The Smaller Things, by A. Midwester

To give you a little background, for most of my life I lived in an urban environment, everything I needed was just a short walk or drive away. It could have been a few 2x4s and screws for one of my many projects, a new tool when I needed it, or anything else like it. If it wasn’t available locally, I could easily order it online and expect it, almost without failure, within a day or two. It’s truly amazing what society has developed in terms of convenience. But it’s also scary to consider what would happen if that convenience just went away overnight.

Then about a decade ago, one of those moments that can change the direction of your life showed itself for my wife and I. An elderly family member had passed away and left behind what I always referred to as the family farm (the farm). I grew up visiting the farm many times over the years with my family, and through experiences I had in those early years of my life, it was part of who I had become.

Time and lack of maintenance was causing it to fall into disrepair. The farm was a day’s drive from where I lived most of my life, and 1+ hours from any major metropolitan area. It kind of felt like the “boonies” whenever I visited, which was several times a year. But I still loved the peace, quiet, and sense of freedom I had every time I was there. Our family did all we could to keep up with the basic maintenance through long weekend trips multiple times a year.Continue reading“The Smaller Things, by A. Midwester”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

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

Jim Reports:

We shifted cattle and horse pastures this week. The goal is to get a few yearling heifers, a steer calf, and one older cow ready for sale. But separating calves from their moms, even when they are 11+ months old — and ostensibly weaned — always leads to some drama and plenty of late-night mooing and bellowing.  As usual, I phoned our one closeby neighbor (about a quarter mile away), to let them know that we had just made the pasture shift.  I do this so that our neighbor won’t be alarmed by the vociferous cow-bellowing.  I wouldn’t want them to think that one of our critters got its head stuck in a fence.

I was busy with packing and mailing out Elk Creek Company antique gun orders this week. I also had to make two other trips to town, on errands. Since our ranch is fairly remote, any trip into town is at least a half-day proposition.

One of the rear tires on our electric ATV developed a slow leak. A long squirt of about 6 ounces of Slime tire sealant remedied that. When the nearest tire shop is more than a one-hour drive away, having tire sealant available can be a practical lifesaver. I recommend keeping plenty on hand!

Now, Lily’s report…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And the Lord gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians.

And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children.

And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.

And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victual.

Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.

And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.

It is a night to be much observed unto the Lord for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of the Lord to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations.

And the Lord said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof:

But every man’s servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof.

A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat thereof.

In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof.

All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.

And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.

One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.

Thus did all the children of Israel; as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.

And it came to pass the selfsame day, that the Lord did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies.” – Exodus 12:36-51 (KJV) 

Preparedness Notes for Friday — March 29, 2024

On March  24, 1974, farmers drilling a well near Xi’an, China, penetrated a subterranean chamber that led to the discovery of the terra-cotta army: 8,000 life-size terra-cotta soldiers and horses in the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang.

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Today is the birthday of the gifted electronic and orchestral musician Vangelis. (Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou.)

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 111 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. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  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 111 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

 

 

Coping With a Spring Snowstorm, by Hollyberry

Here in Maine we had been experiencing a mild winter and heading into spring warmer temperatures than normal. The ground was bare, little plants were poking their heads up and the birds were singing. Most people took the plows off of their truck and dreams of gardening early were running through our heads.
Well, there is an old saying: Man plans and God laughs.  That came true.

On March 20th into the 21st, we received about 9-10 inches of heavy, wet snow. Then the temperatures plummeted to teens with below-zero wind chills. Okay, this is spring in Maine and these little setbacks occur. Then the rumors started ……..BIG spring storm coming for the weekend. We kept an eye on the weather reports, hoping they would be wrong, and went about preparing just in case. We spent Friday going grocery shopping and bought in extra firewood and kindling. This is one additional chore you don’t want to be spending time on in addition to snow shoveling. My husband hooked up the plow again. The 6-10 inches of snow was now 12-18. Okay, we have been through this before, no big deal.

It was forecast to start snowing between 6-7 am on Saturday, March 23rrd. Right on schedule, 6:45 am, the first flakes started. Our dear friends, John and Denise, were supposed to come for breakfast that morning and that got rescheduled so I set about doing what I always do when it snows, baking cookies.Continue reading“Coping With a Spring Snowstorm, by Hollyberry”

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 some new taxes and proposed taxes. (See the Taxes section.)

