It is the Best of Times and the Worst of Times to Research Your Family History, by Michigan Swamp Buck

Gone are the days of the nuclear family. With high divorce rates, remarriages, single parents, and the legalization of same sex marriages, the family unit as it was once known is becoming a rare thing in the 21st century. Although these changes have brought more choices and variation in family structure, there have been losses from abandoning the traditional family unit. One loss is the traditional family value of knowing your family’s history and lineage. Knowing who you have descended from and the history surrounding their lives provides a foundation of pride and strength that many families have lost touch …


Everyday Carry and the Musings of an Old Guy, for a Post-Apocalyptic World, by OldRonin

A big part of the prepper culture revolves around guns and gear. I must confess, I’m gun and gear poor! I can just about outfit an infantry squad as I write this! My bonafides are as follows: In my youth, I was an Army Airborne Ranger (Ranger class 9/78, assigned to the second Ranger Battalion, 2/75th). Currently, I am a more than 29 year serving police officer and soon to be retired. I’ve done patrol, investigations, FTO, supervision, and I was a SWAT guy at one time. I have also been a “use of force” instructor and have taught rifle, …


Two Letters Re: Wertz Family Farm

Good morning, I just thought I would be another to drop you a line and mention that you will not go wrong with Wertz Farm Market. I grew up with and actually lived with one of the sons through college. They are old school Christian Conservatives who work hard and serve the community all year round. I was truly astounded and beyond happy to see them get mentioned on your site. – AJM o o o Dear HJL & JWR, You posted on 1-26-17, a short item about Wertz family farm. I looked them up and decided to place an …


The New Dawn Approaches, by W.G

We have all seen the shows and read the countless articles on survival, prepping, et cetera. They all offer very valuable information one should retain. This day and age, we can turn on the news and view ethnic cleansing and genocide happening as we watch. Towns, families, cultures are under attack and being annihilated. It is safe to say we not only need to prepare for natural disasters but government-funded ones as well. We can stockpile weapons, ammo, food, water, et cetera, but all that is pointless unless you have the proper mindset. What is the proper mindset? Total contempt …


Letter Re: Bugging Out West of the Mississippi

Dear Editor: Regarding “Bugging Out West of the Mississippi”, I had never seen the need for the advice in this article, after all, we do have a GPS. But after an extremely challenging trip recently from the Great River Eastward to the coast, we got tangled up trying to get through Indianapolis. Before the return trip I planned the route similar to the advice in the article. I am now in the process of putting together 3-ring binders with detailed maps on how to get through any large metropolis that is between us and any long distance destination. Thanks C.L. …


Observations and Lessons from the Oroville Dam Evacuation

I felt obliged to pass on some observations and potential lessons on the developing problems at the Oroville Dam here in northern California. For those who may not have heard, the Oroville Dam has had some major structural issues with the spillways, resulting in mandatory evacuations for as many as 180,000 people. It is an earth fill embankment dam on the Feather River east of the city of Oroville, California, in the United States. At 770 feet (230 m) high, it is the tallest dam in the U.S. and serves mainly for water supply, hydroelectricity generation, and flood control. It …


Letter Re: Sad and Silent

Dear Sad and Silent: I have learned to speak in terms of resilience and not prep. I regularly engage in DIY projects because of the mental stimulation. I seek to know about all things, saying that I am a very curious fellow. Every fifth person laughs. When I buy, I grab a little extra of nails, screws, oil, filters, et cetera. Commonly, I do household projects out of inventory, in terms of screws and nails, making sure to replace them. That does not mean it did not take three trips to the hardware store to finally get the stove installation …


Recipe of the Week: Dutch Oven Pork Hock Stew, by R.T.

This is a good meal to prepare on a camping trip in a 3-legged Dutch oven, or at home in a stovetop model, as it can be left to cook all day while needing only occasional attention. The pork hock, or leg, is inexpensive and is enveloped in a thick skin (not fat) that is rich in collagen. Ingredients: a fresh pork hock, carrots, onions, red potatoes Seasoning blend of salt, cayenne, black pepper, coriander, garlic, and Spanish smoked paprika, adjusted to taste Directions: Heat up a lidded 4-quart Dutch oven swabbed with a coating of oil, slowly to a …


Letter Re: Misguided Youth

Hugh, Periodically, I check on on a few different blogs, and one recent post has cemented my belief that this country is going to have a difficult future with or without a serious economic downturn. This particular blog advocates living on about 25% of one’s income, which I find admirable; however, I have two concerns that I find troubling: The authors have themselves in the past and do advocate that their readers get all the free goodies from the government and other social organizations that they can obtain, regardless of need. If one qualifies, grab it. Hmmm. I do find …


Letter Re: Sad, Silent Prepper

Dear Sad, Silent Prepper, I feel for you, bud. I was on the same road for years, trying to convince the wife that there were several scenarios that we needed to be concerned about and maybe even a few for which we needed to be prepared. My personal journey took years, but in the end it obtained moderate success. And by moderate I mean not perfect or complete, but it was good enough for me. Total covert? No. More open minded and sympathetic? Probably. I have tried to be consistent, not too over reactive, and as subtle as possible. “Gee, …


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 …