Hot Water, Post-SHTF, by Scott C.

In March of 2012, I was shopping at Sam’s Club doing some food prepping when a tornado struck my rural northern Kentucky community. We were asked to go to the center of the store until further notice because a tornado had been spotted in the area. After 20 minutes of nervous waiting, we were able to continue shopping. On our trip home there were several roads closed due to mobile homes being in the road as well as a tractor trailer turned over on my main route home. Seeing the destruction so close to home I started to get this sickening feeling in my stomach but I was finally able to make it home after the third route attempted. After arriving home I quickly assessed the situation and I felt very fortunate to arrive home to a basically undamaged house other than some downspouts ripped off and all my newly built greenhouse panels missing. The tornado had missed my house by approximately a quarter mile taking out the electricity to every house in sight. The house I could see from my master bedroom window was now a basement with one wall only standing on top.

I had been prepping for the last year or so and was quite anxious to see how things would turn out in my first trial run of when the SHTF. I quickly pulled the propane powered portable generator out of the basement to the transfer switch on the side of the house. I had to strap the generator to a dolly in order to move it and that took time. I think I should have invested in a wheel kit. I realized it was getting dark quick and I needed to work fast because my lighting preps were less than ideal. (I have recently purchased headlamps). I was able to hook up the generator just before it turned pitch black out and fired it up with no issues. I had wired the transfer switch into some key breakers, namely a room or two on each floor for lighting, the main refrigerator and extra refrigerator in the basement, porch lights with motion detectors and outlets in the living room for the wood stove blower. After getting the generator all set up and finding flashlights, candles and trying to get things arranged to make life as easy as possible running on the generator with only half the house powered, I sat down to relax and thought, not too bad…not that much has changed…we have electric (well at least partially), city water, food and guns. I did pretty well at this prepping thing.

The next day consisted of cleaning up the fallen trees out of the driveway and gathering up everything that wasn’t secured all over the yard and out of the tree line. There was the main path that the wind carried the majority of stuff, but things were located 360 degrees from where they started. I was surprisingly able to locate all but three of the panels from the greenhouse. The basement doors were pushed in and jammed and needed much convincing to open but I was able to get them working again without too much effort. The following day, I went to help a neighbor/friend who had completely lost his house. We worked all day cleaning up fallen trees. There was quite a crew of volunteers and that was good to see. About two days passed with no major complaints from the wife and two young kids, and then the third day came. After three days without a shower for the wife and no bath for the kids, things were starting to unravel. My wife was very irritable and frustrated with living so primitively (in her mind anyway). This was a rude awakening for me. I thought things hadn’t really changed that much other than I had to take a very fast, cold shower and carry a flashlight around or candles in certain rooms. When my wife started crying and threatened to go stay in a hotel until the electricity came back on, I suddenly realized the importance of hot water in SHTF. At first I was frustrated with her and told her how fortunate we were and that things could be a lot worse. She wasn’t so convinced that all was as great as I had thought. I contemplated running electric to the existing hot water heater and started to regret buying my [inadequate] 4000 Watt peak 3500 Watt continuous, propane powered 110V generator.

I did some brainstorming and even considered heating the water on the wood stove, but then I remembered my Dad had offered me an 110 volt AC 6 gallon capacity water heater some time ago which I couldn’t think of a use for at that time. I went and picked up the heater and did a lot of complaining to the wife about how hard it was going to be to hook up because I would need to install it downstream of my existing water heater and install 3 valves so I could bypass it when the grid power came back on. With all the cleanup and repairs in order, I didn’t feel like the water heater was a priority. But after taking a closer look, I realized that the fittings on the inlet and outlet looked familiar. I checked them using a garden hose and it fit. So after some contemplation, I decided to place the heater on my washing machine, unhook the hoses from the washer and hook the cold water to the inlet on the heater and the hot water to the outlet. Please be careful and don’t place it directly on the lid of a top loader without some kind of additional support like a piece of plywood. Remember, 1 gallon of water weighs 8.34 lbs so just the water in this tank is 50 lbs. Add the weight of the tank and you will be approaching 100 lbs. I then turned off the valve to the inlet of the existing hot water heater in the basement. I wired in a plug to the romex cable connection of the water heater and ran an extension cord to the nearest outlet powered by the generator. I will wire the washer outlet to run off the generator in the future so it can be used for this purpose. I filled the heater with water by turning on the hot water at the closest faucet and both washer hookup valves. It is very critical to make sure the heater is completely full of water before turning it on. It will burn the element out almost instantaneously if there is air in the tank. The water heater tag says 1650 Watts and the generator bogged down somewhat when the water heater kicked on along with the refrigerator, but it worked just fine. Now six gallons isn’t a lot of hot water, but I cranked the water temperature all the way up and it was enough for a quick shower and hot water for dishes was no longer a problem.

The electricity was out for a week and I burned through several tanks of propane which reminded me that I needed to increase my supply of propane. Storage is not an issue for propane luckily, unlike gas which does not store very well, which is exactly why I chose this unit. I was able to hook a garden hose to the drain of the heater and run it outside once the electric came back on. I was very careful to drain all the water and leave the valve and pressure relief valve open to let it air dry to lessen the chance of corrosion and the rotten egg smell of stagnated water the next time I need it. I then hooked the hoses back up to the washer and it was ready to go again.

The lessons learned were very valuable and it was an under pressure moment where I was able to brainstorm and come up with an easy way to have hot water. I didn’t realize the importance of hot water in an SHTF scenario. This is not a convenience item especially where women and children are involved (at least not for my family anyway). Sanity quickly disappeared with the lack of hot water for a basic shower. Now I know others may think she is spoiled and things will be much worse when the real SHTF. I agree that they could get much worse than the way my situation unfolded, but my philosophy is to take care of everything I can possibly take care of to keep life as normal as possible. When it really hits us hard, the more we can do to maintain our current lifestyles, as luxurious as they may seem in the future, the easier it will be to maintain sanity. I have to imagine how great a hot shower will feel after cutting wood all day to heat the house in the winter when it’s no longer optional to burn the wood stove, but a necessity. This method is sure going to be a lot easier than heating pots of water on the wood stove, not to mention less dangerous.

