Keeping Ourselves Injury Free WTSHTF, by Bubba’s Wife

Some of us with desk jobs in the current economy (who possibly stop at Starbucks more than we should) have a bit more to do than just preparing our retreats. I will attempt to address the issue of keeping our bodies injury free, during the upcoming adventures. In the coming economy, there’s going to be a lot of hard, physical work and chiropractors will be hard to come by.

I believe that our family’s preparation plans are going to have to include a plan to bring our bodies up to a standard of fitness, flexibility and strength. Every family member is going to have to be at the top of his or her game, physically. Realistically, we don’t know how bad it’s going to get, so we need to prepare for the worst. In my mind, TEOTWAWKI could mean having to care for our families in a combative environment, without a reliable medic and perhaps far from our medical supplies. In that kind of environment we are going to have to rely on our bodies like never before.

The most important part of the preparation of our physical bodies is going to be flexibility. Thorough flexibility can and will prevent an injury that a stiff, inflexible body could suffer from for months. Have you known anyone sidelined for months or even years with a bad back? WTSHTF, that’s not going to be an option. Our survival will depend on being able to get it done, every day.
The second most important part of your preparation is going to be your “core” strength. This is the strength at the center of your body, mainly your abdominal muscles. A strong core means a strong back. Also, your balance and agility come from having a strong core.

The last, yet still vitally important, part will be muscular strength. Strong arms, legs, glutes, etc. will ensure that we are able to accomplish what we have to. We can be certain that there is some hard work ahead. It’s better to be prepared, than to discover too late that we’re not up to the task.

Before we head off to the gym, gung ho to “get in shape,” keep in mind that we won’t have an LA Fitness Center nearby to maintain our physique. So let’s build it, the way we’re going to have to maintain it. Realistically: at home, without equipment.

We aren’t aiming for a perfect physique. We don’t even need a pretty physique. We need a strong, flexible physique that does what it’s told. Like our children and pets, our bodies have to be trained to respond and comply without hesitation, and without letting us down.

Let’s start with flexibility: Every day, without fail, we need to spend some time stretching and limbering our bodies. This is not until we get to our goal – this is forever. Here are some stretches that should get every inch of our bodies limber: I got these stretches from “The Genius of Flexibility” by Bob Cooley (ignore the “Chinese Medicine” and “Energy Flow” Schumer– but the stretches are good.) You may find better stretches in your own health library. (YMMV)

