Odds ‘n Sods:

Parched West is using up underground water: Study points to grave implications for Western U.S. water supply. – H.L.

This is a major concern for those prepping in the west. With many city and agricultural wells pulling water from over 1000ft deep, how will your well hold up in the long run if it is only the average 250ft deep? Spend some time studying water at the county extension office to know how you will fare.

o o o

No more Rem Oil: Gun Lubricant Corrosion Tests. – M.M.

I recognize that this test was about commercial lubricant/protectors, but I feel that there was a glaring omission: Ed’s Red Homebrew cleaner/lubricant, or perhaps a modern synthetic like mobile 1.

o o o

The End Of Immigration Enforcement In America. – B.B.

o o o

Boston Top Cop: City Residents Do Not ‘Need’ to Own Shotguns, Rifles – J.C.

o o o

Doctor shoots armed patient in Philly hospital: A gun rights case is born (+video). – G.G.

Notes for Saturday – July 26, 2014

Today we present another entry for Round 53 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $11,000+ worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course (a $1,195 value),
  2. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear,
  5. A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value),
  6. A $300 gift certificate from Freeze Dry Guy,
  7. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo,
  8. A roll of $10 face value in pre-1965 U.S. 90% silver quarters, courtesy of GoldAndSilverOnline.com, (currently valued at around $180 postpaid),
  9. Both VPN tunnel and DigitalSafe annual subscriptions from Privacy Abroad (a combined value of $195),
  10. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating both an AquaBrick water filtration kit and a Stainless Medium Scout Kelly Kettle Complete Kit with a combined retail value of $304,
  11. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit, and
  12. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $300 gift certificate.

Second Prize:

  1. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  2. A FloJak EarthStraw “Code Red” 100-foot well pump system (a $500 value), courtesy of FloJak.com,
  3. Acorn Supplies is donating a Deluxe Food Storage Survival Kit with a retail value of $350,
  4. The Ark Instituteis donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package–enough for two families of four, seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate– a $325 retail value,
  5. $300 worth of ammo from Patriot Firearms and Munitions. (They also offer a 10% discount for all SurvivalBlog readers with coupon code SVB10P),
  6. A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials,
  7. Twenty Five books, of the winners choice, of any books published by PrepperPress.com (a $270 value),
  8. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value),
  9. Dri-Harvestfoods.com in Bozeman, Montana is providing a prize bundle with Beans, Buttermilk Powder, Montana Hard Red Wheat, Drink Mixes, and White Rice, valued at $333,
  10. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate,
  11. Organized Prepper is providing a $500 gift certificate, and
  12. RepackBoxis providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security,
  5. A MURS Dakota Alert Base Station Kit with a retail value of $240 from JRH Enterprises,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  7. Ambra Le Roy Medical Products in North Carolina is donating a bundle of their traditional wound care and first aid supplies, with a value of $208, and
  8. SurvivalBased.com is donating a $500 gift certificate to their store.

Round 53 ends on July 31st, 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.

Why Trying To Start A Garden Now May Be A Little Too Late For TEOTWAWKI, by BPW

Here’s a little about myself. I work in law enforcement. I grew up in suburbia, was a Marine and outdoorsy person, yet I have never really, truly gardened. I can’t. I work full time and own a home (in a development). I have two children, who run me all over the place, and I have never had a green thumb. I do hunt, and I do that well. So, I figured how hard is planting some seeds in the ground and growing some vegetables. Well, my experience woke me up and am I glad that it did, because had I not started my garden last year, I would have had a rude awakening come the fall of civilization. I probably would have killed my family and wasted my money on my heirloom seeds. At least I’m learning now and not when it’s life or death.

So, last year I thought, “You know what, let’s start a small garden and see how we do.” I cleared a nice spot in my yard, ran the tiller, brought in some good planting dirt and some manure, bought my non-hybrid seeds, and starting my great experiment with my two children.

LESSONS LEANED YEAR ONE:

1. Put a stinking fence up. I planted tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, peppers, strawberries, mint, and some other odds and ends that I can’t seem to remember. Well, all my seeds began to sprout and grow. My children and I would water and weed the garden regularly, and everything began to look good. About 30-45 days into the experiment, it began. The animals began to eat all the stinking leaves off all my stuff. They struck fast and hard, and the next thing I knew most off my stuff was just stumps. Everything but the mint and tomatoes was gone. Those the animals didn’t seem to mind.

