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 attended another gun show. I also busied myself with several projects around the ranch. A lot of that was fence work.  I also dropped a dead-standing 40-foot fir tree with a double top that I had girdled two years ago. After I had limbed and bucked it into rounds for splitting, our daughters helped me haul the limbs to a couple of slash piles. The splitting may have to wait a few months, but at least the wood is all now piled near our main woodshed.

I’ve been trying to catch up on cataloging recently acquired guns for Elk Creek Company. There have been a few rare examples, including a C.96 Broomhandle Mauser that was made in 1897. But I still have a half-dozen guns awaiting photographs and descriptions.

I’ve been amazed to see how prices for pre-1899 cartridge guns are galloping — both at gun shows and at the auctions.  I attribute part of that to the planned “Universal Background Checks” scheme (that would thankfully exempt pre-1899 guns) as well as general currency inflation. Get your guns before prices really take off.

A Special Request: I’m looking for up to a dozen good-quality complete AR-15 rifle uppers, preferably complete with bolt carrier groups. I’m mainly interested Picatinny rail-equipped M4 style with 16″ or 18″ barrels. I can pay cash, but I’m also willing to trade any of my Pre-1899 antique guns or percussion replica guns listed at Elk Creek Company. Trading uppers for pre-1899s, no FFL would need to be involved–that is unless you live in a horribly gin-deprived state like California or New Jersey. Let me know what you have available, and let’s trade!

I expect to be busy with the chainsaw next week. I also need to buy a couple of more tube gates, for a planned cross-fencing project. There is never a shortage of things to be done, even on a small ranch. (Yes, our ranch is relatively small. Some of our neighbors have hundreds of acres.) Now, over to Lily…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.

And when the people saw him, they praised their god: for they said, Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, which slew many of us.

And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made them sport: and they set him between the pillars.

And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I may lean upon them.

Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport.

And Samson called unto the Lord, and said, O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.

And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left.

And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.

 Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the buryingplace of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years.” – Judges 16: 23-31 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — April 30, 2021

Camerone Day is celebrated on April 30th every year — the French Foreign Legion’s most important holiday.

Today is also the birthday of sci-fi novelist Larry Niven (born April 30, 1938). Along with Jerry Pournelle, he co-authored the survivalist classic Lucifer’s Hammer. April 30th is also the birthday of Ed Yourdon, who was born in 1944.

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New listing through Survival Realty Brokerage Services: A manufactured home on 18 acres in Sabine Parish, Louisiana. Has a four-acre pond, shop, and more. $179,500.
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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 94 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 94 ends on May 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.

The Innate Value of an Apple Tree – Part 2, by Northwoods Prepper

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

Developing a pest-reduction process is better when understanding your enemy. For example, the Apple Tree Maggot can be found in the lower 48, while the San Jose Scale is limited to California. Use the internet to evaluate what insects are in your area. Traps are often multispecies and can significantly reduce infestation. There is a great article on Rural Sprout (https://www.ruralsprout.com/apple-tree-problems/) regarding apple tree problems with pictures identifying insect infestation and the damage they can do to apple trees.

One last thing to say about infestation and insects and that is it is not a loss of your crop. We, as consumers, are used to perfect apples without a blemish. They are also covered with chemicals and one of the newest products (to avoid chemical skin test limits) is to introduce chemicals into the tree itself. However, as a homesteader/survivalist an apple with a worm is simply that. You can cut away the good parts for multiple uses and give the worm to your chickens or compost pile. Commercial farmers use these apples for cider and sauce. The worms are not poisonous. If an apple is not rotted or moldy, they are generally safe to eat.

Expert Tips: Pruning is best done in late winter, early spring before the ground thaws.
This provides the tree the best opportunity to resist infection. Utilize pruning paint when making large cuts to the tree (limbs with a diameter greater than one inch). I also tend to burn all the pruned branches, especially those damaged or infected.

Uses for Apples and Trees

Aside from the fact that apple pie may be the best dessert ever, there are hundreds of uses for apples and it is considered a key survival food. Certain apples (often called winter apples) can be easily stored and hold their flavor for several months without refrigeration. Apples can be eaten raw or cooked and there are hundreds of recipes using apples as a side, garnish, or even main course. Apples are easily canned into apple butter, apple slices, and apple sauce, all great sources of nutrition that have high calories for a grid-out situation with a long stable shelf-life. Apples can be dried and there are recipes for a gum substitute made from apple peels. Pioneers used to make “apple leather” which was cooked apples that were dried. This leather could be rehydrated and used later in recipes. Apples are used to make cider, hard cider, and vinegar, which again have numerous survival applications when grocery stores are unavailable. Apples can also be used to make pectin, a key ingredient to canning jelly. With basic canning and cooking materials, a single apple tree can provide a family with supplemental food for months (if not years). Each of the above is not difficult to make although the liquid products are easier if you have a cider press.Continue reading“The Innate Value of an Apple Tree – Part 2, by Northwoods Prepper”

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 global inflation concerns.

