy them now for our storage, those ideas might come in handy in the near future.
This week has been a farm week, we have had a ice storm, so spent some time moving a dropped tree, and will need to get the rest cut up and put up, along with a general branch clean up.
Have been busy lambing, had two stillborns in the barn (not sure what happened, it was a set of twins) but now have two new small sheep hides to work on, but lots of milk coming in, so yogurt, and cheese making going on. I also took on a little project to see how to make my yogurt without power, used the shuttle Chef and it worked just fine, but I expect you could do the same in a cooler with a couple towels wrapped around a jar in a pinch.
Ordered and got my Lucet Braiding training book which was waiting for me when I got home from my trip, so am working my way though the projects and learning more as I go, its a very interesting in seeing all the different ways it can be used, got a really tricky project planned for neices b-day present, we will see if I can get it done in time.. or if it will end up being a christmas present for next year, it might take me that long to figure this out, got a backup ball of regular but very pretty wool so I can bang out a necklace, braclet and matching hair band just in case.
Started a few new pots of things for in the house that will get moved out to the greenhouse in Feb and or used in the house depending, I love our cold hoop house but it just does not cut it in that cold canadian winter time of jan/feb at least not in my neck of the woods. Hubby wants to pick up some more water barrels, paint them black and see if it will make a difference, its worth a shot..
Otherwise the only other thing of note this week was that Dh came home from a staff meeting and one of the things they were told was they would be so busy with a coming project in their department, that it looks like no one is going to get any holiday’s till at least june or maybe July.. normally he takes a week off in spring planting time, so that will take a little different planning for, I am used to having his strong back and sense of humor working side by side with me in the heavy push to get our acre plus garden in.
Hope everyone has a great week and I for one will miss Lint, but hope that he finds his dream peice of land.
Farmgal
I envy your life. You’ve no idea how cool your posts sound every week :)
Hi Tinfoil Hat
Thank you for your kind words, I really like my life but gotta to admit that I don’t feel all that cool more like a middle aged lady farmer..
Now in my mid 20′s to early 30′s I felt I lived an worked in some very cool places.. ahh to be young and footloose and fancy free again.. now I’m this settled farmgal.
You are blessed, farmgal, and you don’t even know it. Look to the future, don’t mourn the past – it is gone, gone, gone. You have the best ahead of you – if you believe it!
When we would go to visit DH’s brother on his small 12 acre farm, I would take my morning coffee to his back porch (the hang out area since he did not have a/c) and just look at the garden areas. I would walk around and check out the veggies growing and yearn to have this life. No rat race, just the land and the sounds of nature. I would like it, but would make paying the bills hard as hell! The kids and I would go over and spend a week or so helping him harvest green beans and corn. Our son, would just complain and cry cause “I hate picking green beans!! I want to watch tv and uncle does not have cable!”
My kids have no idea how good a simple life is. I hate that for them. They are missing out on how cool it is to be part of a natural life without internet and facebook.
Ditto what TinFoil said. Love your posts.
FarmGal,
your hoop houses might be warmer if you had a row of stones on the inside, stones heat up in the sun and release the heat later in the day, the bigger ones work better. I think granite stone is the best in your area. Try some old farmers fences that are not used, lots of free stone that way. We are on the Shield afterall.
Just thought, how about putting some mirrors behind the stones to reflect the heat down into the stone?
How about building a low cost, pop heater? Build a hotbox, use pop cans, black back or mirror back in a wooden box with a clear plastic or glass cover, entry and exit top and bottom, use dryer vents so they can seal in the evening, a small solar panel, the ones they have at Canadian Tire on sale for as little as $10-$15 to run a computer fan to blow the cold air in.
How is the Ox-Cow training going along? I am still not sure the difference in an Ox from a regular Cow unless it is just the duty and training. I have been thinking about some comments in regards to Oxen and working in the bush verses Horses. Now I love Horses a lot, but Oxen are cheaper to buy, to run, to keep and fix up. Horses are expensive for everything.
What are your thoughts on the matter?
Thanks for the idea’s on ways to get more heat into the hoop hosue, I will show them to DH and do a little research this week.
As for my little Ox/Milk Cow Girl, she is doing very well, thanks for asking, she helped haul hand cut hay this summer, and she also packs or sleds down the big feed bags for me, she hit a teenage stage for a few months and we had a few “training lessions” that were a little tough love, thankfully that can be done with a good halter/lead and her training stick to tap her legs, by the time she goes around and around X amount of times, she will calm right down and give to me being head cow. We keep up daily practice on manners and commands between work in the box stall and being lead up and down to the hay feeder from the barn, where she is tiethered to the hay feeder caz I want to keep that skill for tie out’s the rest of the year.
The big difference is that a proper Ox is a altered male and its typically a matched team that has been raised and trained together, I have a single cow, that I am training as a triple use critter, wanting her to be a draft, milk and baby beef calf producer..
Certainly cheaper to buy the trained Oxen team or raise one up, then a good team of work horses, from what I have seen locally, having said that, my grandfather, and one of my “step dad’s” who used teams to skid in the bush in alberta, always used horses, so i grew up with them and as a teen for a couple years, that was my summer job, to go help break in a couple two coming three year olds, which netted me a summer on a farm, a riding horse at no cost and a little cash.
So that is how I have trained the cow, like she is a horse really because I don’t know how to train a ox, I got a book on it,and other then using the tapping stick for their legs and having slightly different harness gear, its the same to me..
Even there, until she is fully grown, I am just making do with a homemade mess, as I only want to pay out the cost a proper fitted outfit once, so she gets along with homemade pads and gear, it’s not pretty but it does the job most of the time.
I have always had high respect for you and your lifestyle but after reading about your Ox/Cow training… I am in complete awe!
farmgal,
While growing up, I spent just about every summer on my grandparents farm, and their preferred working animals were mules. I have never seen a team of oxen work, but I’ve watched my grandfather plow and move trees with sometimes just one mule(when plowing), and pulling harvested trees out of a swamp with a team of mules.
I can see where oxen could be advantageous in a SHTF scenario, but I know several people in No. Arkansas who are raising mules. So that might be the way to go for us, but your ox is an interesting choice.
If you ever had time, a post on oxen from you would be very interesting and educational for the rest of us.
Templar Knight – Mules or oxen? Now that would make a great post if someone out there has the experience necessary to do a good comparison.
I once got to work a team of oxen at a place called Malabar Farm in Ohio (Ohio Prepper probably knows the place). Back when I was thinking of leaving TN, I applied for a job there (it was being taken over by the State Park system) and they were looking for people to actually run the farm (it was a dairy at that time) as an interpretive center. I had grown up working mules and owning a milk cow so I figured I could fit in – boy was I wrong! Working a commercial dairy is nothing like having a cow around the homestead and, to my surprise, they had oxen not mules.
But I spent 4 weeks there (in the fall, it was beautiful) and at least learned a bit about working with oxen for my trouble. First thing I had to get used to was their pace, oxen are sloooow! at least compared to mules. And they pull differently. Don’t know if I can explain this well but a mule will jerk a load to get it started and you come to expect that jolt. It’s hard on the equipment and even harder on you if you’re not expecting it. My experience with the oxen was that they sort of hunker down and move the load through pure muscle, much nicer really but was frustrating for me as they didn’t seem to respond immediately as I was used to.
And to me, mules have more personality – which can be great or can be a disaster depending on the person working them. They like doing things their own way, and believe me, you aren’t strong enough to get them to change their ideas once they’ve settled on them. I never felt that from the little time I spent working oxen, so the oxen seemed “easier” to work with.
Hahaha….yep,” stubborn as a mule” was one of my grandma’s old sayings(I wish to heck I had written them all down before she died), and it must have come from somewhere. One of the funniest things I saw as a child was when one of the mules got loose, and proceeded to feast on the apples my grandmother had drying on top of the well-house. That little woman was swinging a broom for everything it was worth, and that old mule was eating as fast as it could. You could almost read that mule’s mind as he turned around to see what was hitting him, and then took another quick bite. After several good hits in the head area, he had enough. My grandma was ”mad as a sitting hen”. It is one of my favorite childhood memories.
I, too, have been wondering about oxen lately! Can you explain to us, farmgirl, what makes an ox? (I know it is a steer that has not been butchered, that is about all!) What IS the difference between an ox and a regular cow ox? When do you start to train them? When they are still little?? See, tons of questions! Wanna learn!!
Hi Encourager
I do give thanks daily for the farm and the life I have, and yes, I hope that there are many many good years and things to come.
As for the Ox vs a Regular cow, one of the big one is size, a altered male steer typically will be much larger/heavier and stronger then a female of the same breed. A well conditioned and trained team of oxen is able to do a full hard days worth of work, more then you would ever ask your multi-purpose milking cow to do in a day, as she is already carrying the load of either milking or growing a baby inside or both depending on the time of year.
As for training them, ideally you start when they are just a few weeks old, I had Girl haltered broke and starting to learn commands and how to take walks by 3 weeks of age, by six months she was already starting on long lines, and was pulling a small sled to haul water from the house to the barn, by a year she was being worked both by pulling but also starting to haul.
I have a girlfriend who got a little team of baby boys (matched set) and they are both much! more lazy then my girl is, I really enjoyed seeing them hooked up and she had them go up from the barns to the house and back (about the distance I would ask Girl to do for the same thing) and her boys must have stopped at least twice and she considered them tired by the end and they did look it.. Like I said, to me, very lazy.. as at the same age, Girl and I training in the fields and on the road (as I want her road trained) had worked a good hour before I called it quits..
Now having said the above, its worth noting that I didn’t ask her to work with weights at that age, just me and her doing handling and command training.
I remember my grandfather telling me how they worked oxen when he was young, said that they had to be handled or worked every day and that they worked best with one handler. I forget how much he said they could pull but it was amazing, at least it was to me at that time. You are a strong lady to handle all the things you do, most folks have no idea the work it takes to run a farm with animals, you can’t take off at all without a trusted someone to fill in. I have no doubt that I’m not physically able to do it any longer(and I’m lazy in my old age).
farmgirl…your can-do attitude is amazing…wonderful to read about your daily routine…cheers.
wow, farmgirl…you get a lot done – that is a lot of hard work you are doing…and you are reaping the rewards…good on you…
Hi Farmgal,
I love reading your posts also! I am so sorry to hear about the lambs. It happens though. My neighbor has sheep and we have mountain lion problems. She lost six lambs in a month last year. The Dept of Wildlife had to get involved and probably ending up being a bad experience for a lion too.
About the barrels…..I am in Colorado and we are not as cold as you are. Actually our zone just got changed from 5 to 6a (global warming?). I have a large greenhouse 20×80 which is wood framed, but the same concept as a hoop house. I used the black barrels of water and unless I have a large amount all together, they froze. Our nights are 0-15 and days of 20-50 average. Dec-Mar.
If I have two layers of plastic with an air space, circulate some air, the barrels will stay unfrozen but still ice cold. The barrels do help alot during the frosty fall and spring nights. I have grown some nice greens with white christmas lights laying on the soil. The little bit of warmth and the tiny light did wonders.
I have a big wood stove and a commerical propane heater but I don’t put any tender stuff out in the greenhouse until mid to late March because I am cheap. I make my family suffer with 3000 seedlings in the house. After they go out, on really cold nights I sleep out with the plants to keep the fire stoked. On average spring nights I can stoke it before bed and the heater doesn’t come on. Oh, how I hate to hear that monster sucking down propane like a drunken sailor.
I would like to hear how your barrel system works out. And how the weird recipes are progressing!
Decided to concentrate on the ME aspect of prepping this week and made dentist and eye doctor appoinments for the next couple weeks. Will get some extra contacts and another set of glasses for as cheap as I can for extra backups. Have also made doctors appt for yearly physical for later in april, will keep working on getting the good cholesterol up and the bad down. Read an article on teatnus boosters and they recomend one evry 10 years, bet at least 75% or you packers don’t know when yhou had your last one. I know mine was about 15 years ago getting the end of my thumb stiched back on, will ask the doc for a booster in april. I think we should think of anything that will boost our immunity for shtf. Would love to hear from any of the wolfpack in healthcare to suggest anythng else you may think of. I know small cuts and scraps will be pretty much epidemic and they coould be what takes you down without proper care and not the zombie hoards or packs of roving looters.
I had a small cut near the corner of my mouth that would just not heal up, it was getting redder and redder and really hurt. I split it open every time I opened my mouth (which is a lot…lol). Antibiotic cream did no good. I finally took a tiny bit of extra virgin coconut oil and rubbed that in. The next morning it was completely healed – not even a scab! Amazing stuff.
Encourager, tea tree oil works very well on those mouth sores (especially if they are caused by the herpes virus). The kind of toothpaste you use can also be the culprit. Cinnamin in the toothpaste can be highly irritating and no amount of treatment will make a sore stay away if you keep using it. Another possible cause is eating too much citrus. Just some ideas.
You want to be careful to not ingest any of the Tea Tree oil…it can be toxic when ingested…
True. And that’s why Mother Nature gifted tea tree oil with a very nasty taste and a not-so-pleasant smell. Dogs and cats should not ingest it, either. Most really dislike the smell.
What is the shelf life of tea tree oil?
Encourager,
Try Lysine. You can get it at Walmart or amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Nature-Made-L-Lysine-1000mg-Tablets/dp/B0029O0C1C/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1327852549&sr=8-7
The magic combo is acidophilus, L-lysine, and zinc.
To all – actually, I cut it on a piece of paper…it was a real cut, not herpes or the lack of anything. It was right in the crease, so I kept breaking it open each time I opened my mouth to talk, to eat or even to partially yawn. A real pain! But the coconut oil healed it overnight. Great stuff, externally and internally. Won’t be without it. It is on my to purchase list for the next shopping trip.
george, I keep a small container of honey (real honey, not the stuff from a supermarket – find a farmer’s market or health food store). Can be used to heal difficult-to-heal sores. Multiple use item.
Also lots of salt (another multiple use item) in first aid kit…if no antiseptic solution/wipes…can add a teaspoon to 1/3 cup of water…use as a non-stinging wipe for children with cuts etc before covering- if you have nothing else available.
I have enough for 3 adults to have 3 treatments – and 3 doses are probably not enough anyway. Get some doses for whole family to kill any intestinal parasites – we worm ourselves at same time as the dogs are wormed…
vitimen E capsules can relieve sunburn and chapped lips.
Laxatives for older members of your family…change of diet will be difficult for everyone…more so the elderly – as the peristalsis movement gets sluggish.
I have gone overboard on all OTC pain medications…bandaids, dressings, gloves, disposable dressing trays, antiseptic solutions, masks, butterfly sutures.
I have metholated spirits for soaking scissors in etc..but will eventually run out..so minimum 3-4 assorted sized s/less steel pots to boil items in.
tape to hold bandages in place – can use duct tape instead.
assorted sized safety pins…
tweezers…
head lamp so you can see what you are doing…
magnifying glass..multiple use item
antibiotic powder and ointment…
betadine, hydrogen peroxide, stingose, a good FIRST-AID book.
Have you got Lomitol and rehydration solution (gatarade).
Ural sachets for Urinary Tract Infections…each sachet contains 644mg sodium – and already have honey…possible multiple use.
At least you have started…you are on your way…it will soon add up to a well-stocked first aid kit…I fill a backpack with assorted items, and then start on another one…and another one…just keep going…easy to carry.
I use a thick sharpie to write FIRST-AID all over the bags – top/bottom/sides etc. And don’t forget antibiotics – ones you/your family are not allergic to..whatever you have been prescribed in the past, with no reaction…pass on the unknown ones – don’t want an adverse reaction.
have fun.
ABOUT HONEY~~ if you have nasal/sinus allergies buy honey from the closest source to where you live. Keep your eyes open when you are driving about for hives in your area. If you see some on a farm, stop and ask if they sell extra honey. Buying local honey and taking some every day is like an allergy shot. It gives you a tiny bit of what you are allergic to in the honey since the bees make the honey from pollen.
zennioptical.com – Husband bought several pairs of his prescription glasses, from the cheapest to about $40 – different pairs for different uses. He’s very happy with the company. BTW, the $10 pair he only uses inside, he says they don’t feel as “strong” as the other pairs he bought. The $30 pair he wears as his “everyday” glasses.
Still fighting bad colds here this week. Did grab a few things, vinegar crock with tap, wine and mead yeasts, cheese making supplies and restocked can section of food stores. Went to an farm clearance auction, came home with hay racks x2, pencil grain auger, assorted guttering and downpipes for outbuildings, 24v solar well pump, fruit picking ladders x2, gardening tools, sheep yard race, an old “bush” shower (fill with water and pull the chain to release water) and a few other bits and pieces.
Started sowing the autumn vegetable seedlings and getting the ground ready for them. Laid down concrete footings for the next section of our home, we currently live in two rooms and have another 4 half finished, we sleep upstairs in the loft (only partly completed with some sections of wall missing, not sure how I’m going to feel when it’s finished, never spent more than a few weeks living in a completed house).
Great finds and buys at that farm sale, love the sounds of the bush shower, and gotta ask,what is a sheep yard race?
A narrow pen with gates at each end, run 4 sheep in and they can’t turn. Makes it very easy to do a health check and drench etc. We have been penning them in a little yard and then wrestling them into a shearing hold, the race will make life much easier. We also have a Harrison crush to put at the end of the race, turns the sheep over so you can trim their feet and clean up their rear ends.
wellrounded…you are on a roll with all the good finds at farm auctions…
and your ‘completed house’ remark…it reminds me of when I stay in my houses when they are being renovated…carpet stripped and ceramic tiles down. new kitchen in..floor boards polished…new shower/toilet etc..it is very hard..and I understand completely…
but it must be harder for you…as that is all I am doing…I don’t then have to work on the outside area…take my hat off to you…
work is never finished apparently…hope you get to take some time off now and then…today is a day off for me…have gotten back from one of the rentals…got bread rising, car unloaded, clothes on line and just surfing net etc…so good to hear others are so industrious…cheers.
I put up 20# rice and 10# beans in mylar. 6# pasta. Turned compost. Planted leaf lettuce in peat pellets. and am just sitting in the sunshine on the front step enjoying my farm critters. it pretty chilly out, tho.
I added several hundred rounds of rifle and pistol ammo to my supplies. I finished packing my 3rd BOB bag and put my winter emergency bag in my car.
For starters, the organ I brought last week from the thrift store got delivered Monday, Lint. Local Wal-Mart has an 88 cents bin with medical items (i.e. allergy meds, pain reliever, rubs, peroxide, hemmroid cream, etc. ). Got a good stock for medicine cabinet and B.O.B. Also got 64 ounce bottles of lamp oil from Wally World for $2 each. Found two big cast iron skillets at Good Will. Unfortunately the internet is all over the map about how to clean and season. I tried the self cleaning oven method, could barely stand to stay in the house due to the fumes as the crud burned off. Came out looking great though one did crack fromt he high heat. As I write this they are in the oven seasoning.
I have a question for the pack. There are a lot of scams out there in terms of pre packed food for long term storage. One company advertises brownie mix in #10 cans with oxygen absorber with a shelf life of about 20 years. I compared the ingredient list with one on a box of mix in my kitchen and they are almost identical. I’ve heard that mixes with eggs don’t store well. Has anyone tried repacking their own store bought mixes by transfering the mix to mylar bags, oxygen absorber and sealing and then putting in plastic bucket? I know some things in mylar will only store for a few years compared to cans, but in my thinking, it would save a boatload of money to mylar store some of this stuff and having a shelf life of 7-10 years seems reasonable. Can anyone comment on if this would work? Thanks!
After I moved last time I had some cake mixes that were 3-4 years past the expirartion date and used one and it was flat as a pancake. Next time I tried one just added some baking soda and baking powder, couple teaspoons each and they turned out fine. I think the only thing that went bad was the baking powder in the mix as it will go bad on it’s own. For long term storage you can store baking soda and cream of tartar and make your own baking powder I think the ratio is 75% bsoda to 25% cream of tartar if not someone let us know..
george: the recipe for baking powder substitute that I have is: 1 tsp baking soda, 2tsp cream of tarter, 1tsp corn starch (optional). I have not tried this, but I did copy it from an article on the other blog.
Marti/George…the ratio is
1 part BAKING SODA
1 part CORN STARCH
2 parts CREAM OF TARTER
Only mix these together as and when needed…cheers.
BICARBORATE SODA, not BAKING…sorry guys.
Baking soda is bicarbonate soda.
Lynda…thank you…
I concur on your analysis and fix. The only other concern for long term storage is items containing fats and oils which will go rancid long before most of the other ingredients. The recipe I have used for baking powder is:
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon corn starch (optional, to absorb moisture and allow the powder to keep longer)
However, keep in mind that this recipe is only for single acting powder, and most purchased powder is double acting. Double acting will release CO2 when you add liquid, and then again when you add heat. This recipe will only activate when you add liquid and the resulting batter should be used immediately.
My only other question would be why bother with box mixes. If you have the raw ingredients it is quick and simplyeto mix them dry and save the cost and extra storage.
Marti:
If you are the West Coast, look at Walton Feed. I think they are in Oregon or Washington state. Their prices are very reasonable. Here in Kalifornia, even after shipping costs, they are a good deal.
Their canned eggs, sour cream and milk also come with a disclaimer about 5 year shelf life.
Marti & Cosmo:
Walton Feed is indeed a great place. However they are in the lower southeast corner of Idaho. I have been meaning to go pay them a visit, but for me it’s an all day drive. Plus I’d have to take the truck (mileage got down to 12-14 mpg vs. 24-26).
But after looking at their web site, they must have all kinds of stuff.
JP:
Unless you have a reason to drive that way, look at their site and see what you’d like to have. They will tell you the shipping costs before you place an order. Compare that to your fuel costs and time. Cos
We got some rain on wednesday and found out that where I decided to put my garden also likes to flood. Yikes. We built a little trench to help drain the water. My back yard is still a mud pit so we decided to go ahead and put some grass seed down to see if that will help any.
Decided that even with the raised beds, there are certain things I am going to have growing in pots. If a hurricane comes thru I would like to know that even if my garden gets destroyed I have a back up plan.
We got a fire proof safe. It is something we have been wanting for a while now but seems like other things have been put first. One of my DH’s customers bought a new (bigger) one, and we were gifted the old one.
Got some old gatorade bottles cleaned, sanitized, and filled with water. Also hit up a couple more sales, not much in that department this week.
Noticed that when I need a safety pin I can not find one for the life of me. When I dont need one, they seem to be everywhere…. need to work on getting my sewing stuff centralized.
tg I know the safety pin feeling – I found a small plastic case with dividers in Michael’s sewing section – 11 compartments and each has a different size safety pin – forget how many are in there, but it’s around 8 bucks – last forever and much more bang for your buck! When case emptied, use for other small storage.
Ha!
My DW has lost at least two of those.
hd lmao that’s why I bought the second one
TG, when you buy a container of safety pins…place some inside your make-up case..pinned to the inside lid.
and some more pinned to the inside your toiletries bag…
and some in your office, with your pens…
and I also have one stuck to the back of my iphone – covered with a strip of duct-tape…
and, last but not least, stick a piece of duct tape to the mirror you always look into at least once a day…with a safety pin between it and the mirror…
and then you will always find the blasted things…
Yes, that is what I had to do when I finally could not take it anymore…and I feel your pain…cheers.
chloe lol sounds like a great plan!
I keep three safety pins in my wallet, right next to the three prethreaded sewing needles and a single edge razor blade.
Thanks ladies. It is obnoxious when you know you have hundreds of the stupid things laying around somewhere….
I just got a sewing box for Christmas but I am waiting to run across things to put in there because I know if I go hunting up all my stuff I will never find it, give in and go buy more (not a bad idea anyway).
I do like the idea of having a few taped in certain spots. My problem is I put things up so I dont forget where I put them. Of course that means as soon as I stop thinking about them, they are forgotten.
Have you considered bringing in dirt and compost and raising your garden plot? -
Ron, I do have raised beds, which saved my bacon here. The problem is that there was a good 4″ of water in my garden area. I think the fence we put up kind of helped hold it in. I have my fruit trees in pots in the same area and had to go wading in the water to lift them up and out of it.
We put in a little trench which will allow water to flow out, but is (hopefully) too small for the dogs to tunnel under. I also think that I will keep any potted plants up so that if we get a good soaking again I dont have to stress over it.
What I did to prep this week: was at Wally World and on an end cap they had a few bottles of Karo Syrup for $2; they were the new, big bottles. Bought two, all they had left. And…I was tickled pink when my husband finally said he thought my raised garden beds were a good idea and now was the time to buy the wood as it would be cheaper than spring when everyone would be getting wood and the price would go way up. We will be building two, looks like 4′ x 12′ at waist height or maybe 6′ x’ 12′? We know we will have to build them on site because they will weigh a ton. Looked at a few online and combined the ideas. My question to the Wolf Pack, how did you that made raised beds, design the bottom? That soil will weigh a lot, what did you support it with? My idea was strips of wood, maybe a 1″ x 2″, about 1/2″ apart; then hardware cloth, then landscape fabric, then 2″ of gravel, another layer of landscape fabric and then the soil. Will that work? Or is it overkill?
Another question for you all, what is the best gauge shotgun for an older lady with arthritis to handle? We have a grandparent’s 16 gauge that we had checked over by a gunsmith who said it was in very good shape. I have never fired it, in fact am a bit scared to. Already had one rotator cuff repaired; don’t need the other one done!
I am also looking for a revolver for my purse (just turned in my paperwork for my CPL). I am thinking revolver because with the arthritis in my hands, I have trouble pulling back the slide on a pistol. My son just purchased a Walther P22 at the last gun show which I had no trouble sliding (the stinker bought it out from under me!!) If I used hollow points with that gun (I may be able to persuade my son to sell it to me…) will that be good enough for personal protection? I am just a learner still about guns and get easily overwhelmed.
Thanks to all of you for your help. I learn so much from all of you. And thank you MD for having this site. You have NO idea how blessed we all are because of you!
Encourager,
Have you considered a pistol caliber carbine like the Ruger PC9? Low recoil, quick follow up shots, 15 round magazines, cheap ammo available for plenty of live-fire practice. As for a revolver for your purse the Taurus CIA is a good choice.
Thanks, MD; what kind of kick-back does the Ruger PC9 have? I am worried about my shoulder.
I own a Ruger LCR dbl action 38 revolver already. It is the double action that hurts my arthritic fingers after firing about 15 shots (this happened during training. The more tired and sore my finger got, the more inaccurate my shots. I realize in an emergency situation I will not be firing so many rounds – at least I sure hope not!) so maybe I am concerned over nothing. Maybe I should get/use the 22 for practice and accuracy and just fire 5 rounds with the Ruger during practice time. What do you think?
Encourager,
Very low recoil from a carbine…
Thanks. I now have my son looking for one for me, too.
The LCR is a hammerless dbl action, so this won’t help you. With a hammer the revolver could be cocked (using both thumbs or palm, if needed) and shot single action. Much easier on the trigger finger.
I agree ShadesOfGray…I need one with a hammer with my hands.
Encourager, have you thought about using cinder blocks to build it up that high? The cinder blocks could handle the weight of the dirt. Here is a link that gave me the thought, and a few others….
http://theurbanhomestaed.blogspot.com/2011/10/dreaming-of-concrete-blocks-raised-beds.html
TG, the site did not work. Hubby said it would be more expensive using cinder blocks then 4×4 legs. Also, the spot is on a slight slope. Where I wanted to put the beds, he pointed out it would be shaded for over half the day by trees. (Duh, I guess I forgot trees get leaves in summer…it is really sunny there now!) But thanks anyhow!
Encourager, is it going to be a table style raised bed? If so, my neighbors have a set up like that and what they did is they put a plastic liner over the table then drilled a few wholes into the liner and table for drainage, then planted as usual. Otherwise, if you are just building up to that height, you can fill it with leaves, twigs, and other organic matter, then put the last layer as dirt.
After having dinner with our son today (and his grandma who took three (3) hours to eat half a plate of spaghetti…oh well, she will be 94 on Wednesday so I guess she can eat as slow as she wants)…we had plenty of time to yak. Son pointed out that if we have the raised bed up on legs, it will dry out really fast come August, and will freeze faster in the spring and fall. So my hubby and son came up with a new plan…get…this…… they will make multiple frames 6′ x 12′ that will stack on each other from ground up. They will fill in the bottom one with sand/dirt from our property. Then add the next one and fill it, too, etc. When it is hip high, they will add the last one with gravel in the bottom 2″, then landscape fabric and then good soil (oh, the sides will be lined with that rubber you use to line a pond with to keep the soil from evaporating too fast). Sounds great, right? Well, then the conversation turned to how are they going to dig up all that sand? I shoulda gotten suspicious about then. They are both now looking for a used Bobcat…then the son will be able to berm up our marksmanship practicing area…and oh, that low area can be dug out for a pond, oh, oh, we can move some rocks around. And while we are at it? Lets put a root cellar into the side of one of the hills! Wait! No! Lets bury a shipping container in the ground and heap dirt up over it…no one will know it is there. Help! What kind of monster have I let loose? A BOBCAT?!?!? This is going to be one expensive raised bed…
6 foot across is a bit of a stretch for you to reach the center of the bed. I have 20 4X16 foot cinder block beds. I sit on the blocks and weed and plant, no hurting my back or getting down on my knees. I’ve gardened for almost 40 years and these beds are by far the best gardening I’ve ever done (4 years). I have landscape fabric for the bottoms…fill with mushroom compost and worm castings…I can grow just about anything. I grow 99% of our fruits and veggies.
that is what happens when prepping…it is just never ending…and everything seems possible…and one idea, leads to another – and on and on…have fun…
LOL, sounds like the party’s at your house, Encourager. Have they decided they can start a side business and call it Bobcats-R-Us yet?
