Recipe of the Week: Arden’s Dutch Oven Spaghetti With Beef 

The following recipe for Dutch oven spaghetti with beef is from reader Arden K. It uses dried spaghetti, and there is no need to boil it, in advance.

Ingredients
  • 1 pound of lean or extra-lean ground beef
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 medium green pepper, chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic (or less, to taste), minced
  • 1-1/2 cups water
  • 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
  • 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder (or less, to taste)
  • 1 tablespoon grape jelly (optional)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (or less, to taste, and to suit your diet)
  • 6 ounces uncooked thin spaghetti, halved
Directions
  1. In a Dutch oven, cook beef, onion, green pepper, and garlic over medium heat, As you do so, crumble the beef.
  2. Cook and stir often until the beef is browned through and the vegetables get tender (about 8-to-10 minutes), then drain.
  3. Add the water, tomato sauce, canned tomatoes (undrained), grape jelly, chili powder, and salt.
  4. Bring to a boil.
  5. Break the dried spaghetti stalks in half, and mix them in.
  6. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Stir, to make sure that all of the spaghetti gets submerged. Then continue to simmer it with the dutch oven covered, until the spaghetti is tender — about 8 minutes.
  7. Drain any excess water.
SERVING

Serve immediately. But this can be simmered a bit longer, if you need to match the serving time of any other  dish(es) for your meal.

STORAGE

This can be stored in a separate Pyrex or plastic dish in a refrigerator overnight, for leftovers. But do not store it in your dutch oven, or it will rust.

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Do you have a favorite recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? In this weekly recipe column, we place emphasis on recipes that use long term storage foods, recipes for wild game, dutch oven and slow cooker recipes, and any that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

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 Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at declining oil prices. (See the Commodities section.)

Precious Metals:

Gold-To-Silver Ratio Rises To Highest Level Since 1990.

o  o  o

Gold Bull Peter Schiff Warns That This Recession Is Just Getting Started.

Economy & Finance:

Some creative tap dancing, by the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank: U.S. Likely Didn’t Slip into Recession in Early 2022 Despite Negative GDP Growth. JWR’s Comment:  Levon Helm, portraying Mr. Rate in Shooter said it best: “They also said that artificial sweeteners were safe, WMDs were in Iraq, and Anna Nicole married for love.”

o  o  o

At Wolf Street: Layoffs, Discharges, Quits, Job Openings, and Hires: Still Massive Churn & Job Hopping, but Losing Some Steam.

o  o  o

At Quartz: The weird contradictions rendering the US economy inexplicable.

o  o  o

These Experts Predict the Worst Is Yet To Come in the Stock Market. Here’s Why — And How To Prepare.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Want of foresight, unwillingness to act when action would be simple and effective, lack of clear thinking, confusion of counsel until the emergency comes, until self-preservation strikes its jarring gong – these are the features which constitute the endless repetition of history.” – Winston Churchill

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — August 7, 2022

August 7th, 1933 was the birthday of Jerry Pournelle. He, along with Larry Niven authored the survivalist classic Lucifer’s Hammer. Jerry passed away on September 8, 2017, at 84 years of age.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 102 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. 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,
  4. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  5. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  6. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  7. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime low-cost training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  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 LogOX 3-in-1 Forestry MultiTool (a $189 value) and a WoodOx Sling (a $79.95 value), courtesy of LogOx, both made in USA.
  4. A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $750,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 102 ends on September 30th, 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.

Upgrading an Inexpensive Gun Safe, by PrepperDoc

Many prepared individuals have an alternate living location. It might be called a “retreat,” a “bug-out house” or simply their “vacation home.” Perhaps in a “safer” location or in a state with more favorable legal climate on important features of self-provision and security. This alternate living location will typically be stocked with valuable implements and provisions, likely including firearms, ammunition, cash, precious metals and other valuables. Sitting vacant much of the time, it might become a lucrative target even in “normal times” before the national situation has even significantly deteriorated. A thief entering the vacant home would have ample time to work at overcoming locks and safes — so the quality of such equipment becomes key to the long-term usefulness of the alternate living location.

