Colorado Preppers

DECEMBER 1ST BLIZZARD

2011-12-01T13:27:00.000-07:00

Yep, we had temps in the 60's yesterday, but today awoke to a blizzard. High was 27 and that was at 6 a.m. ... has been steadily falling ever since. Low is expected to be around 6 or 7 tonight. Brrr. And lots of blowing snow.

Brrr.

Because my two girl goats are expected to kid any day now. They're late, actually. So they now live in my garage. Not outdoors in the pen it took us two weeks to put together, but in my garage. Each girl has her own 6x10 kennel, on top of a tarp that's covered with hay. Then each has hay, food, water and a heat lamp at one corner and a medium "round tub" to use as a "nest".

On good days we've been talking them out to their outdoor pen but as of last night, they'll be inside until a nice day shows up. Well, once the babies are born, it'll be a month or so until they go out.

You'd think it would be stinky in my garage but actually its not. Every couple of days we sprinkle more hay on the bottom alternating with pine shavings. Then probably in January or Feb, during a nice "warm" day when the babies are able to go outside, Hubby and I will open the garage, take out all the old hay and poo, replace with clean straw (assuming we can find some by then).

Good solution. Just hope the girls don't get stir crazy waiting for these babies. Come on, girls! Labor, already!

GUSTY WINDS

2011-11-15T15:42:00.000-07:00

In the past week or so, here on the Colorado Plains we've been innundated with unbelievable wind gusts. None of the local TV stations got it right ... breezey my heiny!

Just ask our chicken houses ... if we hadn't set them in concrete this last time, they would have been gone! As it was, we found all kinds of chairs, dog houses and bantam chickens all over the place! Rescrued everything (and everyone!) we could find.

Lesson learned: build things for the worse possible weather, then make it even more sturdy. Just because you don't experience high winds on a regular basis doesn't mean you won't. Do you want to be hunkered down as the zombies roam around (tongue in cheek) then suddenly have to turn your attention to keeping your livestock warm, dry and safe?

Do it now. While you can afford and have access to the supplies and time.

COLORADO UNDER SNOW

2011-10-26T13:58:00.000-06:00

We're in the plains of Colorado, southeast of Denver. Technical the terrain is desert but people tend to forget it.

The weather people told us the snow was coming. Rain turning to lots of snow. A little wind. Very low temps. Monday we had 80 degrees. This morning we woke up to 32 degrees (our day's high), 3 inches of heavy wet snow, and it's still coming down. Total of 4 inches now, with another 3-4 expected before it stops late tonight. Low of 17 degrees expected for tonight, which means the slush on the ground will be a THICK SHEET of ice by morning's commute.

Wonderful.

Luckily, we finished the livestocks' homes just in time. Meant to take pictures but now I'll have to wait until the snow melts. Why? Because right now, it would all look white white white!

The bantam (miniature) chickens are cuddled up in one 6'wide x 6'deep x 4'tall kennel, covered with wood, plastic and tarps. The chain-link door, uncovered during decent weather, now has a big ole tarp covering it, weighted down, and is doing an excellent job of keeping snow out of the kennel. Only just finished this yesterday. Whew! Still need to fence in an exercise yard ... since we're expecting 60's by Friday, we'll try to do that on Sunday once the snow melts. Won't be big but a covered area of 6x12-15 so would be great for them.

The boy goats have their own fairly-small pen with 2 separate little houses for each goat. (They don't like to share). Just enough space for a little running around, and canNOT see the girls. Even has a little chicken house in there for when we move a couple of boy chickens in. Thinking it will have room for a couple more mini goats because we plan to keep future boy babies (to wether to raise to eat).

The girl goats, both due to kid (have babies) around Thanksgiving, have plenty of covered area. Room to kid (have their babies) and room to play around. Their hay area is covered, plus I have feed buckets in the kidding kennel. That's where I found the girls this morning when I went to feed them. Good that they are comfy. Even with the door to the kidding kennel open, barely any snow blew in.

As for chickens .. the HUGE coop we just had built is doing a 98% job of keeping the snow out. Whew! Sure it's cold in there but it's dry and without wind. They can survive below-zero temps as long as there is plenty of air circulation, and is dry. We threw some old hay in there last night so by this morning, it was already scratched out. Good. Something to keep them occupied. Sprinkled some of their feed on it too so more scratching to keep them busy and warm.

Also yesterday managed to bring in some pots for indoor veggie gardening this winter. My leg is really hurting but should be able to start seeds for cucumbers, beans, squash, etc tomorrow or so. Yum.

Oh, before I close this posting ... was watching the news around lunchtime, and was astounded by someone interviewed in Denver. Lots of trees down due to heavy wet snow, so lots of people with no electricity. This person said on camera that since there's no electricity, there's no food. Oh well, guess they'll have PB and J.

What?

Boy, I'm glad we prep. Not because of end-of-the-world scenarios and so forth, but for times such as these. Even if our electricity goes off, we'll be just fine! Stocked up with food, fuel, water, candles, etc.

Survival Preparedness - My Personal Journey

2011-09-30T21:25:00.000-06:00

G.O.O.D. Bag Accessories

#1 Self Protection

Aside from the four essentials (shelter, fire, food and water), a means to protect yourself is the most important item or accessory in your GOOD bag. I guess, technically, it won't be inside your bag... schemantics...

I can understand some people's hesitation with a side arm. I think the good in everyone wants to believe that it is not a necessary item. For me, I would prefer to error on the side of caution and never have to use mine than be caught in a situation where I needed it and did not have one. I've been watching reruns of a BBC series call Survivors. The show is based in Great Britain and in the wake of a super virus apocalypse a group of people immune to the disease band together and strike out to make a new life. While the show is fantastically entertaining, it is bothersome in that the group regularly places themselves in situations where they are unable to protect their members or their limited supplies. I find it very unrealistic that anyone in any type of survival situation would be able to make it very long with a sidearm. Maybe things are different in England?

I am currently looking at purchasing the Springfield Armory XD .45 ACP or a Springfield Armory XD .45 in the 5" tactical length. Both are a polymer framed pistols that feed from a double stack magazine which holds thirteen cartridges. What I like a lot about the XD is the grip safety that will not allow the weapon to fire unless it is depressed, which happens naturally when the pistol is held properly, but automatically goes "on safe" when the grip is released, such as if the weapon is dropped or re-holstered. I find that it sits very comfortably in my hand (which are not petite but I would say fairly average in size) and is one of the driving reasons behind my consideration of the XD model. Most all the reviews comment on the ergonomics of the grip and how well the XD fits most average sized hands. Conversely the Glock Model 21 .45 G.A.P. pistol has a notoriously bulky grip though they have introduced a Model 37 that is slightly smaller and easier to handle. Unlike some, I have never developed the "appreciation" for the Glock pistols. Though one attribute they share in common with the XD is their trigger safety. The trigger has two interdependent parts that when held and fired properly will operate naturally. However, unintentional pressure or a strike against the trigger is unlikely to do so.

Something super cool about the XD is the fact that you can drag this pistol through a swamp and come out the other side firing. Here is a pretty amazing link to a torture test the XD 9mm survived. Granted it's not the .45 but it's still crazy cool.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XTPbPNWCV0

I hope it will never has to go through so much but it is insanely reassuring to know that it could and would still operate as efficiently as it does all clean and shiny new.

With your sidearm you also have to consider how much ammunition to carry. I have read that approximately 200 rounds is the drop dead minimum to consider carrying to get you to your retreat but ideally 1000 rounds is a safer bet. Thinking about that... 200 rounds of .45 ACP ammunition weighs about 40 pounds, 1000 rounds weighs over 200 pounds. I don't know about you but I couldn't carry 200 pounds on top of the weight of everything else in my bag. So I am planning on having four magazines loaded with 52 rounds and about 200 additional rounds stored in an ammo pouch that can attach to the outside of my G.O.O.D bag. The rest of my ammunition will be stored in a waterproof ammo box that I can throw in the back of my Jeep. I hope that if the time comes I will be able to make most of the journey out of dodge in my Jeep but I think I need to face up to the fact that some or all of the trip could be on foot.

Note to Self: find a retreat that isn't too far away...

Next post: G.O.O.D. Bag Accessories #2 Communication and Electronic Accessories (toys) for your bag

LISTERIA IN COLORADO CANTALOUPES

2011-09-16T08:15:00.001-06:00

I'm sure you've read about the instance of the deadly Listeria (bacteria?) in cantaloupes. Allegedly, looks like the infected cantaloupes came from a Colorado farm, Jensen Farms. One woman is already suing them because her husband was infected and may never be 100% again.

Absolutely LOVE cantaloupe. My garden didn't do very well this year so I ended up buying the cantaloupe I ate. Probably came from Jensen Farms. Not concerned.

Jensen Farms became proactive this week, killing the rest of their crop, and recalling all produce from everywhere it was sent.

Look, it's not like they purposely infected their cantaloupe. They didn't set out to poison anyone or to kill anyone. Or come up with a reason to shut down their farms.

But chances are, this will cause enough of a financial hardship that they'll need to close their doors.

I feel sorry for them.

Wake Up People!

2011-09-04T13:53:00.000-06:00

As I was writing a new post for GOOD Bag Accessories I stumbled across this post on Mountain House's website:

========================

Dear Valued Customers:

Currently our inventory for both cans and pouches is all being shipped to our retailers. Once all of our retailers are back in stock 100%, we will put items back in stock on our own website.

To purchase our pouches, you can find them on several online retailers or you can find our pouches at most local outdoor sporting goods store. To help find a store near you, please click here to do a dealer search.

As you know we have removed #10 cans from our website temporarily. The reason for this is sales of #10 cans have continued to increase. OFD is allocating as much production capacity as possible to this market segment, but we must maintain capacity for our other market segments as well.

To purchase our #10 cans please contact us at MH-Info@ofd.com and we will be happy to direct you to those dealers now taking orders for our #10 cans.

We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your patience. We sincerely hope you will continue to be Mountain House customers in the future.

Oregon Freeze Dry

==================================================

I emailed them and asked if they had even an approximate date of when they might be selling them again and they replied "No I don't have an estimated date as to when we will be able to sell #10 Cans again. Thank you for your interest and patience during the temporary shortage of #10 cans." After a little more digging around I found a post that indicated it was the US Government that bought out their entire supply almost six months ago. I definitely need to research this further but wouldn't you think that if the government was "prepping" with an absurd amount of #10 cans that something is about to come down???

EARTHQUAKE IN COLORADO

2011-08-23T14:00:00.000-06:00

I'm kinda amazed. Awoke to the news this morning that there was an earthquake last night in Colorado, in the Trinidad area, which is near the southern border of this state. Preliminary magnitude of 5.3, worst in 44 years.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/24/us/24earthquake.html

No, I didn't feel it, but my livestock are kinda jumpy this morning.

Did I really give consideration to preparing an earthquake bag? Nope. But I will now. Will you?

Survival Preparedness - My Personal Journey

2011-08-21T16:57:00.000-06:00

So I am wondering how many people like me are out there… I know TEOTWAWKI * is coming in some shape or form. Whether thru natural disaster, economic collapse, global war. Whatever, it’s coming. And here I sit, knowing this, and have done very little to prepare for it. It is easier to stay in my comfy little pattern of day-to-day than to really get down and dirty with what needs to happen to ensure my survival when the SHTF *. Oh yeah, I read the blogs out there, I go down to the shooting range and keep my aim from getting to rusty but really how long would I last if I really had to survive on my own? I’m laughing at myself as I write this. J

And that is how this blog post came into existence. One minute I am reading about a fantastic chicken breeding experiment and then next I am signing up to author for this site. I think this is the kick in the pants I need! So if you’re like me, irritated at yourself for knowing you need to do something but until now having done little to nothing, I would invite you to follow me on this journey of survival preparedness.

I think the best place to start is a bug out bag (BOB) or a get out of dodge bag (GOOD bag). Survival minded people are essentially broken down into three groups: those who will travel to their retreat, those who already live at their retreat and those of us who haven’t gotten around to figuring out our long term accommodations. Honestly, some of the preppers out there are a little intimidating, those in the second group. They are really (as my military friends put it) “squared away”. The sheer amount of time, effort and planning they have put into their preps is very impressive. For those of us in the first and third groups the GOOD bag is the tool that will get you from a very bad place to a very good place. It should be light enough to carry over long distances but also big enough to store enough supplies to get you to your retreat. In this post I will address the essentials for your GOOD bag, later we will discuss additional supplies that could be integrated into your bag. I would encourage any feedback as to what you feel is essential to a solid GOOD bag.

Part One – The Bag

The best advice I ever got on this was to buy the very best bag you can afford. This bag has got to get you and your supplies safely out of dodge. That means a strap can’t break, the zipper has to open and close without fail and YOU have to be able to lug this thing if push comes to shove and you have to start hoofing it. Personally, I am a compartment person. I like little pockets and sleeves that help me organize and easily access my gear. Maybe this was because my Pa and I did a lot of fishing when I was a kid and I idolized his fishing vest… Who knows.

Your pack should fit you and your needs. The ones that have a strap across the chest that helps you pull the shoulder straps out of your arm pits are personal favorites and I often thank them for this simple innovation on long hikes. The waist strap is also crucial, though I am not a big fan all the time, as it helps move the weight of the pack off your back and onto your legs. Again, long hikes, simple innovations, thank you thank you thank you.

Before you buy your bag it is important to have a clear idea of what you will be putting in it. I went down to the Army Navy Surplus store, REI and a few other outdoor retailers and took inventory of what was available. I also did a fairly extensive search online. After purchasing all my essential supplies I then went out and bought my bag. Got it home, started packing it - then I returned it and bought a different one. It is a bit of trial and error but it has got to work for you and it has to accommodate everything you will need when you bug out. Quite honestly I could rant on about the qualities of a good BOB but there are fantastic sources already available. I would recommend checking out this post for an extremely comprehensive GOOD bag breakdown.

http://www.survivalblog.com/ Posted: Saturday, July 30, 2011
The Will to Act: Your Ultimate Bug-out Kit by R.B.

Part Two – The Essentials

Basically you need four things in your bag: shelter, fire, food and water.

1) Shelter
Your shelter might consist of just a tarp, maybe a light weight tent or even a hammock. When you are bugging out and constantly on the move a tent is not super realistic but if environmental factors dictate that you need one a good lightweight tent might be a necessity. Personally I am too much of a girl not to have one. That isn’t to say that a few days or weeks into bugging out I won’t throw it out and switch to my tarp. If you can fit it AND carry it then options make your life a lot easier. Whatever you choose it needs to be compactable. Weather conditions dictate that you need a combination of sleeping bags. You don’t get to choose a nice summer day to have to bug out in. It could be the dead of winter with a few inches to a couple of feet of snow on the ground. And if you are freezing at night, you’re not sleeping and rest is crucial to survival. I can hardly function when I haven’t gotten a good night sleep in my own bed. Therefore, get a sleeping system that consists of a warm weather bag, a cold weather bag and a bivy bag. Use all three when Mother Nature decides to test you. Also under the shelter category would be your clothing and shoes, however, these items need attention on a more detailed level and will be discussed in future posts.

2) Fire
Now, this isn’t your childhood campfire. As much as I love the smell and the feel, the fact is if you are trying to get safely to your retreat without the world knowing where you are; a smoky campfire is a gigantic flare signaling your position. It is also important to note that the smoke emitted from some wood is toxic so be sure to try and familiarize yourself with the plant life that you will encounter on your way to your retreat. Never EVER rely on one method to start your fire. You should carry at least three with you: sparking steel, waterproof matches, and a refillable all-metal lighter. All are fairly light and small. Now here’s a little secret, okay it is not really a secret, but it feels like it to me… I love my my little Ranger stove. It is a multi fuel stove and just makes everything that much easier. Its principle function is to make a contained, intense and protected fire. A small stove will also make food and water preparations quick and more efficient.

3) Food
There are many different arguments for what type of food is best for your GOOD bag. Whatever you choose it must sustain you for the duration of your journey to your retreat plus enough for unexpected delays. In future posts we will look more in depth at food.

4) Water
Here is the pure and simple truth. Your body can not survive without water. Without food, someone who is well-hydrated can survive for nearly a month but without water most will perish in three to five days. I do a lot of hiking so I am a big proponent of the CamelBak bladders. I plan on having two in my bag and an extra in case of failure in one of the others. Again the girl in me comes out when it comes to having to refill my bladders. The idea of filtering water through a cloth and then boiling or using some type of purification tablet just grosses me out. However, I have a feeling that chunky water will be very appealing after an afternoon or full day without water at all. Much like fire, it is unwise to rely on one form of water purification. My goal for the next month is to actually try a few of these out while hiking. Stay tuned.

Part Three – The other essentials

First Aid Kit
Breakdown Shovel
Multi Tool
Knife
Rope
Headlamps
Duct Tape
Compass

Missing a few things but here is my bag so far (above).

Again, I would encourage any feedback on what you consider your essentials.

Next post: GOOD bag Accessories

Written by: Sumac
= = = = = = =

* TEOTWAWKI = The End Of The World As We Know It

* SHTF = Sh*t Hits the Fan

COLORADO IS IN THE NEWS

2011-08-15T13:45:00.001-06:00

I'm flabbergasted. Someone sent me this link ... here it is reprinted (didn't have time to ask for permission so I sure hope it's ok.)

Are preppers the new terrorists? FBI wants military surplus stores to spy on customers
Friday, August 12th, 2011
What do you folks make of the flyer reproduced below?

It’s a new FBI handout that’s being distributed in that hotbed of potential terrorism, Colorado, USA according to a Wednesday Oath Keepers posting.

According to the FBI, if you value your privacy, that makes you suspicious. Or if you buy a lot of MREs (Meals, Ready-to-Eat) or stuff like weatherproofed ammunition or match containers or dangerous stuff like night vision devices, night flashlights, and gas masks. It’s good to know, though, that the FBI apparently thinks daytime flashlights are okay. After all, many of us do need flashlights to augment daytime sunlight so we can properly see.

And they do let you know that

Some of the activities, taken individually, could be innocent and must be examined by law enforcement professionals in a larger context to determine whether there is a basis to investigate. The activities outlined on this handout are by no means all-inclusive but have been compiled from a review of terrorist events over several years.

So on the one hand, they tell you that one of the listed activities by itself does not necessarily mean the person is a potential terrorist. On the other hand, they remind you that there are many other, undisclosed activities, that should be considered suspicious, thus encouraging us to report pretty much everyone so “law enforcement professionals” can examine them.

What I like best, though, is the fine print.

You know how advertisers often put the disclosures they hope you won’t read in small print at the bottom of the ad? I guess the FBI figured if it works for used car sales it can work for them.

Each indicator listed above, is by itself, lawful conduct or behavior and may also constitute the exercise of rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. In addition, there may be a wholly innocent explanation for conduct or behavior that appears suspicious in nature. For this reason, no single indicator should be the sole basis for law enforcement action. The totality of behavioral indicators and other relevant circumstances should be evaluated when considering any law enforcement response or action.

Well, that’s good to know. Just buying some MREs probably won’t get me flagged. But if I buy a few cases of MREs, a weatherproof match container for camping, and pass over the daytime flashlights and buy one to use at night, in the dark, I should expect a visit from the feds to make sure I’m not up to something nefarious.

So…what do you think of this latest attempt by the feds to get us all spying on one-another?

Note: Click on the graphic to view a larger version.

(graphic not included here but you can see it on the linked website)

Read some of the comments people left at that link.

Here's some info from that second link:

NOTE FROM STEWART RHODES, FOUNDER OF OATH KEEPERS:

Islamist terrorists are not known to hang out in local Army-Navy surplus stores, stocking up on MRE’s, high capacity magazines and bi-pods for their long range rifles. As Brandon Smith, over at Alt-market.com notes, “These are very common purchases, not for terrorists, but for Preppers and Survivalists, who are obviously the targets of the FBI profile, not secret Al-Qaeda agents.” Spot on. Obviously the current crop of FBI “leadership” considers anyone who wants to be self-sufficient and prepared to be a “threat” that should be relentlessly tracked and reported.

So if you take preparedness seriously enough to buy a few cases of MREs, or if you see the wisdom in having spare “high capacity” (i.e. full capacity*) magazines for your rifles or pistols, if you don’t want your matches to get wet, if you want to be able to see in the dark, or if you want to be able to shoot more accurately by using a bipod, “you might be a terrorist” (like a bizarre Jeff Foxworthy joke), and the FBI wants your neighborhood Army Surplus Store to play the role of government informant and snitch, like something out of East Germany.   As Brandon Smith put it, the FBI handout “even instructs store owners to subtly interrogate their customers in order to draw a fuller profile. THIS IS CALLED CITIZEN SPYING. Period.” Spot on again. That’s exactly what it is – a preparedness focused “see something, say something” snitch program to help track and locate Americans who exhibit such dangerous “prepper” tendencies.

How far we have come from the Founder’s ideal of a “well regulated” (well equipped and well trained) citizen militia where ALL able bodied citizens were expected to keep and bear their own weapons, ammunition, field gear, and other supplies essential to personal military capability and competence. And the Founders expected us to keep that military gear at home and to actually train together in its use so we would “be prepared” for anything, you know, like the Boy Scouts motto. That motto is a sad remnant of the Founders’ ideal of a prepared citizenry. As the Boy Scouts website still notes:

“Be Prepared.”

That’s the motto of the Boy Scouts.

“Be prepared for what?” someone once asked Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting,

“Why, for any old thing.” said Baden-Powell.

Under the logic of this most recent handout, the Boy Scouts should be reported as “suspicious.” I can just hear the people at Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), who likely helped write this handout, screeching “Someone report Baden-Powell to the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force! He’s advocating an extremist, paranoid “prepper” ideology! Oh, wait …he’s dead? Well then, report anyone who quotes him! Such as that subversive remnant of American reactionary radicalization of the youth, the Boy Scouts! That’s a hotbed for extremist radicalization. Why haven’t they been shut down yet?! Someone get Cass Sunstein and Holder on the phone!”

The Founders would have wanted all of us, every one, to “be prepared” for “any old thing.” They would have wanted us to have night vision, gas masks (which come in handy in many situations), “high-capacity” magazines – and the powerful military pattern rifles that use them – bi-pods so we can shoot accurately at long distance, and plenty of ammunition in “weatherproofed” containers (also known as surplus ammo cans). They would have wanted us to have plenty of MRE’s for handy field use, and even “night flashlights.”   I suppose “day flashlights” are OK with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, but those dangerous “night flashlights” are verboten, and anyone who buys one must be reported! I certainly hope it wasn’t actually someone at the FBI who wrote that.**

This absurd list sounds like it was compiled by someone at the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) or by someone at the Brady Center.   I’m shocked it doesn’t also list purchase of “those shoulder things that go up” as a potential indicator of terrorist activity.   And it may well have been written by the SPLC. As Oath Keepers exposed in October of 2010, the CEO of Southern Poverty Law Center now sits on the DHS “Working Group on Countering Violent Extremism,” which is tasked with designing training initiatives that reach right down to the local community level (as in “communities against terrorism”), to include training local police, social workers, teachers, “child protective services” personnel, and mental health professionals on how to use their power and influence to “counter violent extremism.”

I don’t have to tell you who SPLC likes to label “extremist.” You already know. Just look in the mirror. If you dare to quote the Founding Fathers, if you still believe in the self evident truths and principles of liberty espoused in the Declaration of Independence, if you advocate strict obedience of the Constitution, if you dare to take your oath seriously, and encourage others to do likewise, you are a radical “extremist” according to the SPLC and their “Hate Watch” website, and they will lump you in with neo-Nazis, skinheads, cop-killers and terrorists. And likewise if you support Ron Paul, Chuck Baldwin, or Michelle Bachmann, or if you watch Judge Andrew Napolitano’s Freedom Watch show or like Glenn Beck, since all of them are considered “enablers” of extremism by the SPLC.   And of course, Oath Keepers has been a target of their smear campaigns from the day of its founding.   I consider it a badge of honor.   You know you’re over the target when Mark Potok starts screeching about you on national TV.

And now, as part of the DHS “team,” SPLC is doing their very best to turn the full power of government on you at every level, right down to your local “Mayberry” Police Department.   And that’s where handouts like this one come in, encouraging the whole community to be out there monitoring, tracking, compiling dossiers, and investigating anyone who advocates or holds the views and ideals of the Founders or who is actually trying to fulfill their civic duties by practicing those ideals – such as the ideals of preparedness, competence at arms, and being well equipped and well trained.

