Know Thy Neighbor, by “The Old Salt” in Virginia

In reading “Preparedness Beginnings” by Two Dogs it struck me that I had been missing a vital part of basic preparedness . . . I was doing it naturally, but I realized how many post I had read that left it out or put it as “I will need to do this when . . . “.  My title tells the story, but let me digress a little and put some background to it: Like “Two Dogs”, who is a retired Marine Corp Officer, I’m a retired Naval Officer who drug his family around the country through nine moves in a 30 year career . So getting to “know” new neighbors was something we just took for granted, what I would like to do is share a few thoughts on the process and ideas to get you started (if you need it).  We are not new to the “preparedness game” since we bought our first retreat property in 1973 in central Texas, have lived through 2 major hurricanes in Florida and 1 in Virginia, 1 major earthquake in California, and have lived and seen the third world up close and personal . Because of what we have seen and lived through, we currently live at our retreat full time in western Virginia.

We had always lived by the four “S’s” of survival: Salvation (the reason to survive is to continue to spread the Good News), Sustenance (water, food and medical), Shelter (a roof over your head and clothing) and Security (to keep your family and friends safe from those that would do harm or take advantage of situations).  I would now like to add a fifth “S”, Surroundings . . . I guess we had always done it, but we just didn’t think about it.  My definition of “surroundings” is to “know your neighbors” who surround you . Are they an asset to you and your family, or a liability?   In today’s world, with the grid working, stores stocked, the rule of law and a culture we think we understand we can lump all our neighbors in the category of “unknown” (or “who cares”/) But if/when things don’t work all those “unknowns” now become “liabilities”, just because you don’t know!    I do not want to offend “Two Dogs”, or anyone else who might have posted similar statements, but having neighbors who own guns and shot regularly, without knowing something about them is a serious liability.   What will that family do if they cannot feed themselves or keep warm in the winter . . . and they have guns?   I agree with “Two Dogs” that you cannot knock on your neighbors’ door and ask “how are you stocked for bean, bullets and Band-aids”. That question must wait until you have spent time getting to know about them , and them you!   Those of you who are extroverts will have no problem with what I’m going to say, but for those introverts this will streeeetch your comfort level. But it is essential, if you really believe things can come apart or go wrong!

I do not intent to open Pandora’s Box about “gulching in place”, a bug-out retreat, escape to the woods or living in the “hinterboonies”. I have probably prepared for everyone of these and more. The point is you will have neighbors in any location, so you need to know who and what they are!   As an old pastor of ours used to say: “yes, but how”?  So let me share some of our thoughts (my wife of 39 years was and is a major part of this process).

First there is just “observation”, what can you just “see”, this is not spying, it happens as you walk, bike or drive by?  Are they home a lot or is it empty during the day?  Do you see kids’ toys; swing sets, bikes, or is the yard a “yard of the month club”?  Do you see a vegetable garden or a flower garden, are there fruit trees or shade trees?  What kind of car do they drive, is it a family sedan, sports car, yuppie SUV, a real off-road rig, or maybe just an old truck?  Do you see bumper stickers with a political message or theme?   Do they have an NRA decal?  Does it have a Department of Defense vehicle decal (active or retired military)?  Is the garage just for vehicles or is it a mechanics paradise?   Do you see a work shop?  Is there a stack of firewood close to the house?  Are you getting the idea?  For those that live in suburbia this is not a hard task, since small yards and high density living make this a fairly quick and easy task.  For those who live more rural, with homes on “acres” of land the house may not even be visible, so you will have to find more inventive ways.  Now this doesn’t tell you a lot, but it is a start and you may find some common ground you have with them.
Next are introductions. A simple knocking on the door and a “hello” starts it off.  Once again this is much easier in suburbia, but it works in rural areas as well. You just have to get up the nerve to do that “cold call”.  We have found that “hi, we’re your new/old neighbor down the street and thought we’d introduce ourselves” works wonders.  Another opportunity is if you see your “neighbors” having a yard sale or have an old car (or anything) for sale, you don’t have to buy anything, but take the opportunity to introduce yourself and begin the conversation.   You are looking for common ground, something to keep the conversation going and continue it another day!  In some cases gated entrances and long “private” drives makes this impractical, but that means you will have to be that much more inventive. 

