Bugging Out West of the Mississippi- Part 2, by C.L.

In-Country Risks Contaminated Water The advantages of this trip west are due to large open areas with interspersed farms, ponds, and streams, relatively high visibility, and low population density. However, there are always the occasional natural and man-made risks to be wary of. Being largely farmland, most of the surface water is contaminated by pesticides and varying degrees of farm wastes, so have a variety of methods and containers to sterilize water in route. Removing most organic compounds and hydrophobic pesticides from water requires filtering through activated carbon or bio-char created from the gassification burning of wood above 1,652 Deg …


Letter Re: Sad Silent Prepper

HJL, I too am dealing with a family that does not grasp the dire situation we are in, in this country. My wife is of the opinion that it has never happened here and thus never will. My children (all grown and out of the house) think I am looney and will actually get up and leave the room if the conversation even starts to go in that direction. I am prepping as best I can and don’t care what they think. I pay all the bills at my house, so if I decide to spend money and on what …


Bugging Out West of the Mississippi- Part 1, by C.L.

Upon relocation to Texas by truck from the East through the Midwest I realized there will be numerous logistics and potential threats that may come into play during TEOTWAWKI that few might consider beforehand and won’t be able to check on-the-fly without cell service and WiFi. I hope my Midwest and East coast friends can use this information as a tool if they want to make a move West of the Mississippi and appreciate why. As I will show you, there is a huge night and day difference between each side of the Mississippi River. My range of concerns and …


Letter Re: Baking Soda

Sarah, I too am laying by a lot of baking soda. I too have spent enormous amounts of time pondering the absence of it. I found the answer in Carla Emory’s Encyclopedia of Country Living. It’s on page 220 in my book, under Acid-Base Leavenings. “In the real old days, they used to leaven with wood ash. Ashes are alkaline. If you add a teaspoon of ash to a mixture that contains an acid, such as real sour cream, buttermilk from slightly soured milk, or yogurt, then the two make bubbles. You have to work fast because the bubbles don’t …


A Mother’s Perspective, by B.H.

Prior to 2000, my husband and I had already begun to prepare for the Y2K that, well, never happened. Although this event never took place, we learned valuable lessons on what we were missing, and we were not parents at that time. First aid was not at the top of my priority list. We were planning on bugging in, and we naively thought we would be good with staying put in our sleepy town of 1200 people. I remember that we spent $10,000 on preparing for that event. We had more disposable income (again, we had no kids yet), so …


Prepping with a Terminal Illness, by D.P.

About a month ago I was diagnosed with a very aggressive type of brain cancer– glioblastoma. There’s no cure, and the chances of long-term survival are pretty slim. It’s referred to as “terminal” cancer. However, there are some long-term survivors, and I’m hoping to add to that number. If not, without a shred of doubt I have been one of the luckiest and blessed people I know. I’ve been blessed with a beautiful and caring wife, two young boys I love beyond measure, wonderful family and friends, and not least importantly from long ago an appreciation for the wonder of …


Letter Re: Intellectual Survival

HJL, I enjoyed reading D.W.’s article on Intellectual Survival and liked the anthology list of resources listed. I know that there are free digital downloads of the Harvard Classics on at least three sites from Open Culture. The links to The Gutenberg Project and Internet Archive are provided. While the digital downloads are not the annotated version, a third link, below, provides a page scan version of the Harvard Classics that are annotated. While not a hard copy, these can be stored in one’s electronic library for use on several platforms. Regards – A.C. Ohio


How Do I Get Prepared for Emergencies?, by Justin Case

Start by considering all the elements of the question you just asked yourself. Think it through carefully! Jot down your most obvious thoughts, since we often forget what we were thinking if we don’t. Don’t panic! Even if you are in an emergency situation that you are just realizing you are not prepared for, thinking is the key to making it. Look around you, and catalog the things that may help you immediately. Select the most critical actions, and start putting them into play. Yes, this is when most people start to think about being prepared. Now that you are …


Letter: The Sad, Silent Preppers

I enjoy reading SurvivalBlog and a couple of other sites. It consoles what I call myself as “the sad, silent preppers.” “Who are they”, you ask? They are the ones like me. My wife thinks I am insane and not trusting God enough and gets angry when I show her the Scriptures. The good thing is that she doesn’t talk to me for a couple of days after that. My children understand why I do it, but they have absolutely no enthusiasm in it. My in-laws also think I am totally crazy but for different reasons. “Nothing like that will …


Recipe of the Week: Arroz Con Pollo, by G.L.

Ingredients: 1 frying chicken, cut up 1 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 1 clove garlic, minced 1 pinch of saffron powder 3 cups broth or bouillon 2 Tbsp dry sherry 1 (16 oz) can peas, drained 1/2 cup sliced, stuffed green olives 2 cups cooked rice Directions: In a slow-cooking pot, combine chicken with salt, pepper, garlic, and saffron. Pour chicken broth and sherry over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours. Drain the chicken, saving 2 cups of broth. Turn the control to high and combine the chicken, 2 cups of broth, peas, olives, and …


Letter Re: Intellectual Survival

HJL, This is a great article and a tremendous gap in most survival discussions! We prepare not to just survive but to thrive in the aftermath of a disaster, and I assume we all have or are trying to have children. Imagine how dark the world will become if we let the light of western civilization sputter and die on our watch. If we are to make a difference, if we are to keep our values and our philosophy alive, we need books. My parents invested in a complete collection of the Harvard Classics. One summer, recovering from a football …


How to Plan and Plant a Hidden Garden, by Survival San

I don’t know if it’s just me, but as soon as the holidays have passed my mind turns to gardening. Too soon? Not in my opinion. Spring will be on us quicker than a tick on a rainy day, and it’s best we be prepared. It could be you’re hesitant to plant a garden because you’re worried about would-be poachers and/or vandals. Maybe you’re afraid that a garden will draw unwanted attention from wandering marauders or neighborhood children who may decide to commandeer your harvest or stomp on your tomatoes. Fear not! The solution to this disconcerting dilemma is to …


Letter Re: Call Me 4-Eyes

Hugh, Last week a letter titled Call Me 4-Eyes caught my attention. I agree 100% with his suggestions. As a retired Optometrist of 40+ years experience with military and civilian practice, I am concerned for contact wearers post SHTF. The very instant sanitation and personal hygiene are compromised, you should discontinue wearing contacts! Even today, most eye care providers will tell you they see several contact lens complications per week. An eye infection or corneal ulcer can be treated with good results in today’s world. When eye care is not available, a simple infection or corneal ulcer could result in …


Intellectual Survival, by D.W.

“Through space the universe grasps me and swallows me up like a speck; through thought I grasp it.”[1] -Blaise Pascal “It is absurd to hold that a man ought to be ashamed of being unable to defend himself with his limbs, but not of being unable to defend himself with speech and reason, when the use of rational speech is more distinctive of a human being than the use of his limbs.”[2] -Aristotle Imagine for a moment, you have just finished eating dinner with your family. You have been living without power for months. You planned for this, of course. …


Letter Re: Airport BOB

HJL, I have traveled extensively for the last 30 years and carry these items in addition to what you listed: Life straw. Clean water will be essential if you are stuck or have to walk home. Israeli battle dressing. It could be essential to saving yourself or someone else. Tourniquet: Can save yourself or someone else. Tactical pen. Mix it in with other pens in brief case. It’s not much but better than nothing on the airplane. Briefcase that converts to back pack. Brief cases are less conspicuous in the board room. Last year, I personally saw five young Middle …