Funny thing is, who exactly do the authors of these handouts think they are talking to when they ask gun store and military surplus store owners and staff to spy on their customers and serve as a network of government snitches? These stores are usually owned and staffed by veterans, who are also very preparedness minded – in other words, just like the customers the government wants them to inform on. That’s like handing the MIAC report to Ron Paul and Chuck Baldwin supporters and asking them to keep an eye on those pesky, subversive, and potentially dangerous Ron Paul and Chuck Baldwin supporters. It’s absurd.

In fact, asking military surplus store owners and staff to keep an eye out for people who like to stock up on MREs, high capacity magazines, flashlights, and weatherproofed ammo and match containers is like asking a shoe store to keep an eye out for people who take footwear seriously.

And when a store owner gets this list of “potential indicators of terrorist activities” and sees the items he stocks listed there, what is that saying about him? If he is intentionally stocking MRE,s, “night flashlights,” weatherproof ammunition or match containers, or any of the other common-sense, useful items on this list, that makes him an “enabler” and supplier of potential terrorists – at least in the eyes of the authors of this handout.

If the powers that be, and the authors of this silly handout are worried about customers of military surplus stores, I can only imagine what they think of readers of www.survivalblog.com or of the listeners and readers of Preparedness Podcast (http://thepreparednesspodcast.com/).
And they are probably on the verge of having strokes over Oath Keepers recently announced Operation Sleeping Giant (www.operationsleepinggiant.com) where we openly urge all veterans to be prepared and to take a leadership role in getting their communities prepared for anything by focusing on four key areas:

1. Food storage, fuel storage, emergency medical, and communications security and independence (and general preparedness). Since food is the hardest thing to improvise, it comes first, so we advocate doing as the Mormons do, by taking food storage seriously [including some MREs!]

2. Physical security and Independence – to include neighborhood watches; mutual aid associations; a volunteer sheriff’s posse (under direct command of the sheriff); and county militias established by county ordinances but staffed by self-supplied and self-funded volunteers (as is done in volunteer fire departments all over this nation); state defense forces under command of the governor; and ultimately, a true state militia, established by state statute, and capable of “repelling invasions” [just imagine Mark Potok reading that!].

3. Economic security and independence – as individuals and communities, including barter networks, use of silver and gold as real money, and sound money bills at the county and state levels (as Utah just passed).   See www.alt-market.com for details.

4. State sovereignty and nullification of unconstitutional federal laws and actions. The focus here is on restoring the Republic from the bottom up, by voting out oath breakers and voting in constitutionalists, till we have sheriffs, local and state legislators, and governors who have the knowledge, courage, and integrity to keep their oaths, up to and including being willing to defend the Constitution and the powers reserved to the states and to the people (see the Tenth Amendment) by supporting state sovereignty resolutions and nullification of unconstitutional laws.

[Go to www.operationsleepinggiant.com for more details on that program, and please get involved!]

When the government distributes handouts encouraging gun stores and military surplus stores to track, monitor, and snitch on their customers, you know we are in trouble. But the answer is not to hide, afraid to train and practice preparedness. The answer is for everyone to become a “prepper”, as in all the rebellious gladiators yelling out “I am Spartacus!” when the Roman General demanded to know where Spartacus was.   The proper spirit of response it be like Founding Father John Hancock saying “here, let me write my name nice and big, so King George can easily read it.”

That attitude is also expressed in Isaiah 6:8: “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!

The answer to the government’s silly lists is to make the lists so damn long they end up including every able bodied American (who is supposed to be the militia anyway), and thus the damnable lists become useless. Each of us should, rather than being afraid of buying preparedness gear, step up and go shopping, and encourage others to do the same, online, in person, wherever. Give preparedness items as birthday presents and Christmas gifts. Make them a badge of honor, like the Founding generation proudly wearing home-spun. Make the lists so big they become useless.

When the beast is in your face, trying to crush and stamp out the last remnants of your heritage, trying to chill your speech and make you afraid to fulfill your civic duties, afraid to keep your oath by stepping up and getting your community ready for hard times ahead – when the beast is trying to “nudge” you into sitting down, shutting up, and being a dependent, unprepared, scared, and cowardly serf, the answer is to step right up and answer the call. “Here I am. Send me!” should be the battle cry of every one of you.

I recently responded to the Police Chief of Quartzsite Arizona, who likes to make references to “domestic terrorism” when discussing upstart Tea Party people, Oath Keepers and Sons of Liberty Riders, by saying hey, “we’re your huckleberries, Chief.” (and we’ll be marching in Quartzsite on August 27th in support of the Quartzsite Ten!).

Same goes for this nonsense. If the FBI and DHS wants to openly target preparedness minded folks as “suspicious” and worthy of being reported to the Joint Terrorism Task Force, for simply doing what the Founders expected us to do, and what we veterans are duty bound by our oaths to do, and what every American, if they wish to be worthy of being called “citizen” is duty bound to do, well then, Robert and Janet, we’re your huckleberries too!   Get in line.

Tu ne cede malis, sed contra audentior ito (Latin: Do not give in to evil but proceed ever more boldly against it)

Stewart Rhodes,
Founder of Oath Keepers

* Hat tip to James Wesley, Rawles of Survival Blog who encourages the use of the term “full capacity” magazines rather than the anti-gunner term “high capacity” since the magazines in question were designed to carry that many rounds.
** We have heard, through the gape-vine, that many current serving FBI field agents are in agreement with us and support what we are doing here at Oath Keepers. They are not happy at all with the politicization of the FBI, but the “leaders” in Washington DC are another matter entirely, and have expressed an intent to use the FBI, along with DHS, BATF, etc., as a weapon against conservatives and constitutionalists. Will be interesting to see how that tension is resolved.

Back to me.

First, disclaimer. I'm not religious but didn't want to delete that part of the quote since it is relevant. I also don't particularly care for James Rawles but he's got some good info on his survivalblog website.Okay, now ... what do we Coloradans do? What do we AMERICANs do? Roll over and play dead? We don't stock up from our garden just in case next year all of our crops are taken out by hail storms? We don't prepare for the blizzards that knock out our power and keep us confined for days? We don't make arrangements to have food for the next time social security decides to get dropped or our spouse gets laid off.

And why are they singling out Colorado?

That makes me believe that even more people are reading this blog than I thought. Well, Mr. Gubment people, eat ****.

UPDATE ON CHICKENS & OTHER ANIMALS

2011-08-11T09:28:00.000-06:00

Have I really not talked about my cross-breed experiment of chickens since January 2011? Well, between my son suddenly getting epilepsy, terrible weather, and so much more, the time has flown by in a blur. Okay, so here's an update.

Latest count of farmette critters on our little 2 acres:
4 mini goats (2 does in milk, 1 buck, 1 wether) (sold 4 goat babies this year)
1 puppy (lab, to be my son's service dog)
69 or so chickens

Yep, you read right. We've gone from 11 chickens to about 69 in just a few short months. Yes we ordered some but many have been hatched from our own eggs. Let's see if I can give the rundown:

Pen #1 (to produce eggs to sell to pay for feed):
Lenny, the rooster, easter egger
Henny Penny, an easter egger hen
4 easter eggers girls we raised from chicks last year (#5 in maternity ward)
2 marans girls
2 leghorns girls
1 bantam egger girl who didn't make the cut to breeding project
1 bantam silkie boy who also didn't make the cut
1 gold star pullet
7 various chicks hatched from our own eggs (all eggers)

Pen #2 (to produce all further birds to butcher):
Stripes, 1 marans roo
3 marans girls
4 black australorp girls we raised from chicks last year
3 chicks from our own eggs, egger/black australorp crosses
19 black australorp (most going to butcher this weekend)

Pen #3 (bantams for cross-breeding project):
17: some little easter eggers and some little blue silkies

Maternity Ward:
Lola, an easter egger we got as a chick in 2010
her 6 chicks hatched from our eggs in July

Goat Pen:
BB, a bantam rooster who has health problems
2 silkie young roosters
1 black australorp young rooster (cockerel)
1 black australorp pullet

We get between 5 and 8 eggs a day. Each week this increases as the girls get to the point of laying. However, 15 or so of the black australorps in Pen #2 will be "processed" this weekend (for freezing and dehydrating). Also will be selling many of our chicks. We don't want to feed everyone this winter!

As far as the cross-breeding program, now that the little eggers have started laying and we know who's a boy and who's a girl, it's time to separate them. We're building two pens inside the garage, near a doggy door. Probably be done in the next couple of weeks. Egger boys will be in one pen with silkie girls, and silkie boys will be in the other with egger girls. There will be a small "tunnel" to the doggy door that leads to a small 20x20 exercise yard outside. And the exercise run will be surrounded by thorny blackberries (edible landscaping!) to keep predators and nosy neighbors out. The pens will alternate on their days outside.

As soon as one of these girls (either breed) goes broody (wants to hatch eggs), we're going to separate her and give her all the bantam eggs she can handle. 21 days later, we'll have more baby chicks. Crossed! Then we'll watch them all carefully, making notes who was a good mom, who grew up to be a quiet chicken who lays well-formed eggs and often, and so forth.

How are YOUR chicken projects going?

HEAT WAVES AND THE ECONOMY

2011-08-08T16:19:00.000-06:00

With the record heat waves attacking all over, civil unrest in various places (including London?!?!), fires, droughts, PLUS this USA economy, and so on, I really hope you've taken matters into your own hands.

(1) Stock up on foods and water because prices are going UP! Concentrate not only on staples like rice, oats, veggies, fruits and protein, but include a few "fun" items in there, like dum-dum suckers, jars of marinated artichoke hearts or other long-term storage gourmet goodies.

(2) Fill up your propane tank NOW for the winter, and keep your vehicle's gas tank filled up too. Gas prices are pretty decent right now but we all know how quickly that can change.

(3) Keep in touch with your neighbors just in case things happen where you are.

(4) Don't run your electricity up trying to stay cool. Wanna veg this evening after work? Put on your swim suit and get in the bathtub with a magazine and a tub of cool water. That's bring down your body temp to where you are comfy enough to sleep.

(5) Open your windows at night and let the cool breeze in. Close them up first thing in the morning. And close those blinds and curtains! They don't keep out enough light/heat? Get out those thick blankets and tack them around your window. Who cares if it looks tacky? At least you'll be comfy.

And about this economy, WTH?!?! Make plans NOW to un-elect your local representatives. They are so scared about losing their jobs and unwavering paychecks that they don't do diddly to get this budget in balance. It's because of them and their fear that we're in even further a mess. GO AWAY! Get these politicians OUT of office and vote in people who can successfully run a business. Those people might have a better chance of just doing what needs to be doing PLUS they won't balk at the possibility of losing their paychecks.

DEDICATION

2011-02-07T10:59:00.002-07:00

Something I absolutely need to say: so many of us think we can just store a few things, plus guns and ammo, and plan that when things get ready to hit the fan, you'll have time to order the seeds, plant the garden, and acquire your farm animals.

Don't plan on it.

Sure you MIGHT have time to order seeds, but if you haven't been amending your soil, planning out your garden, marking where the sun hits (all seasons), shadows, and all ... trust me, your garden won't provide food for you.

And yeah, you might have time to get a couple of chickens or a goat, but there is SO much more to it than that. Proper housing for ALL temperatures. Feeding when there are no convenient bags of feed available. What to do when they get sick. How to increase their production.

So much to know that you can't possibly get just from books. Experience is the best teacher.

If you really want to provide for your family in times of trouble, make your plan to get started NOW! Don't put it off, thinking you'll have time later.

Because, quite frankly, you probably won't.

Quiet Chickens for Preppers

2011-01-07T05:00:00.004-07:00

I know a lot of preppers are concerned about providing meat/protein for their family if the stuff hits the fan, and I've been thinking about that too. We have 14 chickens here on our little acreage (9 pullets/young hens, 3 older hens and 2 roosters), but wow the roosters are LOUD! Would they be safe if something happens and people start scavenging for food, particularly meat? Nope. My roosters would announce their presence that first day, and never again have the opportunity to crow again.

And seriously, we'll need roosters to increase our flock for not only our use but also to sell to other preppers! What's the solution? A quieter rooster.

So I'm working on a cross breed of chicken:
-cold hardy
-bears confinement well
-goes broody (wants to set on and hatch eggs)
-lays well

... and because my son likes green-shelled eggs, lays colored eggs. We don't want a dual-purpose bird (egg laying AND meat) because my autistic son would refuse to eat the birds, and really, so would I. We're just fine eating eggs every day.

I'm getting ready to order day-old chicks of two breeds:

SILKIE:
small, broodiest of all chickens, sweet, don't fly because feathers are different, used to being confined, roosters crow quietly because of the smaller bodies, don't lay eggs very often. Their skin is black instead of white so it's unappetizing to most americans. Come in many colors, like white, buff, black and splash. Hens get up to 32 oz each, and roosters 36 oz each.

BANTAM EASTER EGGER:
lay green or blue eggs, lay about 200 eggs a year, bears confinement well, cold hardy, smaller than regular/standard easter eggers, not broody at all. Come in many different colors and changes every time they molt so you can never predict by looking at the mother or the day-old chick what the adult chicken will look like. Hens get up to 26 oz each, and roosters get up to 32 oz each.

A cross/hybrid of these two chickens should produce a very small chicken (at most from 1 1/2 to 2 pounds each). Should be small enough for even apartment dwellers! The resulting eggs would be just slightly larger than a quail egg and slightly smaller than a "small chicken egg" that you'd find in the grocery. Still, 5 laying hens from this cross should produce 2-4 eggs a day. That's a good source of healthy protein for one to two people.

Just a note: Our regular-sized easter eggers are very sweet. My son has even taught one to sit on his shoulder, and most of them come as soon as they know we have a plastic baggie (which means snack-time!) in our hands. We've been keeping a single chicken inside the house this past week, changing them out every 3 days) to see if we can tolerate the smell, and to see just how noisy are they. Answer: not too terribly smelly, and by themselves, the girls really don't make much noise, except to coo and trill as we walk past the crate.

Anyway, our plan is to create this special breed of "survival chicken". Eventually, we'll move them into the garage and possibly into a bedroom in the house (or apartment). They'll free-range when they can (weather/circumstances permitting) but for the most part, they'll be my/our pet chickens and egg-laying friends!

Question: has anyone else crossed breeds of chickens for their "survival" purposes? If so, what breeds did you cross, and how is it working out?

How to find other preppers

2011-01-05T16:57:00.003-07:00

Here are some helpful hints on finding other preppers locally and in your surrounding area. Its going to be a task in itself since we are being bombarded with propaganda that makes us distrust our neighbors, our friends, our co-workers and even our own family.

When homeland security does a campaign using American money against Americans based upon "if you see something, say something" it makes you wonder, who do I trust or who will I trust moving forward?. Look beyond it, be different.

The best way to build up or build upon a group this late in the game is start with family. Make sure you can trust family first, brother-in-law, mother-in-law. There are like minded people out there including family but maybe they're worried about their own opinion? I know of many family members who have finally had this awakening and are saying, you are right and I heard it on Glenn Beck. What do I do?

Even if they had to hear it on one of "their media" sources to open their eyes, they heard it somewhere and it did opened their eyes. When someone realizes "something's not right here" human nature implores them to seek out more.

Meet with people, go to the diner, discuss what you hear, see and feel. Maybe someone will overhear you and want to join the conversation? At least you are doing something. If you are doing nothing you are helping no one and possibly lending time and effort to the people who are pulling the economic and social strings. Doing nothing you are lending credence to the global takeover, the NWO.

Meet, meet and meet more. People know people.

Place an ad. Every week in our local shopping paper someone adds a message: Lets meet, are you tired of how our government writes laws against it's people... You may find a few people that way, be outgoing. Start a trading ad, trade something others might need if the grid fails that you can afford to lose and when they call start up "that" conversation.

There are many many options today to meet people. People are out of work and many are anxious to know about what to expect if there is a problem, where to go, who to trust. The same as you, they just might not know it.

Author Wanted for this Blog

2010-11-21T18:53:00.001-07:00

Do you live in Colorado? Do you prepare for the worst case scenario and hope for the best? Are you NOT uber-religious?

And do you like to write?

We're looking for someone to start contributing to this blog, on a weekly basis, about being a prepper in Colorado. Please leave a comment, or e-mail vikkibooks (at) yahoo DOT com.

Thanks!

Question for Preppers of All Kinds

2010-08-23T08:28:00.004-06:00

Here's a question that came up over the weekend:

Suppose the parents of a family are ready, willing and able to buy a small piece of property out in the country and set it up as a bug-in retreat. Suppose there are some neighbors within walking distance, some with kids. Suppose the family has almost always homeschooled. Suppose the children have always had apartment chores (emptying the dishwasher, taking out the trash, helping with laundry, vaccuming, dusting, and helping with meal prep) but never outdoor chores.

They've only been there a few months when the following issues come up:

Now suppose those same children suddenly have outdoor chores like feeding livestock, giving them water and hay, watering the large garden, milking the cow and goat, collecting eggs from the chickens and quail, and so forth.

And the children HATE it.

They don't mind the relative quiet (as opposed to city noise). They don't mind the fresh air and scenery. They don't mind the fresh milk and eggs. They don't mind the fresh blueberries picked anytime they feel like it. They don't mind making new friends.

They DO mind the coyotes and foxes and mountain lions. They DO mind doing outside chores in the blistering heat, the pouring rain and the blinding snow. They DO mind getting up at oh-dark-thirty to milk the goat.

So... what do you do?

Do you...
(1) Find a way to make them like it?
(2) Ignore their feelings?
(3) Move back to the city and back to apartment living?
(4) Move back to the city, into a small house with smaller livestock (quail instead of chickens and ducks, etc)

Comments?

=====================================

UPDATE 9/26/11: Since I originally posted this article, found out my kid not only has ADHD but also OCD, autism and epilepsy. Turned out that those had a huge impact on how my kid perceives responsibility and such. We're still working on it.

Photographer searching for preppers

2010-06-07T08:16:00.002-06:00

I was recently contacted by the following photographer, but declined to do the story and pix because we like our privacy. However, I offered to post his info here. Up to you if you'd like to contact him!

= = = =

I am a professional photographer based in Denver. I am interested in producing a portrait series on Preppers. This will ideally be a number of portraits of individuals, couples and families photographed in their stores. I am looking for subjects in Colorado to take part in this project. Please contact me at info@jameschance.com if you would like to learn more. You can view examples of my work at www.jameschance.com. I am very happy to provide you with a professional print of your portrait. If you would prefer to remain anonymous or have your location withheld that's fine. I hope to hear from you.

Kind Regards,

James Chance

The Religious Nature of Prepping

2009-11-29T10:44:00.004-07:00

This posting might anger some people, but it's MY blog, and I gotta write it:

I usually read survivalblog.com and although it's very religious, I try to read it and ignore the religious aspects (read: ram-down-your-throat religion) of the blog. But I gotta tell you, what I read this morning truly ticked me off. Link: http://www.survivalblog.com/2009/11/sharing_your_faith_after_teotw.html. Recap of the article: most people prepping are Christians. Use catastrophes to bring people to their way of thinking. Stock up charitable giveaways but don't give them away too quickly. Etc. Etc. Etc.

My sisters and I were brought up Southern Baptist and Catholic .. yes, quite a combination. We went to church every Wednesday, and three times on Sunday. More often when it was Summer or for special choir practices. I was truly immersed in religion. Christianity. But when I started thinking for myself, I realized that there were a LOT of contradictions and hypocrisy about the religions I had grown up with.

My religion is now Spirituality. I have a relationship with my Maker, and I do NOT believe that we only get one shot; that there's only one way to get to heaven; that God decides my life for me, and that God is to be feared. But I don't ask other people to believe as I do. I try to live a decent life, reconciling in my mind and heart how to live and be and raise my child. I think I do ok.

So when I read an article like the above-mentioned, it ticks me off. Like only Christians will survive the coming times because they are the ones who prepped and preached and so forth. Bull-hockeys.

God didn't create the mess the world is in. WE (HUMANS) did. So thinking that he will purge the earth of "heathens" is idiotic. He'll do no such thing. WE will. With our stupidity, narrow mindedness, greed, laziness, and all around self-entitlement.

If you're a Christian, why are you stocking up on weapons and ammo? Does the Bible come right out and say that it's ok to kill when you're in the right? What about the other people who are "in the right" and try to kill YOU? Want to quote Jesus? How about this... he and his followers gave up all possessions to minister to others. If you're such a Christian, why do you have a fancy car, property, masses of junk silver, and a big ole belly?

Truly, I despise hypocrisy.

Inventory Check: Rice

2009-11-23T03:08:00.002-07:00

I read an article recently that rice is getting ready to zoom up in price, probably by the beginning of Year 2010. We have several 25-pound bags of rice from one of those warehouse clubs, but I never got around to pouring them into buckets and sealing them. I wonder if they are ok, or if they are riddled with bugs or have mouse-chew-holes?

Next week I'll be checking our rice stock. With 2 out of 3 people in this family being on a gluten-free diet, we heavily depend on rice, and will need it in stock while we experiment with growing it ourselves.

Have you checked your stock of rice lately? It's cheap, filling, and somewhat nutritious. Plus, it's versatile.

Possible Change to Blog

2009-11-22T02:02:00.001-07:00

I asked this question on two of my other blogs but thought I'd ask it here too ...

Keeping up with these blogs is very time consuming ... not that I mind, usually! We're getting ready to embark on an intensive homesteading adventure, and may not be able to work on blogs daily.

So... I'm thinking about combining our blogs (cooking, gardening, homesteading, survival, storage, homeschooling, etc.) into one. I would eventually move posts to the new and combined blog.

We have a lot of readers, and I value your opinion. Thoughts?

"Living the Good Life"

2009-11-21T03:03:00.002-07:00

I found this book at the library, and it got me thinking. Do I just want to "prep" to be ready for any eventuality, or is my preference that I learn skills to enable me and my family to survive through anything. Store versus grow. Prep versus skill.

Okay, I can't imagine living without toilet paper, so I'll store LOTS of that until I can figure out an alternative. Meanwhile, I'd rather prepare for things that could/might/maybe/will happen by learning how to take care of myself, just like our ancestors did not so long ago.

Have you read this book? It's by Linda Cockburn who now lives in Tasmania. She and her hubby and young son did a 6 month experiment in which they spent almost no money, just on essentials like utilities, medical expenses, etc. She admits they weren't perfect, but they did the best they could, and are even now striving to live "lighter" on the earth.

What do you think?

Healthy except for cough

2009-11-19T15:12:00.004-07:00

Boy howdy, this flu thing hit us hard! Well, it hit me hard. I came down with it first, and it took me the longest to get rid of it. Still have the cough but I'm not feverish and not contagious.

Hubby got the seasonal flu shot, and 3 days later got hit with the swine flu. He was only down 3 days, but yes, still has the cough.

The Kid got it last and was down 4 days, and still has the cough. For someone who has only been sick 5-6 times in his entire 13 years of life, he didn't know what to do with himself. I gave him a break on doing schoolwork, and he's just now catching up.

I'm sure we would have been worse off if we hadn't prepped and taken our supplements. If you haven't come down with the swine flu yet, you probably will. Make sure you're eating healthy, taking your supplements, and have stockpiled plenty of cough medicine, fever reducer, rehydratin drinks, clean water, and tissues/toilet paper.

Be healthy!

p.s. Hubby heard someone calling the H1N1 the "hini" (hi-nee) flu! Appropo, don't you think?

Another Health Update

2009-11-12T15:04:00.002-07:00

Hubby's already back to work! His bout with this swine flu was horrific for 2 days, better on Day 3 and back to work on Day 4. Other than a cough and feeling a little tired, he's just fine.

The 13 yr old Kid is on Day 2, still with a high fever and cough. But he's already feeling better. Unbelievable.

Me, I'm still sick.

Guess it's my "compromised immune system" but it seems like the precautions, supplements, and healthy eating helps reduce the severity and longevity of this thing.

Meanwhile, I hope to start posting something else soon! Thanks for all of the e-mails of good thoughts and speedy recovery. Vikki

Update on our family's swine flu

2009-11-10T20:36:00.002-07:00

I still have it, bad. Hubby came down with it yesterday. Kid woke up with a cough this morning.

HOWEVER, I'm starting to feel better, so is Hubby, and the Kid might not get a full-blown case of the swine flu. So.... we're thinking that all of the herbal supplements and other precautions we took are helping us beat this. Between the goldenseal, echinacea, garlic, vitamins d and c, multi-vitamin, and eating fairly health with fruits and veggies, this thing is starting to subside.

