My Tennessee Journey, by SaraSue

I left Idaho for a few reasons and recently purchased my Tennessee homestead. I don’t know why or how Tennessee became so popular for “American refugees” fleeing the big cities. People are coming from all over the country, mostly from highly populated “blue states”, unlike myself. There’s a lot to like about Tennessee including a strong Second Amendment along with a Church on practically every street (solidly in the “Bible belt”), as well as a longer growing season than Idaho. My reasons were that family was moving there and I wanted to be close to my grandchildren. At one time, long ago, my relatives were scattered throughout the Appalachia region, so it feels kind of like a homecoming. I recall visiting as a child and especially loving the thunderstorms and the lush, green, vegetation. It was there I first learned of “lightning bugs”, also called “fireflies”, how magnificent thunderstorms can be, and how to speak with a twang. Although, the twang never left me since most of my relatives are from the South.

I had envisioned a little brick house on small acreage at an extremely affordable price, something like my grandmother had. The reality of what I found is that most of those mini farms are in high demand and very hard to find. You can still find land that is available, but the builders are backed up for a year before they can start on something new. Not to mention that lumber prices have gone through the roof. I even contacted an Amish log home builder in Montana who could deliver and build a log home package in Tennessee, but alas, they are also a year out. There are still new homes available, as of this writing, but they’re in new developments, i.e. “regular neighborhoods”. Many Tennesseans are putting their homes on the market since their market value has doubled or tripled in a relatively short period of time. The catch is, they may not have any place to move to – some even asking for several months of free “rent-backs”. Cash is king, just as it is in Idaho’s real estate market. So, like me, if you sell and get wads of cash, you may have no place to buy. The situation is creating a Catch-22 for both buyers and sellers.Continue reading“My Tennessee Journey, by SaraSue”

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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Reader Don in Oregon wrote to mention:  “Water fire extinguishers are handy to have around. Suitable only for Class A fires, but easily rechargeable (water and compressed air). Best used in short spurts, with your thumb over the nozzle to make a fan spray.”

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From SurvivalBlog reader “The War Wagon”, a lengthy and quite useful comment that he posted to a forum: “The Postman” scenario: the ESSENTIAL economic tool!

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Tim J. sent a link to a detailed article that describes how fellow novelist Brad Thor was grifted: Groom, Doom, Grifting and Gifting: Getting Hustled in the Age of Apocalypse.

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Reader C.B. sent this: A public network name that ‘permanently’ disables Wi-Fi on iPhones.

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Another from C.B: 61% of American Counties are now Second Amendment Sanctuaries.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — July 13, 2021

On this day in 1787, Congress enacted the Northwest Ordinance structuring settlement of the Northwest Territory and creating a policy for the addition of new states to the nation. The members of Congress knew that if their new confederation were to survive intact, it had to resolve the states’ competing claims to western territory.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 95 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. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (a $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

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. An Israeli CBRN Gas Mask with Hydration Straw and two Extra 40mm NATO Filter s – Manufactured in 2020 (a $229.99 value), courtesy of McGuire Army-Navy.
  5. 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.
  6. 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!

Round 95 ends on July 31st, 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.

For the Love of Bread, by Autumn D.

I grew up in the kitchen, with both parents very capable in the kitchen and spending time with my dad in the restaurant he worked in for much of my life. Though my mom did not “love” me doing my own thing in “her” kitchen, she was always happy with me helping, which taught me a lot. Once I had my own kitchen, I would experiment with many a variety of dishes for breakfast (homemade waffles and apple turnovers), lunch (homemade vegetable sushi), dinner (eggplant, parmesan, and chili), and dessert (homemade cheesecake and cookies). Though I felt comfortable with all of these items and more, I hesitate to make my own bread. There was something about making bread that felt too hard and time-consuming. Well, the time of quarantining and not being able to work in person with my clients for a period of months (I am a real estate broker), I was given plenty of time. My boys were already homeschooled, so luckily being home together was something that we were already well-adjusted to.

