Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.” – 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (KJV)

Notes for Saturday – February 04, 2017

On this day in 1789, George Washington became the first and only president to be unanimously elected by the Electoral College. This was repeated again on this same day in 1792. Because of the way the early American voting procedure worked, the electors cast two votes with no distinction for president or vice president. Washington was chosen by all of the electors and is considered to have been unanimously elected. Of the others on the ballots, Adams had the most votes and thus became the vice president.

o o o

Today, we present another entry for Round 69 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $15,000 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 that is good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 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 with a hammer forged, chrome-lined barrel 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, which can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools and a compact carry capability in a hard case or 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Gun Mag Warehouse is providing 20 Magpul PMAG 30-rd Magazines (a value of $300) and a Gun Mag Warehouse T-Shirt; (an equivalent prize will be awarded for residents in states with magazine restrictions),
  6. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  7. The Ark Institute is donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package (enough for two families of four) plus seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate (a $325 retail value),
  8. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  9. Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Second Prize:

  1. A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from Always Empowered. This compact starter power system is packaged in a wheeled O.D. green EMP-shielded Pelican hard case (a $2,400 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 gift certificate for any two or three-day class from Max Velocity Tactical (a $600 value),
  4. A transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  5. A Trekker IV™ Four-Person Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $250 value),
  6. A $200 gift certificate good towards any books published by PrepperPress.com,
  7. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  8. An infrared sensor/imaging camouflage shelter from Snakebite Tactical in Eureka, Montana (A $350+ value),
  9. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site, and
  10. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Third Prize:

  1. A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. A custom made Sage Grouse model utility/field knife from custom knife-maker Jon Kelly Designs, of Eureka, Montana,
  4. 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,
  5. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  6. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  7. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  8. Montie Gear is donating a Y-Shot Slingshot and a $125 Montie gear Gift certificate.,
  9. 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), and
  10. Fifteen LifeStraws from SafeCastle (a $300 value).
  11. A $250 gift certificate to Tober’s Traditions, makers of all natural (organic if possible) personal care products, such as soap, tooth powder, deodorant, sunscreen, lotion, and more.

Round 69 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.

How to Plan and Plant a Hidden Garden, by Survival San

I don’t know if it’s just me, but as soon as the holidays have passed my mind turns to gardening. Too soon? Not in my opinion. Spring will be on us quicker than a tick on a rainy day, and it’s best we be prepared.

It could be you’re hesitant to plant a garden because you’re worried about would-be poachers and/or vandals. Maybe you’re afraid that a garden will draw unwanted attention from wandering marauders or neighborhood children who may decide to commandeer your harvest or stomp on your tomatoes. Fear not! The solution to this disconcerting dilemma is to plant a hidden garden, or even several.

Planting a hidden garden may sound challenging or impractical, but it’s easier than you might think. In fact, it takes very little planning. Your environment will tell you what to do, or more accurately, the weeds will tell you. Most gardeners think of weeds as their enemies, but they can be our friends as well as our foes. It’s really up to you which one you want them to be. I had a field full of lambs’ quarters this past summer. Instead of pulling them, I let them grow because my chickens think they’re salad. As these weeds grew taller, I thought, hmmm, it’s a nice place to hide a garden. I started by planting low vegetables that could be easily hidden by the lambs quarters, such as squash. As the lambs quarters grew, I realized I could plant taller vegetables, such as peppers and tomatoes without their being detected. As I pulled out the lambs’ quarters to feed to my chickens, I planted tomato plants in their place. Cool. Who would have thought that weeds could be so useful? Just remember trellises and tomato cages cannot be used in a hidden garden. That would defeat the whole purpose of trying to hide it. Obviously, no scarecrows are allowed no matter how scary. Pretty little picket fences aren’t a good idea either. Barbed wire is better. Not only is it less obvious, but it can be a bugger to try and wiggle through.

