Editors’ Prepping Progress

122 Comments

1. Hi JWR, I am curious as to what brand and model of SUV you have selected. I was previously a “Big 3” buyer (GM, Ford, Dodge) but after having very intermittant experience with quality control issues, I am considering testing out the legendary reliability of the Toyota brand. Several models are also made in the U.S. now. Thanks for the imput Sir

   1. Toyota and Nissan are very good.

      Make sure you replace the battery with sealed gel type. If not you will need to replace from terminals to starter. Thier layout will corrode the wires.

      Other than that super solid if you like replacing suspension components as whole assemblies instead of living your self (been told you can tap fit zeros on ) but still not gonna get much more life out of them.

   2. Dear Big Mike,

      OPSEC requires silence except to say, it is one of the “Big 3”. 😉

      Blessings,

      Lily

      1. @ Lily

         Did you & Jim know now three states in Oz today, 16 March , declared a State of Emergency? (Victoria, Australian Capital Territory, South Australia ) now very large fines of up to $50,000 will be enforced for those who break self isolation, I can also state the Victorian Govt, has also enacted legislation to co-opt ALL nursing home & aged care beds in Victoria, I know this because I got notification that my 90 year old mother has till this coming Sunday night midnight to get her room or it will be taken by emergency powers, just what these people in power will do with the infirm or elderly who need 24hr care is horrendous, seems to me, it’s selective triage, elderly die first !. On another side note, my elderly mother goes to a Charismatic Church, I asked her if she understood, what Covid19 is, the mindless stupidity I find staggering, I asked her if she knew what it can do, she insists it’s fine to shake the Pastors hand, people kiss each other on the cheek, shake hands, I am gob smacked, she declares

         ‘Because you have made the Lord ,who is my refuge, even the most High ,your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plaque come near your dwelling ‘
         Psalm 91 v 9-10

         So she will not get sick…… ” pray and it will not harm you son ”

         I wryly asked her if the many who prayed during the Spanish flue did the same and died.

         I also asked her if Joseph in the OT just prayed and avoided the famine. My own family are also numbskulls.

         I can see martial law coming in Oz and draconian anti-freedom laws coming, very sad for Australia.

         I have faith, I also have no fear, no worry, I have concern,concern for others around me, I try to help them, few listen, I also have a utterly practical calm mind.

         Peace to you and Jim

         AS

2. The Alex Jones Show – March 6, 2020

   https://tv.infowars.com/index/display/category/dailyshows/id/10454

   Mike Adams begins at 40 min., and comes out with an estimate I believe conservative, and he latter admits in the interview that his number are very conservative. Two days ago I ran my own numbers, and would not put them out on the blog, because they would be regarded as ludicrous. My numbers are still higher than Mike Adam’s was willing to forth. Let’s hope his public numbers are correct. Summer temperatures may or may not reduce the number. It is growing at an exponential rate, doubling every 3.5 days, yet the growth is not actually linear, and the R-naught can be reduced as temperatures rise going into spring and summer. Interdiction efforts mentioned can make a big different. Therefore if the conservative number of 2 million by July is actually the number, I would not be surprised. There is simply not enough known to accurately model, and predict. Yet the potential to be much higher that 2 million by mid summer is there. I otherwise concur with his other projections.

   I realize Mike Adams does not fit the current societal definition of an ‘expert’ in this field, yet such experts continue to avoid controversy, and do not help. It is sad that society has been conditioned to believe that only a credentialed ‘expert’ in a narrow field of study can be considered qualified to have an opinion, and any other is only a amateur to be ignored. This is not how this country was built. My grandfather only had a 6th grade education, yet lectured at Harvard, received an honorary EE, and retired after with a lengthy list of accomplishments as as a VP of AT&T. One of his accomplishments was making the first intranet connection happen. He was always on the cutting edge of technology. He said he was ”behind the 8 ball when working with Phd’s”, yet he managed just fine. That is how America was built. Men were once recognized for their accomplishments, and not only by their education. He was entirely self taught. Mike Adams is a scientist’engineer/entrepreneur and Christian in the truest American tradition. I am not defending Mike Adams, he represents himself, but I do defend the American spirit, and the values that made this country once great.

   –

   Chris Martensen video
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4InhmRCIpow
   For myself anyway, the biggest take away from this video is his analysis of the rough numbers being reported, and a shocking conclusion that the samples used indicate a death rate of 6%. Some of the earliest numbers suggested such a rate. That is closer to what I expect, and makes Adam’s numbers very conservative indeed. However there are many variables to consider, and the sample is too small to declare the figure as fact.

   1. Here’s a thought I haven’t heard anyone anywhere bring up yet… more than likely Trump, Sanders, and Biden will all get the virus, and they are in the most susceptible group (old geezer males). What happens if the candidates are already chosen and then at the last minute one or more is in critical condition and/or in the door nail stage? The powers that be have tried everything in their power to get rid of Trump, who’s to say they won’t purposly infect him now? With Bernie’s medical history, and his current age and recent heart attacks, it seems like he’d have a hard time surviving it. It’s going to be an interesting election.

      1. Well then we will end up with Keifer Sutherland as president…. I mean sure he is only the chief of the department of the interior but you know he did a good job after the bombing of the state of the Union….

         1. If one million are casualties CONUS or 10 million,and millions worldwide in some ways it’s irrelevant, the financial impact & job losses worldwide is just as great a factor, the panic and fear along with the income hit, is a knifes edge walk, fall off , recession / depression comes, the other side is disease, neither is palatable.

            I am cautiously hoping neither comes true, needless to say, a Pandemic event will come to humanity sooner or later, rather not now for me and my home, not much I can do if it is.

      2. Yep. Trump might be smart enough to isolate himself. The virus has already caused a few deaths in the Iranian government. Perhaps the strain there is a bit more deadly. Glad I live well outside of town. I’m already self isolated, and within a few hours can get remote, beyond cell service…. The virus will cause so many deaths indirectly due to starvation, and violence as well. I hope more people take this seriously. We do not want to cause panic, yet at the same time, we’d like folks to save themselves. It’s gonna be real bad. The people in China are controlled. Our cities will not be controlled. They will block avenues in and out of the cities. If one does not leave within a few weeks or perhaps a month or so, you may not be able to leave. They will not be patrolling the city streets. They do not have enough manpower for that. And we can have a financial collapse in the middle of all this…..

   2. Lemme guess your numbers line up with mine… Between 1 million and 20 million?

      1. That’s the numbers I came up with on my own with 1 million being most likely.

         That’s based on a total USA population infection in reality I believe given the over abundance or rural America and proper hygiene etc we will see below 500k deaths (most likely well below but that’s opinion).

         Any way we will see what we will see.

         The 1 million number is based on total population exposure at 25% infections the 1 million is based off of total population with total exposure and 2% lethality.

         The 30 millions is a total of old people and immuno vulnerable people’s. And that’s figured at an almost 100 percent death rate

   3. TR, couldn’t agree more. Thanks for your comments. As a believer in the Spirit that was behind the founding of our nation, I often feel very alone. Good to know I’m not alone.

   4. Hey t.r. on the topic of experts and armatures. And I’m not being argumentative.

      You say experts with a very narrow field… And that would be a reasonable thing to say if it was like that mioshi Takeda guy or that cosmos fella Tyson … But

      These are very narrow focused areas in this exact situation.

      If your child had cancer and every oncologist was saying they needed treatment would you ignore them because a nano silver expert disagreed with them or if it was an accountant or lawyer?

      Would you trust the gun that is for your loved ones protection to a random gunsmith for a trigger job?

      I’d reckon you would want to see a demonstration of competence.

      Which is what you grandpa had vs the PhD he was dealing with. And that’s what so many alt sources are lacking.

      Just using Italy as an example… Italy isn’t a third world… It isn’t in the clutches of draconian rule or limited in any of its freedoms… And has no reason to lie one way or the other.

      And it’s numbers check out with the official story. As do the numbers here in New York. It all matches with the official stories.

      The numbers are there the data is coming in. Yes this is serious yes this isn’t good but it’s not as bad as all the fear mongering is.

      1. I learned at least one important lesson when it come to ‘experts’. It is very long story, so I’ll skip the supporting details.

         I had my first heart attack at age 42. I was fit, no more than 15% body fat and exercised regularly. There is no history of heart disease on either side. I became a model patient. and did and achieved everything the doctors said was necessary. Exactly one year latter I had another heart attack, 99% occluded (blocked) in the left main artery, the widow maker artery. Plug that up, and you are dead. It occurred to me that following the advice of these professionals will not save my life. So I became a subject matter expert of my own in cardio vascular disease. I was highly motivated and researched day and night. It was do or die. During my research, I sought the advice of 5 accomplished doctors, at least one had an IQ of 190, one had 30 years in and was head of the department, and one was at the bleeding edge of research, and charged big bucks etc. Qualified ‘experts’. However, my own research indicated that I should take a course not recommended by any of the 5. I followed my own nose.