Something we have done, with mixed results, is a “house warming party” or “block party”.  The old saying “if you feed them, they will come” has a lot of truth in it.  Make these “family” events and plan for the kids activities, it will go a long way to opening doors with parents.  Our experience has been a “personal” invitation works much better than a mailed invitation, even if only a small percentage shows up you have made a start.  It is amazing how quick you can expand your circle of new acquaintances, once you start networking with just a few new folks.   Ask about their jobs or career, how about children (ask a grandparent and the pictures will come out–share yours), do grown children live locally or distant, where do they shop and are there shops to stay away from, where is a good mechanic, do they have a hobby or passion, do they “can” vegetables, sew, do they hunt (this opens up whole new areas for discussion). Do you get the idea?  Let me caution you that you are still not at the point of discussing “beans, bullets and Band-Aids”.   You are trying to “learn” about your neighbors and at the same time they should be learning a little about you.  

Another vital area is “community involvement” . . . are you going to be as asset to your community or a liability?   Okay, how do you “get involved”?  In rural communities we have volunteer fire departments, even the Sheriffs Department looks for volunteers (office work and dispatch) and even if you cannot take an active role there are all the fund raisers they need help with, help out at the local animal shelter. Roll up your selves and join-in.   Join a local church and be an active member. Small rural churches will welcome you with open arms if you pitch-in and the networking possibilities are terrific for expanding your circle of new acquaintances.   We joined a small rural congregation where everyone was related to everyone else and had been for generations and felt this would be a real “test” of our abilities . . . we were worried about the wrong thing . . . we now have so many new friends and acquaintances we have trouble getting to know them on a real personal level (the wife took over piano duties and that freed up the music director to lead worship instead of playing, we took over teaching the teenage Sunday school class, which freed up the Pastors wife for other tasks and helped us get to know their parents . . . make yourself an asset to the community and they will get to know you) .

It is only after you have spend time getting to know them, that you can begin to think about “the discussion” (remember OPSEC, listen a lot, share a little).   By then you should have “arranged” all these new folks into groups, for me they looks like this (these are personal assessments and each must come up with their own, based on your circumstances and situations): the majority are sheeple, nice folks but hopeless clueless (you can spend time trying to “educate” them, but I’ve found this to be “tilting at windmills”, as a rule they are not a liability since they don’t believe in exercising their Second Amendment rights. They will become refugees, some (thankfully very few) will be assigned “liability” risks and that will have to factor into your security considerations (I have found it is a waste of time to reason with them, but they can be “educational” to talk to.) Let me add a caution, if a family has teenagers observe their behavior. It is unfortunate, but peer pressure has turn some nice kids into very self destructive individuals), a few will be like-minded individuals that you can relate and share and plan with. But it is the next group that you will spend the majority of your time with, they are “concerned”, but don’t know what to do!   It is these “willing” folks that should take the majority of your time. Help them learn; to change their lifestyle, set new priorities and prepare for their family.  For some you have already done this and I congratulate you, for others this may not be new, but you have failed to put it into action, for the rest this is new and scary stuff and this article only touches on concepts and leaves a lot of unknowns, but the best way to learn something is to just “do it”!  None of this is easy or quick so do not delay in starting this in your neighborhood. Your life and the life of your family may depend on the knowledge you learn.  – The “Old Salt” in Virginia.

Two Letters Re: A Method for Storing Fresh Eggs up to Two Years

Jim,
Thank you for the great information you share. I read the post about storing eggs with a Vaseline coating and have a couple of questions.

Do they have to be stored on a refrigerated shelf?
Does this work with store bought eggs? My guess is this only works for fresh eggs and I don’t have a chicken….yet.

Thank you. – Angela S.

Jim,
First, I want to wish you and yours all the best. Thank you for this site, friends and I have been learning from your site for about a year now. It has continually supplied us with information to work from and discuss.

However, I do have some additional information to add to the letter “A Method for Storing Fresh Eggs for up to Two Years”. I had done some research on the subject and earlier in the year, and found quite a bit of information on the subject, however, one study in particular I read and researched seemed to carry the most weight with me. I have not tried all their methods, so I cannot state that their process or conclusions where correct, however, I have included the link for all to read the study and take their own conclusions from it.

I understand that this article from The Mother Earth News is dated, but the methods seemed sound. If I am missing something, or if another test by a more reputable source can be found, I would be most interested in reading the results.

