Homesteading – A Cautionary Tale – Part 2, by SaraSue

(Continued from Part 1.)

The urgent drives out the merely important on a homestead

Maintenance is of critical importance.  If you do not maintain the fencing, for example, you may find yourself chasing animals down a country road.  That seems to happen often around these here parts.  Someone’s horses or cows are always out.  Dogs abound.  I have a neighbor who brings their pregnant cows to the adjacent acreage to calve.  I only had to track my neighbors down once to let them know a cow was out.  The cow was peacefully grazing in the graveyard nearby!  They have since repaired the fencing.  Thankfully, there are no nearby bulls that want to bother my dairy girls.  I’ve only had to chase pigs once down the road and that was because a gate was left open by some hired help.  I had to have a couple of new fences put in and a couple of new gates.  In a Spring storm, a large tree fell down next to my bigger barn and thankfully not on top of that barn.  I would’ve cried a river if the barn roof had caved in.  I still need to get a tree trimmer out here to clear out that area.  Those trees provide wonderful shade but some are old and should be cut down.  I have a long, gravel, driveway.  After a few storms with torrential rains, my driveway pretty much washed out and now it’s filled with ruts.  A couple of storms last Spring ripped up the ground cover in my garden, twice.  Thankfully, no tornadoes touched down here, but did in a nearby town and the damage was horrible.  No matter where you live, weather is a big deal and it will determine your workload and budget.Continue reading“Homesteading – A Cautionary Tale – Part 2, by SaraSue”

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:

We’ve had some rainy weather, with nighttime temperatures in the high 30s. But it definitely feels like winter is coming on. I used my air compressor to blow out some hoses and waterlines, to be ready for winter. To do so, I use a simple brass fitting that is readily available on eBay. (You can get by with just one, and then to match male or female brass fittings attach either a coupling or a nipple.) They also sell these at most farm and ranch stores. These are also made with Schrader (tire) valve stems. If you live in a cold climate, then I consider these a “must-have.”

I made a trip to a consulting client’s ranch. I also got the last of this summer’s firewood stacked and covered.

With the recent rains, I’ve also kept myself busy organizing my workshop. Because I’m still in the process of remodeling and partitioning it, there is a lot of lumber stacked inside. For convenience, I had been stacking all of the 4′ x 8′ sheets of plywood (of various thicknesses), pegboard, and foam insulation board in separate piles. That was fine during summer construction, but since each pile takes up 32 square feet of floor space, they had to be consolidated into just three piles. This freed up space to get vehicles inside, for winter. I also got our garden hoses, canoes, and kayaks up off the shop floor, and stowed them up in one of the storage lofts. Together, those tasks turned out to be a multi-hour chore. And doing so revealed lots of sawdust and insulation scraps. So I had some broom and Shop-Vac work to do, the next day.  But it feels good to have the shop ready to move in vehicles or to receive cargo.

Now, for Lily’s report…Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low.

He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.

Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee.”  – Deuteronomy 28:43-45 (KJV) 

Preparedness Notes for Friday — November 10, 2023

On this day in 1871, according to his journal, explorer Henry Stanley greeted David Livingstone, the fellow explorer in search of the source of the Nile River, with the famous words “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?”

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November 10th is remembered in the United States as the “birthday” of the U.S. Marine Corps.

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November 10th is also the birthday of the late Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov, born in 1919, died December 23, 2013. He didn’t design a lot of different guns, but one of his few designs was the prototype for what turned out to be the world’s most widely produced assault rifles.

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November 10th is the anniversary of the sinking of the Great Lakes ore ship Edmund Fitzgerald, in 1975.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 109 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  3. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $850,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 109 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Homesteading – A Cautionary Tale – Part 1, by SaraSue

Living The Dream

First off, why do I homestead?  My passion is to provide a safe haven for my large family away from the world’s chaos.  A place where food can be grown, the air is clean and fresh, no noise or people pollution, no homeless encampments, and precious little crime.  A safe, productive, hideaway.  Realizing that nowhere is completely safe, we know that some places are better than others.  Just look around.  If you live in the country, you might have a million-dollar view from the porch of a humble home.  I do.  I can scarcely take it in.  It’s restful to the eyes and soul.  I take no credit whatsoever for this place.  I stumbled upon it for a variety of reasons and feel that it was a gift from the Lord.  After possibly decades of reading Survivalblog, I had a mental checklist for a retreat property and this one fit the bill.  I had no intentions of “homesteading” other than a deep desire to become as “self-sufficient” as possible.  I didn’t even know what I was going to do with this property other than raise some chickens.  That’s how it started.