Keep using hand sanitizer. Lysol your house at least once a day. Sanitize laundry (especially hand towels, wash cloths, handkerchiefs, etc.) with vinegar in the rinse cycle. At the first sign of a cough, increase your supplements. Use vapor chest rub when possible, keeping a shirt on to prevent the goo from getting on pillows and sheets. Get a good night of sleep, propping your head up if you can. LOTS of fluids (water, herbal tea, 100% fruit juice)... try to 6-8 ounces an hour. Eat lots of veggies and fruits, simple proteins, whole grains. Stay away from all dairy, unless it's made out of rice or soy milk. Have bananas, rice (or rice cakes/rice crackers), applesauce and gatorade on hand if tummy troubles start up. Take it easy ... don't do too much (like I did today: 3 loads of laundry, cooked dinner, unpacked 2 boxes, and cleaned the kitchen).

I'll keep you updated as I can. I plan to sleep most of the night and probably most of tomorrow. Stay well.

Prepping saved me and Hubby

2009-11-09T07:08:00.003-07:00

I have the swine flu. Again. It's much worse this time. Can't believe I got it, despite my prepping, taking supplements, eating healthy, and using hand sanitizer. But still, I got it and can barely move (only online to check messages and write this, then it's back to bed).

Last night I was practically crying. My throat hurts so much. The tamiflu has given me the trots. The constant coughing has hurt my ribs. Headache and general body aches. You get the picture.

Suddenly I remembered that as we were packing up our house to move here, I had made a special "flu" box. Hubby remembered where it was and grabbed it. I found the vapor chest rub, cough medicine, lozenges, ibuprofen, elderberry syrup, and more. I swept up these wonderful goodies in my arms and cried. Family already thinks I'm nuts; this just clenched it.

I sucked on a zinc lozenge while I planned my attack on this virus. This thing is not gonna beat me. I actually slept most of last night. Nyquil-Wal-mart-brand is wonderful.

Believe me, Hubby is glad that I packed that box. Otherwise, I was planning to send him out for flu supplies. Thankfully I also had stocked up on tissues (on my 2nd box since Saturday), food my family can fix for themselves, hand sanitizer, bottled water, tea bags, and much more.

Be well, people. This thing is a nightmare.

Politics in Thornton

2009-11-05T19:32:00.002-07:00

Unfortunately, despite my campaigning for Ralph W Moore, his opponent in Ward 2 in Thornton, Colorado won. Val Vigil.

Yuck.

Not a good mood for Thornton, and/or Colorado. Refer to: http://thorntonwilliamsfamily.blogspot.com/2009/10/val-vigil-blows-leafs-doesnt-sweep.html

Inventory Check: Sewing Kits

2009-11-04T02:31:00.003-07:00

I shop once a month for all dry goods for the next month, for storage, and for barter. I never fail to pick up sewing supplies.

Ready-made clothes may be difficult to purchase should a total collapse happens. People will need the knowledge of sewing and repairing clothing, but also the equipment to do so. For yourself and for barter, stock up on:
-premade sewing kits
-needles, all sizes
-needle-threaders
-threat, all colors
-scissors
-velcro, buttons, snaps, zippers
-fabric

What else can you add to your sewing stock?

Need a good sturdy backpack

2009-11-03T14:24:00.002-07:00

My cheapo Wal-Mart backpack (that I use as a purse) gave up the ghost. I was wondering why I kept losing change when I'd throw it down on the front seat or floorboard. Then I spied a pen slipping out of a hole in the bottom. Ah man!

So today I grabbed my needle and thread. After emptying out the backpack, I examined it closely. No go. There are too many places in the bottom of the backpack and along the sides that are tearing. Plastic is shredding. Even if I sewed an additional bottom inside, using a clean dishrag, the sides and front don't have much life left.

Cheapo bag.

So, it's gotta get trashed. I'll salvage what I can (the straps, etc.) but basically, it's garbage. Nine months of good solid use, then disintegration.

So I checked out the strap that broke on a purse I used last week. It broke because I kept putting 3-6 rolls of nickles in there to carry home from the bank. Nice purse. Leather. Supposedly good solid stitching. Yeah, right. Guess it couldn't survive under that weight. But I figured I can repair the strap, and did so. It doesn't look beautiful, but I really don't care. It's functional. Maybe I gave it another year of life. See? Sewing is a handy skill everyone should have!

Meanwhile, I need a backpack.

PLEASE don't buy cheapo backpacks that are in the purse section. Especially not for your bug-out bag. Look in the sporting goods section. Those are made to last. Can you imagine a hiker going 10 miles into the woods, and a hole develops in the bottom, with the matches and food sliding out along the trail? Yeah, right. The manufacturer would get sooooo sued!

Read this book: "Alas, Babylon" by Pat Frank

2009-11-03T02:11:00.000-07:00

I grabbed this book ("Alas, Babylon") from the library, found through a search for apocolyptic fiction. Brought it home yesterday (Sunday) and finished it today. It starts a little slow, took me 3 chapters to get really interested, but it was worth it.

It was written and published the first time in 1959. It takes place (mostly) in a post-nuclear war, specifically in Florida. Here's a comment that a reader left on the amazon.com page for this book:

This story deals with the Soviet nuclear attack on America that fortunately didn't happen. Where "On the Beach" was written from a British/ Australian perspective, this book is based in the American south, perhaps making Pat Frank the Pat Conroy of post-apocalyptic fiction. In 1960, during the height of the Cold War, Randy Bragg, descendant of an old Florida family, gets a heads-up from his career Air Force brother and prepares his family and his town for when "the button gets pushed". Younger readers who didn't live through the Cold War might find this story a bit campy, but as one of the kids taught by teachers to hide under my desk, I'm in no position to scoff. The book's short length (by today's standards) might make you take it for pulp fiction at first glance, but the fact that it's still in print four decades later is a testament to its quality. Rather than just crank this thing out, certain that no one would notice the picky details, Frank did his homework on this story. Even down to the dog tag on the collar of a wild stray German shepherd in one passage. ... ... (Review by R.L. Miller)

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This is a must-read. It deals with typhoid, radiation poisoning, water, supplies, marriage, responsibility, childbirth, unpreparedness, feral cats and dogs, and much more. It's so much better written than Patriots by James Rawles, and still gives great info for you to think about.

He's Tired (long post)

2009-11-02T09:02:00.002-07:00

Here's a copy of what I found in my e-mail this morning. Not that I agree with it all, but it gave me pause to think. Perhaps it will you too. (Note: although it's attributed to Robert A Hall, a former State Senator, I can't guarantee it.)
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"I'm Tired" by Robert A. Hall

I'll be 63 soon. Except for one semester in college when jobs were Scarce, and a six-month period when I was between jobs, but job-hunting every day, I've worked, hard, since I was 18. Despite some health challenges, I still put in 50-hour weeks, and haven't called in sick in seven or eight years. I make a good salary, but I didn't inherit my job or my income, and I worked to get where I am. Given the economy, there's no retirement in sight, and I'm tired. Very tired.

I'm tired of being told that I have to "spread the wealth around" to people who don't have my work ethic. I'm tired of being told the government will take the money I earned, by force if necessary, and give it to people too lazy or stupid to earn it.

I'm tired of being told that I have to pay more taxes to “keep people in their homes." Sure, if they lost their jobs or got sick, I'm willing to help but if they bought McMansions at three times the price of our Paid-off, $250,000 condo, on one-third of my salary, then let the left-wing Congress-critters who passed Fannie and Freddie and the Community Reinvestment Act that created the bubble help them with their own money.

I'm tired of being told how bad America is by left-wing millionaires like Michael Moore, George Soros, and Hollywood entertainers who live in luxury because of the opportunities America offers. In thirty years, if they get their way, the United States will have the economy of Zimbabwe, the freedom of the press of China, the crime and violence of Mexico, the tolerance for Christian People of Iran, and the freedom of speech of Venezuela. Won't multiculturalism be beautiful?

I'm tired of being told that Islam is a "Religion of Peace," when every day I can read dozens of stories of Muslim men killing their sisters, wives and daughters for their family "honor"; of Muslims rioting over some slight Offense; of Muslims murdering Christian and Jews because
they aren't "believers"; of Muslims burning schools for girls; of Muslims stoning Teenage rape victims to death for "adultery"; of Muslims mutilating the genitals of little girls; all in the name of Allah, because the Qur'an and Shari'a law tells them to.

I'm tired of being told that "race doesn't matter" in the post-racial world of Obama, when it's all that matters in affirmative action jobs, lower college admission and graduation standards for minorities (harming them the most), government contract set-asides, and in the appointment of US Senators from Illinois. I believe "a man should be judged by the content of his character, not by the color of his skin." But, tolerance for the ghetto culture of violence and fatherless children hurts minorities more than anyone. I think it's very cool
that we have a black president and that a black child is doing her homework at the desk where Lincoln wrote the emancipation Proclamation. I just wish the black president was Condi Rice, or someone who believes more in freedom and the individual and less arrogantly of an all-knowing government.

I'm tired of a news media that thinks Bush's fundraising and inaugural Expenses were obscene, but that think Obama's, at triple the cost, were wonderful. That thinks Bush exercising daily was a waste of presidential Time, but Obama exercising is a great example for the public to control weight and stress, that picked over every line of Bush's military records, but never demanded that Kerry release his, that slammed Palin, with two years as governor, for being too inexperienced for VP, but touted Obama with three years as senator as potentially the best president ever. Wonder why people are dropping their subscriptions or switching to Fox News? Get a Clue. I didn't vote for Bush in 2000, but the media and Kerry drove me to his camp in 2004.

I'm tired of being told that out of "tolerance for other cultures" we must let Saudi Arabia use our oil money to fund mosques and madrassa Islamic Schools to preach hate in America, while no American group is allowed to fund a church, synagogue, or religious school in Saudi Arabia to teach love And tolerance.

I'm tired of being told I must lower my living standard to fight global warming, which no one is allowed to debate. My wife and I live in a two-bedroom apartment and carpool together five miles to our jobs. We also own a three-bedroom condo where our daughter and granddaughter live. Our carbon footprint is about 5% of Al Gore's, and if you're greener than Gore, you're green enough.

I'm tired of being told that drug addicts have a disease, and I must help support and treat them, and pay for the damage they do. Did a giant germ rush out of a dark alley, grab them, and stuff white powder up their noses while they tried to fight it off? I don't think gay people choose to be gay, but I damn sure think druggies chose to take drugs. And I'm tired of harassment from cool people treating me like a freak when I tell them I never tried marijuana.

I'm tired of illegal aliens being called "undocumented workers," especially the ones who aren't working, but are living on welfare or crime. What's next? Calling drug dealers, “Undocumented Pharmacists"? And, no, I'm not against Hispanics. Most of them are Catholic, and it's been a few hundred years since Catholics wanted to kill me for my religion. I'm willing to fast track for citizenship any Hispanic person, who can speak English, doesn't have a criminal record and who is self-supporting without family on welfare, or who serves honorably for three years in our military... Those are the citizens we need.

I'm tired of latte liberals and journalists, who would never wear the uniform of the Republic themselves, or let their entitlement-handicapped kids near a recruiting station, trashing our military. They and their kids can sit at home, never having to make split-second decisions under life and death circumstances, and bad mouth better people than themselves. Do bad things happen in war? You bet. Do our troops sometimes misbehave? Sure.

Does this compare with the atrocities that were the policy of our enemies for the last fifty years-and still are? Not even lose. So here's the deal. I'll let myself be subjected to all the humiliation and abuse that was heaped on terrorists at Abu Ghraib or Gitmo, and the critics can let themselves be subject to captivity by the Muslims who tortured and beheaded Daniel Pearl in Pakistan, or the Muslims who tortured and murdered Marine Lt. Col. William Higgins in Lebanon, or the Muslims who ran the blood-spattered Al Qaeda torture rooms our troops found in Iraq , or the Muslims who cut off the heads of schoolgirls in Indonesia, because the girls were Christian. Then we'll compare notes. British and American soldiers are the only troops in history that civilians came to for help and handouts, instead of hiding from in fear.

I'm tired of people telling me that their party has a corner on virtue and the other party has a corner on corruption. Read the papers-bums are bipartisan. And I'm tired of people telling me we need bipartisanship. I live in Illinois, where the "Illinois Combine" of Democrats has worked to loot the public for years. Not to mention the tax cheats in Obama's cabinet as well. I'm tired of hearing wealthy athletes, entertainers, and politicians of both parties talking about innocent mistakes, stupid mistakes or youthful mistakes, when we all know they think their only mistake was getting caught. I'm tired of people with a sense of entitlement, rich or poor. Speaking of poor, I'm tired of hearing people with air-conditioned homes, color TVs and two cars being called poor. The majority of Americans didn't have that in 1970, but we didn't know we were "poor." The poverty pimps have to keep changing the definition of poor to keep the dollars flowing.

I'm real tired of people who don't take responsibility for their lives and actions. I'm tired of hearing them blame the government, or discrimination, or big-whatever for their problems.

Yes, I'm damn tired. But I'm also glad to be 63. Because, mostly, I'm not going to have to see the world these people are making. I'm just sorry for my granddaughter.

Robert A. Hall is a Marine Vietnam veteran who served five terms in the Massachusetts State Senate.

Snowed-In Project: Filling storage buckets

2009-10-30T10:22:00.004-06:00

Yes, we got lots of snow this week. In about 48 hours, we got a little over 2 feet of snow in the south part of Denver. Because I have a very old car (84 Chrysler) that doesn't even like to go in the rain, me and the Kid stayed home while Hubby drove his Bronco to work.

So... yesterday, after the Kid finished schoolwork, we started on a project. See... last week (or was it the week before?!?!) I found a bunch of gluten-free baking mixes on sale so I grabbed a lot. It was time to put them safely away.

I had previously ordered and received 26 4-gallon buckets with lids, so I started arranging things. Each bucket got a regular bread mix, a gluten-free bread mix, protein (lentils, beans, canned ham, etc.), a seal-a-meal bag of dried veggies, rice crackers, regular muffin mix, gf pancake mix, jello, pudding, chocolate chips, gf pasta, gf mac-and-cheese, onion and garlic powder, and whatever else I could fit in there. I added 3-4 bay leaves (coz bugs don't like them!) and 2-3 oxygen absorbers. As we filled each bucket, I made a list of contents, both for my inventory folder and a smaller to tape to the bucket, with the bucket number on both lists. We tamped the lid down tight, and stacked them in the closet.

I only did 8 buckets, but each would be good for 2 weeks, so that's 16 weeks or about 4 months! I haven't even gotten to the huge bags of rice from Sam's, and those buried tubs I can't get to (with lots of boxes on top because I still haven't finished unpacking) of beans, peas, lentils, pasta, hot cocoa, and all of the supplies I bought before we moved here last month.

We have a fairly large pantry, well, for the size of our home, so 3 weeks ago when I did the monthly grocery shopping, I filled it with canned fruits, veggies, soups, instant tea, tea bags, bottles of honey and vinegar, boxes of baking soda, and much more. We have enough to last just in that closet for about 5 months. But I've told everybody in this house that the pantry closet is OFF LIMITS ... NO TOUCHY!!!

The canned and other stored items that we can use right now are in cupboards and cabinets, and those alone will last about 2 months. These are the older products that "expire" in the next 6 months... like pancake mix, canned foods, juice, etc. I have the 100 pounds of baking potatoes and 2 bags of onions in the garage and those will last probably till Spring (I'll need more onions, tho).

For the next time we're snowed in, I'm thinking the Kid and I will make candles! Or, well, I guess I should do some unpacking.

Yuck.

Possible electricity outage

2009-10-28T14:26:00.003-06:00

Well, we're about 20 hours into this blizzard, and our electricity has started blinking off and on. I'm thinking we're gonna have an outage. I'm gonna log off now and bring out the candles. Might go on and prepare dinner. Meanwhile, everyone have a snug and warm day!

I'll log back on when I can.

Blizzard hits Colorado. Life stands still.

2009-10-28T12:35:00.003-06:00

... ... at least, that's what Channel 7, ABC, thinks. Just because a little snow fell and is still falling, they think all regularly scheduled programming should be canceled or put on hold so they can keep showing the same weather map and pictures and film of slow-moving traffic. Hey, DENVER CHANNEL 7... pay attention! The people watching your TV station are the same people that are snug at home! The people that need the weather information will listen to the radio or check online.

Geez. Idiots.

p.s. Yes, where I live we already have 12 inches of snow, with it not supposed to stop until tomorrow late, but I'm a prepper and am completely ready. Bring it on!

Safeway Specials for Storage

2009-10-19T17:09:00.002-06:00

A blogger wrote about a special on potatoes this week at Safeway: 10 pounds for 99 cents. I bought 10 bags so 100 pounds of potatoes for under 10 dollars.

While I was there today, picking up the second set of bags of potatoes, I looked around. Here's what else I found for our storage:

- close-up toothpaste at 99 cents
- betty crocker brownie mix for 79 cents a box
- dial liquid hand soap for 99 cents
- cheerios for 1.67
- rice or pasta roni for 99 cents
- safeway canned beans for 89 cents

While I was in the baking aisle for the brownie mix, just above it I noticed that betty crocker has come up with gluten-free baking mixes: chocolate cake, brownie, and chocolate chip cookies. I got a chocolate cake and brownie, each for $3.70. My kid's birthday is coming up, so he'll get a tasty treat!

These are just the items I took advantage of that were on sale. If only I'd had coupons with me!

Hmmm... wonder what's up next?

Is the End Near?

2009-10-13T15:15:00.002-06:00

I've been reading so much about how the economic collapse is not only eminent, it's practically here... not to mention the H1N1 pandemic is close to quarantine status, and the idiot politicians in Washington are running roughshod over the needs and real wants over the American people.

We have enough supplies for food, fuel, clothing, seeds, etc. I'm working on the water. I'm learning candle-making and basket-weaving. I have a good supply of homeopathic herbs, and seeds to grow more when we've moved (one last time!).

I've already been hit with the swine flu. Kid hates being confined but is willing to do it for another 3-4 months. Hubby has to go out into the world but is careful about germs.

But holidays are coming. Family still expects to get together. Anyone planning to cancel holiday gatherings in lieu of a quiet time at home?

We still need to leave home to search for our mini-farm. We expect to be settled by Spring. Are we too late?

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I like this blog: (http://mayberry-keepitsimplestupid.blogspot.com/ ) read it when you can.

Doctor's Orders - Stay Home

2009-10-06T15:34:00.003-06:00

I'm going stir crazy. We went out yesterday to get groceries and a winter coat and other winter clothes for me since I can't find the box with my winter clothes in it. Big mistake. My symptoms are worse today. So I called my doc.

I've been told by my doctor's office, in no uncertain terms, to not leave my home. Whether or not I have the swine flu or just the stomach flu, it's contagious, and going around fast. Half of the doctor's office is out sick, and as a side note, my Hubby's office has already put people on notice that if more people call in sick, everyone will be sent home to do their job at home.

Just curious... I've been sick with the flu before. Not often, but enough times to have NEVER been told by my doctor's office to NOT leave my house until I'm well.

Hmmmm...

Good thing I have enough food, water and medicine to last for a while.

Swine Flu Checkpoints and Concentration Camps?

2009-10-03T18:08:00.006-06:00

This youtube vid was forwarded to me. Checkpoints. Swine flu vaccination requirements. Chips. Concentration camps. Could this possibly be real or a hoax?

Not only watch it.... but forward a link to this posting to everyone you know! Thanks.

And... here is the follow-up vid ...

And check out the CDC page that George W Bush enacted in 2003... http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/executiveorder040403.htm

And here's a vid of actually a phone call that sounds legit... again, hoax or real?

Organizing Supplies - non-food

2009-10-03T07:06:00.005-06:00

As you know, we just moved. I thought I had carefully packed some of our supplies, but boy was I wrong. I can't find barely anything!

I'll admit that there are some boxes clearly marked as to the contents, but (1) anybody could read the box and know what's in it, and (2) it's mish-mash, with a large variety of contents. One box has a small supply of disposable latex gloves, a couple of mini sewing kits, long-lasting candles, some dried blueberries, etc. Just packed away and labeled, but not organized.

So... I've decided to re-organize. I still have lots of small and medium moving boxes from Home Depot that will work just fine. Each box will contain a single item or a group of similar items. For instance, one box will hold only bar soap. Another box will hold sewing supplies (a variety of sewing needles, thread, zippers, etc.).

And each will be given a "fake" name. Instead of writing "soap" on the box, knowing that the contents are heavy, I'll call it something like "art history books". A lighter box might be called "maternity clothes" or "baby toys" or "1987 vacation pictures". Names will be something most people, especially burglars, would prefer to just skip over.

I'll write the code names and corresponding actual items in a 2 small notebooks, one of which will go in my 72 hour kit, and the second will go in Hubby's kit.

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Note: Writing the above got me thinking about our soap supply. We have about 40+ bars of various soaps, which I'll store in a small moving box and add more until it's completely full. Then I won't touch it. When I need soap, I'll just buy more. This is against the usual adage "first in first out" but since soap doesn't exactly expire, it makes sense. This will NOT apply to food!

Note: And still my mind is working more! Labeling heavy boxes some kind of "books" would work for us because we have 2000+ books, and many are usually on shelves. It would make complete sense for someone to pass through our home and see our many books, then find stored in closets, etc. many more boxes labeled "books". Use what makes sense for you.

Not Prepared Enuf

2009-10-01T13:44:00.002-06:00

We had an electrical outage at our new home yesterday. Couldn’t work online, blog, or write. Couldn’t use my seal-a-meal. Couldn’t use the microwave to make my kid’s lunch (we improvised the menu!). The whole thing just reminded me that I haven’t finished my preparations, and most of my information is either on my computer’s hard-drive or online either in blog-postings or e-books.

I hadn't even printed out my inventory list! I finally found the crockpot but couldn't find my packages of dried food with recipes enclosed.

So I used my cell to get in touch with a person who has expressed interest in publishing, and together we struck a collaborative deal. We’re going to go through a list we made, and write short to-the-point e-books and laminated cheat-sheets for all of the topics we need quickly accessible in case of emergency. These won’t be just for our use, but also for sell, if anyone is interested in them.

We have quite a list, but if you have any suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment on this posting.

And now I have the flu. Well, not THE flu, but a stomach variety. Argh. I'll be back when I'm feeling better.

Critter Invasion

2009-09-25T04:53:00.002-06:00

Just wondering...

A friend who lives in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains has noticed more than the usual amount of mice and spiders in her house, and foxes and coyotes in her yard. Bears grabbing anything, and rutting elk charging anything that moves. After we chatted about this for a bit, we surmised it could be because animals are usually better at knowing when winters are going to be rough. Perhaps they are getting ready for this difficult winter?

Has anyone else noticed an unusually high invasion of critters in or around their home?

When the Lights Go Out

2009-09-23T07:23:00.005-06:00

When was the last time you went camping? Not in a trailer or special set-aside park, but hiking with water, food and sleeping gear on your back? Far away from civilization. No traffic sounds. No city lights. No trash littering the non-existent trail.

You find a good spot to camp, kinda close to a stream, flat, at the edge of a grove of trees. You pitch your tent. Form a circle with creek-rock, and start a small safe fire in that circle. Even tho you've brought some food with you, it's for emergencies so you go hunt down your dinner - hmmm, tasty rabbit or fresh fish.

Done eating, done cleaning, you lay down on your bedroll by the fire. Dusk forms into night. It's nearly dark, the firelight now providing the only light as its orange and yellow tongues lick at the night.

Lay back, close your eyes and listen. Slithering off to your left. Chittering of a squirrel to your right. A fish flops in the stream.

Quiet.

Dark.

Now imagine that you're at home and it's that dark and that quiet. An EMP (electromagnetic pulse) hit. Or the H1N1 flu hit the electric company employees so hard that no workers can keep the electricity going, and it's all gone. It can happen.

No street lights. No moon. No car headlights. No planes flying overhead. No nightlights or fans.

Look around your home. How long could you survive without electricity? Will your toilet work? Your stove? If you are a person who turns the TV on as soon as you get home? Are all of your recipes and inventory lists on your computer? Do you have an alternate source of heat? How can you keep your insulin cool, or test your blood sugar? No way to keep milk fresh. No automatically hot water to wash dishes (by hand, of course). Non-electric razor? Baby-bottle warmer?

