Letter Re: A Hearty Letter of Recommendation for Todd Savage

Dear SurvivalBlog.com and SurvivalRealty.com Readers:
I wanted to take a moment to thank Todd Savage for the outstanding work that he did for my family helping us become familiar with Northern Idaho and helping us find the perfect retreat. Todd helped us discover Idaho in its entire splendor, helped us manage our expectations properly and never led us astray.

Initially, we had some good ideas on what to look for in a retreat having read both the novel “Patriots” and [JWR’s nonfiction book] “Rawles on Retreats and Relocation” more than once. Nonetheless, we weren’t 100% sure what we wanted in a retreat and we decided to look at everything that was available in our price range with very few limiting criteria. We looked at dozens of properties as we spent the next four months looking for the perfect retreat for our family. Todd was there every step of the way. Our searches were sometimes challenging, like the time we ditched our 4×4 at 2 mph and had to bring in a tow truck from Troy, Montana to get us out of a very dicey iced over mountain road in the middle of a heavy snow (fortunately it was only Todd and I that time). Todd, like the truly prepared individual that he is, took everything in stride and resolved the issue promptly allowing us to continue our search in short order.

Throughout the entire process he was professional, meticulous, and motivated. I always felt as though I was his only client.. Todd is also very conscientious and perceptive and quickly adapts to changing situations with his clients’ searches such as the spouse that may only be 95% on board and doesn’t necessarily want to live in a fortified MX missile silo as many of us in the XY [chromosome] crowd happily would. Todd consistently went above and beyond his duties as a Realtor and retreat consultant, previewing properties for us and making sure that we did not waste any time looking at property that would not fit our needs. Flying into Spokane with two preschool age children for a weekend tour of Northern Idaho is not for the faint of heart; Todd’s meticulous attention to detail with pre-generated reports, satellite views and feasibility studies for each property made the treks all the more enjoyable and fruitful.

If you’re looking for retreat property in Northern Idaho you could never hope to meet a better person to help you find the right place. I placed my trust and potentially the future well being of my family in Todd’s capable hands and he came through the way a Marine always does. Semper Fidelis.
From a very satisfied Survival Realty customer, – E.S.

Odds ‘n Sods:

After a near-death experience, the post-nuke television drama series “Jericho” returns to CBS on Tuesday (February 12, 2008). It is noteworthy that “Jericho” was resurrected from cancellation by popular demand from loyal fans, who inundated CBS officials with shipments of 40,000 pounds of peanuts. As previously mentioned in SurvivalBlog, I have hopes that both “Jericho”, and “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (on the Fox network) will in some small way help get people to “think outside the box” about the fragility of our modern society and motivate them to prepare for more inimical times. OBTW, for anyone that wants to chat about either series, there is both a The Sarah Connor Chronicles Yahoo Discussion Group and a Jericho (TV Series) Yahoo Discussion Group.Both of these are moderated by a SurvivalBlog reader.

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Eric found us this: UK- Price of food soars to all-time record

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Thanks to RBS for this one: Your cost of living may be rising faster than the Consumer Price Index

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John R. sent us: Couple survives 12 days in snow. John’s comments: “This is why everyone should have carry a kit in their vehicles. The couple made it out alive, thankfully, though one rescue worker died as a result of over-exertion. But it doesn’t sound like it was easy.” Meanwhile , Craig sent this: Hundreds Of Motorists Still Stranded On I-90. Craig asks: “I wonder how many of them had winter survival kits in their cars?”

Two Letters Re: Is Grain Sold as Seed or Animal Feed Safe to Eat?

James,
A reader asked about “deer wheat” in a video posted on Youtube. The intent of the video was to show how someone could inexpensively pack their own dry goods, not to argue the merit of “feed” wheat.

Just to clarify though, the wheat in the video was purchased from a feed store selling it as “feed” wheat not as “deer wheat.” As you mentioned there is essentially two types you’ll find at feed stores- seed wheat and feed wheat.

Down in the southern parts of the country there are more insect problems, so much of the “seed” wheat is treated with pesticides. The good news is that if you can smell, it will be readily recognizable to you as having pesticides on it.

