Preparedness Notes for Saturday — March 23, 2024

In a nationwide television address on March 23, 1983, U.S. President Ronald Reagan announced the Strategic Defense Initiative, a proposed strategic defensive system against potential nuclear attacks.

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Today is the anniversary of Patrick Henry’s famous Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death speech. It was delivered to the Second Virginia Revolutionary Convention meeting at St. John’s Church, Richmond, on March 23, 1775. (2025 will be the 250th anniversary of the speech.)

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This is also the birthday of Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa. He directed 30 films. His samurai films (many starring Toshiro Mifune) such as Yojimbo, Sanjuro, The Hidden Fortress, Rashomon, The Seven Samurai, Kagemusha, and Ran are considered legendary in the cinema world.

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I see that we are rapidly approaching our 2,400th Quote Of The Day. I suppose that it is time to start compiling a SurvivallBlog Book of Quotations.  The first quote that I posted was on September 30th, 2005. It was: “Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of liberty.” – Thomas Jefferson.  I can safely say that I’ve probably quoted Jefferson more than any other American. But of course, I quote the Holy Bible two days a week, making it by far my most quoted source.

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Today’s short feature post is a guest post from Mrs. Alaska. It was too short to be considered in the writing contest judging.

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There are just eight days left in Round 111 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $875,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Since  Round 111 ends soon, please e-mail us your entry soon. 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.

Favorite Purchases Under $50 for Our Remote Home, by Mrs. Alaska

Introductory Note: I have received no compensation for any of the following recommendations, all of which we have used for many years.

Living far from any store means that any rural or remote property owner relies on supplies on hand. Some of our least expensive purchases have been worth their weight in gold because we use them over and over, or in a variety of ways, or because they specialize in a way that no other item can do as well.

I have purposely not included obviously important items, like matches or an axe, that anyone should know. Here, I just wanted to illuminate some of the “unsung” products in the categories of attire, home, yard, tools, and communications devicesContinue reading“Favorite Purchases Under $50 for Our Remote Home, by Mrs. Alaska”

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:

I took advantage of the recent nice weather to start in on my annual firewood cutting here at the Rawles Ranch. As usual, I started in with dead-standing trees and a couple of deadfalls.  There were not many of either, this year. And there were just a few irreparably “snow-squashed” young fir trees. My next target will be the “leaners.”  Again, there won’t be many left to fell, this year.  It has taken a dozen years, but I finally have our stands of timber looking the way that I want them. I am thankful to God for his providence! I’m just trying to be a good steward of what he has given us.

Now, Lily’s report…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men:

A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it: this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.

If a man beget an hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years be many, and his soul be not filled with good, and also that he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth is better than he.

For he cometh in with vanity, and departeth in darkness, and his name shall be covered with darkness.

Moreover he hath not seen the sun, nor known any thing: this hath more rest than the other.

Yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?

All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.

For what hath the wise more than the fool? what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living?

Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this is also vanity and vexation of spirit.

That which hath been is named already, and it is known that it is man: neither may he contend with him that is mightier than he.”  – Ecclesiastes 6:1-10

Preparedness Notes for Friday — March 22, 2024

On March 22, 1820, U.S. Navy Commissioner Stephen Decatur was killed in a duel.

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Today is the birthday of Benjamin Tyler Henry. (March 22, 1821–December 29, 1898) was an American gunsmith and manufacturer. On October 16, 1860, he received a patent on the Henry .44 caliber repeating rifle. The first Henry rifles were not produced for army use until mid-1862.

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This is also the birthday of Louis L’Amour. (Born 1908, died 1988.) Some of his novels have survival themes. One of particular interest to survivalists is Last of the Breed.

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The sale ends tonight.  In honor of Elmer Keith’s birthday, I put all of my percussion revolver inventory on sale, at Elk Creek Company. Every cataloged percussion revolver has been discounted. This sale ends at midnight Pacific Time tonight (Friday, March 22nd, 2024,) so get your order in today!

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We are nearing the end of Round 111 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. We’re still in need of entries to post. More than $875,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 111 ends on March 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.

Silver Stacking: Patience and Persistence Pays Off

I have been a “silver stacker” for many years. With money earned mowing lawns, at age 16 I started buying pre-1965 mint-date “junk”  U.S. silver dimes and quarters in 1976 at a small local coin shop in Livermore, California. It was called Bob’s Coin Corner. Bob was patient in explaining silver coins to me.  In 1979 I sold nearly half of my silver coins just after silver peaked, when spot silver was at $47.75 per Troy ounce.

