The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;

Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:

How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.

For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.

Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.

For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,

Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.

Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.

And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;

For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” – Hebrews 9:11-28 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — December 31, 2022

On December 31, 1991, the Soviet Union legally ceased to exist. Russia and the other former USSR nations had declared themselves independent and founded the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) on December 21, 1991.

—

December 31st is the birthday of Alexander Solzhenitsyn.

—

December 31st, 1851 was also the birthday of Frederick Selous. He died on January 4th, 1917.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 104 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

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

Second Prize:

  1. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three-day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

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

—

More than $775,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 104 ends on January 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.

 

The Modern Breadcrumb Trail, by BowtiedPartisan

Introduction

Modern life in a First World country is fantastic. Access to everything you need. What’s even more beneficial, is having a computer in your pocket. That’s right, your smartphone, it’s a computer and a radio transceiver. It can communicate with almost anyone in the world via radio waves and the Internet. All it needs to do is reach a cell phone tower. Let’s focus on a few aspects of this though, what the cell phone was originally created for, and what it has replaced. It plays a part in understanding your reliance on this device.

Cellphones were primarily created for a mobile means of communication. Handheld radios also did this well, but not as well as a cell network. There is a lot that goes into a cellular network in terms of supporting infrastructure, most notably the need for towers to dot the landscape, and the number of users on one tower. This is key to understanding how fickle and vulnerable a network like this can be. I don’t want this article to become a history lesson though… So what did the innovation actually do? Also, how did it change the culture of self-reliance?

Prior to cellphones, there was no reliable way to communicate with family, friends, or co-workers when they were on the move, covering substantial distances. Sure, payphones existed. But what if you were not near one? More than likely, you had to walk to a house to use a phone, or a good Samaritan stopped to help. Also, they had to memorize where everything was. There was no ability to instantly search for a location, and start electronic navigation to it. People took even the most casual outing outside of their home more seriously. There were no Google or Apple maps. They had to know where they were going, and every road to get there. People paid attention to any and all pay phones they passed in case of an emergency. Why? Because having a small device to call or reference a map didn’t exist. If they were having an emergency, then they were on their own.Continue reading“The Modern Breadcrumb Trail, by BowtiedPartisan”

December 2022 in Precious Metals, by Steven Cochran

Welcome to SurvivalBlog’s Precious Metals Month in Review, where we take a look at “the month that was” in precious metals. Each month, we cover gold’s performance and the factors that affected gold prices.

What Did Gold Do in December?

The gold market was a volatile battlefield in December, with bulls and bears waging war around the $1,800 level. Rallies were routinely sold into, which bulls saw as a buying opportunity. Some of this selling, best seen in gold ETF outflows, was likely due to margin calls as stocks stumbled under the dual expectations of recession and stagflation as the Fed showed no sign of stopping in its quest to sacrifice consumers in its efforts to stop inflation.

Investors stampeded out of both stocks and bonds during the month, providing a tailwind to the dollar. The higher dollar in turn was a headwind to gold.

Factors Affecting Gold This Month

INFLATION
Inflation news continued to dominate all markets, due to the influence it would have on Fed rate hike policy. For example, CPI came in lower than expected on December 13th, 7.1% versus estimates of 7.3%. This shot gold up by $40 to break above the 200-day moving average before settling at $1,825. The dollar went the other way, gapping down from the 104 range to the 103 range.

Things went the other way on December 22rd, as the final reading of third-quarter GDP came in hotter than expected, signaling that the economy (and inflation) were still running hot. Third quarter GDP rose by 3.2%, compared to the previous reading of 2.9%. This increase locked in further rate hikes for 2023.  Markets reacted as expected, with the dollar zooming higher, gold losing $30, and stocks falling.Continue reading“December 2022 in Precious Metals, by Steven Cochran”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make 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 this column, in the Odds ‘n Sods Column, and in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

The year is coming to an end. 2022 was challenging, with expanding government over-reach, economic instability, deep political division, rampant moral decline, and the arrival of a new wave of inflation. Here at the ranch, our costs for hay, grain, and groceries jumped up substantially. The mainstream media is now blathering incessantly about the recent drop in fuel prices, and a “drop in inflation.” What they are failing to report is that fuel is still 40% higher than it was two years ago, and that their much-touted “drop in inflation” is actually just a slight decrease in the rate of increase in the ongoing destruction of the Dollar’s buying power. We will be tightening our belts and re-evaluating how much livestock we can afford to feed. We’ll likely be eating a lot of young roosters this winter and spring. We’ll also be selling or butchering steers and selling off some cow-calf pairs in 2023. With hay continuing to be sky-high, we just can’t afford to feed them.

