“Tis mine to seek for life in death,
Health in disease seek I,
I seek in prison freedom’s breath,
In traitors loyalty.
So Fate that ever scorns to grant
Or grace or boon to me,
Since what can never be I want,
Denies me what might be.” – Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote
James:
I’m writing in response to a subject that is very of interest to me. And I do understand some of your recommendations (I.e. Poodles are great family dogs and the standard size could be used for bird hunting, if field breed (but very hard to find), and I was especially impressed by your recommendation of the Airedale Terrier, Which one of the best all around breeds a century ago but sadly is used mostly for show these days. They are very intelligent and can be head strong when this circumstance may require bid ability.
My suggestion to L.P. in Utah would be to look into English Shepard’s and American Working Farm Collies, Both of which are all purpose, Land Race Breeds in North America. That watch over the kids, work the livestock and hunt small game. These are the dogs that built our country before the dog shows started standardizing and specializing the Breeds. There is an active community working to reestablish these breeds. And though not AKC (yet), there are serious, responsible breeders out there. And if you Google either breed you will find them. I truly believe that these would be the Ideal Homestead dog. And before you say it, True all of the hunting info that I’ve seen has been hunting small game (such as rabbits, raccoons and squirrels) and vermin. But I have distinct memories of my father talking about old farm collies out performing high priced modern retrievers bringing back ducks in North Dakota in the 1940s. If that’s true I’d bet that some of those genes are around still, If you look hard enough. There once was an all-around breed of dog and there can be again.
As a starting point I would suggest checking out the American Working Farm Collies web site to find out more about the breed and see what you think. And as I’m also very interested in the subject, I’d like to post the question to their form (with your permission of course) to see if any of their lines show any interest in “birding”, They do everything else. Thanks for your time. Sincerely, – D.A.
Hi Again Jim,
I live along the coast of Southern California about 20 miles from the core of Los Angeles and have no way of bugging out if TSHTF and have therefore made plans to bug in and hunker down with my survival family and a few very select friends. I have a 1/4 acre place with a small raised bed garden and about 10 fruit trees and have been following this web site for a while now with great interest. You may share with other readers if you feel there is interest. Regards, – DC
Mr. Rawles:
I wanted to say what a great and informative site you have, I just recently found it, and have started reading the archives. I haven’t read much but I haven’t seen anything on putting out salt or trace mineral blocks to attract deer. I think it would be helpful to have several on hand.Ours is in the pasture behind the house and many mornings we could have shot from the deck. I think it’s a good idea to put them out now so the deer will have established a routine of visiting them.
Also concerning firewood, my husband owns a tree service, and is always looking for somewhere to dump wood. He has several people that let him dump wood that is suitable for firewood, so that all they have to do is work it up, and burn any leftover brush. It’s a blessing to both. He dumps there when he is in the area to save fuel and time, and they don’t have to search for wood. So some of your readers may want to contact a local tree service if they have an area where a dump truck won’t get stuck and will have easy access without having to wait on a gate to be unlocked. Thanks, – L.F.
JWR Replies: I did indeed bring up the topic of salt blocks for attracting game several months ago, but it bears repeating. In a survival situation, why “hunt” when you can have the protein come to you, and you then can pick and choose the healthiest looking critters? My advice is to buy plenty of salt blocks, including extras for barter and charity.
When on a recent trip into town, my #2 Son recently pointed out a snazzy Hummer 1 (H1) SUV that was driving alongside us. I mentioned their $80K+ price tag and their pitiful fuel mileage. I added “at least they have high ground clearance and a low center of gravity.” Always ready with his sharp wit, #2 Son replied,”Yep, low center of gravity, but a high center of poverty.”
o o o
Russia to supply AK-47s and Mi-24 Hind-D attack helicopters to Afghanistan? I think that the Hinds might be a bad idea, they might evoke too many bad memories from the 1980s.
o o o
The global derivatives market blossoms to $285 Trillion dollars. Not billion, trillion. Talk about a ticking time bomb!
“Certainly one of the chief guarantees of freedom under any government, no matter how popular and respected, is the right of citizens to keep and bear arms. This is not to say that firearms should not be very carefully used, and that definite safety rules of precaution should not be taught and enforced. But the right of citizens to bear arms is just one more guarantee against arbitrary government, one more safeguard against tyranny which now appears remote in America, but which historically has proved to be always possible.” –
Senator Hubert H. Humphrey (D.) Minn. “Know Your Lawmakers” Guns magazine, February, 1960, p. 4.
