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:
Consistently sub-freezing temperatures are now with us for the next few months, so I set up a couple of stock tank heaters this week.
I also had to make a trip back to Spokane to retrieve our snow plow from the shop. That was a costly repair, but having a plow is a must at any elevation in this corner of the American Redoubt. We got our first significant snow of the year on Thursday night and Friday morning.
I also assembled a small set of rivet shelves, out in the shop.
Otherwise, I’ve mainly been busy with writing and editing. Novel manuscripts take a lot of time and very close attention to detail. If any of you are wondering: Flag of Freedom (Volume Two of The Counter-Caliphate Chronicles) should be published in early 2025. Sorry about the delay, but the Plandemic and the concurrent health decline and then the death of my mother complicated my life for a couple of years.
Now, Lily’s report…
Avalanche Lily Reports:
Dear Readers,
This week was dry until Friday in the high thirties and high twenties. We received our first true accumulation of snow Friday morning with a chance of getting up to ten inches by Sunday. Then it will mostly melt since the weather will turn to rain in the next week. Ho hum! Looks like a no for cross country skiing with the rain on top of it.
This was another fairly quiet week prep-wise. I feel that the days just fly by! We cannot stop them from going by so fast.
I defrosted and cleaned the upright freezer. I thawed nine gallons of paste tomatoes and made ketchup. It took two days to reduce the tomatoes atop the woodstove before I could actually make the ketchup. I canned thirteen eight-ounce jars, three pint jars, and a dozen four-ounce jars. It is a spicy and very sweet ketchup.
I, of course kept up with our animal cleaning and feeding chores. We released the new bull and cows from the South pasture into the main ranch area that also includes the house, shop barns, etc. I was able to separate out the heifer that is intended to be butchered. She is in with our other heifer, M. for the time being. We are planning to butcher two animals — the heifer and a steer — in the coming weeks.
Now that the majority of our cows have the run of the place, I have been feeding them in the loafing area between the barn and the corrals. I have been cleaning up that manure daily, along, with the sheep manure and, cow manure in the stalls and the hen house (Once a week for the hen house). This week, I spread their manure around our young birch and maple trees. Hopefully, it will spur a more rapid growth for them next summer. Of course, I also kept up with the regular weekly house cleaning, of vacuuming, floor, washing, laundry, cooking, cleaning bedrooms and bathrooms, etc.
This week I have begun to go through and organize and categorize two large plastic totes of photographs that I have collected or taken during my five and a half decades of walking this Earth in order to make up picture albums for myself and for each of the girls. Most photos taken after Jim and I married are digital. I may have to go through those someday and get some printed out. But anyway, currently, all of the paper photos are spread out on the livingroom rug in piles about an ankle deep. Such memories…Lots of reflection, missing people, remembering accomplishments, celebrations, measuring my life actions, triumphs, regrets…Fun times…
We three visited the #1 Son, his wife, and grandsons this week, so grandpa Jim could spend the afternoon making leather belts for the two middle grandsons. Last summer during Camp Rawles, when the four grandsons were with us for a week, Jim had made the eldest grandson a leather belt, but not the next younger ones. We were lacking enough buckles at the time. We had to remedy that situation so all three could have their own homemade leather belt. It was a wonderful afternoon of crafting together and visiting with them all. We have plans to do two other leather crafting projects with them in the coming weeks. Miss Violet, spent time reading a Calvin and Hobbes conpendium with the eldest for a bit. Also, we gave the two older boys wooden models of an airplane and a train. They began to work on and assemble them right away. They are very bright youngsters.
I have done some hiking around the ranch and more calisthenics.
I have read some of the book of Romans, up to chapter five.
This week, I spent more time going through my Bug Out Bag’s items.
Finally, I am going to give you my updated list of what is in my Bug Out Bag’s First Aid Kit. Not everything is for First Aid. As you will see some more survival gear is present. Jim jokes that I am “Like Barbie” with everything in my Gear. 😉 ” You’ve got all of the accessories”, says Jim. I’m shaking my head smiling. 😉 Trust me when I say, I have never had anything to do with Barbie, in my life. Though I did have the Bionic Woman doll as a kid for a year or two, until a boy cousin broke her up.