Precious Metals:

It’s just zeros and ones at the end of the day’ – David Garofalo on why gold is better than bitcoin

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Price pressure on gold and silver as bond yields on the rise

Economy & Finance:

Flexport: Trans-Pacific deteriorating, brace for shipping ‘tsunami’

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At Zero Hedge: Why Global Inflation Is About To Go Into Overdrive

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Over at American Thinker: Jerome Powell and the Coming Inflation. This article begins:

“Usually, the Federal Reserve acts as a counterweight when Congress and U.S. presidents follow inflationary policies. We haven’t had an incompetent Federal Reserve chairman since Arthur Burns and G. William Miller produced simultaneous inflation and recession, an economic malady known as “stagflation.” Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell may not be as bad as Burns and Miller, but he does seem to be making one economic mistake after another.

Like Miller, Powell is that rare exception: a Fed chair without a background in economics. Being an American today is a bit like riding on a bus driven by someone who lacks a CDL.  It might work out okay, but some white knuckles on the curves are well justified.”

o  o  o

At Wolf Street: Forget 2% Inflation. With Margins Forcefully Squeezed, Big Companies Raise Prices, Point at Massive Inflation Overshoot

o  o  o

Euro Area Inflation March 2021

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — April 29, 2021

This is the birthday of actor Daniel Day-Lewis (born 1957), often remembered for his starring roles in Last of the Mohicians and in Lincoln.

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Our Editor-At-Large Michael Z. Williamson has a new sci-fi anthology that will be released by Baen Books on May 4th: Freehold Defiance. I’ve started reading my advance copy, and it is great! The book is already available for pre-order directly from Baen, and will be available from all major online retailers and brick-and-mortar stores on May 4th. I’d of course prefer that you order your copies from Books-A-Million (BAM), so that we can starve the Amazon beast.

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 94 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 94 ends on May 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.

The Innate Value of an Apple Tree – Part 1, by Northwoods Prepper

“Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.”
– Martin Luther

As an ardent survivalist, arborist, and aficionado of the apple tree, you can see why this is one of my favorite quotes. The apple tree may be one of the most valuable survival tools you can have if you own land. The only downside to apple trees is they take advanced planning and you will have to wait several years or more, depending upon tree type, before you have fruit. The plus side is that you can have bushels of fruit annually with minimal work and expense, much less than planting a garden. I would like to share with you my thoughts on apple trees.

Apple Tree Variants

There are hundreds of variant apple species. From tiny crabapples to the Peasgood’s Nonesuch with apples weighing in at nearly one pound each, you can find varieties bred to grow fast, weather tolerant, disease and insect resistant, timeliness of fruit ripening (early summer to late fall), fruit durability, and, of course, taste. Besides, anytime someone grows an apple from seed, it is likely to be a variant of some type and there is no guarantee it will produce the same fruit from which it came. Apple species should be chosen for your local weather conditions including zone type and annual moisture, as well as your ultimate use.

While I will go into usage a bit further, as a survivalist, while the taste is important, it is almost the last of my considerations. My retreat is in a colder area with a bit of altitude, traditionally a Zone 4. However, experience has taught me that Zone 3 is preferable for production as they tend to flower just a bit later allowing for our regular late frosts that will kill off the flowers and thus the apples. Of secondary importance is hardiness from insects, disease, and drought. While I can treat my trees currently, I want them to be able to survive, if necessary, without chemicals, fertilizer, or supplemental watering.

We also tend to prefer organic as well and these types of apple trees support this choice. Finally, my third consideration is when the fruit ripens. I plant several fruit trees a year and my final strategy is to have fruit ripening for harvest at differing times to allow a better return for collection and processing. When I go through this decision process, I find that the heritage trees are often better suited for my needs such as the Gravenstein or McIntosh. However, there are new breeds that are also ideal such as Red Baron or Zestar, which has recently been developed.Continue reading“The Innate Value of an Apple Tree – Part 1, by Northwoods Prepper”

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 COVID-19 Vaccine Adverse Reactions and Deaths.