Below, I have included the conclusions from the test:

At the end of seven months (all of our experiment that was finished and processed at the time this issue went to press), then, we had drawn these conclusions about our egg preservation experiment:

[1] Unwashed, fertile homestead eggs seem to store much better than washed, unfertile agribiz eggs. Why? Probably for the simple reason that they’re unwashed … and not because they’re fertile. Hen fruit, as it comes from the chicken, is coated with a light layer of a natural sealing agent called “bloom”. And, while a good wash may make a batch of eggs look more attractive, it also removes this natural protective coating … leaving the eggs more subject to aging and attack by the air and bacteria in the air.

[2] The very best way we’ve found to stash eggs away for long-term storage is in a sealed container at a temperature of 35° to 40°F. Their whites may become somewhat runny looking over a period of time, but even after seven months—the cackleberries stored in this manner smell good, taste good, have a good texture, and—in short—seem “almost fresh”.

[3] The widely touted idea of covering eggs with a solution of one part waterglass (sodium silicate) mixed with nine parts of boiled and cooled water does indeed seem to work better than any other “room temperature” preservation method we tried. If our experiences are any indication, though, it’s really good for only about five months and is a distant second to controlled refrigeration.

Another point: As good as some eggs kept in waterglass were, almost every batch we opened seemed to contain one real stinker. Which makes it a superior idea to open any waterglassed egg (or any egg, for that matter) separately into a cup … where it may be inspected before pouring it into a skillet, pan, or dish with other food.

[4] Unwashed, fertile eggs submerged in a solution of 16 parts water/2 parts lime/1 part salt, packed in lard, and coated with lard seem to keep at room temperature almost as well as unwashed fertile eggs that have been given the waterglass treatment. Washed, unfertile eggs do not.

[5] Unwashed, fertile eggs packed in dry sand or coated with vaseline and stored at room temperature keep a little longer-but not much-than unwashed fertile eggs that are just left lying out at room temperature. Washed, unfertile eggs exhibit the same characteristics … with all storage times running a few days less across the board.

[6] Forget packing any kind of eggs in wet sand or sawdust! Our tests show that such methods of “preservation” can turn eggs rotten within a month and are worse than doing nothing at all to the hen fruit.

Regards, – Jeff D.

JWR Replies: Thanks for that valuable addenda to Brenda L.’s post.

In answer to Angela’s question: The storage methods described are intended fro “low room temperature” (namely, the coolest room in your house). Just avoid getting them below freezing. A refrigerator will extend the storage life considerably.

The methods described will work for store bought eggs, but not as well as for fresh barnyard eggs, for two reasons:

1.) Store bought eggs have been washed

and,

2.) Store bought eggs tend to have a thinner shells. (There must be some quite elderly hens out there!)

Economics and Investing:

Got Rhodium? World faces hi-tech crunch as China eyes ban on rare metal exports. (Thanks to Jeremy M. for the link.)

GG sent us this: China Tears Up America’s Credit Cards

Trent H. spotted this: The Dollar Will Fall, The Only Question is “When?”

From John S.: “In the Tank Forever”: U.S. Consumers, Retailers in a “Death Spiral,” Davidowitz Says

1,000 Banks to Fail in Next Two Years (Thanks to Heather H. for the link.)

Items from The Economatrix:

Government Agency that Insures Deposits May Need Lifeline of its Own

Number of Problem Banks Surges to 416; FDIC Fund Shrinks

The Federal Reserve Must Die

Green Shoots or Greater Depression?

Power is Shut Off as Bills Pile Up

Spewing Out Money (The Mogambo Guru)

A Sea Change is Coming

Odds ‘n Sods:

“Use Enough Gun” Department: Alaska man kills attacking 900 lb. Grizzly with .454 Casull revolver (Thanks to FG for the link.)

   o o o

Frank S. mentioned a video report on the propane re-filler techniques that were previously described in SurvivalBlog.

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I encountered an interesting thread of discussion in progress, over at TMM Forums: Bartering with Alcohol and Cigarettes. (I don’t use either, so I have no expertise. Nor do I approve of them. But for those of you that do, I offer this link.)

