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. We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those –or excerpts thereof — in this column, in the Odds ‘n Sods Column, and in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!
Jim Reports:
This past week I help Lily pack some long-term storage foods in buckets, gallon jars, and half-gallon jars. We try to keep to our “No foods left in bags” rule, as much as possible. I also spent the better part of a day cutting firewood from some deadfall trees, and hauling slash to slash piles to burn next fall.
I also did my semi-annual maintenance on our trusty old electric ATV. It is now 14 years old, and it is on its second set of batteries. It has a 48-volt DC battery array just like an electric golf cart. But the suspension and winch are more like what is found on a regular ATV. This scheduled maintenance consists of checking the tires and suspension, checking the wiring, and “watering” the eight 6-volt batteries with distilled water. I found that three of the batteries were low and had dry tops visible on their plates — shame on me. I also took the opportunity to use our Shop-Vac to vacuum out the accumulated mouse poop, pine needles, and bits of hay from around the batteries, under the seat, and on the floorboards.
I took a trip to town to get replacement all-season belted radial tires for our SUV. Last month, when we had the snow tires switched out, I was advised that the tread on our “summer” tires was getting thin, and that I might get just another 3,000 miles of use from them. But given the worsening supply chain disruptions, I decided to go ahead and change tires now, while they are still available. The cost for the set of four, with tire pressure sensors, balancing, and mounting was nearly $1,600. A year ago, that set would have cost around $1,200. Welcome to the world of Bidenflation.
Lily will fill you in on what is going on with her gardening…
Avalanche Lily Reports:
Dear Readers,
The weather has been quite winter-like for springtime, with rain and snow showers and lots of below-freezing temperatures. I’m definitely looking forward to warmer temperatures.
The eggs that I was incubating did not hatch. Either, there was too much bacteria, or most of them were not fertile? The temperature and humidity were quite consistent. I had success two summers ago…I will try again, soon.
I prepared and planted a new bed of 50 roots of asparagus in the Perennial Garden. Additionally, I planted another bed of Rhubarb.
I also started my tomato and pepper seeds in seedling trays in the house.
I bought twenty pounds of lemons and dehydrated them.
Jim and I went to some hot springs for a night this week to get away from it all. It was a very wonderful time.
I read Chapters 8-11 in the book of Exodus in Hebrew.
Happy Passover and Happy Resurrection Day.
May you all have a very blessed and safe week.
– Avalanche Lily, Rawles
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As always, please share and send e-mails of your own successes and hard-earned wisdom and we will post them in the “Snippets” column this coming week. We want to hear from you.