Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year. Note that as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in the Comments. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

I’ve had a fairly quiet week. I’m presently out of state, helping a frail elderly relative. I’ve done some calisthenics and bicycling. I’ve also caught up on a few minor repairs and an oil change on our aging SUV, which has now logged more than 335,000 miles.  And I’ve also had one meeting with a consulting client, and have delivered a few books to some local friends and blog readers. I’m pleased to report that The Ultimate Prepper’s Survival Guide can now be found in nearly all Costco stores. That is, at least for now. Since they only ordered 30,000 copies, I expect their stores to start selling out by mid-September. The inevitable re-order will have to be printed in Hong Kong and then shipped traditionally over the blue. So the re-ordered increment might not make it into Costco stores until after Christmas. Therefore, if you want to buy any of the Costco edition for gifts, then jump on them, soon.

Now, over to Lily…

Avalanche Lily Reports:

Dear Readers,

Hello Everybody! This week has been sunny and beautiful. I have been very busy out in the garden and in the house.

I haven’t done as much “prepping-wise” this week as in previous weeks.

This week we had dental appointments and we had some dental work taken care of.

Not much food preservation took place, except for at the beginning of the week, I dehydrated broccoli, zucchini, sweet peppers, and lemon peel. I froze more cucumber cubes.  The girls peeled and chopped about ten pounds of carrots that we steamed and then dehydrated.  They filled only a one-quart jar, once dehydrated!

After working on preserving these foods, I had just had it with the kitchen and needed a good break from the stove and sink. Therefore, I escaped the kitchen for three days and pressed the girls into cooking food for us and doing all of dishes, and of the clean-up for me.  🙂  I didn’t want to look at another dirty dish, nor peel, nor slice, nor dice another fruit or vegetable. I was outta there!

I spent the next two days pruning out the last few canes of the black raspberries, the rest of the golden raspberries, and about two-thirds of the red raspberries, and puttering around the garden and greenhouse, pulling weeds and moving the waterer around.

I mowed the paths in the main garden.

Miss Violet is currently in the midst of scrubbing all of the potting pots and trays. We have a whole lot of them. I washed a few, myself.

The tomatoes are finally beginning to ripen.  It looks like from my perusals of the VentuSky web site that our region of the American Redoubt is going to have a long Indian summer this fall.  This is good news for the fall crop of raspberries, the tomatoes, corn, and winter squash. They will have a longer season to ripen and grow more fruits.

Warning! September Snowstorm Coming!

A heads up, however, for those in the high elevations of the Rocky Mountains from Glacier National Park, Montana all the way down to Texas.  On Monday through Tuesday, this coming week, you folks in these regions could be getting your first snowstorm of the year.  Protect or harvest your gardens.

Deep Cleaning

I spent a full day deep cleaning our bedroom and bathroom. I vacuumed, dusted, and scrubbed almost all surfaces, and under them, and nooks and crannies in our bedroom and bathroom. It was a big job!

Our bedroom is quite a large space and doubles as Jim’s office. It has “tons” of surfaces:  that shelving unit for the antique revolvers, bookshelves, filing cabinets, a table, a desk, windows and window sills, blinds, glass doors, mirrors, other shelving units for overflow storage of everything and anything you could possibly think of, a lot of large totes dwell in our room under shelving and on shelving units, (Actually our bedroom is barely a bedroom.  Only the wonderful King-sized Futon mattress gives a hint that the space is actually a bedroom). I  cleaned in/around/under a dresser, an armoire,  counters, lights, floors, etc. It was all a real dusty mess, dust bunnies everywhere.  (They must’ve been in a breeding frenzy this summer having been mostly neglected since early June when Jim was last out of state.) It appears that I do the best deep cleaning in there when he isn’t home.  😉

I do clean the bathroom and bedroom every week, just not the deep clean.  Dear Readers, please, you musn’t think that we’re slobs.  :-0

I will also say that I really like our bedroom.  Despite all of these things in it, they are arranged in a very pleasing non-crowded way, and it does still have class. There is a lot of natural wood throughout, which I love.  And our bathroom is the posh-est room in the whole house with a theme from another continent, love it.

I went bike riding, and canoeing/fishing several times this week, but didn’t catch anything.  I’m a terrible fisherwoman.  But it’s something I’d like to get better at, I think?  It is perhaps just more fun to watch the fish do their thing.  I love floating very quietly on the surface of the water, leaning over the gunwales of my canoe to peer down through the deep clear water of our river, spying on the critters swimming below me.  I did see a young beaver swimming the river this week.

Last weekend, down next to the chicken tractor, I found the very few remains of a dead hen.  🙁   Luckily it was the hen I didn’t like.  She wasn’t very friendly at all to the baby chicks that I brought down there a couple of times this summer for parental visitation. I guess sometime the night before something decided to get in and get one.  I think it was a skunk or a raccoon, but it could have been something else, like a marten, or maybe a wolverine?  It wasn’t a bear, because they are too big to get into our fencing around the orchard.   Therefore,  because a critter had success in getting a meal from our chicken tractor once, the odds were very high that it will return for a second meal.  So, I moved the birds back up to the Hen House. I was really hoping to leave them out until the heavy rains came… amazingly nothing bothered the chickens all summer until now.

All three groups of baby chickies are doing well.

A happy change of plans occurred, and thus, I get to keep all of the newly hatched meat chicks instead of only half, and I will pay the owner of the eggs for the fertile eggs he gave me instead of splitting the chicks with him.  The happy reason is that some of his hens actually hatched out their own broods of chicks while I was incubating some of his eggs and he doesn’t want or need these chicks after all. This is actually a great sign that this breed are great setters.  Thus I will be keeping several adults next year for breeding for our future meat bird needs.

Since the chicks are now mine, I have moved all of them in their rubber water trough to the hen house with the heat lamp.  They are doing well out there.  They get to listen to the other birds doing their peeping, clucking and crowing.

At this point, because of the number of birds we now have and the limited space in the hen house, I will take a break from incubating chicken eggs for a while.

At the end of the week, I did another type of prepping that was very important, but I must leave it as a mystery for you all because of OPSEC.  I don’t wish to tell everything we do.  As you know we’ve already given whoever (friend and foe) reads this blog a whole lot of basic/general information about ourselves, but you and they don’t have to know everything!

Oh, and I separated the two heifer calves from their moms, only during the day, I will reunite them at night, or vice versa, I think, and I brought the bull to the mothers, for breeding.  I will be participating in several daily rodeos to keep the heifer calves away from the bull, but yet keep the mothers in milk and the calves at the milk.  I will be giving the calves nursing rights a few times a day, maybe.  I’m still trying to work out how I want to do it.  I have an eight month old heifer that I must keep away from the bull, yet, I don’t wish to milk the mother, but yet I still want her producing just in case we need her milk at some point — and want her bred. Confusing and complicating, I know. But the bull Sh. is a happy boy now to be back with his girls!