Having purchased and packed a fair amount of “feed wheat” for personal use and having talked to numerous grain mills in this area, here’s what I’ve found-

The “feed” variety of wheat isn’t cleaned as much as “triple cleaned” wheat which is normally what is sold for human consumption.

Quality typically varies from one source to the next. We recommend folks buy one bag to start with after telling the store owner you need non-treated wheat for animal feed. Lots of people mix there own scratch grains, etc. so this is not uncommon. Get the bag home and test it for yourself. We have only noticed a slightly higher amount of grain dust and chaff, but again this will vary from one source to the next. You could always winnow this out yourself if you so desired.

It does offer a cheap alternative for folks to put up wheat. I realize not everyone will see the utility of using this type of food, nor will everyone “approve” of it. I can only tell you that my family (and others) have consumed quite a bit of this with no ill affects. – Dave in Idaho

 

Sir:
While animal feed at this time is not par with food, these rules will be changing. The FDA is pressuring, producers, storage facilities and feed mills to bring their standards up to human food chain levels. We will see this transformation in the next three to five years as laws will be brought forth to force this process.

Speaking of food and feed, we are going to see another twenty percent rise in wholesale food pricing within this year.

The preceding statements came to me from the heads of various feed mills, food manufacturing plants and grain shipping/storage facilities where I conduct pest control services on the west coast. – S.M.

Three Letters Re: Frozen Livestock Water Tank Woes

Hi Jim,
I have not tried one of these yet. But it seems like a good idea. – Paul D

 

Jim,
I came across this interesting product while surfing the Internet a couple of weeks ago. It is one possible solution to the problem of freezing livestock tanks. The web site also mentions that insulating the sides of the tank helps retain the heat. – Jeff

 

Good Evening Mr. Rawles;
In reference to the posting regarding heating a livestock tank, please review this web site.

I purchased one of these tubs and stoves several years ago but not for livestock use. I do remember my grandfather having something similar at our farm when I was growing up. When I visit my retreat in the winter and temperatures are in the 0 degree range, I can fill the tub with well water and have it heated to 100 degrees in about four hours. Maintaining the temperature is then relatively easy, albeit the tub is covered with an insulated cover when not in use. Also tubbin’ temperatures are warmer than required for livestock watering temperatures.

As a secondary benefit, I keep the tub full during the non-freezing months as it makes a great back-up source of water.
I am not affiliated with this vendor, just a satisfied customer.

Also, another note to those that use programs like Quicken to track their financial date, putting the 10 Cent Challenge in your Scheduled Transactions, will insure that you keep up to date on the Challenge. It helps me keep my subscription current. Thanks for all of your work on the site. – S.N.

Letter Re: Homemade and Expedient Vegetable Oil Lamps

Sir,
I clicked on this link from your site, JOTW – Home Made Vegetable Oil Lamp. This got me to thinking about something I read about and tried once, some years ago. Take a tangerine, and using a knife, cut the nub off of the top, to expose the fruit, and using a spoon, separate the fruit from the peel and the segments from each other, leaving the sting like ” pith ” that runs from top to bottom, down the center of the segments, connected to the bottom. After letting the thing dry a bit, the pith is cut a bit to act as a free standing ” wick “, a bit of olive, vegetable, or corn oil is put in, leaving about 1/4” of the pith above the oil to light. If it soaks up the oil enough, the lamp can be made to last quite a while for survival needs.

If you go to the extreme in a survival situation, a lamp could be fashioned from natural clay like the ones seen in the Middle East that have been made the same way since biblical times. . Many thanks to Hawaiian K. for the link. I like to try some of these type preparedness do-it-yourself projects from time to time to learn a new skill that may help me and my family some bad day. – Dim Tim

Letter Re: SHOT Show Report

Jim,
I just returned from the SHOT Show held in down in Mordor (Lost Wages, Nevada.) Here are my top three favorite innovations that I saw there.

1) This product is number one by a long shot. It is a huge monumental leap in technology for night vision. My buddy just back from Iraq fell over when he saw it. SuperVision(tm) Digital Night Vision. Forget the blurry and hazy green from the past. The new generation shows clear blue-gray out to 300+ yards. Its clarity is impressive and the cost is half of the current top offering of night vision. www.xenonics.com for live video.
Downside-only have handheld unit-working on rail mount for front of scope-due soon.

