My Gardening Journey, by Mr. Black Thumb Turned Green

Planting a garden is a sure way to find out about yourself.  Are you impatient and reckless?  Are you detail-oriented and methodical?  If you haven’t figured it out yet, you will when you till up some soil.  Three years ago at this time, I hadn’t ever planted a garden.  The last time I was even in a garden was when I was 10 years old at my grandma’s house many seasons ago.  I found out that year that I didn’t like gardening as my experience with it was mostly weeding.  Sure, I got to eat some carrots or turnips out of that garden, but they sure weren’t worth all the time spent scorching in the sun crawling around in the dirt.  Looking back, I should have learned all I could from my grandma about gardening—right or wrong. 

Many years later I began to enjoy cooking and one thing I learned was, if you had some quality spices, you could take some mediocre food and make it really good.  I would plant an herb garden!  But as often is the case, the best laid plans…  I never did plant an herb garden, but a few years ago I decided it was time to try my hand at growing my own food. 
What prompted me to start this journey?  A lot of things really.  One, I thought it was a good outdoor activity for me and my family.  I want my kids growing up doing outdoor activities that are productive to them and beneficial later in their lives, not wasting time with video games and television like I did as a child.  Each year I look forward to more of their contributions in the garden—even a two year old can help by retrieving something for me while I work. 

Another reason to plant a garden was the economy.  Things aren’t getting any better out there.  I could save a bundle by growing a lot of things myself.  I was without work for almost a year and the garden really helped out a lot during that time.  And, if things get really ugly, it will help me feed my family or possibly help others by teaching them what I have learned. 

However, the biggest reason for me to start a garden was that I know what is in a lot of the food we buy in grocery stores.  One of my hobbies is fitness and nutrition and when it comes to nutrition, ignorance is bliss.  If you knew exactly what it was you were eating, you may not eat that particular item ever again.  Not only is processed food terrible for you from a macronutrient standpoint, but the chemicals and processes used to create it are downright evil.  We have an epidemic in this country with fat children and diabetes.  I wonder if it is because everything has corn syrup in it…  There isn’t enough money in Obamacare to fix all of the problems these kids are going to have down the line.  My rule is, the further away the final product is from its initial state (the more processed it is), the less I want to eat it. 

The first year I wanted to start a garden I didn’t really know what I was doing.  Fortunately, I had a good friend that was an expert in gardening and he had recently moved into a condo, so he had no space to garden himself.  He gladly showed me the ropes.  He ordered seeds for me and even started them in planters.  After laying out the plot, we used a sod cutter to remove what we could and then tilled the mostly clay soil with some peat moss, chicken droppings, bone meal and blood meal.  I rented a big 8.5 horsepower tiller since it was the first time the soil had been disturbed and the clay made for a real mess.  I put in the contractors edging (deeper than standard edging) around the garden to keep the burrowing pests out.  Then I put up some wooden posts and a plastic fencing.  After smoothing soil, we planted a raised bed down the middle and a few mounds for the vine vegetables. 

I watered ever day waiting for some green sprouts to pop out of the ground.  When they did I was like a kid in a candy store.  I was amazed that you could take a tiny seed, put it into the earth, water it and watch as God made a plant emerge from the dirt.  Sure, I had to weed plenty—I did it every day in the morning before work.  And I had to check the broccoli leaves for green cabbage worms twice daily.  These worms were tiny but had ravenous appetites.  They would wreak havoc later on if not eliminated immediately.  I even started a compost pile and religiously put every appropriate scrap, no matter how small in the pile. 

The harvest was amazing.  I remember that first spinach salad.  What was that funny taste?  I don’t use any chemicals so it couldn’t be that.  I triple washed it, so it couldn’t be dirt.  Then we figured it out—it was the lack of any kind of processing.  No sprays applied by the harvester or at the grocery store to keep it looking fresh.  The funny taste was nothing at all. It was natural food.  It’s what spinach should taste like.  I was amazed.  And hooked.  That summer we ate like kings.  We canned dozens of jars of tomatoes, froze a years supply of shredded zucchinis and peppers and ate enough salad to feed a herd of cattle.  As fall came and went, I looked forward to the next growing season.  I remember feeling a tinge of depression as my green slice of paradise, dried up and blew away with the winter wind.  I also learned that using wood posts was a fools errant—they mostly rotted out and the plastic fencing was eaten through by varmints. 

I planned the next season’s garden and ordered my seeds.  This time, I would attempt to do my own “starts” and I would expand my garden size.  This turned out to be a season of learning and errors.  The first error was that I waited until the spring to till the soil.  I am sure the worms weren’t too happy about it.  The next group of errors centers around my potted plant starters.  Since I left heat pad on them after they sprouted, they become gangly and moved towards the sun.  I wasn’t smart enough to remember my 6th grade biology class and rotate the plants so they wouldn’t be at a 45° angle from the ground. 

Another mistake I made was not using fish emulsion to feed the plants the proper nutrients—they were not very green and the stems were not thick at all.  When I transferred the starts to bigger pots, I suddenly became economical and decided not to fill the new pots to the top with dirt.  That was brilliant as I shrunk the available space for the roots to grow—this was not helpful for making the plants stronger.  Not sufficiently hardening the plants to outdoor conditions before planting was another blunder.  I put them out for a few hours each day, but should have kept them out a lot longer.  Maybe start with an hour or two and by the end of the week keep them out there during all daylight hours.  Finally, when I went to plan the starts in the ground, I failed to wet the pots beforehand and likely damaged some of the roots when I transplanted them into the garden. 

After a particularly windy night, almost all of my tomatoes and my eggplant and broccoli were wiped out.  I had to do the unthinkable—go to Lowe’s to buy my plants.  I was amazed at the difference between their thick stemmed plants and the spindly “weeds” I had planted.  The new plants took off and things seemed to be going well.  But then more problems arose.  This gardening was tough!