Precious Metals:

The spot and futures prices of gold and silver kept up great strength this week. As of Thursday evening (March 28, 2024), here is a snapshot of the spot market:

  • Gold: $2,247.30 USD per Troy ounce — up $42.00 (1.88%) for the day.  That is another “all-time high.”
  • Silver: $25.18 per Troy ounce — up $0.34 (1.37%) for the day.
  • Platinum: $927.90 per Troy ounce — up $13.20 (1.44%) for the day.
  • Palladium: $1,051.50 per Troy ounce — up $31.50  (3.17%) for the day.

Clearly, platinum and silver are both presently undervalued.  Methinks the price of platinum will be playing catch-up, in the next few weeks. And silver could see a big breakout to $40 per ounce, or higher. Think about that! Presently, the spot market is at a crazy-high silver-to-gold ratio of 89.24-to-1. If gold holds steady, just a modest reversion to a bit more realistic 75-to-1 ratio would bring silver up to $29.96 per ounce. And a really exuberant “Silver Bull” push to a 40-to-1 ratio versus gold would equate to $56.18 per Troy ounce silver.

I should also mention that if the platinum-to-gold ratio reverts to 2-to-1, that would bring platinum to $1,123.65 per Troy ounce. That is quite possible. And mark my words: In a wartime economy, the platinum-to-gold ratio will likely flip-flop to 1-to-2. (Read: $4,400+ platinum!)  Once the cruise missiles start flying, it will be too late. Get your platinum now.

There is definitely a distinct bull market scent in the air! – JWR

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Here is a piece by Jesse Columbo that ran in Forbes: Here’s What You Need To Know About Gold’s Long-Term Bull Market.  (Full Disclosure:  Jesse Columbo is contractually tied to BullionStar, and they are one of SurvivalBlog’s affiliate advertisers.)

o  o  o

Reader K. wrote:

“There is an excellent Andy Schectman interview to watch from beginning to end. It is long, but worth every second. We sped it up in the YouTube settings — as we often do — to get through the entire thing.

It offers an excellent geo-political view into silver and gold price suppression in and by the USA plus the massive acquisition of it by the BRICS countries and other nations. Lastly, what he believes is coming for gold and silver when the US loses control of the dollar and metals market suppression. This mirrors what Adapt 2030 is telling us is happening while on their European-Asian trip.”

o  o  o

Metal detectorist unearths largest gold nugget ever found in England.

Economy & Finance:

Several  readers mentioned this news: Swamp Wins: Senate Approves $1.2 Trillion Spending Bill, Narrowly Averting Gov’t Shutdown.

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Reader H.L. sent this:  Wages in the US are falling at a ‘striking’ pace, Indeed says.

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From reader C.B: Texas pulls $8.5B from BlackRock in stunning blow to ESG movement.

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Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site:

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Commercial Bank of Ethiopia glitch lets customers withdraw millions.

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Millions of seniors behind on student loans risk losing Social Security, lawmakers warn Biden.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The American middle class used to be envy of the world. It was a byproduct of economic freedom. We had a very dynamic free-market economy and limited government. People were out there pursuing their own self-interest and creating employment opportunities.” – Peter Schiff

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — March 28, 2024

 

On March 28th, 1942, the British army and navy raided St. Nazaire, in Operation Chariot. An obsolete British destroyer HMS Campbeltown, rigged with explosives and flying German flags, rammed the gates of German-occupied St. Nazaire port in France, and was time-fuse detonated. This killed 360 Germans and disabled the dry dock for the duration of the war.

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On March 28th, 845, a 5,000-man-strong fleet of Danish Vikings invaded Frankish lands. They only retreated after besieging Paris and securing a ransom from the Frankish King Charles the Bald. This was part of a series of devastating raids begun by the Vikings in the 790s. The Vikings were led by “Reginherus” or Ragnar, sometimes linked to the legendary saga figure Ragnar Lodbrok. The Vikings easily overcame defenses set in place by Charlemagne and are known to have attacked the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés just outside the city. Although struck by an outbreak of plague, the Vikings overcame this to return home with their ransom of 7,000 French livres of gold and silver.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 111 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. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  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 111 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Barbering at Home, by SwampFox

Stereotypes are not a good thing. You know the “survivalist” or “mountain man” look that you see on television –long beard, unkempt hair, and generally rough clothing. While outdoor work and lack of supplies can lead to this condition, I believe it is possible to weather the hard times with good hygiene and style.

