Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — January 21, 2026

On January 21, 1789, the first American novel, “The Power of Sympathy” by William Hill Brown was published by Isaiah Thomas. — January 21, 1974: The price of gold hit a record $161.31, and silver hit $3.97 per Troy ounce, in London. — A USB Archive Stick Update: At last count, we had just 62 of the standard waterproof 2005-2025 SurvivalBlog archive USB sticks still available to order. And all of the sticks in the limited edition keepsake tins sold out in the first two weeks of January. The mailings of both types should begin on Friday. They will be mailed …


SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

Our 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. — At Instructables: A Simple Trash Can Faraday Cage. o  o  o A useful article that was originally posted in 2016 and updated in 2024: Proper underground propane tank installation. o  o  o Why Does So Much of America Look the Same Now? (A hat tip to D.S.V. for the link.) o  o  …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — January 20, 2026

On January 20, 1801, John Marshall was appointed as the Supreme Court’s first  Chief Justice. — January 20, 1921: The Republic of Turkey was declared from the remnants of the Ottoman Empire. — On January 20, 1981, 52 American hostages were released by the Iranian government, following 444 days of captivity, to be reunited with their families. Not coincidentally, Ronald Reagan was sworn in is President, the same day. — Today is also the birthday of Congressman Richard Henry Lee (1732–1794.) — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 122 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The …


SurvivalBlog’s American Redoubt Media of the Week

This weekly column features media from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. I heard about a company that makes clever detachable magazine conversions for Ruger American rifles, as well as their own AK-family rifles and handguns: Occam Defense Solutions in Moscow, Idaho. Video: Pros and Cons of Living in Bonners Ferry, Idaho. Former Spokane Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich announces bid for governor … in Wyoming. JWR’s Comments:  I consider Knezovich an absolute snake in the grass.  He clearly loathes both the …



Preparedness Notes for Monday — January 19, 2026

On January 19, 1937, Howard Hughes set a transcontinental flight record of 7 hours, 28 minutes and 25 seconds. — January 19, 1810: On “Cold Friday”, the temperature at Portsmouth, New Hampshire dropped from 54°F to minus 12°F in one day, and many people were reported frozen to death. — This is also the birthday of the late Carla Emery (born 1939, died October 11, 2005). She is well known in self-sufficiency circles as the author of The Encyclopedia of Country Living. — There were two large solar flares yesterday (Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026.)  One of them was a category …


Recipe of the Week: 

The following delicious recipe for Smothered Chicken is from The New Butterick Cook Book, copyright 1924, now in the public domain. That is just one of the dozens of bonus books included in the 2005-2025 20th Anniversary Edition of the waterproof SurvivalBlog Archive USB stick that is now available to order. Ingredients 2 small chickens or 1 large one 2 or more tablespoons butter Salt and Pepper Flour Directions Take off the neck and split the chicken down the back, wiping it with a damp towel. Season inside and out with salt and pepper, and dredge on all sides with …


SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week

Today’s graphic: Countries from which the U.S. resident visa applications will be paused, starting January 21, 2026. (Graphic courtesy of Reddit.) News Link: Visa processing from 75 countries will be paused, citing the Donald Trump administration’s desire to “end the abuse of America’s immigration system by those who would extract wealth from the American people.” The thumbnail below is click-expandable.     — Please send your graphics or graphics links to JWR. (Either via e-mail or via our Contact form.) Any graphics that you send must either be your own creation or uncopyrighted.



Preparedness Notes for Sunday — January 18, 2026

On January 18th, 1591, during the Burmese-Siamese War (pictured) King Naresuan of Siam killed Crown Prince Minchit Sra of Burma in single combat. The date is now observed as Royal Thai Armed Forces day. — January 18th, 1813, was the birthday Joseph Glidden, who invented barbed wire. — Kevin Costner, who starred in Open Range, was born on this day in 1955. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 122 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Gunsite Academy Three-Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any …


Establishing Relationships in Your New Locale, by SaraSue

I have been on my farm for about five years, give or take.  I live outside a small town in rural Tennessee.  I didn’t know anyone when I moved here.  The closest neighbor is about half a mile away, and the rest are many miles down the road. If you are planning on moving from the suburbs or cities to the countryside, you might glean something from my experiences.  I hope this helps. The first neighbor I met was an older widow, and the circumstances weren’t great.  My big dogs (German Shepherds) had a habit of escaping the property and …


JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR: Meme Text: Ryan Gosling And Ryan Duckling Notes From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. And if it is posted then I’ll give you credit. Thanks! Permission to repost memes that I’ve created is granted, provided that credit to SurvivalBlog.com is included.  


The Editors’ Quote Of The Day:

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater …


Preparedness Notes for Saturday — January 17, 2026

January 17, 1746: In the Battle of Falkirk Muir, the Jacobites under Charles Stuart defeated Hanoverian forces. — And on January 17, 1950: The Great Brinks Robbery. 11 men robbed $1.2 Million in cash and $1.5 Million in securities from armored car company Brink’s offices in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1956, eight of the robbers were convicted and handed life sentences in prison. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 122 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Gunsite Academy Three-Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any …