Thanks, Lynda!
Well, I stood in the door frame and reached as far as I could and that was 2 1/2 feet. So 6′ is out of the question. I was just trying not to have any wasted lumber. Glad we are just in the planning stage. I am thinking that the layer beneath the top layer should be mostly gravel, then the top layer can be ALL soil to plant in. I can then not worry about root crops like carrots.
Lantana, I think my son just likes to spend our money…lol. But it was scary how eager my hubby was to get one! First it was rent one, then buy a used one and sell it…then I don’t know which one said “Sell??? Are you kidding???” Then the project list started. My son just wants to use the Bob (he was the one as a kid who loved to take stuff apart, then got bored and never put it back together…his room was wall to wall tiny pieces of stuff.) but he will have a fight on his hands when the younger son comes home from college! I used to say the difference between men and boys is the price of their toys…now they are ALL men. I am in deeeeep trouble!!
Encourager, sorry, I started laughing so hard reading this. Sounds like something that would happen in my house. LOL. Good luck with your raised beds, sounds like it is going to be an interesting experience.
Encourager, for the shotgun I recommend the Mossberg 500E .410. Its a light shotgun with manageable light recoil, the pump has a pistol grip handle pump so it could help with the arthritis.
Do you recommend the Home Security model? I couldn’t find one online with a pistol grip handle…other than the Cruiser. Is this the one you are talking about? Thanks for your help, Jarhead.
Encourager, it is a home defense model in .410 and was originally marketed for women and with the .410 gauge it is light enough for the shooter but with the right loads its sufficient to stop an attacker.
If the local gun shop doesn’t have it, ask them for it. Do a google search and you will see the shotgun with a handle fore grip that comes standard on it.
Encourager, I bought a P22 just before Christmas and I love it. It is perfect for my hand and very easy to operate. It is also perfect to conceal on the body of a small framed person. I have been wearing it in a holster inside the waist band of my jeans around the house. I hardly notice it is there. The key to hand guns is comfort, weight and practice. If you aren’t comfortable and it isn’t easy for you to use then you will be reluctant to carry it and then you have no protection at all. Many people do not like the .22 for self defense but CPL self-defense to me, means close range and I feel the P.22 with hollow points is fine for this. The practice ammo is so cheap….so if you decide to it get practice a lot! Don’t just practice shooting but also drawing and flipping the safety. My husband bought the walther .380…feels and operates just like the .22, only slightly heavier and the ammo is much more expensive. We both practice with the .22 but I can handle the .380 as well. One more thing about the p.22, run several hundred rounds of quality ammo (CCI) through it first before switching to a cheap target ammo. I am sure you will be very happy with this little gun. ~D
Thanks Miss Molly! I think my son had better GIVE me that pistol after what he pulled today. See my post above about the raised bed.
encourager, TG’s idea on cinder blocks is a good one. I drive by this one farm occasionally that has four of them, the flat top gives you a sturdy sitting place as well when you are picking or planting, etc. They look nice and sure don’t need replacing like the wood ones do!
Encourager,
On the raised bed, it might depend on your situation and availability of dirt, but it is generally cheap or free around here. Our raised beds are only about 20 inches high, so we didn’t have as much to fill, but what we did was fill the bottom of our raised beds with wood, just old logs, twigs, etc., and then covered the wood with alternating layers of dirt and horse manure (which we make here every day, LOL). Over time the wood will decompose and you’ll have to add additional dirt, but the nutrients in the wood will improve the soil and the sponge-like texture of the buried wood will tend to hold moisture. The use of this wood is BTW called Hugel Culture.
On your shotgun, the best thing to do is find some folks who have different shotguns in different gauges and try some out to see what works. A 20 gauge Remington 870 or Mossberg 500 series with a good aftermarket recoil reducer (like the Grayco) could be a good choice, although a 410 in either model would also work, keeping in mind that limitations of the 410 shotgun muzzle energy compared to that of larger calibers.
On the handgun, a revolver is always a good starting point since it is generally less complex, and doesn’t require quite as much tactical practice on clearing jams, etc. We tell folks that on a revolver, if you hear click, you can generally just pull the trigger again (in an emergency). On a semi-auto you’ll have several more things to do to get back into the fight in that same situation. The biggest concern with the revolver would be your ability to handle the trigger pull, although if you’re interested in a semi-auto, there are some tricks I can give you to make operating the slide easier.
Thanks for your reply, OhioPrepper. I appreciate it.
On the raised bed, does the wood you put down keep the soil in the bed? I picture the wood eventually rotting and everything falling out onto the ground.
Please share the tricks to operating the slide on a semi-auto easier. The gun show dealer did show me how to push/pull on the 22 my son eventually bought (darn! That still bugs me, lol). It worked for that one but others are just too stiff for me to even do it halfway. I just don’t have the grip anymore. Thanks!
Encourager,
On our raised bed we built the sides from 2×10 lumber, piled in old logs, etc, and then layers of dirt. The logs like any organic matter (mulch or compost) will decompose and shrink over time. As for the soil in the bed falling on the ground, at least in our case it is already sitting on the ground so all that could happen is the dirt in the bed would lay on the normal dirt on the ground. I’m not talking here about the actual side of the bed decomposing, although over time I suppose they will also do that. As this happens, you simply add more soil & compost into the top of the bed OR perhaps I do not understand your question.
As for operating the slide on a semi auto handgun there is at least one trick you can perform, and a second or third if the handgun is of the correct type.
If it has an external hammer you must realize that approximately 1/3 of the pressure required to move the slide comes from the hammer spring. If you first cock the hammer, you will immediately reduce by about 30-40% the required pressure (i.e., strength) to operate the slide. When doing this, make sure that the muzzle is pointed in a safe direction and engage the safety first if the firearm design will allow you to do so.
The second thing that can help is how you grip and manipulate the slide. Most people have a tendency to hold the gun in their strong hand, and pull the slide back with their weak hand, which is on its face rather self defeating. Instead, take the same grip, but pull your weak hand arm tightly against your side (your hip bone is often a good anchor point) and then use the strong hand to “push” the gun, while holding the slide in place. This uses your strong and weak hands to their best advantage.
Finally, a method that makes me cringe as I say it, but has been used successfully by small framed people, and in several cases by students who only had one arm and hand, is to place the front sight against the edge of something hard, like a table, and use your body weight to push the gun downward. Some large frame guns can do this with no damage, although some smaller lighter firearms could sustain damage to the front sight. If this method turns out to be the only one that works well for you after trying the others, consult a competent gunsmith or a knowledgeable person at your gun store, explain the situation, and see what they can do to make the front sight stronger, and perhaps even a little larger. If you should have some minor damage to the front sight you need to keep in mind that in a real encounter with an opponent, you will generally not even use the sight.
Hope this makes sense and helps. Yell if you need any additional explanation.
when i do one handed drills i use the rear sight to hook my belt or pocket seam to rack the slide.
RR,
Good point; however, for a newbie you / they need to be very muzzle aware. Wouldn’t be prudent to shoot yourself in the thigh LOL.
Thanks, OP, for the great, easily understood description. I am printing it out for future reference.
The seller at the gun show taught me the first one. It worked well for me.
Encourager, The suggestions allready offered on gun selection are all very good. If your problem is felt recoil the formula for calculating it is complex [its around here in one off my gunshithing texts, and I'll hunt it up ifn someone needs it] BUT it boils down to the weight of the gun vs the weight and speed of the shot. The more mass to resist the thrust the less you feel. A single shot break action is a joy to carry, but quite a thumper to shoot, a double barrel having more mass ‘kicks’ a lot less. The extra parts and ammo in the tube make a pump action fall somewhere in the middle of the break actions [single and doubles] Auto shotguns use the energy of the shot to move a bolt to eject spent shell and feed a new one, this along with the weight of the action will reduce felt recoil. Some have recomended recoil reducing stocks, these in general contain a hydraulic ram or air piston that slows the recoil impluse which is like slowing the speed of the powder, while still retaining the force at the muzzle. These could also help. Lighter target loads and reduced shot columns will also help. A 2 3/4 dram equivalent with 7/8 ounce shot, will be kinder than a 3 1/2 dram equivalent with a 1 1/4 ounce shot column. If your hunt and SD needs require a shotgun then go with as heavy a gun as you can carry and comfortably shoot. On a personal note I purely love my 28 gauge Side by Side for upland bird, and a 28 gauge 3/4 ounce of shot at 1300 fps [2 1/4 Dram Equiv.] compares well to a 20 gauge 7/8 ounce 2 1/2 dram equiv. and I would not feel much undergunned with it in a self defense roll. I said much undergunned as it has two sets of barrels both 20 and 28 gauges, and I would probably use the 20 for SD. I hope this information helps and not muddy the waters so to speak.
ahh that should read gunSMITHING texts
Encourager,
I have raised beds. Had them built for me after having my back fused. They are 25″ high and 4′ wide on the inside. They are built of railroad ties and then they drilled holes down into the ties and inserted rebar to keep them in place. I have found with the 4′, it is plenty wide for me to reach the center and if I plant green beans or other veggies that need to be picked several times, it is too wide and stresses my back. So I put my beets, onions etc. that are only picked occasionally in the middle and it works fine.
Unfortunately they did not line it at all, and I am now fighting grass, so be sure to line it. I do have to be careful because some of my precious water will run out the cracks but it’s also a good thing if I get flooding rains and the excess will run out.
I love my beds and look forward to getting to use them again this Spring…I had not been able to last 2 years due to having knee surgeries and pinched nerve in neck. Arthritis can be so limiting at times.
They did put sand/caliche in the bottom of the beds, then cruddy soil and then finally good rich garden soil as the top layer. I have quite a few fish worms in it, too. :)
Just do line it, even if it is just weed barrier. That helps tremendously.
Thanks, Copperhead. Yes, I know all about “Uncle Arthur” as my grandpa used to call arthritis. He would groan and say “Uncle Arthur came and paid me a visit this morning.”
Our plans are now a bed 5 foot x 12 foot. We can save money by making it hip high, that is not much bending over. Still going with the frame upon frame with rebar in the corners.
Thanks to our crazy dog, we may have to postpone making it for a while. The other day she was being a poodle-head and tossing her heavy Nyla bone through the air. It hit a window…and cracked it. I was in the shower and heard DH yelling at her, he was pretty upset. Double paned, seven foot by two foot Anderson window. Going to cost us over $270 just for the window, not counting hiring someone to put it in; it is over a walk out basement so two stories in the air. No way we can handle that! And I am not sure if we should turn it into the insurance or eat it.
Seems like my weeks are an endless loop: declutter, organize, inventory, repeat. Thanks to Gayle and HD for the tip on the Berkey sport water bottles–mine arrived today and DH was suitably impressed.
Lantana…same here…since I have been on this site…am learning things at a much faster rate then before…and so much to do…
it seems Sunday rolls around so fast now…could be all the time I spend reading posts and posting…all good though…cheers.
Again thank you for the prayers for my nephew. We took him to see the radiologist and turns out the hairline fracture and chipped bone on the first X-ray isn’t there and they took a second set to confirm, the hairline fracture and chip isn’t there. THANK YOU for your prayers. Now on to what I prepped:
Gun show in town
1,000 rounds of .45
1,000 rounds of .223
480 rounds of 7.62X39 Yugo with stripper clips in an ammo can.
2 Glock 21 mags
100 stripper clips for the AR magazines
3 ammo cans
SKS twist on compensater
Food:
20 pounds rice
10 pounds assorted beans
1 case tuna
2 case canned peaches
1 case canned pears
Medical:
Quick Clot patches
Dental tools
4X4 gauze
10 gauze rolls
500 count motrin
500 count aspirin
5 tooth brushes
4x roll toilet paper
2 packs of baby wipes
Have a great week!
Looks like your last week was glorious
Ellen, it was a good week thank you. Glad my nephew is doing well and with work leveling out I’m getting back to my preps.
j, dang, rome wasn’t built in a day! take it easy, you’re makin us look bad:) glad your nephew is recovering well. i went to a show today. it was wall to wall ar15′s. very little else:(
River, with the 1,000 rounds of .223 I put them on the stripper clips. The problem is no feeders to attach the magazine to the stripper clips. Going to call some friends down at the base to see if I can score some or need to look for a good website that sells them. You know any good sites selling the feeders and stripper clips?
Jarhead 03….
Cheaper Than Dirt has them. I don’t recall the price but seems to me they came in a package of five. If you’re not famaliar with CTD, they have a pretty good section on AR components as well as M1, M1A, Ruger, etc, etc. The problem is – Freight! You don’t want to end up paying ten/twelve dollars freight for a $10 item. But I’m sure you’re well aware of that. Gun show is your best bet if you can’t score some locally. Good luck.
Jarhead 03….
Stripper clip guides at Cheaper than dirt, Package of 10 for $7.97…Part Number: ARR-038.
Stripper clips are Part Number: ARR-037, package of 100, price $11.97
http://www.CheaperThanDirt.com -800-421-8047
Great company to work with-quick delivery. By the way, I’m not connected with them in any way other than as a satisfied customer.
Hawkeye,
Be sure to let them know that The Survivalist Blog dot net sent you… with any luck they will start advertising here.
MD……
I don’t understand what you’re suggesting I do. Maybe you meant to suggest that Jarhead 03 should tell Cheaper Than Dirt that he heard of them on this Blog?? Of course If I can help, I’d be more than happy too. Would an Email to their Customer Service be the proper way to go?
M.D., I will mention I was recommended by the blog. If it helps in anyway I will do so.
j, check sportsmansguide or cheaperthandirt. they usually have a bunch at the gunshows too….i figure i’ll have a bunch of littlefingered folks hanging around eating my preps, so they’ll get to load magazines all day. no need for stripper guides :)
River, the gun show had plenty of stripper clips and I was able to load up 1,000 rounds last night but no one had the feeders for the stripper clips to the magazines for some strange reason. They had them for the mini 14 magazines and galil mags. None for the M16/AR15 mags. Strange, but it was the smaller gun show, they do 2 small and 2 large shows each year at the fair grounds I went to.
Yes, Jarhead, prayer works wonders. And I am glad to hear your nephew is well on the road to recovery. Maybe it’s just me, or have you moved more of your prepping budget to firearms and ammo? I made the decision this week to start spending the majority of my money on what I call hard preps. I need some night vision, and I can’t afford the Gen III US stuff? Any suggestions?
tk, check ebay n such for an/pvs-5′s. they are 2nd gen but pretty good and have two intensifiers instead of one. if one burns out you can still use the other. i also seperated a pair into 2 monoculars. if you want to go cheaper bushnell makes a pretty good monotube for about 160.00. be cautious tho, as some of the cheap ones run an ir light to enhance the image full time, but it can be seen by others, in some cases with the eye alone as it glows red when hot.. its a tradeoff but any advantage is better than none.
TK, last year was more food prep because of my financial situation earlier in the year and I had plenty of ammo. I had a tax levy so ammo and firearms wasn’t at the top of my list since I felt ok with what I had.
When I got promoted at work in late November I put much of my OT money into a California legal M4 (own an AR but wanted something I didn’t have to carry paperwork on assault rifle), my new Glock 21 to add one more 45 since I sold off my 9mm pistol.
I’m good on food preps for about 9 months, 12 if I stretch it and medical is good but always adding there.
I have seen ammo prices and firearms prices down from many years past and taking advantage. California is a weird state, when you expect prices to go up it goes down and vice versa. I paid an average of $4 a box for my 7.62X39 and that came with the ammo can and stripper clips, my .223 was about $5.30 a box (bought 1,000 rounds) and Federal .45 was about $13.75 per box (bought 1,000 rounds) that is cheaper than what I’m used to. Couldn’t pass up on the deal before our Governor proposes an increase on our ammo tax. Preppers help bost the economy!
On the night vision realm, I see a lot of Gen II re manufactured night vision out there at sporting good stores for $120 to $200 and I have a couple mono hand held night vision scopes. I have an ANPVS7 and its great but I know they can cost big bucks.as the civilian market grows the prices have gone down.
Cosmo makes a great point on the NV, the two monos I have, have that issue but I haven’t ran into anyone yet who uses night vision.
TK, oops, I mean like river suggested or stated.
Cosmo, chloe and encourager thank you.
seyrey yeah I’m aware of the reactions. Been taking motrin since my ground pounder days of taking 800mg with water and a snack to wash it down, those days are over and always coat it with something. As for aspirin I’m lucky I’m not allergic to it and its never a good idea to mix the two.
Jarhead 03:
Great progress!
Prayer is simply wonderful…. I’m glad your nephew is well. My best wishes to him and his speedy and full recovery! Cos
Jarhead…all glory to God…wonderful news for you and your nephew…and good to see you are not missing a beat with your + + preps as usual. cheers.
God is so good! Love it when He heals and the doctors have the proof in the xrays! Awesome!!!
Be sure to get a variety of over the counter pain medications. Discovered I have developed allergies to aspirin and ibuprofen (they give me hives – last episode occurred within about an hour of taking aspirin). Doctor told me to use caution in taking aspirin and ibuprofen in the future. Personally, two reactions are enough don’t want to try for a third.
I had major surgery in September and once I was home, was put on Norco alternating with Motrin. Started having stomach pain so quit the Norco. Everything was fine for a few days on the Motrin, although it barely touched the pain, but then, wow. Even tho’ I took all pain meds with a meal, it still made my stomach hurt. I quit all pain meds…that was fun. Still ended up with an ulcer that is slowly quieting down. Am on Prilosec, and trust me, I am stocking up in case TSHTF. I am now scared to take any NSAID meds. Tylenol is all I can tolerate. Wouldn’t wish that pain on my worst enemy…wait, let me think about that one…
encourager…do a little research on tylenol…go easy on it…as it can be hard on the liver…check it out and see what a google search brings up…
I only need one ibuprofen tablet to stop any pain…thank goodness…however I also stock tylenol/aspirin/paracetamol – for others just in case SHTF…better to have it and not need it…than to need it and not have it – or be impossible to buy/find/trade for it…etc.
Not a lot done this week, just some extra cans of food to restock. Helped an elderly good friend, whose husband died Monday night, for most of the week. Cooked up a hen to make broth and am thinking tomorrow afternoon I will try to make some noodles. (hope I’ll be able to chew them :o) )
Hopefully this next week will be more productive for preps.
Ya’all take care….blessings!
PS: has Lint already pulled the plug? Sure wanted to tell him good-bye.
copperhead…apparently, yes…am missing his humour and antics…it was not like him though…something must have happened to prompt him to go so suddenly.
If it is the state of our global problems…hope he finds another support network…
I give thanks daily that I can converse with like-minded people about my prepping…
Maybe Lint will check in again to let us know how he is going. cheers.
chloe, Lint decided last year that he was going to pull the plug, but several here talked him out of it, Hunker-Down being the one I think who finally talked him into changing his mind. I think the combination of privacy(OPSEC) and expense finally pushed him over, especially since he has decided to buy a small farm or homestead. I miss the rascal already.
I miss Lint, too. I was hoping he would stick around until he actually left Kali.
thanks templar knight…I had a surprise planned for him…and now it is too late…I will be revealing all when I post to cliff -if he chimes in further down…thank you…regards
Chloe,
I feel partly to blame for Lint leaving. I post a lot about guns and he had posted once that the didn’t like talking about guns in open forums so I feel like I may have made him uneasy.
Never my plan or intent. I talk about a lot of different things and enjoy reading everything posted. I try not to post too much because I can go on and on and not really say anything and don’t want to waste everyones time and effort.
Hope, you are back where you want to be and have good tenants in the rental place.
Take care and keep doing what you’re doing because you are doing it right!
Cliff, don’t feel that way. One thing I have seen in this blog since I started about a year and a half ago and that is each person has a different opinion on how to prep, gun/no gun, politics, religion etc. We all share our knowledge and Lint knew that as well as everyone and wouldn’t blame you.
cliff…waiting for you to post…so I can let you know…you may have already received a pink flashlight from lint…
but it was from me…I organised with norcalray to send one each to both you and lint…each addressed from the other…
remember before Christmas you responded to one of lint’s post re if he received a p/f’light to send it to you.
Well, I just could not get the image out of my mind of both of you each receiving a pink flashlight – and addressed so it would like it came from the other…and then read on the blog, the usual banter between lint and you – and then I/ray would reveal all.
so, contacted ray, who ran it by MD first…(no loss of OPSEC) by this time it was a couple of days before C’mas – anyway…all organised…
and then lint fell and hurt his ankle and could not get pink flashlight etc…and ray wanted to send them both out at the same time…
and then lint pulled the plug.
At one stage in the past few days it crossed my mind that the 3 of you – ray, lint and yourself, had decided to turn the prank back onto me…that image made me laugh even more.
And in the middle of all that, Gayle posted the link to the ENFJ site…and so you know that there are no strings attached…just a lot of good clean fun… – and the best Christmas present I gave to myself.
So, enjoy – and know that both ‘manly men’ have identical pink flashlights.
I have also imagined you answering your front door with the pink flashlight in one hand and the other holding a bang stick – that would give any perp’s pause for thought…. hahaha.
Hopefully lint will receive his Thursday…possibly same day as you…enjoy.
Had lint not pulled the plug when he did – it would have been game on.
so, what do you think of all that…hahahaha.
cliff, don’t blame yourself..
we are all adults, and lint is very aware, just as we all are – that things are changing rapidly, and getting difficult…we are also having difficult times with our ‘leaders’ on this side of the pond also.
home/landowners are losing their homes and ability to grow their crops/provide for their families etc – and the water table is getting contaminated by drilling for gas in agricultural areas… further South..closer to where wellrounded is.
we are an arid nation – and only a small area is viable for producing our food etc…
farmers are desperate. they have no recourse to keep the big companies off their land…and stop the drilling
people who post here come and go…I have read some of the older posts…good resource…and many posts are written by people have not seen posting now – and other new posters join…so, it is all in a state of flux…
however, lint also said that once a part of the pack, always a part – may just have some priorities now that must be attended to.
we also have lots of things to attend to, and must remain flexible…and be able to change direction when needed.
Just possibly it’s time now for lint – he has things he may need to get done… respect his decision.
Everything that happens, happens for a reason…
unburden yourself…lint is a big boy – he knows he has the pack’s support anytime he needs it…so, focus on getting yourself and your water issues resolved.
thank you re ‘am doing it right’..
today wore myself out…walked and shopped for 5 hours…had to have a lay down when I got back with a loaded car – the heat is exhausting…
then put on roast, washed all the items I got from the thrift shops..am dehydrating bananas – down to $1 kg now..
vac sealed 4 kgs coffee beans…2kgs for $34…could not resist the bargain…
tomorrow going to get 60kgs wheat – and vac seal that as well…
yes, good tenants – know their employer…permanent work – and both are working 6 days a week.
So many people phoning me still – and it is Tues evening here now…so many houses for sale and vacant …and people just have nowhere to live…
people are paying $210 p/week to live in a ‘donga’ in the town – at one of the caravan parks…(a type of caravan/trailer -not plush at all…just bare walls etc..very basic – have to walk to amenities block etc.
They have to use the communal washing machines/dryers etc..and some people are on Centrelink (government) benefits which pays them approximately $500 p/fortnight…so, can see that it is difficult for some people here also…would be so hard to raise children living in a caravan park with amenities a short walk away.
till next time…
Chloe,
The gifting of the pink flashlight is very kind and generous and I thank you. I will use it when ever answering the door when I don’t know the caller. Left hand held high, shining the light down on them, something appropriate for the occasion in my right hand as I open the door. You, my dear, are a very special person.
My daughter had a gentleman caller at the house the other evening. He’s active duty Navy, just coming off a tour in Cuba guarding prisoners. I asked DD if he liked guns and she said he loved them so I invited him back to my office. I’m really bad about putting away my new toys. I started pulling pistols and such out and his eyes almost bugged out. I think I showed him 9 new handguns, an assault rifle and a double barrel 16 gauge shotgun. His only question about the shotgun was if I had ever fired both barrels at once. I had to reply yes, since it has two triggers, one for each barrel and the first time I shot it I was a mere teen (it belonged to my grandfather). I had a finger on each trigger and as fingers tend to do they didn’t take turns but pulled both triggers at the same time sending me staggering back. Dad and Granddad thought it was the funniest thing they had ever seen and had me shoot it several more times but never made that mistake again. I let DD get out the home defense pump shotgun and she amazed him but unloading and clearing it and then reloading and then unloaded again, showed him how she shoulders it and how she would clear one end of the house to the other. Reloaded and put away. Talk about being a proud dad! Boyfriend was impressed also. He had to drive back to the Navy base in Florida and had no traveling gun with him since he flew up. I hooked him up with a small .38 revolver and a box of ammo and told him he can give it back after they go on the honeymoon (no talk of marriage yet and DD said “DAD” but it was worth it to see them both turn red.
Chloe, I envy your lifestyle. I fear we are stuck with this home and less than desirable location until I die. Couldn’t sell the house and get close to what I owe on it, want about 10 acres but DW is not interested in moving. She no longer knows exactly where the preps are stored and isn’t inclined to come in to my side of the basement where my hot rod and tools are so she’ll be less inclined to raid stuff and take to the church.
When the bad stuff happens the hoarde will come through my town on their way out of Atlanta. They will probably find themselves unwelcome and the ones that wish to can pass on through to somewhere else and the ones that refuse to pass on will be left for the buzzards as a reminder to the others that it’s wise to keep walking.
Enjoy your evening, as it is still early morning here. A crisp 47 degrees outside but not cold enough for a jacket or long sleeve shirt. I do believe I am going to have to cut the grass in the backyard again soon. I have 2 little dogs and when I can only see the tips of their tails as they wander around the yard means the grass has gotten too high, something that has never, to my knowledge, happened this time of year in Georgia.
Thanks again for your kind and thoughtful gift. Hopefully Lint will drop back by when he gets his and I will be able to tease him that mine is bigger :)
Chloe, that is hilarious! Wish I could see Lints expression when he opens a box with a pink flashlight in it. LOL.
Lint,
If you are still reading. “Come Home to the Pack”
We miss you. Once family, always family!!
I will keep you in my prayers and wish you well.
Hope to hear from you again soon.
tg and repair mama…if you thought that was funny…i had to send an urgent email to norcalray…
said ‘please get get them sent out asap…or lint may see it as a valentine gift, and that i would be mortified’ if that happened etc..
Ray’s response to that email was that he laughed till he had tears in his eyes…
keep prepping and having fun…cheers.
Chloe,
Met the post lady today and she had a box for me. Imagine what was in it once I got it inside and opened it up. A pink flashlight. I absolutely love it. It will ride on the key chain that hangs from my belt loop on the side opposite my handgun. It is the perfect size and is a wonderful Maglite and best of all is the color. It’s pink and it has the Breast Cancer Awareness symbol on it which makes it doubly important. There are 3 wonderful women in my life that were diagnosed with breast cancer and they are all 3 survivors. We have a yearly walk around the track in the evening and I’m happy to escort the one nearest me on her trek. So, you hit a cord that is very special in my heart.
Thanks Ray for handling the process and thanks again Chloe for the wonderful gift. If you ever get to Georgia and happen to be walking around and see the chunky, bald guy with a bunch of keys and a pink flashlight on one side and a suspicious bulge under the shirt on the other side and notice a strange clink when he walks (that’s the 3 spare magazines for my pistol in my back pocket) then stop what you are doing and say hello and introduce yourself and I’ll give you one of my finest bear hugs.
Thank you again for your very thoughtful gesture. I hope Lint gets his and checks in as I will tell him that mine is bigger :)
cliff, no reply button at end of your post…don’t worry too much…we are all in God’s hands…
good to hear about the young man…as parents we want our children to have good reliable partners, leading to a happy life together…so, what will be, will be…
Preps are so hard to keep track of…I spend hours on quickbooks entering all the info…I just keep adding more stuff…
was reading earlier today in New Scientist magazine July 2011 about the yellow rust disease affecting wheat…so, with paranoia fully engaged again today…got to keep increasing supplies.
If I tried to sell my houses now, would be far belong what they are to replace…so, just keep doing what I have been doing – and the cash would soon be devalued etc…whereas, they continue to allow me to live independant of the gov’t.
I worked so hard in my younger days…mowing lawns, cleaning the carpark and toilets, emptying the wheelie bins etc of a small shopping centre, while also nursing full-time – whatever it took…had to increase my income and keep the houses…never knowing what the future held…and still don’t know…
so, just sit back, do your best – rest in the Lord and wait for divine inspiration etc…
I could never have guessed how my life would turn out when I was seriously sick…back then…that I actually survived…and that I would get to raise my daughter…
and once grown, moved to this area…meet her hubby – they both have good jobs…and DD has reduced her uni load to only one subject this year.
and I am staying close to my daughter…I prefer this area…but not willing to go into debt…so, here is where I stay in the interim…
However…not going to risk my life living in any of the rentals…dangerous when SHTF – 1 is in a city of over 200K people, and the other 3 are in small towns…and close to the coast.
As INFJ’s, you know that is what we do…normal, so just enjoy…and laughed out loud at your last sentence.
Remember…a day at a time…take care of your family..you have a huge load – and yet the weight is being shared..cheers.
cliff – replying to your ‘met post lady’…
norcalray did all the work…I just said ‘small pink flashlights able to fit in a shirt pocket’…he picked them out…and organised it all.