Of course, I spent time in the Word of God, now listening to the book of Acts in Hebrew while following along in English, and listening to Steven Ben Nun’s latest Bible study on his new understandings of prophesy.  God is really revealing many gold nuggets to him.  I really, really enjoy hearing them.

Jesus is truly prophesied all throughout the Tanak.  Every book in the “Old” Testament reveals Him to the reader. He is the Word of God, The Father made Flesh.  He is the Messiah, the Anointed One!  He is the Great I Am.  The Everlasting Father,  The Author of Life!, He is the true Prince of Peace, The Lord of Lords,  The Lord of Hosts, Adonai Tzevaoat, The Lover of our souls, Our healer/ Adonai Rofeh, The Kinsman Redeemer/Goel, The Ancient of Days!   He is the sign,אות/ The Alef ve Tav/The alpha and Omega/The Beginning and End,  He is the savior (Yeshuati) from our sins and saves us from the Wrath of the Father God at the end of this Age of Grace.

Jesus said to the Scribes and Pharisees in John 8:42, ” If God יהוה were your father, ye would love me, for I proceedeth forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but He sent me.

Also Jesus said in John 10:30 “I and my Father are one.”

In First John 2:23 says, “Whoever denies the Son (Jesus) does not have the Father יהוה either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father יהוה  also.

John 14:6 Jesus, said, ” I am the Way the truth and the life: no man comes to the Father but by me.”

John 14:21 Jesus said, He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

These verses are awesome words from the Lord, Jesus.

May the Lord God open everyone’s’ eyes to see Him! He is the only way to God the Father! Time is running out.

May you all have a very blessed and safe week.

Much love and Blessings to all of you,

– Avalanche Lily, Rawles

o o o

As always, please share your own successes and hard-earned wisdom in the Comments.




102 Comments

  1. Ms Lily, thank you for your emphasis on our Lord Jesus Christ; it is always up lifting and I appreciate it! This week I have tried to unplug from the noise of news and politics and focus on listening to the Lord. With all the chaos going on around the world, I need His peace even more now, while the evil ones try to destroy our lives and our love for each other. While I have not yet learned to love everyone; I can say I don’t hate anyone either. I just keep trying to improve my spiritual strength and be ready to face the tribulations that are happening now and will continue to happen.

    As far as preps go, I PC’d a couple of beef roasts, pure beef broth, plain hamburger, meatloaf, pork loin, and chicken breasts. Canned more pears, pear sauce and processed pear juice. Usually freeze the pear juice but I have no room in the freezers. Been going back and forth on ordering another freezer; finally decided to get one. Lowes said it has several in their warehouse and would be delivered to my house in two weeks. We’ll see how accurate that is.

    Dehydrated more spinach, hot peppers, celery, carrots and got them stowed away, some in jars and some in vac seal bags. That makes it sound so simple; but it was a couple of hours work.

    I’ve not been satisfied with the amount of veges I’ve put up this summer, so I made the hour trip to WM and stocked up on basic canned goods. Also got some olives, smoked clams and oysters and more OTC meds/first aid supplies. Several items were low in stock, some OTC items had only a couple of boxes/bottles of what I was looking for. I looked for long underwear for kids and grand-kids but there were none out yet; so will go online.

    Ordered a couple of floor jack posts and a ¾ ton manual level hoist come-along w/10′ chain. I’ve been looking for these at farm auctions and thrift stores but the only ones I saw needed a lot of repair/replace
    work and I don’t have the experience to do that.

    Went to a nursery and got two more apple trees and two pear trees to replace the old and diseased ones. Still looking for an almond tree to replace one which died. While there I found some all-weather muck boots and carhart work pants on sale for 50% off.

    Picked up truck load of animal feed to replace normal usage and still keep a 6-month stock.

    One or two of the RIR pullets have started to lay already; very happy with that. I have been keeping two old banny hens around b/c they are such good brooders but as soon as the weather cools I’ll be harvest them and two other old hens.

    Did some first aid on a rabbit who had an abscess on his head; lanced, pushed out the pus and cleaned it with hydrogen peroxide the sprayed it with a triple antibiotic to keep bugs off. He is doing fine now.

    May your week be safe and productive.

    1. Animal House!
      You set the standard — no doubt about it! So enjoy your updates, and am ever inspired by all you do.

      Believe you’re wise to supplement supplies. We’ve done the same even as the garden produced very well in our area this growing season. Some years are better than others for all of us — but even in good years, a boost coming by way of some purchases always helps. My husband and I laugh when we talk about some staples — there is simply no way we are growing RICE. We are also, sadly, not growing cranberries! …and we do not produce our own clams either. For as long as we can, we’re going to have to bring some things into our stores via trade. The more comprehensive our preps, the stronger our positions will be in times of crisis.

      Over the course of the last few months, Avalanche Lily has shared her concerns about what it takes to self-sustain. She’s right to raise awareness for all of us. We do not realize how much we consume, and what we’ll really need to survive for any period of time. Current conditions have been difficult in some ways, but these could have been — and may yet be — much more so.

    2. Animal House, Amazing… You are absolutely amazing. I shake my head in awe. Thank you for sharing all that you do. You are inspirational. Many blessings to you and yours this coming week! Krissy

    3. Animal House- have you ever dried any habaneros ? I would appreciate any tips from anyone who has. I bought a bunch and want to dry them and make my own super-hot chili powder. I will mix it with some other dried peppers to control the heat if it proves to be too hot.

      1. I’ve never dried habaneros specifically but have dried other hot peppers as well as paprika peppers(which I then ground up to make paprika spice). I’d imagine it’s the same process. I kept it very simple and just used some thin wire that I threaded through the green part just below the stem to put them on a chain of sorts and hung them to dry in the house. If you lack the wire you can use a needle and thread. After they were dry I removed the stems and seeds and ground them in a coffee grinder(a mortar and pestle would work great if you have one). Just wear gloves when you handle them, even when dry!

      2. Nathan Hail, I dry various type of hot peppers every year, including habaneros. I used to ask my late husband, What do you want with your wheat? His answer was always hot peppers and and pudding! SO, I dry hot peppers to spice our food.

        First and always, wear eye protection and gloves when handling these babies!! Once I cut into a fresh habanero and got squired on the cheek; now I wear safety glasses and a full face mask and gloves!

