My Preparedness Evolution, by Melody Channel

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I was six, and there was very little food in the house that night. I rummaged around in a cupboard and pulled out a nearly empty peanut butter jar, and using a table knife and my finger, I scraped out every bit of it and went to bed early. Being young, I don’t remember if this time lasted days or weeks, but the gnawing feeling of hunger made a profound impact, and from the roots of that childhood experience came the mindset for preparedness and survival.

Everyone has a story, and this is mine. It is hoped that by sharing the stages of the preparedness evolution that I went through it will resonate with those that are beginning their journey as well as those already on their way. All of us, no matter where we fall on the continuum, must constantly be evaluating and reevaluating our prepper status. We are all works in progress. My personal convictions rely on two principles: 1) reducing dependency and 2) minimizing waste, which anyone can learn to live by, in whatever stage they are. For me, these two principles represent freedom and being the best steward possible for the gifts and blessings we were given by our Creator.

Because of the food insecurity issue, I had long watched grocery store sales like a hawk and started small stockpiles of food and supplies early on when my children were young. My first actual effort at prepping beyond food was shortly before Y2K. I bought a kerosene heater and fuel, and in the upstairs bathroom closet I tucked away other items, including bottled water. Those provisions were meager compared to what I have accumulated today, and I didn’t end up needing them, but they gave me a sense of some security and I was glad I had them. As a beginning prepper, it can seem intimidating and overwhelming trying to figure out how to begin, but like many things in life, the best advice is to start where you are.

What are your fears? Where do they come from? Use this information to guide your self-improvement in areas that are uncomfortable for you, and build up your tolerance, albeit slowly. Rome wasn’t built in a day, my mom liked to declare, and it does apply to a lot of life experiences. Start where you are. What can you start to accumulate, and what can you start to give up? Give priority to health and well-being, and your actions and activities will flow from there, in whatever stage you are at this moment in time. Live more sustainably, and responsibly, in the situation you find yourself now.Continue reading“My Preparedness Evolution, by Melody Channel”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.

Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.

Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.

Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.

He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” – Revelation 3: 1-6 (KJV)

 

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — October 17, 2020

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On this day in 1835, Texans approve a resolution to create the Texas Rangers– a corps of armed and mounted lawmen designed to “range and guard the frontier between the Brazos and Trinity Rivers”. After winning their revolutionary war with Mexico the following year, Texans decided to keep the Rangers, both to defend against Indian and Mexican raiders and to serve as the principal law enforcement authority along the sparsely populated Texan frontier.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 91 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 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 91 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Thoughts on an Amish Auction and Preparedness, by 3AD Scout

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Previously, in my August, 2020 SurvivalBlog article titled Going Old School,  I discussed how when we prep by having a primary and back-up, I stated that one back-up should be old school or vintage to accommodate loss of electric and other technology in a prolonged (years) event. Practicing what I “preach” I sometimes attend Amish auctions for non-electric and off-grid equipment and supplies.

Recently I spent a Saturday at an auction where the property of an Amish Wheel Wright and buggy maker was up for sale. My first observation was “English” (non-Amish) buyers were the minority. So, if you go you may not have a lot of competition from other non-Amish bidders. Absent were the antique dealers, second-hand shop owners and flea market vendors looking for merchandise to flip. I believe this lack of attendance by non-Amish is indicative that these types of auctions are an under-tapped resource for serious TEOTWAWKI preppers.

This leads to my second observation, the prices at an Amish auction can tend to be higher (but not always the case) than the prices where the majority of bidders are non-Amish. This doesn’t mean, however, that you won’t get any good deals at an Amish Auction. So why do Amish tend to pay more at auctions? First, most don’t utilize \online E-Commerce. Second, if what they need isn’t within buggy distance, they have to pay someone to drive them to the store or business thus increasing the cost of whatever they buy. Another reason Amish tend to pay higher prices is that their lifestyle is simple and many own and operate their own “cottage industries” and hence they require the means of production that also align with their religious beliefs as well.Continue reading“Thoughts on an Amish Auction and Preparedness, by 3AD Scout”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

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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. Note that as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in the Comments. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

Things went very well with my slash burning, early in the week. Two of the four piles were consumed within eight hours, one with 12 hours, and the last one–containing a stump–within 20 hours. There was only one pile that required much “Woof” (dyed off-road diesel) to get started.  All of this burning was during a rainy spell, for safety. I should mention that if I had waited until this weekend for burning, I probably wouldn’t have been able to get those piles started. There are some more drenching rains in the forecast, and even a chance of a snow shower here on the valley floor, on Sunday.