         After some years passed, another’ cath’ was performed and found that the various occlusions had significantly regressed, or were gone. The surgeon was shocked with surprise and exclaimed, ” whatever you are doing, keep doing it”! I did not say that I was not following their advice. With the results of this test, the best there is at determining the presents or absence of heart disease, all 5 of the best doctors I could find where proven to be incorrect.

         Do I need to say more? IQ, education/indoctrination, experience, status in their field, are not always indicators of competence in all situations. They can save your life with the miracles of modern medicine, yet they may not save your life with their preventive medicine. I eventually found 6th doctor, a humble internist of Asian decent, to be the finest doctor. Too bad I had not run into her at the beginning of this saga. She concurred with my analysis, and actually ran tests on my request. She knew I knew my stuff. She had great diagnostic skills, and thought for herself. She was a real doctor who practiced real medicine. I’m glad I turned down med school. I would not have fit in. Think for your self. It may save your life one day.

         1. T.R.,

            My father-in-Law’s best friend was the chief surgeon at a hospital. We were having a conversation one day and he said something that was very profound and has stuck with me and served me well. He said “there is very little difference between a good doctor and NO doctor at all.” I think there is a reason why the call it “practicing medicine”. Over the years my strategy has been to demand a diagnoses. If they say or hint that they don’t have one that they are just addressing the symptoms I refuse their pills. If I decide to take a pill and I don’t like the “affects” (they are NOT “side” affects people they ARE Affects!!) I stop taking them. I can which doctors are the good doctors and which ones have the egos. The ones that argue have the ego’s the ones that ask if I’m feeling better now truly care. They might ask if I was a replacement but they don’t push.

            Point is take charge of your own health and don’t let egos bully you into treatment you don’t want or need.

            1. Like the joke “What do you call a doctor who graduated last in their class? Doctor”.

         2. Would be interesting to hear how you approached cardiac disease and what resulted in a reduction of arterial plaque.

            1. Hi Grits,

               Wish I could help more. Each case should be considered as unique, as opposed to the standard approach of treating all disease with the same sets of protocols that serves the bottom line of the industry. If it is possible, find a doctor who cares, and does not work for any insurance company.

               I might say this.
               -Lowering cholesterol below 180 is not the answer.
               -Use diet instead of drugs, and use drugs only if the condition is truly extreme, and cannot be improved in any other way.
               -Drugs have adverse effect as well. Do not use them without good cause. I don’t use drugs at all.
               – Those with extreme high cholesterol numbers tend to live the longest.
               – No one has the answer for all heart disease.
               – There is a genetic component.
               – Risk factors are accumulative, but only can be accounted for if they are on the list. None are dominate.

               In my case, extreme and prolong exposure to stress working for a large Sheriff’s Department was the primary risk factor that once eliminated, put the disease into remission. Stress was not apart of the risk factors that my top 5 experts considered. They all had different answers. I had to do my own research and draw my own conclusion, and take responsibility for myself. I stop using their drugs. Since then I’ve kept my self out of the hospital 3 or 4 times by being my own doctor. Most folks unfortunately should not try this. Unfortunately most doctors play by big pharma, and insurance company rules because they must, and patients are the cash cows. Find the oldest doctor nearing retirement if possible, and you might find one who thinks for themselves.

               I had to leave my job to get away from the stress. I cannot replace that job, but I would rather be poor than dead. The employer and insurance company have no interest in acknowledging stress as a risk factor. Of course not, otherwise the employer might be held responsible. So they would rather deny the truth, and let patients die. I would not fully trust medicine dispensed by insurance companies and big pharma. They are not your friends. It is mostly about the money, and not about you.

            2. Dear Tunnel Rabbit,

               I am so glad you found a way to achieve health! As for pharmaceuticals and doctors, I don’t completely agree with your stance. One must consider that medications are a wonderful step forward in the quality of life for humanity. And – so many of the drugs recommended today are there because most people are NOT like you. Most folks are simply unwilling to make tough choices and take disciplined steps to be responsible for their own health. They refuse to lose weight, eat healthy foods, cut alcohol, limit stress, etc. Instead they act like petulant children who want an easy fix without doing any work… You clearly don’t fall in this group, but many (I would argue > 95%) do. And, for those people, the drugs offered by big pharma are life savers. That, combined with the litigious society we live in, makes most doctors reticent to prescribe anything other than “standard of care” treatments, as dictated by evidence based medicine.

               Congratulations on having such a high level of personal responsibility and for seeking out better ways to achieve optimal health. We need all the healthy critical thinkers we can get! 🙂 I hope you continue to do well and feel great!

   5. Hi Tunnel Rabbit,
      Australia is in its summer, and the spread is unaffected. Singapore is equitorial, and the virus marches on. I don’t think warmer temps are going to make much difference.

      1. Thank you for that very important observation. Looks like we are really in for it. Radiation from sunshine might slow it a tad, but this monster bug is so contagious that it doesn’t remain out side of a host’s body for long. It will also be spread via air cond as well. High humidity may actually promote it’s transmission as well.

         I traveled quite a bit in my youth, and met a lot of Aussies in the process. Sorry I’ll not make it down under.

3. JWR said”

   “I’m also taking this opportunity to do some minor repairs on our “daily driver” — a four-wheel drive SUV. It now has logged more than 300,000 miles–with no major repairs. I’ve been scrupulous about maintenance, but I now have one regret: I now wish that I had used synthetic motor oil, from the outset. That might have meant making it past 450,000 miles without an engine overhaul.”

   As a one time fleet manager and mechanic, the motor is not the only consideration, but the whole vehicle. 300K is impressive, and it might have been possible to squeeze a bit more out of it, yet the rest of the drive train also wears out. Consider the total cost of operation, and be satisfied that the first major expense occurred at 300K. I replaced my transmission last summer with a home made tranny jack at about 290K with a used one for purchased for only $50.00. It would be a waste of money to have installed a rebuilt trans as the motor is not going to last much longer than 50K more. It might not be much longer before your transmission will need work as well. It is always a tough call.

4. Dear Lily – Amen and amen! I’m looking forward to meeting all of my brothers and sisters in Christ on the ‘other side.’
   “Be strong and courageous. Do not be anxious or afraid, for the Lord, your God, is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

5. Australia:

   As of today 7 March 2020, the Australian Federal Govt has announced their ” next action plan ” ( meaning they are clueless and have admitted the Virus cannot be contained ).

   Brendan Murphy Chief Federal Medical Officer said ” “It’s no longer possible by isolating the country to stop the further development of cases ” Unquote

   Further bans will include :

   1. Sporting events, aged care nursing homes, public transport, closure of schools, child care centres, trains, buses, ferries, will have services severely limited.

   2. Restrictions have now been enacted on limits of Rice to 2kg packets only, limited amounts of Panadol & Ibuprofen to a one month supply only, further restrictions to be announced as required.

   https://www.9news.com.au/national/coronavirus-next-steps-australia-response-to-covid-19/f5260ca0-8b9d-4f1b-bdc1-3fe284e218fe

   On the medical side Dr’s are loudly saying, that there is no organised Federal Govt responce to the threat of exposure to the virus,

   Melbourne doctor with coronavirus saw 70 patients before testing positive
   https://www.9news.com.au/national/coronavirus-update-toorak-doctor-with-covid19-saw-70-patients-before-testing-positive/73b88ff4-bba9-4abc-b7f1-bb04ef4e2dc1

   Today the NSW Govt released 260,000 masks to schools for Dr’s etc, what I find abhorrent and disgusting is the Govt was hoarding masks by the hundreds of thousands for their own use, while condemning the people for buying their own masks, sickening duplicity, Govts CANNOT be trusted !, I will add obviously the Govt has hundreds of thousands more in storage !, they are not going to tell us how many they have are they ?.

   Coronavirus Australia: Thousands of masks released as new cases soar across the country: COVID 19
   https://www.9news.com.au/national/coronavirus-australia-thousands-of-masks-released-as-new-covid-19-cases-soar-across-the-country/d03ab254-46e8-44d3-8683-0d6ae33ac9b7

   NZ

   Yesterday the NZ Govt passed new measures including limiting OTC meds to one month for everyone, Adern also stated that the entire country has a three month supply of all medications , ( I won’t ask they obvious question of what happens after three months has passed and supply lines are not rolling again as normal ) my prediction is many deaths of causes other than Covid 19.

