Our 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 case analysis from “Armed Scholar” Anthony Miranda: Breaking! Supreme Court Decision Strikes Down Machine Gun Possession Law & Charges! DOJ Responds! JWR’s Comments: I am praying that there is a Circuit Split on this issue, so that the Supreme Court will feel obliged to settle this decisively, in light of the Bruen decision!
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Rains add to misery in quake-hit Myanmar as death toll rises to 3,471.
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At Townhall: Why National Concealed Carry Reciprocity will make Americans safer.
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The State of Texas has announced an Emergency Preparation Supplies Sales Tax Holiday, from April 26 to 28, 2025.
The Marine Corps has settled the debate over the size of a rifle squad.
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SaraSue sent this snippet:
“And… more tornado weather. Day after day after day. Everything on the farm is good – we’ve had no damage. In my last update, I waxed poetic about keeping the heifer calf on her mom, but mom became crazy hormonal and wouldn’t come in to be milked, charging me, etc. First time that has happened here, but completely understandable. So, I sold her calf as a bottle baby to another small farm where she will be spoiled. I sent jars of mom’s milk with her to start her off after she had a week of colostrum and plenty of mama’s milk. It only took her 24 hours to settle into being a bottle calf at her new home, and it only took three days for her mama to accept her being gone and come in regularly to be milked.
During the storms, one of my barn cats, who I had not yet gotten fixed, had 6 kittens with me hovering near. She had difficulty with birthing a large kitten and she let me gently help her. She and her offspring will be fixed at the appropriate time, and then hopefully, we will be done having kittens here on the farm. I have zero rodent problems due to the barn cats, so I welcome them. But, there are more than enough now. The rescue Livestock Guardian Dogs (LGDs) went to their first vet appointment and got caught up on shots including rabies, and tested heartworm negative (yay). I keep all my dogs on preventatives since they are outdoor dogs.
I am now back in the swing of daily milking and have opened the herd share back up for the season. This past week, I had 15 extra gallons of milk, ran it through the cream separator yielding about 1.5 gallons of cream, and set about making butter. It was an all-day process. Milk has to be warmed up to about 90 degrees (or come straight out of the cow warm) to run through a cream separator, then chilled to about 65 degrees in order for the milk to “break” while being churned, and turned into butter, which then must be washed, formed, and refrigerated or frozen. Fresh butter cannot be left out on the counter or it will melt. It freezes really well and it is delicious! I use a Ninja blender to churn the butter, and while it cannot do large quantities, it is fast.
I planted out most of my garden early and it is thriving! Due to the foul weather, it has been hot, humid, and there’s been tons of rain. Perfect for a Spring garden. I love Springtime, except for the severe weather that we get. One of the rescued LGDs is terrified of thunder and lightning, and he cries through every storm. He has a wonderful dog house built up off the ground, so he can avoid the weather, but he will stand outside it and cry. Bringing him into the house will solve nothing. He will just be frantic and cry and never want to go outside again. I wonder if he will ever get used to it. Poor guy. My intention is to keep him as a livestock guardian dog, but at two years old, I’m not sure he can unlearn and relearn what he needs to. I will keep working with him.”
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AI proves that fingerprints are not unique, upending the legal system.
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I noticed several interesting new listings at my #1 Son’s SurvivalRealty.com website. These include:
- Wyoming Off-Grid Homestead with Guest Cottage
- Berryville, Arkansas: 64.5 Acres, 3 houses, 2 Caves, Barn & Outbuilding
- Perfect Preparedness Property Near The Clark Fork River – Clark Fork, Idaho.
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The Most Remote Locations In America’s Lower 48 States.
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Video: This Congressman’s Off-Grid Retreat is Genius. (A hat tip to Michele for the link.)
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A recent interview, at the recommended Watchman Privacy Podcast: James Wesley Rawles: Surviving Global Collapse.
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From the leftist editors of Politico: Poland gears up for war.
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Estonian city of Narva prepares for potential Russian invasion.
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And lastly, in related news: Baltic states switch to European power grid, ending Russia ties.
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