Unfortunately, many of us are not independently wealthy (especially earlier in our lives) and therefore we sometimes make choices in the quality of fire/burglar safes, and gun safes, that we later regret. This is the story of how I recognized a poor choice of a gun safe, and found ways to improve its security. In the process, I will attempt to review the key features of higher quality security containers.

OPSEC: Moving It Myself

Like many, I purchased a moderate-cost gun safe (TS 12-30) from a well-known farm equipment chain store and was able to get it home and installed in my alternate home, with no help from strangers (OPSEC benefit). The first security goal with a safe is to prevent the thief from simply carting it off the premises to work on it at their leisure in THEIR home. Therefore the gun safe was securely bolted into the home. If the floor is a concrete slab, appropriate hardware can secure it; if a wood frame house, then careful selection of bolts / screws can secure it. The thief cannot reach the head of the bolts or screws (which are inside the safe). The goal is to make it difficult to rock the safe, or get a pry bar behind any surface and create significant leverage. Arranging the safe so that the door opens properly, but there is little room to get a crowbar at any gap is important. Make your safe INCONVENIENT for the thief!Continue reading“Upgrading an Inexpensive Gun Safe, by PrepperDoc”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR:

To share this, you can find it here: https://www.kapwing.com/videos/62eadab5ba842000814b0fdf

Meme Text:

At First, It Was Pride Day, Then Pride Week, and Then Pride Month
If You Do Not Display Sufficient Enthusiasm, Then There Will Be Consequences!

News and Commentary:

Video from Matt Christiansen: UK Man Arrested for the Crime of Sharing a Pride Flag Sw4st1k4 Meme | ‘Causing Anxiety’.

A feminist’s complaint: Pride month is no longer a joyful celebration, but a symbol of something dark.

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock?

Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also?

For it is written in the law of Moses, thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen?

Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope.

If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?

If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.

Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar?

Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.

But I have used none of these things: neither have I written these things, that it should be so done unto me: for it were better for me to die, than that any man should make my glorying void.

or though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!

For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me.

What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel.

For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.” – 1 Corinthians 9:7-19 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — August 6, 2022

On 6 August 2011, a U.S. CH-47D Chinook military helicopter operating with the call sign Extortion 17 (spoken “one-seven”) was shot down while transporting an Immediate Reaction Force attempting to reinforce a Joint Special Operations Command unit of the 75th Ranger Regiment in the Tangi Valley in Maidan Wardak province, southwest of Kabul, Afghanistan. The resulting crash killed all 38 people on board – 25 US Navy SEALs, one pilot and two crewmen of the United States Army Reserve, one pilot and one crewman of the United States Army National Guard, seven members of the Afghan National Security Forces, and one Afghan interpreter, as well as a U.S. military working dog.

—

I just heard that Pat Cascio has fallen ill with coronavirus. Please pray for a quick and full recovery!

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 102 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. 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,
  4. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  5. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  6. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  7. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime low-cost training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  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 LogOX 3-in-1 Forestry MultiTool (a $189 value) and a WoodOx Sling (a $79.95 value), courtesy of LogOx, both made in USA.
  4. A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $750,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 102 ends on September 30th, 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.

 

Fire Preparedness and Firefighting – Part 2, by Always Learning

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

We did the usual pre-fire prep as soon as we heard the fire broke out, putting all the patio cushions in the house, closing drapes / blinds etc. We have lightweight patio furniture that we stacked up. For folks that cannot do that and do have a pool or stock tank, throw the patio furniture in there is our suggestion. We turned all the interior and exterior house lights on and unlocked all doors and disconnected the garage doors from the electric mechanism so every door could be opened easily. I am so glad we did that, because in the absolute midst of the worst part of the fire, our neighbor’s pump had a problem and I told the son to get the spare pump out of our garage and to take it to his house, which he did and it saved their house. Had their house started on fire, it would have caught ours on fire. We filled every available container with fresh water in the house.