   One last comment is, Covid19 has caught seasoned preppers of guard as well, no one has expected the speed at which this Virus has spread across the globe, there are so many unknown factors to this Virus, such as person to person transmission by people who have never traveled to China or outside their respective country.

   Both the CDC & WHO are admitting there is a lot of guesswork involved in transmission. It’s going to be a rough ride, current computer modelling puts the death toll end of 2020 at upwards of 100 to 200 million, no one realy knows do they ?

   Am I prepared as I would like to be ? no, all I really do now is pray for wisdom of what next to buy and how to ration my meager resources.

   AS.

   1. Thanks for sharing. That is a great example to have.

      if low on funds, there is a balance to be made between food and medicine. There is a 20% chance that one may not get the virus, especially if they are self isolated. Although well stocked up, yet low on money to purchase anymore supplements to boost my immune system as I would like, I’ll be making nano silver in case I, or friends need it. It will be a good item to barter with among friends who know I would not offer a poor quality item in exchange. In an emergency, or as a preventive, it might make a difference. I’ve detailed my build for two nano silver generators that cost about $100. The post can be found in a search. Two 14 ga silver rods can make 50 to 100 gallons at 10 ppm. If the instructions are followed carefully, it will produce the best nano silver possible at a rock bottom price, and at twice the rate of the best commercially sold generators. When nothing else is available, any promising medicine will be golden. There is no check in the mail for me, so I do understand what it is to be low on funds. Think of ways to solve the problem, and give it plenty of prayer. If covered by the blood of Jesus, He will be faithful.

6. Here it is still winter with the snow piled quite high but the sun is higher in the sky, the sap is flowing so people are sugaring and spring is definitely on the way. Sadly that also means mud season is here so the roads are breaking up and many will soon become quite difficult(or impossible) to travel on.

   My big news is that the house is now mine! Yay! Quite “interesting” buying a home in the midst of a pandemic ;-). The amazing thing about this for me though is that the house appeared when I least expected it to(dead of winter in northern VT), it was affordable and the sale went really smoothly, allowing me to buy it just in time for whatever may be coming now. I’ve been mostly happy being a nomad the past few years and getting to travel and explore but was really feeling the need to hunker down, get a garden going, get back to earning a living and of course, prepping. That this should sort of come to me out of the blue(and that I was able to beat out a zillion other interested buyers) is nothing short of miraculous to me. I’m profoundly thankful.

   So now I’m going to be bringing whatever I have to the new house and trying to scrounge up stuff that I don’t have(like furniture!). Still doing my pet/housesit so I’ll be mostly staying at the housesit for a few weeks while I travel back and forth to the new place(a few towns over) to get it ready for habitation. Wood stove being installed this week hopefully and firewood arriving(mostly green but some should be dry enough to burn now).

   Re: germs; was just wondering how germy library books could be? Need to stop at the library and pick up a book for an injured friend and thought I’d grab some more books for me and then started wondering about what the germ load on the books would be?

   Carry on y’all and stay safe.

   1. Ani, congrats on the house! That’s always exciting. In the future, I doubt you’ll have any problems remembering what year you bought it. 🙂

      1. 😉

   2. Congratulations!

      1. Thx!

   3. Dear Ani,

      Congratulations on the closing and possession of a new home!! Yeah! We are all excited for you.

      May the Lord God of Israel give you provision, speed and efficiency in setting it up as your own retreat.

      We’re looking forward to hearing of your progress with it. 🙂

      Concerning Library books… They are germy. If you really want to read one in particular, wear gloves while taking it off the book shelf and checking it out. After check out put it in a plastic bag and let it sit for nine days… Then read it and get an extension if you’re not able to finish it in the loan time frame… Just my thoughts on it.

      Many Blessings to you!!

      Lily

      1. Dear Avalanche Lily- I agree that God is using this disease for his purposes, although I hesitate to say that He is ‘punishing’ anyone specifically. That may or may not be the case, but I believe that He is using it to bring back jobs, manufacturing, and wealth to our country as part of His plan to rebuild America’s strength and heal our land, as written in 2nd Corinthians 7:14-
         “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”.
         May God bless you and yours.

   4. Dear Ani,

      Concerning your statement:

      Quite “interesting” buying a home in the midst of a pandemic ;-). The amazing thing about this for me though is that the house appeared when I least expected it to(dead of winter in northern VT), it was affordable and the sale went really smoothly, allowing me to buy it just in time for whatever may be coming now. I’ve been mostly happy being a nomad the past few years and getting to travel and explore but was really feeling the need to hunker down, get a garden going, get back to earning a living and of course, prepping. That this should sort of come to me out of the blue(and that I was able to beat out a zillion other interested buyers) is nothing short of miraculous to me. I’m profoundly thankful.”

      I want you to know that it is a miracle and it came to be, because The Father God loves you and wants to show you His care for you AND you now have a huge family, among the Survival Blog’s readership who are praying for you! Literally thousands of people are praying for your success, because they also love you! 😉

      May you have a very sweet and blessed day,

      Lily

      1. Hi Lily

         I honestly do consider it a miracle for a number of reasons. I do know I’d never want to have to be a refugee and having to leave one’s home should be a last resort; will defend mine with my last breath!. Being able to prepare for any sort of calamity without having a home to call one’s own would just be an awful position to be in.

         I have a storage unit where I’ve been stashing “acquisitions” that can stand the cold(garden tools, books, housewares etc). I had realized there was an elderly guy living there in his car(he has a storage unit there). I was kinda horrified but figured there’s no way he’d be there all winter. I was away for much of the winter and recently returned to find that indeed he had been camping out in his car there ALL winter, 15 or 20 below temps, the works. OMG. So now I’m committing to helping him find housing. He had no idea he was eligible for senior citizen housing in the area etc; seems people just tally him as being a homeless vet but don’t think to help him figure it out. So I’m going to take this on as he really has no idea. But it’s really making me think about how on earth the homeless are going to prepare for this, transmission rates in shelters, etc. It’s a horror show.

   5. Congratulations, Ani! It’s your home… How wonderful!!! Happy! Happy! Happy!

   6. So thrilled for you Ani! I can’t wait to read about your garden and homestead as you develop it! Now for the fun trips to thrift stores (and even sleuthing on trash pick up day)! Armed with a bit of creativity, some min-wax and chalk paint, and a few basic tools, you will have some lovely furnishings for pennies in no time at all!

      And, this miracle happened in time for you to celebrate Purim in your new home! Extra wonderful!

      1. Thanks! Just have to make-do until winter ends here and people start putting stuff out “for free” and doing yard sales- unless we’re in a full-blown virus pandemic by then! Another couple of months before anyone is brave enough to attempt a yard sale here(or can find their yard underneath the snow!).

   7. Ani, I am smiling for you getting your new home. I, too, look forward to hearing future stories of progress as you turn it into, “your place.” Many blessings to you.

7. Dear Lily
   Where are you purchasing one pound bulk seeds?

   God bless you and yours.

   1. http://www.highmowingseeds.com

      1. I would like to affirm High Mowing seeds as a great company to do business with! I generally use seeds from them as I continue my seed saving lessons. I have had very good results from their open pollinated and heirloom seed. Be sure to sign up for the email notifications, they send out good growing articles and notifications.

         1. They are indeed. Yay Vermont!! 😉

8. Lily,

   I’ve appreciated you sharing your thoughts and experiences. Before this virus showed, you mentioned that things were going to get bad this year. I’ve been wondering how you knew.
   Can you tell us about this?

   1. Mesquite,

      I’m working on my answer to you. May be awhile, it’s an epistle. 😉 Have to do chores for the next half hour and will be thinking on my answer while doing them.

      Blessings

      1. Curious to hear as well. I know that I’d been happily roaming the earth for the past couple of years but then felt a strong need to return home this summer, look for a house, get a garden started and all the rest. I didn’t know why but I knew I needed to do this and make it happen ASAP. So I listened……

         1. Good Girl!! 😉

            I am working on my response. There is a lot to say and I am trying to get my thoughts in order, and and get a few links together and field the rest of the comments! Soon, I promise, soon.

            Lily

9. I thank all of you for sharing your expertise/knowledge/experiences; I have listened, verified thru research and obtained many of the recommended items. Although I’m sure I don’t have everything; I feel much more confident in being able to hunker down in self-imposed isolation and stay healthy for at least 6 months; more if needed.

   The daffodils are up, fruit trees are flowering and early spring bushes are blooming. Dead nettle and chickweed are growing, which keeps the chickens and bunnies happy. Chives and other perennials are up and growing. The seedlings are growing on the indoor shelving and we’ll be planting in the hoop house or outside by the end of the month. Received additional orders of heirloom seeds to add to existing garden seeds.