        Option 1: Line your dehydrator shelf with parchment paper then cut the stems off the peppers and dry them on medium heat over night. This dries the flesh and the seeds. You will be able to reuse your dehydrator shelf after washing it to get any remaining flesh or juice which escaped the parchment paper.

        Option 2: Use a smoker to dry the peppers; keep the heat as low as possible and do not use any water. You can use a cold smoke method if you like.

        I have an el-cheapo blender and a spice grinder I use only for hot sauce or powder mixes. For this process I am still wearing eye protection, gloves and add a cheap version of a N95 mask because the powder and sauce mix literally take my breath away! I usually put the flesh and seeds in a container and shake it up very well to separate the seeds from the flesh because I grind the seeds separately from the flesh; just my personal preference. Flesh goes into the blender and seeds to the spice grinder; again, be careful about inhaling the powder!

        Now you can make your favorite recipe and add what ever other spices you like. I put a skull and cross-bones on the bottles with the habaneros and ghost peppers!

        Enjoy!

      3. I’ve also never dried habaneros, but like Ani said, I take a needle and thread and string them up, either in a dry outbuilding, or in a spare bedroom. I run the needle right through the top of the pepper rather than the stem. Once they dry for several months, I pull the thread, cut the top of the pepper off, including the stem, and grind them in an old Universal Food Chopper with a bread crumbler blade. I save some seed to plant from them too. It makes some GOOD red pepper flakes for cooking, but I second the part about washing your hands, and I’ll also recommend doing it in a well ventilated area, the pepper dust will light your eyes, nose, and throat on fire.

    4. I need His peace even more now, while the evil ones try to destroy our lives and our love for each other. While I have not yet learned to love everyone; I can say I don’t hate anyone either.

      Words to live by. I’m grateful for your posts, Animal House.

      Carry on in grace

  2. It was a very good week on the Equipment and supplies purchase front. I spent about $150 at an Amish Auction on Saturday. I picked up a Universal #2 food grinder, a very nice Stanley Draw shave, an old style kerosene Heater, 3 large diameter auger bits, a leather awl, 2 adjustable brace auger bits, an S&K torque wrench ($1!!! couldn’t believe it), 2 circular saw blade sharpeners, a 1” diameter coiled tube (I don’t think it is copper) and tank (hot water heater), a partial roll of chicken wire, a nice partial roll of hardware cloth, a Singer 16-42 treadle sewing machine, 60 packs of blind rivets and rivet washer, and $45 for over 100 pounds of wood screws, washers, nuts, nails, stove bolts, carriage bolts, sheet metal screws and other hardware most new in the box. Not sure what I am going to do with 1700 10×2” wood screws but I think it might make good barter stock. I ordered 2 spare magazine for a Glock 40, a single point sling, and another set of flip up sights. Received 6, #10 cans of potato flakes in the mail. I got a like new meat grinder and sausage stuff and a nice propane tank scale at the Salvation Army store. Purchased an item that has been on my must have list for a while at an estate sale and got it at an unbelievable price, that item being a hand crank powered stand up corn sheller. The interesting feature this one has is it is also set up to be run by a belt off a PTO. Will only do a slight restoration on this one, by taking the outside rust off and painting it. I also got a like new mil-spec woodland camo “boonie” hat and a nice aluminum army cot.

    Spent a lot of time sorting and re-packing the hardware I got at the auction. I put washers and nuts on every stove bolt I bought. Then packed much of them into storage. Soaked my auger bits in vinegar to get the rust off them and took them out on Friday and wiped them off. 2 look brand new now. Hit the Stand and treadle mechanism for the singer sewing machine with penetrating oil. The machine itself is in good shape but the stand needs some TLC. Started contacting contractors for a few projects that we would like done before winter. Started to check/update our inventory. Started with .223 ammunition and Long term food storage inventory.
    Cleared some brush at the end of the drive way and a few other places. It was hard to see if any traffic is coming and I want to be able to see in that area (clear fields of fire). I have been hesitant to take the brush out since there was a very nice rose hip bush in the brush. Burned the brush I took out with exception of the rose hip plant which I took out to the wood line where I have a dirt pile, hoping it a new plant will pop up out there. Put some more dirt around the well tube to help keep it insulated. Set up the reloading bench and Reload 250 9mm JHP. Replaced the battery in the wife’s 1.2 million candle power spot light. The wife cleaned out the chicken coop. Someone gave me a very nice, in the box complete civil defense radiological survey set. It has both a CDV 700 with headphones and a CDV 714, plus 2 dosimeters and charger. I picked up some rough cut hemlock lumber at a near buy Amish saw mill. I will be using the for making a pig pen inside the barn and a place for 2 or 3 cows. I also ordered 8, 10 foot long 12×2 to make another 2 raised beds for next year.

    1. 3ADScout, you have the best finds in your neck of the woods! We have a Mennonite community about 90 minutes away, but they don’t often have announced auctions. This community builds barns, sheds and furniture and operate a bakery.

      1. Animal House-
        What’s the old saying even a blind squirrel can find a nut once in awhile. I spend a lot of time looking, most days it doesn’t produce anything. I saw an advertisement in our local “area shopper” weekly paper for the auctioneer, I try to bookmark all the websites for the regional auctioneers. Realized that this one auctioneer do a lot of the auction for the Amish. I was surprised that they have a website. However they sometimes don’t include photos.

    2. Note to self:

      1. Quit reading 3ADscout’s comments as soon as he mentions the word “auction.”

      2. Google “overcoming envy.”

      3. Keep hoping we reach herd immunity ASAP so my local auctions will start up again.

      4. Get 3ADscout’s address so I can go to HIS estate auction after he passes on to that land where we no longer need to prep.

      1. I hear you. We don’t have any of those auctions out here and while occasionally I can find some good stuff at a yard sale, they’re pretty heavy on knickknacks and the like…… Sigh…… But did find a few heavy duty “barn coats” and a camo shirt!

      2. St Funogas; I should know by now not to drink any kind of fluid while reading your comments; it spewed across the table to the cabinet door. Now I have to clean up my mess!

    3. 3AD Scout! You are a skilled treasure hunter… I can see a podcast in your future. “Auction Adventures” or “Adventures in Treasure Hunting” or something like this! Love these stories. Thank you for sharing the good news of so many successes!

    4. Say, 3AD, you’d better watch your six. It looks like something big is circling around back there…buzzard maybe? Or turkey vulture? It’s wearing a halo like a Saint but ya never can be too careful!

      1. Francis Marion-
        Nope not me- but perhaps some unfortunate soul who ends up here having had to bug out due to the craziness. Beats sleeping on the ground. However I know exactly what you are talking about- the estate sale where I got it actually had two but the stitching at the one end was torn. Gee I wonder why?