I did stake a few of my tomato plants with wooden stakes, but most I just let vine out over the ground. Some of them actually climbed the lambs’ quarters! Soon plantain started growing amongst the tomatoes, which the tomatoes didn’t seem to mind at all. Who would have thought it? Of course, the plantain enjoyed some of the nourishment of the fertilizer that I fed to my tomato plants, but that was okay with me so long as the plantain did its job of helping to hide my tomato plants. Both plants grew healthy and robust. It was a true symbiotic relationship.

Queen Anne’s lace pops up like dandelions all over my property. Come to think of it, dandelions pop up too. No problem. Both are pretty to look at, attract bees, and also make the landscape look wild and abandoned, even though it secretly isn’t. On the surface (and from a distance) there appears to be nothing edible in my field. A field full of lamb’s quarters, plantain, dandelions, and Queen Anne’s lace doesn’t exactly summon up thoughts of dinner, unless you’re a cow or a vegan. Let’s not forget the goldenrod, which grows thick and tall in the places I want it (and sometimes don’t).

That’s my point. A hidden garden blends in with its natural environment. This means straight tidy rows are a no-no. Plants should zigzag and meander and basically grow as they would if left to their own devises, which in a way they are. A passerby should be able to look right at your garden and not see it. Matching leaf shape and color can help with this, such as with the combination of lamb’s quarters and tomato plants. The two look somewhat similar. Anything that causes confusion is a plus.

But my hidden garden isn’t just a jumble of weeds and brambles; that would be too easy, not to mention counter productive. There are paths snaking their way throughout my field and gardens, each connecting one to another, allowing me access to my vegetables when I need them and when I just feel like taking a stroll through the weeds.

A favorite vegetable of mine to grow is butternut squash. I planted some in the corner of my field this past summer. I was a little disappointed, at first, when I went to harvest them. I couldn’t find a single one. Then I walked around and looked a little harder and sure enough, I found one. Then I found another and another and another. I even tripped over a few. Some were even hanging from the lambs’ quarters. Who would think that something as big and bulbous as a butternut squash could be hidden? But I did it. I hid them so well even I couldn’t find them.

Another good vegetable for hiding in plain sight is the cucumber. Because of their green coloring, cucumbers can easily hide amongst the weeds. I had cucumbers growing last year that I didn’t even know about until they had reached almost a foot long. I knew I had planted some, but I sure could not find them.

Aside from being dependent on weeds to hide your garden, you can plant bushes or tall plants, such as Jerusalem artichokes, around your vegetables. Not everyone knows what a Jerusalem artichoke is and may think you’re just growing pretty flowers. These can not only help hide your produce; they are your produce.

Speaking of flowers, a flower garden can be a sneaky place to hide vegetable plants. Hungry humans are usually not interested in sampling delicate flowers, even edible ones. Edible flowers, by the way, include day lilies, hostas, and nasturtiums. A poacher could starve to death before figuring that out. Face it; hungry foragers aren’t going to be looking for dandelions. They’re going to want something more substantial, like squash and potatoes. These, however, are vegetables that can be easily hidden.

Since they grow below ground, carrots can easily be hidden from sight. It’s as if they were designed to be hidden from us. Speaking of which, don’t even try and find my potatoes. After the tops die off, only I know where the bodies are buried. If you like sweet potatoes, you’ll probably like their attractive vine—another edible that can go undetected. A poacher may never know what lies beneath.

An herb garden can also be a stealthy way to hide edibles. Not everyone is familiar with herbs that don’t come out of a spice bottle. An herb garden is a good place to hide other greens as well. Arugula produces a delicate flower top that can look quite innocent and unappealing.

Let’s talk about peas and beans. Because they produce pretty blossoms, peas can be an interesting vegetable to grow in your flower garden. Even if your peas somehow get discovered by wandering marauders or neighborhood children, you can still eat the leaves in a salad. Ha, ha. Nice try kids. Green beans are not only one of the easiest vegetables to grow but also one of the easiest to hide. Because of their deep green color, the leaves and beans have the ability to blend in nicely with rich summer landscapes. And, as an added bonus, the triple-leafed plant resembles poison ivy. Yes!