2. Do your research, and don’t listen to urban legends. Now, I did plant marigolds all around the outside of the garden, because someone said that rabbits don’t like those, and it would keep them out. I wanted to try to be as natural and use things that would be available during TEOTWAWKI. Well, I can now officially say that’s crap, and I actually watched a rabbit eat the cap off a marigold. So don’t listen to friends who claim that they have done “it”. Ask professionals and talk to the people at garden centers.

3. Weeding and spacing is very important. I found that no matter what I did, the weeds invaded and I seemed to underestimate the size my tomato plants would grow, too. I had trouble getting in the garden to pick my tomatoes without breaking stems. So be sure to leave yourself enough room for plants to grow and bloom.

4. Keep herbs separate and contained. My mint went wild and invaded everything. No matter what I did, it seemed to pop up out of nowhere. Also, no matter how much I cut and pulled it, the mint grew and grew and attempted to overtake everything.

So year one was a wash, although I had a huge load of tomatoes and mint. So, I could flavor my water with mint and eat a lot of tomatoes. Yeah. I would have starved. No! My family would have starved.

CHANGES AND LESSONS OF YEAR TWO:

I’ll start by saying that I began year two on a mission. I would plant and maintain a garden that we would have an abundance in order to practice some canning this year. I built raised boxes. These boxes where about four feet off the ground. I built two of them that where eight foot long, about two foot wide, and 18″ deep. I filled them with good soil and manure. I knew that I would stick it to those rabbits and have a huge haul this year. I also bought some chicken wire and stakes and was going to build an impenetrable garden fortress around my garden from last year. Well, that’s what I thought, anyway. Again, my garden has given me many learning opportunities.

1. Spacing is still important. My tomatoes still look like a South American jungle that I need a machete to get through. Although I have quite a haul of tomatoes growing, I am again having trouble getting to them without damaging the stems. I also have to be extremely careful when I tie them up, because I can’t tell which plant the stem is from.

2. Mint will still invade and take over everything. Last year I thought that I really took care of the mint problem, but guess what is back and back with a vengeance? I think it is trying to punish me for pulling it out last year. I did allow it to go semi-crazy this year because I dried some last year and used it for things. The animals don’t mess with it, and it has grown around my fence to sort of hide the fence. It has gotten so big it actually hides my garden and sort of looks like a weed that needs to be trimmed. So I figured that could be a good thing when trying to keep your garden on the down low.

3. Fences don’t make your garden a fortress. I came home one day and was admiring my strawberries that were finally growing and starting to turn red, when movement in my mint jungle caught my eye. A baby bunny was chewing on my berries. Arrrgghhh! I wanted to scream, but that wasn’t the end of my year two garden troubles. I still, to this day, have no idea how he could get through the wire, but he did.

4. Raised boxes don’t stop all animals from eating your garden. Last year most all of my garden was eaten, so I thought that this year I would transfer all those plants to my new raised boxes and outsmart the animals. Well, again the leaves started to find themselves being snipped off the stem, and once again my peppers and other garden delicacies were killed. I think, but I’m not sure, that it was birds doing this. I have never found evidence of animals or birds. There were just leaves laying there. So, I think maybe a net over the raised boxes is in order for next year. That would keep both birds and other critters out of my boxes. The funny thing is that the cucumbers and green beans are taking off and growing crazy, so far. Knock on wood that this keeps up.

Now I have officially decided that gardening is never, and I mean never, going to feed my family when civilization fails. I’m not giving up, nor do I write this with the wishes that anyone else give up, but each year is a new learning experience, and if you haven’t started yet, no amount of reading and research is going to help you to figure out how to garden. Practice, practice, practice. Get out and dig in the dirt, rotate your crops, do all you can to keep out the critters, and pray that you are bountiful. When all else fails, find your weakness and exploit it; make it your strength. As I mentioned above I hunt. I’m good at hunting, so I decided that I would attempt something new. Trapping.

Well, I’m not talking about trapping where I go out buy a license and traps and set them up out in the wood. I mean something that I have not read about on this site, but I figured that I would give it a shot. I have rabbits running around my house eating my stuff, so guess what I got? Yep. I got some box traps and set them up near my garden.

I baited them and waited, and wait I did. A month went by before anything went inside the trap, but bam, I caught some rabbits. I have four to be exact. Guess what I built myself? A pen, and now I am raising rabbits. I don’t know, but you know what they say about rabbits. So, before I know it, I should have a bunch of rabbits. This should give me some ability to barter and trade.

