To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make long-term and short-term plans. Steadily, we work on meeting our prepping goals. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities. They also share their planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, property improvements, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year. We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in the Comments. Let’s keep busy and be ready!
JWR
Dear SurvivalBlog Readers,
This week we split and stacked some more firewood, and took delivery of another six tons of hay. Stacking hay is always a dusty and fatiguing chore, but a satisfying one. When you gaze at a a full woodshed and a full hay barn it gives you a sense of accomplishment. It also confirms that you’ve done what the Lord expects you to do, to provide for your family, regardless of what happens in the larger world.
Our greenhouse is still generating successive harvests, such as tomatoes and squash. But our open-air gardens are nearing their end for the season. (There is still broccoli, carrots, cabbage, kale, and a few red raspberries and strawberries producing outdoors.) We are feeling ready and provisioned for winter. Let it come.
Today (Saturday) we are praying and fasting, honoring Yom Kippur.
I’m looking forward to reading comments from readers, both about their preps for winter, and how they fared in the recent hurricanes.
May you all have a blessed week, – Avalanche Lily Rawles
HJL
The Latimer household is actually away on vacation, where we are actively applying and testing our mobile bug out equipment. We are relying upon our solar system for power, our water purification systems for both distilled and washing/cooking waters, our wood and gas stoves for heat and cooking as well as foods that have been stored in either our refrigerator (using solar power) or preserved for long-term storage through dehydration and freeze drying. It is wonderful to be outdoors and testing our systems to see what is working well and where there is room for improvement.
o o o
As always, please share your own successes and wisdom in the Comments.
The weather is finally shifting in the mid south, and temps are dropping. I’ve spent literally all summer cutting back the brush that overtook the property we bought this spring that was neglected for 4 years previously. We can finally see the end, but have been really hustling to get it finished this week, as once the fall gets here all bets are off with it. Took down 3 large trees on the acreage this week, and today will attack the last wall of brush. We will try and water seal the front and back patios, and patch a hole in the barn roof. Ive started planning where the garden and raised beds are going to go next spring, along with orchard expansion. Finally, all along where we cleared brush all summer, I’m going to douse with brush b gone, in hopes that only a minor clearing job need be done in spring.
Hello,
Cam anyone with a solar generator recommend a brand or manufacturer of portable solar generators? Also, how many solar panels do you use, how long do those panels take to re-charge your generator, how heavy is your generator, and can you provide any other helpful info about charging or using yours? I have been wanting to buy kne for a while but tbe issues America has with North Korea has sped up mu pirchase timeline. Thank you for whatever info you provide, I appreciate it!
– Colorado Mountain Gal
Looking into buying an apple grinder and a press. Got so many apples these days we have to find new ways to use them. Cider, hard cider, cider vinegar.
Also working out a deal to get my “log yard” cut up and split and stacked in exchange for stocking up a gun. He’s got all the parts for the gun and no talent for gunstocking and I have all the equipment needed for the firewood processing (chainsaw & splitter) but no shoulder to do it with this year. I hope this deal works out!
This last week we have been busy collecting the last of the tomatoes in the garden. We sfill have another 30-40 lbs of green tomatoes to process in addition to the dozens of jars of red tomatoes we turned into tomatoes sauce, pizza sauce, salsa, etc. We also sent the last of this years goat kids (two wethers) and one of our american guinea hogs to the butcher. The two goats are already back in the form of 58 lbs of meat in the freezer. This weekend we need to finish processing out old chickens and prepare the be hives for winter. Well also start another batch of goat cheese for the press.
With the stark pictures of destroyed Puerto Rico surfacing, I did a quick review of have/need supplies for a 3 to 4 month “we’re totally on our own” situation.
