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 had a fairly hectic week, starting with three vehicle oil change and repair appointments in a row on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, in three different towns. First, a pickup truck oil change, then an SUV brake job, and then a UATV steering box replacement. On Thursday I was on the road to a gun show, that I attended just on Friday. But on the way, I dropped off a cow-calf pair to their new owners. (I drove our pickup with our three-horse trailer in tow.) Those two critters were the last of our old herd. We are now building a new herd with all A2/A2 stock, from another small cattle breed. We already have a bull and a disrelated cow-calf pair with the more desirable genetics. We will also soon be buying a couple of disrelated heifers.
I shipped out five Elk Creek Company orders this past week.
On my way home from that gun show trip, I dropped by my FFL Buddy’s house. He had several pre-1899 guns waiting for me, that I had bought at out-of-state auctions. To explain: Many auction houses have been buffaloed by the overbearing ATF and now insist on all guns being shipped to FFLs — even pre-1899 antique guns. They often say that they do this “just to be safe.” That is really silly and not in accordance with the law. Of course, my buddy with the FFL then just hands the antiques to me, because as pre-1899 guns, he cannot legally enter them in his ATF Bound Book. They don’t belong there any more than BB guns do. Per the Gun Control Act of 1968, pre-1899 guns and blackpowder replicas are not classified as “firearms.”
I usually buy him dinner, as a thank you for taking those deliveries for me.
I stayed up late last night, adding six new guns to the Elk Creek Company online catalog. There are both pre-1899 cartridge guns and several modern percussion blackpowder guns. These include a scarce 1898-dated Swedish Model 1896/38, a very early production S&W Model 2 single-action .32 S&W revolver, an early early production stainless steel Ruger Old Army with a three-digit serial number, a Chilean Model 1895 Mauser 7.62mm NATO arsenal conversion, and a scarce SAKO Mosin M39 “SKY” Finn on an 1896 Antique Receiver. Take a look!
On a hike out to the west end of the Rawles Ranch, I noticed that the brackens are growing taller than usual, this year, because of the rainy spring. That is usually a sign that we are going to have a bumper crop of large Huckleberries. Yum!
Now, Lily’s part of the report…
Avalanche Lily Reports:
Dear Readers,
It was a beautiful but coolish weather week, with high temperatures in the med-sixties to seventies. It has been a much cooler spring and early summer thus far this year.
For the past three days, we have had a Western Scarlet Tanager flying up to the framework of our picture window, and looking at his reflection in the the window. He is going back and forth from some trees and a post of our garden to the window, all day long even to 11 PM at night. And as far as I know starting in again as soon as it is light enough, 5:30 AM. Unbelievable and a rather mindless activity. He is a handsome boy, though. He has a reddish orange head, a light yellow/olive-ish colored beak, bright yellow body, black and light yellow stripes on his wings.
This week, I spent time scything more of the third garden bed in the Main garden. Jim finished the job for me. Next,I need to rototill it and plant squashes and pumpkins. The gardening season is getting very late…
Miss Violet and I planted almost the last of last year’s sprouting potatoes in a bed outside of the greenhouse.
I have been weeding all of the veggie rows this week. I have been harvesting lots of herbs, greens, and the first zuchs of the year. I made soups and stir fries with them. I also harvested dandelion greens, lamb’s quarters, and mullein and dehydrated them in our Excalibur Dehydrator.
I am happy also to report on our new cow/calf pair. They are a very sweet pair and our young bull was super pleased to meet them later that very morning. Before they had arrived, he had cried for about an hour when he realized he was the only bovine left on the place. It was so pitiful. Cows do have emotions and sense things.
Our third batch of incubated chicks are hatching out as I write this. If most hatch we will have quadrupled our flock. These of course will eventually, be used for food for us and for our carnivore pets.
I cleaned out the Hen house this week.
I have spent time watching some videos of Titus Morris Minister of the Gospel. I first saw him on Peter Santenello’s channel by accident. I like his representation on the Father and His son Jesus. I like how he is choosing to live his life off-grid. I am enjoying watching him forage for many of his foods and watching how he gardens. I also share many of his views of the days we have recently lived through and his stance on the coming Last Days! I enjoy observing his simple faith in the Word of God and how he expresses it. His testimonies, stories of trusting in the Father ,and seeing the Father answer his prayers, give him words of knowledge and understanding, guiding him. He is a true example of the Christian walk. It has been very refreshing and encouraging to me to listen to him this week. May you be blessed by him, too.
This week, I have been reading Isaiah and Psalms 137-150.
Keep praying and reading the word and prepping. Momentous events seem imminent.
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.