I had used a section of the garden as the dumping ground for bad produce or produce that had fallen off and started to rot.  I just piled it up the summer before and then it got tiled under that spring.  Well, I was answering for that mistake now.  Volunteers started popping up all over the garden.  At first I didn’t know what I had, but over time, dozens of tomato and other plants were everywhere.  I also had a lot of weeds that I didn’t have the previous season and didn’t recognize at all.  My curiosity got the better of me on this one and I learned that anything that isn’t planted by me needed to go—they basically ruined my raised bed.  I must have had five or six dozen tomato volunteers.  As a side note, a friend of mine didn’t have a chance to plan anything so he took 4 of the volunteers and they produced well for him!  I suppose in certain situations, I could sell the volunteers to people that needed them for food, but as long as my garden is just for me, I will not let them grow in the future.  It was interesting that hybrid seeds from one season’s vegetables produced actual usable vegetables the next season. 

Some of the other lessons I learned, include: 
1)      My red onions did poorly—they need more sun and were partially shaded.  I need to move them to a north side of the garden.
2)      I need to stake my pepper plants immediately after planting.  It seems every year there is a wind storm that ruins some plants and we are in an area that has no shield from wind.
3)      I need to kill the grass on the outside of the edging to protect the onions and other “weaker crops.”  The grass is mixing in with the onions and taking away nutrients and water from them.   My onions seem to get a lot of their water from the surface, so they don’t have deep roots. 
4)     
I need to strengthen my chicken cage fence around my garden with a few more posts. 
5)      Here’s an obvious one—I can’t have a tall plant, like tomatoes near my underground sprinkler head in the garden.  The tall plant blocks the water flow and prevents other things from getting watered later in the season.  Plus it gets soaked and over watered as it is basically blocking the water flow. 

This was a hard season of learning, but I still managed a healthy crop of produce and even increased my volume on a few vegetables.  Most importantly, I have acquired a “book of knowledge” which I can use to help me not repeat the same mistakes this season again.  I’ve noticed that as the summer goes on, I get a bit lazy and don’t weed as diligently as I do early on.  Also, I need to plant a second crop of vegetables later in the spring to have a late summer crop and a third planting in the summer to have a fall crop.  I might as well squeeze every calorie out the garden that I can! 

As I desire to become more self-sufficient with my food, I also planted four fruit trees, some garlic, some blueberries and a few other things.  I plan on expanding that more with an herb garden and possibly a raspberry patch in the next season.  I will also enlarge my garden both in terms of size and types of produce.  I am starting to get a feel for what grows well and what doesn’t as well as what I like out of my garden and what is more cost/time effective for me to get at a store.  I will rotate my crops once again and add a few new items to keep things fresh.  I need to do a soil exchange with a friend that has sandy soil to get better balance in my clay dominated soil.  I am hoping more sand will help with my root and vine vegetables. 

I am glad to be learning these hard lessons now, when I can recover, rather than later on, when making these mistakes can be the difference between feeding your children or watching them starve.  There is a lot of start-up work expended in a garden, but not a lot to do day-to-day.  I recommend everyone try their hand at it to see how they do.  Even with all the challenges I encountered, it is still a great hobby and very enjoyable for me.  I just started my peppers and tomato seeds this year with my 2 year old’s help and can’t wait to see them sprout! 

Pickup Truck Campers as Bug Out Vehicles, by Wade on the Road

A few years ago, I found myself widowed after 36 years of marriage.   Seven months later, I buried my mother after she lost a long battle with colon cancer.   I was only 59 but my kids were gone and suddenly I had no family nearby and no one dependent on me.  It took a few months to mentally adjust, but during that time I began thinking about re-engaging my life and setting new goals….sort of a bucket list if you will.  Two of the things that were on that list were traveling around our country and retiring early if possible. 

Retire, I did, and my travels have, and will in the future, include visiting the great national parks and wilderness areas of our country.  Also, I am an unabashed fan of Virginia Tech football and enjoy tailgating at the game.   My parents had a truck camper when I was a young man and it occurred to me that a truck camper would allow me greater access and enjoyment for both traveling and football games.  My parents’ camper and truck were gone decades ago, so I began doing my research on the various makes and models and what they offered.  I quickly found out that the capabilities and amenities modern truck campers offered were light years beyond what I had experienced using my parents’ camper.

I have slept in the open and under shelter halves as a Marine. I’ve also tent camped with my son’s scout troop, put up big old wall tents, cooked over a campfire, and used a cat hole.  I decided that roughing it is no longer my thing.  I wanted to go for more comfort and I decided that I was going to get a camper with a lot of features and buy used to save money.  I also needed a truck to transport it.  To make a long story short I bought a 2003 Lance 1130 camper and a 2004 F-350 dual rear wheel (“dually”) pickup to haul it.   Admittedly even for truck campers, this is a big combination but it had all the features I wanted and by buying used I saved thousands of dollars getting both truck and camper combined for around $36,000.    Before you sigh and close this article because of the cost, let me assure you that you can buy much less expensive truck campers that can be carried on standard pickups which I bet many of you already have.    A quick search on one RV web site while writing this article, yielded 12 campers in the Mid-Atlantic region for sale under $10,000 and at least one was an 11′ foot 2011 model.  

Good fortune smiled on me and quite unexpectedly, I was recently joined in life by a beautiful lady who had been a neighbor for years.  We were acquaintances but didn’t really know each other, but our respective kids swam together on swim team, went to the same schools and we had much in common that drew us together.  We were married last year and one of our delights has been using the truck camper for camping and tailgating.  My wife has told me that this camper is definitely her idea of “camping,” and our tailgating friends are amazed at the amenities we have right in the parking lot. 

We have both been very concerned about our nation’s political situation, the danger to our economy and non-conventional threats to our society.  We recently began serious prepping activity and are on our way to self-sufficiency should the Schumer hit.   We live in a rural area and hope to stay in place if things aren’t too bad, but if we have to, we will bug out and we have what I think is darn near the perfect bug out vehicle.  Let me tell you why I think so and why I highly recommend a truck camper.