A lot of people are trying to “homestead” now, and for various admirable reasons.  Some are looking to get out of the rat race and live a simpler life.  Some see that bad things are happening and feel a need to grow their own food and be self-sufficient.  Others started out with chickens on a small plot, and as is said, “Chickens are the gateway drug to homesteading.”  They end up getting more animals – some have tried goats, turkeys, quail, cows, pigs, rabbits, sheep, etc.  In many cases, they think they can quit their job, grow their own food, and have little if any expenses.  I’m here to tell you that unless you have a good source of income, it’s not possible.  Sorry to mess with your Cheerios this morning, but homesteading costs money.  I’ve spent more money “homesteading” than I ever spent as a professional working woman living in the suburbs.  I’m here to share my experiences, be they good or bad.Continue reading“Homesteading – A Cautionary Tale – Part 1, by SaraSue”

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. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, another look at “Shrinkflation”. (See the Inflation/Deflation Watch: section.)

Precious Metals:

Metals on the Move: Silver breakout signals next run to $50.

o  o  o

Gold prices may need clear signal of Fed cuts to break $2000, industrial silver demand set to rise – Heraeus.

Economy & Finance:

SurvivalBlog reader K.B. sent this: Why Banks Are Suddenly Closing Down Customer Accounts.  JWR’s Comment:  As someone who has been de-banked, I can attest that some of these account closures are politically motivated.

o  o  o

Tim Pool: The US Is Printing $100k EVERY THREE SECONDS, The US Debt Crisis Is OUT OF CONTROL.

o  o  o

Switzerland Considers Limiting Bank Withdrawals After $185 Billion Bailout, While the Fed Moves Toward ‘Friction Tech’ – Implications for Future Bailouts. (A hat tip to  D.S.V. for the link.)

o  o  o

WeWork, once valued at $47 billion, files for bankruptcy.  JWR’s Comment:  And just like that, they went from WeWork, to WeWoke, to WeBroke.

o  o  o

Bringing home the bacon: Biden unveils $16.4 billion rail grants at Amtrak in ‘blue-state’ Northeast Corridor.

o  o  o

Martin Armstrong: The Coming Great Crash?

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — November 9, 2023

On November 9th, 1799, the Coup of 18–19 Brumaire began in Paris, marking Napoleon‘s rise to power and the end of the French Revolution.

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After several weeks of civil unrest, the East German government announced on November 9, 1989 that all GDR citizens could visit West Germany and West Berlin. Crowds of East Germans crossed and climbed onto the Wall, joined by West Germans on the other side in a celebratory atmosphere.

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Harvest Guard Reusable Canning Lids has announced a 40% discount on all orders over $75, through the end of 2023.  This discount is only being offered to SurvivalBlog readers, using the code “survivalblog” during checkout.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 109 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  3. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $850,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 109 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

 

Mobility Without Petroleum or Electricity, by C.H.

Introduction

This article will focus on the bicycle as a transportation solution in a situation where the electrical grid has failed, and petroleum products are either completely unavailable or in extremely limited supply. Given those parameters, I will not be discussing E-Bikes. I also have no experience with them. I bought a hybrid bicycle in early 2005 due to a fuel spike that was killing my budget. With further deployments and changes in employment the bicycle was set aside and gather dust in the garage. My semi-serious foray into cycling only begins a couple years ago when I pulled the old hybrid out of storage. After an overhaul at the local cycling shop, I spent a summer and autumn on it learning the limitations of a hybrid while cycling over the gravel roads and trails in the region. From the beginning of this, I began to think of the bicycles’ utility in an extended grid-down scenario. It is only now, that I’ve started to put some thoughts on paper.Continue reading“Mobility Without Petroleum or Electricity, by C.H.”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from JWR. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. In today’s column, we look a Euthanasia in Canada.