What if you have to live without electricity for more than a day? A week? A month? Or even a year? If you're a gardener, how would you "put-up" your harvest with no dehydrator or even a canner that will work on a fire? Gas stations won't be able to pump gas so you'd be at home unless you have a good stash of gas or ride your bike or horse. OMG - no cell phone?!

We are a soft, modern people.

Are you prepared?

Snow in Denver and Golden?!?!

2009-09-21T21:50:00.001-06:00

Unbelievable. I knew a storm front was coming through but I didn't hear it would have snow. And now... read: http://coldcoloradan.com/stormchase/stormblog/?p=65 - snow is expected to continue thru this afternoon in the Foothills of the Rockies. SNOW!

Tomorrow is the first day of Autumn. Technically, today is still Summer. Do you still have doubts that the weather patterns have gotten weird? We barely had enough hot days this Summer to grow the usual vegetables and fruits. We had a few more days of rain as compared to last year, but they were pretty much clustered.

Glad we at least knew it would be cold. We brought in the potted plants and installed the grow lights. We plan to eat fresh through the Fall and Winter: strawberries, tomatoes, zucchini, cucumber, string beans, and garden peas. The strawberries and cucumbers already have littles ones growing - should be ready to eat in a week or two!

Anyway... note that... this 2009/2010 Winter in Colorado will start early (done), be hard, and last long. Add the H1N1 Flu virus on top of that, and we'll be spending a LOT of time indoors.

Be prepared.

Using Coins to Barter after The Sh** Hits the Fan

2009-09-21T10:58:00.004-06:00

I read survivalblog.com on a regular basis (condolences to Rawles' family) and an interesting article caught my eye today. From Russell in Dallas, Texas. He brings up some great points about how even tho pre-1965 coins are the best coins to store for After-Times, most people won't know that. There won't be internet to research. There won't be open bookstores to find coin reference books. The knowledge will be among those few who prepped but will it do any good among the masses?

I have to say that I agree with Russell from Dallas, Texas. Look at our basic needs to survive: food, water, shelter, clothing. If I take care of our family's needs for these, then I can barter similar items for others: sewing kits and fabric, salt, boots, etc. Anything else and a small stash of all kinds of coins would work just fine.

In my real day-to-day life, I know of only 1 family who actually preps, and I'm sure they don't know about coins. If they do, they don't talk about it. But of course, I don't either. But when I ask for rolls of nickles at the bank, they always have some.

Perhaps I'm naive. Perhaps a bit practical.

Read the article at http://www.survivalblog.com/2009/09/letter_re_will_junk_silver_be.html then come back here to comment....

Are you hoarding the recommended pre-1965 coins?

Are you saving all coins?

Are you "buying" rolls of nickles as fast as you can?

Are you hiding your stash in a safe place?

What do YOU think will be the best "barter item" after things hit the fan?

Rocky Mountain Sustainability Fair

2009-09-17T06:35:00.005-06:00

If you are able to get to Ft. Collins this weekend, you need to check out the Rocky Mountain Sustainability Fair (see: http://www.sustainablelivingassociation.org/thefair/ ).

FROM THEIR WEBSITE:

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September 19-20, 2009 in Fort Collins, Colorado
Saturday 10am - 6pm, Sunday 10am - 5pm

FAIR ADMISSION: $8/day, Kids under 12 free, Tickets at the entrance

2008 Inspiring Statistics
Exhibitors 225 — SOLD OUT
Attendees 11,873
Workshops 86
Volunteers 276
ONLY 275 lbs of trash
84% waste diversion
3502lbs Electronics Recycled

The Sustainable Living Association - Who They Are and What They Do!

The Rocky Mountain Sustainable Living Association is a Fort Collins, Colorado based non-profit organization committed to applying our vision and expertise toward a sustainable future for all.

Their mission is to educate people and communities in the Rocky Mountain region about healthy sustainable choices. They primarily accomplish this mission through their annual Sustainable Living Fair in September, the largest event of it’s kind in the Rocky Mountain region.

Their educational programs and workshops offer creative solutions and practices in a wide range of sustainable living topics such as renewable energy and alternative fuels, environmental & social responsibility, natural health, green building, organic agriculture, local economies and more. These workshops deliver valuable benefits, improving the relationship between people and the environment. They encourage an ongoing dialogue which leads to a better understanding and respect for our individual connection to the global community. They also provide individuals with the necessary tools, technology and knowledge to sustain these practices, for their personal wellbeing and the long-term benefit of our planet.

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This little family is hoping to go - depends on our move. We have several booths we especially want to check out, and there are a LOT of workshops that we will try to split up between us. This is a great opportunity to find alternates to everyday products and possibly how to live green when prepping for catastrophic situations. Backwoods Home Magazine (my fav mag) is scheduled to have a booth! Check out this fair!

Preparing for a Winter Storm

2009-09-11T06:00:00.002-06:00

Winter will be here soon.... at least in the Northern Hemisphere. Take note of these preparations:

Remove anything from outside that could fly around and damage your home, car, or neighbors property or people. Trash cans can actually fly when the wind gusts get big!

Bring inside the outdoor furniture, unless it’s specifically made for winter or aggressive outdoor use. The garage, basement or shed is a good place for these.

Check your yard for splintering or dead trees. If they fall, what would they fall on? Look at the entire radius. Cut them down or hire someone like a professional tree service to do it.

Check your supplies, especially flashlights, extra batteries, a hand-crank radio, candles, lighters/matches, and alternate source of heat during a power failure. That could include a space heater or generator and fuel (store in garage).

You need extra bottles of drinking water – one gallon a day per person for drinking and sanitation. If you know the storm is about there, do your cleaning and showering, then clean the tub and fill it up with water. Use that water to flush the toilet.

You’re stocking up for a blizzard or even a light winter snowstorm so you definitely need rock salt and sand and special items to melt ice on the driveway, porch and steps. Remember to include brooms and snow shovels.

If you have a long driveway or live in the boonies, book a snow-plowing service in advance of the storm. The biggie: food! Keep enough at home, especially items you can prepare without electricity. There are many different ways you can heat a can of soup using candles or sterno. Research and practice before you have to rely on them for your life. Remember your can opener.

Anything else you can think of?

Westport's argument over a wall

2009-09-09T08:44:00.003-06:00

Take a look at this article: http://www.westportnow.com/index.php?/v2/comments/24745/ - if we can't get along over a wall, put up to protect the homeowners from people who drive onto their property, then how are we supposed to make it through TEOTWAWKI?

Come on, Jeffrey and Elizabeth Lillien... get a life. You obviously have lots of money - I read where you paid in the neighborhood of a million dollars for your home. Find something else to occupy your time, or hey, how about you stand outside of that rock wall with a sign that says "slow down"! That way, the Hancocks won't need a wall!

Geez. What a litigious society.

Re-Reading George Orwell's 1984. Scary.

2009-09-04T06:25:00.000-06:00

I'm assigning my kid "1984" by George Orwell as a literature/reading assignment this coming year. Since the last time I read it was in school in the 70's, I picked it up yesterday to get a jump on it.

Geez, it's scary. It feels a lot like the beginning of what we're going through now. Monitoring our every move. Ministry of War making people disappear without being convicted of a crime. Focus on the rich and ignore the poor (except to persecute them). Public humiliation of people who dare to speak out. Subliminal persuasion. Food rations.

I realize it's not exact, but it sure feels like that's where we're headed if we don't start standing up to these people who "run" our government.

Smoke Haze over Denver from California Fires

2009-09-03T06:42:00.005-06:00

A significant amount of smoke from wildfires in California (and Canada, Utah and here in Colorado) has drifted as far as Denver, Colorado, and possibly beyond. And while it's making some beautiful pictures (of which none of mine came out!), it's posing health problems for people along it's route.

Above pic from http://www.examiner.com/x-801-Pet-Care-Examiner~y2009m8d31-Southern-California-wildfires-can-negatively-impact-your-pets-health

The health alert has been lifted for Denver as of today, but the smoke is still there. AND it's moving more north. If you see the haze, you know your body felt it a while ago. If you don't need to be outside, or to exercise outside, be careful and stay in. Same goes for your pets.

You don't want to compromise your respiratory system with this "haze" ... not with a major respiratory illness (H1N1 flu) coming along the pike.

Fresh Source of Protein for Quarantine Times

2009-09-02T06:24:00.003-06:00

If you're a prepper (you prepare for worst-case scenarios), then you've giving your food intake and sources a lot of thought. I'm sure you have peanut butter, dried chicken and ham, powdered eggs and more. All good sources of protein.

But you might get a little tired of these. So... here's an idea. Make it so you can have fresh eggs from time to time.

Don't want an outdoor animal that you'll need to go out and feed? Or that you'll need to defend?

Raise quail. Indoors.

Quail are very small birds, considered wild game although they have been domesticated for a while. They produce very small eggs - it takes 3 quail eggs to equal 1 small chicken egg.

Have 2 people in your home? Have 6 quail, which could provide 3 small quail eggs per person per day. For this many quail, you only need a square foot cage. I suggest you get a rabbit hutch, with a pan underneath to catch droppings. If the wires that make up the floor are too far apart, get some wire netting from a home improvement store so the birds feet won't get torn up. Keep the cage off the floor and out of drafts.

If you plan on raising quail to eat the birds, then you'll need males too (2 females to 1 male). Keep in mind that in a quarantine situation, if you want to eat the quail, you'll need a place inside your home to kill them, drain the blood, pluck them, and do something with the leftovers (feet, beak, entrails, etc.)

Don't they stink? Not really. Keep the cages clean, but even so, quail make a lot less noise and smell than, say, chickens. Use paper in the bottom of your "rabbit" hutch and it will be easy to change out and keep clean.

Keep a source of bright light on during the shorter days, making it seem like just a long summer. This will "trick" the birds into laying past autumn and they will continue to lay eggs.

Having only 6 small quail in a small hutch will be easy to care for. They don't take a lot of feed, so you can keep it in a rodent-proof trash can with lid. They do need a fresh source of water, but these are small birds and really don't take much. Also, be careful of your other pets, especially cats - don't let them take away your source for fresh eggs!!!

Think maybe you won't have a source of heat to cook the eggs? Remember, quail eggs are small. Use a tea-light candle in a candle-holder, with a small empty clean (but oiled) tuna can on top and you'll be just fine. Add a little spice (onion powder, dried parsley, etc.) and maybe some canned no-need-to-refrigerate parmesan cheese and yummy!

For more information on raising quail indoors, go to:
http://homesteadingbasics.blogspot.com/2009/04/how-to-raise-quail-indoors.html

USA Martial Law Preparations Being Made 2009

2009-09-01T05:44:00.004-06:00

Awaiting final approval by Gates for Martial Law in the event of outbreak of H1N1 Swine Flu, and we basically can't do anything to stop it. Round-ups of infected people.

Watch this vid ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOWtJTWT5I4 ):

Check out the posting I did a few moments ago, too. Very informative.

Self-Shield Against Mandatory Vaccination H1N1 Flu

2009-09-01T05:39:00.002-06:00

Want to be required to be vaccinated against the Swine Flu (H1N1) or be detained by FEMA or WHO's orders?

Watch this vid ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swHUfACaRN8 ):

Way behind in everything!

2009-07-09T20:14:00.002-06:00

I thank you for the e-mails of support - - we're still pushing hard to get this house ready to list. It goes on the market tomorrow and we're not ready yet. Still have carpet cleaning to do, weeding, mowing, and overall cleaning.

Promise... once the house is listed and we get through this weekend, and once I can breath again (!) I'll start to read other blogs and write on ours again.

I definitely want to discuss the new Colorado law about rainwater catchment. Anybody want to guest-post about this?

Vikki

Dehydration, Heat Exhaustion, and Heat Stroke

2009-06-26T06:57:00.006-06:00

I was working outside yesterday (mowing lawn, moving things around, planting, etc. - prep for selling the house) when I overheated. Yes, I was drinking water, wearing a hat, and sat down when I got too hot. But it didn't help. I had heat exhaustion, and if I hadn't come inside when I did (at 9:30 a.m.), it would have progressed to heat stroke within moments.

I had luckily purchased some gatorade powder/mix for any influenza outbreaks in our household, so with the help of my 12 year old, mixed that with water and drank that most of the day. I also took a cool-to-cold shower and rested on the bed.

I'm still a bit shaky but this goes to show that we need to be careful whether in normal every-day circumstances, or prepping for a particular situation.

Be careful yourselves. Here's some info from: http://www.umm.edu/non_trauma/dehyrat.htm

What is dehydration?

Dehydration can be a serious heat-related disease, as well as being a dangerous side-effect of diarrhea, vomiting and fever. Children and persons over the age of 60 are particularly susceptible to dehydration.

What causes dehydration?

Under normal conditions, we all lose body water daily through sweat, tears, urine and stool. In a healthy person, this water is replaced by drinking fluids and eating foods that contain water.

When a person becomes so sick with fever, diarrhea, or vomiting or if an individual is overexposed to the sun, dehydration occurs. This is caused when the body loses water content and essential body salts such as sodium, potassium, calcium bicarbonate and phosphate.

Occasionally, dehydration can be caused by drugs, such as diuretics, which deplete body fluids and electrolytes. Whatever the cause, dehydration should be treated as soon as possible.
What are the symptoms of dehydration?

The following are the most common symptoms of dehydration, although each individual may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include:

thirst

less-frequent urination

dry skin

fatigue

light-headedness

dizziness

confusion

dry mouth and mucous membranes

increased heart rate and breathing

In children, additional symptoms may include:

dry mouth and tongue

no tears when crying

no wet diapers for more than 3 hours

sunken abdomen, eyes or cheeks

high fever

listlessness

irritability

skin that does not flatten when pinched and released

Treatment for dehydration:

If caught early, dehydration can often be treated at home under a physician's guidance. In children, directions for giving food and fluids will differ according to the cause of the dehydration, so it is important to consult your pediatrician.

In cases of mild dehydration, simple rehydration is recommended by drinking fluids. Many sports drinks on the market effectively restore body fluids, electrolytes, and salt balance.

For moderate dehydration, intravenous fluids may be required, although if caught early enough, simple rehydration may be effective. Cases of serious dehydration should be treated as a medical emergency, and hospitalization, along with intravenous fluids, is necessary. Immediate action should be taken.

How can dehydration be prevented?

Take precautionary measures to avoid the harmful effects of dehydration, including:

Drink plenty of fluids, especially when working or playing in the sun.

Make sure you are taking in more fluid than you are losing.

Try to schedule physical outdoor activities for the cooler parts of the day.

Drink appropriate sports drinks to help maintain electrolyte balance.

For infants and young children, solutions like Pedialyte will help maintain electrolyte balance during illness or heat exposure. Do not try to make fluid and salt solutions at home for children.

What is heat stroke?

Heat stroke is the most severe form of heat illness and is a life-threatening emergency. It is the result of long, extreme exposure to the sun, in which a person does not sweat enough to lower body temperature. The elderly, infants, persons who work outdoors and those on certain types of medications are most susceptible to heat stroke. It is a condition that develops rapidly and requires immediate medical treatment.

What causes heat stroke?

Our bodies produce a tremendous amount of internal heat and we normally cool ourselves by sweating and radiating heat through the skin. However, in certain circumstances, such as extreme heat, high humidity or vigorous activity in the hot sun, this cooling system may begin to fail, allowing heat to build up to dangerous levels.

If a person becomes dehydrated and can not sweat enough to cool their body, their internal temperature may rise to dangerously high levels, causing heat stroke.

What are the symptoms of heat stroke?

The following are the most common symptoms of heat stroke, although each individual may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include:

headache

dizziness

disorientation, agitation or confusion

sluggishness or fatigue

seizure

hot, dry skin that is flushed but not sweaty

a high body temperature

loss of consciousness

rapid heart beat

hallucinations

How is heat stroke treated?

It is important for the person to be treated immediately as heat stroke can cause permanent damage or death. There are some immediate first aid measures you can take while waiting for help to arrive.

Get the person indoors.

Remove clothing and gently apply cool water to the skin followed by fanning to stimulate sweating.

Apply ice packs to the groin and armpits.

Have the person lie down in a cool area with their feet slightly elevated

Intravenous fluids are often necessary to compensate for fluid or electrolyte loss. Bed rest is generally advised and body temperature may fluctuate abnormally for weeks after heat stroke.

How can heat stroke be prevented?

There are precautions that can help protect you against the adverse effects of heat stroke. These include:

Drink plenty of fluids during outdoor activities, especially on hot days. Water and sports drinks are the drinks of choice; avoid tea, coffee, soda and alcohol as these can lead to dehydration.

Wear lightweight, tightly woven, loose-fitting clothing in light colors.

Schedule vigorous activity and sports for cooler times of the day.

Protect yourself from the sun by wearing a hat, sunglasses and using an umbrella.

Increase time spent outdoors gradually to get your body used to the heat.

During outdoor activities, take frequent drink breaks and mist yourself with a spray bottle to avoid becoming overheated.

Try to spend as much time indoors as possible on very hot and humid days.

If you live in a hot climate and have a chronic condition, talk to your physician about extra precautions you can take to protect yourself against heat stroke.

Off Topic: South Carolina Governor

2009-06-25T07:16:00.005-06:00

What's up with this South Carolina governor, Mark Sanford? He's missing for a couple of days, irresponsibly, by not telling anyone in the family or on staff that he's going hiking, which is what they finally said he was doing.

Turns out he's out having an affair with Maria in Argentina, where he start the affair a year ago. Did this gov not realize his political career would be over? Plus... his family... the pain, humiliation, and complete elimination of all trust?

I never understood this ... not even when my first husband cheated on me in 1985.... WHY can't people withstand physical urges? If he can't stop himself from having sex, how can I believe that he will stop other base urges, like embezzlement or murder?

Geez! Grow up, people!

= = =

p.s. WHO paid for those TRIPS to Argentina? Hotel? Gifts? Food? Drinks?

My Rambling Prepping Thoughts

2009-06-21T07:00:00.002-06:00

As most of you know, we're getting our house ready to sell. We've redone most of the landscaping and tried/still trying to kill weeds. I'm planting flowers for the first time, to make the landscaping look nice, but I hate growing flowers because they have no medical or nutritional value. We're fixing up the inside, painting, storing most of our stuff, and arranging furniture. Our savings has dwindled down to nothing, leaving exactly nothing to pay commissions of buyer and seller agents. I've thrown my back out and hurt my legs and shoulders so badly that I can't sleep at night and pop pain relievers day and night. Every other day we're running down to the basement to wait out tornado warnings and the accompanying hail that bashes against those flowers and the few berry plants we'll be moving with us. It's raining right now, with thunder so loud the whole house shakes.

I hate this.

I don't want to pack. Or redecorate. Or spend money on a house we need to get rid of. I want to write. To work with my kid's schoolwork and plan his next semester. I want to raise my garden and dehydrate the harvests. I want to keep my stored items where I put them, and not in boxes in a storage unit a mile away. I want to sleep for more than 3 or 4 hours. I want even a few hours of painlessness.

But selling this house will be worth it. Right?

This horrible town has such strict rules. We can't have chickens or bees or farm animals. We get ticketed for not moving our cars often enough (even if they are on our driveway) and ticketed for weeds taller than a few inches. Our across-the-street-neighbor is horrible and mean and bent on doing everything he can to own the world. Our next-door-neighbor, the one who got drunk and ran down part of our fence, is raising grandkids who are little monsters, and has a speedboat (mind you, we're nowhere near water) that he hasn't moved in a year, and it's full of water that breeds mosquitos and god-kn0ws what else.

Our next place will be our final homestead, where we can have the animals and plants we want. And less stairs!

But is it really? Our final home, I mean.

I hate the turns this government has taken over the last 9 years. We, the People, have lost so many of our rights. Every phone call or e-mail or text message or blog entry is screened for certain words that could label me/us as domestic terrorists. Sure, we could buy our perfect homestead in the next 3 months but could we keep it? It seems like any ole government agency could decide they need rights to our land and just take it away. That doesn't seem right, does it? Plus property taxes are rising but those same property values are falling. Again, doesn't seem right!

I thought Obama would make things better, but ammo is tagged and counted now? My freedoms are disappearing, albeit a slower rate than when Bush was Prez. I feel confined and locked-in. Like I'm not in America any more.

Yes, I'm a prepper. I grow and store our familly's food. I learn how to defend my home and my family. I learn valuable skills, like making medicine from herbs and candles from beeswax and elderberries. I know how to make paper. I'm figuring out how to grow cotton and to spin and weave it.

But will anything I've done make a difference if the government takes away my home and civil rights?

In the end, will it matter?

Nutritious Food to Carry

2009-06-20T07:00:00.005-06:00

As a prepper, you either have packed or are getting ready to pack up a backpack with your stove and fuel and matches and food. Here's just a little reminder of some light items to carry:

Freeze-dried and dehydrated foods: See this posting: http://www.survival-cooking.com/2009/02/basics-about-freeze-dried-and.html. Some to keep with you are: vegetable flakes, onion flakes, garlic cloves, mixes like for pancakes, etc.

Quick prep foods: cereal plakes, lentils, ramen noodles, etc.

Other: teas, coffee, boullion cubes, instant soup, dried mushrooms, peanut butter, gorp, butter powder, cheese powder, and chocolate

Be sure to keep various spices: we repack them into small pharmacy prescription pill bottles with child-proof tops. Good to keep: onion and garlic powder, salt, pepper, basil, oregano, parsley, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.

Keep a supply of one-a-day vitamin capsules too.

= = = =

Now... on to the "heavy" food - healthy meals to carry if you have a (mule) car or canoe! These are really too heavy to carry in your backpack.

a hearty breakfast is very important: granola, porridge mix, pancake mix with syrup

fresh fruit and veggies - wait to eat the produce that lasts longer (cabbage, onions, potatoes, carrots, apples) until AFTER the quick-to-spoil items are gone.

foods you pack yourself, like soup mix, stew mix, beans, pasta, etc. These are easy to make and actually pretty light if using freeze-dried or dehydrated ingredients.

s'more ingredients: marshmallows, chocolate bars and graham crackers... yum!

canned ham, tortillas, canned refried beans and green chilis, canned chicken, etc.

nutritional yeast sprinkled on popped popcorn or salads or chili

PLUS... if you have room for a cooler, you can include fresh meat (eat in a day or two) like hot dogs, ground beef, chicken, cheese, sour cream, butter, milk, etc.

Be sure to pack a couple of power bars too! You might even consider a baggie of instant lemonade mix or hot cocoa.

Remember your utensils like potato peeler, paring knife, fillet knife (in case you catch fish to eat!), flatware (knife, fork, spoon), etc.

Edible Plants

2009-06-19T07:00:00.004-06:00

The forests are full of edible items. I wouldn't dare to give you information about this. There are a lot of books on the market that have pictures. This is a MUST to invest in if there's a possibility of needing to eat while out in the wild.

Do keep in mind, though:

Dandelion leaves, before the plant flowers, are good eaten raw or steamed

Wild Chives, good eaten raw

Blueberries, and many other berries

Rose-hips (high in vitamin C)

Mushrooms - a book is MUST - too many edible mushrooms have toxic look-a-likes

Spruce and fern needles are good for a tea

Get a book for your area. You could eat like a gourmet in the bush!

Find a Campfire Cook Stove

2009-06-18T07:00:00.005-06:00

If you want to carry a cookstove and fuel with you instead of making a fire (especially if there are fire restrictions), consider which kind best suits you. Understand the essentials when buying your stove.

Value: how long it takes for the food to heat over any period of time

Efficiency: tells you how much fuel you're using during that period of time

Weight and Compactness, as a unit

A camp stove like what's pictured above is better for car-camping. It's bulky, not compact although it does fold back on itself, but the weight and the fuel requirements are not great for hiking and backpacking. Well, unless you have a mule!

The next picture is smaller. It's a single-burner that uses propane, and is actually pretty stable. You can set a big pot on it (if the weight is properly distributed), and it carries well.

The third picture is an alcohol stove. Fill it with rubbing alcohol, light it, and pop the bowl on. Looks pretty sturdy, doesn't it?

= = = =

There are other kinds of stoves that I haven't mentioned here. We recently got a "fold-flat" orange stove thingy (last picture, below) from http://www.beprepared.com/ but haven't have a chance to use it yet.

Peruse your camping store, and perhaps take a more experienced camper with you to help. You want the smallest unit you can get, to provide the biggest output. I wouldn't ask the salepeople to help because they almost always recommend the more expensive items.

