Maximizing the Homestead Apple Orchard, by Eric K.

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“Surely the apple is the noblest of fruits” – Henry David Thoreau

American homesteaders and gardeners have a high degree of familiarity with eating and growing apples.  Who hasn’t enjoyed biting into a fresh, crunchy apple on a cool fall morning?  Most homesteaders plant an apple tree or two early on in the process of establishing their property.  This makes sense – the apple is deeply connected to American pioneering history and culture.  Johnny Appleseed traveled the Ohio River Valley and parts of Appalachia planting apple seeds.  Oregon Trail settlers carried seeds and seedlings with them when they came west as they established their new homes.  Yet, beyond a general familiarity, or owning a few trees, few of us have taken the time to learn how to maximize the apple’s mighty potential for survival and homesteading environments.

I grew up on a commercial apple orchard on the irrigated eastern steppe of the Cascade Mountains.  While my childhood was spent working after school, weekends and summers in our Red and Golden Delicious orchards, it wasn’t until later in life after careers in the military and business worlds that I bought our homestead and began the process of applying the technical skills of successful orcharding on my own.  In the intervening years, the smaller family orchards of 10-100 acres that were so prevalent in my childhood have almost entirely disappeared.  Massively scaled operations have become a necessity for commercial orchards that typically exceed 1,000 acres.  These are farmed by employees who specialize in their individual unique functions such as irrigation, pest control, etc. SurvivalBlog readers will not be surprised that one of the results is that individuals with an understanding of how to maximize one’s own orchard are a dying breed.

This article will provide a foundation to start learning more about maximizing your apple orchard’s benefit, develop the important skill of grafting to improve your varieties, and to think a bit differently about the overall utility of apples.Continue reading“Maximizing the Homestead Apple Orchard, by Eric K.”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

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 efforts to stop wolf depredation of cattle. (See the Eastern Washington section.)

Region-Wide

The current wildfires in California are so huge that they’ve generated a smoky haze that extended to Idaho, Montana, and even Wyoming. This televised map tells the story.

o  o  o

Time To Move? Data Suggests Americans May Flee To Rural Areas Post-COVID

o  o  o

Remote wildfire on Wyoming-Montana border explodes in size

Idaho

This little company in Horseshoe Bend, Idaho deserves special mention: American Reserve Munitions (ARM).  They make premium ammunition with all-copper expanding bullets and also a 12 gauge super-expanding slug. These segmented “Gatekeeper” slugs expand to an amazing 40 millimeters. (That is 1.58″, just over the diameter of a silver dollar!)  This video created by TaoFledermaus (a third party) shows them in action.  I must say that I am really impressed!

o  o  o

The Simple Country Living vlogging family has uploaded two new videos, showing the construction of their new pump house and storage shed.  And here is the link to their video of the second part of that build. I recommend subscribing to their YouTube channel. I noticed that they are up to 119,000 subscribers. Help them get to 150,000!

o  o  o

Valley real estate market booms in pandemic

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“Even though I have a dozen or so stripped AR lowers sitting around, I still check pricing and availability. Gotta say…now is the second-worst time to be buying guns, first worst is gonna be November. Even if early-onset dementia victim Biden doesn’t get elected you can still expect gun prices and availability to be wildly unpredictable. What I can predict is that there will be no Trump Slump this time around. Even if Trump wins, the natives are still restless over COVID, race ‘discussions’, and other uncertainties. Now is not the time for complacency.” – Commander Zero, in his Notes From The Bunker blog.

Preparedness Notes for Monday — August 24, 2020

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My latest nonfiction book, titled: The Ultimate Prepper’s Survival Guide should be available in Costco stores beginning on Wednesday, August 26th. That book will be exclusive to Costco club stores until October 20th, when the general release (worldwide, including all Internet vendors) will be made.

Note that the editions will vary slightly. They will all be 240 pages and hardcover, but for example, the U.S/Canada edition ($24.99) will measure 10-1/2″ x 11-1/4″, with an interior wire-o binding–so that the pages will lay flat. But £19.12) will measure 7-1/2″ x 9-5/8″ with a more traditional binding.

The second half of the book’s text is intended more for advanced preppers, rather than just newbies. I hope that you enjoy reading it.

