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1. Had great success last year planting fingerling potatoes using the trench method. Easy to grow, good harvest, and were tolerant of a wide range of weather. I was able to get 3 batches in by planting at successive times. The first batch went in very early spring/winter (but didn’t sprout until the weather warmed), middle batch was planted as the summer just started, and I harvested the seed potatoes for the 3rd batch, from the first, about midway through summer. We ate the 3rd batch over the winter, left them in the ground until needed. Granted, we don’t have the snow cover you do up there, but I’d wager you can plant 2 batches a year? Try a second crop around July, they will grow well into the fall, and can tolerate a light frost (probably more with row covers).

2. It is my sincere prayer that all in the Survivalblog community, administrators, et. all, stay safe and situationally aware at all times and are touched by the healing spirit of our Lord Jesus. God bless.

3. I can sum up this time if year in one word…mud! It is too muddy to do much garden wise; however, there is a lot of yard cleanup ahead of us. I agree that this winter has left it’s mark, and we are also still cleaning up from clearing. I have saved the large dog food bags and am filling them with kindling. This way we use what we have and clear the brush as well. Definitely labor intensive.

   I continue training the dogs. This week will be our big test as I am taking them to the free rabies clinic Wednesday. Next weekend we are taking them on the 10 driving hour trip to stay in a hotel for our daughter’s graduation. Pray for us!

   I am working to get the rain barrel set up again now that the deep freeze is finished. It means cleaning the gutter and checking for leaks. We were wondering if the gutter we put up just for the rain barrel would survive the winter. It seems to have.

   This past week we returned our outdoor table and chairs to their spot which, when it’s not raining or snowing(!), extends our small cabin space significantly.

   This week my son will again set up the tubing to the distant spring on the hill to fill the water tank. The tubing in not able to be buried because of the terrain it covers. He is also going to put up the laundry line if he has time.

   Yesterday, I drove into the city for a meeting and realized that I was much more uncomfortable being there this year than ever before. Might not attend next year.

   1. Update! Sudden cold temperatures and a heavy spring snow have pushed all water plans out a week. Flexibility us the name of the game!

4. Planting fruit trees, evergreens and several gardens. I’ve probably bitten off more than I can chew, but I’m in need of the motivation for locomotion. Too much couch time this winter. No time to die, got too much to do… Lord Willin.

5. A big step for me on the journey to get my rabbit hutch up and hopping (pun intended). A couple of friends are coming to help put up the walls and lay the plywood roof. I have all of the materials on hand or I think I have everything on hand. So this should go pretty quickly. It’s a 3 sided 16’x8’x8′ and will be using rough cut boards on the walls.
   Yesterday I pulled the dead canes out of the blackberries, transplanted some tomatoes and bought a few bales of straw to plant my cucumbers in. This is a new method for me based on an article I read.
   https://oldworldgardenfarms.com/2018/04/12/grow-cucumbers-easy/
   My fall garlic is doing well and the chicory and horseradish are coming up too.
   May the LORD bless and keep you and may His countenance shine upon you.

6. For whatever reason my only appliances gave up the ghost recently. A compact clothes washer and refrigerator. Both went to the transfer station then I decided to replace the refrigerator this week.

   For about 3 weeks I’ve been clearing my property of deadfall and bug infested trees.

   Carpenter ants are coming out now and I’ll have to stand guard over what’s left of my chickens so they can manage the ants. 90% of my flock was needlessly destroyed by a series of back to back dog attacks. As they refuse to make it right I’ve been forced to file with small claims court against those new neighbors and offer a $50 cash bounty for any loose dogs killed on my property.

7. Cutting fire wood and gardening. OH MY IS MY OLD BACK KILLING ME!

8. Prepping IS logical. And… the math actually supports this.

   https://medium.com/@bjcampbell/the-surprisingly-solid-mathematical-case-of-the-tin-foil-hat-gun-prepper-15fce7d10437

9. We had a lot of dead-fall trees this winter due to heavy snow loads. Today we sloshed through the snow left and marked out 23 birch trees and a couple of spruce trees to cut down, or cut up those that were already down. I rolled over a huge part of a 401K into silver, and some gold … use a self directed IRA to make this move and take personal possession of the metals. APMEX is a GREAT supplier to buy from, every helpful and good advisers to help make the biggest bang for the buck. They also advertise on the blog so its great to support those who support us … building a new green house this year for my bride; its almost impossible to grow in the arctic without a great green house.

10. We bought green firewood for the 2019/2020 season as we are not set up or skilled yet to get it from our woods. Have begun stacking!
    Further perfected sourdough wheat bread, adding raisins and chopped walnuts. Bought local wheat flour but will buy wheat berries and grind in the future. It is great to know that with stored wheat berries, salt, water and a wood cook stove I can make bread!!
    Transplanted kale, chard, lettuce and put marigolds and tomatoes into bigger pots.
    Did a walkabout to meet the neighbors on the road of our new house in redoubt northeast.

11. JWR, are you going to write a follow up to “Land Of Promise”? I loved it!

    1. Yes, I’m writing at least two sequels. But I’ve been delayed in getting them finished because I’ve been busy working on a television series project, based on my completed Patriots novel series. I hope to be able to announce some news on that in May or June. Stay tuned.

       1. That’s wonderful news on both fronts! Congratulations on getting “Patriots” on TV. I’m glad you’re nvolved with the project, as we all know how television can ruin a great book series!

12. We’re currently leasing our home so not much work can be done to set up for large scale gardening. However we are using this season of our lives to build skill sets before we buy our next rural property. We’ve had a very heavy focus on learning to repair cars and trucks, and YouTube has been extremely helpful plus helps me put together lists of parts that should be stockpiled. We also continue to make investments in quality tools which allow us to fix nearly anything, not just vehicles. I’m currently identifying videos to download that show specific repair procedures for vehicles, appliances and power tools that we already own. So while we can’t manage our own land like we used to (had to move for job purposes) we are still building proficiency and expertise that will be useful in the future and saves us a ton of money now. I cannot remember the last time I sat down to watch a full length movie. In addition my two oldest sons have decided to attend trade schools rather than a traditional college or university. We are very proud of them as their chosen courses of study and hands on training will give them a solid career and fall back skill sets should they ever need them.

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