Two Letters Re: New England Gardening, by George H.

JWR:
Just a couple of ideas/notes on gardening, inspired by the recent article on New England Gardening:

Land that was previously “Forested” and cleared is usually poor soil initially for vegetable gardening, even when adding compost and manure.  Forested land is fertile when many years of plant residue build up naturally, and then fertile for more trees and brush only usually, but lacking in desired nutrients for vegetable crops. Without the natural “compost” layer the trees provide the soil will become barren quickly from erosion etc. Essential nutrients/minerals to provide a balanced diet for both the vegetable plants one wants to grow to be able to grow “well” will either be lacking or “unavailable” in the form their in for the plant to “use”. The human consumption for sustenance of vegetables grown in these soils frequently will be lacking  desirable/necessary nutrients, especially for young children.  Local manures and compost will often not add these nutrients (though soil tilth will be much improved) as the manure and compost that come from the “same” soils (local area) so to speak will be lacking in these nutrients as well, unless the animals diets have been supplemented. The quality of the feed the manure producing animal gets in turn affects the quality of the manure you get.  Same for plant compost.

This is the case generally all around the country.  Even on many “organic” farms unless soil amendments are added. This is not a criticism of organic farming, but rather something every organic farmer already (hopefully) knows are adjusts for.  Accurate soil testing at various points throughout the land/garden/orchard is necessary to determine mineral content of soil, and to know what amendments will need to be added.  Test your soils now if possible. These amendments can often be “natural/organic” but will often need to be brought in from elsewhere and stockpiled (whether its bone meal or seaweed, fish emulsion, etc.)

Tests done on “farm boys” entering the military years ago showed many deficiencies in minerals/nutrients.  These guys worked hard on the farm, ate local produce, and meats, used manures heavily,  and still were found to have skeletal problems, bad teeth, etc due to minerals lacking in their soils where they grew up.  But they ate “healthy and natural” to a point.  I mention this only to make people aware, not to criticize anything in this fine letter George H wrote which I liked, (or to raise anyone’s dander that grew up on a farm!)  I hope to simply allow people who are planning ahead to incorporate the need for “good soil” in their planning now before they rely on a subsistence source. 

If one is planning ahead for long term survival these nutrient deficiencies must be planned in and compensated for, especially for the children.  While a lot of our modern supermarket produce leaves much to be desired, access to diverse food sources is easy now and we can supplement our nutrients through diverse foodstuffs (organic or otherwise) from other locals where nutrients lacking in our local soils are more abundant or have been added, and vice a versa..  This may not be the case in the future, so proper soil preparation and stockpiling now those amendments needed is necessary.

I would avoid weed killers as much as possible as soon as possible (or preferably not use them at all if possible time allowing).  Deposits are left in the soil, and the micro-organisms needed to build and maintain soil fertility are destroyed, along with earthworms, beneficial nematodes and fungi, etc.  Perennial weeds are hard to contain but judicious limited application of more natural foliage killers and heavy, thick mulching with shallow hoeing  will eventually keep weeds down and deplete their roots.  This takes years.  The point is not to unearth new weed seeds that exist by the thousands in the top layer of soil.  For a vegetable garden there is a strong argument to be made for not ever turning the soil at all. See this web page, as deep digging is non productive and destroys natural soil structure and micro-organisms, while bringing up less desirable soils and weed seeds to the surface. 

Let leaves compost by themselves for many years and then use selectively as a water holding leaf mold mulch so as not to deplete your soil of nitrogen during the leaf decomposition process (same goes for fresh wood chips).  I would where possible cover a desired future gardening plot soil with tarps (or use the cardboard lasagna gardening method)  to prepare new areas for gardening the following year- removing some/many trees depending on the intended soil use, composting in place as much deciduous matter as possible (ideally before mature weed seed heads are formed).  Also, planting a dense cover group early (be it rye grass, oats, mustard etc depending on your area etc) in the season before planning to use the area for food groups can and will help with noxious weed control as the “cover” crop will smother many weeds and stop them from germinating.  Then mulch with the cover crop. And rotate your plot, even if small, and cover crop for the winter again  (you can find the best varieties of cover crops for your area by searching the web, and/or going to local feed stores to buy).

I also prefer to have several years of hybrid seeds stored, along with heirloom varieties for the longer run. Why?  Many varieties of hybrid seeds were bred for their resilience/adaptability to soil type, weather, and fast growth rates.  Under stressful conditions, be it weather, plant diseases, insects, or the “golden hordes”, these hybrid seeds will allow a garden to be planted and produce relatively quickly (F1 hybrids will also give seed that will germinate and reproduce, many not true to their parent stock, but with edible produce nonetheless.)

As an aside, many Internet pundits state that F1 hybrids are sterile, and while some are, many are not, through the efforts of the large seed companies. (The detestable Monsanto GMO company and others have developed terminator seeds.) This audio explains OP seeds, Heirloom seeds, and Hybrids rather well and is a good introduction to plant breeding/seed saving. The woman is from Seed Savers Exchange. 

You can read a great forum post at Seed Savers Exchange by ‘caroyn137’ for a brief explanation of F1 and F2 . She explains: “About 90 % of our OP family heirlooms first arose by cross pollination, and then someone had to save the F2 seeds if they liked what they saw, and then plant out those F2 seeds looking for plants and fruits that looked like the initial hybrid they saw and tasted and liked. And that process of selecting the best you see at each generation goes on and on until all seeds sowed give rise to the same plants and fruits, at which time it’s called open pollinated (OP).”