1. Knee to forehead: increases flexibility and strength of lateral leg, hip, torso, and neck muscles.
Lie on your back. Pull right knee halfway to your chest and place the left ankle over your right knee. Place both hands on the back of your right thigh, close to your knee. Stretch the muscles on your left hip and thigh by resisting your left leg and ankle against your right thigh, as you pull your right knee toward your chest with your arms. Repeat several times and switch sides.
2. Lateral bend: increases strength and flexibility of arms and torso muscles.
Stand with feet together and grasp your hands together above your head. Continuously contract the muscles on the side of your torso by pulling your left arm downward and using your right arm to lean over to the left. Turn your head and torso towards the ceiling. Return to starting position. Repeat several times, and then switch sides.
3. Thigh stretch: front of thighs.
Kneel on all fours with your hips aligned over your knees, and your hands and wrists under and in alignment with your shoulders. Bring your left lower leg and foot up against the wall with a rolled up hand towel to cushion your foot. Step up onto your right foot in front of you and lunge deeply forward, slanting your torso slightly forward. Contract the muscles on the front of your left thigh by pushing against the wall with your left foot while you bring your hips back next to your left foot. Return to starting position. Repeat several times then switch sides.
4. Forward bend: back of thighs and calves.
You can do this standing or sitting. Spread your legs shoulder width apart or wider, and bend forward. Grasp your ankles with both hands. Contract the muscles on the inside back of your thighs as you bend forward, straighten your legs, and pull your head down between your legs with your arms. Return to starting position. Repeat several times.
5. Central leg extension: back of legs and up spine.
Lie on the floor on your back. Bring your right knee up to your chest and bend your lower leg. Grasp hold of your right ankle and foot with both hands. Contract the muscles on the back of your legs and up your spine by kicking your heel toward your butt while you bring your heel up toward your head with your hands. Repeat several times and switch sides.
6. Child’s pose: back of shoulders and arms. Kneel on the floor. Curl your torso and head toward your knees and place your elbows and hand parallel to the floor in front of you. Contract the muscles on the back of your shoulders and arms as you pull backwards and push downward against the floor. Press your lower legs against the floor as you arch your back.
7. Lotus – inner thigh.
You can do this sitting up, or laying on your back with you feet up the wall. Bend both knees and put the soles of your feet together. Contract the muscles on the inside of your thighs by squeezing your thighs together while your hands press you’re your thighs open
Remember when stretching – inhale before the stretch and exhale through the stretch. Always stretch slowly, no bouncing or jarring – which could damage the muscle rather than strengthen it. (This seems completely counterintuitive, but give it a try – it works: if you contract your muscles through the stretch, you’ll get a better stretch and you’ll build muscle strength isometrically.) Stretch every day and we’ll all be limber as house cats in short order.
Once we’ve limbered up a bit, it’s time to start working the core. Remember we’re increasing our workout, not replacing anything. : o ) Core strength means balance, agility and a strong back Here are some simple abdominal exercises to get you started: I got these from “Body for Life for Women” by Pamela Peeke and can’t recommend it enough.
1. Crunches:
Lie on the floor, hands behind your head, knees together, feet flat on the floor about one foot from your bum. Push your lower back into the floor, then roll your shoulders up, keeping knees and hips stationary. When your shoulders come off the ground a few inches, hold this position and flex your abdominal muscles as hard as you can for a count of one. Slowly lower your shoulders to the floor, keeping pushing your lower back into the floor for the entire exercise.
2. Reverse Crunches:
Lie on your back with your legs and hips bent at 90-degree angles, and your arms relaxed at your sides, palms facing down. Pull your abs in, and lift your hips as if you were tipping a bucket of water that’s resting on your pelvis. Don’t lift your hips more than a 30-degree angle from the floor. Don’t use your hands to help you pull your hips up.
3. Hip Thrusts:
Lie flat on your back on the floor, with your legs straight up in the air directly above your hips, ankles together and feet flexed. Stretch your arms over your head and grasp the leg of something heavy/sturdy that won’t budge. Lift with the lowest area of your abs so that your hips rise off the floor several inches. Squeeze and hold foe several seconds at the top of the movement, then return to the starting position.
When we have become flexible, and have strengthened our abs and backs: it’s time to build some basic strength. It’s important to handle the flexibility and core training first, because a lack of either will shoot down our strength training in a hurry.
By far, the best method of strength training is calisthenics. No equipment is needed, and exercise can happen anywhere. Calisthenics use the weight of our bodies to build strength – so our equipment is handy at all times.
Again, we’re not replacing any of our current workout – we’re building on it. We’re not trying to build beauty pageant muscles. We want to build functional strength. We want to be strong enough to perform all of our tasks without injury. We want to be strong supple and ready for the unexpected. God designed our bodies to build and maintain muscle mass in response to the demands we put on our bodies. The more demand we put on our bodies; the more we can put on them.
Here are some calisthenics to get started with:
1. Squats:
With feet shoulder width apart, squat as far as possible. Bring your arms forward, parallel to the floor, return to starting position. Repeat.
2. Alternating lunges:
With your hands on your hips, take a step forward with your right leg until your front knee is bent 90-degrees and your back knee almost touches the ground. Push off from your leading foot and return to the starting position. Repeat with your left leg.
3. Push-Ups:
Do manly push-ups, up on your toes; girly push-ups, up on your knees; or even standing and pushing off the wall push-ups.
4. Pull-Ups/Chin-Ups:
Palms face out for traditional pull-ups on a bar to strengthen middle back muscles. Palms face toward you to do a chin-up, which strengthens that back and biceps.This is just a basic outline to get you started. I suggest that you buy a few books on stretching and strength training, just so you have somewhere to go after you’ve mastered the basics. The basics will definitely get you there, but you will probably want to go further. I strongly endorse “Body for Life for Women” and heartily recommend “The Pace Plan” by Dr. Al Sears both programs are short on effort and long on results. There are a lot of good Pilates books out there too.
So here’s my family’s plan, for everyone – even the preschooler and the dog:
Create a flexible body that can twist and bend without snapping anything.
Build abdominal/core strength, so our agile and graceful bodies can hoe a garden (or drag a casualty) without injury.
Build functional strength that will maintain our health and ensure that have that extra effort to give.