A permaculture garden can be a useful addition to a hidden garden. A permaculture garden of fruit and nut trees can blend in seamlessly with a wooded environment, so long as you remember to take off the tags.

For obvious reasons, fruit trees should be planted well away from the road where questing eyes could spot them. I planted some next to the woods behind my house. The trees innocently look like part of the forest. My shed also helps conceal them. Barns and sheds make excellent visual barriers. (I suppose that goes without saying.)

I also plant what I call a “decoy” garden. This is a garden that is intended to be discovered. Corn is hard to hide, so I plant it in my decoy garden closer to the road and well away from my more abundant plots. Sneaky, huh? I don’t worry too much about corn rustlers, because I also plant another bed of corn near the woods just in case my decoy garden gets invaded. So far, it hasn’t happened, but I’m ready.

Planting multiple beds in different places decreases the chances of a poacher (or deer) finding all of your vegetables. Don’t forget, most people are used to seeing one garden on someone’s property, rather than several.

If you’re wondering how I remember where I planted all of these vegetables, it’s simple. I draw a sketch, or map, of each garden plot telling me where it’s planted and what is planted there. However, I have to admit that sometimes I’m surprised by what I find and also surprised that I find it!

I could easily have called this article Companion Planting for the Collapse or Camouflage for Your Cauliflower or maybe even Stealthily Sowing Your Squash or Arugula for the Apocalypse. I’ll stop now. Titles aren’t important unless you’re royalty, and even then it’s doubtful anyone cares. So if you’re not planting a garden because you’re afraid someone might find it, you no longer have that excuse. Go ahead and experiment next growing season. Try switching things up. Plant carrots in a flower pot or tomatoes in a trash can. Start small and stealthy, and see what develops. You’ll be surprised by the different ideas you come up with for hiding your prized vegetable plants. You may even be able to find them afterwards.

Letter Re: Call Me 4-Eyes

Hugh,

Last week a letter titled Call Me 4-Eyes caught my attention. I agree 100% with his suggestions. As a retired Optometrist of 40+ years experience with military and civilian practice, I am concerned for contact wearers post SHTF. The very instant sanitation and personal hygiene are compromised, you should discontinue wearing contacts! Even today, most eye care providers will tell you they see several contact lens complications per week. An eye infection or corneal ulcer can be treated with good results in today’s world. When eye care is not available, a simple infection or corneal ulcer could result in loss of sight. With many of the super bugs we now experience, it could be a life threatening event. Each contact lens wearer should have multiple pairs of glasses or consider having corrective eye surgery to restore vision. Stockpiling contacts and solutions is not the best idea. Simply washing your hands in contaminated water could cause viral, bacterial, or protozoan infections if you touch the contacts. Wearing contacts post SHTF is not the prudent thing to do. – Phoroptor

Odds ‘n Sods:

Use a wireless mouse? This $15 hack could compromise your laptop. JWR’s Comment: It is high time to revert to hard-wired mice.

o o o

For those who have been waiting, MagPul has now produced AICS-compatible LONG ACTION magazines for .270, .30-06, .25-06, and similar cartridges. This sure beats paying $90+ each for original AICS-made magazines.

o o o

From Mike Williamson, SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large: Some interesting European surplus kit at good prices, with cheap shipping to the U.S. Note that some of their “joke” products are presented with blunt language.

o o o

Growing fresh-produce shortage in Britain – P.S.

o o o

A short humor video: If gun calibers were celebrities

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is mine.” – Exodus 13:1-2 (KJV)

Notes for Friday – February 03, 2017

This is the birthday of writer James Michener (1907–1997), known for his very well-researched epic novels, such as Centennial. This is also the birthday of painter and illustrator Norman Rockwell (1894–1978).

