Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — November 25, 2025

On November 25, 1491, the siege of Granada began. The city was the last Moorish stronghold in Spain. — November 25th is the birthday of economist and comedian Ben Stein. He still spends part of each year at one of his three homes in Sandpoint, Idaho. (At last report, he also owns homes in Beverly Hills, Malibu, and Rancho Mirage, California.)  He has always leaned toward tangible investing. — November 25, 1834: Delmonico’s, one of New York’s finest restaurants, first provided a meal of soup, steak, coffee, and half a pie for 12 cents. — Today’s feature aricle is a …


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. Pictured above is the town of Steptoe, in the Palouse Hills, which straddle the Idaho-Washington state line. Presumably photographed from Steptoe Butte. (A Wikimedia Commons photo by Dana Hutchinson.) American Redoubt News Links I’ve posted this video before: Patriots – Surviving the Coming Collapse -Trike Flying. The Seven Wonders of Washington State: The Palouse. Air 4 Adventure: Harvest time on the Palouse. Published back in February: Community voices …


The Editors’ Quote Of The Day:

“No totalitarian authority nor authoritarian state can tolerate those who have an absolute by which to judge that state and its actions. The Christians had that absolute in God’s revelation. Because the Christians had an absolute, universal standard by which to judge not only personal morals but the state, they were counted as enemies of totalitarian Rome and were thrown to the beasts.” –  Francis A. Schaeffer, How Should We Then Live?


Preparedness Notes for Monday — November 24, 2025

November 24, 1434: The River Thames in London froze over. Later, “Frosts” were celebrated with drunken faires. — November 24th marks the day that John Knox died, in 1572. (He was born in 1514.) AtheistAgendaPedia says: “Born near Haddington Scotland. He was influenced by George Wishart, who was burned for heresy in 1546, and the following year Knox became the spokesman for the Reformation in Scotland. After imprisonment and exile in England and the European continent, in 1559 he returned to Scotland, where he supervised the preparation of the constitution and liturgy of the Reformed Church.” — Today’s feature piece …


Recipe of the Week:

The following simple recipe for Cuban Eggs 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 will be available to order in January of 2026. Ingredients 6 eggs 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup sausage meat Pepper 1 teaspoon chopped onion Directions Cook the meat and onion together for five minutes. Beat the eggs until light, add the seasonings. Pour into the pan with the meat. Cook slowlv, stirring constantly, until the …


SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week

Today’s graphic:  50 States With Equal-Population. (Graphic courtesy of Reddit.) JWR’s Comment: This certainly illustrates the low population density of The American Redoubt. 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 — November 23, 2025

On November 23rd, 1644, John Milton published his “Areopagitica” pamphlet that decryed censorship. — November 23, 1869: The Clipper Ship Cutty Sark was launched in Dumbarton, Scotland, as one of the last clippers ever built. It is the only one still surviving. — On November 23rd, 1980, a 7.2-magnitude quake struck southern Italy killing more than 3,000 people. — Today’s feature piece is by JWR. — We still need some entries for Round 121 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $970,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 121 ends on November …


Update: Hilltop Retreat Locations Versus Hidden Retreats

JWR’s Introductory Note: The following is an update and expansion to an early post that I made in SurvivalBlog back in December, 2005. It is part of a series of SurvivalBlog 20th Anniversary update re-posts, in recognition of the fact that the majority of readers did not join us until recent years. — I often have SurvivalBlog readers and consulting clients ask me about the “ideal” terrain for a rural survival retreat house. I must report that there is no single “best” answer because there are significant trade-offs related to terrain. Castles were situated on hilltops for centuries, for obvious …


JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR: Meme Text: The Genius Move: Glock Loses Millions To Create The V Series, To Stop “Switches” Only To Be Outsmarted Just A Month Later By Rednecks With Dremel Tools News Link:  Glock’s New V-Series Just Hit a Major Problem: Reports of New “Switch” Compatibility Surface. 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: 

“And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more. Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. 2For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous …


Preparedness Notes for Saturday — November 22, 2025

On November 22, 1574, the uninhabited Juan Fernández Islands off Chile were discovered by Spanish sailor Juan Fernández. Later, they were famously the home of marooned sailor Alexander Selkirk, who inspired the novel Robinson Crusoe. — On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. — Today is the birthday of Adelbert Rinaldo Buffington, a well-known designer of military gun parts and acccessories. most notably the Buffington rifle rear sight. — Today is remembered as the birthday of the late Eugene M. Stoner. (Born 1922, died April 24, 1997.) He was the designer of the AR-7, …


Zoning Laws, HOAs, and CC&Rs as Criteria for Choosing Your Retreat Locale

JWR’s Introductory Note: The following is an update and expansion to a very early post that I made in SurvivalBlog back in August, 2005. It is part of a series of SurvivalBlog 20th Anniversary update re-posts, in recognition of the fact that the majority of readers did not join us until recent years. — “Homeowners Associations [HOAs] are the classic definition of a tyranny. HOAs are a level of government, with the power to tax, legislate, judge, and punish its citizens.” – Michael Reardon I’d like to expand on my Criteria for Choosing Your Retreat Locale. You will gain several …


Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug-out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those — or excerpts thereof — in the Odds …