Preparedness Notes for Sunday — March 19, 2023

On March 19, 1982, 50 Argentines landed on South Georgia in the Falkland Islands to plant the Argentine flag. They renamed the islands The Malvinas. This precipitated the Argentine army invasion on April 2nd. Despite some significant naval losses and dreadful weather, British Marines re-took the island on April 25th in a well-coordinated ground campaign.  The photo above shows some of the captured Argentine soldiers, at the end of the war.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 105 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

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

Second Prize:

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

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $800,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 105 ends on March 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.

 

On Growing Older – Part 3, by A.E.

(Continued from Part 2. This concludes the article.)

Adding families into the social mix of the hunting group made socializing more complex. Basically it meant there were three levels: the men who could and did get along, the women who might get along, and the kids who would usually get along with a little parental supervision. There were exceptions. There was the woman who I’m sure had vinegar instead of blood in her veins, another woman looked for things to complain about and make an issue of, and the woman who would drag a hapless family member into their tent to change clothes if there was a spot on the shirt, a mud dab on a pant leg. (she ran out of clean clothes for the family in two days of camping and she was miserable the entire time.)

The kids could be a flash point with the most easygoing of people: “Well, my kid would never do that!” There was the kid that would steal anything, whether needed or not. Then there was the kid that liked to torment and pick on other kids(in this instance it was a girl) and again we heard “well she would never do that, they must have done something!” At the best of times, kids can be great on a camping trip; at the worst of times they can turn the great outdoors into something out of Dante’s Inferno.Continue reading“On Growing Older – Part 3, by A.E.”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR:

Meme Text:

Joe Biden Just Had a Brilliant Idea For Solving Two Problems At Once:

Issuing Blanket Pardons and Then Hiring Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) as CEO of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB)

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.

Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.

Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.

Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.

He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;

I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.

Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” – Revelation 3:1-13 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — March 18, 2023

On March 18, 1837, Grover Cleveland, was born. He was the only U.S. president to serve two discontinuous terms (1885–89 and 1893–97).

March 18th is the birthday of novelist John Updike. (He was born in 1932 and died in 2009.)

It is also the birthday of Luc Besson, director and producer of films such as Nikita and The Fifth Element. He was born in 1959.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 105 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

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

Second Prize:

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

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $800,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 105 ends on March 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.

On Growing Older – Part 2, by A.E.

(Continued from Part 1.)

It hasn’t been until recently that I would have called myself a prepper, it was just something that our family always did. My family lived through the blizzard of 1948 in Wyoming because my mother always kept a months worth of food in the trailer house. Between that and harvesting deer, antelope and a couple of cows that froze to death standing up during the blizzard, the families associated with us, part of an oil drilling crew, fared reasonably well. (Yes, my dad did pay the rancher for the beef. The rancher lost over 200 head to the blizzard.)

The trailer families used blow torches on the home heating oil tanks used with the furnaces in the house trailers. It wasn’t that the fuel froze, but it did gel at really low temperatures and refuse to flow. The only running vehicle they had was a military surplus jeep.

It wasn’t until I got married that I started to plan ahead for lean times. At first, it was a 35-gallon drum with flour, sugar, salt, and rice in it and a freezer with a quarter of beef. The quarter of beef I bought from a small local grocery/meat market. The man that ran the grocery also educated me on groceries in general. After several conversations over coffee, I was able to buy case lots at a discount from him, learn what loss leaders were, when stores have special sales with cutthroat pricing, and in general how to effectively protect my family from going hungry and do it cheaply. Both the beef and the service were excellent.Continue reading“On Growing Older – Part 2, by A.E.”

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:

Our first two lambs of 2023 arrived this week — one ewe lamb and one ram lamb. Both moms and the lambs are doing well.  We are temporarily keeping them jugged up in our small livestock shed, away from the rest of the flock.

Now, Lily’s report…Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves.

Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength.

Yet heard I the voice of his words: and when I heard the voice of his words, then was I in a deep sleep on my face, and my face toward the ground.

And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands.

And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling.

Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.

But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.

Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.

And when he had spoken such words unto me, I set my face toward the ground, and I became dumb.

And, behold, one like the similitude of the sons of men touched my lips: then I opened my mouth, and spake, and said unto him that stood before me, O my lord, by the vision my sorrows are turned upon me, and I have retained no strength.

For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord? for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me.

Then there came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me,

And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me.

Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come.

But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.” – Daniel 10:7-21 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — March 17, 2023

March 17th is the birthday of Józef Franczak (born 1917, died 21 October 1963), who was a Polish Army Corporal who fought in the World War II resistance against the invading Germans. He then carried on after the war, to fight against the occupying Soviets and their Polish communist stooges. Eventually, he was one of the last of the Cursed Soldiers resistance in Poland. His nom de guerre was Lalek.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 105 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

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

Second Prize:

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

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $800,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 105 ends on March 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.