Choosing Campfire Cookware

2009-06-17T07:00:00.000-06:00

You need a really good set of cookware... light enough to carry long distances and durable enough to not flake coating into your food!

First, you need enough volume in whatever cookware you have in order to cook the amount of food you're going to need for who will be there. This is also dependent on the kind of food you like to cook, and your appetites.

Second, it needs to fit into a certain weight category. If you're going to be walking for 4 days, carrying around cast iron cookware will become too cumbersome, making your abandon it along the way.

Next, it should be as compact as possible. Most kits nest together.

= = = =

For a trip for two people, consider getting a "two-man" set. These are compact, with the pieces nesting inside together. The lid can be used as a frying pan, especially if you have a detachable handle (pot grabber). They usually have two small bowls, which is really the only dish you need, besides a cup.

You also need a coffee pot, good for boiling water for tea, instant soups and oatmeal, and yes, even coffee! There are a lot of kinds available.

Each person would also carry their own cup. Some people hook it on their backpack to have it readily available at any moment during the hike.

= = = =

For a trip with more than 2 people, just add more two-man kits and a frying pan or two.

Titanium is a good kind of cookware as it's very light to carry but it's very expensive. Aluminum will do in a pinch but it tends to leak toxins into your food. Stainless steel may be your best best.

The kits that are made for girl scouts, mess kits, are ok. I've had mine for a long time, and after a lot of uses, flaked apart.

Just keep in mind:

volume (enough room for what you'll be cooking)

weight (make sure you can carry it!)

compactness (you don't want to use a whole backpack to carry it, and not have room for food, clothing, first aid, etc.)

How to Make a No-Spill Cooking Fire

2009-06-16T06:38:00.006-06:00

Here's a quick thought about how to build a fire for cooking. You will need:

-Large Rocks

-Short but semi-thick logs

-A Small Grate

-A Larger Grate for bigger meals

Arrange large rocks in a circle big enough to hold your campfire. This is a safety-must! Then arrange two green logs, about 2+ foot long each, and 8-10 inches wide, into a V-Shape. That will give you room to accommodate a variety of sizes of pans. This is better than using rocks because rocks tend to be unstable, and it's difficult to find flat rocks that can be properly arranged.

Build your fire between the V-Logs using kindling and sticks, and once that's going, you can start to put your pots and pans of different sizes on. Start at the point of the V that comes together to put your smallest pan.

For larger pots and pans, place your lightweight grate across the top part of the V, making a bridge. Make sure it's firmly in place. Now you can add more pots and pans.

If that isn't sufficient, or if you're carrying a larger size grate between you have larger pots or are cooking for a bigger group, use 2-4 slightly-smaller logs parallel to each other and place your larger grate on top of those. That will give you enough room for several pots and pans at once.

Tornados in Colorado

2009-06-11T13:20:00.004-06:00

Seems like last year we had only a couple of tornados here in the Denver area. At the most, two. This year, in the past 3 weeks, we've had at least 5. That's a lot isn't it?

Just came inside from getting 2 tons of rock delivered (to make our back porch area look purty to sell the house) and sat in front of the TV thinking about what to do next. A weather warning was flashing so I turned up the volume.

Tornado warning:
As of 1:20 p.m.:
Castle Pines, the Pinery, Surrey Ridge, Sedalia, Ponderosa Park, Parker, Elizabeth, and South Central Aurora

Unbelievable. It's happening again.

When the tornado warning happened up here 2 days ago, it passed within a mile of our home. That's not good, considering my Tween is very terrified of tornados. As soon as we found out, we grabbed our stuff (him books and a pillow, me my purse laptop and the emergency radio) and headed to the basement. We had just finished getting that room cleaned up so I could hang curtains, so it was quite comfy. I plugged in the laptop and kept abreast of the situation. My cell phone kept ringing from concerned hubby and his mom but I didn't want to talk since I didn't bring down my cell phone charger. Tween wanted to go up to get it, but I refused. I'd rather have him safe.

What did I learn?

Grab my cell phone charger too! Keeping calm helps keep the Tween calm. Books help pass the time. Everything can be replaced except for people.

What did I do right?

Pretty much everything. We have our supplies down there - our portable potty and toilet supplies. Food. Water. Communication devices. Flashlights, batteries, candles, lighters. Books. Blankets and pillows. And if the tornado actually hit, we could quickly get into the crawl space under the house for added protection.

Be safe, peoples!

Sailor Showers Save Time and Money

2009-06-09T07:00:00.000-06:00

In an effort to save time and water I have started taking "Sailor Showers" and have shortened my showers down to 10 minutes and use even less water.

The method for doing this is as follows:

Start your water

Soak your washcloth, head and body, then turn off the water

Get your shampoo and work it into your hair

Soap up your washcloth and wash your body

When everything is scrubbed well, start the water again and rinse off all the soap and shampoo.

If you are fast enough then you will be done with your shower in about 10 minutes or less and will have used maybe 5 minutes in time of water or less depending on how long it takes you to rinse off.

This method of showering makes not only sense ecologically, but also economically as your water bill is greatly reduced.

Posted by "Hubby"

Keeping Your Valuables Safe, Part 6

2009-06-08T08:30:00.002-06:00

As the last installment in our "Keeping Your Valuables Safe" series, today we're talking about making a special room for your special items.

Creating a Safe-Room

Some people want not only a panic room (to safe-keep themselves in case of a "situation" but also to keep any valuables that don't fit in a small safe or cache. You don't have to build a special room, unless you want to. (For free downloads for building special rooms for either a "bomb shelter" or to use as a panic room, check out the FREE section at http://www.williams-et-al.com/ - It will be up and running by this weekend!).

Also known as a "refuge room", we're going to call this a "safe-room" - good for keeping people and their valuables safe. An extra line of defense before a criminal can reach you. These rooms can be quite expensive and elaborate, but a little inexpensive do-it-yourself work can make a room you already have capable of providing major protection.

Most important is locating your safe-room where you can reach it in a hurry. Since many break-ins happen at night, it's best to make your sleeping-area your safe room. Here's a few things you can do to make your bedroom to make it a safe-room.

Take off your regular bedroom door and install an "outside" door. Get a massive, solid-wood door with a heavy bolt/lock. Make sure the hinges are on the INSIDE of the room so that an intruder can't get the door off the hinges. And since most doors can be kicked in, reinforce the bottom 1/3 with a metal plate.

Have either a separate phone line for this room (so that it can't be cut from the outside), or a cell phone dedicated for emergency calls only. Keep it charged. If someone breaks in, call 911 and once you've informed the dispatcher of your address, your name and describe yourself and where in the house you are, then don't hang up! They can listen and record the burglar's attempts to get at you. Be careful of what you say (like don't threaten to kill the burglar) but keep a running narrative of any information you glean about the intruder.

Most indoor walls are made of 2 layers of sheetrock nailed to 2x4 wall studs spaced a foot or so apart. Easy to kick through. So... you need to reinforce parts of your wall, especially around the door or anywhere someone could kick through in an adjoining room. Consider paneling with a strong material such as plywood. Be sure to use lots of extra nails to make it more firmly attached.

Consider using concrete since it also protects from bullets and is a bit more fire retardant! Make sure your foundation can support the weight of concrete.

Keep your firearms and other valuables in the safe-room. If you need your firearm, you have access to it. Just don't shoot at the police! And when meeting police at the door, be sure to put your firearm away first. Note: You may be able to fire a warning shot through your bedroom door to the intruder but before it even comes to this, check your local laws to see if you can legally get away with this.

Since you could be burgled while you are away from home, make sure you can dead-bolt and lock the safe-room from the outside. Obviously, you'll need to keep the key with you! This way, the burglar will have to waste time trying to enter the safe-room and will have less time to break into an actual safe you may have in the room.

A burglar alarm sounding in the middle of the night can give you a few extra seconds you may need to gather everyone in your safe-room and lock/bolt the door. Install an inexpensive burglar alarm with motion sensors or infrared detectors.

Consider keeping at least some of your extra supplies in this safe-room. Besides your valuables and firearms and ammo, keep some of your stored food, extra toiletries and bottles of water under the bed or in your closet. That includes your portable toilet too (if you don't have a bathroom connected to your bedroom).

Even if you can't do a lot of this, price out what you CAN do, then do it.

So... what have YOU done to create a safe place for your valuables?

Keeping Your Valuables Safe, Part 5

2009-06-05T19:00:00.003-06:00

Pic to right: dog digging a hole for you!

Here's today's double-installment for keeping your valuables safe.

What Kinds of Safes?

I'll admit it. I bought my little portable fire-safe from Wal-Mart about 15-20 years ago, and it's followed me from Florida to Texas to Colorado to Kentucky and back to Colorado. It looks like a safe, and would probably be the first thing a burglar would take. Boy, he'd be disappointed because I keep my son's father's picture in there (he's gone), a pretty rock my son found and gave to me as a gift, a copy of a will I wrote way before my son was even a glimmer, and various other non-valuable things.

Anyway, I'm the furthrest (fartherest?) person from consulting about what kind of safe to buy.... IF you want to buy a safe. Here's a few websites to check out:

http://www.sportsmansteelsafes.com/

http://www.deansafe.com/

http://www.heritagesafe.com/

http://www.libertysafe.com/

http://www.safesrus.com/

Those are just a few websites I found by googling "companies providing home safes". If you have a preferred provider, feel free to list it as a comment to this article. You can do so anonymously!

More Alternatives to Actual Safes

I've been reading about alternatives, and have come up with a couple of suggestions. Besides what I mentioned in Part 3 of this series (pringles can, etc.), give these some thought:

Someone mentioned as a comment to Part 3 (I think) of this series to hide cash in a baby bottle full of milk, labeled "breast milk" and frozen. That will work great if there's other evidence of a baby in the house!

Want a really safe place? Dig a hole on your property. Buy some PVC and coupling and ends, place your long-term items in it (ammo, papers, coins, etc.), seal it very well, and bury it. Be sure you tell one other person that you really REALLY trust (a life-partner/spouse) the location of this stash because if you die without doing so, the location will die with you. Note 1: Stay on your property... if you use a friend's land, the property could be sold and your digging priviledges will be gone. Note 2: No burglar will risk digging holes all over a person's property in the holes that they'll hit a hidden cache. Note 3: It's durn-near impossible for a fire to get into an underground stash. Note 4: Locate it out of your neighbor's sight so you can get back to it when you need to, then cover the hole with gravel and maybe plant a rose bush there, and at other places nearby to camoflauge the real location! Note 5: Bury your container with a thick level of rocks or gravel under it - this will allow rain water to pool BELOW the container and seep into the soil - and cover with several layers of tarp to divert moisture away.

The most fire-resistant place in your home is the freezer. It's very highly insulated. Perfect place to keep papers. Consider using an old freezer as your "filing cabinet".

Do YOU have any more ideas?

More coming... as soon as we can!

Keeping Your Valuable Safe, Part 4

2009-06-04T22:05:00.000-06:00

Sorry about the delay. We're working to get this house ready for sale, and I'm about to pull all of my hair out!!

It occurs to me that I haven't really stated WHY I'm doing this series. We were at a local used book store where I picked up a book on home security with inexpensive safes. I got to reading it, and knew not only that I needed to put it into practice (as soon as we move to our next place!) but also let you all in on the info. I mean, we really don't have anything of value, and I haven't even touched a real gun (do toys count?) since I was a kid shooting b-b-'s.

Why Hide Anything?

This economy is horrible. Banks are failing. Doors closing. Everything getting worse... more expensive, less available, etc.

Put your stuff in a bank? Well, you could but be honest... in my humble opinion, they just aren't as safe as they say they are. If a bank or other financial institution fails, you may not be able to access your money or your safe-deposit box for quite a while. Having your jewelry, cash, important papers, etc. at home could prevent you from becoming broke in the blink of an eye. You won't have to wait around for the FDIC to get around to re-opening your bank.

Even if your bank is stable (and in this economy, can you really say that?), your bank doesn't stay open 24/7. You can only access your stuff on their time-table. What if you need it Friday night? Gotta wait till 9:00 a.m. on Monday... IF you're lucky.

What if you want to keep your firearms safe? Your valuable coin collection, or other valuables that are NOT covered by the bank's insurance? Bank vaults CAN be burgled.

Here's something I don't really want to type and put out there, calling attention to us, but I feel I must. Let's face it: although the USA's motto is "innocent until proven guilty", the government and the justice and legal system often turn it around, treating average law-abiding citizens like criminals. Legislation pushed through can suddenly turn our favorite firearm into an illegal item. What do we do? We could hide it hoping it will become legal again, or we could get rid of it while hoping we won't be caught before we can make that happen.

But a safe could also protect our stuff from snooping people... whether your nosy next-door-neighbor, a private detective sent by your boss, or someone from the legal system or government searching for any excuse to make themselves look good. These days, it's entirely possible to think that your house could be searched without a search warrant, especially if you surf through prepper blogs and websites, and receive militant magazines at your door. You'll be on a watch-list, no doubt.

If you have "questionable" material about "how-to" do or make something, or other controversial or highly-watched topics, you might be subjected to an eventual long legal battle. Which you won't win. Do you have any of these questionable materials/publications? You could hide them to avoid such problems, even though you've done nothing illegal.

Disclaimer: We are NOT suggesting that anyone do anything illegal.

More coming soon.

Keeping Your Valuables Safe, Part 3

2009-05-30T12:19:00.005-06:00

This is the next installment in this series. Today, we're talking about hiding places and safes. You need ... something. Think about it this way: you've taken the time and money to collect something of value: gold coins, stacks of negotiable cash, jewelry, etc. Now you need to protect them.

BUY A SAFE ... or ... GET HIDING!

Most burglars will spend LESS THAN 6 MINUTES in your home. They only have time to search some of the "usual" places. They'll look in jewelry boxes, sock drawers, under the bed, and in the freezer. They head straight for the bedrooms because they know most people tuck away money, jewelry, and other items of value beneath lingerie, socks, and other top-drawer clothing. Next they head for the kitchen cabinets and drawers.

You can find a small fire-proof safe at almost any local general store, like Wal-Mart or a home improvement store. I have a small one that usually is kept in our safe-room, and holds safe a few things that I really don't want to do without, including my son's birth certificate and a cameo pin that my grandmother left me when she passed. But even a small safe is hard to effectively hide. Basically, if someone sees a safe, it screams "I have valuables - take me with you!" Hiding Places for a small safe could include:

your crawl space
the floor of your closet with lots of junk and boxes blocking it from view
cover with boxes of Christmas ornaments on top, or buckets of bolts and nuts and screws on top

Don't want a safe? Some police recommend that you hide your valuables right in plain sight! Here are some examples:

a false back or bottom to a drawer, especially taped to the bottom of the BOTTOM dresser drawer
a phony "book" safe - only if you actually have other books that match!
place your small valuables in a baggie or seal-a-meal, place it in a large popcorn tin, then fill the tin with unpopped popcorn kernels
same principle - place your valuables in a well-sealed baggie or ten, place in an empty powdered detergent box, and top/hide with powdered laundry detergent. Don't fill it all the way, leave the scoop in there, and don't use for your actual laundry needs.
behind the grate at the bottom of your refrigerator (if you have one)
a water bottle
an insulated coffee mug (kept in the kitchen)
working wall-clock safe
soda or power-drink can (empty, clean, remove bottom, fill, replace bottom, and keep with similar items where it won't look out of place)
ditto with a peanut butter plastic jar, canned fruit, pringles can, etc.
underside of trash cans
hollow out the bottom/inside of a large candle - the size of a baby-food jar. Place your valuables in the jar, screw on the lid, and stick into the bottom of the candle. Keep it on your coffee table on a decorative stand or plate, and light from time to time. Be careful to not let it burn too far down or you'll reveal your hiding place!
paint can - who's going to open up a paint can with splatters to see if it has paint or coins?
toys in a young child's room - with all of the stuff in a child's room, it would be difficult to do a quick search in such a room.

Don't use these places:

something taped to the back of a picture - too obvious!
the fake frozen dinner or ice-trays

If you can afford a really big safe, locate it in a permanent place and bolt it to the floor from the inside, and/or surround it with concrete. Consider using a fake front for it.

Note: You need to understand that there are very few places that a burglar WON'T find your stash. A burglar has two motivations: (1) to steal as much as possible, and (2) to do it and get out as quickly as possible. If a burglar can't find something quickly, he will begin to tear apart the house to find something... anything! Leave a decoy little stash of cash in a top dresser drawer or in the freezer where it can be easily found and taken, leaving the rest to hide another day.

Another way to decoy is leave an envelope in a drawer near your computer marked "“Bank Safe Deposit Box” on the outside and with a list of items on the inside. This will tip off the burglar that your most valuable items are stored at the bank and will discourage him from tearing up your house looking for them.

Make sure another adult knows where you've hidden the valuables.

More coming...

Keeping Your Valuables Safe, Part 2

2009-05-28T19:00:00.004-06:00

Did you read yesterday's article? (http://colorado-preppers.blogspot.com/2009/05/keeping-your-valuables-safe-part-1.html). Did you make your list of items you can't insure but want to hide? Er, keep safe?

REDUCE THE RISK

Next, let's reduce the risk of being burglarized. When you leave home, whether it's for 10 minutes or 10 days, make it look like you'll be right back.

Leave the TV or radio on, louder than usual if possible. We set the TV on one timer, and have the radio go on after the TV shuts off.
Close all curtains so anyone watching won't know whether someone's moving around or now.
Set a timer for lights. Have your living room light come on and turn off at different times than the kitchen light and the bedroom light. These lights should be seen from the street. To figure out the pattern, someone will have to stake out your house for at least a few days, risking someone seeing their vehicle out in the street.
Take your phone off the hook. That way people won't know whether you're home and just not answering your phone, or what.
If you'll be gone even one day, don't let your newspapers and mail pile up. Have a neighbor pick them up, or cancel/hold them.
Never EVER announce you're leaving on a trip, whether in a blog or in the newspaper (like a honeymoon). That practically invites people to come and shop in your home.
Get a sticker or decal that lets the criminal know you're armed and dangerous. Try the NRA - for a small membership fee, you'll get a decent decal. You don't have to keep the membership, if that's not your thing.
Install motion detector lights at all entrances. There are some cheap ones that run on solar charges. You might not be home, but the light going on might catch the attention of someone passing by the house.
Trim shrubs around the immediate perimeter of your house. Install thorny rose or blackberry bushes, and other prickly plants. Be sure to keep a little area clear for you to escape in case of fire.
Check your locks. If you have a flimsy lock, you need to have it replaced with a good solid deadbolt that will take some time to break past.
Check your doors. Those with glass panes are a bad idea for two reasons: (1) they allow people to see in, even with curtains, and (2) they can be broken out and a thin arm can easily reach the lock from that broken-out pane. Replace with solid doors and, if possible, cross-bars.
Check your windows. Double-pane windows means someone has to break through 2 layers of glass to gain entrance. Caulk around the edges so it will be harder to remove the windows themselves. Ask your local home improvement store for special locks and other ways to prevent people from gaining entrance. DON'T nail the windows shut tho because of the safety problem presented by fires.

Don't advertise what you have in your home. When bringing your newly-purchased guns home, be sure to wrap them in a blanket before lifting from your vehicle. Never brag about what you have because there is always someone listening.

If someone breaks into your home with no knowledge of when you'll be returning, they won't know if they have 10 minutes to look around or 10 days. They'll be working "under the clock". They'll have to check the bathroom and the basement to make sure you aren't home before they can start looking around. They'll miss things that are hidden, and won't bother following around with breaking into even a cheap safe.

Anything you can do to make their job harder will reduce your losses and might even make them decide it isn't worth the chance of getting caught breaking into your home at all.

More tomorrow...

Keeping Your Valuables Safe, Part 1

2009-05-27T20:28:00.004-06:00

Whether you have gold coins to hide or an "outdated" rifle or a nice stash of ammo, you need to give some thought to a safe place to hide these things. Do you have a gun safe? A hidden crawl space?

Have you even thought about it?

WHAT TO KEEP SAFE?

Sit down and make a few calculations and mental guesses. How often do you think your home will be broken into? Will it be just a punk looking for drug money? Will it be a professional burglar after your Civil War musket? Will it be an officer with a warrant and safe-cracking-know-how?

Will the perp have an entire week to leisurely examine every nook and cranny? Will they have a long weekend and the cover to pull up a truck and just take everything two strong men can carry? Will they have only a few moments stolen while you are in the shower or dropping off the kids to soccer practice?

Make a list of what you really don't want to do without, what can't be insured by your homeowner's policy, and what you don't want others to know about. This could include those gold coins, that civil war musket, a lot of real jewelry, etc. Maybe even your bullet mold, barter items, etc. Don't include the plasma TV, a fancy stereo system or other things that can be insured and don't have a unique sense of value.

More coming tomorrow...

A Survival-Preparedness Novel, Patriots

2009-05-26T08:09:00.004-06:00

Just wondering... have any preppers who come here read the book "Patriots" by James Wesley Rawles? I got to wondering about it last night, and looked it up on Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/Patriots-Novel-Survival-Coming-Collapse/dp/156975599X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243346987&sr=1-1).

I can't afford it right now because of some major upheaval in our lives, but thought I'd look at the comments to see if reading it is even worth it. The majority of the responses were very positive, but there are some that say that while it's a great survival-prep how-to manual, the story is lacking on the novel aspect. The characters aren't very well developed, etc.

Just wondering what my readers here think?

And... if you read that, do you generally read any pieces of fiction/novels that deals with prepping, end of the world, schumer-hits-the-fan, etc.?

Analog Wind-Up Watches

2009-05-19T06:56:00.002-06:00

Hubby's been looking for an analog wind-up watch, one that won' t be dependent on batteries when things hit in the fan. He's been looking at local watch shops, and asking around, but just about everything is very expensive, or can't find parts for.

Man's and woman's. Second-hand preferred.

Anyone?

A Hot Day in Colorado

2009-05-18T14:49:00.004-06:00

Here in the Denver area, we're expected to pass 90 degrees today. It's already hot on the ground floor of our home so I'm really dreading going upstairs.

But it got me thinking...

I have some candles stored on the top floor. They got kinda melty last year in the triple-digit temperatures; if this year is already starting out so incredibly weird and hot, then they'll just downright melt. I need to move them to the basement.

While most of our food is stored in the basement, we do have quite a lot in tubs on the ground level. We need to move those to the basement.

We put away the swamp coolers last year without cleaning them. We need to do that before we use them again, or we could be introducing mold and bacteria into the atmosphere.

We have the hats handy for when we're out doing yardwork and gardening. But they don't cover the back of our necks, as evidence by Tween's burn from last Friday. I really should add a "flap" of material/fabric to the backs of the hats. May look stupid but we don't really care about looks anyway!

I was planning to wait until Memorial Day weekend to finish planting the garden, but with the weather going as it is, I'm thinking we really should do it this week.

Our horse-puppy (the 50-pound 5 month old Dalmatian-Rottweiler-Alaskan Malamute) just threw up on the living room floor. We think it's because he's so hot. Maybe a good brushing would help.

When the tempearture goes up, tempers flair. Yes, even mine! And it's already started. Too bad we don't have a pool!

Thursday and Friday are supposed to be cooler, in the 60's, with rain. I think we'll get a lot done then.

So... what's on YOUR list of things to get ready for this already-here very hot weather?

Note 7:20 p.m. Just checked the thermostat upstairs and it reads 87 degrees F. Un-friggin-believable!

Antigenic Chart for 2009 H1N1 Swine Flu

2009-05-09T21:02:00.004-06:00

We now have 38 cases of H1N1 (Swine) Flu in Colorado: 6 in Adams County, 8 in Arapahoe, 1 in Boulder, 7 in Denver, 1 in Douglas, 3 in Eagle, 1 in Freemont, 4 in Garfield, 5 in Jefferson, 1 in La Plata, and 1 in Morgan. None required hospitalization as of this posting, to my knowledge.

I'm sure people are tired of hearing about this 2009 outbreak of the swine flu, now called H1N1 Flu Virus. I thought I'd post this chart. It has some enlightening info on it.

1918 Flu Survivors May Have 2009 Flu Immunity

2009-05-07T07:00:00.000-06:00

A recent study showed that people who survived the 1918 pandemic may still have enough immunity to that strain of the virus (in the form of "B cells") that may help researchers develop a treatment for the current H1N1 "Swine" flu strain.