Heirloom plants/seeds are great, I plant them and love them, they are better tasting in many cases, and desirable in the long run for saving seed true to parent stock.  However, if you haven’t yet gotten into seed saving, you should do it now, even small scale. And read up on the distances required to maintain general seed stock purity for different vegetables.  Learn how to hand pollinate.  Build isolation cages/towers to keep pollen away from specific plants/flowers (whether wind-borne or insect-borne.) Also realize that even heirloom varieties may not do well in your area, or your micro-climate. See this site and this site for more information on microclimates.

The best way to really prepare is to plant many varieties of seeds now, heirloom and F1, and see what varieties grow best in your area each year and under different conditions.  Find local “heirloom” seeds from local gardeners/neighbors.  These will usually already be adapted to your micro-climate. The same goes for berry bushes and fruit trees.

Common sense tells us that what has been growing well nearest you already will do best.  Develop your own local climate adapted, “heirloom” varieties. So, I  suggest keeping 2-to-3 years of hybrid seed stored as well, especially if you don’t have a garden yet,  as well as local heirloom seeds from neighbors, and you can probably always barter the F1 hybrids to others whose heirloom seeds they bought and grew well in the part of the country those seeds were “produced” in,  fail to be as productive where they live.  

If I may, respectfully, I would suggest watching these videos on YouTube or researching the concepts on the web, (some videos start slow, but give them a few minutes, all very informative):

Emilia Hazelip

Sepp Holzer Permaculture

Masanobu Fukuoka

Robert Hart’s forest garden

Lasagna garden Video 1 and Video 2 (good idea, don’t care for the music though myself)

 

In my opinion one of the best vegetable gardening sites on the web, especially for northern climates (check the links and older posts too) can be found here.

Basic seed saving: here, here, here, and info on seed isolation distances here.

Isolation distances in Organic Seed Production

Another on seed isolation distances.

DIY Isolation cages for seed saving from plants in the garden.

Saving Vegetable Seeds in an Urban Garden. (Read online or contact author to buy)

 

I would recommend finding, buying, or making a broadfork, for personal vegetable gardens.

No-til farming. (Also see this site.)

Also read Elliot Coleman’s books, such as Four-Season Harvest.

Respectfully, – Pierre M.

Mr. Rawles:
After reading about this gentleman’s (and many other’s, on this site) back breaking adventures in gardening, I would like to direct your reader’s attention to a less labor intensive and more sustainable way of gardening put forth by Paul Gautschi in a film titled Back to Eden.   Although it is hardly a new concept in gardening, the easy to follow principles have been, in my opinion, long forgotten.  Gardeners, new and old, will benefit tremendously by watching and learning from this film. 

Happy Gardening, – Jill N.

Economics and Investing:

I highly recommend this interview: Chris Duane on Coast to Coast AM. Thankfully, the recording is minus the lengthy commercial breaks. Duane (of Silver Bullet & Silver Shield) says that the collapse of the U.S. Dollar is a “100% mathematical certainty.” Duane also points out the risk posed by the 27 million Americans on prescribed antidepressants. He predicts that there will widespread psychotic breaks if there is a disruption of pharmaceutical supplies.

Despite this gent’s odd demeanor, his words ring true: No independence. (Thanks to K.H. for the link.)

Sue C. sent this: Brent higher, U.S. crude pares losses after EIA data. JWR’s Comment: Since the global financial crisis is putting a damper on industry, I expect crude oil prices below $90 per barrel by September, and possibly much lower, in 2013.

Items from The Economatrix:

Silver Market Update

Mammoth Lakes Files For Bankruptcy

US Manufacturing Shrinks for First Time in Three Years

Oil Prices May Have Hit Bottom

Odds ‘n Sods:

Another Sustainable Preparedness Expo will be held on September 30, 2012 in Spokane, Washington.

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Reader RBS forwarded this: Footage shows African ‘ghost town’. JWR’s Comment: I can almost hear the echoes of some CPC politburo member’s whim: “I think blue might look nice.”

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It is not over yet: In West Virginia, mass feedings planned in wake of storms, heat wave. (Thanks to “CoffeeMatt ” for the link.)

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Long-time SurvivalBlog content contributor AmEx (American Expat) send a link to a popular video of an imperiled ice climber being rescued. He notes: “This is a great analogy for preparedness. Someday, those who are prepared will find themselves in a position to “throw a rope” to those who haven’t prepared for when the ground they’re on melts and gives way.”

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Homeland Security Report Lists ‘Liberty Lovers’ As Terrorists

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“The Obamacare decision has revealed the Supreme Court for the fraud it is. They bound and gagged the Constitution long ago, embezzled its authority and now speak for it rather than from it. It’s a Medieval priesthood overawing the citizenry with imagined infallibility, but at ground level these cocktail-circuit Big Thinkers enable and shield DC’s most conspicuous assaults on the rightful liberty of the people.

The deciding vote was cast by Chief Justice Roberts, a Bush appointee whose confirmation Obama opposed, which shows DC as it really is, an evil carnival of political chameleons imposing their dark fantasies on the rest of us, corrupt and convoluted beyond even its own understanding, a brittle and bankrupt fear-machine clanking from crisis to crisis, sniffing for advantage. DC is run largely off the books by psychopaths and the irretrievably compromised and they mean to make outsiders of us, with all the rights of uninvited spectators.

DC believes the people adore its captor, and some do. They’re the Kapos of our time. They think it right and proper to ask DC’s permission to be free. They believe permits and licenses are the same as liberty, meaning one man is compelled to get consent from another to live his life, or even to protect his life. They think it right we travel only by DC’s leave, that DC choose our food and our neighbors, that DC decide how much of our earnings we’re entitled to, that DC can rightfully demean and dismiss our opinions. They think it right we’re surveilled, bullied, and bribed with our own money. They think it right we’re lied to, swindled and slandered.

