Preparedness Notes for Friday — November 27, 2020

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November 27th is the birthday of both SurvivalBlog’s Field Gear Editor, Pat Cascio, (pictured) and sci-fi novelist L. Sprague de Camp (1907 – 2000).

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Last Call! Our Friday of Color Week Sale at Elk Creek Company ends at midnight tonight (Friday, November 27, 2020.) Note the sharply-reduced prices. Keep in mind that I’ll be traveling for the entire month of December, and therefore I’ll be putting the company on an order-taking hiatus. So this is your last chance to buy a few pre-1899 antique guns from us in 2020. Our small inventory is selling more quickly than I can re-stock it.

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And speaking of Black Friday sales:  Ready Made Resources is having one of their biggest sales of the year. They are presently offering AN/PVS-14 Dual Tube Night Vision monocular/weapon sights with RNVG White Phosphor Photonis Premium Specification Tubes — with over 1800 FOM. They have just available at the $6,295 sale price. Financing is available.

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 91 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three-day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (a $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, that have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. Naturally Cozy is donating a “Prepper Pack” Menstrual Kit.  This kit contains 18 pads and it comes vacuum-sealed for long term storage or slips easily into a bugout bag.  The value of this kit is $220.
  5. An assortment of products along with a one-hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  4. A transferable $150 purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Round 91 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

 

Packing Antique Iron – Part 1, by The Lone Canadian

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First, I better get an introductory disclaimer out of the way. I will be mentioning some different items and companies in this article. I am not associated with any of these companies, and do not receive any endorsements from these companies. These are simply products that I have found to work for me over the years. Now, we can get on to the main event.

About 10 years ago, a friend of mine got me interested in antique firearms. I’ve owned a few different ones over the years. Even JWR has started Elk Creek Company, to deal exclusively in pre-1899 antique firearms.

Now, the one thing that I’ve noticed over the years is that many antique firearms have survived in relatively good condition, but the same can’t be said for the holsters that used to carry them. Rarely have I ever seen an antique handgun for sale with its original holster, or any holster for that matter. An antique handgun can be a wonder just to hold, and feel the history contained within it, But if you actually want to carry it and use it, then you’ll need a holster. But where do you get a holster for a gun that’s 120 years old, or older?

Unless you have a DeLorean to go back in time, your choices are pretty limited as there are no manufacturers out there producing holsters for these firearms.

  • You can purchase one of the many nylon mass-produced holsters on the market. Up here we see Uncle Mikes’s most often. These are a good quality, relatively inexpensive way to get a holster for an antique. The downside of this is that they are produced to fit a wide variety of firearms, and are custom only in the fact that they vary by frame size and barrel length of the firearm. They will fit, but not necessarily well, and may not have the options that you want or like.
  • You could contact one of the many makers of custom Kydex. Being as the equipment to form Kydex is both readily available, and inexpensive, many “hobbyists” have this set up as a secondary source of income. A form-fitted Kydex holster for an antique would serve you very well for a carry option. If you are ordering one, the chances are that you can request the features that you want, and they are comparatively inexpensive. Personally, I just don’t care for the look of Kydex with an antique.
  • You could order a custom leather holster from one of the many professional, or hobby makers out there. A quick web search will probably find somebody relatively close to you offering this service. They can also usually be found with a visit to a gun show. This will definitely allow you to order exactly what you want, and pretty much guarantee that you will receive the exact holster that you want. The downside of this is, of course, that this may take some time and be expensive.
  • Build it yourself! That’s what I have chosen to do over the years, and I will try and walk you through the basic steps, and pitfalls, to be able to do this for yourself. The results can be both practical, and highly satisfying.

First, let me say that I am not a professional leather-worker, or even a hobbyist, for that matter. I started doing leatherwork when I was much younger, making new knife sheaths for knives that had either worn out, or lost their sheaths somehow. It was a good chance to learn what I did, and did not want in a knife sheath. I had made a couple holsters over the years, when I couldn’t find what I wanted, or couldn’t afford it. It was a matter of trial and error, often with a lot more errors than successes. Hopefully I can give a few pointers to help you avoid some of my mistakes.Continue reading“Packing Antique Iron – Part 1, by The Lone Canadian”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

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The latest meme created by JWR:

 

To share this, you can find it here:

https://kapwi.ng/c/llsoI6Ug

Meme Text:

The ATF’s “Definitive” Arm Brace Rulings (Du Jour)