   Moved several of the big rabbits around so we could start spring cleaning of the rabbit condos. Winter makes it hard to get all the yuk off so my son broke out the pressure washer and voila; 4 large-size cages sparkly clean as new, then we did one of the small rabbit condos with 5 cages. We just keep moving rabbits around until we work our way thru all the condos.

   I drove to the closest city with the warehouse stores and chain grocery stores to pick up items our local grocer doesn’t carry or have much stock of. This is a 4-5 hour trip to make the circle of businesses I frequent. Then I drove to a farm an hour outside the city and picked up 5 new large breeding rabbits with two different blood lines to keep my rabbitry healthy. When I got home I showered, changed clothes and gargled with salt-water and rinsed my sinuses out with salt-water. Sprayed down the inside of the car with vinegar water mix.

   We continue to “top-off” our frequent use items as long as they are available and as long as I feel safe going out in public. We have family members who are “high-risk” folks so we won’t be playing russian roulette with this virus. As of today, our state has one confirmed case of COVID-19, on the other side of the state from me, but I cold wake up on Monday and read of many more people being sick.

   Many orders are coming via USPS, FedEX and UPS so the boxes are dropped at the farm gate; I leave home-made jerky or cookies or an occasional food gift card for the drivers for coming out in the country. The boxes are brought under the carport and I spray them with a bleach solution. Mail is sorted and junk mail goes directly to the burn barrel; since most of my bills are electronic I only have two bills which come USPS.

   Received orders of natural anti-virals, immune boosters, vitamins, herbs and sprouting seeds. Received the boot/shoe covers, bulk supplies of personal hygiene items and more cases of dehydrated veges and milk (items I don’t currently grow). These are items that are good for years, are always used for good health purposes and could be used for barter if worse came to worse. If our country manages to side-step the worst of the COVID-19, nothing is wasted.

   May you have a safe, healthy and productive week.

   1. Animal House…your comment “If our country manages to side-step the worst of the COVID-19, nothing is wasted.” is exactly how we always proceed. Keep a deep pantry and supply cabinet that is built with commonsense and nothing will go to waste. Good return on your money in my experience. I often read writers say to store what you eat, I adhere to the advice to learn to eat what you store.

      I just read an article about a trend in NYC to have apartments without kitchens to save space since most of the owners eat out anyway (according to the article). They have always existed, but those in sitters certainly didn’t advertise their poverty. They often just used a coil heater and made due. How interesting the changes in our urban culture.

      1. Most of those apartments are in older homes that have been repartitioned to act like apartments. Or apartments meant for students.

         1. Thanks for the clarity. The article failed to mention students and lead me to believe they were for young professionals.

            1. Meh yeah… Kinda all of the above.. it’s not really a “thing” or a fad. It’s more along the lines of trying to cram too many people into a building. Kinda like “rail road” apartments.

               Housing kinda sucks here. Personally I’ve had a basement apartment with a kitchen sink and counter I had to supply my own fridge freezer and cooking apparatus… It was nice. I used an induction top x2 a crock pot and a 28qt toaster oven to cook with. It was a nice set up.

      2. Last year I was laid off from my job and I’m grateful for having a good food stockpile. Saved me a good chunk of change. Losing my job felt like TEOTWAWKI. Boy was I prepared. Working again now, luckily, and filling up the pantry quickly.

         1. My husband lost his job a couple weeks ago. Im frightened but trusting the LORD. Your words comfort me. I know in time we will be okay.

            Please continue praying for employment for my husband and myself.

            Perhaps we could have a daily prayer request section. It would comfort me to know others were praying for me from all across America.

            1. Praying. I’m sorry you are going through this.

            2. Praying is what got me through that time and my faith has been stronger ever since. Praying for you and your husband.

            3. Thank you SaraSue and Smalltown85. It is so appreciated. To God be the glory for all His blessings to all of us!

            4. You have my prayers as well.

            5. Thank you Montanagoose. I covet them! Blessings to you and yours!

10. The most exciting thing here in the mountains is the moose parked outside our door keeping the dogs inside.

    I did go ahead and order 5 lbs of ground coffee to store incase electricity loss. We have a hand held coffee grinder but it takes a lot of energy and more time than I’d expected. The wheat grinder takes so much time and strength that I bought a fly wheel and a motor for it last year. The plan is to set it up this summer and transition back to grinding our own grain again. Buying ground flour is one of the compromises we made during my illness. Needed to cut corners and buying flour, some prepared mixes and cereal were at the top of the list.

    I’m still on isolation with reservations for another couple weeks, so hunkering down is easier for us. The rest of the family goes to work and church, but that is all. We continue on our sanitary precautions. We’re pretty isolated in this part of the country, but continue to proceed wisely. We like to be home and have projects to do here.

    We are keeping on our goals of getting physically healthy again. The melting snow means I need to use my snowshoes or cross country skis to not sink up to my thighs. Without them, walking in the woods is slow going. Spring is a waiting time and even more so as we watch world events unfold around us.

    Blessings

    1. A moose parked outside the door — BE SAFE and ENJOY the beauty of such a magnificent creature, and the fun story to tell too!

       To add as much shelf life as possible, we have re-packaged our coffee into Foodsaver bags — just a thought to add!

11. Hello all, I was wondering how people are dealing with children whom are not homeschooled in relation to the virus. Have you pulled them from school yet? I’m about at the point where my wife is going to walk from her job and the kids will be on an indefinite vacation. Everything is pointing to this is not a normal situation in my opinion. I know everyone has to make decisions on what little info they have but I feel by the time they actually close down it will be far far to late!

    1. Diesel Dan,

       You need to join the Home School Legal Defense Association (www.hslda.org) first, before removing your children from school. This group will defend your home schooling rights if any public school officials challenge your right to home school. They also will give you every help and pieces of information that you will need to home school. It is an AWESOME resource.

       Call and sign up. 540-338-5600

       Then Look up in HSLDA’s website your State’s requirements to home school: their curriculum guidelines. Because your kids have been in the public school system you have to jump through their hoops. Next, get your curriculum together ASAP. Take care of the Basics, such as Math, and English/Grammar, for each of your children’s grades, first. Depending on the age of your children, if they are grade school, use one history and one science course for all of your children together. This shouldn’t be hard. Order the books ASAP, you should get them in about a week.

       Do not notify the school district until you are active members and are all set up. If they confront you, you want to have all your eggs in order. You can do it very quickly. Today in fact. I believe… you can call and join?

       If you have any other questions just ask.

       Many blessings and Kudos for homeschooling. You won’t regret it!

       Very sincerely,

       Lily

       1. Avalanche Lily,

          Thank you very much for the information, This is a big step but after much consideration I feel the time has come. We are pretty well set up thanks in large part to this site. Many thanks to you and Your husband for all you do. The work is not unappreciated!

          1. Diesel Dan,

             In Oregon you can register with the local Education Service District to home school your kids. It’s that simple. As Lily has suggested, if you connect with a home school organization, then you will have suggested curricula that you can follow at least to get you started. If you have older children, then you can also connect them with an on-line academy that colleges recognize.

             Good luck!

       2. Absolutely YES. Avalanche Lily is RIGHT. Homeschooling was on outstanding choice for our family, and we hope you are all blessed by the shared experience of learning together. Our only regret was that we did not begin this earlier in the lives of our kids. Prayers for you for every success in this endeavor!

          1. Ditto. Homeschooling turned our shy, nervous, stressed out 4th grader into a confident, outgoing, finished college in three years, got a Masters degree, has a full time job, part time job, and her own side business young lady. And HSDLA is a great resource. Do it, you won’t regret it.

             1. Good job!!!!

12. RE: Daily Driver Maintenance & synthetic oil – Years ago at a trade show in a discussion with an engineer from Amsoil, he mentioned better results with a good quality petroleum oil for the first 8-10,000 miles then switch to Amsoil. The reason was synthetics in general reduce friction so much the engine takes much longer to break in and some components may never “wear in.” He also suggested that all lubricating fluids – transmission and differential(s) – and any filters be changed at the same time, and that despite the ability to go longer between changes a “first change after switching” be done at the 5K use point, and include replacing all filters, because when draining the original petroleum oil some will remain and it will take another drain & fill to get it out.

    That said, I’ve seen ’70s era Dodge V-8s – 361s and 383s – in pickups pulled down at 350-400K on petroleum oils with no measurable bearing wear. The truck engines have (had? Don’t know what any of the Big Three is making these days) cams designed to produce torque at a lower RPM and larger oil pans with an extra quart or two oil capacity and if one is fastidious about keeping plenty of clean, fresh oil in the engine and not abusing it there’s no reason 500K or more between rebuilds is out of reach. The old cast iron block 283 Chevy engines used to easily reach 250K with nary a whimper. Back then engines got scrapped only because the car wore or rusted out around them.