First, here are some basics for those of you unfamiliar with truck campers.  Far from the “camper” shells you see on pickups, a truck camper has at a minimum the following features:  A bed, refrigerator, stove, kitchen sink, lighting, heat, and almost all have at least a portable “potty.”   The camper sits in the bed of your pickup and has a connection to your truck’s electrical system.   The interior is high enough that a six footer can walk easily down the aisle of the camper.  A bed rests in the “cab over” section of the camper over the roof of your truck.  Most manufacturers’ model numbers reflect the length of the floor of the camper not counting the cab over section.  In our case, we have a Lance 1130 which translates to approximately 11 feet of cabin length.  Our camper requires a long bed truck but dozens of models are available for short bed trucks.  I think all will require you to remove the tailgate.  Minimal modifications need to be made to most trucks in the form of tie down brackets and electrical connection and can be installed by an RV dealer for just a few hundred dollars or for much less if you do it yourself.

Most truck campers have many more features than listed above and you’d be hard pressed to find a camper with just those.  I’ll use mine as an example and while it has physical capacities larger than most due to its exceptional size, almost all campers have the same features just on a smaller scale.

We have a queen size bed over the cab.  This is pretty standard on truck campers these days.  Our dinette which seats 4, converts to a bed and over that is a fold down bunk for a child giving us the ability to sleep 4.  Most truck campers will sleep 3 or 4 fairly easily.

We have a 40 gallon fresh water tank, 25 gallon gray water tank, and 24 gallon black water tank.  The gray and black tanks have a sewer hose for dumping into an RV park’s sewer, or emptying into their dump station or in a pinch, somewhere else  We have an electric water pump or can hook up to a standard outdoor water faucet with our fresh water hose. We have A/C and a furnace.  The furnace runs on propane  The A/C runs on regular 110 volt power but we also have a built in Generac generator.  When “shore” power is available such as at a campground, we use it, connecting via a 30 AMP power cable.   While we seldom run the A/C when not connected to external power, we can if we want to by using the generator.

Our galley has a 3 burner propane stove, an oven, a microwave and a double sink with counter space.  We have a 6 cubic foot “3 way” refrigerator with freezer that runs on A/C, propane or battery power.  It automatically switches between power sources based on settings you can manage.  We have a hot water heater that can run on propane or electricity.  We have cabinet space for utensils, pots and pans, food and cleaning supplies.  This doesn’t count the multiple cabinets for clothes, supplies and gear.

Our bathroom (head) has a sink with hot and cold water, a medicine cabinet, a shower stall, powered exhaust vent, and a flush toilet.
We have a flat screen television, with crank up external antenna, AM/FM radio and a Blu Ray player.  Other amenities include a back door awning and a large awning on the side. Our windows are generous and all except the front window have screens to allow us plenty of fresh air. We have a powerful ceiling exhaust fan. Outside are power outlets and a gas nipple for connecting an outdoor grill.  There is also an external, stow able shower head with hot and cold water.

Despite all of these amenities, a truck camper is designed to be able to ‘boondock” for weeks at a time with no external connections.  Our camper has two deep cycle Interstate marine batteries.  It has two onboard 30 lb. propane tanks.  All of the lighting is 12 volt as are the fans.  There is an inverter to run electrical devices from the batteries and we have easily run the lights, television, Blu-Ray player and other things while barely drawing down the batteries.  With widely available solar panel re-chargers, and conservative usage of power, you can have power indefinitely.  But the campers also have an interface to your vehicle’s electrical system, so by running the truck engine for a while you can charge up your onboard batteries.  Also, our onboard Generac can charge the batteries but in a bug out scenario, you’d probably want to avoid that as well as running the truck engine.

Speaking of bug out scenarios, we could load our camper with supplies and be on our way very quickly.  As I mentioned, we have an F-350.  The truck has huge diesel fuel tanks giving us almost 400 miles range.  We have the crew cab which gives us a large cargo area when the rear seats are folded down.  Our truck has 4WD and is a dually.  Even with the camper mounted, we can still park it in a standard parking space.  Now since our rig is pretty long compared to most, we’re not as maneuverable as some but we can still go almost anywhere we want.   We could easily drive into the woods, pull it into a secluded spot, throw some camo netting over it and disappear.  If you could find a spot near fresh water and be able to expose your solar panel, you could stay out for a long time.  Obviously, there are other considerations, such as OPSEC, how much food you brought along or that you cached, and sanitary disposal but there are ways to deal with that and go beyond this article. 

A situation that would be most favorable would be owning your own remote piece of land, with water, pre-cached supplies, and good hunting potential.   You wouldn’t have to build a shelter or cabin, just drive your camper there.  Obviously, a truck camper doesn’t take the place of a cabin or bunker, but it also gives you flexibility and much more comfort than living out in the open.  I strongly encourage you to check truck campers out as a family emergency vehicle (FEV) and as something you can enjoy right now while things are “normal.”   Many of the prepper’s purchases are something we buy and put away.  This is one that you can enjoy all year long, yet can save your life if things get bad.

JWR Adds: Because of space and weight constraints, virtually all vehicular retreat approaches are doomed to failure in anything longer than just a short term disaster. That is, unless you heed Wade’s advice. I agree with him that you will need to cache a lot of food, fuel, tools, and other bulky items such as rolls of fencing wire at your retreat property. Without a pre-positioned deep larder, you will become just another statistic. Mobility is great, but inevitably it is just a means to get yourself to a locale with supplies stored in depth and where you have fertile soil and plentiful water to grow crops.

Letter Re: Renewing Your Google Street View Opt-Out

Jim:
Regarding the post of the guy in California that Google can take a photo from the public street, and see his electric meter and objects in his open windows: the problem is not so much Google as his choice to live so close to a public road that anyone could do this.  I used Street View to “sorta” see my gate, and that is all you can see–just a gate. Google Map’s satellite photos show far more detail about the layout of my “spread”, though the detail is fairly fuzzy. – Andy G.

Economics and Investing:

B.B. sent the link to this at The Hill: House liberal budget has trillions more taxes, stimulus than Obama plan

A whole raft of new articles over at one of my favorite investing news sites, ETF Daily:

Does The SPDR Gold Trust Really Hold Physical Gold, Or Is It A Scam?
 
Physical Gold & Silver Dividends Offer Investors The Best of Both Worlds
 
Can Ben Bernanke Break The U.S. Dollar Rally? Why It Matters To The Markets…
 
Real Estate: The Housing Market’s Biggest Hurdle
 
Why The Natural Gas Act Is Just Another Washington Boondoggle?
 