(We’re Making This Stuff Up…)

2013: Arm Braces are ATF-Blessed and Now Perfectly Legal
2014: Firing a Braced Pistol From Your Shoulder Wouldn’t Make it a SBR
January 2015: Touching One to Your Shoulder is a Felony “Redesign”
March 2017: It is Now Okay to Sporadically Touch One to Your Shoulder
July 2018:  23 of 25 SB Tactical’s Braces Were Not Fully ATF Approved
January 2020: We’ve Now Approved 15 Different Arm Brace Designs 
September 2020: The Honey Badger’s Arm Brace Design Makes it an SBR
 
2021???: We’ll Make Up a New Policy, Depending on the Political Winds

Economics & Investing For Preppers

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Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at the recent dip in the gold price, in USD terms. (See the Precious Metals section.)

Precious Metals:

Spot Gold took a 3% dive to a 4-month low of around $1,837 per Troy ounce early in the week, and silver meanwhile was down 2%. The gold price slump continued to around $1,805, on Tuesday. Rather than profit-taking, this seems to have been triggered by a turn in sentiment on the US Dollar Index. Dips in metals markets like this are a good time to buy. It is noteworthy that the price gap between gold and platinum is narrowing. (A +/- $800 delta versus the former $900.) But I still consider platinum a genuine bargain. In the next boom phase of the economy, platinum will probably be back to selling for more than gold.  You’ll then be patting yourself on the back for buying the white metal.

o  o  o

Alasdair Macleod: The Global Reset Scam. Here is an excerpt:

“There can be little doubt that central banks wish to increase their control over money and how it is used, cutting out the obstacle of commercial banks who produce most of the money in circulation through the expansion of bank credit. From a statist point of view, commercial banking is a dinosaur, an outdated remnant of free markets, perpetuating needless systemic risk and superseded by technology. Branch networks will disappear with cash, changing relationships between banks and the general public for ever.

By introducing direct central bank accounts for members of the public and every business, commercial banks become superfluous and can be allowed to die. And if one goes bust before commercial banking has ended, the facility to transfer all its loans and deposits onto a central bank’s books will then exist. The removal of systemic risk by the abolition of commercial banks is one of several likely long-term objectives of CBDCs. Commercial banks can be left with the role of investment banking activities in capital markets.

We can imagine the development of CBDCs going even further than just replacing cash. Stimulation by dropping money into personal accounts can be used to target increased spending by consumers, or even groups of consumers, sorted by wealth, location or other factors. Some consumers can be favoured relative to others, so in a swing state, for example, an incumbent administration might buy votes. While this would be strongly denied, as we have seen with unfettered fiat currency the state creeps incrementally towards unstated objectives, using every tool at its disposal. The election of Deep State-approved politicians then becomes possible.”

Economy & Finance:

The Street reports: Hundreds of Companies That Got PPP Loans Have Gone Bankrupt

o  o  o

At Yahoo Finance there’s this from Richard Cookson: Inflation May Be About to Pick Up Sharply

o  o  o

Reader B.C. sent this: Hotels: Occupancy Rate Declined 32.7% Year-over-year

o  o  o

Also from Wolf: Online Sales by Category, in Weirdest Economy Ever

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“There is a profound, unbridgeable disagreement between two factions here. One faction is not willing to prioritize authenticating the vote above all else. That faction is more willing to accept perceived social alignment and convention – not dispositive situational proof – as the basis for agreeing to the most important decisions about governance, such as who shall take office.

That set of motivations tacitly assumes that there is little meaningful consequence for accepting voting outcomes that may well have been shaped by fraud.

The other faction cannot agree to be governed by a voting outcome produced by fraud. This faction is motivated by the certainty that to accept such a thing is to be governed by lies and corruption, and cannot turn out well by any calculation. It’s worth fighting against a potentially fraudulent outcome, and not merely taking notes on it and hoping to do something about it later.” – Retired Naval Intelligence Officer J. E. Dyer

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — November 26, 2020

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November 26th is the birthday of gun inventor Eugene Reising (born 1884, died February 21, 1967). Pictured is his best-known gun design–the submachinegun that carries his name.

This is also the birthday Barton Biggs (born 1932, died July 14, 2012). Biggs was a money manager known for his pro-preparedness stance.

—

Today is Thanksgiving Day in the United States.  I urge you to pray fervently today — both prayers of thanks for God’s blessings in the past year and that 2021 would be a much better year than the trauma and drama of 2020. We need to beseech God, in the name of Jesus, for his guidance, providence, and protection.  Heal our land, Lord!

