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 located in the American Redoubt region that are of interest to preppers and survivalists. Today, news about Idaho’s big income tax cut.  (See the Idaho section.)

Region-Wide

Movement to break off part of Oregon to join with Idaho has legs again.

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Frontier Airlines adds new routes to Spokane and Boise.

Idaho

Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed the largest income tax cut in Idaho history. It will reduce the tax rate from 5.7% to 5.3%. This consequently cuts an estimated $240 million in state revenue, but that makes sense, since the state government has been running surplusses.

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Senate passes bill to make the firing squad Idaho’s primary form of execution.

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Judge in University of Idaho murder case argues for more transparency.

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

Preparedness Notes for Monday — March 10, 2025

Today is the birthday of the artist Willem Roelofs (10 March 1822 – 12 May 1897.)  According to the Infogalactidc Wiki: He was a “…Dutch painter, water-colorist, etcher, lithographer, and draftsman. Roelofs was one of the forerunners of the Dutch Revival art, after the Romantic Classicism of the beginning of the 19th century, which led to the formation of The Hague school. His landscapes, especially the early ones with their dominating cloudy skies, demure bodies of water, and populated with cattle, are typical for the School of Barbizon. He unmistakably provided the spiritual impulse for the painters of nature that would later dominate The Hague school. In addition to painting, he also occupied himself with entomology, where he specialized in beetles.”

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On March 10, 1783, USS Alliance under the helm of Captain John Barry fought and won the last naval battle of the War of Independence, off Cape Canaveral.

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Today’s feature article was penned by SurvivalBlog staffer Tom Christianson.

Motor City Axe Splitting Maul, by Thomas Christianson

The Motor City Axe Splitting Maul is a highly effective tool for firewood processing. It is also a beautiful piece of craftsmanship. It has a forged, tool-steel, hand-sharpened, tapered bit that is coated with boiled lindseed oil over the forged finish. It also has a beautifully-finished, 36-inch, curved, American-hickory handle. The handle has a Motor City Axe logo branded into the wood near the bit, engraved pine trees near the middle, and a hand-dipped “Up-North-Pattern” paint job in red, blue and green with a yellow stripe on the end.

In my testing, I found the maul to be among the most effective tools for splitting firewood that I have ever used. It is hard to believe that Motor City Axe was able to put so much handwork into a quality, American-made maul at such a reasonable the price. At the time of this writing the maul cost $152 at www.motorcityaxe.com .

If you are looking for a firewood processing tool that is both highly functional and beautifully ornamental, I doubt that you will find another to equal this one. I highly recommend it.Continue reading“Motor City Axe Splitting Maul, by Thomas Christianson”

Recipe of the Week: Ground Beef & Tomato Pasta

The following simple recipe for Ground Beef & Tomato Pasta is from SurvivalBlog reader J.P.V..

Ingredients
  • 3 cups of uncooked dried pasta of your choice
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (or less, if you are on a low-salt diet)
  • 1/8 teaspoon minced garlic (optional, or less, to taste)
  • 1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper (optional, or less, to taste)
  • 1/2 pound ground beef
  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons seasoned bread crumbs
  • 1-1/2 cups meatless canned or jar spaghetti sauce
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
Directions
  1. Cook the pasta according to package directions.
  2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat the egg, and mix in salt, garlic, and pepper (to taste)
  3. Add beef and mix well.
  4. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs; mix gently.
  5. Crumble beef mixture into a large skillet.
  6. Cook over medium-high heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.
  7. Stir in the spaghetti sauce.
  8. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 2-4 minutes — or until heated through.
  9. Drain pasta; place in a serving bowl.
  10. Add beef mixture; sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese.
  11. Toss until pasta is well coated and cheese is melted.
SERVING

Serve it hot. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella just before serving, or on each serving.

STORAGE

Stores well overnight, if it is then re-heated.

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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!

SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week

Today’s graphic: Death By Starvation: A simulation estimates the proportion of the population to die from starvation following nuclear war. (A Times of London/Sunday Times graphic, courtesy of Reddit.)