Why The Anti U.S. Dollar Trade Could Be Starting Now

Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Jim W. mentioned a new 12 gauge shotgun, from Turkey. Unfortunately, because they made it look so much like an AR, and hence cosmetically “non-sporting,” I suspect that it will be reclassified as a “Destructive Device”, and slapped with a $200 transfer tax. After all, they have the precedent of the Korean Daewoo USAS-12. That was done retroactively, because some uneducated bureaucrats don’t understand Latin phrases like “ex post facto.” (See: Clause 3 of Article I, Section 9 of the U.S. Constitution.) And, given the arbitrary and capricious nature of bureaucrats, don’t be surprised if they also implement an import ban, for good measure. Nor should we be surprised if they do the same for Saiga shotguns. Most likely these decrees will come after President Bolt Hold Open (BHO) gets re-elected. Take note that he recently mentioned that he’ll have “more flexibility” after what he sees as his fait accompli re-election. I predict that the gloves will come off, and many new executive orders will be issued.

   o o o

Jay in Ohio liked this article: DIY – Single Use Antibiotic Packs

   o o o

RC mentioned this interactive map: The Geography of Government Benefits

   o o o

Be careful! You might put your eye out. (Note the face shield. It is always wise to use eye and ear protection when shooting.)

   o o o

New York City-funded group teaching homeless how to invade apartments. (Thanks to J.D.D. for the link.)

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Money is the most important subject intellectual persons can investigate and reflect upon.  It is so important that our present civilization may collapse unless it is widely understood and its defects remedied very soon." – Robert H.  Hemphill, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta

Pat’s Product Review: Skinner Rifle Sights

Many, many years ago, when I started wearing reading glasses, I found that I wasn’t seeing the sights on some of my handguns and rifles as clearly as I would have liked. With age, comes reading glasses for many of us – just a fact of life! Now, while I could see the sights on my rifles – without reading glasses – the sights were a bit fuzzy! With my reading glasses on, the sights were sharp, but the target was blurred. Grrrr!
 
I did find though, that rifles with peep sights were much easier to get a good sight picture without resorting to reading glasses. I talked to my then optometrist at the about this – and he was also a member of our shooting club, and an avid shooter himself. He told me that there was just “something” about looking through a (rear) peep sight that caused us to get a better sight picture with open sights. I got to thinking about that, and started doing a little unscientific experimenting myself, with military rifles that had peep sights. Well, I’ll be, sure enough the rifles with peep sights gave me a better sight picture than other open-type sights, especially the old buckhorn style of open sights.
 
Skinner Sights are hand crafted in Andy Larsson’s small shop in St. Ignatius, Montana, machined from sold steel, stainless steel or brass bar stock. All the parts are hand-fitted to close tolerances. Andy says he works hard to design sights which are not only extremely functional and rugged, but to also complement the firearms they go on. He makes a limited number of high-quality sights, at a reasonable cost to the customer. The sights are inexpensive, but they are not cheaply made, and his customer service is second to none, too. If something goes wrong with your Skinner Sight, at any time, and need to be repaired, return them to Andy and he will make it right – at no charge.
 
Now, I like shooting a lever-action rifles, like Marlin, Winchester, Rossi and many other brands of lever-action long guns. While not my first choice in a SHTF situation, they would serve to fend-off some bad guys, as well as filling the stew pot, too. But all these guns have Buckhorn-style open rear sight – they are okay, but I can’t do my best shooting with these types of sights. Sure, you can scope most of these lever-action rifles, but it detracts from the overall appearance of these guns, in my humble opinion.
 
I was first told about Skinner Sights by Tim Sundles, who operates Buffalo Bore Ammunition some months ago. Andy Larsson and I had a bit of a time connecting for a while – mostly due to something going wrong with my e-mails to some folks. For some strange reason, a lot of e-mails didn’t get delivered since last December. Matter of fact, I’m still getting returned e-mails after more than three months – just didn’t get delivered for some reason. Computers and the Internet – they are wonderful inventions, when they work as planned. In any event, Andy Larsson and I finally connected, and he sent me several of his sights for test and evaluation.
 
I received the Skinner Sights “Tactical” rear sight for a Marlin Model 336 – and Andy also sent along a fiber optic front sight to go with the rear sight. I also laid claim to Skinner Sights, rear sight for the Marlin Model 39 – and Andy also sent me a brass front sight to accompany the new rear sight. Now, the Marlin Model 336 rear “Tactical” sight is a peep sight affair, but it has “wings” on either sight of it – to help protect the peep sight from knock around damage. The sight is fully adjustable for windage and elevation, too. The no-snag profile and protective shape of the sight assures quick-handling and performance in the most demanding situations.
 
Many military battle rifles and many dangerous game guns, have been fitted with peep sights for the last 70 years. There is a good reason for this. They are the fastest and most accurate iron sights you can put on a rifle. Not all peep sights are equal, either. The Skinner Sights will not shoot loose and afford a great sight picture, too. Skinner sights are easy to install, they fit the current screw holes on the guns they were designed for – and screws are included with all sights.
 
A very close examination of the “Tactical” rear peep sight for the Marlin Model 336 shows the attention to detail, and how well-made the sights are that Andy Larsson is making. We’re talking super-tough sights. No fears of these failing you, period! The front red fiber optic sight that came with the rear sight, gives you an outstanding sight picture – very fast to pick-up, too. What’s not to like here?
 
The Marlin Model 39 sights I received were every bit the equal in high-quality construction as the Marlin Model 336 sights were, with the exception that this rear sight didn’t come with protective “wings” – it’s just a simple peep sight – well, “simple” isn’t being fair – they are very strong and well-made, to be sure. I elected for the blue steel rear sight instead of the brass one – just thought it would give my eyes a better sight picture. Most of the time, Larsson says that this rear sight will work with the factory front sight height. However, if you have problems, consult the Skinner Sights web site, it’s a wealth of information that you can use. The removable .096″ sight aperture allows marksman to use a fine aperture or a much larger ghost ring. Other size apertures are available from Skinner Sights.
 