Now, what have I learned the last two years? Well, first, I learned that if you think you are going to garden to survive, you are probably out of your mind, and you will be dead within a year. Gardening is “guard” and “you need a lot of space to feed yourself and a family for a year”. Secondly, success only happen after repeated failures. I guess that in business, gardens, and everything else in life, you have to fail multiple times before you get it right. I’m two years in, and I know that it will take me forever to be able to sustain myself on a garden. Next, find the positive in everything that goes wrong. I have started a new survival tactic, because they were eating my food. So I created a food supply by losing one. And lastly, never under any circumstance give up. In a failed society, every little thing will help. Even if all you get out of a garden is mint and tomatoes, at least it’s something. By the way, there are no big box stores to get the stuff you need for a garden, so stock up now and attempt to find alternative methods.

Si vis pacem, Para bellum wertieinpa

Letter Re: Books For Home Schoolers

I saw your list of recommended reading for young people, especially those being educated at home by their parents.

I would like to add my own list. Anything by Stephen W. Meader (1892-1977).

Meader published 44 novels in his lifetime. The subjects range from entrepreneurial to adventure to American history. The grammar, vocabulary, and storytelling qualities are first rate.

His books are set during difficult times, including the American Revolution, the westward expansion, the War Between the States, and the Great Depression. Characters are mostly young men trying to make a living through common sense, hard work, and persistence. Most of the characters live satisfying, adventurous, and productive lives in a world where electricity, plumbing, and all the modern conveniences had not yet been invented.

Though aimed at boys, they would have relevance and appeal to girls, as well. I enjoy reading them as an adult. The first fiction book I ever read, many, many years ago, in the fifth grade, was “T-Model Tommy”– the story of a young man in the 1930’s who rebuilt an old truck and started a coal-hauling business. He helps to support a widowed mother, while still attending high school and taking some time to court his girlfriend.

All of Meader’s stories are wholesome and promote honesty and moral values. Meader does not shy away from violence, because that was and remains a fact of life, but he is not grotesque or explicit. There is no profanity nor sexuality. Meader quit writing when such matters became commonplace in juvenile fiction.

When I tried to find a copy of T-Model Tommy on eBay, the price was prohibitive. It took years of scavenging thrift stores and online auctions to complete my set of all 44 books.

Today, all the Meader titles are available new from Southern Skies Press.

I have no financial stake in the company, but they did a favor for me. When the copy of “The Will To Win”, an anthology of sports stories which I purchased from an eBay seller, turned out to be missing four pages, Southern Skies graciously sent me the four missing pages so I could graft them into my book. That tells me something about the people who are publishing these treasures, not only for financial gain but to spread the memory of a man who dedicated his life to producing good reading for young people. – PMW

Odds ‘n Sods:

Some excellent video of solar storms that could have wreaked havoc on earth. People wonder why we prep? How a solar storm two years ago nearly caused a catastrophe on Earth. – G.G.

o o o

Notice that the only way to ensure your phone is “off” is to remove the battery. Sorry, iPhone users.Can the NSA spy on your phone when it’s turned off? – Plain Jane Prepper

o o o

Al Qaeda Targeting U.S. Infrastructure for Digital 9/11. – G.P.

o o o

It seems similar to the IRS scandal in the U.S. Hopefully, Revenue Canada backs up their email and hard drives. Tax audits aimed at Harper government critics should worry all Canadians (with video) – P.S.

o o o

National Guard in Texas Could Get Arrest Power. – T.P.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land of Canaan; (this is the land that shall fall unto you for an inheritance, even the land of Canaan with the coasts thereof:) then your south quarter shall be from the wilderness of Zin along by the coast of Edom, and your south border shall be the outmost coast of the salt sea eastward: and your border shall turn from the south to the ascent of Akrabbim, and pass on to Zin: and the going forth thereof shall be from the south to Kadesh-barnea, and shall go on to Hazar-addar, and pass on to Azmon: and the border shall fetch a compass from Azmon unto the river of Egypt, and the goings out of it shall be at the sea. And as for the western border, ye shall even have the great sea for a border: this shall be your west border. And this shall be your north border: from the great sea ye shall point out for you mount Hor: from mount Hor ye shall point out your border unto the entrance of Hamath; and the goings forth of the border shall be to Zedad: and the border shall go on to Ziphron, and the goings out of it shall be at Hazar-enan: this shall be your north border. And ye shall point out your east border from Hazar-enan to Shepham: and the coast shall go down from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side of Ain; and the border shall descend, and shall reach unto the side of the sea of Chinnereth eastward: and the border shall go down to Jordan, and the goings out of it shall be at the salt sea: this shall be your land with the coasts thereof round about.” Numbers 34:1-12 (KJV)

