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34 Comments

  1. Thank you for your experience and enlightenment. At 62, I am behind the learning curve, but trying to catch up. In the food area, I am learning gardening and making jerky. I plan on taking some medical courses this fall, if available. At our older ages, we might not be able to do as much, but we can train the youngsters and still do other important things.

  2. MH
    Good article with lots of sound advice.
    I too have been ‘prepping’ (I hate that term. For me it’s just ‘living’) for close to 50 years and still have much to learn. I also have been (an almost) daily reader of this blog since it’s second week where I stumbled across it by coincidence while searching for other similar online info…

    Your tips are similar to mine and I’ve given classes and used the same points to bring into conversation(s).

    One thing I just acquired was an Excalibur Dehydrator. We’ve wanted one for a long time and my daughter, who is an avid sales watcher on line came to me 6 months ago and mentioned that a site called WOOT.com (this is an Amazon company, don’t know if JWR would get any affiliate rebate earnings from them or not) has very good daily deals. It seems that about every 6 months they have Excaliburs at almost 50% off. My daughter and I both bought one, basically, 2 for the price of one. They arrived on Friday, haven’t even got it out of the box yet, but will this week. Can’t wait. (so for you mail order buyers, keep an eye on WOOT for this and other daily deals. Just today, they have Bates military boots for $21, regularly $205. Yes you read that right.)

    And one last thing… as a Paratrooper for 15 of my 24 years in the Army, my knees were also shot! After years of injections, they no longer helped, but last January and then in March, I had both my knees replaced. It was the best thing I ever did. I am pain free. I still use knee pads for garden and/or home repair work but absolutely zero pain on stairs, getting up and down, etc. Look into it if you have the insurance, in the mean time, I’ll pray for your comfort…
    Take care

    1. Rob, I’m glad you got those jump-tested knees fixed.

      Now, my question…I went to the WOOT website looking for the Excaliber Food Dehydrator. No luck. Please offer me some guidance.

      Carry on in grace

      2. WOOT is Amazon’s warehouse clearance company. Open box, returns, refurbs, last 5 in the building, odd sizes that didn’t sell, etc. It’s offers change daily. You can find some good deals, but also tons of cr*p. If fact, they even have events where you can buy a bag of cr*p, and have no idea what you are getting for your $5. Shipping is also $5 no matter how much you purchase at that time, but it is slow. Additionally, if you leave stuff hanging out in your cart without checking out, it can be sniped by someone else that is ready to check out.

        Happy hunting.

  3. Good morning, Muscadine Hunter,

    Thank you for this inspiring article! I agree that while some of us “more mature” folks can’t run around or do heavy lifting anymore, there are still things we can do.

    From a woman’s perspective, I would also like to add a couple of idea’s –
    1. Sewing – All forms of sewing – I can use a modern sewing machine, a treadle sewing machine and sew by hand if need be. How many of you can darn a sock?
    2. Crocheting – A simple “granny square” blanket/quilt can be very much appreciated when the nights are really cold.
    3. Medicinal and edible plants – identifying and preparing them
    4. Small animal farming – Rabbits, poultry, etc.
    5. Dutch oven (cast iron) cooking – It really is a skill. If you think you can just make a batch of bread dough and throw it in a dutch oven on open coals and have bread, you will be in for an unfortunate surprise!
    6. “target shooting” – please see the articles on the USSR WWII ladies Lyudmila Pavlichenko and Nina Lobkovskaya

    There are many other skills and knowledge sets that more mature folks have that are “lost” arts. Everyone can be useful.

    Have a Blessed week!

    1. So true, Lisa in TX! Great points.

      In fact, the examples you’ve shared provide an excellent direction in thinking about the ways in which we can — as we age — continue to prepare, to support ourselves and our families, and to teach skills. We should all focus on what can be done, and how we can modify our strategies to accommodate changes in health across time. Related to this, we ought to consider everything we do and every lifestyle choice we make across the likely needs of a lifetime.