I was really looking forward to reading the banter between the 2 of you…knew that you both had a great sense of humour…will wait and see…cheers…
Have been real busy the past few weeks. (Thank God) Managed to do some prepping last week. Picked up 500 rounds of 308, A Goal Zero Nomad 7 solar charger for small items, a Hennessy hammock, got a new area in the front yard tilled up to expand the garden and my better half and I signed up for some classes at the Organic Growers School, look foward to that. I also helped a friend of 25 years + move out of his house (foreclosed) he owed 192K and the bank sold it for 90k. You would think, the bank would have worked with him on the payments. If they had reduced the monthly payment by a few hundred dollars and extended the loan for ten more years it would have worked. What a mess. Keep on keeping on!
woodman, the banks don’t care. they get to write off the other 102k as a loss and i hear there’s some gov program to pay them back too under the table. you can bet they aren’t losing any money on the deal.
Hi Riverrider, You got that right and i would not surprise me if there is some hanky panky under the table. Keep on prepping. Take care.
Its not under the table; Freddie or Fanny guaranteed the loan, and paid the bank. The bank didn’t loose a dime of cash, just a write down of its assets of 102k.
Oh, wait, the bank got a cash infusion from Uncle Freddie of 102k, so the book assets didn’t get reduced.
So now the bank is ticked off. Under their charter they have to get busy and put that cash to work.
Before the credit crisis they would have put the money into a new home mortgage, but they are no dummies (just greedy). In this market it would be stupid to write a mortgage on a depreciating asset (housing), so they avoid risk by buying government guaranteed bonds. The money is put to work, and the bank examiners will not spank them.
When housing prices begin to increase, their greed will push them back into the mortgage market.
RR, you are right, I and my lawyer sent many letters to the bank that’s taking my house and land asking for easier terms, short sale or even a deed in lieu. Not even the courtesy of a response was sent back. Lawyer says the foreclosure is kinder to their books than any other option. My place will be auctioned off next month, I’m sad but at the same time it’s like a getting a millstone removed from my neck. I have a realtor buddy that thinks it will sell for WAY less than whats owed on it. I remember the guy at the bank begging me for months to take out the credit line, I didn’t need it and didn’t want it but he talked me into it saying it would make my position better if I ever needed to borrow in the future. He left out the part about the wife being able to take it and then leave me holding the bag!
blindshooter, sorry to hear that man. women sure can ruin us sometimes.been there. it gets better after a while…… i know a guy that had his place foreclosed, used a trust to buy it back at auction for less than half of what he owed, granting himself lifetime rights:) got one over on them, for once.
RR, I had a neighbor and good friend offer to buy it and “lease” it back to me but I decided I’d be better off in a smaller place and my sister had a house that the renters were slowly tearing apart so I went with helping her and myself in one move.
I do miss my shop and being able to shoot in the back yard:^(
blindshooter…had no idea…sorry about other half taking off with line of credit money…
hindsight is always better. At least you are now aware of the fact that the plan is for all people to be enslaved by debt – and then use your life/blood/sweat/energy to go out and earn money – which is then taxed – so, the first few months income of every year is all to the tax office…
then, the rules can get changed, life also kicks one around a little…and the money you put into the house/shelter is all gone…with nothing left to show for it…
If I may be so bold…from now on, keep your bank account/s separate, even if/when you partner up again.
Prep on…tomorrow is a new day – make the most of it…can’t change what has already happened…
and you are stronger and more resilient than before…just like a broad blade – it is tempered by fire and then plunged into cold water…and then beaten into shape…and process repeated…
lots of broad swords don’t make it..and are put to one side, cracked and not workable…
however the fencer’s sword/blade is the thinnest, most flexible and efficient…
that process is what I, and you, and many others – are going through…our tempering process..
and we become even stronger and more flexible with each tempering process…till we can bend and move with ease – at every obstacle – and not break, no matter what is thrown at us…so, strength and courage…and prep on.
“If I may be so bold…from now on, keep your bank account/s separate, even if/when you partner up again.”
chloe, have no fear for my future stash of the filthy lucre, I have a will and unless I blow it all my family will get whats left after I leave this earth. Any prospective partner will be advised up front that is the way it is and expect no change. I might give someone something but no one will take it without a fight next time.
I do appreciate the kind words and good advice. Reading MD’s fine blog has saved me lots and helped me through a really tough time. I lurked for a long time without commenting because I was so ashamed of allowing myself to get into the situation in the first place then I decided to tell others my tale of woe so they might avoid my self-inflicted disaster.
Ditto that on keeping things separate. I have been married to a great lady for 16 years now, we have separate everything. Not that we don’t trust each other or have secrets, it is just easier. Never had a argument about $, ever. We are signed on to each others stuff just in case. I had an ex that siphoned off a bunch at the end, so I was leery. My DW thought it was a good idea because of all the horror stories she heard while working at the bank. If any new romances demand on combining it all, look out!
blindshooter…you are a stronger and better person for having gone through what you have…and am so in awe of your courage to be able to verbalize your past difficulties.
hold your head up high…there is nothing to be ashamed of…Jesus had no home either during his ministry, yet changed so many lives for the better, and was able to feed thousands, and then had the leftover bread and fish collected… no waste.
A home does not make someone worthwhile or better than anyone else…it is shelter from the elements, where your immediate family stay close to you.
Who knows what your future holds – you have already survived so much…so, stand tall and enjoy each day as it comes- would be tragic to let such a wonderful thing such as your day to day living be burdened by shame; so, strength and courage.
woodman nc 1 – you are a good friend…usually there is mortgage insurance that covers the bank for any losses, in this case $100K.
Only private individuals, like your friend, lose – not banks…
Look on the bright side..he is now free to focus on the start of his new life…he has his health, has a good friend supporting him through this cruel time in his life.
Your friend is not the first, nor will he be the last…and they will be coming for the rest of us, one way or the other…sooner or later…me included, and my precious metals won’t make a difference in the end…only staying on course will made a difference – to pray for guidance, to be independant, with preps, caches, good health and good friends/family.
and yes, you are right…keep on keeping on…as hard as it is getting for people to just put food on the table and pay all essential expenses…the little we can do each week to add to our preps and be as independant and self-sufficient will help us stay focused as the ‘mess’ rolls itself out.
Yes it is a mess, and makes no sense…
Hi Chloe, Yes like you and riverrider said the banks are not loosing just the regular folk. My bud is some what releaved I guess, and is looking foward to moving on. As much independance as possible is one of my goals. Keep on keeping on. Take care.
woodman…I don’t live in any of my rentals…choose to live beneath my means in a caravan on retreat land…if SHTF – no problems – have already trained my mind and body to survive like it has already happened..to the extent that I can…
Have already moved on…when it happens…then so be it…have my faith/family close by/health/skills and knowledge – and just keep prepping so the transition won’t be so hard, hopefully – and I am in a position to render real assistance to others.
In the meantime…use my money from rentals wisely – and buy preps and practice, practice and more practice…for a future chaotic world..
The bank gets 80 cents on the dollar from the federal government in money for the loss of there value and then they sell the house to the gov’t for 90k. Periodically the gov’t sells in lots to the banks discount houses so the bank will by that house back from the gov’t as part of a lot and likely get it for 1-2 k then they will resell it for 100k and end up making 98k on that sale plus the 160k they made on the initial insurance on the house and in the end they will have a profit of 30-40% more than if they had let your friend stay in the house and they will have there money in less than 6 months rather than waiting another 20 years.
I may be describing it wrong but that’s what I remember from an article I was reading a few months back.
We were gifted with a pumpkin, so we canned it up this week, along with some sweet potatoes. I’ve got two turkeys defrosting as we speak and plan to can them about Wednesday of next week.
I also placed an order for two sleeves of bulk canning flats, should be here the first of next week.
Other than the canning we really didn’t do much on the prepping front.
Still trying to talk to family about stocking up, not much success so far. I will say that the DH’s parents are taking interest, asking questions. Now if we could just get the to take a little action. I have to keep saying to my self, don’t push, don’t push, they will come around, I just hope it’s not to late.
Keep the faith, and keep prepping!
I had a pie this fall with Sweet Potatoes and pumpkin in it! awesome.
also had some sweet potatoes and pumpkin mash, instead of plain old mash potatoes, they was finger linking good food, yummy.
texas nana, re ‘don’t push’…I had a nursing friend who raced over to visit me Friday when I phoned her back and said I had arrived in her/my home town. For years my dear friend had not put aside preps…even though I would tell her that I thought it was prudent – just in case etc…and I just did my thing…anyway…my friend and her husband are now prepping…yes…thank God.
And is very interested in what I have to tell her…and even mentions things that I have just read about re current events – and is very awake to what is going on as her niece is a medical doctor in the US and visits often – and things were definately different last visit.
So, when it is time for your extended family – they will wake up…
I learned how to milk a cow. I had a blast! The cow, an Angus at that, wasn’t even tied up during the whole time. The 70-ish aged lady that gave me the lesson was a whole lot faster at it than me. Said she’d been milking by hand since she was 9. You really need to strengthen your hands for this. I also learned that you should milk about a quart at a time in a container and transfer to a larger container with a lid- you get to keep some milk that way if the cow knocks you about and you spill the milk. She showed me how she strained it and then just right into the fridge. Now I just need to try and afford a cow.
Mid-west Mrs,
Get a heifer, then breed it so she will have a calf and start producing milk. THEN, milk her. We would all like to come and watch.
More fun than a rodeo! Don’t be surprised when you get kicked in the head. Ask the lady if she has any stories about a first milking.
Ah.. not to take out all the fun in watching the rodeo, but don’t be like my girlfriend who spent weeks trying to gently start her new cow and finally gave up and just let her raise her calf because she could not “teach her” to let her milk without kicking .. Please consider getingt a kicker and use it while training, done correctly its a short term use for a long term gain.
We just tied the back legs to the front legs.
I have thought about hobbles and sack cloth training, during the first few days after birth of the calf I understand you don’t nessisarily want the colosturum (Sp?) milk so that would be a good time to judge maternal protection instinst with a glove on a stick- behind a fence of course!. Cattle are so big and intimidating to me…that is why I am so glad I went for the lesson, she said I did well to come back anytime I want to practice (or help). I can do this!! Shoot, I used to be around horse all the time as a kid and they are alot more high strung. I just have never been around cattle except for watching the “wild” ones in the nieghbors land.
Mrs Mid West,
congrats to you! I remember milking cows by hand, it is a lot of work, but you will get faster and better as the time goes along.
Look for cows at auction, in Craigslist, in kijiji.ca and your local papers. Sometimes people give them away for free up here, sometimes for next to nothing as well.
best of luck to you
The plan is two fold- Get a heifer bottle calf now to raise up-yeah I know it will be 2 1/2 years before milk time- and in the mean time save as much as possible so we can buy a milk cow already milking or maybe bred or close to breeding age. A lot of what I see advertised for sale is exspensive, $1200+ and we can’t do that in one fell swoop. We are blessed to be set up with our land and home, just not the $. We came to the conclusion that since the place is set up for cattle that is what we will stick with. Thought about goats and sheep but since the DH likes to drink milk at the rate of up to a gallon a day, well we need the cow! Better to have it later than not at all. Did consider Dexters because they are smaller and yet still have good output. They are more exspensive and we would have to still find a same breed bull because of the smaller size. At least with a “common” breed we could ask our nieghbors to pay for use of their bull, even with a dairy breed. I can still get butter made from an angus, just not as much as from a Jersey. I’ll not get picky, I’ll be thankful.
I have always had a Jersey and would recommend the breed to anyone wanting a “family cow” because that is exactly what you will get, a new member to your family. Think of them in terms of a really big, overly friendly dog and you won’t be far from the truth. Mine meets me at the gate when I get home from work and seems to be actually interested in hearing how my day went! And you’ll have plenty of milk! So much in fact that I have to keep pigs so the extra doesn’t go to waste even though I don’t eat meat (I give the meat to folks who may be having a hard time getting by).
I know goats are possibly more practical for a small land owner, but I’ve never liked them (not to mention their eyes kind of freak me out).
Although it produces less milk, a dairy goat will provide a good bit and you milk it the same way. Less cost, less space, and of course less milk, but generally enough for a few people.
Did concider milk goats, but several are needed for each others company and I would have to re-fence alot of pasture and it’s pasture, not alot of brushy area. We have tried the goat milk but can’t quite get past the taste. In order to keep feed costs down we prefer to grass feed. We have 10 acres of good grass passture that has had nothing on it but a brush hog for 4 years. The parasite egg load should be small and have at least 3 portions so we can rotate the pasture. We have tried to concider a lot of different things and keep coming back to cows-I guess I should listen to Gods whispering in my ear.
That’s sounds like a great system all set up for cow or two, just wonderful that you have cross fencing all done for you already.. Look forward to hearing what you end up getting, wow, your hubby really does like his milk a gallon a day?
Heaven forbid I make cookies or something else yummy that requires extra milk, or bread that needs butter, you get it! He also is a big man. 6’5, above 240 but doesn’t really look like it, and strong!!!
Sounds like cows might make the best sense in your situation. Good luck.
Keep in mind that the cows must be bred every year to keep them lactating and that the offspring may be male or female. The females can be brought into the herd and turned into producers, or like the males, you can turn them into steaks and hamburgers. Since this needs to be done yearly per cow, you should also have more than enough meat to add to your milk or for bartering or sale to the neighbors.
Thank you, I have so much to learn in this endevor!
That’s awesome! that’s a well trained cow, typically they do get put in their stall or place to be milked. Agreed on the hand strength, when I was little (starting at the age of 8, I had my own goats that I milked and got to raised the kids and split the money earned by selling them half and half with the folks) but we had a milk cow named Jessie, and I remember sometimes mom would let us kids give a hand milking, I would do the front half till my hands gave out, and big brother (2 years older) would do the back half and then mom would finish up..
The funny thing is that if it was mom or dad, they had to get a move on it or else she would let them know it was taking to long, but if she saw it was us kids, she would just kinda sigh and kink a hip and hang.. mom used to laugh at what she called the look she would get when she saw her, typically we only got to help if mom was not feeling good etc
When I bought my first milk goat seven years ago for the farm and started hand milking again, I could not believe just how wimpy my hands had gotten..
I second watching for a freshened or expecting milk cow in the local papers, there does seem to be some that come up, I went out and meet a few and decided that I didn’t want to be taking on others bad habits, I perfer my cow to have my bad habits LOL
Would it be a good idea to strengthen your hands with squeezing a rubber ball? Or are those not the muscles you use? I have never milked a cow, but have wanted one since the boys were little – especially at the rate they went through milk!
A ball would be good I think. You can start the squeeze at the top (thumb and forefinger) and go down in motion on the ball. I was thinking of those spring squeeze exersize things but i think the ball is better-maybe even a balloon so you learn “calm” strength (No balloon breaking LOL)
The exercisers I recommend to folks thinking about getting a milk cow are the ones made for beginning guitar players such as the “varigrip” by planet waves. These are designed to strengthen your individual fingers and the exercise motion is much the same as milking. They also have adjustable pressure for each finger cylinder so you can start easy with a correct motion and build your strength over time by increasing the spring pressure. Just be sure to use the padded side against your finger tips, you really don’t need to be building callouses.
farmgal,
2-3 years ago I watched a show on T/V where the cow had been trained to go into an automatic milking parlor. The cow would advance a specified distance into the contraption, and a milking machine would automatically attach itself to the cow. The moderator said the cows voluntarily went into the machine on their own whenever they felt pressure on their udder. He said some would go in the morning and others preferred 3 PM. They showed cows doing this as he talked.
I’ve always wondered how they train a new cow to make that decision.
Well, if it was me doing the training, i would start by training the cow to be used to a auto milker you put on by hand so she understands the process and then once in the area that has the milking machine, I would wait till she is full and looking to be milked and lead her into the auto one and help her stand to get used to it, and I would guess that after a week of helping her, you would get to the point that you could just walk to her to it, and she would go in and do it, then get to the point that she see’s you at the right time of the day and she goes to her spot, and it milk’s her, and from there she would just figure out that she does not need you..
It took less then a week to train girl to go to her “spot” and wait for her feed, get tied down and get her brushing, touching, foot lifting etc. Its all about routine..
The other thing to consider is that cows are curious about their area and that they are herd animals and no doubt there would be some just checking out the space for fun and also monkey see, monkey do when the older trained girls went to be milked.
There are day’s I really wish I could watch u-tube and all the other video’s you guys talk about, but my dial up is so slow.
Hi to the Pack. Thanks to MD for the Survivalist Blog. Did a little prepping this week. Bought a Ruger LC9 plus 2 extra magazines; a case of 12 ga. #4 shot; a case of 20 ga. #6 shot; an eight pack of 9-led flash-lights; two 3-9×40 scopes plus rings for two .22 rifles; two extra magazines for my CZ rifle; a new mil surplus first aid waterproof box (plan to get more for ammo storage); a kydex holster for my Ruger Mk III and three Walther back-up knives with kydex sheath.
For those of you who hav’nt seen it, watch “The Lost Art of Cut Shells”
on you tube. Very interesting. I plan to try it. It’s also known as the poor man’s shotgun slug. Could be very useful in a SHTF situation.
My best to all………..Jack
Jaxhaus:
Welcome to the pack. (Sorry if I didn’t see you were here before.)
Nice job with the shotgun ammo! I have a weakness for #4 buck. Cos
Do not use cut shells in a double barrel gun, the recoil from the first round can seperate the second and cause an air gap between shot and powder, leading to a burst or bulged barrel. Not common but it has lead to the decline in the use of ‘cut’ shells.
Hey all, well not much this week had to pay the bills with this check. Planning on hitting Aldi’s for canned goods tomorrow, got to get some canned goodies. Planning on getting more ammo, and I want a Remmington 870. We shall see, God Bless.
matt, good luck on the 870, good investment. be careful out there.
Matt, you can’t go wrong getting more ammo. I love my Rem. 870, I bought an extra 18 in. barrel for it, added an extended magazine, and now I have two guns, one tactical and the other for hunting. All in one shotgun. Watch yourself out there, and good luck.
Matt I have one, great shotgun, be sure to get the metal replacement plug to replace that little orange guide in the shell tube. The plastic one can fail so it’s good to just replace it. ask your local gun shop guy or check out midway online for parts.
Found some great deals:
-5 cans of “OFF Deep Woods” insect repellant spray, in the ‘dry’ form for 99 cents each. This was in a discount bin in Kroger. When I went to Walmart after, I saw the same cans going for $5.88 in the camping section. Score! Gave my son 2 of them. Here in Texas, ya gotta have the DEET!!! The insects here will still thumb their noses (proboscuses?) at ya, but from a little distance away as opposed to when they sit on you and suck you dry if you use anything else.
-got 6 bags Pioneer complete pancake mix, BOGO and I had coupons, so the 6 came to about 1.50. Gave my son 3.
-Also in Kroger, they had AA batts for 1.99 a package of 4, with a 2018 date. I had coupons for 75 cents off each pack, so got 4 packs of 4 for 1.24 each. Not bad.
-And more at Kroger: found 2 bags Rutabagas and 1 bag Turnips for 25 cents each; bag of 3 Mangos for 50 cents; bag of green apples for 50 cents; and bag of mini zukes & yellow squash for 25 cents. NOT a typo…really was that cheap: $1.75. There was NOTHING wrong with the veges…guess they just wanted to get rid of them.
-all books were on sale 50% off at the Salvation Army store; I found a dated (1981) paperback of “Hiking Texas Trails” that has good maps (even some topo) of backcountry in Texas. Looked through it, and there are some maps of places in my area. Might be handy for BO. It was 75 cents.
-Went to Whole Foods and stocked up on my “alternative” grains for storage: buckwheat groats, wild rice, quinoa, millet and some flax and chia seeds.
I got a package from a friend who lives in New Mexico of all kinds of great Native American/Hispanic foodstuffs: pine-nuts, blue cornmeal, Posole, dried red chilies, and some blue corn kernels that I can plant. I LOVE blue popcorn!! It was a nice gift and adds some variety to my preps, as I will vacuum-pack some of the chilies and posole for later on down the road.
Bought a plastic trunk with wheels for $20 (instead of a wheeled ice-chest, which was WAY too expensive) at Walmart for my 72-hour BOB. Transferred everything from the plastic tub I had it in and it all fits nicely. I’ll have to re-organize (but don’t us preppers LOVE to do THAT???!! :)), but it will work great. I’ll also attach a rope with a length of pvc pipe on it for a better grab-handle. The plastic tub will become the container for my backup food in the hangar loft, and the plastic box that THAT is in now will go in my pickup to hold my air mattress, pump, and sheets that I keep in there. Redundancy gets complicated sometimes.
Did a walk-through of a Tractor Supply store. Saw many useful things there. No buying.
Made another batch of Prickly Pear jelly. One more to go, then all the prepared juices will be out of the freezer and processed…until next season.
Went to my CERT meeting on Tuesday night. The topic/training was about “P.O.D.s”…”Point Of Dispersion” set-ups that CERT members will help with. These are deployed if there is a health emergency for dispensing meds…or for other types of emergency, as in dispensing water in case the water goes off (happened in this county last year). I always have to weigh my involvement in CERT against my desire for privacy, autonomy, and security. As a CERT member, I am subject to Homeland Security rules, etc., whan I am activated, but as a member of CERT, I am privy to information before other people have it, as in spread of disease, terrorism, natural disasters, etc. And in the case of spread of disease, CERT members will have immediate access to medicines (after first responders, LE, etc) if we want them. That could be handy. So, I continue to be involved, but keep my prepping private. Funny aside: I saw a man there at the meeting with a paracord bracelet on. I commented that it was interesting, and he launched into a whole “pseudo-prepper” talk. I just smiled and let him carry on.
The drive home (at 10 pm) from the meeting was hairy!! One of the biggest lightning, rain, and thunder storms I’ve ever driven in. I saw 3 bolts hit the ground, and they were so close, the ‘bang’ of them was car-shaking. The rain was so heavy, my wipers couldn’t keep it off my windshield, making it impossible to see the road, which was so covered with water, I couldn’t see the markings anyway. This is way out in the country, with no street lights, and no place to shelter off the road. I stopped in a church parking lot, thinking I would wait it out, but I realized I was on the top of a big hill and under a big tree, so I skeedaddled on down the road. I made it home, but my hands hurt the next day from gripping the steering wheel so hard. We ended up with 4+ inches of rainfall from that storm, and it was SO needed!!
I am continuing to get rid of ‘stuff’ to get down to just what’s necessary. It’s a long process…I have 40 years of accumulated stuff that had to go into storage when I came here to my father’s. I really don’t need all that. I’ve moved about ½ of it along. Next week I will be donating a big batch of my fossils to the local college. The geologist there is happy for them. :)
I guess it was a pretty busy prep week after all.
I’m watching world news and knowing it’s a good thing I’m prepping as best I can.
Thanks MD for this blog, where I learn so much and feel not quite so alone….or crazy. :) And thanks to all who post and comment here for the same.
Mtwoman:
First, I am glad you are safe! I’ve been through one storm like that coming through New Mexico. Scared the hell out of me….
Secondly, being a prepper kind of means you are smarter than the rest of the folks. I personally have always felt alone and put up with ridicule until I just finally learned to present myself as one of the ordinary street people. (Give or take 200 #’s of rice.) LAM. Hang tough my friend. Cos
Thanks Cos. :)
mtn woman…that was a huge week…you have definately got a head start…
considering you are also taking care of your father on your own…the mental strength in keeping that up for years, without someone else stepping in for a few days off, and instead of it being for a few months you initially thought – is so going to come in handy…you will just tough things out…no matter what…you are building up huge amounts of resilience.
I agree, I am prepping as best I can too…and as fast as I can…and as I live alone, it is good to be able to talk prep with others.
And, have you put that rain stick away yet…we have had huge downpours up and down the coast the last few days…cheers.
Thanks Chloe…appreciate the support. I’ve always been “tough” and loyal, even too much so. But I think you’re right about resilience and stick-to-it-ness. I went to The Big City overnight this week (to visit my son), and when I got back, and took a look at my father, I realized again and stronger, just how much he needs someone here. It keeps me hanging in, when I yearn body & soul to be living just my own life, and to have just responsibility for ME. But, this is the right thing to do…or so I believe…so I hang in, and I decided yesterday to do it with more smiling!!! And make his last years as pleasant as possible. At least he eats well!!! Thanks again for your support in this…it is MUCH appreciated.
And, LOL, it’s not me with the rain stick, though I am seriously concerned about the drought here. This Summer could be horrendous.
MtWoman…one day your father will pass…and you will then have no guilt – as you have put in the effort now, when he needs you the most
am glad I had the time I had with my father who passed at almost 90 y/o.
I had to wait for ages it seemed to just be responsible for myself…I was mentally and physically exhausted – and years earlier when I was nursing, at least there were 3 different shifts – and we all got to take days off – and come back to work refreshed..you don’t have that..yet…so, hang in there…
I was a good daughter, and I am now reaping rewards as I have a good daughter…so, it all balances out in the end…take care…much strength and courage…
When you think how hard it is – it is – and on your own…so, if you have days when it is too much…and too heavy…you are right…it is…
so, take some time to acknowledge the huge role you have taken on to care for your father…many elderly are just abandoned – to the system…just when they need the most time and energy intensive care.
You have my respect…and so, when the time comes, and you do have only yourself to care for…go for it, and don’t hold back.
Remember, if your load can’t be lightened..then God can strengthen your back.
When I was caring for mom, I would get a but miffed because everything seemed to fall on my sholders, but I would just complain and then make a big joke out of everything to make her smile a laugh. I was lucky that she was sharp as a tack to the end without her loosing her memories. Stay strong. it is hard, but we will be here for you to encourage and strengthen you as much as we can.
God Bless You for what you are doing with your dad. Just make sure you give lots of love and then he will return some too. It does go a long way!
chloe, please don’t blame mtwoman for the rain, as I am the culprit with the rain stick, which has been put away.
oh my god…sorry to the both of you…can’t stop laughing…
MtWoman, I wonder if that is the same storm system that came thru Houston on wednesday. It was a nasty storm, producing a tornado west of us. It was a small one but still caused some damage.
Glad you made it home ok. It is horrible getting stuck in weather like that.
One and the same storm, and it produced SEVEN tornadoes in the San Antonio area, and a ton of rain/flooding all over…and IN JANUARY!! And thanks for the kind words….
Wow! Seven? they didnt cover that in the news. They were just talking about the one in Pearland I think it was, which is on the west side of Houston.
Mtwoman – that’s quite an adventure! Funny, that is one thing I still miss living here on the coast of northern CA, lightening and thunder storms.
I don’t know if I would miss them, KF, but nothing clears the air any better than a good thunderstorm. I would miss that aspect of them. Glad to see you here posting this week.
tk – rain without lightning and thunder is, well, just boring.
Please stay in CERT. Along with everything it has to offer you and your community it will provide you a headsup on other things that is invaluable.
Not much prepping this week but;
found a woman at the local flee market that is selling oxygen absorbers, mylar bags and food grade plastic pails, I smilled and said your a prepper. She looked a little sheepish and said yes, she was.
Now, a piece of news she passed along to me, might help some of You’all.
do a google search for “Seedy Saturdays” it is a Canadian, and US org, sort of underground org, NON GMO Seeds. They meet in different cities, trade NON GMO Seeds, or you can buy some as well.
eg. Seedy Saturdays Ontario, or New York, etc.
hope I helped some of you out with this one!
Thanks for sharing the Seedy Saturday info, at least in our area is quite popular, I found out about it from the plant free cycle group in our area.
There is no trading of seeds at our day long event, they do tend to give you basil and or tomato seeds free with your welcome bag, at least here, they charge a door fee and they also run six to eight one hour gardening courses – examples, square foot gardening, raised beds, how to use worms for compost, no till methods, they also tend to have a room where they show one or two “shows” related to organic seeds or farming or our food system.
Most of the vendors do sell seeds but not all, we also get all the local folks that make fresh bread, fresh hot food, jams an jellies, along with cotton or organic clothes, there is one gal that sells all hemp made clothes, another that sells homemade cloth bags, homemade soap, our local worm bin seller is always there, you get the idea, its wall to wall peaple, but if you want the best seed selection, I try and get there as early as possable.
Don’t know if that is the norm or just our local area’s style.. anyone else been to them and what are your like? Do you get to trade seeds? Our plant recyle group gets together and trades seeds and plants a couple times over the garden season.
You Canadians have some neat things going on! Couldn’t find a “Seedy Saturday” in the states…(by Googling)
There is no listing for Michigan, darn. But I will ask a friend who owns a bakery and is into ‘slow food’ if he knows of one here. It could be more underground than obvious. Thanks, Wilderness, for the great info!
seed exchange US and USA
I just did that in Google and got a lot of hits to it. Maybe it is the US version?
Good luck and happy no GMO to you
Did some visual drive by checking on my “if I have to walk home” route. Still some to do. Shipment ordered last week from Honeyville came in. JoJo and I took our CHL class today. That is her B-day present this year. As expected, she scored better on the shooting part then I did. But she got to shoot a S&W 40 cal M&P and I had the Sigma with the 9 pound trigger.
Our Food Lion is one of the 100 or so closing nationally. Went twice to the 50% off sale and got 2 carts full of stuff. The first trip was a nightmare, we got one of the last carts and it was wall to wall shoppers – I hated it. No one was pushy or rude, it was just very crowded and hard to get around. The second trip we made was eerie. It looked like the stores will look when the shtf. Mostly empty shelves but still a fair amount of shoppers. I almost took some pictures.
We made copies of all our important documents and put them in our bug out bags.
Bought a little more silver.
