Preparedness Notes for Monday — September 23, 2019

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There are just eight days remaining in the current round of our non-fiction writing contest. I’d like to make a special appeal to some of the subject matter experts who have been chiming in with lengthy comments, in our comments section. Many of you are clearly great writers, and really know your stuff. I encourage you to write just a bit longer pieces and submit them to the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. You can even use one of your posted comments as a starting point, and simply expand it.  The minimum word count is just 1,500 words. Take note that some of your comments have already been in excess of 1,200 words. So you might as well send in an article. You may be pleasantly surprised to win one of the top three prizes, which together have a more than $12,000 value, awarded once every two months.  Many Thanks! – JWR

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September 23, 1800 was the birthday of William McGuffey, a college president who is best known for writing the McGuffey Readers, the first widely-used series of textbooks. It is estimated that at least 122 million copies of McGuffey Readers were sold between 1836 and 1960, placing its sales in a category with the Bible and Webster’s Dictionary.

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Today we present another review by the tireless Pat Cascio, our Field Gear Editor.

Kershaw Flythrough, by Pat Cascio

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Once again, Kershaw Knives is on a roll, with yet another innovation in a folder. There appears to be no end to new knife designs these days. Some are mere gimmicks. However some have some real down to earth applications. I’m a sucker for folding knives – there are so many different designs these days, its hard to pick one for the next purchase a person is going to make. Today I’m reviewing the “Flythrough” by Kershaw, and it’s a bit different, in that, you can see how it operates, without taking it apart.

Speaking of taking knives apart, I used to do that quite often when I first started writing about knives  back in 1992  – I had to know how some of those folders worked. First off, don’t ever take an automatic folder apart. You’ll find its easy to take apart but hard to put back together. I’ve heard from several Oregon knife companies that produce automatic folders, that people have taken them apart, and couldn’t put back together again – and those knives were sent back to the company for reassembly. Luckily, I’ve never had to return a knife. I always managed to get them put back together.

I’ve observed folks who work for various knife companies, and Kershaw is one of them, who can just breeze through the assembly process on folding knives. Each person sits at their station, and the partially assembled knife is passed to them, for their portion of the assembly process. However, keep in mind that, these people rotate from one station to another, so they don’t get bored with screwing down the same screws, day in and day out. And, along the way, if something isn’t quite “right” when a partially assembled knife reaches a certain station, it is returned to the previous station. Still, in the end, some knives end up assembled, and upon final inspection, the keen-eyed inspectors pull those knives and they don’t get shipped out as perfect. Some knife companies hold annual “factory seconds” sale days, where the consumer can go and buy some factory seconds with big discounts. Some just have a minor cosmetic flaw and some might have a scratch on the blade or handle. In the end, the consumer is the big winner.

The Kershaw Flythrough was designed by custom maker, R.J. Martin, and he’s been around for quite a while, and I’ve seen some of his other designs – outstanding, in every respect. What we have with the Flythrough design is a see-through pivot. This oversized pivot is hollow in the center, letting you see through it. There is also a handle cut-out behind the pivot and this lets you see the blade’s tang with it open. Really cool stuff if you’ve interested in how some folding knives work. There is a “wow” factor there, when you see how things operate on this folder.Continue reading“Kershaw Flythrough, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Newell’s Skillet-Baked Apple Crisp

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Looking for a use for some of your baskets of recently-harvested apples? Reader Newell in Northern California kindly sent us his recipe for skillet-baked apple crisp. Yum!

Filling Ingredients
  • 6 large (or 8-to-10 small) baking apples, cored and sliced
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar (either light or dark)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch
Topping Ingredients
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar (either light or dark)
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 8 tablespoons (1 full stick) unsalted butter
Directions
  1. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the topping:  flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Set that aside.
  3. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and corn starch. Add the sliced apples and mix until they are fully coated. Set that aside.
  4. Place a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter and let it melt until it begins to foam. Swirl the melted butter around the pan and watch it closely for it to turn golden brown. Do not to let the butter burn!
  5. Remove it from the heat and immediately pour the browned butter into the flour/oat topping mixture.
  6. Mix together until the butter is fully mixed in and starts to form clumps. Sprinkle over the apples and spread it out until evenly coated.
  7. Bake in the skillet for about 30 minutes, or until the top has browned and filling is bubbling.
Serving

Serve warm.

