Garden Defense — Repelling Four-Legged (and Two-Winged) Pests, by Jason

Finally building a cabin in the woods close to nature can be a dream come true.  But if you are a gardener like me, the morning after the first midnight garden raid by pests unknown can be a real nightmare. 

Garden pests never attack the day after harvest or when the plants are young.  They always seem to attack my garden the day before the big haul.  A garden full of just ripened fruit and veggies must look like a neon all-you-can-eat sign to a hungry deer, or rabbit. 

There are ways to effectively turn that sign off but it will require perseverance and definitely some trial and error.

Deer

The most persevering four legged pests to ravage a garden are deer.  Their sheer size and appetite can make for absolute garden destruction.  Worse yet, many times they will simply ignore the things a gardener is apt to do to repel them.  They jump all but the very highest fence and eat right through a lot of treatments to plants.

Natural (or at least passive) repellents can be used but it is a lot like using a pesticide.  Eventually the pests develop immunity to the treatment.  Repellents are theorized to work in two ways.  The first way is by presenting the deer with something they associate with human activity.  Deer in most places have learned to avoid humans at all costs.

There are a few repellents that fit into this category.  The first is soap.  A technique taught to me by an old Kentucky corn farmer was to actually put the soap in a sock and hang it from a stretch of fence.  He hung them about every 40-50 yards.  When asked if they worked he replied, “for a little while, then the damn things lose their fear”.  Some people rub the soap onto a pie pan and hang it from a string close to the garden.  I’ve never tried this but it should work in about the same way.

The second human related repellant is a little more revolting to most people.  That repellant is urine.  Collected over a period of time and poured in a perimeter around the garden, this will sometimes keep the deer away.  Just be aware that urine in its raw state can burn your grass and crops.  The theory here is that some deer just associate the smell with humans or that they can discern the smell of the urine of a predator. 

Some people claim that human hair can also be used.  Probably also best placed in a sock and hung from a fence.

There are also many plants that can be companion planted in your garden to repel deer.  This second group of repellents works by odor as well.  This group works by masking other odors.  The theory with this group is either the deer won’t go into places where they aren’t able to smell predators due to the strong scents or that they simple can’t smell the tasty vegetables due to the strong odors.  The positive thing about this group of repellant is that they are completely natural and once planted should only require inputs same as the other garden plants.

Among the many plants that are purported to repel deer are yarrow, lavender, marigolds, rosemary, oregano, sage and thyme.  The great thing about these plants is that most perform multiple tasks; repelling pest insects, inviting helpful insects, providing food or all three. 

If all else fails, there are a few “last resorts”.  The first is making a pepper spray concoction from hot peppers and spraying the solution over the garden plants.  The reason this is a last resort is that every rain requires a new dosing and it uses valuable peppers that could be best enjoyed as food instead of deer repellant.

Another last resort is the gun.  Of course, this is not easy or foolproof in a lot of cases.  For one, state laws (including hunting seasons, tags and permits) must be obeyed.  Not everyone is allowed by local law to shoot where they live.  Even then, it only takes care of the immediate problem and other deer are free to move in and continue the destruction. 

The state where I live (Kentucky) in 2008 revised statutes to allow deer control tags to be issued in cases where: 

  • Deer hunting occurred on the property during the previous deer season
  • Standard deterrent measures recommended by a department representative have proven ineffective or are impractical; and
  • A department representative certifies deer damage to crops, gardens, and property or wildlife habitat.

Again, please check local and state laws before discharging a firearm or hunting deer.

The final “last resort” is the fence.  Fencing is costly to build to a height that deer won’t attempt to jump and it can limit any garden expansions.  However, a fence to a height of 5 foot or so will at least deter them somewhat.  It is also an adjunct solution.  A fence of that height can make it easier to trap them for a moment to shoot them.  It also gives you a base from which to hang repellant. 

Rabbits

Rabbits can wreak a lot of destruction on a garden as well.  Pound for pound they are probably more harmful than deer. 

Luckily rabbits can be stopped by most low cost fencing options.  In fact, in the early 1900s in Australia, three fences, one nearly spanning the entire continent from north to south, were erected to prevent rabbits from encroaching further.  Rabbits were an invasive species there.  I bring up this odd bit of trivia to point out the fact that the larger the fence, the more likely that erosion and other animals will breach it and allow rabbits inside.  This is exactly what happened in Australia.  The fence must be maintained.

Most rabbit fences are made of chicken wire, which is a thin strand galvanized steel woven wire fence material.  The shorter 36” height should be used and the first 6-8” should be buried in a pre-dug trench to prevent burrowing under or erosion from rendering the fence ineffective.  Stake should be driven in the ground at appropriate distances to keep the fence in place.  The wire can be stapled or tied to the stakes.  This fence will also help with raccoons.