We suggest using the Phos Chek product on the yard – it goes on clear (not like the Phos Check dropped from aircraft which is colored red so they can see where it lands). We bought it at the local hardware store, but it is also available online. We use an electrostatic sprayer to apply it and it lasts for 3 – 6 months in our area which has limited rain in the summer. It can go on vegetation and does not kill it. We also now have purchased a product called Barricade gel, which is sprayed onto the house and was developed by a fire fighter.Continue reading“Fire Preparedness and Firefighting – Part 2, by Always Learning”

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:

I spent nearly every morning this week cutting and splitting firewood. Miss Violet has helped me, by doing most of the stacking.

Our new heifer calf is doing quite well. She nurses well, and follows her mom around, even when the herd is moving at a trot.  We had another addition to the herd a couple of days ago. This one is a bull calf, and he also seems healthy and vigorous. We are hoping for two more calves in the next couple of weeks, from proven cows. Stay tuned.

Now over to Lily…

Avalanche Lily Reports:

Dear Readers,
The beginning of the week was extremely hot in the high nineties followed by a lovely cool down at the end of the week into the low eighties.

Sadly, at the beginning of this week my parents returned home to New England.  I’m very sad they had to leave seeing that we don’t know what the immediate future will bring… and if we will ever see each other face to face, again.  🙁  Thankfully, the phones are still working, and they arrived safely home. It was a very lovely visit with them, a visit I will always remember.

This week the Raspberries came on full-fledged.  I am harvesting them and have frozen a gallon’s worth thus far.  I did make room for them in the chest freezer.  We are eating some of those foods that are in there.  We also have invited two sets of neighbors to come and pick.  One this week and the other for early next week.

I finally transplanted some perennial herbs that have been residing in the greenhouse all summer. They went in the Perennial garden this week.

The kale and collards that I was growing in totes in the greenhouse were being eaten by something, so I pulled them out and I have been emptying old, pest-infested soil out of the totes out into an area of our ranch that needs a boost in soil nutrition.  Any other soil dumped on that area of ground will boost its soil. It is very nutrient-poor and acidic being located under spruce and tamarack trees.  And it is a desert there at this time of year, so the soil will dry out and most likely kill any eggs of pests that may dwell in the soil.

I have wild strawberries growing there and I want more of them to grow in the next years, Therefore I need to boost its soil.  I plan to also put the composted manure out there someday, soon.  I have bought more wild Strawberry seeds and plan to scatter them in that area sometime this fall, I think… Though I may do so in the spring.

I have washed and bleached about twelve totes and refilled them with newly-composted cow manure and have planted a few of them thusfar with fall crops of Swiss Chard, Red Russian kale, Scallions, and parsley. (Transplanted from a poor soil, store bought starting mix, tray into fresh composted soil tote.) I transplanted some onions that I started from seed back in April.  I added new compost to some pots of sweet peppers that I’ve had growing in bussing trays.

I harvested Curly Dock fronds and started to thresh its seeds into a sheet.  I ran out of time and put them into the greenhouse until the Shabbat is over and will finish threshing them next week.  I may try eating them this winter, since they are edible…

Miss Violet and I separated seeds from pods of a few peas that were planted this spring. We also saved the seeds from a brassica plant.  I’m not sure what exactly it is, but I decided to keep its seeds.

I have been incubating a group of my chickens’ eggs.  If things go well this time, they should begin hatching out on Monday…

From the Annex Garden, I have been harvesting beets, onions, and broccoli, thusfar. Yum.  Also, I dug up about six more pounds of volunteer fingerling potatoes that were growing in my new Asparagus bed.

I spent time weeding the Asparagus bed this week.  I hope to finish weeding it next week.

This week, I have done a fair amount of bike riding and swimming.

Please continue to pray for Miss Eloise.  Let’s just say that your prayers are having an effect in beginning to move things in the right direction. Thank You, Lord God!

Please continue to prep as much as possible.  Jim thinks we will be facing war soon, at least more so overseas, but it could come here to our land, as so much seems to trend in that direction.  Pray for the general public of both Israel and Gaza who are at the mercy of the global elites who keep waging stupid wars to further their evil agendas.  Pray, read The Word of God, Fast, and keep preparing.  The Four horsemen are preparing to ride.  The stage is being set and is nearly ready…Jesus is Lord!

May you all have a very blessed and safe week.

– 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 children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the Lord, and served not him.