Letter Re: A Federal Reserve Balance Sheet Disaster

Dear Jim,
I just read on a[nother] blog about an imminent Federal Reserve disaster.

There’s no [mainstream] news coverage on it yet so this qualifies as a serious heads up.

Note the second numeric column. $40 Billion, has been since 1913, by law. Then notice it suddenly drops to $198 million and then two days ago the report lists the banks as minus $8.7 Billion, something which has never happened before.

How bad is it? Think Weimar Republic. The Fed can no longer stop inflation because the banks can’t secure new money with debt. People aren’t buying debt anymore. Ergo, hyperinflation is the natural consequence. Mark this day on your calendar. Best, – InyoKern

JWR Replies: In case you missed it, I mentioned the following in Friday’s Odds ‘n Sods: Hawaiian K. pointed out this Federal Reserve chart, showing that the Net Free or Borrowed Reserves (NFORBRES) of Depository Institutions just fell off a cliff. Let’s pray that there aren’t any bank runs soon, because the till is empty. It is a jolly good thing that the Fed is handing out so much cheap money these days, so the member banks can list part of these funds as “reserves.”

Letter Re: Question on Body Armor “Expiration” Dates

Dear Jim:
There is an “urban myth” that Body Armor “expires” after the official manufacturer warranty runs out. Actually, the standard five year warranty is simply based on the insurance companies legal need to limit their liability – not on the actual performance of armor. (I have a sneaking suspicion that manufacturers don’t complain too much about being able to sell new Body Armor every five years either!)

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) has found that 10 year old used armor tests as good as new. Since we deal with a lot of Police Surplus we run tests on the oldest and worst looking vests we see (vests we would never sell because they are over 25 years old, on the old NIJ 0101.02 standard). Oddly enough, these old and beat-up vests always stop 9mm +P FMJ and .357 Magnum +P JSP for us.
Here is a direct link to data and photos.

Of course decertified Zylon vests are not to be trusted – regardless of age. However, good Body Armor lasts much, much longer than the five year warranty/insurance policy.
Thanks, – Nick, BulletProofME.com Body Armor

Odds ‘n Sods:

Yesterday, one of our kids was reading aloud from a “Hunting Safely in Grizzly Country” pamphlet that we picked up when buying some topographic maps at the local USFS ranger station. It was published by the “Interagency Bear Committee” and the Wyoming Fish and Game Department. Most of the advice was good, but some of it must have been written by tree huggers. They opined: “Shooting a bear when it is charging is not recommended. The bear almost always lives long enough to maul the hunter severely.” Excuse me, but what am I supposed to stop a bear with? Harsh language? I suspect that they give this advice because statistically some bear charges are just “mock” charges. Based on these statistics they’d rather risk your life, than a bear’s life. Grizzly bears are of course a “protected species”. But to the tree huggers, we deserve no such protection.

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Florida Guy sent us this: Victims Fight Back in Home Invasion. The last line in the article displays the almost obligatory liberal hand-wringing: “The police are very cautious not to make this seem like a heroic act. They say fighting back can sometimes end with the victims being more seriously hurt.” Yeah, right. OBTW, I think that the journalist that wrote this could take on some moonlighting work, writing wilderness bear safety pamphlets.

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The following comes from economist Bill Bonner, in a recent issue of the pro-hard money e-newsletter The Daily Reckoning (highly recommended, and subscriptions are free): “In the last seven years of the Bush administration, the federal debt increased by two-thirds while U.S. household debt doubled. Despite all this extra spending, median real incomes have continued to go down. Practically all new jobs have been created either by government, or in housing, health care, bars or restaurants. Jobs in manufacturing are now at levels not seen since just after WWII.
“This is the profile of a third world economy,” says former Under Secretary of the Treasury Paul Craig Roberts.
How does an economy like this keep going? It depends on the kindness of strangers and the stupidity of friends. Who but a fool or a friend would buy a U.S. 30-year treasury bond at a 4.28% yield? This number is only a few basis points from the number for annual increases in consumer prices. Which means, if all goes well, investors can expect to make a return of zero on their investment over the next 30 years. And if all this talk of Zimbabwe economics and banana republic finances turns out to be true, they can expect to suffer another round of losses – measured in the trillions. And why shouldn’t it be true? The American Empire is a bit like General Motors, says Martin Hutchinson. It has heavy fixed costs, an aging workforce, worn-out equipment, mammoth debts, and it is losing market share. At immense cost, America maintains its legions in more than 100 overseas garrisons. At home, the mobs call for bread. And every candidate for office – save the forgotten man, Dr. Ron Paul – offers more of it. “We cannot afford another year without decent wages because our leaders could not come together and get it done,” said Barack Obama in South Carolina.
GM, of course, cannot print money. But as Ben Bernanke himself put it, the United States, like Zimbabwe where inflation is running at 150,000%, “has a technology called the printing press.” What can you expect? We would modestly predict that those 30-year T-bonds, sometime between now and 2048 when they mature, will become worthless.”

