JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:

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Here are JWR’s Recommendations of the Week for various media and tools of interest to SurvivalBlog readers. The focus is usually on emergency communications gear, bug out bag gear, books, and movies–often with a tie-in to disaster preparedness, and links to “how-to” self-sufficiency videos. There is also an emphasis on links to sources for storage food and a variety of storage and caching containers. You will also note an emphasis on history books and historical movies. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This week the focus is on your last-week-with-certain-shipping-before-Christmas shopping — especially tools that are Made in USA. (See the Gear & Grub section.)

Books:

Here’s a book by Joel Skousen that you might not know about: The High Security Shelter – How to Implement a Multi-Purpose Safe Room in the Home, 5th Edition [2017]

o  o  o

Illustrated Cabinetmaking: How to Design and Construct Furniture That Works (Fox Chapel Publishing) Over 1300 Drawings & Diagrams for Drawers, Tables, Beds, Bookcases, Cabinets, Joints & Subassemblies

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Building a Shed (Taunton’s Build Like a Pro)

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Minimalist Homeschooling: A values-based approach to maximize learning and minimize stress

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Clanlands: Whisky, Warfare, and a Scottish Adventure Like No Other

Continue reading“JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:”

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — December 15, 2020

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The 15th of December, 1923, was the birthday of Uziel “Uzi” Gal (born Gotthard Glas).  He is shown holding up an Uzi and a German MP-40, for comparison. According to Wikipedia, he was “…born in Weimar, Germany. When the Nazis came to power in 1933 he moved first to England and later, in 1936, to Kibbutz Yagur in the British Mandate of Palestine where he changed his name to Uziel Gal. In 1943, he was arrested for illegally carrying a gun and sentenced to six years in prison. However, he was pardoned and released in 1946, serving less than half of his sentence.” He is, of course, remembered as the inventor of the famous Uzi submachine gun and the short-lived Ruger MP9 (an improvement to the Uzi). Uzi Gal is not to be confused with Israel Galili, the chief weapons designer for Israeli Military Industries (IMI), who along with Yaacov Lior designed the Galil improvement to the AK-47.

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December 15th is Bill of Rights Day. (The Bill of Rights became law on this day in 1791, following ratification by the state of Virginia.) We encourage our American readers to gather publicly and read the Bill of Rights aloud.

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Don’t forget to watch the sky tonight for both the Northern Lights and the very rare planetary conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 92 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. 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. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  4. 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 92 ends on January 31, 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.

Surviving Seniorhood With Sharpies – Part 1, by St. Funogas

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While much of the following is geared towards us older folks who can no longer remember the day of the week nor find it on the calendar without reading glasses, much of it also applies to young geezers and anyone else trying to get their life and/or their preps more organized.

I wish I were making this all up or just trying to be helpful, but most of these are things that I do to make my day-to-day psychological survival possible by avoiding little frustrations caused from not seeing, or remembering, what this or that thing is, or what’s in the box or bucket, and where the heck did I put that info after I went to all the trouble to figure it out?

Hopefully some of the ideas in this article will help you, inspire you to come up with some of your own, and maybe brighten your day a little at the same time.

Every year I go through a lot of Sharpies, those pointy permanent markers that come in almost as many colors as that big box of crayons you dreamed about as a kid. I used to have a great memory, but then Late Onset Mental Retardation (LOMR) set in a few years back and now I can’t even remember my phone number. Here are some of the ways I put Sharpies to good use while waiting for medical science to find a cure for LOMR and general cognitive decline.

Food Storage Buckets – We wouldn’t dream of actually writing anything on our precious food-storage buckets after they set us back 8 bucks apiece! And certainly not with something permanent like a Sharpie. Being a person who enjoys thinking outside the bucket, I write on mine with Sharpies. The two times since Twinkies were 12¢ a package when I needed to change what was in the bucket, I took a piece of white duct tape and made a new label to cover the Sharpie writing. The buckets look so much more professional with the writing right on the bucket. You can always put that tacky piece of tape over the name of the old contents if you ever change what’s inside. On the other hand, roving hordes have been known to pass up pantries with ugly tape labels in favor of better-organized larders with increased eye appeal, so I’m going to have to rethink this one.Continue reading“Surviving Seniorhood With Sharpies – Part 1, by St. Funogas”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

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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 COVID-19 death statistics in Wyoming. (See the Wyoming section.)

Idaho

Idaho health board meeting halted after ‘intense protests’. Here is how the article begins:

“Idaho public health officials abruptly ended a meeting Tuesday after the Boise mayor and chief of police said intense protests outside the health department building — as well as outside some health officials’ homes — were threatening public safety.

