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, another look at an Idaho videoblogging family. (See the Idaho section.)

Idaho

An update from the North Idaho vlogging Souza family: We Finally Finished It! Now Comes the FUN Part – Building Our Own Home.

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This made international news: Idaho teen, 19, hung by her broken leg on power line for an hour after being thrown from her car in horror crash.

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A central Idaho travel video: Salmon River Road.

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Armed school staff: Guns and Safety in Garden Valley School District.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“You say, ‘If I had a little more, I should be very satisfied.’ You make a mistake. If you are not content with what you have, you would not be satisfied if it were doubled.” –  Charles H. Spurgeon

Preparedness Notes for Monday — February 19, 2024

On February 19, 1942, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order for the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.

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Several readers mentioned this news: Most lethal sniper in Marine Corps history, Chuck Mawhinney, dead at 75.

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On February 19, 1878, Thomas Edison patented the phonograph.

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A reminder: SurvivalRealty.com is running a February Book Bundle Giveaway.  By signing up to receive his weekly e-newsletter, you’ll be entered to win this drawing for four great books. This special promotion ends at midnight, tonight, February 19, 2024.

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Today’s feature article is a review written by SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Tom Christianson.

Ghillie Kettle Maverick, by Thomas Christianson

The Bottom Line, Up Front

If you want to boil enough water to make a cup or more of tea or other hot beverage as quickly and efficiently as possible using a handful of twigs, pine cones, or other dry biomass, a Ghillie Kettle may be the ideal tool for the job. It can have your water boiling in about 3 minutes or so. That gives almost-microwave-like preparation times in the field for just-add-boiling-water food and beverage options.

Ghillie Kettles are handmade in the UK and come in three sizes. The Maverick can boil up to 2 cups of water at a time. At the time of this writing, the silver-anodized Maverick cost $89 from CampingKettle.com. The Explorer (which cost $104) can boil up to 4 cups of water at a time. The Adventurer (which cost $109) can boil up to 6 cups of water at a time. There are also versions available that are hard anodized rather than silver anodized. There is also a more compact version called the mKettle (which cost $99).Continue reading“Ghillie Kettle Maverick, by Thomas Christianson”

Recipe of the Week: Peanut Butter Bread

The following simple recipe for Peanut Butter Bread is from Good HouseKeeping’s Book of Menus, Recipes, and Household Discoveries (253 pages, copyright 1925, now in public domain). That is one of the 11 new bonus books included in the new 2005-2023 edition of the SurvivalBlog Archive USB stick.

Ingredients
  • 1/2 cupful peanut butter
  • 3-1/2 cupfuls bread flour
  • 1/2 cupful sugar
  • 3 teaspoonfuls baking-powder
  • 1 cupful milk
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoonful salt
Directions

Cream the peanut butter and sugar.

Add the egg, well beaten.

Mix and sift the dry ingredients and add alternately with the milk.

Beat the entire mixture well and place in well-greased bread tin.

Bake in a 350-degree F.  oven for about fifty minutes.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Have we reached the ultimate stage of absurdity where some people are held responsible for things that happened before they were born, while other people are not held responsible for what they themselves are doing today?” – Thomas Sowell

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — February 18, 2024

February 18, 1848 was the birthday of Louis Comfort Tiffany—an American designer internationally recognized as one of the greatest proponents of Art Nouveau, particularly in the art of glassmaking.

February 18th, 1898 was the birthday of Enzo Ferrari, the car manufacturer who invented the Ferrari.

Today is the birthday of astronaut Theodore Cordy “Ted” Freeman (February 18, 1930 – October 31, 1964.)  He was killed in a birdstrike flying accident, while flying a T-38 Talon jet trainer. He was the first casualty of NASA’s manned space program.

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We need more 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.

Retreat Owner Profile: Dr. and Mrs. Epsilon

Editor’s Introductory Note:  It has been several years since we’ve posted any retreat owner profiles. Here is one that illustrates what can be accomplished when someone consistently plans and prepares, over the  course of several years.  It has just been added to our Profiles page, as Profile #24. – JWR

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Present home/retreat: 14-year-old stucco one-story home on 18 fenced arable acres with plentiful irrigation rights and a perennial stream in Western Colorado; 3,600 square-foot house; heated by solar, propane furnace, and 2 wood stoves; fenced 25-tree orchard and 150-vine vineyard plus two gardens; 5 outbuildings; 2 miles from nearest small town; 270 road miles or 5 hours from large metropolitan area.

Annual property tax: $2,000 per year.

Ages: 77 & 76, no children at home.

Annual Income: $72,000 to $200,000

Professions & Education: Retired (He – retired geologist/mining executive with PhD; She – retired elementary school teacher with MS); public company board member.

Investments: Silver coins and bullion; gold coins and bullion; cash; gold company and other stocks; many shares in a major rare earth company with principal property in NE Wyoming; 1/3 interest in a 100-acre remote family homestead at a lake in another state.