In addition, lavender (also mentioned above as a deer repellant) is also a rabbit repellant.  With so many uses not just as a pest repellant, good insect attractant and more, it just makes sense to plant this one.  Rabbits also hate garlic; so again, you can keep rabbits (and vampires) away and enjoy the multiples uses of a delicious plant.  Foxgloves will also repel rabbits but with only one use (other than being aesthetically pleasing) I wouldn’t really bother with it unless it is a last resort before harming the animals.

For those who have no qualms about harming rabbits, a .22 LR or even a strong air rifle will do the trick.  Rabbits are delicious to boot.

Gophers and Moles

Although listed in the same category, these two mammals are different in the ways that they harm a garden but similar in how to deal with them. 

Moles are a lesser concern as they do not eat veggies but instead eat grubs, worms and other insects.  This in itself is not a concern but for the air pockets around roots that they leave which damage and kill plants.  Moles rarely emerge from their burrows.  Gophers will come out of their holes to eat your garden. 

Some methods of prevention will require identification.  This is not a difficult task.  The first obvious sign of a gopher is that your veggies are eaten (see above).  A mole will only leave wilted and/or dying plants.  Both animals create mounds.  The gopher creates a mound from which it pushes dirt and exits.  The mound will have a hole (which may be loosely plugged) and the dirt will be pushed in a crescent pattern.  The mole will push straight up and usually will not leave a hole.  The dirt will mound in a nearly perfect circle. 

Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a viable natural method of keeping pocket gophers and moles in check.  Poison can be used but I find this method wholly undesirable. 

The first method is to simply build a barrier.  This will require trenching down about two feet and burying your fence to that depth.  If properly planned, this barrier could serve as a rabbit fence and gopher/mole fence in one.  Just be sure that the wire weave on the fence is small enough to prevent the smaller ones from going straight through.  An alternative is to fill the trench with rock or cement.  The trench and rock could be used in conjunction with the fence.  If you are building raised beds, the fencing can be nailed to the bottom of the frame or laid in. 

The second viable method is trapping but this will require more maintenance than even the fence.  The traps will have to be emptied and reset and new tunnels will need to be addressed.  Victor makes what is perhaps the most popular set of traps for gophers and moles.  Just be aware that there are separate traps for each.  So identification of the culprit is going to be necessary (see above).

Birds

I’ve never had a major garden problem with birds.  Occasionally I will find a peck mark in a tomato or realize that they’ve dug up seeds I’ve just planted.  In most cases birds actually help a garden by eating harmful insects. 

However, I concede that there may be situation where they become a problem.  In these cases, you can use a frightening device such as the aluminum pie pan you would use for deer.  Owl and snake decoys only work for a short while.  That is, until the birds realize they are immobile.  You can also take countermeasure to eliminate nesting areas and perching areas. 

Summary 

No pest control method is 100% effective.  Fences break, erode, blow down or are jumped.  Killing the pest only leaves a vacuum that is quickly filled by another.  Pests will build immunities or otherwise ignore companion plantings occasionally.

The best approach is a multi-pronged approach using a double fence broad-spectrum repellant. 

The proper solution, of course, will vary with your particular pest problems, garden size and other factors impossible to list here.  You could add pie pans with soap rubbed on to this setup to repel birds and add an additional layer of deer defense.

The important thing to remember is to use multiple options that address more than one pest to maximize your money and time.  – Jason, Editor of The Self-Sufficient Way.

Letter Re: Advice on Pre-1899 Revolvers for Self Defense

Dear Jim,
I have had the pleasure of reading your blog and archives on a regular basis and have purchased and enjoyed both the “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course and your latest book.

My questions relate to the availability, safety and durability of the Colt Model 1892 double action (DA) .41, which you recently recommended. I have contacted some of the dealers and auction sites you mention on your web site, but have not yet found one for sale that is in acceptable condition. If you know of someone that would be willing to sell one or two, I would be very grateful for the lead. What would be a fair price? Also, if you have any suggestions for someone who can tune up and accurize old Colts and S&Ws, that would be greatly appreciated.

I’m a bit concerned about the cylinder latch on this model. As I understand it, with wear of the latch over time, the cylinder will often go out of timing, leading to malfunctions and a potentially hazardous situation. Unfortunately, it seems the revised model 1894 and 1896 are even harder to track down with serial numbers that identify them as pre-1899 production specimens.

Here are my specific questions:
1.) Sources for Colt 1892 DA .41 revolvers
2.) Prices for 1892 DA .41revolvers
3.) Gunsmith for old Colts and S&Ws
4.) Safety/Durability of cylinder latch on Colt 1892
5.) Any other suggestions/options for pre-1899 revolvers: 1894, 1896, etc?

Thanks in advance for your advice. Kind Regards, – C.M.

JWR Replies: I’ve personally never had any cylinder latch problems with Colt Model 1892s double actions. In my experience, the most typical problem with these guns are weak “hand” springs. Thankfully, that is a very easy fix.

These revolvers can indeed still be found, with some searching. Try GunsAmerica.com, GunBroker.com and Joe Salter.

