Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Every job is good if you do your best and work hard. A man who works hard stinks only to the ones that have nothing to do but smell." – Laura Ingalls Wilder

Notes from JWR:

The 6th of March is the 35th anniversary of the death of American volunteer Trooper Frank P. Battaglia, in Zambia. Already a veteran of both the U.S. Army in Vietnam and the Spanish Foreign Legion, Battaglia joined the Rhodesian Army and served with distinction until his death on an external op.

—

Today we present another two entries for Round 45 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course. (A $1,195 value.) B.) 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, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear, E.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value), and F.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo. and G.) A $200 gift certificate, donated by Shelf Reliance.

Second Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training. Together, these have a retail value of $589. C.) A FloJak FP-50 stainless steel hand well pump (a $600 value), courtesy of FloJak.com. D.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, E.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials and F.) Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.), B.) 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, C.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, D.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value. E.) A Tactical Trauma Bag #3 from JRH Enterprises (a $200 value), and F.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 45 ends on March 31st, 2013, 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.

Games Preppers Play, by T.W.

Preparedness is well within the top ten subject matters of interest today.  Most everyone is thinking about it and many of us are well under way toward some level of advanced planning.  Groups of like minded families are common but it would be a mistake to fail at making preparedness attractive to our children.

Our pioneer ancestors invented creative games to teach their children skills of survival in an unfriendly world.  Games were simple and fit for most occasions.  If they were weathered in at a cabin, there was a game where one child was the subject and the others would take turns trying to make the subject crack a smile or laugh.  While the children thought it was just a game, it taught them to control their emotions.  Should a raiding party attack their home, it could save their life to remain emotionless and silent.  That skill could prove valuable today if you needed to escape detection by blending into a crowd or lay motionless in brush.  When it comes to extracting information, skilled interrogation derives as much from emotional response as it does verbal.
There are many other skills that we could teach our children by having them play interesting games.  Games need to fit the age and ability of our children but you would be surprised at how quickly they learn advanced skills.

My daughter was one of the youngest females to qualify for the Washington State Explorer Search & Rescue (ESAR) program.  At fourteen years old, she completed her equipment, classroom, and first-aid training and accomplished a final exercise that included a three day map & compass orienteering course.  She carried a fifty pound pack of standardized equipment, food, and water.  Objectives were to use map & compass and orienteering skills to locate designated cans on a stake that was painted bright orange.  The locations were marked on their maps but getting to those points was dependent on their skill.  As the teams found each target they were to remove the lid and mark the notepad inside with their name and time of day.  The course was designed to place the two person teams at expected locations for each night.  Senior ESAR members watched from a distance and checked up on them with a nightly camp visit.  On the first night, leaders had lost track of my daughter and her teammate.  A full scale search started and they began checking the targets for signature.  These two girls had located and signed in at more targets than had previously been expected for one day and the leaders found them on top of a hill that was reserved for the middle of day two.  They were in great spirits and enjoyed a truly “hill top” experience under the stars.  My daughter and her teammate were not only the youngest two qualifying females in Washington ESAR history but they completed the three day course a half day ahead of the second team in.  One of the challenges of the event is not told the recruits.  Day two put them on what is called “Magnet Mountain.”  Because of local iron deposits, magnetic north cannot be located with a typical compass.  They would be required to adapt and read their maps according to terrain.  ESAR has learned to teach through exercise which makes the entire learning experience a fantastic game.  It works.

A variation of the orienteering game can make it progressive.  Each team has a different set of targets to locate with each target providing a necessary part or clue to completing a task.  An example might be to start with a recorded tape or CD at the first target; followed by a tape or CD player at the second target; followed by earphones at the third; and finally the batteries.  The recorded message would guide them to the final prize that all teams are looking to win.  The prize for our youth is both something fitting to their effort and a fun filled event.  The prize for us as parents will be watching our youth learn valuable skills while having a ball doing it.

We can create many great games for our children.  Among groups of like minded families where many youth are represented, the potential is awesome.  We can make afternoon, day, or weekend events that will teach and sharpen skills.  As parents, we will learn as much and have as much fun planning these events as our kids have doing them.  “Hide & Seek” could be modified to emulate our military Escape & Evasion training.  They don’t have to “play Army” and the game can be called “Rabbit & Fox.”   They learn escape & evasion if they are the rabbit and they learn tracking if they are the fox.

My children have done things like this on a grand scale with their friends.  Weeks of preparation went into an elaborate all night game of “Capture the Flag.”  This involved a kickoff barbeque, camouflage clothing, and full face paint.  It ended with a pancake breakfast.  I have family pictures of my son and daughters as proud of how they looked that night as if they were going to the prom.  They were serious tacticians and they still share stories of those nights with dozens of their friends on their cousin’s farm. The excitement kept them up all night and after breakfast the next morning; they were already planning the next event.

At a well disciplined shooting range, we could teach our children how to safely handle firearms.  If there isn’t an Appleseed group near you, I’m sure they would help you with both ideas and perhaps a pathway to forming your own group.