I started buying some silver and gold again in June of 1987, when silver was at $8.98 per ounce.

A practical silver investor both buys and sells silver. I was warned by my Uncle Louis: “Never fall in love with any investment.” And he was right.  It is foolish to say: “I’ll never sell.”Continue reading“Silver Stacking: Patience and Persistence Pays Off”

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. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we look at the planned European CBDC. (See the Forex & Cryptos section.)

Precious Metals:

At John Rubino’s substack: Accidentally Funny CNBC Grapples With Costco Gold Sales.

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At Gold-Eagle.com: Gold Stocks Strongly Outperform After Gold Breakouts. JWRs Comment: Since starting SurvivalBlog in 2005, I’ve refrained from touting gold mining stocks. In my estimation they will only do well in a confirmed secular bull market.  And we haven’t seen that situation in many moons. For now, stick with physical metals, as a hedge on inflation.

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800,000 Chinese Rush to Buy Gold in Malls at New Year, With Worsening Politico-Economic Environment.

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Video: “The Case For Silver Could Not Be Clearer” – Mike Maloney.

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Goldman Raises 2024 Gold Target To $2,300.

Economy & Finance:

Several readers mentioned this article: Home Depot makes a major expansion move.

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Over at the Whatfinger.com news site: Family Dollar to close almost 1,000 stores.

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Private credit ties to banks deepen in Europe as default risk rises.

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Robert Malone: How Did American Capitalism Mutate Into American Corporatism?

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Breitbart: Yellen on Record Credit Card Spending: We Have ‘Normalization,’ Not ‘Disturbing New Trend’.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — March 21, 2024

On March 21, 1685, German composer Johann Sebastian Bach, who is generally considered the greatest composer of all time, was born.

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March 21st, 1778: Just three days after Hessian mercenary forces assaulted the local New Jersey militia at Quinton’s Bridge, the same contingent surprised the colonial militia at Hancock’s Bridge five miles from Salem. In what became known as the Massacre at Hancock’s Bridge, at least 20 members of the militia lost their live — some after attempting to surrender. The Loyalists reputedly exclaimed “Spare no one! Give no quarter!” as they stormed the occupied house. Judge Hancock and his brother (both Loyalists) were bayoneted in the melee by the attackers even though they were both staunch supporters of the crown and were themselves non-violent Quakers.

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We are pleased to welcome our newest affiliate advertiser: Bullionstar. They are a well-established precious metals company that is headquartered in Singapore. The company was founded in 2012 by Torgny Persson, of Sweden. They have quite competitive pricing and deep inventories of coins and bars. They ship worldwide, from their warehouses in Singapore, the United States, and New Zealand.  As always, I recommend taking physical delivery when buying precious metals.  I do not trust any warehousing arrangements, even from the largest companies — because you never know when governments will get grabby. As with our other affiliate advertisers,  SurvivalBlog earns a small commission whenever you follow our link to place an order. – JWR

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There are several unusual new listings at our spin-off site, SurvivalRealty.com.  One is a very stout masonry-constructed former bank building in Liberty, Nebraska, and another is a former jail, near Harrisonville, Missouri.  Both of them have some inherent ballistic protection and physical security features.

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Today’s feature article is a short guest post by Patrice Lewis, the Editrix of the excellent Rural Revolution blog.

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We are in need of entries for Round 111 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $875,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 111 ends on March 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.

Shortages? Why?, by Patrice Lewis

Introductory Note From JWR: This article was first posted in the excellent Rural Revolution homesteading blog.  It is reposted with permission.

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I have a friend in Maine. Last week she e-mailed and said,

“I noticed in the past few weeks big gaps on shelves in the grocery store in next town. In two areas today, all the shelves – top, middle, and bottom, for 1/4 length of the aisle – were completely empty! To be honest, I don’t know what was there, but it’s not there now. And the prices!!!!!!! Eggs are $4.59, a can of SPAM is $4.39. I got a bag of Tostidos corn chips as I am making chili, $4.49! Generics or store brands are also disappearing. I wonder what is going on?”

I asked her to send me photos the next time she was in town, and she sent the following pictures, along with a note saying, “Here are the empty shelves in the grocery store I was telling you about. They are not even spacing stuff far apart like when the COVID shortages were occurring. The hardware and auto parts stores look the same way. All we hear is it’s because of supply-chain issues. I thought we worked all through that mess already!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In our local community, we haven’t noticed much by way of shortages. I took a rare trip to the city a couple weeks ago and everything seemed fine. It makes me wonder if the shortages my friend is seeing are a regional thing … or if I’m not seeing shortages because the stores are doing a better job of hiding it.