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“…the Last Contango in Washington will be different from all previous crises. It will be elemental, devastating, and apocalyptic. It will destroy virtually all paper wealth and render virtually all physical capital idle. It will involve hordes of unemployed people roaming the streets, caring for no law and order, pillaging homes and institutions. It will destroy our freedoms. It may destroy our civilization unless we take protective action.” – Antal Fekete

Letter Re: A Method for Storing Fresh Eggs up to Two Years

Mister Rawles,
You can store eggs on the shelf for two years with this simple process:

1.When you gather your eggs simply wipe them off with a dry rags to remove anything stuck on the egg. Do not wash them!

2. Get a partner to help with this next step. Cover the palms of your hands with Vaseline Petroleum Jelly. Cover each egg evenly with a thin layer of Vaseline. (This prevents air from entering the shell). Have your partner place the now very slippery egg into a Styrofoam carton. If using cardboard cartons, then line them with plastic wrap first. This prevents the Vaseline from being absorbed into the cardboard.

3. Eggs will store with this method for up to two years. If in doubt about whether or not they are usable simply place them in a bowl of water. If they float then they are no good.But if they stay on the bottom, then they are usable. [JWR Adds: In addition to the aforementioned float test, when cracking stored eggs, it is best to do so one at a time, giving each a sniff test before dumping them into a scrambling pan or recipe mix. BTW, here at the ranch, we do the same for eggs from our hen house, for the off chance that an egg has gone undetected for an extended period of time before being collected.]

4. When ready to use, put a little soap on your hands to remove the Vaseline, rinse, and immediately use the eggs.

I have been doing this for several years. Besides, what good is food storage if you can’t have a good Toll House cookie now and again? – Brenda L.

Two Letters Re: Construction Without Electricity

Jim:
The recent Construction Without Electricity article reminded me of a stint spent with the Amish here in southwestern Missouri. I worked making buggy wheels, but one of my duties was to ride a stationary bike which powered a one cylinder compressor so they could spray paint the buggies. The buggy shop owner wanted to run a compressor off his windmill to a pressure tank but the community said that was going too far. With that kind of set up you could run all kinds of air tools. It smacked of being “too modern”. So I rode the bike. – Anonymous

Sir:
Regarding the article by Curtis M. (Construction Without Electricity): as a long time devotee of antique hand tools I must mention that one of the most important items to own when using cutting tools (saws, chisels, drills, planes, etc) is a proper set of sharpening instruments. This would include sharpening stones, files, gauges and fixtures. Without the ability to sharpen a tool, it will quickly become useless. In addition, learning the techniques for sharpening the various types of tools will allow a person to save time and render the best possible edge. Thanks with prayers and best wishes to you and your wife. – Jacketch

Letter Re: Advice on Water Barrel Pumps

Mr. Rawles,
Thank you for the blog and the consistency of information that you provide on a daily basis, it is greatly appreciated. In response to the inquiry of water barrel pumps: I have had good luck with this rotary drum pump. They are extremely smooth and easy to operate and I am able to empty a 55 gallon drum of water in quick time. I can not speak as to its longevity since I have not had it long, but it appears to have been constructed well. I recently ordered the one I own to try out and am planning on buy a couple more since we all know that two is one and one is none.

Thank you again for your work with the blog and our prayers are with you and your family. May God’s peace and love be evident and sufficient during this time. – James W. in Houston

Influenza Pandemic Update:

DHS Warns H1N1 “Could cause serious disruption of social and medical capacities in our country …”

H1N1 Could Kill as Many as 30,000 to 90,000 in U.S., Report Says. [JWR’s comment: If you have been debating taking your kids out of public school and homeschooling, then in my opinion the projected deaths for H1N1 should be the deciding factor. But for some numerical perspective, consider these two figures. 1.) The”usual” seasonal influenzas claims around 30,000 lives annually in the US, primarily among the elderly. 2.) It took fifteen years of the Vietnam conflict to kill about 58,000 American, mostly aged 18 to 25.]

“Chicago Dude” sent us links to a two part C-Span video on a conference on H1N1 swine flu held in Washington DC: Part 1, and Part 2.

Hospitals May Face Severe Disruption From Swine Flu. JWR Adds: Just wait until the small supply of available ventilators is overwhelmed. I’ve been warning about this since 2006!