Others believe DC is a criminal enterprise in the sense of being outside the law, and thereby lawless, that elections merely sanction palace machinations, that every police-state decree was proposed and passed by our “representatives” and signed off by the court, that DC is where liberty goes to be abused and strangled, in short, that DC has become fundamentally illegitimate and the fix must be equally fundamental. They understand what’s been pilfered through chicanery and compromise, or outright betrayal. They revere liberty as it was and will be. Take heart. Ancient bonds are reconnecting. Paine and Jefferson and Adams are speaking again. Liberty will be regained.” – Ol’ Remus writing in The Woodpile Report

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 41 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 $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear, E.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value), and F.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo.

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training. Together, these have a retail value of $589. B.) A FloJak FP-50 stainless steel hand well pump (a $600 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.) A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206, C.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, D.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value.), and E.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 41 ends on July 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.

New England Gardening, by George H.

If you are not gardening now, those long term seeds you are saving is giving you a false sense of hope. We bought two acres on what was years ago farmland, sounds like it should be easy to return to farmland, Right? I discovered later what was raised on our property was the only thing which made sense after experience – Goats.
Gardening in New England presents many challenges and unless you are prepared and have experience dealing with them you are out of luck. Even if you have gardening experience in the past, if you have moved you will discover new challenges. Challenges you might easily face in any part of the country. Challenges such as:

  1. Rocks, Rocks, Rocks! I have two acres to grow on, all covered in rocks! The rock walls you see everywhere throughout New England are the tip of the iceberg for what you will see in the fields. I have cleared ½ an acre in six years, first year I fixed the existing rock walls and built a new wall. Since then I have built rock wall borders for all sections of my garden and have more for a Root cellar foundation. And each year I find more large rocks in areas which have been dug up for the past six years. I was gardening for 3 years prior to our move on backfilled land, all I needed was a shovel and rake. It was a shock when I went to prepare my garden the first year! I used the shovel to help pry up rocks but my pickaxe was what I used most until getting a 48” steel bull bar. Now I use the pickaxe to find rocks, the bull bar to move them! And it is not just my 2 acres, I have seen many more areas where farmers decided to only grow maple trees for Syrup or sheep/goat fields after building many rock walls.
  2. Trees – first year I cut down around 20-30 trees to clear the area for my garden leaving the stumps to rot for a year prior to breaking them up. Within a year the surrounding trees started to extend their branches to cover more of my garden. By the second year it was effecting my harvest! I trimmed the trees back but the trees really needed to come down. Fortunately, keeping a positive outlook on events, last year we had an ice storm which aided in the removal of the offending trees. Cut down another 20-30 trees to open everything back up for now. This will be a constant maintenance item every winter until the area is totally cleared.
  3. Animals – Raccoons, skunks, deer, woodchucks turkeys and smaller birds each have their own favorite food. And each have the potential to destroy a garden harvest overnight. Coyotes can be your friend for protecting your garden! As long as you protect your livestock. In the event of an actual TEOTWAWKI there is an additional meat supply.
  4. Weather – Each year has different patterns which will benefit one crop or another. One year my berries and pumpkins had a bumper yield, but little corn, apples or squash. Next year the exact opposite. But if your mix of crops is good then you fewer worries. We have more then adequate rainfall every year but some plants prefer drier weather or they begin to rot, others wetter weather to thrive. Early Blizzards and ice storms may destroy trees and bushes and ruin late crops. Early warm weather may cause fruit trees to bloom early just to lose their fruit when it gets seasonally cold again. There is no predicting the weather. But you can mix your crops for any weather you might get.
  5. Weeds – Some vegetables I struggle with to get to grow, start inside early in the season water, fence off, use clotches, row covers, everything to help. And every year weeds which are sprayed, hoed, and pulled out keep coming back! Certain weeds are very resilient, news reports blame this on Global warming personally I think it is more the limitations on the weed killer people can obtain. Older weed killer worked with one application new ones take multiple applications with a greater time for the weeds to build up a resistance.
  6. New vegetables – Planting new seeds in the garden I do not know if there are weeds coming up there or are those my peanuts? The next year I know but the first year the plants have to fight with the weeds until I recognize them.
  7. When to plant? Do you know when plants will be safe from Frost? What plants can tolerate a frost or will not rot in a wet cold garden? When will you be safe from May flies? Some insects can be brutal in the early spring and drive you mad with their biting. If you have protection you are okay but you need to test it out. You can only be prepared if you know it might be a problem.
  8. What can be your “safe” staple crops? The first year I planted I would have said Corn, in the next 9 years I have never had the same yield. My staple crops are Snap peas, potatoes, some squash/pumpkins and tomatoes. Everything else is hit or miss depending on the weather.
  9. How much compost can you generate? From our composed food we get about 50 pounds, no where near enough. Add leaves and garden waste and you will get closer. Nothing beats livestock for producing enough composted fertilizer. I get mine from a farm down the street, typically two tons a year for fertilizer and to fill gaps from removing rocks. Again I find many rocks in cultivated areas, more as I expand my garden.