The First Aid kit that goes into my Bug out bag has: Two Space blankets and a sleeping bag Space blanket, Snake bite kit, special tweezers to remove bee stingers, razor blade, three safety pins, metal rope hand saw with two inch rings, Pepto bismol, cayenne liquid herbal extract, Tylenol, Benadryl, Alka-Seltzer, Glucose Tablets, Baking Soda, Ipecac syrup, Pink Eye relief, Stye eye ointment, Field Dressing gloves, Hand warmers, hand sanitizer, Colman Deet-Free bug spray, Tourniquet, personal life straw water filter, Coghlans water purifying tablets, waterproof notebook, in the notebook a Military style MGRS/UTM Coordinate Grid Reader and Protractor, two pencils, two Bic pens, black Sharpie pen, Sam splint, Leatherman with flashlight, emergency candle, miniature deck of cards, Vicks Vapo Rub, Magnesium fire starter, Camo compac camoulfage Make-Up kit, $150 in cash, Diamond stone knife sharpener, Waterproof storm matches, several pairs of rubber gloves, Jacknife, lighter with duct tape wrapped around it, small fishing kit, toothbrush, dental floss, dental cleaning kit, Emergency Cavity repair kit, tweezers, eye-glasses Fixit kit, nail clippers, a hotel packet consisting of Q-tips, make-up remover pads, nail filer; scissors, moleskin/blister treatment kit, suturing kit, tampax, Triangular bandage, sterile ABD pads, Three different sized syringes, Adhesive tape, Multiple sized bandaids, Telfa non adherent dressing, Tegaderm, non-stick dressings, handwipes, chapstick, sunscreen, Triple anti-biotic cream, Neosporin and Sting-eze, Thermometer, Iodine, alcohol wipes, non-alcohol Make-Up remover wipes. (Note: I don’t often wear make-up, I just once-in-a-very-great-while wear lip gloss and blush), Breathe Right Nasal Strips, small sewing kit with multiple needles, thread, measuring tape, safety pins, button sets, thread scissors, thumb protection, thread remover tool, plastic needles for wool knitted clothing, sock darning needle, Mini Lens Care Kit.
Recap of the Bug out bag contents: Ax, Two mesh laundry bags for foraging, two small net bags for straining soaked herbs, Folding saw, folding shovel, slingshot, very small bone saw, wire for snares, large skein of olive drab parachute cord, 3/4 inch rope, a 3/4 inch bit hand auger, skein of cotton string, small skein of twine, roll of duct tape, windproof and waterproof matches, Camo tarp, Sawyer water filter set, Mess Kit with a Sterno can inside wrapped with large rubber bands, spork. larger fishing kit, outdoor temperature thermometer, hiker towel, a bar of Legget’s Mint shampoo soap, small military bandana to use as a washcloth, shaver, comb and hair doodads, toothbrush, dental floss, Lensatic compass, another Jackknife, Magnesium striker, another Bic lighter, flashlight, Headlamp, six triple A batteries and four double A batteries, sleeping bag, down vest, two pounds of junk silver, toilet paper, rain pants, rain jacket, down vest, bug baffler with hood netted shirt, wool long johns, cashmere sweater, wool socks, wool hat, wool mittens, two bandanas, leather work gloves, underwear, food bag, (That has packets of salmon, sardines, Himalayan salt, Celtic sea salt, teas, sugar, spices.) This pack weighs Thirty-five pounds.
In the event of actually Bugging out, I would be adding to the bag: Filled water bottles, more food, Apple Cider vinegar, another small notebook for journaling, compact English and Hebrew Bibles (I use them both, now), Hair scissors, A bushcraft book, my Glock and a few magazines. Binoculars. I would wear my wool t-shirts, hiking boots, more sweaters, camo pants, and jacket.
I have all of these types of items in my bag since we plan to Bug out into the wilderness and need sustainment in all areas of living.
Now, If I could pack out with our horses, which is a plan that is in the works, I would add a cast iron frying pan, tent, tent wood stove, three thick sleeping bags, sleeping pads and wool blankets, more clothes, more tarps, collapsable bucket, and more books. I’ve added pack saddles to my wish list.
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.