A special note: If you plan to buy any extra copies for Christmas or Hanukkah gifts, then please wait until October 20th to order, for the best price, online. By waiting until that “Book Bomb” day to order, then you can help drive book up the New York Times list, and to the top 10 of Amazon’s sales rankings. Thanks! – JWR

—

On August 24th, 410, Rome was overrun by the Visigoths in an event that symbolized the fall of the Western Roman Empire. This is a moment in history that we would do well to remember. An empire that ruled the known world was corrupted from the inside to the point that they could not defend themselves from a much weaker enemy. This is generally seen as the beginning of the Dark Ages.

—

My #1 Son (Jonathan Rawles) wrote to mention a couple of new off-grid SurvivalRealty.com listings, both in Vermont:

Off Grid Home / Family Compound/ Vacation Rental Property

and,

Off Grid Homestead Property

—

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

Springfield Armory Hellcat, by Pat Cascio

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I don’t really hate anyone in this world – I mean, really hate them, but I do have some serious dislikes when it comes to some people. Many readers will know that I have been carrying a Glock Model 26 as my daily carry gun for several years now. About the only time that I didn’t carry it was when I was testing other handguns – and I really do carry every handgun that I test. Sometimes I carry a test gun for a week, other times, it might be carried for two weeks. However, I always go back to my Glock 26 – it just feels like it belongs in my hand. To be sure, Glock doesn’t make the best feeling handguns – most people complain that they don’t fit their hand, I can appreciate that. You just need to get used to the feel of a Glock – that’s about it.

A few months ago, I finally laid my hands on a Glock 43X – tried to snap one up several times from my local gun shop, only to have someone else beat me to it. On the day I wasn’t looking for a 43X, I spied one and made the deal. After testing it, and finding a good holster or two for it, it became my new EDC handgun. I like that it is very thin, compared to the double stack Glocks, and it is compact, and holds 10+1 rounds of the hottest 9mm you can find. So, there I was, retiring my Glock 26, and moving forward with a new Glock 43X. I had owned a Glock 43, but it just was a bit too small for my tastes and I soon got rid of it.

Then came the Springfield Armory Hellcat. It is one dandy little CCW handgun, with plenty of ammo on-board. So, just when I made the decision to retire my Glock 26, and carry the Glock 43X daily, I retired that, and now carry the Hellcat daily – it is smaller than the Glock 43X and holds more ammo, too. I hate those people at Springfield Armory for coming out with the Hellcat. It took me years and years, to find something to replace my Glock 26 from daily carry, and I honestly thought I had it made, with the perfect packing pistol. This is a term, my long-time friend, and fellow gun writer, John Taffin, came up with some years ago, in his own quest to find the “Perfect Packin’ Pistol” and it set me to thinking about this myself.  Continue reading“Springfield Armory Hellcat, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Chicken Salad

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The following chicken salad recipe 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
  • 2 cups diced cooked chicken (cold)
  • 1 cup diced celery
  • French Dressing
  • Mayonnaise
  • Letluce
  • Garnish of celery tops, beets cut into dice, capers, egg- yolks, etc.
Directions
  1. To prepare a chicken especially for salad, rub well with salt and pepper, piace one small onion and one bay leaf inside, wrap with a napkin, tie securely and steam for three hours, or until a fork can be easily turned around in the meat.
  2. When the chicken is cold, cut the breast with a knife into pieces not too small and sprinkle with French dressing. The dark meat should not be used if a pretty salad is desired. If dark meat is used, cut in smailer cubes than white meat and the white meat will predominate in appearance.
  3. Marinate the chicken mixture and let it stand.
  4. Make a mayonnaise dressing, stir part of it into the celery, place the latter on a thin-layer of lettuce or else arrange it directly upon the salad-dish and. dispose the tips of the celery prettily about the edge.
  5. Heap the chicken mlxture in the center, pour over it the remainder of the mayonnaise, and garnish with white celery tops, beets cut in dice, capers, cold hard-boiled yolks of eggs that have been pressed through a colander, or any other arrangement that pleases thew fancy.

—

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 the fate of the U.S. Dollar. (See the Forex & Cryptos section.)