    Today’s little engines, with lighter aluminum blocks and turbochargers added to make up for not having enough cubic inches probably won’t go 150K without painstaking maintenance.

    1. Another thing about oil.

       Zinc has largely been removed from oil these days. Even truck oil. If you rebuild an old engine with flat lifters you run a high risk of destroying your cam during initial start up and break in. The zinc was in the oil largely to impregnate the surfaces between the cam and lifters and without it cam survival rate during initial startup is at significant risk.

       I rebuilt the 460 in my old Ford pickup a few years ago and used Joe Gibbs racing oil for break in. There is an interesting story behind the oil. The Joe Gibbs racing team began having a severe rash of cam failures on their engines. They could not figure it out. Joe Gibbs went out to dinner with a friend who happened to be in the oil business and by chance started talking about the mystery. The oil guy told Joe Gibbs about the removal of zinc and how the industry for some reason did not tell anyone about it. So the Joe Gibbs team decided to design their own oil to solve the problem.

       BTW the zinc was reportedly removed to conform to some environmental regulations. They did not ban zinc entirely but there supposedly was a push to reduce the zinc in the whole US fleet.

       You can also add a zinc additive to your oil but I chose his product because it was specifically designed for the problem. After break in, I used Amsoil Z-Rod which is also specifically designed for these old engines. I use 5W-30 but where I live it is warm enough I am considering going to their 20W-50 product.

       1. JBH:
          The zinc and other particles were removed from oils for the benefit of the catalytic converter.
          Oils for use in older ( pre1989) engines will be “SF” rated, and will probably be marked on the bottle as suitable for pre-1989 engines.
          SM and SN rated oils are for more modern engines.

          A lot of people were blindsided by the SM and SN oils.
          I learned about it before I had to warranty a camshaft, but one of my customers learned the hard way.

          JWR:
          With out knowing exactly which engine is in your vehicle, I can’t say whether or not synthetic oil would have made a difference ( I don’t think they would) .

          Modern engine designs have much less wear on the cylinder walls and rings than older engines for many reasons:
          Less tension on the rings,
          Less dirt in the oil from incomplete combustion,
          and Higher operating temperatures to name a few.

          Oil changes do more to protect bearings than the type of oil except under continued heavy bearing loads ( racing, towing and other over load stresses).

          Some engines are having oil pump problems due to poor design of the pump or pump pick up tube.

          I am seeing an increase in valve seat wear on certain cast iron V8 and V6 cylinder heads and several engines are having problems with valve seats ( the part the valve seals against in the combustion chamber, not to be confused with valve stem seals) falling out of aluminum heads.

          All in all, engines are much more durable then the were 30 years ago.
          I am sad I can’t say the same for most automatic transmissions…

          1. Valve seat issues in old engines are frequently attributed to the removal of lead from gasoline. I would think by now that problem would be past but maybe not.

             1. To clarify, these are engines built long after lead was removed from gas.
                I am not sure if ethanol has anything to do with it or most likely it is the higher operating temperatures and leaner fuel to air ratios.
                I’m not naming brands to prevent a flame war from brand fans.

                The much expected valve guide wear and seat wear didn’t happen until the heads were re-done and the seats were re-cut. Then valves that had positive rotaters would fail rather quickly. Valve guide wear wasn’t the problem that was expected.

                On heads that were built in the leaded gas days, I install harder seats on the exhaust or I won’t do the job.

    2. The idea that “old large engines” are more durable that “new smaller engines” is not rooted in fact. I have been driving and working on cars for almost 50 years now and I am a mechanical engineer. Let me compare two great engines. The first is the mighty 8.2L engine that Cadillac installed in the 1970 Eldorado. It displaced 500 cubic inches and produced 400BHP at 4400 rpm and a whopping 550 ftlbs of torque at 3200 rpm. It could accelerate the 4,800 pound FWD car to 60mph in 8 seconds. Top speed as measured by me was (and still is) 130mph. A great motor in the day. Now the issues. As is typically the case with push rod engines… the timing chain and gears. GM had the “great idea” in the 60’s and 70’s that they could make the timing chain quieter by coating the gears with plastic. In the case of my 1970 Eldorado that worked until it had 81,000 miles on it. On fateful afternoon I swung out to pass another vehicle and the Eldorado automatically shifted from third to second gear at full throttle. Just after I pulled back into my lane and just before the shifted back into 3rd there was a bang. The plastic covered gear had failed allowing the cam to get slightly out of time. One valve hit one piston. The hit removed a small chip from the top of the piston that wedged between the cylinder wall and the piston splitting the cylinder wide open from top to bottom. Time to replace the short block… my first major engine project as a kid in high school.

       Just so that you know this is not a fluke story, my mother at the time was driving a 1975 Eldorado convertable that had just about the same miles on the motor. My father, who was also an engineer, was concerned about that engine too. He immediately arranged for a local shop to inspect the timing chain and gears on mom’s car. What they found was frightening and timely. The chain on the 75 was ready to do the same thing. When they removed the lower gear it fell apart in three pieces. The chain had been holding the gear together. Fortunately the aftermarket replacement pieces were much better than the original GM components. We still have both cars today.

       Fast forward to 2015 and the Ford Expedition EL that is my daily driver. There are currently 104,000 miles on the vehicle. I was initially concerned about my first Expedition with a V-6 instead of a V-8… until I drove it for the first time. The Expedition weights a little more than the Eldorado and gets to 60mph two seconds faster. At 104,000 miles it does not use a drop of oil between oil changes. If I turn off the traction control it will light the back tires right up. It effortlessly tows our 9,500 pound travel trailer. Check out the engine torture video link below. This motor is amazing and tremendously better than anything available back in the “good old days”.

       https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=FORD+ECOBOOST+TORTURE+TEST&view=detail&mid=9861C75F8BF7B83137D69861C75F8BF7B83137D6&FORM=VIRE

13. The good people at SurvivalBlog and contributors such as Tunnel Rabbit and many others will never know how much suffering they helped alleviate. God bless all of you.

    Annie Oakey and I have decided that CoVid-19 our ‘trigger’ to begin distributing those preps earmarked for loved ones. We believe it is also the ‘trigger’ for the global elites to initiate global governance. The world is facing MUCH MORE than a medical event.

    1. Montana Guy,

       I could not agree more. I luckily found this site through a book I read over 10 years ago. It has been absolutely my go to site for all things survival related. I’m so very thankful for everything I’ve been able to learn over the years. Best of luck to you!!

14. Hey PJGT, all of the hand coffee grinders I’ve used have a poor design on the inside. The teeth don’t reach up high enough to efficiently grab the beans, plus the beans have hard-to-grab round edges, so as you mentioned, it takes forever. I found that by breaking the beans into smaller pieces just before putting them into the hand grinder will greatly speed up the grinding time and decrease the effort as well. I use one of those extra heavy small paper bags they give you at the store when you buy ice cream and it lasts for months. Put the batch of beans in the paper bag, spend ten seconds going over them with a rolling pin and they will be just the right size for putting into your hand grinder. Now they’ll go through your hand grinder ten times faster and you won’t have to suffer with pre-ground coffee when the grid goes down.

    1. Thank you for the insight St. Funogas! Much appreciated as I’ve pounds of green coffee beans also stored.

15. This week has been taken up with pretty much normal activities. We are staying home as much as possible and fine tuning the preps.
    The Meal Saver got a work out on beans,rice,and chicken breast. FedEx showed up with
    the order of Keystone meats.
    On our only trip to town this week we hit Costco for vitamins and supplements. There was
    no panic buying and folks seemed to be buying regular items. There was only one other
    couple wearing masks.
    I did manage to can up 36 pints of pulled pork. When the pork and BBQ sauce is on sale
    it is one of easiest home canning projects around.

16. Dear Mr. Pink,

    Though opening a forum to alert and warn others of the proximity of the virus to one’s home town is an excellent idea, we cannot do this for two main reasons. One, it is a major OPSEC issue for you all to be disclosing the area and town that one lives in on this forum for many reasons. There are other not so friendly eyes watching the blog and the commentators…. And the second reason is that we have enough on our plates than to add another whole forum that we must moderate. Jim is concentrating on the Blog, the Antique Gun business, interviews, and consultations, caring for relative at this time and helping me with the ranch when he is home. I am mostly running the nitty gritty of the ranch, the animals and the gardening, homeschooling and moderating the comment sections of the Blog. We just do not have the time for another whole forum. We are sorry about that, please forgive us.