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Dying is easy; you have to work at living. Life is an athletic event. You have to really be in shape for it." – Jack La Lanne (quoted when he was 93 years old).

Note from JWR:

The high bid in the current SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction mixed lot is now at $220. The auction is for a Brunton Solarport 4.4 watt photovoltaic panel (a $140 retail value), a Deluxe Outdoor Survival Tool Kit (a $70 retail value)–both kindly donated by Ready Made Resources–as well as seven other items: A copy of the latest edition of “The Encyclopedia of Country Living” by the late Carla Emery (a $32 retail value), an autographed copy of my novel “Patriots” (a $23 retail value), an autographed copy of my nonfiction book “Rawles on Retreats and Relocation” (a $25 retail value), a SurvivalBlog Key Logistics Tote Bag (a $17.50 retail value), and an autographed set of Michael Z. Williamson’s “Target: Terror” modern military fiction sniper trilogy, from Avon books: “The Scope of Justice“, “Targets of Opportunity“, and “Confirmed Kill“. This auction ends on February 15th. Please e-mail us your bids, in $10 increments.

Letter Re: Question on Body Armor “Expiration” Dates

James,
I hope you or some of your readers can help me. I am looking at getting a bullet proof vest. The more I learn about it everyone says that they are really only good for about five years. Then you should replace your vest with a new one. That is fine if I were a police officer and used it everyday, but I am not and would only wear it during my training drills. My questions is, is the five year limit just a way for the companies to limit there liability and get you to buy a new vest every five years, or do they really go bad? I did order a test panel from BulletProofME.com and when I did some testing it seemed to stop everything it should have and then some. This panel was over 10 years old. The other problem is that this equipment is very expensive and I really do not need it unless something bad happens. My fear is that I invest a large sum of money now and in five short years the investment is no good and I have to replace it. I also realize that you cannot even test shoot it to see if it is still stopping bullets because that will weaken the vest. Please let me know your thoughts on this. How long do you keep your bullet proof vests, and how should they be cared for? Thanks, – Korey

JWR Replies: The five year figure that you heard cited was a very conservative manufacturer’s estimate, and was based on the assumption of daily wear in a harsh environment. Such estimates are published primarily for liability reasons. The much greater useful longevity of Kevlar vests has been well documented at BulletProofME.com and other body armor web sites. I recommend that all SurvivalBlog readers take the time to read through the extensive information on body armor vests and helmets that is available there, free of charge

Letter Re: Preparedness Advice for a Law School Student

Hello,
I am a law student in Oklahoma.The recent ice storm really opened my eyes. I lost power for a week in freezing temperatures (as did many thousands across Oklahoma) I had no fuel in my car (a Ford Focus) and no food. It really opened my eyes. I am currently heavily in debt and have little extra funds but would like to start getting prepared. I have a dog (a Welsh Corgi) and a cat.

My girlfriend thinks I have gone insane and does not like to talk about things like this. I live in a rented house in mid-town a mile from the University. I have made a few modest preparations (such as beginning to store tap water in two liter bottles with a few drops of bleach, and having about a weeks worth of food in my pantry.)

I own a .357 handgun with only a box of ammo. I am fairly proficient with it.

I am new to this survival concept due to growing up in a very large city in Texas. I have been browsing your site now for a few weeks and was wondering if you would be willing to offer any situation-specific advice for someone like me. Thank You Very Much, – A.M. in Oklahoma

JWR Replies: Here are my recommendations:
1.) Recognize that you can only “do what you can do” with the scant funds that you have available as a student. Make some modest preps like water and food storage, and a few more boxes of ammo for your revolver. The rest will likely have to wait until after you have graduated. The good news is that attorneys have above-average earnings, so you will soon make rapid progress on your preparations. Just hope and pray that the economy holds together long enough for that. You might want to consider real estate and tenant law as your initial legal specialty. That should be a busy field for the next decade, as the real estate bust continues.

