Notes for Monday – September 28, 2015

The current sale on Mountain House long term storage canned foods at Safecastle ends on Wednesday, September 30, 2015. Despite the recent rush of orders, they are offering 35% to 38% discounts. And, unlike many other Mountain House sellers, Safecastle actually keeps most varieties in stock and ready for immediate delivery. (Many of these other sellers are now building a multi-month backorder list. As of September 24, the Mountain House factory was reportedly 95% sold out of their canned foods due to the recent high demand.) o o o Today we present another product review.


Pat Cascio’s Product Review: Day One Response Water Filter

Depending on which survival expert you talk to, they all have a slightly different list of things you need in an emergency, and what order you should do things. Some say shelter is the first thing on your list, followed by fire, then water, and lastly food. While all of these things are important, and I have no argument with them, one of the first things I would recommend is that, whatever brought on your emergency should be looked at closely. If a tornado is headed your way, the first thing to do is get to safety – whatever the …


Letter Re: Traditional Hand Tools

Dear Editor: Here are some observations on non-power tools: Get lots of can openers because they all fail. Older US-made ones from yard sales will last longer. Also stock US-made government issue “P38” openers as backups because they always they always work. Egg beaters and hand drills with an idler gear on the back side are more durable, not just from the support but because they are better quality to begin with. Antique shops are high $ place to shop for hand tools, estate sales are best, next generation often has no clue about grandpa’s “junk”. I found a quality …


Letter: Drought in Western Retreat Areas

JWR: Has the recent drought in the western United States caused you to change any of your “Recommended Retreat Areas”? – T.I.A. JWR Responds: No, it hasn’t. There is an old saying: “Climate is what you expect, and weather is what you get.” I do not believe that the current drought in the northwest is any evidence of any long term climate change. We are simply in an El Niño weather pattern that most likely will last only another year or two. The El Niño weather pattern has temporarily shifted the jet stream, disrupting seasonal rains, particularly in California, where …


Recipe of the Week: Butternut Squash Soup, by C.S.

This a recipe for a soup made from cooked and then pureed butternut squash. Ingredients: 4 ½ pounds butternut squash, halved lengthwise, remove seeds 1/3 cup butter 2 large leeks ¾ tsp. dried thyme 5 cups chicken stock or broth ¼ tsp. salt 2 Tbs. brown sugar ½ cup sour cream 2 ½ Tbs. chives, chopped 8 slices bacon, fried crisp-crumbled Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Place the squash, cut side down on a baking sheet and bake until tender, about 40 minutes. Cool slightly. Using a spoon, scoop out the squash from the skin and set aside. …



Odds ‘n Sods:

Questions raised after shock belt used at Texas murder trial. Incredible! I expect to next see defendants held in courtroom cages (as already seen in many European capital crimes trials.) o o o Here is a headline from the Middle East Forum that sounds like something straight out of my upcoming novel: Obama Throws Christian Refugees to the Lions o o o Regulated out of Existence: Off-Gridders Forced back on the Grid, Camping on own land Illegal



Notes for Sunday – September 27, 2015

There are rumblings from social media in the Middle East that the current flow of “refugees” into Europe through the Balkans will increase before winter sets in, and then resume next spring, in a veritable torrent. It appears that many young Muslim men in more than a half dozen nations have been so emboldened by the success of others that they’ve indicated: “I’m going too.” Watch out folks. Next spring and summer we may witness a human wave of Golden Horde proportions. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 60 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The …


Case Preparation: A Building Block for High Quality Reloads, by T.L.W.

Author’s Introductory Disclaimer: I am not a professional reloader. College degrees have only taken me so far into reloading for personal use and formal education cannot replace personal study, experience and common sense–probably true of just about everything these days. Reloading can be dangerous and expose you to toxic metals and chemicals, so please take precautions when dealing with them. The steps below are for informational purposes and are meant to add to the growing conversation on loading your own ammunition in good times and bad. Please use caution at all times! This discussion will center on case preparation to …


Letter Re: Trail Shelters and the Hantavirus Threat by Zac T.

Hello All, In an effort to remove oneself from the vectors in a trail shelter I’d suggest never going in to a trail shelter… Carry and bring your own solution with you. After hiking for 10 hours, nobody is going to break out their N95 mask and wet mop down a shelter to remove the virus risk. The best someone can hope for is to remove themselves from the now known threat and avoid the pests causing it. Hennessy hammocks come complete with a rain fly and mosquito netting that you zip yourself in for the night. No bugs, and …


Letter Re: Proof the Economy Will Get Worse, From the Dept. of Ed.

Hello, Gentlemen: First thank you for all the time and effort you put into SurvivalBlog. I am a daily reader and have found it very helpful in my prepping journey. As part of that journey, I have learned that I cannot take a lot of “insider” information at face value. I work to find sources to verify it or at least review the original source of information. We should all do that. In response to the 19 September article, Letter:Proof the Economy Will Get Worse, From the Dept. of Ed., I reviewed the link the writer posted to the FAFSA …



Odds ‘n Sods:

For more than a decade titanium nitride has been a popular protective hard coating for internal gun parts such as gas pistons, firing, pins and AR bolt carriers that requires only minimal lubrication. But now a company near San Diego is offering a full gun coating service. (Thanks to Terry H. for the tip.) o o o Reader J.B.G. flagged this: The RV for the end of the world: 18-tonne, $890,000 vehicle that looks ideal for people who like holidaying outdoors – in a warzone o o o Reader M.T.H. suggested this Fox News article: Surrender: San Fran’s iconic, last …