My Generator: Hard Lessons Learned – Part 1, by St. Funogas

I consider a home generator to be one of the more important preparedness items for coping with the very steep learning curve we’d all go through while adjusting to a TEOTWAWKI situation. While finite fuel supplies will limit its usability for most of us to just a few months at best, with our own generator the immediate aftermath of a permanent grid-down world would be much more tolerable during the first few days and months of adjusting to the “new normal”.

Based on my own preps test a year ago (My Ten-Day Test-My-Preps Adventure Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4), if the SHTF we’ll discover we’re not quite as prepared as we had hoped to be. There are too many variables, some of which we couldn’t possibly have thought of and prepared for as I’ll soon demonstrate. The last thing to be worried about while making the transition is the availability of electricity. Based on our current lifestyles, it’ll be very difficult adjustment when it’s gone.

This article relates two major problems I experienced with my portable 5000-watt generator in the past year, one during the aforementioned 10-day preps test, the other this past summer during my monthly generator test. This article also explains how the problems were solved, how to avoid them, and how many people could fix these problems today even without much mechanical aptitude. The end of the article has a list of suggestions for generator owners and how to prepare ourselves for a continuation of electricity if the SHTF while we’re struggling to adjust to our new grid-down life.Continue reading“My Generator: Hard Lessons Learned – Part 1, by St. Funogas”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, several news stories illustrate the changing times, in Wyoming. (See the Wyoming section.)

Idaho

North Idaho College tables motion to censure Trustee Tarie Zimmerman.

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A RINO alert, as reported by the leftist Sandpoint Reader:  Woodward will seek Dist. 1 Senate seat.

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Prosecutors ask Amazon for more information about Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger’s browsing.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

 “You talk to the farmers, the ranchers, our small community bankers, and boy, one of the Number One issues is the regulations coming out of Washington.” – Senator Steve Daines of Montana

 

Preparedness Notes for Monday — October 2, 2023

On October 2, 1957, the British-American war classic The Bridge on the River Kwai had its world premiere, and it later won the Academy Award for Best Picture.

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On October 2, 2002, the Beltway sniper attacks began. This was a series of coordinated sniper attacks that occurred in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. The attacks lasted three weeks and resulted in the killing of 10 people.

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Today’s feature article is a review penned by Field Gear Editor Tom Christianson.

MTM Case-Gard ACDC30 Divided Ammo Crate, by Thomas Christianson

The new MTM Case-Gard ACDC30 Divided Ammo Crate is a sturdy, stackable, moisture-resistant solution for ammo storage and similar tasks. It provides as much ammo storage space as four standard .30 caliber ammo cans.

With a price at the time of this writing of $27.98 from www.mtmcase-gard.com, it was significantly less expensive than the $44.76 that four of MTM’s .30 caliber cans would cost (they currently run $11.19 each.)

Fully loaded, the ACDC30 would be a bit heavy for field use, but it provides an excellent solution for home ammo storage. I highly recommend it for that purpose.

The Backstory

I like MTM products. I have one of their pistol rests, a pistol case, a .50 caliber-sized ammo can, and two shotshell cases.

The shotshell cases are in a pattern that MTM no longer makes. I inherited them from my father, who purchased them almost 50 years ago now. Since MTM Case-Gard was started in 1968, that would make the shotshell cases one of the company’s earlier products. The cases have stood up well to the test of time, and continue to function well to this day.

Based on the good performance that I have experienced with my other MTM products, I was interested when I heard that they were releasing a new ammo crate. I asked MTM if they could provide a sample for testing and evaluation, and they were kind enough to agree. Two days later, the crate arrived from Dayton, Ohio via UPS ground.Continue reading“MTM Case-Gard ACDC30 Divided Ammo Crate, by Thomas Christianson”

Recipe of the Week:  Simple Honey-Glazed Chicken Bites

The following recipe for Simple Honey-Glazed Chicken Bites is from SurvivalBlog reader N.D..

Ingredients
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut to bite-size chunks
Directions
  1. Whisk honey, soy sauce, and red pepper flakes in a bowl; set aside.
  2. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir chicken in hot oil until lightly brown, about 5 minutes.
  3. Pour honey mixture into the skillet; continue to cook and stir until chicken is no longer pink in the center and sauce is thickened, about 5 more minutes.
SERVING

Serve this hot, over a bed of your choice of rice.

