How NOT to Build a Retreat, by The Jewish Prepper, Pt. 2

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(Continued from Part 1)

A Word On Showers & Toilets

I can tell you that no matter how much you like hiking and camping, you will quickly get tired of working construction all day and not being able to take a nice shower. You also get tired of relieving yourself in the woods. Early in the process, I built a small out-house, which I used for years.

For a couple of years, I maintained a membership at a local gym for $10/month, just so that I could have a place to go shower each night I was up there working. Once I ran completely out of money, I just resigned myself to taking cold showers at the campsite.

A few months before I finished the project, I discovered that a company called CampLuxe sells a beautiful propane instant hot water heater that’s smaller than a backpack and costs less than $150. I don’t know if that product existed when I started my project, but I suspect that I was taking cold showers for years unnecessarily.

Lesson #11. Get a propane camp water heater for your worksite. It’s well worth the money.

Framing

Concrete work is slow going. Once you get the foundation and the piers up, the process starts to move a little faster. Framing can be fun and satisfying, but it can also be frustrating and expensive.

The big beams that hold up your house are probably going to be made by screwing together three 2×12 boards. Even for a small house, those suckers are heavy! To make a long story short, I recommend building them in place on top of the piers, rather than building them on the ground and trying to lift them up. Another word to the wise: in building a house, you never want any kind of joint floating in space. A diagram for how to build a triple beam might show that you stagger the butt-joints by half the length of the beam. But if you don’t have a pier underneath that halfway point, don’t put a joint there! You’re better off staggering them only a little bit, and making sure that every place where two board ends meet is resting on a pier.

Lesson #12. Make sure all beam joints are resting on piers.

Continue reading“How NOT to Build a Retreat, by The Jewish Prepper, Pt. 2”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. 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’s focus is on Chinese debt. (See the Economy & Finance section.)

Precious Metals:

Supply Problems Worsen in Minted Silver

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Sentiment Speaks: Be Careful – Something Is Wrong With The Gold Market

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Stewart Thomson: The Trade Deal: Great News For The Gold Price

 

Economy & Finance (Chinese Debt):

This is some interesting reading, over at Mises.org: A Chinese Bomb: Are We Really on the Threshold of Another Global Financial Crisis? A quote:

“The Chinese debt is overwhelming not because of the volume—more than $34 trillion —but because the figure has quadrupled in seven years (2007–14) according to estimates from the central bank, although, to be sure, Chinese authorities supplying such public information do not have an exemplary reputation (China is not Switzerland or Japan).

Debt is not a trivial problem. However, President Xi Jinping’s methods are those of a political leader who tries to inhibit the fluctuations of an economy with a plan. In the twelfth five-year stimulus plan (2011–15), Xi noted the need for “an economic and social balance” to guarantee long-term development goals, which include encouraging consumption, liberalizing interest rates, removing capital controls, and, crucial for Chinese propaganda, increasing the supply of services for citizens.”

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At Wolf Street: Inventory Pileup Sounds Alarm for Goods-Based Economy

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The Most Splendid Housing Bubbles in America Get Pricked.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

2

“I woke before the morning, I was happy all the day,
I never said an ugly word, but smiled and stuck to play.

And now at last the sun is going down behind the wood,
And I am very happy, for I know that I’ve been good.

My bed is waiting cool and fresh, with linen smooth and fair,
And I must be off to sleepsin-by, and not forget my prayer.

I know that, till to-morrow I shall see the sun arise,
No ugly dream shall fright my mind, no ugly sight my eyes.

But slumber hold me tightly till I waken in the dawn,
And hear the thrushes singing in the lilacs round the lawn.”

– Robert Louis Stevenson

Preparedness Notes for Thursday – February 28, 2019

February 28th is the birthday of famed Swiss investor and economic pundit Marc Faber (born 1946).

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Update, Thursday mid-day: H.R. 8 passed in the House today with just one very minor amendment, clarifying some wording. Please call your Senators, and urge them to stop the Senate version of the bill (S.42)!

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 81 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $11,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3000 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 Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  2. 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,
  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. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances.

Round 80 ends on January 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.

How NOT to Build a Retreat, by The Jewish Prepper, Pt. 1

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Introductory Note: Please forgive the length of this essay, which will be posted in four parts. My project took me 10 years, so I have a lot to include.