What has worked out very well in aiding my Garden:

  1. Rain barrels – I am up to three now, two of which can be hooked up to a hose and will gravity feed to water my lower garden.
  2. Two separate gardens for different corn varieties, squash vs pumpkins and other plants I do not want to cross pollinate.
  3. Fencing helps keep animals to a minimum but is something I need to work on after clearing more trees. I do not want to crush the fence I just put up or spend more time taking it down every year.
  4. Square tomato cages, these stay standing much better then to round style and they fold for storage.
  5. Getting more varieties for cross pollination and as back up harvest. Again one year one fruit tree will do better than another. This year the apples will be fewer but I will have many more pears!
  6. Ooze tube watering system – I fill these 25 gallon tubes from my rain barrels and they slowly drip irrigate my blueberries while keeping down the weeds.
  7. Bull bar 48” steel bar for prying up rocks. Using this bar I can get a 200 pound boulder out by gradually lifting the boulder 1-2” and slipping smaller rocks underneath. One the boulder is at ground level this bar is often used to roll the boulder to the rock wall.
  8. Pick axe to remove smaller rocks or break up boulders too big for the bull bar.
  9. Two of everything, except for the bull bar. Everything else will break with constant use.
  10. Books – Self sufficient living by John Seymour was the biggest help. Many useful tips and instructions from someone who lives what he teaches.
  11. Certain types of weed killer acceptable for garden preparation, this cuts down on weeding and with several applications will kill poison ivy.
  12. Gloves 5-6 pairs, get vibration dampening style if at all possible. Swinging a pickaxe into a boulder will hurt much less, trust me on this! Gloves protect your hands from drying out, insects, thorns and poison ivy/sumac. Gloves wear out even faster then tools and will need to be washed often. Better to damage the gloves then your hands, I buy the mechanics brand gloves at $6-8 a pair at a local store when they are on sale. I never used to use gloves but listening to experienced mechanics and farmers plus my own scarred hands convinced me otherwise.
  13. Safety glasses, both tinted and untinted. These are a good idea in general, never know when something will kick up into your face and required if swinging a pickaxe. Move enough brush, cut enough trees and you will quickly realize that these are required.
  14. Every fall dig up a new location and fill with leaves then toss the dug up dirt on top this will provide brown gold in two years.
  15. Wild berries – my lawn is covered in wild strawberries, the forest has many wild blueberries and the edges are filled with blackberries!
  16. Large timber wood saws, maul and axe, easier to use for quick one or two  tree clearing, good exercise and quiet!
  17. A Come-along, wedges and Hi-Lift jacks with tow straps to encourage trees to fall in the direction you prefer.
  18. Food mill and apple peeler/corer saves a huge amount of time processing apples for storage. Experience with canning and how many lids and tools you need helps as well. The first year I cut all the apples by hand and used a food strainer. that took two weekends vs one day with the correct tools and I had better yields.

Unless you are gardening the area you will be raising food in in case of a crisis you will likely be setting yourself up for failure and at the worst possible time. Once you understand the basics of gardening you get the best yields possible and you know what to expect. I know at best I can get 2-3 months of food for my family with my current set-up. Under less than ideal closer to one month maybe two but it is still fresh food and will be a desired add on to any stored food. I only know that from experience, not what a spreadsheet or book will tell me. Books and other information has helped quite a bit but the actual doing is dependent on you. If it takes year to clear a lot and grow food it takes a year, even more time if you are out of shape, you are lacking the correct tools for the job or are under fed.
Have the long term seeds and know how and when to use them! Again any less will cost you when you can least afford it! Better yet have the long term seeds plus what heirloom seeds you have saved from last years harvest. Practical Knowledge is good, book knowledge is good but both combined is ideal.

 

Letter Re: Lessons From The Derecho Storms

Mr. Rawles:
Today is Wednesday, July 4, 2012.  I am writing from a small town in central West Virginia and I would like to share some thoughts, observations, and lessons from the recent Derecho windstorm experienced by the mid-west and east of our great country.  As I sit here, we are in day six of total power outage caused by a freak storm that came with little or no warning.  Power may not be on for another four days.
 
I have been a long time reader of your blog and have lots of lists and plans but sadly my preparations for hardship were found lacking.  We here in West Virginia are used to disasters such as floods but the mountains tend to shield us from tornados and high winds are rare.  Within an hour span power was knocked out to 50 of the 55 counties in the state.  The towers of major transmission lines were twisted wrecks.  And then the “fun” began.  This incident has galvanized me and my neighbors.  My observations will be preaching to the choir in this forum but here goes:
·          Gasoline was gone within 24 hours.  Lines were just like the 1970s fuel embargo.
·          Ice became the chief commodity and was in short supply or no supply.
·          Water was out for most people at least for the first two days.
·          Most big box stores and gas stations were up on generator power by day three.
·          A new shipment of 250 generators was sold in a few hours.
·          Temperatures in the high 90s added another layer of difficulty.
 
     Most people kept their cool and neighbors helped each other.  Many are much better neighbors now.  With all traffic lights out it was hectic but for the most part people were safe and courteous.  We used to have a tourism commercial about West Virginia that showed four cars pulling up simultaneously to a four way stop and each driver motioning for the other to go first.  The tag line was “Traffic jam, West Virginia style”.  I am happy to say that was true in most cases.
 
     The holes in my preparedness were:
·          I needed good high quality kerosene lanterns with reflectors and extra wicks.  The cheap Chinese red ones at Wal-Mart are toys.
·          Batteries, Batteries, Batteries.
·          Propane, Propane, Propane.
·          I needed a good tough portable radio with multiple charging sources.  I was reduced to listening to a car radio and risking battery and gas.
·          I should have had several barrels of water on hand
·          A couple of deep cycle marine batteries would have been nice.
·          A generator and fuel reserve have moved from the nice-to-have list to the have-to-have list.
 
The local radio station stepped up to the plate and suspended normal programming and went live 24 hours on generator with news and call-ins giving information.  The unpreparedness of some of the call-ins was instructive.  On the second day several were screaming for FEMA to arrive.  Well, in our recent primary election, Democratic voters supported a prison inmate in Texas with over 40% of the vote, so I do not expect FEMA anytime soon.  It is obvious to me now that there will be a die-off in any major disaster.  Those on medical oxygen or diabetic will not survive.  There is also an element of just plain stupid out there.  One lady drove 30 miles to a neighboring town to get water for her children when simply listening to the radio would have directed her to a fire station two blocks from her house.
 
