tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-364844122024-03-23T11:09:48.259-07:00Viking PreparednessWilderness Survival, Family Preparedness, SecurityJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01042116713590623420noreply@blogger.comBlogger159125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36484412.post-84582594170492108222015-12-31T05:43:00.002-08:002015-12-31T05:48:52.629-08:00I'm BACK!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNgb60BN47WmT8r20zcFHx_Js47T0KnSSflgbORrZeHu2sOm7h8a1R1860-hmLk7tpwSyx3h0M7WN22KvhiV9WPF51AaiClsarD1Q5lzhw27S2kphVBnZmVarx4gQLQ5o-rYeMJg/s1600/I%2527m+BACK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNgb60BN47WmT8r20zcFHx_Js47T0KnSSflgbORrZeHu2sOm7h8a1R1860-hmLk7tpwSyx3h0M7WN22KvhiV9WPF51AaiClsarD1Q5lzhw27S2kphVBnZmVarx4gQLQ5o-rYeMJg/s400/I%2527m+BACK.jpg" /></a></div>
<i>Ah, Ah, Ahhhhhhh, AH! We come from the land of the ice and snow, From the midnight sun where the hot springs flow....</i>
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It has been YEARS since I last worked on this blog. It took me some time, internet access, electricity, and so on, to remember and figure out how to even log on again. To those who stuck around - THANKS! Hang in there, let me get some bugs worked out and I resolve to start bringing more posts that will hopefully motivate, inspire, and encourage you on your quest for a more prepared, sustainable and independent lifestyle.
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<i> And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. - Hebrews 10:24-25</i>
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.................................................................................<br /><br />If you have any comments I’d love to hear them.<br />If they really interest me, I may even post them.<br />You can reach me at <a href="mailto:Joe@vikingpreparedness.com">Joe</a><br /><br />You can also join us to discuss this and other issues at <a href="http://www.vikingpreparedness.com/forum/">Viking Preparedness Forums</a> and catch us on our <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/VikingPreparedness">YouTube channel</a>.<br /><br /><br />Prepared Americans for a Strong America
Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01042116713590623420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36484412.post-31610310931590727852012-03-02T06:18:00.002-08:002012-03-02T07:08:58.968-08:00Cross Training<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg94Np5OAxjjO4XZ3mOli4bP_qegjHOhWUt9dt4rPT9IK1S8DzL8vczktAVrx0CX-lC_fxFiGkZXG_vcho88lUxOsmOfshlt6OUhlAz4y7emFQo6cEELZyp_eDDoBHUeg43ssirUA/s1600/CT1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg94Np5OAxjjO4XZ3mOli4bP_qegjHOhWUt9dt4rPT9IK1S8DzL8vczktAVrx0CX-lC_fxFiGkZXG_vcho88lUxOsmOfshlt6OUhlAz4y7emFQo6cEELZyp_eDDoBHUeg43ssirUA/s400/CT1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715314984739927426" /></a><br /><br />No, not physical cross-training (although that kind is important also). Today I want to talk about cross-training survival group or team members. See, every person on the team should have a primary and at least one secondary duty. <br /><br />Sally may be a paramedic by vocation and so she would be a good choice to be the Group Medical Officer (assuming she is most medically qualified). As such, she would be responsible for supervising Group member health; managing and procuring group medical stores; treating illness and injury to her level of certification in normal times and to the best of her ability in times of emergency; advising the Group Leadership on all medical matters; and cross training group members in medical areas. More on that in a bit.<br /><br />She may also have a secondary duty of, oh, Transportation Officer. She assists the Transportation Officer in his duties and fills in for him when he is unavailable. Let’s say the Transportation Officer’s duties include: Maintaining Group transportation assets; managing logistical support for same; assisting the Operations Officer in planning group movement; procuring Group Transportation; advising the Group Leadership on all transportation matters; and cross training group members in transportation matters. Perhaps she was given this secondary duty because she had some skills or interests in this area. Maybe she had her own ’78 CJ and had helped with an engine swap on it and supervised the maintenance of her family’s vehicles but the Group Transportation Officer was an actual mechanic and so a better fit for his job.<br /><br />You can read above that both duties require cross training other Group Members. We do this to create and preserve redundancy of abilities, to maintain flexibility and to make sure we do not totally lose a skill set if/when we lose a member. Cross training takes place on two levels.<br /><br />Level One<br />A primary Officer must train their secondary. This is not “cross training” in the strictest sense of the term but it is in general. The primary should train the secondary to be as skilled as he/she is. One should always be training one’s replacement. The primary trains and then supervises the secondary in execution of tasks. The primary may train and then assign the secondary to give a class to other Group members on a certain subject. One of the best ways to learn something is to teach it.