Skinner Sights are designed to give you the same sight picture as the M-16/AR-15 line of military and civilian rifles – as well as many other military rifles. No wonder these sights seem like an old friend to my eyes! When you look through (not “at”) a peep sight,  you automatically focus on the front sight – which is what you are supposed to do. It simply makes one a better shooter, and isn’t that what we all want to be? Better shots?
 
What the consumer is getting in a Skinner Sight, is an American-made product, produced in a small shop, by a fellow who really cares about the shooter, and is mighty proud of the products he is turning out. He’s also offering an outstanding product, at decent prices. The Marlin Model 336 blued rear peep sight sample I received sells for $75 and the front fiber optic sight is $20 – those are bargains in my book. The Marlin 39 blued rear peep sight sample sells for $59 and the brass front sight is only $16. Again, a bargain if you ask me, for the quality you are getting.
 
Andy Larsson has a lot of different sights for various rifles, and is developing newer and more exciting models. He’s not sitting on his rump – he’s busy experimenting with new sights. He’s proud of his company, and proud of the quality of sights he’s producing. Tim Sundles at Buffalo Bore Ammunition told me I’d really like the Skinner Sights – and I do. I plan on reviewing more models for different long guns in the future, and I’ll keep SurvivalBlog readers updated.
 
If you want a superior sight for your lever-action (and other) rifles, then take a close look at Skinner Sights – they have a web site just loaded with all the information you could possibly want – one of the better web sites to offer the consumer information they want and need if you ask me. Remember, Skinner Sights are American-made.  – SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Pat Cascio

Letter Re: Renewing Your Google Street View Opt-Out

Dear Editor:
A few years ago I blocked out the views of my house from Google Street View.  However, I recently discovered that the Street View vehicle had taken updated pictures of my street, and my house was again visible, and in much greater detail!  I was actually able to read my electrical meter from Street View and view objects inside of my house by zooming in on windows that were open.  It also appears that the Street View cameras are much higher than the previous vehicle; based on the height of a pedestrian on my street, the cameras look to be at least 8 feet off the ground.  So your 6 foot tall privacy fence may be mooted by the camera being able to peer over your fence.  

I would suggest to fellow readers that they should periodically review Street View and other services, like Spokeo, to ensure that they are not being displayed for all the world to see.

I have noticed that in the last few months there has been an increase in suspicious activity on my street, and I thwarted a break-in attempt a few months ago – oddly enough, after the time the updated street view pictures were taken!! (thank the Lord I had a pistol on my person).  A thief no longer needs to case your house out from the street – Google Street view does it for them!

To remove your home from Street View:

1) Find your address on Google Maps, and then zoom until the map flips from top-down to the ‘Street View’
2) Center your house in the street view
3) Find the very hard to read “Report a Problem” text on the lower left corner of the Street View & click
4) A new screen should popup (a new tab for me, you may need to turn off a pop-up blocker).
5) Click “Privacy Concern”, and then “My House” and then “I have found a picture of my house and would like it blurred”
6) Fill out the description field – I’ve cited recent theft attempts
7) Fill in an e-mail address – I would suggest using a fake e-mail address so that you are not telling Google what e-mail address lives at your house.  (Side Note: Make sure your wi-fi is locked down, as they are probably sniffing this at the same time as well).
8) At this point you will see why we centered your house earlier – there is a red box around the center of your house in the image.  Please note that you can adjust the red box from this screen as well, but the view is much smaller.
9) Fill out the word verification, and then hit submit
10) This is the most important step: you need to move the Street view up and down your street, and repeat this process from every part of the road that can see your house.  I had to make 8 separate privacy submissions to fully block my house from Google Street View.  To move the street view, there should be two or more white arrows on the road – click them, and you should see your location change.

– Nate in California

Recipe of the Week:

Tennessee Guy’s Pancake Recipe

Here is my favorite pancake recipe:
 
1 cup of sour cream
 
1 cup cottage cheese
 
1 tablespoon sugar
 
1 cup of flour
 
Place all ingredients in blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
 
It is also good to put a heaping  1/2 cup of oatmeal in place of 1/2 cup of flour!
 
This recipe will give you mouth watering pancakes. Enjoy!

Useful Recipe and Cooking Links:

H.E. suggested the recipe collection at Everyday Food Storage.

Tom in Iowa recommended the 19th Century Recipes Archives at Hearth and Home.

Do you have a favorite recipe that you have tested extensively? Then please e-mail it to us for posting. Thanks!

Economics and Investing:

Spain Starts to Feel the Heat

G.G. flagged this: Tungsten-Filled 1 Kilo Gold Bar Found in the UK

Memo Reveals: Corzine Did Steal Investor Funds and Perjured Himself Before Congress. (Thanks to B.B. for the link.)

Strapped for Cash: New East River Bridges Toll Proposal Goes After Everyone, Including Bicyclists. (A Hat tip to Marcia H. for the link.)

Items from The Economatrix:

Silver Now Outpacing Gold and Fed Frightened

For the Long-Unemployed, Hiring Bias Rears its Head

New Homes Sales Slip, Prices at Eight Month High

Odds ‘n Sods:

I was recently given a braided paracord belt, hand made by Ridgerunner Belts. I was impressed by the quality of the construction and its sturdiness. In my estimation it has a bit too much stretch to be useful for a pistol belt, but otherwise it is a very practical belt. (Pistol belts should be thick and stout, so that they don’t “give” vertically, when you draw your pistol.) I’ve found that one advantage of paracord belts is that you can insert the belt buckle toggle anywhere along their length, at about 1/4 inch intervals. This means that in addition to getting a “just right” fit as a waist belt, the same belt can be used for various utility “tie down” purposes like securing items to a vehicle roof rack. Yes, this opens up a lot of possibilities.