Worked on my herb garden some – cut them back, shaped them & got some mint ready for drying. I’m going to move some of them out to our farm property this Spring.
Lovin’ this Georgia weather! I got hot working outside today. The next 4 days are supposed to be sunny and mid 60′s. Wow.
GA Mom, so glad you were able to get so much stuff at a good price…when food stores close down – things are bad…
I liked the post Spices and herbs by Lindsey from PA, as well as Dehydration by Garden Mom.
I bought a 275 gallon plastic container that previously held fertilizer.The man that sold it to me said I could use Dawn and bleach to clean it to hold drinking water safely.Any Pack members have any thoughts on this?Is it safe to do?
Sir: I think at most you should use it for your garden. If you have a Big Berkey then you could collect rain run-off in the larger container, then run it through the Berkey. (Privately, I think the person you bought it from just wanted to sell it. I would not trust it.) Cos
Cosmolined,thanks for the input.I think you are right.
no…don’t chance it..if you are not willing to ingest the fertilizer the container held…then no way should you consider ingesting any water that you store in the container…just my 2 cents.
give it a few days of thought …am sure you will come up with another safer use for the container…maybe to hold water for the garden only – and if so…have the intended use well marked on the container – and well away from where kids can climb in etc.
Built a portable cooking kit and stove from a 20mm ammo can. Holds a quart pot and lid, frypan, utensils, hotmitt, tinder and matches, scouring pad and rag, seasonings and two steel plates. Gathered a pickup load of mesquite and sawed it up for the woodpile. Built another food storage bin in one of the upstairs closets so I can easily stockpile and rotate through more canned foods. Got a new set of larger files and rasps for my tool bag. That all wore this old man out so I rested the balance of the week. ;)
Congrats to all those who have quit smoking! Good job! Glad to hear the nephew is ok Jarhead, and for the bil with the heart valve surgery coming up, will keep the prayers coming.
I spent the day at a Winter series of classes given by state extension services – permaculture, intro to cidermaking, greenhouse building – this guy was a hoot!, worm bins and composting, and growing dry beans in my climate (wet). So many good classes I had to pass by – wanted to take the felting class, the cheesmaking class and the Raising rabbits for meat one – but I know I just can’t kill the furry things so I passed – my dad raised them when I was young – they were even giving a class for women on learning to use a chainsaw.
At the show I ran into two couples I work with and one offered me a bucket full of red wrigglers when I get my bin set up. Said he’d help me get it going….yeah buddy!
There will be another series coming up in May. Always learn something.
Last week someone posted the link on permaculture and I really recommend that you watch it if you can….I intend to visit his farm this summer – it’s a few hours from me, but I think it will be well worth the trip – especially since I’ll be there anyway. The link was backtoeden – don’t remember the rest of it. I also watched most of the series that Digital Angel linked to regarding the Illuminati….very eye opening. Any of you have a member of the MASONS in your family? might want to watch it.
That’s pretty much my preps this week other than the continuing purge, purge, purge! Take care all…people are going crazy….
Sounds like you had a great time at your seminars, and made some wonderful local connections on things that will allow you to expand different things over the coming year.
I hear you on the chainsaw, its a very good skill for every lady to have..
The other prepping I’m doing is by NOT going on my groups yearly shoot and blow up (Tannerite) things in the desert outing which began today and runs through Friday. Lot of fun but I can no longer justify all the pistol and long gun ammo I blow up each year. So I’m doing additional prepping by doing nothing.
I hear you…I save money by not going out shopping…and have some spend free days…and play around here most of the days…have so much stuff to sort and pack…
Yeah, went to get a one qt pot for the ammo can stove and spent a total of $80! Yikes! Need Mrs.SD to hide my truck keys and wallet.
Going fishin’ with Pops tomorrow. Should keep me out of sporting goods stores, Honeyvilles and Walmart. Stop me before I shop again.
Survivor, I used to have an ammo can stove. I’m going to make one and add to next Saturday. Thanks for posting that.
sitting in colorado springs doing a job here until Monday morning…enjoying a break from the real world…lots of cool places to explore….will be back to prepping next week…but for now, exploring book stores and other interesting places…used to live in Colorado…lots of nice nooks and crannies to hold up in…
The weather is downright crazy. More cold weather now(24 degrees last night), back to the low 70s by midweek, more un-needed rain, clouds just about every day, solar batteries are now discharged.
Prepping for the week included 32 100-watt incandescents, fencing, solar lights, kerosene, antifreeze, gasoline, and motor oil. I finished my hog pen, got my pea seed from a friend, and did a lot of thinking. I have a two-year supply of freeze-dried food, and another year or more of traditional food. It is time to pivot away from food preps.
I went to the range this afternoon, and did not impress. The mud was a factor, and frankly, I just didn’t want to get dirty. I’m getting lazy and soft in my old age. That is a dangerous situation for a prepper. I’ve got to rectify it.
Keep the faith.
templar knight. We are in the same boat with food – we have at least 2 years worth. We had decided to stop storing it except what we rotate out to eat & replace due to pending expiration date. And then Food Lion announced the store closings and 50% off of everything so we bought a bunch more.
Our preps have been mostly non-food items for the last several months. The list is never ending. Ugggg! We will never be done & have what we need!
tk, STACK IT HIGH! keep stacking the food my friend. there will surely be family/friends that show up with nothing, needing everything. i’m afraid i won’t be able to turn them away.
tk, got interrupted….i need to get cracking on fencing too. good reminder…and yes, we’re getting soft too. only took a few months to undo 29 years of training. some soldiers grow beards or long hair or smoke dope to rebel against the training when they retire. i sleep in, and quit doing p.t., bad combination….”every day i sit here in ‘the world’ getting softer, slower, while charlie squats in the jungle getting stronger” apocalypse now…..time to get back in the jungle. take care.
River let me motivate you! Get off your lazy preeping but, do some push ups, go for a walk working your way up to the 3 mile run and get to the range! Lol
Its why I by ammo in bulk at gun shows and go to an MMA gym to work out. With a bum knee when weathers bad I have to cope so training keeps me current. I can’t run but I can still light jog on the beach sand, get my cardio on bike and other cardio equipment and boxing. Range time is once a month for me with a minimum of 200 rounds each primary weapon.
SIR,YES SIR!
Ah, memories…….lol.
You are so right about getting lazy. I’ve decided to get back full-time in the gym as I’ve let myself slip since I lost the weight I wanted to. I still exercise, but not enough. As for food storage, I have run out of space. Good points about friends/family, I do have food for them, although they may have to be happy with beans and rice for awhile.
Riverrider:
You heard it from Jarhead 03. Now get up and shape up!
I retired from the AF in 1987. Worked for 19+ years civilian before being downsized. I am pushing 70 next birthday and this is for what it is worth. A lot of my friends over the years retired, and did nothing. They vegetated and are now gone. Saddest was an AF Chief, one of the original Air Commando’s and one sharp NCO. He retired from the AF and life in general; becamet overweight, long scraggly hair and just let himself go. Died about 5 years after retiring. I notice that those who keep a schedule or routine do the best. I have bad artihritis and I set the alarm everynight and make myself get up and moving every morning. Your health is the most important resource you have, don’t squander it. end of lecture.
Eagle, I have lost a few friends some barely older than me and some 10 to 20 years older pass after retiring.
I partied after getting out, a couple knee surgeries from a gun shot wound at the VA, lost motivation and packed on the weight. I visited a mentor from my early Marine years and he chewed me out for “dropping my pack and reporting to 1st Civ Div, Couch Platoon 1st Force Recline” and the rest was history! Got back in the gym, lost the weight, got back into MMA training and try to hit the range once a month but not less than once every two month.
I even visit Camp Pendleton every 6 months and hike up an old ridge line for motivation and gut check. Then its ice packs and motrin lol
eagle, thanks,you are so right, i just needed the push to get going. 29 years of 4 a.m. p.t. has a heck of a backlash. i’ll get over it soon:)
rr…ditto
templar knight – I too have lots of food…many years worth… and am still vac sealing etc..just want to keep adding more buckets – and last night…saw an article that noted about 500lb of wheat for just one person/per year…when I find the article later tonight, hopefully..will give you the address to search…
don’t want to link anything that might get gov’t goons interested…however can give the address so you can search for it. copyright/ internet /rules on your side of the pond also affects us it seems…just crazy.
regarding dangerous to not want to get dirty…at least you have now identified an area for you to focus on…
and you are so right…people usually choose the path of least resistance…and when things get hard/difficult…it is hard to overcome and just keep plodding past the pain (whether mental or physical).
I wear older sturdy clothes, and good boots when camping.
And I love going for walks in the rain – as soon as I stop walking, I soon feel chilled…and that is the reason so many people suggest plenty of dry clean socks…
And I also belong to a caving club…now that is hard work for this old girl..and I choose to go with a group that has kids – so that I can keep up and not hold the group up…when we get back out…I am covered in sand and dirt – my clothes are a mess – from crawling and rolling around…and am exhausted..have to hand rinse my clothes to get most of sand out before I will put them in the w/machine when I get back home.
And that is why I make myself take our rough m/rides, sleep on a swag whenever I visit friends – even though they have a guest room. Live in a c/van without air/con (by choice).
And I have turned the gas off on my on-demand Bosch hot water system – I deliberately go to un-powered camp sites and locations in our national / state forests…and live rough and practice Bug Out living…train my eyes to be alert for snakes, spiders and other nasty bugs with nasty bites..when I see an eel in his little hiding hole when I go swimming – scares me + +.
And we have to stay toughened up…if we do have shops that close for some time, and no fuel stations etc…the stress of staying alert to intruders and opportunistic people is going to strain our physical and mental strength…
As we get older, we are deemed easier targets. And not just in SHTF times…fraudsters are always targeting the elderly, right now.
I practice my judo moves with my bike tubes – pull those tubes toward me, then spin in…and out again…at a steady pace – different throws to work different parts of my body to keep the gripping strength in my hands – and to keep my body flexible.
However do keep a steel golf club handy in case anyone needs a touch-up to their ear/s – like to be able to accommodate when necessary.
Good on you for seeing the bigger picture. cheers.
chloe – I’d be interested in how that 500lbs per year was figured. I go through about 80-100lbs or so of wheat a year (just myself) and make all my own breads, etc. Can’t imagine how I could use more, much less 5X more.
We make half of our own bread and we are a family of 7 and we go through 200lbs a year of flour. The LDS recommendations for our family is 1300lbs per year in storage, no idea how we would use that much in a year.
kf, just went through my most recent bookmarked items…can’t find it there..but will see if can find it again – and give you the web address.
I thought it was excessive also, eg, I figured, with 365 days x 1 lb for each person p/day should be ample…could be it includes enough flour for biscuits, cakes, quiches, homemade macaroni and pasta and baking. cheers.
kf..looked for site again last night…was not able to find it..had a yellow background, and the flour was the first item on the list.
one article, not the one I referred to originally – said 500lbs for places like Tunisia. Others had 300 lbs, and even 180lbs.
However, what i did find while looking for the 500lb reference was a food caluclator from LDS. Easy – just type in number of people/children – and press calculate…and it is there. I am going to use it as a guide.
http://www.thefoodguys.com/foodcalc/.html
also found some other interesting sites
http://www.earthmountainview.com/earthwise/companion_planting.htm
also, basic list of suggested items for long term survival at http://www.greatdreams.com
http://www.earthmountainview.com regarding an old fashioned farm and herbal healing.
I am still going to increase my wheat storage.
Better to have it now, while it is still so cheap, than need it a few years down the track. For $24 can get 1 x 20Kgs bag…
Can easily bake assorted bread/raisin bread/pasta/scones/biscuits/pizza base etc for 20 days of food for 3 people.
and from what I have read…wheat berries are even cheaper on your side of the pond. cheers.
chloe – Thanks for your research. As you say, wheat is cheap and I guess it never hurts to have plenty.
I buy the ‘recleaned’ wheat meant for horses and clean it myself one more time. Cost runs between $13 and $17 per 50 lbs. depending on the season. The feed store guys think I brew a lot as I also get my corn, barley, and steel cut oats there. I did take them some oatmeal stout once.
Spent the week getting ready for medical procedure next month. Hemoglobin levels weren’t rising from the B12 injections so doc checked me in to hospital for an afternoon to top off my blood with 4 bags of their best O neg. Kind of a kick really, spent the whole time watching tv show videos of car chases and bumbling burglars. I don’t own a tv so it was a great escape.
Also started taking curcumin tablets with meals per M.D.’s recommendation, I’ll let you know if it seems to help or not.
I’ve usually headed for warmer, dryer climates by this time of year so I’m feeling a bit out of place hanging around the homestead – sort of that sword of Damocles feeling I guess – just hoping the hair doesn’t break….
K Fields,
Every study that I have read about Curcumin and cancer states that it helps prevent it, shrinks or even eliminates existing cancers. Be sure to let me know if it helps you and if your tumor shrinks. I know from experience that it helps greatly with inflammation and arthritis. Good luck – we are all praying for you…
K Fields:
Ditto to what M.D. said. I’m praying for you Sir. Cos
Curcumin [tumeric] can be found in most currys, again I have to wonder at what foods and spices have we forgotten why they are so good and good for us.
K fields, will say a prayer for you and you sound like your ready for it. I had four pints standing by on my last knee surgery and did the same.
PRAYERS Heading your way! May God ‘s hand be on your surgeon’s shoulder.
k fields…I must have missed your post…but from what i have surmised – if it is any consolation – I am still here after being told less than 3 months to live – when my DD was just 6 y/old.
And then years later – another new primary cancer – still going strong.
So, chin up. Prayers for you to regain your health…seriously. I prayed long and hard when I was sick and have been blessed.
please keep us informed…and will light a candle and send up prayers for your swift recovery.
I have been there K, it is tough – no doubt about it…dealing with my mortality put everything in proper perspective – to this day.
A big plus is knowing that you are in God’s hands.
You have lots of good folks praying and hoping for a good resolution to your medical issue, KF. That goes a long ways in making things better. We will be praying for you as well, and will be awaiting news of the outcome. We have several of our folks who have dental and medical surgery upcoming. I pray for a good resolution for all.
More prayers for you here, Kevin.
Have you looked into homemade bone broth to help build you up before and after the surgery? It’s very easy to make in a large crockpot–several pounds of beef bones (marrow bones and knuckle bones are especially good), a tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar, cover with filtered water and set on low for up to 24 hours. Filter into freezer safe jars, cool and refrigerate.
You can add more water to the same bones and make another batch several times. Use plain as a beverage, consomme or add to rice in place of water, or doctor it up to make soups, stews, etc.
Thanks for all of the encouraging words and thoughts. I’m sure everything will work out just fine.
I fixed the exercise bike I found in a dumpster last month and have started using it. Zombies always get the fat guy first. My goal is to lose 80 pounds. On a more exciting note I picked up a Rock River AR-15, ten extra mags and four hundred rounds of Remington 223. I can’t wait to take it to the range for some practice.
Jerry, good for you on losing the weight. And great score on the AR, I have a Rock River and really like it. Update us after you get it out on the range.
consider a bicilavadora, for that exercise bike that way you can get your laundry done at the same time.
“Zombies get the fat guy first”–sounds like a banner that should be hanging in a health club. Good for you for getting on with your plan to outpedal ‘em!
Zombieland Rule # 1…Cardio.
Jerry, good deal on both. Its easier to shoot from the prone when you do have a belly lol. I can’t run from the zombies so those head shots are important.
MD,
You just can’t go wrong with a Stihl. I have an 028 Woodboss that’s more than 30 years old, and still purrs like a new one, although I have run through quite a few chains and bars over the years.
Big Lots had a 20% off your entire order today if you have their customer card, so we made a run there and stocked up on some freeze dried cherries and blueberries, some canned beans and soups, some more Bear Creek soup mixes, Pop Tarts, Hormel 90 second microwave meals, 30 roll pack of toilet paper, a 2 quart glass measuring cup, batteries, and some solar yard lights.
Kroger has some huge sales going on right now so we just picked up 40 boxes of Kleenex which keeps forever and isn’t getting any cheaper. The last large batch were $1.00 each and these were $1.19, which I guess means that there isn’t any inflation to speak of (if your TDL).
Also bought the new Turbo Tax, so let the games begin.
OhioPrepper, if you have a Menards within driving distance, they usually have Kleenex brand and/or Puffs brand for sale, $1.00 per box. We usually buy the smaller square boxes as they stack better in our limited storage area, but they also have the rectangular ones for that price.
Encourager,
We do have a Menards in a town we travel to frequently. I’ll inform the DW. Thanks.
My work saws for years were Stihls (a 660 and a 440) which I still use, but over the last few years I’ve been leaning more toward Huskys (currently using a 390xp) and most guys I’ve worked with have done the same. They are lighter (I’m old, remember) and can be tuned to run at a blistering rpm when using a Full Comp Square Chisel chain.
Not that I have any problems with Stihls, just saying Huskys are good also.
K Fields,
I think that Husky is made by Husqvarna and I agree in general that they are a good saw. The only problem I’ve seen with them over the years (from friends) is if you buy the low end ones which use a lot of bushings instead of bearings, that those cheaper units tend to wear out sooner than the higher end ones. This is a place where spending some additional money is a long term savings.
Agreed – the low end “homeowner” models aren’t worth spending money on. And yes, I was referring to Husqvarna when I used the term “Husky”.
Where to start. Changed plans again, going to bug in instead of moving across the US. I currently live 1/2 a mile from where I spent most of my childhood. I know the land the water the people. I’m out of the city the mortgage will be gone in 2 years.(if things hold for that long) The option to move to AZ is still there, so that will be plan B. I just don’t think I’ve got enough time to get moved and set up before everything goes bad.
Ordered M.D’s book today (learn to live )
Finally got the wood stove up and operational.
Replaced the well pump to use for the garden and as back up if city water goes down.
ordered a hand pump for the shallow well as 3rd option. i think i have water handled. worst case i walk over the hill and get it out of the spring.
started collecting man powered tools to replace all of my convenient electric ones. (I’m gonna miss them)
Ordered some Mylar bags and O2 absorbers
Got a new printer so i can put all of this wonder and very helpful info into binders for quick reference.
Again thank you everyone for all of your generous offerings of wisdom and incite.
does anyone have a recipe that they have used for homemade large breed dog food using stored /grown ingredients? The internet is all over the place with different crap to put in it.
I mix up what my home feed old girl gets depending on the season, what I am butchering and what I am cooking for us, example, made a double batch of pancakes today, and that is her supper, I have a rough idea of how many calories she needs per day and base what I feed her on that, otherwise, I look to her body condition, wanting her neither heavy nor thin.
But if push comes to shove, the most basic feeding recipe is fiber (potato, carrot, turnip, pumpkin or any of the winter sqaushs), protein (eggs, bones, meat, necks, wings, heads and a couple times a month organ meats) Along with some fresh greens, typically outside greens in season and in winter sprouts and or dried stinging nettles
To this she gets cooked whole grains, leftover breads, muffins, pancakes, soups, stews, porridge, canned fruit, milk etc..
that’s the perk of a dog, give it a choice on the farm and you will see them eat critter poo, chop, greens, be egg thefts, perfer to take a head an neck and feet on a duck first before going for the meat itself, and will very happily sneak soft fruit off bushes and hunt for fallen fruit on the ground..
I don’t feed onions or grapes to them, in fact keeping them out of my grape vines is a issue because if they had the choices they would free range there too.
thanks farmgal.
hit my local aldi today (i love the grocery store) picked up some
rocoli cheddar and potato soup mixes
peanut butter (i grad at least 1 jar EVERYtime i go)
sugar
flour
powdered drink mix
chocolate chips
canned veggies and fruit
also ordered and downloaded Wolf Pack cook book. have it saved on the computer and sent it to my Kindle. my Kindle battery lasts a few days as long as the wifi is off so i’ll be able to access it if we ever lost power. Mini has officially broken the printer so now a new ones gotta come out the budget somewhere…kids.
I miss Aldi’s We had one in Dayton that I shopped at all of the time. I loved the iced tea mix they used to have in the big glass jars.
Took a long time to get used to the quarter for the buggie and taking your own bags. lol
I’m new to this sight, but not to prepping. Purchased a home defense barrel for my Mossberg shot gun and 6 cases of Mountain House #10 cans of food.
Zeke,
Welcome to the Wolf Pack.
Welcome to the Pack, Zeke!
Even though I’m also pretty new to the pack, welcome Zeke!
Welcome Zeke!
Mountain House is wonderful stuff. Which are your favorites? Mine is the stroganoff… Cos
Welcome to the Wolf Pack, Zeke! This is a great group, feel free to join in on the comments.
Welcome to the Pack, Zeke. I’m sure you’ll find this is the best blog around.
welcome zeke…
Welcome Zeke. It’s a great site.Stick around.
By the way, I just got back from the S.H.O.T. Show and stopped by Mountain House’s booth and sampled their chow. Very good stuff. I plan on adding them to my food stores.
Hey, welcome to the family.
good to have like minded friends, and these guys are the beat!
They have taught me alot since I have been reading here. I really feel like home.
Welcome to the Wolf Pack, Zeke! Look forwad to your input.
Not much this week. Went to the range and shot about 50 rounds thru the new LC9. Nice little hand gun. Double action and resulting heavier trigger will take some getting used to after my Glock, but its light weight and ease of concealment are a worth while trade off. Also put up a few canned goods and cycled through some of my stored gasoline. I have switched to the new ethanol formula Marine Stabil (blue) over the old red stuff. I have heard that using the red Stabil in ethanol treated gas is worse than using nothing at all.
I have heard that using the red Stabil in ethanol treated gas is worse than using nothing at all.
Please tell us more.
Ron: I live in Kalifornia. Stabil is good for about two years for me. There is a better product called PRI-G. I’ve stored gas for 3 years and 2 months before I needed it to run my Genny. It worked fine. Cos
This week I ordered the items to make a homemade Berkley style water filter, some para cord, a sling for my Mossberg 500, some gas masks and a tactical vest.
I have sliding glass doors leading to my back yard. I normally use just a 2×4 to lock the door . I added a steel pin to the top and bottom.
Its secure(er) I still don’t like it. So more work will follow on the sliders.
I got rid of some rust on an older air compressor and hand mower I got at a yard sale. My 7 year old daughter loved it, warned her of getting her feet stuck in the blade wheel. She doesn’t quite have the muscle or weight yet to use it, but she tried.
I also bought a older sidewalk edger, thinking I need a edger and its easily turned into a generator wit ha little work if needed. I love dual use items.
I’m continuing to work on making sure I have the right tools for the job. The right tool makes the job easier and faster and always come out pro.
Each week I am now doing things to make sure I have an advantage in any situation.
The list of things I want to do is long, thanks to everyone for their ideas and motivation.
Awesome site/blog. Thanks again MD
George is learning, for your sliding door I have 3 sections of solid plywood with hands attached to move them easily. I have brackets to put them in place and slide locks and brackets to secure them in place. They are camouflaged with vertical blinds so you can’t tell they are boarded up if someone tried to get in by breaking the glass.
Does anyone happen to know how you can find the size of a Ruger 10/22 barrel channel? I want to pick up one of the Hogue stocks MD recommneded but it looks like there are two options available:
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/1151527521/hogue-overmolded-rifle-stock-ruger-10-22-920-barrel-channel
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/1151161306/hogue-overmolded-rifle-stock-ruger-10-22-standard-barrel-channel
Curious which one I should order.
The Prepper,
Do you have a standard 10/22 or one with an after market target barrel? My guess is you have the standard model (like mine) so you need the stock for the standard barrel channel.
As M.D says, most likely you have the standard barrel, which is much smaller in diameter than the .920″ bull barrel. Measured with a tape or ruler the outside diameter of the barrel at the muzzle will be almost 1 inch. If your muzzle is noticeably smaller than that you have the standard barrel.
I should add that the wealth of information I got just from talking to the vendors and other attendees is priceless – I now have a local person from whom I can get mason bees in spring, houses a bee garden of seeds – great stuff and nice people.
another vendor/teacher had an herb farm – she is teaching a series of classes at the farm – the one I want to take first is Harvesting Spring Nettles – we’ll identify, pick eat green, cook, and make nettle vinegar and tincture – guess that’s why the list of “to brings” includes a pint of 100 proof Vodka! lmao
I hear about nettles all the time and Im sure I’ve got some here at the homestead..would like to be able to harvest some of this stuff – I’m wondering if I have “miner’s” lettuce as well.. So much to learn and to do….
Grannyj, there is a place online that you can order nettle, milk thistle, and even dandelion seeds from if you are interested.
http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/seeds/seeds.html
Grannyj, I am also interested in growing stinging Nettle. Nettle has many uses for personal uses as well as in the garden and feed for chickens. I’m currently using dry Nettle purchased from Mountain Rose in making my own shampoo. I would love to be able to go to classes such as the ones offered to you. Have fun learning!
Got my order for parts and ammo from Fulton Armory. Then got the parts installed on my Springfield M1A; setting it up to use strictly iron sights. Parts included-National Match flash surpressor, NM front sight, NM rear sight (.0595 aperture). The ammunition was 100 rounds of Hornady, 155 grain Match ammo. Most of my stored ammo is 147 grain NATO in sealed battle packs but wanted the Hornady to better see what the Rifle is capable of with the NM iron sites and 1st class ammo.
Also ordred a Pelican 1750 case from Sportsmans Guide. These things, on Amazon or many other sites, go for up to $250. The Guide’s listed price was $199.95 plus freight. I renewed my club memership so got free freight ($17.95) on the case and got the usual club discount 10% ($20.00) and had a $10.00 coupon from a previous purchae: So this $250 case came to, right at, $170 delivered. I’m Happy!!
Hawkeye:
Great score on the Pelican case! My Steiner’s came with one. I was going to get more until I saw the prices. (Choking Noises in the background.) I picked up two cans of Match 7.62 from CMP when they offered one can a year but I’m saving it until I move back to Wyoming. The local ranges are 200 yarders at best. Cos
Hawkeye and Cosmo:
Pelicans have a gazillion uses and while expensive (my small one for my cell phone and boat papers was about $40) they last forever. I’ve had two of mine close to 20 years, they have been in the sun, in the ocean, left in my car in the middle of summer… nothing kills them. So while the price makes you want to fall over, remember, that they pretty much last forever so you are definitely getting your money’s worth.
Just my $ .02…
DG
Cosmolined and Driver Gal (So. FL)…
Just saw your replies. Should have copied you on my reply to Jarhead 03. From all I’ve heard, the Pelicans are pretty much the Cadilac of cases? The 1750 is actually a “double” rifle case with wheels (thankfully) and I’d hate to guess it’s weight when loaded up. Can’t wait for it to get here!
Make that “Diver” Gal…..sorry.
Hawkeye, enjoy the M1A and the match grade ammo. Pelican cases are nice, good deal!
Jarhead 03……..
Thanks Jar…I will. Two M1As actually. One Polytech, I’ve had for about 18 years and a relatively new Springfield. The Poly was recently overhauled by Smith Enterprises in Tempe, AZ with new bolt, trigger, sear, GI synthetic stock, etc, etc and, of course a new Smith Enterprises “Crazy Horse” barrel with 1 in 10 twist (as opposed to the usual 1:12) as he puts on the Crazy Horse DMR rifles going to Afghanistan. The Springy, I have set up as a more traditonal rifle with GI walnut stock, NM flash surpressor, NM front and rear sights, etc. Lot of fun but both addictive and expensive. A big change for me after years of Mattel ARs (not really denigrating the AR-I have four of them). Can’t wait for the Pelican to get here! It’s due Friday.
Later Jar,
Hawkeye, with the change in barrel twist you going to the 160 grain is a wise choice. I’m used to shooting 168 grain, marginal difference between the two.
I’ve heard of the Crazy Horse barrels but never seen one, we had been trying to convince the Marines for M14s for designated marksman roll and its nice to see some Army and Marine units using them. The Navy SEALs were always seen with upgraded M14 and tanker versions before the whole SOCOM modifications were made post 2001. They knew its effectiveness.
If I ever get back into 308 I’m picking up an M1A and an AR10/SR25 model.
You had some serious upgrades, I hit the range yesterday with a friend and had to break the news to him you don’t put $25 mounts and $75 optics on a tack driver”.
Why someone spends over $1000 on a rifle and less than $100 on a scope and mounts is beyond me. I have a 24″ barrel for my AR but don’t have the scope as I am saving up for a Mk IV. So for now its flip up iron sights.
Jarhead 03…….
I can’t tell from your post if you are refering to cheap “Mounts” or cheap “Rings” …..probably both and rightly so. The mount on my scoped M1A cost about the same as the scope ($280) and the rings were another $50.
The scope is a Nikon and has a good rep for being both rugged and having good optics. Just couldn’t justify another eight or nine hundred dollars for the Leupold the Army is currently using.
If you’re interested in M14s/M1As, you might want to visit m14fourm.com online. I’ve spent hours on that site.
After all the years with AR15s, it’s great to get back to wood and steel!
Jarhead 03…..
Actually “GI Synthetic and Steel” on the scoped Poly/Crazy Horse. GI walnut on the Springfield that I set up to shoot iron sights.
And yes…the 1:10 twist is for heavier rounds, as you mentioned, since they tend to stabilize better at “scope type” ranges. My Hornady match ammo is 155 grains and will be a little on the light side for those longer ranges. The range I shoot at has a max target distance of 200 yards. I think the 155 grain will be more than adequate to get an idea of how the rifle is going to perform using that distance.