o o o

Today, we present another entry for Round 69 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $15,000 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 that is good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 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 with a hammer forged, chrome-lined barrel 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, which can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools and a compact carry capability in a hard case or 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Gun Mag Warehouse is providing 20 Magpul PMAG 30-rd Magazines (a value of $300) and a Gun Mag Warehouse T-Shirt; (an equivalent prize will be awarded for residents in states with magazine restrictions),
  6. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  7. The Ark Institute is donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package (enough for two families of four) plus seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate (a $325 retail value),
  8. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  9. Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Second Prize:

  1. A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from Always Empowered. This compact starter power system is packaged in a wheeled O.D. green EMP-shielded Pelican hard case (a $2,400 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 gift certificate for any two or three-day class from Max Velocity Tactical (a $600 value),
  4. A transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  5. A Trekker IV™ Four-Person Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $250 value),
  6. A $200 gift certificate good towards any books published by PrepperPress.com,
  7. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  8. An infrared sensor/imaging camouflage shelter from Snakebite Tactical in Eureka, Montana (A $350+ value),
  9. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site, and
  10. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Third Prize:

  1. A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. A custom made Sage Grouse model utility/field knife from custom knife-maker Jon Kelly Designs, of Eureka, Montana,
  4. 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,
  5. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  6. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  7. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  8. Montie Gear is donating a Y-Shot Slingshot and a $125 Montie gear Gift certificate.,
  9. 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), and
  10. Fifteen LifeStraws from SafeCastle (a $300 value).
  11. A $250 gift certificate to Tober’s Traditions, makers of all natural (organic if possible) personal care products, such as soap, tooth powder, deodorant, sunscreen, lotion, and more.

Round 69 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.

Intellectual Survival, by D.W.

“Through space the universe grasps me and swallows me up like a speck; through thought I grasp it.”[1]

-Blaise Pascal

“It is absurd to hold that a man ought to be ashamed of being unable to defend himself with his limbs, but not of being unable to defend himself with speech and reason, when the use of rational speech is more distinctive of a human being than the use of his limbs.”[2]

-Aristotle

Imagine for a moment, you have just finished eating dinner with your family. You have been living without power for months. You planned for this, of course. You have plenty of food, you are safe, and there is heat if it is winter in your part of the country. As is your family’s custom (let us assume), you take turns discussing what you are thankful for, despite the circumstances. Afterward, the table and dishes are cleaned and everyone gathers into a family room. But what are you going to do? The chores are all completed. All of the puzzles you have have been completed many, many times. The board games you have have been played many times over. Maybe some members of the family play instruments, and you have a short time of playing, dancing, and singing. Eventually, though, the mind will need something substantial to consume. Physical survival is extremely important, obviously. Is intellectual survival also important? I submit to you that it is.

I often tell my children that I have the history of Western civilization in my library. You may be thinking that I have a large library. I don’t. In fact, the books I am referring to only take up a couple of shelves. The younger ones don’t quite understand what that means, but my older kids are beginning to understand that if something were to happen to the electrical grid, we couldn’t get copies on the computer. No one could. Of course, if one has a generator (or really strong batteries) then one could still access copies that are stored on a device, but how long will the generator last? How about the batteries? In a real TEOTWAWKI situation, everything will eventually run out, except for what individuals, families, or groups of families can produce for themselves. Having hard copies of certain books is simply wise. It goes without saying that one should consider books on vital survival skills. For example, I recently received a book for my wife originally written in the 19th century entitled The Frugal Housewife.[3] The book focuses on a number of practical remedies, recipes, et cetera that one would have used over 150 years ago– a time when there wasn’t an electrical grid. My goal here, though, is to discuss books that are necessary for the maintenance and understanding of the ideologies that have produced Western civilization.[4] In a TEOTWAWKI situation, it is possible for younger generations to grow up without understanding this important history. More importantly, though, it is possible for adults, who do understand that history, to forget about it in the midst of literally just surviving.

