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 [1], 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:
We did a lot of deer hunting for the past few days. Nothing yet. 🙁
I’ve been busy buying numerous single-shot and pump-action shotguns, to diversify our family’s gun collection. Thanks to my GOA membership [2] and ATF Director Cekada’s October 9, 2026 guidance letter [3], they all now have dates with a tubing cutter scheduled, to become unregulated Short-Barreled Shoguns. Most of the barrels will be shortened to about 14 inches. Muzzles will then be crowned, many guns will be fully re-blued, and bead sights will be re-installed. A Special Note to Collectors: No worries! I only bought shotguns that had already been shortened or that had Cutts compensators or Poly Chokes installed. So I’m not desecrating any guns with any real collector’s value.
I hauled all of our canoes and and kayaks as well as our Gorilla Cart and all but one of our wheelbarrows into our shop for winter storage. We now feel ready for winter.
Now, Lily’s part of the report…
Avalanche Lily Reports:
Dear Readers,
There was heavy clouds and a lot of mist and some rain here most of week. We received approximately one and a half inches. There was a trace of snow on “The Unnamed Mountain” behind the ranch down to about 4,800 foot level. There is still snow up there at the “end” of this prep week. Temperature highs were forty-eight degrees Fahrenheit. The low was thirty-four degrees Fahrenheit. Finally on Monday, the sun broke out and it felt so good.
Yep, Jim and I have been out hunting at least three times for me this week,and Jim two more other times by himself. It is quite enjoyable to get up very early and go out and hike to a spot and sit and wait for the light to see. One place we went was up on a clearcut slope of mountain that over-looked a valley with a large river passing through it, not our river. As it got light I was panning the river with my binoculars. I saw the calm water with a “V” wake. I could see a small flock of about ten or so ducks of some kind traveling as a group. Suddenly I saw a white flash go over the ducks and lots of white water around them. I focussed the binocs on them and saw a Bald Eagle hunting the ducks. It harassed them flying by them really low over them trying to grab one. As the Eagle approached the ducks, at the last moment they would dive under water. The eagle would circle around and go right back at them. It did this about seven times. The ducks dove under each time. Then suddenly the eagle flew off. It did not have a duck. It must have tired itself out or decided that it wouldn’t get one of these ducks and it had better conserve it’s energy and go after something else.
This week, I pruned spent Black Raspberry canes. This summer we had so few Black Raspberries, (Ghemm, because I allowed the sheep to graze in the orchard and they chowed on them), that I decided to save most of the berries tht were left for seeds to plant next summer to increase our berry patch. After they had dehydrated, I put them in the refrigerator. This week, I took them out and planted most of them in my Black Raspberry patch. I saved some to start in the green house this spring.
I weed whacked the Main garden and a small section of the house meadow.
We have been talking about turning our south meadow into an edible plant meadow. This past week or so, Jim weed whacked the majority of it. We were going to plow it, but didn’t. Regardless, this week I decided to plant all the seeds we had intended to plant in the edible meadow. Many seeds were native to our area, such as Camas, Lomatian/Biscuit roots, nodding onions, etc. Some were not. Some seeds that I planted in specific patches are medicinal herbs. I look forward to next summer to see what comes up.
This next week, I’ve got to plant the garlic. I forgot about them.
Cleaned the hen house.
Went to town for blood draw panel to check on nearly everything. It’s been over six years since the last time I had a check. That trip took the whole day, which included drive to and home from a big city for the blood draw, stopping in to see the grandchildren and their mom for about forty minutes. We interrupted their home schooling so we kept the visit short. Then we did some shopping to pick up supplements, grain for the chickens, and some groceries. We arrived home at dinner time.
“Think about it” Channel, Revelation 13. [4] “Point of No Return”!
“End Time Berean”, “The LAST Jubilee 2027-2028” [5]Wow, this man is saying some of the same things that our Shabbat Bible study has been saying for the past ten plus years. CONFIRMATION! Please listen to it. God is speaking the same things to so many people now. There are a few things he has said that we don’t agree with, but the LORD is still revealing His plan to all who are searching.
So, we here at the Rawles Ranch have been prepping for years, just since our marriage in 2010 for over sixteen years. Jim, of course, was always prepping since his high school days in the 1970s. I, too, to a lesser extent. It had always been in my being from my Girl Scout Summer Camp days 5th grade on. I only attended GS meetings during the fifth grade and then not again until my senior year of high school. But I did go to GS camp every summer from fifth grade until Sophomore year of college. I was always aware of threats and prepped for them. Hurricane Gloria in 1984/5 was forecast to come through New England. I was then in high school. I, on my own, prepped my parent’s house to the best of my knowledge and ability at that time. The hurricane only brought warm heavy rain and a few big puffs of wind. I was kinda disappointed that it wasn’t as big as the media seemed to be hyping it to be. It probably was significant along the New England coast but not inland, where I was located.
I was in Richmond, Virginia when Hurricane Isabel went through In September of 2003 and that was very scary! The wind nearly dragged me out of the doorway and nearly took our door off it’s hinges when I peeked out. We had huge trees in our yard, that could’ve come down on our house, but they didn’t. There was massive rain and huge trees did come down everywhere around the city. Our neighborhood lost power for five days. We were prepped for that one too.
At this time we are often taking stock and adding to our stores, replenishing and working on new skills. The scriptures state that the days that are coming will be like no other days in all of Earth’s current history of six thousand years. The book of Revelation lists the Seven Seals. I believe we are in the midst of them right now: war, famine, pestilence, death, persecution are right around the corner. It has me worried that we might not have enough. But if we don’t or it’s taken from us, then the Father will provide for us, or take us home quickly. If you haven’t already been prepping for what is coming, then you’d better get on it — the door is closing fast!
I am still working on writing out Isaiah 15. I read through Zechariah a few times. I also read Matthew 24. I’m still working on memorizing the scriptures I mentioned last week.
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.