From what I understand, a person gets infected with influenza through typical ways: it enters through mucous membranes: eyes, nose, mouth, etc. The body fights it with an "immune response". Antibodies are produced by "B cells", which leaves the body a little bit immune to the virus. This immunity is strongest over the first few months, then decreases over time.

Researchers are taking these B cells that are left in the 1918 Flu survivors, and experimenting with them (cloning) to provide antibodies.

Even though this 2009 bout isn't expected to be severe or even very deadly, I hope this study will provide a working vaccine.

Improve Your Respiratory System

2009-05-06T07:01:00.006-06:00

I've been plagued with chronic bronchitis for many years, so recently I started to research how to improve my respiratory immune system (not just for my regular cough, but also in case the 2009 H1N1 Swine Flu comes around me). Here are some tips I've come across, and are putting into action. Maybe you might want to consider doing some or all of these.

Change of diet to be more healthy: Eliminate all processed foods, soda pops, and most meats. Eat lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, fish, and whole grains. Drink lots of water, and some herbal tea.

Keep hands clean: many germs picked up from shopping cart handles, restroom door handles, and the bottom of purses can exacerbate any respiratory infection (make it worse). Constantly wash hands, or clean with antibacterial hand cleaner or other alcohol based cleaner.

Drink 1 cup of "Breathe Easy" tea a day, more if needed. Contraindications: MAOI. "Breathe Easy is a good tasting herbal tea that promotes normal respiratory tract health by reducing mucus and enhancing to keep the nasal passages open. Breathe Easy combines eucalyptus, fennel, and licorice; herbs that have been found to have beneficial effects on upper respiratory tract health." By Traditional Medicinals.

Herbs: Echinacea: This is said to increase activity of three of the immune system's biggest workers: interferon, T-cells, and natural killer cells. It also can destroy viruses and bacteria. It can even make cells more resistant to infection and make them stronger. Tincture or capsules. Two weeks one, one week off. Spread the recommended dosage throughout the day, not all at once. Licorice: Increases interferon production. Garlic and shitake mushrooms also help to build the immune system, so work them into at least one meal daily. "Italian researchers have found that thyme, lavender, bergamot and lemon stimulate immunity. After conducting numerous studies, researchers have added eucalyptus , tea tree, rosemary, black pepper, cardamom and ginger to this list." Horehound opens up the respiratory track to aide in easier breathing, and is especially useful at night time when it can be hard to sleep. Mullein tea is best known as one of the safest, most effective herbal cough remedies, and used as an expectorant and a tonic for the lungs, mucus membranes, and glands.

Keep your home humid by using a moisture-producing vaporizer (humidifier) going regularly.

Take a good multi-vitamin daily, and make sure it includes a hefty dose of Vitamin C.

These are just a few suggestions. I hope to update this post with how my chronic bronchitis is going, and I hope you will leave a comment on what home remedies work to alleviate coughs, especially those due to influenza.

= = = =

Obligatory Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. For professional advice, please contact your licensed professionals.

What Foods to Store In Case of a Pandemic

2009-05-05T05:00:00.001-06:00

I've written a similar post before (at our www.survival-cooking.com blog), but considering the health situation of today, it bears repeating here. Please note that this 2009 H1N1 (Swine) Flu is mild at this time. It is spreading quickly, but loss of life is quite light compared to "regular" seasonal flu.

Besides water (1 gallon per person per day for drinking, cooking, cleaning, etc.), the following is suggested for one person over age 8 (to prepare and eat healthy meals for ONE year):

150 pounds of wheat berries
25 pounds of flour
25 pounds of cornmeal
25 pounds of oats
50 pounds of rice
25 pounds of pasta
50 pounds dry beans/peas/lentils/soybeans
40 cans tuna
40 cans ham
10 pounds dried turkey dices
10 pounds dried chicken dices
10 pounds powdered eggs
40 pounds applesauce
30 pounds dried banana chips
50 cans fruit cocktail
50 cans pear halves
50 cans peach slices
50 cans pineapple chunks, tidbits or slices
40 pounds of fruit juices
30 pounds corn
30 pounds green beans
30 pounds dried carrots
40 pounds potatoes
20 pounds dried potato flakes
10 pounds dried onion dices
10 pounds dried garlic granules
20 pounds tomatoes
60 cans tomato paste
50 pounds powdered milk
12 cans evaporated milk
2 pounds dried milk items (sour cream/butter)
1 pound baking powder
4 pounds baking soda (cleaning & cooking)
1 pound yeast
5 pounds salt
5 gallons vegetable oil
5 gallons vinegar
2 quarts of mayonnaise
1 quart ketchup
5 pounds honey
30 pounds sugar
24 jars jams/fruit preserves
2 pounds flavored gelatin / instant puddings
4 pounds hard candy
4 bottles mustard
4 jars pickle relish
12 bottles salad dressing
5 pounds boullion/broth-maker
5 pounds peanut butter
12 bottles multi-vitamins

This should give you a good start to feeding one person for an entire year. Cut in half for younger children. Be sure to check out www.survival-cooking.com for recipes and information about providing healthy nutritious and fun meals for your family during confinement, and start practicing today!

Also, make sure you have a way to cook this food. Have you come up with alternative cooking methods just in case your utilities go out?

Note: Some people believe there's a possibility they could be confined (quarantined) due to the swine or bird flu pandemic for 3-6 months, and some people believe that there will be many waves of the flu which could last a year or two. Use your own judgement.

Be sure to include a lot of the following list too. Great to spice up ordinary meals, or when you don't have a way to cook. These foods store well and don't need cooking:

Beef jerkey + Canned beef stew + Canned chicken and dumplings + Canned seafood (clams, shrimp, tuna, oysters, crab, salmon, kippers, etc.) + Canned soup + Canned spaghetti sauce + Canned veggies + Canned and jarred fruits + Cereal + Cheese (jar or box) + Chicken salad kit + Chips + Chipped beef + Crackers + Deviled ham + Dried fruits + Dried veggies + Granola bars + Ham salad kit + Instant gatorade and other instant drinks + Instant hot cocoa + Jarred salsa + Juice box + MREs + Nuts and Seeds + Peanut butter + Protein bars + Protein Drinks + Protein Powder + Rice cakes + Spam + Summer sausage + Tuna salad kit + Vienna sausages

Just FYI... the following are non-food items that you'll need during quarantine:

Tissues, toilet paper, paper clips, baby wipes, diapers, hand lotion, powder, can openers, blankets, socks, first aid kit, hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol, triple antibiotic ointment, ace bandage, heating pad or hot water bottle, multi-vitamins, sewing needles/thread/pins, fabric, velcro, defense items, pain relievers, prescription medications, duplicate eye glasses, duct tape, bed linens, towels, plastic baggies, tin/aluminum foil, paper, pens/pencils, reference books, novels, school books, board games, decks of cards, allergy medicine, flatware, fire starting equipment, water purifying items, body sanitation items (portable toilet, etc.), rechargeable batteries, mosquito repellent, sunburn cream, sunscreen, tape, staples, stapler. You'll need to clean and sanitize your home regularly so stock up on those items. Be sure to stock up on N-95 respirator masks, disposable gloves, foot cover/booties, goggles, hand sanitizer, cough medicine, etc. You also need a grinder for the wheat berries (hand-grinder preferred in case you lose electricity).

Did I miss anything?

More H1N1 Swine Flu in Colorado

2009-05-04T13:42:00.004-06:00

Two more cases of the H1N1 Influenza (Swine Flu) have been confirmed in Colorado. They are siblings, located in Arvada (up here, a suburb north of Denver).

From what I understand... The older boy went on a school trip to New York, and brought the virus back with him. School was on break last week, but the family took immediate precautions. Once the symptoms showed, they had the boy and his younger sibling tested, then isolated the family completely. The tests confirmed H1N1 this past weekend. Neither child needed to be hospitalized.

People who had been in contact with these two boys, among others, have been tested. Results are pending.

= = = =

Updated April 4 2009 10:05 p.m.: There are now 6 confirmed cases of the 2009 H1N1 (Swine) Flu. One of them is a student (dorm resident) at Colorado University, and has been in isolation for some time now. None of the three CU cases have been to Mexico recently.

Survival Food Basics

2009-05-04T06:00:00.003-06:00

Here are some key points to consider when preparing your stored foods:

Buy and store foods that your family actually eats. If none of you like or eat canned chicken and dumplings, don’t buy them!

Any situation that causes you to HAVE to use your stored foods will be a stress-maker. This is NOT the time to change your diet.

Rotate your food stock. That means, you use the oldest cans and buckets of wheat berries before you use those you just bought last week. That way, you’ll always have the most current of food. This will also get your family used to eating what you’ve stored, and the cooks in the family used to cooking with the bare minimum.

Organize your storage area. If you don’t have a basement or a place large enough to store all of your items, locate other places in your home: under beds, in closets, under the stairs, in the trunk of your car. There are a LOT of places where you can store important items… behind the couch, in unused suitcases, in ottomans, etc.

Be sure to keep track of what you have stored, and where. We even note dates bought and expiration dates. This goes for items other than food, like batteries and candles.

Don’t put stored snacks, etc. in children’s rooms where they are ever so tempting and easy to get to. The temptation might be too much for them. However, you could use this as an opportunity to teach “delayed gratification” or self-control.

Check out http://www.survival-cooking.com/ for some great recipes using stored foods.

Most foods will last longer than conservative people think. Canned goods and well-packed sealed buckets will often last several years. Containers are an important part of this. If a canned good is dented and bulging, it’s a tosser. If somehow rodents or insects get into a well-sealed bucket of wheat berries, it is no good. YOU be the judge.

Keep everything dry, in the dark, and air-tight. Damp air (humidity) will shorten the lifespan of most foods. Dry is better than damp. Cool is better than warm.

Control pests (insects, mice, etc.). Containers with any kind of opening are basically invitations to pests to come on in!

Storing food can be expensive. Make your plan. Set priorities. Buy a couple items at a time. Supplement when you can. Sacrifice that additional DVD for several cans of carrots you can find on sale. Don’t think you have you do this all at once – a little is better than one.

Check out your grocery store circulars. When you see a canned good on sale that your family enjoys, buy several – try to get the limit. If there is no limit and you can afford to, stock up on the product.

Whenever you buy something, buy an additional two for your storage.

Be sure your have an Evacuation Kit (later in this book) that should have 72 hours worth of food, water, clothes, medication, etc.

A thought… if Noah hadn’t convinced his family to prepare or if a neighbor had teased them into putting off the construction of the ark, stocking it and bringing in the animals… well, just think of what would have happened?!

10 lbs soy nuts - need some?

2009-05-01T10:35:00.002-06:00

We posted an ad on Craigslist for a big bag of soynuts that we can't eat. Anyone in the Denver area - feel free to respond with your phone number! http://denver.craigslist.org/for/1149173792.html

Prepare Your Home for a Flood

2009-05-01T06:00:00.002-06:00

Floods have been in the news a lot in the recent years, especially in 2008, and before that, fallout from Hurricane Katrina. They are a very common natural disaster, killing many people and costing a ton of money. Prepare!

The waters of the floods aren’t the only problem – it can uproot trees, move houses and boulders, and cause slides.

Check with your local planning and zoning office to see if you’re in a flood plain – above or below the flood level. See also if your area has ever been involved with flooding (a history).

Contact your insurance company, depending on the answers you get on the above question. Most homeowner’s insurance does not include flood insurance.

Find out what the warning signs are in your area in case of floods. Remember rivers and streams can also flood.

Learn your area’s evacuation plan.

Keep your important papers (insurance policies, birth certificates, passports, will, etc.) in a waterproof box or bags where you can easily access them. This would be a good item for your 72-hour kit/bug-out bag.

If you live in a flood area, and your furnace, water heater and/or electricity panel is in the basement or first floor, move it to the attic or second floor where it will be less likely to be damaged by flood.

Prevent floodwater from backing into your drains by plugging sewer traps with check valves.

Check with your planning and zoning commission to see if you can build flood walls or other barriers to stop water from getting to your home.

Protect basement walls by waterproofing walls and windows, especially cracks.

Keep a battery-operated or hand-crank radio handy.

Discuss a meeting place with family so you will all meet at the same place. This could be across the street at the top of the park, or in another town.

Prepare your 72-hour evacuation kit / bug-out bag. Check your supplies regularly.

Don’t get in the floodwater, if at all possible. It most likely contains sewer water, snakes, and depending on where you are, alligators. Plus, it could be moving much faster than you might see.

Don’t drive in the floodwaters. Even a heavy vehicle could get swept away before you realize it.

Stock up on empty sandbags and learn / practice filling them.

Did I forget anything? Would love to hear from flood survivors!

H1N1 Swine Flu Confirmed in Colorado

2009-04-30T10:39:00.003-06:00

As of 10:31 a.m. this morning, the top health officials in Colorado released the information that there are now 2 confirmed cases of the H1N1 Virus (Swine Flu) in Colorado. One in Arapaho County - a person who recently traveled via a cruise to Mexico with a stop in San Diego, and one in Douglas County who is a DIA baggage handler. Both were hospitalized and are now recovering at home. Both didn't work so that they could "self-quarantine". One family member took antivirals.

There are no additional confirmed reports at this time.

Inventory Check: Nails and Screws

2009-04-30T06:00:00.000-06:00

How often to you really think about your supply of nails and screws? When you have a project and go to reach for them? How many different sizes do you have? How many of each size?

If something were to happen today, like the price of nails and screws goes up 10-times what they cost now, do you have enough to last for a long time? Same question - if you could never ever buy any more - enough?

Next time you go to Lowe's or Home Depot or any hardware store, pick up a few boxes of nails and screws, various sizes. Oh, and while you're at it, do you have a couple of good hammers and screwdrivers?

Just checkin'.

When the Police Ask Out-Of-The-Blue Questions

2009-04-29T06:00:00.000-06:00

This is a necessary vid to view. When speaking to the police, you don't HAVE to VOLUNTEER information about what's in your car. Check out this video for more information: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4097602514885833865

Here's an excerpt from another website (http://wisdomaddict.wordpress.com/2009/01/02/dont-talk-to-the-police/) about this:

= = = =

The absolute worst thing you can do during an interaction with law enforcement is to speak. DON’T do it. The police will try to charm you. They pretend to be your best friend. They will smile and look you in the eye and stroke your ego. They will tell you how intelligent you are and how whatever reason they are speaking to you is no big deal and your simple explanation will smooth everything out and you will be on your way. This is CRAP. THERE IS NO WAY SPEAKING WITH THE POLICE CAN HELP YOU! IT CAN ONLY HARM YOU! The reality is you are only one individual in a long line of individuals that the police deal with day in and day out. You are nothing. It is their Job to find people who have committed Crimes. They could care less and may even revel in their power to wreck your life - Guilty or not.

“Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution”

“Due process”

“Double jeopardy”

“Self-incrimination"

“Eminent domain”

No person shall be held to answer for any capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Your Miranda Rights

You have the right to remain silent;
Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law;
You have the right to talk to a lawyer and have a lawyer present with you during questioning;
If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for you if you so desire;
If you do choose to talk to the police, you have the right to end the interview at any time.

The second piece confirms that the suspect heard and understood the rights and is making a voluntary decision to speak with law enforcement:

"Do you understand each of these rights as I have explained them to you?"

"With these rights in mind, do you wish to talk to us now?"

THIS IS WHEN YOU SAY

"NO, I DO NOT"

= = = = =

Remember that they can't pull you over "just because". Do you have an NRA sticker in your car window? You could be a likely target. Do you have a visible gun rack? Same. Be careful about your driving, especially while transporting your newly-purchased firearm. Keep your car insurance and registration up to date, and your vehicle in obvious good working condition.

As a single mom, I've been bullied by cops. Yes, I know they are just doing their jobs, but when they come across a single mom, with a 3-month-old in the backseat, properly strapped in, in a 1984 Chevy that barely runs, tattered clothing, no job, and 100+ degrees in August ... there is NO excuse for a policeman to mistreat the mom just because she couldn't afford the car insurance necessary to drive her car once a week to get formula for her child. Had to walk the 2 miles back to the camper that subbed as a home, in the heat, carrying the baby and diaper bag. I haven't respected law enforcement since.

Protect Yourself From Lightening Strikes

2009-04-28T06:00:00.000-06:00

I was struck by lightning in 1981, while standing a bus stop, waiting in the rain for the bus to take me to class at the University of Louisville. My hair stood on end, the umbrella melted, and I smelled smoke for days. I was one of the lucky ones.

Lightning kills nearly 100 people in the United States each year, and injures another 300. Most lightening injuries and deaths can be prevented. Take a few minutes to review the following so that you can protect yourself, your family, and your home. Don’t become a victim:

Get indoors and stay there. Be inside with windows and doors closed.

Don’t use the phone during a storm. Electrical surges can enter through your phone line and electrical wiring. It can cause your entire system to melt.

Stay away from metal pipes. Metal conducts electricity, which is lightening.

Avoid water: showers, washing hands/dishes, pools, or any other source of water. Water and electricity/lightening do NOT mix!

Turn off electrical appliances and equipment, then unplug them. This includes power tools, power strips, computers, etc.

Did you know that you don’t have to be in the middle of a storm to be in harm’s way? A bolt of lightening doesn’t travel straight, and is five-times hotter than the surface of the sun. It can strike as far away as 10 miles from the center of a storm.

Hook your electrical equipment up to surge protectors – including your computer, air conditioner, etc. In the event that you’re not home to unplug items, the surge protector will automatically shut the electricity down. This will help prevent fires and other damage.

Get lightening suppressors, which help diminish the damage caused by a bolt of lightening. Use them on your TV, cable antennas, phone system, etc. Protect your entire house.

Don’t underestimate lightening. One bolt is strong enough to power a 100-watt lightbulb for about three months.

Check your weather forecast before planning any outdoor activities, especially swimming in a pool.

Stay inside during a storm, if possible. If not, wait in a vehicle with a hard top.

If you are outside and unable to get into a car or building during a storm, stay away from trees, anything metal like light poles, bleachers, goal posts, etc. The lightening’s charge will go through the metal and could get you if you are close or touching the item.

Never lay on the ground. Instead, drop to your knees with your hands on them and bend forward. This will minimize the area of your body that is in contact with the ground.

Take a first aid course. It should teach you how to work with someone that has been struck by lightening.

If your hair stands on end, you are probably about to be struck by lightening. Watch out!

Be careful!

Symptoms of Swine Flu

2009-04-27T14:43:00.006-06:00

I was reading the wikipedia entry for this 2009 Swine Flu outbreak, and loved the picture they had that depicts the symptoms of the swine flu. Here it is:

In addition to replenishing our lost supplies (gloves, masks, etc.), I also stopped by the health food store for sambucol (elderberry syrup), horehound tea leaves, and more. We brought home 16 gallons of water, more cough medicine, puppy food, dog treats, trash bags, baked beans, and puffed rice to make some special treats that hide spinach (for Tween). We already had everything else we need to last indoors/confined for several months. Maybe longer.

Yesterday the news gave a total of 86 deaths in Mexico due to this outbreak. Today, I see on http://www.cnn.com/ that there are 149.

Could it be that it's really here, or are we just going overboard? Does it matter? I'm basically a hermit anyway, and not going to the mall because I never go to the mall. We don't need to spend money on non-necessities. And our garden, yard and house need tending to, as well as our business and schoolwork.

Enjoy your day. Don't be paranoid or afraid. Just eat healthy, wash your hands constantly, take precautions, get plenty of sleep and exercise, drink lots of water, avoid touching possibly-contaminated surfaces, avoid contact with possibly-infected people, and enjoy your life!

Swine Flu Pandemic Possibility

2009-04-26T19:55:00.008-06:00

Found this article at: http://www.utahpreppers.com/2009/04/pandemic-preparedness/ - wanted to pass it along in its entirety with a few comments of my own:

= = = = = = =

With the current Swine Flu scare coming out of Mexico and popping up here and there in the United States, it is prudent to become familiar with the situation and especially prudent to review your Pandemic Preparedness Level. I should also stress that this is a “DON’T PANIC, Just Prepare!” post. So first, let’s get to know the player - what is the swine flu? Well, it’s just a variant of the “flu” that makes the rounds and gets passed around every year. Thing is, this variant doesn’t typically pass to humans so there is not an anti-virus in production or even made yet. Don’t take it from me though, and don’t take it from the ‘news’. Here are links to the CDC info and briefs on this situation:

Some quick anti-panic notes from the above sources:

Swine flu CANNOT be transmitted by food. Eating pork does NOT put you at risk.
This is NOT the first time the ’swine flu’ has transmitted to humans. It’s happened several times before without it becoming a pandemic.
This variant of swine flu, as with any flu, is a virus and primarily spread person-to-person through coughing or sneezing.
This is just a flu! The key here is to NOT GET IT, since there is not currently an anti-viral for it.

Quick notes about prevention:

Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
Try to avoid close contact with sick people. If you get sick with influenza, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth because germs can spread that way.

Now, let’s talk a bit about Pandemic Preparedness.

We’ve linked to this before, here is an excellent resource on Pandemic Preparedness from the LDS Church. In the case of a true Pandemic outbreak in your area, the most important thing is to be prepared to Shelter In. This means having enough food/water/supplies to keep you and your family inside at your home for possibly several weeks. You don’t want to be caught in a store-run in a pandemic outbreak! You need to make sure you are prepared for that possibility ahead of time. If you have your 3 month supply of everything at home already, then Peace is yours in this situation!

Other Pandemic specific things to make sure you have an excellent supply of:

N-95 Masks: These masks are different from regular dust masks or other types of masks. They are rated to help stop the spread of viruses. You should have enough in your preps to provide a new one to every member of your family every day for at least 2 weeks. They can be purchased at most stores that include a pharmacy, Wal-Mart, K-Mart, WalGreens, etc. Generally they are a little pricey but are necessary for your preps.
Medical Gloves: You should have several hundred pair of medical gloves in your preps. These are needed if someone in your family gets sick and you have to self-quarantine. Anytime you touch anything that a sick person has been around, you need to be wearing gloves. You can buy these at the same places you buy N-95 masks. They are a lot cheaper than the masks though.
Alcohol-based Hand Sanitizer: Even though you’re wearing gloves all the time, you should have lots of alcohol based sanitizers in your preps. You should have them in your day bag, your go bag, your 72-hour kits and your regular preps. You should also have lots of anti-bacterial soap as well.

Other Preps: To be prepared to take care of someone infected in your home, you should also have the following in your preps (these preps will be for the single person providing care for the sick person, you do not need to have enough of these supplies for everyone in the family to wear constantly):

Disposable surgical gowns
Disposable shoe covers
Goggles or face shield
Bleach (to clean surfaces and items touched by a sick person)
Supplies to boil water (to sanitize dishes and other items used by sick person)

I can’t stress enough how important Pandemic Preparedness is. The worst possible thing you could do in a Pandemic outbreak is rush to the store with thousands of potentially sick people and try to fight them all to buy supplies to shelter in. The only rushing you want to do in a Pandemic situation is rush home - and stay there.

Make sure you have N-95 masks and hand sanitizer in your Day Bag, Office Kit, Car Kit, Go Bag and 72 Hour kits! Keep a good supply of sanitizing materials in your preps at home and .. .. .. Don’t Panic!

= = = = = = = =

According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control): symptoms for swine flu (H1N1) include: fever, lethargy, lack of appetite, coughing, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. If you come down with even a few of these symptoms, call your doctor, don your mask, and head on to get checked out. Samples of your blood will be sent to be examined to see if you have this strain of flu. Better to be safe than sorry.

Here's a link to a .pdf file that gives information on how to give chest compressions to people who are having troubles clearing their lungs: http://www.phoenixchildrens.com/emily-center/child-health-topics/handouts/CPT-55b.pdf. Print it out and put it in your emergency binder.

You haven't started your emergency binder? Do it. TODAY! Grab a 2" binder and label it. Start with printing out the .pdf mentioned in the above paragraph. Then start your inventory of your stored foods, disposable gloves and other items mentioned in this article. Do you have hygiene and sanitary products, i.e. toilet paper? Cough medicine, theraflu, ibuprofen, acetamenaphin, children's products? A way to light your home? A way to cook if your utilities get shut off? Enough water (1 gallon per person per day)? Make a note in your binder of everything, then get out there are purchase what you don't have. Be sure to include a section in your binder for first aid, cooking without utilities, and more.

