Ergodyne Skullerz 8945f(x) Bump Cap Insert, by Thomas Christianson

This past summer, I was limbing a felled tree. As I leaned forward to cut a low limb, I smacked my forehead against the stub of a higher limb that was hidden by the brim of my cap. I saw stars for a moment, and could feel blood seeping from my forehead. To add insult to injury, my wife, Kari, said, “That was stupid. You should have been wearing a hard hat.”

Neither the bump on my head nor Kari’s comment scored very highly on my happy meter.

The Bottom Line, Up Front

The Ergodyne Skullerz 8945f(x) bump cap insert is an inexpensive and comfortable solution for converting a typical baseball cap into piece of personal protective equipment (PPE).

Although the insert will not provide the same level of protection as an industrial safety helmet, I have found that an insert that I actually wear provides a higher level of protection than an industrial safety helmet that is hanging on a nail in my pole barn.

JWR Adds: This goes along with my philosophy that a piece of PPE or EDC gear that you wear or carry daily is vastly superior to one that is so large, heavy, or cumbersome that it gets left at home.  This same principle applies to self-defense handguns. It is generally better to carry a compact 9mm or even a .380 ACP that is on your hip every day of the week than a big .44 Magnum cannon that is only toted on special occasions.

Available at the time of this writing for $12.95 from www.ergodyne.com , the 8945 is well worth the price.Continue reading“Ergodyne Skullerz 8945f(x) Bump Cap Insert, by Thomas Christianson”

Recipe of the Week:  Lily’s Einkorn Vanilla Muffin Bread

The following recipe is egg and dairy-free for Einkorn Vanilla Muffin Bread was developed by Avalanche Lily. This bread can made either in a muffin tin or a standard bread pan.  Cast iron is preferred for either method.

Ingredients
  • 3 Cups freshly-ground Einkorn flour
  • 3 Tablespoons Olive oil
  • 3 heaping Tablespoons honey
  • 2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons Vanilla
  • 1/4 teaspoon Salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon Baking soda
  • One Cup to a Cup and a half HOT Water
Directions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 425 F.
  2. Mix all ingredients together into a thick wet muffin batter.  One will need to add the Hot water slowly while stirring to see how much one needs to achieve wet muffin batter consistency. The hot water is used to melt the honey. Our honey has crystalized into sugar.
  3. Oil cast iron bread or muffin pans with olive oil.
  4. Pour in the batter.
  5. Bake 25-30 minutes.  Keep an eye on it during baking testing with a toothpick.
SERVING

Serve with homemade strawberry jam or fresh strawberries and whipped cream.

Variations

I use this recipe minus the Vanilla as a base for many different kinds of muffins and breads: apple/cinnamon, blueberry, raspberry, chocolate chip, cherry, etc.  If one omits the honey or drastically reduces it, you can make savory breads, such as garlic or herbs, etc.  Enjoy!

STORAGE

I store leftover bread in the refrigerator in a waxed cloth bag.

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Do you have a well-tested recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? In this weekly recipe column, we place emphasis on recipes that use long-term storage foods, recipes for wild game, dutch oven recipes, slow cooker recipes, and any recipes that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week

Today’s graphic depicts U.S. Railroads, By Ownership. (Map graphic courtesy of Reddit and U.S. Department of Transportation.)

The thumbnail image below is click-expandable.

 

 

 

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Please send your graphic ideas to JWR. (Either via e-mail or via our Contact form.) Any graphics that you send must either be your own creation or uncopyrighted.

Today’s graphic is

 

(Graphic courtesy of  SurvivalBlog reader _______)

(Map graphic courtesy of Reddit.)

The thumbnail image below is click-expandable.

 

 

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Please send your graphic ideas to JWR. (Either via e-mail or via our Contact form.) Any graphics that you send must either be your own creation or uncopyrighted.

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — April 21, 2024

On April 21, 1918, Manfred, Freiherr (Baron) von Richthofen, Germany’s top flying ace in World War I, was shot down and killed during a battle near Amiens, France.

April 21st, 1828, Noah Webster published the first American dictionary.

April 21st is Aggie Muster Day, for all Texas A&M graduates. Aggie Muster celebrations/meetings are held as far away as Japan, Germany, and Afghanistan. April 21st was selected as the day to celebrate Muster since that is the anniversary of the Battle of San Jacinto, where Santa Anna’s army was defeated by the Texian Army led by Sam Houston.