2) A 5 inch by 3 inch water purifier that purifies up to 2000 liters, and costs only $59.95. It fits in the palm of your hand–very small and compact. Made by Middleboro Water, LLC ph. (508) 947-6824

3) A multi-tube Magazine located in fore-end stock of a semi-auto shotgun. When one tube is empty you rotate the stock to engage a new tube. Total capacity is 16 rounds. Made in Meridian, Idaho. See: SRM Arms PDF and Defense Review article. [A hat tip to Ron A., for sending those links.]

Cool factor: Beretta Pistol with 1000 diamonds embedded in the pistol grips. 90 carats total. And of course, a Perazzi shotgun set: a .410, 28, 16 and 12 gauge shotgun set costing a mere $447,000. Pocket change!

The 2008 SHOT Show had 7,000 vendors and new overflow tents in the parking lot. As you can guess I only saw a percentage of the show in two full days. God Bless, – B.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing that is more important than his personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertion of better men than himself." – John Stuart Mill

Letter Re: Keeping a Low Profile is Crucial for Preparedness

Jim,
My missus and I have been into “prepping” for about 15 years. Our house has a basement and it is practically wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling with shelves–with just narrow aisles in between. The shelves are chockablock with storage food (all labeled and organized “FIFO“-style), medical supplies, assorted “field” type gear, tools, barter/charity stuff, ammo cans, propane cylinders (that fit our camp stove and camping lantern), reels of field phone wire, paper products, and so forth. Following the example of Mr. Whiskey (from your “Profiles“) we have recently built up 27 sets of designated “charity duffles”, each packed in a cheap Made-in-Taiwan nylon duffle bag. Each of these contains a Dutch Army surplus wool blanket, a Chinese knockoff of a Leatherman tool, a pair of gloves, a pile (“watch”) cap, a half dozen pairs of socks, a thrift store man’s jacket, room for four days worth of food (which we would pack from our FIFO inventory, as needed), a collapsing plastic water container (the type that Campmor sells), a waterproof match container, a tube tent, and a hand line fishing kit. (“Teach a man to fish…”)

When we moved back to California in 1998, we picked our house specially because it was built in the 1940s. It is the oldest and sturdiest house on the block. (The neighborhood built up around the house, when the property was subdivided in the 1960s.) It has a basement and its own water well, which is now “off the books”–since the house is now on “city” [metered] water, but the well is still functional with a 24 VDC submersible well pump. I have four flush roof-mounted Kyocera PV panels (cannot be seen from the street) and six deep cycle batteries. The cables are run series-parallel to provide both 12 VDC and 24 VDC outputs.

Even though we live in a standard suburban neighborhood, none of out neighbors are any the wiser about our preps. At the core, I consider my preparations my own business. When the time comes to hand out the charity duffles, we will do so through an intermediary, like our church. (We are Methodists.)

After seeing what happened to that guy in Norco last year, I am glad that I keep a low profile. The specific measures that we have taken to keep a low profile are:

1.) We take no UPS deliveries at our house. Nearly all of our mail-ordered goods are sent to our private mail box at the local UPS Store (it was formerly a “MailBoxes, Etc.”) From there, we take the boxes home in our minivan.We are always sure to unload the van from inside my garage, with the garage door shut. All of the empty boxes have the “to” and “from” address labels cut out with a box cutter knife. I discard the flattened boxes in the cardboard recycling dumpster behind the office where I work. (I’m a sales engineer for a medium-size company.)

2.) We don’t subscribe to any shooting or hunting magazines. We get all of the gun information we need online. To “stay in the fight” politically, I do make regular anonymous contributions to the GOA, JPFO and CRPA [The California Rifle and Pistol Association, a firearms rights organization], via Post Office Money Orders. (BTW, I do the same for the SurvivalBlog [10 Cent] Challenge. Shame on any of you that read this blog regularly but don’t pony up the 10 pennies a day!)

3.) We access all web pages via Anonymizer, with no exceptions.