In addition, be sure to sanitize (with bleach, ammonia and/or vinegar) all doorknobs, telephones, toilet handles, cups, and everything else that you come in contact with. First thing tomorrow, we're going through this house and sanitizing everything, including the doorbell outside!

We have a particular situation: we have begun packing and preparing to move. We also have some minor repairs to make, and I have a business to run. Busy busy. We don't intend to put the house on the market until June, but have to pack and store lots of items to "stage" the house (make it more sellable). So... we have to figure out how to store our "prep" items without making prospective buyers think we're end-of-the-world freaks (which we're not). We can't fill our big water storage tank, and in the midst of moving some things to the storage unit we rented, we can't find the disposable gloves, masks, etc. At least we still have plenty of stored food on our special shelves.

So, despite tomorrow being my birthday, after I take the dogs to the vet, Tween and I need to gather some more disposable gloves, N-95 masks, goggles, bleach, and lots of gallons of water. Then we'll get a couple more bags of dog food and head on home.

Inventory Check: Soap

2009-04-26T06:00:00.000-06:00

Soap. Simple, right? You use antibacterial squirt soap at the sink, have a bar of bath soap at the tubs, and gallons of laundry soap near your washing machine. But do you have enough?

Take a look at your receipts for last year. How often did you buy these things? Did you have enough? Did you have spur-of-the-moment trips to the store because you ran out of Cheer in the middle of doing laundry?

Did you know that in a pinch, you can use bar soap in your hair, and do you really need the convenience of squirt soap when bar soap will work just as well? How about using that same bar soap to do a load of wash (shavings)!

Do an inventory check. Then do a reality check. How much do you REALLY need per week. Per month. Per year.

Then make sure every time you buy one soap, you buy an extra or two for your storage plans.

A Survival Garden

2009-04-25T06:00:00.004-06:00

If you can’t get to the store to buy your produce, what will you do? Plan now! Buy the seeds (HEIRLOOM!!), learn how to garden, learn how to preserve / can / dehydrate, and cook with what you grow. Practice seed-saving. Figure out what you have space for inside your home – if you can’t get outside to garden (in case someone sees your food and tries to steal it), stock up on grow lights and potting soil. Food is our most basic need, behind water. Do what you can NOW to ensure your health.

If you don’t have room for the following, choose what your favorite foods are, and which of the following are most versatile in your cooking.

Vegetables:

Artichoke
Asparagus
Beets
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Cucumber
Eggplant
Greens (lettuce, endive, escarole, spinach, swiss chard, etc.)
Okra
Onion and Garlic
Pepper (Bell and Hot)
Radish
Squash (summer like zucchini or crookneck, winter like butternut or pumpkin, gourds)

Fruits:

Blackberries
Blueberries
Grapes
Huckleberries
Kiwi
Melons, including watermelon, cantaloupe, etc.
Raspberries
Rhubarb
Strawberries
Tomatoes
Wonderberries

Protein:

Beans, including soybeans
Cowpeas and Peas
Sunflowers

Starch/Grain:

Amaranth
Buckwheat
Corn
Oats
Quinoa
Rice
Wheat

Herbs/Other:

Basil
Chamomile
Cilantro
Cumin
Dill
Garlic
Lavender
Marigold
Parsley
Peppermint and Other Mints
Rosemary
Sage
Soapwort
Sorghum
Stevia
Thyme
Etc.

Some of the above are perennial plants, and some you need to replant every year. Radishes can be grown every 6 weeks or so.

Be sure to read http://www.survival-cooking.com/ for recipes and cooking ideas and http://www.backyardgrocerygardening.blogspot.com/ for the best way to grow these plants.

Preparing for a Home's Power Outage

2009-04-24T06:00:00.004-06:00

With the freak blizzards, and the Spring storms, let's prepare for a power outage in our homes:

Gather emergency supplies like food, can openers, water, candles, matches, flashlights, batteries, and radio.
Know where your fuse box and/or circuit breaker is.
Learn how to reset a circuit, and how to change a blown fuse.
Find out NOW how to override an electric garage door. If there isn’t a way, figure out what to do to get your car in or out of the garage.
If you think a power outage is about to occur, turn your refrigerator and freezers to the coldest settings. This will help keep food cold longer. Be sure to not only the fridge/freezer doors except when you absolutely have to, and do it quickly – quick in and quick out.
You should have most of your electrical equipment and all of your entertainment and computer equipment hooked up to surge protectors. This will prevent a sudden surge of electricity from hurting or frying them.
Keep extra blankets and old cardboard boxes (with an x-acto knife) and duct tape to cover windows in case the heat does go out. This will prevent drafts.
Figure out which of your home’s rooms are the most insulated. Inner room, or the family room with the fireplace. Make that where you spend most of your time during the power outage.
Once the power does go out, turn the thermostat pretty low, and turn off the circuit breaker for the water heater to reduce the demand for energy once the power is restored. An overload could send it back to an outage. However, leave one light on, or a radio, so you’ll know when the power has been restored.
If the outside temperature is expected to stay below 35 degrees, place items from your fridge (milk, cheese, etc.) in a cooler on your back porch to keep things cold.
Cover the freezers and refrigerator with blankets to insulate them.
If you small gas, do NOT use matches or flip switches (including flashlights). Call the gas company, and turn off your utilities manually.

Did I leave anything out?

Birds Attack Cherry Trees

2009-04-23T06:00:00.005-06:00

Soon after we moved onto this property last February, we discovered a beautiful flowering tree in our front/side yard. We took a sample and a pic to a local nursery who told us it was an ornamental pear tree. Boy, were they wrong. See the pic to the right? That's our actual cherry tree, laden with cherries, 2 days before it got attacked.

By the time we figured out it was a cherry tree, the fruits were there one day, and almost completely devoured the next day by birds. We did everything we could think of:

scaring them away by hollering and yelling and clapping our hands
netting the tree (it is too tall)
tying aluminum pie pans to branches to scare them off (again, tree too tall and birds didn't care)

We did manage to grab a few cherries before they all disappeared, but we have a plan this year! The very day that we notice the cherries forming, we'll keep a close eye on the tree. And the very second that we find one with the blush of red on it, we'll start to harvest. Waiting even one day will be too late.

Again, this is applicable to this blog because birds can really kill our crops. They love fruit trees, corn crops, and surprisingly enough, tomatoes. Preparing for the bird invasion will help us gather cherries for preserving, dehydrating and seed-saving for cherry trees at our next house.

Plus, as we grow the cherry trees at the next place, we'll tie the aluminum pie pans on the branches as they grow!

Foxes in the Henhouse. Or Garden

2009-04-22T06:00:00.004-06:00

We live in a suburb of Denver. No farmland nearby. No forests nearby. Just houses, businesses, and the rare empty lot and foreclosed house. We had barely moved into our new house February 2008 when we found a couple families of squirrels living in our attic, and a family of red foxes living under our back patio. (This house stood empty for about 18 months - more than enough time for critters to move in.) The squirrels needed an professional help, but for the foxes, since they are considered wildlife, we needed to simply "discourage" them.

First, we flooded the hole they'd dug under the back patio (to get all of them out - and scamper they did!). Then we filled it with cement before they could come back. They found a way to dig a hole on the other side of the patio so we had to flood that one and fill it with cement. They still tried to dig more holes so we surrounded the patio with large cement blocks the previous owner had placed in stacks around the yard, unfinished projects, we assumed.

We kept seeing the foxes. They must have made a den somewhere else in the suburb, but they liked our house. They would bark as they ran down the street at dusk, slowing and creeping onto our property. Burrowing into our front raised beds where I had tried to plant asparagus. Killing animals and devouring them on our front porch during the black of night (we often awoke to a bloody front porch, and skulls or tails on the front lawn).

I kept trying to plant vegetables, fruits and flowers in the front raised beds, but they would end up scattered all over the place from them making a burrow for their bodies. We even sprayed tiger and lion urine (from the local zoo) all over, but it did nothing! And, I make a "bed of nails" which they just moved aside and laid down. We bought an ultrasonic noise emitter - squirrels and birds kept setting it off. We tied packets of human hair all around the area.

Nothing deterred these foxes.

Except maybe time. They finally left for the season, and haven't been back yet. I wonder, no, I **hope** it's because we got a couple of dogs!

In case you have a problem with foxes in your yard, and you're trying very hard to have a garden to prepare for worse times... here's a bit of information about them (from: http://wildlife.state.co.us/WildlifeSpecies/Profiles/Mammals/Foxes.htm):

Description: Four species of foxes make Colorado home. Red and gray foxes are three feet long and weigh nine to 11 pounds. Red foxes are reddish orange above, white below, and have a white-tipped tail and black ears and feet. Gray foxes have a black-tipped tail, reddish ears and feet and a mane of stiff black hairs on their grayish brown back. Swift and kit foxes are only 27 to 36 inches long; their tails are as long as their bodies. They weigh just four to seven pounds.
Diet: Foxes mostly eat rodents, rabbits and birds. The smaller fox species eat large quantities of insects. The gray fox is distinctive in that it sometimes forages in trees for fruit and nestling birds. Red and gray foxes are most active at dawn and dusk; the smaller, arid-land foxes are more nocturnal.
Reproduction: Coloradan foxes all produce a single litter of young per year. Gestation periods range from seven to eight weeks, and litter sizes probably average around four. Gray and kit foxes are not particularly common in most of their range in Colorado. Red foxes have increased greatly with the growth of irrigated agriculture on the plains. Swift foxes were nearly driven to extinction as an unintended side effect of programs to eradicated wolves and coyotes, but now are recovering.

From: http://www.aaanimalcontrol.com/Professional-Trapper/howtogetridoffoxcoyotes.htm:

Nuisance Concerns: Fox are a nuisance primarily for poultry producers. Turkeys, chickens, ducks, and geese are all susceptible to an opportunistic fox. Young pigs, lambs, and small pets are also killed by foxes. Foxes may carry rabies. Additionally, foxes have been known to steal pet food left outside for outdoor pets.
Dog Issues: If you have a concern about a dog, whether it's a lost pet dog, a dangerous dog in your neighborhood, or to file a complaint about a barking dog, please visit my (his) dog issues page. You will find information on these topics, as well as dog services such as dog vaccinations, dog spay or neuter, or dog adoption programs. This website deals mostly with nuisance wildlife, but I have the phone numbers of almost every county animal control service in the country on this website.
Wondering how to get rid of fox or coyotes? There is no magic spray or device that you can use to make them go away. Some people try to sell ultrasonic sound emitters. These devices are worthless at eliminating fox or coyotes. Some old wives' tales recommend the use of mothballs or ammonia-soaked rags to make them leave, but I've been to countless homes where these techniques failed - biologists know that these attempts won't work. The ONE AND ONLY WAY to take care of your problem is with trapping and removal of the animals.

I don't really agree with that last part: foxes are too smart to be caught in a trap. My opinion? If you have a fox problem, try everything you can. It may be a combination that actually finally works. Meanwhile, keep those chickens and other livestock safe.

The Economy

2009-04-21T10:43:00.002-06:00

I heard on the news today that although people are starting to spend again, the economy is still falling into the toilet. I have to agree. The prices of produce and diapers and basics are still going on, as is gas (back on the rise - bought at Sams on Sunday for $1.93 a gallon).

As some of you may know, we've been "prepping" for several years. It appears that if we hadn't, our family would have been making weekly trips to the food banks by now, and begging money from family members.

That's why we have a blog about turning your yard into a "backyard grocery". That's also why we have a blog about cooking with limited resources (money and food). And that's why we have a blog about the basics of homesteading.

We, as a family, are getting by on less money that I made by myself 12 years ago. We have NO credit cards, buy things only with cash, put money in savings every month (even if it's only a little bit), and take care of family first.

We're prepping, but now, it's life we're preparing for. (More posts coming soon!)

Affordable Transportation

2009-04-19T07:00:00.002-06:00

Hubby brought up a good thought: why is there a law that says electric cars can only go 30 miles per hour?

We were seriously looking at hybrids or electric cars -- something to help reduce our carbon footprint. Besides the fact that they are ridiculously overpriced, one of the manufacturers told us in confidence that they couldn't design them to go above 30 miles per hour. That if they did, they would be subject to fines and possible imprisonment.

Is there anything we can do to change this?

Is the Government Listening In?

2009-04-18T05:00:00.003-06:00

Have you read:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/04/15/justice-dept-nsa-improperly-spied-americans/

I read that article, talking about how many people are being spied on via cell phone, regular phone, internet conversations, etc. I got to wondering...

Can we stop this? They obviously don't care about legalities, but someone suggested a possible way to overload their spy-system. Make a list of the keywords they search for, and include this list in every correspondence and on every blog we access. This will overload their system, looking at 2 or 3 times the e-mails than usual, and if we include the words in our phone conversations, can you imagine the time we'll take up?

Ok.... who can give us (compile) this list?

Change the Banking System

2009-04-17T07:00:00.000-06:00

The banking system sucks... everywhere. In the UK, in the USA, and everywhere. How can we change it? Throw rocks through windows? Organized marches and boycotts? Physical acts are tempting, and sometimes works, but little people against big banking organizations isn't even the beginning of a contest. Plus, it will just make the majority of people think the people doing these acts are thugs and radicals.

Avoid the physical acts. Try this.

Don't use banks any more. Stop giving them your money.

Banks need people like to regularly deposit money in their hands, so that they can lend it out to never be repaid. They use our deposits to fund various financial tricks that only they know about. They need us. NEED us.

Why should we willingly give them the money keep pulling the wool over our sheeple eyes?

I understand that to completely take yourself out of the banking equation might be difficult and possibly/probably impossible or impractical to do, but you can take some steps:

pay off your credit cards and don't ever ever EVER get any more.
transfer or sell or refinance your mortgage and any other loans to a company other than a bank or one of these other companies in trouble
don't use direct deposit, instead receiving your paycheck or social security check in the mail or by hand

Just take a few steps... whatever you can do. Forward this to whoever you can, or link to this posting. Get the banking system to rethink their business. Stop funding their grip on this planet. If just one out of 100 people do this, then the banking system might rethink its lending and corporate practices. Maybe, just maybe, it will help stabilize the economy.

(Obviously I'm no financial guru, but if we all do what we can, surely some good results could happen?)

Does anyone have any other real-time suggestions on how we can stop using banks?

Mommy, Where Does Meat Come From?

2009-04-16T06:00:00.002-06:00

I couldn't resist ... saw the below quote on another website, and had to copy it! Hilarious!

"To all you hunters who kill animals for food, shame on you; you ought to go to the store and buy the meat that was made there, where no animals were harmed."

So... to the question, "Mommy, where does meat come from?" feel free to answer with either "the grocery store" or "a slaughterhouse and farm" or "the woods". You know. Whatever you're comfortable with. He he he.

What is YOUR answer?

Tax Day is Here-eth.

2009-04-15T12:14:00.003-06:00

Not... tax man cometh, but tax day here-eth! I was searching for a picture to show my Tween people lining up late to submit tax returns to the post office and discovered that some cities and some other places, like in Idaho, are NOT keeping post offices open late! What's up with that?

True, we finally got ours in on Monday, but there have been many times when it was just in the nick of time.

Here's a list of post offices open late today: http://www.thedenverchannel.com/money/15889117/detail.html

Good luck!

K.I.S.S.

2009-04-11T06:00:00.003-06:00

Keep It Simple, Silly. Simplicity is the key.

For most people who prepare for the worst, life can be broken into a few major categories, like clothing, water, food, sleep, shelter, transportation, communication, sanitation and hygiene, first-aid and lighting.

The above are not in any particular order. That's because the order changes with every situation. Yes, it's important to have water and food when bugging out, but they aren't very important when you have a nail sticking in your eye.

Have you heard the rule of "Threes or Fours":

If you PANIC, you could be dead in 3-4 seconds.

If you HAVE NO OXYGEN, you could be dead in 3-4 minutes.

If you have no SHELTER, you could be dead in 3-4 hours.

If you have no WATER, you could be dead in 3-4 days.

If you have no FOOD, you could be dead in 3-4 weeks.

If you FALL APART AS A GROUP, you could have 3-4 months, weeks, days, hours, minutes, or even seconds.

Make sure these don't happen to you.

Keep your preparations simple.
Practice emergencies. Make a list of possible emergencies (fire, hurricane, tornado, riots, etc.) and write out a plan for each. Drill drill drill!
Run your routes... from home or work or soccer practice to your safe place you've established. Mark the routes, including landmarks that can't change or burn down. Where are there gas stations? Do they accept cash?
Teach your children to call 9-1-1.
Pretend there's an emergency, and you do NOT panic. This is also part of the drilling and practicing thing.
Make sure that your items all do double-duty, or more.
Test the group mentality: gather the family and tell everyone that no one can have any food (or toilet paper or water or a bed or clothing, etc.) for the next 2 weeks. Look in the eyes - see the panic and find a way to deal with it. Here's another test: tell a group of smokers that they can never have another cigarette - watch the intense panic in their eyes once it sinks in - then figure out how to keep a cool head.

Psychology plays a big part of your preparations. That's where practice comes in. And the practice is made easier when you've made out your plans, using the simplest features, items, and so forth.

Inventory Check: Space Blanket

2009-04-10T06:00:00.005-06:00

A space blanket isn't really a blanket. It's more like a covering that's made to reflect radiant energy (heat).

Two sizes:

They come folded up to fit in the palm of your hand, and open up to cover your body, and more. It's shiny, and made from a Mylar plastic, coated with aluminum, that reflects up to 80% of your body heat. It's shine also is great at signalling.
A larger version is a big bigger when folded, so takes up more space in your supplies. It isn't as reflective or as shiny, but it is more durable. It's made out of a tougher woven material, and has grommets in the corners to allow for tying down. These are smaller than a tarp but can cover 2 people easily. They can also be used as a ground cover, windbreak or body wrap. They also keep rain and snow off in a pinch. These come in neon-type colors which will help signaling for rescue.

Use these to insulate you against cold OR to reflect heat from, say, a desert, away from you. You could also use them to line a solar oven, disinfect water, or reflect the sun when hung in your windows.

I've found these at Wal-Mart for .99 cents each. I grab all I can find when they are in stock; usually, that space is empty!

In my opinion, you can't have too many of these.

Farm Animals To Require Tracking

2009-04-09T05:00:00.000-06:00

Did you know that legislation is being passed, without American citizenship participation or debate, about chipping our livestock?

I just got my May/June 2009 issue of the Backwoods Home Magazine, and started flipping through it. An article, "The Coming American Dictatorship Part X", that started on page 31 caught my eye. I started reading, thought it surely had to be a joke, went back and re-read it. I went online and researched it. OMG - it appears to be true!

Check out http://animalid.aphis.usda.gov/nais/

Basically a bill is being pushed through that requires all farm animals bred for consumption (including chickens, etc.) to be chipped so the government can track them. Every chicken. Every baby chick just hatched. We'll have to report new births, transfer of animals by sale or otherwise, when they are butchered, are eaten by coyotes, etc. If we don't report accurately or choose non-compliance, and need to take our non-chipped chicken to the vet, s/he will be required to report us to the government.

The website says that if the animal is not to leave the premises, or to be taken from your premises directly to slaughter, it doesn't need registering. I'm thinking... "for now".

They say it's for the safety of people who will consume the animals. They also say...

To protect the health of U.S. livestock and poultry and the economic well-being of those industries, we must be able to quickly and effectively trace an animal disease to its source. When a disease outbreak occurs, animal health officials need to know:

Which animals are involved in a disease outbreak
Where the infected animals are currently located
What other animals might have been exposed to the disease

By choosing to participate in NAIS, you will join a national disease response network built to protect your animals, your neighbors, and your economic livelihood against the devastation of a foreign animal disease outbreak.

Notice they say "you WILL"... leaving little wiggle room. This isn't protection of our food sources. Those hatcheries with 100,000 chickens won't be required to chip each hen - just one for the group! Nope, this is, in my opinion, yet another instance of government interference, and loss of liberty.

We HAVE to do something! Below are some contact numbers and addresses. Pass along a link to this article/blog posting, and get people calling and writing and e-mailing. Have schoolteachers get their students to practice letter writing by assigning this as a project. Make sure every state in this country starts working against this.

Here's a link to the NAIS' feedback form - let's flood them with HELL NO-type feedback messages, shall we? http://animalid.aphis.usda.gov/nais/contact_us/general.shtml - this is what I wrote: Homesteaders with just a few chickens and a goat (or other small amounts of livestock) will NOT stand for this nonsense. Do NOT push this through. How dare you!

Pass the word... we have work to do!
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Alabama
Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries
Contact: Dr. Tony Frazier Alabama State Veterinarian/Animal ID Coordinator stvet@agi.state.al.us
Address: P.O. Box 3336 Montgomery, AL 36109-0336
Phone: 334-240-7253
Fax: 334-240-7198
Email: animalid.premises@agi.alabama.gov
Web: www.agi.alabama.gov/state_veterinarian

Alaska
Alaska Department of Environmental ConservationDivision of Environmental Health
Contact: Dr. Jay FullerState Animal ID Coordinator jay.fuller@alaska.gov
Address: 5251 Hinkle Road Anchorage, AK 99507
Phone: 907-375-8215
Fax: 907-929-7335
Web: http://www.dec.state.ak.us/eh/vet/nais.htm

Arizona
Arizona Department of Agriculture
Contact: Jim MeggsProject Coordinator jmeggs@azda.gov
Address: 1688 West Adams St Phoenix, AZ 85007
Phone: 602-542-0943
Web: http://www.azda.gov/Main/animalID.htm

Arkansas
Arkansas Livestock & Poultry Commission
Contact: Jon FitchExecutive Director jfitch@alpc.ar.gov
Charles W. Gann Animal Identification Coordinatorcgann@alpc.ar.gov
Address: #1 Natural Resources Drive Little Rock, AR 72205
Phone: 501-907-2400
Fax: 501-907-2425
Web: http://www.arlpc.org/

California
California Department of Food and Agriculture Animal Health and Food Safety Services
Contact: Victor J. Velez, MS vvelez@cdfa.ca.gov 916-654-1264
Address: 1220 N Street, Room A-107Sacramento, CA 95814
Fax: 916-653-2215
Web: http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/pais
Registration Help Desk 866-325-5681 pais@cdfa.ca.gov mailto:866-325-5681pais@cdfa.ca.govhttp://californiaid.org

Colorado
Colorado Department of Agriculture Animal Industry
Contact: John Heller (Animal ID Coordinator) john.heller@ag.state.co.us
Address: 700 Kipling St. Suite 4000 Lakewood, CO 80215
Phone: 303-239-4516
Fax: 303-239-4164
Web: http://www.coanimalid.org/

Connecticut
Connecticut Department of Agriculture
Contact: Mary Jane Lis, MS, DVM, PhD State Veterinarian mary.lis@ct.gov
Address: 165 Capitol Avenue Room G-8A Hartford, CT 06106
Phone: 860-713-2505
Fax: 860-713-2548
Web: http://www.ct.gov/doag

Delaware
Delaware Department of Agriculture
Contact: Robert Moore robert.moore@state.de.us
Address: 2320 South Dupont Highway Dover, DE 19901
Phone: 302-739-4811
Fax: 302-697-4451

Florida
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Division of Animal Industry
Contact: Stephen Monroe Florida NAIS Coordinator monroes@doacs.state.fl.us 850-410-0944
Dr. Diane L. Kitchen, D.V.M., Ph.D Veterinarian Manager, Bovine Programs kitched@doacs.state.fl.us 850-410-0940
Address: 407 S. Calhoun Street, Mail Stop M-7 Tallahassee, FL 32399-0800
Fax: 850-410-0957
Web: http://www.doacs.state.fl.us/ai/adc/adc_nais.shtml
Help Desk Registration Help Desk mailto:animalid@doacs.state.fl.us%20

Georgia
Georgia Department of Agriculture
Contact: Dr. Lee M. Myers Georgia State Veterinarian lmyers@agr.state.ga.us
Dr. Carter Black NAIS Coordinator cblack@agr.state.ga.us
Address: 19 MLK Jr., Drive Atlanta, GA 30334
Phone: 404-656-3671
Fax: 404-657-1357
Web: http://agr.georgia.gov/00/article/;0,2086,38902732_0_41051091,00.html

Hawaii
Hawaii Department of Agriculture Animal Industry Division
Contact: Dr. James Foppoli Hawaii State Veterinarian james.m.foppoli@hawaii.gov
Dr. Raquel Wong Veterinary Medical Officer Raquel.L.Wong@hawaii.gov
Address: 99-941 Halawa Valley Street Aiea, HI 96701
Phone: 808-483-7103
Fax: 808-483-7110
Web: http://www.hawaiiag.org/hdoa/ai-hapis.htm

