Preparedness Notes for Monday — June 16, 2025

On June 16, 1487: Battle of Stoke Field, Nottinghamshire. English Tudor King Henry VII defeated the remaining Yorkists led by John de la Pole and Lord Lovell in the last battle of the Wars of the Roses. (Pictured is a print titled: “The Last Stand of Schwarz and His Germans, Stoke Field.”)

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Today is the birthday of pioneering economist Adam Smith, in 1723. He was born in Kirkaldy, County Fife, Scotland. He died July 17, 1790.

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The big Mauser sale ends tonight! We have been running a two-week-long sale on all of the pre-1899 Mauser rifles in our inventory at Elk Creek Company.  There is no paperwork required to order these, in most States.  They are mailed right to your door or your P.O. Box address. They are all in modern high-pressure chamberings like 7×57 Mauser and 6.5×55 Swedish Mauser. The sale ends at Midnight, Eastern Time tonight. (Monday, June 16, 2025.) Take a look! And, by the way, we are now offering an unprecedented 26.5 times face value for pre-1965 US silver coins, if you’d prefer to pay that way.  (Take the total for your order and divide by 26.5, for the amount you’d pay in circulated 90% silver coins.)

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Today’s feature article is a product review from SurvivalBlog staff writer Tom Christianson.

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We need some more entries for Round 119 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $960,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 119 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. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

 

Big Idea Design Ti Field Watch, by Thomas Christianson

Big Idea Design makes some high-quality pieces of gear out of titanium. The strength and light weight of that metal make it well suited to items for everyday carry (EDC).

The Big Idea EDC item that I like the most is their Ti Field Watch. It is rugged, light-weight, and accurate.

With a price at the time of this writing of $499.99 at BigIDesign.com , it is definitely not inexpensive. But it is by far the best watch that I have ever owned. If you can afford a watch in the mid-price range, this one would be an excellent choice.Continue reading“Big Idea Design Ti Field Watch, by Thomas Christianson”

Recipe of the Week: Storage Peanut Butter Bread

The following recipe for Storage Peanut Butter Bread is from SurvivalBlog reader D.G., who says:  “This is a great way to use some of your storage food staple ingredients. This recipe makes one loaf.”

Ingredients
  • 2 Cups Flour
  • 4 Teaspoons Baking Powder
  • 1 Teaspoon Salt
  • ½ Cup Sugar
  • 1 Cup Milk (fresh or reconstituted powdered milk.)
  • ⅔ Cup Peanut Butter (fresh or reconstituted peanut butter powder.)
Directions
  1. Pre-heat your oven to 425 F.
  2. Grease a loaf pan, set aside
  3. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl.
  4. Stir in the sugar.
  5. Add peanut butter, working it into the dry ingredients with your fingers.
  6. Once thoroughly combined, add the milk. (Stir lightly, but thoroughly.)
  7. Pour batter into a greased large bread loaf pan.
  8. Bake at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes. (Test with a toothpick.)

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Do you have a well-tested 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 recipes, slow cooker recipes, and any recipes that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week

Today’s graphic: A map showing Rice Asia versus Bread Asia. (Graphic by Rartofel, courtesy of Reddit.)

The thumbnail below is click-expandable.

 

 

 

 

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Please send your graphics or graphics links to JWR. (Either via e-mail or via our Contact form.) Any graphics that you send must either be your own creation or uncopyrighted.

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“All hereditary government is in its nature tyranny…To inherit a government, is to inherit the
people, as if they were flocks and herds.” – Thomas Paine, ‘The Rights of Man’, Part 2 (1792)

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — June 15, 2025

June 15, 1219: According to legend, Dannebrog, the flag of Denmark (and the oldest national flag in the world) fell from the sky during the Battle of Lyndanisse (now Tallinn) in Estonia and turned the Danes’ luck.

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On June 15, 1762, Austria used the first paper currency.  The world has seen currency inflation, ever since.

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Following a revolt by the English nobility against his rule, King John put his royal seal on the Magna Carta, or “Great Charter” on June 15, 1215. This document, essentially a peace treaty between John and his barons, guaranteed that the king would respect feudal rights and privileges, uphold the freedom of the church, and maintain the nation’s laws. Although it was more a reactionary than a progressive document, the Magna Carta was seen as a cornerstone in the development of democratic England by later generations.

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Just one day left! We are running a two-week-long sale on all of the pre-1899 Mauser rifles in our inventory at Elk Creek Company.  There is no paperwork required to order these, in most States.  They are mailed right to your door or your P.O. Box address. The sale ends at Midnight, Eastern Time on Monday, June 16th. Take a look!  And, by the way, we are now offering an unprecedented 26.5 times face value for pre-1965 US silver coins, if you’d prefer to pay that way.  (Take the total for your order and divide by 26.5.)

