From Dr. Gary North’s Latest Newsletter: Free Video on The Federal Reserve

Dr. Gary North writes in the latest issue of his REALITY CHECK e-newsletter: “If you get confused about money, the Federal Reserve System, and all this fractional reserve banking stuff, I have a solution. It’s the best 45-minute documentary on the Federal Reserve System that I have seen. The good news: it’s free. Google is launching a new service. You can post videos on line for free. This means you incur no bandwidth expenses. This is a deal! To see how well this works, click here: http://snipurl.com/fedvideo“

OBTW, if you do not yet subscribe to Gary North’s REALITY CHECK e-newsletter, then you should. Subscriptions are free! See: http://www.dailyreckoning.com/sub/GetReality.cfm

Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog reader Dr. Sans Paine recommends the www.epocrates.com web site as a great compendium on pharmaceuticals, including some very useful data on drug interactions. In addition to their “by subscription” service, their free download data is surprisingly complete and updated frequently.

o o o

I was thoroughly disgusted to see that our local electronics store had a large display of Winchester brand knives, complete with the famous Winchester factory logo. That would be great, except that they were all made in mainland China! For example, the pocketknife/white LED flashlight combo pack (both with prominent Winchester logos) was priced at just $14.99. To be able to retail them at that price, these things obviously had to have been made in China’s laogui (“Reform Through Labor”) prison factory system. The laogui camps/prisons/factories primarily house political prisoners, some of whom have been incarcerated continuously since the1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre. Talk about the ultimate irony: A brand name synonymous with our right to keep and bear arms and personal freedom, but made with slave labor!

Jim’s Quote of the Day

“In our struggle to restrain the violence and contain the damage, we tend to forget that the human capacity for aggression is more than a monstrous defect, that it is also a crucial survival tool.” – Katherine Dunn

Asian Avian Flu: Network TV Anchorman Tom Brokaw Admits to Storing Food

While many of us were opening gifts on Christmas morning, SurvivalBlog reader “Hamlet” said that he was was
casually watching Tim Russert and his guests on Meet the Press. He reports: “My jaw dropped as Tom Brokaw…told of… family bug-out plans and stored food/water preparations.” The following is brief excerpt from a transcript of the show. (The link to access the full transcript follows.)

—
MR. RUSSERT: Let me talk about an issue that is of grave concern to people but we don’t know much about it and that’s the Avian Flu, the potential for pandemic. We had Dr. Michael Ryan of the World Health Organization on MEET THE PRESS. Let’s listen to him and come back and talk about how to deal with this.
(Videotape, November 20, 2005):
DR. MICHAEL RYAN (World Health Organization): The avian flu strain has the potential to become a pandemic strain. It is very worrying that we see this virus transmitting across the species barrier into humans and the virus itself is evolving and we are probably closer to a pandemic at any time in the last 37 years, since the last pandemic of ’68. This virus has crossed the species barrier. It has infected humans. It’s killing a high proportion of those human beings and we need to prepare for the possibility of a pandemic.
(End videotape)
MR. RUSSERT: Ted Koppel, how do you cover a story like that without alarming people and still do your job as a journalist to prepare people?
MR. KOPPEL: You can’t. You have to alarm people because until people are sufficiently alarmed they’re not going to listen to what has to happen. You know, what you don’t hear in that sound bite, and what is rarely spoken of, especially among the politicians, is that the kind of vaccine that would be necessary to treat the avian flu does not exist. It cannot exist until the strain of avian flu is developed and can be sampled and can be tested and then, and only then, can you begin to develop the vaccine. In order to develop sufficient quantities of that vaccine, to vaccinate people twice, you’re going to need so many hundreds of millions of doses that it will take a minimum of two to three years to get them. In other words, by the time you
get them, it’ll be too late to treat most of the people that would get the flu. Now, you know, obviously, that raises questions as to what needs to be done, what can be done. I tried, just before I left “Nightline” to do a broadcast in which we brought some of the best experts on and said, “Tell us what we need to know. Tell us what we need to do.” Among
the things we need to do, and it sounds horrific, to say it, is to put in a decent supply of food and water and whatever medicine is needed by a family in each American home now, before it’s too late, so that if, and when, a flu hits an area, like, let’s say, our area here in Washington, the people, especially older people, or people who have breathing problems, lung problems, people who have heart problems, can afford to stay home for two or three weeks, or longer.
MR. BROKAW: Have you done that at your house?
MR. KOPPEL: No, in truth. Have you?
MR. BROKAW: We have.
MR. KOPPEL: Have you?
MR. BROKAW: Yeah.
MR. KOPPEL: Good for you.
MR. BROKAW: Well, we did it for a couple of reasons. Meredith–we live in New York and we have a house outside of New York and Meredith said, “This is going to be our sanctuary. We have to be prepared in case something happens.” And we did put in a small supply of food and water and…
MR. KOPPEL: Yeah.
MR. BROKAW: …other things to have on the ready. It’s also–the avian flu and the pandemic possibilities are a real commentary on the world in which we’re living now. The mobility of people to move across places that–the crush of population everywhere, how rapidly these things spread. And I think that leads in this country to a kind
of unsettled feeling on the part of a lot of people. They have so much access to information now. They don’t feel that they have their own sanctuary because it all happens at warp speed and I think politicians are not doing a very good job in my impression.
MR. KOPPEL: But, you see, doing what Tom and Meredith have done, and what my wife and I have not done, yet–will do, I promise–wouldn’t at this stage cause any shortages…
MR. BROKAW: No.
MR. KOPPEL: …it wouldn’t cause any panic. I’m not suggesting that people go out and instantly buy a four-week supply of medicine…
MR. BROKAW: Right.
MR. KOPPEL: …food, water. But if you start…
MR. BROKAW: You have to think about it. Yeah.
MR. KOPPEL: …over a period of the next three months…
MR. RUSSERT: And that’s the hard truth, it’s probably the only thing you can do.
MR. BROKAW: Yeah.
MR. KOPPEL: Just–it’s the only thing that the individual can do…
MR. BROKAW: Yeah.
MR. KOPPEL: …so that at the very least, if the pandemic hits your community, you can stay at home, don’t go out.
===
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/10531436/
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608

