Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug-out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those — or excerpts thereof — in the Odds ‘n Sods Column or in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

Our four grandsons were here at the ranch visiting for five days.

With the recent hot weather, I’ve adjusted my schedule toward doing most of my heavy work in the mornings, and my writing and editing in the afternoons.  Despite the heat, I accomplished a lot this week. For instance:  I drained, scrubbed, and re-filled our Redneck Pool. I helped Lily pull weeds and hauled them to a burn pile. Lily and I hauled 20 wheelbarrow loads of composted manure to the main garn, and a I roto-tilled that in. I wrapped up the sheet metal work on the exterior of our new outhouse. I packed just one Elk Creek Company order. (With the big sale on all of our investment grade guns that just started today, I’m expecting a lot more orders.)  I hauled more rocks to a down-trodden area near a pasture gate, so that it will have a firm base, for the winter rains.  (Some 3/4″-minus gravel will be added, to provide more comfortable footing there, for our livestock.

The thermostat went out on our SUV.  It stuck in the closed position, causing the engine to almost immediately overheat. I’ll be replacing that myself. I now have a replacement thermostat and o-ring on order. (We’ll be using our pickup truck, in the interim.) If it was an emergency and we had no other vehicle, then I’d temporarily run it with the thermostat removed.

Since we are now at the peak of garden harvest season, I have set aside my firewood splitting and stacking  project. I’m now planning to split that last couple of cords in September.

Now, Lily’s part of the report…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week: 

The latest meme created by JWR:

Godora Pipe Cutter Meme

Meme Text:

It Would Be Illegal To Use A Godora 1-3″ Capacity Heavy Duty Pipe Cutter ( Amazon Item # B0CSJZW2LW )

To Cut The 6061-T6 Aluminum 2.875-Inch Mounting Poles For Flock Cameras, So Do Not Do So!

Notes From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. And if it is posted then I’ll give you credit. Thanks!

Permission to repost memes that I’ve created is granted, provided that credit to SurvivalBlog.com is included.

The Editors’ Quote Of The Week:

“Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: quicken me in thy righteousness.

Let thy mercies come also unto me, O Lord, even thy salvation, according to thy word.

So shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproacheth me: for I trust in thy word.

And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth; for I have hoped in thy judgments.

So shall I keep thy law continually for ever and ever.

And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts.

I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed.

And I will delight myself in thy commandments, which I have loved.

My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved; and I will meditate in thy statutes.

Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope.

This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.

The proud have had me greatly in derision: yet have I not declined from thy law.

I remembered thy judgments of old, O Lord; and have comforted myself.

Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake thy law.

Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage.

I have remembered thy name, O Lord, in the night, and have kept thy law.

This I had, because I kept thy precepts.

Thou art my portion, O Lord: I have said that I would keep thy words.

I intreated thy favour with my whole heart: be merciful unto me according to thy word.

I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.

I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments.

The bands of the wicked have robbed me: but I have not forgotten thy law.

At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments.

I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts.

The earth, O Lord, is full of thy mercy: teach me thy statutes.

Thou hast dealt well with thy servant, O Lord, according unto thy word.

Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed thy commandments.

Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.

Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes.” – Psalm 119:40-68 (KJV) 

Preparedness Notes — August 4, 2026

This Week in History:

On  August 4, 1873, while protecting a railroad survey party in Montana, the US 7th Cavalry, under Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer (pictured), clashed for the first time with the Sioux Indian tribe near the Tongue River, killing one man on each side.

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August 6, 1806, the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved. It was described by Voltaire as “in no way holy, nor Roman, nor an empire.” Emperor Francis II renounced his title of Holy Roman Emperor, becoming instead the first Emperor of Austria.

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August 4, 1900: An allied expeditionary force, made up of Japanese, Russian, British, French, and American troops, set off from Tientsin for Peking, China, to put down the Boxer Rebellion.

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And in August 2, 1676, Nathaniel Bacon published the “Declaration of People of Virginia.”

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Some sad news: Goodbye to Duelist1954. Rest in peace Mike Beliveau.

