This weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.
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We’ll start off with a video showing some Old School toolmaking craftsmanship by Timothy Dyck, in Canada: Why I bought this train rail.
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Giant, Venomous, Flying Spiders Coming to U.S. Northeast. (Thanks to reader C.B., for the link.)
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Reader S.H. wrote:
“The recent article about the importance of carrying cash was interesting. I have another angle on this story. Not too long ago, my family and I went to the big city of Bozeangeles (Bozeman). While there, on downtown Main Street, members of my family wanted a coffee drink. We wandered into Treeline Coffee at the Lark, they ordered, and I tried to give the girl cash to pay. ‘We don’t accept cash,’ she told me. ‘Sorry?’ I asked, thinking I must have misheard her. ‘We do not take cash. Cards only.’ I was boondoggled. She looked at me as if I was crazy to be carrying cash. To add insult to injury, the exact same thing happened to me the next morning at my hotel: I tried to pay for breakfast with cash, and they would not let me. ‘Cards only.’ My feelings at that point were a wide mixture of annoyance, frustration, disbelief, and sincere concern about the direction the world is going.”
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SaraSue sent this snippet:
“Whoosh! Where did the time go? What did I accomplish? Well, I processed the strawberries and the cabbages are still waiting for my attention. I sold another cow/calf pair and want to cry because I am so attached to them. The new Livestock Guardian Dog (LGD) puppies are doing very well and already alerting at things they don’t recognize on the farm. They went to the vet and had first shots and an oral tick treatment. They need to go two more times and my wallet is groaning. So far, my big dogs are leaving them alone rather than trying to kill them. They can socialize through the fence as I keep the “pasture dogs” and the “house guardians” in separate zones. The puppies have met the cows and are kind of afraid of them. LOL. I sure hope these LGDs grow into good coyote defenders. At 12 weeks old they are already 30 lbs. One is kind of a scaredy cat and the other (both boys) is quite brave. We shall see. The new laying flock is still locked up in the large hen house and will stay there until I feel they will be safe in the chicken run. The predator threat here is huge. Thankfully, only four-legged and winged predators.
Had one of my cows A.I.’d this week, so I’m hoping it “sticks” for a 2025 March calf. The other one is still cavorting with my neighbor’s bull.
In other news, I ordered StarLink after arguing with the local Internet company over their lazy way of installing fiber at the house – they dropped the line a few inches under the dirt! I got one more raised garden bed together, set it in the garden, but it’s not filled. Seems like I started on this project in February and am still not done. The existing raised beds are exploding with vegetables. I ordered some Hickory King corn seeds and hoping I can plant out a patch. It’s a little late in the season, but that corn is the kind you dry and grind up for cornmeal, and I’d like to try that as part of my self-sufficiency goals. My hands are finally healing from the poison ivy. What a pain that was. If there’s one thing I would advise people to stock up on, it’s hydrogen peroxide. It has helped heal many a sting, spider bite, infected cut, and even an earache and toothache. You can use it to disinfect a Berkey water filter, and just about anything you can think of. I try to keep cases on hand.
Parting note: While the world churns and looks like it’s going to burn, do not focus on that. Focus on what is in front of you and keep doing All The Things.”
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Two videos, on opposite ends of the Asian continent, with two interesting approaches to stone survival shelter construction:
and,
The girl braved the heavy rain, build shelter under a large rock – MsYang Survival.
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Unintended Consequences: California lawmakers vote to ban ‘reusable’ plastic bags from grocery stores.
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Tucker Carlson on X/Twitter: If you’re wondering whether you’re living in tyranny, ask yourself how many of his political opponents Joe Biden is sending to prison. Steve Bannon is the latest.
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Reader D.S.V. sent this: How to Find Your Phone’s IMEI Number Fast – Clark Howard.
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US Arrests Chinese Citizen Behind Malicious VPNs That Infected Millions.
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