Finding The Right German Shepherd, by John Adrain

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I don’t profess to be a writer or the authority on German Shepherd dogs. But I can share almost four decades of experience with my German Shepherds. Growing up in Ohio, one of my first experiences with dogs was with Golden Retrievers. They are fantastic loving dogs, and you’re more likely to be struck by lightning than bit by a Golden Retriever. However, if you want a dog to protect your family, they are pretty much worthless. They are more likely to roll over and piddle than protect you. We had a female, which is generally more protective than males, and that was the drill. There are also documented cases of carjackings where the Golden refused to get out of the car and went with the carjacker.

My first experience with German Shepherds was in the mid-1980s. My roommate who was a notorious swordsman in Southern California brought a puppy home one night. Since Ben (an alias) spent every free moment he had helping a woman with floor exercises, he had very little time for his dog Ranger.

The first time it rained, Ranger was whining outside. So, I let him in, to sleep in the hallway. Then during the night, I thought we were having an earthquake. At the time I was sleeping on a twin bed, yes that isn’t a typo twin. Immediately there was a real estate problem on the bed. I looked at him and he looked at me with: “what are you looking at?” He was only about six months old at this time.

From then on, I took him everywhere I could when Ben didn’t have him. He was a devoted and loyal friend. For about the last three years of Ranger’s life, I had him full time. By this time, I was living on the beach in the Ventura, California area. My neighbors would compete to watch him when I traveled. He loved to swim in the ocean every day. I had a waterproof military strobe light that I fastened to a small log for him to retrieve from the ocean at night when I got home. I had an older car just for traveling with him so I could keep my other car hair-free. On the beach, fleas are a problem, so I would bomb that car for fleas once a month.Continue reading“Finding The Right German Shepherd, by John Adrain”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

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This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, we focus on the Greater Idaho project.   (See the Eastern Oregon section.)

Idaho

Reminder: ITD to open Highway 95 near Riggins on Monday after lengthy rock slide closure

o  o  o

From humble beginnings, north Idaho company is now a food industry leader

The piece begins:

“For the past 50 years, a company up in Sandpoint, Idaho – seven hours north of Boise – has been churning out a product that probably all of us have had in our fridge at one point or another: refrigerated salad dressing from Litehouse Foods.

The north Idaho company is the producer of those well-known salad dressings in the glass jars with the colored lids. In fact, company president and CEO Kelly Prior says with pride, ‘We’ve now reached the status of the number one refrigerated salad dressing in the country.'”

o  o  o

Video: Rep. Heather Scott on Kootenai County’s mask order.

o  o  o

Police searching for information about missing Rigby woman

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“The Noble Lord advocates Union, what doth such a union mean? When the Smaller unites with the greater, what happens? The greater absorbs and engulfs the lesser, it is ever thus and so will be! There are ten times as many English as Scots. Think you then, when the ten becomes eleven, the eleventh will partner the ten? Or, be swallowed up by the ten? Is this what my Lord of Stair wants? An end to Scotland? The most ancient nation in Christendom, a kingdom when England was but a medley of warring tribes! Scotland, from whence Christianity spread to the English. Scotland, a people with their own Kirk and laws, their freedoms, customs and pride. Is all that for which our forefathers fought for untold generations, to be merely thrown aside for a mess of trading privileges and navigation rights? I would rather that Scotland sank to the bottom of the ocean rather than we lost one least part of our cherished Independence and ages old identity!” – Andrew Fletcher

Preparedness Notes for Monday — July 27, 2020

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The mainstream media hoopla over the “second wave” of COVID-19 is getting tiresome. Yes, hospital occupancy is of concern, but the number of “confirmed cases” is more of a function of a more widespread testing infrastructure than it is of actual infections, per capita. I found some recent charts that are instructive. They show that the number of hospital beds in use is back up to where it was in April. But the number of deaths relative to the number of cases (i.e. the Case Fatality Rate) is down. Therefore, it is safe to conclude that this bug has mutated into a still highly transmissible but yet less lethal strain. I’d say that there is the prospect of reaching the Herd Immunity, within six months.