This belt is just one example of the creativity that is going into modern paracord braiding. There are a lot of new patterns being developed, with varying degrees of difficulty for unraveling, if the paracord or its internal strands are needed in extremis. (See the many recent YouTube instructional videos.) I predict that the popularity of paracord braiding will soon exceed that of macramé, in the 1970s. And I’d like to suggest that the new paracord art form ought to be called Paracord Tacramé: tactical macrame. This is a fun, mildly addictive, and relatively inexpensive hobby that creates truly practical gifts. BTW, one of our advertisers, Camping Survival, sells paracord in umpteen colors.

   o o o

Reader Stephen C. sent this piece from Oz that subtly gives survivalism a bad name: ‘Bad bush tucker man’ Malcolm Naden captured after seven years

   o o os

This headline ran in The Independent: Hippies head for Noah’s Ark: Queue here for rescue aboard alien spaceship. Thousands of New Agers descend on mountain they see as haven from December’s apocalypse. JWR’s snarky comment: I don’t mean to rain snow on their parade, but if the Mayan Calendar Crowd’s goal is to be safely above 1,230 meters of elevation, because they envisioned giant tsunamis in their dreams or while watching some Hollyweird movie, then why don’t they just check in to the La Quinta Inn, in Silverthorne, Colorado? The elevation there is 2,660 meters. There, they’d be safe from even giga-tsunamis–more than twice as high as their peak in the Pyrenees. That seems a lot more hospitable than camping out on a barren mountaintop in France, in December. In Silverthorne, or better yet in Leadville (3,094 meters), they could call for room service to deliver extra blankets and mugs of cocoa, instead of calling for paramedics and rescue helicopters.

   o o o

G.G. suggested this slide show at the Popular Mechanics site: The Ultimate Survival Preparedness Kit for Your Car

   o o o

I heard that ATI now makes their Strikeforce series adjustable stocks for Saiga and SKS rifles. (See Mike Williamson’s recent review of the Strikeforce stock for the AK.)

Note from JWR:

Today we present two more entries for Round 39 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, 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 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), and E.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo.

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) A FloJak F-50 hand well pump (a $349 value), courtesy of FloJak.com. C.) 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, D.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and E.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value) and F.) A Tactical Trauma Bag #3 from JRH Enterprises (a $200 value).

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

Round 39 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Prepping on $10 a Week, by S.W. Michigan Fred

Have you seen the latest reality television show, “Doomsday Preppers”, from National Geographic?  I made a mistake a few years ago – after 20 years of successfully resisting the cries and moans of my children, I gave in and allowed cable television to be installed in my house. Should have known better, but as they say, that’s a whole ‘nother subject.  Now, every week, National Geographic brings us “Doomsday Preppers,” Animal Planet serves up “Meet The Preppers,” Discovery beams in another episode of “Doomsday Bunkers” and the new pay-to-view internet network GBTV fires off a round of “American Preppers.”  Can some kind of copycat show from TLC be far behind? I guess maybe the good thing about these shows is that I no longer am tempted to confide in my friends about my efforts to be prepared for fear they might profile me into the same category as the folks they’re watching on television.  Better to keep it under the radar anyway.

I don’t really watch the shows but I’ve seen little bits and pieces of them as I walk through the room when they’re on and seeing the barns and bunkers filled with years’ supplies of food and water can give a guy a real sense of inferiority.  Am I doing enough?  How can I ever be as prepared as the stars of those shows?  Is my family at risk because I’m not taking this all seriously enough?  My total larder isn’t up to the level of what those guys spend in a single episode!  My steel trash cans filled with vacuum packed bags of rice, beans and oatmeal seem like just a thimble-full compared to the warehouses of canned goods kept by the celebrity preppers.  Since I’m not being paid thousands of dollars an episode to parade my efforts in front of a voyeuristic audience, I just don’t have the disposable income to lay up that kind of stash overnight.  Am I going to be a failure at this?  Not a chance.

In spite of the fact that we’re experiencing 8% real inflation and even though I live in a state where the economy is in a deep ditch and I subsequently haven’t had a raise or a bonus in four years, I’ve still been able to squeeze $10 a week out of my budget to engage in the process of laying up the things I might need WTSHTF.  I would dare say most people waste more than $10 a week on things like soda, fast food and movie rentals.  Think about your own expenditures for a moment.  How much could you save just by brown-bagging your lunch?  Plenty – like $5 or more per day!  Or kiss Starbucks goodbye and take your own coffee from home – treat yourself to a really nice travel mug and some quality beans and you’ll still save.  My wife and I do the cash-in-envelopes budget thing so on pay day I go to the bank and take with me our cash for the week.  In that cash is my $10 for prepping.  Lately I’ve been swinging by the nearby discount grocery store and grabbing ten bucks worth of rice, beans, peanut butter or cooking oil, and when I get home after work, into the larder they go.  Or some weeks I’ll stop at a big box department store and grab a couple 2-packs of propane cylinders or a gallon of Coleman fuel.  If I skip a week because the beans and rice are piling up on the kitchen counter waiting for me to vacuum pack them with the FoodSaver, I’ll grab a box of ammo or a couple replacement chimneys and spare wicks for my oil lamps.  While the 15-minutes-of-fame guys on TV might be spending $1,000 a month on supplies, I can’t do that.  But $10 a week is $500 a year and that’s a measurable step in the right direction that almost anyone can afford.  It would be nice to do this all overnight but you’ll be surprised at how your stockpile grows if you just are consistent and disciplined about working your smaller scale plan.

Sometimes, we’ll save up our $10 weekly allowance and splurge for something special or bigger.  We live about an hour from a large settlement of Amish folks and they have a great mercantile in their community filled with items designed for simple living.  My wife and I took a Saturday awhile back and drove there for the day.  We came home with an awesome stoneware crock for making sauerkraut and a pile of re-usable canning lids.  I was drooling over the hand powered grain grinders but we’ll have to save a little longer before I can come home with one of those!  They also sell basic foods in bulk in that community.  We came home with a 25 lb. sack of oatmeal for $11.25 and a big brick of Strike Anywhere matches.  If you’re fortunate enough to live near a store like this you can find almost anything you need for off-the-grid living at very reasonable prices.  If you don’t, just click on one of this blog’s banner ads and send a little business to one of them.
     I’ve also learned that the local big box membership warehouse isn’t necessarily the best place to find things on the cheap.  I assumed that if I bought a big bag or rice there that would be the cheapest way to go.  Wrong.  My wife the Coupon Queen showed me that it’s actually cheaper to buy in three-pound bags at the discount grocery – 30 lbs. for $16.90 versus about $25 at the “club”  store. Shop around and save.