  3. First, thank you Jim and Lily for all you do! FWIW, we went to Costco in Lexington, Kentucky last weekend and Jim’s book was not available there at the time–we’ll be buying it through other means as it becomes available.

    Question for all: this was our first year gardening and I believe we made every mistake possible in this endeavor. Weeds and grass were uncontrollable and I’m curious as to if anyone uses the “deep mulch gardening” method? It seems like a good way to cut down on the weed/grass issue while also fertilizing our soil. If anyone has any experience–or any other advice you’d like to share–we would be greatly appreciative. Best wishes to all now and in what is coming!

    1. Hello Chris Hubbard!
      From your post: “Question for all: this was our first year gardening and I believe we made every mistake possible in this endeavor.”

      Reading your post, my husband and I smiled because we understand your early experiences! We have oft said that we learn more in the course of making mistakes than we do when everything goes well from the start! It’s true. Hold steady, and hang right on in there… Enjoy the journey, learn lots, and continue to move forward! You’ll have gardening mastered before you know it!

      Some thoughts also about deep mulching, and a brief moment of humor about garden weeds. What we know about onions is that they deter the forest snackers, but they do not deter the weeds!

      Be a little cautious regarding the use of deep mulch. It tends to be “soft” on the surface, and you want to be sure you’re careful about any conditions that could lead to the twisting of an ankle or a fall. How much “give” as you walk along mulched paths, or access the space in the planting areas? This can vary which adds a risk factor. Wear good shoes with ankle support, move about judiciously, and give it a go!

      My thinking is that how well this works depends greatly on your environmental surround. We live in the Foothills of the Appalachian Redoubt (consider it the Sister Redoubt to JWR’s American Redoubt), and EVERYTHING grows here. Your area may be very similar based on the Costco location referenced in your post. We could not keep things from growing here if we tried! For us, mulch does delay and deter some weed growth, but not necessarily forever and some maintenance is still required.

      Do you have the option of raised beds? As in… Truly RAISED beds? This might help you significantly. In our garden, the raised beds that are at least 3′ high have no weed growth issues. Those that are closer to the ground require maintenance, although these are a little better than in-ground planting when it comes to this kind of maintenance.

      There are lots of great gardeners within the SB community. Hoping you see lots of great tips and ideas flow through to help!

      Hoping this helps, and wishing you EVERY SUCCESS!!!

    2. Hey Chris, I use deep mulch my garden. One of the local sawmills has a huge pile of sawdust and if he knows I need it for the garden, he gives me the 50-year old composted stuff. I pile it on about 3-5 inches and it works great for keeping the weeds down. You have to rake it up really good in the spring and spread it out again to discourage any weed seeds that may have fallen on top of it the previous garden season. You’ll still get some weeds coming up through but very few. If you have a diamond hoe, it works wonders for riding on top of the soil under the sawdust to cut the weeds off without disturbing the mulch. The mulch will slowly compost on the bottom layer so you may have to add a little more each year. Whatever you do, don’t till it into the soil or the sawdust will rob all the nitrogen from your garden plants. The reason my local sawmill has 50+ year old sawdust is that there’s no nitrogen available in the pile so it only composts a little bit and turns brown, looking just like ground coffee.

      This year I wasn’t able to get sawdust due to the shutdowns so my peanut patch didn’t get any. It was a major chore trying to weed it and after the peanuts got up so high, I was no longer able to weed and they’ve probably decreased the amount of peanuts I’ll harvest.

      In my sweet potato and bean patch, I use about a six-inch layer of oak leaves. You can move a ton of leaves at once by putting them on a tarp and dragging that around as you rake. I used to collect them in roadside ditches in the spring when they were partially composted and matted down. Leaves are best for sweet potatoes IMO because underneath the leaves, the plants will produce carrot-like sweet potatoes at the nodes of the vines as they spread out. As you are pulling up the vines prior to harvesting the main sweet potatoes at the crown of the plant, all those carrot ones come right out of the leaves clean as a whistle and don’t need any scrubbing. I grate those skin and all to use as an extender in my chili and they make great hash browns as well.

        1. I’ve also had and enjoy the following:
          sweet potato French fries
          sweet potato chips
          sweet potato pie
          The last being my favorite. All of the three mentioned ways were purchased and not made at home, but they could all be done at home. In my opinion one could use a little or a lot of sweet potato in a pumpkin pie recipe. I have not tried it but have used butternut squash in place of pumpkin and it makes wonderful pie. Mmm. Good!

          1. Sweet potatoes julienned into pencil size.
            Into the air-fryer at 250° for around thirty-seven minutes.
            Check at thirty and thirty-three minutes to verify desired crispness; some folks pull the load early.
            A lot of cooking occurs during the final minute, keep checking.

            Based on my experience, I always have a couple taters processed and ready to replace the first batch as soon as I pull it.
            I really ought to learn to share…

    3. This was my first year gardening at my new location and I had it tilled up late spring. The thing to remember is that every itty bitty clump of grass is going to try to regrow into a bigger clump of grass. What I did, by hand, was to rake out all of the small clumps(hours of work) out of the garden to be composted. Then I was on top of any weeds or grass as soon as they surfaced and hoed them by hand. If you get them when they’re really small they are easy to remove.

    4. Learn from your mistakes and improve next year. If you change gardening methods you will end up next year right where you are now. That’s how a lot of people become discouraged. I have been gardening for over 20 years and the best gardens I have had are a result of hard work and time invested, not fancy methods, I’ve tried them all. I’m in Indiana and raised beds don’t work great in full sun, they heat up too hot for a lot of crops. This year I used a lot of grass clippings and had wonderful results, but it all goes back to putting in the work.

    1. Hello sewNurse!
      Sounds like a supply chain issue… We may yet see more of these. Have you seen any other shortages?

      There has been some talk about opening up additional shipping lanes between the United States and China. This may be a transitional solution as we re-develop manufacturing in-country to reduce our dependence on imports. The more we can do here, the better off we will be. President Trump is working in earnest to accomplish this shift, and we are seeing some early signs of positive movement even though some time will be required to make significant forward progress.

  4. To what do you folks attribute the long life of your SUV to? I know previously you had said you didn’t want to identify the brand, etc understandably due to OPSEC but I’m curious if there’s anything you can tell us about it safely, i.e. engine (diesel?), more frequent maintenance, etc. It seems to be an amazingly long life for a modern SUV. Kudos for that either way!

    1. It is a full-size SUV with a gasoline engine. I never let any mechanical problems slide. I try not to ever over-rev the engine. And I’m meticulous about changing the oil at or just before every 3,000 miles. My only regret is not using synthetic oil, from the very beginning. That would have given the engine even longer life.