The leftist mainstream media’s current goals seem to be:  1.)  Get lots of news viewers latched on to the news cycle, and 2.) Make this look like The Orange Man’s fault, and thus seal his doom in the upcoming November election.

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An interesting new listing in Wyoming that adjoins National Forest land, over at SurvivalRealty.com: A Piece of Paradise.

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And now, the latest product review from Pat Cascio…

Taurus G3 Pistol, by Pat Cascio

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I’ve been a fan of Taurus firearms for a lot of years. This wasn’t always the case, however, Taurus has come a long way in improving their quality. Back in Chicago, when I was the Investigation Manager for a huge detective agency, with offices all over the USA, I also was their armorer, and most of the handguns issued to security officers, were made by Taurus. I had my hands full caring for those guns, and I kept a good supply of parts on-hand, for making repairs. Today, that isn’t the case, Taurus manufactures most of their handguns in Brazil, and the quality is top-notch. If I recall correctly, Taurus is the biggest handgun maker in the free world, and as such, some guns will slip through and might need to go back to them for repair. As such, some people say Taurus doesn’t produce hi-quality handguns. But that’s simply not the case.

I will say though, that for the past few years, for whatever reason, their line of 1911 handguns has had spotty quality control for some reason. Taurus can and should do better with this model.  Thankfully, their G2 and G3 product lines have higher quality control.

My wife owns quite a few handguns, and she can carry just about anything she wants on a daily basis. However, she carries a Taurus PT111 G2 – she shoots it well, and it fits her hand nicely. She carried a Glock 19 for a lot of years, with a Crimson Trace laser on it, and also likes this gun. But once she held that Taurus PT111 G2 in her hand, her Glock 19 was retired. She still shoots the Glock every now and then, but prefers her Taurus. If a gun fits and feels good in your hand, and you shoot it well, then what’s not to like about it?

I own a Taurus G2 myself, and I can’t find much to fault about it, but it isn’t my first choice in a carry gun for some reason. I can usually be caught carrying a Glock 26. Why? I like the feel, and the number of rounds it holds, and it shoots very well.

Many years ago, I was the first gun magazine writer, to do on-line only articles. Now everyone is doing articles on-line. However, I was the first writer to do so. The public relations firm that handled Taurus firearms, contacted me about this idea, and the articles would be about Taurus firearms for their web site only. We came to an agreement on this, and it was decided that, no matter what I wrote about a Taurus firearm I was testing, the PR firm would run my articles as-is, with no changes other than to grammar in my articles…and they weren’t allowed to turn down any articles I submitted no matter what I said about the test gun. I was paid a decent amount per article, as well as being allowed to keep the firearms I wrote about. That seemed like a fair deal all the way around. And no one – EVER – asked me to write anything “good” about the guns I was testing! I used to believe that gun writers were paid by the gun companies to say only good things about the guns they were testing. If this is the case, then I missed that train – no gun company ever offered me anything in exchange to say good things about their guns! I did have an editor, at one time for a big-name gun magazine ask me to change some things – negative things – that I had written about a gun, and I refused. They pulled the article – paid me, but pulled it – they were afraid they would lose advertising money from the gun maker.Continue reading“Taurus G3 Pistol, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Peach Ice-Cream

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The following Peach Ice-Cream 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 bonus items in the next edition of the waterproof SurvivalBlog Archive USB stick. This 15th Anniversary Edition USB stick should be available for sale in the third week of January, 2021.

Ingredients
  • 1 cup fresh peach-pulp
  • 1/2 cup boiling water
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 cups cream
Directions
  1. Make a syrup by boiling the sugar and water together for five minutes.
  2. Add the peaches and put the mixture through a strainer.
  3. Add the cream and freeze, while turning.

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Do you have a favorite recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? In this weekly recipe column, we place emphasis on recipes that use long term storage foods, recipes for wild game, dutch oven and slow cooker recipes, and any that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

Economics & Investing For Preppers

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Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we examine the recent run-up in gold, silver, and platinum prices. (See the Precious Metals section.)