What will 2023 bring?  A deep recession and widespread layoffs are likely. Certainly there will be more censorship, election fraud, and political turmoil. There isn’t a lot of good news expected. One exception is that with the encouraging precedents set by the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen decision and the West Virginia v. EPA decision, the courts will move toward reaffirming our right to keep and bear arms. Meanwhile, state legislatures in “Blue” and “Purple” states are busy drafting more gun restrictions, magazine bans, and Red Flag/ERPO laws. Be vigilant folks, and contact your state and federal legislators often!

At the Federal level, there seems to be no end in sight of gross overspending and poking our collective noses and countless billions in arms into a war between quasi-communists and quasi-fascists, in Ukraine. Team Biden has sided with the quasi-fascists. They’ve delusionally cozied up to the gang that they see as the lesser of two evils. But inescapably, evil is still evil.  If the Bidenistas aren’t careful, then the war in Ukraine may escalate into World War 3. So we must pray hard, and stock up!

Avalanche Lily Reports:

Dear Readers,
This week, after some deep cold, the rain came!  Interestingly, it started raining last Saturday while our temperatures on the porch registered only 17 degrees Fahrenheit.  I’ve not seen rain come at that low of a temperature, before. There must have been very warm temperatures above a very shallow cold layer at the bottom of the air column. This did not allow the rain time enough to turn to snow. Of course, all of our trees and snow formed a quarter inch layer of ice on them. We lost grid power, though, only for about two hours. For the record, I have seen it rain at about 28 degrees Fahrenheit back in January of 1998 in New England.  We even had lightning and thunder during that storm.

We had very warm temperatures up into the forties with rain all week.  I am not happy about it.  This was one prayer that God did not grant me. But, hopefully, we will have many more really good snowy days this winter.

I spent time this week, preparing veggies for my smoothies ahead of time.  I chopped six small green and purple cabbages and peeled three pounds of carrots and a couple of pounds of beets. I put them in silicon bags and put those in the refrigerator for use for the rest of the week.

The warmer weather allowed me to clean out the hen house.  During that very cold spell last week, all of their manure froze on the floor making it impossible for me to clean.  As soon as it was above freezing all of their manure melted and was easy for me to scrape up and clean the floor.

I have made a list of the things I need to organize and deep clean.  I organized and deep-cleaned what was our homeschool, business, and art supply cabinet.  It is full paper: construction paper, various printing papers, resume paper, card stock, lined paper, art pads, grid paper for geometry and architecture, tracing paper, et cetera.  There were also paints, colored pencils, regular pencils, erasers, hand pencil sharpeners, tacks, paper clips, rubber bands, various glues, pencils, pens, markers, sharpies, highlighters, white out, staples, staplers, hole punches, science stuff: rulers, magnifying glass, protractors, biology slides, pH paper strips, timers, and so forth.

This week I tried to stay off of the computer as much as possible.  Instead, I did a lot of cleaning, cooking and reading books!  What a concept?  I read The Last of the Mountain Men: Sylvan Hart, by Harold Peterson.  I very much enjoyed most of it. I really could relate to Sylvan (aka “Buckskin Bill”) in so many ways.  I like solitude and gardening, nature watching, working on projects, trying to be independent of the system. etc.  As Doug says, over at Off Grid with Doug and Stacey’s YouTube Channel Which sums up Sylvan’s premise of life:  “We are the ungovernable”.