On Growing Older – Part 1, by A.E.

I am growing older and have celebrated the birthdays to prove it. Note that I am not calling myself old…It is too easy to convince yourself that you shouldn’t do something because you are old. No excuses, but there are limits. Instead, I continue to make my to do lists and push forward as best I can, testing my limits and recognizing that the joints are stiffer, the muscles weaker and the stamina slipping. There is no avoiding the slow march of time and the effects on the human body. The most we can hope for is to slow it down.

I am better off than most of my peers, and I attribute that to good genes, walking like I have a destination, and also to my chiropractor. In my early years he suggested that I join a health club, lifting weights and riding the bike to equalize my stresses and strengths since we will normally use or overuse one side of the body. The right side of my body, being my dominant side, was developed much more than the left and that caused stresses and pains that most of the time I just ignored. I still follow his advice even thoough, and  I haven’t worked construction in many years.

Now in my 80s, I have thick bone density and blood pressure is 129/79 and a resting pulse of 62. Not trying to brag, a lot of that is due to the walking and regularly visiting health clubs — right up until the Covid problem. If nothing else, walk, ride a stationary or regular bike, swim…If you can’t do any of that, then paddle your feet while sitting, do arm curls with a couple cans of beans in a plastic shopping bag. Anything to get the blood circulating better than when acting as a stationary lump. Move, or something will catch up.Continue reading“On Growing Older – Part 1, by A.E.”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. Most of these items are from JWR’s “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective. Today, we look at the Federal Government’s rising cost of interest to carry the National Debt. (See the Economy & Finance section.)

Precious Metals:

Biggest bank failure since 2008 drives gold sentiment higher, could hit $1,900 next week.

o  o  o

At Gold-Eagle.com: Gold Forecast – Spreading Bank Failures Could Send Gold Soaring.

Economy & Finance:

A “must watch” interview: Jim Millstein on Restructuring Market, Fed, Debt Limit. JWR’s Comments: Following his soft-pedaling of the gravity of the situation, don’t miss Jim Millstein’s warnings on the impact of higher interest rates on the $31 trillion national debt, starting at the 2:45 mark. Just extrapolate the Treasury Department’s annual cost of borrowing if interest rates go back up to 21%, like they did, in 1980.

o  o  o

Reported Thursday morning: First Republic Extends Plunge as Bank Said to Weigh Options.

o  o  o

Voila! Reported Thursday afternoon: Big Banks Agree To Historic $30 Billion Unsecured Deposit Injection In First Republic Bank.

o  o  o

SVB’s rescue means the Fed won’t hike rates in March, says Goldman Sachs. JWR’s Comments: Here is the Fed’s de facto pivot back toward a loose money policy that I warned about. Be prepared for more inflation, folks!

o  o  o

CNBC reported this on Thursday: First Republic falls 30% as regional bank stocks continue to sink.

o  o  o

More rate hikes are needed, says Fed’s Mary Daly.

o  o  o

At Zero Hedge: Beige Book Finds Drop In Inflation Concerns, Expectations For Continued Price, Wage Moderation.

o  o  o

Bridgewater raises over $800m for new ‘Defensive Alpha’ strategy.

o  o  o

Brandon Smith: Get Woke, Go Broke? It’s Time To Talk About SVB’s Ties To The World Economic Forum.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Where, then, is the warrant for the constantly proposed extensions of legislative action?… In a large class of cases, government measures do not remedy the evils they aim at… in another large class, they make these evils worse instead of remedying them… in a third large class, while curing some evils they entail others, and often greater ones; if… public action is continually outdone in efficiency by private action; and if… private action is obliged to make up for the shortcomings of public action… what reason is there for wishing more public administrations? The advocates of such may claim credit for philanthropy, but not for wisdom; unless wisdom is shown by disregarding experience.” – Herbert Spencer

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — March 16, 2023

A Special Note From JWR to SurvivalBlog Readers:  The Credit Suisse collapse has many analysts predicting a general credit market collapse in Europe. The sticking point, at least at the outset of this mess, will be Credit Default Swaps (CDSes.) Those are derivative contracts. The counterparty risk for banks, trading partners, and customers engaged with Credit Suisse is now off the charts. But that may be the case with the majority of European banks, within a few days. (BNP-Parabas, HSBC, Barclays, Société Générale SA, Banco Santander, Deutsche Bank, Lloyds Banking Group PLC, ING Bank, Standard Chartered, UBS, Rabobank, Commerzbank, Svenska Handelsbanken, Bayerische Landesbank, et cetera.)