James,
Check out this link: http://www.dogwoodenergy.com/. It’s for a company that manufactures stills for producing ethanol. Ethanol can be used for use as a diesel fuel extender. The downside is that the still must be registered with the BATFE, including the street address and the location [of the still] on the property.
As an aside on diesel fuel: I worked for an earthmoving company in Florida and they maintained diesel fuel tanks on the premises. One of the problems they had with diesel that they didn’t have with gasoline was that bacteria would grow in diesel and clog the filters. It wouldn’t grow in gasoline. Just something to be aware of. – Mark A.
JWR Replies: There is a commercially-made diesel additive called “PRI-D Diesel and Kerosene Fuel Saver.” It acts as both a fuel stabilizer and antibacterial. Diesel treated with PRI-D will store for at least five years. Both PRI-D and PRI-G (for gasoline) are available from Ready Made Resources (one of our first and most loyal advertisers), Nitro-Pak (one of our affiliate advertisers), and several other Internet vendors.
Jim:
Try these sites for raw diets for pets, or you can Google “raw foods diet”:
Barf World
Why Feed Raw
Raw Learning
I have several friends who have pets (dogs) who swear by this diet. This is a good regime for trappers and farm folk who can not purchase ready made foods. Less expensive and healthier equals a “win-win” for your pet. Keep up the good work. Sincerely,- C.D.
Mat the Prop Wizard alerted me to an amazing on-line magazine for do-it-yourself projects, called Make Magazine. It is a fantastic resource that everyone who reads SurvivalBlog should bookmark. For example, one recent story was on how to inexpensively convert any digital camera into an infrared night camera.
o o o
The U.S. National Weather Service Hurricane Center predicts a more severe hurricane season in the Atlantic and Caribbean this year than last year. They predict 8-to-10 named hurricanes, with 4-to-6 of them major, just part of a 10 year crescendo in hurricane activity. Oh boy…
o o o
The market conditions are said to be in an “eerily similar” to those that precipitated the “Black Monday” October 1987 stock market 508 point one-day drop.
"Most people, sometime in their lives, stumble across truth. Most jump up, brush themselves off, and hurry on about their business as if nothing had happened." -Winston Churchill, 1874-1965
Here the reader responses that we have received thusfar on our poll: “The Best Jobs for a Deep Recession or Economic Depression”:
“Tenured college or university professor.”
“Locksmith. When the economy is good people need to protect their new ‘stuff’ and when the economy is bad people need to protect their old ‘stuff’. Crime does pay if you ar a locksmith. For twenty three years through good economic times and bad I always had work.”
“I suggest public accounting. Why? The flurry of bankruptcies that will ensue. Bankruptcy work is very profitable for accountants. Also, if the last depression was any clue, there will likely be a whole new pile of legislation enacted to “Deal” with the depression (pun intended). And hey, accounting is already a lucrative profession because of the Sarbanes Oxley Act. Yes, yes, I know welding is a useful skill, and it would be great to be a self sufficient organic farmer, but in a depression, as the poll describes, companies will still be running, they’ll just be doing very badly and somebody will have to count the beans. Somebody will ALWAYS be counting the beans.”
“I’d vote for what I do right now – professional handyman, but my emphasis is on “can do” work – I don’t do kits. I fix things, and make sure they stay fixed.
Others:
Midwife.
Folk musician.
Any kind of mechanic – automotive, Diesel, electronics, machinist, Babbitt bearing specialist, etc, but they have to concentrate on how to do true repairs, not just how to install a kit.
Tinkerers that can build things from junk – tractors, farm equipment, rolling gates, fencing, tools, etc.
Blacksmiths and metalsmiths.
Knifemakers and tool makers.
BioDiesel specialist – vehicle modifications, fuel production ( a sideline business I’m looking at right now)
Any of the construction trades
Farrier
Large animal veterinarian
Low tech chemistry specialist
Pest control specialist
Septic system specialist
Various forms of security consultants/contractors
Butcher
Baker
Mist specialist 🙂 [JWR Adds: Actually that last one, given in jest, is a good idea. There will always be a need for someone to pump septic tanks.]”