    However, if there are individuals out there who wish to search for the locations of latest outbreaks and wish to post them in the Blog’s comment sections to warn others, please feel free to do so. We welcome this information at this site.

    Blessings,

    Lily

    1. Understood and thank you for ALL you both do !

17. JWR, concerning the oil; I had a 1985 Oldmobile Delta 88. I was ANAL about changing the oil, and always used Castrol GTX petro-based (regular) motor oil every 3K miles. I was that way with the rest of the car’s fluids as well. After 15 years, the engine compression still met specs for a new engine The only problems I had with that car were the transmission’s overdrive solenoid and multiple water pump replacements due to badly engineered bearing loading on the water pump; too many peripherals using the water pump pulley as the drive pulley.

    My eldest son was born soon after we bought that car. I taught him to drive in it before I sold it…

    Motor oils… and metallurgy… have come a long way since 1985, but one thing remains the same; regular changes of fluids are THE.NUMBER.ONE factor in vehicle longevity. Practice this from the start, and you’ll probably tire of the vehicle before it tires of you.

18. Here in this beautiful part of SW Idaho we had a busy week, finished pruning all the fruit trees, brought the irrigation pumps back out and installed them and charged the systems back up, even had to water the grass (been a dry spring here).
    We had our quarterly church meeting on Thurs nite and i went in prepared with the material that ShepardFarmerGeek posted earlier this week along with my security plan for our church and it was not met well; The wife and i were most surprised with the reaction to it, went away from the meeting with the conclusion that i said what i had to and will prepare accordingly.
    Wife has been in the garden all week,planting peas, lettuce, and herbs.
    I have been at the property next door helping the new owner on constructing a new well house and have been dropping hints about how importance it is to have inventory on hand, preparing etc. ( he was not even aware of the run on the stores) much less why there was a run on the stores.
    Went to wally world on Monday after Pats review on the blackstone griddle and picked one up; got a good laugh about the one comment that stated this is the biggest problem of my prepping progress getting a new griddle!
    Have a safe week

    1. Dear Camp Doubt,

       I am sorry to hear that your church didn’t receive the prep and security plans that you presented to them.

       They didn’t even say that they would think and pray about them?

       Well, You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make them drink it.

       I also must say, that many churches that are 501c3 are sold out to the government, are watering down the true gospel, and are actually being trained to calm their flock and report on the folks who won’t comply with the new rules that will be enacted in the near future of a totalitarian world government. Many churches are not on the side of the people, sadly.

       Even though we, here, at SurvivalBlog recommend folks to be members of your local churches, very, very precious few are preaching the whole gospel of truth. Use your discernment folks. It might be time for some of you to come out of the compromised churches.

       We also recommend small home bible studies. If you have like minded friends you can have home bible studies. Just read the bible together and compare scripture with scripture and look up the Historical back ground of people, places and events and the meaning of the words in the dictionary and in Strong’s concordance, together. You can move from house to house. Everyone brings food to the meeting for a potluck, everyone contribute to the cost of paper plates and utensils, you take home your own food containers and wash them yourselves. And you gather together for a time of fellowship, and then prayer, and bible study, and more fellowship. This is what the original church was meant to be.

       In recent years, Jim and I, felt lead out of the church and now attend a very small home group that is totally scripture reading oriented. We, all in our group, are watchers on the wall, read the prophecies and study them as well as the rest of the scriptures and discuss them. We have a leader but every one of us in the group have opportunities to talk and share and teach during our meetings. We pray for one another and care for one another, help one another during the week, and eat meals together.

       All of us also listen other preachers on the internet, (I listen to quite a number of them during the week and fellowship over the phone with other friends and family members whom do not attend the group), and support other ministries that are truly preaching the gospel. We are mature believers and love digging into the Word deeply with one another. And because we are a small group and everyone is patient with one another, we get to interrupt and ask questions, at any time, and voice our opinions and relevant scriptures. It is a lot of fun and fascinating. We bless and encourage one another.

       So then, if your church is appearing to be compromised, is not paying attention to the Last Days prophecies, and is not watching the world events and is not encouraging their flock to be prepared spiritually and physically for the return of Christ and the persecution that is coming to Jews and Christians. I would pray and ask God for discernment concerning it and if the Lord so leads, meet with the church leadership concerning these concerns and if they are open to your suggestions and implement them then I’d stay, but if they are not open and are not concerned with he events of the days, I would leave.

       Don’t be afraid of leaving, you are not sinning. God is, at this time, telling many of His own to leave the compromised churches. It is far better to be alone and in the Truth of His Word than be in a lukewarm church that will lead it’s flock into the Anti-christ system.

       The way to grow, spiritually, is to read the Word of God for yourselves everyday and to also listen to the Word from a CD or from the internet so by both reading and hearing you get the full counsel. IF you are reading the Word daily, praying and watching Excellent preachers on the internet and blessing your neighbors and witnessing as you go out or interact with others in chats, you are not forsaking the assembly of the brethren. In fact you are reaching far more people than you would in just a normal everyday interaction, because you have no idea, how many people are reading what you are typing in live chats!

       Be blessed. May the Lord give you wisdom and discernment on what He would have you to do in this situation.

       Lily

       1. @ Lily –

          Just found this :

          Sixty percent of the world’s population could become infected with coronavirus, says leading expert

          https://9now.nine.com.au/60-minutes/sixty-percent-of-the-worlds-population-could-become-infected-with-coronavirus-says-leading-expert/dc69d987-4d76-45a4-ab4c-9fbb92beb605

          I know the ” experts ” disagree, and of course there is the hyped up factor in the press, even so accounting for that, 60 % of the worlds population ? then a death rate of 3% plus ?, places like India , Africa cannot cope with a normal medical problem let alone this. Another thing no one has written about are the poor pets that will suffer without drugs they need to stay alive, our kitty needs interferon to stay alive, he has been my constant companion through chemo/ cancer, my worry is he won’t get his meds as they may come from China, having him be put to sleep would be heart breaking for us. All I can do is provide best I can, he has another 60 days worth of meds, I will go see the vet to try to get a longer supply of meds for him.

          1. Dear AS,

             Yes,

             People need to be planning ahead for their furry friends, meds. and food. Sadly many animals will suffer, too, during this outbreak for various reasons. I read earlier in the week that there is some evidence of our dogs and cats catching and carrying the Virus. If this is so, there will be a lot of euthanasia occurring.

             This week our UPS and FEDEX people put the boxes on our porch. A while later, I went out to get them and saw our cats sniffing them, before I could spray them down…. I just immediately prayed and claimed Jesus’ protection over the cats, too. We love our cats dearly. We’ll also need to set up an alternative box drop at our gate, instead of having the delivery guys bring in the boxes to the house.

             Lots to think about these days! Blessings and peace to you,

             Lily

             1. @ Lily

                Thanks for the reply !

                I read a few days ago of people in Wuhan throwing their dogs & cats out of high apartment buildings, I would be horrified to know people did that, so sad, to see people become so barbaric and cruel, my wife and I pray for our kitties, very special to us, I saw a case of a little doggy who got the virus, passed it to his human companion, the Vet said though, it was in a lower form of contagion, my thought is many people will use this to euthanasia their so called ” friend “, we have bought long term food supplies for the kitties,

                My wife and I no longer go to a mainstream Church, we could not find any that stuck to the word, she goes now to a small Church of 20 people, friendly, ok , for support for her, but not a place that is small enough that people know what they are reading and willing to openly discuss biblical prophecy, end events with a open inquiring mind, I read much and listen to good straight men at the moment on biblical matters.

                Might I ask what you spray the boxes with ?. Peace and blessings to you & Jim

                AS

             2. Dear AS,

                I did a 1 to 5, bleach to water solution in 25 ounces of water. We also have another chemical spray, I forget the name, but I am not using that, at this time. I actually feel that of all the “other” chemicals out there, that bleach may be one of the safest, and the one I am most familiar/comfortable with. We did buy those clorox wipes. But the smell and something in them give me coughing fits and I feel all throat tickle-ee for over an hour after using them. Something in them is very unhealthy for me. I hate the smell, too. Therefore, I banned them, even though Jim bought two packages of three recently. We can give them away, later.
                Much peace and blessings to you two, too.

                Lily

             3. We cut the top off of an old 200 gal tote and put it just inside the (electric) fence near the county road. We asked the delivery and mail people to toss all boxes, padded envelopes, etc. in to that box. The big dogs also patrol that area so if someone is going to steal something, they have to do it at the post office. We put a driveway alarm near the area and we check the container frequently when we are expecting deliveries.