Currently, $600 to $750 is the going rate for military contract Colt DA .41s in good mechanical condition, but at those prices they frequently have heavily-worn bluing. Civilian production guns command substantially higher prices thane the more numerous military contract revolvers.

If you find one with “tune up” needs or other gunsmithing issues, then I recommend Sal Lanara. (If his name sounds familiar, that is because is a brother of the famed Colt Single Action gunsmith David Lanara.) Sal specializes in the Colt Double Actions. In addition to tune-ups, Sal Lanara can also do re-bluing, shorten barrels, and even do complete restorations, but those can be expensive.

He does not have a web site. Here is his contact information:
Sal Lanara
8150 Richard Road
Broadview Heights, Ohio 44147
Phone : (440) 526-7265

My suggestions on some other practical and affordable pre-1899s:

  • S&W “Lemon Squeezer” (Safety Hammerless) .38 double actions.
  • Iver & Johnson .38 double actions.
  • S&W .44-40 and .44 Russian double actions.
  • Webley Mark I and Mark II revolvers. Many of these have been converted to .45 ACP–for use with full moon clips by milling the back of their cylinders. This ruins their collector value, but they are still very practical, and extremely fast to reload. However, they will “shoot loose”, given a diet of full power .45 ACP loads. So use custom mild handloads. (If you don’t handload personally, then specify smokeless loads that crawl out the barrel at around 725 feet per second.)

There are a few other models available, but those are the ones that you are most likely to encounter at gun shows, or offered for sale via the Internet in the US. See my Pre-1899 Cartridge Guns FAQ for details on determining if any particular gun is of pre-1899 manufacture. (My FAQ lists “cut-off” serial numbers and for the Iver Johnson revolvers, some key identifying features.)

Economics and Investing:

U.S. Is Riskier Than Euro Zone; So Says CDS Market. (A hat tip to Yishai for the link.)

GG sent this: Central Banks Stashing Away Gold at Brisk Pace.

Items from The Economatrix:

Commentary from Dan Denninger: Housing Sales: Forget It!

How the Middle Class Slowly Evaporated Over the Past 40 Years

States Look Beyond Borders to Collect Taxes Owed

Stocks Give Up Steep Gains on Renewed Greece Woes

Bernanke: Record-Low Rates Needed to Aid Economy

Watchdog Blasts Obama Loan Relief Plan

Natural Gas Prices Reach Record Low

Odds ‘n Sods:

North American Bees Are in Even More Trouble After a Bad Winter. (Thanks to Damon for the link.)

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SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large Michael Z. Williamson sent us this: This Turk shows one good way of defending oneself against multiple attackers, when unarmed. “Mike’s comment: Nice movement. Keep them coming singly and hit hard, while keeping a good block up.”

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Chester wrote me about RJR’s recommendation on Gentex 1030A active hearing protectors. (“Wolf Ears”). Here is a review of several types of hearing protection that Chester found on the net.

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Damon found this at the bottom of a Google News page: For sale in Utah: “die-hard survivalist bunker”

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Political tags — such as royalist, communist, democrat, populist, fascist, liberal, conservative, and so forth — are never basic criteria. The human race divides politically into those who want people to be controlled and those who have no such desire. The former are idealists acting from highest motives for the greatest good of the greatest number. The latter are surly curmudgeons, suspicious and lacking in altruism. But they are more comfortable neighbors than the other sort.” – Robert A. Heinlein, “The Notebooks of Lazarus Long“

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 27 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will include:

First Prize: A.) 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 between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A HAZARiD Decontamination Kit from Safecastle.com. (A $350 value.), and D.) A 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm Luger, 124gr. Hornady XTP/HP ammo, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo. This is a $249 value.

Second Prize: 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 $350.

Third Prize: A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing.

Round 27 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Infant Feeding For Your Emergency Preparedness Plan, by LizzyQ

As a mother of two young children, including an infant, I have considered the possibilities of emergency preparedness when it comes to how my baby will be fed in times of emergency. I’ve decided that breastfeeding your baby from the beginning is the best and safest option for parents when planning for their emergencies based on economic cost, the quality of nutrition, and the safety of breast milk when water quality is questionable. I have experience as a breastfeeding counselor and help mothers learn and prepare for nursing their babies on a daily basis. I have made a list of how mothers can best prepare to have success with breastfeeding as a part of their family’s emergency preparedness plan. 