Precious Metals:

We’ll start off today’s column with this piece by Arkadiusz Sieroń: Fed Can Control Yield Curve. But It Can’t Control Gold

o  o  o

Reader “S.” sent me this note:

“Jim, I work at a large coin and precious metals scrap shop in the midwest. We have bought over $1 million of bullion and scrap from the public in the first half of this month. Not many small businesses can do that. There may a run on silver by the big boys and those who have funds to invest, but some of the general public are flat out broke and the larger numbers influenced them to sell in a panic. As of right now, the public is not panic buying/investing in metals.”

Economy & Finance:

Paul Kupiec: Reading the inflation tea leaves. 

JWR’s Comment:  Some long-time SurvivalBlog readers may recall that back in 2008 I suggested that we might see simultaneous inflation and deflation in America. Much like in that financial crisis, as a nation, we are now crossing a similar Rubicon in the debt, equity, metals, and land markets.  Witness the recent inversion of the Yield Curve. So now, once again: We might see simultaneous inflation and deflation. Let me be more specific: By this, I mean that some sectors of the economy may have rising prices, while at the same time, other sectors might have falling prices.

The Depression of the 1930s was an almost entirely Deflationary Depression. But the Depression of the 2020s could very well be an Inflationary-Deflationary Depression(TM). One current example: Rural real estate versus urban real estate. The big cities–particularly on the coasts–are presently hearing a Giant Sucking Sound. But rural properties are selling very rapidly. And I can foresee both personal (wrist and handheld) electronics–as well as most other home electronics–continue to fall in price. Ditto for photovoltaic panels — where the bottom might be found as low as 40 cents per watt. Oh, but large storage battery prices meanwhile might rise. Stocks and even the Dollar itself may crash, while precious metals and cryptocurrencies rise. Fuel prices may fall, while many staple foods may rise. Guns and ammo will probably continue to rise, while many other durable consumer products fall.

Buckle up, folks!

o  o  o

At Zero Hedge: “It’s Just Absolutely Incredible”: What’s Going On In The Corporate Bond Market Is Stunning

o  o  o

Paul in Nashville sent us this headline: We Just Crossed the Line Debt Hawks Warned Us About for Decades

o  o  o

At Wolf Street: Disconcertingly, Both State & Federal “Initial” Unemployment Claims Jump. 28 Million People on Unemployment Insurance, 17.5% of Labor Force: Week 22 of U.S. Labor Market Collapse

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“The good Lord raised this mighty Republic to be a home for the brave and to flourish as the land of the free-not to stagnate in the swampland of collectivism, not to cringe before the bully of communism.

Now, my fellow Americans, the tide has been running against freedom. Our people have followed false prophets. We must, and we shall, return to proven ways– not because they are old, but because they are true. We must, and we shall, set the tide running again in the cause of freedom. And this party, with its every action, every word, every breath, and every heartbeat, has but a single resolve, and that is freedom – freedom made orderly for this nation by our constitutional government; freedom under a government limited by laws of nature and of nature’s God; freedom – balanced so that liberty lacking order will not become the slavery of the prison cell; balanced so that liberty lacking order will not become the license of the mob and of the jungle.

Now, we Americans understand freedom. We have earned it, we have lived for it, and we have died for it. This Nation and its people are freedom’s model in a searching world. We can be freedom’s missionaries in a doubting world. But, ladies and gentlemen, first we must renew freedom’s mission in our own hearts and in our own homes.

During four futile years, the administration which we shall replace has distorted and lost that faith. It has talked and talked and talked and talked the words of freedom. Now, failures cement the wall of shame in Berlin. Failures blot the sands of shame at the Bay of Pigs. Failures mark the slow death of freedom in Laos. Failures infest the jungles of Vietnam. And failures haunt the houses of our once great alliances and undermine the greatest bulwark ever erected by free nations – the NATO community. Failures proclaim lost leadership, obscure purpose, weakening wills, and the risk of inciting our sworn enemies to new aggressions and to new excesses. Because of this administration we are tonight a world divided – we are a Nation becalmed. We have lost the brisk pace of diversity and the genius of individual creativity. We are plodding at a pace set by centralized planning, red tape, rules without responsibility, and regimentation without recourse.