As a public service to those of you who are considering building a retreat for your family, I humbly offer a few of the lessons I’ve learned through the blood, sweat and tears I spilled to build a 480 square foot cottage in the woods.

Prior to this project, I had no real construction experience, and no clue what to expect. The effort wiped out my savings, caused tremendous stress, and generally consumed all my time and money for a decade. I would never, ever recommend that anyone build a retreat the way I did … Which is exactly why I’m writing this article: I hope that you – the readers who are just starting or considering this type of endeavor – can learn from my mistakes!

A Little Background

First, a little background: My family lives in a coastal area that is at risk for every form of natural disaster other than volcanoes. In 2008, Inspired largely by SurvivalBlog, my wife and I decided to purchase a piece of land, with the intention of building a small house on it. We made sure it checked all the boxes:

  • It had a water supply
  • The neighbors were friendly
  • It was in a rural area, but within easy driving distance of a decent-sized city
  • The soil was in good shape
  • It was set back so that you couldn’t see the property from the road

In those respects, I followed the good advice presented on this blog, and I agree that they are important qualities in site selection. However, in the decade that I’ve been working on this project, I’ve learned that quite a few other things are important as well.

First of all, let me say that it IS possible for someone with zero construction experience to build a house from scratch. I promised myself I would not submit this article until I had a certificate of occupancy in my hand,  so the fact that you’re reading this means I was successful. I still have to finish up the cabinets, but otherwise the place is done.

With that said, everything cost five times more and took 10 times longer than I anticipated, so here’s what I wish I would’ve known when I started.

Site Selection & Planning

There’s a famous quote attributed to General George S. Patton: “A good solution applied with vigor now is better than a perfect solution applied ten minutes later.” The same could be said of retreat locations: a good piece of land close to home is better than a perfect piece of land a little too far away.

We got a great patch of land, no doubt about it. 20 acres of pine trees with a little creek, and fantastic neighbors. The problem is, it’s 4 hours from where we actually live. Having to drive up there, on a Friday night or Saturday morning, sleep in a tent or (eventually) an unfinished house, and then drive back on Sunday night, made progress for the few first few years painfully slow, and consumed thousands of dollars in gasoline over the course of the project.

Lesson #1. Unless you have the scheduling flexibility to take off weeks at a time to work on your project, choose property within two hours of your home.

Continue reading“How NOT to Build a Retreat, by The Jewish Prepper, Pt. 1”

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”.  Today, we focus on the lateR. Lee Ermey.  May he rest in peace.

R. Lee Ermey Snubbed in Oscar Memoriam Montage

Marine Corps veteran and beloved character actor R. Lee Ermey was missing from the “In Memoriam” segment of the 2019 Academy Awards.  They may have overlooked Gunny Ermey, but we haven’t!

PayPal CEO Admits Partnership with SPLC to Blacklist Conservatives

This comes as no great surprise: PayPal CEO Admits Partnership with Far-Left SPLC to Blacklist Conservatives

U.S. Power Grid Vulnerability

Readers K.B. and D.B. both sent us this: Tommy Waller: U.S. Power Grid Vulnerable to Everything from EMP Bombs to Rifle Bullets.  Here is an excerpt:

“‘A study done by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission found that just the right nine substations attacked in the United States – if someone just with rifles attacked the right nine substations – the cascading failures and power outages could put us in a blackout that could last about 18 months,’ he reported.'”

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

1

“Think gently of the erring:
Ye know not of the power
With which the dark temptation came
In some unguarded hour.
Ye may not know how earnestly
They struggled, or how well,
Until the hour of weakness came
And sadly thus they fell.

Think gently of the erring:
Oh! do not thou forget,
However darkly stained by sin
He is thy brother yet;
Heir of the selfsame heritage,
Child of the selfsame God,
He has but stumbled in the path
Thou hast in weakness trod.

Speak gently to the erring:
For is it not enough
That innocence and peace have gone,
Without thy censure rough?
It sure must be a weary lot,
That sin-stained heart to bear,
And those who share a happier fate
Their chidings well may spare.