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Do you have a well-tested recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? In this weekly recipe column, we place emphasis on recipes that use long-term storage foods, recipes for wild game, dutch oven recipes, slow cooker recipes, and any recipes that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, news of BRICS countries dumping U.S. Treasuries. (See the Economy & Finance section.)

Precious Metals:

Costco says its 1-ounce gold bars are real and have been selling out in hours.

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Spot silver and gold both dipped sharply, over the weekend. This is another buying opportunity, for those of you who stack bullion coins.

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A Kitco.com editorial, from Neils Christensen: Gold’s selloff doesn’t change the long-term bullish outlook – Saxo Bank.

Economy & Finance:

$18,900,000,000 in US Treasuries Dumped by BRICS Members China, Brazil, India and UAE in One Month. JWR’s Comments: If all of the BRICS nations consistently stop rolling over their US Treasury paper in the next three years, then we could witness a veritable sea change in the global currency regime. Jerome Powell must be worried. To be ready for any Dollar chaos, stick with the sage advice: diversify into precious metals.

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House Passes CR Bill Without Ukraine Funding to Potentially Avoid ‘Government Shutdown’.

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Next, over at Zero Hedge: Credit Risk Heightens As Equity Gamma Flips Negative.

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A Third Of Remote Workers Say They’d Quit Or Find A New Job If They Were Asked To Return To The Office.

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Biden Forgives Student Loans for 804,000 Borrowers.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — October 1, 2023

On October 1, 1936, Francisco Franco became head of the new Nationalist regime of Spain at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. His dictatorial reign lasted until his death in 1975.

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On October 1, 1553, with her coronation, Mary I became the first queen to rule England in her own right; she was later nicknamed “Bloody Mary” because of her persecution of Protestants in a vain attempt to restore Roman Catholicism in the country.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present the first entry for Round 109 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  3. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

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More than $850,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 109 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Writing Contest Prize Winners Announced — Round 108

We’ve completed the judging for Round 108 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest.  The judging was particularly difficult for this round, because there were so many great articles. Round 108 began on August 1st and ended on September 30, 2023. (The contest is run in rounds that each last two months.) The prize-winning writers for Round 108 are:

First Prize

First Prize goes to Reelfisherman, for: Vintage Car Repair Part 1 and Part 2, posted on August 29 and 30, 2023. He will receive the following prizes:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
Second Prize

Second Prize goes to J.M. for A Local Disaster Network, posted September 5-9, 2023,  (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5.) He will receive the following prizes:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  3. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!
Third Prize

Third Prize goes to Lodge Pole, for Homesteading: A Trapper’s Perspective, posted September 19-22, 2023. (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3., and Part 4.) He will receive the following prizes:

  1. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.
Honorable Mention

Each Honorable Mention Prize winner has been awarded a transferable and accruable $100 FRN purchase credit toward the purchase of any antique or percussion replica gun from Elk Creek Company.

Honorable Mention Prizes go to the writers of these 15 articles:

Round 109 ends on November 30, 2023, so get busy writing!

How to Build an Outhouse, by Mrs. Alaska

Lack of sanitation has killed more people than wars, so while bullets may be useful, outhouses may be more important! Can you dig a hole and construct a simple structure over it? For more than a decade, we have lived with an outhouse and no indoor bathroom.

In many coastal communities, an outhouse is built over a pier. Peering through the toilet, one sees the incoming or outgoing tide. I don’t want to think too much about that. Throughout India, where we spent 9 months, commercial outhouses and bathrooms in modest hotels have tile floors with a sloping center, flanked by two textured pads for shoes or sandals. One straddles the sloping section and afterward slops water from an adjacent bucket. Bring your own toilet paper.

This week, with the substantial help of a carpenter friend visiting from Wisconsin (thanks, Jim!), we built a new outhouse, near our guest cabin/ham shack/man cave, to supplement the one built in 2009 by our main cabin.

