Day: November 7, 2006

Note from JWR:

As previously mentioned, we don’t own a television here at the Rawles Ranch.We only watch “Elk-evision.” I guess that if I ever set up my own web cam, it will be trained on the feeder that is positioned 25 yards away from our back porch. Although we set it up to attract non-game species, it also attracts a lot of deer and elk. From the same vantage point you can also see wildlife down at The Unnamed River (TUR), which is another 150 yards farther in the same direction. (It is about 200 feet short of our east property line, …


Letter Re: Jungle Rot and Silver Socks

I read with interest the UK government’s interest in silver impregnated undergarments for their soldiers. I just ordered 10 pairs of the socks from REI. You can search for x-static which is a brand of silver impregnated material. Underwear is also available trade, name Medalist Silvermax Boxer Briefs. OBTW, I just found silver socks at The Sharper Image for less. They aren’t liner socks but they look useful. If we are going to be hiking for long periods without the ability to wash our clothes, this could be a real boon. Ask a Vietnam veteran about jungle rot if you …


Two Letters Re: Product Review of the MURS Alert Motion Detector/Alarm From Dakota Alert

Mr. Rawles: My friends and I have been using the MURS band for some time. It generally has better range than FRS/GMRS and is much less crowded. There is an interesting product available that works with these radios as a sort of “perimeter alarm” system. The MURS Alert from Dakota Alert is a small, weatherproof box that combines a PIR motion detector with a 1-watt MURS transmitter and a voice module. It uses six size AA batteries and has an advertised six month battery life. The unit is placed near a road, driveway, trail, etc and set up. When a …


Letter Re: Toy Making, an Overlooked Traditional Skill

Greetings James and Family, I just wanted to interject a category of books that should also be included in any home library. The category of ‘make it yourself toys’. I know it sounds odd, however children reared in the earlier industrial era as well as pre-industrial eras learned how to make there own toys. Several years ago I attended a book sale at our local library. They were discarding ‘old’ books on toy making and other crafts among their other titles. These books were published in the 30s through the 50s and were considered ‘out of date’. I picked up …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Yesterday, I helped a consulting client unload his household goods from a 26 foot U-Haul moving van, in a driving rainstorm. He is a prepper that naturally has lots of heavy six gallon food storage buckets, copious field gear, a gun vault, and more than 100 ammo cans. Let’s just suffice it to say that yesterday was a good day for practicing Christian patience and “building character.”    o o o Michael Z. Williamson found this site for us: Wildwood Survival, noting that it has some useful information on outdoor survival and primitive skills    o o o The folks …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“It is customary in democratic countries to deplore expenditures on armament as conflicting with the requirements of the social services. There is a tendency to forget that the most important social service that a government can do for its people is to keep them alive and free.” – RAF Air Marshall Sir John Slessor