Report Begins on COVID “Vaccine” Adverse Reactions and Deaths

SurvivalBlog reader D.S.V. sent us the link to where US CDC has posted a web page, detailing COVID-19 vaccine Adverse Reactions and 3,486 Deaths.  JWR’s Comments: Any bets on how heavily this will be reported by the statist mainstream media?  Perhaps if they’d used AR-15s instead of hypodermic syringes for this mass murder of 3,486 people, they’d get more media coverage.

COVID-19 Alters Human Genes

This article prompts as many questions as it answers: COVID-19 alters human genes, explaining mystery behind coronavirus ‘long haulers’. JWR’s Comment:  So are we to believe that a gene therapy “vaccine” will be effective against a virus that is already doing its own genetic manipulation?  I have serious doubts about the long-term prospects for those who are vaccinated.  I suspect that there may be a huge “whammy” waiting in their future, whether it be a new sort of susceptibility, odd side-effects, or even fertility problems that won’t be noticed until after it is too late. So I must reiterate my advice to avoid taking the experimental “vaccine”!

Biden’s State of The Union

I watched Senile Joe Biden’s dismal speech last night. He couldn’t get things right, even with a teleprompter. In addition to pushing heavily for his hoped-for additional $4 trillion in federal infrastructure/jobs/pork-barrel spending plan, he twice mentioned that we have no need for 100-round magazines.  So in response, I immediately ordered four more Beta C-MAGs. I consider them a hedge on leftist Democrat policies. At the rate that things are going, they may turn out to be a wise investment.

ATF Spying on Gun Buyers Through NICS

D.S.V. also sent this news that comes as no great surprise: Leaked Document Shows ATF Spying on Gun Buyers Through NICS.  JWR’s Comments: The ATF is barred by federal law from building databases of gun purchases. I suspect that this news story is evidence that ATF is doing precisely that.  Take note that the “monitoring” is of individuals who pass the background checks but that are suspected as someone who might commit a crime “in the future.” That sounds straight out of Phillip K. Dick’s Minority Report.

FBI Invading Corporate Computers to Remove Malicious Code

Reader C.B. sent us this: The FBI is breaking into corporate computers to remove malicious code: Cyber defense or overreach? The article begins:

“The FBI has the authority right now to access privately owned computers without their owners’ knowledge or consent, and to delete software. It’s part of a government effort to contain the continuing attacks on corporate networks running Microsoft Exchange software, and it’s an unprecedented intrusion that’s raising legal questions about just how far the government can go.

On April 9, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas approved a search warrant allowing the U.S. Department of Justice to carry out the operation.

The software the FBI is deleting is installed by hackers to take control of a victim’s . Hackers have used the code to access vast amounts of private email messages and to launch ransomware attacks. The authority the Justice Department relied on and the way the FBI carried out the operation set important precedents. They also raise questions about the power of courts to regulate cybersecurity without the consent of the owners of the targeted computers.”

Beavers Knock Out Cell Phone and Internet Service in Canadian Town

Another from C.B.: Beavers reportedly knock out cell phone and internet service in Canadian town.Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Political correctness is communist propaganda writ small. In my study of communist societies, I came to the conclusion that the purpose of communist propaganda was not to persuade or convince, not to inform, but to humiliate; and therefore, the less it corresponded to reality the better. When people are forced to remain silent when they are being told the most obvious lies, or even worse when they are forced to repeat the lies themselves, they lose once and for all their sense of probity. To assent to obvious lies is in some small way to become evil oneself. One’s standing to resist anything is thus eroded, and even destroyed. A society of emasculated liars is easy to control. I think if you examine political correctness, it has the same effect and is intended to.” – Theodore Dalrymple (a pen name of Anthony Malcolm Daniels)

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — April 28, 2021

April 28th is the birthday of Aimo Johannes Lahti. (Born in 1896.) This inventive Finn designed (or co-designed) an amazing array of weapons including the L-35 Lahti pistol, the Suomi M-31 SMG, the Lahti-Saloranta M/26 LMG, the famous Lahti L-39 20mm anti-tank rifle, and even the 20 ItK 40 — a 20 mm dual anti-aircraft cannon.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 94 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 94 ends on May 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.

Salvaging Beeswax, by The Novice

The subtitle for this article is: Of Mice, Bees, Squirrels, and Beeswax

Of Mice

“. . . Mousie, you are not alone,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best-laid schemes of Mice and Men,
Go oft awry,
And leave us naught but grief and pain,
For promised joy!”