CONSTRUCTION

THE PIT:

The pit is dug first, of course, either by hand or with a backhoe. How do you select the location? First, know the depth of your land’s water table! If you live in a swamp, an outhouse with a bucket may be feasible, but not a hole in the ground. Second, choose a spot that will not drain down to a water source. Third, it is advisable to consider the direction of the prevailing wind. If you dig a shallow hole and the outhouse does not fit well over it, you will have downwind odor. Fourth, the digging will be easier in an area that is not riddled with thick roots, so keep your distance from big trees.Continue reading“How to Build an Outhouse, by Mrs. Alaska”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR:

Meme Text:

That Face You Make When You Learn That

Another $18.9 Billion in Treasuries Were Just Dumped by BRICS Countries

News Link: $18,900,000,000 in US Treasuries Dumped by BRICS Members China, Brazil, India and UAE in One Month. 

Notes From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. And if it is posted then I’ll give you credit. Thanks!

Permission to repost memes that I’ve created is granted, provide that credit to SurvivalBlog.com is included.

 

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.

There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.

(For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)

Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.

Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?

Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?

Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:

But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.

Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.

The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:

For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.

The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.

Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.

Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.

Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.

But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.

Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.” – John 4: 5-26 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — September 30, 2023

On September 30, 1949, the Berlin airlift officially ended after the Western Allied powers delivered 2,323,738 tons of food, fuel, machinery, and other supplies to West Berlin, which had been cut off from the West during the Soviet blockade of Berlin.

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On this day in 1938, the Treaty of Munich was signed by Hitler, Mussolini, Daladier, and Chamberlain. This treaty forced Czechoslovakia to cede territory to Germany.

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I just learned of the death of Democrat California Senator Dianne Feinstein, at age 90. Please pray that a more conservative and pro-gun senator takes her seat.

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Today’s short feature piece is by JWR.

We are now seeking entries for Round 109 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest.

The prize winners for Round 108 will be announced on Sunday.

More than $840,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 109 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Risk Mitigation in the Mid-2020s

Looking at the manifold threats facing the world in late 2023, as an American citizen I cannot help but feel overwhelmed. In a nutshell, these threats include:

  • The threat of regional or world war, stemming from the Iraq, Ukraine, or Taiwan conflicts.
  • Out-of-control government spending and indebtedness.
  • Corruption at all levels of government.
  • Federal agencies running roughshod over our constitutional rights.
  • Selective and vindictive prosecutions driven by politics.
  • High inflation and an increasingly unaffordable cost of living and healthcare.
  • Urbanization and over-complication of supply chains.
  • Malinvestment and misallocation of government spending.
  • Chronic homelessness and growing encampments.
  • Uncompensated Federal mandates on state governments.
  • New restrictions on gun ownership.
  • Enforced vaccination with largely untested mRNA injections.
  • Military organizations that are neutered by political correctness.
  • A fiat U.S. Dollar that is losing its dominance in world trade.
  • A doddering, senile, reality-detached, and perverted president who is controlled and scripted by his handlers.
  • The deepening divide between urban and rural states.
  • Unprotected national power grids that are vulnerable to physical attack, hackers, solar flares, and EMP strikes.
  • The ongoing culture war, with both the mass media and academia siding with the woke, leftist, and largely homosexual agenda.
  • The marginalization of traditional American culture, Christianity and the nuclear family unit.
  • Rapidly increasing consumer debt.
  • Political parties with indistinguishable agendas.
  • Politically-driven green energy conversion.
  • Out-of-control urban crime.
  • Cancel culture: Social credit scores, de-banking, de-listing, de-ranking, and swatting.
  • Censorship driven by private interest groups.
  • Rampant drug and alcohol addiction.
  • Propaganda.
  • The rise of artificial intelligence (AI).
  • Loss of election integrity.
  • Obesity, poor diets, and a decline in meaningful exercise.
  • Social media obsession/addiction.
  • Declining soils and food quality.
  • Depleted aquifers.
  • Uncontrolled illegal immigration.
  • Schools that no longer strive for academic excellence but instead occupy countless hours preaching woke leftism.
  • The push toward digital currencies.

And that is just a cursory list!

Vote With Your Feet

I must remind my readers that these many problems will not be solved within our lifetimes.  If anything, given the nature of modern government and technocracy, these problems will only get worse. Therefore, the only effective risk mitigation for individual American families will be via relocation to lightly populated self-sufficient regions that are more conservative.  In short: It is high time to vote with your feet!

Please prayerfully consider relocating your family, as soon as possible. Do so while mortgage interest rates are still affordable. Urban land values will decline, while rural land values will increase. If you wait too long, then you will essentially be trapped by a property and mortgage affordability gap. – JWR