What is everyone else seeing?

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Patrice Lewis is an American Redoubt-based homesteader who blogs at Rural Revolution. She is also a novelist and she’s an editor on the staff of WorldNet Daily (WND). She and her husband Don have been friends of the Rawles family for more than a decade.

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is 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. In today’s column, we look at the loss of arable farmland in the United States.

Tennessee is Rapidly Losing Farmland

‘Where will we get our food?’ Tennessee on track to lose 2 million acres of farmland. (Thanks to reader A.K. for the link.) Here is a quote:

“Tennessee has lost 1.5 million acres of farmland to development, according to new data from the University of Tennessee. That figure equates to the loss of six counties’ worth of pasture and forest land completely gone.”

North Carolina Losing Farmland to Development

NC on pace to lose more farmland to development than any state by 2040, study says.

Farms and Land in Farms

USDA Statistics: Farms and Land in Farms – 2023 Summary. (Published in February, 2024.)

How to Protect Your Child Against Identity Theft

Peter sent this, from The WSJ: How to Protect Your Child Against Identity Theft.

Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“There are, of course, a few sociopaths in every town, I suppose, but in a rural population of two or three thousand, that number is very small indeed – probably no more than the cartridges contained in a single .45 magazine.” – Mel Tappan

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — March 20, 2024

March 20th is the birthday of writer Mel Tappan. (Born 1933, died 1980.) His perennially popular survivalist books Survival Guns and Tappan on Survival have a well-deserved following. I designated March 20th National Survivalism Day, in his honor. It is also apropos that National Survivalism Day falls in March–one of the months that both Northern Europeans and Native Americans refer to as The Starving Season–when stored food runs low, but before spring bounty appears. Plan ahead. Stock up. Don’t let your family starve. I’m sure that Mel Tappan would approve.

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On March 20, 1854, a meeting of Whigs, anti-Nebraska Democrats, and Free-Soilers in Ripon, Wisconsin, proposed the formation of what became the Republican Party in the United States.

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In honor of Elmer Keith’s birthday, I put all of my percussion revolver inventory on sale, at Elk Creek Company.  Every cataloged percussion revolver has been discounted! This sale ends at midnight on Friday, March 22nd, 2024, so order soon!

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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 still seeking entries for Round 111 of the contest. More than $875,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 111 ends on March 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.

Two-Ingredient Hygiene Treatments, by Mrs. Alaska

Have you ever wondered how people cleaned themselves for centuries without access to a thousand different commercial soaps, shampoos, and lotions? Several answers lie in the treatments below, which largely utilize kitchen staples, and, in many cases, only one or two ingredients.

Ancient Romans, for example, slathered olive oil on their skin and then scraped it off with a dull blade (called a strigil), removing dead skin cells and moisturizing the skin at the same time. Contemporary friends in India swear to the efficacy of coconut oil for their luxuriant hair and lovely skin. A clay tablet, from about 2200 BCE, describes medical treatments involving washing, then making a plaster of mud, and then bandaging. So it is not a surprise that many ancient people, including the Romans, Greeks, and Britons, organized public baths in locations of salubrious mud that they found healing and comforting. Evidence of soap made from animal fat and ashes date to 2600 BC.

For Christmas, I asked my husband to give me a day of spa treatments that he could make from kitchen staples. To my delight, he enthusiastically looked up recipes online and in my herbal books and gave me the best Christmas present ever, including some likely used for centuries by people in their homes.

Give some of these a try, maybe with a friend or two, and save hundreds of dollars on prepared hygiene products.

Hair and face: Mix equal portions of plain yogurt and honey. (For short hair: one tablespoon of each). Rub into the hair, scalp, and face. Leave it on until it feels dry. Rinse it off. The lactic acid in the yogurt gently exfoliates the skin, reducing any itchiness, and the honey is a humectant, that moisturizes the skin and hair. Extra: you can add pureed fruit. Strawberries or raspberries add seeds for a bit of a scrub. Peaches smell divine.

Face mask for oily skin: Mix a paste of turmeric and water. (About 1 tablespoon of each). Paint on the face or just around oily areas, like the nose. Leave it on until it dries and tightens. Note: turmeric will stain the bowl in which you mix this and any cloth you use to remove it. So if you like this treatment, you might decide to dedicate one cloth and one plastic or glass container to this treatment.