      1. JWR! Great tips! These are the strategies my husband uses as well… Never let a mechanical problem slide, treat the engine with great care and respect, and change that oil. Also true… Synthetic is the BEST. We joke that the manufacturer of our vehicles would likely make these the poster-trucks for marketing at some point in the future except that ours have lasted so long that they wouldn’t be selling quite so many!

      2. Yup my Chevy truck has 205k and is kicking right along. I don’t drive it delicately but the oil and other maintenance is very important. Knock on wood but I’ve got zero leaks.

  5. Thanks Bear, I had Margaritaville stuck in my head all week. The rest of your verses were a hoot.

    Monday was GritsInMontana Week. I made several of her suggestions for blackberries including blackberry chutney and two versions of blackberry vinegar. The vinegar turned out great and will be good in salad dressings among other things. I’ve read it’s good in stir fries too so I’ll try that out. The chutney was excellent. The only recipes I could find were all British so the measurements were in grams, my kind of recipe. It only made four pints so I canned a them in a small kettle instead of my giant canner, which was a new experience. I put a metal trivet in the bottom and it worked like a charm. I saved propane by preheating some of the water in the microwave. Hats off to GritsInMontana for the blackberry suggestions. I still have to make the usual pie and cobbler but it’ll have to wait for wintertime when things slow down.

    I had another boatload of oranges to deal with so made more candied orange peels and marmalade. The peels are best eaten frozen I have discovered.

    While making the chutney, I had a sharp pain in my pinkie. I was sure it was another brown recluse bite based on past experience. By morning there was a blister. Oh, oh, this is new. I checked with Dr. Google and found all kinds of nasty pictures of brown recluse victims with assorted pieces of their anatomy turning black and falling off. A blister was stage 2 of the process. As I was starting to get a little concerned, on about the 37th google hit down the page, somebody mentioned blister beetles. Then it hit me. Earlier that morning after rescuing an insect treading water for dear life in the rain-gauge bucket, I took a closer look to see if it was a lightning bug. As I was checking out its posterior end for little LED lights, I discovered it must have been a female who thought I was some kind of pervert for ogling her behind because next I saw the tiniest little drop of fluid come out, almost like aphid honeydew but smaller. It turned out to be a chemical that causes blisters. Talk about a brazen act of entomological ingratitude. I rescued her and set her free only to get paid back with a blister. At least I didn’t have to worry about any of my anatomy falling off in my sleep.

    We finally got a decent amount rain. The garden and orchard are looking better. My beloved sycamore trees had already dropped half their leaves but that’s life in the sticks. I harvested some of my Cherokee Trail of Tears dry beans and they’re a shiny black, nice-looking bean. They should make good chili. My small fig tree is producing hot and heavy now. None of them ever make it as far as the house and I end up snarfing them down on the spot. I love living off the land. A small game trail passes right under the tree but for some lucky reason the possums and raccoons ignore them.

    I cleaned some of my empty food storage buckets to fill with various products I still want to stock up on. I’ve been wondering all week how to word an email to family about stocking up on a few basics before November. Haven’t come up with anything yet. The closer we get to the election, the more probable it’s becoming that there’s going to be some kind major nationwide turmoil, to put it lightly.

    I played around with my solar water heaters some more and started collecting temperature data on what constitutes a cold shower, what’s tolerable, what’s nice, and what’s perfect.

    One of my daughters sent me a brilliant idea. If you’re like me and hate to boil water because it takes so long, you boil a ton at once and freeze it. Then when you need some, just thaw it out.

    Everyone have a great week!

    1. Good Morning St. Funogas,

      Funny reading of your week, as always. 😉

      Oh man! I hear you on the worry and question of the potential of having a spider bite. I’ve been bit several times this summer and wondered, having been severely bitten in the past and also took a look at Dr. Google. Those images are very alarming. I totally understand your apprehension.

      In the future when rescuing unidentified creatures, extend a lifeline, instead of your hand. Remember your Lifesaving lessons from summer camp? “Always keep an object between yourself and the victim.” This applies to bugs too. 😉

      As far as your relatives are concerned, well, I’m not too diplomatic. I just tell it like it is. Show them some examples of the food shortages from the stores, and the reports from Ice Age Farmer, and from the Agroinsurance website all of the crop losses. Show them Georgia Guidestones and say it bluntly, ” Wisemen see trouble approaching and hide (prepare for it). “Stock-up now!” But then you may wish to be diplomatic.

      So, please, maybe someone else has other ways to explain the issues.

      Many blessings to you,

      Lily

      1. “Always keep an object between yourself and the victim.” This applies to bugs too. ”

        Hey Lily, that takes all the fun out of it! 🙂 As long as I get a good story out of it, it’s worth the pain. And you just never know when you’ll be sitting around a campfire and someone will ask, “I wonder why they call them blister beetles?”

        “Show them some examples of the food shortages from the stores.” That’s probably the best approach now that you mention it. Some have even sent me photos of bare shelves in the canning department at Walmart so that will be a good way to start.

        1. Aaah, well, I see that my remedy would take the fun out of the next episode of campfire story telling. I did enjoy reading your story telling of the incident. Okay, then, Carry-on as you wish.

          😉

      1. Hey Animal House, I actually get my ruler out and calculate the exact amount of water it will take so I don’t waste a drop of propane. I’ve been using the jar-full-of-water trick, I boil it in the microwave, put a lid on it, and add it to the other jars as soon as I finished putting them in the canner. But, duh, I never thought of saving the water afterwards so I’d have some sterile water on hand. Great idea! 🙂

  6. It’s been a good week for canning. Green beans and carrots from the Hutterite farms on the
    east side of the divide. Apples will be ready next week and then making sausage for the
    freezer and canning.
    What a stroke of luck! We stopped by the Veterans Thrift Store and found 17 cases of jars
    some new unused.
    Our neighbor has more corn than than he knows what to do with so he’s going drop some
    off for us.
    I’d like to find enough turnips to can but can’t pay store prices. They probably have them at
    Farmers Market but no one wears a mask there.
    If anyone lives close to a SUPER ONE food store they have canned veggies for 48 cents.

  7. @ Telesilla of Argos. The biggest shortage that I have seen in my area has been canning supplies. Thankfully I had plenty except wide mouth pints. I raided my moms house this week for a couple of boxes of small mouth pints that I am guessing by the way they are packaged they are at least 45 years old. They came in a small box with a box on top with the rings and lids. Maybe some of you remember when they were packaged this way. I was in a garden center in our capitol this past week and spied a case of wide mouths pints. As I stooped to pick them up, I realized they were priced at $2.00/per jar. Can you believe that? Needless to say they remained where they were. I will be increasing my stock this winter.

