Painkillers and TEOTWAWKI – Part 1, by Anonymous

Through a series of unfortunate health mishaps, I became quite disabled. I am better now (mostly emotionally), but it’s been a long, slow, slog, through the medical community seeking help, and relief. I will most likely never again be that bouncing bunny of energy I used to be. My daily routine is about managing my energy and pain levels. The better I get at that, the more likely it is that you will not even know of my suffering when you meet me. Hopefully, you will be greeted with a big smile, an encouraging word, and a warm hug. I don’t want the conversation to be about Me – how terribly boring. I want it to be about whatever wonderful things we can discuss or do together. In this article, I will share with you my journey to get off the pain meds and stay off them.

There are two reasons I think this is an important topic. Firstly, what happens when you can’t get the drugs your body has become dependent upon in order to function? Secondly, while the drugs mask the pain, their side effects include severe brain fog and loss of some bodily control functions. The pain killers sure feel like miracle drugs until you can’t get your prescription filled, or you find yourself shopping for Depends.

I’m not going to spend time here describing my various illnesses, but let’s just say “The old gray mare just ain’t what she used to be”, and leave it at that. I also want to state upfront, that I am not against traditional medicine – traditional medicine saved my life, at least twice. It’s very difficult to find the right team of doctors, and especially when you can’t think straight and are in a lot of pain with no energy and tolerance left. May God bless all of you who have been down that path! It works best when you have one or more Advocates, who have your best interest at heart, and who help you maneuver through “the system”. And best when a few of them stick by you for the long haul. I was very blessed to have several family members who basically took over my life for a period of time, got me to doctors’ offices, the infusion center, picked up prescriptions, kept track of the paperwork and insurance billing, shopped, and cooked for me, helped me bathe and brush my hair, and listened to me even when nothing I said made sense. I am forever grateful for them.Continue reading“Painkillers and TEOTWAWKI – Part 1, by Anonymous”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make 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 this column, in the Odds ‘n Sods Column, and in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

This past week I did quite a bit of wood cross-cutting and splitting. Our daughters helped me with toting and stacking the firewood in our main woodshed.  By the way, the photo is of me splitting firewood, way back in 1995. That was while I was building my first ranch house on 40 acres near Orofino, Idaho. I was 35 years old then. I’m now 60 — and a lot more gray — but I thankfully haven’t accumulated a gut. Now, over to Lily…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.

For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off.

It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?

Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?

But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.

See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;

In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.

But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;

I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.

I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.” – Deuteronomy 30:10-20 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — August 27, 2021

August 27, 1917 was the birthday of American gun designer Robert Hillberg, who was best known as the designer of the C.O.P. four-barrel derringer, Winchester’s Liberator shotguns, the graceful Whitney Wolverine, and the Wildey .44 Magnum gas-operated pistol. He died in 2012.

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Incoming! The Sun Fires-Off an ‘Earthbound’ CME. It is a Class 3, but it is still a good excuse to put all your spare electronics in your Faraday cans/cages/bags. If you have a grid-tied PV system, then it might be a good idea to throw the interconnect breaker to go independent for a while. It is also a good idea to disconnect your antennas for 48  to 72 hours, starting Sunday evening.

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 96 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three-day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  5. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  6. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  7. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, that have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. Naturally Cozy is donating a “Prepper Pack” Menstrual Kit.  This kit contains 18 pads and it comes vacuum-sealed for long term storage or slips easily into a bugout bag.  The value of this kit is $220.

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. Siege Stoves is generously donating a SIEGE® STOVE kit, including a Titanium Gen 3 Flat-Pack Stove with titanium Cross-Members and a variety of bonus items including a Large Folding Grill, a pair of Side Toasters, a Compact Fire Poker, and an extra set of stainless steel universal Cross-Members. (In all, a $200 value.)
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

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Round 96 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

 

WTSHTF: What Will the Police Do?, by Gramthar’s Hammer

Full disclosure: I am one of them. Or I was one of them, to be more accurate. I’m retired now, so I spend my days watching the lawn grow and pondering various “what-ifs”. One of these gedankenexperiments is: “What if the wheels come off the wagon and the police are no longer guardians of peace. What would the police do if they became hungry and angry, just like the masses.” My wife thinks I should get a hobby, to which I answer I already have one: prepping.