JWR’s Comment:  This is a simulation that assumes a worst-case full nuclear exchange, an interruption of most commerce, and the death of most livestock. This underscores the importance of having a deep larder!

The thumbnail below is click-expandable.

 

 

 

 

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Please send your graphics or graphics links to JWR. (Either via e-mail or via our Contact form.) Any graphics that you send must either be your own creation or uncopyrighted.

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Politicians of both parties told us that free trade with Asia and Latin America would spur economic growth, and maybe it did somewhere else. In our towns, though, factories continue shutting down or moving overseas.” – J. D. Vance

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — March 9, 2025

On March 9, 141 BC, Liu Che, posthumously known as Emperor Wu of Han, assumed the throne of the Han Dynasty in China and ruled for 54 years.

March 9, 1776: Adam Smith published the influential economics book “The Wealth of Nations”.

March 9th was the birthday of Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin – the first man to ever travel in space. He was born in 1934 and died in the crash of a MiG-15-UTI fighter on March 27, 1968.

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Today we present the last installment of a guest article from a SurvivalBlog reader that is not part of the writing contest judging.

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We are seeking entries for Round 117 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $950,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 117 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. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

Preparedness in the New Golden Age or Grimy Age – Part 6, by Single Farmer

Editor’s Introductory Note: This young man is prayerfully seeking a wife. He is offering an after-marriage gift of up to $50,000 to whoever introduces him to his bride, with $18,000 after their marriage and another $16,000 to the individual who provided the introduction after the first two births of healthy children born to him and his wife, for a total potential gift of $50,000. For further details, see this link to his article posted on February 24th, 2025: My Quest For a Wife.

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(Continued from Part 5. This concludes the article.)

Prepper Fatigue

Do you have prepper fatigue? Have you quit preparing because nothing ever happens? There may be a “cure” and no it does involve a pill to take.

Inanimate objects such as metals can become fatigued and develop stress cracks and so can pilots and preppers.
In a way, prepper fatigue is just as dangerous as metal fatigue from an engineering perspective because the metal becomes brittle and by not prepping you are losing the physical advantage that you had through your preparations.

The first thing you need to evaluate is the reason why you are prepping. Has anything changed? Maybe you were prepping for a hurricane as you previously lived in a coastal area and now you moved to a mountain area and you think you are unlikely to need an emergency life boat. Considering the recent experiences of people who lived in the mountains of the Upper South who experienced extreme flooding who helped rescue others using flotation devices may prove that people need to be considering devoting some dollars to survival equipment that ordinarily would not be used in their area. Based on the even more recent unusual snowfall in the Deep South, preppers living in those areas may want to consider at the least of getting a dedicated snow shovel and becoming familiar with winter survival skills that are well-known in areas with even modest amounts of snow.Continue reading“Preparedness in the New Golden Age or Grimy Age – Part 6, by Single Farmer”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week: 

The latest meme created by JWR:

Meme Text:

Taylor Swift Says:

I’ve Suffered For My Music…

…Now It’s Your Turn

(With a nod to Neil Innes and Eric Idle.)

News Link:

14 Taylor Swift Songs That Reference Depression, According to Mental Health Experts.

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:

“He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;

 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.

Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.” – Revelation 3: 5-11 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — March 8, 2025

Today is the birthday of Colin Campbell Cooper, Jr. (March 8, 1856 – November 6, 1937). He was an American impressionist painter of architectural paintings, especially of skyscrapers in New York City, Philadelphia, and Chicago. An avid traveler, he was also known for his paintings of European and Asian landmarks, as well as natural landscapes, portraits, florals, and interiors. In addition to being a painter, he was also a teacher and a writer. His painting “Grand Central” (above) was dated 1909. It was auctioned by the Christies auction house for $85,000, in 2015.

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Today we present a guest article from a SurvivalBlog reader that is not part of the writing contest judging.