“Well, if one can stand feeling like a vulture, auctioneers do very well during economic downturns. Let’s face it, if someone can’t pay their bills, their stuff is going on the auction block. With tougher bankruptcy laws, I can only imagine it would make things better for that occupation. Also a good occupation during a downturn would be furniture movers. In good times, people are moving up. In bad times, people are: moving down, being put out on the street or going where the jobs are. The more dislocation a downturn causes, the more people will have to move around.”
“There are probably others but here are a few:
Health Care Specialty/Field; Nurse, Doctor, Pharmacist
Government (Essential Services): Law Enforcement, Firemen, Teachers (K-12), Military
Utilities (Essential Services): People that keep the electric, and gas lines working…”
“ANY GOVERNMENT JOB
Upper Corporate Management
Doctor, Nurse, and health care field
Undertaker
Wal-Mart employee”
James:
We want to buy a puppy, partly for our daughter, and partly for the whole family. Is it possible for a single breed of dog to be in charge of watching the house and herding our sheep (we’ve had 4H sheep in the past, and I plan to build up a flock of about 20 on our 17 acres), and perhaps even doing some pointing/retrieving? (I hunt pheasants, quail, and sometimes grouse.) Or am I expecting too much from just one dog? Am I dreaming? – L.P. in Utah
JWR Replies: There are a few breeds that are quite versatile. But herding and hunting are probably mutually exclusive. Don’t laugh, but the breed that I recommend for your family’s situation is a Standard Poodle. This breed is very intelligent and can be trained to do just about anything except pull heavy loads. They were originally bred for hunting. If you give them an even trim, they don’t even look like a poodle, so they aren’t recognized as such by most folks. Another very versatile breed to consider is the Airedale Terrier–the largest of the Terrier family. Both breeds are highly intelligent. The Airedale is more stubborn though. It is a better dog for an assertive family. Regardless of your eventual choice of breeds, buy only from a reputable breeders–preferably from proven hunting lines, and be sure to get a health guarantee.
BTW, intelligent breeds are a mixed blessing. Intelligent breeds tend to be problem solvers. They excel in solving problems such as: “My master has gone somewhere. How can I escape from this yard?”
Plan on investing a lot of time in bonding with your puppy, and thoroughly training it. Get the best references available, and if possible enroll in an obedience course. Both you and your dog will learn a lot.
“An architect’s most useful tools are an eraser at the drafting board, and a wrecking bar at the site. ” – Frank Lloyd Wright
The SurvivalBlog benefit Book Auction ends May 31st. Thanks to Kurt and Angie Wilson of Survival Enterprises for sponsoring this blog fund raiser! The high bid is currently $120. You can send your bid via e-mail.
A gentleman from Colorado named Leonard recently mailed me a couple of new-in-box of AXIS lock Benchmade pocketknives (Model 940s with green panels), to help raise cash for SurvivalBlog. That was very kind and generous of him. I was tempted to keep one of them for my collection, but The Memsahib insisted that I list both of them in my mail order catalog. She told me that I have too many knives. She didn’t go so far as calling me a knifeaholic, but I must admit that its true. I do have a lot of knives–folders, skinners, fighters, and kitchen cutlery. Not to mention bayonets. I have momentary lapses–mainly at gun shows–where I buy an extra knife (or two), justifying the purchase because of our kids. I can safely assume that they’ll each need a set of useful knives when they go off to college and start families of their own. As it stands now, they’ll each be very well equipped. Let’s see: I’ve set aside for each of them a Swiss Army knife, a Andy Sarcinella skinner, a Leatherman, an L1A1 bayonet, and a Glock field knife, and… Uh oh. I guess that I’d better not enumerate the full list, or else The Memsahib might get in one of those dreaded pouty moods. This doesn’t happen very often, but when it does, it is no fun, believe you me.
My idea of fun is scanning through the knife sections at web sites like Tabletools.com and Cheaper Than Dirt. How can I help myself? Like an alcoholic, a knifeaholic tends to rationalize. And those rationalizations make lot of sense. (At least to me.) Why leave my money in U.S. dollars which are gradually being inflated away, when instead I could could put it in tangible, practical, stainless steel? Why not have a Leatherman in each vehicle–just in case? There I go again. I’m so horribly warped that even as I’m writing this, buying just one more knife is starting to sound like a good idea. Oooohhh! I just stumbled across my bookmark for US Cavalry Store
. Now, after spending a few therapeutic minutes at that site, I ‘ve changed my mind. I don’t have a problem at all.