Having a good library of quality books will make all the difference in the world, emotionally and intellectually, once the “lights” have gone off for good, or even for a considerably long time. What books should you have? One of the great enemies of the Western world, Islamic terrorism, has as its stated goal the destruction of Western civilization. It is likely that, once the grid goes down, access to what are often referred to as the “great books” could be severely limited or altogether lost. Sure, there are hard copies located in libraries across the country, but libraries are normally in cities and no one wants to go into the city in a TEOTWAWKI situation. Those books will be lost– burned or looted, likely. Some of you reading this will recall that the library at Alexandria Egypt (approximately 2000 years ago) was burned. The scrolls and works are gone forever. What knowledge did we lose from the ancient world because of the destruction there? We will never know completely. I strongly encourage families to secure, either in anthology or individually, copies of the “great books.”

Why are such books necessary? Isn’t it also important to secure good copies of quality fiction? I think good fiction would be essential in a TEOTWAWKI situation. Good fiction can be read over and over. For example, to this day I can still laugh when I read the section in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn[5], where Jim is considered to have power over witches because of a hair ball he found. Reading Mark Twain will never get old. It is also important to note that some of the “great books” are fictional in nature. However, the “great books” are great because they address foundational issues related to human beings, God, ethics, the State, and economics. Our own system of government, for example, has its roots in Greek and Roman political life. Thomas Jefferson had recommended reading lists of the “great books” that he encouraged friends and family to read.[6] Jefferson also believed there was great pleasure in reading the classic works.

He observes: “to read the Latin and Greek authors in their original, is a sublime luxury;…I thank on my knees, him who directed my early education, for having put into my possession this rich source of delight; and I would not exchange it for anything which I could then have acquired, and have not since acquired.”[7] Jefferson read the classics not only for the knowledge acquired, but also for the mere pleasure of doing so.

Aristotle believed that human beings were meant to flourish according to their design. The word for “flourish” is the Greek word eudemonia.[8] Think of your garden you planted this past summer. If the garden had everything it needed, according to each plant’s design and need, then your garden likely flourished and you had an abundance of fresh food to eat and store away. If your garden did not flourish, then there was something absent (not enough water, good soil, or sunlight) that it needed. Or, possibly there was something present that it did not need (e.g. weeds, pests of various kinds, or, if you are like me, a giant Black Walnut tree right next to your garden). In like manner, human beings need certain things to flourish. By design, we need good food with vitamins, minerals, and clean water. However, we also need intellectual exposure to good, interesting, and meaningful ideas.

It is highly unlikely that anyone reading this did not grow up with electricity. This means that most of us also grew up with television of some kind. Many of you, like me, did not grow up with smart phones or computers, but they are clearly a part of our lives now. I submit to you that we are engaged with ideas on a daily basis from many of these different sources. Most of these ideas are not always good or meaningful. In fact, more often than not, they are simply distracting, lulling us into a false sense of security and comfort, which is the plague of the modern, contemporary world. Yet, it is enough to provide a substantial distraction for us intellectually, even if we are not necessarily flourishing. Once these devices are gone, though, then what?

In a TEOTWAWKI situation, none of us want to merely survive. In other words, we don’t want just the basics of food and water. We want variety. If one is prepared then this is possible. On my property we have at least three different kinds of meat that could be indefinitely sustained in a TEOTWAWKI situation: goats, chickens, and meat rabbits. The process of growing fruit and vegetables speaks for itself, and most of you know what that entails. But what consideration have you given to the variety that your mind will need? How will you flourish intellectually? The answer is by acquiring a set of the great books of Western civilization. In the great books we have the whole of human experience. What is happiness? How do we find it? What is the nature of justice? What is the relationship between justice and happiness in an individual? What is the nature of this relationship in the state? What is the best form of government? What is the nature of physical reality? What is the nature of spiritual reality? What is the nature of God? What is the nature of man? How should God and man relate?[9] And, of course, there are many other questions and topics we could touch on that the writers of old have already addressed centuries and millennia ago.

