Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.” – Ronald Reagan (1986)

Notes from HJL:

Today we present another entry for Round 52 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $11,000+ worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. 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. A full set of all 26 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. EP Lowers, makers of 80% complete fiber composite polymer lowers for the AR-15 rifles, is donating a $250 gift certificate,
  10. Autrey’s Armory – specialists in AR-15, M4s, parts, and accessories is donating a $250 gift certificate,
  11. 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,
  12. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate, and
  13. Organized Prepperis providing a $500 gift certificate.

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, and
  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.

Round 52 ends on May 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.

Getting Real About Physical Training, by R.G.

Many articles have been written here about the best way to get in shape and stay in shape to be ready for a major societal disruption up to and including TEOTWAWKI. None of them that I have ready have really taken into account the societal challenges and day to day retreat and retreat area conditions extant during a disruption. Sorry, but no matter how much you may enjoy it, and I am an endorphin junkie myself, you won’t be running even one mile per day, let alone eight or ten miles per. Any running will be a flat out mad dash– lungs bursting and heart racing sprint– to safety. You won’t be in running shoes, shorts, or sweats. It won’t be on a track, and if that sprint is more than 200 yards, you’re dead. How much adrenalin you can pump into your muscles in a few seconds will be paramount rather than how many miles you can run at a ten minute per mile pace. Therefore, let’s look at a realistic training regimen for post-TEOTWAWKI.

First, what is the philosophy behind creating a training program to prepare you? Bruce Lee, among many, said to train how you intend to fight. No one trains to run long distances by spending all of the time in the weight room at a local gym. Your training must be based on the conditions you will encounter or expect to encounter during a disruption. Then, your exercises must be chosen to duplicate as closely as possible these conditions. By way of explanation, I exercise strenuously four or five days per week throughout the entire year to stay in the best shape I can. My program includes martial arts, resistance with weights, biking, running, and walking. Every year I travel from my home at 5,000 feet elevation to mountain areas at 8,000 to 10,000 feet elevations to hunt for three or four weeks. In addition to weapons– bow, muzzleloader or rifle– I carry a 20-30 pound pack and wear clothes suitable to the season and location. In spite of all I do during the year, it takes up to three days, now that I am nearing 70 years of age, to get in the proper shape for this activity– not just a 15 or 20 mile trek every day. This is hiking up and down mountainous terrain for as long as I want to pursue game and, hopefully, retrieving said game. Why does it take any time to get in shape for this? Because each type of strenuous physical activity stresses different muscles, in different ways, at different intensities. If you don’t believe me, try one of the programs I list below. You will have a whole bunch of muscles you didn’t know you had that are really sore no matter what shape you think you are in. You have to determine what will be the primary activity you will be engaged in to determine how to best train for it. I will discuss getting real about a training regimen for two of the situations most of us will encounter during a disruption– bugging out on foot or on a bicycle and survival at your retreat.

If your plans depend on travel by foot or bicycle for any significant distance, running marathons will be very little help. This training is usually in running shoes and shorts, or sweats, over basically even ground, like roads, though some people do some training in the mountains. Extended travel on any roads at this time is definitely not conducive to longevity. You will, or should, spend significant time traveling cross country, since you may be required to do so for safety. To begin your training, don the clothes you will need to keep you warm during winter travel, especially good hiking boots. Pack your pack(s) with everything you plan on taking and weigh them. Then, add 25 percent weight equivalent for all the stuff you’ll think of at the last minute. Either pick up whatever weapons and ammunition you plan on carrying or its weight equivalent. Now, head out through fields, woods, hills, or whatever broken country you have in the area, and hike steadily at a three mile per hour pace for three to four hours, not counting a ten minute rest each hour. When you can do 10-12 miles per day for six days straight, you are ready for bugging out. Three miles per hour may not seem very fast or get you very far each day; but with a 60-80 pound load, including clothing and not including weaponry, over broken terrain for an entire week, it is getting real about what may be necessary. Remember, things will not be as they are now. For bike travel, work up to 15 to 20 miles per day– five walking and dragging the bike cross country and 10-15 on the road. Don’t forget the trailer if you plan to use one. Detours, delays, hiding, and weather must all be factored in to calculations. Ninety miles on foot and 150 miles by bike in a week are realistic estimated distances. Thinking you can carry more than one week of food, fuel, and clothing is not getting real about preparations. There won’t be any motels, restaurants, or laundromats available. You may be able to do more, but what about the weaker members of your group. It is best to plan for the worst possible scenario. Once you can do this, you won’t need to train more than three times per week to maintain your conditioning. Oh, don’t worry about cardiovascular training; it will take care of itself. There is one other major consideration for this regimen and the following ones also. There is no time off. This means no matter what the weather, if it is a training day, you do the training. Rain, snow, cold, wind, bad day at work, even feeling a little tuckered out is no excuse; none of that makes any difference. It certainly won’t when it all hits the fan. This is about getting real about training for survival and not some 10k race if the weather is nice. It’s also good conditioning for patrols after you reach your retreat.

