Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug-out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those — or excerpts thereof — in the Odds ‘n Sods Column or in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

We’\re nearing what I call the “Contented” part of the Fall season here at the Rawles Ranch.  The garden and orchard harvesting is done. The hay is in the barn. The stove wood and kindling are safe and dry in the woodshed. The pace of life has dropped from frantic, to just mildly busy. This week, I slaughtered, skinned, and butchered a 7-year-old ewe that could no longer produce milk. I also have about twenty aged-out hens to butcher, but there is no rush. I can wait for a cool, sunny day. There will surely be another short burst of activity for deer and elk season. But until then, we can appreciate the Fall colors and feel content.  We feel ready for winter.

I helped one of our sons relocate from one apartment to another apartment in a different city, using our horse trailer to move the furniture. I took that opportunity to empty, vacuum, and reorganize the Tack Room section of the trailer. This turned out to be a bit of an archaeology expedition. I found some things that I hadn’t seen in years. For example: Buried under a bunch of assorted tack, I found some riding boots that were sized for our daughters when they were less than 12 years old!

This week Lily and I harvested the honey from our two unoccupied hives. We got a lot more honey than one may usually harvest, because both hives had swarmed and “flown the coop.”  Both of the hives had Supers. We ran all of the frames through our big Dadant brand hand-crank centrifugal honey extractor. It can hold four frames at a time. Lily will give you some details on the logistics, and the yield. It was a sticky but very fun project that had me quoting Winnie The Pooh. When some honey escaped to drip a foot-wide puddle onto our stove hearth, I of course said: “Oh Bother!”

Now, Lily’s part of the report…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.

But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

Then I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one on this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the bank of the river.

And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?

And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.

And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?

And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.” – Daniel 12:1-9 (KJV) 

Preparedness Notes for Friday — October 24, 2025

On October 24, 1836, the earliest American patent was issued for a phosphorus friction match to Alonzo Dwight Phillips of Springfield, Massachusetts

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October 24th is the anniversary of the firing squad execution of Norwegian traitor Vidkun Quisling, in 1945. His ignominious place in history was to have his surname become a noun. “Quisling” is now a moniker synonymous with treason and alliance with an invading army.

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And on October 24, 1946, a camera on board the V-2 No. 13 rocket launched from White Sands, New Mexico captured the first photograph of Earth from outer space.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 121 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  2. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  3. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  4. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $350 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from TOUGHGRID.com (a $287 value).
  3. Preparedness author Jennifer Rader is offering a $200 purchase credit for any of her eight published food storage and medical preparedness books, including the Good Eats at the TEOTWAWKI Café series, the Armageddon Pharmacy series, and the Medicine Surrounds Us series.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

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More than $970,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 121 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

Loaves, Fishes, Tree Bark, Seeds, and Knowledge – Part 5, by The Chemical Engineer

(Continued from Part 4.)

3 – Growing Food When Lives Depend On It

In addition to industrial-scale emergency forging, growing food should be started ASAP by the local community after most T2Es.This is the 2nd Tactic. 2nd Tactic: As early as possible in an emergency start a neighborhood/community-wide food growing effort that aims to swiftly create a calorie surplus. The calorie density and volume of garden/farm crops is much higher than most foraged food sources. As mentioned earlier, if we do not have sufficient local water resources don’t try this. We will fail. Crops need lots of water to grow and if our water comes from too far away or too deep below( requiring electric pumps) then we can no longer grow adequate amounts of food in our area. As was mentioned before, if a T2E happens and we don’t have abundant water resources, relocating to a place that does is one of our highest priorities.

If the emergency happens outside of our normal growing season we still have options. There is plenty that can be done to start growing food faster. In the following growing section, I will mention several resources and methods that could be used to build emergency greenhouses for growing food outside of normal growing seasons. Our modern resources might be based on a fragile foundation but our lives are filled with modern, everyday, wonder materials that can creatively be repurposed in an emergency to save our lives. Every growing idea below will focus on speed and repurposing existing resources to feed as many people as possible. An event like this will require a full-court press and a “no-huddle offense” level of effort to have a chance at getting food to people’s tables in time to save lives.Continue reading“Loaves, Fishes, Tree Bark, Seeds, and Knowledge – Part 5, by The Chemical Engineer”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

A Special Editor’s Note:  This will be the last regular Economics & Investing For Preppers news column.  Because so many news outlets have put their content behind paywalls, it has become increasingly difficult to assemble this column.  It will be replaced by a new weekly item: Economics & Investing Media of the Week.  That will typically be photos, video links, or the occasional news item.