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Today’s feature article is a guest post that was too short to qualify as an entry for Round 112 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest.

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More than $875,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 112 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Preserving Chicken Eggs, by Mrs. Alaska

Egg laying is partially predicated on the season. Our hens, of various breeds, are always most prolific layers in the summer months. In the autumn, when they molt (shed their feathers and grow new ones) they do not lay at all for 6 to 8 weeks. During the cold winter months in Alaska, they shiver in the chilly coop, laying maybe half as often as in the summer. It is only in March, when we have 12 hours of daylight, that they venture out into the snow and start to lay regularly again.

Therefore, I learned various ways to save eggs to eat during the molt and all winter long.

Note: In the USA, people who buy eggs at a supermarket are purchasing eggs that are washed, which removes the bloom, which is a clear thin coating that the hen naturally produces as she lays to protect the egg from bacteria and dirt. This is why, in this country, eggs are stored in the refrigerator.

In the many other countries that do not wash the shells first, shopkeepers store eggs on room temperature shelves, and millions of shoppers store them at home this way, too, up to about 21 days, depending on ambient temperature.Continue reading“Preserving Chicken Eggs, by Mrs. Alaska”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR:

Meme Text:

Remember: In The Gospels of Mark and Luke, a Demon-Possessed Man Referred to Himself

With The Plural Pronouns “We”, “Us”, and “Legion”

News Link: University of Oregon: Understanding Pronouns

Notes From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. And if it is posted then I’ll give you credit. Thanks!

Permission to repost memes that I’ve created is granted, provided that credit to SurvivalBlog.com is included.

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.

And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.

No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings.

And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?

Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?

And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.

And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon’s porch.

Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.

Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me.

But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.

I and my Father are one.

‘Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.”  – John 10:15-31 (KJV) 

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — April 20, 2024

On April 20, 1902, Pierre and Marie Curie isolated the radioactive compound radium chloride.

On April 20th, 2010, an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform, leased by BP, killed 11 workers and began spewing an estimated 200 million gallons of crude into the Gulf of Mexico for nearly three months, creating the worst known offshore oil spill.

April 20th is also the day that we remember the victims of the Columbine High School tragedy, where two students stormed into a suburban high school in Littleton, Colorado in 1999, at lunchtime with guns and explosives, killing 13 and wounding dozens more in what was, at the time, the nation’s deadliest school shooting. Today, 25 years later, the teachers and other staff members of most schools are still unarmed. And the mass murderers know it, so the massacres continue.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 112 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 $2,000.
  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. 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 $359 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  5. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

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 www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).

  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. 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. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  3. 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)
  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 $875,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 112 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Our Black Swan Event – Part 2, by E.R.

(Continued from Part 1.  This concludes the article.)

The Black Swan Has Landed

Following the arrival of guests, we found ourselves using more water than we should have. When one is dependent on rainwater, one simply cannot afford luxuries like taking a bath every single day – that is the simple reality. And the young children, they certainly did need their baths at the end of each day.

One morning, 10 days later – we had our Black Swan event – two inches of rainfall in less than one hour! Our 250 gallon water collection tote overflowed in short order. Torrents of water moved across the landscape, pooling in every dip, eventually making its way to the mostly backfilled cistern cavity – soon the whole neighbourhood was flooded. There was a huge pond where we had buried the cistern. And then suddenly, the tank became buoyant and the one end floated up so that it was now on a 45 degree angle. (See photo.)
Yes, a tank partially filled with air is rather buoyant. And when the only thing holding it down is loose soil, it will act very much like a boat.Continue reading“Our Black Swan Event – Part 2, by E.R.”

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:

This past week I kept busy packing orders for Elk Creek Company.  The latest batch of guns has been selling very quickly.  I suppose that the ATF’s upcoming rule grossly expanding the “Engaged in The Business” definition is what has spurred the sudden interest.  Pre-1899 guns will soon become the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy, in all 50 states!  To avoid a Federal felony prosecution, virtually any gun with a frame or receiver made after December 31st, 1898 will have to be sold only by or through a FFL — with a Form 4473 and a FBI background check.

Oh, and with the recent run-up in the price of silver, I have increased my FRNs to pre-’65 silver divisor to 22-to-1.  (You can take the listed gun prices and divide by 22, if you will be paying in pre-1965 silver U.S Dimes, quarters, or half dollars.)