Mr. Rawles, I know your feelings about areas anywhere east of the Mississippi but I must say that, in general, West Virginia enjoys some advantages as a retreat.  Property prices and taxes are low, low population density, low crime rate, no urban problems, minimal gun laws, and a conservative and religious population.  For the most part, it is “Almost Heaven”.
 
I have turned a corner on preparedness and I hope my neighbors have too.  Bottom line: We must have three days of supplies at a minimum and build from there.  Thanks for your blog.
 
Wavetalker in West Virginia

Six Letters Re: Cordless DC Power Tool Selection

Hi James,
I too have chosen DeWalt, but went out of my way recently to purchase a 12 volt cordless drill.  My reason being that the rechargeable batteries will eventually degrade.  18 volts is hard to come by without stacking small cells together in series.  But 12 volt batteries are ubiquitous in all kinds of shapes, sizes and capacities, and can be pressed into service easily with a few feet of wire. – Ray K.

Dear James.
I just want you to know that we appreciate what you do ,the information you provide is priceless,and don`t start my day without touching base at SurvivalBlog.com. I use my battery operated tools daily, as a contractor -handyman. I have also found Dewalt to make  great tools. My batteries started to go on my drill, impact driver set, so I went to the Big Box store. I found the price for one spare battery was $80 dollars. Yikes! So I started looking around for options. What I found might save you and your readers some money, and give them some inexpensive backup–since “two is one.” I found a combo kit with a DeWalt drill, two batteries, charger and flashlight on sale for for $159. This, mind you, was at the same store that sells a single battery for $80. Hope this helps, – HookNshoot

James:
Regarding Dewalt cordless tools, I agree that they have good quality and lifespan. In my case, I switched over to Bosch Cordless tools seven years ago. I ordered the full set of tools including the jig saw and the car charger and a free canvas carry bag plus an 18v hand plainer from the factory outlet at a good savings with new factory warranty.

The initial Bosch warranty is better and check out the six foot drop test online. Your results may vary and according to Bosch their 12 volt product line has performance close to the 18 volt product line, with less weight.

My change jar is being saved to purchase for their 18 volt impact driver.

As for the batteries after seven years of sporadic use including the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina I had two of my three 18v batteries [eventually develop] dead cells. New replacements
seemed expensive so I called the local battery place and asked how much to rebuild. I had three batteries rebuilt, with same day service. The cost was $150 versus $240 for buying factory new replacements. Plus the batteries were at full charge when I got home. That’s my two copper-washed zinc cents worth.

Remember that most rechargeable battery packs can be rebuilt for about 2/3 the cost of new and as a plus you are “saving the Earth.”

Disclaimer: I am not in anyway compensated or have a financial interest in either company. I like them both but just prefer Bosch.

Cheers, – JHB

JWR:
Here are a couple of do-it-yourself “corded battery pack” conversions, like you mentioned:

Convert a perfectly good cordless drill to a corded one.

How To Make a Cordless Tool Corded

Regards, – Zac

 

Hello James,
As you noted in your overview of cordless tools, the weak link is in the batteries. When they fail (and they will [eventually] fail) an otherwise useful tool becomes useless.
As an option, you recommend using a high amperage 18 volt DC power source. But unfortunately, 18 volt power sources are not common.

Perhaps another option would be to own 12 volt DC power tools. When their batteries fail, the tool could be powered by any high amperage 12 volt DC power source, like a car battery.
Although these tools may lack the torque of their 18 volt brethren, the quality is still there. 12 volt lead-acid batteries are readily available. Additionally, in a grid-down situation, a number of other tools, appliances and communication gear could be powered by that same 12 volt battery. And, as you pointed out, be sure to use appropriate fuses. Best Regards, – David S.

 

Jim:
For extented hours of use on cordless power tool use, check this Y-T video out on what I’d call “semi-cordless”: Ultimate Battery Power. Oh, and here is a link to that company’s web site: TheUltimatePowerTrip.com. Kudos on having the biggest and very best prepping site in the blogosphere. The others are just pale imitators! – Charles J.

Economics and Investing:

Jim W. sent this from Chris Pulplava: Massive Japanese Debt Monetization Is Coming, Yen to be Devalued

G.G. flagged this: Financial ‘Armageddon’ Will Happen Despite EU Deal: Rogers

Also from G.G.: There Has Been A Stunning Collapse In Vending Machine Revenue

K.P. sent this: 77% of JP Morgan’s Net Income Comes from Government Subsidies

Heatwave threatens US grain harvest. (Thanks to K.A.F. for the link.)

Items from The Economatrix:

Euro Compromises Likely To Unravel

Manufacturing In U.S. Unexpectedly Contracted In June

Hiding Inflation Results In Perma-Recession, The Next Great Keynesian Failure

Here Are The New Taxes You Are Going To Pay For ObamaCare

Odds ‘n Sods:

James K. sent this report from McNewspaper: For those without power, patience wears thin, tempers flare

   o o o

SurvivalBlog Editor At Large Michael Z. Williamson sent this: Nevada Highway Patrol troopers sue over bogus K-9 program. Mike’s summary: “Dogs trained to react to cues, not drugs, to enable seizure of assets, officers claim.”

   o o o

Preparedness-minded folks in Holland might be interested in this site: Preppers.nl

   o o o

Overstocked! FreezeDryGuy has cases of Mexican Rice and Chicken Long Range Patrol (LRP) entrees on sale for a limited time. These individual freeze dried meals are perfect for your Bug Out Bag. Normally priced at $132 per case, they are sale priced: 1 case for $120, 3 cases for $345, or 5 cases for $550.

   o o o

This doesn’t bode well: Oregon wolf packs produce pups. (Thanks to R.B.S. for the link.)

Notes from JWR:

Today, July 4th, marks Independence Day in these United States. Pray that we hold fast to our Liberty. (That will take God and Guns.)

