To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both 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 the Odds ‘n Sods Column or in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!
Jim Reports:
We’ve been enjoying some nice winter weather, here at the Rawles Ranch. On Monday night, we got three inches of fluffy snow. But otherwise, it has been partly sunny, with afternoons in the high 30s. So the snow is melting much faster than it is accumulating.
Our #2 Son is home for a couple of weeks. That has been fun visiting with him, and catching up on his adventures. But more than half of his time “here” he has been touring around and visiting his friends – all the way from eastern Washington to western Montana. He spent one day downhill skiing with some friends at Schweitzer Mountain, near Sandpoint.
We are wrapping up the mailings of the blog archive sticks this week. 1,700 sticks sold out very quickly. And I’ve already gathered nine pre-1928 books to scan for use as bonus books, for next year’s edition. That edition should be available in late January of 2024, Deo Volente.
I also slaughtered, gutted, and skinned another six roosters this week. Lily soon had them washed, bagged, and in the freezer. We have always worked together well. Lily is a gift from God, and I treasure her.
Now, Lily’s report…
Avalanche Lily Reports:
Dear Readers,
We’ve had some rainy and snowy days and a couple of gorgeous sunny days. One can really feel the heat of the sun, now. I have been going outside and baring my arms, belly, and back to the sun to catch the extra rays. Winter is returning for the next two weeks or so we will have some very cold temperatures and some large snow storms coming up.
At the beginning of this week, I cleaned out the henhouse. When I cleaned it out this time, I noticed a lot of split peas on the floor under their bedding, more than I was expecting to see. I had thought they had been eating them. Obviously, they don’t like them so much. So the next batch that I buy I will be soaking them with the lentils before I give them to them. And I will see how they do with sodden peas. Additionally, In the henhouse I nailed up two small laundry baskets on studs on the wall and also a large plastic plant pot to give them better egg-laying spaces. They had been laying some eggs in a large galvanized barrel and a few eggs in the egg-laying boxes that came built-in to the henhouse. Most of the birds do not like to lay eggs in those boxes. We shall see if I get more eggs with these new nesting containers. Five days later, and they are not laying eggs in the baskets, yet…Bummer! But my pullets have begun to lay their tiny trainer eggs. I knew it was any day now that they would begin to do so. 🙂
I spent time filling up three-inch pots with soil to prepare for planting seedling seeds.
I’ve been hiking about and working out. Also playing with the dog.
I played fetch the toy mouse with our cats M. and M. It has been a long time since they have wanted to play with me. Our dog H. tried to get involved, feeling jealous. I put her in the bedroom, since I had played with her most of the day, to continue playing with the cats. All of our animals feel much better, now that they are off of commercial feed. They look so much better, too. I have added a bit of olive oil to the dog’s meals from time to time in addition to the cod liver oil. I have been brushing her coat, often. It is gorgeous, soft, and shiny, now!
Yuval Noah Harari (Israeli) explains our new religion is Dataism. They have declared it a serious sin to withhold your data from the Data God. The Internet of Things sucks up all of our time and is so addicting. Every time I think of something I have to run to the computer to look it up. Then I get sucked into reading the latest terrible event, or new law, or other evil being perpetuated on humanity. It is insidious!
This is my response to Yuval Harari and all associated with Him. He, Jesus, Is My Defence. I shall not be moved.
May you all have a very blessed and safe week.
– Avalanche Lily, Rawles
o o o
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.