We must also address the cost and weight of such books. Here I can only say that the best way to approach the reality of buying and storing physical books is to consider an anthology set. It may cost more than tracking down used copies at library sales and other, reduced cost venues, but you will have them once and for all. You could also find lists of the great books on the internet. I have included a partial list below. One may also find that there can be subtle differences from one list to another, depending upon one’s emphasis and goals. Such a list can be useful if one wants to shop independently for the books. Recommendations for anthologies (by author) are below as well.

Anthologies:

  1. Great Books of the Western World by Mortimer J. Adler.
  2. Great Books of the Western World by Robert Maynard
  3. Gateway to the Great Books by Robert M. Hutchins, Mortimer J. Adler, and Fred Steffen
  4. The World’s Great Thinkers by Random House (This set is not as comprehensive, but it is very cost effective and inexpensive.)
  5. Harvard Classics by Charles Eliot

References


[1]Pascal, Blaise. Pensees. Paris: Librairie Generale Francaise, 1972.


[2]Aristotle, W. Rhys Roberts, Ingram Bywater, Friedrich Solmsen, and Aristotle. Rhetoric. New York: Modern Library, 1954.


[3]Freeman, Ruth S. The Frugal Housewife. Watkins Glen, N.Y.: Century House, 1957.


[4]Please note, I am a Christian and therefore believe that the most important book one should have in a home is a copy (or copies) of the Bible.


[5]Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin. London: Thomas Nelson & Sons Ltd, n.d.


[6]Jefferson, Thomas. Letters of Thomas Jefferson. Tilton, N.H.: Sanbornton Bridge Press, 1975.


[7]Ibid.


[8]Preus, Anthony. Historical Dictionary of Ancient Greek Philosophy. Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press, 2007.


[9]Please note, I am a Christian and therefore believe that the most important book one should have in a home is a copy (or copies) of the Bible. However, it is also important, I have found, to be able to read some of the discussion on the development of these historically important doctrines.


[10]This list is compiled from http://academics.biola.edu/torrey/academics/reading/

Letter Re: Airport BOB

HJL,

I have traveled extensively for the last 30 years and carry these items in addition to what you listed:

  • Life straw. Clean water will be essential if you are stuck or have to walk home.
  • Israeli battle dressing. It could be essential to saving yourself or someone else.
  • Tourniquet: Can save yourself or someone else.
  • Tactical pen. Mix it in with other pens in brief case. It’s not much but better than nothing on the airplane.
  • Briefcase that converts to back pack. Brief cases are less conspicuous in the board room.

Last year, I personally saw five young Middle Eastern men rush the gate agent at LAX to board in front of first class. The lone agent was so startled that they let them on. They were in the rear of the plane. Several frequent flyers and I developed a plan to eliminate the threat. They never moved during the flight to DFW. They would not have succeeded in taking over our flight. The danger is real, and we must stay ever vigilant. – J.H.

Economics and Investing:

Ohio Couple Files Arbitration Against Chesapeake Oil/Gas Leases. I can foresee a trip to Federal Bankruptcy Court to file a “Chapter 11 Re-Organization Plan” for this huge gas and oil outfit. They have too many strikes against them already. The poor Midwest farmers who were told they would “get rich quick” are certainly not. – K.W.

o o o

Another warning on US national debt for our politicians to ignore – P.S.

o o o

Depression, Stagflation, Stag-Depress-Flation

o o o

An interesting video on Barter and Recycling: Urban Ore an Economic Model for a Material Barter Exchange Clearinghouse and Full Cycle Recycling

o o o

SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.

Odds ‘n Sods:

What good people will do in a bad economy: Harare residents find ingenious new ways to survive – A.P.

o o o

Arrests Made Over DC Surveillance Cameras Being Hacked Prior to Trump Inauguration – D.S.

o o o

NRA Wins Victory as Congress Reverses Obama’s Social Security Gun Grab – DSV

o o o

Attorney In IRS Office Of Professional Responsibility (Columbia J.D., NYU Tax LL.M., Georgetown Adjunct Tax Prof) Busted For Dealing Crystal Meth – C.P.

o o o

Donald Trump Threatens to Cancel Berkeley Federal Funds After Riots Shut Down Milo Event – D.B.