<br /><br />Level Two<br />This is where we get to cross training in the strictest sense of the term. For the sake of discussion, let us agree to call our primary officers (In this case, Sally, the Medical Officer) “experts”. Hey, she is the most expert that our Group has so she is the “medical expert” as far as we are concerned. The secondary officer is not an expert but is “very good”.<br /><br />We want everyone else in the group to at least be “okay” in the skills wielded by the expert. If the primary and the secondary officer are both out of the picture, we don’t want the Group to be totally unable to handle medical issues (or transportation issues or any other issues). And so we CROSS TRAIN all group members in medical skills. The Medical Officer is responsible for overseeing that training and monitoring Group performance levels. She may teach it herself, she may assign her secondary to teach it, or they may both teach nearly simultaneously. <br /><br />This cross training must be scheduled for all areas of expertise. Before cross training can occur, the principle instructors must have time and other resources made available to prepare for the instruction. <br /><br />Another level of training is skills maintenance – the primary and secondary officers must be allowed to pursue additional training to keep their skills sharp and stay on top of new techniques. But that gets us into the greater realm of Training and will have to wait for another time…<br /><br />Even if you do not yet belong to a survivalist group, you can still benefit from the concept of cross training in your family. You should strive to ensure that your family is able to cover for each other if one member “goes down”. If mom is sick in bed, someone should be able to take care of her, someone to keep good food on the table and so on. If dad is on a trip out of town, someone should be able to do his normal duties – I don’t know… mowing the lawn, changing the oil, etc.<br /><br />Cross train – it builds flexibility into a system that soon may be incredibly stressed.<br /><br />I’ll see ya out there.<br /><br /><em>Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. - Proverbs 22:6</em><br /><br />.................................................................................<br /><br />If you have any comments I’d love to hear them.<br />If they really interest me, I may even post them.<br />You can reach me at <a href="mailto:Joe@vikingpreparedness.com">Joe</a><br /><br />You can also join us to discuss this and other issues at <a href="http://www.vikingpreparedness.com/forum/">Viking Preparedness Forums</a> and catch us on our <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/VikingPreparedness">YouTube channel</a>.<br /><br /><br />Prepared Americans for a Strong AmericaJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01042116713590623420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36484412.post-90016914680829700202012-01-27T20:02:00.000-08:002012-01-27T20:09:46.802-08:00Who Leads? How?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjncSdICE6qJ3HaoM5Wuc74ATFdOd51lcwghJ91hcTbXFjcOtRE6lM60Ec84WQosA6nssqJ-Cq8Pj2KCFHE6M-OUt6-Slv-zwhcpFLq20BDc0QGIzkaFnscY6PplqW9vdZi6lzHDQ/s1600/Holger.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 317px; height: 293px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjncSdICE6qJ3HaoM5Wuc74ATFdOd51lcwghJ91hcTbXFjcOtRE6lM60Ec84WQosA6nssqJ-Cq8Pj2KCFHE6M-OUt6-Slv-zwhcpFLq20BDc0QGIzkaFnscY6PplqW9vdZi6lzHDQ/s400/Holger.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702529181265737986" /></a><br /><br />I happen to be a very well trained and experienced man in a lot of esoteric areas. Given a bad situation, whether it be a flat tire on the side of a busy interstate or global social meltdown, I am blessed with the skill sets to see me through. I could survive TEOTWAWKI all by myself…<br /><br />…until I broke my femur and got an infection when I had to be moving; or came down with a bad fever when my attention was required for security purposes; or unless I wanted to live some kind of normal life and plant crops, tend to animals, read books, eat, sleep, etc – and danger lurked out there.<br /><br />We were created as social creatures and to reach our maximum potential, we need to be with others. Lone wolves don’t like to hear this and they don’t agree with this but it is true nonetheless. If you are one, you can stop reading.<br /><br />So eventually, we arrive at the decision, the idea, that we need, that we would like a group of like minded individuals to gather with in times of trouble. You know, people like us who see which way the wind is blowing, who can read the tea leaves, who have read all the way to the end of the Book. People who are proactive like we are.<br /><br />So we start looking at and for those folks. And we run into a problem: they <em>are</em> like us. They are proactive; they are self-sufficient; they are self-starters; they are individuals. And they typically “don’t play well with others”. They are so used to taking steps on their own to provide for them and theirs that they all want to be in charge. They all know the best way to do things. They all know their way is the right way.<br /><br />If you can even get these people in the same room or patch of wilderness they will do okay until it’s time to start making long term plans for “the group”. Because right off the bat we have to start coming up with rules, codes of behavior, standards, and yes – even punishments for those who don’t follow the aforementioned rules, codes, and standards. <br /><br />We don’t like that. We don’t LIKE people telling us what to do or how to do it. We are fiercely independent. It is a part of who we are. And yet – we need each other.