Other practical events on a smaller scale could be a timed event at digging a Dakota Hole, starting a fire without matches, and bringing one cup of water to a boil in a standard soup can.  My youngest daughter invited several of her friends over for Smores around a fire pit.  It was sad that so many of her friends didn’t know how to start a campfire even with the use of matches and newspaper.  After several poor attempts they were all interested to learn how to do it right.  Imagine that?  Teens interested in learning a skill from one of their dads. 
Our children want to be a productive part of the group and what better way for them to demonstrate their worth than to be in charge of starting the campfire or a host of other suitable skills?
I am part of a group of families that meet each month and share training on various skills.  We describe it as 4H for adults.  At one event we explored how to make a bow & arrow from PVC pipe and a fiberglass rod used for temporary horse fencing.  It was amazingly good and the bow’s delivered forty-five pounds of thrust.  That would be perfect for teaching our teens an important skill and what would be more appropriate than hosting a “Robin Hood” shooting event with those home-made bows and arrows?

The movie “Hunger Games” cast the heroine as a young provider for her family and could be used to encourage our youth to participate.  She was an accomplished archery hunter but more importantly, she provided her family with food because of her skills.  In a grid down world, our children will need to become proficient at many things.  A problem is that many daily tasks necessary in a ‘grid down world’ are manually intense and tend to eliminate younger bodies.   When looking for a “Well Bucket” to manually draw water from a four inch well casing, I was amazed to find most were sized at several gallons and would be very heavy to draw.  Seeing a need to include our children in as many tasks as possible, I designed a light weight “Bullet Bucket” that holds only about one gallon per draw.  This is light enough that a young teen could draw water for a family and not be excluded from serving an important role.

Practicing skills can be a group event.  Our group was formed after reading an article in SurvivalBlog forum regarding Colloquium (CQ) Groups.  We have grown into our third year and have affiliated groups in three other cities.  Once each year we hold a CQ Field Day.  We camp out at a city park or privately owned field that is visible and accessible to the town.  This year we will be in a three acre field owned by our church and right in the middle of town.  Along with practicing our skills and having a great time of fellowship among ourselves, we will be hosting the local 4H group, Boy Scouts, and the city Youth in Action group.  We will be demonstrating outdoor cookery, amateur radio field operations, fire making, making your own laundry detergent and other skills of interest.  There are several merit badges available to the Boy Scouts and we have men qualified to approve those badge requirements.  This will be our second such Field Day and it is capturing some very good attention from our city.  Our group is not promoted as a “Prepper Group” and that is with purpose.  Since we are promoting skills that can help a family save money and that make us better prepared for storms and associated outages, we are cast in a very different light than with the mockery that is painted on “Preppers” as a result of sensational media attention.   Since the skills we teach and practice can and do serve both hurricane preparedness and TEOTWAWKI, we prefer to remain hidden in plain sight.  Even at our meetings, nothing is ever shared about how much any of us has stored.  We are all about skills and the subject of personal inventories never comes up.

The importance of training our young people will make a profound difference to the future of our nation.  As they learn skills of survival, they learn principles of living.  Including them in such an important part of family preparedness teaches them responsibility and recognizes their significance as a contributing member of the group.  Children are often marginalized by our system of education and teens especially may lack the confidence to stand shoulder to shoulder with adults in preparedness training.  It is easy for them to feel overwhelmed and left behind as their parents become serious about making preparations.  We can unintentionally push our children aside because we want to demonstrate and practice abilities newly learned.  Reaching them and encouraging them to join in is a worthy effort at the very least.  An important note is that all of us like to play games and that is the key to teaching skills and including our youth in sharing the future.   When we teach skills by the media of games, we discover a love of learning.

Caring For Kids, by Mrs. H.

Are you responsible for the most valuable commodity in the world? Do you have small children? Are you a grandparent? Even though your grown children currently think you are crazy, will they be showing up at your door in a SHTF scenario? What about the neighbor down the road, the single mother that is just barely getting by financially? Even though they are not actually your responsibility, will you be able to turn away a stranger with an infant or small child pleading for help? What does God expect out of us? What if you were suddenly responsible for an infant or toddler? Do you have some basic supplies or plans  for this scenario? In many ways, infants and toddlers require careful planning when preparing for a TEOTWAWKI situation.
Infants and toddlers can throw a curve ball into your prepping plans.  Here are some basic needs that toddlers and babies require, that many people may not think to have in their long term storage. Some of these suggestions are simple and inexpensive but extremely valuable. Anyone that has taken care of children knows that keeping them happy and comfortable reduces a lot of stress on the caretaker. Sadly, some parents will not have a clue about what to do when they run out or cannot afford/find disposable diapers. Some of these items are cost (and space) prohibitive for someone that may not be definitely responsible children.  Additionally, there are a few transportation type items my family has acquired. We will use these in a SHTF scenario, but we also use them in our day to day life.