Frankly, I don’t find this too surprising, despite Brokaw’s left-of-center leanings. Anyone that has worked in the press and who has been around natural disasters–particularly overseas–soon develops an appreciation of just how fragile societies can be. They’ve seen civilization come rapidly unglued before, and doubtless realize that it could happen again.

Letter Re: Rourke on: A Mouse in the House? Retreat Pest Control

Dear James,
I would carry Rourke’s point a bit further. I would never recommend the use of a “humane” mouse trap! Given that hantavirus is transmitted via contact or aerosolization/inhalation of feces, urine or saliva, the last thing you want around is a trap that keeps a mouse alive long enough for you to handle it, whereupon it promptly urinates and defecates. A far better solution is to take a plastic trash bag, place a snap trap inside it and place a bent piece of cardboard in the bag to hold it open and keep the trap from getting caught on the bag when it snaps. Once the mouse is caught, put on your mask and spray the mouse, trap and inside of the bag with bleach/water. Wait half an hour. Then mask up, put on your gloves, seal the bag and dispose of the entire mess.
Some people may not regard this as “humane” but neither is dying of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, and leaving your wife and kids to deal with the loss.
Several sources I’ve consulted suggest that hanta- and Sin Nombre virus degrade rapidly in the presence of UV light (including direct sunlight) and that the virus becomes inactive several days after being shed, but neither of these bear heavily on disinfection issues.
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hanta/hps/noframes/phys/q-a/satconfq_a.htm#6.
I grew up on (and still live on) my family’s ranch. Back then, no one ever gave a second thought to “mouse poop” – we simply swept it up and while mice in outbuildings were a constant nuisance, they were a fact of life. Looking back, I never recalled anyone in our community becoming ill or dying of viral pneumonia, but I suppose it may have happened.
(It makes you wonder how many ranchers and farmers have antibody titres to hantavirus.) It is probably an overstated risk, but still worth considering – and avoiding. Regards, – Ralph

Letter Re: Deep Cycle Batteries–Resources for Going Off-Grid

James:
What would be the best choice for batteries for a backup solar system, a marine deep cycle, or golf cart batteries? The marine deep cycle batteries I have looked at are “maintenance free.” This provides no way to add water. Would this be a problem, or do the batteries have to have a way to add water even if they are maintenance free?   Thank you,  – HP

JWR Replies: The terms “marine battery ” and “golf cart battery” are used almost interchangeably by some manufacturers,. Both generally refer to deep cycle lead acid batteries with extra thick plates. Technically, a marine battery is designed not to spill, even when a ship pitches and lists to steep angles. But that is hardly a discriminating issue for someone with a fixed site retreat house. Batteries with either designation work fine.