—

A reminder: Our Friday of Color Week Sale at Elk Creek Company ends at midnight, Pacific time tomorrow (Friday, November 27, 2020.) Note the sharply-reduced prices. Keep in mind that I’ll be traveling for the entire month of December, and I’ll be putting the company on an order-taking hiatus. So this is your last chance to buy a few pre-1899 antique guns from us in 2020.

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 91 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three-day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (a $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, that have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. Naturally Cozy is donating a “Prepper Pack” Menstrual Kit.  This kit contains 18 pads and it comes vacuum-sealed for long term storage or slips easily into a bugout bag.  The value of this kit is $220.
  5. An assortment of products along with a one-hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  4. A transferable $150 purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Round 91 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

 

Eight Ways to Make Your Days Count, by Elli O.

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With the global pandemic, the inconclusive election results, the weird weather, and pending winter, it seems that some people are in a shopping frenzy, trying to prepare for their uncertain future. I believe they call it “topping off their preps”. Others, still, are doing very little to prepare. If you are reading this article then the reason for your inactivity is probably not denial of the possibly “end times”. It is very likely that you are just overwhelmed with everything that you think needs to be done RIGHT NOW!

How can we stay motivated? How can we look at our day and feel that we have used our time wisely? How can we avoid the trap of wasting hours (days?) watching YouTube videos and forwarding the latest political jokes on to friends and family?

On the flip side of the coin, how can we keep our days from being filled with the hustle and bustle of prepping? What keeps us from constantly shopping for more supplies, the newest gadgets, or reading the latest post-apocalyptic fiction novel? How can we prevent our lives from being set on the level of frenzy?

The intent of this article is to help you find a balance between frantic preparing and slothful living.

Finding, creating, and maintaining a balanced life takes years of practice and yet still may never be fully obtained. But we should strive for this useful and amazing ability. The Bible says in Psalms 90:12, “Teach us to number our days so that we can gain a heart of wisdom.” I remember reading a translation that said, “Teach us to count our days, so that our days will count.”Continue reading“Eight Ways to Make Your Days Count, by Elli O.”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

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SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “JWR”. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. Today, we look at renewed pandemic lockdowns.

Biden Plans Nationwide Lockdown in February

To start out today’s column, over at SGTReport: Biden to Lockdown Entire USA Come February. (Thanks to JMC for the link.) JWR’s Comment: Please continue to contact your elected representatives, and insist that they investigate the gross vote tabulation irregularities in the November 2020 election!

Thomas Woods Lecture on The COVID Cult

And speaking of lockdowns, Mark suggested this video of a great lecture for The Mises Institute: The Covid Cult — Thomas E. Woods, Jr.. His web site, where he offers his free e-book is: WrongAboutLockdown.com.

China Now Regularly Violating Taiwan Airspace

Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Chinese military planes violate Taiwan’s ADIZ for 8th day in a row. Here is a snippet:

“Chinese military planes intruded into the southwest region of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) for the eighth day running Saturday (Nov. 21).

The latest incidents occurred at 11:13 a.m. and 11:39 a.m., in both cases at an altitude of 4,000 meters, the Liberty Times reported. The Taiwan Air Force scrambled jets and broadcast warnings to the Chinese planes they were endangering civilian air traffic and should turn back immediately.

It was the eighth consecutive day that such incursions happened, according to the report. The military has radioed warnings to intruding Chinese pilots 42 times so far this month.”

Flores: Guns, Books, and the Social Contract

I found this piece by Joaquin Flores by way of Zero Hedge: The Triumph of Mankind Over the Great Reset: Guns, Books, and the Social Contract.

High Dose Vitamin C for Livestock

Nick sent this: C is for Cattle: How high-dose ascorbate therapy works on the farm. Here’s an excerpt:

” The vast majority of animals make their own vitamin C. This very important fact is not widely known. But once you understand the purpose of ascorbate in mammals, your life and can change significantly. Our life on our livestock farm in Oregon changed with our understanding of vitamin C and how it can be used with animals. “

Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“The dual extremes of financialization and globalization created the 2008 bubble, and its collapse almost took down the entire global capital house of cards. Central banks, ultimately financed by the Fed to the tune of $29 trillion, twice the size of America’s entire GDP, instituted The Great Reset under the usual guise of “emergency measures” which then became permanent policies.