Economics and Investing:

Dan D. recommended this post and video clip from Mish Shedlock of Australian economist Steve Keen: Global Debt Bubble, Causes and Solutions

CRW sent a link to a great video on YouTube: Preparing American for Hyperinflation.

The voters demanded “Change”, and here is what they got: Obama Nominates Bernanke for Second Term as Fed Chief. I guess some things don’t change. Be ready for inflation, folks.

K.L. sent this Wall Street Journal article: As Budget Deficit Grows, So Do Doubts on Dollar

Items from The Economatrix:
Auto Industry Braces for Hangover After “Clunker” Party

Dr. Housing Bubble: Real Homes of Genius

Manufacturing Jobs Drop to Lowest Level Since 1941

A Sign of “Economic Recovery: Factory Output is Growing

China: Stocks Fall as Wen Says Economy Faces Uncertainties

China: Wen Says Economic Recovery Still Lacks a Solid Foundation

China Aggressively Reducing US Debt

Sarkozy Threat to Shun Banks on Pay Draws US Alarm

Recession Over, Dallas Fed Chief Says (Yeah, right.)

Odds ‘n Sods:

$49.9 Million US Contract for .300 Winchester Magnum Ammo. That is a significant quantity, but not enough yet to indicate that the US Army will discard the M24 (chambered in .308 Winchester) as their primary sniper rifle.

   o o o

Playboy magazine jumps on the 2012 bandwagon. (Read only this re-posted online article and for the sake of your mortal soul don’t read their disgusting, smutty magazine.) OBTW, mention of this article came to SurvivalBlog directly from Liz Sablich, a Junior Publicist with Playboy Enterprises. Do your parents know what you do for a living? These is honest work out there in more wholesome parts of the publishing industry, Liz.

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Reader Zac Z. was the first of several readers to mention that Northwest Territorial Mint (one of our advertisers) has introduced some very clever new “Divisible” Silver bars. “When you need to get out of Dodge quick — easily portable 1-oz. silver bars from Northwest Territorial Mint will have you ready for any emergency! These one of a kind .999-fine silver bars are scored into four sections and have the potential to be split up, making them ideal currency in barter and trade situations.” JWR’s comment: Have chisel, will travel!

   o o o

Damon suggested this Wall Street Journal article: The Climate Change Climate Change; The number of skeptics is swelling everywhere

 

Basic Survival Skills for Children, by M.L.

Children play a part in many of our lives. Protecting them becomes an important issue in daily life as well as in an end of the world as you know it moment. However, what happens when adults can’t be there to protect them? What happens when they may need to protect us?
           
Our government and even many schools across the country, as well as parents and other adults, often do not see the potential in children. I am not talking about the educated potential one might find in the youth of a suburban school, but the potential to rise to the occasion when it is necessary to help themselves or their families.
           
The key to survival is knowledge. What you do with that knowledge and how you apply it at the right moment determines if you survive or not. Why can’t our children have the same knowledge?
           
We have many threats facing our world. Swine Flu or even other pandemics have been brought to the fore front this year. The WHO. is telling the world to expect an explosion of H1N1 cases. What happens if you and your spouse get Swine Flu? Who will take care of your children? Your sick neighbors? Your aging grandparents whom live three states away? Give your children the knowledge to take care of themselves and their families.
           
The following are some ideas on how to engage your children in survival learning (please gauge these ideas on the maturity levels of your own children):