There are several ways moms can get a good start with learning to nurse her baby. Some of these include:

  1. Breastfeed right after birth. It is best to nurse within the first hour of birth, preferably with skin-to-skin contact. Mothers should also consider the environment they are birthing in. Is it a hospital that encourages breastfeeding? Do you have a certified nurse midwife? Is there a lactation consultant available? These are important considerations when planning a successful beginning to breastfeeding. There are many options for mothers to consider, and it’s not my place to say what is “best” but only that it does matter.
  1. Watch for baby’s signs of hunger, instead of the clock. Sometimes nurses will tell you to feed every two hours, however every baby is different and you should nurse on-demand instead of timing feedings. Two hours is a minimum amount, and most babies will want to nurse more frequently. It is also important not to let your baby sleep all the time and make sure they are nursing often. A very sleepy baby could be a sign of trouble that needs to be looked at by their doctor.
  1. Breastfeeding is “Supply and Demand” The more you nurse, the more milk you will make. Many new mothers have a hard time believing they are making enough milk because they are unable to measure it in a bottle, but the vast majority of women are capable of making plenty of milk for their babies; it is very rare for a mother to truly not be able to produce enough.
  1. Get support from your family, friends, and support groups. There are breastfeeding support groups in many communities. La Leche League is a great one, and they are all over the world. Husbands, partners and friends should know to offer support instead of telling the mother to “just give them some formula” when things get difficult. If a serious problem occurs, there are lactation consultants who can offer solutions.
  1. Don’t set yourself up to fail. New moms sometimes receive formula, bottles, pacifiers and breast pumps for baby shower gifts from well-meaning friends and family. All these things can set a mother up to fail in those harder early weeks of learning to breastfeed. An exhausted mother may see a cupboard full of formula and give in while she is tired and has sore nipples, thus setting herself up for supply issues. Because making milk is supply and demand, every ounce of formula given to a baby is telling her body to make that much less breast milk. Sooner or later there will not be enough to meet the demands of the infant and he or she would be fully formula fed (this is not always the case, but I find it happens all too often).

The major reason women stop breastfeeding, in my experience with working with new moms, is lack of information and support. It is critical that mothers receive support from their family, especially their husbands/partners, if they are to be successful. Often fathers want to feed the baby themselves and they believe that this would be helping the mother and so they can bond with their baby. This is not necessary for helping mother and bonding, and can, in fact, be harmful to the nursing relationship. It is important in the early weeks to not give a newborn baby a bottle because they can develop what is called “nipple confusion” or “nipple preference.” Rubber/artificial nipples and mother’s nipples are very different. Babies must work at getting milk from their mother, whereas with an artificial nipple the milk flows out. Some babies may prefer the milk that flows out because they don’t have to work for it, this can and does cause babies to stop nursing and only accept milk from a bottle. Parents who want their baby to be able to take a bottle and still nurse should wait 4-6 weeks before introducing a bottle or pacifier to their baby in order to avoid this.

Now that you know some ways to get a good start with breastfeeding, here are some reasons why it is important to include breastfeeding in your emergency preparedness plan for your infant.

  1. Formula is expensive, breast milk is free! In times of economic hardship breastfeeding is the very most economical way to feed an infant. Even in disaster situations where formula companies are more than willing to give free formula to babies in need, mothers will eventually find that when the formula runs out, so has their breast milk! Continuing to nurse, even with free formula around, is ensuring that your baby will have adequate nutrition as long as he or she is nursing.
  2. Breast milk provides complete nutritional needs for infants. Breast fed babies do not need anything but mother’s milk for the first six months of life. After six months solid foods can be introduced, but babies should still be getting most of their nutrition from breast milk until the first year. The World Health Organization believes that all children of the world, both in third world countries and developed countries, should be breast fed until age two and then as long as the mother and child want to continue beyond the age of two. That may sound like a long time to most Americans, but it is very normal to breastfeed past two years in many parts of the world.
  1. Breast milk is sanitary, and it provides immunities to prevent illness. In times where water supplies are scarce or contaminated, breast milk is the safest option for infant feeding. Formula needs to be mixed with clean water in sanitized bottles. If there is not enough clean water or fuel to sanitize the water, the baby may be put at risk for illness. Furthermore, breast milk contains important antibodies to keep the child as healthy as possible during these times.

It is also noteworthy that lactating mothers require slightly more calorie intake than non-lactating mothers. This is approximately 500 extra calories a day. Lactating mothers should also consider a prenatal multivitamin for the duration of breastfeeding. Therefore, it would be wise to plan food storage accordingly.

There are a couple book recommendations that pregnant and lactating mothers might want to purchase or check out from the library. My favorite “How-To” books are, “The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding” by La Leche League and “The Breastfeeding Book” by Martha Sears.

I hope that families who are expecting a child, either now or someday in the future, consider this article as a helpful incentive to breastfeed their babies. There are so many reasons to breastfeed and emergency preparedness is just one of the many, but should absolutely be taken into consideration when planning for your family’s needs for any potential disaster; economic, natural, or otherwise.

About the author: Lizzy is a La Leche League Leader and breastfeeding peer counselor, as well as a mother with personal breastfeeding experience. She is in the process of completing her clinical hours to become an IBCLC certified lactation consultant.

Letter Re: Concealing Gender in a G.O.O.D. Situation?

James,
As a wife and mother of a pre-teen daughter, how important is it to hide the fact that we are female in a G.O.O.D. scenario?

In considering this idea I realize that in the “flee natural disaster” situation it would be less of a concern. Perhaps it only applies to a bad TEOTWAWKI evacuation. What are your thoughts, ideas on this? When would it be necessary, how far would we need to go to disguise our female appearance, etc?