I don’t want to sound panicky, but as my old friend Bob Griswold is fond of saying:  “Panic early, and beat the rush.” So… If there are any clear signs in the next few days that the European credit market contagion is spreading to the United States, then you should assume that U.S. banks will be put on an enforced “holiday” — and close their doors, disable online banking, and shut down ATMs. Therefore, you should phone in a “personal day off” (or two) and do the following, ASAP:

1.) Pray hard, and pray often.

2.) Withdraw some cash from your bank.  You’ll need enough greenback cash to pay for two or three months of your regular bills — gas, groceries, utilities, and rent/mortgage. (Even if those bills are presently paid via automatic transfers from your checking account.)  If your bank refuses to give you more than a small amount of cash, then ask for a cashier’s check payable to the name of your local precious metals dealer.  You can work out the details of how you’ll spend that after you leave the bank.

3.) Buy some more precious metals, preferably “small silver”.  (Pre-1965 circulates U.S. “junk” silver and 1/2-ounce and 1-ounce silver coin — either generic silver rounds or U.S. Mint American Eagles.)

4.) Top off your fuel storage cans/tanks and top off your vehicle fuel tanks.

5.) Top off your pantry.

6.) Buy a six-month supply of any medications that you need for chronic health conditions — even if you have to pay cash to do so.  (Most insurance prescription drug plans have 30-, 60-, or 90-day supply limits, to qualify for reimbursement.)

7.) Bring home all of the contents of your bank safe deposit box. (There will be no access to those boxes, if there is a bank holiday.)

8.) Contact your local power, phone, cellular phone, Internet, water, and gas/propane utilities, and ask if you can pre-pay the equivalent of the next three months of your expected bills, and have them hold that as a credit on your account. If they are agreeable, then do so!

9.) Make contingency plans to activate your rural retreat, if you have one. Hints: U-Haul and Ryder rental trucks and trailers will get snapped up, quickly. And if you were “planning to”, but have been holding off on buying a cargo trailer or utility trailer, then go ahead and buy it, today.

10.) If you’ve loaned any of your tools or camping gear to friends or neighbors, then make retrieving them a priority.

11.) Identify precious metals dealers and pawn shops in your region that accept payment via credit card.

12.) Start networking with relatives, neighbors, and trusted friends, and work through some “what if” scenarios. I’ve been warning you for many years: “Stock up, team up, and train up.”

13.) Sell any individual stocks or mutual funds that are not recession-proof.

14.) If you depend on an outside supply of coal, home heating oil, or firewood to heat your home or retreat then buy it early, for next winter. Read: tomorrow.

15.) Pray some more. Fervently. Pray for God’s guidance, providence, protection, and a place of hiding.

Again, the aforementioned suggested action items are applicable only if there are clear signs in the next few days that the European credit market contagion is spreading to the United States.

Update, Thursday AM:  Was a contagious credit crisis averted? Headline:  Credit Suisse shares are booming after Swiss central bank backs it with $54 billion loan. (Note that this video segment was posted at 2:30 AM.   Looks like “Crisis Mode”, to me.)

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 105 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

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

Second Prize:

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

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $800,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 105 ends on March 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.

Finding, Buying, and Improving My Bugout Location – Part 3, by Greg X.

(Continued from Part 2.  This concludes the article.)

I purchased the property in the winter out of a bankruptcy for a good price. This left me with some money to invest, but I plan to do as much of the repair work as I can. This may take longer than contractors (who are hard to find too) but I also don’t want to appear too wealthy to the neighbors. This is the Grey Man approach.

I’ll use the neighbors to source inexpensive local materials and contractors for work beyond my skill set, safety, or time to invest. For example, I was looking at tractors and talking with the dealership manager. He told me about a good source for locally produced tongue and groove flooring. A neighbor told me a good place to buy a culvert pipe. I had a friend who recommended a contractor who recommended a roofer that he uses that I hired (though the roofer was about 5 months backed up). A neighbor had a relative who hauled in a load of gravel for the road at a good price.

People want to be helpful. At least one of the neighbors has some carpentry and construction skills so I’m considering hiring him for some of the work, or to teach me what I don’t know. He also has access to a skid loader that could be used to fill in some holes on the property. I’ve been spending considerable time getting to know my neighbors and becoming part of the community to the best extent possible as an absentee owner.

For the land, I started a couple compost piles to produce compost to rebuild the soil for a garden. I’m researching where to put the garden based on soil conditions and moisture. A neighbor offered me bedding hay and cow manure to fertilize the garden. I want to expand the forest into the edges of the hayfields, especially where the grass isn’t growing thickly. I’ve been talking with a friend from work who has been reforesting his family farm for about 20 years for tips and best practices.Continue reading“Finding, Buying, and Improving My Bugout Location – Part 3, by Greg X.”