Fall of the American Republic – Part 2, by Single Farmer

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

Some of the erroneous assumptions and operating principles that Western governments of today have been utilizing in their social planning schemes are these six stupid ideas:

1. The stupid idea that people and institutions can become perfect. The perfectibility of institutions and people is contrary to all natural law and historical precedent. People are imperfect by their nature and institutions which are composed of people are imperfect.

2. The stupid idea that economic output is everything which can be expressed as a regularly reported number which can be measured, and the number should always be going up. In 1968 at a speech at the University of Kansas, Senator Robert F. Kennedy said:

“The gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It does not

Back in 1968, this number was 800 billion and now it is 32 trillion. Are we 40 times better off or was that time better even though we were poorer on paper as a nation? I was not around then, but in interviewing people who were, it was a much better time to grow up if you were young except for “Vietnam” casting a shadow over your youth.

Continue reading“Fall of the American Republic – Part 2, by Single Farmer”

AFH U.S. M1 Bayonet, by Thomas Christianson

The U.S. M1 bayonet is designed to fit the M1 Garand rifle which was the standard issue American infantry rifle during World War II and the Korean conflict. The M1 bayonet has a 10-inch spear-point blade that is 1 inch wide and has a tang that is around 0.25 inches thick. The blade is made of 1080 carbon steel. The grip panels are made out of black Durez or a similar plastic. The bayonet measures 14.25 inches overall.

The 10-inch blade is long enough to make the bayonet somewhat awkward for everyday tasks like opening cans, prying open crates, or batoning firewood. On the other hand, the blade of the bayonet is rugged enough to hold up under such utility use.

The particular M1 bayonet that is the focus of this review is stamped with the letters “AFH.” This indicates that it was manufactured by American Fork and Hoe. Of the approximately 2.7 million new M1 bayonets manufactured from 1943 to 1945, only about 350 thousand (about 13%) were manufactured by American Fork and Hoe. That makes this particular sample somewhat rare.

 

If you are looking for a field knife suitable for both combat and utility use, I would recommend something like the OKC-3S or M9 bayonets. Genuine new examples of those bayonets generally cost about $250 at the time of this writing. Used examples typically cost about half that.

If, on the other hand, you are armed with a Garand, then I recommend the M1 bayonet. Replicas of M1 bayonets typically cost about $60 on eBay at the time of this writing. Original bayonets typically cost about $150 (depending upon condition) with especially nice examples running as high as $449.Continue reading“AFH U.S. M1 Bayonet, by Thomas Christianson”

SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week

Today’s graphic is a satellite image of Europe at night. (Graphic courtesy of Reddit.)

The thumbnail image below is click-expandable.

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If any SurvivalBlog readers have personally taken or otherwise hold the copyright to a particularly nice landscape photo or other photo of particular interest to preppers that is in a wide horizontal format (to match our blog template) then please send it in as an e-mail attachment, and I will consider posting it as a Graphic of the Week, or as a Top Note photo. I can of course credit you by name — or pen name —  if you’d like. Many Thanks! –  JWR. (Either via e-mail or via our Contact form.) Any graphics that you send must either be your own creation, under your copyright or uncopyrighted in the public domain. Thanks! – JWR

Economics & Investing Media of the Week

In Economics & Investing Media of the Week we feature photos, charts, graphs, maps, video links, and news items of interest to preppers.

Economics & Investing Links of Interest

Economics & Investing Media Tips:

Please send your economics and investing links to JWR. (Either via e-mail or via our Contact form.) Thanks!

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from JWR. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. In today’s column: China’s robot warrior dogs.

Robot Dogs are Training \With Soldiers in China

Whatfinger.com reports:  Robot dogs are no longer experimental in China. They’re training with actual soldiers, right now: in combat, recon, and support roles. The era of the hybrid human-machine infantry has arrived.

Did Iran Launch Cyberattack on U.S. Water Facilities?

In the left-biased The Washington Post: U.S. spy agencies suspect Iran launched cyberattack on Minnesota water facilities.  Some updated coverage, in The NYT:  Scope of Hacks on U.S. Water Supply Widens as Evidence Points to Iran.

Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

Our weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.

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SurvivalBlog reader C.B. forwarded this news link: American Red Cross declares national blood crisis as type O supply drops to dangerous levels. Here is an excerpt:

“The Red Cross is now limiting distributions of type O blood to hospitals, as the nation’s largest single provider of blood products now has less than a one-day national supply of type O positive blood.