Also in The Last of the Mountain Men: Sylvan Hart, there was a lot of history and geography of Idaho and Montana, gold prospecting, boomtowns, and stories of murders, robberies, immorality, and hangings.  The last four I didn’t care too much about.  As I read the book, I spent time pouring over the Idaho Gazetteer map book trying to find the towns and places the author was referring to. I very much enjoyed the book, overall.

A Brief Bible Study

This week I was reading Isaiah 24-33.  In chapter 26 I came to this scripture followed by chapter 27:

Isaiah 26:20-21

Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.
(The indignation is God’s Wrath which occurs during the Seventh Seal)
For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.
Isaiah 27:1
In that day (What day?  The day of Indignation, the Day of Wrath)  the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea. (What is piercing us today?  The vaccine needle!)

Revelation 18:23-24

And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; (Gates, Fauci, Schwab) for by thy sorceries.  The Greek is pharmakiea:

  • the use or the administering of drugs(vaccines included)

  • poisoning

  • sorcery, magical arts, often found in connection with idolatry and fostered by it – were all nations deceived. 
And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.

 

I found another Jab song for your listening pleasure.

May you all have a very blessed and safe week and a Blessed New Year.

– Avalanche Lily, Rawles

o o o

As always,  please share and send e-mails of your own successes and hard-earned wisdom and we will post them in the “Snippets” column this coming week.  We want to hear from you.

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And the famine was sore in the land.

And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food.

And Judah spake unto him, saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.

If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food:

But if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down: for the man said unto us, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.

And Israel said, Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother?

And they said, The man asked us straitly of our state, and of our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye another brother? and we told him according to the tenor of these words: could we certainly know that he would say, Bring your brother down?

And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little ones.

I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever:

For except we had lingered, surely now we had returned this second time.

And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds:

And take double money in your hand; and the money that was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in your hand; peradventure it was an oversight:

Take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man:

And God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother, and Benjamin. If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.

And the men took that present, and they took double money in their hand and Benjamin; and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph.

And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the ruler of his house, Bring these men home, and slay, and make ready; for these men shall dine with me at noon.

And the man did as Joseph bade; and the man brought the men into Joseph’s house.” – Genesis 43:1-17 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — December 30, 2022

December 30, 1865 was the birthday of Rudyard Kipling. He lived part of his later life in Vermont.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 104 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

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

Second Prize:

  1. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three-day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

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

—

More than $775,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 104 ends on January 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.

Aggression and Awareness, by SwampFox

Have you ever noticed how some people in life have a “kick me” sign on their back, like they are repeatedly targeted by others? Have you ever heard somebody react to news of a violent crime with disbelief, saying “I never thought it could happen here?” Why does it seem that some are incapable of defending themselves when attacked, begging not to be harmed?

There are two kinds of people in the world – those who are aggressive and those who are not. Many of us have been taught from a young age to be kind and polite in words and deeds. Decent qualities for a decent society, but without the ability to be aggressive, that teaching sets people up for victimhood when the illusion of decent society melts away. Those who have been given occupational training (security, police, military, martial arts) know that alertness and aggression must be learned and channeled into something useful.

Finding The Fuel, Correcting Your Expectations

Before you can turn aggression into something useful, you must have it in the first place. Calm people may have the ability to be aggressive, but more often the most aggressive people you meet have a bit of inner turmoil. Aggression must have fuel, and sometimes merely possessing that demeanor is enough. I had an interesting incident almost ten years ago that illustrates this point: I had moved to a new state, and I had just gone through a divorce. Life was not good – I had little to live for, and a lot of anger. It was 2am, and since Walmart was open, I went for a little bit of retail therapy. I left my carry pistol at home that night. I was in a bad mood, and I just did not bother to put it on. After I parked my car in the lot, I was walking toward the entrance when I heard a voice behind me, “Hey man, can I see your wallet?” I turned around, faced with a young guy around my height holding a small pistol. I was livid. Two thoughts went through my mind. Thought #1 “Well, I could die tonight and I just don’t care.” Thought #2 “I’m going to get a free pistol. Beat him with it and take it from him. This might be fun!” I was more focused on that second thought, every muscle tensed up – ready to leap at him. Amazingly, the guy with the gun lifted his hands, muttered some kind of excuse or apology, and took off running in the other direction. I briefly considered chasing him, but decided I would rather get back to shopping.Continue reading“Aggression and Awareness, by SwampFox”

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. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at grocery price inflation. (See the Inflation Watch section.)