For 27 years I worked in law enforcement for several agencies. Most of my career was spent at the federal level, but not all. I worked in the pacific northwest, the coastal south, and the upper Midwest. I worked in both rural areas and major population centers. I traveled internationally as part of my job and observed how my counterparts operate in Thailand and South Africa. I base the following perspectives on the totality of my experiences- the training, the personal relationships, and basic knowledge of how law enforcement (LE)  operates.

I attended five police academies – nearly two years of my adult life were spent in formal training environments. Most smart people in law enforcement only attend one, maybe two academies but ambition, restlessness, or frustration propelled me to jump ship to different agencies several times. I spent the first third of my career as a uniformed patrol officer and the remainder as an investigator, in both covert and overt capacities. I was a firearms instructor for many years and continue in this role on a part-time basis in retirement. I mention this history so you understand how my background influences my thinking.

The following is my personal opinion and nothing more. I represent no agency nor ever will again.
Let’s imagine a scenario where daily norms have taken a sudden turn for the worse. The power grid becomes unreliable, supply chains are stressed, the threat of civil war looms on the horizon, foreign adversaries become more menacing in their threats and actions, the cost of food increases 3% every month, health care systems are overwhelmed and criminals are exploiting gaps in public safety due to defunded and demoralized police. Just a couple of years ago, all of this would’ve seemed awfully far-fetched, right? But how about now?

So what happens to the police when the crashing waves get bigger and bigger until the castle of sand we know as society washes into the sea? How should a prepper approach both planning and the actuality of limited police, no police, or even illegitimate police?Continue reading“WTSHTF: What Will the Police Do?, by Gramthar’s Hammer”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at Bitcoin regaining $50,000. (See the Forex & Cryptos section.)

Precious Metals:

I just noticed the silver to gold ratio has slipped back down to 76.26-to-1.  So this is a good juncture for you to ratio trade some of your gold into silver.

And to reiterate a point that I made earlier this week: All that it will take is the mass media adopting the term “American Hostages” to the current Afghanistan debacle, and precious metals will jump more than 10% overnight. And if the “Hostage Crisis” drags on, then plan on 30% to 40% gains. – JWR

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Commerzbank sees gold price pushing to $1,900 by year-end, moving $2,000 target to next year.

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Gold Surges Back Above $1800, Erases Payrolls/Flash-Crash Losses.

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How Much Will Silver Be Worth If the Dollar Collapses? 2021 Edition.

Economy & Finance:

At Zero Hedge: Million-Dollar Listing Spike Sparks Jump In US Existing Home Sales In July. JWR’s Comment: Clearly, The Smart Money crowd sees the top, and trouble ahead.

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A Liberty and Finance video interview: Nightmare Crash & Foreclosure Crisis — Alasdair Macleod. (The inflation discussion begins at the 12:40 mark.)

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Futures Rise As Jackson Hole Looms, Dollar Slides, Bitcoin Surges.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — August 26, 2021

August 26, 526, is the official anniversary of the invention of toilet paper by the Chinese. We celebrate this, though not because of its convenience. In fact, it has many shortcomings, some which are described within the articles and letters of SurvivalBlog. Our celebration of it is primarily because we now have an official metric of just how hard core of a prepper you are as well as a metric for just how economically unstable your country is.

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August 26, 1946 was the official release date of George Orwell’s “Animal Farm.”

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Today we present a guest article by Jack Lawson. It is not eligible for judging in the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest because the author is a prize donor for the writing contest. (Jack kindly donates copies of his comprehensive two-volume book: The Civil Defense Manual.)

Round 96 of our writing contest ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

 

Review of Joe Dolio’s Tactical Wisdom, by Jack Lawson

Editor’s Introductory Note: This review was authored by Jack Lawson, author of the two-volume The Civil Defense Manual.

Rarely does a book or series of books catch my attention like the Tactical Wisdom series. It could have been authored by my alter ego. The author, Joe Dolio, has created what I consider a must-read companion to my  Civil Defense Manual. His book “Tactical Wisdom TW-01 Baseline Training Manual” has almost every procedure in it that my book has… presented in a concise and superb manner. He also has a great writing style.

The man clearly must be a genius, if by his definition of the word, we think alike. For those unaware of what I’m talking about, you’d have to read Joe’s opening line in his review of my book. But Joe and I, regardless of our level of intelligence and I’m definitely not a genius, agree on the way to Preparedness, Survival, and organizing with others for Strength Through Numbers for protection.