Type O blood accounts for about 60% of Red Cross blood distributions and is essential for both everyday patient care and medical emergencies.”

o  o  o

Video from Weather With Travis: Winter Outlook 2026-27: Could This Look Like 1997-98?

o  o  o

Depraved sex offender found guilty of starting devastating fire that destroyed hundreds of homes in California.

“A 42-year-old sex offender has been found guilty of having started one of the most destructive wildfires in California history.

Ronnie Dean Stout II was convicted of intentional arson in Butte County Superior Court on Friday, exactly two years after prosecutors said he started the massive Park Fire, near the city of Chico in Northern California, on July 24, 2024.

Stout was alleged to have pushed a burning 2007 Toyota Yaris into a ravine in the upper Bidwell Park shortly before 3pm, upon which the burning car ignited nearby vegetation, per the Chico Enterprise–Record.”

o  o  o

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

SurvivalBlog’s American Redoubt Media of the Week 

REDOUBT NEWS LINKS

This weekly column features media from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest.

Send Your Media Links

Please send your links to media from the American Redoubt region to JWR. Any photos that are posted or re-posted must be uncopyrighted. You can do so either via e-mail or via our Contact form.

Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug-out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those — or excerpts thereof — in the Odds ‘n Sods Column or in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

The summer heat and lack of recent rainfall prompted me to begin running sprinklers in our Near Pasture. This area is about the size of two football fields. I’ve been running the sprinklers 24/7, and moving them roughly  once every six hours, to get  full coverage of the pasture.  Thankfully, we are on un-metered well water, and our electricity rate is low (under 10 cents per kilowatt hour), so the expense of pasture irrigation is minimal.

Last Friday, I attended the gun show over in Missoula, Montana, but I didn’t have tables there. That was a fun and productive trip.

I’ve nearly completed construction of out “Just in Case” outhouse, here at the ranch.  All that it needs now is steel over the plywood on the roof, and a door. Lily wlll be selecting the decor.

In Lily’s part of the report, some more births at the Rawles Ranch…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR:

Little Toe Meme

Meme Text:

Your Little Toe Does Have A Purpose

It Makes Sure That All Of Your Furniture is Kept In Its Proper Place

Notes From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. And if it is posted then I’ll give you credit. Thanks!

Permission to repost memes that I’ve created is granted, provided that credit to SurvivalBlog.com is included.

The Editors’ Quote Of The Week:

“Courage is not simply one of the virtues but the form of every virtue at the testing point, which means at the point of highest reality.” – C.S. Lewis, as quoted in Cyril Connolly’s ‘The Unquiet Grave’ (1944) Chapter 31

Preparedness Notes — July 28, 2026 

This Week in History:

On July 28, 1851, the first-ever photograph of a total solar eclipse was captured on a daguerreotype by Johann Julius Friedrich Berkowski at the Royal Observatory in Königsberg, Prussia.

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On or about July 28, 1586, English astronomer and mathematician Thomas Harriot introduced potatoes to England on his return from Roanoke Island, in modern-day North Carolina. (The date is disputed.)

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July 29, 238: The Roman Senate and Praetorian Guard proclaimed 13-year-old Gordian III as Emperor. He was the youngest-ever emperor of a united Rome.

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July 29, 1609: Samuel de Champlain shot and killed two Iroquois chiefs at Ticonderoga, New York. This set  the stage for French-Iroquois conflicts for the next 150 years.

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And on July 30, 1619, the House of Burgesses in Virginia was formed. It was the first elected American governing body.

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Some upcoming gun shows:  I will have four tables at each of the following Idaho gun shows. I’ll have most of the Elk Creek Company inventory with me. Feel free to bring any of the books that I authored, for me to autograph.  Thanks, – JWR

  • Post Falls, Idaho: September 12-13, 2026 (Greyhound Park & Event Center)
  • Coeur d’Alene, Idaho: October 3-4, 2026 (Kootenai County Fairgrounds)
  • Lewiston, Idaho: November 21-22, 2026, (Nez Perce County Fairgrounds Pavilion)