             4. Hello Animal House,

                I, too, will put a large tote just inside our gate with note. Now that Jim is gone, I have been locking the gate at night, just for added protection. I am not afraid at all. But some neighbors called me last week and mentioned that someone had gone through their cars during the night. Nothing was stolen. However, there were also reports of thefts in the town 25 miles away, recently. So…better safe than sorry. We’ve not ever had a problem with trespassers or thieves. We pray often, as do our neighbors together with us, for God’s protection and for all of us in this area. There are not many of us right in this area. We pray for angels to be all about our borders and gates. I pray that the Lord will cover our land and animals with His wings of protection always, and that He would keep us and our ranch hidden in Him from those bent on evil.

                Blessings,

                Lily

       2. Avalanche Lily! A wonderfully supportive reply to Camp Doubt and we are sure your message will reach many who are struggling in similar circumstances involving their churches. Let this message, and the ideas and insights you’ve shared, BLESS MANY!

       3. Lilly: What does 501c3 selling out to the government mean?

          1. Hi Ron,

             501(c)3 is a tax exempt status for churches that claim it and “qualify.”. This means that churches who claim this status are essentially “government sanctioned” churches, which means that their hands are tied to what they can say to their congregants. They are dictated to by the government. Meaning that they are told to remain apolitical and not to endorse any particular candidate or party to their congregants–for fear of losing their tax-exempt status. It also means that that the congregants who pay tithes to the church can get a tax deduction for their giving.

             JWR Adds: Some people seem to think that they attend The Church of The Holy Tax Deduction. See this letter from our archives, for some more implications: https://survivalblog.com/letter-501c3/

             Sincerely,

             Lily

19. Hey. This is confirmed info about coronavirus testing from my roommate.

    He works on part of his rotation at the facilities that are currently housing and testing actively the covid 19 cases in NYC.

    I just asked him how much the cost of the tests are… Being as how gov cumo made a big deal about not charging for them…

    My roommate informed me in very strong language that claim is bull. The actual cost of the test is …

    360 to 400 dollars.

    Yeah.. not happy to hear that at all.

    Yes your insurance my re-emburse you for it but it’s cashy money upfront just like out of network services.

    Please plan accordingly.

    1. Good info j.m.z.b. For those of us without insurance, it’s just a curiosity test anyway. For me personally, certainly not worth the money to confirm if I have it or not, it won’t change the facts. I haven’t had the flu since 1995 so if I get the flu, I’ll assume its CoV and save myself the $400. Any money I don’t have to donate to the medical industrial complex, I don’t.

20. ? Has any one steam ironed their mail? Also wondered if used face masks can be put in a canning jar with loose lid and pressure canned to sterilized. Similar to a hospital autoclave. How long in PC? What pressure 5lb? Anyone making cloth masks with multi layer?

    1. No.

       No you can’t disinfect a paper mask. They are disposable.

       Your name tag suggests that you should know this.

       Using nonmanufactured improvised PPE is not recommended.

       Infact it’s this kind of behaviour that lead the CDC and who to recommend not using a mask.

       1. I did not say disinfect, I said sterilize. Steam under pressure sterilizes.
          Ironing mail or paper with a iron and steam sterilizes. Kills bug! Get it! Pressure canning sterilizes. Everyone needs to wear a mask when social distancing is impaired.
          I have learned to take a good hard look at what the WHO and CDC have said, posted, taken down from their web sites. Much of it double speak.
          Please don’t assume you know it all. Apologies accepted.

          1. I am grinning at your comment. Thanks.

       2. JMzB,

          Us improvised PPE actually is “authorized” by the CDC is there is no other N95 mask around. Take a look at this you will have to follow a few links-

          https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/respirators-strategy/index.html

    2. I was thinking about making fabric masks should it come to it. A friend is a surgeon and he was explaining to our group that the masks are basically to prevent us from coughing for sneezing our germs on someone else. They only do a cursory job of protecting us from someone else because unless they are fitted properly and “sealed” to the face, they won’t protect us from the virus. The biggest risk is us touching something contaminated, then touching our nose, mouth, eyes, etc. He also said that making a mask out of a kerchief or fabric would work the same as the disposable masks. I hope that is helpful.

    3. Retired RN

       Any mask now where I am is non existent, we got a box of P95 masks ( last box ) and that’s it, we have ordered black neoprene masks with charcoal filters from China, not sure if we will get them , my secondary recommend is a biker neck tube or bandana, better than nothing, we can still get ex mil genuine gas masks at the moment, play it by ear.

       For some weird reason people are mass buying of toilet paper and now fights are happening over toilet rolls, how come no one thinks that a toilet used for a RV is not more important ? plus manufacturers are saying there is no shortage of toilet papers, herd mentality ? what is wrong with people ?

    4. RetiredRN

       The link will not post to the blog. There are N99 masks with eye shield available for. $11,99 at the Health Ranger Store.

       Soaking the mask with water would degrade it’s performance and the extreme heat of a canner might destroy it. However, it would not hurt to experiment. If the sun was out, and it was hot enough, I will seal it up in a clear plastic bag. and the let the heat denature it’s lipid structure and the let the radiation do it’s job. I would not have full confidence in this process unless it was kept out in the sun for 9 days. However, keeping the mask dry would keep it’s fibers in place and functional and might be worth the wait. If did not have that option, I would soak it for at least 30 seconds in 70 -91% alcohol and let air dry. This I would trust the most if the job must be done quickly. Also see my other ideas posted. Yes, we must improvise, adapt and overcome.

21. Retired RN,

    It is tough question, and one we should look at as masks are in short supply. As I am self isolated, I can recycle the few masks that I might be forced to use by putting them in a zip lock bag and setting them in the sun for two weeks. Dreaming up another method, I might put a small container of 25% bleach solution underneath the mask and microwave it until the steam rises, and penetrates the mask. The chlorine gas would quickly penetrate and disinfect after a number of minutes. Let set in place to dry and do it’s job. Of course the microwave itself could become contaminated and this might be best done outside.

    Others have correctly warned that dampening the mask may cause the fibers that catch contaminates to become matted down in some way, and would no longer protrude and intercept 95% of the particles it is rated for. However the risk of not using a mask is greater. If a mask might have been compromised in this way, I might use a cotton cloth around nose and mouth moisten with nano silver, securely draped and snugly fit over the compromised mask and face, as an outer line of defense. As needed, a spray bottle of nano silver could re-moisten the cotton material. If the N95 mask has certainly been degraded by use or moisture, then spraying the mask directly with 70% alcohol to decontaminate it after 30 seconds of contact, could do little to further degrade it’s performance. Then colloidal silver sprayed directly onto the mask, and left to dry might help the mask provide continued protection that may, or may not be as effective as a fresh, and unspoiled mask. Lightly spraying the mask with colloidal/nano silver from time to time, would further help capture fine particles as well. The net effect of any or all techniques employed would certainly be better than no mask at all.

    Of course all of this ideas are experimental.

    1. Yep. I’ve never before had to consider that a N95 mask would be “one-use” before. I’ve used them a lot “on the job” to keep out insulation fibers, dust, drift from applying anything on the farm(lime etc). So I’m used to using them til they get really grubby and tattered before I decide it’s time to break out a new one! Haven’t worn one yet in our “new reality” but will have to remind myself to think about them differently(knew about their use in pandemics of course but have never had to use one that way before). I have a limited supply(and mailed some to my mom in a city) so will have to ration my use of them; still need to set some aside for home repairs, insulation work and garden stuff too!

22. J.m.z.b
    Oh please don’t cop an attitude. What are your qualifications to do so?
    Thinking outside the box does not seem to be one of your qualities.
    I believe it is my God given right to inquire about anything of interest.
    In my book the CDC has performed way below the bar. You Sir need to monitor yourself.
    I am a canning rebel. And as such I am off to can some water and just for you I will throw in
    A disposable mask. TSK! TSK!

    1. Retired RN, I have excellent professors who encourage ALL questions and reply in kind with respect. Good for you for asking questions!
       BTW, I loved your response. I literally burst out laughing. You go girl!

    2. Retired RN, laughing my head off too! 🙂

       Didn’t we learn anything in the Sixties? Always question authority! Of course masks can be reused! lol. It’s just a question of figuring out how. I haven’t done the research yet but it’s a simple matter of understanding how they are put together, how they work, what chemical coatings they might have, and going from there.

       At the very simplest, hang them up and let them dry somewhere for 9 days and that will make sure any CoV is dead. I would avoid bleach at all costs, chlorine is very reactive and can only have adverse effects with components inside the mask or coatings on the outside, as well as the elastic in the bands, ditto microwaving. Sun should help but I’d use low heat, not too hot. For example, I plan on getting my mail with tongs, putting it in a bag, then leaving it in my car for three days with the window rolled up. I’m thinking that would be very effective for masks as well without cooking them or rendering them ineffective but certainly killing any germs. All extremes should be avoided: heat, microwaves, ovens, chemicals. Time is our friend. CoV cannot survive more than 9 days according to the best research available to date.

