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:
This past week I kept busy packing orders for Elk Creek Company. The latest batch of guns has been selling very quickly. I suppose that the ATF’s upcoming rule grossly expanding the “Engaged in The Business” definition is what has spurred the sudden interest. Pre-1899 guns will soon become the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy, in all 50 states! To avoid a Federal felony prosecution, virtually any gun with a frame or receiver made after December 31st, 1898 will have to be sold only by or through a FFL — with a Form 4473 and a FBI background check.
Oh, and with the recent run-up in the price of silver, I have increased my FRNs to pre-’65 silver divisor to 22-to-1. (You can take the listed gun prices and divide by 22, if you will be paying in pre-1965 silver U.S Dimes, quarters, or half dollars.)
Calving season has begun. Lily will fill you in with some calving details, in her part of the report…
Avalanche Lily Reports:
Dear Readers,
This week was a mix of clouds, sun, rain, and a few snow showers with highs in the mid-fifties and lows in the low thirties.
Most of this week was all about the animals.
Our Matriarch cow birthed a sweet little heifer on Wednesday. I was privileged to witness the birth. I had been watching her very closely since I saw her udder bag up last week. One afternoon, I went out and saw her licking the ground and then her back end. At first I thought the baby had been born and I was just at the wrong spot to view it. When I went around the corrals, I realized that her bag of waters had burst. I waited around for a few minutes, looked at my watch and noted the time. Then I ran into the house to look up time frame for birth of a calf after the waters break. It was thirty minutes to an hour. I told Miss Violet that the cow was in labor and asked if she wanted to see the birth. She wasn’t interested? Oh well. I ran back out and did some chores around the corral area watching her. I could see the little hooves sticking out. Suddenly she laid down about fifteen minutes later. She strained. Then I caught her doing something very strange, she was sucking her own teat, drinking her own colostrum. Then I realized that she must have been naturally releasing her own natural pitocin to help strengthen her contractions, because a few moments later, I saw more of the calves’ legs and the shape of the calf’s head in the membrane of her vulva. She was straining mightily and I was worried for her. I prayed that the Father would help her.
At the next contraction, the baby’s head popped out of the membrane and I saw the baby’s nose and lips move. Then when the next contraction came, mama pushed out the baby some more and then stood up and the baby dropped out. Mama cow whipped around and immediately began licking the baby all over. In three minutes, baby calf was already moving around and trying to get up. It quickly rolled onto its chest and started to stand up. With about four tries and in less than ten minutes baby was standing. Amazing! Just so amazing. The calf nursed within the hour. All of the other cows were so interested in meeting the new baby. It was so cute. Soon I will milk some colostrum from this cow. She is a great Mama, too.
I’m still milking the other cow. She is really getting used to the process. I brushed this cow. She didn’t like it too well. But she will get used to it. I received order of the Mesophilic and Thermophilic cheese making cultures at the end of the week. Lord-willing, next week, I will begin making cheese for our family.
I brushed the bull as much as he would allow.
The winter hair shedding process has begun in the horses. For two evenings I went out to the meadows to brush them out. It is a huge job but they really appreciate the brushing help. Shedding winter fur is an itchy process.
I separated the lambs from their mamas one night in order to milk them and try their milk. The next morning, I caught one mamas and tried to milk her. They are a small breed. Her teats were so tiny that I only was able to get a half ounce. I don’t want to hurt her teats by trying to milk her. It was also early morning and I wasn’t up for a battle. So I let them all go and I decided to order a special sheep hand milker. I will try again in a few weeks when it arrives. I did not drink the milk, either. I’m a bit nervous about it and don’t feel like feeling icky if I have a reaction. The pollen season is kicking in and gives me some grief, already.
I cleaned the sheep shed and the Hen house.
I collected forty eggs during a three-day timeframe and set up the incubator and began incubating them.
I didn’t do much gardening this week. But I have been harvesting baby Arugula, kale, Lamb’s quarter, scallions, and Basil from the Green house and foraging in the garden and orchard baby dandelion leaves for salads this week. Yum!
I emptied, thawed and cleaned our Propane freezer.
We brought our rototiller home from the shop.
May You All Remain Safe, Blessed, and Hidden in Christ Jesus,
– Avalanche Lily, Rawles
o o o
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.