The request from Boise Mayor Lauren McLean and the Boise Police Department came just a few minutes after one health board member, Ada County Commissioner Diana Lachiondo, tearfully interrupted the online meeting to say she had to rush home from work to be with her son. The board had been expected to vote on a four-county mask mandate in Idaho’s most populated region.”

o  o  o

And then we heard: State of Idaho issues sealed warrants for people exercising RIGHTS at public officials home

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Fish and Game captures, treats sick cow moose in Hailey

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt”

Preparedness Notes for Monday — December 14, 2020

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December 14th is the birthday of the late John Warren Wadleigh (born 1927, died September 24, 2013). Wadleigh was better known to many SurvivalBlog readers by his pen name– Oliver Lange. He was the author of the best-selling resistance warfare novel Vandenberg. He is pictured with his son.

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This is also the birthday of Air Force General James H. “Jimmy” Doolittle, who died September 27, 1993.

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I spotted two new listings of interest, over at my #1 Son’s site:

and,

New log home with creek frontage adjoining USFS land, in Montana

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Today, another review by our loyal Field Gear Editor, Pat Cascio.

Zero Tolerance Knives ZT0308, by Pat Cascio

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I’ve always liked folding knives on the larger side, for a number of reasons: First of all, I believe a larger folder can accomplish a lot more daily tasks than a smaller folder can. Second, this comes down to survival – and while no folding knife is the best choice for survival, a large one can do many of the chores you ask of it. Third, a larger folder is better suited for self-defense work. Now, I’m not advocating that you take a knife – any knife – to a gunfight, however a larger knife in your hand, when being attacked, tends to scare off a bad guy with a smaller knife, or in the event of several attackers, they might just decide they have an appointment for a root canal, at the other end of town. And, lastly, I believe a larger folder is more stout and will hold up to many different tasks you might have for it.

Zero Tolerance knives, is a division of KAI Corporation, and they also own Kershaw Knives, and the ZT live is produced in the same factory, right here in Oregon, as are many of the Kershaw Knives are being manufactured. Keep in mind, that all ZT knives are all made in the USA. I’ve toured the Kershaw/ZT plant several times, and observed their dedicated employees working on putting these knives together for their consumers. And, to be sure, these knives aren’t simply “assembled” they are fitted, to the tightest tolerances you can imagine. Thus, the name “Zero Tolerance” is truly apropos. CNC machines can only do so much, when it comes to making blades and other parts, and in the end, it is the human being, who does the final fitting of ZT knives, and it takes a close eye to do this. Every station I visited, where knives were being fitted, had a large, lighted magnifying glass there that the worker used to observe the final fitting process. If a partially fitted knife arrived at the next station down the line, and that employee found something wrong, it was sent back to the previous station, and if that didn’t do it, it was set aside.

I happen to know a little bit about fitting things, I used to do a lot of gunsmithing many years ago, and I didn’t simply “assemble” guns – and I specialized in 1911s – I fitted them, not nearly as simple as it sounds, especially when you have parts from different vendors. I had one 1911, that no matter what I did to it, the darn thing just wouldn’t work. I finally figured it out – the pin holes in the frame were drilled off a few thousandths of an inch, and because of that, nothing else would fit properly.

ZT knives say right on their boxes, that they are “Proudly” made in the USA – and that means a lot to most folks. I believe that we in the USA, can produce just about anything better than any other country can – end of story.

The ZT0308 Specifications

ZT only uses the best of the best materials in their knives, and that includes the best hi-tech steels in the blade, as well as in the handle materials. Today we’re looking at their ZT308 model. The 0308 has a blade made out of CPM 20CV and this is an outstanding stainless steel, that not only takes a great edge, but it holds that super-sharp edge for a long, long time – and it isn’t all that hard to keep that edge on the blade – just don’t let it get too dull – like any knife steel, and you can put a factory edge back on this blade. The blade itself is 3.75-inches long, and that is just perfect in my book for a folding knife, and the blade is also wide as well. Plus, we have a drop point design to the blade, one of the most used, and useful blade designs ever. The Rockwell hardness on this steel is 60-62, and that means, as already mentioned that, it will hold an edge a good long time, plus this particular steel isn’t prone to becoming brittle at this higher RC scale – no chipping on the edge of the blade.Continue reading“Zero Tolerance Knives ZT0308, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Sago, Rice, or Barley Soup

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The following recipe for Sago, Rice, or Barley Soup 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. A professional scan of that 724-page out-of-copyright book will be one of the many bonus items included in the next edition of the waterproof SurvivalBlog Archive USB stick. This special 15th Anniversary Edition USB stick should be available for sale in the third week of January, 2021. The 14th Edition sold out quickly, so place a reminder in your calendar, if you want one.