Precious Metals:

First up, in U.S. Dollar terms, spot gold and gold futures just hit a 7-year high. And in Indian Rupee terms, gold futures hit at an all-time high. And who knows how gold is priced in some of the rapidly-ly inflating currencies. I don’t believe that we are yet anywhere near the top, in this bull market. And my advice is still to buy silver, rather than gold. Not only is it better for barter, but it is also more likely to double in value, than gold.

o  o  o

Here Cometh the Fed – David Brady (July 24, 2020)

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A Record 170 Tons Of Physical Gold Were Just Delivered On The COMEX: Here’s Why

Economy & Finance:

David Stockman: Jobless Thursday – How the Donald Is Making America Poor Again. JWR’s Comment: The included charts paint a grim picture.

o  o  o

Coronavirus aid package coming, $1,200 checks in August

o  o  o

At Wolf Street: Brick & Mortar Retailers, Malls, Mall-REITs, and their Debts: The Whole Schmear is Coming Apart

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“If masks work, then used ones are all potentially HAZMAT. Where are the biohazard disposal bags? We’re just tossing virus-contaminated masks and gloves in the trash or on the ground? If they’re not HAZMAT, then you’re admitting they don’t work.

Over 200 BILLION masks are being trashed every month. The ecosystem is being destroyed by garbage that didn’t do anything when in use anyway. This alone is sufficient reason to make wearing masks illegal. Remember when you complained about plastic straws? Apparently, it’s A-OK to contaminate the environment now that you want an item, rather than children wanting an item.” – Michael Z. Williamson

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — July 26, 2020

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On July 26th, 1931, a swarm of grasshoppers descended on crops throughout the American heartland, devastating millions of acres. Already in the midst of a bad drought, Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota suffered tremendously. The swarms was said to be so thick that it blocked out the sun and one could shovel the grasshoppers with a scoop. While America has not seen infestations on such a scale since then, North Africa and parts of the Middle East continue to experience them.

—

Please pray for the folks in Texas who are in the path of Hurricane Hanna.

..

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 89 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 89 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.

Vehicle Preparation – Part 2, by Traveling Mechanic

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

You should look and feel along the total length of all hoses. Any unusually soft or hard areas are of concern. Any bulge or area worn more than half of the hose thickness is a sign of imminent failure and needs replacement as soon as possible.

There are several things that will cause your vehicle motor to run hotter than expected. The typical cause is that the flow of air through the radiator may be partially blocked. A no-cost or low-cost solution is to take your garden hose and blow water from the motor side of the radiator toward the front. This reverse flow will often remove most of the bugs and rocks. You can shine a flashlight through the core. Any blocked light will show you where any remaining problem areas are located. I have also found several cases where leaves have managed to get between the air condenser coil and the front of the radiator. This trash blocked the airflow through both. A few minutes with an air or water hose removed the problem. The result was an improvement of air conditioner performance and slightly lower motor water temperature. I recommend that you place metal window screen meshi in front of the condenser and radiator If your location has lots of bugs or trash. This screen will block the ability of things to get into unwanted places.

Carefully examine the water flow path that it takes inside the radiator. The water flow will be either from side to side or top to bottom. Carefully place your hand on a part of the front of the radiator fins. Place your hand at approximately one half of the fin flow path. Cautions: Some electric radiator fans can turn on unexpectedl.. This area will be hot to the touch. Move your hand, with the same orientation, to another group of the fins. All of these groups should all be at approximately the same temperature. If a group of fins is dramatically cooler this means that there is minimal or no flow/cooling, which should be occurring, in this area. It’s time to visit the local radiator repair shop for rework.

Next, you should take your vehicle to anyone that sells vehicle batteries. They will typically do a battery life test of your battery at no charge. It is my experience that most batteries seem to fail within 3-6 months after the end of warranty period. If you live in a part of the country that can get below zero in temperature then a battery with a higher cold cranking amp rating is recommended. I also recommend that you should consider replacing the battery cables with their 6-volt equivalents. The larger wire gauge will allow more current to flow to the starter. This lower wire loss gives a faster motor rotation. This faster turning can often start a large motor that turns over very slowly when cold.Continue reading“Vehicle Preparation – Part 2, by Traveling Mechanic”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.

Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.

Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.

Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God;

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.” – Colossians 3 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — July 25, 2020

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On this day in 1897, Jack London sailed for the Klondike. While in the Klondike, London began submitting stories to magazines. In 1900, his first collection of stories, The Son of the Wolf, was published. Three years later, his story The Call of the Wild made him famous around the country. London continued to write stories of adventure amid the harsh natural elements. During his 17-year career, he wrote 50 fiction and nonfiction books. He settled in northern California about 1911, having already written most of his best work. London, a heavy drinker, died in 1916.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 89 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 89 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.

Vehicle Preparation – Part 1, by Traveling Mechanic

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Like what seems to be most of SurvivalBlog readers, I am stuck near a city by the need to work. I have an exit plan (a.k.a. Bug-Out plan) that we are following. I decided to share some aspects of our actions. If you do the suggested vehicle maintenance and repair work then this will assist you to avoid being broken down along the road during your Bug Out exit. These checks and corrections will also benefit by eliminating typical defects that arise in normal use.

The beginning part of each check is an inspection of your Bug-Out Vehicle (BOV). I will guide you on what to examine. You then have the options:

1. Do any corrective work yourself for lowest cost and probably higher quality, or

2. Have the work done by someone else.

If you aren’t sure that you have correctly identified a potential concern then please have someone that you trust review your discovery. Right now–in relatively “normal” times–you have the option to repair immediately or plan to take action soon. But if you wait until much “later” then the time or parts may not be available.

The Vehicle Interior:

Begin by cleaning all glass surfaces. This enables you/all to see further. The improvement in vision after looking through dust or other junk may seem to be major. I typically do this cleaning every six months. I am always amazed at the vision improvement. The clean vision may give you enough extra reaction time to avoid problems.

Adjust all mirrors for comfortable vision of what is behind you. Did you clean the mirror surface? Please do so now.

The Exterior

Let’s move to the vehicle exterior from front to back:

First, clean all parts of all headlight glass. Please replace any damaged lens ASAP if the glass has been chipped. While on level ground, point the front of the vehicle toward a vertical wall, after dark. Turn the headlights on. Visually check that both the high and low beam filaments in all bulbs are working. Are both of the high beams orientated correctly both left/right and up/down?

Reminder: When you load the rear of a vehicle it tends to squat down. This rear squat causes the light from the headlights to be directed higher. Oncoming traffic sees this light as aimed toward their eyes. The easy and inexpensive solution is to use low beams if oncoming traffic is near.Continue reading“Vehicle Preparation – Part 1, by Traveling Mechanic”

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:

This has been a busy week, and my back is sore!  We started out with just two tons, the first day. The “crew” was just two of us–Lily and myself–picking up grass hay bales in the field, one by one, using our pickup truck and gooseneck trailer. Lily did the driving. I did the lifting and stacking. Back at the ranch each day, we’ve been unloading and re-stacking the bales in the barn. I prefer to do this part in the cool of the evening. Transporting each ton of hay requires lifting and stacking the bales twice. Thus, one ton = two tons moved.  We peaked at hauling and stacking 6 tons in a day — at 27 bales to the ton. This was on a day when we had two paid hay hands, to help us. They provided a trailer of their own to speed up the hauling.

My goal is to have 25 tons of hay stacked safe and dry in the barn by August 1st. Then I’ll feel a sense of relief. But my back is already sore, and thusfar I’ve lost four pounds of body weight. Soon, I can get back to cutting and splitting firewood. Oh, and I have a frost-free garden valve to dig up and replace. This is just another typical summer haying season or us. We are very busy, but happy.  We thank God for his providence and travel mercies.

On Thursday, I took a break from hay hauling and drove a seven-hour round trip to meet on-site with two consulting clients for six hours of meetings.  I do most of my consulting by phone or Skype. It is just once in a while that schedules mesh and travel is viable so that I can meet clients face to face. Those sessions are always the most enjoyable.

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”