Assuming you are not at your off-grid retreat and not planning to hike there, how do you train so you’ll be ready when you are living there on a permanent basis. It may not actually be permanent, but you have to plan for that eventuality. No one is able to predict how long any disruption may last, and you have to be ready for whatever comes down the pike. It doesn’t matter how you have prepared your retreat for off-grid living, I have three words for the primary feature of your life there. HARD-PHYSICAL-LABOR. Any aides requiring fuel will have to be used sparingly. First, because of the uncertainty of how long conditions will last, your limited supplies of fuel will require managing. Second, OPSEC. All powered equipment, even electrical, make recognizable noises. The following are exercises that are inexpensive, or relatively so, and attempt to duplicate what will likely be at least a major part of any off-grid scenario.

For the first one, go to the nearest lumber yard that has them and purchase the heaviest railroad tie you can find. The same length ties can vary in weight by as much as 30 pounds. An eight foot length is minimum; 10 or 12 feet is even better. Also pick up, if you don’t already have, a pair of good heavy weight leather gloves. Place the tie on the ground wherever you have room. Stand at one end, bend your knees with your back straight, and work your fingers underneath. Stand up with the tie, curl it up to your shoulder, work your hands around, and press it over your head. Move forward, working up the tie until it is vertical. Reverse the motions until it is back on the ground. Repeat until your muscles turn to jello. When you can do this continuously for 1/2 hour, add five knee bends, curls, and presses to each rep. Perform the routine at least five times per week, until living at your retreat when all extra exercise programs will become unnecessary.

The second routine requires more money and space, but it is still cheaper than any gym membership. Purchase a contractor’s wheel barrow, rake, shovel, gloves, and 20 tons of ½” minus gravel. Have the gravel dumped in a single pile. Shovel the gravel into the wheel barrow and move it, one wheel barrow load at a time, up to 50 yards away to a new separate pile. Approximately 25-30 shovels full will be a good load. Be sure to keep your back straight and lift with your legs. Rake up every rock from the first pile. Work six days per week, 1-2 hours per day, until the entire pile has been moved. Move it all back. Repeat until all the gravel is gone. I don’t know where it goes either; it just seems to disappear. If you have enough property, and don’t have a need for gravel, digging a hole 10’x10’x4′, moving the dirt to a new location, and burying the hole will accomplish the same thing. While neither of these is very glamorous or entertaining, each attempts to approximate the physical conditions and psychological atmosphere of day to day life at a retreat.

Survival during a serious societal disruption will not be pretty, and will not be pretty for quite some time. It will be boring, repetitive, dirty, and physically demanding. Much of it can be very dangerous to perform when not tired, let alone when it is necessary to work while exhausted due to unexpected circumstances. It won’t be physically demanding in the way that running marathons or bench pressing 200 lbs is. It will be long periods of hard physical labor engaging every muscle of your body. It may be even more taxing mentally. Your survival will be dependent on it, so you can’t take a day off if you don’t feel well. You can’t vary your work out to keep yourself fresh or allow your body to recover from something particularly strenuous. Working from sunup to sundown will be the norm, just as it was before all of the labor-saving devices of the 20th century appeared. I have probably set the training standards for each of the programs higher than is necessary, but I feel the routines are much better than any I have read in the blog at being able to prepare you physically for what may be on the horizon. If you don’t get real about the way things will be after it hits the fan and train for those conditions now, you won’t be ready to deal with them if or when they occur.