Notes for Friday – July 25, 2014

Today we present another entry for Round 53 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $11,000+ worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course (a $1,195 value),
  2. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear,
  5. A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value),
  6. A $300 gift certificate from Freeze Dry Guy,
  7. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo,
  8. A roll of $10 face value in pre-1965 U.S. 90% silver quarters, courtesy of GoldAndSilverOnline.com, (currently valued at around $180 postpaid),
  9. Both VPN tunnel and DigitalSafe annual subscriptions from Privacy Abroad (a combined value of $195),
  10. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating both an AquaBrick water filtration kit and a Stainless Medium Scout Kelly Kettle Complete Kit with a combined retail value of $304,
  11. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit, and
  12. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $300 gift certificate.

Second Prize:

  1. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  2. A FloJak EarthStraw “Code Red” 100-foot well pump system (a $500 value), courtesy of FloJak.com,
  3. Acorn Supplies is donating a Deluxe Food Storage Survival Kit with a retail value of $350,
  4. The Ark Instituteis donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package–enough for two families of four, seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate– a $325 retail value,
  5. $300 worth of ammo from Patriot Firearms and Munitions. (They also offer a 10% discount for all SurvivalBlog readers with coupon code SVB10P),
  6. A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials,
  7. Twenty Five books, of the winners choice, of any books published by PrepperPress.com (a $270 value),
  8. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value),
  9. Dri-Harvestfoods.com in Bozeman, Montana is providing a prize bundle with Beans, Buttermilk Powder, Montana Hard Red Wheat, Drink Mixes, and White Rice, valued at $333,
  10. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate,
  11. Organized Prepper is providing a $500 gift certificate, and
  12. RepackBoxis providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security,
  5. A MURS Dakota Alert Base Station Kit with a retail value of $240 from JRH Enterprises,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  7. Ambra Le Roy Medical Products in North Carolina is donating a bundle of their traditional wound care and first aid supplies, with a value of $208, and
  8. SurvivalBased.com is donating a $500 gift certificate to their store.

Round 53 ends on July 31st, 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.

The Fashionably Late Prepper, by G.S.

This article is meant to be read in the future by those visiting this blog on the day after TSHTF. This is for the person who only has access to the basic supplies anyone might have laying around the house. Regular visitors to this blog will ask why I did not recommend using a Berkey water filter (www.berkeyfilters.com) to purify water. It is too late now to get one.

This is for the man or woman who just did a google search (because they don’t know about IXQUICK) on how to handle the global economic crisis or what to do when the power goes out for good.

In your exploration of this site you will find years’ worth of information from people explaining the many scenarios that could happen and how you could prepare for them. You will find information on what necessities will be in short supply and which will be extremely valuable. You will find information on how to protect yourself and your family. Some of this information may still be helpful, especially today, so I encourage you to explore the many topics. You may still be able to gain an advantage over the millions of people sitting in their homes waiting for someone to come fix what is wrong.

All of the information on this site would have been much more useful a month ago. You could have done something… if only you had known. There is no time to spend worrying about that now. You have much more pressing matters to attend to.

All of the things below need to be considered. Depending on the crisis you are facing, some things may be more important than others. For example, if the electrical grid where you live is down, getting batteries and fuel may have a very high priority. Make a list of the most critical things you need, based on the situation.