Babies need diapers, plain and simple. Instead of stockpiling expensive and bulky boxes of disposable diapers, I bought a pattern (link) and made one size diapers that fit a baby from 8 pounds to 35 pounds. Both of our children can literally fit in the same diaper, even though they are almost 20 pounds different in weight. These are not your thin pre-folds found on the Wal-Mart shelf (don’t buy them unless you’re using them as burp cloths, they’re terribly thin and not very useful). I can also use the leftover material from the diapers as cloth wipes or the diapers themselves as bandages in extremely unfortunate situations. A couple of drawers of diapers that last for years saves much more space (and money) than years’ worth of disposable diapers. How good would you feel to hand a struggling parent a few re-usable diapers (you may need to show them how they are used) before sending them down the road? Don’t forget a good supply of safety pins for many reasons. Plus, when using my homemade laundry detergent, I don’t have any additional soap to buy or store.  You can find good, used diapers through a diaper cleaning service, online, and at garage sales. Get creative; they are out there if you look for them.

Babies also require milk. Most people can agree that nursing is the most beneficial form of nourishment for an infant. It also is simpler. For example, there is no need to find a bottle (let alone sanitize it), it is always at the right temperature, no one has to measure out precise ingredients, and I can’t think of a single time it has ever been recalled. However, it can be painful to nurse and sometimes it just is not an option. If you suddenly find yourself caring for an infant what are you going to feed that baby?

Through my research, I have found several goats’ milk recipes. Goats’ milk has very nutritious properties and is supposed to be easier for infants to digest than a cow’s milk. So, if you have access to goats, search for some recipes and see if this is something that may benefit your situation. Unfortunately, goats simply are not an option for my family. We live on a military installation and the housing authorities are adamant on their pet policies. Goats will not do here, which leads me to a formula recipe I found in a cookbook. The recipe’s ingredients are common staples in most pantries.

12 ounces evaporated milk
2 Tablespoons Dark Corn Syrup, Sugar, or Brown Sugar
2 ¼ Cup Water (my Dr. recommends boiling all water, even bottled water, to kill bacteria before giving to infants)

Mix these ingredients together (be sure that the water has cooled to an appropriate temperature) then feed to the baby. This can be refrigerated after use and stored for several days.
Since this recipe does not have additional vitamins or iron that infants require, liquid vitamin drops would be important to add in order to meet the child’s nutrient requirements.
As a disclaimer, I am not a health care provider. Perhaps this information will be helpful to a child in a SHTF scenario. In the meantime, please consult with a medical professional with questions or recommendations for the health of your child.

When TEOTWAWKI occurs, how are you going to transport that kiddo if we have to? This is a subject that, unless you are currently or know you will be responsible for children, may be a minor concern. Transporting a child “legally” in a vehicle will not be a priority however; a car seat does keep the child safe and stationary so the other occupants can remain alert to the environment around them. I do not believe that traveling via motorized vehicle will be an option in most SHTF scenarios so, let’s concentrate on non-motorized transportation options.
First off, bicycles are great to have at hand. They provide a quick, efficient, and cheap mode of transportation. But, how will you transport the children on a bike? Well, you could install one of those plastic seats over the handle bars or behind your own seat. Used ones are plentiful and inexpensive at garage sales.  Or, here’s another option. We chose a bike trailer. We purchased an Aosom Elite 3 in 1 from an eBay store. This is a cheaper model, but one is better than none, right? What is nice about this trailer is that two children (up to a combined weight of 88 pounds) can ride in it simultaneously. The trailer has a mesh cover to allow air flow, but it also keeps rocks, sticks and larger bugs from infiltrating the cockpit area. It came standard with a clear plastic cover to go over the mesh to keep rain off the children or to keep the cold weather out. One of the requirements I had when looking for a bike trailer was that it had to convert easily from a trailer to a stroller. This trailer simply attaches to pull behind a bike, and it has a front swivel wheel that allows it to become a stroller. The swivel wheel can be “locked” in a forward position to be used for jogging. The handle bar at the back of the trailer doubles as a roll over bar and can be adjusted to be more comfortable for those of different heights pushing the stroller.  There is also an enclosed area at the back of the trailer that is fairly large (for a size idea, it can fit 4 gallons of milk). Another neat feature is that many trailers can be converted to be on skis for those in snowy regions. A simple ski kit is available on eBay for those that snowshoe or Cross Country Ski. Now, if funds are not an issue for you, I would probably recommend a trailer with a larger front wheel. This would make the trailer more compatible for rugged terrain. Furthermore, when the kids outgrow this, it may be retrofitted to haul game, goods, firewood or used as a great barter item.

What if hiking is more your style or a bike trailer is not feasible for you? Here are some other options. While hiking (or even doing house work) with a “fresh” baby, my Moby Wrap was a life saver. The Moby is a long piece of fabric with a stretch. You can even make your own, just do a search for how to on online. For us, the Moby worked well while the kids were just a few months old. The bigger they grew, the more difficult it was for me to carry them.

Then, I was introduced to a Deuter Kid Comfort Carrier. These distribute the child’s weight more evenly on my body, making long walks more enjoyable for both mommy and the child. Each of our Deuters have a kickstand (which allows us to double the back pack as a high chair because of the balance the kickstand provides), strap in harness, shade cover, and rain shield. They also have mesh pockets on the side, and a deep pocket under the child’s seat. We can store diapers, food, water, and other necessities in the deep pocket. This pack does not allow you to carry “tons” of items for a BOB, but it is perfect for me as a Bug Home Bag, if I am just running errands throughout town. It is perfect for everyday use, too. It frees my hands but also allows a fussy child to be comforted close to mommy or daddy.