We have thought of everything from mildly sticking to athletic/hiking clothing that are form fitting but don’t show skin, to cutting our daughter’s hair before heading out and calling her by a male nickname that is close to her real name and buying all her BOB gear in masculine colors, and so forth.

We have also considered the pros and cons of letting it be known that I am a female to draw attention away from my beautiful daughter while she is “hidden”. As a mother I would suffer anything to protect my kids, especially if we were without my husband (geographically separated, killed…) We also thought we might appear more sympathetic if they can see we are just a mom and kids instead of what appears to be armed men and boys coming at them.

Please tell me if this is something our family needs to consider in our planning. Thank you, – R.

JWR Replies: The last thing that you want to become is a refugee, moving cross-country on foot. But God forbid that ever happens, then yes, it would be wise to make females look like a teenage boys. BTW, in addition to butch haircuts, some judicious use of eyebrow pencil should help.

Economics and Investing:

Damon sent this: Impasse Over Derivatives Slows Senate Banking Bill

Also from Damon: U.S. health insurers’ Credit Default Swaps widen after reform

From G.G.: Sales of New U.S. Homes Dropped in February to Lowest on Record

Items from The Economatrix:

Stocks Fall After Agency Cuts Portugal’s Debt Rating

New Homes Sales Hit a Low; Durable Goods Orders Up

Oil Settles Below $81 on Jump in US Crude Supplies

US Has Lost 2.4 Million Jobs to China

The Tipping Point at Zero

Odds ‘n Sods:

SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large Michael Z. Williamson forwarded this: Record numbers now licensed to pack heat; The “right-to-carry” movement has succeeded in boosting the number of licensed concealed-gun carriers to about 6 million. Mike’s favorite quote from the article: “Because the gun death rates parallel an overall drop in crime, Hemenway suspects that the decline ‘has nothing to do with concealed-carry laws.'” Mike’s comment: “Did a PhD actually say that?”

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Attention Coloradans: Reader P.M. in Colorado suggested a “private party” sales venue where he has both sold and purchased guns. Note that interstate sales of post-1898 guns without using an FFL is illegal, but intrastate sales between private parties are perfectly legal in most states. (Be sure to consult your state laws, first!) JWR Adds: In my experience, two other good sources for private party guns are GunsAmerica.com and GunBroker.com.

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Eric S. sent this item: Amid budget crisis, California makes parole easier – Yahoo! News. Eric commented: “24,000 prisoners released in one year due to budget cuts, not rehabilitation. and this will not affect the public’s safety?”

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Men fight for liberty and win it with hard knocks. Their children, brought up easy, let it slip away again, poor fools. And their grandchildren are once more slaves." – D.H. Lawrence

Note from JWR:

Reader Jeff D. mentioned that he noticed that SurvivalBlog is now in the top 7,500 US web sites’ traffic ranking, on Alexa. Thanks for making the blog such a great success! Every link helps.

—

Today we present another entry for Round 27 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will include:

First Prize: A.) 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 between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A HAZARiD Decontamination Kit from Safecastle.com. (A $350 value.), and D.) A 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm Luger, 124gr. Hornady XTP/HP ammo, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo. This is a $249 value.

Second Prize: 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 $350.

Third Prize: A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing.

Round 27 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Kids and Sleep During a Crisis, by AK. in Texas

We live in Tornado Alley which means we’ve had more than a few opportunities to break out the 72 hour kits and find out what works and what doesn’t. However, one thing we were surprised to find was that we hadn’t figured out what to do when the crisis extends through bedtime, or when it occurs while the kids are asleep. If you have to “hunker down” during a crisis, it’ll take a while for you or the kids to get sleepy. For the adults, this isn’t that big a deal, but when children miss sleep, they have a tendency to become cranky and irritable. Since that is the last thing adults need, here is some things we learned, both from emergency situations and from co-sleeping with our children when they were younger, that might help give other folks some ideas to take care of this aspect of preparedness.

* Let them snuggle up to you – touch helps many children feel more secure. I’ve had children fall asleep with their back against mine, or with just the top of their head touching my leg. It helped me calm down as well since it helped me keep tabs on them while they were asleep (I’m a light sleeper when my kids are sleeping in the room with me).

* Light massage – Depending on the child, a light massage on the neck or even brushing hair away from the face can relax a child enough to sleep. I’ve found it works well with toddlers and young children. I think my older kids would look at me funny if I tried that with them now.

* Smaller babies can be held or swung – My husband would hold our babies in his arms and gently swing them back and forth in front of him. This was the only way he could put them to sleep when they were with him. I couldn’t duplicate that effect, but in a way I had it easier. All I had to do was hold them on my chest and they would fall asleep.

* Keep a routine as much as possible – Routines help children feel secure, not to mention learn that everything has a time, including sleep. In a crisis, this need becomes even more pronounced, so try to keep routines the same as much as possible, even if the location is different.