<br /><br />A person on our forums brought up the question: how does a group (he was speaking of a group that gets together, moves to a place together and lives together – a community) decide who is in charge, how they rule, what happens when things “don’t work out” for individuals, families, etc.? In other words – how does the community government work?<br /><br />Indeed.<br /><br />This is not an easy question to answer. I know this though: to come into a group, to join a community, one has to give up things. One has to give up some of self, one has to be less selfish and more community/group-minded. How much, how that works, what that looks like is grist for the mill. It is something we all should start thinking about.<br /><br /><em>And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors.<br />But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth. – Luke 22:24 – 27</em><br />.................................................................................<br /><br />If you have any comments I’d love to hear them.<br />If they really interest me, I may even post them.<br />You can reach me at <a href="mailto:Joe@vikingpreparedness.com">Joe</a><br /><br />You can also join us to discuss this and other issues at <a href="http://www.vikingpreparedness.com/forum/">Viking Preparedness Forums</a> and catch us on our <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/VikingPreparedness">YouTube channel</a>.<br /><br /><br />Prepared Americans for a Strong AmericaJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01042116713590623420noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36484412.post-4164923492596452622011-10-03T10:57:00.000-07:002011-10-03T11:25:03.132-07:00Backyard Food Production<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuhMbOIBJ3DCYLPbvIS0wrXMRTN_64l0xHBBaekkigzLuVhdVWBEwF6e0fXM2bWi2b5J-bNXU0_CIFkYHqd7_LMSi5otT-U9GoOj6eC6Z85lWbL0Y3owzonI5uPqINobPPOQtcVA/s1600/Food_Production_Systems_DVD.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 245px; height: 233px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuhMbOIBJ3DCYLPbvIS0wrXMRTN_64l0xHBBaekkigzLuVhdVWBEwF6e0fXM2bWi2b5J-bNXU0_CIFkYHqd7_LMSi5otT-U9GoOj6eC6Z85lWbL0Y3owzonI5uPqINobPPOQtcVA/s400/Food_Production_Systems_DVD.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659326741320619474" /></a><br /><br />I recently borrowed <a href="http://www.backyardfoodproduction.com/">this DVD</a> from a friend who is into permaculture. We both feel that the time is rapidly approaching where, in order to eat, we will all have to produce our own food. We both also believe that it is getting more and more difficult to purchase good food anywhere - what with all the GMO, chemicals, antibiotics and what not being poured into our fruits, veggies, grain and meats.<br /><br />This DVD is so good and so in depth that I just had to get one for my very own. I am writing this to inform you that you should seriously consider doing so as well. Now, I will tell you right up front that this DVD is not cheap - it costs $60 but it is WORTH it and it is on par with instructional DVD prices.<br /><br />Backyard Food Production shows one family's working homestead and they are not super-rich. They do things YOU can do and it works for them. I have been at this awhile and I learned a lot - so much that I felt the need to get a copy for my library so I can refer back to it again and again.<br /><br />Covered on the DVD are sections on:<br /> Water<br /> Garden<br /> Rabbits<br /> Home Butchering <br /> Poultry<br /> Dogs<br /> Perennials: Orchards, Food Forests, and Edible Landscaping<br /> Other Essentials<br /><br />And THEN there is the CD that comes with the DVD that contains, oh, about 60 documents, booklets and so on for your reference.<br /><br />I did a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/VikingPreparedness#p/u/5/AeSLuSRON44">YouTube video</a> on this as well but be advised - I got the price wrong in the video. Hey - I could borrow this DVD from my friend pretty much anytime I want to and I still went out and bought it.<br /><br />You should too - you'll be glad you did.<br />It is time to start seriously considering how you are going to provide long term for you and yours - this DVD will help you.<br /><br /><em>And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such as groweth of itself; and the second year that which springeth of the same: and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruit thereof. - Isaiah 37:30</em><br /><br />.................................................................................<br /><br />If you have any comments I’d love to hear them.<br />If they really interest me, I may even post them.<br />You can reach me at <a href="mailto:Joe@vikingpreparedness.com">Joe</a><br /><br />You can also join us to discuss this and other issues at <a href="http://www.vikingpreparedness.com/forum/">Viking Preparedness Forums</a><br /><br />Prepared Americans for a Strong AmericaJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01042116713590623420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36484412.post-45931273045924232392011-07-28T07:53:00.000-07:002011-07-28T07:56:52.359-07:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGa9-HOnWrPdMeGxTa2EmcB66JO0p6ZUb5MoI5B0agY9e2b_u8r2koaWjl5wUdWlwZFYBTZKOjosgUggmZOGHdVgMxUgoD0JjzTEH7Fk4PS8TrQ07ug1t25bftc-8i-rTrSWPCgQ/s1600/no20fear.