To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug-out bag fine-tuning, 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 your e-mailed letters. We post many of those –or excerpts thereof — in the Odds ‘n Sods Column or in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!
Jim Reports:
I’ve been very busy writing this past week. To be ready to create the next edition of the SurvivalBlog archive USB stick, I need to get all of the December posts written by December 28th. Because we are adding so much bonus content, the archive will be on 32 GB sticks, this year. They should be orderable by January 22nd, 2024. So mark your calendar, if you plan to buy any. They will likely sell out before the end of February.
I’ve also been working on the manuscript for my forthcoming novel Flag Of Freedom. That will be the second book of the Counter-Caliphate Chronicles series. That won’t be published until late 2024 or early 2025. Thanks for your patience.
I haven’t had too many projects around the ranch, of late. Just the usual chores, and some fiddling with the stock tank heaters for the corrals and pastures. And thus far I haven’t done more than just one test swipe, with our snowplow. There is just a bit of snow in the forecast before January. So it looks like we may get off easy this year, unless the weather pattern shifts.
Now, on to Lily’s more loquacious report…
Avalanche Lily Reports:
Dear Readers,
It has been downright balmy for this time of the year with temperatures in the high thirties and low forties. We’ve had cloudy rainy weather for the most part.
Last weekend, we three had a wonderful time with youngest son, his wife, oldest son, his wife and the four grandsons during our “Second Thanksgiving” dinner and overnight with them. Early the next morning, I arose early and went out to the livingroom where the three older grandsons camped out. They were awake, so I ran to get three sets of Moccasin craft kits and got the boys going in lacing their own moccasins. Once they were well on their way with lacing them, I started making breakfast. Shortly after, everyone was awake and eating breakfast. We had pancakes with real maple syrup and whipped cream, scrambled eggs, and oranges. After breakfast, we continued to work on lacing the moccasins until they had to leave. It was a sweet time together.
We did our usual house and animal chores all week.
During the week, we watched the History Channel’s “Alone” Season 7 series. I had never seen any of “Alone” before, but I have come across quite a number of the folks who were on the show over the years: Brooke and Dave Whipple, Greg Ovens, Zachary Fowler, and Amos Rodriguez. Anyhow, I was curious to watch a season of it. It was fascinating. I had learned so much about outdoor survival from Kielyn, Callie, Corey, Rodney, Amos: snaring, fishing, shelter building, bushcrafts, etc. (I watched videos on tanning buckskin.) Basically, because of the hunting and game rules, no guns allowed, limited tools, limited game, and no barbed fishing hooks, it was a slow starvation time.
Anyhow, this week, I used the show’s Season 10’s Gear list of allowed items contestants can choose from to further fine-tune my bugout bag. This week, we bought 20 and 22 gauge soft brass wire, to make snares with. I added many more fishhooks to my fishing kit and some thirty-pound test line. We ordered a few gill nets and a Leatherman Surge multi-tool. For now, we have two children’s bow and arrow sets that I took out to begin practicing my shooting skills. I also am considering making my own bow, in the next few weeks.
Miss Violet bought a new small day pack. This week we went through her already-owned survival items and began adding them to her pack.
What we really need to do is get outside and really start practicing more of the skills required for outdoor survival. Lord-willing, I will speak about this subject more in the coming weeks.
May you have a blessed and peaceful Christmas Celebration with your friends and family.
– Avalanche Lily, Rawles
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As always, please share and send e-mails of your own successes and hard-earned wisdom and we will post them in the “Snippets” column this coming week. We want to hear from you.