Merry Christmas All,
As 2005 draws to a close, I look back and ask myself “Am I better prepared than I was at this time last year?”
Quite honestly, a lot of what I accomplished was attributable to “SurvivalBlog.com”. A fine bunch of folks who trade practical information. Anyway, here’s what I did/added during 2005:
1. Installed a wood burning stove in the house.
2. Insulated and dry walled the outbuilding which functions as reloading area, ammunition storage and shop. A separate room within a room provides climate controlled food storage area. (8 below zero this morning outdoors, but in the pantry, a balmy 45.)
3. Installed wood/coal stove to provide backup heat to the outbuilding and pantry.
4. Installed 500 gallon propane tank and 100 gallon diesel fuel tank as emergency fuel storage.
5. Added 500 rounds of 12 gauge buckshot to the ammo storage. (Got a good deal on Hornady Light Magnum.).
6. Put a semi load of logs in the field for firewood. That is a good 2 or 3 years worth, even when used as primary source of heat.
7. Added some silver to the “silver supply”.
8. Found some Merino wool pullovers on eBay at a heck of a price. Bought a dozen in mixed sizes.
9. Put two cases of canned butter in the spare freezer.
10. Added a case of WW2 surplus bore cleaner, two dozen German military magazine carriers, a dozen German military G3 cleaning kits, a case of MRE heaters and a few pints of cheap booze to my bartering area.
11. Rotated the flour by donating six 25-pound bags to senior citizen center and replacing them at COSTCO.
12. Adopted a Blue Heeler named “Baxter” who is one heck of a watchdog.
13. Bought a spare pair of Meindl cold-weather hunting boots.
Now that looks like a pretty expensive year, but I traded and bartered for a lot of it. I bought one stove from an outfit that was getting out of the stove business. The other I salvaged from a house that was being demolished. I have a brother who is a HVAC contractor and I traded him an elk hunt for the stove installations, dry walling, etc..
Now for 2006…
My biggest project for 2006 will be replacing the stove in the outbuilding with a coal burner. Reason? They just re-opened a little “Mom and Pop? coal mine 20 miles from here and they get $35 a ton. I’m studying for my “Ham” license and hope to get that done. Give my son the rest of the Buffalo meat in the freezer and order another whole Buffalo. (Cut, double-wrapped and frozen for $1.99 a pound)… average about 400 pounds of meat. Get Lasik eye surgery. Lose another 10 pounds. Donate more to the Bill of Rights Defense Committee. Write my elected “representatives” about the direction the country is headed. Buy American. Remember the words of Thomas Paine: “It is the duty of the Patriot to protect his country from its government.” Regards, – Hawgtax