Category: Reader-Written Contributed Article

People in their own homes may encounter an intruder who intends to take what they have and do them harm. They might run away if they could. But what if there is no way out? They may have no choice but to stand their ground. Unfortunately, many people in a situation like this are reluctant to use deadly force even if they stand to lose their possessions and possibly sustain personal bodily harm even death. So what can they do if they have been forced into a confrontation when the time for talking is over? You are in your own …

To the point: I have accidently discovered a simple action that is of great assistance in raising little chicks – moisten the chick food sometimes. Although I did this in an attempt to save some little distressed chicks who were not eating, this probably is simply called “mash”. Mash is mentioned in this older pamphlet, downloadable free as a pdf from google books. There is a wealth of other information found here in this 1917 book. Another successful action: have a “hospital” area always ready in the kitchen. And finally, I’d like to relay a story of how simply warming …

(Continued from Part 2. This concludes the article.) First-Aid Kit – This is another area where I’m way out of the norm. My first-aid kit is based on the medical emergencies I’ve experienced throughout my life including backpacking and wilderness camping. None of those would have been helped by a first-aid kit: mostly broken bones (5), kidney stones (107), and a huge one which required hospitalization. For all other incidents requiring first aid my bandana was it, mostly to stop gushing blood. (As a side note, a bandana is one of the most versatile items in my GHB.) Any serious …

(Continued from Part 1.) What I’ll Be Carrying in My GHB No weights were guessed, each item (or group of items for the very light things) was weighed in grams on a kitchen scale, then converted to pounds. For the backpack and bivvy bag the weight was taken from online spec sheets. Pounds are rounded off to the tenth but my Excel spreadsheet has the unrounded numbers so the final number for total weight will be accurate. I may have forgotten some things here which are on my spreadsheet, or forgotten to update a change in the manuscript, so if …

Three cheers to J.M. for his recent excellent, award-winning article on Get Home Bags (GHBs). Finally, a GHB article with advice that’s sensible, logical, and doable for anyone wanting to put together a GHB. I know how long it takes to write an article for SurvivalBlog so I know it took J.M. months to put that all together so again, thanks for such a well-researched piece. I’m stepping up to the plate on his request for some thoughts on other ways to put together an ultra-light GHB. To say the least, I was pretty disappointed with what I was finding …

Organizing one’s pantry is generally part of the list of items we know we should do, like eating right, getting in shape, de-cluttering the closets, and cleaning out the basement. But organizing our food stock doesn’t need to be a depressing chore. I want to share with you what has worked well for me so that (hopefully) it will motivate you to attack your pantry with success in sight! I have added pictures not only to assist in the explanation but to add some appeal to an otherwise boring topic. To some, a pantry may seem like an old-fashion term- …

I just bought my new house in one of New Mexico’s larger cities. It’s not a rural homestead. But it is a nice neighborhood and I’ve spoken with my neighbors a few times. So far so good. And I certainly couldn’t have afforded this home in my old stomping grounds in Southern California. I financed this house in part by liquidating some investments and in part by getting a loan from my parents, which I am paying back at a regularly monthly rate (including interest) that’s lower than the rent I was paying at the apartment that I stayed in …

(Continued from Part 3. This concludes the article.) Protection If you can’t legally stand in front of your property, with a means of self-protection for your life and your family, then you will lose it to those with evil in their hearts. Desperate men and women will do desperate things to feed themselves and their children. About 2-3% of the population are sociopaths and are quite dangerous. Along with refugees, these individuals will migrate out of the large cities as supplies run out there. Your Dog: Usually the first casualty in an armed invasion. However he or she will give …

(Continued from Part 2.) Cooking Use a stove as long as you have electric power, natural gas, or propane. If you can find an old fashion wood-burning cookstove, great. This allows you to be able to cook when fuel or grid electrical power is gone. With a lot of gas stoves, the surface burners will work without electric power, but you will need to light them with a match or some other spark source. The oven will not work in modern models without electric power. A camping stove, gas, propane, or charcoal grill can be used. However, you will need …

(Continued from Part 1.) Other foods Baking powder (how to make) once mixed, it has a shelf life. However, each ingredient separately will last for years: 2 tsp of cream of tartar, source Bulkfoods.com 1 tsp of baking soda, 1 tsp of corn starch Gravy (canned or dry) for food fatigue prevention. Bouillon cubes mixed with flour and water will give you a gravy, which will make bland foods more pleasant to eat. Flour (white) will keep for 8-10 years. Pasta, 1,600 cal per pound, great shelf life Dried potatoes 1,700 cal/pound, good shelf life Oil/fats olive oil keeps for …

Editor’s Introductory Note: Reader C.I. has compiled some solid preparedness information for SurvivalBlog readers, partly from tried and true and widely published recommendations that date back to the 1940s, and partly from her own experience and observations. A lot of the following will already be familiar to long-time SurvivalBlog readers, but it provides a concise review that is useful for consideration for “filling in gaps” in your preps. And it is quite important reading for anyone who is new to family preparedness. This lengthy article will be serialized into four installments. – JWR — It is hard to be a …