* Create a transition time – Create a space between regular activities and bedtime when the television is off, communication equipment is turned down or moved so that the kids won’t focus as much on it (very difficult that one), any games are quiet, and bedtime is clearly acknowledged as coming soon, even for parents.

* Be aware of their security or lack thereof during the day – Watch to see how your children are handling the changes that come with a crisis. Doing what you can to make sure they feel secure during the day will help when the darkness arrives, visibility is lessened and the only security they see is their little group in the glow of the lantern.

* If children are used to sleeping alone, give them some space before bed – Sometimes, again depending on the child and most definitely with older children, it might help to create boundaries, even if it is just “their space” around their sleeping bag. Our kids go through this in phases, though this need for personal space seems to grow as the children do.

* Try to all go to sleep together as a family – Though there may be a need to stay abreast of information or keep watch, try to make sure one parent or adult member of the family goes to sleep at the same time as the kids. Kids live by example and if you don’t make sleep a priority when the time comes, they won’t put much emphasis on it either.

There are also a few things we’ve found help in non-crisis, day to day life that make sleeping or just resting more feasible in a crisis situation.

* Have a routine – We have seven kids, and I’ve learned that the freewheeling schedules I grew up with don’t help when life truly goes crazy. One would think it would go the other way, but our experience has been that when you don’t have a scheduled bedtime it is far too easy to let all sorts of things slide in a crisis. And if the kids have been taught that any time is good for anything, it puts added stress on the parents who may need that time to talk or just relax for a moment (not to mention possibly getting a few winks in themselves). This is true of more than just bedtime. Meals made at the same, general time every day, traditions that surround little events (like prayer before meals or a small routine regarding when a person leaves the house) and other regular, scheduled events give a child structure and a sense of control in a world that has far more chaos than order in it. These schedules and routines should have some amount of flexibility, obviously, but when a tornado warning is announced or a flash flood is creeping along your street, you’ll have something to modify as opposed to chaos and the terror that comes with it.

* In line with this, have a consistent nap time – Sometimes we let it go, depending on the child. But every time I let a kid fall asleep at 4pm I regretted it that night.

* Make clean up part of bedtime – I didn’t grow up in a house that made at least clearing a path through the room part of the evening routine. I’ve tried to do that with my kids and it’s been a lifesaver when a tornado warning came in the middle of the night. I can’t imagine trying to herd sleepy kids to a safe location while trying to step over toys, clothes, and/or assorted games. Because the floor has been clear, I’ve been able to pick toddlers up out of bed with minimal wake-up, giving them and me a greater chance they’ll fall asleep again soon (this depends on the kid but at the very least it provided a smooth transition to waking up and kept them calm… at best we have had children fall right back asleep once settled in).

* Turn off the television as much as possible – We all know these things (television, video games, Internet) are highly addictive. Much has already been written about that, but I’ll just add that when we keep television restricted to the weekends our kids sleep better, especially our boys. One son in particular has a tendency to wake up in the middle of the night if he watches too much television. I have no idea why but for our family this is true.

* Spend time with them during the day – I know in our current culture it’s very difficult to spend time with your kids. I’m lucky in that I get to stay home with my kids while my husband works. Getting used to being around kids all day (and often at night if they aren’t feeling well) is another essay in itself, but I just want to add that whether or not you stay home with them, it’s very easy to push them aside — yes, even stay-at-home parents. Spending time with them during the day, whether it’s making a meal together, playing a game, teaching them a skill or just doing chores, teaches you more about your individual child’s temperament (very useful in a crisis situation) and, we’ve found, makes bedtime less of a problem.

* Get some sleep yourself – I know I mentioned this in the earlier section regarding a crisis, but I mention it again because kids really do live by example. Our kids never had any illusions about fun and exciting stuff that went on after they went to sleep because once or twice I would let the kids stay up while I got ready for bed (I made it clear that when I went to bed, they did as well). They learned pretty fast that nothing exciting happened after their bedtime, and that mom and dad got tired just like they did.

Two Letters Re: Semi-Anonymous Internet Access

Sir,
Introductory Note: Some of the activities suggested in this letter may not be legal in your country or your US State. Please ensure that you are familiar with any related laws before attempting any of the methods outlined below. They are therefore provided for information only:

With regard to the recent article on semi-anonymous Internet access and the use of wi-fi, by Jeff T:

I agree with many of the suggestions in this article, but also wanted to expand on these and identify a number of possible additional risks associated with using wi-fi connectivity.

Ben from Tennessee is quite right that one of the biggest “finger prints” left behind on public wireless networks is the MAC address of the wireless interface within the PC, indeed many pay-to-use public wi-fi systems use the MAC as part of the browsing session validation process, so linking and storing details of the MAC used to any account details (when, where, how long, and more importantly what public IP address was used connecting to the Internet). The MAC is “burned” into every network interface at the time of manufacture (wired and wireless) and is unique to that device – effectively its DNA or finger print.