Face mask for any skin: Mix a paste of bentonite clay with water or vinegar. The clay absorbs a LOT of water, so start with 1 tablespoon of the dry clay and ¼ cup of water. Any extra can be stored in a lidded jar for future use. Slather on the face and neck, avoiding the eyes. Let the clay dry for about 10 – 15 minutes and then rub/scrub off with a washcloth. Apply a lotion (or coconut oil) afterward.

Body exfoliant: Mix sugar (or salt or coffee grounds*) and coconut oil (or an alternative oil) to a desired consistency. Add a few drops of essential oil for scent, if desired. If you do not have essential oils at home, you can add, for scent, a few drops of vanilla, almond, peppermint or other extracts from your baking supplies. Rub as gently or vigorously as you wish. Then rinse. Your feet may be slippery afterward, so wear slippers or socks. The coconut oil will be absorbed by the skin as a lotion.

* Salt can sting if you have any open cuts or sores. The coffee scent is pretty strong if used on the face. Therefore, sugar is my “go-to” ingredient for exfoliation.

A physical exfoliant is a loofah sponge. This is made from a non-edible squash. Every day above -20 F degrees, I climb into our outdoor, wood-fired, soaking tub with a loofah and scrub away. I especially like this in the winter, when my skin gets dry and itchy.

Lip, hand, and foot lotion: Melt coconut oil. Rub a little into the skin, let it absorb, rub in some more.
Shampoo and soap: I have been nervous about making soap with lye, so I don’t. I buy Castile soap in a gallon container and mix a few tablespoons with water, vinegar, and various essential oils for their scents and properties to use for shampoo and soap. A gallon lasts more than a year for two people.

Dental hygiene

Coconut oil: I use this to brush my dog’s gums and teeth (he likes it) and I also practice oil pulling myself with a teaspoon of coconut oil. The lauric acid in the oil adjusts the pH in the mouth, and seems to deter plaque build up.

Oil pulling is an ancient dental hygiene practice. Let some coconut oil melt in your mouth and swish it back and forth through the teeth and around the tongue for several minutes. Then spit the oil out (not into your sink! It will clog!), rinse and spit with water, and then drink a cup of water. I have asked two dentists about this and neither endorses it but both say it will not hurt.

Baking soda: One of my dental hygienists was a big advocate of brushing one’s teeth with baking soda, which changes the pH of the mouth, inhibiting some bacteria for a short period. It also buffs off some teeth stains.

Hydrogen Peroxide: I make our mouthwash with ½ water and ½ 3% hydrogen peroxide, with several drops of peppermint essential oil for scent/flavor. This is supposed to gently whiten teeth, too.
If your bathroom cabinets are clogged with plastic bottles of soaps, shampoos, moisturizers, exfoliators, etc, have fun making a few with kitchen staples. In the future… you may need to.

Mrs. Alaska’s blog about living off-grid in remote Alaska is www.alaskauu1.blogspot.com

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.

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I recently ran a test with Google’s publicly available AI tool, called Gemini.  I asked it: “Paint me a picture of a famous 19th-century English inventor.”  It replied: “We are working to improve Gemini’s ability to generate images of people. We expect this feature to return soon and will notify you in release updates when it does.”  Apparently, there were so many complaints that Gemini was racist in its renderings that Google’s management decided to disable generating all depictions of people. (Until last month, Gemini was cranking out nonsequitur images of people.) I’ll be curious to see how Google will solve this problem. They’ve essentially painted themselves into a corner.

With a different phrase, I did get the Gemini AI to generate an image of a chimpanzee with a paintbrush, in a corner.

OBTW, as a test of Gemini’s bias, I gave it two quite similar requests. First: “Paint a survivalist retreat”.  It created this dreary image of a decrepit shanty in a swamp with a brooding sky background:

 

 

 

 

And then I queried: “Paint a prepper’s retreat.” It generated this bright, idyllic image of a tidy house with a blue sky background:

 

 

 

 

These results obviously show a huge bias! My conclusion: We should not trust any AIs that are built to the specifications of contemporary Big Tech corporations! – JWR    (Image Credits: All from Google Gemini, March 13, 2024.)

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Some good news that illustrates that the Bruen decision is making a difference: San Diego federal judge strikes down California law limiting high-frequency gun purchases.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”