This range has another target line where you can shoot out to 500 yards but membership is required and that cost something like $135 per year. At $7 per visit (without membership), I just don’t get out there enough to justify the extra bucks. Would rather put the extra into other things. I have a whole desert out here for shooting otherwise: But as you know, getting the rifle set the up, at known distances, is easier in an organized range setting?
Quiet week. Picked up a flat of Spam (love that stuff with hash browns and onions!), three small bags of quick oats, a 20kg bag of sugar and a 22kg bag of flour. Mostly this week has been dedicated to the most un-prepping activity imaginable. I run our local historical society and for our fundraiser this year we are replicating one of the 1898 houses as a 1/12 doll house as a raffle prize. So I have been designing and drawing up the plans so that our volun-told carpenter can cut it out. We need to have it completed and furnished for Easter as that is the first big community event of the season. So distracted from the prepping at this point…
“volun-told”
Lake Lili, I love that word. I’ve been volun-told many times in my life, the latest being putting out political campaign signs in people’s yards, volun-told by my wife. What a world!
ROTFL…. Adding it to my vocabulary! Thank you Lake Lili.
Lili, don’t think of it as designing plans for a dollhouse; think of it as creating bait–the more folks who get interested in/support the historical society, the more who get exposed to a more self-sufficient, low tech way of life. Who knows what could come of the seeds that are planted?
Here in Mo we get strike anywhere matches at our local hardware store. Owners are Preppers, lucky us! Also carry Fels-Naptha soap and will order anything we want. Even have lye at the store for soap making. They started carring seed potatoes last year and quickly sold out so ordered triple this year. Even sell used canning jars plus two quart ones which can be hard to find. Try some non-chain hardware stores for these hard-to-find products.
Got super buy on chicken breasts for .79/lb so 20 lbs. went into canning jars. Today’s project is going thru potatoes and rescuing what I can and putting in dehydrator.
My birthday is Wed. and middle son is taking me on road trip to Baker Creek…really fun place to go and haven’t been since they built their village. We just don’t seem to get off the farm much. Did go see War Horse and loved it, of course…it was a horse movie. Youngest son/DIL took me for my birthday…they know the kind of stuff I like. No perfume and sweaters for Mutti!
Got Honeyville and EE orders plus Pa bought me new pruners and a ceramic frying pan. No more Teflon in this house.
Have a very Happy Birthday.
Dee, Happy Birthday early! We are planning a trip to Baker Creek for their Spring Planting Festival! We live about 4 hours west of them. Nice to see another MO prepper!
dee, happy birthday…and wishing you many more…
Happy Birthday, DEE! God’s blessings!
Have a Happy Birthday! A Baker Creek outing should be awesome. I’ve never been there, but have ordered seed from them. Please give us an after-visit report if you have time.
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday Dee! Hope it was a good day.
Greetings to the WOLF PACK!
I’ve been busy traveling with the job lately. I need to work on a BOB for traveling on a plane, one that I can keep with me as a carry-on. Any ideas??? I hate being without a good knife!
Been busy at home, too:
1) Well- Replaced our 30 year old well pump. That was “fun” as it was over 360 feet deep. Replaced all of the wiring, too. The guy that I got the pump from said that he never saw one that old still working. I guess we were living on borrowed time on that one.
2) Dentist- Root canal and crown. Sigh…..
3) Doctor- The good old endoscopy and colonoscopy time again. Sigh, again..….
4) Doctor- DW had some basal cell cancer removed. They supposedly got it all this time.
5) Silver- I see that it is on the move back up again so I stopped at my local coin dealer.
6) Porch- Need to get the concrete slab jacked up as it has settled nearest the house. They just drill some holes and spray in poly foam and it lifts it up to the level that you want it so that it drains away from the house again. I was going to rent a jackhammer and remove it and re-pour it but now I don’t have to. Saves my back!
7) Bank- Been sorting through halves and dimes for silver. Finding more silver in the dimes than the halves. Been stocking up on nickels, too. It looks like nickels and pennies will probably change to steel sometime next year.
8) Stocked up on .223 and rifle/pistol cleaning supplies.
9) Stocked up on reloading supplies.
10) Got the Excalibur dehydrator and am going nuts with drying apples and making deer jerky. I am even getting orders from people at work. I don’t think I have time for that right now.
11) Getting the garden ready for Spring. Going through seed catalogs. I can’t believe it is almost February already!
Thoughts and Prayers to all those who are sick or lost loved ones….. and everyone else, too!
Yahta’ he,
BTB
Hello Becomes The Bear!
I am amazed at your prepping! Next time you have a weekend free, come to my house. ROTL….
Thanks for the prayers Sir. Cos
Oops. Dropped an F there. It should read ROTFL….
I wish I had more time to do more! It seems like the weeks just fly by and the weekends are even faster. Some weeks it seems like I am just spinning my wheels. Slow and steady is my motto but who knows how much time we have and what will be hitting us…..
It’s not much, but I have a knife that looks like a key and is on my keyring. It also has a phillips and flat head screwdriver. I have taken it on several airplanes and through every courthouse in my area. I have never even been asked about it. I have used it a number of times when someone asks: “who has a knife?”.
Recently, I purchased a ceramic knife. I tore it apart to get the metal clip out of it. Now I have to make a new handle. Not sure what to use.
I had one of those that I took through TSA checkpoints at least 200 times. Then I hit the overzealous one in Michigan and they ended up taking it. I just bought two more but won’t be trying to take it through the xray machine again- too expensive to lose. Is this what you are referring to? http://www.amazon.com/Swiss-Tech-UKCSB-1-Utili-Key-MultiTool/dp/B0001EFSTI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327950973&sr=8-1
how about a nice wooden handle?
Or a roll or two of quarters in a sock!
Picked up 6 stainless steel 24 oz. water bottles that were on sale.(2 for $4). B.P.A. free
One will be used for drinking and cooking. The narrow tall vessels heat fast on a compact fold down stove.
The other bottle is used to house our emergency fishing kits. You can get alot of gear inside this bottle. Stuff two bandanas in,put your split shot and hooks into pill bottles or 35mm film cases, line, wire,small pliers,etc,etc. Add a silica pack and you have a waterproof fishing kit.
Also can double as a spare for cooking/drinking.
that is some good thinking on where to house fishing kits…
Recieved my box of accessory goodies from Hi-Point Firearms for my Hi-Point .45 ACP Carbine. Installed Muzzle Equalizer, Tactical LED light, added 2 Picatinny Rails, Replaced open sights with a scope, a stock mounted holder for 2 extra magazines, and the really cool add, Laser Sight!
So , big improvment in the hardware area. Beside that, I built and installed my 5 Pickle Barrel, Rainwater collectors.
And finally, have done a TON of review online regarding rasing chickens, building coops, breeds, etc. Etc. And have gotten my To Do List together to begin work in this area. Will get started this week, since there is a lot to do, to be ready for Chicks by Spring
Long hair, good work. Some times research is as important a prep as spending money on preps.
Another slow week with some unexpected expenses. Just picked up a few 1 st aid items & a large pack of tp at the grocery store & hit the $ store for wooden clothespins & tooth pain meds. Wanted to get some of the bigger items on my list but those will have to wait a few weeks.
Started planning raised bed garden. This will be my 1 st & I’m rather nervous because my thumb is not green but black! But I’m gonna give it a go anyway. One problem though is that our yard is on a bit of a hill so hubby’s gonna have a heck of a time getting the bed leveled. Will be interesting though & I’m really looking forward to growing my own veggies. Had a huge garden growing up & we would’ve starved it it weren’t for it.
If you are a first time gardner the best advice I can give is make sure you spend a lot of time on soil prep!!!! Start out right and not try to make up for things later and you will have a lot better success. Don’t know what kind of soil you have or are going to use but make sure to add losts of organics and make sure it drains well. I usually put some compost, composted manure and sand and or peat moss in my bed every year. The composted manure will not burn your plants and provide lots of nutrients to grow strong plants. I hate chemicals so watch your plants close and pick off bugs a you see them and use a soap solution if you have lots of small bugs. Get a good book on gardening to learn which bugs are bad and which are good , believe it or not some bugs are good for your garden. The best thing though is to just do it and learn as you go just like anything else in life.
Thank you! Actually my mom suggested the same in regards to soil prep. I’m in Central FL and the soil seems to be all sand! I don’t know if it really is or not, but that makes sense since we are a giant sand-bar. Even my mom (who lives in TX) was surprised by the soil when she helped me with my flower beds. So I’ll be bringing in lots of soil & composted manure from the garden center. Also I don’t want to use any chemicals if that’s possible. Yuck!
Meg K,
I am in No. Fla. and joined a community garden last fall. I had never gardened in FL so it has been a learning experience. I have raised beds that I built from 2×6′s and then added in top soil mixed w/peat moss, composted manure, and then topped it off with mulch from the county dump transfer location. I read tons of books but decided on the square foot garden method. You can get a TON of food out of a very small space – I will attest to that! I have to admit, being a very humble, behind-the-scenes person, I had the best garden out of the 40 plots we have. Most gardeners there are old-timers and stuck in their ways and thought I was a bit crazy with these contraptions I built! Ha ha! Actually, there was a big picture of me and my garden on the front page of the living section of the city newspaper last week!
My advice…read, experiment, read some more, talk to folks, ask questions, try anything/everything and see what works and what doesn’t. Every soil/seed/method/season/water is different so what works for some may not work for others. That’s why it’s good to get the wrinkles out and your soil built up now while you can afford to make some “mistakes.” Don’t want to wait to learn when your life may depend on it!
Good luck, and if I can help you in any way, just post it and I’ll do my best!
Conmaze, did your community garden have trouble with people coming in and helping themselves? Ones who did NOT have a garden there?
We were part of a community garden when we first married; we lived in an apartment. The first garden was railroad ties on top of the apartment complex’s asphalt parking lot. The carrots were in an L shape, lol. The next garden was on some property owned by a university who gave all of us permission. One day when we went to work on the plots, there was a whole group of people there who were helping themselves to all we worked so hard for – grocery bags full of stuff, some not even ripe. When they were confronted, they told us they lived in the community and since it was a community garden they were entitled to it. And that was 40 years ago in Ann Arbor MI!
Encourager,
I’m sorry to say that things have not changed much in 40 years. We had two evils, vandals and thieves. The county gave us the property to set up the garden and they put a 10-foot fence around it to keep out four-legged animals. No one thought about the two-legged kind. We assume it was kids climbing the fence and breaking tools, wheelbarrows, throwing solar lights around, etc. While this was going on, veggies (mostly mine because I had the nicest garden) were being stolen. I got wiped clean. The county put a strand of barbed wire along the top of the fence and installed a security light. Things seemed to have stopped. Then the stealing started up again. Mostly my stuff again as it came ripe, but this time they were hitting everyone. We changed the locks, again, and then it stopped. After the fact, we had gotten a call from a neighbor of the garden who said she saw a woman with three kids carrying five-gallon buckets (mine) running from plot to plot gathering and then bringing to Mom. What a great thing to teach your children!
Well, I figure it was just yet another lesson from God with a minor tap on my head rather than a brick. I wasn’t going to starve but it sure made me very, very angry! As you said, all that work and then someone else gets the payoff.
So I took my lesson and I have started making plans to duplicate my raised beds at home behind a six-foot privacy fence with my two big dogs and will gradually move away from the community garden. If/when tshtf, I don’t want to be anywhere near there!
These are relatively good times (services are available, soup kitchens are open, government handouts) and this woman has her children stealing for her. Great mothering! No wonder society is where it is at. Don’t get me started! LOL We even have signs posted at each gate that if you are in need to call this number and we will provide a helping hand. We donate produce to Second Harvest and several area churches. We believe that that is the true meaning of “community”. If you ask for help, I will gladly give. But if you steal, I bite!
Thanks so much conmaze! I definitely plan on learning now while there’s no pressure to live purely on what I grow. But it sure will be nice to be able to do that (hopefully) someday!
I ran across this article one day on raised beds and how to make them. I’m sure there are multiple ways of going at it, but this had pictures! lol For me I was like, “oh, like that!”
http://thepioneerwoman.com/homeandgarden/2011/02/build-your-own-raised-flowervegetable-bed/
Vienna, thank you for the link! I’m a visual learner so I think that will really help. My hubby will be doing most of the building, but I’ll be giving directions, lol. ; )
Meg K, I live in the Orlando area of Central Fl and have been growing in raised beds for 4 years in both the Spring and Fall. Before that, I grew Roses for 15 years. The best advice I can give you is to compost. Compost is the key to growing healthy vegetables. We will begin building fresh compost bins shortly. Once the oak trees begin dropping their leaves, we begin collecting bags from our neighbor landscaper and from the curbs of the neighborhood the night before Yard Pick-up Day. For those who living in rural areas and don’t have a clue about Yard Waste Day, my neighbors want unblemished lawns and instead of mulching the leaves to feed their lawns, they rake or pay someone to do the work and all their hard work is set out on the curb for the County to haul it away.
I used the Square Foot garden soil formula of 1/3 Canadian Peat, 1/3 Course Vermiculite, and 1/3 Compost ( which can be a combination of leaf mold, mushroom compost and animal manures) to fill my beds initially. After the first growing season, we only use compost to refill the beds. I hope this helps you get started.
MareBear, we might just be neighbors! : ) Thanks for the advice, especially so specific to this area. We actually have 3 large trash bags full of oak tree leaves on the side of our house that hubby just scooped up last weekend. (Trying to lessen our giant-spider problem, since they like to hide out in collected leaves!) I’m gonna make sure he saves them now.
Bought 3 Sheffield 9 in 1 multi-tools on sale, 2 more 10×12 camo tarps.
couple more magnesium fire starters. Stainless steel fishing hooks in various sizes.
Was stopping at our local goodwill store on and off all month and found 2 boyscout cooking kits complete with the swiss army knives and carry bags for 2.99 each(1 was unused, the other in new condition). 2 brand new 6 gallon heavy duty water jugs with carry handle for 4.99 each. A brand new heavy duty 48oz plastic water bottle complete with shoulder strap and carry bag made of leather 2.99(never used).
Also beefed up the food, water, vitamin ,ammo supply.
wow, you got some bargains…
Thank you to all for the many good posts.
Someone mentioned that Sams has lighters by the box of 100 for around 15 bucks! This is correct! I picked up 100.
Same thing for the wooden (STRIKE ANYWHERE) matches, I did find them at an Ace Hardware, 1 dollar a box for the large kitchen strike anywhere, 250 count. Picked up 10 boxes.
After reading posts here, I have been to several estate sales.
I got 20 lbs of parifin still new in boxes adn several large candles for 7 bucks.
Got a really nice like new mini mag flashlight with led for 75 cents with good batteries in in and working.
Picked up several nice hand tools for next to nothing.
The best deal was an old metal sign I bought for a dollar and sold to antique dealer for 100 bucks!
So I took that profit and for my birthday went to Fort Thompson and bought the Ruger mini 14 .223 with the folding stock. Hope to try it out next week.
What an eye opener! not only can you save money at these sales, I guess you can actually make money, anyway estate sales /garage sales can be a great way to pickup extra supplies, just one more idea I got from this site! Thank You Wolf Pack!
YOU did awesome, congrats.
The other day I was in a craft store, parafin was $25 for a small brick, so excellent just there.
remarkable…good on you…
Score!
just found this site showing how to make small, single use antibiotic ointment tubes.
http://www.briangreen.net/2011/07/diy-single-use-antibiotic-packs.html
TG, excellent article..can see small sachets of salt/pepper, ketchup, curry powder. Talc for powdering toes, hand sanitizer, and for the first aid kit…iodine – all waterproof and perfect for a day trip. thank you for posting that link…
I just can’t keep up with all the good ideas the pack is posting…cheers.
This is a great article! Thanks for sharing the sight, TG.
That is so cool–thanks for sharing, TG! Great thoughts on other ways to use that packaging, too, Chloe.
I was just thinking, a while back we were thinking about ways to carry some rehydration solution (salt and sugar mix) in appropriate amounts. I think this might work for that as well.
MD…
Gotcha. Think I’ll send them an Email anyway. Their catalog now has a “Survival Supplies” section. Perfect fit. How many “eyes on” does “The Survivalist Blog dot Net, have now?
Hawkeye,
7,383 RSS and email subscribers and an average of 8,000 direct hits so a total of approximately 15,000+ daily readers…
if anyone like free stuff i just found these mason drinking glasses for free with free shipping.http://76.12.189.94/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Store_Code=Firefly&Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=06
got this link off of my local coupon site look on facebook for your local areas it does help having other people to help with coupons and free stuff.
for prepping i ordered these free mugs. Dh likes them they keep his coffee hot for a long time when he is working out in the shop.
Finally finished my inventory and organizing our binders. Wish I had started this from the get go it wouldn’t have takin so long.
Took Mother to get her commidities she got some more canned beef, oats, noodles, 1% boxed milk not bad but use as last resort. Powdered milk, and veggies. Her commodities sure help out right now. I havent been actual grocery shopping in about 6 month been eatiing what we have stored mostly, and still looks like we have about 6 months more before we run out. Had more stored then what we thought.
Will be very happy when everything is settled with workmens comp. Dh was supposed to start school to be retrained last Friday, but workmens comp screwed him out of that so hopefully this fall he will get things going.
Getting ready to start my seeds in the house in a few weeks, already have my seed potatoes ready to go using what we grew from last year. Onion set are ready just as soon as ground is ready. Already have onions coming up from last fall
Thanks for the tip on those mason drinking glasses. Just ordered myself! I love them for tea in the summer. They also make Awesome mason jar candles, with a handle for carrying about.
Dh makes me go to the bread store for jelly just so he can have the jars. All the flavors taste the same so he scrapes 6 flavor into a quart jar washes the mugs and maybe eats the jelly. He doesnt like the jelly, but loves the jars. Kids don’t care as long as it is food.
Wow. What a great find, Candy. Just ordered a set for myself.
Candy…so good to hear how prepping came in handy…now, and not just ‘in case’…hope you hubby lands on his feet…and wishing you good fortune.
Recieved an email from the mason jar mugs that it was a misprint and that they apoligize for the mistake.
Was very ticked cause I had all 3 daughters oredering for me as well as myself. They would have made good jelly jars. Sorry folks I should have waited 24 hours to see what they were going to do. I hate false advertising, I cancelcelled the rest of my order thru them.
I got that same email. :( But they still are cheapest price for mason jar mugs that I could find anywhere. 6 for $12. I didn’t see what the shipping was.
I didn’t see the shipping either. I was upset over the fact of false advertising. So we just cancelled it all, not worth my time I have close to 100 of these mugs anyways can go to bread store and get them with the jelly for $1.99 same price and gives the grandkids some jelly even tho to me the jelly is nasty. Prefer the homemade myself.
Hi Pack Members,
I broke down and went to the doctor last week, as my bad cold wasn’t going away after 12 days. Got some antibiotics as the cold was becoming a sinus infection. I called the doctor back telling her I had a reaction to the prescription and she wrote another for a different antibiotic. It’s a great way to sandbag some antibiotics. I did go by The Dollar Store as they had a sale on canned vegs and fruit. Picked up 50 cans at 80 cents a can. Am I the only one who has noticed the BIG increases in food costs? While recovering from the cold I watched several really good videos on YouTube about killing and dressing out chickens and building chicken coops. Money has been tight and I still have to get a root canal done before an old 20 yr crown can be replaced. So, I’m building my shopping lists (food, water, guns/ammo and comm) in anticipation of a bonus coming in a couple of weeks and waiting for my root canal – oh, boy!
cjs28…yes, food has increased shockingly…I am still prepping like mad. Prices have gone up and sizes have decreased…double whammy. and then devaluation of $ – triple whammy…
cjs28
No, you’re not the only one who has noticed the increase in food costs. My wife complains about it every time she returns from shopping. Sooo, I finally got her to agree to turn her “forever wild” area of the yard into a garden. We started ordering seeds a few weeks ago. Once spring arrives (mid to late April up here) we are having some organic soil trucked in and roto-tilled.
Sory to hear about the root canal…ouch! My personal version of hell, time in the dentist chair.
Things so far:
Case of Honeyville grain wagon wheel pasta (20#) 2o% off
1 #10 can of sour cream powder
1 #10 can non fat milk
1 #10 can refried beans
Whoa! Don’t know what happened but my message posted before I was finished. LOL Anyway, they had a good sale at the Honeyville Grain outlet store.
I also picked up a lot of refills for my first aid kit. Can’t afford to buy those first aid kits offered online so I download the contents and go out and buy them as I can. I order my antibiotics for my “fish” at CalVet. I have a pretty good kit now even have an assortment of Israeli bandages.
Ralph’s supermarket had jimmy dean sausage on sale for .99 so I bought all they had and froze them. Use or freeze date by 2/4/2012. Going to see how quiche comes out using my freeze dried eggs. I figure I will use sausage instead of gr beef for a lot of recipes. The cost of ground beef here is thru the roof.
Ordered a little more expensive oil lamp from Hehman’s than what I already have. This one was a whooping $33 on sale. Also found a little oil lantern at Goodwill for $3. Just hope the chimney I ordered from Lehman’s will fit. Bought a kelty mummy sleeping at Target for my 2 yr old grandson (rated to 45 degrees – ok for here in SoCal) for $5.98.
We camp a lot as a family in the summer so I am already prepping for that. Ordered a cot for my DH from L.L. Bean. He has some health problems and has difficulty getting up from an air mattress.
This coming week I am starting on my garden. It has been in the 80′s here and the trees are blossoming. I know there will be more freezes before winter (what is that?) ends so I am ambivalent about actually planting outside yet.
Again, not a lot this week for prepping, saving up $ for the wedding and associated expenses. Did get a little silver, picked up some items to replenish items used from the larder, bought some steer manure for the raised garden beds. I’ve been drooling over the various seed catalogs but mostly I’ve got my seeds all ready for seed starting in a couple of months. Will be traveling overseas for a couple of weeks, so will miss reading the great posts here, M.D., I sure dont know how you choose the winners, most have a lot of great info, hard to pick. Hope all have a great prepping week.
Safe travels, AZ Rookie Prepper.
Car repairs
Dentist
Frog/Fishing Gigs
Battery powered sensor lights
Rechargeable AA & AAA batts w/charger, I have a couple of small solar panels and the other swag to keep them going. Sanyo’s Eneloop batteries seem to be the newest rage.
See-thru scope mounts for a couple of rifles
Firewood processing
Sold the Air Hockey table to fund stuff, girls weren’t too interested in it.
Thinking of selling our Hot Tub, sits unused 99.9% of the time, flip the $ into an Enduro or Mini-14′s
But the best was a 92FS from a guy on a forum, pristine and over $100 below the next best deal that I could find. Arrived Friday :)
Bottom line, expensive week.
Constant GHB/BOB fiddling.
Loved the H2O post, realized I need more fittings and maybe pumps to be more comfortable. I have a 550 gal cistern that needs to mounted up high, so I will start gathering materials to build a 10′ platform with box on top to hide it from eyes and sun. This spring will be a flurry of projects.
Not a lot this week as it’s the final week before the tax deadline. Got it finished about an hour ago.
I have ordered dried cat food, bulk packs of fruit in syrup, biryani sauce (2kg) and 2kg catering tubs of oxtail and cream of chicken soup, a case of lemon juice, 6kg of pasta, lots of tinned tuna (20p per can!) and some Betty Crocker Shake-to-mix pancake mixture.
Luddite Jean, congrats on getting the taxes done!!! I’m a farmer, so my taxes need to be in by March 1, so am working on them, too. Will be glad when they’re done. It’s a great feeling, isn’t it?!
Got myself a Marlin 1894 44mag this weekend. Been looking for one for 2yrs here in my area. Gunshop owner said he ordered this one in Jan of 2011 and it came in this week . Pretty big demand for that gun these days.
Went to the gunshow in Greensboro this weekend, man that place was packed. I bet there were 20,000 people there on Sat.
Found a good deal on some Georgia Arms 44mag, 38sp and 357mag. I was really looking for some powder and lead but there was only one booth with reloading supplies and they didnt have any thing I wanted.Midwayusa.com here I come again.
best
That is one awesome rifle you got there, fishnnut, and I’ve looked for them myself. Was yours the stainless steel with the 20″ barrel? That’s the one I want.
Cosmolined, thanks for the welcome to the Wolf Pack. I’ve been around for a couple of years but don’t post very often. Only a couple of the Pack have commented on my posts so I wondered if anyone even saw them. I’ve met one LMI through the Survivalist Blog and found out just last week that a long time hunting buddy actually is interested in prepping but hasn’t really gotten into it other than canning meat and garden produce. We had a long conversation about prepping and I feel he is going to come on board.
I remember seeing some of your posts. Could be from the days when I lurked. Great news that you have found some like-minded friends. Wish I had at least one, but then again, I have a Wolf Pack.
We see you 0_o
Jaxhaus:
I’ve only been on board for a few months. I’m enjoying the conversations and contribute when I can. (Many skills except the people one… ) Cos
hello…I see you…
jaxhaus,
I saw this post. Don’t recollect seeing earlier post from you but welcome to the wolf pack. As you post more you’ll end up getting more replies. Say something controversial and you’ll get a ton of them :) (just kidding about that).
Glad that you’ve met someone local that you can at least talk to without them looking at you as if your head is on backwards. We’ve all preached to the choir and got left behind by people shaking their heads knowing that the sky is never going to fall. Luckily they have no idea where I store stuff or what I have store.
Keep doing what you are doing.
Jax, I’ve seen your posts on and off. Good to see you back. Its always good to meet like minded people. A coworker I discuss prepping and go to the range with I had just found out was someone he like you visits from time to time.
I could use some advice……..i’ve been storing my preps in my old mobilehime (i live in an rv) my dd & sil & 2 little ones will be moving in that mobilehime. I will build an insulated room in my shop. What size should i build for preps for 6 ppl? Is 8x8x8 big enough? TY in advance.
Today i did some elecrical work in the barn. One light socket and no outlet is not enough. set up a game camera to see who is snooping around when im @ work.
Hey Arkieready,
That is a good size room. What is going in there? Gun Vault? Water barrels? Gear? Just food and supplies? Ask yourself these questions and start writing down the answers. You might be surprised by how much room it takes. I am prepping for 6 also. Just my vaults and food shelves fill about that size area. I can cram more in, and I will, but it will be a pain to move around. I plan on a 11×14 new space soon, it will be packed. So much depends on what you are going to store, sorry to point out the obvious, but it sounds like a great start. You can always expand, at least that’s what I tell myself when I keep bringing stuff home. Somehow we always find room. The only real problem in stuffing a space is rotation. Good luck and fill ‘er up.
Thank you, pineslayer. My food preps and 5g water jugs. Might go 8×12, i have room(in the shop, but not the budget) Big water tank is doing ok so far, exposed to winter temps. i have a big uninsulated shop. just no room in the rv. heck, i even get inmy own way. and when dh is home, its really fun.
Look into a 20′ shipping container [conex] you might be surprised at how cheap they are vs building materials.
what about a 40 foot s/container. I have one.
ordered – delivered (2 days) then filled with preps steadily – too easy.
take into account the time/money/materials etc it would take to build something that sturdy/waterproof/fireproof/lockable – as opposed to the time you could be doing other prep things…just a suggestion…
Well it has been a great week. We scavenged alot of oak firewood I ask a local subdividsion if we could have the oak trees that were cut down on the property and they said sure. They only paid the tree company to fall them not clean them up, they were excited that we wanted them. Bought a brand new Foodsaver on craigslist for 60.00 it was an entire set up with 6 rolls of the 11″ bags, canisters, pint quart and gallon bags. Regular sales for 183.00 + all the extras, I am very excited. Our local Food Lion Grocery was one of the stores to get the axe, but I was late getting to the sale and most of it was gone. Working on my BOB bag trying to get others in my community on board, had some good responses. All in all a good week for us.
This week I picked up boneless chicken breast (40 lbs) that I had ordered from Zaycon foods for 1.67$ a pound. I wasn’t sure about their products as no one had mentioned them on this blog, but on a couple other blogs they had, so I gave it a shot. I’m impressed! I will definately buy from them again. Type in the name Zycon and check them out.
M.D., if you try them and like them there is a way for you to get credit for your blog followers for your purchases as well. You may want to check them out, it may be something your interested in, may not. Anyway…
The pickup was a breeze, the chicken tastes wonderful, it was trimmed to perfection. The breasts were HUGE! (out of the gutter guys!)
And the most fantastic thing?~? I CANNED SOME!!! Yeah! I finally faced my fear of botulism and killing my family with home canned meat and finally did it!
Geez, soooo much easier then canning fruit and veggies! The only two negatives to canning is having a small canner (holds 5 pints at a time). And I have a ceramic top stove (hate the damn thing) so I have to put together the camp chef propane stove, and have the propane refilled after the first canner full was done. Oh and do it out in the garage.
The pints are beautiful! :) Quite proud of myself really.
So next time Zaycon has their chicken in this area I’m getting more. They also sell honey, salmon, ground beef, bacon and I think something else. I’m going to get their ground beef next time it’s offered in our area.
I guess a non-prep prep would be my DH and I took an overnight away from the kids, by ourselves, alone, just us. Weird. It’s the third time in the 19 years we’ve been together that we stayed away from the kids overnight (youngest is 13). So funny though. Even just the two of us we talk about situational awareness, sit in certain places in restaurants to protect ourselves and watch others. Both had our “equalizers” on respective night stands next to the bed! And no tsunami on the Long Beach peninsula, so even better! lol
Now I’ll go read the 348 posts ahead of my comment so I can catch up and learn something.