I recommend that you do not purchase semi-sealed “”maintenance free” batteries. That will hamper you when the battery gets older and it needs to have some distilled water added, or when you want to do a hydrometer test. Yes, standard batteries do lose a bit more water vapor than their semi-sealed cousins, but at least you can work on them! By the way, a method to minimize vapor loss is to retrofit your lead acid batteries with replacement cell caps called Hydro Caps. These are specially designed to recover vapor and return it in liquid form back into the cell reservoirs. They can cut vapor loss by half. The last time I checked, Hydro Caps were available through a number of vendors including Ready Made Resources ( http://readymaderesources.com ), Backwoods Solar Electric Systems (http://www.backwoodssolar.com/), and Real Goods (http://www.realgoods.com/)

OBTW, since lead acid batteries sulfate away to the point of uselessness after 8 to 10 years–even if you just leave them “floating”–if you have a big budget and are concerned about a long term scenario, it would be appropriate to store a complete spare set of batteries for your battery bank. This spare set should be special ordered.”dry”, and you would add acid only after you need to put the battery bank into operation.

David In Israel on Guard Dogs and Watch Geese

My uncle, a doctor, was living at a remote location in Zambia in the 1980s. They combined several mutts and a single barrel
shotgun with watch geese to secure their compound. Geese are mean and very territorial they get noisy, waking the dog. Another option is several nervous yap-hounds to wake the larger dogs. Unfortunately, most of his survival skill was to throw
money or hire someone to solve his problems so I managed to extract few survival gems from him.He paid over $2,000 [USD equivalent] in bribes for license and shotgun, I am sure he could have had a FAL or AK for that price.
His friend got a [Browning 9mm] Hi-Power and license for around $1000, later that year.

Jim’s Quote of the Day

“Anything that is complex is not useful and anything that is useful is simple. This has been my whole life’s motto.”
– Mikhail Timofeyevitch Kalashnikov, Designer of the AK-47

Note from JWR

If you do businesses with any of the companies mentioned on SurvivalBlog, please tell them where you heard about their products and services.

Resources for Going Off-Grid

One of the most important steps that you can take toward self-reliance is developing the ability to produce your own electricity. Alternatives for off-grid power include:

  • Photovoltaics
  • Wind Power
  • Micro-Hydro Systems

Photovoltaic (“PV“) power generation systems use large panels that generate DC voltage. The most durable panels use monocrystaline solar cells in large arrays in weather-sealed panels with glass covers and metal frames. These are designed to last a lifetime with just minimal care, and do not suffer any significant degradation in output over time. They are made with outputs from 5 to 100 watts. They are easily wired in series or series-parallel arrangements to yield the desired voltage and wattage to feed to a battery bank. With plenty of competition between manufacturers, the cost per watt for PV panels has plummeted in the past decade. So PVs are the preferred method of making your own power off grid.

Amorphous solar cells with flexible plastic covers are also now available, but only recommended for tactical applications where you have to stay on the move. In general, amorphous panels are less weather resistant than traditional monocrystaline solar cells hard panels. They also will lose up to 10% of their output over the course of several years, due to UV degradation.

Wind Power systems have been used for many years. Typically they use turbine blades geared to a generator or alternator, mounted on top of a tower. Wind generators work well only at hilltop locations where you get fairly high wind speed regularly. They are relatively high maintenance, noisy, occasionally self-destruct during wind storms, and they pose safety risks for those that climb their towers to do maintenance. In general, I don’t recommend wind power systems if you live in an area with good solar exposure. If that is the case, it is usually best to simply add more PV panels to your system rather than adding the complexity of a wind generator system.