Letter Re: Alternative Diesel Fuel

Hello Editor

I have been using alternative fuels for diesel engines for about 12 years in my ’84 Nissan 720 diesel pickup, ’92 dodge Cummings diesel 12-valve engine, ’84 Mercedes 300 sedan, PC40 Komatsu excavator, and a Yanmar track dumper. I have not done any waste motor oil (wmo) yet but with vegetable fry oil being contracted up by all the big bio-diesel company’s waste motor oil (wmo) is going to happen soon. I’m just paying it forward 🙂 Have a great day

My formula for fuel for diesel engines:

Twenty-five gallons of non-hydrogenated fry oil or half and half fry oil and used automatic transmission oil and 2 1/2 gallons of gasoline and 2 1/2 gallons diesel and then add 1/2 gal of b99 or b100 biodiesel for the additive, to clean and protect the injectors and the injector pump. http://www.dieseltruckresource.com/dev/lubricity-additive-study-results-t194481.html

Then circulate through pumps and filters for one hour then fill the diesel vehicle tank and drive. 🙂 Do not try this with any newer six liter of any brand diesel engine!!!!! This system works on older diesels, 2003 and older, 7.3 power-stroke Fords and older, 1998 and older, Dodge 12-valve Cummins diesels,Mercedes diesels 1985, and older, 2000 and older, Volkswagon tdi, and 2000 and older Nissan diesel trucks.

Check out DSE Basic Kit. After you buy the starter kit, don’t order any more of their secret sauce; you don’t need it.

In this starter kit you’ll receive the DSE Manual (sent hardcopy) and video (sent electronically), along with a free bottle of Alternative Diesel Additive to get you started. If you order this one, add in extra bottles of additive in the shopping cart at the discounted rate to save even more money now. You should also add the Drill Pump, as it will save you money and time when you assemble the filtering unit to make the fuel. You’re looking at 49.99.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Missouri Cop Under Fire in Second Amendment-Related Free Speech Case : Freedom Outpost. – B.B.

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100 FBI Agents Raid A 91-year-old Man’s House To Make Him Prove His Large Artifact Collection Was ‘Acquired Properly’ – L.C.

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Millions face hunger as deadly fungus decimates global banana crop. I have been aware of this growing problem for some time. It might be a good idea to stock up on LONG dated dried banana slices– the ones with NO added sugar. Refer to long-dated food purveyors, such as Emergency Essentials or Ready Resources. Bananas are high in potassium, but remember potatoes also are high in potassium and have more Vitamin C than one orange! The No. 10 cans should be good for 20 plus years! Do NOT store on concrete. Do store in cool, DRY place, such as the back of a closet for instance. – H.L.

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Garden Like Your Life Depends on It!. It’s no longer about personal taste. You may need it. In the last three years, there have been over 32 multi-billion dollar national disasters affecting America’s food supply. – G.S.

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Lassa Fever Reported in U.S. Traveler Returning from West Africa. – T.P.

“The CDC and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) have confirmed a diagnosis of Lassa fever in a person returning to the United States from West Africa. The patient was admitted to a hospital in Minnesota on March 31 with symptoms of fever and confusion.”

Notes from HJL:

Today we present another entry for Round 52 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $11,000+ worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. 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. A full set of all 26 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. EP Lowers, makers of 80% complete fiber composite polymer lowers for the AR-15 rifles, is donating a $250 gift certificate,
  10. Autrey’s Armory – specialists in AR-15, M4s, parts, and accessories is donating a $250 gift certificate,
  11. 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,
  12. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate, and
  13. Organized Prepperis providing a $500 gift certificate.

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, and
  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.

Round 52 ends on May 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.

Preparing Now For Good Sanitation After The SHTF, by S.T.

Good sanitation is paramount in a survival situation. So, protecting and extending your septic system and drain field in a long-term SHTF situation is very important in providing good sanitation. This is something that should be considered before SHTF happens.

I do not have the money to purchase two fancy composting toilets or the money to install them, nor will my county approve it. I will be using a hand pump on my well to get water after SHTF, when there is no electricity. Therefore, I had to look to other ways that would provide good sanitation for my family, protect my septic system, and not require me to pump and haul water just to flush a toilet 10 times a day.

Protecting your septic system can be accomplished with just a few minor lifestyle changes, a little money, and some effort now before SHTF, so you have the necessary equipment and supplies on hand before anything happens. Below are the actions I have taken now and what I will do in the future after SHTF.

For those on city utilities, these preparations are even more important because without electricity the city waste treatment plant will shut down in only three to seven days, rendering your toilets and sinks useless or something worse– backing up sewage into your house.

Here’s what to do to get prepared before SHTF

Step 1- Make sure that you have your septic system pumped out every two to three years because you will get little notice that SHTF is coming and you need you septic to last as long as possible afterward.

Step 2- When purchasing food from the grocery store, get paper bags not plastic and store all of the paper bags for future use. The Walmart in my town has small paper bags hanging from a rack in the frozen food section. Every visit I try and grab five to ten bags. I will be stepping up the acquisition of these bags.

Step 3- When women are using the toilet and toilet paper has only urine on it, place the toilet paper in a paper grocery bag next to the toilet. When the bag is half full, replace it with a new bag. The bag with the used toilet paper can be used to start your wood stove in the winter or disposed of in your burn box or added to your compost pile.

