Year: 2019

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday – February 13, 2019

Today is the birthday of General Chuck Yeager (born, 1923), the first man to break the sound barrier. As of 2019, he is now 96 years old. February 13th is also the birthday of Robert Charles “R.C.” Sproul (born 1939, died December 14, 2017), a well-respected American Calvinist theologian. — The latest at the SurvivalRealty.com spin-off site operated by my #1 Son: 10 acres near Priest Lake, Idaho bordered by USFS on one side.  Log home with a combination of solar, generator, and battery. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 81 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. …


Telling You a Thousand Times Wasn’t Enough – Part 1, by Orofino

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Self Discipline: Principles in Practice Trainers, educators and parents constantly contend with push back from professionals, students, and children when “the trainer” asks for consistent, repetitive attempts at otherwise banal tasks. What is the best germane rejoinder to such grousing? Worse yet, those of us who don the mantle of Prepper or Sheepdog probably wrestle with the same demons that would have us believe that we are competent in our fitness level and proficient in our gardening, animal husbandry, bushcraft, food preservation skills, etc. The stark reality is that we probably need to settle into the idea that we need …


JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:

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Here are JWR’s Recommendations of the Week for various media and tools of interest to SurvivalBlog readers. This week the focus is on MagPul PMAG magazines. (See the Gear & Grub section.) Books: Nation of Cowards: Essays on the Ethics of Gun Control. o  o  o Complete Works O. Henry Authorized Edition 12 Volume Set   Movies & Television: The Korean War – 60th Anniversary Commemorative Documentary Collection o  o  o The second season of the very cleverly-crafted parallel universe television series Counterpart began airing last month on Starz, and will wrap up on Sunday, February 17, 2019. Most of …


Economics & Investing For Preppers

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Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. And it bears mention that most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today’s focus is on the national debt bomb. (See the Economy & Finance section. Precious Metals: Millennials And Gold: First A Car, Then A House … And Then Gold o o o Large Gold Bullion Shipment Moves From London To Dublin Gold Vaults As Brexit Concerns Deepen o …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“It is my opinion, that this kingdom has no right to lay a tax upon the colonies. At the same time I assert the authority of this kingdom over the colonies to be sovereign and supreme in every circumstance of Government and legislation whatsoever. The colonists are the subjects of this kingdom, equally entitled with yourselves to all the natural rights of mankind and the peculiar privileges of Englishmen…The Americans are the sons, not the bastards, of England. Taxation is no part of the governing or legislative power…When, therefore, in this House we give and grant, we give and grant …


Preparedness Notes for Tuesday – February 12, 2019

February 12th is the birthday of theologian and journalist Cotton Mather (1663–1728). — I’d like to make mention of a new homesteading blog that has been launched by “Hazel” Williamson, the wife of SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson. Hazel’s blog is written with great wit and candor. Therein, she describes the trials and triumphs of raising heritage commercial rabbits for meat. Her current breed of rabbit is the Silver Fox. She also raises poultry. The blog is titled “Hazel’s Bluff Farm & Rabbitry“, and subtitled “Microfarming for Sanity.” Be sure to check it out. I found one January …


Becoming a Savvy Pre-1899 Antique Gun Buyer

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After posting my recent warning about potential passage and enactment of H.R. 8 / S.42 and an interview about this on the Reluctant Preppers podcast, I’ve had several readers and consulting clients contact me.  They’ve been asking these questions:  “How do I actually find pre-1899 cartridge guns in good condition?”, “Where can I find antique guns at reasonable prices?”, and “How do I know what I’m looking at”? Here is my summary on how to get savvy: 1.) Do your research. Visit a local gunsmith and have him show you how to spot a gun that has been reblued. (Blurred …


SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

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Here is SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt. This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. We also mention companies of interest to preppers that are located in the region. The emphasis this week is on Surplus Dealers in the American Redoubt. (Military, government, and commercial surplus.) Idaho I’ll start out with a mention of Army Surplus 1. Their great store in Sandpoint, Idaho was surely the inspiration for the fictional “Grogan’s War Surplus” in the humorous novels by the late Patrick McManus. o o o Idaho Surplus Warehouse, in Idaho Falls, is …


The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

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SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “JWR”.  Today, we focus on how SurvivalBlog has been shadow banned. Pills to Protect Against an Apocalypse A short but fairly accurate piece was recently posted over at The New York Times: Potassium iodide offers limited protection to those exposed to a Chernobyl-type disaster. Every family should have some on hand.  But keep in mind that they only protect against one form of cancer and not any other radiation effects. Several of our …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“A soul so pitiably forlorn, If such do on this earth abide, May season apathy with scorn, May turn indifference to pride; And still be not unblest—compared With him who grovels, self-debarred From all that lies within the scope Of holy faith and Christian hope; Or, shipwrecked, kindles on the coast False fires, that others may be lost.” – William Wordsworth, To the Lady Fleming, st. 7 (1823)



CRKT Maven Folder, by Pat Cascio

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The nice folks at Columbia River Knife and Tool (CRKT) sent me their Maven folder for testing. That is a strange name for a folding knife, “Maven”. It means someone who is an expert in their field, or who has acquired expert knowledge. The Maven folder was designed by Richard Rogers. Richard Rogers is a working cattle rancher in Magdalena, New Mexico. His toughest critic is probably himself, and when he set out to design a no-frills folding knife, he kept this in mind – keep it simple, yet functional. Simple is always better if you ask me – less …


Recipe of the Week: Avalanche Lily’s Eggless Ginger Snap Cookies

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Avalanche Lily’s Eggless Ginger Snap Cookies This recipe is one of our fairly quick and easy favorites, here at the Rawles Ranch. Ingredients 1 Cup Flour (we usually use white flour) 1/2 tsp Baking Powder 1/2 tsp Baking Soda 3/4 tsp Ground Ginger 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon 1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg 1/4 tsp Ground Cloves 1/4 tsp Salt 1/4 Cup Softened Butter 1/4 Cup Sugar 2 Tbsp Light Brown Sugar 1/4 Cup Dark Molasses 1/2 Tbsp Water Later: 2 Tbsp White Sugar (to coat the unbaked cookies) Directions First, thoroughly mix all of the dry ingredients and spices EXCEPT the …


Economics & Investing For Preppers

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Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. And it bears mention that most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today’s focus is on Monthly Precious Metals Purchases. (See the Tangibles Investing section.) Precious Metals: I’ll start today with a couple of vicariously fun video links from circulating silver coin hunters: Epic Half Dollar Roll Hunt: Walkers, Franklins, and Silver Kennedy Halves! and, Silver Sunday! Coin Roll Hunting …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“We must not permit our respect for the dead or our sympathy for the living to lead us into an act of injustice to the balance of the living. I will not attempt to prove that Congress has no power to appropriate this money as an act of charity. Every member upon this floor knows it. We have the right as individuals to give away as much of our own money as we please in charity; but as members of congress we have no right to appropriate a dollar of the public money.” – Davy Crockett