Hope every one has a great upcoming week, we’ve made it through January 2012. Now just to make it through summer (I suspect the Occupy vermin will multiply then) to November. Keep Prepping!
Saw my typo above. It’s Zaycon not zycon. Here’s the link if your interested.
foods.https://secure.zayconfoods.com/index.php
Why can’t you use your ceramic top stove to can on? I use mine to water bath can and pressure can. I have the 16 quart Presto canner. Might call the company and check the specs on your stovetop. If its less than 5 years old, you should be able to can on it. They strengthened the tops for that purpose.
The Ceramic top was in the house when we got it and that was 11 years ago. It is the kind that get red hot then tones down, then heats up…then cools down. It’s dumb.
So for one, the heat is not consistent for the pressure canner and the recommendation my DH looked up online (during one of my tirades against it) said it could crack and recommended against using a pressure canner.
I’ve water bathed on it. Not sure really how that differs from a pressure canner? But if I attempt it and crack it my DH will give me “the look” since he’s the one that looked up the big no-no regulations.
My ceramic top stove is 9 years old. I had been canning on it with both water bath and pressure canners until last year when I read on this site that I wasn’t supposed to can on it. But then I had tomatoes and green beans and such and went back to canning on it. I would love a gas stove, but this one just works too well.
I just talked to Frigidaire about my ceramic top stove. She said no pot can be over 1 inch bigger than the element; and nothing heavier than 50#.
That eliminates the hot water bath canning I have done on it! And I am sure a pressure canner full of quarts weighs over 50# or close to it. Rats.
Hi folks, I’m still around. I recently posted I was looking for like-minded people to learn and share ideas with, etc. that may live in my area here in S.W. Missouri. I didn’t have too much luck with that but while attending our local bi-monthly gun show last weekend, I was made aware of a group that meets here in Springfield once a week. I attended their gathering this week and it appears it’s going to be a good fit for me. I’ll give them another visit or two and see how it goes. Hopefully, I will be allowed to report on that at a later date. I have also found a local source for bulk food at competitive prices. This business also carries a small assortment of Mylar bags, moisture absorbers, etc. I have learned there is a new army surplus store in Ozark, Missouri that I am excited to check out.
Anyway, this week I bought two books. I am just about done reading One Second After for the second time. The library loaned me the book the first time I read it. Now I have my own copy. The second book is World Made by Hand. I also bought 100 rounds of 9mm hollow point and 100 rounds of 22 caliber hollow point to add to my inventory. Last, I bought 20 cans of Progresso soup on sale for $1.00 a can.
I would like to take a moment to thank our host and the folks that post here. You cannot learn the kind of wisdom that is posted on this site anywhere else. Thanks to all of you.
ozhillbilly, I live near Calico Rock, Ar., which is in the Ozarks, but is still quite a ways from Springfield. I do go to Mountain Home regularly to shop, but haven’t been to Springfield since one of my best friends who lived there passed away.
Hi Templar Knight, I just Google mapped Calico Rock and see you are about three hours from Springfield. I’ll bet it is beautiful country down there. Hope your place is close to the large reserve. I live in Springfield. I’ve been working on my wife to move back to the country, as that is where we came from, but I’m afraid she’s gotten citified on me. She seems to be mellowing some though.
Sorry to hear of the loss of your friend here in Springfield. Springfield is changing so fast that every time I blink I see something new. I cannot say it’s for the best but no need to interject my politics in this conversation.
So far my family and friends have tolerated my belief that we here in the United States and the world for that matter are in for some kind of re-set. Will it be an economic thing, a major war, natural disaster, etc.? God is the only one that knows.
ozhillbilly, we always made a trip up to Springfield to visit my college buddy when we were in Branson(back when Branson was affordable). My two boys always wanted to go to Bass Pro and they enjoyed looking at the stuffed critters, the indoor archery range, the restaurants, and the general ambiance of the place. When I went to my friend’s funeral last year, Springfield had exploded growth-wise. I was stunned at how much things had changed, so I understand what you are saying. Keep working on your wife and get that country place. God bless.
How in the world do you get these people to send you all that free donations and you got it made so whats the secret?
Hypnosis.
You are getting sleepy, very sleepy, now…send M.D. lots of $$.
LMAO!
This week we didn’t do much prepping until today when I read the blog this morning and you reminded me to do some prep work. I went down to our pantry and organized some of our stuff and downloaded an app for my phone to keep track of our goods and food. The app lets me log the expiration date and quantities of the food which I find works for us. I then organized our prep room that houses our Bug out Bags and other Get out of Dodge materials.
Lastly, I just down loaded the Wolf Pack cookbook and will be printing it off for our Get out of Dodge manual. Thanks for this weekend blog regular item, it is a good tool for all of us to keep working for ourselves and families… God Bless the Preppers!!!
I would be interested in this app…what is it called? I’m new to the smart phones…my kids just gave me an Android.
My Pantry 2 and it cost 99 cents…
Hey Wolfpack,
Not too much prepping this week since my sister was in town visiting and can’t be trusted to be left alone at all.
For those of you that have a Publix near you, they have corn beef/roast beef hash 2/$4.00, plus I had some coupons which made it better…. AND if you buy 2 and have the yellow flyer coupon you get a free dozen eggs. I got 8 cans and 4 dozen eggs… gonna try dehydrating some of them and see how that goes.
Also picked up 10 cans of Hormel Chile 2/$3.00 plus coupons. Ordered a hand mill coffee grinder. I have one that was my great grandmothers that works great but 2 is one and all that. Plus how many people are gonna need their beans ground once there is no power for their electric grinders. After Hurricane Francis we had no power for two weeks and a friend actually tried to take a sledgehammer to beans in a ziplock because he was so desperate for his cup of Joe. Needless to say that was a bust and he ended up at our house with beans and a raging caffeine withdrawal headache. Also smoked up a bunch of fish from diving lately.
Hope everyone has a great week, Happy Prepping!
DG
Thats about it,
Well, at least you have the sister’s visit behind you(I hope), and you can now get back to prepping full-time, although you still managed to get some prepping done. Good job. Hope the sister didn’t leave with anything that didn’t belong to her.
DG, I fell in LOVE this past week….with Publix! lol I made my first trip down there (an hour drive from my house) Only spent about 20 bucks for 50 bucks worth of groceries. I WILL be going back!
BamaBecca,
Glad you enjoyed Publix. Sometimes you have to be careful there because their prices tend to be high, however, if you are able to match up their BOGO’s with coupons you can get some great preps. Last night I spent $74 on $196 worth of stuff, mostly all prep items. I’m hooked on the couponing game. A friend was over and asked me if things were going that badly for me financially that I was clipping coupons. I told her she was nuts to be paying full price when she didn’t have to be. I don’t think she got it.
Most of the stuff from last night is going on the boats for ‘just in case’. I worry that I’m gonna be off diving somewhere and TSHTF so I’m working up plans for that.
Take Care all!!
DG
Hey all,
Had a very busy week this week. Got a couple new product lines to sell. Bandages, and a topical anti-biotic cleanser and a spray antibiotic.
Took wife and daughter to the range and had them shooting 4″ groups @ 15 yards with a Taurus .38 spec. snubbie.
Picked up a Handgun Cleaning Kit, 1000 x .177 Hunting Pellets, Break Free CLP, from WalMart.
Then I got extremely lucky on Craigslist. Picked up 20rd box .223 Soft point Hunting Ammo, 12 boxes 12ga. Federal Tactical Buckshot, 1 box Winchester 12ga. 1oz. Slugs, 1000 Winchester Small Rifle Primers, 11 boxes Lake City over runs 2005 man. .223 FMJ Ammo, 50rds 9mm 147gr. Hydra Shok, 3 x 50 rds. .45acp FMJ, 100 rds .45acp Hydra Shoks, 24rds. .308 FMJ, 40rds .308 Federal Match Sierra B.T. Hollow Point, Dbl Mag Leather Carrier , Galco Leather 45 Holster, 532 x .45acp Reloads and 13 boxes of .40 S&W. Sold the .40 S&W for enough to pay for everything else.
Picked up 100 x .224 Hornady Bullets from a customer, 25 x 28ga. #8 Shotshells.
Thats it for this week.
Ray
Question for all
I bought a Kelly Kettle kit. Haven’t tested it yet, working too much and other issues. Living in the northeast I have plenty of water sources. This time of year most of that is snow. The question I have is would you use fresh snow, after being boiled in the kettle, to rehydrate a Moutain House type meal or even allow to cool for drinking? Do you feel that it still would need to be run through a filter?
Thaw some snow and run it through a white coffee filter, you’ll be surprised at what it picks up from air pollution.
SP,
My plan is to pre-filter all my water through large coffee filters, then either chemically treat it, boil it, or run it through my Katadyn water filter before consuming it. After I run out of coffee filters, I have a big supply of cheesecloth I will use. Hope this helps.
azyogi has it right. I have thawed snow and drank it, but the pine needles and such make it less than a perfect cup of coffee. Cos
Did not get much done directly. I had a funeral for a friend on Saturday. Did some work on the stack pipe in my basement. Started to replace the wood door in the basement with a steel windowless entry door.
Question for you all. Have any of you purchased the books and materials that Damian Campbell is advertising called “Survive Water Crisis” for $27.00? If so, is it worth it to buy it? Or, is it pretty much the same information I see on these forums about water stills, filters, purifiers, stockpiling? It’s not that $27.00 will break the bank. But there are so many opportunists that take advantage using scare tactics to sell their products. I do not wish to make them rich, while I am sacrificing. Plus all these products add up pretty quickly. I am still new enough that I don’t know much about this guy yet. Thanks for all your collective wisdom.
My condolences on the loss of your friend Dave[tno]. I haven’t seen that book will look into it.
I didn’t get as much done this week as I wanted to due to the dental work I had done early in the week. I was pretty miserable for several days and on pain meds, but feeling better now.
I dehydrated some bell peppers that I had in the freezer, reorganized some of my canned goods on the new shelving DH built for me last week and bought 15 more lbs of potatoes to dehydrate.
Also did some research on how to make homeade condiments. I’ll share all that with yall later when I get it more organized. I remember my grandma making homeade ketchup and mayo…gonna try to see if my Aunts have her old recipes.
Checked out the heirloom seeds @ Gurneys. wanting to take advantage of their sale before it ends, but a little scared to spend the extra cash right now.
Yesterday we bought another truck. It’s a ’96 Ford F150. It has 2 gas tanks, so now we have a F350 dually with 2 tanks for diesel and this one with 2 tanks for gas…planning on trying to keep them both full as funds allow. Only problem is that the F150 died this morning, lol. And we bought it “as is”. It ran beautifully yesterday, and today, it put me down in the middle of the road. No clicks, pings, hisses or bangs…..just shut off going down the dirt road…and refused to crank again. We have a mechanic supposed to come look at it tomorrow evening to see if he can figure out what the problem is. DH left out this morning heading to Louisiana. He got the call Friday for the construction job we have been waiting on since October….and I am left behind with no vehicle….cuz my mustang died on us this weekend too. Glad I’ve got plenty of preps in the house and shed,lol. At least I won’t have to go to the store for anything til he comes home in 2 weeks.
Speaking of Louisiana…where is BC Truck? I haven’t seen him post in a while….or maybe I just missed his posts??????
I’ve read some great posts so far today…yall keep them coming! I’m gonna have to defrag my brain soon to store all this info! ;)
BamaBecca,
Sorry to hear about your truck. And your Mustang! We just had 2500.00 in work done to my sons Mustang, but it was due, and its a great car.
I love it when I am without a vehicle. I have others do my errands for me. Hehe. I am a seriously homebody anyway.
And glad to hear you are on the mend from your big dental day. Aren’t you glad that is over? :)
I make my own mayo, mustards, salad dressings and ketchup, when I have surplus tomatoes. My family loves it. The secret to good mayo is using a very light clean tasting oil. I don’t eat any soy products as they are all GMO, so I experiment with other oils. I personally like mayo made with avocado oil.
Mama J,
I’m such a home body, too! I can actually get really out of sorts if I have to go too many places in one week!
Would you mind giving your recipe for mayo with avocado oil? Sounds great.
Thanks.
lol@copperhead! I think I may have some kind of “Social disorder”. I will actually get in town doing my shopping, and get this really bad urge to go home….and I literally won’t finish my shopping. I will GO HOME! yeahyeahyeah, I know I’m nuts, but hey….I’m a lovable nut! :D
LOL. I do the same thing.
BamaBecca, I do that also. I’ll think “oh, I don’t need this right now, I’ll get it later” and get in the car and head home! Then kick myself around the block because I don’t have it when I want to make something! Ding-a-ling me!!
Yeah, I think I’m lovable too, just don’t MAKE me go to town! :)
bamabecca…that happens to me when i go to the big smoke…the place just feels wrong…
so glad others feel that way also…my DD is the same. I pay attention to that…and am making sure I have enough stuff here to not go in unless absolutely necessary…
Thanks MamaJ, for commiserating with me! I love my “pony”. They are some tough little cars. This is my 2nd one and I bought it used 3 years ago and until the past few months, never had more than routine maintenance stuff wrong with it. I’m tempted to sell it, but my heart say NO! lol With well over 200k miles on it, it has definately gone above and beyond the call of duty!
I did get all the dental work done to my top teeth, bottom is next and I am not looking forward to that, but again, it has to be done. Thanks for thinking of me ;)
I’m a homebody too, lol, I hate working at a JOB. I’m not lazy, just had rather be home doing the many things that need to be done that you rarely have time to do when “gainfully employed”. BUT w/o the job, I don’t have cash for preps, so a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do, lol.
Would you share your recipes? I’m trying to find recipes that use as few “store bought” ingredients as possible, since we won’t have those to rely on when the SHTF.
The basic mayo recipe which is the easiest….
1 egg
1/2 tsp of pressed or smashed finely chopped garlic- about 1 med clove.
1T. lemon juice
1 t. dry mustard
3/4 cup of light oil, such as avocado, safflower, or other veggie oils. Chilled. Try different ones until you find one you like. I don’t really care for olive oil as it tastes very strong.
a dash of salt and pepper.
You can add other herbs and spice to taste. Such as paprika, mustards, cayenne, fresh rosemary, thyme or a dash of good vinegar. Change it up and have fun with it.
Combine all ingredients except for oil in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Then blend on low speed while pouring oil in a thin stream until the mixture emulsifies and thickens. It will thicken more as it sits in the frig.
My kids and tried this with a hand crank egg beater to simulate a grid down mayo making. It is definelty a two person recipe. One of use cranked for all we were worth to get the mayo to mix right. We giggled so hard, we didn’t care. But, it did work!
Note on raw egg: I have chickens and know they do not carry salmonella. They live in a clean enviroment, and are offered fresh food, water, and air daily. I would not make mayo with store bought eggs. There are recipes that show you how to pasturize eggs without cooking them and I would recommend that process.
Thanks Mamaj, I’m gonna give it a try. I also have one of those hand crank egg beaters. I got it out of a box of stuff that belonged to my great aunt. Her kids were going to throw it away, so I grabbed it. It has sentimental value AND will be wonderful to have after TSHTF!
I only have 1 big bottle of lemon juice in my preps….I guess its time to step up and fill that hole! ;)
If you want to add lemon juice to your preps, try True Lemon. It’s basically dehydrated lemon juice. The also have True Lime, True Orange, and True Grapefruit. The lemon comes in packets (like suger), small bottles and large bottles. I don’t buy regular lemon juice anymore, this is all I use
JP,
Sounds awesome! Thanks.
MamaJ, thanks for the recipe. I havent made mayo in a long time. One thing we did do with the oil, to make that stream super light is by pouring it over the head of the mixer (we had a stand mixer, and made sure it was super clean), it would then slowly drizzle down into the bowl.
MamaJ, thanks for the recipe. I had to go to 3 stores to find avocado oil, but I finally did and can’t wait to use it.
BamaBecca
BC hasn’t posted much lately as he and wife are not doing long haul anymore – he got a local job that is working him lots of OT and days – good for him! He popped in about two weeks ago I think – so hopefully he’ll be back.
Hi Everyone! Hope all is well where ever you are! This isn’t prepping but it sure is a change for me, I have put both of my homes up for sale. While they both have some really great features and lots of redundancy, there are some glaring deficiencies in each of them. Because of that, I have decided to just start over. Not sure where. I am a California native, but am so disappointed in the present state of affairs here, that I will probably resettle out of the area. I am about 18 months from retirement and since the housing market is such a mess I am sure it will take that long to get settled out.
Having done that, I have been stopping by the local UHaul place and buying boxes. Working on the house closest to work at the moment, I am sorting out what I should keep and store, and what just needs to go. I had already begun to sort out what goes to kids and grandkids at this place so this is just the next step.
I have two of the four children in the bay area, so will probably look at Nevada as my next chapter. We will see………….I am putting it all in God’s hands. If I am supposed to sell, I will, if not, I am still okay so there is no big loss to this that I can see.
Have a great week everyone!
Worrisome, when people like you and Lint leave California the situation just gets worse, as people with assets abandon the state and people with none(no education, no money, no property, no training, no nothing) keep moving in, demanding even more from the state as less is available. It’s not going to be a good outcome. If the SHTF the people in Southern California can’t go east or west(ocean and desert), won’t go south into Mexico, so they will all head north into central and northern California. It will be horrible.
Yes TK, I had thought about the masses that will be looking for an escape from LA as well. There is no getting around or away from the mess we are in as far as population. The family and I have managed to make a retreat for the East Coast family group that will be as close to defensible as we can get them. This is going to my attempt to do the same here on this side of the US. We will be very lucky if the East Coast family group makes it to the retreat. Too many jobs tied to the DC area, all of them the kind of jobs that make a difference every day. But it is a solid plan and I pray that whatever comes their way happens slowly enough that they can get there.
Here, each of my homes has lots of good things going for it, but some major issues as well. Ones that will matter if there is no power in one case; and in the other case, it backs up to National Forest, which would be good, if it were not filled at the present time with dope growers that LE is not running off.
Starting over with some definitive outlined objectives feels like the best route. We will see. Thanks for your thoughts, they helped!
wow…huge changes…good on you…
temp – I feel one thing CA has going for it in terms of SHTF is it’s size. Folks leaving LA for northern CA would be like leaving Atlanta for Ohio – it’s a long, long way with, comparatively, a minimal choice of roads to travel. I really don’t feel many from LA will even make it to the San Francisco, Stockton line much less make it into the actual northern region of the state where I live.
I agree though, I hate to see good people from the north leave the state.
KF, I was thinking that pressure from Southern California would cause many in Central California to head north, thus pressuring Northern California. If we look at the past, many peoples were forced into other lands by pressure on their own land. I’m thinking about many of the tribes in Central Asia who were forced into areas of Europe and the Middle East by pressure from the Mongols. Probably not a very good analogy, but historians looking back at this era might see it better.
One of the things I stumbled across in my readings over the years was the description of the Seljuk Turks and their incursions into what is now the nation of Georgia, but at that time was under the control of the Byzantine Empire. These attacks came every summer, and were intended to run the people out, with crop and infrastructure destruction being the main target after the young women. It didn’t take very many years of crop destruction to starve the people out. The modern day equivalent is the illegal immigration that is now taking place in the developed world. Look at California, where millions of illegal immigrants have overwhelmed the state, and now the native people are abandoning it in large numbers. Of course, this same thing happened to the American Indian when the Whites came in large numbers.
And to further the same analogy, the Byzantine Empire at that time was the most powerful in that region, and should have been able to defeat the Turks. But the population was divided along religious lines, and the Turks were able to win the Battle of Manzikurt because of treason on the Byzantine side. Some people in Byzantium had rather their government fall than give up their hatred of the other side. Sound familiar?
temp – I can see your point regarding the historical analogy but it is still a leap for me to worry about folks 500+ miles south of me in a situation where most will be traveling by foot. Yes, it may be possible that some will make the 200 mile journey through the harsh environment to the Central Valley, but I can’t imagine there will be the numbers to force hordes of Central Valley folks to abandon what they have there and move north into an area not know for food production.
But, I may be wrong – hope I never actually find out.
Had to laugh at your comment of the millions of illegal immigrants that have overwhelmed the state, and now the native people are abandoning it in large numbers. Depending on who you talk to here, some say the immigrants are simply reclaiming what was rightfully theirs and we are the ones here illegally.
“some say the immigrants are simply reclaiming what was rightfully theirs and we are the ones here illegally”.
When I get that I first, correct their non-use of the word Illegal and then second, tell them to go read the Treaty of Guadalupe then third, kiss my Norte Americano Butt!
K Fields…I was kinda’ thinking the same thing…most of the Native Californians died by the 100′s of thousands …the Gringos were not native to California and the Mexicans/Spanish were not native either. My Grandchildren are 7th generation Californians (not many of those) and I have had to remind them WE were not here first…that includes the little one with the Mommy that was born in Mexico City.`
K Fields, most of us living in Southern California if SHTF would be actually heading South and East from what I hear.
Vegas and Phoenix would be easier to get to than Northern California especially if it was earthquake related. I have routes for Northern California mapped out but its a longer back tracked, less populated less bridges path.
The illegal immigrant population has seen a decrease due to lack of jobs in California and a friend in Border Patrol was telling me they are having to take those from countries south of Mexico because the Mexican government increased their officers on the border. When the Mexican agents catch someone south of Mexico entering from the US so they get handed over to the US and we ship them home. He said in his 10 years there it is increasing everyday and illegal immigration into the US is the lowest its been ever. That’s how bad things are.
Jarhead – Thanks for your perspective, I thought after making my last post that it would be good to hear from someone currently living in Southern CA on the subject, but just then my mule made a hellacious racket and I ran out to see what was going on and just now returned back inside.
The immigration stats are really interesting to me as I have also heard from some locals that they won’t vote for Obama this fall because (according to them) more illegals have been deported under the current administration than were being deported during the years Bush was in office. I guess they somehow feel betrayed by Obama because of this.
Somewhere there has got to be a balance, I mean CA really can’t afford to go through the problems Alabama farmers went through, losing crops because no one was willing to pick them, but it also can’t afford to give away money and services to those not willing to contribute to the society as a whole.
Would US citizens work the fields if there was no welfare available? I don’t know, but I think not. Crime is easier and pays a lot more.
K Fields, I don’t touch politics or religion discussions much but you are right, latinos feel betrayed by Obama. He doubled the size of Border Patrol/Customs and they have had the largest funding for equipment and tools in history as well. The National Guard was pulled off the border by Bush for the war in Iraq.
No, the average American and unemployed WILL NOT want to work the fields for minimum wage and that’s why we have migrant workers. I agree with a few Republicans and even Obama that have suggested a work visa program where they come here to work and return to Mexico. Its back breaking work that Americans on a majority won’t do. I’ve done some of the work on families smaller farms and its tedious.
Well, beyond a SHTF situation in moving mobs, the State of California is going to be broke by March according to the news today. What IS going to happen even if events don’t get mob bad, is that this state is going to break out a bunch of laws to get more tax revenue. They are already using intimidation tactics on lots of businesses. There is an increase in fines and fees for vehicles; more Cal Osha visits with bigger penalties; ADA violation audits; Haz Mat surveys and fines; weights and measures and sku # price fines…the list is incredible. Every.Single. Bureau.In.The.State is looking to increase fees and fines so they can continue leaching off the system here. They have the support of a Democratic congress and senate and Governor Moon Beam. They have made such a mess out of diesel legislation as relates to trucks and forklifts that businesses can no longer make decisions about what is the best use of equipment, but what the “state” will allow them to have. There are older trucks all over the damn state, sitting idle because they are going to have to either replace the engines or junk them because to buy the crazy conversions they want to reduce diesel fumes are more expensive than the cost of trucks. All of which drives up the cost of every single thing you buy! Unions in SF are driving for making it mandatory to leave an 18% tip on any restaurant meal you order. Illegal aliens???? How is this, the State just passed a law that says an employer can or cannot use E Verify………depending on where and who you are. If you are located in a sanctuary city, well then ya don’t, if not, then maybe ya do………and the FEDS say yes you must………so who gets fined and who doesn’t? My guess it will be when they decide to come raid the business and fine them for doing whatever it is that is wrong. And I am just hitting the highlights.
What it truly means to me is simply the cost of living is going up from regulation; from inflation; and from higher sales taxes and potentially higher real estate taxes. This state votes Democratic despite what crazy crap comes out of the legislature here and people are continuing to drink the Kool Aid.
Jarhead…I hope the SHTF happens sometime other than the dead of summer if the plan is to head south and east. I lived on the Mojave as a child…in areas where the only water was inside a barrel cactus. Vegas will turn folks away, not sure what Phoenix will do. Long stretches of dry hot nothing to places where there may or may not be water available.
TK, yes there will be upward pressure from any point south, add Sacramento to the pile of folks starving and those strong enough left will go where they will to find food and water. It is a long way, inhumane conditions will take their toll and lots of bodies will fertilize the fields if it comes right down to it and I pray to God that it never ever does.
KFields and Jarhead, a couple of points, I was referring to a worst-case collapse scenario. We all hope and pray that nothing like that happens, and frankly, I don’t thing it is likely, but anything is possible. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best is my motto, and many others here as well.
Jarhead, it’s interesting that the bad economy in California has somewhat stemmed the flow of illegals, and I just heard on the news that California was going to run out of cash in March, and go the route of Illinois and not pay its creditors. More tough times ahead for you folks, and will probably see more people leave due to this cash problem.
KFields, there is a solution to the farmworker’s problem. We should have a system whereby people from Mexico can come here and work where needed, especially in the agricultural areas. But it should regulated and not used to deny jobs to Americans who want to work. I do agree with you on the welfare and crime angle, although a large amount of crime is committed by people who came here illegally. These are tough problems, but problems that could be solved if we had any leadership in Washington. I can dream, can’t I?
there IS a system to bring in legal migrant workers from mexico. i worked with them on the tobacco farms for years and it worked very well. some segments of the native population got pissed because the migrants got paid more than minimum wage by federal law. prior to that american people would work in the fields just fine. but then they found out they could leach off the system. now a farmer can’t get local help at any price as it will “mess with my check”. the migrants worked hard and saved their cash to take home in october. they were vouched for to enter and any screw up meant they wouldn’t get to come back. they spent thousands at the local grocery and sent jeans and other american products to family in mexico. win/win in my book. the only reason any food has gone unpicked was laziness on the part of .gov and the farmers who cheated the legal migrant system to get away paying lower wages and no housing. i say any able body on welfare or unemployment should spend some time in the fields to get motivated not to wind up there. for that matter anybody on the dole should have to do something for the check, even if its just get up and go sit at the office all day, plenty of trash to be picked up too. maybe if they had to pick it they wouldn’t toss it. nothing makes me madder than trash tossed on the road. just plain disrespectful. nuff said.
K, worrisome, TK and River:
I hate what has become of California. I know it gets flak for how liberal the state is and the sorry Governor but there are many reasons I stay here.
The economy here would have been better if the former Governor Gray Davis (D) didn’t destroy the budget by throwing money into pork and friends he put into Gov “jobs and contracts” and chased businesses out of state.
Gov Arnold wasn’t any better to help business.
I think the welfare recipients are just as bad as the illegals, they would be a bigger threat because they are used to hand outs and not working for what they get. They have been cutting back on many programs and welfare hasn’t had enough cuts because they vote Dem if they vote at all.
Maybe this is why my firearms preps have increased, if I have to bug out I’m heading to an isolated area of Central/Northern California with a town population of about 7,000. Two Marines I served with are LE and have invited me up there in a SHTF scenario. I have family down south and a Marine friend in Idaho if I had to get out.
Jarhead, I just read your reply about heading to a small town. I am now less worried about you! The Desert is treacherous! I just hope for you like I do for myself and the rest of my family that we all gauge our timing to “get out and away” in plenty of time to not be part of a mass exodus!
As far as the politicians here? ’tis no different than on the fed level…it just IS. At the present time and that is all I ever look at, it is the Dems that are making the mess. Hated Pete and Gray and Arnie!
I vote as an independent because it is so hard to back a party these days.
As far as illegal aliens, this whole thing seems to easy to solve to me. Don’t make them illegal, make them day/week/month/year workers with a digital card in their hand. Then they can be paid legally, you load the card with the $$ a part of which is set aside to handle their medical, tax and such needs in a fund similar to our withholding funds and no one has to worry about citizenship…all they have to worry about is identity! But perhaps I am being too simple and don’t understand it well enough. I just know that in California, illegals are in every vineyard, tomato patch, cotton field, garden, back kitchen of your favorite restaurant and for the most part, I wouldn’t want to swap jobs with them.
As to who really belongs here? History says it always goes to who is strong enough to hold the land. The native indians weren’t strong enough to hold us back, the mexicans as they were known to be were mostly mixed bred indians when we ran them out of the southwest………….I guess the question is, are we, as we presently present here in the US strong enough to hold the land???
Worrisome, my main plan is bugging in. Bugging out is last resort and I have my plans and routes be it northern Ca or the trek across the desert.
I would move out of California but I have too much keeping me here. My career requires I do 30 years in the company for retirement, I would be 60 by then so I’m looking at second homes in small mountain towns with a population of 1,000 to 5,000 and there are many of them in southern and central California where people only visit during the ski season.
That won’t happen for a few years before I can do that.
My food preps are good but I want to bump up to 12 months instead of 9 months.
My firearms preps are in the event the Governor puts another tax on firearms and firearms related gear. I want the firearms prep to be so solid that if they decided to ban more items or spike the prices I won’t have to worry.
I shoot once a month to keep my skills fresh.
Thanks for the concern and I think I will be good. My biggest concern is earthquakes, another potential riot.