     You might be asking, “Okay, but from a practical standpoint, what can I really lay up for $10 a week?”  Well, here’s what I’ve been doing:

Item
Unit Cost
+/- $10 Purchases
Rice     3 lb. bag @ $1.69  6 bags = $10.14
Dried Beans 1-1/2 lb. bag @ $1.99 5 bags = $9.95
Vegetable Oil  48 oz. bottle @ $2.49 4 bottles = $9.96
Olive Oil    17 oz. bottle @ $3.49   3 bottles = $10.47
Flour 5 lb. bag @ $1.65  6 bags = $9.90
Sugar 4 lb. bag @ $2.39 4 bags = $9.56
Peanut Butter    18 oz. jar @ $2.29 4 jars = $9.16
Wood Matches 3 ea. 250 ct boxes @$2.89  9 boxes = $9.18
Coleman Fuel  1 gal. can @ $9.68 1 gal. = $9.68
1 lb. Propane Tanks    2 pk. @ $5.37 4 tanks = $10.74
Ivory Bar Soap  10 pk. @ $4.27 20 bars = $8.54
Winking Owl Cabernet $2.69/bottle (really!)  3 bottles = $8.07
Coleman lantern mantles 2 pk. @ $2.37 8 mantles = $9.48
Oil lamp wicks 5 pk. @ $2.07 25 wicks = $10.35
Chlorine bleach 96 oz. bottle @ $1.19 8 bottles = $9.52
Toothpaste  $1.79/tube   6 tubes = $10.74

The key is to be consistent and disciplined and make that $10 purchase every week.  A few months into it you will be amazed at what you’re accomplishing.  A year down the road, you’ll be experiencing a lot less dread about facing an uncertain future.  Two years . . . well, you get the picture.  Obviously there is much more to be done before I can call myself “prepared” for a grid down situation or the collapse of civilization as we know it, but I’m not convinced that we never really “arrive” anyway.  I’m finding it’s more of a journey.  I’ll do it this way while the lights are still on and look for new ways if and when they go out. 

Not to digress too far from my main topic of $10 prepping, but we’re also doing additional things on the home front that will help us be further prepared.  We left the city six years ago for four acres of paradise in the country.  Even though I hadn’t yet begun prepping at that time, I thought now that I was a country gentleman I should do something country-gentlemanish so I put up a little chicken pen and bought some chicks at the local tractor store’s “Chick Days.”  We’ve been raising birds and selling pastured eggs at our roadside stand ever since – a child could do this and succeed at it.  And since my favorite food group is bacon, a couple years later my oldest son and I trenched in some “hog panels” and built a shelter out of an old pickup truck camper shell and put in a few feeder pigs.  I now raise premium Berkshire pork for our freezer and for a few friends and family.  Food, water, shade and six months – that’s about all it takes to raise a hog.  Now we’re constructing a cow pen and I’ll be picking up a recently-weaned Angus steer next month.  It’s comforting to know that I can actually raise livestock and the meat is just so much better than the factory farm stuff you get at the store.  By the way, the livestock operation doesn’t fit into the $10-a-week scheme but rather comes out of our grocery budget.  I’ve also started gardening at almost zero expense.  Last year I grew 64 tomato plants and my wife canned over 160 quarts of various tomatoes, juice and sauces.  We also canned copious amounts of sweet corn and green beans.  There’s a real learning curve to gardening, though, so start now. You’ve heard it before – if you wait until the grid goes down you’ll starve to death before you master growing your own food.  Start with a few tomato plants, some beans, a few zucchini and a potato barrel.  Just take it one step at a time and eventually you’ll get somewhere.  Once again, it’s about being consistent and disciplined.

Like the Good Book says, “A Prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.”  (Proverbs 22:3) Prudent or “simple” – what’s it going to be for you?  While $10-a-week prepping won’t get you on TV, if it’s all you can afford (like it is for me) I believe it will earn you the title of Prudent.  While you won’t be a celebrity like the television preppers, you will be at least somewhat supplied in the event of TEOTWAWKI.  And if that day doesn’t come for awhile yet and you’re consistent and disciplined between now and then you’ll be a lot more than just somewhat prepped.  You’ll be ready to face an uncertain future with one less thing to worry about.

Prophetic Words and the Ultimate Prepper Must Have, by Charles D.

I have always been minded to prepare.  From an early age, I was a boy scout, trained to “always be prepared”.  When my wife and I were newly married and living in a large metropolitan area, I felt impressed to purchase a 72 hour emergency kit of MREs, emergency radio, first aid, and radiation poisoning pills.   In the event of a large catastrophe, a city is about the worst place to be, so I wanted to be as prepared as possible. 

I recall the Katrina-fueled (no pun intended) gas shortage during 2007 in which the gas stations in the city we lived in were all but empty.  Thousands of cars lined up to be refueled; rage enveloped many city streets; price gauging was rampant; heightened paranoia and anxiety were present.  A city utterly dependant on oil came grinding to a halt and it wasn’t a pretty sight.  Soon we felt the need to move (for a variety of reasons, one being our neighbors door being kicked in by thieves and two, we did not want to raise children in a city). 

Upon moving to the area we live in now, I again purchased a 72 hour kit that included MREs and water. I began to stock up on potable water. I purchased rain barrels and a reputable filter system (namely the Katadyn pocket filter.  Very portable, has a washable filter, and lasts forever).  We do not have access to a well or even have a nearby water source within a ½ mile on a map, which was a sobering discovery.   For the suburban prepper, rain harvesting, filtration, distillation, and conservation are an absolute must.  I filtered some rain water recently and boiled it for a minute to kill any bacteria.  The taste was rather flat, but I didn’t get sick! 

I discovered that Costco sells incredible dehydrated food in large quantities for a very low price.  I purchased non-GMO seeds: the kind that WILL reproduce seeds.  I purchased an excellent seed vault on Amazon for only $40.  Upon making this seed purchase, I realized how deficient a farmer I actually am, and how greatly I need to procure legitimate farming skills. 

