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27 Comments

  1. Thumbs UP for excellent writing, content and organization!

    I’m a Perfessional Edtior (you that read right), and this series was a joy to absorb. Is the author considering a career as an author? That’d be nice.

    Between seasons, of course.

  5. If you ever get tired of the medical field you definitely have a career waiting for you in authorship. Your article is informative and entertaining. Thank you.

  6. Being from and still living in Georgia, but keeping a close eye on the “redoubt” and the rest of the world, I really loved this article. After “Drudge”, and The Weather Channel, Survival Blog starts my every morning and this article just reminded me why.

  8. I live in her vicinity and I can tell you it is very difficult to get anything done this time of year, the run off has fields flooded, roads are a quagmire of mud. But I wouldnt trade living in the redoubt for all the blacktop, concrete and catch basins in the Country.

  9. Well done! Not only an informative easy read, but clearly a writing contest winner. We too started with the manual Simple Pump system for our well but quickly converted it to a solar driven AC motor, also available from Simple Pump. One solar panel, controller, AC motor conversion and four 6V batteries (series then parallel) is all you need. Again wonderful three-part saga and wish you continued enjoyment and excitement in your new life.

  10. If you ever want to buy a wood stove, better buy it now. Obama’s EPA made a rule that goes into effect next year that will most likely eliminate the option of making or selling wood burning stoves and boilers. (It’s the fine particulate requirement. A sneaky feature of these rules is they apply to the manufacturer so the public never hears about them.)

    1. Oh goodness! Yes, I recall worrying about the same thing! Where I lived in the South, the water table was such that we couldn’t bury propane tanks, so I had never heard of this concept. Here, the propane tanks that are buried are specially designed for that purpose and have a protective coating on them. (So, for instance, it wouldn’t be advisable to take an “above ground” tank and then bury it.) Thank you for pointing this out! I really should have added it to my article because it was one of the many new concepts I learned about after arriving in Montana.

    2. Hi, B.M…..

      We buried our propane tanks to,

      1) Keep a low-key but high-volume source of fuel stored, without attracting undo attention, and

      2) For security (so that they would not be vulnerable either to errant, or intentional, bullets or to other intentional damage or vandalism).

      We were told by our supplier that buried tanks (in our soil type) will have at least as long a life as above-ground tanks.

      You probably would not want to simply bury an existing above-ground tank, though. My understanding is that tanks suitable to be buried have a special coating on them which allows this. Ours were also delivered with the access panels on top (they look like ‘conning towers’ on a submarine), already installed.

      We chose to let the professionals dig the holes, level them, them set/backfill the tanks and plumb the connections 🙂

  12. Loved this series! And I wholeheartedly agreed when building a garden go big. In Central Texas growing up, the old timers drilled this into me, grow 4x your expected yield, 1/4 for bugs/blight, 1/4 to feed wild critters, 1/4 for likely drought/flood damage (or to give to neighbors/needy if weather works out), and 1/4 for harvest.

    1. Most gas companies attach an anode bag to an underground propane tank and use a ground wire (copper) to attach(clamped) to one of the steel loops located at one of the ends of the tank. The anode bag is usually placed away from the tank by 10-12 feet to allow any electrolysis to go to the anode bag instead of degrading the steel tank.

  14. We relocated to a smaller , 8.2 acre, homesite about 3 or so years ago. We’re on the older side, kids now grown, so the physical work was a lot harder this time around. We do most everything ourselves. What helped us was to remind ourselves that a lot of what we were doing was a one time and then done project. Like garden beds, coops, sheds, etc. Then when we collapsed at night we could focus on our seccesses realizing that after our project was done we would only have maintenance to deal with. It’s been really rewarding to have been able to lay everything out so well after years of learning by trial and error. We also set up a priority list to help reduce the stress. It’s worth it.

  15. Loved the article! It must of cost a pretty penny to do all of that so quickly. I had to spread my “projects” out to be able to pay cash for them. Don’t want any liens on the farm! We do one major project and one minor project a year.

  16. Very good article, very well written and best of all was the humor that was evident all the way thru. With regard to moving animals; my wife agreed to help a friend move some livestock from Denver to the sisters place in the West of Colo. She was horrified to arrive at the designated location and see that the ‘truck’ was an old Chevrolet van..and then it was amplified when they put a ‘small’ horse in it.(the first mantra was don’t fall, please don’t fall.) Then they added a goat with a smattering of ducks!
    The wife commented that the first stop for gas, an attendant washed the front window, but he just kept staring inside and only one spot was cleaned. The friend picked up some beads and at the second stop, twirled her beads (just a couple hippie girls)at the attendant while he cleaned away the grasshopper goo. As they turned into the lane (about three miles) at the ranch, the horse who had been quiet, saw/heard other horses and whinnied. (The new mantra was Please don’t whinnie!) I hope your livestock had a better truck than a van. May you continue to enjoy your life.

  18. This was not only a good article about prepping, it was just a great article that anyone would enjoy reading. Have you thought about having a dog guard your garden during the growing season? Some breeds (those with keen hearing and a loud bark) are great at scaring off critters. If there’s a fence, the chance of a real encounter between invader and protector are slim.
    Please write some more!

  19. Aunt Betty Merle is my Aunt also and she did want the cast iron skillet. But she makes great cornbread. ( note: no sugar) Great writing ! Enjoyed every word.

  21. I concur with other comments. You seem to have a knack for this type of writing. Reminded me a little bit of Pat McManus.

    Surprised you found romance in such a remote part of the country.

    You must be very good looking, very lucky or both. Hard enough to find a suitable mate in the densely populated city nevermind sparsely populated countryside.

    Not sure I could be brave enough to leave the city but do enjoy your escapades out in the boonies .

  23. Wonderful article!

    Well written, entertaining, and very informative.

    Surprised that you didnt win First Place 🙂 Would love to see you write more often here!

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