One exception to my aforementioned guidance on wind power is wind-powered water well pumping. The reliability of wind power for lifting water directly with mechanical power is an order of magnitude less complex than an a DC wind generator. .. Traditional “AeroMotor” water-pumping windmills (still manufactured) once dotted the landscape in the midwest. They only fell into disuse with the cheap electricity made by the rural electrification programs that began in the 1930s. Water pumping windmills are incredibly simple and efficient: A mechanical windmill that lifts a sucker rod up and down, operating a brass pump cylinder at the bottom of the well shaft. Aside for occasional greasing of bearing surfaces and replacing the pump cylinder leathers every ten years, they require minimal care.

Micro-Hydro systems (small, water-powered Pelton Wheel electrical generators) are great if you live on a fast moving stream or creek where you can get a permit to put in a small dam. (Simple in states like Idaho and Wyoming, but a bureaucratic nightmare in some of the more populous Nanny States.) To be efficient, you need to have enough “fall” of water, since it is that potential energy that is utilized to spin a water turbine. One of the simplest and best little turbines in the micro-hydro world is the “Lil Otto” brand, made by Bob-O Shultze. See: http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/academic/environment/alternative-energy/energy-resources/homepower-magazine/archives/15/15pg14.txt

Batteries, Charge Controllers, and Inverters

Nearly all home power systems utilize a battery bank to store energy and an inverter to convert DC power into 117 VAC. Despite recent advances in gelled and AGM battery designs, the best buy for a fixed location retreat (in terms of amp hours per dollar) is still the good old-fashioned flooded cell lead acid battery. Just be sure to get the heavy duty deep cycle variety, with threaded terminal posts. Because lead-acid batteries are very heavy and shipping costs are usually prohibitive, it is best to buy a set of deep cycle batteries locally. Just contact your local Trojan or Exide battery dealer. Be sure to include a charge controller in your system to prevent over-charging.

If you can suffice with a very frugal and austere lifestyle, you might omit the inverter and buy all 12 VDC and/or 24 VDC appliances. But in practice, this is usually too much to ask of most modern homesteaders who are accustomed to having both DC and AC tools and gadgets.

 

Resources on the Web:

Home Power Magazine: The best magazine on the subject. They generously provide on-line archives of some of their articles. See: http://www.homepower.com/

Ready Made Resources: Pre-packaged and custom PV systems, inverters, and back-up generators. They provide free consulting. See: http://readymaderesources.com

Backwoods Solar Electric Systems: See: http://www.backwoodssolar.com/ (I’ve known Steve Willey for about 15 years. He really knows his stuff!)

Real Goods/Jade Mountain: See: http://www.realgoods.com/

Xantrex (formerly Trace) Inverters: See: http://www.xantrex.com/

Four Letters Re: The Best All-Around Dog Breed for a Retreat?

James:
Dogs are something I know a little about. I’m glad to finally be of some potential help to readers. I have owned dogs, and raised dogs, for as long as I can remember. The dogs we have been blessed with run the gamut of breed, from German Shepards, to Australian Shepards and Blue Heelers, to Rottweilers and various hunting dogs ranging from English Setters to Redbone coonhounds to Plotts, to the dog I am going to recommend: The Drahthaar. As many have probably not heard of this dog,
I have included a link so that it can be studied: http://www.vdd-gna.org/
If I could only own one breed of dog for my retreat, it would be a Rottweiler of the line I choose. This is because I believe the need for absolute guarding outweighs the need for hunting and “all-around” ability in my situation. The Rottweilers I have owned have been stunning animals. Hard, yet very capable of being trained by family, brave and protective yet sensitive to each situation. Our male is trained, massive, has incredible prey drive and protection skills, but our children and their young friends look upon him as a dog that is just as happy to spend the day laying in the shade watching them play—or fetching tennis balls until nobody has the arm left to throw again. Our female is equally skilled, and adept at all social occasions.
Again, if protection and guarding of livestock is #1? I go with the Rottweiler. Raise it from puppy with your stock and it will believe them family. As intelligent an animal as I have ever encountered http://www.vdd-gna.org You need to find the right bloodlines and breeder. I would never buy a guard animal from a puppy mill. Seriously, if you take any advice…take that piece of advice. Find a breeder that has personally bred the line of his / her choosing back at least 20 years. You will pay more, yes, and get more.

