What We Have Done So Far- Part 1, by N.F.

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This is the story of a city boy and girl who decided to make the long journey to become country man and woman. This unlikely story has roots stretching back to childhood. Hopefully, my hindsight can offer some foresight to others on this blog who have not started down this formidable path. For any who have embarked on this journey, I hope my individual experience will give you new ideas and insights. Going from a high density human existence, to a life of constant challenges out in the wide open spaces, changes one’s perspectives on many different levels. This is …


Preps and Practice- Part 2, by ArmedSafety

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In A Disaster, Remember To Listen To Your Body If you ever find yourself in a disaster recovery situation, keep in mind to “listen to your body”. Whether you ride out a storm or evacuate and come back later, guess what? The mess will be there. August and September in south Texas aren’t fun for anyone that must work outside. Those that do work daily in the heat and oppressive humidity get somewhat acclimated to it. Others may have an inside job and spend very little time in the heat. The clean-up seems daunting at first, but always be sure …


Letter: Follow Up on Debt

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Dear Hugh, I read your comment on debt and I agree. Having been cautious of lawyers and government, my focus has been on privacy since about 1970. I had an excellent relationship with my CPA and we became partners in some real estate investments and some operating businesses. He also had privacy concerns, so we explored many things, offshore trusts, Turks and Cacaos, corporations in Hong Kong along with bank accounts in HK, Switzerland and Mexico. We formed all of the above at some time in my lifetime. The HK corp. and bank accounts survived an IRS hard look. Your …


Preps and Practice- Part 1, by ArmedSafety

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Prepping for the Inevitable “Zombie Apocalypse” I have, for years, been a student of prepping for the inevitable. The inevitability could have been one of many options– CME, economic collapse, civil unrest, or one of many more called collectively “The Zombie Apocalypse” by me and my family. We all have our reasons for making our preps. For some it may be relatively simple preps for an ice storm that causes power loss for a few days, to those who go above and beyond to survive a nuclear holocaust. The preps that I have fall somewhere in the middle, which is …


Too Many Answers Or Not Enough Questions?, by Old Bobbert

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This is Bobbert’’s piece on “how to do success” in the creation of our new society. Remembering that not everything we need to do as preppers is a physical or procedural item, I am endeavoring to speak to the post-SHTF issues of the new society’s lifestyles and some related covenants, specifically those enduring agreements between peoples and the special agreements between persons and God. Preppers Owing Much to Nation’s Founders We are the preppers! We are the folks who are working now so as to have an acceptable future for ourselves and possibly some others. We call ourselves the preppers, …


Recipe of the Week: Vegetable Soup, by OkieRanchWife

Hello! Recently I was fortunate to find a great deal on potatoes. 50 pounds for $5.55. I bought 100 pounds. I have been blanching the slices that I cut on my mandolin so I could dehydrate them. After blanching enough to fill nine trays in the dehydrator, a very nice potato stock was left. I set aside 3½ cups to make pumpernickel rye bread. I still had about two quarts left. Ah ha! Vegetable soup. Here is the recipe. Ingredients 2 quarts potato stock 2 ½ quarts chicken stock (I used my homemade stock made from leftover frozen chicken bones …


Radio Communication Methods During Emergencies- Part 5, by R. in NC

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So far, you’ve learned about the FCC and non-FCC license communications devices and equipment that is used with them. I touched on the use of Ham devices in an emergency, if you don’t yet have your Ham license. Now, let’s wrap up by learning how you can obtain your Ham license and move on to establishing and planning your communications. Getting Your License Ham radio licenses come in three levels, increasing in complexity of test and allowable frequencies. The FCC does not charge for the license, but your local Ham radio club usually has a $14 fee for giving the …