      Here are just a couple of examples…
      * Live in a home on one level that can be maintained physically and financially.
      * Make steady your walking paths. Consider sidewalks or patio spaces that make for safe (or safer) access of various spaces in and around your living quarters.
      * Consider a walk-in shower. Add grip bars and commodes with higher seats.
      * If you’re building or remodeling a kitchen, look to pull-out drawers.
      * Include in your kitchen supplies tools (preferably manual and low-tech) that will help with everything — including the opening of lids that may be tightly secured.
      * Build raised garden beds that limit bending, and make planting and harvesting more accessible.
      * Add security features that offer additional preventive value, increase the amount of time you might have to respond to an intruder, or features that might facilitate and ease evacuation should there be — God forbid — an emergency such as a fire.

      This list could go on for quite awhile… There is much that can be done to protect and preserve life and the quality of life for people who are aging or otherwise have limited physical or cognitive abilities.

      One great way to learn about these ideas and options is to study the ideas developed by and for people with disabilities. It’s an eye opening endeavor, and there is lots of valuable information for all of us in this.

      1. And replace round door-knobs with straight-handle door-knobs.

        This solves two issues:
        * older hands sometimes lose their strength to squeeze round door-knobs.
        * hands and arms full of packages and babies can open the door using an elbow on the straight-handle door-knob.
        And in this age of fearsome cooties inches-deep on absolutely everything, an elbow opening a door can save your life and the lives of everybody around you [some humor involved in this tip]!

        I agree on walk-in/roll-in showers.
        The tiny raised entry ‘wall’ on traditional showers requires balancing on one foot on a wet and oft-slippery surface.
        Truckers and crane operators and line-men all abide by OSHA standards of maintaining a three-point contact with equipment while off the ground — *one hand plus two feet*, or *two hands plus one foot*.

        1. Once a Marine… An excellent suggestion. You are so right. A good quality broadfork is an awesome part of the garden tool collection. Thanks so much!

  4. All true. There’s plenty to do for all, ability to fend off the hordes not required! The need to garden, can, cook, watch children, mend clothes etc is always present. Ditto for skills such as reloading that you mention.

    Curious about how you have formed your “group”. Maybe you could write another article about how that came about. I’ve only lived in my new locale for 4 months or so and I sure don’t have a “group”. There’s only me plus my son would come here if things got bad enough; not really what is needed should TSHTF. When I had my farm I had forged strong ties with a number of neighbors but of course I’m in a different town now, over an hours drive away.

    1. Ani: I was actually invited into the group primarily because of my communications knowledge. IF you would like more info, maybe we can devise a way to communicate privately but maintain OPSEC. I’d be happy to help if I can.

  5. Knees, hips, teeth, Git er’ dun now if you can while things are still holding together. I needed something and was scheduled in March. Cancelled due to the Covid and done in early July. Messed up my whole warm season. I’m back in the game but I lost a season.

  6. Thank you, Muscadine Hunter! Your article was excellent and very much appreciated. You are so right in reminding all of us of the skills that have been lost (or mostly so) to time. Elders among us have invaluable living memories that can help all of us reconnect to live saving and life sustaining skills of the past.

    I would also add this… Every life matters, no matter how much or how little others believe any one individual can contribute. God does not value or devalue us because we are especially strong or smart or able or beautiful or handsome. We should value one another as God values us — as His precious children above all else, and worth the gift of His Only Son, Jesus Christ. As individuals and as a culture, we would do well to remember this, and to put this belief into the practice
    of our daily lives. To devalue another for any reason — but in this context say infirmity or illness, intelligence, disability, or age is to be savage as is the Marxist Left which — if the truth shall be told — values no life.

  7. Great article and very important skills! I noticed that you mentioned a How To binder. I’m working on a couple of those for my adult children. One is How to Cook Everything from Scratch. The younger generations, unless specifically taught, have no idea the various properties, ratios needed, of basic ingredients. With this knowledge, you don’t need a cookbook (and/or if the Internet went down). Scratch cooking is the least expensive way to go, and it also is important when faced with food storage (buckets of beans and rice, etc).

    I loved your articles. Us older folks are a wealth of knowledge and passing it down is our duty, in my humble opinion.