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 328px; height: 280px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGa9-HOnWrPdMeGxTa2EmcB66JO0p6ZUb5MoI5B0agY9e2b_u8r2koaWjl5wUdWlwZFYBTZKOjosgUggmZOGHdVgMxUgoD0JjzTEH7Fk4PS8TrQ07ug1t25bftc-8i-rTrSWPCgQ/s400/no20fear.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634416476411502578" /></a><br /><br />I am noticing a trend.<br />I’m seeing it on the internet, hearing it on the radio, hearing about it on TV (I don’t have one) and hearing it “around the water cooler”.<br /><br />It is a disturbing trend and it is dark:<br />Fear<br />Anxiety<br />Worry<br /><br />Wake up!<br /><br /><strong>We are being played</strong><br /><br />"Amp up the noise, AMP UP THE NOISE!"<br />An anxious populace, a scared populace, a FEARFUL populace ... is a CONTROLABLE populace.<br /><br />Those are all negative emotions.<br />They prevent clear thinking.<br />They lead folks to want to herd together - go with the running herd - RUN!<br /><br />Keep the anxiety up long enough and people will agree to almost anything to get relief.<br />Which is exactly the point.<br /><br /><strong>Don't fall for it.</strong><br />We often confuse "trying to stay aware and abreast" with "disaster masturbation".<br /><br />May I suggest unplugging from the NET a bit (internet, radio, TV, crass consumerism in all its forms).<br />Hug your babies, take a walk in nature, take a nap, read a good book - read The Good Book.<br />Chill.<br /><br />Then (only then, after you have cleared your head a bit)<br />Take some POSITIVE steps.<br /><br />Work on your garden - if you don't have one - get a fall garden ready.<br />Work on physical fitness - take a walk or a swim or a bike ride, or a run; do some stretching, yoga, pushups, weights – SWEAT!<br />Fix up the place - make those small repairs, pick up, clean up.<br />Have a barbeque - invite some folks over.<br />Do something nice for your neighbour.<br />Praise and thank God for your blessings.<br />Look into the eyes of your loved ones and appreciate them.<br />Consider stocking up on some groceries.<br /><br />DO stuff<br />Don't fret about what you cannot control - you cannot control what the World Trade Organization, the World Bank, the Bilderbergers, the Illuminati, the Iranians, the Russians or even the cops in the next town - do. So quit spending so much mental energy on it.<br /><br />You cannot control what your congresscritters are going to do. (so why did I write my three? Because I'm not perfect either)<br />You cannot control the weather.<br />You cannot control comets and asteroids and coronal mass ejections and "global warming". <br />You cannot control our economy.<br /><br />But you CAN do things to square you and yours away.<br />Do those things.<br />In love.<br /><br />No Fear!<br /><br /><em>For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. – 2 Timothy 1:7</em><br />.................................................................................<br /><br />If you have any comments I’d love to hear them.<br />If they really interest me, I may even post them.<br />You can reach me at <a href="mailto:Joe@vikingpreparedness.com">Joe</a><br /><br />You can also join us to discuss this and other issues at <a href="http://www.vikingpreparedness.com/forum/">Viking Preparedness Forums</a> and catch us on our <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/VikingPreparedness">YouTube channel</a>.<br /><br /><br />Prepared Americans for a Strong AmericaJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01042116713590623420noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36484412.post-22591029619922927222011-07-27T06:34:00.000-07:002011-07-27T06:44:16.701-07:00We are on YouTube!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYocs_iYsoagkbAA8wb718twxhXlNy5doreOJYa7aPCarJi1bL5KwAalxbuXX_5_ZUAZ4RT0EdQ6cVazEaQ7hnUjAALz98mb0Luvr1U4zUiJIJrgAnxFTBwcTHGm_ZfoRxGrS9UQ/s1600/20060811d_KS_Ft_Lvn_Fox.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYocs_iYsoagkbAA8wb718twxhXlNy5doreOJYa7aPCarJi1bL5KwAalxbuXX_5_ZUAZ4RT0EdQ6cVazEaQ7hnUjAALz98mb0Luvr1U4zUiJIJrgAnxFTBwcTHGm_ZfoRxGrS9UQ/s400/20060811d_KS_Ft_Lvn_Fox.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634025360936681458" /></a><br /><br />I know, I know - It has been TOO long.<br />I have not blogged in a while because I have limited time and have been expending my creative energies in a new venue - YouTube.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/VikingPreparedness">I have a channel</a> and have covered such topics as Survival Knives, Groups, Economics, Gardening and so on - all from a preparedness perspective.<br /><br />So, consider this an invite - check us out on YouTube, subscribe and let's continue preparing for what is coming down the pike.<br /><br /><strong><em>And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch. - Mark 13:37</em></strong><br /><br /><br />.................................................................................<br /><br />If you have any comments I’d love to hear them.<br />If they really interest me, I may even post them.<br />You can reach me at <a href="mailto:Joe@vikingpreparedness.com">Joe</a><br /><br />You can also join us to discuss this and other issues at <a href="http://www.vikingpreparedness.com/forum/">Viking Preparedness Forums</a> and catch us on our <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/VikingPreparedness">YouTube channel</a>.