Speak gently to the erring:
Thou yet may’st lead them back
With holy words and tones of love,
From misery’s thorny track:
Forget not thou hast often sinned,
And sinful yet must be;
Deal gently with the erring, then,
As God has dealt with thee.”
– Julia Carney

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday – February 27, 2019

Warning: The truncated debate and immediate floor vote on H.R. 8 is expected to be held today!  The parliamentary gymnastics that were employed in the Rules Committee were astounding. To call this bill “ramrodded” by Speaker Pelosi is putting it mildly!  She has cleverly scheduled the committee testimony of Michael Cohen for the same day, to distract attention away from the H.R. 8 debate. The severe limits on amendments and debate on a measure of this gravity are absurd. Please contact your congressmember ASAP and ask them to do everything that they can to stop it, including stalling tactics and loading it up with Killer Amendments. And starting on Thursday please do the same repeatedly with your Senators, about the Senate version of the bill, S.42. Thanks!

—

On February 27th, 1897, an agreement between Great Britain and the United States allowed the U.S. to arbitrate a border dispute between Venezuela and British Guiana, defusing a dangerous U.S.-British diplomatic crisis and formally recognizing the U.S. authority of the Western Hemisphere per President Grover Cleveland’s interpretation of the Monroe Doctrine. In the end, the border was decided in 1899, largely upholding Britain’s claims.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 80 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $11,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3000 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 Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  2. 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,
  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. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances.

Round 80 ends on January 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.

Making Flour From Mesquite, by Pete Thorsen

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My goal this past year was to make flour from Mesquite pods and I did meet this modest goal. To do this I planned ahead and I was able to purchase an old hand crank meat grinder and a hand crank grain mill. Both were used but appeared to be in excellent shape. The all-metal grain mill looks much like the old-style meat grinder but has two flat plates between which the milling takes place. New hand meat grinders and new grain mills like what I bought are still made and readily available. Many can be found on eBay and other online sites. Thrift stores also often have these items. The ones that I bought were found used at yard sales and I ended up having only a $12 total investment for two items. (Yes, I am thrifty!)

On the Internet I had read about how people ground mesquite and they used many different means to do so (some quite expensive). This was something I wanted to try because the land here has plenty of mesquite trees and they produce an incredible amount of seed pods, even in very dry years. While the desert in the American southwest does contain many edible wild plants, it is still a desert and all plants are sparse. Except for Mesquite that is, at least in my general area.

Continue reading“Making Flour From Mesquite, by Pete Thorsen”

JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:

Here are JWR’s Recommendations of the Week for various media and tools of interest to SurvivalBlog readers. This week the focus is on stainless steel zip ties. (See the Gear & Grub section.)

Books:

The Prepper’s Canning Guide: Affordably Stockpile a Lifesaving Supply of Nutritious, Delicious, Shelf-Stable Foods

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52 Prepper Projects: A Project a Week to Help You Prepare for the Unpredictable

Movies & Television:

Something special for Terry Pratchett fans: Going Postal.  (Available on Amazon Prime.)

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I really enjoyed this review: Serenity Retrospective/Review. For any of our readers who have not yet seen it, I also recommend Josh Whedon’s Serenity.

Continue reading“JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:”

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’s focus is on Brandon Smith’s analysis of the economy. (See the Economy & Finance section.)

Precious Metals:

Barrick CEO defends $18 billion hostile Newmont bid as logical tie-up. (A hat tip to H.L. for the link.)

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It’s A Good Time To Be A Palladium Miner

 

Economy & Finance (Brandon Smith):

The latest from Brandon Smith over at Alt-Market.com: Fed Tightening And Crumbling Fundamentals Expose The Recovery Lie. Here is an interesting tidbit from Brandon Smith’s article:  “I also find it interesting that while retail sales are crumbling, consumer debt continues to rise. If consumers are taking on more debt, where is that money going if not into purchases? My suspicion is that new debt is being taken on in order to pay off old debts. If this terrible cycle is the underlying source of expanding personal credit, then retail sales indicate that we are close to the end of the game.”