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Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, another look at stockpiling nickels. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

The gold-hating editors of MSN report: Gold is suffering its worst drop in 12 years: Billionaire investor and ‘bond king’ Bill Gross thinks the top may be in. JWR Asks: How many economists and investing moguls did they have to contact before they could find one who agreed with their anti-gold narrative?

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Bloomberg Notes India Just Broke the Silver Market. JWR’s Comment: Empty silver warehouses? The Law of Supply and Demand dictates…

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Why Precious Metals Soared in October.

Economy & Finance:

Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Amazon Plans to Replace More Than Half a Million Jobs With Robots.

o  o  o

From the globalist/socialist IMF: Global Economy in Flux, Prospects Remain Dim.

o  o  o

An Epoch Times piece, by way of Zero Hedge: The Gold And Silver Boom Is Ominous. Here is a quote:

“For all the world, this feels like a flight to the real. Central banks want gold and silver. Large investors. Heavily leveraged brokers. Huge institutions. Regular consumers. Everyone is grabbing as much of the stuff as possible right now.

Will there be a correction? Maybe. But this is truly worrisome. It reveals a lack of confidence in our fiat world.

The data right now seems to back up a genuine cause for worry. Inflation nearly disappeared completely once Trump took office. It happened without explanation. Maybe it was a reflection of optimism by business that they could eat more of the increased wholesale costs because big profits were headed their way.”

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Who ever hears of fat men heading a riot, or herding together in turbulent mobs? No – no, your lean, hungry men who are continually worrying society, and setting the whole community by the ears.” – Washington Irving

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — October 23, 2025

October 23, 1813: The Pacific Fur Company trading post in Astoria, Oregon was turned over to the rival British North West Company. The lucrative fur trade in the Pacific Northwest was dominated for the next three decades by the United Kingdom.

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October 23, 1970: Gary Gabelich set an auto speed record of 622.4 mph (1,001 km/h).

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Today, we also remember the 220 Marines, 18 U.S. Navy Sailors, and three U.S. Army Soldiers who died on this day in 1983 when terrorists attacked the Beruit Barracks.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 121 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  2. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  3. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  4. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $350 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from TOUGHGRID.com (a $287 value).
  3. Preparedness author Jennifer Rader is offering a $200 purchase credit for any of her eight published food storage and medical preparedness books, including the Good Eats at the TEOTWAWKI Café series, the Armageddon Pharmacy series, and the Medicine Surrounds Us series.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $970,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 121 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

Loaves, Fishes, Tree Bark, Seeds, and Knowledge – Part 4, by The Chemical Engineer

(Continued from Part 3.)

2.5 – Options For Using Local Cambium Resources

If we have prepared beforehand to harvest tree cambium and a Type 2 Emergency (T2E) happens, we will have three main choices to consider in my view. I encourage you to make this decision prayerfully and with your group’s best judgment. Every choice in a disaster is a set of trade-offs with no perfect solutions. If we actively try and help our neighbors early there is no doubt that this will reduce early suffering for some and could lead to ongoing beneficial cooperation. If more people are pulling together to produce valuable resources there will be less community desperation and there is the possibility to create a large calorie bridge to reach the next growing seasons calories. We might also create bonds of loyalty and trust with more people making it easier to rebuild after the disaster.

There are also some major risks. They include potentially exposing our groups as a resource target, if more people survive than the brutal math is that a community’s limited resources will not last as long, and if the cambium harvesting operation is not sufficient to create a calorie bridge, the process will fall apart leaving resentment and maybe even new personal enemies. We could lose our heads because we stuck our necks out as the saying goes. Our family members could be exposed to violence, starvation, or worse because we decided to publicly cooperate with our neighbors after an emergency. Please consider the risks and rewards.Continue reading“Loaves, Fishes, Tree Bark, Seeds, and Knowledge – Part 4, by The Chemical Engineer”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from JWR. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. In today’s column, we look at the expected La Niña weather pattern.

La Niña: Severe Weather and Rip Tides Ahead

Over at Newsweek: Warnings issued for nearly entire US West Coast. An excerpt:

“The widespread weather alerts come a few days in advance of an atmospheric river that’s expected to hit the Pacific Northwest later this week. The current conditions are not caused by the atmospheric river, NWS meteorologist Timothy Daldrup told Newsweek, but both weather events are resulting from strong, westerly flow. The marine impacts are due to steady winds, which cause waves to build and travel across the ocean, prompting coastline alerts.“

Trump Warns: Social Security, Medicare are at Risk

Social Security, Medicare are “going to be gone,” Donald Trump warns. (A hat tip to H.L. for the link.)