<br /><br /><br />Prepared Americans for a Strong AmericaJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01042116713590623420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36484412.post-45405132327854998232011-05-30T10:24:00.000-07:002011-05-30T10:52:54.031-07:00"Pond" Building<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOKcTbkTs6OxcQQIkaEBH9eUyuIhL5AFDj2g9AwQAyfnVlvssXSgaOgW8Hc5jQ3Q-AabnW4VGznfKpfAtkGy20QqDHms7ePtjLsN5ndjMSKFH6pUXxZK0-6B_mDokrzUirk7uKxw/s1600/Digger+Joe.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOKcTbkTs6OxcQQIkaEBH9eUyuIhL5AFDj2g9AwQAyfnVlvssXSgaOgW8Hc5jQ3Q-AabnW4VGznfKpfAtkGy20QqDHms7ePtjLsN5ndjMSKFH6pUXxZK0-6B_mDokrzUirk7uKxw/s400/Digger+Joe.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612566855300672290" /></a><br /><br />When we bought our home here at High Prairie Acres, it came with a twenty four foot diameter, four feet deep above-ground pool. Lovely...<br /><br />I was a lifeguard and then pool manager for many years in my youth. I really don’t like taking care of pools. But the family was excited so I dutifully maintained it. Every spring, we would add a couple hundred dollars worth of chemicals to clarify and purify (work with me here) the water. Then we would spend a decent amount of time each week skimming the stuff off the surface and testing and adding more chemicals. I’d backwash the filter as needed and make minor repairs as required.<br /><br />And the family would use the pool for about an hour a week...<br /><br />Then the liner ripped and all the water leaked out. It’s a lot of water. I bought a new liner from the local pool supply place for $400 and installed it myself in one hot afternoon. It was fairly simple as I just cut the old liner into manageable pieces to get it out and then proceeded to install the new one according to the directions – it’s just a big rubber bag.<br /><br />Well, about a year or so ago, the pump broke and needed an expensive repair. I decided that the pool was not being used enough to justify it so instead, I turned it into an above ground duck pond. The ducks loved it and the water soon became “pond-like”. It also grew a whole BUNCH of mosquito larvae.<br /><br />To solve that pending problem, we put about a dozen feeder goldfish in the pond and that worked very well. Now we had an above ground duck and fish pond. Winter came, the pond froze over and we waited for spring to see how the fish had done. I have always heard one needs eight feet of depth for fish to survive winter around here. Well, come this spring, we had twelve largish fish swimming around!<br /><br />Then our dogs got caught in the pool, one died and they tore up the liner. I was going to just trash the whole pool instead of installing another $400 liner but we have been getting into permaculture and “going green” here at HPA and it seemed a shame to get rid of such a large water source. I did some internet shopping and found one for less than $200 delivered.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLVNp5UStoylshipiFdQuBm2IduP93zdGsKDx7a6Q72U47L84rytYVQc62A_P9KEouQh3dqSVZI-RU7xAozaMXhtBR5qS8vL0t5sM-Bxm95AHeYnkoCufLGLT3GjlkXeICu0RZUg/s1600/downspout.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLVNp5UStoylshipiFdQuBm2IduP93zdGsKDx7a6Q72U47L84rytYVQc62A_P9KEouQh3dqSVZI-RU7xAozaMXhtBR5qS8vL0t5sM-Bxm95AHeYnkoCufLGLT3GjlkXeICu0RZUg/s400/downspout.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612566857164766706" /></a><br /><br />A project was born...<br />I decided to divert the house roof water to the pool/pond and then use the salvageable part of the old liner to line a smaller “overflow” pond for the ducks to splash in. I’d like to eventually get a solar powered pump to transfer the duck and fish-dirty water into my garden.<br /><br />Removing the old liner in one piece was extremely difficult as I did it all by myself. Let’s just say it was a dirty, crappy, wet and arduous task. Next, I dug the new “pondlette” and built a dyke at the lower end from rail road ties and the dirt I excavated. Crossfit, BABY!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivrwSYaEQFgGFPneqnphwCRdrUTpTn2hWwrYA5c4fDB3yTk0VdzhZ4Lv1y8tJi9f_4kKNLQE5XFvWqv1skFh56wJUFsJXgDARGPTwJNm16Umc0LfAOUO5Flpn8P_eaB_eC7vkVjQ/s1600/IMG_0853.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 281px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivrwSYaEQFgGFPneqnphwCRdrUTpTn2hWwrYA5c4fDB3yTk0VdzhZ4Lv1y8tJi9f_4kKNLQE5XFvWqv1skFh56wJUFsJXgDARGPTwJNm16Umc0LfAOUO5Flpn8P_eaB_eC7vkVjQ/s400/IMG_0853.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612566851829393026" /></a><br /><br />I dug a ditch around the new pondlette and tucked the edges of the old liner in it and covered it with more dirt. An overflow pipe comes from the pool (I need to make it longer) to the new pondlette. So the plan is – rain flows from the roof into the pool; from the pool into the duck pondlette; from there into the pasture.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTLMItOrr87hiQFU-6Z5jXfsElX1fXWxO4YowfaFQD4NNqEWzRmwAwGovSnaR1ay3HdwWNTgWih6AnVuM3eBQ5MVzy-yB0FEkykdt900pdD1raR5L905mtjhvPfp3d_I6uwxWKCw/s1600/full+net.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTLMItOrr87hiQFU-6Z5jXfsElX1fXWxO4YowfaFQD4NNqEWzRmwAwGovSnaR1ay3HdwWNTgWih6AnVuM3eBQ5MVzy-yB0FEkykdt900pdD1raR5L905mtjhvPfp3d_I6uwxWKCw/s400/full+net.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612566845496987714" /></a><br /><br />Then about a week later I noticed a problem: The liner, exposed to the sun, became brittle and started developing cracks. I tried to tape them with 100 mph tape. I then laid netting down with the idea of planting grass or something to shield it from the sun’s harsh rays. Yeah. . . NO.