    1. Hello sewNurse!
      Helpful insights… We have seen a shortage of canning supplies in our area as well. One feed store did have a large stacked supply of the quart jars recently, and we’ve been able to order these in via Tractor Supply — but we haven’t been able to locate additional pint jars. We’ll be joining you in the winter watch for these, and hope to see the supplies replenish!

      1. Ladies, when I was on my quest for pectin yesterday, I stopped at 4 different stores. In all those stores, the only jars I saw was a single case of the decorative 1/2-pint basket weave jars. Fortunately I’ve built up a solid stock over the years, but I still keep an eye out for good bargains, particularly at estate and yard sales. I think we’re seeing a precursor of things to come, but I think it also means that some folks are starting to wake up.

  8. Avalanche Lily!
    I do so love the many names of Jesus. They touch my spirit every time I read these just as they did the first time!

    Here’s a link readers might enjoy related to the same…

    https://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/debbie-mcdaniel/50-names-of-jesus-who-the-bible-says-christ-is.html

    In the introduction, Debbie McDaniel includes a lovely message: “As we read through, we can’t help but give Him thanks and praise, Our Savior and Lord who sets us free…”

    Believers among us know the truth of this. Even in the most difficult of times, our trust in Jesus sets us free!

    Remain steady. Be safe. Stay well everyone!

  9. I traveled for a few days this week to SC. Planes were 1/2 full (if that) and three airports I walked through had 60-70% less people than I normally see on weekdays. State and local governments are losing a lot of travel related tax revenue in this climate. Due to mask requirements I drive everywhere I can. My company car is starting to get a lot of miles on it.

    Preparedness efforts – closed the deal on a like new but older Ruger M77 Hawkeye 25-06 hunting rifle a neighbor was selling. Got it for far less than market price and he is throwing in a few boxes of ammo. Plus it’s off the books with no FFL transfer required in my state for private sales. I don’t usually buy nonstandard calibers but this one was too good of a deal to pass up.

    My wife and son were in a local farm supply store when their ammo shipment was brought out for stocking. They haven’t raised prices yet. Several hundred rounds of .45 and 9mm were added to our supplies. I have a great wife. She won’t let me buy her diamond earings but will not pass up a good deal on prepper related stuff.

    We are packing away pressure canned items. They are going into boxes with packing material to keep them from breaking. We haven’t bought a house yet but we will be ready to move. I have next week off and we’ll be canning another batch run of beef stew. We’ve developed a great recipe with herbs that provides a feeling of warmth when eating it. It will be great for winter. I am still experimenting. I rarely if ever drink alchohol but I might like to add a splash of whiskey to this one. Once we hit on a killer recipe we will produce it in quantity.

    Weather – I live in South central Arkansas and August is usually brutally hot and humid. This year as been very mild and we’ve had some summer days in the high 70’s and low 80s. Plus a hurricane. Anyhoo, we are getting temps in the 70’s next week with overnight lows in the 50’s. That is unheard of here in September and my old timer neighbor thinks “we could be on for a rough winter”.

    1. “I have a great wife. She won’t let me buy her diamond earings but will not pass up a good deal on prepper related stuff.” I just have to say that you are a very fortunate man! You have a winner. There are not many women like that around anymore. That is the reason I’m still single and probably always will be. I just can not (and will not) lower my standard so I can “snag” someone. The requirements are: Biblically based, country oriented, conservative (no DFL allowed) and a high IQ. I’ve seen plenty of good marriages and plenty of bad ones. So if there are any of the younger and single generation reading this please take a bit of good advice from someone with a little bit of gray hair. “Look before you leap.” “All that glitters is not gold.” A better way of putting it would be to read Proverbs chapter 31 and follow that advice. Too few people have read it, however.

    2. Chris, we’re seeing similar temperatures in SC. Usually we have many weeks in the high nineties throughout the summer, with several days in the hundreds. I think I saw three digits twice this year, mostly just mid-80s. Like you, I think the South is going to see a rather cold weather. With the GSM, perhaps the first of several.

    3. Chris in Arkansas… please share your beef stew recipe if you would! I have concentrated on single item canning but am wanting some “open and heat” meals. (While dealing with the widespread and longer than usual power outage last month, the simplicity of a meal in ONE jar would have been a relief.)

      Just getting caught up reading here on S.B. and SO appreciate everyone’s encouraging and humorous posts!

      Yes!!! Agree with the comments on scripture and accompanying admonitions…THANK YOU for this complete prepping approach. It builds us up in the best way possible!

  10. This was a very productive week for canning pickles. Dills, sweet, bread n butter and relish were the focus. We purchased hamburger and chicken breasts at very low prices for canning, but froze most for future sessions once the weather cools a bit.

    An on-line auction of items from a Preppers estate was benefical to us winning medical kits and supplies, an electric distallation unit, water filters, and a PVS-14. We were estatic!

    Later in the week we visited a small flea market and the first vendor we stepped up to had several military surplus bags of what proved to be medical supplies. We purchased all and when we arrived home and opened them it was….Let me say WOW!!! Included in one of the bags was the compliment to the PVS-14 won at auction earlier in the week, including padded carring cases, manual and a 3X magnifier…..Let me say WOW again!!!

    These finds are beyond coincidence and we give praise to God for his hand in this.

    May you all be safely held in His protection. Ephesians 6:11-13

  11. This week I conducted an ammo inventory and was pleasantly surprised at the result. I recently discovered an on-line source (SG Ammo dot com) who frequently list bulk ammo for a fair price (unlike the mega-online-retail joints who have literally doubled their prices like Mid-of-the-Way and More-expensive-than-Dirt). I scored a 500 count of NIB Winchester .40 S&W 180gr Ranger-T series (same as my former duty ammo) for under $400. They often have 820 count 5.56mm and 500 count 7.62x51mm for fair prices. FWIW- I have no connection to them other than being a satisfied customer. Anyway, after the inventory, and after explaining to my wife how ammunition mysteriously reproduces when left in a cool, dark place, I found I still have less than I want, but way more than I thought.
    I added a cross-bed box to my pickup, which frees up the under seat storage bin for more delicate things like a truck gun (much like what was coincidentally highlighted in today’s reader post), and a small GHB. I like to keep everything out of view whenever possible.
    My wife reorganized our totes and preps inside the house to ensure no critters had gotten into anything. She discovered that the wonderful clothing we had tucked into bug out bags for the kids had shrunk at least four sizes in the past two years, so we will repack with appropriate clothing to match their growing carcasses. That prompted me to check my own bags and I discovered my own clothing had also mysteriously shrunk by two sizes at least. Looks like the Coronapocalypse hasn’t impacted our diet in the slightest!
    The moral of the story is to conduct an annual review of clothing sizes in your BOB, GHB, INCH, or whatever you may call them. Kids grow – super fast-, and so do old dudes like me.
    I wish peace upon you all, but if the need arises I pray G-d guides you with perfect shot placement.