  1. Food and water. What?!? You don’t have more than three more days of food? For goodness sake, get off your computer and find a way to get as much food and water as you can. Wait… finish reading, and then go. If the water in your home is still running, fill every pot, cooler, and bathtub. If it is not running, you have got to find a clean source of water. Go outside and rig a way to collect rainwater coming from your roof. Is the bottled water gone from Wal-Mart? Check to see if they have any pure bleach left you can use to disinfect water from ponds and streams. If there is any food left to buy at the grocery store, farmer’s market, or a vending machine, you need to get it. Start to conserve and ration your food and water. It is better to stink and live than to use your precious water supplies taking a bath. You and your family cannot survive without food and water, and help, if it ever arrives, could be months away.
  2. Money/Valuables. It is possible this option may not be available to you. Your bank may have shut its doors and you are stuck with just the bills in your wallet. Your credit and debit cards may not be honored any more. Paper money is quickly becoming less valuable, but you have got to get your hands on whatever money you can while it still has some value. That box of Ritz crackers you are shocked at paying $10 for today, will be $100 next week, if it is still available at all. In most SHTF scenarios money will increasingly become useless, so spend the money you are able to get your hands on to buy things that will be valuable in the future. Food and water are obvious, but people will be coveting many important items which will soon be unobtainable at any price… aspirin, medical supplies, vitamins, toilet paper, lighters, tools, auto repair supplies, shoes, warm clothes, camping equipment, hunting/fishing equipment, playing cards, cigarettes, diapers, and liquor to name a few. Gasoline is probably unavailable, but you may still be able to find propane tanks which will be extremely valuable for your own cooking and for trade. You will want a small battery-powered radio. Notice I did not mention precious metals, batteries, guns, or bullets. Regulars to this site cleaned the stores out of those yesterday.
  3. Security/Protection. You are kidding me? You seriously were anti-gun? You have nothing in your house to help protect your family except your son’s T-ball bat (*rolling eyes*). Do you know in two days your neighbors are going to start running out of food and water and will do whatever is necessary to feed their children? That guy you drank beer and laughed with on the Fourth of July will be breaking through your window at night with his 9MM looking for a bottle of water. You have three objectives. First, you need to find a weapon. Nobody is going to sell you a gun today. Be creative. Pull out the axe in your garage. Collect some large pebbles and build a slingshot using a branch from a tree and rubber bands. Check out your kitchen knives. Toy plastic guns look real in the dark. Be prepared to bluff, if needed. Have a flashlight ready to blind your intruder. What about Fireworks! Second, you have got to secure your home. Cover your windows with black garbage bags and secure them from the inside with discarded wooden pallets you find behind a carpet store. Secure your windows from being raised with screws. Secure your doors to their frames using extra lumber. Cut and stack thorny plants and thick bushes high in front of your easily accessible lower windows. Third, and most important, there is safety in numbers. Bring other trusted family members or friends into your home. Potentially move to your church with other brothers and sisters in Christ you can rely on to pool supplies and provide protection.
  4. Prepare to leave. There may be many reasons you leave your home. You may get a knock on your door from a government representative saying, “Your family must relocate. Come with us now.” You may feel your home will soon be overrun by “bad guys” and decide it is best to leave and survive. You want to be ready to go when the time comes. A basic school backpack filled with essential supplies should be available at the exit door to be picked up by each family member at any time. What is in your bag will vary depending on the situation, but there are some absolute essentials, including a couple changes of clothing, easily consumable non-perishable food (granola bars), water (two bottles at least), medicines essential to your condition (if you have one), a lighter or matches, basic first aid supplies, inclement weather gear (a plastic bag is better than nothing), a list with important personal information such as phone numbers, identification (passport), a roll of toilet paper, and a flashlight with extra batteries. Put it all in Ziplock bags. Some other lightweight items you might include if you have them are a map, sewing kit, pocket knife, razor blades, twine, a few yards of duct tape wrapped around a credit card, whistle, paper and pencil, small mirror, safety pins, fork, toothbrush, floss, tweezers, aspirin, bar of soap, wash cloth, and a comb. Some very useful heavier/bulkier items you will really have to decide if you can carry would be a battery powered radio, rope, bug spray, sunscreen, an axe, binoculars, and extra water. You may not be in great shape, so just carry the lightweight essentials you need. As you get more tired on your journey, even a lightweight bag will become heavy. The amount of water you can carry severely limits the length of time you can live using just the items in this bag. You have got to have a way to disinfect water. Someone in your group should carry a metal pot that water can be boiled in or pure liquid bleach can be used to disinfect water. (Generally, use 16 drops of bleach per gallon of water. Do not use scented or “ultra” bleach. It should only contain calcium hypochlorite.)

You are not going to be able to survive long term on your own. In the unlikely event you are able to go to the store today and load every inch of your vehicle with food and bottled water, it will run out at some point. You are not alone. Very few people live where they are able to sustain themselves indefinitely these days. 99% of us are dependent on “the system”.

If there is no food in the stores and no water available at your sink, you are going to need to find someone to support you. You will have very little of value to trade for this support. If there is no gas, who will want your Maxima? If there is no electricity, who will want your big screen television? The recommendations above are meant to get you through the first few tumultuous weeks of the disaster. After this amount of time, it is possible millions will have died from violence and disease. You are going to have to venture out into this ugly world and find someone who is willing to provide for you. For the average business professional (like me) who did not prepare, this probably means you will need to find someone willing to feed you in exchange for your manual labor, unless blacksmithing was a hobby of yours. Yes, many people will essentially be slaves to someone else who can use them. The easy life is over. Your plan cannot be to wait around for the government to come by your house and give you food. That is the mindset that ravaged our country, and if you choose it, you will not survive. If you want to live, you have to get out there and find a way.