Step 4- Purchase two good dish pans, and use them in your sink for washing and rinsing the dishes. If you can afford it, purchase a couple of extras. The used water can then be disposed of around your trees and in your garden rather than going into your septic system.

Step 5- Purchase, or get for free, three five gallon buckets for each bathroom in your house. This is a good use for the smelly pickle buckets you do not want to use for food storage.

Step 6- Purchase a toilet seat lid for each of the buckets. These can be purchased from www.ReadyMadeResources.com or www.beprepared.com. If you can afford it purchase a couple of extras.

Step 7- Purchase three 19- or 20-gallon Rubbermade totes with lids.

Step 8- Purchase a rapid washer. These can be purchased from www.ReadyMadeResources.com or www.beprepared.com. Also, you can purchase a new toilet plunger that will only be used for washing clothes.

Step 9- Purchase a package or two of 100-count shop towels. These will become your future washable toilet paper.

Step 10- Purchase an old, large cooking pot with a lid for each bathroom in your house.

Step 11- Purchase a good strong clothes drying rack that will last many years. There are some very good ones available for purchase at www.homesteaddryingracks.com.

Step 12- Purchase this book: www.humanurehandbook.com. (HJL Notes: Night Soil is a highly controversial subject, and one fraught with bad information on the internet and potential dangers. I highly recommend searching the SurvivalBlog archives for more information.)

Step 13- Purchase a solar shower for each member of the family. If you can afford it, purchase a couple of extras also.

Step 14- Purchase a good amount of clothes pins. The dollar store is about the only place I have seen clothes pins for sale in the last few years. They have both wood and plastic ones. I have a stock of both.

Step 15- Make a clothes pin bag. Take an old button down shirt (toddlers size), button all of the buttons, turn the shirt inside out and cut off the sleeves at the elbow and seam closed. Then seam closed the rest of the sleeves at the shoulders. Seam closed the bottom of the shirt. Turn right side out and insert a plastic clothes hanger and you now have a cloths pin bag. If you have no toddler size shirts available, check your local goodwill store.

Step 16- Purchase washable feminine pads for each female member of the family. To overcome the “eww yuck” factor make sure that each female has theirs made from a different fabric pattern. These can be purchased from www.naturallycozy.com. If you have the money available you may want to purchase a couple of extra sets for bartering. This will be item in big demand.

Below are the actions to take after SHTF (using supplies listed above):

After SHTF, place three of the buckets in each bathroom– one for feces, one for urine, and one for holding sawdust. Install the toilet seat lids on two of the buckets. Instruct all of the family members to use the paper bags for the used toilet paper. When the commercial toilet paper runs out (or you hide the stock of commercial toilet paper for bartering in the future), place the old large cooking pot in each bathroom. Add one teaspoon of baking soda and a couple of drops of liquid dishwashing soap to the pot and fill 1/2 way with hot water. Instruct the family to place the used shop towels (your new supply of washable toilet paper) and any washable feminine pads into the bucket after use. Once a week, on washing day after all the other clothes are washed and rinsed, bring the pots and dump them into the wash bucket for a good wash and rinse. Then hang them out to dry and sanitize.

The bucket containing the feces should be converted to manure for your garden. (See HJL’s note above) A compost bin can be constructed using a 55 gallon plastic drum to convert the feces into usable manure. The bucket containing the urine should be diluted and used in your garden, or an outhouse can be constructed well away from your water well, and the feces can be dumped into the outhouse. Before anyone asks why a person would not simply just construct an outhouse, only use it, and forget about the indoor bucket toilets, I do not want to use the outhouse in the middle of the night in 20 below zero weather.

The three rubbermade totes and rapid washer will become your new washing machine. One tote will be used for washing and two totes used for rinsing. First, wash the whites and then the colored clothes. Only then do you wash the washable toilet paper and any washable feminine pads. The same wash and rinse water can be used for five or six loads of laundry. The clothes drying rack can be used outside during the warm summer months and inside near the wood stove during the cold winter months. Remember that the amount of laundry will increase when all of the disposable products run out and you are now using only washable products, so plan for that.

The solar showers can be used indoors during the cold winter months and outside during the warm summer months. An outdoor shower can be easily constructed using a pallet to stand on and a few posts and some paracord and a tarp with grommets and the solar shower. A solar shower can also be hung on a hook over the bathroom sink to assist with hand washing.

Our dishes will be washed with water that is heated on the top of our wood stove during the cold winter months and heated on the outdoor grill during the warm summer months.