—

Today we present another entry for Round 41 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 $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear, E.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value), and F.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo.

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training. Together, these have a retail value of $589. B.) A FloJak FP-50 stainless steel hand well pump (a $600 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.) A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206, C.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, D.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value.), and E.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 41 ends on July 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.

Bees Like John (The Baptist), by Mike The Bee Shepherd

In a true TEOTWAWKI situation, many people will naturally resort to hunting and fishing to procure food. The increased hunting pressure will make many animals nocturnal and quickly deplete the populations of wild game. There is, however, one overlooked source of food that flies completely under the radar by even the most seasoned survivalists.  It tastes delicious, lasts forever,  replenishes itself to be harvested again and again, is a phenomenal barter item,  and can be found in every state in America.  I am talking about wild honey! The Bible says that this is the food that sustained John the Baptist during his time in the wilderness and that’s all the endorsement I need.

Allow me to give you a quick primer on honey.  Honey has roughly 1,376 calories per pound. It is not uncommon for a healthy colony of bees to produce 60 to 80 pounds of surplus honey in a good season. That equates to 60-80 days of life sustainment for one person from one hive.  Honey has an indefinite shelf life. Honey found in the tombs of Egyptian kings was found to be perfectly edible. Honey also has multiple uses. Besides its obvious value as a food item, honey can be fermented to make mead (honey wine) which can be further distilled to make ethanol fuel.   Honey also has antibacterial qualities since it contains trace amounts of hydrogen peroxide and it was reportedly used by Roman Soldiers to pack sword wounds.  Honey can and will crystallize over time since it is a super saturated solution but you can easily restore it back to liquid form by gently heating it. Did I mention that Winnie the Pooh loves the stuff?

I think it’s safe to say that John the Baptist didn’t get his honey from the local food co-op or Piggly Wiggly. Our ancestors didn’t have the luxury of buying bees from the Internet and having them shipped in a tidy box via UPS, instead they used an ancient technique known as “bee lining”.  Locusts may not travel in a straight line but fortunately for us, the honey bee generally does.  It is this straight-line behavior that we can utilize to lead us back to the proverbial “honey-hole”.  There are numerous techniques for bee lining and although I doubt John the Baptist used trigonometry to locate his wild bees, we can.  Do you remember the days back in high school when you were plodding with contempt through trigonometry homework and thinking to yourself “I will never use this”?  Personally, I would rather have watched paint dry as I was never very adept at math. I don’t think I could count all my protruding body parts and get the same number twice. I am now man enough to admit that I was wrong.  A little simple math can reveal the bee’s secret location.

Bees predominantly forage when the weather is nice so do not waste your time trying to do this in the rain. It takes honey to make honey! You need to start with a sweet solution of sugar or honey and water (dissolved 1:1).  Put this solution on a small piece of sponge in the center of a bowl.  Set the bowl with sugar baited sponge in an open area and wait. The wind will carry the scent to foraging bees.  The first time a honey bee takes her fill, she will fly up in ever widening circles trying to remember the landmarks so she can lead her sisters back to the source.  It helps them if you wear brightly colored clothes as they will use you as a landmark. The exception to this is the color red as bees cannot see the color red. You can get a very rough estimate of the distance to the hive by timing the round trip time between the first bees departure to its return. 3-5 minutes is generally indicative of a quarter-mile, 5-10 minutes a half-mile, and 15 minutes or more indicates a distance of at least one mile. Once the bee communicates the source of food to the hive, the whole family will join in and you should see an ever increasing volume of bees visiting your bowl. Take out a compass and note the direction that the bees are flying in between the dish and the hive. Shoot an azimuth and note the azimuth (in degrees) on a map. Write a line from your current position out a few miles indicating the bee’s current flight path. (We will call this line SIDE “A”) The hive is obviously somewhere along this line. Once you have 15 or 20 bees in your bowl you can place a cover on the bowl thus capturing the bees. Take your captured bees and walk 50 yards in a line that is exactly perpendicular to the bee’s line of flight. (It is very important that you are exactly 50 yards as this will figure into our equation later)  Jotting this line down on the same map as the bee’s azimuth would now form an “L” with your new position now being at the bottom right edge of the “L”. (We will call this bottom line SIDE “B”).  Now do your best to release just a few bees at a time from your new position and again shoot an azimuth with your compass.  Writing this line down on the map should now give you a right triangle with the right angle being in the base of the “L”. This last line SIDE “C” is the hypotenuse of our right triangle. The angle that you need to figure out is in the bottom inside right corner of your triangle (where you are now standing). We will call this angle “a”.  You can use a protractor on the map to determine this angle (angle “a”).  Once we have the bottom right inside angle of our triangle, we need to do a little math to determine where our new line (SIDE “C”) intersects with our very first line (SIDE “A”). This intersection will be the exact location of the hive.  The formula to figure this is:
SIDE “C”= SIDE “B” / cosine (angle “a”)
So let’s say that we used our protractor on the map and determined that SIDE “C” made a 47 degree angle with SIDE “B”. This means that angle “a” is 47 degrees. We also know that SIDE “B” equals 50 yards. 
SIDE “C” = 50 yards / cos (47)
SIDE “C” = 73 yards

Our wild bees are approximately 73 yards from our current position at the point where our last azimuth intersects with our first azimuth.  Now we can bring our bowl to that spot and use our ears and eyes to look for the entrance to the hive. Many old time bee liners claim to hear the hive before they see it.  Now finding the cosine of an angle usually requires a scientific calculator (solar powered scientific calculators are available for five or six dollars). To make life easier, I have created a lookup table that automatically converts the degrees of angle “a” into the exact distance to the hive so no cosine calculation is necessary. This table will only be accurate if you walk exactly 50 yards (150 feet) to form SIDE “B”. I have printed a small version of this table and laminated it to keep in my wallet. The table follows:

 