Notes for Thursday – February 02, 2017

February 2nd is the birthday of Ayn Rand (born Alisa Zinov’yevna Rosenbaum in 1905, died March 6, 1982). She is of course remembered for her novel Atlas Shrugged, which is considered a Libertarian classic. While I sharply disagree with her views on religion (since she was an atheist), I admire both her skill as a writer and her ability to articulate some core precepts of human liberty.

o o o

Since the 1,000 SurvivalBlog 2005-2016 Archive USB sticks sold out so quickly, we’ve had to revert to offering it on DVD. It is now orderable here, for just $19.95.

o o o

Today, we present another entry for Round 69 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $15,000 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 that is good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 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 with a hammer forged, chrome-lined barrel 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, which can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools and a compact carry capability in a hard case or 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Gun Mag Warehouse is providing 20 Magpul PMAG 30-rd Magazines (a value of $300) and a Gun Mag Warehouse T-Shirt; (an equivalent prize will be awarded for residents in states with magazine restrictions),
  6. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  7. The Ark Institute is donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package (enough for two families of four) plus seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate (a $325 retail value),
  8. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  9. Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Second Prize:

  1. A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from Always Empowered. This compact starter power system is packaged in a wheeled O.D. green EMP-shielded Pelican hard case (a $2,400 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 gift certificate for any two or three-day class from Max Velocity Tactical (a $600 value),
  4. A transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  5. A Trekker IV™ Four-Person Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $250 value),
  6. A $200 gift certificate good towards any books published by PrepperPress.com,
  7. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  8. An infrared sensor/imaging camouflage shelter from Snakebite Tactical in Eureka, Montana (A $350+ value),
  9. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site, and
  10. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Third Prize:

  1. A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. A custom made Sage Grouse model utility/field knife from custom knife-maker Jon Kelly Designs, of Eureka, Montana,
  4. 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,
  5. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  6. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  7. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  8. Montie Gear is donating a Y-Shot Slingshot and a $125 Montie gear Gift certificate.,
  9. 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), and
  10. Fifteen LifeStraws from SafeCastle (a $300 value).
  11. A $250 gift certificate to Tober’s Traditions, makers of all natural (organic if possible) personal care products, such as soap, tooth powder, deodorant, sunscreen, lotion, and more.

Round 69 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.

Starting Life In The Country, by J.E.

Sitting here in the living room with a hot fire in the wood stove and arctic winds blowing the snow across our property, I smile at just how lucky we are. The power has been out for a couple of days, and the snow and ice make driving into town not worth the risk. Just over twenty years ago, we decided life in the city was no longer for us. Now, reflecting on how good we have it, I would like to write my first post and share with those of you considering a move into rural life.

The first thing we did right is move years before we planned. It was a nice summer day and we decided to take a drive into the country to look at a piece of land that had been for sale for over a year and kept coming down in price. We planned for a move in the future when we were closer to retirement. Both of us worked in an office building in downtown Portland, and we lived only eight miles away from work.

The drive into the countryside was nice, as we worked our way out of suburbia and deeper into the rural farmland. We saw a guy standing on the side of the road pounding in a For Sale sign. He was at the start of a gravel drive that disappeared into the tall fir trees on both sides. After a brief conversation, we drove up the driveway to see a small ranch style house. The place was magical, on the top of a little knoll out of view from the road, a panoramic view, with open fields of fire and defendable terrain, tall fir trees, and a large field with good southern exposure covering one third of the acreage for growing crops. We made the owner an offer on the spot and sealed it with a handshake. All of our friends said it was like a Green Acres episode. That was over 20 years ago, and we have never looked back. Here are a few tips that I wish someone would have told us back then.