Ingredients
  • 1 quart brown or white stock (cleared or not cleared)
  • 2 tablespoons sago, rice, or barley
  • Salt, to taste
  • Pepper, to taste
Directions
  1. Soak sago one-half hour in enough stock or water to cover it.
  2. Bring remainder of stock to simmering-point.
  3. Add soaked sago and simmer in closed saucepan one-half hour, or until sago is soft.
  4. Season and serve.

Notes: Rice may be substituted for sago. If barley is used it should be soaked over night.

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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

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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 telecommuting is opening up possibilities for living in rural regions.

Precious Metals:

A headline from Friday: Gold, silver and platinum take a beating. JWR Says: Buy on the dips!

o  o  o

Inflation Is Back, Big-Time

Economy & Finance:

At Zero Hedge: Swedish Central Bank Governor Slams Expansion Of QE, Gives 6 Reasons Why

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Over at Credit Bubble Bulletin: Weekly Commentary: Monetary Disorder In Extremis

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At Wolf Street: Consumers Finally Getting Smart? Credit Card Balances in Steepest Drop Ever

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — December 13, 2020

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December 13th is the birthday of Sergeant Alvin York.

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By way of Pat Cascio, I just heard of the passing of Professor Bradley J. Steiner, at age 74.  He was legendary in the martial arts world. Our condolences to his family.

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 92 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. 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. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  4. 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 92 ends on January 31, 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.

Christmas Tree Farming for Fun & Profit, by W.W.

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‘Tis the season to sell “choose and cut Christmas trees.” This time of year, between Thanksgiving and Christmas is when “choose and cut” Christmas tree growers sell to the public. The farm is alive with families combing the hillside to find that special tree to take home and decorate.

About 35 years ago while living in suburbia, my next-door neighbor suggested we buy a piece of land and grow Christmas trees. His line of reason went something like this. “We plant the trees and come back in 10 years and sell them all.” We didn’t pursue his idea.

Little did I imagine that a few decades later I would be doing exactly that. Well not exactly. In 2001 I bought a 31-acre farm in south/central Pennsylvania. That is rated climate zone 4. The arable land was leased out to two local farmers who grew corn, wheat and soy beans and I decided to keep the arrangement in place to help with the taxes.

There were a couple of acres though that were too steep to farm so I started to explore how I could put it to use. I contacted the county extension service and they came up with several suggestions such as an orchard, berry or flower growing or Christmas trees. Since I was still working full time and having an 80-mile round trip commute to my workplace, I opted for Christmas trees since it seemed to me be the least time-consuming.

My farm lane is long and narrow and not user friendly for large trucks which would be required for a wholesale operation so I elected to opt for the “choose and cut” option. I researched what species to plant, orientation, spacing, soil pH, etc. The hillside I planned to utilize faced south, not the optimum direction according to the information I found but I decided to give it a shot. I explained to my wife, “Even if we don’t sell any trees, we will have planted a forest.”

The recommended spacing for planting is five feet between trees and six feet between rows. If you are planning on wholesaling you will need to leave space at intervals to allow for loading the cut trees on trucks. This means you can plant approximately 1,455 trees on an acre of ground. Based upon the acreage available and the time and labor you can invest the size of the operation is up to you. The ability to size the operation to fit your space and time available is a great advantage. You may also find that you are able to accomplish the shearing and harvesting during times of the year when you would not normally be too busy with other chores.

In 2003 in order to see which varieties would do best, I ordered 600 three-year seedlings: one hundred each of Fraser Fir, Douglas Fir, Norway Spruce, Black Hills Spruce, Colorado Blue Spruce, and Scotch Pine. I would later add Concolor Firs. Costs ran about 50 cents per seedling including shipping. The dry root seedlings arrived in mid-April and my wife and I planted them using a digging bar. Things went well in April and May but we began to lose seedlings in June when the weather turned dry. Because of time constraints and the plantings being located uphill from a water source, irrigation was not an option. Perhaps survivability rates would have been higher if I had used an auger to create some loose soil around the seedling rather than compacting the soil with the digging bar. I would switch over to a gas power auger in later years.Continue reading“Christmas Tree Farming for Fun & Profit, by W.W.”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:

For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:

In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.

But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.

Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;

And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him” – Colossians 3:1-10 (KJV)