Now, onto the Drahthaar. I have owned and hunted with Drahts for approximately 15 years. I would urge you (in order to save space here) to read the section on “testing program” at my link, to see what this dog is capable of, and tested on at the highest levels. A Drahthaar from a good breeder [if real estate is about location, location, location—dogs are about breeder, breeder, breeder!] will hunt upland birds with the best of bird dogs. I have taken (over their point) quail, pheasant, chuckar, grouse…all retrieved to hand. I have also taken many ducks and geese in very cold conditions, again, fetched to hand. They enjoy hunting close to their master, are terrific retrievers (on land AND water), extremely durable, comfortable in frigid
weather and cold water (though they do not have all the protection of a Lab or Chessie), and the good ones are blessed with an outstanding tracking nose and desire to work. Once they understand what you are asking, they can blood track wonderfully. Ours have proven to be wonderful watch dogs (by that I mean “alert” dogs…barking when strangers enter upon the property, moving themselves between owner and stranger naturally) and LOVE to work, work, work. Our Drahts have taken to obedience training like ducks to water. Again, read the testing program. A Draht is not an animal to be taken lightly. They are tough, have a gator-type set of teeth and jowls, and the large males will not be outdone by any feral dog in a fight—a reality folks, not a sport. Fact is, while it may strike some as cold…my dogs must be capable of protecting my children from feral dogs…and this means capable of dispatching the threat, not just barking at it. If what we believe may
be coming does come, I believe that whatever dog you have must be capable of following through (as opposed to “wanting to”) on driving from your place feral dogs, coyotes, etc., or dispatching the same if necessary. They are what I would consider to be a naturally suspicious dog. They love their pack and distrust all else until the alpha (you, if you are the owner and smart) lets them know there is no need to worry. They, as the Rotties do too, love children…at least ours have.
As with the Rotts, raise these from pups with the stock you want them to guard and tolerate. Both breeds will be protective of your “space”, and provide you with years of love and comfort. One final thing—buy a pup. Yes, it will take awhile before it is
fully capable as a guard / watch / hunter, but dogs raised from pup on with a family form a bond that is unbreakable. And, it allows you to cure any bad habits while still young. I would not buy an adult Rottweiler. I have bought adult Drahthaars, and they have worked out well—but nothing beats the hand-raised puppy. May God Bless each of you in 2006, – Straightblast.

 

Mr. Rawles,
As a dog aficionado I have several recommendations regarding the best dog for a retreat. Firstly, I believe most hunting dogs are affable companions and lack the true guard/watch instincts, the Ridgeback being the notable exception. My heart lies with the herding family of dogs. Many have impressive size and strength, natural protective instincts and alertness, wariness of strangers, and almost all make excellent family dogs as they view the family as their flock to protect. When it comes to dogs the most important thing is to research a breed before buying it so you can match a breed to your lifestyle/habits/realistic expectations of training and time spent with the animal. This is important because breeds will have different temperaments and predispositions which you should match to your own. Someone who never gets out of the house for exercise should never own a Malamute; someone who lives in Arizona should try to avoid buying a long hair dog, etc.
Some recommended breeds

Rhodesian Ridgeback
Belgian Shepherds (aka Malinois, Tervuren, Laekenois; names which denote coat type)
Briard
Anatolian Shepherd
Mastiff
Bullmastiff
Giant Schnauzer

(Additional purebred information can be found at www.akc.org, the web site for the American Kennel Club) Best Regards, – Brian

 

 

I am partial to the Doberman Pinscher. Regarded universally as one of the easiest breeds to train, these guys are very user-friendly. They can be trained with little trouble to behave and do what the owner wants. I’ve seen them in the capacity of guard dogs, but my last Dobie was the friendliest animal I have ever seen, because I socialized him when he was young and never rewarded any aggression. He barked, and that’s the only “tactical” use he had. That, and helping me lighten up those heavy bags of dog food. That was his specialty. Like rottweilers, doberman are portrayed as mean, violent dogs in the media. A big black dog with his teeth bared is a strong psychological deterrent to anyone wanting to cause trouble. If taught properly, they can be mean and violent to intruders. They are fast and strong, and have a good sense of pack. Multiple dogs will cooperate if they are put together when young. Dobies have the proper territorial and predatory instincts you want in a protective dog. When I was very young, my mother had an old Doberman from before she got married. He was a great companion for me when I was young. He was friendly with his owners, but hostile to those he did not know or like. A good
protector for a single woman living in a less-than-desirable neighborhood. Regards, – Ben J.