So, enter the world of bread! Scary at first with concerns about what yeast is best, when is the water too hot or too cold, so many flour options, which sugar and salt, just so much to consider. So first I bought my yeast, local yeast that I purchased at a nearby family-owned farm. I decided to start with bread flour, organic as we try to keep all of our food clear of any pesticides, GMOs, and artificial colors, preservatives, or artificial flavors. I used organic pure cane sugar and organic kosher salt. I just use the filtered water we have at home and bring it to a “warm” temperature in a pot on the stovetop.

Peasant Bread

I began with peasant bread, the bread most loved by our family, especially my eldest son. The first two went well, but not great. I prepared everything as I read in multiple recipes, as I have found over the years that I do best with blending recipes. After much trial and error, I have this recipe down now. My first attempt I completely forgot to do the second rise (with all breads I have prepared, your bread should rise first in a bowl, then it should have a second opportunity to rise in the pan you will be baking it in), thus the bread with not moist and fluffy, instead it was very dense.

On my second attempt I did do both rises, but not for long enough based on the temperature of my home, as we do not keep it very warm. Thus, this bread was also dense, but much better that my first attempt. It is important to remember whenever trying something new, be it bread-making or any other new skill, learn through your failures! I didn’t give up, and I am glad I kept at it. My third attempt proved to be successful! This time I let my bread rise for a longer length of time for both the first and second rise (longer time helps with cooler temps), and I put the bowl on the oven to rise while keeping the oven at a low temperature.Continue reading“For the Love of Bread, by Autumn D.”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements 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. We also mention companies of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, we focus on the grizzly bear mauling death of a Californian tourist, in Montana. (See the Montana section.)

Region-Wide

For anyone who wants fairly current information on wildfires with maps, Avalanche Lily and I have found that INCIWeb is very useful.

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Blazes continue, wildfire smoke threatens the Inland Northwest.

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Video: Idaho and Montana Compared.

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54,000 acre Snake River Complex continues to spread, crews focused on protecting communities.

Idaho

Sun Valley’s airport is so overrun with private jets arriving for ‘summer camp for billionaires’ that the FAA had to delay incoming planes. (Thanks to Tim J. for the link.)

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Lightning starts 70 fires in Idaho.

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Here’s why Idaho hospitals can require the COVID-19 vaccine for employees.

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FORGET COEUR D’ALENE, SANDPOINT IDAHO IS WHERE IT’S AT! – Everything You Need To KnowContinue reading“SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Repeal all weapon laws and restore liberty.

That is all there is to it.

Everything else regarding ownership and use of weapons (as with ownership and use of ANY object) must be viewed in light of understanding our right to defend ourselves and others, and our obligation to exercise those rights without violating the rights of others.

Perhaps the ownership and use of weapons, especially firearms, offers more potential for misuse than the ownership of, say, food or clothing or a copier or phone. But there are many other things which we can own which present significant potential for misuse. Not just knives, not just baseball bats.  And not just cans of spray paint or drugs, for that matter. I am not sure if there is anything which humans can own which cannot be used, in some way, against someone in an initiation of force. That is, aggression.

But we as a society – and government, as our would-be master – handle firearms differently than these other things. (Admittedly, more and more governments are adding such things as knives to this short list of “too dangerous to allow certain people to have.”)

I cannot see, as a lover of liberty, any real moral justification for doing so.  Excuses?  Oh, my, yes.  But not justification. If someone misuses, abuses, something and uses it to attack us (or someone else), our right to defend ourselves justifies taking that object away from them, at least long enough to end their threat to us.

But we cannot do that just because we think that someone might use and misuse that to initiate force against us.  Or because someone else did use that same object against another person.