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Today’s feature article was too short to qualify for the judging in the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. We are in need of entries for Round 119 of the contest, which 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. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

Urban Evacuation Planning: A Medic’s View, by Christian Bahr-Lopez

Urban evacuation is often treated as a logistics problem or a public safety exercise. But for those of us who’ve worked on the street, through blackouts, fires, multi-casualty incidents, and gridlock, the truth is more grim. Collapse in a city doesn’t start when the power goes out. It starts when the system stops answering.

I’ve worked as a New York City EMT/paramedic across the boroughs of Bronx, Queens, Manhattan, and Long Island. What follows isn’t theory. It’s what I’ve learned about survival, triage, and movement when the infrastructure fails and panic takes over.

The First Fail Point: Roads and Intersections

Most civilians plan to evacuate by car. That’s a fatal assumption.

Once the flow of traffic is disrupted by downed lights, stalled vehicles, or sheer panic, the street grid collapses. Intersections become choke points. Emergency vehicles are paralyzed. Pedestrians spill into traffic. You can die sitting behind your steering wheel a mile from safety.Continue reading“Urban Evacuation Planning: A Medic’s View, by Christian Bahr-Lopez”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR:

 

Meme Text:

Why Does Pride Get Its Own Month…

..When The Six Other Deadly Sins Don’t Even Get a Day of Recognition?

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

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

 

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.

The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.

But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.” – Romans 13:8-14 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — June 14, 2025

June 14, 1645: The Battle of Naseby, Leicestershire: Parliament’s New Model Army under Oliver Cromwell and Thomas Fairfax defeated the Royalist forces of English King Charles I.

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During the American Revolution, the Continental Congress adopted a resolution on June 14th, 1777, stating that “the flag of the United States be thirteen alternate stripes red and white” and that “the Union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation.” The national flag, which became known as the “Stars and Stripes,” was based on the “Grand Union” flag– a banner carried by the Continental Army in 1776 that also consisted of 13 red and white stripes.

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Today’s short feature article was too short to qualify as an entry for the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. We are seeking entries for Round 119 of the contest. More than $960,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 119 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. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

An Amish Quantity Shopping Observation, by Richard T.

Recently, as I was waiting for our carts while parked outside of the pickup zone at the warehouse-style grocery store that we shop at our dashcam caught these Amish loading up their purchases. This was a very fascinating 10 minute episode that began before we arrived there. There was a large pickup truck with a hired “English” driver, a large rented cargo trailer and two Amish ladies and one Amish man who worked in a very energetic and organized fashion to load pallets of non-perishable goods into racks and shelving into the trailer.

Since I only saw one Amish couple in the store casually shopping, I assume they were doing that while the head group had called ahead and placed an order that they could pick up without having to go through the store. Amish shoppers at this store loading up vans and pickup trucks is not an uncommon sight at this store, but this was by far the most ambitious and massive loading operation that I’ve ever seen.  They were buying in quantity.

Observing this made me wonder if this was a routine procedure for them, or if they were gearing up for something that they saw coming?

Note: The photo above is Adobe Photoshop-edited by me from actual dashcam video, for the privacy of the shoppers.

Editors’ Prepping Progress

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

Jim Reports:

Sheep shearing day!  This week, we had a sheep shearer out to the ranch, and he sheared and hoof-trimmed all of our adult sheep. (We have two small flocks with less than 20 adults, and a roughly equal number of lambs.) He was a real pro, did a great job, with the least number of nicks that I’ve ever seen. (Pictured above is sheep shearing season at my great-grandfather John Wallach’s ranch in Bell Valley, Mendocino County, California, in the 1890s. John Wallach can be seen near the far left, with the moustache.)

I did some more firewood cutting this week. I’m now almost done with my annual wood quota, just in time for haying season.  Thankfully, all of the wood cutting and splitting exercise gets my muscles in shape for the upcoming hay bale bucking/stacking.

We began to drain and scrub our Redneck Pool. It will feel great to see it looking clean and spiffy. That annual pool cleaning project should be done by Tuesday. We’ll then be ready for hot weather and grandkids’ visits!

Now, Lily’s part of the report…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

Preparedness Notes for Friday — June 13, 2025

On June 13, 1665: The Battle of Lowestoft was fought off the coast of Suffolk, England. The English fleet defeated the Dutch fleet.

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June 13, 1777, Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette landed in the fledgling United States.

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June 13, 1889: Two feet of snow accumulated in Rawlins, Wyoming.

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Just a few days left! We are running a two-week-long sale on all of the pre-1899 Mauser rifles in our inventory at Elk Creek Company.  There is no paperwork required to order these, in most States.  They are mailed right to your door or your P.O. Box address. The sale ends on Monday, June 16th. Take a look!

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 119 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. 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),
  2. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  3. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  4. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $350 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. A $269 retail value survival-ready power package from Solar Power Lifestyle. This includes two Solar Power Lifestyle 25W Portable Solar Panels, plus a $150 gift card to use for any purchase at solarpowerlifestyle.com.
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from TOUGHGRID.com (a $287 value).
  4. A transferable $150 FRN 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 gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

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More than $960,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 119 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. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.