As preppers work to make progress to achieve prepping goals, we took some actions this week too. The SurvivalBlog editors made some plans earlier in the week and now reflect upon these. Below, the editors share what we each accomplished. Please write to us in the comments and tell us what you did this week to get your preps in place and to be ready.
JWR
Hello SurvivalBlog Readers,
This week the weather in the northern American Redoubt was cool, cloudy, and mostly dry.
Our prepping accomplishments are as follows:
Jim got a nice start on the plumbing project. He took down the wasp infected, hollowed tree and took down some more dead and diseased trees, gathered slash and burned it. Jim and Lily, together, planted, mulched and deeply watered the eight saplings. We love working together outside.
Lily mulched the blueberries with peat moss and moved the hose around to water the already planted sections of the garden. Lily cleaned the chicken coop and the entryway of the barn, where we store the hay. She started cleaning the stalls. She got started with weeding, fertilizing with composted cow manure and mulched with straw, three rows, so far, of our large strawberry patch.
Nothing was planted in the garden or greenhouse, this week. But we’re done with out of home, homeschool obligations for the summer, so we’ll get to it this coming week.
#1 Daughter worked on cleaning the small-hoofed animals’ shed.
We’re looking forward to hearing what you accomplished towards prepping this week.
HJL
Over the past five days, the Latimer family made some progress on the homestead. The gardens were expanded and some of the automated watering system installed. Unwanted creatures were expelled (or expired), a good deal maintenance was accomplished, and a large amount of homemade bread was baked and frozen. All of this was accomplished amid some celebrations and heavy work loads, but amid good weather and health. We thank the LORD for another week of His blessings and for the new life in the garden, which we expect to help sustain our family for another year!
Gardening For Livestock
We planted 250 feet of the nearly 400 feet of garden that was waiting for cow peas. Additionally, we watered the cow pea area we have planted well over the past two weeks. And the good Lord brought hot days such that they have begun to sprout out of the ground already. Some sprouted out of the ground in just two days! Though we soaked those seeds for an hour or so in a pea innoculent-water mixture before we planted them.
Unwanted Creatures
We have had to deal with a variety of unwanted critters that have tried to invade our garden and structures this week. These critters have included rabbits, squirrels, black widow spiders, and a rattle snake. (Just a few weeks ago we had a pack of coyotes follow after a pack of wild dogs, each pursuing our chickens.) It is a continuous battle. Some will no longer be a problem, but some escaped.
Automated Watering System
We installed the drip watering system on the two main vegetable gardens. So far they seem to be holding well, though we need some additional stakes to hold the tubing firmly in place, but we will get to this next week.
Property Maintenance
Trees were trimmed and what seem like a million weeds were chopped and pulled.
Bread
Sarah baked several loaves of bread and cakes this week, some of which she shared with friends for various celebrations.
This week I finally got an old credit card cancelled; I had paid it off over six months ago and by chance discovered the account had not been closed (I suppose failed to ask the to close it so bad on me). Subsequent to that discovery I send a snail-mail letter to them, and this week received the reply that indeed the company had closed the account.
Lesson: action passed is not action completed. Inspect what you expect.
Greetings from the NODOUBT, (The communist Northeast) The weather here has also been cool and damp.
I’m watching the potatoes in my 5 ft by 5 ft raised bed experiment grow. I’ll keep adding boards and mulch to the raised bed until it’s 3 or so feet deep with potatoes…….I continue to add to my own, and encourage those who are able, to do ‘back to Eden’ gardening. http://www.backtoedenfilm.com/ I speed up the process by adding horse manure to the wood chips. I need to clean the rabbit cages and add that to the mix.
I stop at garage sales and buy hand tools on the cheap because few want to do physical labor anymore.
Been more than busy helping folk lately. ‘Funny’ how volunteerism seems almost nonexistent lately. Goes with the new culture the progressives are implementing, I guess. Everybody is too busy taking their kids to soccer, baseball, basketball games or playing with their electronic devices to help others. Sad.
Our great Lord is in control of all things.
MtH
Regarding unwanted creatures, I have been putting on a full court press on deer mice. My motivation is that they carry the Hantavirus which can result in HPS, a rare disease that is fatal 1/3 to 1/2 the time.