Each of these steps will greatly reduce the the amount of water and other matter entering your septic system and drain field, and we will extend the life of our septic system by a good 10 to 20 years or so, until it has to be pumped or serviced again. Hopefully, by then that service will be available again.

Some of the items you may already have on hand and will not need to purchase. However, if your purchase all of the items in my list, you are looking at less than $450.00. This small investment will pay off big time when SHTF and there is no person or equipment to clean out or repair your septic system or your drain field.

Transitioning now rom disposable to reusable, where possible, will lessen the adjustment effect on your family. Items that are an easy transition, include using no paper plates, coffee cups, paper napkins, or paper towels. This does not have to be expensive. Ten yards of fabric would make a large number of washable napkins and dish towels that will last through many years of use. I have cloth napkins that I made 20 years ago and am still using.

Be sure that you are well stocked up on bars of soap or have the supplies, equipment, and skills to make soap. For under $20.00 you can purchase enough raw materials and supplies to make 25 gallons of laundry soap. Homemade hand sanitizer can also be made, and you should have a good supply on hand as well as the supplies to make more. There are recipes for all of these available on the Internet for free. It just takes a quick “bing” on yahoo or google search, plus most of the raw materials are available at your local grocery store.

Letter Re: Jury Nullification Law in Alaska

There is a quid-pro-quo to this proposal. If juries are allowed to “interpret” the application of a law, they could also decide to escalate the severity as well as diminish. I sat on a quasi-judicial board as chairman for a time, and on rare occasions the board would decide, by majority, on the “spirit” of the law rather than the letter of the law, thus compelling the municipality to appeal the decision to administrative court, wherein the decision was consistently overturned. The point is, sometimes they decided not to enforce the law, and sometimes they decided to impose a more stringent requirement than the law allowed. Having people decide your fate in court based on gut feel seems riskier, based on my experience with it. You want a court of law to be objective in its determinations. Otherwise, there is a huge risk of overloading the appellate system.

Hugh Replies: It is my understanding that jury nuliffication is legal and has been around since the inception of the court system. What is not done is specific instructions to the jury on whether it exists and how to use it. I believe this law is making the case that jurors should be instructed as a matter of general instructions. However, I am not an attorney and would need to hear from one to fully understand the implications. Jury nullification can be a potent check on out-of-control politicians, like in the case of the New York SAFE Act.

Letter Re: Fast Communications

Dear Hugh,

I wanted to take a minute to put this out. If you have an old 12vdc power plug from say any old unwanted device you can make a power source for your CB. I did this in my all wheel drive car. It took all of 20 minutes, just plug it in while the car is on and it works. You can pop a magnetic antenna on the roof and you’re in business. Finish the CB chassis install using two screws to hold the radio to wherever you want to mount it, and another two for the mic. Now, your install is complete.

Good luck. -Fitzy in PA.

Hugh Replies: That is an easy and excellent way to get mobile communications up fast. On some vehicles, you even have the option, through the fuse box, to have that plug on all the time or only when the ignition is on. I find that different expeditions have different needs, and this is a nice feature. The only caveat is that auto makers usually don’t run more than 16 gauge wire to many of these plugs, since their usage was initially intended for a very short duration– to heat up a cigarette lighter. As long as you are not heavy on the mike, there should be no problem.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Odds ‘n Sods:

Lloyds of London Report: Solar Storm Risk to the North American Electric Grid (in PDF format) – Nic

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This isn’t the first time China has forcibly moved people on such a grand scale. the Three Gorges Dam comes to mind first. China’s Ambitious Plan to Move 100 Million People From Farms to Cities – H.A.

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Fort Hood Shooting Shows Lingering Security Gaps, You think? Isn’t this a military base? Why is it so easy to kill “unarmed” people on a military base? Seems to me, if you train them, you should trust them and arm them. It’s obviously not just the general public that the politians fear.

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The Surveillance State The CEO who said “No” to the NSA *vid* – B.L.

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Weaponizing the IRS – G.Z.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.” Daniel 2:44 (KJV)

Notes from HJL:

Today we present another entry for Round 52 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $11,000+ worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. 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. A full set of all 26 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. EP Lowers, makers of 80% complete fiber composite polymer lowers for the AR-15 rifles, is donating a $250 gift certificate,
  10. Autrey’s Armory – specialists in AR-15, M4s, parts, and accessories is donating a $250 gift certificate,
  11. 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,
  12. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate, and
  13. Organized Prepperis providing a $500 gift certificate.

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, and
  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.

Round 52 ends on May 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.