Glock Discontinues Dozens of Pistol Models

Reader Pat A sent this: Glock Discontinues Dozens of Pistol Models Amid “Switch” Controversy and Market Shift. JWR’s Comments:  This will be a very costly retooling for Glock. But, because the U.S. is Glock’s biggest market, and California tends to drive legislative trends, it seems unavoidable.  It might be worthwhile to stack a few “Pre-X” Glock Model 17 pistols in the back of your vault, as an investment.  For the greatest versatility and greatest compatibility with clone parts, I recommend that any such investment Glocks be Gen 3 models.  (Most of the clone parts interchange with Gen 3 pistol parts.)

Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — October 22, 2025

On October 22, 1836, Sam Houston was inaugurated as the first elected President of the Republic of Texas.

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On October 22, 1934, infamous criminal Charles (“Pretty Boy”) Floyd was fatally shot in a field near East Liverpool, Ohio, by FBI agents.

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On October 22, 1797, André-Jacques Garnerin, an inspector in the French army who encouraged the use of balloons for military purposes, made a balloon ascent in order to give his first exhibition of parachuting, when he jumped from a height of about 3,200 feet (1,000 meters).

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And today is the birthday of painter and book illustrator N.C. Wyeth (1882–1945).

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 121 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  2. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  3. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  4. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $350 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from TOUGHGRID.com (a $287 value).
  3. Preparedness author Jennifer Rader is offering a $200 purchase credit for any of her eight published food storage and medical preparedness books, including the Good Eats at the TEOTWAWKI Café series, the Armageddon Pharmacy series, and the Medicine Surrounds Us series.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $970,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 121 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

Loaves, Fishes, Tree Bark, Seeds, and Knowledge – Part 3, by The Chemical Engineer

(Continued from Part 2.)

2.3 – Finding Edible Cambium Locally And Harvesting It

If we live in an area with a sufficient number of trees, the next step would be to find out which ones have edible cambium. To accomplish this I recommend two sources. First, you would need to buy the National Audubon Society’s book titled Trees of North America or something equivalent. Here are two free sources that just have tree maps: Tree Map Link 1 and Tree Map Link 2. I am referring to the 2021 edition of Trees of North America in my following statements. This book has great maps that show which trees populate particular areas in North America. Each page has information on one tree. It also has great photos and descriptions to help identify the trees.

The second source is the Plants for a Future (PFAF) website. This is a free site that has great information on which trees and plants have edible portions and the sources for this information. Here is how I used these two sources together. In the Trees of North America book I went from page to page and found trees on the maps that are common in a 50-100 mile radius from where I live. Then I would take the scientific tree name and type it into the PFAF website search bar. Then I checked if it has an edible cambium layer and any other edible parts. For example, pine nuts from most pine trees. I wrote what I found in my Trees of North America book for trees with and without edible parts. If it was not listed as edible I mark it as poisonous to be safe. I added my notes to both the tree page and in the index for easy reference. I also saved the PFAF page as a PDF and printed it to have a hard copy.Continue reading“Loaves, Fishes, Tree Bark, Seeds, and Knowledge – Part 3, by The Chemical Engineer”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

Our weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.

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Europe, Ukraine prepare 12-point proposal to end Russia’s war.

o  o  o

Taliban and Pakistan agree to ceasefire after days of deadly clashes.

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Where Does the Israel-Hamas Cease-Fire Stand? Amid Accusations of Violations, Here’s What to Know.

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“AppComms” — one of our recent writing contest prize winners — wrote:

“Jennifer Rader’s books have been delivered, and they are amazing. The information provided is well-thought-out and delivered in a very understandable way. I highly recommend these to my prepping neighbors and associates. Thank you, Jennifer, and to James Rawles for hosting the writing contest.”

o  o  o

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“If we allow responsible management of our forests and end the nonsense litigation from radical environmental groups, we can get our timber mills up and running, reduce the risk of wildfires, and ensure healthier forests and cleaner air.” – Matt Rosendale

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — October 21, 2025

On October 21, 1520, Explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his fleet reached Cape Virgenes after transiting the Strait of Magellan between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, thus becoming the first Europeans to sail into the Pacific.

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October 21, 1803: English scientist John Dalton read his paper “On the Absorption of Gases by Water and Other Liquids” to the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society. This was the first outline of his landmark atomic theory.

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And on October 21, 1915: The first transatlantic radiotelephone message was transmitted from Arlington, Virginia, to Paris.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 121 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  2. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  3. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  4. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $350 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from TOUGHGRID.com (a $287 value).
  3. Preparedness author Jennifer Rader is offering a $200 purchase credit for any of her eight published food storage and medical preparedness books, including the Good Eats at the TEOTWAWKI Café series, the Armageddon Pharmacy series, and the Medicine Surrounds Us series.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $970,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 121 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.