It appears that in an adjacent county to mine, there have been three cases of Hantavirus in about the last four to six months, when the previous case was 2003. One person has died. It is also reported that the deer mice population is up this year for whatever reason. I have killed probably 12 around my wood pile, utility area and out buildings with snap traps in the last week or so. Don’t know how many have been killed with poison. Have not caught any more for about two days.
The CDC has guidance on how to clean up rodent nests. Recommend reading it.
Greetings from a COMMIE-LIB island in the middle of the otherwise conservative inland Northeast. Wet here too, all week. Poked my head outside a couple times, and realized there was no way any yard work was being done, or much of anything else.
Three disabling conditions: Major pain; sleep disorder; sinus infection. Strike 1, strike 2, strike 3, as they say.
Prepping my mind to the fact that I’ll never be able to accomplish all that needs to be done; and if the S really HTF, I’m screwed.
Have a nice day, haha!
Even though you have realized that you will never be able to accomplish all that needs to be done, be happy with what you have and can accomplish. Baby steps are better than no steps at all.
Good advice, farmergranny. Thanks. I need to concentrate on being thankful more.
Alan
This is a link to a publication from Utah State University Cooperative Extension regarding Food Storage, Rodents and Hantavirus. Very helpful.
http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1533&context=extension_curall
I am amazed at all the thing you get done on your ranch! I have a small farm with small animals and still can’t accomplish everything that needs to be done. Some days just getting the animals fed is all the two of us can do!
If I am harvesting animals that is a multi-day process to slaughter, butcher and preserve the meat. If I work in the garden I am usually to tired to prep any food for canning or freeze drying. If I plan on canning or freeze drying, it is at least a full day effort; sometimes more; and little else gets done, e.g. house cleaning, laundry, etc.
For preps, this week I made 4 pds of beef jerky, harvested four large rabbits,canned 4 qts of broth and 10 pds of carrots. Wanted to do strawberry fruit leather but the back muscles started to spasm … maybe tonight.
I would love to run a drip line to the garden but that would require a plumber as I don’t know how to tie a line into the well. Right now I have 200 ft of hoses running to the garden.
Thanks for the inspiration!
Too sweet, Mrs. RLB. Thanks for your prayers, and may God bless you!
I’m not very old, and I have so much I want to do. Completely frustrating, but people like you make it better.
Alan
I went through cancer treatment 18 moths ago, the chemo nearly killed me, ( put me in ICU for 12 days, then they gave me more chemo !, now in the recovery monitoring stage, grateful to be alive, I am now putting excess stuff I don’t use on evil bay and plan on paying the CC off and buying backpacks and quality gear, some days its a struggle with the aching joints, but I have a good wife and we support each other, plan on buying a van and looking for those out of the way places for sale, just thankful to the good lord for the simple joys ATM, my prayer is we find a place before SHTF.
thanks for reading
We have a milk cow on our farm so I was able to make four pounds of butter and two pounds of Mozzarella cheese. We have been working in the garden for what seems like months, oh wait, it has been months! we have a summer garden and a winter garden each year.
We have been getting a lot of rain lately so we haven’t been able to put up much hay for the winter yet. The fields are high, which is a beautiful thing right now.
This week, got three more sacks of wheat, lentils, and sprouting seeds into mylar and bucketed. I read about the crop wheat disaster in Kansas.
On Wednesday I attended bible study- 1st Corinthians Chapter 10. Store sale this week on canned garbanzos, black beans, pork and beans at 48 cents each. It’s cheap and fast survival food so got 48 cans total. Home made is better but we’re not capable of that yet. Then I visited the LDS Bishops pantry and got the wheat, and two cases of #10 canned pasta. I’m not LDS but the pantry operators are fantastic people and always helpful.
Sporting goods store had sale on Rgr 10/22 (thanks for the 4-part SB series in April) so got a takedown model and got it scoped. Showed it to my kids and designated their 2 YO daughter as future heir when that day comes. They agreed. I gave my daughter (33 YO) a copy of the LDS ‘food for one person for one year’ list.
Got another gallon of cooking fuel for $7.68 at WalMart. Added it to the stash. St. Vincent De Paul thrift shop had 7 used Coleman fuel stoves for sale, so this morning I got one in good condition for $10. I tested the pumps and valves on each of them.