I soon discovered that a rocket stove is a must-have.  It uses wood only, they are easy to light, and are protected from the wind.  The directed heat these things put out is incredible and you’re utilizing an unlimited fuel source: wood.
I immediately bought an ax, some good files or a sharpener, and a hatchet. 
Gloves, paracord, tarps, an iron skillet and bivy sacks are also items I’ve recently bought.  In the event of earthquakes or powerful storms, your home or shelter may be destroyed.  Tarps, paracord, and even a quality tent on hand will make a huge difference.  Gloves may be an often-overlooked item, but consider the implications if you injure your hands and there is no medical care to be found.  The same goes for purchasing waterproof quality boots/foot wear. I also purchased medicine (aspirin, children’s Tylenol) for my children, as it will be in short supply in a SHTF situation.

Granted, these are bare minimum purchases, but I was still operating under the assumption of great trust in my government and thereby simply being prepared for any eventuality.

But I digress.  Something happened to me that eradicated my misplaced trust. I began to make these purchases in January of 2012 out of a deep spiritual conviction that is still planted firmly in my heart.

At the end of 2011, I felt impressed to pray and fast.  Considering I am a full-time minister, this was nothing new in some respects.  But this time, it felt different.  God clearly laid on my heart to skip a meal for the first 40 days of 2012.  For whatever reason, God really wanted to get my attention. 

As I began my fast, the first two weeks had nothing to do with survival or great impending change. My prayers were centered around my community, my church, people I know, family, friends and the like.  As I continued my fast, the weight of the sin of the world became clearer and clearer, crushing my soul with the levels of selfishness and evil that are in the world.  I felt led to pray “intercessory prayers”: prayers you pray for people/situations/areas/towns when they don’t even know they need it. 

Prayer and fasting can also be a powerful mirror to the soul, and I saw myself as being no exception in needing forgiveness.  I pressed on and sought the Lord.

Soon my prayers were expanded to the world: praying for world events, nations, leaders, and decisions.  I can’t fully explain it, but after two weeks of praying and fasting, God made it clear to me: start getting ready, and with urgency. 

I felt my eyes being opened.  I saw the governments of the world dealing with what they have: a losing hand, encumbered with debt so great there will eventually be no bail out for the USA – the world’s largest economy.  Their actions are telling of a deeper problem: our leaders have no hope, and they are spending and leading in a way that is indicative of that belief.  I asked myself, “If I managed my own finances as the government manages theirs, what would that say about my priorities?”  It would say that a) I am a complete idiot when it comes to managing money or b) we’re already screwed, so let’s rack up the credit card and spend like there is no tomorrow, because I believe they know this is the case.  The government has shown a shameful appreciation for both “a” and “b” characteristics these past few years.

In that same time period, Congress and President Obama passed the National Defense Authorization Act, essentially codifying martial law.  The most alarming aspect is that there is currently no need for such an Act to be passed, unless there is a future event they are aware that will occur and we are not.

I began to watch online videos of reputable individuals stating dreams and visions they have received, telling of a future cataclysm of epic proportions, each person unknowingly corroborating the other’s accounts.  If you know me, I am not a person who normally goes along with such things unless I am very convinced, as many “prophets” are unreliable.  However, prophets are certainly present in our world today, as they have always been, and God has shown throughout history that they play an important role in foretelling coming events.  Many of them have been having dreams for years leading up to this age in history, and their dreams are increasing with great frequency. 

I thought of Joel 2:28
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
   your old men will dream dreams,
   your young men will see visions.

Many of these prophets speak of asteroids that trigger worldwide earthquakes, famine, and flood.  The apostle John speaks of an asteroid referred to as “wormwood” that will strike the earth and render 1/3 of all air and water as poison (Revelation 8:10-11).  John also accounts that on the day of the Lord (when Christ returns) the “Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty,” are hiding in rocks and caves, pleading for mercy.  Every knowledgeable prepper out there knows that the government has been on an absolute bunker construction frenzy over the past 25 years.

In the Bible, a call to fasting can either be a) in response to a grievous social/national/personal event or b) in preparation for a coming famine, problem, or situation.  Consider Joseph in the book of Genesis:  God warns Joseph of the coming famine, to stock up on seven years worth of grain so the people of Egypt would not starve.  Likewise, God warned Noah to prepare by building an ark.  Many forget that Noah built the ark for 40 years.  Imagine the ridicule he and his family underwent as they pressed on, trusting the Lord in absolute faith, and in the end, their faith was justified.  God uses prophets to warn of impending doom.  If we ignore the crazy prophets out there and listen to the real people of virtue, then more might be prepared. [Editor Notes: Some references to modern day prophecy deleted for lack of a track record.]

Likewise, if we believe that God is a God of mercy and love, then God would warn us of impending doom or problems.  While God may not always warn us of personal issues in the future, He does have a track record of warning his people en masse (see Joel 2:28 again).  When I see thousands of people waking up to the fact that something is coming, I don’t see paranoia (as in Y2K), I see a deep instinct kicking in that is there by design. 

For example, when cows begin to play, it is usually going to rain.  Animals are aware of upcoming changes. Consider the signs of dolphins beaching themselves at Cape Cod (as they did in late February), thousands of birds mysteriously dying, bees just completely disappearing.  Animals know something that we would also know if we would listen: get ready.

So what does this have to with prepping?  Everything.  I believe that not only does God want us to prepare ourselves physically: ammunition, water, food, medicine for personal use as well as corporate goodwill, but God also wants us to prepare ourselves spiritually.   If we do not know Christ, God wants us to know Him.  If we do not have peace with God, then God wants us to know that peace.  All of the physical preparation in the world will still not account for your soul being lost when this life is over.  As Jesus said, “Man does not live by bread alone, but on the Word of the Lord” and “What good does it profit a man to gain the whole world but lose his soul?”

More than anything, a living relationship with God is the ultimate prepper “must have”.  God bless each of you as we prepare for the future, trusting in God for whatever may come.  I pray for peace in the world, but I must believe the words of Romans 8:22 “For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.”   The changes that await the earth are ultimately for good, although that may be hard to believe when they come.  God loves the world, and I believe God is calling certain individuals to be prepared, not just to survive, but to hopefully thrive in a much different society and world.