So the real reason for governments and nannies (controllers and would-be controls – the enemies of liberty – to push?  Precisely that – control.  These people, these groups, wish to control all people – to dominate us.  They know that weapons of self-defense are a defense against that attempt to control, that lust to dominate us.  And to that end, they push fear – fear of guns and other weapons. Fear of those who have them.” – Nathan Barton, at The Price of Liberty blog

Preparedness Notes for Monday — July 12, 2021

On July 12, 1865, George Washington Carver, the African-American scientist whose numerous discoveries helped to improve agriculture in the South, was born. He died on Jan. 5, 1943.

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We’ve now run out of the second production run of the 2005-2020 SurvivalBlog Archive sticks. The next edition should be available in February of 2022.

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Today we present another review written by our Field Gear Editor, Pat Cascio.

Springfield Armory XD 9mm, by Pat Cascio

Some years ago, there was a 9mm pistol coming into the States, called the HS2000. It looked very similar to the Glock line of handguns. It was (and is) being made in Croatia, and when it was first marketed here in the USA, the importer just didn’t quite market it in the right way. Springfield Armory soon purchased the rights to market the HS2000 in the States. Rebranded by Springfield Armory, it became known as the XD9. Soon, sales of this gun took off, like you wouldn’t believe. Variants were also soon available in .40 S&W and in .45 ACP. I carried an early-production XD chambered in .40 S&W for two full years. The only time I didn’t carry it, was when I was testing other handguns for my review articles. I believe that this was the longest period of time that I ever carried one particular handgun in my entire life. I liked it that much!

During my carry period with the XD, I only had just two malfunctions, and they were NOT related to the gun. I was doing a qualification course, for armed private security here in Oregon, and I was using the then yellow box Remington 180-grain FMJ ammo – and while using this ammo, I had two loaded rounds that wouldn’t fully chamber – they were oversized and wouldn’t chamber in any of the .40 S&W handguns I owned. I stopped using that ammo years ago – obviously, very poor quality control. Other than that, there were no other failures of any kind and I put thousands of rounds through that gun in two years.

As many readers will surely know, Springfield Armory, has a full line-up in the XD line these days, from the original XD, to he XDm, the XDs and many other XD handguns – and each time around, Springfield improved on the newer models. Their hottest seller these days is the Hellcat, and while not “exactly” an XD, you can see the family resemblance in the Hellcat.

The XD under review for this article is the original version, and it is simply called the XD 9 – and it is chambered in 9mm Parabellum. The XD is no longer produced in .40 S&W – but you can probably find one if you do a search on the ‘net. For some reason, the .40 S&W caliber has fallen out of favor with both law enforcement and civilians. I believe most of that comes from the fact that the FBI, switched back to the 9mm chambering, and many police departments followed suit – as did a lot of civilians. Too bad, I still believe the .40 S&W is a better stopper than the 9mm is. However, a lot of people just couldn’t shoot the .40 S&W accurately because of the stout recoil – including law enforcement. Agreed, the 9mm is a lot easier to shoot accurately, and faster. The FBI is also stating in their tests, that the 9mm, .40 S&W and .45 ACP loaded with quality JHP ammo are all very close in “power” when it comes to stopping a violent attack – their stats say there is only a few points difference between the stopping power of those three calibers.Continue reading“Springfield Armory XD 9mm, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Smothered Chicken

The following recipe for smothered chicken is from The New Butterick Cook Book, by Flora Rose, co-head of the School of Home Economics at Cornell University. It was published in 1924.

Ingredients
  • 2 small chickens or 1 large one
  • 2 or more tablespoons butter or butter substitute
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Flour
Directions

This is one of the most delicious ways of cooking chicken. – Take off the neck and split the chicken down the back, wiping it with a damp towel. Season inside and out with salt and pepper, and dredge on all sides with flour.  Lay the chicken, with the inside down, in a small baking-tin. and add a very little water. The pan should be very little larger than the chicken(s), otherwise the gravy will be too quickly evaporates. Cook slowly for one hour, basting every ten minutes alter the first twenty minutes, or cook in a covered baking-pan.