Good luck. If you are stuck in a major city, I encourage you to get out as quickly as you can. I cannot fathom how anyone will survive in an urban environment over the next three months. I encourage you to pray and remain civilized.

Anyone left a month from now is still here because they prepared or took what they needed. They bought or stole protection and know how to use it. A month from now, they probably will have had experience using it. Respectfully show them how you can be helpful in exchange for the help you need. For now, these people are in charge.

Letter Re: Prepping with an Unsupportive Spouse

Dear Hugh,

I enjoyed this article and several others that I have seen regarding this subject. However, it is rare that you see this subject discussed in reverse. I (the wife) am the prepper and the Christian in our home. My husband thinks I’m crazy. I have a small pantry, a small supply of gadgets and supplies, and have learned to can. I would like to do more with this, but my husband is already disgusted with all the space I have taken up. There are so many things that still need to be done, but many of them require building, power tools, and a little technical ability. My husband is excellent at these things, while I am not. I would love to hear from some ladies out there who are in the same situation and how they have handled their situation. – S.R.

Mrs. Latimer Replies: I encourage you to look for all the good things that your husband does and praise him for each one. Encourage him when he does take leadership to care for the family. In the meantime, the best thing you can do is pray and follow God’s instructions for being a godly woman and wife, even if your husband doesn’t follow God’s ways himself. Even when he doesn’t do what you think is “right”, show him respect. Your husband needs affirmation and respect. Be sure you are giving that to him, even if you disagree with him. There are two kinds of respect: one based upon position and the other based upon actions. Even if your husband’s actions seem wrong to you, he has a position in your home and in your marriage that you must respect. Believe me, I know it can be very difficult, especially when we are certain that we know what it best. However, God didn’t give us (the wife) the final say.

You may have read I Peter 3:1-7: “Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; while they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement. Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.”

I have kept you in prayer throughout the day today and commit to continue praying for you and your husband. God has power to change our circumstances. Ultimately, He is the One in control, and He is trustworthy. Please keep us posted. I am hoping for changes to occur for the better in your home. God bless you, dear sister in Christ Jesus!

Notes for Thursday – July 24, 2014

July 24 – The late Jerry Ahern passed away, today: July 24th, 2012. He is missed.

o o o

Today we present another entry for Round 53 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $11,000+ worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course (a $1,195 value),
  2. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear,
  5. A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value),
  6. A $300 gift certificate from Freeze Dry Guy,
  7. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo,
  8. A roll of $10 face value in pre-1965 U.S. 90% silver quarters, courtesy of GoldAndSilverOnline.com, (currently valued at around $180 postpaid),
  9. Both VPN tunnel and DigitalSafe annual subscriptions from Privacy Abroad (a combined value of $195),
  10. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating both an AquaBrick water filtration kit and a Stainless Medium Scout Kelly Kettle Complete Kit with a combined retail value of $304,
  11. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit, and
  12. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $300 gift certificate.

Second Prize:

  1. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  2. A FloJak EarthStraw “Code Red” 100-foot well pump system (a $500 value), courtesy of FloJak.com,
  3. Acorn Supplies is donating a Deluxe Food Storage Survival Kit with a retail value of $350,
  4. The Ark Instituteis donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package–enough for two families of four, seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate– a $325 retail value,
  5. $300 worth of ammo from Patriot Firearms and Munitions. (They also offer a 10% discount for all SurvivalBlog readers with coupon code SVB10P),
  6. A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials,
  7. Twenty Five books, of the winners choice, of any books published by PrepperPress.com (a $270 value),
  8. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value),
  9. Dri-Harvestfoods.com in Bozeman, Montana is providing a prize bundle with Beans, Buttermilk Powder, Montana Hard Red Wheat, Drink Mixes, and White Rice, valued at $333,
  10. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate,
  11. Organized Prepper is providing a $500 gift certificate, and
  12. RepackBoxis providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security,
  5. A MURS Dakota Alert Base Station Kit with a retail value of $240 from JRH Enterprises,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  7. Ambra Le Roy Medical Products in North Carolina is donating a bundle of their traditional wound care and first aid supplies, with a value of $208, and
  8. SurvivalBased.com is donating a $500 gift certificate to their store.

Round 53 ends on July 31st, 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.