Heat: We have 5 cords of hard wood stacked/covered and the large propane tanks are ¾ full; a standby propane generator and a 10,000 W gas generator can run the refrigerators/freezers until I could cook/preserve the contents. Lights: Solar and battery power lights plus flash lights and candles for 30 to 40 nights if managed properly. Communications: SW radios and listen only Ham radio set; batteries and solar chargers for phones and computers. Animals: enough feed to last 2-3 months and about 40 days of stored/covered water in case the well pump goes down. Humans: Sufficient food for family and closest (elderly) neighbors for a long time. Medications: Human and animal meds for 3 to 4 months. EMT type supplies for most common emergency health issues; but no snake venom, which is not much of a worry in winter time). Vehicles: Regular and diesel fuel to get through about 6 weeks of an emergency event. Tarps: Two 16’x30’ heavy duty, multiple medium duty 12’x16’, and several 8’x10’ light duty tarps. Rope: about 50’ nylon, 100’ synthetic and a couple of 50’ average use; plus about 1500’ bailing twine. While I never feel totally self-sufficient, I think I could make it through most disasters but fire. Fire scares me and I need to figure out how I would evac this farm.
thieves and looters will not respect “your” firewood while they go cold and if they can’t have it they will set it on fire or shoot at your propane tank til it explodes. I am at a loss as regards Puerto Rico, why don’t they organize in groups to FISH IN THE OCEAN or start desalinating water to drink, it seems Trump is right, they wander around waiting for someone else to help them, disgusting..
I sprayed weeds in the hay pastures, some types are more easily killed in the fall after the first frost as they go dormant. Also started checking zero on my 2 hunting rifles, antelope season is next weekend.
I can nail speed goats on my way to work now..thanks for the reminder.. up in North central Montana here..
get a few yourself. they wont be running in front of my car then.I like to find like minded people close to my location..
Picked up another 500 rounds of 5.56, 200 rounds of .22lr this weekend. Got another 22,000 maH battery pack (up to 4 now) for my portable solar setup. Brought over a 7w usb solar panel, 10,000 maH battery, tarp, more food and case of water to relatives (backup bugout location) and did full inventory of everything already here.
Patientmomma.
According to my most recent read there are 9700 shipping containers sitting in port with supplies and the roads across the island are primarily open and in good condition.(a normal 3 hour trip across the island tool 3 hours Thursday morning) Power is on island wide but a few local neighborhoods are still not back on.
Apparently the truckers (union) have been threatened with job loss if they attempt to drive the supplies out. Apparently the island leaders wanted a large cash bail out and not supplies so they could squander off with it, but I digress. The MSM has promoted the lack of a Trump response, but he is responsible for the supplies in port and the 1500 military electricians who have nearly gotten everyone on the island powered up.
Scrappers cleaning up the streets for recycling or reusing the sheet metal and the military electricians are primarily responsible for the roads being clear.
I can not certify this information is all true and correct as with the MSM not really giving the full story to help verify it, but I do have good faith in the source for this.
Our prayers for those who have been affected with the disasters this year.
My prep this week was in the form of reaching out to a long time friend. I told her I want to relocate to her area and what did she think of that idea. She said it was an answer to prayer. She said her family and church family will welcome me with open arms. I have no community where I currently live and no family members within a 10+ hour drive of me. It’s not my ideal place to move. However, they are God-fearing, Bible believing people. I think choosing people over place is right for me.
Had to cover the garden beds for the first time this fall and there is a dusting of snow on a nearby peak. Winter squash is harvested and curing in the sunroom. It’s been wet so waiting to dig potatoes when it dries out a little. Still harvesting a lot of things that are cold hardy that I succession planted. The greenhouse is still full of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and the last round of green beans. They will be harvested in the next week. Prepared and froze basil pesto and canned pepper jelly. My husband cut the last burned tree from our property a year earlier than our 5 year goal – woohoo. We are well supplied with firewood for a number of years and have blessed others with the same. Will be working to put the garden properly to bed in the next month. Determined to work at beating the grasshopper plague! Also, working on noxious weed control around the property and will have the final mowing soon. Beginning to be ready for the winter rest but will miss the fresh veggies when they are gone. Blessings!
Have been researching snow tires,the old school ones-cheap,effective and easy to get seem to be no longer available. Looking for siutable replacements without breaking the bank(Hakkapelitta’s look great but would break the budget). May have found”remolded” tires that will work well and be budget friendly.
Put up 72 pints of ground beef and beef stew. Got in another dozen each of rechargeable C and D cells. Tested the 18w solar panel on our two phones for charging rate etc. Bought 1500 rounds of 22 lr to replace what’s been shot over the summer. Reorganized the shelves of commercial dry/canned goods to make better use of space and to inventory what’s been used. Put another $1k in the poke. Watched a ton of Youtube DIY and cool gadgets for SHTF videos.
Sir,
I deeply respect the due diligence you have demonstrated in upholding family values and traditions.
God bless,