 

Mr. Rawles,
I’d suggest considering a flock guardian breed: Anatolian Shepherds (I’ve owned one); Kuvasz; Great Pyrenees, etc. They are natural guardians of their herd (two or four-legged) and have not become so popular that they’ve been over bred to the point of genetic apotheosis. They are big, strong and healthy dogs. Also, Anatolians, at least, eat as much as a dog only two thirds their size. For small rodents? I’d add a couple of small terriers. One dog can’t do it all, any more than one weapon can. See the URLs for some FAQs:

http://www.anatoliandog.org/thebreed.htm
Picture of: Anatolian at the beach: http://www.anatoliandog.org/ALPSEA.JPG
http://www.anatoliandog.org/history.htm#List

OBTW, I second your recommendation on the Daniel Tortora book! (“The Right Dog for You.”) – Tom A.

Letter Re: Critical Capabilities for Retreat Defense: “Move, Shoot, and Communicate”

Dear James,
A couple of things to ponder: IR Cyalume sticks are costly and have a limited shelf life. High intensity IR LEDs can be easily built into an “intrusion illumination” system that can be actuated by a number of means (trip wire, seismic, passive motion detection, command, etc.) LEDs are cheap and a simple, reusable, battery powered unit with indefinite shelf life can be cobbled
together for a few dollars.
Visible and IR LEDs can be made into lights for a variety of uses including illumination and signaling. See: http://www.trailquest.net/TQaltgear.html#LED
Years ago, I had an odd dream. I dreamt that I was awakened by a noise from my living room. I arose, shotgun in hand and silently rolled a small, clear plastic ball into the room. After a few seconds’ delay the ball glowed and lit the room with the characteristic glow of a cyalume stick. The implications were obvious – a flashless, noiseless, nonexploding, nondestructive illuminating “grenade” might have a use in certain circumstances (especially if it emits in the IR end of the spectrum.) These days, however, I’d opt to build a small, tetrahedral array out of tubing (think of a caltrop, one LED would always point skyward) using visible or IR diodes with a battery and a timer chip to provide a delay. I’m not certain what the EMP issues would be, but LEDs would take up very little storage space inside a grounded locker or can.
For electronics bugs, it’s also worth noting that inexpensive laser diodes can be used to build a secure, line-of-sight communications system that can, with appropriate tweaking, “broadcast” over several kilometers. No FCC license is required.See: http://captain.haddock.8m.com/laser/laser1.html and http://instruct1.cit.cornell.edu/courses/ee476/FinalProjects/s2003/kmc29/index.htm

Two Letters Re: Rourke on: A Mouse in the House? Retreat Pest Control

Jim:
There’s a product called “Tomcat” that’s a solid bar of coumarin poisoned feed. It’s less messy and more convenient than D-Con and can be placed outside with little or no risk to non-rodent wildlife. (BTW, coumarin is effectively the same as “Coumadin” – that is, warfarin anticoagulant. The way it works is diabolically clever. The mice eat it and it slowly anticoagulates them until they hemorrhage internally. This induces thirst and they often leave the area in search of water before they die. As another aside, I remember hearing about a rancher in Ely, Nevada who was too cheap to buy generic warfarin to
prophylax his atrial fibrillation. He used D-con with good results! Certainly not a recommended regimen, but it worked.)
Any area infested with mice should be treated as contaminated with hantavirus. No one should enter the area without a P-100 or N-100 mask. Droppings should be sprayed or wet-mopped with a 1:10 bleach/water solution and allowed to soak for thirty minutes or more. (Recall that contact time, not concentration is the essential element of disinfection.) Sweeping and vacuuming should be avoided as they aerosolize dust bound to viral particles. Disposable latex gloves are essential. “Snap traps” baited with peanut butter seem to be very effective in attracting and killing deer mice, a major vector of hantavirus. In disposing of trapped mice, first spray the trap and surrounding area with bleach/water, allow a half hour or more and dispose of both mouse and trap via double-bagging into the trash, burying or burning. Here’s a source for hantavirus information: http://www.doh.wa.gov/topics/hanta.htm
The best solution for mouse infestation is mouseproofing, as Rourke points out. Keep food and potential nesting materials sealed in mouse-resistant containers and inspect them frequently. Cats, ferrets and even [de-scented] skunks (vaccinated against rabies) are valuable allies against mice. Of note, they are apparently not susceptible to hantavirus, do not become carriers and cannot spread it to humans. See: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hanta/hps/noframes/transmit.htm
It may be worthwhile to create perches and nesting boxes for hawks and owls. In addition to being fun to watch, it’s worth considering that a single family of barn owls may consume up to 3000 mice a year.
See: http://members.tripod.com/Tommy51/aboutbarnowls.html and http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/pubs/barn_owl.html
A very Merry Christmas and a Joyous New Year! – “Moriarty”