4.) Most of of our preps purchases are either made F2F, with cash, or with Post Office Money Orders if ordering by mail. This eliminates the “trail of paper” from writing checks or using a credit card. We buy a lot from Nitro-Pak, Ready Made Resources, Major Surplus, and Lehman’s.

5.) All of our guns, ammunition, gun gadgets, targets, and cleaning supplies are bought “private party”, mainly at SoCal [(Southern California)] gun shows. Also, needless to mention, these are greenback transactions only! In California, we can still at least buy rifles and shotguns that are more than 50 years old without having to buy through a [licensed] dealer. We have two [M1] Garand rifles, and a FN.49, also [chambered] in .30-06. I’m still looking for one or two more of those, but they are scarce, and even harder to find private party. We also have three [Winchester] Model 12 pump[-action] 12 gauge shotguns, two of which have had their barrels shortened to 18.5 inches. Handgun buys in California all require paperwork, but by Divine Providence I bought several Glocks and [Colt Model] 1911s when I was living in Arizona for a couple years, back in the late ’90s. [JWR Adds: That loophole was recently closed for Californians. Anyone moving into the state must now register their handguns. Drat! But at least there was a grandfather clause.] There is isn’t much to do out in the desert except shoot, so I bought a lot of guns when we were there.

6.) We signed up for an identity theft and credit report checking protection plan three years ago. I noticed that SurvivalBlog just started running an ad from Comprehensive Risk Solutions. Their service has more bells and whistles and a lower subscription cost that our current provider, so we will switch [to them] when our current subscription lapses. [JWR Adds: I highly recommend this service. It is cheap insurance to prevent what would otherwise be a very costly incident.]

7.) We use a TracFone whenever calling a mail order vendor. (No calling history paper trail.)

8. ) We don’t mention our preps to anyone outside of our family. We have coached our kids from an early age to keep their lips zipped.

9.) Whenever we have anybody visit our home, the basement door stays closed and locked. (It is a keyed deadbolt lock.) The basement has no windows. Most of our friends and relatives don’t realize that we even have a basement. (Basements are actually rare in California tract neighborhoods.) To anybody that visits, the basement door just looks like a locked closet.

10.) We don’t leave anything “suspicious” out where it can be seen in our house and garage.

These precautions might seem kinda “over the top”, but put yourself in my shoes. In the People’s Republic of California it pays to be a bit of a Secret Squirrel. I does cost me about $300 per year to get my mail and packages at the UPS Store, but I consider that a small price to pay for my privacy. I plan to retire to the mountains of central Nevada in nine years, but for now, I am making do in my present circumstances. – F.L. in Southern California

Letter Re: Is Grain Sold as Seed or Animal Feed Safe to Eat?

Mr. Rawles
I got a You Tube link that shows “Five gallon bucket storage techniques” and was wondering if the “deer wheat” mentioned in the video was edible or able to sprout and also make wheat berries? I went to my local feed store and they can get the “deer wheat” in 50 pound bags either as “seed” or “feed”. If this “deer wheat” is okay for human consumption, then which would be the better buy, “seed” or “feed”?

JWR Replies: Typically “seed” grain is treated with insecticides and fungicides, but “feed “grain is not. Any whole grain (without fillers, additives or byproducts) sold as animal “feed” is probably fit for human consumption, but don’t count on it. (See the scholarly study “Contaminants and toxins in animal feeds”, for example.) The FDA food handling standards for human consumption generally don’t apply. Thus, there could be excess pesticides, insect parts, insect excreta, or other contamination, including the risk of micotoxins, . This is not to say that grains packed for human food are perfect. I’ve found much more than just chaff in the wheat that I bought from food storage vendors over the years, including pebbles and small dirt clod! But at least the screening is more thorough with these grains that with animal feed.

The only way to be sure about safety for human consumption is to check with the feed mill/packaging company, for each product.

Perhaps a reader that works at a feed mill or perhaps someone with a background in food inspection would care to share their knowledge.

Three Letters Re: Advice on Uses for a Disused Underground Cistern

James,

If the location is right, install what looks like access to a septic system. I’d use it for a big cache or a root cellar. Seal the entrance with concrete which can be busted out with a sledge hammer, or perhaps use lumber or brick to cover the walls of the entrance and use the original access for another purpose to hide it’s original intent such as a cache of lesser importance.
– E.L.