Trying to be prepared can be expensive. We were blessed to pick up a Deuter at a garage sale, and the other was a gift from my parents. Here is a money saving recommendation. When trying to get equipment, head to an REI store (or similar facility) if you have the luxury. Be prepared to stay for several hours. Get properly fitted for a backpack. I strongly suggest this, as this will increase your comfort while carrying the child. There are also great videos on YouTube explaining how to properly fit yourself to your pack. Put your child in the backpack and see how you both like it.  Walk around the store for half an hour or longer. Try several different brands and see what works best for you and your children. Take notes on the features you like, how it fits, what you do not like, etc. Do the same with the bike trailer or any other necessities you find yourself needing.  Push the kid(s) around the store. Try to see how the kids fit in the trailer with helmets on.  Is there enough storage area, do the kids have enough room? Again, take notes. If money is not a problem or if there is a remarkable sale going on and you want to support that store, then go ahead, make your purchase.  On the other hand, if you have a smart phone or want to save a bit of money, check out eBay, Craigslist, Bookoo, etc. Take your notes and go home. Find a used product at a more affordable price. Many times children outgrow these tools before the family uses them a handful of times, so you can find good products in like new condition.

The products I mentioned are just items my family finds useful. We are not associated with any of these companies or web sites, nor do we get any monetary gain from sharing our opinions on these products. They are just that, opinions, take them for what they are worth. Children are surely a blessing. Consider them and their needs when preparing your supplies.

Letter Re: A Female’s Viewpoint on How to Prepare

Regarding the piece by I.S. on a female’s point of view, she is right on with how to introduce a non-prepper to this world.  I have done the same but with my husband, I am the gardener, shooter, and all around prepper.  Though we do not have a lot of funds, you can nickel and dime it towards your survival goals and I have done this with proof to him such as becoming debt free, minus the mortgage, getting branches and salvage wood for free for the wood stove to save on heat, stocking up on food and now growing seedlings for sale.  You have to work with what your spouse can relate to.   Mine relates to the profit of an action, he can now rest assured that if he loses one of his jobs, (he is a great worker), we will not do without.  He calls my storage area my “little store.”

I now have him helping me make decisions about items to keep and get rid of and he will now use terms like “that would be good for barter.”  (I almost fainted the first time I heard him say that.) He was even okay with my closing a small retirement account to convert it to silver and a little gold, he is also good with the saving nickels concept.  I told him that if absolutely nothing happened and all was well, the little coin I am saving, will not loose value.  He is still in baby step mode.  I will now be storing larger quantities of beans and grain, I explained to him that a bean has many uses, you of course can eat it, grow it and use it for sprouting should greens be unavailable.  

I also do a great deal of shopping at yard and estate sales and have shown him the savings and resale values of the items I get, he sees the profit I make with reselling.  It is also best to explain the value of a changing life style for the simple health benefits rather than just gloom and doom.  It makes the pill a lot easier to swallow, so preppers, just keep at it with your significant other, some or any preparation is better than none, work with their dreams and desires to get to the prepping world even if you have to use that fictitious 2×4 upside his head. 😉 – C.N.

Auction Update: PVS-14 Gen 3+ Night Vision Scope to Benefit C.R.O.S.S. Ministries

CURRENT BID is $3,000 (Bid by Reader D.J.G.)

Simply e-mail us your bids. I will post regular updates on the bidding. The final deadline will be Midnight EST on Monday, March 11, 2013. Thanks for your generous bids in support of C.R.O.S.S. Ministries.

We are continuing a benefit auction of a brand new AN/PVS-14 Gen 3+ Night Vision Scope. All proceeds (100% of your bid) will be donated to C.R.O.S.S. Ministries. (A very worthy Christian ministry that is sharing the Gospel of Christ in South Sudan. Their outreach method is unique: They are teaching rural villagers tactical marksmanship, water purification, and firefighting skills, free of charge.)

The monocular is one of these. (The same model that we use here at the Rawles Ranch.) These night vision scopes normally retail for around $3,600. (Although Ready Made Resources sells them at the discounted price of $2,695.) This monocular was kindly donated by Ready Made Resources, in cooperation with Night Ops Tactical.

Economics and Investing:

G.G. flagged this: Is the dollar as good as gold?

Life After QE: The Fed Is Starting To Prepare For A Future PR Nightmare

The Daily Bell reports: The New Era in Gold Repatriation Will Affect Everything

Items from The Economatrix:

Dow Surges To New Closing High On Economy, Fed’s Help

Dow Breaks Record, But Party Unlikely To Last [JWR’s Comment: The Fed’s addiction to Quantitative Easing has created this bubble. As with other severe addictions, this won’t end well.]