Precious Metals:

Radomski: Gold: The Breakout That’s Really Important.

o  o  o

Gold Trade Between East And West Follows 90 Year-Old Pattern.

o  o  o

Russian gold removed from some Western funds after Ukraine.

Economy & Finance:

A year-end reminder: Don’t lose sight of the inexorable growth of the U.S. National Debt.

o  o  o

Shale Giant Pioneer Explains Why U.S. Drillers Won’t Drill More.

o  o  o

At Zero Hedge: IRS Delays $600 Gig-Tax Rule.

o  o  o

USPS, Amazon, And FedEx All Closing Down Locations.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — December 29, 2022

Today is the birthday of actor Jude Law, born in 1972. Many moviegoers remember him from Enemy at The Gates and Sky Captain.

—

This is also the birthday of inventor Charles Goodyear (1800–1860.)

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 104 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

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

Second Prize:

  1. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three-day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

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

—

More than $775,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 104 ends on January 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.

 

 

Lessons Learned From a Winter Storm – Part 2, by Michael X.

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

Generators: TWO is NONE

In all this time my second biggest concern, after the generator, was our outside hot tub. When the power is out it becomes a liability. 250 fifty gallons of hot (warm but cooling) water, waiting to freeze and wreck the tub…. The hot tub water temp was down to 74 degrees after one night. My choices were to get the generator going, or drain the tub. Part of the equation for this decision was the availability of the hot tub’s water for toilet flushing. I had only hours to make that decision before the cold made my decision for me.

Friday dawned bright and sunny. In the afternoon it was so sunny that I could see well in the garage and began to check out the starting system for the generator again. The choke linkage was not working right. Apparently, a small piece of plastic in the linkage had broken off. By reaching under the gas tank I could pump the choke. I gave it one more try and it started! It was a great relief! However, now a new learning curve started. Before I plugged the house into the generator, I changed the settings on the house electrical panel. I flipped the main house breaker off from the commercial system, and flipped the generator breaker on. (A built-in, required safety feature — to prevent a back-feed). At the same time I shut off the AC unit breaker, as well as the breakers for the electric hot water heater, several rooms that we don’t use, and the hot tub. Then I plugged in the generator to the line to the panel.Continue reading“Lessons Learned From a Winter Storm – Part 2, by Michael X.”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— 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. Today, we look at the trend toward small town and rural relocation that developed during the Wu Flu pandemic, but that is continuing in late 2022.

Going Rural: Where are Homebuyers Moving?

Over at the NAR website: Where are Homebuyers Moving? JWR’s Comments: Clearly, small towns and rural regions are increasingly favored.

A related article, published in August: FBA: Fiber a factor in move decisions as more head for rural areas. Here is a quote:

“The survey found consumers across rural, suburban and urban living preferences cited “very high speed/reliable internet access” as a top priority, ranking this the third most important community attribute behind “safe streets/low crime” and affordable housing. Interestingly, it also noted more consumers now say they would prefer to live in a remote small town if they were able to get the level of internet access they need.

According to the report, 23.6% said rural living was their preference in 2022, compared to 14.3% previously. Another 44.7% said they’d prefer suburban living, up from 38.3%. Interest in urban living dropped from 32.6% to 18.3% while farm or wilderness living as a preference dropped from 14.3% to 13.4%.”

Lurking in the Omnibus Is a Blitzkrieg on Gun Rights

Reader Alexandra H. mentioned this, reported by The Independent Sentinel: Lurking in the Omnibus Is a Blitzkrieg on Gun Rights.

Millions of Americans Have Left the Country

Reader D.N. sent this piece about expatriation: Millions of Americans have left the country. Where are they going, and why?

CDC Report: U.S. Life Expectancy Falls, Opioids and Covid Blamed

As reported by CBS News: Life expectancy falls for second straight year due to COVID-19, drug overdoses, CDC report finds.

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