Jim,
You wrote: “In particular, ideas on camouflaging the entrance trap door would be appreciated.”

I wasn’t able to clearly visualize the trap door in the garage. But if the trap door is near a wall, or is recessed at or just below the floor level I might cover the area with one of those 1/8 inch thick oil drip catching sheets of metal available at most auto stores, etc.

If I didn’t need regular access to the entry, I would add some Kitty Litter to the metal sheet and perhaps set a push lawn mower on top of that.

A little easily-visible used oil added to the kitty litter for effect would probably help too. – KMA

 

Sir,
The first thing I would do is make sure this is not an old converted septic tank. If it were I’m sure you would already know that! If it is going to be an occupied shelter: The first thing I would do is to make an emergency exit to the ‘room’. Dig a tunnel from the outside of the garage down to the room about half way up a wall from the yard and fill with sand. About a foot down from the yard hole place pressure treated plywood then dirt then grass. Keep a small axe, a sledge hammer, cold chisel, hack saw with metal cutting blade and a small folding shovel in the room at all times. If you ever get trapped in there you can break the wall out, let the sand fall out in the room, dig some sand out, and escape. You must always have an alternative exit an any situation.

The second thing I would do if its a room is coat the walls, floor, and ceiling at least twice with a waterproof sealer.

The third thing I would do is run a six inch PVC pipe out one wall and have it come out in the yard, screen the yard end and place a large planting pot over it with false bottom with holes in the pot. For heavier safety you could build a cement planter with holes that look like weep holes. Place a false bottom in it, and fill with plants. Inside the room you can add a hand crank squirrel cage blower. [JWR Adds: And a HEPA filter if you want the space top double as a fallout shelter.] You will need to repeat the same for exhaust air. What comes in must go out. Air, water, food goes in and comes out!

The fourth thing I would do is stock it up: water, food, blankets, sleeping bags, guns, ammo, sealable drums for poop bags, first aid and all the goodies.

The fifth thing I would do is start spending nights in it–first one, then two, then three. Make it familiar. You may find you freak out after a few days, and yet it takes weeks for radiation half life to dissipate. Get used to it, you don’t want to do that under stress.

The main entry can be concealed with a lightweight fake shelf made from balsa wood. A metal plate can be hinged, fastened to the floor, covered with a rubber mat, and the light shelf bolted to the metal door from below. You can glue stuff to it to make it look like a used shelf. Rings can be welding to the under side of the metal door so chains can be installed to hold it down to keep the ‘bugs’ out. Just a quick thought. – Jesse

Odds ‘n Sods:

Here in The Unnamed Western State (TUWS), a BMW or a Lexus is not considered a status symbol, but a Caterpillar tractor is. In winters with heavy snowfall, nothing beats a Cat for plowing out roads. Anyone with a large Cat with a versatile blade is is considered the “go-to guy” after a major snow storm. If you own a Cat and your neighbors don’t, then after the first hard winter they will consider you indispensable.

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John T. flagged this from Fortune magazine: ‘It’s going to be much worse’ Famed investor Jim Rogers sees hard times ahead for the United States – and a big opportunity looming in China. His comments on the Federal Reserve being out of control are noteworthy. John also mentioned this from Fortune: Eight ways to recession-proof your job

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The Memsahib very quickly high-graded my Kaito KA-1102 compact shortwave radio for her own use. (She did so after she discovered that it has better reception of FM stations than any of our other radios.) We live in a remote region where daytime reception is pitiful, so we’ve come to appreciate the quality of these little radios. They are a lot of radio for very little money. So now I’ll be ordering another Kaito from Affordable Shortwaves for my own use. This recent experience adds credence to the old prepper’s adage: “Two is one, and one is none.”

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Competition is the life of trade…In a controlled situation, people take what they can get. In a competitive situation, people get what they want.” – William C. Durant, founder of General Motors

Note from JWR:

Today’s first post is for the benefit of the many folks that have just recently found SurvivalBlog. (Our readership has quadrupled since February of 2006. We now have nearly 10,000 unique visits per day.) This is something that I wrote and originally posted in September of 2005.