And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon.

And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel: eighteen years, all the children of Israel that were on the other side Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.

Moreover the children of Ammon passed over Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sore distressed.

And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim.

And the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines?

The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand.

Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more.

Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.

And the children of Israel said unto the Lord, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day.

And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the Lord: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.

Then the children of Ammon were gathered together, and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled themselves together, and encamped in Mizpeh.

And the people and princes of Gilead said one to another, What man is he that will begin to fight against the children of Ammon? he shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.” – Judges 10:6-18 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — August 5, 2022

On 5 August, 1923, Hinderikus (“Henk”) Lucas Visser was born in Groningen, Holland. A veteran of the Dutch resistance during World War II, he was later involved in the CETME rifle project, the HK G3 rifle program, and several of Eugene Stoner’s projects, most notably the Stoner 63A1. He also did weapons design and tooling development for Mauser and Oerlikon. He was an ardent gun collector, whose collection formed the core of what became the Rijksmuseum gun collection in The Netherlands. (Pictured.)

August 5th is also the sad anniversary of the Mann Gulch Fire in Montana that took the lives of 13 firefighters (including 12 smokejumpers and one former smokejumper), in 1949. The intense, fast-moving forest fire took place in what later became the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness. The events of that fire were chronicled in the book Young Men and Fire by Norman Maclean and immortalized in the haunting lyrics of the ballad Cold Missouri Waters by James Keelaghan.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 102 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. 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,
  4. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  5. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  6. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  7. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime low-cost training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  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 LogOX 3-in-1 Forestry MultiTool (a $189 value) and a WoodOx Sling (a $79.95 value), courtesy of LogOx, both made in USA.
  4. A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $750,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 102 ends on September 30th, 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.

Fire Preparedness and Firefighting – Part 1, by Always Learning

Our community was hit by a major wildfire a few years ago. The fire was purportedly started by utility power lines arcing during high winds in the late afternoon, at the same time as another fire started nearby. Firefighters had initially responded to the other fire, which delayed their response to this one. Firefighting was further hampered because our community’s water comes from a huge tank above it; this tank was drained dry during the first hours of the fire, so once that tank was empty, there was no more water available to the firefighters. Once the water was gone and the fire started to race through our community, the firefighters were ordered to pull out (about 8:30 AM). Before they left, they came door to door, indicating a mandatory evacuation order was in place and that we were on our own for firefighting.

We watched the water and retardant dropping aircraft head away from our community. For the first time ever (there have been fires in this area before) dozens of homes in our community were lost in this fire. The fire burned through the power poles and electricity was out. Compounding the situation, the burned power poles fell across the roads, impeding peoples’ evacuations through the area, particularly for those who did not have 4WD. The fire raged for 5 days and ultimately burned through more than 96,000 acres, all the way to the ocean and destroying more than 1,600 structures.

My husband and I evaluated the situation when the fire first broke out and decided we would stay and defend our home if we could. We had spent time in advance of this fire preparing and discussing what we would do and what gear / supplies we needed, so we had our plans and gear when the fire came. I have included a list of our gear below and we used EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF THIS GEAR. Our home is on a cul de sac on a plateau, surrounded to the north, south and west by canyon wildland state park that had not burned in more than 35 years. We had previously over the years cleared all pine trees and other brush off our property and reduced fire hazard absolutely as much as we could.Continue reading“Fire Preparedness and Firefighting – Part 1, by Always Learning”

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 Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, more about the looming threat of a magazine ban in the United States. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

Is Silver A Better Investment Than Gold Right Now?

o  o  o

A video interview: Gold does well during inflation, recession: Is gold or real estate a better investment? – Jeff Clark.

Economy & Finance:

Steve Bannon has announced a new online payments system for patriots called the FJB Blockchain.

o  o  o

John Mauldin: A Weird Recession.

o  o  o

There are 4 possible recession scenarios, UBS says, including one where the S&P 500 rises 16% by the end of 2023.

o  o  o

Over at Hedge Week: Most hedge fund subsectors lost money and investor capital in May as redemptions increased.

o  o  o

Ben White, writing in the left-of-center Politico: Actually, a recession is inevitable.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”