    1. SaraSue! The binders are such a great idea… A thought to add. Be sure to include substitution ideas. In my genealogical work (and study of historic cookbooks and handwritten recipes passed down through time), there are quite a few substitution lists. These appear often during times of war when supplies are scarce. Including substitutions will not only help youngsters know how to make adjustments, it will teach them oh-so-much about how things work — and this way of thinking will convey to aspects of life well beyond the kitchen!

  8. Like Rucksack Bob I just call it living. I guess I’m lucky, although many people wouldn’t necessarily think so. I grew up in a small town in Northern Saskatchewan, at a time, and in economic conditions that meant you had to learn to do just about anything and everything. I didn’t realize until “prepping” became a thing that a lot of the skills that I had learned “living” were actually in demand. It also took a while for me to realize that not everybody had these skills.

    I started to list some of them here, and then realized that a: the list was too long, and b: it was to much like bragging. But it did make me stop for a second and realize that I might be over 50, but my wife and I are a great catch for whichever group winds up getting the benefit of our skills.

    I might not be able to do a five mile run with a full pack anymore, but I look back and realize that the experience that I have gained along the way should serve me well in a post SHTF situation.

  9. Excellent suggestion. I include substitutions, and am also trying to include sections such as “The Many Uses of Baking Soda” etc. How impressive that you have done that research! The only thing, LOL, that I will not ever suggest, is substituting margarine for butter.

    I agree with you that “how things work” is a primary lesson to be learned. Back in the day… there were classes in public education under Home Economics were students learned to cook and sew. There were also classes such as Wood Shop and Automotive. I remember at the time, my parents complaining that the schools should stick to reading, writing, and arithmetic since these skills should be taught at home. My how things have changed!

    1. No! Margarine… Someone thought this was a good idea at the time, but you are so right — we’re just not going there!

      Your work sounds so good, and I am wondering… Have you thought about publishing it? Maybe an on-demand printing option through Amazon, or perhaps a print run with a company like Blurb? Just a thought as your project sounds like such a good one!

      1. I’m glad we agree on Butter is Better! LOL.
        Thank you for the encouragement. I have casually thought about it, but if I actually finish it for my adult children… then, maybe. I have a gazillion projects going on all the time, so finishing each one is the key. I’m determined in life to smell the roses along the way since much of my life has been devoted to working myself to death (almost). Now, by the grace of God, I get to pick and choose each day what I will or won’t do – no rushing, no pressure – a fun project here and there. A lovely place to be.

  10. Hey Muscadine Hunter, thank you for this very informative article.

    I would guess at some point, either due to the crashing economy or the SHTF, that a lot of people will return to the good old days when there were 3 generation households. One of my daughters and I were discussing this a year ago and I commented that with a 3 generation household, some jobs get done a whole lot better. I specifically mentioned gardening. Kids love to plant and help out with things like pruning and tyying up the blackberry canes, but they hate weeding. Dad’s are busy working or keeping things running so may not have much time to garden. Moms have their hands full with the kids and household duties and then canning all that produce that comes from the garden. But Grandpa loves to weed the garden/. It’s a wonderful time of peace and quite, time to meditate, philosophize. I can be Plato in the pea patch as I am harvesting weeds for the compost pile. Kids plant, Mom and Grandma dry and can, Grandpa weeds. It’s a great combination.

    The article mentioned the importance of having skills. I say AMEN! to what The Lone Canadian said, the biggest contribution us old geezers have is our experience and knowledge, especially how to do many things like we used to do before technology did things for us. And also, call me crazy, but I’ve been working on a resume of my skills and abilities in case at some point after TEOTWAWKI I need to find a group to join up with. I have a lot of skills like Lone Canadian, but I if I arrived at a compound like in Patriots, or arrived at a roadblock like in One Second After, I doubt I could name off 35% of my skills and knowledge while just standing there. A stack of resumes would be a much better option for a memory-challenged geezer like me. And while Lone Canadian didn’t want to brag by sharing his list, I’ll at least go so far as to say that I doubt anyone would turn me down if I presented my resume. Again, call me crazy. But most of you figured that out already! lol 🙂

    P.S. your Morse code information made me recall those poor soldiers at the Hanoi Hilton. They had worked out a tapping communication system using a 5 x 5 grid of the alphabet that was quicker than Morse code. And one of the officers, when they were brought on television for propaganda purposes, was able to blink out “T-O-R-T-U-R-E” in Morse code while pretending to be blinking at the bright glaring camera lights so the Pentagon know what was really happening and a violation of the Geneva Convention.