Calving season has begun. Lily will fill you in with some calving details, in her part of the report…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them.

All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.

This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.

For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.

For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.

Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.

Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works.

Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment.

Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun.

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.

This wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it seemed great unto me:

There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it:

Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.

Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.

The words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools.

Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good.” – Ecclesiastes 9 (KJV) 

Preparedness Notes for Friday — April 19, 2024

Today, April 19th, is a genuine Red Letter Day. April 19th is the original Patriot Day which marks the multiple anniversary of the battles of Lexington and Concord, known as “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World”.

Today also marks the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising against the Nazis in 1943, the BATF’s costly raid on the Branch Davidian Church in Waco, the gun turret explosion on the USS Iowa in 1989, the capture of the Boston Marathon bomber in 2013, and very sadly also the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995.

April 19th is also the birthday of novelist Ralph Peters. Coincidentally, Ralph and I both have the same literary agent, Robert Gottlieb.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 112 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 $2,000.
  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. 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 $359 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  5. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

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 www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  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. 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. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  3. 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)
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $875,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 112 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Our Black Swan Event – Part 1, by E.R.

The Black Swan is the metaphor often used when describing an unlikely event, that comes as a major surprise, having a catastrophic effect.

Which Risks Do We Attempt to Mitigate?

The news headlines in March, 2024 were rife with dire ‘official’ warnings of coming cyber attacks on water systems, echoing pronouncements previously made by that billionaires club and UN partner, The World Economic Forum, as the next big threat to follow the coronavirus. Was this yet more fear-mongering propaganda, or are they actually planning something?

Also in the news, that hard-left urban center Toronto is contemplating the introduction of a stormwater tax. In case you hadn’t yet heard – many local governments had already been collecting stormwater taxes for more than a decade. Why is this now news?

While it is hard to believe that it has been two years already, but most of us still recall the massive trucker protests across the continent in 2022 – protests which reverberated in copycat campaigns around the world. But why was it until winter 2024 that finally we are seeing reports of ‘hearings’ for protesters still in prison awaiting trial? And this, in that bastion of Canadian conservatism and freedom, Alberta – two years in prison without a trial for what will likely turn out to be trumped-up charges for political dissent?Continue reading“Our Black Swan Event – Part 1, by E.R.”

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. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we look at the investing aspect of the upcoming demise of gun-buying privacy in the United States. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

Precious metals were up again Thursday evening (Friday morning, in Asia), on news of an Israeli retaliatory missile strike on Iran:

  • Gold
    $2,421.40 up $25.10 (1.04%)
  • Silver
    $28.87 up $0.35 (1.23%)
  • Platinum
    $961.30 up $2.80 (0.29%)

o  o  o

Alasdair Macleod: The Bullish Factors Behind Silver’s Rise.

o  o  o

Radomski, at Gold-Eagle.com: THE Reversal in Gold, THE Confirmed Breakout in USD/YEN.

Economy & Finance:

From Bloomberg: Larry Summers Says CPI Raises Chances That Fed’s Next Move Is to Hike.

o  o  o

The Fed may have no choice but to tip the US into recession, economist says.

o  o  o

Credit-Card Delinquency Rates Were Worst on Record in Fed Study.

o  o  o

By way of Zero Hedge, I found this piece by Charles Hugh Smith: Financial Forecast 2025-2032: Please Don’t Be Naive. Here is a pericope:

“You already know the global financial system is untenable. In a nutshell, the expansion of production and consumption has been funded by the expansion of credit–money borrowed from future resources and income. The rate of expanding debt far surpasses the anemic rates of expanding production, and this rapidly expanding mountain of debt is perched precariously on the phantom collateral generated by The Everything Bubble, the astounding expansion of asset prices as those with the lowest cost access to credit have bid up every asset class, from real estate to gold to bitcoin to stocks to fine art.

All these assets are phantom collateral because they were bid up on the wings of cheap, abundant credit. History is rather decisive: all credit-asset bubbles pop, and the price of the assets round-trips back to pre-bubble valuations. As the bubble pops, credit shifts from being abundant and near-zero in cost to being scarce and dear.”

o  o  o

We all saw this one coming: Labor group demands California’s $20 minimum wage for fast food workers extend to all sectors.Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”