The Great Reset led to the hyper-centralization of control over the global economy’s money as central banks coordinated unprecedented money-printing and financial repression, which includes zero-interest rate policies (ZIRP), as the debt-bubble would pop if rates aren’t nailed down to zero.

All the PR being spewed about The Great Reset is the final frantic flailing of a system that’s drowning in its own excesses. The 50-year long era of the few enriching themselves as the expense of the many has ended, for the same reason eras of extreme exploitation always end–the elites got too greedy and overshot the economy’s ability to sustain their rapidly expanding share of the income and wealth.

Put another way: the elites have cannibalized the system so thoroughly that there’s nothing left to steal, exploit or cannibalize. The hyper-centralized global money control has run out of rope as the cheap oil is gone, debts have ballooned to the point there is no way they’ll ever be paid down, and the only thing staving off collapse is money-printing, which holds the seeds of its own demise. ” – Charles Hugh Smith, in an essay titled: “The Great Reset” Already Happened – November 12, 2020

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — November 25, 2020

This is the birthday of explorer and pilot Admiral Richard Byrd (1888–1957). His autobiography titled Alone is a must-read.

Margaret Thatcher was born on October 13, 1925.   She was the UK’s first female Prime Minister.  She died in 2013.

—

A Liberty Paradigm Publishing Update: My #1 Son wrote to mention:

“All of the pre-orders for Survival Retreats & Relocation have been shipped. We have about 50 copies left from our first print run, so now’s a great time to get a copy before the holidays. If interest continues strong, we will try to have one more run in before Christmas.

We’re ready to ship orders immediately, and purchase is available through both Amazon and SurvivalRealty.com. The e-book is available at $9.99 as both a PDF ( and on Kindle.

We’re doing a promotional giveaway–four winners will receive author-signed copies. Enter by November 29th at https://www.survivalrealty.com/giveaway/

Here are the current ordering links:

Main link: https://www.survivalrealty.com/survival-retreats-relocation/

Thanks!”
—

A reminder: Our Friday of Color Week Sale at Elk Creek Company ends at midnight, Pacific time on Friday, November 27, 2020. Note the sharply-reduced prices. Keep in mind that I’ll be traveling for the entire month of December, and I’ll be putting the company on an order-taking hiatus. So this is your last chance to buy a few pre-1899 antique guns from us in 2020.

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 91 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three-day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (a $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, that have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. Naturally Cozy is donating a “Prepper Pack” Menstrual Kit.  This kit contains 18 pads and it comes vacuum-sealed for long term storage or slips easily into a bugout bag.  The value of this kit is $220.
  5. An assortment of products along with a one-hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  4. A transferable $150 purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Round 91 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Prepping When Physically Disabled and Low Income, by Just A Dad

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Each of us has our own trials, these need not keep us from accomplishing what is necessary. For the sake of you, the reader, my disability began when I was 11 years old with a major single-car accident. My spine decided to advance to Grade IV spondylolisthesis, it was not until I was in my late 20s that I found out it was congenital on my mother’s side. That said, after a few surgeries, months in the hospital, traction, full-body casts and learning to walk again, I decided to move forward with my life. I worked for close to two decades in a variety of fields, most including relatively hard physical labor. In 2007 my left leg stopped working and I was diagnosed with grade V, the end result is a fully physically disabled individual.

My wife and two amazing children have been a Godsend to my life. P is for the perseverance of the Saints, and in my experience perseverance is not limited only to one’s spiritual self. So, how do I prep for my family of four with a total income under $17,000 USD, annually?

Garden: your local area will have gardening groups, I use local chapters of the Extension Master Gardener –  we have limited space and therefore apply container gardening approaches whenever possible. We grow sweet potatoes as well as two or three other varieties of potatoes. These offer nutrition and generally large returns, regardless of location. In addition, we grow a few other items that help offset food needs. You really do want a good size (10 square feet) compost pit. This comes in handy for feed needs with chickens as well! We grow earthworms in the compost and encourage bugs as well, also, we put all food scraps into the compost. Not everyone will agree, but, the compost we have is quite rich and very healthy! Be willing to learn and adjust your approaches as needed.