    1. The return to 3 generation homes is probably going to happen soon regardless of any disaster.

      1) Housing prices, especially in cities with better jobs, are higher than most young couples can afford.
      2) Childcare and/or homeschooling is expensive for couples that both work (see item 1)
      3) Elder care is more expensive than many older couples can afford.

      If more companies permanently move to remote work, relocating and centralizing the family is the only way I can see a lot of people being able to financially keep their heads above water.

  11. All my daughters have good training with small arms of all types, taught by outside instructors. They listen better when it’s not “just dad” instructing.
    Yesterday, one of them called to say they couldn’t find any more 5.56 ammunition.
    Really?
    So I got on line to confirm what I already knew. Of a dozen on-line suppliers only ONE had any built 5.56 left, and it was $.50 cents a round. All the others were out of stock unless you wanted exotic loadings, at up to $2.00 a round. That’s $2,000.00 a case, my friends.
    SO, they will be coming over to make a production run on the Dillon machines for 5.56, for which I stock a robust supply of components. With three of us handling mundane chores of case prep, priming (I use a RCBS bench primer machine, not the Dillon system because I can feel the primer seat all the way better), and everything supporting one operator on the DL550B progressive press. We can crank out about 3000 rounds in a day without undo annoyance.
    Mind you, a single stage RCBS Rockchucker is also a valued member of the team. I also rig a dedicated Rockchucker press with a Dillon resizing/trim die, each with its own trim motor, all calibrated for headspace and case length. .300 AAC Blackout, .7.62MM NATO, 5.56mm NATO. Saves time switching between calibers. Just unbolt the press you’re through with and bolt on the next caliber. Voila! Plug in the trim motor and GO.
    Use acetone for case cleaning after size/trimming operation. Lyman ultrasonic clean and rinse after that. Fluffy, bath towel-dry cases after rinse, then transfer to a fresh, dry towel to avoid water marks on perfectly clean brass.
    Forgot to mention other case prep, including dry media clean operation before primers are removed on the single stage press. Primer pocket swage for military brass. Then ready for resize-trim op. Let dry overnight….just too make sure. Next day, prime, run through Dillon, bag and tag. Wear cotton or nitrile gloves to prevent getting prints and body oil on cases. They’ll be bright and shiny 40 years from now when your grandkids open them up.
    I’ve been shooting up some .38s I loaded back in ’70. That’s 1970. AD. They all go BANG!, with enthusiasm. i wasn’t as finicky on case prep as I have been for the last 30 years.
    BTW, all you 7.62 NATO reloaders, inspect each and every fired casings with a scraping tool looking for annular case cracks near the head. Good idea for all bottleneck rifle cartridges, but 7.62s fired through belt-fed machine guns have a disproportionate fraction of bad, cracked cases. In the M60 days, I’d reject about 25%. With the newer M240, maybe 1%. If you don’t reject the cracked cases, expect broken off casings stuck in your chamber, or watching TWO chunks of brass fly out of your rifle. Who needs that during a fight?
    Nice article to bring these important skills to the fore. I don’t have enough years in a lifetime to learn all the essential skills, so we have CREW. The photo of the older ham equipment was great. Nowadays, transceivers look more like a small CB. Our Collins KWM-2A soldiers on, despite being made in 1962.

  12. Another good place for us “oldtimers;” be the “safety guy.” BE the guy who monitors the location for possible safety issues. BE the guy who shows everyone else how to use the fire extinguishers. BE the guy who who looks to minimize the possibility of those extinguishers needing to be used. We may or may not be able to join the hunting party, but we can make sure the hunting party has a place to return to!

    1. There’s a lot here that gets overlooked because it’s not tacticool and tough guys hate safety.

      A site characterization is handy thing to do:

      You touched on fire
      Most people know to keep an eye on the topography/ weather
      What about low lying areas? If your trash midden is too near a lower level where people just happen to be sleeping, you are going to gas them with methane and H2S when there’s a temperature inversion.
      Is your latrine trench too close to the water supply? To the living quarters?
      Do you know how to control mosquitos? Are there breeding pools within a 1/4 mile of camp?
      Will the water supply stagnate in the summer? Can you aerate said water supply?
      Etc., etc.