Vehicles: Late model 4WD SUV, 4WD sedan, older (1980) 4WD Jeep, and older 4WD diesel pickup truck; 4WD ATV; 4WD UTV; 2 bicycles; older John Deere and Kubota tractors; several trailers.

Firearms: Four AR-15 rifles; five 12-gauge shotguns (2 tactical); two 20 gauge shotguns (1 tactical); one 30-06 with scope, one 7 mm with scope, one 6 mm with scope, one 32 special, and three .22 LR rifles; eight handguns from .22 LR to 40 S&W.

Ammunition stock: 50,000 rounds of various ammunitions; including 30,000 rounds of .22 LR; 4,000 rounds of .223/5.56 mm; greater than 1000 rounds of each other caliber; plus some reloading equipment.

Night vision equipment: One Weaver Nightview scope; one ATN NVM-14 scope.

Fuel and power: 300 gallons of propane; 300 gallons of stabilized gas; 300 gallons of stabilized diesel fuel; twelve 260 Watt solar panels tied to grid; two portable 90-watt solar panels with charge controller and inverter; additional thermal solar setup is sufficient to help heat water tank and the house; two wood burning stoves with many cords of dry wood under roof; cooking on wood stove possible with fry pans and stove-top ovens; two cast iron chimaneas; Plus 2 tons of coal under cover.

Water: Shallow well at 38-foot depth with 15-foot static water level; gravity fed spring on property with 3.5 cubic foot per second flow rate; other gravity fed water rights (6 to 9 cfs) for 10 acres of irrigation; total water rights for approximately 20 acre-feet per year; 5,000 gallon cistern buried; capability to filter and treat 36,000 gallons.

Food supply: Two years of food for 2 people; supplemented by garden, orchard, and vineyard.

Farm animals: One medium-size dog; 11 chickens; consideration for future rabbits and goats.
Communication gear: One ICOM 7300 HAM radio; two receivers for AM/FM HAM; two CB radios; six hand-held Motorola 2-way radios, 6 Baofeng hand-held portable radios.

Personal: He – adequate carpenter, farmer, lumberjack, hunter, and fisherman; highly qualified in hiking, wilderness activities, and geological activities. 
She – adequate seamstress, and gardener; highly qualified elementary school teacher.

Retreat location: Chosen for long growing season; well-known fruit orchard and vineyard area, and plenty of gravity-fed irrigation water from nearby 10,000-foot mesa; plus a prolific spring on property.

Drawbacks to location: region subject to periodic (every 5 to 10 years) droughts so potentially less irrigation water available in some years.

Who will share the retreat: 2 daughters and their families, 1 son and his family; potential for 11 additional people (6 adults and 5 children) for a possible total of 13 people; concern they will have difficulty traveling to retreat following a disaster/collapse and in anticipation we have to extend considerably the food supply.

What type of disaster is likely: financial collapse; hyperinflation and currency devaluation; possible, but less likely, EMP strike.

How long might the disaster last: At least one year, but more likely five to ten years.

What is the worst case scenario: Collapse of all levels of government and lack of any law enforcement, collapse of the electrical power grid, followed by attempts at martial law, followed by widespread lawlessness.

What personal circumstances shaped your preparations: growing up on a farm that was largely self-sufficient; no interest in ever working for or accepting unearned benefits from the government; concerns with growth and excessive spending of federal government and attempts to abridge the second amendment; Fed delaying the necessary changes in exchange for short-term gain; lack of people’s concerns about federal deficits and their assumption of continuing low interest rates; worry how, or if, the government will be able to pay interest on national debt, much less amortize it. Inflation or hyperinflation seems the most likely outcome; so concern that a worst-case scenario could develop with a collapse of the economy.

JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR:

Meme Text:

If the Woke Believe That There are “Hundreds” of Genders

Then Why Do They Use The LGBTQ Acronym With a “B” in It, for “Bisexual”?

Article Link:

How are there ‘hundreds’ of genders?

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

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;

And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;

Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.

For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

Be not ye therefore partakers with them.

For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)

Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.” – Ephesians 5: 1-10 (KJV) 

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — February 17, 2024

On February 17th, 1864, the Confederate submarine Hunley became the first submarine to sink an enemy ship when it successfully attacked the USS Housatonic in the waters off Charleston, South Carolina. The submarine was named after its chief financial backer, Horace L. Hunley. The wreckage of H.L. Hunley  (pictured) was discovered in 1995, and raised on August 8, 2000.  The remains of the crew were buried on April 17, 2004 at Charlestons’ Magnolia Cemetery, following a ceremony parade attended by tens of thousands.

February 17th, 1844 was the birthday of Aaron Montgomery Ward, founder of the mail-order business Montgomery Ward.

On this day in 1838, hundreds of Voortrekkers traveling along the Blaukraans River in the Natal region were massacred by Zulus. This tragedy became known as the Weneen Massacre.