 

Mr. Rawles:

We are surrounded by sugar cane fields here in southern Louisiana, after they harvest the cane, a few days later they burn the fields. (Much to our displeasure). When they do that all the field mice go looking for some place else to stay.
My work shop gets over run. You put out a bunch of traps and you may catch some but then they stop working until you empty them and reset them .. until now ..I found this some where on the web. You take a five gallon bucket drill a hole in both sides about a inch down from the top. Get a metal rod that will pass through both holes and reach all the way across the bucket. Get a quart metal paint can with the top on it and punch a whole in the top and the bottom big enough to have the rod pass through it, get it in the center of the bucket, run the rod through it [acting as a spindle], then put some electrical tape on both sides to keep it in the middle. Put four globs of peanut butter on the paint can about 45 degrees apart.Fill the bottom quarter of the bucket with water. Now take a piece of wood and make a ramp leading up to the paint can. Mouse jumps on paint can, paint can spins dumps mice in to water, ready for the next mouse, come out the next day pour out the dead mice and refill with water
if you can see one mouse, count on the fact that there are a lot more your not seeing.

JWR Replies: I ‘ve used the same method, but simply used a straightened coat hangar wire as the spindle for the can.

The Memsahib recently showed me an even more simple method: Again, use a bucket partly filled with water. Cover it with a piece of newspaper that is taped in place. Put a glob of peanut butter in the middle of the paper. After a couple of days of getting the mice accustomed to visiting this “feeding station”, simply cut an “X” in the newspaper, about 5 inches across. It works like a charm.

Letter Re: The Importance of Firewood or Coal Storage

James:
My brother in law in New York uses a coal pot belly stove to help keep his heating bills down. He usually buys a ton of coal in june of every year and stores it in his garage in a coal bin that he built. He buys it in June because the price of coal in cheaper in June, imagine that. As for storing a three year supply of coal, why couldn’t someone dig a trench, fill it with coal and then put something like two inches of dirt on top of it. It’s not like the coal will rot. As long as he doesn’t need it, it is right there not taking up any space and no one knows he has it. – J.M.

Jim’s Quote of the Day

"The slowness of one section of the world about adopting the valuable ideas of another section of it is a curious thing and unaccountable. This form of stupidity is confined to no community, to no nation; it is universal. The fact is the human race is not only slow about borrowing valuable ideas — it sometimes persists in not borrowing them at all.
Take the German [Masonry] stove, for instance — to the uninstructed stranger it promises nothing; but he will soon find that it is a masterly performer. The process of firing is quick and simple. At half past seven on a cold morning one brings a small basketful of slender pine sticks and puts half of these in, lights them with a match, and closes the door. They burn out in ten or twelve minutes. He then puts in the rest and locks the door, and carries off the key. The work is done. He will not come again until next morning. All day long and until past midnight all parts of the room will be delightfully warm and comfortable.
Americans could adopt this stove; but no, we stick placidly to our own fearful and wonderful inventions of which there is not a rational one in the lot. The American wood stove, of whatsoever breed, is a terror.
There can be no tranquility of mind where it is. It requires more attention than a baby. It has to be fed every little while, it has to be watched all the time; and for all reward you are roasted half your time and frozen the other half. It warms no part of the room but its own part; it breeds headaches and suffocation, and makes one’s skin feel dry and feverish; and when your wood bill comes in you think you have been supporting a volcano.
Consider these aspects of the Masonry stove. One firing is enough for the day; the cost is next to nothing; the heat produced is the same all day, instead of too hot and too cold by turns; one may absorb himself in his business in peace. Its surface is not hot; you can put your hand on it anywhere and not get burnt, yet one is as comfortable in one part of the room as another." – Mark Twain, "Some National Stupidities", 1891