This is always good paired with a glass of cold milk or a bowl of vanilla ice cream.

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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. And it bears mention that most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at investing in the recently discontinued civilian production Colt ARs, including the 6920 series carbines. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

AG Thorson, over at Gold-Eagle: Gold Price Forecast – Preparing For An Autumn Low

o  o  o

Silver price to hit $20 in 8 weeks, says expert who correctly called $1,500 gold

Economy & Finance:

At Zero Hedge: A Clueless New York Fed Is Examining Why Banks With Excess Cash Failed To Halt Repo Panic. Here is how the article starts out:

“When it comes to occasional (or chronic) dollar shortages, and the plumbing of the overnight lending market, which as everyone knows suffered a spectacular heart attack early this week when the overnight repo rate soared to 10%, the New York Fed and its open markets desk, is the authority on any potential plumbing blockages. Yet it now appears that the most important regional Fed when it comes to maintaining market stability, is just as clueless as the rest of us as to why the repo market froze up. sending funding rates to never before seen highs.

In an interview with the FT, New York Fed president John Williams, who earlier this year unexpectedly fired not only the head of the NY Fed’s markets desk, Simon Potter, arguably the most important trader in the world, manning the world’s most important trading desk but also the second most important person at the NY Fed’s “Plunge Protection Team”, the head of the Financial Services Group, Richard Dzina, said that the New York Fed is examining “why banks with excess cash failed to lend to the overnight money market, following a week that revealed cracks in the US’s financial plumbing.””

o  o  o

Reader G.P. spotted this from the Perma-Bulls at CNBC: The next recession could crush many with credit card debt

o  o  o

And Wolf Street reports: Debt-Wracked Chinese Companies Dump US & Other Foreign Assets, Become Net Sellers Overseas for First Time

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — September 22, 2019

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September 22nd is the birthday of the late Lieutenant Colonel Ronald Reid-Daly, who founded and commanded the Rhodesian Selous Scouts. He was born 1928, and he died August 9, 2010. His history of the Selous Scouts, titled Pamwe Chete, is fascinating to read, but it is a very hard-to-find book.

September 22nd is the birthday of survivalist writer Joel Skousen. (Born, 1946.) Skousen authored the excellent books Strategic Relocation and The High Security Shelter – How to Implement a Multi-Purpose Safe Room in the Home.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 84  of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The more than $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3,000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any 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 (an $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made 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 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 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.
  3. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  4. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  5. 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).
  6. 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. Good2GoCo.com is providing a $400 purchase credit at regular prices for the prize winner’s choice of either Wise Foods or Augason long term storage foods, in stackable buckets.
  2. 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)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances.

Round 84 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.

Practical Survival Chemistry – Part 2, by 3AD Scout

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

Apple Cider Vinegar

This is one of the examples of where biology and chemistry cross over. Apple cider vinegar is mostly Acetic acid and is easy to make. The process starts with fermenting apples (biology) and ends with acetic acid (chemistry). Like baking soda there are many uses for vinegar, both in cooking and other applications. I now stock several gallons of white vinegar for cleaning rust off of items, especially if they are going to be used around food. For the price, this is the best method for getting rid of rust. If you want to know how powerful of an acid white vinegar is, just put a little steel wool into a jar and cover it with vinegar and watch it disappear over the next few days. Considering how versatile and easy to make vinegar is we should all know how to make it since at some point our stored vinegar will run out. Vinegar is also one of the few easy to come by acids.

Water Glass

Also known as Sodium Silicate. Water glass is basically a mixture of sand (quartz) and caustic soda and water. Probably the best survival use of water glass is in the long-term preservation of eggs without refrigeration by covering the eggs in a solution of one-part water glass to seven parts of warm water that has first been boiled to ensure there is no bacteria in the water. The water glass will stop air from penetrating the egg shell thus not allowing it to rot. Water glass is also a useful solution to help reduce water penetration into and through cement and stucco. Water glass can simply be made by dissolving 8 grams of sodium hydroxide by heating it in about 10 milliliters of water and then adding about 6 grams of crushed silica. Using distilled water helps keep the mixture from reacting to any impurities that could be found in well water.