<br /><br />That’s a lot of work for a leaky pond – it won’t hold water as high as it is in the picture of it full. I MAY try to drain it, and then using the liner and additional netting as a base, put a thin layer of concrete/cement over the whole thing. I would enjoy reading any other suggestions that do not involve a lot of money.<br /><br />Well, the above ground pool-pond is doing well and has fish in it once again so at least that works. I will build a little duck ramp for them to more easily get in and out of it.<br />I’m sure I left some details out but I got tired just typing about it!<br /><br /><em>Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them. Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools. – Psalm 84:5 - 6</em><br />.................................................................................<br /><br />If you have any comments I’d love to hear them.<br />If they really interest me, I may even post them.<br />You can reach me at <a href="mailto:Joe@vikingpreparedness.com">Joe</a><br /><br />You can also join us to discuss this and other issues at <a href="http://www.vikingpreparedness.com/forum/">Viking Preparedness Forums</a><br /><br />Prepared Americans for a Strong AmericaJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01042116713590623420noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36484412.post-59053455733600789902011-05-30T09:58:00.003-07:002011-05-30T10:16:56.471-07:00Viking Engine Swap<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA3LUeSIJS_rwu9YOa9w8bDQpihpTylCU-AOLH8xgKMFjX8B5w9vEgB7A_N7_O4xzwhPJWLYIuoVqfxjOE5GPnolCOtesxiomouIzm8W2iLjfGAM5-p7HP9ifkOZ-h6Db1UGoPWA/s1600/Vikingmechs.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA3LUeSIJS_rwu9YOa9w8bDQpihpTylCU-AOLH8xgKMFjX8B5w9vEgB7A_N7_O4xzwhPJWLYIuoVqfxjOE5GPnolCOtesxiomouIzm8W2iLjfGAM5-p7HP9ifkOZ-h6Db1UGoPWA/s400/Vikingmechs.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612557388007447874" /></a><br /><br />A week or so ago, three other Vikings joined Morri (my wife) and I for a day of working on her Jeep. Truth be told - I didn't work on it - I just took a couple pictures and carried on with chores here at High Prairie Acres.<br /><br />The week prior, my son and his friends assisted Morri in pulling the old engine and this day we intended to put in the new (used) engine. But as those of you who work on new things know - it always takes three times longer to do something than you planned and so the engine did not get put in.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitMh-YZSMVOqjbntDVdNxiLw1hY7SdGJRwZNdhUeURsTK45zX5djV5usFoLxZSVZLSio6lF-jCv-4YURT8o15Yxa8_03hPo0DvBpzG5iadcdeh7SI0y4ttCrRRJfS20Vb55K4CTw/s1600/Engineless.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitMh-YZSMVOqjbntDVdNxiLw1hY7SdGJRwZNdhUeURsTK45zX5djV5usFoLxZSVZLSio6lF-jCv-4YURT8o15Yxa8_03hPo0DvBpzG5iadcdeh7SI0y4ttCrRRJfS20Vb55K4CTw/s400/Engineless.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612557386856656546" /></a><br /><br />Work was done, fun was had, camaraderie experienced, and conversations on all manner of things occurred. Morri is a self-taught wrencher. “Self-taught” is not accurate – she has had a lot of instruction from friends like those who showed up to help that day. But she has done or helped do most of the work on her CJ over the years and now considers things like replacing water pumps, radiators, fuel pumps, and alternators as no big deal.<br /><br />Taking the time to learn how to do something.<br />Doing it “yourself” instead of paying for someone else to do it.<br />Learning from friends.<br />Helping each other.<br /><br />These are things that help all of us to be more prepared for what is coming down the pike.<br /><br />DIY<br /><br /><em>The mother of Sisera looked out at a window, and cried through the lattice, Why is his chariot so long in coming? why tarry the wheels of his chariots? – Judges 5:28</em><br />.................................................................................<br /><br />If you have any comments I’d love to hear them.<br />If they really interest me, I may even post them.<br />You can reach me at <a href="mailto:Joe@vikingpreparedness.com">Joe</a><br /><br />You can also join us to discuss this and other issues at <a href="http://www.vikingpreparedness.com/forum/">Viking Preparedness Forums</a><br /><br />Prepared Americans for a Strong AmericaJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01042116713590623420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36484412.post-20470648283915336272011-04-30T10:35:00.000-07:002011-04-30T10:55:00.064-07:00If a tree fell in the woods...?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWc_FUBtHNrDmFnMGlZRjeOSz376iuNPtyt9gG5DPNXEgFLR7q1j_ldaBEwGiwIHfon-zACBnOd1aWah9VYHg0OTRxQ15NNX7j4-PDab5Hw3XXJnxyaI4YF095uOeFaAapqnB_VQ/s1600/Tent+Tree.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWc_FUBtHNrDmFnMGlZRjeOSz376iuNPtyt9gG5DPNXEgFLR7q1j_ldaBEwGiwIHfon-zACBnOd1aWah9VYHg0OTRxQ15NNX7j4-PDab5Hw3XXJnxyaI4YF095uOeFaAapqnB_VQ/s400/Tent+Tree.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601433646779973554" /></a><br /><br />My family was all set to go camping in the Ozarks with five or six other families from our CiC group. We were all very much looking forward to it but God had other plans. So, we cancelled the trip.