    1. “after explaining to my wife how ammunition mysteriously reproduces when left in a cool, dark place, I found I still have less than I want.”

      Hey Spy4Hyre,

      You should consider doing some research into the Patrick McManus expandable gun rack, perhaps something could be adapted for ammo using the same concept. The way the gun rack works is that the guns are stored horizontally, standing up like you see in gun stores. You always keep the end two spots closest to the door of your man cave empty so your wife will notice that you have space for two more guns. The rack expands sideways so when you get a new rifle, you expand it one notch, drop in the new rifle, and leave the end two empty as always. Since she never actually counts your guns, she’ll just notice that the two end slots are empty as usual.

      Good luck!

      1. St Funogas-
        My wife always says I have no idea how many guns I have, and my response is but I know how many gun safes I have.
        True story- when the wife and I were dating we some how got on the topic of retirements and investments. I told her I had “x” dollars in an “IRA”. She said She was impressed that I was able to save that much and I said “oh I think you are confusing acronyms, my IRA is an “individual rifle account”. That didn’t scare her off so I guess that makes her a keeper. But in all seriousness I think my “collection” does better than our IRA’s – it is right now!

        1. 3ADscout, I am pretty impressed with the inflation value of my canning jars right about now. Just wish I had bought more of them way back when they were new for $0.66 per quart and $1 per quart in the thrift stores.

          1. Anon,
            I agree. What some people would have stuck their nose up at last year at this time are now in vogue. I have literally seen mason canning jars selling for $2 a piece USED!!!

          2. 3ADscout, That’s a crazy price for canning jars! But I must admit that I would probably pay it at this point, even though I have an ample supply. I am saving just about every container I can get my hands on and stashing food of various kinds everywhere. I saw a video on Youtube a while back that recommended stacking food to the rafters. I thought, dude, you just don’t have a concept of what that means!

      2. If I were worried, I would try that out. My wife has her own though, so we are a well blended family of like mindedness. Whenever she encounters a new gun she asks, “When did we get that one?” My automatic response is, “About a year and a half ago!” And when she asks how many guns we actually have I always say, “No less than we had yesterday.”
        As things get worse in the Democratic People’s Republic of Oregon, she appreciates having the precious metals in the house.

        S4H

  12. Jim, checked again for you., The Costco in San Luis Obispo California does not have your book in stock.

    Perhaps a reader can comment and pass along the Costco number. I can then inquire up front in the store and see if they can get it in. I also know the store manager and see him occasionally on the floor. I’ll talk with him if the book doesn’t show up by next Thursday. It would help to have the Costco stock number when I inquire up at the front of the store.

    Thanks

  13. Mr. Rawles – your book was advertised in the latest Costco magazine we received. It’s rather prominent placement and I noticed it right away. I was not specifically searching to see if your book was advertised. Plenty of people should see it now; many customers use the magazine to place online orders.

    1. JWR! We just received our Costco mailer, and went straight to looking for your book! Chris in Arkansas is right. The placement is excellent on the ad page. We don’t know if we can order online, but are pursuing the question. If not, other availability is just around the corner now.

  14. Just for a little bit of fun and whimsy in this otherwise oh-so-serious time… Check out Living Big in a Tiny House on YouTube. Bryce has an “episode” featuring a “Yellow Submarine” tiny house. The couple who built it began with a silo purchased for $1. The inside is filled with fun historical “Steam Punk” features.

    Title: This Tiny House is Actually a Submarine!
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyrr4T_U5dY

    Enjoy a little bit of levity!

  15. Y’all may not wish to share the breed of your meat chickens, due to opsec, which is ok. But I would be very curious to know, since I am trying to find a breed that you can hatch chicks off of. I have some White Jersey Giants. I can’t tell yet if they are going to be decent for this purpose. I would also like to get a breed that will go broody.

    1. I don’t know what kind the Rawles family have, but my wife and I have had excellent luck with Delaware chickens. I also had around 40 of them at the school I teach at (I teach high school agriculture) and had excellent luck with them there too. They lay almost as good as my leghorns, some of the hens have been broody, and the eggs seem to have very high hatch rates in the incubator. They also seem to grow very fast, although not quite as fast as a cornish cross. From our experiences they have been an excellent dual purpose breed.

  16. Dear JWR:

    Congratulations on another publishing success — and a job well done!

    My sister happened to be driving up toward Portland today, so I asked if she would pick up a copy of your latest book at Costco. Fortunately, they had them in stock (I think it was the Tigard, OR store).

    She dropped off The Ultimate Preppers Survival Guide a few minutes ago (~4 PM) and I’m really enjoying looking through it. I was happily surprised to see the great number of color illustrations and photographs. It makes for very enjoyable reading for someone just getting started in prepping, but is a great reference book for the advanced prepper too.

    I’m especially pleased with the hard cover binder, the spiral bound pages, and the handy pocket for personal checklists. It is very well thought out. I’ll be really surprised if it is not a roaring success! My only regret is that I didn’t have Sis pick up an extra couple copies for gifts.

    Blessings,
    Cliff (in Oregon)

  17. Continued bringing in goods from the garden, vineyard, and persimmon trees. We enjoyed corn from our own garden for the first time since we moved here. We’ve had very little success with corn before this year, and it’s still not a lot, but we’re getting better. I spent a good bit of the day making and canning some muscadine jelly, including a batch sweetened with stevia. Unfortunately, the stevia batch isn’t setting well, so will probably have to be reworked. The regular batch turned out great, though. I also processed 4 lbs. of persimmons into 3 cups of pulp, which will be used to make persimmon puddings for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and at least one birthday. And the persimmons continue to come in strong.

    The muscadines and scuppernongs are nearing their end, and while the scuppernongs will be used for more jelly, I’m considering making some of the additional muscadines into wine, something I’ve never tried before, but I’ve had a few requests. It would give us an additional option for preserving some of the bounty, and there are several more vines I can trellis up for domestication.

    We also made a successful trip to our local butcher, where the availability and selection have both improved. I don’t know if we’ll be able to get half a cow like we normally do each week, but we were able to pick up a good selection of chicken, beef, and pork of various cuts at a very reasonable price.