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For just the next two days only, Palmetto State Armory (one of our affiliate advertisers) is running a President’s Day Sale on PSA Dagger Compact 9mm Pistols with ECC RMR Slide, Threaded Barrel, and Suppressor Height Night Sights, for just $299.99  (Normally $419.99.) To find this deal, paste this SKU:  910142121TP-BLKSC into their search box. This must go to your local FFL. They also have Surefire brand Stilletto high-power LED rechargeable flashlights on sale. These multiple-mode lights can be dialed down from 650 lumens to just 5 lumens!  You can recharge the lithium polymer battery with any commonplace micro-USB cable, and one of these cables is included. This is the perfect flashlight for everyday carry, for a vehicle, or for your bugout bags.  To find this deal, paste this SKU: 790410 into their search box.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 111 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2,000.
  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 Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $359 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  5. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. 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).
  3. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  3. 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)
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

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More than $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.

Lessons Learned from the Alabama Ice Storm, by H.J.

Some Recent History

In June 2022, we sold our house and moved to a 38-foot long 5th wheel camper. After the Christmas 2022 cold snap, my wife gave me the riot act. We had to be out of the camper by December 2023. We found a house; we liked and bought it. It is not the ideal prepping spot, but it is a town to live in. In September 2023, we started moving into the house. We were surprised how much stuff we had in the camper. For reference, we also had three storage units full of stuff. To date, we have yet to get all our stuff out of storage. Some stuff will not come to our new house. We moved from a 2,220-square-foot house to a 1,425-square-foot house.

The reason that I agreed to this house was that it has a natural gas stove, natural gas water heater, and enough spots in the breaker box to back-feed power into the house with a portable generator. Also, our neighbor is an Army vet and a handyman. Our lot is not very big, but we can have a garden and chickens.Continue reading“Lessons Learned from the Alabama Ice Storm, by H.J.”

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:

The snow is receding and our pastures are quite soggy. I did some “Spring Cleaning” around the house and shop even though it is still officially winter. It certainly feels like spring.  We have another cold spell in the forecast, but I don’t expect that we’ll get any more snow that sticks.

Since our little cattle herd has grown larger, I will have to go and buy a few more tons of hay, in March.  At the rate that the snow is now melting, I should have no trouble getting our hay trailer out of the corner of the horse arena.

I’ve had a bit of success at recent auctions, buying antique guns for my Elk Creek Company inventory.  The recent auction buys include these “no paperwork required” guns:

  • Winchester 12 Gauge Model 1887 lever-action shotgun
  • Stainless Steel Ruger Old Army .44 Percussion Revolver
  • Pietta 1858 New Model Army .44 Percussion Revolver with 8-inch barrel
  • Pietta 1858 New Model Army Buffalo (12-inch barrel) .44 Percussion Revolver
  • Smith & Wesson Top Break Double Action .38 S&W revolver
  • A Ludwig Loewe Chilean Mauser M1895 Short Rifle, 7×57, in original configuration
  • A factory-engraved Purdey 12 gauge double barrel hammer shotgun made in 1871, but sleeved and re-proofed in Birmingham in 1979!

I haven’t yet put these in my online catalog.  For now, I’m just happy to tuck these in the vault. I consider them better than money in the bank, especially with the ATF’s planned redefinition of “Engaged in the Business.” If that absurd redefinition ruling is not overturned, then I expect that will create substantial inflation in the market prices of pre-1899 guns and replica “antiques”. Why? Because, with very few exceptions, Federally-exempt “antique” guns will become the only guns that folks will be able to buy without Form 4473 paperwork and FBI background checks.  A Hint: If you live in any of the 26 remaining “private party sales” states, then I suggest that you round out your lifetime collection with purchases at gun shows, soon, before the new ATF rule goes into effect!

Now, Lily’s report…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and the wickedness of Samaria: for they commit falsehood; and the thief cometh in, and the troop of robbers spoileth without.

And they consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness: now their own doings have beset them about; they are before my face.

They make the king glad with their wickedness, and the princes with their lies.

They are all adulterers, as an oven heated by the baker, who ceaseth from raising after he hath kneaded the dough, until it be leavened.

In the day of our king the princes have made him sick with bottles of wine; he stretched out his hand with scorners.

For they have made ready their heart like an oven, whiles they lie in wait: their baker sleepeth all the night; in the morning it burneth as a flaming fire.

They are all hot as an oven, and have devoured their judges; all their kings are fallen: there is none among them that calleth unto me.

Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people; Ephraim is a cake not turned.

Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not: yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not.

And the pride of Israel testifieth to his face: and they do not return to the Lord their God, nor seek him for all this.

Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart: they call to Egypt, they go to Assyria.

When they shall go, I will spread my net upon them; I will bring them down as the fowls of the heaven; I will chastise them, as their congregation hath heard.

Woe unto them! for they have fled from me: destruction unto them! because they have transgressed against me: though I have redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against me.

And they have not cried unto me with their heart, when they howled upon their beds: they assemble themselves for corn and wine, and they rebel against me.

Though I have bound and strengthened their arms, yet do they imagine mischief against me.

They return, but not to the most High: they are like a deceitful bow: their princes shall fall by the sword for the rage of their tongue: this shall be their derision in the land of Egypt.” – Hosea 7 (KJV)