You can’t live more than a couple of days without water. When you are out as far as we are, the power company can take days to get your power back on. The first winter the power was out for just short of two weeks, and we did not have a supply of water stored for emergencies. We had no way of getting the water out without the electric pump. The generator was the first real step into being self-sufficient. Our first generator was a nice portable one that I could hook into a couple of circuits, including the pump, and get by without loosing the food in the freezer or refrigerator. The first year I had to go out ever couple of hours and pour gasoline into the tank on the top of the hot generator. I could see a Darwin award in my future, if the wind ever let the gas vapor ignite. It was not smart!

We added a nice, small wood stove. This allowed us to have a nice, dry heat in the wet Oregon weather and have heat when the power was out. My wife wanted a gas range, so I had the local propane company install a propane tank and change out our old electric water heater for new gas/propane ones. Now we could cook, take hot showers, and power the generator without pouring gas into it every couple of hours. I ran the gas line to the new portable generator and converted it to propane. One thing to keep in mind about propane companies is that they are in business to make money, and the larger ones have to show increased profit year over year to keep their stockholders happy. They leased the tank and water heaters to us for well under a hundred dollars a year combined. The downside is you can only buy your propane from that company. No other company will fill your tank no matter how much you’re paying the leasing company for gas. My advice is to buy your own tank from day one; don’t wait like we did. That way you can shop for the lowest rate for propane. We paid for our tank the first year with the money we saved. The second part of buying your own tank is get the largest one you can afford, even if you have to take out a small loan, so you can buy a year’s worth of propane when the rates are at the lowest. This will put lots of money in your pocket, since propane increases substantially every winter when you need it the most.

With the money we were saving on overpriced propane, I was able to install a much larger automatic standby generator to power more circuits in the house and our whole shop building. We built a nice large wood shed and put up over ten cords of wood to dry and season for future use. This is one reason to make our move into the country while I was still young enough to deal with firewood and building a shop/kennel building, barn, and wood shed. I added a large pond in our back yard and stocked it with Rainbow trout. The downspouts on the house all feed into the pond to keep the water level up, and the trout can be eaten in a pinch. The pond is also large and deep enough to serve as an emergency water source for drinking and fire suppression. We now have animals that serve double duty of helping keep up the property and serving as a renewable food source should long-term social disruption occur in the future. You will have to fence off your large garden area to keep your critters out, but you need to do that anyway unless you’re just growing to feed the deer.

A couple of other improvements I made are a manual pump for the well and secure long-term food storage in my shop building. The shop has power, septic service, and water and is set up to serve as living quarters for family, if needed. We lived there for almost a year when we remodeled, so there is a bathroom, washer/dryer hookup, wood stove for heating, and a land line phone just in case. While you have a backhoe installing the septic tank, consider adding a large buried poly tank with a man hole cover to be used as a cache location. (There are examples on the Internet.) We also added a large gate to our fenced property with a push button call box that connects to our cell phones, so we can answer from anywhere and the person outside the gate will think we are up at the house.

The latest addition is an Internet camera system. Almost anyone can install one if you by a plug and play kind like the ones Costco sells. The system we installed is wireless, has infrared lights to see at night, and records every camera on one DVR located in a secure hidden location to provide video if anything were to ever happen, such as a burglary. We can see all of our cameras from our cell phones from anywhere in the world that we have cell service. I also have the cameras showing on an iPad next to where I sit in the evening so I can keep an eye out for predators.

The last thing I would like to mention about moving out to the country is that we now have neighbors with a wide range of skill sets we can depend on to be there in a pinch. One neighbor even has a large nursery plant business and has a number of large green houses that would come in real handy in a long-term crisis. The real sense of community is one of the most important benefits that come from living in a more rural setting.

If you plan on country life at some point in your life, take my advice and don’t wait. There is no better time than the present. Growing up in rural America will give your kids a whole new world to explore and instill a work ethic that is proven to help them the rest of their lives. On a final note, it pays to choose a location that is not on the way to anywhere. This ensures that your commute times to work and shopping are not bogged down in rush hour. You are also much safer from the city and the predators that will come in search of what you have when there is nothing left in the city.