       And I agree with you, there are not words to describe how poorly the CDC has performed. When everyone was beating up on China for “lying” about their numbers, I said way back then that our own CDC was not going to do any better, and they haven’t. I think they have done worse and will only get worse as this progresses.

       Let us know how the “canning” project turns out! 🙂 If you have a microscope, I’d love to know how the canned mask compares to a new mask after you “can” it. And to further test the porosity, maybe strain some water through new vs canned and time the difference?

    3. Yep. There’s a t-shirt out there that reads something like “when the government tells you that you don’t need a gun, that’s when you need a gun”. I figure just substitute “masks” for “guns” now! Sad really that they are not providing good factual timely information to us

23. The following was in the local news, and I thought folks might want to print it off and add to their medical books and/or antibiotics storage for future reference. Even
    “old geezers,” (smile) may end up helping a loved one, friend or refugee who is pregnant and need to know this for a better outcome should antibiotics be required.

    https://q13fox.com/2020/03/07/healthy-living-common-antibiotic-linked-to-higher-risk-of-birth-defects/

    Healthy Living: Common antibiotic linked to higher risk of birth defects

    Posted 11:46 AM, March 7, 2020, by Ali Bradley, Updated at 11:55AM, March 7, 2020
    SEATTLE, Wash., — Some antibiotics commonly prescribed to patients is linked to a higher risk of birth defects according to a study published in the Medical Journal, BMJ.

    The antibiotic is used to treat infections and most often prescribed when a patient is allergic to Penicillin.

    The study suggests women who were prescribed Macrolides during the first three months of pregnancy had an increased risk of birth defects, compared to those who were prescribed Penicillin.

    “““““`
    For more in-depth information, here is a link to the study:

    https://www.bmj.com/content/368/bmj.m331

    Associations between macrolide antibiotics prescribing during pregnancy and adverse child outcomes in the UK: population based cohort study

    Abstract

    Objective To assess the association between macrolide antibiotics prescribing during pregnancy and major malformations, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism spectrum disorder in children.

    —skipped to conclusion—

    Conclusions Prescribing macrolide antibiotics during the first trimester of pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of any major malformation and specifically cardiovascular malformations compared with penicillin antibiotics. Macrolide prescribing in any trimester was associated with an increased risk of genital malformations. These findings show that macrolides should be used with caution during pregnancy and if feasible alternative antibiotics should be prescribed until further research is available.

    Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03948620

24. Spring is certainly on it’s way! With it comes all the cleaning. Looking to start turning over the garden beds and build a few more. Other yard work that needs tending to is clearing out some invasive vines and buying more grass seed. As for prepping for this pandemic I’ll be able to self quarantine if need be. Can’t say that for any of my friends or family. No one seems to be taking this seriously. My roommate certainly is after coming home and telling me that at their work they had a meeting about an upcoming trip to Washington DC. The meeting was about the likelihood of them being quarantined while in DC. Sounds like a nightmare to me. But I assured them that I already made preparations for their trip (P100 mask, gloves, hand sanitizer, zinc supplements). And I’ll be wary of them when they get back. Praying that we both remain healthy for the entirety of the year.

25. JMZB,

    This is a second warning. Please calm your hot head down! There are many lay people better qualified in things than the credentialed. EVERY ONE has to use their own discernment !! This is what makes America so great! STOP going after people so pointedly! Be graceful and peaceful with your differences and stop being so confrontational.

    Lily

    1. JMZB,

       Uhp, husband just phoned me, and told me he banned you from any further comments, just as I posted this second warning. Sorry, but we have no tolerance for insults, jabs, and snide comments. I am sorry!

       Lily

       1. I think that we all need to be kind to each other. It’s ok to disagree or(nicely) point out an error in a post if you are sure of the error. I know that I’ve pointed out occasional things that I am sure weren’t correct but I tried(and hope I succeeded) in being respectful about it. And if I post something in error or someone disagrees, I’d hope they try to be respectful about it as well.

          I think that as this thing gets going, tempers will flare as more people panic and those who are already not “playing with a full deck”will engage in anti-social measures(such as the guy in NYC who sprayed the Asian guy with Febreze). It will get weird out there……We are all in this together and need to support each other.

26. In brief as of 5 mins ago :

    Coronavirus China: Quarantine hotel collapses in Quanzhou
    https://www.9news.com.au/world/coronavirus-china-quaranine-hotel-collapses-quanzhou-world-news/22c4d44b-e475-47f5-8a36-d61efe4f359f

    Oh, that will be interesting won’t it ?……Hotel collapses with infected inside, sounds more like a horror movie, imagine being injured AND INFECTED !

27. Two big spring projects going on but can’t give many details due to OPSEC. No, not the moonshine still, that was last month. 🙂 If I have two projects going at the same that use different sets of muscles then I can rest one set while the other is getting tortured as I bounce back and forth between projects. It’s not fun getting so geezified and falling apart. March is my only really stressful month. Way too much work to do with the bees, getting the garden ready and the first crops in, having to move my compost pile by March 21st, and getting all the lawn and pastures cleaned and raked ready for the green forage and flowers to start coming. One compost pile has to go out to the garden on the 21st and it’s typically more than a pickup load. But the garden sure loves it. And I could sure use a hot tub for me’s poor achin’ muscles…

    I’m also about finished cleaning up and prepping all my swarm traps so they are ready to go and I should have them hung by the end of this coming week. We went from winter to warm spring so quickly I think bees will be swarming early this year and I want to be ready way ahead of time. I always think of that guy in Alas Babylon that bartered honey in the town square… and hope if the SHTF I’ll have a good barter item on my hands in the form of honey, beehives, and getting other people set up with their own bees that I’ve captured with my traps.

    I think I can squeeze more more trip into town this coming week and then, probably self-isolation after that.

28. I travel regularly (almost daily) for work. As a result, I get to see the interior of LOTS of hotel rooms. While Mrs Texan and our homeschooled kids are nearly self-quarantined at our ranch, I very much realize the increased risk I bring to my household (COVID-19 or otherwise).

    The paramedics who train our staff have recommended “ViroFree” to all of us for several years. I keep a stock of refills at the house, and a small spray bottle in my bag. When I check in to a hotel room, the faucet handles, toilet lever, TV remote control, light switches, desk where I work, etc. gets sprayed down and left to dry.

    We use a diluted bleach solution at home, but it’s not really portable…

    Praying His mercy is extended to us all,

    Freedom Loving Texan

29. To all that are commenting, we appreciate all of the questions and input. No one has all of the information and the personal experiences of each of you help to contribute to more avenues of exploration and ultimately more proactive planning.

    We have been making our final runs for supplies and are very glad not to have been standing in any long lines for TP or water. Most of our final supplies consist of gardening supplies so that we can get our seedlings, bare root trees etc. ready to go into the ground. We picked up some rock minerals and fertilizer as well as resupply some tools that are well worn.

    Our oven quick working two days ago. Ironically it quit 2 minutes before a pizza was done cooking and just locked up as if it was going into a cleaning mode. We could only watch as the pizza slowly turned brown and crisp from the existing heat in the oven. The good news is that when asked if we should get a new oven or call the repair guys, I realized we didn’t need to be in a hurry. We have lots of options for cooking (thank you preps) and therefore we may wait for awhile to see how this virus progresses.

    Be well,

    1. CAL, my sister and I experienced a year without an oven while growing up, although the stove top still worked. It did cut down on our consumption of baked goods, but my mom cooked a small Thanksgiving turkey in a big pan on the burner. She would also make cornbread in a frying pan, slide it out onto a plate, and then flip it back into the pan to cook the other side. I’m sure she came up with other work-arounds, but those are the ones I remember. We eventually found an oven we could afford at a Sears scratch and dent sale.

       With your positive attitude, it sounds like you will be fine!

30. I have a question. Does anyone know anything about producing nano zinc? I assume it could be produced about the same way as nano silver but have no info on its production or use.

31. I agree with what you say about the conditions on the earth bringing down the wrath of God on the wicked. It’ll be happening soon….

32. Here is a good link to check on virus updates daily….

    Currently 417 + are infected in the USA
    Almost a score of our beloved citizens are DEAD!

    https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html

33. Hello JWR, A.Lily, and supporting staff,

    My shipped Survivalblog USB stick arrived Saturday the 7th. It’s a really nice unit.
    Looks like FAT32 with 6.9GB free of 16GB stick! = Plenty of room for my ‘extra stuff’.

    Thanks again!

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