(Excerpt from “To a Mouse, On Turning her up in her Nest, with the Plough, November 1785″ by Robert Burns, anglicized and updated by the Novice)

Of Bees

Near my home is a large hollow tree that for many years has been the home to a large colony of bees. Each summer the bees busily collected nectar from flowers and made it into honey. Each winter they hunkered down snug in their hive and lived off of the honey that they had collected until spring. This past summer brought an end to the world as the bees knew it. A section of the hollow tree decayed to the point that it broke away. This loss left a large hole right at the base of the hive. As the first cold nights of autumn came, this hole allowed the frigid winds to enter the hive. The bees were unprepared for this, and quickly perished in the cold.

Of Squirrels

The local squirrels soon noticed that a hoard of honey was unguarded. A large-scale squirrel invasion ensued. Day by day, a procession of squirrels made their way into and out of the hive. Our beagle, Tucker, did his best to drive off the invaders, but without success. As a result, the squirrels in our woods were unusually fat for a time.

The bees planned to provide for themselves, but they ended up feeding the squirrels.Continue reading“Salvaging Beeswax, by The Novice”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippet

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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First, and foremost is an incredible global radio listening map, sent to us by H.L.: Radio Garden. H.L describes it: “The green dots on this Google Earth map represent radio stations all over the world. Click on any one of the dots and you will immediately hear that station with very good reception.”

JWR’s Comment: I also found this fascinating. It is obvious that NPR stations are over-represented versus Christian and small independent stations, but it is still an amazing tool. Take the time to “tour” The American Redoubt via Radio Garden.  Not only will it give you an appreciation of how vast and lightly-populated the region is, but also how delightfully old-fashioned and conservative the populace is. I randomly clicked on a station in Billings, Montana, and soon heard an ad for a hardware store extolling: “We have a good selection of ARs and stripped AR lowers.” You’ve gotta love the Redoubt!

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Our own Pat Cascio spotted this: New Gun Control Bill Expected To Pass Requires Background Checks to Purchase Ammo.

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Duane sent this note:

“Tunnel Rabbit’s informative article on solar power is helpful for someone just starting and trying to keep some lights on with minimal cash outlay.  I’ve lived off grid for 23 years and have over 4KW of panels, many on a tracker, and a large Iron Edison battery bank.  Also have 1095 watts of solar on my RV using linear actuators to raise the panels.  {Available from W.W. Grainger}  I’m writing to explain something most solar installers don’t consider.  There is a difference between AC and DC voltage.  AC starts at zero and follows a sine wave to maximum and then returns to zero and follows a sine wave to maximum in the opposite direction and returns to zero.  You can measure the area under the curve and play with the numbers, but the bottom line means you need larger wire for DC which stays at one voltage and amperage.  The wire size ratings from Underwriters Lab are for fire prevention on AC circuits, not efficiency.  They say #14 will carry 15 amps,  #12  20 amps,  #10  30 amps,  #6  60 amps.  For a continuous load, such as lights, decrease #12 from 20 amps to 16 amps.  For efficient DC, such as from solar panels to the controller, triple the wire size.  Instead of #12 for 20 amps, use #6.

A favorite trick of solar panel installers on RVs is to use small wire on the DC circuits so they can sell more panels to get enough power.  A small voltage drop from the panel to the solar controller will make a large drop in the output because batteries need a voltage above their rated voltage to charge them. Like many things in life, it comes down to money.  If you are starting with a small system and think you will add more panels later, install larger wire now.  If you are using a large enough system to wire the solar panels in series for 24 volts or 48 volts, you will save on wire because raising the voltage decreases the amperage.  Consider this when buying a solar controller.  Most people are impressed with free energy from solar and like no electric bill every month.  If the solar controller, wire, and inverter are sized properly it is easy to add a couple solar panels and more batteries later.  Prior planning prevents poor performance.”

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Reader D.S.V. wrote to mention this news: Supreme Court Takes Up Major NRA-Backed Gun Rights Case

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippet”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“If you take all the machinery in the world and dump it in the ocean, within months more than half of all humanity will die and within another six months they’d almost all be gone; if you took all the politicians in the world, put them in a rocket, and sent them to the moon, everyone would get along fine.” – R. Buckminster Fuller

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — April 27, 2021

On this day in 1789, the crew of the British ship Bounty mutinied, setting Captain William Bligh and 18 sailors adrift in a launch in the South Pacific.

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Take note that I’ve moved the posting day for our weekly Snippets column from Tuesdays to Wednesdays.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present an article that is not eligible for the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The author is my #1 Son, Jonathan Edwards Rawles. He operates the real estate advertising site SurvivalRealty.com and is a partner of Survival Realty Brokerage Services.