Chickens, Goats or Rabbits

I cannot stress enough the importance of raising your own protein. For we who are limited in funds, chickens, goats and rabbits are pound-for-pound the best return on your money. They are also relatively easy to raise and keep even with limited space. We raise Amaracauna and Rhode Island Red breeds. However Leghorns are amazing as well. With one  Rooster and 6 or 7 layers we stay quite healthy. We also raise Belgian rabbits. With two breeders and a stud, our freezer stays quite full. If you are buying chicks or kits understand you will lose maybe 1 for every 5 you buy before they are large enough to eat. While a bit sad, it actually strengthens the warren or flock to lose the weaker ones. Continue reading“Prepping When Physically Disabled and Low Income, by Just A Dad”

JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:

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Here are JWR’s Recommendations of the Week for various media and tools of interest to SurvivalBlog readers. The focus is usually on emergency communications gear, bug out bag gear, books, and movies–often with a tie-in to disaster preparedness, and links to “how-to” self-sufficiency videos. There is also an emphasis on links to sources for storage food and a variety of storage and caching containers. You will also note an emphasis on history books and historical movies. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This week, some of the few Baofeng UV-5R multiband transceivers still available in the United States. (See the Gear & Grub section.)

Books:

Butchering Poultry, Rabbit, Lamb, Goat, and Pork: The Comprehensive Photographic Guide to Humane Slaughtering and Butchering

o  o  o

The MeatEater Fish and Game Cookbook: Recipes and Techniques for Every Hunter and Angler

o  o  o

Amazingly, this book by bestselling history author Arthur Herman is being offered for pre-order, nine months in advance! The Viking Heart: How Scandinavians Conquered the World

Continue reading“JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:”

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — November 24, 2020

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Important Note: I’ve decided to launch my Friday of Color Week Sale early, at Elk Creek Company.  It will begin today (Tuesday, November 24, 2020.)  It will end at midnight, Pacific time on Friday, November 27, 2020. Note the sharply-reduced prices. Keep in mind that I’ll be traveling for the entire month of December, and I’ll then be putting the company on an order-taking hiatus. So this is your last chance to buy a few pre-1899 antique guns from us in 2020. I should also mention that our inventory has been drawn down to just 45 pieces. Our re-stocking isn’t keeping up with demand. “Going, going…”

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 91 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three-day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (a $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, that have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. Naturally Cozy is donating a “Prepper Pack” Menstrual Kit.  This kit contains 18 pads and it comes vacuum-sealed for long term storage or slips easily into a bugout bag.  The value of this kit is $220.
  5. An assortment of products along with a one-hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  4. A transferable $150 purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Round 91 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

 

PM Your Body, by ChemEngineer

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Preventive Maintenance (PM) is a series of activities and procedures performed on machines to keep them in top shape and functioning properly over the long term. The body is a biological machine, and needs a certain amount of Preventive Maintenance (PM) to work well when it is needed to work. This is a compilation of some things that can be done to make that personal machine run better, ready for whatever tasks that it is asked to do. This is my list, I am not a medical professional so do not take it as that, and as always, mileage may vary.

Momma told us most of these tips, we may have forgotten some of them. First and foremost, get a Medical Kit and learn how to use it, and stock some of the materials in it.

Move

It has been said for years, but moving keeps the body able to continue moving. Muscles need to work, tendons need to stretch, bursa between bones needs to be exercised. Take that walk in the woods, or to the store, or around the yard. Stretch and do some squats. Use the hands to do things, make things, repair things. Pick up those things on the floor and stretch out that back. Soreness may come, but it will work itself out if the body can keep moving. As a former football coach used to say, “Walk it off”… Well, choose wisely. If not, take ibuprofen or acetaminophen. If Rangers use it (Ranger Candy = 800 mg Ibuprofen), I’ll use it. Skeletal issues, injuries, and assorted other major calamities aside, movement is a good thing.

Care for Teeth

Taking care of permanent teeth will take care of the whole body. One set per customer, for life. Brush them, rinse with hydrogen peroxide, floss them, go to the dentist and get them cleaned regularly because they check them out at the same time that they clean them. Infections can be prevented by the hydrogen peroxide rinse, just don’t swallow it.

Don’t let Infections Get a Hold

Basics. If for cuts and blisters or some break in the skin, clean it with soap and water, apply some treatment like hand sanitizer (alcohol over 62%) or antibiotic cream or ointment (we used to use merthiolate or benzalkonium chloride), and cover it with an appropriate bandage. Preventing little infections keeps them from becoming big problems. Change the dressing regularly, and continue to clean and hit it with the treatment of choice before putting a clean bandage back on it. Oh, and of course, wash the hands. Wash them more than is necessary.Continue reading“PM Your Body, by ChemEngineer”