There are a number of ways that you can “hide” your real MAC address online (wired and wi-fi – and you may want to consider the wired option if staying in hotels with wired only connectivity etc), but one of the simplest for users of Microsoft Windows is SMAC. I have no relationship with this company, other than having paid for and used their products over many years, both personally and professionally). This tool allows you to change the MAC address of your wired and wireless interfaces’ through a Windows based application. Regular changing of your MAC address is the first step to reducing the audit trail of wi-fi connectivity you leave behind – especially if you use free to access/non pay-to-use/no-need-to-register systems.

There is a “feature” of Microsoft Windows, when wi-fi is enabled, that a lot of people do not know about! (Yes, I know we should all be using some form of Linux, I prefer Ubuntu & Gentoo, but this is aimed at those who are happy with “Bill” and lack some of the technical ability required to move to a Linux based system – at least initially).

When a wireless enabled PC running Microsoft Windows is unable to find any wi-fi access point (hot spot) with which to connect, it can (at least in its default configuration) actively seek one out. To do this it sends out provocative wireless signals attempting to connect with a network it has previously connected with. It will cycle through all of the network identities (names) it has previously worked with. All of these packets are sent in the clear and can be captured by anyone with a simple wireless tool running in “sniffing mode” nearby. The key issue here is that all of the network names you have connected with are disclosed cyclically over a few minutes. Coupled with an online resource such as WiGLE, this information can be used to establish a profile of the PC owner – where you live, work, eat, drink coffee, go to the gym etc, anywhere you use your portable PC with wi-fi. You may want to check to see if your home or employers wi-fi access point is on WiGLE?

Another aspect of wi-fi seldom considered by most people relates to OPSEC [and COMSEC]. In a localized grid down situation it is pretty obvious who has power in my neighborhood, as their wi-fi access point is clearly powered up and sending wireless signals that reach several hundred yards away – those access points on higher floors of high rise buildings, or those up the hill with a clear line of site to my house, go even further. Since the central office is still up on batteries or generator, these people keep their ADSL router on to maintain access to the Internet, and since they normally use wi-fi to connect with their PC’s, they continue to do so. Whilst this may not be so much of an issue for those “in the wilds” it is an issue for those in urban and sub-urban environments, where the neighbors, or more correctly their battery powered laptop powered up to watch a DVD or listen to a CD, spotting your access point could bring unwanted attention to your front door?

In my neighborhood with the majority of wi-fi hot spots (>98%) off due to the power failure, the signals from the few that are still working appear to go that much further, due to the greatly reduced interference. You may want to try this the next time the power goes off in your neighborhood – you will be amazed when you see all of these new, but very weak, wireless signals from those with UPS systems and back-up power within ~½ a mile of your home. Those that use their business names as the wireless network identity really stick out, as do the people who name their home wi-fi networks after the family name or home address (e.g. “Holmes home network” – I can look you up in the phone book, or even worse “128_Western_Avenue” – I can read a map!)

You also need to remember that even with the access point turned off, the client PC (or Macintosh etc.) will be sending out those provocative wireless signals in an attempt to connect with “something”. These signals can also be detected and give your location away, along with the fact you have access to power & working technology! This is especially a problem if your PC is set up to allow client to client connections over wi-fi (also known as “ad-hoc” connectivity – you may have this turned on by default) A simple Windows PC nearby will spot this device easily – and what did you call your client PC, another possible OPSEC leak? I did wonder if this could have been an issue with “movie night” in your novel, “Patriots“, though the remote location probably reduced the risks?

To prevent any wireless signal becoming a problem you should always be sure to turn off any wireless capability (Wi-fi, Bluetooth, WiMax etc) if you are not using it, if only to save on the battery drain, and remember to do it at both ends of the link. This is equally true for PC’s, Mobile phones, PDA’s, and if you have a much newer car – its integrated Bluetooth/hands free capabilities too !

On a more general level, there are many PC related problems with achieving anonymity on the Internet, with processor IDs (turn this off in the BIOS), TPMs (Trusted Platform Modules – an embedded secure crypto-processor on the latest models – turn it off), License ID’s – Operating systems, including automatic software updates etc, and a whole host of other “meta data” that gets sent with all of our network traffic. Ask what is your online media player or virus guard/firewall downloading for you in the background whilst you thought you were being anonymous? For the more technically minded and PC savvy, downloading a copy of Wireshark to your PC can be quite enlightening, and frightening when you see what it is doing “in the background” over the network to which you are connected.

Certainly buying an older laptop PC and using this (with an ever changing MAC address) can go some way to achieving local anonymity when using wi-fi, but you still have issues with data remaining on the PC that is resent at a later date, and this is less than ideal. It is possible to run most PC’s without a hard drive – just physically remove it yourself, delete it in the BIOS, unplug it – leaving it in place in the laptop, or just buy a used PC from a company that has already removed it as part of their disposal security procedures.