<br /><br />Our youngest daughter was going to bring a friend along and since they both had a hankering to spend some time in the woods, they quickly developed Plan B. They went down into our bottoms and set up camp there all by themselves. Not many teenaged girls today would just go off and camp in the woods alone like that.<br /><br />The pictured tent has been our daughters’ tent since they moved out of ours at about 4 years of age. We bought it for $10 at a garage sale. I didn’t like the colors (tan fly over maroon tent) so you can see we modified it. Krylon is your friend. We also painted the tarp with deck stain to add a super-waterproofing. We taught our girls how to set up the tent when they first started sleeping in it, lo these many years ago, and we helped them several times but they eventually figured it out and have been setting up that tent all by themselves for years. <br /><br />The girls had to cross pastures and slide under two very hot electric fences and continue the hike down a large hill to get to where they wanted to camp. After they had been gone awhile, I went down to see how things were going and told them not to burn the place down with their campfire (which they had not started yet). My daughter said, “Please, Dad – we’re not Boy Scouts!” Well, I took that as my cue that they had everything well in hand and hiked back home. The weather was beautiful and calm and I knew they’d have fun.<br /><br />We left one of the house doors unlocked for them “in case they had to come in for something” but they took toilet paper and shovel with them so I doubted they would be back that night. About four in the morning I awoke to the sound of my sliding glass door opening (all of our doors are loud) and heard the girls voices. I heard the toilet flush twice and I will admit I was a bit disappointed. Then I heard continued talking and decided to go down and see how they were.<br /><br />My daughter’s friend was sitting in the kitchen with a pack of frozen venison on her knee. “What happened?” I asked.<br /><br />“A huge tree fell on our tent and landed on Sarah’s knee!” my daughter explained.<br /><br />I looked at her knee and it was okay. My daughter apologized to me and said she thought one of the tent poles may be broken. Well, Plan C became a sleep over in our daughter’s room and I went back to bed.<br /><br />This morning I went to investigate and you have already seen what I saw. Wow.<br />Praise God! That puppy could have crushed them both. It was a standing dead tree that just decided it was time to fall. Good news is I have firewood. Bad news is, neither I nor my daughter looked for it. We did look up for “widow maker” branches in the limbs of the above trees but not for dead trees themselves. And this tree was a fair piece away.<br />All’s well that ends well. According to my daughter and her friend, YES, you can hear a tree falling in the woods – especially when it falls on you.<br /><br />I’ll see ya out there.<br /><br /><em>And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. – 1 Kings 19:5</em><br />.................................................................................<br /><br />If you have any comments I’d love to hear them.<br />If they really interest me, I may even post them.<br />You can reach me at <a href="mailto:Joe@vikingpreparedness.com">Joe</a><br /><br />You can also join us to discuss this and other issues at <a href="http://www.vikingpreparedness.com/forum/">Viking Preparedness Forums</a><br /><br />Prepared Americans for a Strong AmericaJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01042116713590623420noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36484412.post-87581700630140302362011-04-29T04:24:00.000-07:002011-04-29T04:37:58.947-07:00An Idea is not a Plan<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsFKemovAtDS6bKuplDNs2PKsIre9yxVr7fbVospWc0zi2WKEc58r5z-guu75IO0MrwlfPBj3bzKnb0x3vLWh7voNWXHZdFbxSB_GFNwTdtAnqXPaSky_QxzbhmEHos_rQ4OGvtQ/s1600/thinker.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsFKemovAtDS6bKuplDNs2PKsIre9yxVr7fbVospWc0zi2WKEc58r5z-guu75IO0MrwlfPBj3bzKnb0x3vLWh7voNWXHZdFbxSB_GFNwTdtAnqXPaSky_QxzbhmEHos_rQ4OGvtQ/s400/thinker.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600965670750575426" /></a><br /><br />I surf and participate in a fair number of preparedness and survivalist forums. I suspect you do as well. For the vast majority of participants, these forums are merely social entertainment. Most posters are not really into preparedness – they are just interested in the subject much like most people who enjoy martial arts movies could not fight their way through a Boy Scout troop.<br /><br />One thing that bugs me (because I care) is that many people have actually fooled themselves into thinking that because they read a lot of posts about preparedness, they can handle anything that comes down the pike. They cannot. Many people have an idea that “bugging out” is the thing to do when the world turns upside down. <em>I mean, gosh! EVERYBODY </em>(on the forums) <em>knows that trying to stay in a city during social turmoil is a bad idea!</em> So their idea is to flee the city ahead of the crazed, starving masses and bug out to a safe place. <br /><br />As if they will get warning before said masses.<br />As if they will be able to travel to their intended destination.<br />As if they really had a destination (does Aunt Mabel know your intentions to live with her?)<br />As if living at Aunt Mabel’s would actually be any better (how much food is at Aunt Mabel’s?)