Should the chicken be decidedly lacking in fat, add butter or butter substitute. There will be plenty of gravy in the pan with which, to baste if the pan is small.

When done, place the chicken on a hot platter, add enough water to make two cups gravy and thicken with two teaspoons flour. Should the chicken be quite fat, remove all but two teaspoons of the oil from the pan before making the gravy. Season with sait and pepper, pour it over the chicken and serve at once. Any small birds may be dressed in this way with the most satisfactory results. The secret of success in this kind of roasting lies in very frequent basting and in not having too hot an oven.

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Do you have a favorite recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? In this weekly recipe column, we place emphasis on recipes that use long term storage foods, recipes for wild game, dutch oven and slow cooker recipes, and any that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

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 how and where to find affordable land. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

Why Copper Will Help Define Silver Supply Through at Least 2030.

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Gold, Silver And Basel Three: A Glimpse Of The Future.

Economy & Finance:

Video: The Fed Just Lit the Fuse for a Liquidity Crisis.

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Goldman: Here’s Why The Shorts Will Have To Cover This Week.

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Senate Democrats Plan Nearly $4 Trillion Reconciliation Package as Far-Left Condemns Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal.

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At Wolf Street: Container Freight Rates Spike to New Extremes, up 500% for Asia-US, Asia-EU since Early 2020. Worse Still Ahead.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The modern ‘presidency’ is in fact a kind of disingenuous autocracy, in some cases (as in ours) episodically elected.

Whoever holds the office wields the power of a premier or general secretary. He – or she – issues ‘executive orders,’ another form of linguistic legerdemain meant to flim-flam the minds of the not-very-thoughtful by giving decrees the imprimatur of “democratic” legitimacy.

The general secretary/premier-president makes vast pronouncements about the ‘leadership’ he will provide; about the ‘policies’ he will pursue. Makes promises – and issues threats – like a Third World el presidente. All that’s missing are the sashes, medals and epaulettes.” – Eric Peters

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — July 11, 2021

July 11th is the birthday of John Quincy Adams. He was born in 1767 and died in 1848. Not to be confused with his father– John Adams– the younger Adams also served as a diplomat, congressman, and as president.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 95 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. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (a $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

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. An Israeli CBRN Gas Mask with Hydration Straw and two Extra 40mm NATO Filter s – Manufactured in 2020 (a $229.99 value), courtesy of McGuire Army-Navy.
  5. 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.
  6. 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!

Round 95 ends on July 31st, 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.

Preparedness and Homesteading as a Middle-Aged Woman, by P.B.

This is what I know, but I am no expert.  This is what I do and I am sometimes successful….most times half successful. I know about preparing for emergencies and learning to homestead.  I live a small homesteading life with my husband of almost 27 years while working a full-time medical job and caring for my sister who is wheelchair-bound and completely dependent.  We raise turkeys for meat as well as meat and laying chickens.

I was inspired back in the 1970s by the television show The Waltons.  Living a simpler, self-sufficient life seemed the best.  Surrounded by a large family seemed like the only life to live.  Sadly, it was only my sister and I.  And later, it turned out that my husband and I couldn’t have children.  But I always wanted to be independent and self-sufficient and this has been the underlying motivation to my life.  Later, I read books by a Virginia farmer that inspired, motivated, instructed, and opened doors to my mind. This allowed me to move forward and choose a different life than just as a suburban wife and employee.

We started with a garden out west before we moved to a rural eastern location.  Gardening out west is fraught with serious challenges of water and hail.  While it was fulfilling to a certain extent, having a garden in a suburban tract is only a tease and considering water costs, extremely expensive.  You don’t have enough space to grow enough food for a year.  Nor can you raise livestock-neighbors don’t want to hear animals doing their thing.Continue reading“Preparedness and Homesteading as a Middle-Aged Woman, by P.B.”