Using another working and Internet connected PC you can download and “burn” a bootable CD or DVD (sometimes called an “ISO image”) that will give you a complete operating system with Internet access and an email client. It does everything your “normal” PC does, but when you switch this off it will not retain any historical data, and when you restart it, it will always boot “clean” with no residual meta-data from your previous online activities – you can transfer any data you wish to retain to a USB thumb drive, suitably encrypted of course, but never import this back onto the “anonymous” PC!

If you do not feel confident with doing this yourself, you can download or purchase bootable disc’s that are sold as simple “data recovery” tools – these are mostly Linux boot disks that help you to recover your data from the hard drive if Windows fails. They work quite well as anonymous operating systems if you take the correct precautions and should only cost a few dollars at most. You do not want or need professional level tools, and many are available pre-configured for your specific make and model of laptop (these are the ones you typically pay for). Put the disk in, hit the power button, and less than a minute later you have something that looks a bit like Windows, and after a few minutes getting familiar with it you should be browsing the Internet.

Finally there is a “whole other article” on anonymous proxy methods (e.g. TOR) which should be used in conjunction with all of the above methods when attempting some form of anonymity on the Internet.

The reality check with all of this is: If you are being specifically targeted by the authorities (or “hacker community”) there is little you can do to prevent yourself from being monitored, especially if you repeatedly conduct all of your online activities from a specific location (e.g. this could be a single wi-fi hot spot in the library, or a wider town area with multiple wi-fi connection points).

Only the “perpetual traveler” without a known itinerary or means of having their travel activities traced can hope to begin to achieve true anonymity online using these techniques, but that should not stop us from taking the most basic steps to maintaining our where possible.

Kind Regards, – Ian

 

SurvivalBloggers:
In response to the letter, Semi-Anonymous Internet Access: Connecting to publicly available wireless networks (or piggybacking on an unsecured, private wireless network) does add a degree of anonymity – but comes with a few caveats.
1) It may be illegal where you are. Anything illegal you do may put the owner of the access point into legal trouble as well. The law is generally poorly worded or undefined when it comes to the area of ownership of wireless access. Do your research.
2) Professionally maintained wireless access points will have audit logs, which may include time and date of access, MAC address, computer name or user name, customer identifier (if any), and what sites you visited. Never do anything that would connect your identity to that audit trail.
3) Unless secured by another method (such as HTTPS, used by e-mail providers and online vendors) connecting to an unprotected wireless access point exposes you to the risk of someone eavesdropping your internet activity, or possibly even infecting your computer with viruses. Be security minded.
4) Just like using the public computer at the library, you lose anonymity if you establish a routine. Connecting to the same network every day means, should someone be trying to find you, they just have to watch that network and wait for you to attach yourself to it.
5) As JWR’s son mentioned, doing anything which connects to your personal identity, or engaging in a routine you engage on elsewhere, will eliminate your anonymity. Criminals have been prosecuted for crimes because they paused long enough to check a friend’s facebook page. Limit the work you do during that session to what you must do, preferably downloading it to your hard disk rather than reading it “live”, so you can disconnect and leave. The more time you’re connected, the more you’re vulnerable.

Using someone else’s wireless internet access is perhaps the easiest way to greatly decrease your internet signature. There is the problem of the MAC address. A MAC address is a code programmed into your wireless network card. The easiest way to change it is to buy a new network card, but that gets expensive. For many cards, it’s possible to find a utility (oftentimes not by the vendor) that changes the MAC address on that card. Find it, download it, learn to use it. There is nothing illegal about changing your MAC address.

JWR’s son was also correct that the easiest way to sidestep data leakage is to do as the government does it – one computer for sensitive (personal) data, and one computer with no personal data. You may take data from the non-personal over to the personal, but never ever transfer anything from the personal computer to the non-personal, and never ever use the non-personal to visit your favorite web sites (e-mail, facebook, gaming sites, work-related sites, blogs, etc.) Your web visiting habits are as individual as a fingerprint. Wear gloves.

Some other ways to get privacy – download and use The Onion Router (TOR). TOR is perfectly legal [in most locales], but jumps your connection through 10 or 20 other random connections, so the data is effectively scrambled. It isn’t a cure-all, because it can be circumvented, with the right know-how.

Use a minimalist browser. “The more plumbing the easier it is to spring a leak” is very true with computers. Tomcat is an example of a browser that permits text-only. Using it in combination with tools like TOR is a force multiplier.

Consider joining a darknet. A darknet is a private network – imagine it as being its own, tiny Internet. The best would be to have wholly independent network cabling, but that is rarely a possibility. A properly made darknet is like a virtual speakeasy – encrypted access to it, and a wide selection of sensitive information, all protected from outside prying eyes.

Learn about encryption. PGP is available, for free, to anyone smart enough to compile it, and it has beaten federal investigations before. Unless it is encrypted, you should consider it unsecured.

Finally, take care of your passwords. Learn how to make a good one (in the case above, the user encrypted his entire computer with a page-long passage – making it effectively impossible to crack through conventional means), learn to change them regularly, and keep them secret. – “Dieselman”