Radio Communication Methods During Emergencies- Part 4, by R. in NC

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We’ve previously covered non-FCC license dependent communications devices and are wrapping up our examination of FCC license dependent communications options, with special consideration for their use in an emergency. Today, we’ll also begin looking at resources and accessories that help us improve communications. VHF/UHF Radios Almost all of the “base station” VHF/UHF radios are designed as car Ham radios. Because of this, they can be very flexible in usage. Most of these are 25-50 watts, and some are even stronger. With the limited range of VHF/UHF, I think that going over 50 watts is probably not needed. FM is the …


Radio Communication Methods During Emergencies- Part 3, by R. in NC

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We just took a look at non-FCC License Dependent Communications, including use expectations and purchase considerations. Today, we begin examining FCC license dependent communications devices. FCC License Dependent Communications GMRS GMRS radios operate on the same frequencies as FRS along with a number of additional channels. They can use up to 50 watts, and the FCC allows for better antennas and repeaters. GMRS will require a license. No test is needed, and the FCC license covers all residents of a household. On last check, the license cost $85 dollars. Pros and cons, along with distance, are similar to FRS, with …


Radio Communication Methods During Emergencies- Part 2, by R. in NC

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Today, we’re continuing to look at communications devices in this communications overview section of the article. So far, we’ve look at Ham radio/licensed devices, but now we’re moving into non-FCC license dependence communication devices to consider. Cell Phones – Using During An Emergency and Improving Reception During an emergency it is very common that the local cell phone towers become saturated. Many people attempt to connect at the same time, resulting in busy signals. In addition, some cell towers have special equipment that restrict public use and dedicate additional bandwidth to emergency services. This section covers how to get a …


Radio Communication Methods During Emergencies- Part 1, by R. in NC

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Communications Overview and General Guidelines About This Article A modern two-way radio combines transmit and receive components together and is known as a transceiver. In this article I will use the terms radio and transceiver interchangeably. I’m also trying to write this to the largest audience possible and for that reason I may sacrifice technical accuracy in order to express the concept. Not all emergencies will require advanced communications equipment. Common usage technologies, such as email, voice mail, and SMS texting, should not be ignored. The more options you are able to take advantage of, the better your chances of …


Recipe of the Week: Potato Leek Soup, by K.M.

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(Approx 2-3 hours prep time) I use our 23-qt. canning pot to make a big batch and fill it to the brim, as everyone in our family enjoys this recipe. It usually only lasts two or three days among our family of five, and almost all of the ingredients can be sourced independently (e.g. from your own garden or farm). You can add/subtract a portion of the water, broth, milk, or potatoes to the recipe to suit your needs. Ingredients: 1 lb. bacon 3 lbs. potatoes (approximately; any variety will do; I prefer fingerlings, as they stay firm in the …


Commuter’s Get Home Bag, by M.M.

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Packing a Get Home Bag How do you prepare a get home bag when you commute more than 100 miles each day for work? Let’s for a moment presume that you have no idea that some sort of event is about to happen that will render your job irrelevant, your vehicle useless, and your location being close to your office, to which you commute each day, when it occurs. How and what in the world would you consider packing in a go bag and then heading home? I received a perfect example of your travel day changing due to a …


Letter Re: Compound Interest on Debt

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HJL, I was going to leave a short comment but this deserves wider exposure. Amen to all that about debt in the Zero Hedge article. Compound interest is not your friend if you are paying it. I bought into leverage for asset acquisition. Robert Kawasaki (intentionally incorrect) has a special place in my heart or is that some place much lower… It is a serious mistake not to take the income sheltered by depreciation and put it toward loan principal reduction. When you hit 50 and want to be out of debt the cold reality hits that profit and income …


What I Learned Living Through Harvey, by M.S.

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I’ve lived through several disasters and learned some thing. The worst events, in my experience, were the World Trade Center attack, Hurricane Sandy in New York City, and then most recently Hurricane Harvey in Beaumont, Texas. South East Texas was hit with life threatening, devastating rain fall, which put entire cities under water, turned towns into islands, and crippled the municipal water system of Beaumont. The following is a list of lessons I learned during this experience. 1. I’m not overly paranoid. I’ve been freedom oriented and interested in prepping for a while, and many of my family and friends …