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The US Housing Market Begins to Feel the Pain

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US Cities Face “Moment Of Reckoning” As China Halts Trash Imports

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“New Economic or Financial Crisis” in the Eurozone Could Start in Italy: French Government Frets

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“GOD, give us men!
A time like this demands
Strong minds, great hearts, true faith and ready hands;
Men whom the lust of office does not kill;
Men whom the spoils of office can not buy;
Men who possess opinions and a will;
Men who have honor; men who will not lie;
Men who can stand before a demagogue
And damn his treacherous flatteries without winking!
Tall men, sun-crowned, who live above the fog
In public duty, and in private thinking;
For while the rabble, with their thumb-worn creeds,
Their large professions and their little deeds,
Mingle in selfish strife, lo! Freedom weeps,
Wrong rules the land and waiting Justice sleeps.” – Josiah Gilbert Holland

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday – February 26, 2019

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Today  is the birthday of Major-General Orde Charles Wingate (born, 1903, died 24 March 1944), an eccentric British Army officer who organized special military units in Palestine in the 1930s, and in Abyssinia, Sudan, and Burma during World War II. He is most famous for his creation of the Chindits, airborne deep-penetration troops trained to work behind enemy lines in the Far East campaigns against the Japanese during World War II.

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Seed for Security–one of our most loyal advertisers–is having a noteworthy sale: They are offering their Colossal Security Pack at 15% off. This pack has a total of 7 pounds of vegetable, herb, and grain seeds. All are open-pollinated and non GMO. Included are their three most popular collections: Their Super Survival Pack, 4 Grain Collection, and Heirloom Herb Collection. Each Colossal Pack comes with a four-page seed saving guide. This offer is for a limited time, so order soon.

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Warning: The floor vote on H.R. 8 is expected to be held tomorrow!  Please contact your congressmember ASAP and ask them to do everything that they can to stop it, including loading it up with Killer Amendments. And later this week do the same with your Senators, about the Senate version of the bill, S.42. Thanks!

JWR’s View: Storage Space Planning for Your Stuff

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As a survivalist since age 14–and now 58–I’ve reached the stage of life where I’ve accumulated a deep larder and a lot of stuff. Just writing can’t help but remind me of the classic George Carlin stand-up comedy routine on “A Place For Your Stuff.” (Be forewarned of Carlin’s foul language.) But seriously, every well-prepared family has mountains of stuff. Storage space planning presents three major challenges:

1.) Where to fit it all.

2.) How to keep it safe from deterioration.

3.) Keeping it organized, so you can quickly find, retrieve, and replenish it.

I will attempt to address all three of those, from my perspective.

Mouse & Rat Proof

One crucial design feature of storage containers is that they be mouse and rat proof. This is particularly important for clothes and for any items that have event the slightest hint of a food smell. A typical Sterilite transluscent bin with a white HDPE lid is NOT rodent proof, and they are surprisingly fragile when handled roughly. I’ve bought a few of those, to my regret. In contrast, heavy duty mil-spec transit chests, Pelican cases, and comparable cases from Plano) will keep out all but the most determined rodents. And most tool boxes, tool cabinets, tool carts, and steel freestanding cabinets with tight-fitting doors are also usually rodent proof.

Continue reading“JWR’s View: Storage Space Planning for Your Stuff”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

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Here is SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt. This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. We also mention companies of interest to preppers that are located in the region. The emphasis this week is on American Redoubt jobs.

Region-Wide (American Redoubt Jobs):

Are your looking for work to facilitate a move to The American Redoubt? Reader H.L. suggested these three web sites:

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SPLC attacks the American Redoubt Again!

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El Nino is back but it’s late, weak and probably no big deal.

 

Idaho (American Redoubt Jobs)

A hat tip to H.L. for sending this: Idaho teen donates $7,000 after he makes $35,000 in four days plowing snow in Seattle: ‘All glory to God!’ Here is a quote:

David Holston is not your typical teen.

The 18-year-old entrepreneur who started a landscaping business in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho last spring made more in four days than many make in a year after a lucrative trip to Seattle with his truck and a plow just when the Emerald City got hit with historic levels of snow — 10 inches in some parts of the city.

Streets, homes and cars remain snow-covered on one of Seattle’s steeper hills, Queen Anne, Monday, Feb. 11, 2019. Schools and universities closed across Washington state and the Legislature canceled all hearings as the Northwest dealt with snow and ice and prepared for more as a series of winter storms socked the region. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

In total, Holston made $35,000 in four days and said he plans to give $7,000 of that “to God” through his local church and other Christian organizations.”

A Fox News article provided more details.  JWR’s Comment:  This articles illustrates the work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit, and faith that is common in many teenagers in the American Redoubt.

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B.B. and R.E. were the first of several readers to send us this:  Idaho Senate Opens Door to Gun Confiscation Orders with SJR101 Vote ~ VIDEO

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Idaho will study wild steelhead

 

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