Rather than useful jobs in our country, people have been offered bureaucratic “make work,” rather than moral leadership, they have been given bread and circuses, spectacles, and, yes, they have even been given scandals. Tonight there is violence in our streets, corruption in our highest offices, aimlessness among our youth, anxiety among our elders and there is a virtual despair among the many who look beyond material success for the inner meaning of their lives. Where examples of morality should be set, the opposite is seen. Small men, seeking great wealth or power, have too often and too long turned even the highest levels of public service into mere personal opportunity.

Now, certainly, simple honesty is not too much to demand of men in government. We find it in most. Republicans demand it from everyone. They demand it from everyone no matter how exalted or protected his position might be. The growing menace in our country tonight, to personal safety, to life, to limb and property, in homes, in churches, on the playgrounds, and places of business, particularly in our great cities, is the mounting concern, or should be, of every thoughtful citizen in the United States.” – Barry Goldwater – Excerpt from his 1964 Republican convention acceptance speech

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — August 23, 2020

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August 23rd is the anniversary of the declaration of the independent state of “Franklin” in Eastern Tennessee — bordering western North Carolina and Virginia — by the settlers there in 1784. Unfortunately, the Continental Congress rejected it, so the state of Franklin never became a reality.

—

In 1833, Britain abolished slavery in the colonies and 700,000 slaves were freed. I can’t help but wonder; Had Abraham Lincoln allowed the political process to run its course, as it did in England, and slavery was abolished by the will of the people, as it would have been, rather than executive order, would we have the racial tensions we have today?

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 90 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their other models.
  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. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  4. 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).
  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. 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.
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Round 90 ends on September 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.

Fighting .22 Rimfires, by Steve in Missouri

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The .22 rimfire cartridge is the oldest self-contained round still in use today.  It was introduced in 1856, and you would be hard-pressed to find a shooter who didn’t learn to shoot with a .22 caliber firearm.  Even many non-gun people have a .22 somewhere in the family, and I’d hazard to say a home is not properly kept if there isn’t a .22 rimfire pistol or rifle available.  It is considered by many to be the optimum round to have in a long term survival situation, and is perhaps the most useful cartridge one can have.

That being said, there isn’t a self defense instructor out there that will recommend the .22 as the optimum defensive round.  Most will recommend something along the lines of a .380 ACP or larger for that job.  However, there are a number of individuals who simply don’t have the hand strength to handle anything larger, whether it is due to limited hand strength, arthritis, injury, or a sensitivity to recoil or noise.  Does that mean that they are just out of luck when it comes to defending themselves?  Absolutely not.

A common misconception is to equip a new shooter with a small handgun because, the thinking is, it will be easier for them to shoot.  This is actually the furthest thing from the truth.  Recoil has more to do with the size of the gun, as opposed to the size of the cartridge.  The .22 Long Rifle cartridge, in a moderate-sized firearm, is comfortable for almost everybody to shoot, once a new shooter gets past the muzzle blast and noise.  For those of you who think that someone is worse than defenseless if they have a .22, or they should “just get used to something bigger,” I have a message for you: stay away from new shooters, you’re not helpful.  Get out of your bubble, and actually talk to people, maybe get out and learn something new that might not conform to your world view.  Those who have severe arthritis, permanent hand or wrist injuries, or conditions like fibromyalgia, are some of the folks who will benefit from using the .22 semi-automatic pistol. Even Col. Jeff Cooper, the Guru, was a believer in the .22 for self defense, if one wasn’t able to handle anything larger.  The good Colonel wanted to people to be armed and trained, even if that meant using something other than his beloved 1911 in .45ACP.Continue reading“Fighting .22 Rimfires, by Steve in Missouri”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

1

“But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:

That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.

The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;

That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,

To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded.

In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity,

Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.

Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things; not answering again;

Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.“ – Titus 2(KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — August 22, 2020

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August 22nd, 1992 was the second day of the Incident at Ruby Ridge. FBI sharpshooter Lon Horiuchi wounded Randy Weaver and Kevin Harris, and murdered Weaver’s wife, Vicki. It should be noted that in 1994, after being acquitted by a federal court, Weaver filed a federal civil rights case against the FBI and U.S. marshals stemming from the siege. In 1995 the government settled Weaver’s case for $3.1 million. It is commonly thought that had the Weaver family stayed with the trial, the award would have been the full $200 million. In true FBI style, Lon Horiuchi was not prosecuted by the Federal government. When Idaho brought manslaughter charges against him, the trial was moved to federal court and dismissed. Horiuchi has also been accused of firing unauthorized shots at the Waco siege as well.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 90 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their other models.
  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. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  4. 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).
  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. 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.
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Round 90 ends on September 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.

Some Thoughts About COVID-19, by The Novice

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Introduction

COVID-19 has a big impact on each of our lives. We make decisions daily regarding COVID-19 that influence the lives and futures of those we love and care for. As a result, I have been giving COVID-19 a lot of attention and thought for many months now. I would like to share some thoughts, opinions, and speculations about COVID-19 that may spur your thinking. I invite you to share your thoughts, opinions and speculations as well, in case they may be helpful to me.

The Bottom Line

COVID-19 is a new virus, to which none of us has prior resistance. It has become endemic throughout the world. The combination of extensive spread and little resistance means that the vast majority of the population of the world will probably become infected sooner or later. Pandora’s box is open, and there is no going back. To some extent, our efforts to stop the disease resemble a child building a sandcastle to try to stop a tidal wave. The primary question is not, “How effective will our countermeasures be?” The primary question is, “How big is the wave?”

When the early results of antibody testing began to become available, I concluded that roughly 350,000 people in the United States would probably die of COVID-19 by the time the first wave of the disease had run its course (the first wave being here defined as about 70% of the population becoming infected with COVID-19 for the first time). I concluded that there were steps that could be taken to influence how quickly people died, but that those steps would not have a large influence on how many people actually died of COVID-19 in the end.

I do not say this lightly. I do not want 350,000 people to die. I may be among the people who die. People I love may be among the people who die. But saying or pretending that we can have a significant impact on the number who die of the infection will not make it true. Sometimes the power of fallen nature dwarfs our puny human efforts.

However, in my initial calculations, I may have underestimated the foolishness of certain public officials. By placing active COVID-19 patients in nursing homes with the most vulnerable portion of the population, some state governors managed to create an even higher death rate than I anticipated for their states. These types of counterproductive actions could conceivably raise the death toll for the first wave as high as 500,000.

On the other hand, the death rate in recent weeks has been lower than I anticipated. I am not sure if medical professionals are developing more effective treatment protocols, if the virus has mutated to a less deadly strain, or if some other factor is at work. In any case, I rejoice, and hope that this development may keep the total initial death toll to as low as 250,000.Continue reading“Some Thoughts About COVID-19, by The Novice”

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:

The High Summer flurry of activity at the Rawles Ranch is continuing. The weather has mostly been dry, so we’ve had to resort to doing some watering of fruit and ornamental trees. We’ve also have been watering the wood lots around the house and guest cabin to lessen potential forest fire hazards.

With God’s Providence, plenty of hard work, and some well-aged manure, Lily’s gardens have been producing in tremendous abundance. We feel blessed to have those gardens and I feel blessed to have Lily as my wife for life.

This week I concentrated on some more firewood log gang cutting, chucking, and splitting the larger rounds. I’m now nearly done with this for the year. Our daughters have done an admirable job of getting all that wood stacked. Meanwhile, I’m trying to keep up with the blog and handle my mailorder business. Miss Eloise has been handling most of the order padding and packing. And our younger daughter has been photographing the guns.

I’ve been very busy writing descriptions for cataloging the new items (like this rare gem), cropping gun photographs, and taking orders for Elk Creek Company. I’m seeking quality pre-1899 gun inventory as quickly as I can, but I’m not keeping up with the demand. At the current rate, I will be nearly out of stock before the November election.

As I’ve mentioned before, I have travel planned for the month of September. This trip is in part to gather inventory. Therefore, I will be temporarily putting Elk Creek Company on hiatus. So if you’d like to place an order, then please get your order in by this coming Wednesday, August 26th. The order-taking hiatus begins on August 27, 2020, Thanks!

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”