2.) Network with like-minded friends and church members. Hopefully you can find an existing retreat group. Do a search in SurvivalBlog’s search window (at the top of the right hand bar) on the word “matchmaking”. Those articles will give you some good pointers on networking. At your stage in life, networking will provide you with the best chance of pulling through a worst case situation such as a societal collapse.

3.) Prioritize. Thankfully, living in a rented house means that you have more storage space available than the average college student. But make the best of it by prioritizing your purchases.

4.) Be blunt with your girlfriend. Tell her that today’s world is replete with substantial risks including terrorism, severe weather (including ice storms and tornados) and economic instability, so preparing is rational. If she can’t accept that there is are genuine risks these days, then you might consider courting another young lady that is more realistic and down to earth. Arnie (now the Governator) said it best: “Come with me if you want to live.”

5.) I realize that law school is very demanding of your time. However, once time allows get plenty of training on first aid, self defense, amateur radio, food storage, gardening, home canning, and so forth. (See the SurvivalBlog archives for specific recommendations.) With your limited time, it might be appropriate to first select training that would fill a specific need for your survival group.

6.) If you have trouble finding a position at a law firm immediately after graduation, then consider applying for a direct commission an an Army JAG officer. (Life as JAG lieutenant is not very glamorous–you since you will mainly be writing wills–but it is a guaranteed salary, even in an economic depression. In such times, that kind of job security is important for someone that has a lot of student loans.) IIRC, to qualify, you must be under 32 years old at the time of appointment–perhaps a bit older with a waiver.) One way to be almost assured getting an appointment by the Direct Commissioning Board is to have a sufficient number of Army “contact hours” before you complete your Juris Doctor graduate degree. So talk to your university’s Army ROTC department. With the approval of the Professor of Military Science (PMS), a graduate student can get a slot for the five week long ROTC Basic Camp (normally for undergrads). It is held each summer at Fort Knox, Kentucky. There is no contractual obligation for attending the camp, and you will get a lot of training that is quite applicable to individual preparedness. This includes NBC defense, marksmanship, first aid, communications, map reading, land navigation, and small unit tactics. Even if you never apply for a direct commission, you will find the training invaluable.Having that training will also make you more desirable to retreat groups that are looking for members.

Letter Re: Countrywide Turns Off the Home Equity Lines of Credit Tap

James,
I just received an email from my Countrywide Account Executive that they are suspending further draws against Home Equity lines [of credit]. They have reportedly started mailing suspension letters last week to 122,000 borrowers. Who knows how many more could get those based on the markets and Countrywide’s present situation. If you know someone who has [a home equity line of credit] and is going to need the funds, they might want to draw out the money right away and put it somewhere safe. A lot of people use home equity lines as emergency funds. – MB in Boise

JWR Replies: That is a useful data point. It is indicative that the nascent recession will be deep and lengthy. Sadly, it has been consumer credit that has kept the US economy afloat. I wouldn’t be surprised if other home mortgage lenders follow suit.

OBTW, as previously mentioned in the blog, I do not recommend taking on additional debt, except in exceptional circumstances such as a stay in a hospital. When the layoffs come, debt servicing will be at least problematic. It may even be catastrophic.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Florida Guy recommended this YouTube video: Gangs are gearing up for war against Americans–And bragging about it. Florida Guy’s comment: “If this shocking video doesn’t underscore your family’s need for serious tactical training, then nothing does. Caution: The video includes some foul “street” language.”

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John in Montana suggested a thread over at the Survival Monkey Forum: Some first hand experience – A brief story of Argentina. John’s comment: “In view of what is happening in our economy, the article has some good heads-up info. It is long but worth the read.”

   o o o

I noticed that there have been a number of interesting new posts over at the The Survivalist Groups “Meet-up” web page sponsored by SurvivalistBooks.com. These include some folks that are qualified to be retreat caretakers, as well as some folks looking to join extant group retreats, and even a few survivalist singles looking for a spouse.