Canadian Death Cult

SurvivalBlog’s Tom Christianson suggested this City Journal article: Canadian Death Cult: America’s northern neighbor has euthanized tens of thousands of its citizens.  A quote:

“When critics argued that the ruling would result in euthanasia being offered to the mentally ill, the depressed, those with disabilities, or other vulnerable persons, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dismissed such concerns, saying, “this simply isn’t something that ends up happening.” He was wrong. In 2021, Parliament removed the law’s previous requirement that a person’s natural death must be imminently foreseeable for him to elect suicide. Reports immediately began circulating of physicians pushing MAID on people who had suffered strokes or other survivable challenges. These people were isolated and depressed in many cases, but hardly at death’s door. In one alarming instance, a 71-year-old widower was admitted to hospital after a fall. He contracted infectious diarrhea in hospital, where he was humiliated by staff for the smell of his room. Staff claimed that he had end-stage COPD and offered him MAID; he took their advice and was euthanized within 48 hours of his first assessment. A post-mortem examination, however, proved that he did not have end-stage COPD.”

Tucker Carlson Interviews Martin Shkreli

Over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site, I found the link to a fascinating interview, on several levels: Tucker Carlson Interviews Martin Shkreli. His observations on politically motivated prosecutions — and Federal prosecutions in general — are very insightful.

UK May Ban Peat Moss

Some alarming news from the UK, reported by The Telegraph: What the proposed ban on peat means for gardeners.  A brief quote:

“None of the substitutes (including bark and green waste) hold water as well as peat, so they need more water and fertiliser, which means we are adding yet more nitrogen to our rivers. What this whole peat fiasco has done is to expose the lack of support and understanding for horticulture and soil science in general. Defra has not been doing its job and organisations such as the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), National Trust and Bug Life have simply “gone with the flow” of virtue signalling. Furthermore, the peat in horticulture is used as a medium to grow plants that trap CO2, so the effect is positive. If it was left in the ground it would not trap more CO2.”Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“I have always been a believer in the principle of individual liberty and limited government. I believe that the government should stay out of our lives and let us make our own decisions.” – The Late G. Gordon Liddy

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — November 8, 2023

Ten years ago today, November 8th, 2013, the Philippines endured what many consider its worst natural disaster when the country was struck by Super Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful cyclones ever recorded to strike land. Pictured in the city of Tacloban, after the typhoon struck.

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On November 8, 1656, English astronomer and mathematician Edmond Halley, the first to calculate the orbit of Halley’s Comet, was born in Greenwich, Kent, England.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 109 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  3. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $850,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 109 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Building a Retreat Kit, by Mark C.

Anyone who has seriously considered preparation for TEOTWAWKI knows that the ultimate preparation is to have a well-outfitted retreat located in a remote location. Unless you are rich and you can purchase one with all the trimmings or you’ve been working on it for several years already—you’re feeling significant apprehension as current events imply time is short and you are unprepared.

Now, if you are the diligent one who built a well-stocked retreat, but find that over time civilization has overtaken the area; this is also for you. Finally, if you have your retreat, it has not been encroached on by civilization, and you think you’re fat, dumb, and happy; you still may want to consider a ‘retreat kit.’ Why? Because things change, unanticipated events happen, and if you ever have to abandon your retreat, you’re going to want to do it with a lot more than a bug-out bag. I can tell you that it’s easy to relax and let your guard down when you establish your retreat. I actually got comfortable. But what if you have to ‘bug out from the bug-out’? If that happens to you in a typical Montana winter, then your chances of survival are very slim unless you have a retreat kit.Continue reading“Building a Retreat Kit, by Mark C.”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.

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A snippet from Mark B.:

“I’ve mentioned before about Costco selliing Kirkland canned roast beef.  It is pre-cooked, so you could eat it right out of the can, if’n you wanted to.  Has some sodium phosphates.
If you purchased it only for rainy days, (which seem more and more likely lately)  you should relax some of your hesitation on chemicals in your food.  You don’t need to be organic at that point.
There are four 12-ounce cans, or 3 pounds total, for $12.97.  So about $4.33 per pound.  Already canned.  “Best-by” date about 2 years out, but it should last 10 years or so and be good.
I really can’t buy the meat alone for that price, not counting the cost of canning jars and the labor involved in cooking it.
I opened a can tonight for dinner.  Certainly cooked well enough.  I liked more salt than it had.  Tasty enough.  More than plenty for the two of us.  Don’t need a can opener.  A bargain.”

o  o  o

‘Next Pandemic’ Will Be the ‘Big One,’ Deadliest Known to Humanity, Scientists Warn.

o  o  o

Elizabeth Warren wants to restrict ammo sales: House and Senate Democrats Are Coming After Your Ammunition Now. (Thanks to Peter for the link.)

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.” – James Madison