    As I was preparing for my jelly-making, I was surprised to find pectin nearly completely sold out. Canning sections at several stores were pretty much wiped out, except for a few packages of pickling salt. I expected to see jars, lids, and rings gone, but the rest of the items, or rather lack thereof, surprised me. I think many people are reading the signs of the times, and preparing for, at a minimum, significant disruptions this fall. Stay safe, folks.

    1. Pectin is one of those items I buy when ever I see it. I have never learned to make fruit pectin from scratch. I do keep the non-cook type of quick gel on hand and use it in some recipes.

  18. Politicking in groups of people is a scarce event. So today I was at our county flea market-which is packed during these COVID days- handing out business cards for my God-given (actually
    He forced me, praise His Name) mission to run for office. Job 13:15

    Out doorbellinv fir votes,, I’m seeing many lost souls……witches parking signs, large pentagrams in windows, enclosed yards and gardens with buddhist prayer flags encircling them, budda statues at many, many home entrances. Powers and principalities warfare…

    I’ve had dreams of finding an old fashioned wood cookstove in good working condition with all parts. Today the Lord led me to one at the flea market and for hundred bucks including delivery,it’s now in our garage. I’m absolutely thrilled.

    This week I’ve also been able to get scarce delivery of .455 and .38 S&W. PTL.

    God Bless you all.

  19. I’m late to the party this week. About 11 days ago I started to feel ill. With the new puppy, I had to continue doing every day chores! After day 7 of vomiting and diarrhea I called my doctor, who told me to call the office, who told me to drive to their “parking lot” “car care” to be assessed for COVID. Imagine my reaction. From what I can put together, I handled some raw chicken without freezing it for a few days first. I had determined that my new puppy would be solely on a raw food diet. Even though I’m a clean freak and wash my hands so many times it’s ridiculous, disinfect everything constantly, I obviously got Salmonella. Oh, the brutal pain of cramping 24 hours a day for days. On top of training a puppy who came to me with diarrhea. Is there an emoji for all that?

    I explained to my doctor what was going on, also stated that I had not been exposed to covid, and probably have Salmonella. Her response was the same. I asked for a “video appt” as I surely couldn’t sit in a parking lot for an “assessment”, or at the very least, some advice or over the counter medication. I got nowhere. That made me furious so I figured I would gut it out, literally (#WhenThereIsNoDoctor). I knew enough to keep hydrated and take anti-diarrheal medication (thanks to my preps). When I started to run a fever, I took ibuprofen, which also helped with the pain. I did converse with a family member who is an ER nurse – the advice was just keep doing what I’m doing and let it run its course, if possible. I know my body well enough to know I didn’t need to be admitted to a hospital.

    So, there you have it. I’m just today hoping to get down some peanut butter and crackers today. I won’t be feeding my dog raw because I don’t want to ever go through that again. I’ll cook his food instead so I can control the ingredients. And what a good boy this puppy is! I haven’t been the best momma, but attended to the important. I’m finally feeling semi-normal. I guess the prepper lesson from this was I did have on hand the things I needed to tend to myself. And I’ve ordered replacements. I’m so happy for all y’all did this past week.
    Signed,
    Mrs. Zero. LOL.

    1. Sarasue; Salmonella and food poisoning are terrible. I pray you will have no lingering effects from it.

      Good for you for not giving into the CV19 gestapo. I have also refused to be tested for CV. Went to get a steroid shot in my back and they wanted to test me. I said don’t ever ask me that again or I will never come back to this office.

      1. I’m going to look for another doctor, but they’re far and few between here. OR just stick with this one, keep my thoughts to myself, and just confidently choose what I will and won’t do. I’ve been turning down the flu shot every year even in the face of pressure from doctors. One doctor finally said to me, “Well, it’s YOUR health!” LOL. Why yes, yes it is. Thankfully, we aren’t at the point where they strap people down and give them injections like they do in Communist countries!! If that ever began, I would just refuse services entirely.

    2. Hi SaraSue,

      I am so sorry to hear that you got sick this week. I am glad that you are feeling better and were prepared to handle it at home because the Medical services are being such dweebs about testing for the “cooties”.

      I did start to write to you a hour or so ago, but got distracted and deleted the post by accident. Oops! 😉

      Anyhow, folks this demanding of testing EVERYONE is just going to get worse. They will eventually tell you that if you don’t take the vaccine and the bio certificate that they won’t treat you. Seriously, this is what I believe will be happening.

      So we need to take SaraSue’s experience and example to heart. We need to stock up for medical issues and develop friendships with doctors and nurses who can give us advice and help when we need it, instead of going to the doctors.

      At some point we are going to have to trust the Lord to heal us or be ready for Him to take us home. Make your peace with Him in this matter, soon.

      Glad you are feeling better SaraSue,

      Sweet Blessings to you and the Puppy,

      Lily

      1. 100% agree with you Lily! I noticed that Patriot Nurse put out a course online and many people could benefit for getting basic medical training. Here’s a link to her website https://www.patriotnurseacademy.com/store

        It was *really* dumb of me to handle that raw chicken like I did. I know better. I think I was tired and rushing, which is usually when we make our big mistakes.

        Thank you for the blessings and may I send them back to you!

  20. The books are out in the Appleton, WI store. Bought two. Don’t know about Green Bay.

    Last day of feeding the ducks today. They’re adults they can find food.

    Burned all the cucumber plants as they were done, and tilled the bed. The bed settled about 7 inches, so I’ll have to get some raised bed soil to top it off. I think we might try to get the cucumbers to climb a trellis next year and plant more to the north side of the bed. The late peas are coming up good, and so is the new lettuce. Tomatoes are still coming in heavy. Have some monster peppers this year. The cayenne peppers are crazy hot this year. They burn your hand after 5 seconds of touching them. Made a bunch of salsa and 4 lbs of taco meat, so guess what I’ll be eating for a while to use up the tomatoes and lettuce. Squash are very close to ready, and got the first fruit of the fall raspberries.

    The car sacked me for $1000 with insurance and maintenance. Had the front sway bar go bad, and new shocks in the rear. Also had to replace the lug nuts, as they had swollen due to corrosion.

    Have spent too much time watching the riot feeds. It’s awfully addicting! Was watching the feed the night Kyle shot them up, and know Headshot Joe’s movements just up to the shooting. He’s lucky the Roof Kenoshians didn’t take him out first, as they did lase him, and he backed down. It really is fun to watch the animals get what they deserve in Portland now that the SP is federalized.

    1. Best cucumber climber I ever had was made by my husband. It went up at a nice angle do the cukes would hang down for easy harvesting.

      Plans are found in one of my most favorite gardening books…The New Victory Garden by Bob Thompson

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