Sulfuric Acid

Sulfuric acid is readily available as drain cleaner .  (Note that not all drain cleaners are sulfuric acid based). Sulfuric acid will come in handy post-TEOTWAWKI by helping to maintain and rejuvenate lead-acid batteries. Another survival use of sulfuric acid is to rejuvenating metal files. Putting your dual files into sulfuric acid will in effect re-sharpen them by eating away softer metal filings. One simple way to produce a solution of sulfuric acid is by burning sulfur mixed with saltpeter (dry powder) and allowing the burning fumes to mix with water vapor/steam. This is where lab glass and stands will come in handy so that the fumes and water vapor can be caught and funneled to mix together. When the steam/vapor mixture is cooled you will have a sulfuric acid. Use Ph paper to test the strength of the mixture.Continue reading“Practical Survival Chemistry – Part 2, by 3AD Scout”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

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SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “JWR”. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. Today, we look at a new weapon in the war on Yellow Star Thistle. The photo above shows a field of mustard, and a patch of yellow star thistle.

Update: The War on Yellow Star Thistle

Reader S.B.  spotted this: Federal Government Approves Release Of Non-Native Weevil In California To Combat Invasive Thistle.  (Also to be used in Idaho, Oregon, Washington and possibly Nevada.)

Special Sale on Basics of Resistance Book

Claire Wolfe posted:  “Sunday, September 22 at 8:00 a.m. (presumably PDT), the Kindle edition of Basics of Resistance will be on sale for $0.99. Every 50 hours the price will increase until it’s back up to its normal $3.99 after a week.” This great book was co-authored by Kit Perez. Get a copy!

Booker’s Bill Would Require Gun Owners to Get Federal License

Reader DSV sent this: New Bill Would Require Gun Owners to get 5 Year Federal License. The article begins:

“‘If you need a license to drive a car, you should need a license to buy and possess a gun,’ said U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, a Presidential candidate, and the bill’s author.

The measure, dubbed the Federal Firearm Licensing Act, would require individuals who want to buy or receive a firearm to first get vetted by and be issued a license from the U.S. Department of Justice. In addition to an extensive background check, applicants would have to complete firearms training “which must include a written test and hands-on training to ensure safe use and accuracy,” and submit fingerprints. Further, the licensee would have to report to DOJ the make, model, and the serial number of the gun being transferred.

The license would have to be renewed every five years, to include refresher training and a subsequent background check. No license, no guns.”Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

1

“And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him.

And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.

And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.

After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.

And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.

And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am?

And they answered, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets.

And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ.” – Mark 8: 22-29  (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — September 21, 2019

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On this day in 1780, during the American Revolution, American General Benedict Arnold met with British Major John Andre to discuss handing over West Point to the British in return for the promise of a large sum of money and a high position in the British army. The plot was foiled and Arnold, a former American hero, became synonymous with the word “traitor”. It’s too bad the current crop of politicians are not held accountable for their treasonous acts.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 84  of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The more than $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3,000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any 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 (an $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made 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 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 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.
  3. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  4. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  5. 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).
  6. 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. Good2GoCo.com is providing a $400 purchase credit at regular prices for the prize winner’s choice of either Wise Foods or Augason long term storage foods, in stackable buckets.
  2. 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)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances.

Round 84 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.

Practical Survival Chemistry – Part 1, by 3AD Scout

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I have been involved in survival and preparedness since I was a teenager. I have done a lot, seen a lot, and heard a lot about preparedness from many sources. This has come from hands-on practice, reading books and magazines, watching YouTube, and talking with others of like mind. One area of survival or preparedness for TEOTWAWKI that doesn’t get discussed a lot is chemistry. I am by no means a chemist but I have always had an interest in chemistry and am a member of my local Hazardous Materials Response Team. While in the Army I was also on my unit’s Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) reconnaissance team.

The good news is that you also don’t need to be a chemist to incorporate and reap the survival benefits of chemistry. This article is to provoke thought about how we prepare and how we think of chemistry, especially in the realm of survival in a post-TEOTWAWKI world. This article is is intended to make you aware that there are very simple chemicals and compounds that you can use and make to give you an extra edge, post-TEOTWAWKI. This article is not intended to be a “how to” on making specific compounds. However I will discuss some just as examples. It is on you to thoroughly educate yourself, wear the appropriate safety gear, apply safety measures, and common sense.