    2. Tom MacGyver… This is an excellent thought. Older people tend to have quieter and more focused minds. This is key to tasks that require detail orientation and a comprehensive thought process. The role of safety engineer is a great idea.

  13. And not just old folks.

    I owned a restaurant for ten years.
    My back-room staff included “‘tards” (as they called each other).
    (Today, these fine folks are labeled ‘cognitively-impaired’, so I suppose they call each other ‘cogs’.)

    Irregardless, my dish-worshers were marginally capable but always on-time and happy to help and a delight to be around.
    Their attention to detail constantly astonished me because I am a ‘big picture’ person with minimal capacity for details.

    As I proof-read this comment, I wonder if my inability to pay attention to details held me back.
    Which of us is the ‘tard!

  14. The price of the least expensive, yet decent 5.56 bullets has rrisen in the last few months from .08 cents to .11 cents, up 28%.
    https://d2bz5a3a8phucs.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/223-fmj-55gr-4-300×300.jpg

    Reloading may become a necessity. If I need high quality for an AR-15, and I cannot afford the pricey stuff that is now headed for $1.00/rd., I must ‘roll my own’. If I want close to MOA, or better ammo, then I must roll my own. If you do not have access to a standard press, then an inexpensive Lee Hand Loader as mentioned in the article works. Even precision ammo can be made with these inexpensive tools. My first MOA ammunition was out of a worn out barrel, and was made with this press and crude tools. Emphasis on crude. Use One Shot lubricating spray as case lube to make the job easier.

    For inside of 150 yards an AK using soft points bullets would be far more effective, and is a fraction of the cost of all other options, yet it will never be a precision instrument. But it is a brute force bullet hose. The significance of this fact should not be underestimated, however, it often is… As security will be job #1, those who do not already process enough fire power should take a hard cold look at their options. We will need different tools and rifles for different jobs. Reloading equipment will become scarce and expensive too. If you have the arm strength, the Lee Hand Loader is option that can keep any rifle running and at a low cost. Those with uncommon caliber rifles can find dies and components, if not ammunition, during times of scarcity, yet we would also need precision ammunition for common calibers. With a few tools, one can even do fancy stuff like turning .30-06 into .308, or making 8mm cases from .30-06. Purchasing components now, and the Lee Hand Loader could prove to be a good move at this time, before prices rise further.

    Long range shooting has already been recognized as the defensive method of choice for the future. Reloading is not rocket science. As old folks, we may have the time to add reloading to our list of skills, and it does not have to cost a boat load of money. Those who can do more, will be worth more, not in God’s eyes, but in the eyes of the world.

  15. Some of us “older” ones have lots of real life skills which could help to not have to “reinvent the wheel”. Personally I have lots of experiences of “thinking outside the box” and “making do”. Plus I’ve learned how to do almost everything more efficiently . Age, experience and less energy are great teachers. Also as we’ve raised our children we’ve learned a lot. What to stress about, how to direct, what’s really important, etc. We have lots of knowledge that many of us would love to share.

  16. ON the issue of communication or knowing what is going on around you, Uniden has a couple of scanners which are easy for even those who are not “into” scanners enough to program them. They use your zip code to scan the frequencies in your area, so programming is not necessary although they can be programmed if you have the skills. I can get our sheriffs dept. and all fire and ambulance along with the Texas Dept. of public safety (the highway patrol). We live in the county and our nearest city is encrypted so I can’t get that but it is not important since we are outside the city. They are the Uniden Home Patrol and the Uniden 436 handheld portable scanner (of which I think they have a newer version). They are pretty pricey but could be invaluable if things get bad in our area. Also it is important to get used to listening and comprehending what is said since they use the 10-codes and it takes a while listening to learn the 10-codes and understand what is actually going on. I like everyone else believe we may be heading for some bad times especially with the election coming up. May GOD bless each and everyone!!!

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