I had one on-site consulting session with a client who recently bought a large retreat in our region. He has an enviable lifetime supply of Western Larch (locally called “Tamarack”) for firewood.

I’ve been topping off a few supplies, here at the Rawles Ranch. Part of this was rotating our old fish and other veterinary antibiotics, and replacing them with fresh stocks. I’m also laying in some additional full capacity magazines, for barter purposes. I anticipate the California appeals court to strike down that state’s magazine ban sometime before the end of 2020 or perhaps early 2021. If and when that happens, then we will see the result of 20 years of pent-up demand from 35 million+ Californians. (Their ban on buy any additional 11+ round magazines took effect on January 1, 2000.) I expect their high demand to devastate the nationwide supply of available magazines for at least a year.

Our pre-election sale at Elk Creek Company is continuing apace. The inventory is being depleted rapidly–now down to just 50 guns. Not surprisingly, we’ve had several orders for freshly-reconditioned Chilean contract Mauser Model 1895 short rifles chambered in 7×57 Mauser. We started out with nine of those a week ago, and are now down to just six five four two one remaining. “Going, going…”

And now, over to Lily:

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

2

“Help, Lord; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.

They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak.

The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things:

Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us?

For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.

The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.

The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted.” – Psalm 12 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — October 16, 2020

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October 16th, 1859 was the second day of abolitionist John Brown’s raid against the federal armory in Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia), in an attempt to start an armed slave revolt and destroy the institution of slavery. Although the raid failed, it inflamed sectional tensions and raised the stakes for the 1860 presidential election. Brown’s raid helped make any further accommodation between North and South nearly impossible and thus became an important impetus of the Civil War.

—

A reminder: Book Bomb Day for my latest book (The Ultimate Prepper’s Survival Guide) will be this coming Tuesday: October 20, 2020. Please wait to place your order until that day, to maximize the rankings on Amazon.com, and on the New York Times Bestsellers list. Thanks!

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 91 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 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 91 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

 

 

Getting Started with Cloth Diapers – Part 2, by ADC

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

Cloth Diapering when TSHTF

It is important to remember that SHTF is a spectrum. The S is H-ing TF right now everywhere and H-ing extra hard in several places. I, for one, have broken the seal on my SHTF ammunition reserve. Yet, the electricity and the plumbing still work. We can continue diapering as normal, and don’t have to hope that the shelves aren’t stripped of diapers, and that the store hasn’t shut down because of the pandemic, and that rioters haven’t burned the store down. Detergent is the only diaper supply that we have to purchase on a regular basis. We could lay in months worth of detergent, and it would take up far less space and cost far less money than months worth of disposables.

In a TEOTWAWKI situation, cloth will rapidly become the only option for diapering. If your baby is already in cloth diapers, simply continue using the supplies you already have. If you do not already cloth diaper your baby, or you need to help with someone else’s baby, flats will come in handy.

As discussed in the “Gear” section in Part 1, the prefolds that we have been working with are actually flats that have been permanently stitched into a specific size and shape. A flat in its native state is a single-layer square sheet of fabric, preferably somewhat coarse cotton, about 28 inches on a side. This size can be adapted to diaper a child from birth up through the completion of potty training.

The simplest flat diaper fold is a variation on the ever-versatile triangle bandage. Fold the flat into a right triangle (1), then fold that right triangle into another, smaller right triangle (2), place the long edge behind your baby (3), fold the right-angle corner up the groin (4), fold the tips under to adjust size, (5), then fold together and secure with a Snappi (6).Continue reading“Getting Started with Cloth Diapers – Part 2, by ADC”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

9

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 island real estate. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

Price pressure on gold, silver as USDX gains.

o  o  o

At $1,900 gold is still cheap – former Bear Stearns analyst

Economy & Finance:

At Zero Hedge: The Gamma Unwind And Amazon’s Post Prime-Day Fizzle

o  o  o

Kiplinger: Recovery Has Begun, but Progress May Slow

o  o  o

At Wolf Street: Astounding Distortions & Historic Price Spikes in Used-Vehicle Wholesale Market Begin to Unwind

o  o  o

And another: Disney Struck. Cinemas, Landlords Live Nightmare in Brick-and-Mortar-Meltdown Series as Movie Debuts Shift to Streaming

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — October 15, 2020

14

On October 15, 1529, Ottoman armies under Suleiman ended their siege of Vienna and turned back to Belgrade.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 91 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 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 91 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Getting Started with Cloth Diapers – Part 1, by ADC

14
Introduction

People who are interested in preparedness are naturally drawn to cloth diapering, because cloth diapers provide a degree of independence and resiliency that cannot be had with disposable diapers. Toilet paper shortages in the time of COVID have gotten a great deal of attention, but there have also been shortages of disposable diapers. Cloth diapers might even be the ideal prep: it is simple, affordable, and socially acceptable to choose to diaper your baby right now in the same way as you would have to diaper you baby post-TEOTWAWKI. The easier it is to practice a prep, the more likely you are to become good at it. Unfortunately, cloth diapers look like much more work than disposables, and the last thing a new parent wants is more work. This is doubly true for new parents with little childcare experience. It is extremely tempting to press the “easy button” of disposable diapers.

I know this very well. The first diaper that I ever put on a human being was the diaper that went on my daughter seconds after my wife delivered her. Until that moment, I had been terrified of the thought of diapering. This is no accident. A common way for movies and television shows characterize a man as an idiot is to show him struggling with diapers or creating some kind of diaper catastrophe, and movies and television shows feature a lot of idiotic men. This is uncalled-for and unrealistic.

In this article, I will not be presenting an exhaustive manual on cloth diapering. Nor will I be covering the same cloth diapering topics that have already been covered in SurvivalBlog. Those articles, while very worthwhile, touch on cloth diapering only briefly, or delve immediately into advanced topics. Rather, I will be providing an introduction to cloth diapering basics (with an eye to preparedness) that should be enough to get a new parent, especially a new father, started. I mention fathers specifically because the vast majority of cloth diapering books and articles are written by mothers. For whatever reason, mommies and daddies think about such topics differently. One is not superior to the other – they are simply different. I will also focus almost exclusively on cloth diapering babies from birth to about four months of age. This is the extent of my experience, but I think it will be valuable. Getting started with a new prep is always the hardest part, and, once started, it is much easier to build new knowledge atop a well-laid foundation

As a final note of introduction, Edward, the vintage Cabbage Patch doll, will be modeling for us.Continue reading“Getting Started with Cloth Diapers – Part 1, by ADC”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

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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 how personalities are shaped by natural surroundings.

Americans’ Personalities Shaped By Their Natural Surroundings

SurvivalBlog reader B.D. spotted this: How Americans’ Personalities Are Shaped By Their Natural Surroundings. Here is a quote:

“Reported in the journal Nature Human Behaviour this week, psychologists led by the University of Cambridge in the UK found that people who reside in mountainous US regions, such as the Rocky Mountains in the west and the Appalachian Mountains in the east, tend to have personality traits more closely associated with the “frontier settlement theory,” which says the first people from Europe who settled in the US during the colonial era were tough, individualistic, and non-conformists.

According to the researchers, this “Wild West mentality” can still be found in populations that live in mountain regions of the US.

“The harsh and remote environment of mountainous frontier regions historically attracted nonconformist settlers strongly motivated by a sense of freedom. Such rugged terrain likely favored those who closely guarded their resources and distrusted strangers, as well as those who engaged in risky explorations to secure food and territory,” lead author Friedrich Götz, from the University of Cambridge’s Department of Psychology, said in a statement.

“These traits may have distilled over time into an individualism characterized by toughness and self-reliance that lies at the heart of the American frontier ethos,” added Götz.”

Americans Plan to Stockpile Food this Fall

Over at  MSN: ‘Like we’re going into quarantine’: Americans plan to stockpile food this fall over fears of COVID-19 surge, election unrest

Terrified Utah Hiker Films Cougar Stalking Him

Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Terrified Utah hiker films cougar stalking him.  JWR’s Comment: Never leave your home without a weapon.Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”