This review is not a quid pro quo knee-jerk evaluation of the Tactical Wisdom Series from me because Joe wrote a generous review for me… because anyone who knows me well, also knows that I won’t praise a poor presentation, incompetence, and or misinformation for any reason. The fact is that this Marine Corps Veteran has written a classic in writing the “Tactical Wisdom Base Line Training Manual.”

I know that Joe is more intelligent than me by one item… as he quotes the ultimate baseline book, The Bible… in his book. That incredible Guide Book that I’ve seemed to wandered away from… despite being brought up under its instruction. Some people that know me would say… “Lawson, you reading the Bible!?”Continue reading“Review of Joe Dolio’s Tactical Wisdom, by Jack Lawson”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— 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. Today, we look at the flooding in Middle Tennessee.

‘Preppers’ Quietly Stock Up for the ‘Perfect Storm’

Over at The Epoch Times: ‘Preppers’ Quietly Stock Up for the ‘Perfect Storm’.

People Crushed to Death Outside Kabul Airport

Over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site, there is this video: Afghanistan: People crushed to death outside Kabul airport. JWR’s Comment: The late Ol’ Remus said it simply and said it best:  “Stay away from crowds.”

Extreme Floods in Middle Tennessee

From The Tennessean: 10 dead and 40 missing in Humphreys County after extreme floods rock Middle Tennessee. An excerpt:

“Twenty-one people are dead and dozens are missing in Humphreys County after severe flooding rocked the community Saturday.

Crews were going house to house in search of the missing people late Saturday, Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis told The Tennessean. Davis said the flooding event is the worst he has seen in his 28 years with the department.

Power outages and a lack cell phone service has compounded the problems. Portable units will be brought in to help establish communication lines, Davis said.”

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

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — August 25, 2021

August 25th is a birthday shared by humorist Bret Harte (pictured, born 1836), novelist Frederick Forsyth (born 1938), and the late American humorist Patrick F. McManus (born 1933). Forsyth was the author of The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File, The Fourth Protocol, The Dogs of War, The Devil’s Alternative, and many others. McManus was born and raised in Sandpoint, Idaho, so his books could be classified as American Redoubt humor.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 96 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three-day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  5. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  6. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  7. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, that have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. Naturally Cozy is donating a “Prepper Pack” Menstrual Kit.  This kit contains 18 pads and it comes vacuum-sealed for long term storage or slips easily into a bugout bag.  The value of this kit is $220.
  5. An assortment of products along with a one-hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. Siege Stoves is generously donating a SIEGE® STOVE kit, including a Titanium Gen 3 Flat-Pack Stove with titanium Cross-Members and a variety of bonus items including a Large Folding Grill, a pair of Side Toasters, a Compact Fire Poker, and an extra set of stainless steel universal Cross-Members. (In all, a $200 value.)
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

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Round 96 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

A DIY Solar Water Heater – Part 2, by St. Funogas

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

BUILDING THE BOX

Again, if money isn’t a big concern, I’d recommend using a full sheet of plywood and corrugated polycarbonate greenhouse panels. This will not only give you a larger water heater, but be lighter and easier to move as well.

I constructed a double-coiled version using a free recycled, double-paned sliding patio door which, on sunny days, supplies more hot water than I can use. The construction method will be the same regardless of which size you choose to make.

For the full-sheet-of-plywood version, use two treated 2 x 4 x 8’s (one for each sidebar of the frame) and one 2 x 4 x 10’ for the ends, cut in half to make two 2 x 4 x 5’. This will make the end pieces extra-long to act as legs which keep the SWH off the ground as seen in photo below. (The light spots in the photo are sunshine coming through the trees, not a lousy paint job.)Continue reading“A DIY Solar Water Heater – Part 2, by St. Funogas”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly column is a collection of short snippets: practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. We may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.

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We’ll start out with some troubling news: DHS Secret Terror Watchlist With Nearly 2 MILLION People On It Exposed Online With NO PASSWORD.

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H.L. spotted this news: Black vultures are eating cows alive. Now some farmers can legally shoot the protected birds.

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Tim J. suggested this, over at American Partisan: Ivermectin Treatment Protocols.

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Debunking The Cost of Living Myth.

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A video for more advanced hams: SIGNALINKUSB and Elecraft KX3 set up.

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From Reader C.B.: New analysis of landmark scurvy study leads to update on vitamin C needs.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”