Idaho
Idaho State Department of Agriculture
Contact: Linda Cope Animal ID Integration Analyst lcope@agri.idaho.gov Bill Barton, DVM Veterinary Medical Officer, Senior Division of Animal Industries bbarton@agri.idaho.gov
Address: 2270 Old Penitentiary Road Boise, Idaho 83712
Phone: (208) 332-8540
Fax: (208) 334-4062
Web: http://idaho.locatein48.com/

Illinois
Illinois Department of Agriculture Bureau of Animal Health
Contact: Jim Kunkle Jim.kunkle@illinois.gov
Address: State Fairgrounds P.O. Box 19281 Springfield, IL 62794
Phone: 217-785-4740
Fax: 217-558-6033
Web: http://www.agr.state.il.us/premiseid

Indiana
Indiana State Board of Animal Health
Contact: Theresa Shuck Coordinator tshuck@boah.in.gov
Address: 805 Beachway Drive Suite 500 Indianapolis, IN 46224
Phone: 317-227-0336
Web: http://www.in.gov/boah/premiseid/

Iowa
Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship Animal Industry
Contact: Delores Clausen Animal ID Coordinator
Address: Wallace Building 502 E. 9th St. Des Moines, IA 50319
Phone: 1-888-778-7675 (toll free) (515) 281-5305
Fax: (515) 281-4282
Web: http://www.iowaagriculture.gov/animalIndustry/premiseIdentificationProgram.asp

Kansas
Kansas Animal Health Department
Contact: George Teagarden Livestock Commissioner gteagarden@kahd.ks.gov
Bryan Rickard Animal ID Coordinator brickard@kahd.ks.gov
Address: 708 S Jackson Topeka, KS 66603-3714
Phone: 785-296-2326
Fax: 785-296-1765
Web: http://www.kansas.gov/kahd

Kentucky
Kentucky Department of Agriculture
Contact: Dr. Robert C. Stout Kentucky State Veterinarian robert.stout@ky.gov
Tim Turney Director, Division of Producer Services tim.turney@ky.gov
Dana Jenkins Animal ID Coordinator dana.jenkins@ky.gov
Address: 100 Fairoaks LaneSuite 252 Frankfort, KY 40601
Phone: 502-564-3956
Fax: 502-564-7852
Web: http://www.kyagr.com/statevet/nais/index.htm

Louisiana
Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry Office of Animal Health Services
Contact: Dr. M.A. Littlefield-Chabaud Louisianna Assistant State Veterinarian martha@ldaf.state.la.us
Address: 5825 Florida Blvd. P.O. Box 1951 Baton Rouge, LA 70806
Phone: 225-925-3980
Fax: 225-237-5555
Web: http://www.ldaf.state.la.us/portal/Offices/AnimalHealthServices/VeterinaryHealthDivision/PremisesIdentification/tabid/229/Default.aspx
Maine
Maine Department of Agriculture Division of Animal Health & Industry
Contact: Donald E. Hoenig, VMD State Veterinarian donald.e.hoenig@maine.gov
Phone: 207-287-3701
Fax: 207-624-5044
Address: 28 State House Station Augusta, ME 04333-0028
Web: http://www.maine.gov/agriculture/idme/

Maryland
Maryland Department of Agriculture
Contact: Maryland Assistant State Veterinarian
jacobst@mda.state.md.us Marilyn Bassford NAIS Coordinator nais@dmv.com Dr. Guy Hohenhaus State Veterinarian
Address: 50 Harry S. Truman Parkway Annapolis, MD 21401
Phone: 410-841-5810
Fax: 410-543-6660
Web: http://www.mda.state.md.us/animal_%20health/nais/index.php

Massachusetts
Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources
Contact: Mike Cahill michael.cahill@state.ma.us
Joao Tavares joao.tavares@state.ma.us
Address: 251 Causeway St. 5th Floor Boston, MA 02114
Web: http://www.m%20ss.gov/agr/animalhealth/nais/index.htm

Michigan
Michigan Department of Agriculture
Contact: Kevin Kirk Special Assistant to the Director KirkK@michigan.gov
Address: P.O. Box 30017 Lansing, MI 48909
Phone: 517-373-1077
Fax: 517-373-6015
Web: http://www.michigan.gov/mda/0,1607,7-125-1568_2390_41314---,00.html

Minnesota
Minnesota Board of Animal Health
Contact: Ted Radintz Animal Health Response Outreach Coordinator Ted.Radintz@state.mn.us
Address: 625 Robert Street North St. Paul, MN 55155
Phone: 651-201-6816
Fax: 651-296-7417
Web: http://www.bah.state.mn.us/bah/nais/registration.html

Mississippi
Mississippi Department of Agriculture
Contact: Dr. James Watson Mississippi State Veterinarian/Animal ID Coordinator jimw@mdac.state.ms.us
Address: 121 North Jefferson Street Jackson, MS 39201
Phone: 601-359-1170
Fax: 601-359-1177
Web: http://www.mbah.state.ms.us/

Missouri
Missouri Department of Agriculture Animal Health Division
Contact: Greg Onstott Animal ID Program Specialist greg.onstott@mda.mo.gov
Address: 1616 Missouri Blvd. P.O. Box 630 Jefferson City, MO 65102-0630
Phone: 573-751-7766
Fax: 573-526-0745
Web: http://www.mda.mo.gov/animalID/index.html

Montana
Montana Department of Livestock
Contact: Sherry Rust Public Information Officer srust@mt.gov
Address: 301 N Roberts Helena, MT 59620-4543
Phone: 406-444-9321
Fax: 406-444-1929
Web: http://liv.mt.gov/liv/ah/nais/nais.asp

Nebraska
Nebraska Department of Agriculture Bureau of Animal Industry
Contact: Ross Baker State NAIS Administrator ross.baker@nebraska.gov
Address: P.O. Box 94787 Lincoln, NE 68509-4787
Phone: 1-800-472-2437
Email: helpdesk@agr.state.ne.us
Web: http://ne.locatein48.com/index.html

Nevada
Nevada Department of Agriculture
Contact: Holly Pecetti, Program Officer 1 Animal Identification Coordinator hpecetti@agri.state.nv.us
Address: 350 Capitol Hill Ave. Reno, Nevada 89502
Phone: 775-688-1180 ext. 236
Web: http://agri.nv.gov/Animal2_NAIS.htm

New Hampshire
New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food
Contact: Dr. Stephen K. Crawford, DVM State Veterinarian scrawford@agr.state.nh.us
Address: P.O. Box 2042 Concord, NH 03302-2042
Phone: 603-271-2404
Fax: 603-271-1109
Web: http://nh.gov/agric/divisions/animal_industry/animal_id_system.htm

New Jersey
New Jersey Department of Agriculture Division of Animal Health
Contact: Dr. Sebastian Reist mailto:sebastian.reist@ag.state.nj.us
Address: P.O. Box 330 Trenton, NJ 08625
Phone: (609) 292-3965
Web: http://www.state.nj.us/agriculture/divisions/ah/prog/animalid.html

New Mexico
New Mexico Livestock Board
Contact: Dr. Dave Fly New Mexico State Veterinarian Dave.Fly@state.nm.us
Address: 300 San Mateo NE Suite 1000 Albuquerque, NM 87108
Phone: 505-841-6161
Fax: 505-841-6160
Web: http://www.newmexicolivestockboard.com/

New York
State of New York Department of Agriculture and Markets Division of Animal Industry
Contact: George Merill (interim) NAIS State Administrator george.merrill@agmkt.state.ny.us
Address: 10B Airline Drive Albany, NY 12235
Phone: 518-457-3502
Fax: 518-485-7773
Web: http://www.agmkt.state.ny.us/AI/AIHome.html

North Carolina
Animal Health Programs - Livestock
Contact: Dr. Tom Ray Director tom.ray@ncmail.net Penny Page penny.page@ncmail.net
Address: North Carolina Department of Agriculture Veterinary Division 1030 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-1030
Phone: 919-715-2951
Fax: 919-733-6431
Web: http://www.ncfarmid.com/

North Dakota
State Board of Animal Health North Dakota Department of Agriculture
Contact: Dr. Susan Keller North Dakota State Veterinarian skeller@state.nd.us
Dr. Jim Clement Animal Identification Coordinator jcclement@nd.gov
Address: 600 E Boulevard Dept. 602 Bismarck, ND 58505-0020
Phone: 701-328-2655
Fax: 701-328-4567
Web: http://www.agdepartment.com/Programs/Livestock/BOAH/BOAH.html

For cattle, horses, and mules, producers can also contact:
North Dakota Stockmen's Association
Contact: Wade Moser ndsa@ndstockmen.org
Address: 407 South 2nd Street Bismarck, ND 58504
Phone: 701-223-2522
Fax: 701-223-2587
Web: http://www.ndstockmen.org/

Ohio
Ohio Department of Agriculture Division of Animal Industry
Contact: Gary Wilson Coordinator gwilson@agri.ohio.gov
Address: 8995 East Main Street Reynoldsburg, OH 43068
Phone: 614-728-6220
Fax: 614-728-6310
Web: http://www.ohioanimalid.com/
Help Desk: animalid@mail.agri.state.oh.us

Oklahoma
Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry
Contact: Dr. Mike Pruitt NAIS State Administrator Mike.Pruitt@oda.state.ok.us
Address: 2800 N. Lincoln Blvd. P. O. Box 528804 Oklahoma City, OK 73152-8804
Phone: 405-522-8396
Fax: 405-522-0756
Web: http://ok.locatein48.com/index.html

Oregon
Oregon Department of Agriculture
Contact: Dr. Don Hansen Oregon State Veterinarian dhansen@oda.state.or.us
Darcie Wentzel Office Manager
Address: 635 Capitol Street NE Salem, OR 97301-2532
Phone: 503-986-4680
Web: http://egov.oregon.gov/ODA/AHID/ah_national_id.shtml

Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
Contact: Ronald C. Miller ronmiller@state.pa.us
Address: 2301 North Cameron Street Rm. 408 Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17110
Phone: 717-772-2852
Fax: 717-787-1868
Web: www.animalhealth.state.pa.us/

Rhode Island
Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Division of Agriculture
Contact: Dr. Peter Belinsky Rhode Island State Public Health Veterinarian peter.belinsky@dem.ri.gov and/or Eugene Pepper eugene.pepper@dem.ri.gov
Address: 235 Promenade Street Room 370 Providence, RI 02908
Phone: 401-222-2781
Fax: 401-222-6047

South Carolina
Animal Health ProgramsClemson University
Contact: Dr. Boyd H. Parr Designated ID Coordinator/ Director, Animal Health Programs bparr@clemson.edu or idinfo@clemson.edu
Address: P.O. Box 102406 Columbia, SC 29224-2406
Phone: (803) 788-2260 Ext. 231
Fax: (803) 736-0885
Web http://www.clemson.edu/LPH/nais.htm

South Dakota
South Dakota Animal Industry Board
Contact: Dr. Dustin Oedekoven Acting State Veterinarian Dustin.Oedekoven@state.sd.us and/or Dr. Susan Reenders, DVM State Administrator susan.reenders@state.sd.us
Address: 411 South Fort St. Pierre, SD 57501
Phone: (605) 773-3321
Web: http://www.state.sd.us/aib/Animal%20ID.htm

Tennessee
Tennessee Department of AgricultureEllington Agriculture Center
Contact: Dr. Ron Wilson Tennessee State Veterinarian mailto:Veterinarianron.wilson@state.tn.us
Dr. Charles Hatcher Animal Identification Coordinator Charles.hatcher@state.tn.us
Jennifer Bowers Secretary
Address: 440 Hogan RoadNashville, TN 37220
Phone: 615-837-5183 (Dr. Hatcher) 615-837-5189 (Ms. Bowers)
Fax: 615-837-5250
Web: http://tennessee.gov/agriculture/regulatory/tpis.html/

Texas
Texas Animal Health Commission
Contact: Dr. Bob Hillman Texas State Veterinarian bhillman@tahc.state.tx.us
Mr. Kenny Edgar Animal ID Coordinatorkedgar@tahc.state.tx.us
Address: P.O. Box 12966 Austin, TX 78711
Phone: 512-719-0700
Fax: 512-719-0719
Email: comments@tahc.state.tx.us
Web: http://www.tahc.state.tx.us/animal_id/

Utah
Utah Department of Agriculture and Food Livestock Identification Bureau
Contact: Terry Menlove Director of the Animal Industry Division tmenlove@utah.gov
Address: P.O. Box 146500 350 North Redwood Road Salt Lake City, UT 84114-6500
Phone: 801-538-7166
Fax: 801-538-7169
Web: http://ag.utah.gov/animind/Utah_NAIS.html

Vermont
Vermont Agency of Agriculture
Contact: Michael Wood Assistant State Veterinarian mailto:michael.wood@state.vt.us
Address: 116 State Street Drawer 20 Montpelier, VT 05620
Phone: 802-828-2421
Fax: 802-828-5983
Web: http://www.vermontagriculture.com/fscp/animalHealth/prs/prs.html

Virginia
Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Contact: Richard Odom Animal ID Coordinator richard.odom@vdacs.virginia.gov
Address: 102 Governor Street, Suite 146 Richmond, VA 23219
Phone: 804-692-0600
Web: http://www.vanimalid.info/

For questions about Premises Registration:
Contact: Dawn Hunter Animal ID Support Technician
Phone: 540-209-9121

Washington
Washington State Department of Agriculture
Contact: David Hecimovich dhecimovich@agr.wa.gov (360) 725-5493
Dr. Leonard Eldridge Washington State Veterinarian LEldridge@agr.wa.gov (360) 902-1881
Web: http://agr.wa.gov/FoodAnimal/Animal_Premise/default.htm

West Virginia
West Virginia Dept of Agriculture Animal Health Division
Contacts: Melissa Garrett State Animal ID Coordinator mgarrett@ag.state.wv.us
Dr. L. Joe Starcher West Virginia State Veterinarian jstarcher@ag.state.wv.us
Address: 1900 Kanawha Blvd. East Charleston, WV 25305
Phone: 304-269-3700, Toll Free: 1-866-844-2214
Web: http://www.wvagriculture.org/programs/Animal/Animal_ID.html

Wisconsin
Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection
Contact: Paul McGraw paul.mcgraw@datcp.state.wi.us Phone: 608-224-4884
Susan Buroker susan.buroker@datcp.state.wi.us
Phone: 608-224-4740
Address: P.O. Box 8911 Madison, WI 53708
Web: http://www.datcp.state.wi.us/premises/index.jsp

Wyoming
Wyoming Livestock Board
Contact: Lee Romsa Brand Commissioner lromsa@state.wy.us
Address: 2020 Carey Avenue 4th Floor Cheyenne, WY 82002
Phone: 307-777-6443
Fax: 307-777-6561
Web: http://wlsb.state.wy.us/brands/Premises/

Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico Department of Agriculture Office of Veterinary Services Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory
Contact: Dr. Hector J. Diaz-Collazo Hector.Diaz-Collazo/pr/aphis/usda@usda.gov
Address: P.O. Box 490 Bo. Higuillar, Dorado, PR 00646
Phone: 787-796-1650
Fax: 787-392-3305

Guam
Guam Department of Agriculture
Address: 192 Dairy Road Mangilao, Guam 96923
Phone: 671-734-3942
Fax: 671-734-6569

Blackfeet Nation
Contact: Juanita Cole mailto:ColeJcole_59524@yahoo.com
Address: Fort Belknap Indian Community RR1 Box 66 Harlem, MT 59526
Phone: 406-353-8333
Fax: 406-353-4653

Crow Tribe
Contact: Juanita Cole Jcole_59524@yahoo.com
Address: Fort Belknap Indian Community RR1 Box 66 Harlem, MT 59526
Phone: 406-353-8333
Fax: 406-353-4653

Eastern Shoshone Tribe
Contact: Sam Hill samhill@washakie.net
Address: PO Box 538 Fort Washakie, WY 82514
Phone: 307-349-1629
Fax: 307-332-3055

Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes
Contact: Juanita Cole Jcole_59524@yahoo.com
Address: HC 63 Box 5065 Dodson, MT 59524
Phone: 406-673-3199
Fax: 406-673-3199

Ft. Belknap Indian Community
Contact: Juanita Cole Jcole_59524@yahoo.com
Address: HC 63 Box 5065Dodson, MT 59524
Phone: 406-673-3199
Fax: 406-673-3199

Hopi Tribe
Contact: Priscilla Pavatea, Director ppavatea@hopi.nsn.us
Address: Office of Range Management P.O. Box 123 Kykotsmovi, AZ 86039
Phone: (928) 734-3701
Contact: Pam Komalestewa, Supervisor pamlalokomalestewa@yahoo.com
Address: Hopi Veterinary Services P.O. Box 440Polacca, AZ 86042
Phone: (928) 738-5251

Intertribal Agriculture Council
Contact: Katherine Minthorn
kgoodluck@indianaglink.com
Address: PO Box 538
Fort Washakie, WY 82514
Phone: 307-349-1629
Fax: 307-332-3055

InterTribal Bison Cooperative
Contact: Juanita Cole Jcole_59524@yahoo.com
Address: Fort Belknap Indian Community
RR1 Box 66
Harlem, MT 59526
Phone: 406-353-8333
Fax: 406-353-4653

InterTribal Bison Cooperative
Contact: Juanita Cole Jcole_59524@yahoo.com
Address: Fort Belknap Indian Community RR1 Box 66Harlem, MT 59526
Phone: 406-353-8333
Fax: 406-353-4653

Kawerak Reindeer Herders Association (Kawerak, Inc.)
Contact: Kimberly S. Carter
Address: PO Box 948 Nome, Alaska 99762
Phone: 907-443-4378
Fax: 907-443-4458
Email: kcarter@kawerak.org

Montana / Wyoming Indian Stockgrowers
Contact: Fred Small fsmall@rangeweb.net
Address: PO Box 538
Fort Washakie, WY 82514
Phone: 307-349-1629
Fax: 307-332-3055

Navajo Nation
Contact: Glenda Davis glendadavis@navajo.org
Address: P.O. Box 1450
Window Rock, AZ 86515
Phone: 928-871-6615
Fax: 928-871-6619
Email: glendadavis@navajo.org

Northern Arapahoe Tribe
Contact: Juanita Cole Jcole_59524@yahoo.com
Address: Fort Belknap Indian Community
RR1 Box 66Harlem, MT 59526
Phone: 406-353-8333
Fax: 406-353-4653

Northern Cheyenne
Contact: Justin Small mailto:Smalljsmall1159@yahoo.com
Address: PO Box 1016 Lame Deer, MT 59043
Phone: 406-740-0698
Fax: 406-477-6413

Osage Nation
Contact: Jann roseOsage Nation jrose@osagetribe.org
Address: 100 W. MainSuite 304
Pawhuska, Oklahoma 74056
Phone: 918-287-5531

Rosebud Sioux Tribe
Contact: Juanita ColeJcole_59524@yahoo.com
Address: Fort Belknap Indian Community
RR1 Box 66Harlem, MT 59526
Phone: 406-353-8333
Fax: 406-353-4653

Salish and Kootenia Tribe
Contact: Anita Matt anitam@cskt.org
Address: PO Box 538
Fort Washakie, WY 82514
Phone: 307-349-1629
Fax: 307-332-3055

San Carlos Apache Tribe
Contact: Gail Haozous mailto:ghaozous@scatui.net
Address: PO Box 0San Carlos, AZ 85550
Phone: 928-475-2331
Fax: 928-475-2451

Seminole Tribe of Florida
Contact: Dr. Diane L. Kitchen, DVM, PhD.Veterinarian Manager, Bovine Programskitched@doacs.state.fl.us
Address: Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Division of Animal Industry
407 S. Calhoun Street, Mail Stop M-7Tallahassee, FL 32399-0800
Phone: 850-410-0940
Fax: 850-410-0957
Website: www.doacs.state.fl.us/ai

Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of Duck Valley
Contact: Sherry Crutcher crutcher.sherry@duckvalley.org
Address: PO Box 219
Owyhee, NV 89832
Phone: 208-759-3100 ext. 217
Fax:208-759-3938

United South and Eastern Tribes
Contact: Lisa Berrios lberrios@usetinc.org
Address: PO Box 538
Fort Washakie, WY 82514
Phone: 307-349-1629
Fax: 307-332-3055

Ute Tribe Agriculture Products, LLC
Contact:Juanita Cole Jcole_59524@yahoo.com
Address: Fort Belknap Indian Community
RR1 Box 66Harlem, MT 59526
Phone: 406-353-8333
Fax: 406-353-4653
Ute Mountain Tribe
Web: http://www.livestocktrust.com/

Walker River / Intertribal Council of Nevada
Contact: Raynell Miller raye_miller@hotmail.com
Address:PO Box 538
Fort Washakie, WY 82514
Phone:307-349-1629
Fax:307-332-3055

White Earth Reservation
Contact: Dawn Kier dawnk@whiteearth.com
Address: 2209 271st Ave, Unit 2Mahnomen, MN 56575
Phone: 218-935-2488
Fax: 218-935-2524

Yomba Shoshone Tribe
Contact: Juanita Cole Jcole_59524@yahoo.com
Address: Fort Belknap Indian CommunityRR1 Box 66Harlem, MT 59526
Phone: 406-353-8333
Fax: 406-353-4653

Foot Blisters

2009-04-08T07:00:00.002-06:00

After a major disaster (think Hurricane Katrina), chances are you'll have to walk a long distance. If you haven't prepared, you may end up with a major blister-and-blood situation.

A blister is irritating at best, and when they get advanced, they can be crippling, taking days to heal (while you sit still, unable to continue your travels). It will take even longer to heal if you have to walk in knee-deep in sewage water (again, Katrina).

What is a blister? According to Wikipedia, "A blister is a small pocket of fluid within the upper layers of the skin, typically caused by forceful rubbing (friction), burning, freezing, chemical exposure or infection. Most blisters are filled with a clear fluid called serum or plasma. However, blisters can be filled with blood (known as blood blisters) or with pus (if they become infected)." If they become infected and are left untreated, it could actually be life-threatening.

They often show up on heels or toes, but can occur anywhere, especially if you are wearing new shoes or boots.

How to Prepare:

Shoes: Choose shoes that are strong, lightweight, and sturdy enough to walk miles and miles and miles. Break them in as soon as you get them, but don't wear them out. I often walk around the house in my new shoes for days before they even hit the streets. This includes boots, sneakers, and casuals. I do NOT recommend flip flops or thongs for use during an emergency.
Socks: You really need socks that will wick away the sweat, keeping your feet dry and clean. Keep several changes of socks in your supplies, and change whenever they get wet. Some people wear thin tight socks directly on the foot (to minimize any rubbing), then a heavier pair on top of those.

The instant you discovered a blister, deal with it. Leave it alone and you'll regret it. Your goal is to stop the rubbing.

Stop walking.
Take off your shoes or boots.
Dry out or get out some clean dry socks.
Apply to the blister a piece of first-aid tape, "second skin", duct tape, or something else that's just for blisters, like moleskin. Cover a larger area than hurts so that if the dressing comes off, it will pull off the tender skin. Do NOT use a regular bandage because the non-stick part will keep rubbing the bad spot (I had been doing this wrong for a long time!).
Put your clean/dry socks on.
Don't leave the bandage or tape on too long. It's a good idea to change it every hour or so, to prevent moisture accumulating under the tape, which will cause even more problems.
If it gets really bad, make a little doughnut from moleskin and apply to the blister, keeping the blister inside the hole in the doughnut. This will even more minimize the rubbing.

Notes:

If you can rest for a couple of days and not keep on walking, don't pop the blister. The liquid inside will reabsorb and will heal naturally.
If you can't rest and blister hurts, clean the area gently but thoroughly. Carefully pop around the edge of the blister with a sanitized/sterilized (tip in a match flame) needle. Gently press the liquid out. Leave the flap of skin in place, and cover with a large bandage and moleskin.
If your blister pops, stop and clean gently. Make sure all dirt and grime gets cleaned out. Lift off the flap of skin if necessary, replacing after it's clean and dry. Cover with a sterile banage then cover than with duct tape or other first aid tape or moleskin. Watch for infection (redness).

I've had my share of blisters, and have often treated them incorrectly, leaving scars in their wake. Here's just a tidbit of info that I hope makes your travels easier and painless.