When I was young, haircuts were usually done at home. Occasionally, I would go with my father to a barbershop, but that did not happen very often. Mostly, haircuts were done with a pair of scissors, and my father did a very good job with it. When I moved away from home, I did not have a lot of money and I discovered that a haircut at a barbershop cost nearly three times my hourly janitor’s wage as a poor college student. For a while, I would wait until returning home to get a free haircut from my father. However, waiting for three or sometimes four months for a haircut led to a scruffy appearance, and my attempts at trimming it with scissors alone were not very good. When I got married, I tried convincing my then-wife to learn hair cutting skills. She was unmotivated, and that attempt failed. I figured out quickly that I had to find another solution.Continue reading“Barbering at Home, by SwampFox”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

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

Mountain Lion Attack Kills 21-Year-Old in California

A Fox News article linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Mountain lion attack kills 21-year-old man, injures younger brother in California. And here is a television news segment.

JWR’s Comments:  This incident was essentially a case of “death-by-carry-ban.”  If those young men had been able to carry holstered pistols, then the outcome might have been quite different. But California effectively has a concealed carry ban, a vehicular carry ban, an open carry ban, and an under-age-21 pistol carry ban. Granted, open carry is officially legal for those 21 and older in California’s rural areas outside of city limits, but that right is rarely exercised, for several reasons. These include: Social(ist) stigma, the fear of being reported to the police, and the state’s vehicular carry ban that makes it very difficult to legally transport a handgun to get to an outdoor recreational activity. Prayers, please, for the family of the victims.

US Warns of Cyberattacks Against Water Systems

From SurvivalBlog staff writer Tom Christianson: US Warns of Cyberattacks Against Water Systems Throughout Nation.

The Ultra-Rich and Their Bunkers

From CBC News: From luxury bunkers to tactical vehicles, the ultra-rich are preparing for the Big One. The article begins:

“In December, Wired magazine revealed that Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta and one of the richest individuals on the planet, was building a $100-million US compound in Hawaii.

The fact that Zuckerberg is undertaking a nine-figure renovation is hardly revelatory. The more telling detail is that the compound includes a bunker — 5,000 square feet, to be specific, with concrete walls and an escape hatch.

What does this tell us? It’s a sign that at least some of the ultra-rich are anxious about global events and are making contingency plans for the Big One — whatever form that may take.”

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

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — March 27, 2024

On Good Friday, March 27th, 1964, south-central Alaska was struck by a 9.2-magnitude earthquake that was the strongest quake ever registered in the United States.

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Today’s feature article was too short for consideration in the judging in Round 111 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 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 111 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

What Would Robinson Crusoe Get at WalMart?, by A.B.B.

Let’s suppose that you are Robinson Crusoe at TEOTWAWKI. If you have one last opportunity to go to a store, then what would you get? Where would you get it? Bic Ligters? Vitamin C tablets? Water purifiers? Your answers to these questions will predetermine your actions on TEOTWAWKI.

My wife and I have decided to each carry cash, a 1 oz gold Krugerrand coin on our persons and twenty dollars face value of 90% junk silver in our book bags for the foreseeable future. If or when something hits, minimally the credit card systems will go down. Cash will become instantly worthless. If it starts with a Cyber attack or an EMP, most people will be clueless about what is happening. Most will be frozen because of indecision. Hesitancy kills. This is the moment to take decisive action.Continue reading“What Would Robinson Crusoe Get at WalMart?, by A.B.B.”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

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

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From reader G.G.: The Best Multi-Tool for Every Job.

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Department Of Justice Announces “Federal Red Flag Center” Shortly After Omnibus Passes, Congressman Says. (A hat tip to H.L. for the link.)

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Reader C.B. sent this: FCC launches crackdown on signal jammers sold by Amazon, others.

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FEMA makes profound decision to pay for major new feature in schools, hospitals: ‘Creating more energy independence’.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“If there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that the government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable.” – Justice William J. Brennan