Some around here (my area) think the Chinese may invade, I tell them they have financially but won’t militarily and tell them avoid buying Chinese when possible.
Hey everyone. Preps for the last few weeks have been non existant.
Had to put 4 tires on the primary service truck. The secondary service truck is still waiting for a 2nd transmission.
My food storage has been shrinking due to adult children (son and girlfriend) expecting us to provide them with 2 full time jobs, a vehicle and food when they waste their money. We have told them to hunt for work cause ours has slacked off and we can not afford to make up 2 full time positions for them that dont produce any money to pay them with.
To top it off, daughter #1 had to have some money to carry them while her DH is trying to drum up some work, and Daughter #2 just refuses to get a damn job. Just wants to lay around and let someone else pay for the twins ( 19 months old).
I am just tired. Getting too old for this crap. I am doing my job and the work that there is no one else here to do. Cant afford a book keeper or accountant, so I am left with the day to day operations as well as taxes and all of the other forms and reports that have to be done quarterly.
I did try to work on shelving in the laundry room for more food preps, but I am thinking that shelving in the extra bedroom would make more sense because then it would be stored where the kids wont see it. They think because we have a bunch, we should give it to them. They will then waste their money on bull like playing paintball, or take out.
We are about ready to tell them they are on their own. I will still do for the 3 grand babies, but not for the grown kids. I will hide the extras that I get from couponing ( that budget has been cut out though) and the extra food I have stashed. They dont want the rice and beans anyway. Just the goodies from the short term storage.
Am I the only one stuck with stupid kids?? We tried to raise them right. 2 of them are my step children, so they got some of this behavior from their mother and her family. They all think that someone owes them something. They live on the system and dont feel the need to work and make their own money. Hell, their mother is trying to get daughter to put the twins on SSI! ARE THEY KIDDING??? We tried to show the kids that nothing worth having comes free, and working is the way it should be done. Be productive and dont live on someone else. These 2 missed the point. Other daughter and her DH will work, save, and she coupons to save on what they need. She had the internet and cable turned off so they could make the house payment and got rid of Jeep, and Her DH worked for an older blazer for her to drive that did not have a payment attached. These 2 I will continue to help some cause they are trying to help themselves without using the government to do it for them. She is only 20, but she is trying to help DH pay off debt and cleans houses, subsitute teaches at local school to make money. She is raising a 15 month old baby boy too. Good kid.
OOPPS. sorry for the rant. I just need to try to find the silver linning in all of this I guess. Horde the food and find more money. lol
Take care all.
Congrats to those that quit smoking! You are my role models for trying to get the nerve to quit.
Get well soon to K Fields. We will be sending all of our best wishes your way.
Thanks to the whole wolf pack for helping me keep my back bone. I do need that inspiration from time to time.
God Bless Everyone.
Repair Mama,
We got your back…rant all you need to. I see this kind of gimme attitude too much in this day and age. I am so blessed..my only child-DD- and her family are frugal and on board. Her in-laws are just the opposite. So I really try to impress on the two GS’s that stuff only comes from working for it.
It’s such a shame this is happening in our country. I worry about SOME of the next generation. Hope the ones with their heads on straight can out-weigh the others. We just need to keep prayin’.
You’re doing the right thing, dear lady!
Repair Mama,
I read your post and then had to go back and make sure it wasn’t me writing. At some point we all end up with some type of albatross around our necks. I have a good job, put my daughter through college, let her live here free, give her spending money and she has a darn fine job as a teacher and is making more than I ever made when I was on active duty. She’s a delight and other than quarreling with her mama over everything she has a boy friend, a bank account, pays her own car payment and in general makes me proud.
On the other side, my sister is a widow of 2 years. Her husband left her with no insurance. Before he died my mom moved up to their house and spent about 40K building a room for her and a bathroom for her and she stays full time with my sister. Mom sold her house and put all the money n the bank. Seems they all had to live off of it and now it’s all gone. Sister has a house payment, meds to pay for and she hands a lot of money to her kids. One son works really hard and long hours but doesn’t make much money. His wife sits on her butt all day now that they repo’d her car and smokes cigarettes and I have no idea how much those cost. Her other son has never held a job for more than 2 days. He won’t even look. His wife works but they don’t make enough to get by and had to go bankrupt leaving a lot of people without the money they owed to them Anyway, he’s sorry and there is no getting around it. If the zombies were coming I’d shoot him in the knee to slow them down. My sister-in-law is a divorcee, works hard but owes a lot and doesn’t make much and she lives in her mom’s house (her mom remarried and is living in North Georgia). So, when I write my checks each month I have to send one to mom (sister gets it since mom has alzheimers pretty bad but it makes me feel better to send the check to her) and then I send a check to my sister and then a check to the sister in law.
I work pretty dang hard, working 7 days a week, usually 10 to 14 hour days but I work from home, and I make a good living. Now I’ve found that sis is taking part of the money I send her and giving it to both her kids and she includes some of mom’s so they come up short when it is time to buy meds. So, there goes another check. One son and wife got locked up and kids taken by DFACS. I bailed them out and got them a lawyer and they have the kids but almost a year later their case hasn’t gone to court. When they were first locked up I told her son that I would post the bail but when they got out that I was to get all the guns in his gun cabinet (they were all mine before that I had let brother-in-law use and when he died the boys divided up the spoils), and that would have been 10 rifles, shotguns and pistols, all together worth less than the percentage of bond I put up and wouldn’t touch the lawyer bill. Last time I talked to him he said that when he got his guns back he was going to give me a pistol and denies ever saying anything about the other guns.
Anyway, other son never looks for work but takes his wife to work each day, comes back to sis’s house, eats breakfast and goes back to bed, then when he gets up he goes out and plays air soft (he’s 32 years old). He and wife also eat supper with mom and sis every night so they don’t have to buy food. It’s a no win situation and I don’t see any alternative since I can’t let my mom or sis suffer.
So, don’t feel like you are alone in that room, there are many of us there taking care of more than our share of people who could care less as long as they checks come.
For me, I’m going to keep prepping and keep putting up and will be ready for whatever comes (to the best of my ability).
Take care
It’s a beautiful day in Georgia today (really odd for the end of January) and I hope to get out later and play with the dogs in the back yard.
you win hands down!!!! just dont know
how do you deal with all of that?
I would lose my mind. I was worried that we would be raising the twins
when daughter lost custody due to meth, her grandma wanted to give them to us. mom was not well, or I would have taken them and not have given them back. they have no future where they are now.
Cliff,
I found out 2 days ago that the 2 kids in question went to the local charity that we work for regularly to get a food donation. They wore the company jackets we had given them, and the son actually stood there and talked about the heater that we just worked on. I am so embarrassed!!!!
The people at that charity must think that we are the worst people in the world to have our own son begging for a food box!!
OMG!!! what was he thinking????? We are in a very small town and everyone knows everyone elses business! And he is down there begging for charity!!! My DH and I had just given them some food a few days before they did this. The even had the “class” to complain to DH about the stuff the charity gave them! ARE THEY KIDDING??
I am ashamed to the bone!! I will never be able to show my face there again! I have always considered this place to be my charity of choice and we try to do for them because they also function as a homeless shelter. They have men, women, and some families, so we take stuff at the beginning of the school year for the kids to start school, as well as giving for the kids to have something for Christmas when we can afford to. I have given them baby furniture, car seats, and ect for the families to take with them when they work back into their own places.
What are we gonna do with these 2???
AAAARRRRGGGG!! I guess we need to knock their heads together. I spent 131.00 for a part for the van that we gave them, so we wont have to pick them up and take them home everyday. They brought their laundry in with them today to do (about 7 loads) and they raided the cabinets and fridge as soon as they hit the door today. I had to pay one of the other guys to pick them up this morning, cause DH had some paperwork to do this morning.
Repair Mama,
Don’t let the kids be a reflection on you. You and DH are good people and you can hold your head high and if you want to work with that charity, work with them. Yes it’s embarrassing when the kids act like asses but they are not you. Friends and people that know you know that you are not to blame for the way the kids act. Showing up on your doorstep with tons of laundry and raiding the stores is low class and you didn’t raise them that way. Some where along the line the younger folks got the idea that they are owed everything. It might work out that way with a government give away or something but it won’t go on for ever.
We had a charity called the Angel Food Ministries down here in Georgia. They would make bulk buys of food and for 30 dollars you would get a box with at least 60 dollars worth of food in it. They just closed down last month. One of the kids of the couple that had started the firm was the representative to all the vendors. They were giving him kickbacks and he was padding their bills and pocketing the money. When the authorities started looking they found several million dollars missing and the founders had 2 or 3 massive houses, had been on around the world vacations and had a lot of cars. The kids were also selling the boxes of food to people that didn’t need the charity and they had a thriving business selling 60 dollar boxes for 30 bucks and if they got tipped they would load up another box or two. It’s a shame that people have turned out this way.
We haven’t made them that way but I do tend to enable the behavior since it’s easier to hand over money than it is to listen to all the hundreds of reasons why no one has applies for a job today (best one yet, I went online to send out a resume, but hit facebook by accident and then had to take care of my farm in farmville and had to play all the other games and then the week just got away from me.
Hang in there!
Repair Mama:
No problem with the rant. (It actually made me feel good about 2 out of 3 step children turning out well.) Do your best Lady but draw the line before you get used because of your BIG HEART. God Bless, Cos
Oh, Repair Moma, go ahead and vent. If you don’t you will do something you will regret later. We all have people like that in our lives; I have some siblings I would like to drop kick out of the country – they think it is perfectly okay to steal anything not nailed down from my senile 89 y.o. Dad. My sister even went to his bank when he was in a nursing facility recovering from a heart attack, told them he was dying and showed them a Power of Attorney she drew up, stole $7000 from his account. Dad came home the next day and we showed up the next week to hear this sad tale (he lives across the country from us). He refused to go after my sister in case she got mad at him. What?! He wouldn’t even go after the bank when they couldn’t show him the POA. So I understand where you are coming from Repair Moma!
RepairMama and all – Actually, reading these posts have made me feel a bit better. I’ve been down since my brother-in-law passed last fall as he was my last living relative and it just seemed strange no longer having any “family.” Reading these stories though made me realize how lucky I was having the family I did and the regrets I’d been feeling now seem replaced with warm memories. One person’s “rant’ can be another person’s catharsis I guess; thanks to all of you.
K Fields:
All of us here are your new friends….. Still praying for you Sir. Cos
Come to Tennessee and we will adopt you into our family!!!
I take in orphans and strays all of the time. I like helping people and that is why our kids take advantage. I’m too nice.
My ex husbands brother is even considering moving here cause he has no one to look after him. His health is not great and I told him that he could move in with us. Glad that he is nothing like his brother! lol
He talks to my daughter more in 1 year than her father did her whole life. go figure?
Repair Mama, I don’t know if you know it, buy K Fields is originally from East Tennessee, grew up on a farm there, and went to California seeking his fortune when he was a young man.
Repair Mama – Thanks for the offer. I was just back there for almost a month last fall taking care of my brother-in-law’s affairs and it brought back a lot of good memories. Beautiful part of the country but I’m pretty much settled in where I am now.
temp – Thanks for making the reply, I completely missed Mama’s comment and would have felt bad not responding to such a sweet thought.
Repair Mama, the stories you are telling about your family could apply to most these days. Government handouts are nothing but a curse, allowing people to sit on their sorry butts and do nothing, or next to nothing, while they just barely get by. These kids(I use the term loosely as some are in their 30s) just don’t have any ambition other than playing games, smoking dope, playing with their phones, and sleeping all the time.
These are the same kind of people who are now rioting in Oakland, soon to come to a city near you. It’s enough to make one sick. I sure hope things get better for you, RM. And for the rest of the country as well. Take care.
Repair Mama,
I feel your pain. I absolutely will not deal with slackers. I do not acknowlege the “gimme generation”. All the kids come and go through there late teens early twneties and we don’t mind helping when they are trying to help themselves.
When my husband tells the kids that he is going to “break their plate”, he means they better get prepared to hit the want ads. Find a Job, keep a job, get a life and pay some bills.
I love having all the kids over for dinners and several stop by for lunch, or a cup of coffee and a egg sandwich in the mornings.
But, no matter how old they are, ALL the kids MUST help in the gardens. Help with the farm chores and help me when I ask. Then they have the reward of shopping at the farm when they need to. You don’t work, show us respect, you aren’t getting anything from us. We will not tolerate lazy entitled children with no work ethic. Even my 16 year old works two to three hours everyday after school, and is grateful to do it.
So break the kids plates, take the grandkids out shopping when they need something and take your house back!
repair mama…know that I am praying for things to get better for you…
when you get worn out…health suffers…are you able to find a quiet place and just sit – even for 5 minutes…
if anything happened to you…and you could not do all the work that you currently do…what would happen.
Take care of yourself…first.
Chloe is absolutely correct and a very wise woman. You can not truly give from a place of emptiness. You must fill your vessel, and be kind to yourself.
Find a place that makes you happy. For me it is the night sky right before complete darkness. No matter how cold it is outside, I enjoy that spot. Or the gray shades of early morning, a cup of coffee, counting blessings, and welcoming a perfect day.
mama j…I too sit outside and watch the sky change colour until it is too dark to see the outline of the trees…and, each morning I have a lovely cup of coffee outside, light a candle – give thanks for my health and life, and send out a prayer to all those who need God’s intervention.
Then, when I have finished my coffee, I blow out the candle, and get on with my day…I know that i am not bearing my load alone…cheers.
Mama J, that is exactly right. It is best to ‘center’ yourself every day. I have neglected doing that. No wonder some days I get nothing done!
Thank you, Chloe. I will get back to that quiet time with God every morning. I didn’t even realize I was missing that, been too darn busy. S-L-O-W down!
They will starve. Walk around with dirty cloths. I will be in a bed in the house with the grass neck high, the dogs will be walking bones, and the cats will move out for better feed.
the cabinets will be empty, the house dirty, the dishes dirty, and no one will take the trash to the curb.
I guess I better start looking for a nursing home cause I dont know if I will get clean cloths or something to eat!! Sh**, this is not good!! I did not even think about that!
My DH and I both work if we are in pain, sick, or just plain can t stand up straight. I have to tie his shoes some mornings cause his back hurts so bad. He does not take anything at all for pain, and he can work circles around everyone here. I do my paperowork around dizzy spells and visual disturbances with migranes at work. I could not work any where else, cause this would get me fired.
I guess if I go down, I dont have a single soul to look after me or DH. Now this is disturbing and scary!
Repair Mama,
In no way is this meant to be critical or mean to you, as you sound like a lovely giving person. But, get ALL of them out of your house! By doing everything for them your are enabling them. Somewhere down the line the work ethic has disappeared. They are going to suck you dry until you are nothing more than a dried up version of yourself. you said it yourself.
You and your lovely hardworking husband are not responsible for your grown children and grandchildren. They won’t die from wearing dirty clothes, they won’t starve. They will be forced to pull their heads out of their collective lazy behinds that need to have to couch pulled out from under them.
Even though you love them and can’t stand to see them go without. It sounds like the only way they will do for themselves, is to stop doing it for them.
The brother in law should get in an assisted living or housing near you, but not in your home.
Your home is your retreat, a place for you to rest and recharge. It is OK not to be everything to everyone, all the time. Many blessings to you on your journey to tough love!
Listen to Mama J. She totally has this right.
Well said!!!
Repair Mama,
My dear, my prayers are with you. Your situation is not an easy one. You and hubby do need to take care of yourselves.
repair mama…if you could change your life…how would you change it…don’t answer here…
just sit quietly and picture it – flesh it out and think about it during the day/s…if the life you have now is draining your life’s energies – take some time to ask yourself what would give you a better life – on a day-to-day basis…what would need to happen/change.
Include things that fulfill you – that give you peace of mind…only you can decide when you will seize the life you have and make it one that is joyous.
Once you can see it in your mind, your focus will change, and the changes may be slow – however, the changes will occur…
I had to change the life I lived..worked too hard at 4 jobs – juggling them all – hanging out washing at 4am..then going to my nursing job at the hospital…had to pay a full-time babysitter for our daughter, as I was often on theatre call, as well as my normal nursing shiftwork roster/shopping/cleaning/cooking/mow grass/clean guttering/paint house etc and then loading w/machine at 11pm…for 4am hanging out on clothes line…and on it would go…while ex-husband lived off my exertions/spent my money etc..worm has surely turned full-cycle…but I remember well.
Had to nearly die before I put a stop to that lifestyle…each day is now filled with possibilities.
Onwards toward a better life…
Here’s a handy hint I got from my aunt.
She said instead of water bathing the usual water bathing foods,
she puts the stuff in her pressure canner, brings it up to 10 lbs pressure, turns off the fire and lets cool.
Waaalaaa!
She said, less time, less heat and sure fire.
Must work she has done this for years and none of her bunch is dead.
(I will repost this next week as I think it is something that should be noted).
Ellen – re: pressure canning. I had been told to do this with pickles, but I didn’t know you could do this with longer processing foods like tomatoes. Can you ask your aunt if she does her tomatoes this way? Thanks.
Good morning All!
I managed to get quite a bit done again this week and am starting to feel a little more secure about my preparations.
Bought a spare firing pin for my AR
Bought an Accu load , load assist for my Browning 9MM High Power (Darn thing was really hard to load)
Made a Costco run and picked up more canned goods, leather work gloves, meds, honey, towels and wash clothes (for the soon to be retreat location) and more batteries.
Tackled Home Depot on Saturday and picked up bolt cutters, hammers, crow bar, Stabil, hacksaw, rake and more matches (Can never have enough tools)
Went to the Sierras and looked at two different 5 acre parcels with my Realtor. Am going to make an offer on one as it has everything I am looking for in a SHTF scenario as I live too close to major population centers now.
Picked up a browning stalker rod and reel at bass Pro along with some paper targets for the gun range.
Almost finished with Survivors by JW Rawles, not as good as Patriots IMHO.
I have a list of things to do and buy that I try to knock out parts of every day. It has helped me stay focused and on task. Hope everyone else had a great week!
d2 prep,
I agree with the book, a couple of good points, but all in all I could have used the time differently. Have you read “Lights Out”, by David Crawford( If I remember), it was a fun read with a much different angle.
Prep On!
I struggled with Survivors also. Patriots was great and Lights Out, as Pineslayer mentioned, is one of my favorties. The Jakarta Pandemic by Steven Konkoly, is just as good.
The Renewal Series was a good one too. By JF Perkins. I ordered it cheaply on my Kindle.
Thanks Pineslayer and Mama J. I will look both of those up and purchase.
Short on time this past week. Did manage to pick up a DAK ham, canned roast beef, turkey spam, steel cut oats and ground flaxseed. Also picked up an aquatainer.
This week has left me stressed and exhausted.
Out of town absentee land owners to the back of our property decided that it would a great place to put a bad alcoholic/druggy son, whom nobody wants to deal with.
He lives in a camper, doesn’t have a car. Has mean pit bulls and shoots guns randomly in the night. He won’t make eye contact when greeted. He looks to be late twenties, long goatee, wrap around shades, and a cap pulled low, with his hood up. No teeth.
I have adopted and raised some troubled kids, and know how to handle them. Some have been in prison and have had drug problems. So, no great shakes for me. But this guy is a real deal bad guy and I know it in my gut.
I have asked the older boys to come calling more often. Come to the house for lunch and dinners. Help me more with the fence work. Have alot of vehicles, people coming and going.
I sent the owner a text telling them how concerned I am, and he was rude to me. I expected it. Sigh. I have learned to fight the War on Stupid on person at a time, and today is not his day.
So this is my prepping this week, practice for SHTF. Dealing with an undesirable, while my fences are all down as we replace them. I feel exposed and vunerable. I borrowed my sons dog (we are getting two Pyrenees when the fences go up) for added security and carry a weapon at all times. For the first time in my life I have to lock my house, outbuildings, and cars. I don’t like it one bit.
No sir, I don’t like it and Mama J is on to you dude. Everyone knows when Mama aint happy, nobody’s happy.
Mama J,
Well that really sucks. We have a similar problem in our ‘hood and I contacted the landlord, they were nice about it, but due to a lease they were stuck too. Hopefully he will move on soon. Keep your scope dialed in, one stray bullet and you are taking fire, and well you know the rest unfortunately. Good luck.
Good girl.
MamaJ, I am so sorry you are having issues like that with your neighbor. Having a bad neighbor is the worst thing. Just the fact that his pits are mean says it all about him.
I hope you find a way to deal with him.
My neighbors used to play thier music too loud. I regaled them with a badly done rendition of Scotland the Brave on my bagpipes and have had no further problems on the music front. Maybe I need to take my pipes on the road go somewhere and play till I get paid to leave. ;-}
azyogi,
I had to laugh out loud because I am the neighbor with the loud music! And your reference about “being paid to leave.”
We have alot of bon fires and play music together outside. I play an african djembe and several other drums. My husband and three boys play guitar, mandolin and are working on a banjo.
I have a teen that has sub woofers in his car. I joke that I can feel his car coming before I see it.
We all try to very respectful and have asked the neighbors if they are bothered by us, which they aren’t. Actually when the closest neighbor hears the music start, he brings chairs, drinks, blankets, and a fork.
I love the bagpipes, so that would be cool to have music wars. Even if it was done badly, we could entertain each other across the pasture, and make all the dogs howl.
Azyogi, your welcomed to play at my place. Love bagpipes.
Alas these days I lack the wind, even the sax is too taxing. Have to make do with harmonicas. Never was very good on the pipes, but like the javelin you need not be very good with it to attract a lot of attention. Though the strangest thing a LEO ever said to me was “Pardon me sir but we had a report of a man in a dress torturing a sack full kittens.”
Azyogi, I’ve heard that analogy before lol.
azyogi,
ROFLAO!!!
We put an end to loud music playing neibors a few years ago. I used to have a large set of 3 computer speakers on the computer in the bedroom. We put in an Anne Murray CD, (i love anne murray) put the speakers out on the roof, and put the cd on continuos play and we turned it wide open and left the house for the day. Needless to say, they did not play their music too loud after that!!
it was good for a laugh
1812 Overture, classical music with a canon part.
TG,
Yeah, the pits give it away. I adore pits and have had met some sweet ones. When you see the missing cropped ears, no tail, scarred faces, slamming in to the fence and pulling hard on the leash…well, thats a owner that is trying to make a statement about what an asshat they are.
I will keep calling the sheriff until he is harassed enough to leave. I really hope I don’t have to shoot one of his dogs. That always makes me sad.
Mama J. Sorry to hear about that. Nothing like having your own built in zombie squad to deal with even before the rest of society goes off the deep end. I hope your new fence is high and solid, (not a see through). I also recommend solar powered motion detectors attached to spot lights and cameras. If your budget is tight start with just the lights. Evil hates the light. A silver lining in your predicament. This imminent danger will put you in the right mindset when you are hardening your home. I pray that God will give you wisdom and discernment on how to deal with this individual. Offer him the Gospel. Either he will repent or he will stay away from the ‘religious nut’.
I agree, light up the yard, Big Time! And then use more lights with motion sensors on the fence line. Put up some trip wires just inside the fence line attached to something design to startle at the least. Figure out what time the dude sleeps and make sure you make lots of noise at that time of the day. Bet he sleeps all day and plays all night so turn the tables on him! Go around beating a drum in an area as close to his house as you can get without trespassing. Run whatever equipment you have as loudly as you can during that time. Call animal control and ask them to check out his dogs and make sure they have shots and licenses. If you find the dogs our roaming, call to have them confiscated. Use your imagination……..there are many ways to make someone miserable.
Worrisome….I would be very, very careful about “making someone miserable”. Retaliation can be a b**ch. Rather, I would suggest going quietly about making the place and herself safe and secure and staying on LE to keep an eye on the location. Perhaps work with other neighbors about the situation? I had to do that here with a meth-head who decided to move into his mother’s ‘shed’ (no toilet, water, etc.) and set up ‘shop’ there. He sent his scantily-clad GF over to ask my father for some gasoline (while he waited down the steps), thinking that Dad was alone here and they could do this. I surprised them by walking out onto the porch and speaking directly to him. They skedaddled, and didn’t bother us again. But I had to keep a strong eye on them as the ‘shed’ was only 50′ away from dad’s house…and hangar, where all his tools are. It was a tough few weeks until he disappeared…probably back to prison where he had been before he showed up here. During that time, I put LE and all the neighbors on alert, and they both did drive-bys at odd hours so the guy wouldn’t think we were all alone here. We’re kinda removed from the rest of the community.
I dont know if this is the right thing to do though. I figure if you make their life misery, they will make you a target. Maybe make friends with him, and adopt yourself as a grandma. Even low lifes will not mess with someone they like. I have some undesirables in the nieborhood. I wave hi to them and show a little bit of respect of sorts. maybe bake him a pie or bring him something nice. you could turn him into someone that might look out after you a bit, or even a friend. then you can teach him prepping.
Give the doggies a treat every now and again and make friends with them. If they get loose, they will see their treat connection instead of a walking snack.
My little son had a boy at school that tormented him daily. He told me that the boy did not have any friends cause he was mean to everyone. I asked my son if he thought the boy was mean cause he did not have a friend.
By the following week, my son had made this boy his friend, and they did not fight anymore. these boys were only 6yrs old, but it worked for them.
maybe neibor is not as bad as he looks??
good luck
Repair Mama,
I am with you on the nice neighbor part! I am somewhat, the neighborhood caregiver. I enjoy giving produce, jelly and pies. I always am willing to help out wherever I can. My elderly neighbors call when the have stray cows, have irrigation problems, or have a dead battery. Or sometimes need someone to drink coffee with.
But, the Tweakers, (the meth users) are a whole different ballgame. If you let them into your house or property the will steal anything that is not nailed down, and not stop until they are jailed, dead, or you are out of stuff. Luckily they are extremely paranoid and won’t go snooping if they don’t know the area. Mostly.
I am mostly worried about this dogs if they get away from him and my daughter is out playing, or my chickens are out free ranging. Like I said earlier, I borrowed my sons dog to stay with me, the little kids and hang out. He is very protective and would not hesisitat to let us know if they come into the property. I am a great dog person, but I am frightened of abused pits, they are unpredictable, and dangerous.
I haven’t seen any traffic of friends going to see him, but I will move his camper to the sheriffs department parking lot and leave it, if he gets hateful. Hopefully he won’t. So I work furiously getting the fencing work done as fast a possible!
MamaJ…now THAT”S funny! When he’s asleep, barricade his door and just haul him on down to the LE parking garage. Hahahahahahaha! Thanks for the laugh. I’m gonna be laughin’ all day about that…..
David and Worrisome,
Totally agreed! He will decide that living near me is not such a good idea. Our fencings are completely down. We have been working on taking down the old ones for a year. Nasty russian olives and elms mixed in the old barbed wire. A real mess. I am a weeks work away from being finished on the prep work and starting corner and gate posts.
BUT! The lighting is covered. My hubby hates stumbling around in the dark, and most of our chores are done in the dark. We have MASSIVE amounts of motion lighting. So much, it can be irritating. I have told him that if he doesn’t quit lighting up the yard like this, airplanes are going to try to land in the yard.
mama j…check with the sheriff’s office – etc..they may be able to go over and check him out and check their records -he may have had dealings with LE in the past…definately should let LE know – also…are dogs registered…
It is worth noting that if some people have biting and vicious dogs…owners may also be that way inclined…
the fact that your intuition is on high alert is important…don’t ignore it. And sometimes, these people have friends that are just as scary and unpredictable…
Mama J….I’m having some of the same problem here: more people are moving out (or back out) here to the boonies, and bringing their juvenile delinquent teens with them. All of a sudden, we have vandalism and attitude. My father has lived here 15 years, and never dealt with this sort of thing. AND…there’s random gunfire almost every day now. I’ve been here almost 4 years, and there hasn’t been this much. I, too, am feeling vulnerable; when the shots start at 9 pm and last until the wee hours, I sleep on the floor, hoping that no bullets come through the walls/windows and get me. My father is clueless to it all and the responsibility for our safety falls on me. I sure wish I had a weapon….just don’t have the $$. So…I’m keeping everything locked and an eye out, and will visit the police station…again…and have a little talk with them about stepping up patrols here….something that has been done before, so I know they can do it. That’s something you might consider too. And I hope your Pyrenees (great dogs!) aren’t attacked by the Pitts. Hang in there….I’m with ya! And I think you are right: it’s practice for what surely is coming.
Mt Woman,
I can’t believe you have to sleep on the floor! That really upsets me. Time to reinforce the walls with some sand bags or even grocery bags with soil. Something.
You must stay on law inforcement until they get that under control. You can use alot of things for a weapon. Even wasp spray will hold someone back so you can clobber them with a rolling pin. I hope you can get some peace of mind soon. And some sleep!
Mt Woman,
Wasp spray in the left hand, rolling pin in the right hand, a fast kick to the jewels. Practice. Spray, swing, kick- spray, swing, kick. That’s prepping!
HD,
Buahahaahaaa! That cracked me up! I soon as I read it I stood up to see it work. Spray, swing, kick! It actually works pretty good! Except if they double over before you kick, they could grab your leg. Might have to Spray, kick, swing.
Improvising is prepping. Hey, how about a can of hairspray and a lighter. Flamethrower!
A hard ball in a tube sock? Baseball bat? Sacks of poo? I would freak the freak out if someone threw a sack of poo at me.
Note to self- do not drink beverages while reading this site.
The hairspray and lighter reminded me of some of the not so brilliant ideas my friends and I had as teenagers. Lol.
TG,
Yeah, like smoking banana peels because you think it will get you high.