Jobless Claims Fall Sharply

Odds ‘n Sods:

Holder: Yep, Obama could kill Americans on U.S. soil. And here is an interesting companion piece: Police Search Cell Phones On Massive Scale. (Thanks to J.B.G. for the link.)

   o o o

“Why Am I Not Surprised? Department: ‘Freedom’ license plate banned in Washington D.C.

   o o o

James C. sent: Self-Igniting Fire Starter

   o o o

South Dakota approves guns in the classroom. (JWR’s Comment: It is amazing to see the difference between the various states and their prevailing attitudes, in the ongoing debate over civilian disarmament. At the same time that California, Colorado, and New York are engaged in an orgy of legislated gun grabbing, other states are encouraging an armed citizenry. I expect the differences between the states to become more pronounced, as time goes on.)

   o o o

Seized Chinese Weapons Raise Concerns on Iran. (A hat tip to Pierre M. for the link.)

   o o o

TSA Will Permit Knives, Golf Clubs on U.S. Planes

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 45 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course. (A $1,195 value.) B.) 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, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear, E.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value), and F.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo. and G.) A $200 gift certificate, donated by Shelf Reliance.

Second Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training. Together, these have a retail value of $589. C.) A FloJak FP-50 stainless steel hand well pump (a $600 value), courtesy of FloJak.com. D.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, E.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials and F.) Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.), B.) 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, C.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, D.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value. E.) A Tactical Trauma Bag #3 from JRH Enterprises (a $200 value), and F.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 45 ends on March 31st, 2013, 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.

A Female’s Viewpoint on How to Prepare, by I.S.

Everyone has their own unique story why they became a prepper. Mine began five years ago when my husband started ranting about the worsening economic situation in the country. I was only listening with half an ear. Sure, I noticed that food prices were creeping up with every shopping trip, and that it was getting more expensive to fill up my car every week, but didn’t that happen every year due to inflation? Why was my husband so upset about this?
Although, we started discussing world events and politics more often, I still did not understand why he was so worried. It almost felt like panic, which was a bit worrisome. Talking to me was obviously not the best way to wake me up. He began forwarding me some of the articles that influenced his thinking. They illustrated what was going wrong with the U.S. economy, the government, and the world in general. The latest White House policies only seemed to make the current situation worse. There was a lot of talk and little action. It is needless to say that I was shocked.

It was a rude awakening. The future was not as safe and secure as our leaders had made us to believe. Now, I was in a state of panic, and the only way I could alleviate some of the stress was by becoming more informed, and working feverishly on organizing food reserves.  
I have learned a lot since. Going through every beginner’s growing pains taught me to be persistent. I kept reminding myself that Rome was not built in a day either. My biggest challenge was to keep my head leveled and avoid panic attacks every time the government made another bad decision. Not all my apprehension was political. I worried about another drought, the discouraging news of the world’s dwindling food reserves, as well as the threat of war. Did you know that solar flares from the massive sunspot identified as AR1654 are closing in on earth? Scientists say that if Earth gets a direct hit from a major solar flare, the damage could be enormous. Our country’s electric grid could be damaged severely, and it could take years to recover. Those are not the only things I was worried about. There is more, such as the following:

  • The UN warns us of a looming worldwide food crisis in 2013.
  • The global grain reserves have hit critically low levels.
  • Unreliable weather patterns around the world caused many crops to fail for several years in a row.
  • Harvests in the U.S., Ukraine, and other countries around the world have eroded due to record heat waves and droughts.
  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that the combined inventories of wheat, corn, soybeans, and rice will drop 1.8 percent to a four-year low in 2013.
  • Corn is being used for ethanol production, driving the price up for livestock producers, food manufacturers, and consumers.
  • Our farmland is depleted – chemicals do not offer the nutrition the land needs to produce healthy, tasty foods.
  • We produce less than what we are consuming.

The ominous global food crisis and the rising prices threaten to cause a lot of unrest. They were a great incentive for me to stock up far more than the recommended three-week survival reserve everyone was talking about. I also found that buying now would save me more money than putting it in a savings account. I do not need statistics – which are often tweaked to look better – to tell me that my dollar has been shrinking over the years. That can of beans I bought on sale for 50 cents two years ago now costs twice as much. Where is this going to end?
The Why
There are times when I wonder when all these preparations will be useful. Many possible scenarios go through my head. We are most certainly going to face an economic meltdown, and if the droughts continue, people will starve. Even if, by miracle, this does not happen, it is still necessary to prepare because we are nearing retirement age. Will we still be able to achieve those “Golden Years” we had hoped for?  I have my doubts. In case you are wondering about some of the other reasons why I became a prepper, here are some examples:

  • Diminishing Social Security funds – Although we, the people, will never be told the whole truth, there are enough rumors going around that we can figure out that the country’s social security account is depleted. It is not likely that there will be money left by the time we, the Baby Boomers, retire. In fact, will we ever be able to hang up our hat? The official retirement age will continue to rise, despite all our young people feverishly looking for work. Due to fiscal mismanagement by local governments, property taxes will skyrocket, and it is doubtful that we can keep the home we worked for our entire life. Without supplementing our pension – if we’ll get one – we may need to go live in tent city.
  • Natural Disasters – Have you noticed that the weather patterns are changing? They have become unpredictable, causing a tremendous amount of natural disasters. Where are FEMA, the Red Cross, and other aid organizations during disastrous catastrophes? Their relief efforts are probably focused on Africa or some other poor country far away. I have the impression that foreign aid is more important to them than what happens under our country’s own roof? Do not count on your government for help. I am not making this up. Just ask all those devastated Sandy storm victims who had to wait because New York’s authorities took their sweet time deciding how to spend relief aid funds. There was no need to hurry, as they were not the ones without food, water, shelter, and electricity. Do you want to take your chances? I don’t.
  • Hyperinflation – The American dollar is soon going to be useless. Printing money as if there is no tomorrow makes it much tougher for the U.S. to import the necessities we need to keep our citizens content. Fuel and food prices have nearly doubled in the last two years. That trend is not likely to end soon. We are still able to buy most of what we need at the store to live comfortably, but be honest, how much longer is that going to last? Add all the recent and upcoming tax increases and high health care costs forced upon us by Obama Care, and it is not difficult to predict the future.
  • Agenda 21 – The dangers do not only lurk at home. Be aware of fanatical outside influences. They are steadily closing in. According to Wikipedia, Agenda 21 is a non-binding, voluntarily implemented action plan of the United Nations with regard to sustainable development. Take a closer look, and you will realize that this plan is actually a blueprint for depopulation. It gives total control to the world authorities, all under the slogan of saving the environment. I do not think I will ever be ready to be enslaved, no matter how many Agendas they come up with. FYI, there is more than one.
  • The possibility of war – Countries like Afghanistan, Syria, Iran, Israel, and Egypt are constantly in the news. China is getting more powerful and ready to become the world’s leader. They are up to something, otherwise why are they buying food and other essentials when they have plenty? I grew up in Europe and heard many war stories from my parents and grandparents. Is history going to repeat itself just on a different continent?

The How
It is amazing all the things you learn when paying attention to the news. Instead of turning the radio to my favorite music station, I started to listen to talk radio. I did not care for every topic that was discussed, but at least I got the news that was conveniently missed or spun by the mainstream media. Survival blog sites were also quite helpful. They pointed out things I should focus on besides amassing food for us and our animals. Here are some of the things that every new female prepper or survivalist, in my opinion, should do:

  • Start a garden
  • Learn how to manage without electricity
  • Explore alternative cooking methods
  • Learn new trade skills, such as sewing
  • Turn hobbies into practical applications
  • Raise chickens, ducks, goats, and rabbits
  • Grow supplementary food, like fodder, for the animals
  • Experiment with dehydrated and freeze dried foods
  • Reduce your debt
  • Take self-defense  and First Aid classes
  • Buy a gun and learn how to use it
  • Start paying with cash
  • Purchase precious metals
  • Learn barter techniques
  • Keep a diary of your failures and accomplishments
  • Buy books or print survival guidelines now in case electronics stop working
  • Practice what you preach

I insisted on having a wood stove installed in the house as a back-up heat and cooking source. My husband built a hoop house to prolong our growing season. We began raising chickens, ducks, and rabbits. It was time for me to improve my skills before the SHTF. Working out all the kinks now would make life more sustainable when it really matters.
The Details
I am an average woman with a simple life and ordinary skills. I had never pictured myself as a prepper or survivalist. All I ever wanted was a peacefully, enjoyable life. I had many wonderful, carefree years, and that keeps me going. At least I had them, which is something many young men and women will not be able to say when they reach my age. Many thoughts go through my head every day, whether it is consciously or subconsciously. They include some of the following:

  • How to pay the mortgage down as fast as I can
  • The need to learn basic medical skills and buying more supplies
  • Ordering more dehydrated and free-dried foods
  • How to implement these specialty foods in my cooking
  • Learn more food preservation methods
  • Bring variety in a simple diet when food supplies get scarce
  • Improve my gardening skills and collect my own seeds
  • Expand our livestock
  • Buying essentials, like salt and soap, that can be used for bartering
  • Learning more survival skills and practice them
  • Switching to leisure activities that do not involve electronics
  • Eating better to live healthier and improve strength
  • Implementing alternate energy sources
  • Getting more familiar with my gun
  • Improving my shooting skills
  • Always read between the lines during newscasts
  • Develop a support network with like-minded people
  • Always keep an open mind

I work on these goals every day. By doing so, my husband and I are cultivating a self-sustainable lifestyle. We are a team. He has his responsibilities and I have mine. Regardless what the authorities say about gender equality; there are limits. Yes, I am all for equal pay when doing the same job, but nobody can ever change the fact that, in general, women have a uterus, are destined to bear children, and have the urge to nurture.
Conclusion
Be persistent if you want to convince your wife or girlfriend to jump on the survival bandwagon. Do not talk about situations that are difficult to relate to; EMP blasts, revolutions, gun and food confiscation by the government, or any other unimaginable disaster situation. Confrontation is not the way to convince a female, at least not when it comes to such serious matters. Keep it simple by pointing out natural disasters that have been in the news lately. Ask her how she believes she would survive if a hurricane, tsunami, tornado, or ice storm would hit her neighborhood. How would she be able to care for her children when the stores are empty and the banks closed? What would she do if there was no power for two weeks or more?
Talking alone about the looming crisis is not going to do the trick. Confront her with proof, and ask her to participate in a simple training exercise. Turn of the electricity for an entire day, or ask her not to go grocery shopping for a week. She will soon realize that surviving without modern conveniences can be extremely tough. Point out facts, but do not go overboard. Pushing too hard can have an adverse reaction.
I was never really a girly-girl. For as long as I can remember, I have been interested in world politics, science, and how to improve myself. I am glad that I am aware of what goes on around me. However, I also envy those women booking appointments at the beauty parlor or spending hours at the mall to find that perfect dress or pair of pumps. It is probably not true that they have no care in the world, but that is how it seems to me. Would I want to trade? Absolutely not, because I will at least have a chance to survive if or when disaster strikes.