  • Cooking ~ Sit down and plan out a list of easy foods to cook with the least amount of required steps. Make sure you include some easy recipes for items in your food storage pantry. Most children can begin to learn to cook around age 8, provided you explain the dangers in the kitchen and teach them how to properly use the range, oven, sharp knives, etc. Many libraries and booksellers, as well as the internet, offer cooking books or recipes geared towards children. Cook through the recipes with your child, but try to be as hands off as possible, while teaching them proper techniques.
  • Chores ~ Again, start out slowly, but instill an understanding in your children they can and are able to do most any chores in the home. By age 5, most children can at least do the simplest of chores like folding laundry, dusting, and putting away silverware. Give your children a responsibility and work along side them at first. Add laundry and yard work for older children. Again, teaching the safety protocols for certain items. When it comes to cleaning with chemicals, use alternatives made from natural ingredients. Label bottles and provide instructions. However, even children should not use certain chemicals and you should exercise caution.
  • Pets ~ Children always want pets. Make them responsible for those pets. Teach them how to bathe and groom Fido. Show them how to properly and safely remove ticks. Have your child learn the commands to control your dog as well. Let your child clean out the gerbil cage or feed the fish. All these things teach children how to be more responsible.
  • Protection ~ Enroll your child into a Mixed Martial Arts program or a boxing class with the understanding this is not for beating up little brother but to protect his/her self from others whom might want to harm him/her. For older children, teach gun safety. Show them your weapons, take them to the firing range, and let them understand what it feels like to shoot your P22 or your 12 gauge. Let them practice at shooting targets as well as clays. Take them hunting if you can. And if you have a bow set-up teach them how to shoot arrows as well. By properly teaching gun safety, archery, and self defense your child would be well prepared to defend themselves or to hunt for food.
  • Bartering ~ As odd as it may sound, take your child to garage sales or flea markets. Any age can do this. Make them use their good manners when approaching the seller to barter or haggle over prices. Teach them about good deals and help them to find things that may be useful at a later time.
  • First Aid ~ Children as young as five years old can put a band aid on a wound. Get a first aid manual and teach your children the proper way to care for cuts, scrapes, and other wounds. Let them know what alcohol and peroxide are used for as well as other medical topicals. Show them the difference between when to use a large butterfly bandage or gauze and tape. Teach them the proper way to take someone’s temperature. Explain when professionals should be called in to help or if you are in a situation where there are no professionals available what should be done. If you have a child that gets woozy at the sight of blood help them to get over their fear as best as possible or make sure that particular child has a different responsibility.

While many of the aforementioned tasks may sound obvious for all parents or care-givers, it always helps to remember your children can accomplish many tasks as long as they are given the chance to try. There are a variety of adult survival activities that you can tailor towards your children. Teach your child about your own family op-sec and basic safety when it comes to dealing with strangers. Above all, always remember to stress safety when teaching your children.

Give them a chance to hone their skills by taking them camping. Allow them to start the campfire (with parental guidance), cook the camp dinner, pitch the tent, etc. Get “lost” in the woods and have them bring you back to camp using a compass and map. Then later, have them look for a cache using your GPS. Teach them about the animal tracks your family sees and what animal crossing look like. In the evening, teach them the major constellations and how they can use those for direction as well.

I personally recommend the book The Boy’s Book of Outdoor Survival by Chris McNab. Although it is titled “for boys” and has pictures of boys in the book, I think it is highly appropriate for girls as well. Every child should know how to take care of themselves in survival situations.

If you can help your children and give them the knowledge to help themselves and others, even at a young age, you will enable them to be more responsible for themselves for the rest of their lives. As a parent, you are responsible for teaching your children.

Letter Re: Battery-Powered Dirt Bikes

Dear Mr. Rawles,
Your family is in our prayers, and we hope everything is going as well as possible.

Imagine my surprise today as approximately ten dirt bikes drove by me up the street, but weren’t making any noise. I expressed surprise to the friend in the car with me, who responded with, “Oh yeah, there’s a company that makes battery powered dirt bike motorcycles, just around the corner.”

Out of curiosity, I headed around that corner and discovered that they were having a large open house, with free dirt bike rides, information on their products, and free hot dogs. Naturally, always looking for a way to “store” food, I eased over to the BBQ grill for a hot dog. At the same time, I admired the appearance of their motorcycles. As it turns out, they have lithium ion batteries packed into a container about the size of a pick-up truck battery. These will power the bikes for approximately two hours. If you’re wealthy enough, you can have an extra, charged battery nearby that you can easily swap out for another two-hour run. It seemed eerie watching these bikes drive around, making only the amount of noise that a small child’s remote-control car would make. They have three or four models, some for the street and some for off-road use, and one that is a hybrid. They aren’t cheap, as they vary in price from $7,000-9,000K. They sort of reminded me of when I was a kid, when the first Honda Trail 90s came out, but with a lot less noise. As I plan my retirement home in Oregon, I anticipate it will be off grid, with solar panels providing most of the power, and these battery-powered bikes would fit right in, especially since my property is rather steep. One of the salesmen indicated that they sold two bikes to a couple of farmers in Northern CA who like the idea of being able to approach someone tampering with their crops fairly quietly on a motorized vehicle.