I am not drinking beverages! I am naturally wacky and I swear I have never smoked a banana peel! Well, I didn’t inhale.
My cousin and I used to light a sack of that on my uncles porch every Halloween. He growled at us all year and we got our revenge once a year. We threw corn at his window so he would come out and put out the fire.
While he was at the front doing that, we were in the back knocking over his out-house.
Is it now confession time? LOL! I remember being with some friends who decided to get even with a grouchy neighbor by putting a bag of dog poo on his front porch and lighting it. When he stomped on it to put it out, I fell over laughing…right into the light from his front porch. I couldn’t sit for a week when my dad got done with me….
that is just too much…can’t stop laughing…last sentence is too funny…
HD, I’ve now got the music stuck in my head from that song “Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, I’m stuck in the middle with you”, with the new words, “Wasp spray in the left hand, rolling pin in the right, struck in the jewels by you”. Thanks, buddy.
TK!
SNORT! GUFFAW! Rolling on the floor. Oh, I am not ever going to get THAT song out of my head. Oh, you guys are hilarious……Preppers rock.
Mama J,
Please tell Lint he better get back on this blog, or Mama J ain’t gonna be happy, and if Mama ain’t happy, then ain’t nobody happy. LOL.
I can just imagine if he were in on all this fun. We’ve just got to figure out a way to get him back posting. And by the way, that song is still going round and round in my head. It was one of my favorites. Here it is for your enjoyment:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8StG4fFWHqg
Quick question,has anyone used mason jars for longterm dry storage? I picked up 5 cases from a local hardware store going out of business for a great price…..but I don’t no how to can so I need to find some good uses for them!!! Thanks Pack :)
Summer B,
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0972753702?ie=UTF8&tag=ccsb-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0972753702 – now you know how to can. Nothing to it…
I have used them for storing seeds in the back of my fridge.
I have stored a lot of beans, pasta, crackers, and all of my dehydrated veggies and fruits in mason jars. I sealed them using the jar sealers with my foodsaver. On the other hand, canning is not hard, just takes time, and kitchen space.
Summer, it is not hard! Begin learning with a hot water bath canner using tomatoes, easy peasy. Or make homemade jam.
I have never canned in a pressure canner, but am going to learn this spring/summer. If you have one, take the dial (if yours has a dial that sits on top) to your local extension service. They will calibrate it for free. (At least it is free here in MI).
Thanks Pack I may study up and try my hand at jams first! I do have the time….I am a stay at home mommy to the most precious lil boy:)
Summer B.,
Salsa is really easy to make as well. I recommend this book.
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Book-Small-Batch-Preserving-Year-Round/dp/1554072565/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1328020396&sr=1-1
I store my extra oxygen absorbers in one and they stay good until I use them all up. I am currently storing dry items in the 1/2 gal and quart sizes with oxygen absorbers and so far so good.
I added to my prep fund this week. I finally got rid of the oldest bottle feeder calf we had. She weighed out at 730 lbs, I guess that is why it hurt so bad when she smashed be in the loading shoot before she jumped the corral fence! This stupid thing jumped out twice, ran through my 6 strand barbwire fence to the neighbor’s field where she ran with his cows for three weeks. When he tried to get her up and she ran through his fence into to a different pasture. The next day that neighbor loaded several of his for the sale barn and mine (with my blessing). I was surprised when I got the check in the mail. I just knew she was going to jump out of the trailer or the sale barn pens. I’m seriously thinking about replacing calves with goats, sheep or something smaller. If I was not getting the calves for free and the powdered milk half price I probably would change livestock. I wish my family did not have an aversion to eating animals they named. I got 1.26/lb for her and the first one was 420 lbs at 1.46/lb so I think I did pretty good.
LMAO! Sorry to laugh, but I had a stud colt that could jump a six foot fence. He ran loose on BLM land for 2 months because no one could catch him. I was ready to shoot him, because he wasn’t gelded yet and the sheriff said he was getting in with the neighbors mares and having “unsanctioned” parties and then running off.
One day, a local cowboy caught (roped) him, We left him in the trailer all night and OFF to the sale barn he went. He acted like a perfect gentleman, let the cowboy ride him bareback. Turned, backed up, and didn’t buck. I think he knew he was going to the killer for being such a jerk.
But, I had the last laugh as he was bought, gelded, and put on a dude string. I gave the cowboy half the money and called it good.
The gun option did cross my mind but the processors around here will not take beef that was already down, yet they have no problem with deer. I did locate a neighbor with a tranquilizer gun he uses for just such animals. I’ll be keeping his number for future reference.
This week I bought a book on gardening for beginners and a book about cooking with whole wheat. I canned 7 quarts of chicken, 7 pints of peppers and 3 pints of pineapple. I also got 3 jars of peanut butter and 6 jars of tomato sauce off the clearance rack.
I am in charge of food and household goods. DH is in charge of weapons and other “guy” things :)
I wish I could get the DW to get involved with canning. She still thinks I am off the reservation! She does grow a garden at home so that is a start.
D2prep,
The way for you to get the DW started is to look at her strengths and hobbies. For my DH is is woodworking and building.
Is she a girly girl that would freak without hair products? She grows a garden so she is botanically inclined…. Do you think she would like to dehydrate or preserve her veggies another way. I got a friend of mind to develop some homeade hungry hiker soup mixes that sent her over to the dark side. LOL. Prepping,
The point is, to ease your loved ones in the right direction. Let them think it is their idea and give LOTs of thanks and praise. Ask them to help you with something is just beyond your grasp and let them run with it. Good luck!
Mama J. and d2
You are so wise! I read your comment earlier today about not letting one’s adult children take advantage of one’s kindness but didn’t have time to comment. I completely agree with you.
Another way to get the wife on board (to d2, not Mama J.) would be to go to some of the craft shows/festivals and buy a couple of jars of home canned jellies and the like–and then rave about how much better home canned stuff tastes. That might invite her to think (for herself), “Gee, maybe I should start canning.”
Gayle and Mama J, I will heed your advice. She is somewhat of a girly girl but will roll her sleeves up and get dirty. I have been more successful in getting my 9 year old to do some prepping without her even knowing it. I will start using sneakier tactics to get her into the flow!
Read something scary in the L.A. Times yesterday that is really a harbinger of things to come. It was just another article on the Eurozone crisis and stated that many people in Greece are now buying wood stoves because there is no fuel available. It sent shivers down my spine even though it was in the 70′s here. There is going to be a Global economic collapse sooner rather than later and I am really scared for my 2 oldest grandchildren who will be spending the summer in eastern Europe. I have been suggesting that it is not a good time to be going there but parents and other gp’s think I’m nuts.
Grannytraveler,
My teenage son is going on a 5 week trip to Europe early this summer, and I am chewing fingernails, and wanting to cancel it. The group he is going with really seems to have it together and and safety is paramount.
I will be on edge until he returns home. I can’t imagine the agony of having a loved one trapped on another continent. I would end up like the soldier in the book Survivors who travels anyway he can to get across the pond to family.
I have a friend returning now, who has spent 6 months in Italy, France, Austria, Germany. She had a blast and says everything still as normal as it ever was. So lets just believe that everything will be perfect, and they will have the time of their lives!
They have been to eastern Europe before to visit relatives and I know they will be taken care of. It’s just that they will be next to Greece which they couldn’t visit last time because of riots (that was 2 years ago). I am just worried about things spilling over and I just guess being a paranoid granny. I know they will have a wonderful time. I just hope to get through the summer without any more gray hairs (if that is at all possible!).
Grannytraveler, I believe you are right on about this. To me it’s not ”if” it’s going to happen, but “when” it’s going to happen and I believe sooner than later. I have two wood cook stoves that are identical. I put the best parts of both together and made one like new stove and still have the spare which is also good enough to cook on. A few years back I put a wood insert in my masonry fireplace and I also have an additional little Sears-Roebuck heating stove that would be perfect for a small cabin someplace. My neighbors and some of my family think I’m crazy. To me it’s security.
I too, have family members that are world travelers which include two very young grandchildren. I worry about them every day they are not home. You can only council them so much and then just keep them in your prayers for safety.
My last thought is about all of the folks that disregard our warnings and suggestions to just be aware of what is happening in the world today. Our only hope is that they would take notice and start preparing for a worse case scenario. Instead they live for today and do not worry about tomorrow. We both know where they will likely end up . . . bunking with us!
My 16 year old was going over this July for 4 weeks with a group and I was really uneasy about it. I have traveled Europe extensively the last 10 years and I have seen signs of a simmering unrest both economically and culturally. Churches are being replaced by mosques and values & traditions are being tossed out. Handouts and expectations are growing in most countries. Fortunately we canceled the trip last week due to other conflicts she had. Greece is getting worrisome as are other parts of the Eurozone. These folks have become extremely dependent on the nanny state to provide for them. I would not want to be stuck over there WTSHTF.
Ozhillbilly, can you explain how the wood stove works as a cook stove too? I just started looking at wood stoves recently and have zero experiences with them.
Thanks!
Hi d2 prep,
I’m more than happy to share what I know but confess I am not a pro. First, I would suggest you decide the primary purpose the stove will serve. Is it going to be used for heat, cooking or both? Some of the newer more modern wood cook stoves are very efficient and capable of doing both. The older cook stoves will too but may have issues such as not being air tight and having smaller fireboxes. A wood stove made primarily for heating can do some basic cooking if the top is flat. Often the distance between the actual fire and the stove top is such that it takes quite a fire to cook. A cook stove firebox is right under the burner and is much more efficient. Cook stoves also have ovens.
The next thing to decide is new or used. If you decide new then I would suggest searching the internet. Also, there are many advertisements in back-to-the-land type magazines. Used stoves can be found on Craig’s List, eBay, your local paper, auctions, etc. I found both of my cook stoves on Craig’s List with a total investment of $250.00. I grew up around wood cook stoves so had some knowledge of what I was looking for plus I am handy fixing things. The first stove was in good condition but did have an issue or two. Then I got lucky and another showed up just like it so I bought it, too. As I mentioned in the earlier post I have combined the best of both so have a real nice user plus the second is still a good functional stove.
Probably the most important thing to mention in buying a used stove is to make sure all of the parts are there. Remember the early days of the automobile? There were scores of manufacturers. The same can be said for wood stoves. There were so many different manufacturers that if you happen to purchase an odd ball and a part is missing, you will likely never be able to find a replacement part. Also, inspect the stove carefully for damage and the condition of the firebox. Many times the stoves were misused and may be damaged beyond repair, especially the firebox.
A quick search of the internet will turn up many articles on wood cook stoves, their care and use. There are a number of books in print on the subject as well. Your local library can help you there. My last bit of advice is to try to become familiar with the value of stoves in your area. Set a price you are willing to pay and try to stick to it. Always remember that most horse traders start out asking for more than they are willing to take to make the sale.
I truly hope I have helped you in this matter. Good luck in your search.
Thanks Ozhillbilly! Great advice. I will expand my search with your pointers.
Maybe you are crazy! CRAZY LIKE A FOX! Congratulations on being prepared in spite of your friends and family.
moutain lady,
Before I forget, have a happy birthday tomorrow!
tk, thank you! It looks to be a great day here.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Mountain Lady. Many more.
Did pam s post this week? I don’t remember seeing her post.
So I’m new here but I guess everyone was new at some point. This week I bought a new Sentry fire safe that is going to be bolted to the slab of my home. I couldn’t stomach trusting a bank safe deposit box anymore. Also, went out to the family farm and warmed the AR up and made sure it was still dialed in. Also, continued to break in a new Springfield Armory 1911 Range Officer.
Corey welcome to the Wolf Pack! Nothing like warming up the AR and a 1911 pistol, I as well own a Springfield 1911A1. Not sure if you have a berm, hillside or open field when firing.
If your looking to make an easy cheap target holder do a google search “PVC target holder” and they make good effective training aid.
Welcome to the pack, Corey. Good move on the fire safe, I feel exactly the same way. Continue to prep and continue to let the Pack know what you are doing. And comment on other posts. Take care.
haven’t seen her post either…
Welcome to the pack, Corey! Don’t be shy, we all like to learn and share.
Not sure if this has already been mentioned by someone else, but I was just alerted to a new series on the National Geographic channel Called Doomsday Preppers starting next Tuesday, February 7. Here is the link to the show information:
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/doomsday-preppers/
Would like to know what the Wolf Pack thinks?
There will be two episodes on that night. I have been following another site, preparedness pro, and she is going to be on the second show. Her name is Kellene Bishop. She talks about the filming of her episode and how she was treated by the crew, etc. She said they actually asked her to say “doomsday” a lot LOL Probably to spike up the “whacko” factor for those viewers who are already of that persuasion. Has anyone in the pack checked out preparednesspro.com? If you all are interested, Kellene has a LOT of very, very good information on her site, especially about food storage/prep/cooking and she also has a facebook page where she posts very timely, important news briefs, great coupon buys, great sales, and demonstrations. Super intelligent gal. Does a LOT of research on many things. Right now she’s doing an article on water filters, Berkey, AquaPail, etc., trying to figure out whose is best and if there is actually fraud in some of the advertising. She’s posted parts 1 and 2 and I’m still waiting for her to post the rest. Very interesting reading.
Between this blog and her site, my knowledge has increased ten-fold over the last few months. I love MD’s site for the personal stories and interaction between the members of the pack. You don’t find that on other sites. You really are one big family as is evident by the recent posts about Lint (when he was MIA and now that he has “bugged off” the internet). I haven’t been a pack member that long, but I’m quickly learning about everyone and what a great group of people are collected here. If times were different, it would be great to have a wolfpack gathering so everyone could meet face to face. Ah, that was a big IF right there.
Anyway, if you are interested in Doomsday Preppers and didn’t watch any of the episodes of last season, they are available on youtube and probably on natgeo’s site too. I know there are snippets of the new episodes on natgeo now.
From the adds I’d have to say not much. One guys plan is to first shoot the cats. One of my cats trained me to shoot small game he chased my way, and is a way better scout of small game than I’ll ever be. Next the show is about ratings not prepping so expect ratings to be the top priority at the expense of sound prepping advise.
I’m actually looking forward to watching it, I think it will be fun. The one gal, Kellene, has a blog
http://preparednesspro.com/
It’s a log different then this blog (M.D.’s is the best) but you get food storage recipes and news type stuff on hers, it’s more her articles and opinions. Some great articles, she sells lots of stuff too though so sometimes feels like an infomercial.
I’m hoping the preppers aren’t made out to look insane. The previous show wasn’t bad. I’ll end up watching it.
I think being on the show would be bad for security and I doubt the show will show preppers in a positive light. Most likely it will try to paint the movement as being unamerican to discourage people from doing it and to make it easier to get people who watch the show to turn in there neighbours later for being preppers.
Good points by all. The only saving grace is that it s not on a mainstream network. Nat Geo has had some pretty good shows on other areas in the past. I hope they (the network) are fair and not snickering little weasels making fun of the prepper movement. If so, I will not watch!
About 2 months ago I saw that Sams club had the Augason farms 1 month pack for $150.00. This is the same pack that they have on there web site for $225.00. I bought A pack then hoping to get several more at that price. About A month later Sams had marked the same pack down to $99.00. I picked up another pack then. About 2 weeks I saw them down to $66.00 but I didn’t have any extra cash at the time.
I went by today to see if by any chance they still had them at that price with the plans to pick up 2 more packs. When I got there they were marked down again to $46.01 per pack. I bought the last 3 packs they had left. I now have 5 of the 1 month packs for A total of about $400.00. This would be over $1,125.00 plus shipping from there web site.
If you have A sams club near you, you may want to check them out. I don’t know if that was something just here or going on at other Sams clubs.
SC Redneck,
What a awesome bargain! It pays to be persistant! I wish I had a Sams Club near me. The closest one is 2 hours drive. I don’t think those would be marked down becasue this is Mormon country, they buy alot of food stores. I think I should start making plans to do big shopping in the city. Only when I do, I go to the huge Army Surplus, and don’t come out! I am reading here that Big Lots is a good place to shop also.
Got 20 bxes of Betty Crocker dried potatoes-10/10 at Publix, had coupons, so got them for .75 a box.
Kinda bummed this week. Was Diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease. Kinda changes the food storage.
I’m sorry to hear that, MsFedUp. My MIL has ulcerative colitis, which I thing is similar, though I could be wrong. But she manages her condition very well, and pretty much does what she wants, with a few limitations such as diet and staying close to home. I will say a prayer that your situation is managable for you as well. It does change your food storage, I agree.
Templar Knight
Thank You for your prayers1
MsFedUp,
It will mean big changes for you, won’t it?! My prayers for you that you can keep it controlled. I have IBS and that’s bad enough.
Prayers for you…blessings!
Copperhead
I already have two auto-immune diseases (lupus and hashimoto’s) so what is another one-kidding! The biggest game changer is the Crohn’s medicine is $75 a month. Also the long term food storage has preservatives in it.
Thanks so much for your prayers and blessings.
MsFedUp,
Would a 50 pound bag of wheat and one of rice, and a good wheat grinder help you avoid the preservatives?
Just read an article about the FBI going into the wrong house after a 2 year investigation. Not so surprising really, as there are many stories to the same effect, except they used a chainsaw on the front door.
Many people in the comments mention that had they heard a chainsaw going thru there front door they would shoot first ask questions later, even though more then likely they would have been killed by the agents. One commenter did say something that really caught my attention though. If the lady in the article had been armed and had shot at the agents, the headlines would have read a lot differently. More like “armed women shoots at agents conducting a raid”. Anyways, here is a link to the news article if anyone is interested.
http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/01/10288790-oops-fbi-uses-chain-saw-on-wrong-door
Hi Wolfpack-
Haven’t been here lately. Doesn’t mean I haven’t been thinking about all of you here. You all know I am a scientist… that pretty much means I am obsessive-natured enough that I get something in my head… a question about how something works, usually… and then read every research and news article and sometimes government publications, raw data, you name it… about the subject I can get my hands on… and then I make up my own mind about what is really going on. The past few months, I’ve been very uneasy about this non-winter we’ve been having in the Northeast US. Once I got started on my research, what I was reading just got scarier and scarier.
It’s the read deal, guys… the weird warm summers and less than cold winter this year have allowed methane to be released from ground (tundra in Canada and Siberia) that has been frozen for thousands of years. That may not sound real scary to most of you, but let me make an analogy: methane in the atmosphere is like a very thick, goose-down comforter on a bed. CO2… what most of the climatologists have been jumping up and down about for the last couple of decades… is like a flannel sheet. The sun beats down on the earth, and normally (even with the higher levels of CO2 present!) the ‘flannel sheet’ lets out most of the heat back into space. The same goose-down comforter (the methane released from the thawed permafrost) just keeps the heat in the atmosphere, letting very little excape warming things up… a lot. Now, I’m guessing most of you don’t mind a mild winter, and really, neither do I… but what this one means is that with more methane in the atmosphere, we are on a positive feedback loop – we’ve tripped our environment past the point of no return. More heat melts more tundra, which releases more methane, putting on another thick insulating layer onto the Earth. More heat in the atmosphere = more extremes of weather; not just extreme heat, but more rain & snow, some areas will be colder than normal (at least as long as there is ice at the poles), others will experience drought (anyone from Texas here?) and we can expect stronger thunderstorms, hurricanes, and tornadoes. It’s here, guys. Lots and lots of natural disasters, here to pick away at our civilization. No place is safe from what is coming in the next few decades.
Check out this link to a NASA scientist who in the last 30 years has testified in front of Congress, spoken to world leaders, and who now feels that he has to speak out for what he feels is the only hope his grandchildren have for a normal life:
http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/
His name is James Hansen, and he’s the real deal. If you get a chance to read his book ‘Storms of My Grandchildren’ do it. It tells some very disturbing stories about the links between government, science, and the fossil fuel industries and the incredible levels of deception practiced by them. If you don’t have time to read the whole book, at least take a look at his short reports on the NASA website. Though they are heavily edited by his politically-appointed superiors, what he is able to tell us is chilling.
It’s here, Wolfpack… not a bang, but many, many stressors coming at us over and over again. We won’t be able to recover fully from one event before another hits us.
What you are all doing here is incredibly important. Keep preparing, because now, more than ever, your preparations are more than likely to be needed in your lifetime. Keep learning new skills, and help each other in any way you can. This site and others like it are helping spread the kinds of knowledge that will allow us to adapt to whatever comes and help our loved ones survive long enough to adapt, too.
God Bless us all. We are going to need it.
I don’t mean to rain on your parade, but one warm winter in the US doesn’t tell us the story on global warming worldwide. Or the amount of methane released into the atmosphere. As a matter of fact, there has been no warming for over 15 years now. Go to the site WhatsUpWithThat, look at all the information on the right side of the map, which includes ice data, temperatures, ocean water temperatures, etc. and you will feel a lot better. Better yet, go through the archives and you will find many articles on James Hansen. He predicted an Ice Age before he predicted Global Warming, and he is not an objective observer.
Hi TK-
Interesting… take a look at some of the discussion boards under the articles. Looks like the scientific discussions on this site have the same disagreements… and say it in a lot more concrete a way.
You are right… Hansen is not entirely objective. Part of the problem with his conclusions is that they are almost entirely based on mathematical modeling, and models are only as good as the assumptions that are made in building them. He is only one of the sources that I have based my conclusions on, and one that is a relatively prolific and easy-to read writer, so I submitted a link to his site for further investigation by anyone who might be interested in reading more.
The WhatsUpWithThat site definitely has a larger collection of data from many more sources, and I have seen much of it elsewhere; there is no refutation of the GW trend… only more complex assumptions that have been made. Greater complexity does not necessarily mean more correct.
Come back to this topic in 5 years after there is another half-decade of crazy weather and natural disasters to lend credence to Hansen’s crazy theories. I strongly suspect that we will be having a very different kind of discussion. But I am a scientist… and never assume anything is 100%. I will be very happy if you are able to say to me, “I told you so!”
:),
Cat
alikaat, I’m not trying to refute warming temperatures, as there is evidence of warming, but I do refute a couple of important things related to it. First, I don’t agree that man and his activities are behind all the global rise in temperatures over the past few years. One would be a fool to think that man had no effect, as the UHI of any major metropolitan area is evidence of that effect, but then again, the UHI isn’t caused by carbon dioxide, is it? And the warming has been exaggerrated due to poor site station placement, and the models have not been accurate in their predictions. Where is the warming, and where is the hidden heat?
Second, the sun and its cycles and their influence on temperatures and climate on Earth are given little or no credence by the disciples of the global warming/climate change cabal. There are many scientists who believe that the sun influences the climate here on Earth, and there are studies that support that view.
And though not a scientist(I have a degree in Geology), I have been trained in the scientific method, and many of the claims of the gw/cc movement are not falsifiable, as there is no method to prove whether global warming/climate change is false or not. For instance, global warming causes it to get hotter, global warming causes it to get colder, global warming causes floods, global warming causes droughts, global warming causes less snow, more snow, etc…..etc.
Here are the facts. The climate is always changing. We’ve had warming since we came out of the Little Ice Age in recent times, and we’ve had a general warming trend since the last Ice Age, which was about 11,000 years ago. Humans have prospered during the warm interglacial periods on Earth, and have suffered terribly during the cold events. Truly, as a species we will be better able to adjust to some warmth as opposed to the cold that is sure to come in the future.
And it would be kind of neat if we were able to talk about this in 5 years. I promise I won’t say, ” I told you so”, but I will be the first to admit it if I’m wrong. Take care, and do keep prepping, because natural and man-made disasters will occur whether it gets warmer or colder. Of that one thing I’m absolutely sure.
Actually more methane leaks from the oceans than comes up through permafrost. Also a single warm winter does not make global warming, last winter we had record lows in Alberta and the three winters before that were all really cold with high snow falls and lots of freezing rain with road closures. This year it’s been hanging around the positive 3-4degrees C, which isn’t shorts weather but it’s warm enough to make life easier this year.
alikaat…11 year sun cycle…your article reminded me of an article I skimmed over last night…will see if I can find it again..
said something about magnetic polarities reversed in number 24 cycle…we are entering this 24th cycle now…
plus there were articles recently regarding sun rising in Greenland a full 2 days before schedule…correct me if my recall is wrong…
Things are always in a state of flux…could be natural flow and ebb of the earth – and technology allows us to record and analyse these changes with greater ease and accuracy than ever before.
However, I agree that natural disasters have increased in intensity and frequency…we have lots of news coverage…we currently have severe flooding in the north of New South Wales – evacuations taking place. Our flat inland area is like an inland sea.
Nor have some people recovered from Cyclone Yasi..
and yes, we preppers are aware, on a deep level – of the need to prep…while many people are oblivious to what is going on outside of what they see on their TV screens.
Preppers are putting huge amounts of resources, financial/physical and mental resources – as in learning/practicing new skills and acquiring important knowledge.
Some time ago I read a book by Corrie Ten Boom – re the war experiences she and her family went through…the night before they saw the red sky in the distance, with sounds of morters etc, the radio broadcast had said that there would be no war, no cause for alarm etc; less than 12 hours later, it was on them.
thank you for your research and spreading the knowledge…
sole refuge is in the Lord Jesus…however…have to also have our oil in our lamps ready to move immediately when it is time…
and if it was necessary for Joseph to store food for a 7 year period…then so be it – for me as well…and am still prepping like mad…someone, if not me/my family, will need those supplies…
I have no personal experience of not being able to go to a store for supplies, however my mother did…and told me many stories of their constant hunger – and amount of time my grandfather and uncles spent trying to find something to eat during the war, and, well after the 2nd world war ended…
I believe I read about this in the New Testament….
I should have said, about the weather changes and natural disasters happening in places that normally don’t have them. sorry.
Found this online: http://www.biolitestove.com/BioLite.html
Does anyone have one of these, and if so, how well does it work?
Heads up for Publix Shoppers:
Cans of Muir Glen Tomatos are $1.33
Buy 9
Use 2 – $1.10 off 2 (online)
Use 2 – $1.00 off 2 (online)
Use 3 – $2.00 off 3 (Publix yellow flyer – expires tomorrow)
$ .20 each
DG
They had peanut butter last week, 2 for 1 with a 3 yr shelf life. Pasta sauce this week as well.
We picked up some spare ribs for Sunday for $2/lb today.
If you charcoal grill or want to stock some, watch the H.Depot ads. They put it on sale 3-4 times a year at $8/40 lbs.
Got in another 1300 lbs of storage food from Walton Feeds.
We have a walk in closet stacked to the ceiling and another 96 sq.ft of shelves full now. Total of about 2 years for 4 adults. I really pray we never need it. We have bought enough jars and lids to can the 500-600 lbs of meat in the freezer if need be.
More beans, cukes, squash, lettuce, snow peas and cabbage have broke out of the garden now. Bought some Red Sweet corn to plant next month. Trelles’ are up for the cukes and peas.
Finally found a job after 2 yrs and 5 weeks. Good potential, straight 1099 deal so no bennies, and I pay all taxes and expenses,,, ouch!
DW made banana nut bread with home grown bananas and home ground flour this morning. Dried apricots and cherries in it too. Delish.
Hurray on the job, Prep Now! AND you have an awesome stockpile! I, too, hope we don’t need our stockpiles, but with all the rumblings of this and that, I’m afraid we will.
Good for you and your garden. I can hardly wait for Spring in NW Texas. Take care….
prep now…congratulations on getting back to work…must have been hard…but now that is all behind you…prep on…cheers.
Wonderful news! Congrats on the new job! How did you grow bananas? Indoors?? Or is it actually warm enough year round where you are in FL?
Incredibly frustrated with a friend today. He and his wife stopped by last night. He was openly carrying a new S&W .40 automatic pistol. Very nice pistol. I asked him about it and he unholstered and handed it to me saying “oh, there is one in the chamber and there is no safety”. I have never handed anyone a loaded gun unless they were getting ready to fire it. I’m shocked that any rational person would hand over a loaded gun. When I showed him mine the first time I ejected the magazine, checked the chamber, put the magazine in my pocket, checked the chamber again and then handed it over to him. What are people thinking these days. Then, he is wearing a holster with a restraining strap and saying that he was going to cut the strap off since it gets in his way. I asked him what happens to the pistol if he runs or if someone walks up beside him and removes the pistol from the holster. He hadn’t even considered the possibilities.
I shouldn’t have been too surprise, I had given him a surplus CZ -53 pistol when he had nothing to protect the house with. I went over all the features of the unloaded gun then we went out back and fired it a few times. It is an automatic and has an external hammer. I showed him the decocking lever and told him how to decock it. He fired it a couple of times then tried to hold the hammer back with his thumb while he pulled the trigger rather than decocking. He wasn’t aiming downrange at the time. I hit the ground and ate some dirt trying to get out of the way. No idea where that bullet went.
I believe that if I am going to gift someone a firearm, from this point on, it’s going to be something like a Russian Nagant rifle that is really hard to do stupid stuff with. Perhaps I give my fellow man too much of the benefit of the doubt and too much credit for having the necessary knowledge to be handling a fire arm.
Hawkeye,
Sorry, what I meant was to ask anyone placing an order with them to mention that they heard about them on The Survivalist Blog dot Net. Thank you.
When I order from a company that doesn’t advertise here I always put in the comments that they should advertise here.
M.D., I ordered the stripper clips and stripper clip feeders at CTD and told the I got the recommendation from this site. I hope it aids you in some way down the road. I also told Copes (a company based in Ohio) the same thing.
Ordered 300 stripper clips and 30 feeders for AR mags.
SaratogaPrepper
Thank you so much…
Jarhead 03,
Thank you my friend…