That was after I attended the local ham radio club monthly breakfast where we planned the June Field Day. One member gave me a used antenna, another member gave me an extra 2016-2017 Repeater Directory. We are setting up an informal weekly night check-in net, and discussed the foraml statewide emergency radio nets. I signed up for a 2 day radio Emergency Radio Operations course coming up in two weeks. Our main speaker showed and briefed on his emergency radio and bugout containers and demonstarted operations thereof.
I’m harvesting radishes, spinach. Asparagus is done.
Strawberry patch harvest will be ready by June 14, our 37th wedding anniversary, PTL. Prepping to buy bird-proof netting for blueberries (7 varieties), strawberries, our 3 varieties of currants, Aronia bushes, Marionberry patch, mulberry bush, and raspberry patch. Scrub jays and robins are numerous and primary predators historically here. Robins have flocked together and stripped our entire crops in 3 days, and always prior to full ripeness.
You all should know we now live in town on a 75 by 150 foot lot mostly covered with our duplex, garage, and paved driveway from alley to street. Yes, we have a retreat location but if we can do our self reliant stuff here than you can too, even if it’s as small as a 5 gallon bucket planter. I’m sharing all this to encourage you. Get busy, get sustainable, get others to do the same.
May God bless you all. Seek him above all else. He loves you and wants you to love him. Yeshua lives as our lord and savior. Through him all is possible. The power of the Holy Spirit can bless your life. If all preps fail, these three do not: Father, Son and Holy Spirit- each is a distinct and separate personage but are all three together God in one.
Hello American Redoubt, I,m from “un-pacified” South Georgia. We read “survivalblog” daily just to remind ourselves that we are not alone in the world. This week we are finishing up the toilets in our site,(it will be great to be able to “potty” on a real commode) our showers are basically finished except for hot water but after a long hot day in S. Ga. in May, COLD is good. Our kitchen is almost organized and clean (almost ready for canning), communications building is finished with radios up and running. While taking a supper break, I found time to make some dry fires with my favorite 941 Jericho. Our 4 founders went into town to interview a potential new member, it would be nice to have a nurse or an EMT on site. We are busy here, not being lulled into a false sense of security just because the White House change occupants. We pray daily for you and all the other like-minded folks around the country and we hope you are praying for us.
The weather the past week and a half has been terrible. last year the garden was planted and growing by now I planted bush beans about two weeks ago and they are hibernating. Snow and heavy rain. Only thing growing are Cabbage, Cauliflower, Brussel Sprouts and Peas. I have to go to the greenhouse and buy some pickle plants and tomato plants. I put mine out too soon and they are dead. I did get 50 pounds of rice, 75 pounds of Pinto Beans, 20 pounds of canning salt, 50 pounds of sugar vacuum packed and hidden in a “in plain sight” cache. I am hoping that the weather breaks and the temps get into the 60’s soon.
Things to do, plant potatoes, finish digging garden and planting snap peas more cabbage, Carrots, Red Beets and a bunch of other things. I might have to replant the bush beans. Where is that global warming we are supposed to get? Started the ball rolling for stem cell injections into my knees.
I had my transfer case replaced on my truck so no more leaks. I left Thursday on the 300 mile journey north to visit my father in Tennessee. (My secondary bug out location) He doesn’t get around too well these days with his hart issues he’s had so while visiting I had projects to complete for him. Friday, I removed his rusted and broken step rails from his truck so that he doesn’t hurt himself by forgetting to step over them. The truck does not sit so high that he can’t get in and out without them. Saturday my wife and I went to the family grave yard (just down the road) for our Memorial Day decorations, remembrance, and gathering. Saturday night the power went out around 9:30 as a strong thunderstorm came out of the north. Late that night one of the volunteer fireman stopped by letting us know he was clearing the road and wanted to check on us. Having someone come up the drive and to the house caught my father off guard because his place is off the beaten path, but it was someone that he knew. He told us the fence was down along the road so at day break Sunday I was up with my fence plyers in hand. It took about an hour, but I had the fence repaired and the horses would not wonder out or worse get on the road. After that I gather up about thirty pounds of flint rock to work with on my flint knapping hobby. The power ended up being off about 20 hours before being restored. As my wife and I left to make the 300 mile trek back home we saw many more trees down. Some were across lines, some on cars, and others across fences. Needless to say, it was a bad storm that hit us.