Letter Re: Hiding What is Mine

Dear JWR:

Like most of us I am storing food in preparation of something bad happening. I have some super pails along with regular grocery items as well as some freeze dried items. I have a pantry which has long since been over run with supplies, so I built a couple heavy duty cabinets in which to store my overflow. When the great SEE (Society Ending Event) comes about I am quite sure our government won’t just shrivel up and go away. Quite the opposite, they will go from house to house looking for stored supplies. If they come to my house and search they will rejoice in the cash of supplies they will retrieve from my family. Not to be selfish but these are my supplies that I made personal sacrifices to acquire. They Are Mine! What can I do? If I hide them in my attic the heat will destroy them in the summer and the cold could possibly freeze the can goods in the winter. Under the house is a decent place to hide my stores with an even temp year around, but who are we kidding… this location is difficult to get to and under most houses there isn’t a lot of crawl space. More importantly the men in the black suits will probity take a long and hard look under the house anyway. And what can You do if your house is built on a concrete slab?

I have read several articles about burying your supplies. I am ashamed to admit I currently have 65 pails in my supplies and more on the way. I have an old barn on my property and over the years I have given serious thought to tearing it down. I am so glad I didn’t. In my stall area I have dug a hole 4 X 8 that is four feet deep. I built a simple box from plywood. On the outside I sealed it with [asphalt emulsion] the same sealant used on the outside walls of a basement (this can be purchased at your local hardware store). This tar-like coating will protect moisture from reaching my stores for some time. I am able to store 63 buckets inside. When I am done I lay plastic over the lid and cover and conceal everything. If you don’t have a convent barn then a small metal shed will suffice as possible cover. I have plans to install a second one for my can goods which I will use old milk crates for easy storage and access of any can goods inside.
Cool! This idea has some merit… but if I don’t have an old bard or the space or even the time to build this vault what is another option? I have 5 gallon buckets buried around my place. With this the problem lies in finding your bucket later without digging up half the yard. One cool way to remember their location is take a photo of the exact spot with your kid or dog in the photo for subject matter. One minor problem is finding the exact spot again. While this is a good idea I have another thought, a map. I already hear your grumblings about this idea, if the men in the black suits find my map then they find my food. Not If It Is Coded.

I live in the sticks, I have a lagoon for my sewage needs. The county requires a fence built around this to keep unwanted animals out. I have numbered the corner post 1-4. On my “map” I write 1S (this tells me to go south from that post) 1S 65 + 2S 53. I measure from post 1 on the south side 65 feet. I also measure from post number 2 53 feet. Where these two points intersect there is my bucket. I also have color Gamma Seal lids for the buckets. Red is for dry goods like beans and rice and noodles etc all mixed together. This is enough food in each bucket for my family to eat on for a week. Yellow is used to store different types of can goods. and Green is for meat items like stew and ravioli etc. Blue is bullets. A typical entry for my ‘map’ would be R 1E 73 + 4E 25. From this I know what it buried in the bucket and the precise location of it as well. If I need more can goods I go to the yellow location and dig. Any reference point can be used as long as you remember the points, such as a flag pole and a mail box or the corner of your house. Use your imitation.
This won’t do you a lot of good if the whole neighborhood watches you dig these holes in your yard while you have your bucket siting next to you ready to place in the hole. I have a small 2×4 tee, this is the depth of the hole needed and how wide it needs to be. Once my hole is dug I can come back under the cover of darkness to place it in the hole and cover it up quickly and quietly. This needs to be done early enough in the spring to allow the grass to grow back over the top of this bucket. An easy place to put your ‘map’ is on the inside of the breaker box cover, if the map is discovered it is a bunch of meaningless numbers. I personally don’t store this info on my computer in the event of a power down situation. My stores are in a safe location from the elements and any one who wants to come and take them from me. Happy Digging.

In His Service, – WKR

Letter Re: Gabbs, Nevada as a Retreat Locale

James,  
I recently moved from Phoenix to a neat little remote town in North central Nevada about 7.5 hours north of Vegas and 3 hours west of Reno.   It is a survivalists dream,  sits in a approx 50 mile high desert valley about 4,500 foot elevation surrounded by mountains ranges that protect it from almost all adverse winter storms, etc.   The people are mostly mine workers and very old fashioned, level-headed types who enjoy being isolated and unregulated by the current trends elsewhere.  The area has hundreds of old forestry, mining locations most long since shutdown and forgotten, historic ghost  towns, and many Bureau of Land Management (BLM) areas, with abundant springs.  You can travel 30 to 75 miles in any direction from Gabbs and not see human habitation. There are several mine built homes in Gabbs, vacant and for sale, prices range range from a few thousand to approximately $35,000 on the high side, with water and electric service.  
 