Once we find our bees we need to don our protective gear. It might be a good time to mention that this should not to be done by anyone with bee sting allergies and I always carry two Epi-Pens with me just in case. A simple Tyvek painter’s suit sold for a few dollars at Home Depot will provide protection that is comparable to most commercial bee suits. Be sure to get the suit with the built in hood. Purchase some nitrile gloves as they are more puncture resistant than either latex or vinyl and are the choice of medical professionals to prevent needle sticks. A simple mosquito head net worn over a ball cap completes the outfit. Many beekeepers remove hives with no protective gear whatsoever but this is not recommended for the novice.  Tie some dry grass together tightly and light it on fire. Extinguish the flames so that it makes smoke. Fan this smoke into the hive entrance. This will trick the bees into thinking their home is on fire and they will immediately gorge themselves with honey in preparation of seeking a new home. This causes the bees to become very docile. Would you want to get into a fistfight after eating Thanksgiving dinner?  At this point, you may need to enlarge the access hole to reach the comb. It is preferable to only remove a portion of the honey and to do it without destroying the colony so that we can come back for more later. Remember that the bees need honey to survive throughout the winter and without sufficient stocks, they will die. This is the equivalent to shooting your cash cow.

Take the honey comb back to process the honey. You can eat it right in the comb or you can employ the crush and strain method. Whichever you do, do it indoors otherwise you will create a swarm of bees all looking to rob your honey.  Crush the comb and strain it through a paint strainer or cheese cloth. Make sure that at least three quarters of your honeycomb is capped. The bees cap the comb once they have the moisture content down to 18% or less. The uncapped portion is still nectar but with a much higher moisture content. Uncapped nectar can be eaten if done right away but it does not store as it will ferment from the natural yeasts that are present. The wax can then be utilized to make everything from candles to lip balm (again, outside the scope of this article).

Some people see the face of God in the clouds.  I see Him in the bees.  They are an amazing gift to us and they have been sustaining man for thousands of years.  God’s Manna from heaven was reputed to have honey in it and the best land was referred to “the land of milk and honey”.  When you realize that one out of every three bites of food you eat is a byproduct of honey bee pollination, you get a picture for how important they are to our sustainment.  Mr. Rawles, please forgive the unabashed plug but if you are interested in learning more about honey bees or about purchasing wild honey you can visit my web site, The Bee Shepherds.

Cordless DC Power Tool Selection

Several readers have asked me what brand of cordless power tools I use. A few years back, I settled on DeWalt brand 18 Volt DC tools here at the Rawles Ranch. This company seemed to offer a very wide selection of very sturdy and reasonably priced tools with long battery life. The only drawback is that their spare batteries are fairly expensive. (Although their batteries seem to have a much longer service life than most of those made by competitors.) Since then, I haven’t regretted the selection of DeWalt, since they keep adding tools to their line, and a they’ve also started making compatible lithium-ion batteries. One nice thing about DeWalt is that they make both AC chargers and 12 Volt DC chargers. The latter come with ubiquitous cigarette lighter plugs, which I dislike. So I do my usual trick of adding pairs of genderless Anderson Power Pole connectors to the cords, to give me commonality with all of my other automotive, ham radio. and off-grid power systems. (I use fuse-protected RIGRunner power strips in most of my vehicles and Anderson Power Pole connectors all over our ranch house and barn/shop.)

I seem to get the most use out of the 1/2″ chuck impact drill and the reciprocating saw. (The latter uses standard Milwaukee Sawzall blades, and in fact I’ve switched to using the less expensive Milwaukee brand blades. For expendable items, I pay attention to quality and price rather than brand names.) My only regret was buying the compatible DeWalt cordless circular saw. I only rarely use it, so it wasn’t worth the expense. The motor is high torque, so it runs down batteries fairly quickly, and the blade diameter is fairly small, too. This limits the dimensions of stock that you can cut. I should have skipped buying it. Instead, I should have bought the less expensive cordless jig saw.

OBTW, don’t neglect getting a flexible floodlight. These come from the factory with traditional (filament) light bulbs installed, but they can quickly be converted to use high intensity LEDs. Using an LED, just one charged power pack will run the light for hundreds of hours.

I recently found a video of an adapter made that allows you to use less expensive Ryobi batteries in the DeWalt tools. (This is a bulky arrangement, but if you already have a pile of Ryobi batteries, then the adapter is worth buying.) There is also a company that re-builds Ni-Cd battery packs that will no longer take a charge. Detailed do-it-yourself rebuild instructions have also been published.

There is a DeWalt Owners Group Forum where folks discuss a lot of great tips and tricks. I’ve read that people have even done “hacks” for using DeWalt Power packs for powering laptop computers. I’m sure that many more hacks will be developed, as time goes on. I suppose that an iPod, iPad or Kindle Reader would run for months from a big tool battery pack.

One obvious need is a 120 VAC power cord adapter that would allow you to power your “cordless” 18 VDC tools from AC line current, for situations where you have a lot of repetitive work to do in places where you do have stable generator or utility power available. But, alas, the business of selling spare batteries is very profitable to tool makers, so they’ve essentially aced-out and third party vendors by patenting their proprietary battery connectors. I have a feeling that some clever fellow in Hong Kong will soon solve this problem. In the interim, anyone who is handy with a soldering iron can construct their own converter. You could simply take a dead battery, remove its cells, and connect it to a high amperage 18 volt power supply. To prevent over-heating, this would require using some heavy gauge cabling. BTW, the same “dead battery trick” has been used to make laptop power converters or adapters for other DC electronics that are 18 VDC, or less, such as handi-talkies. (Resistors can be used to drop the voltage, as needed.)

One word of advice, in closing: It is fine to look for used cordless power tools online or in pawn shops. But don’t buy batteries that way, unless they are still new and sealed in the factory packages. Otherwise, odds are that you will be buying grief.