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Another news link from Eric: ‘Doomsday’ seeds arrive in Norway

Letter Re: Advice on Potential Uses for a Disused Underground Cistern

Hello Jim,
Thank you for your blog, it is a great source of information.
My new house is a ranch with an unfinished poured foundation basement. Adjacent to the basement is a poured foundation cistern that lies underneath the attached garage. The cistern does collect a little bit of water via a drainage channel in the front of my garage that is at the end of my downward sloping driveway. This cistern is roughly 10’x12′ and at least 8′ deep. I do have access to the cistern via an drop-in entry in the garage floor. The cistern is obviously sealed off from the basement that it is attached to. My question is, what is the best use for this space? It holds anywhere from 0″-4″ of water at at any given time, and is not incredibly easily accessible, but I still feel like I should be utilizing it in some way. Do you have any suggestions on how to utilize this space? Thanks! – Mark H.

JWR Replies: My first thought is that unless you have gravity fed spring water piped to your house, then you ought to use the cistern for its originally-intended purpose. Keep it lightly chlorinated and full at all times. Even if you have an alternative energy system to power a well pump, the cistern will give you a good backup source of water in the event that you ever have problems with your pump or power system.

If you do have reliable gravity fed spring water piped to your house, then the cistern space provides some interesting possibilities for a hidden cache or a fallout shelter. Perhaps some readers would care to chime in. (As with all other letters and articles, if you care to comment, just e-mail me, and I will post selected letters anonymously.) In particular, ideas on camouflaging the entrance trap door would be appreciated.

Letter Re: Bivouac Bags

Hi.
As I read “Prepare or Die” I thought of one other item that could be very useful which is a Bivouac (“Bivy”) sack. I recently purchased one of these from Campmor for my Bug Out Bag (BOB). It takes the place of a tent. It is basically a waterproof, breathable sack which will entirely enshroud your sleeping bag. Mine was only about 1 pound and under $100. It takes up very little space when packed and according to the REI web site a bivy sack can add 10 degrees more warmth to the rating of your sleeping bag- an important thing in cold climates! These sacks also often come with a mosquito net for summer use. Thank you for your site. I have learned much since I found it last year. – Karen on Massachusetts

JWR Replies: In my experience, bivy bags gradually build up too much internal moisture when used on extended backpacking trips in cold weather. But they are fine for weekend outings. In foul wether there is no substitute for a four season tent with a rain fly–where you can keep your gear dry and have room for changing clothes. .

Letter Re: Lessons Learned from Finland’s Winter War

Dear Jim and Family,
I got notice through Amazon about an interesting novel: “The Winter War”, by William Durbin

This sounds like it would be a good choice for historical fiction, though its listed under the Children’s section. The Winter War (Taalvisota) in 1938-39 details the invasion of Finland by communist Russia. I’ve studied it extensively and its a depressing tale, though heroic, because the Finns eventually lost and the Russian incompetence spurred Hitler to invade Russia, thinking it would be an easy victory and give him access to oil. Hitler might have held on longer if he hadn’t tried to take the Russian oil by force. America and most of Europe supported the Finns in their battle to protect themselves from the overwhelming masses of the communist invaders.

The Winter War is a good example of guerilla fighting with bolt action sniper rifles, mostly captured weapons reworked into proper condition and accurized, fighting against thousands of tanks, aircraft and 4:1 odds. Skiing cross country through the forest, the Finns destroyed a million Russian troops with the help of their cold winter and isolating the troops from their supply lines. It was a nasty war and the Finns were eventually defeated but its still quite educational for mental preparation, tactics, use of available resources, and applying your advantages to the situation. Its amazing what people can do when they have to. Especially when the enemy is as incompetent as the Soviets were, sending their troops in with Summer weight uniforms and allowing their supply lines to be cut, having massacred their battle hardened generals for not being good party members. The communists did everything wrong in that war, and they paid a high price for it. That’s where the old joke about Soviet Minesweepers comes from, only its not a joke. They really did walk arm in arm singing great patriotic songs till their legs were blown off. Gruesome. Somehow I doubt that’s in this book. The real Taalvisota is a dark chapter of history and one every survivalist should know. Best, – InyoKern

JWR Replies: See the “Tolvajarvi” chapter of my novel “Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse”.. It is an homage to the tenacity of those that fought in the Winter War.