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We are seeking entries for Round 117 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $950,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 117 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. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

Preparedness in the New Golden Age or Grimy Age – Part 5, by Single Farmer

Editor’s Introductory Note: This young man is prayerfully seeking a wife. He is offering an after-marriage gift of up to $50,000 to whoever introduces him to his bride with $18,000 after their marriage and another $16,000 to the individual who provided the introduction after the first two births of healthy children born to him and his wife, for a total potential gift of $50,000. For further details, see this link to his article posted on February 24th, 2025: My Quest For a Wife.

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(Continued from Part 4.)

Gold: What one ounce can buy in a grimy world

In the event that a “collapse” occurs and there is some sort of barter event in my area, you will likely not see me or any members of our group. It is incredibly doubtful that I or any member of our group would ever show up at a barter event as we already have everything that we need and stock extra in quantity just to avoid such events. An event such as this would likely have many security and OPSEC issues, could lead to the spread of contagious diseases, and likely would involve many desperate individuals. As you win 100 percent of the unnecessary fights that you avoid, this is relatively easy win for well-prepared individuals to achieve.

There are probably some out there who have a nice stack of gold and silver and somehow think there is a gigantic value in a grimy world as things will somehow automatically adjust in value. Maybe someday, but in this scenario, not so much. I do not need your gold and silver, but you probably need the goods that I have put away for such a time as this. How much is a meal worth when you are starving? For Esau, it was his birthright that gave him a right to the first-born blessing and a double portion of the inheritance. (See Genesis 25:29-34). How much is medicine worth to you that doctors have stored away when your child is dying?

Please do not tell me that people are somehow cruel for allowing unprepared individuals to die in such a scenario if on some theoretical level they could maybe possibly could save one person. The truth is that these individuals made a series of unfortunate decisions that got them to that point and prepared people made a series of decisions that got them to this point. Some families get regular bouts of “food poisoning” or gastrointestinal illness, but we do not as we have studied proper techniques of food preparation and sanitation to break cycles of illnesses and disease. I have had people tell me that it does not matter how they prepare or store their food and they are often the ones regularly writhing in pain. I learn very quickly, but some are slow learners.Continue reading“Preparedness in the New Golden Age or Grimy Age – Part 5, by Single Farmer”

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:

While I’m recovering from my eye surgery, things have been quiet, here at the Rawles Ranch. My recovery has been slow, due to a swollen cornea in my right eye. That is my eye with the new implanted synthetic lens. I’m hoping that the corneal swelling (“Fuchs”) is acute, rather than becoming chronic. I’m still on doctor’s orders to avoid any heavy lifting, but I did help Lily reorganize our barrels of feed grains for our livestock. (I rolled and tilted barrels, rather than lifting them.)

I got most of the March, 2025 SurvivalBlog Old School (S.O.S.) newsletters stuffed in envelopes mailed out, on Monday.  Folks who subscribed can expect to see those soon. This latest issue is six pages long. It includes some very, ahem, “useful” machining diagrams for gunsmithing.

We have reactivated the shopping cart at Elk Creek Company, and we are looking forward to your orders.  We now have our widest-ever selection of pre-1899 guns. (More than 90 guns, and 25+ knives and bayonets.) No FFL is required, to order. Many gun prices are now discounted, so take a close look.

In the coming week, I plan to set up a new sheep-milking stand in our sheep shed.  I also need to walk our fencelines, to see if any trees or large branches have fallen on our fences, over the winter.

Now, Lily’s part of the report, with some baby news…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish.

A good man obtaineth favour of the Lord: but a man of wicked devices will he condemn.

A man shall not be established by wickedness: but the root of the righteous shall not be moved.

A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.

The thoughts of the righteous are right: but the counsels of the wicked are deceit.

The words of the wicked are to lie in wait for blood: but the mouth of the upright shall deliver them.

The wicked are overthrown, and are not: but the house of the righteous shall stand.

A man shall be commended according to his wisdom: but he that is of a perverse heart shall be despised.

He that is despised, and hath a servant, is better than he that honoureth himself, and lacketh bread.

A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.

He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding.

The wicked desireth the net of evil men: but the root of the righteous yieldeth fruit.

The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lips: but the just shall come out of trouble.

A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth: and the recompence of a man’s hands shall be rendered unto him.

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.” – Proverbs 12:1-15 (KJV)