I like to learn about chemistry by looking on Wikipedia at different chemicals or chemical compounds. Before you have bad flashbacks to 10th grade chemistry class, I am not looking at such things as determining a chemical’s atomic number or diagramming a compound’s chemical structure. I like to look at a chemical’s properties, and more importantly its history and common uses. There is, in some cases, also a cross over between chemistry and biology as we’ll get to later. It is very interesting how many of the chemicals and chemical compounds we use to this day have their roots of first use back to several hundred years ago. In his book The Knowledge: How to Rebuild Civilization in the Aftermath of a Cataclysm, Lewis Dartnell points out that “Cooking is the original chemistry in our history.” Many of the chemicals and chemical processes that we’ll discuss in this article have uses for food production and preservation.

I used to think that iron and steel are what made the Industrial Revolution possible, but without chemistry we would not have progressed like we have. Having a working knowledge of basic chemistry is important when trying to survive and recover from a TEOTWAWKI event.Continue reading“Practical Survival Chemistry – Part 1, by 3AD Scout”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

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To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year. We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in the Comments. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

I’ll be brief, as I’m right up against my Monday deadline to turn in my manuscript for:The Ultimate Prepper’s Survival Guide — An Advanced Preparedness Handbook for Uncertain Times. This is a nonfiction book  that is scheduled for release in (or before) October, 2020.

The only prepping that I got done this past week was a bit more chainsawing. Oh and I bought and swapped a few pre-1899 antique cartridge guns. Now, on to my wife Lily’s weekly report…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;

Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;

Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

The Lord executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.

He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.

The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.

He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.

He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.

As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.

For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.

As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.

For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.

 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children;

To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.

The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.

Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.

Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.

Bless the Lord, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the Lord, O my soul.” – Psalm  (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — September 20, 2019

4

On September 20, 1995, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to drop the national 55 MPH speed limit. This allowed the states to again decide their own speed limits, without the threat of losing their Federal highway funding.

—

Happy Paratus, everyone!

–

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 84  of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The more than $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3,000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any 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 (an $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made 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 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 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.
  3. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  4. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  5. 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).
  6. 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. Good2GoCo.com is providing a $400 purchase credit at regular prices for the prize winner’s choice of either Wise Foods or Augason long term storage foods, in stackable buckets.
  2. 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)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances.

Round 84 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.

Root Cellar Construction, by George T.

17

To begin with my first root cellar (RC) was built in 1998, in anticipation of Y2K. I used a John Deere front loader to dig/excavate the area for a root cellar. I had worked as a Temp for a local business and they were retrofitting a former work area. They were disposing of some nice wood beams (4 x 12 x 20 fir) and they were going to haul them off to the dump. I offered to take them for free. So I was able to take about 16 – 18 of them, 1” plywood flooring and was able also to get two sets of stairs made out of 4 x 12 fir one was 8’ long and the other 4 foot long. I used the 8” for this RC and saved the other for posterity; with this I had my ceiling joists, stairs, ceiling tiles (ceiling insulation) and roofing/ceiling material. I ran 120 volts to the RC. I used pine logs for the vertical supports. I covered it with 30” of dirt. In the end I had built a 16′ x 20′ RC and had four lights inside.

The problems I later encountered, were:

  1. The walls were not thick enough and reinforced enough. I had used 7/16” OSB sheathing on the walls, and metal wall studs for horizontal support but they were few and far between. A few years later the walls started cracking and breaking inward from the pressure of earth and from freezing winters.
  2. The first two years I had considerable amount of moisture to contend with. I had metal cans of food rusting and other steel items that rusted as well and mold started to form on the wood posts and wooden walls.
  3. Dirt floor
  4. Not enough lights or power outlets
  5. Ceiling wasn’t high enough

After about 10 years of thinking and pondering my mistakes of the first RC and wanting to build another one. I set out on paper to rethink and to design a RC. It wasn’t until 2009 that I a real plan.Continue reading“Root Cellar Construction, by George T.”