We are inviting preppers to relocate to the area. Many longtime residents were preppers without knowing the word.  Your word and reputation are still King. This is a very tight community, but a like minded country attitude goes a long way here. There is a Mormon church and they provide open arms to all that respond.

I would like to make your readers aware of the town.  We have a post office, fire department and limited city services. But the area is a very viable location with little or no restrictions on housing, firearms, ATVs, camping, hunting,  and prepping are a way of life here.
 
Your friend in God. – John in Nevada (formerly John in Arizona)

Letter Re: Surviving Snowmageddon

James,

Regarding the recent piece Surviving Snowmageddon: The precursor to Seattle’s 2012 storm was the December 2008 Snowpocalypse. While the power outages weren’t as severe as 2012, the well-publicized driving conditions were nightmarish. [JWR Adds: Ditto for driving Seattle’s steep streets in 2010.]

The storm hit during a workday and dropped about two feet of snow across the Puget Sound region. Temps were in the teens, visibility was whiteout, and the snow remained on the ground at least 10 days – quite rare for these parts. People were totally unprepared, especially for the drive home. Freeway traffic was literally at a stand still by late afternoon. I-5 was a parking lot from south of Olympia all the way up through Everett (approx 100 mile stretch with Seattle in the middle). People were stranded on the freeways for hours – cars were running out of gas while people tried to keep warm. Accidents everywhere. It took my sister-in-law’s mother nine hours (9!) to drive from downtown Seattle to her home 15 miles south. My dad and I were working in Portland when the snow hit. As soon as we saw/heard of the traffic nightmare on I-5 we opted for a plan-B route. We headed east past The Dalles and crossed the river on Highway 97, made our way up through Yakima and Ellensburg, then up and over Snoqualmie pass on I-90. We added many miles to the trip but the lower traffic volume on the east side of the Cascades made for relatively easy driving. Ironically, the road conditions on the mountain passes were better than down in the metro area. Since Seattle might receive snow once per season, you can imagine how many snow plows are allocated to the metro area and the city of Seattle. Road conditions were bad, but it was the shear volume of traffic that simultaneously descended upon the freeways (and the poorly experienced snow drivers) that made for the nightmare. Snowpocalypse illustrated the problems with trying to bug out of Seattle in the eleventh hour. 

Seattle is also hilly. Except for the major river valleys, the entire region from the Sound east to the Cascades is a series of gradually rising foothills and plateaus. This means that when it does snow those without a capable vehicle are stranded. By the next morning there were cars abandoned everywhere, especially at and around the bottom of hills. I can remember driving (comfortably, in my 4×4) up the hill to my parents house, weaving through a maze of cars that had been left smack in the middle of the road (did I mention their bad snow driving?) The only boon was that after a couple days the roads were pretty deserted and you could drive around like it was Mad Max. The interesting observation here is that the snow lasted long enough that gas stations on the tops of hills experienced gas shortages – the trucks couldn’t make it up the unplowed hills. 

Finally, the whole situation was amplified by the City of Seattle/DOT bureaucrats and their miles of red tape. City residents, for example, weren’t allowed to plow their own streets – they had to wait for the City. Most neighborhoods were never plowed. In another brilliant move, the City decided not to clear the roads (the roads they did plow) all the way down to the road surface (to avoid damage), and left behind a solid sheet of hardpack (remember the hills?). Even better, the City decided not to salt the roads (ecological concerns of course) and instead simply sand. When then mayor Greg Nickels gave the City’s response to the storm a “B” grade, people were angry. The whole fiasco likely cost Nickels his job in the next election cycle, but it took a major crisis that directly affected their well being before voters came out of their coma to recognize bureaucratic buffoonery for what is was. 

Fortunately my family is used to this kind of thing and was thus mostly unaffected, and I have a nice photo of my wife and I cross country skiing down the neighborhood street to remember it by. – L.D.N. in Bellevue, Washington

Economics and Investing:

Notice the lack of large bumps in the American Redoubt on this zoomable population density map? (Thanks to Craig S. for the link.)

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Wyoming legislators lay down welcoming mat for Colorado gun-accessory maker.

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In his characteristic writing style, Montana veterinarian and state legislator Krayton Kerns bemoans the nationwide .22 LR ammo drought: Without a Shot

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Some Idaho legislative news, courtesy of reader RBS: Idaho Lawmakers Want More Information Before Exempting Pocket Knives as Concealed Weapons. And: Ada County Sheriff Raney’s Idaho gun legislation forum. Also in Idaho: Lawmaker: Make all Idaho adults militia members. And: Senate panel to weigh bill on gun silencers

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Montana Anti-NDAA Bill Moves to Senate With 98-0 Vote. (Thanks to James C. for the link.)