<br />And that is for the folks who actually have the idea of living somewhere specific – many have the idea that they will <em>bug out to the country and live off the land</em>.<br /><br />Uh-huh.<br /><br />An idea is not a plan.<br /><br />I discuss Planning (capital P) in my book <a href="http://drupal.vikingpreparedness.com/node/48">Survivalist Family</a> (which is also available at Amazon) but let’s cover just a bit here as well.<br /><br />Plans start with ideas.<br />I don’t like planning to bug out as a primary response to troubles so let’s consider something else...hmmm....ah! Food.<br /><br />Let’s say you have an idea that food could get scarce for you and yours.<br />Good start – let’s kick that around a bit – why would it get scarce? (no answers from me – this is YOUR idea!) Based on each “why” (because there are many causal factors and yeah, you better start making lists here) you could develop your idea as to how long food could be scarce. You will probably develop related ideas depending on the causes you dream up – if it’s plague then you might want to avoid people; if it’s a Chinese invasion you might want to have a plan to hide your food, and so on. Consider these, but try to stay focused on food – you are developing a food plan.<br /><br />Let’s say your idea is a longer term food shortage. You look around your place and figure out that you have an acre of lovely lawn surrounding a house with about four days worth of food in it. This is an assessment of your current situation. It is your start point.<br /><br />Now figure out, based on your ideas, where you want to be. Maybe you want to expand your food storage but have no room but you do have the idea of converting part of the house into an honest to God pantry complete with shelves, lights and the works. That would be short to medium term. Maybe your idea carries out further – perhaps you desire one day to sculpt your property into a permaculture food forest (if you don’t know – YouTube it) complete with a rabbitry, egg production facility and tilapia pond. <br /><br />Right now you are still in the idea phase. Let’s start planning.<br /><br />For each idea, (you have several now) come up with three courses of action (COA). They have to be feasible and unique. Take the food storage idea: Maybe COA 1 is to convert the spare bedroom into a pantry. COA 2 might be to wall off part of the basement and COA 3 could be to build a separate shed for the purpose. Each is doable; each is different from the others. Now start looking at your COAs and try to pick them apart. Be ruthless. Find the holes; discover the things you didn’t think about yet. Consider costs in time, money, emotional investment, and so on. Consider threats (would one COA be better than another when considering foraging Chinese soldiers?) Consider how well each COA meets your needs. Then pick one.<br /><br />Let’s say you chose COA 3 – the shed. You know your current situation – you have no shed. You know what you want...or do you? Have you really thought out how you want this puppy to look? How you want it constructed? Wood or concrete block? Front yard, side yard, or back? You now have other COAs to consider. Do so.<br /><br />Once you have this figured out you need to develop milestones, points along the way from now (no shed) to competed survival pantry. With each milestone set a date.<br />Perhaps you have something like:<br /><br />1. Complete blueprint – July 4 (that means you want it done by Independence Day)<br />2. Raise funds – July 10<br />3. Purchase materials – July 12<br />4. Exterior complete – July 20<br />5. Interior complete – July 25<br />6. Food purchased and stocked – 1 August<br /><br />Now obviously that was grossly simplified but you should get the idea. You now have something more than an idea – you have a plan. And because you have an actual plan – you will very likely accomplish what you set out to do. Sure this is a lot more work than dreamily typing on some internet forum – I plan on storing a lot of food; but you will actually have a food storage facility someday as opposed to the folks who only come up with ideas.<br /><br />Time is short.<br />You can feel it.<br />You are running out of planning time.<br />Get busy.<br /><br />I’ll see you out there.<br /><br /><em>A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished. - Proverbs 22:3</em><br />.................................................................................<br /><br />If you have any comments I’d love to hear them.<br />If they really interest me, I may even post them.<br />You can reach me at <a href="mailto:Joe@vikingpreparedness.com">Joe</a><br /><br />You can also join us to discuss this and other issues at <a href="http://www.vikingpreparedness.com/forum/">Viking Preparedness Forums</a><br /><br />Prepared Americans for a Strong AmericaJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01042116713590623420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36484412.post-85892969989008947672011-04-23T11:35:00.000-07:002011-04-23T11:51:49.006-07:00Morels!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRa2VJByzQnGqEvJBrnoWleQMrkDRsxsfptWEqgeWR5zxgoVPLaKLYmW-j3atlpQg_uLjx1DDs49JWlMzXj15XLFnhauVV4xIYBFDoPZ2xRWtFxc7C5ik-onQlOS8rSOGxrJfezg/s1600/Bounty.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 323px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRa2VJByzQnGqEvJBrnoWleQMrkDRsxsfptWEqgeWR5zxgoVPLaKLYmW-j3atlpQg_uLjx1DDs49JWlMzXj15XLFnhauVV4xIYBFDoPZ2xRWtFxc7C5ik-onQlOS8rSOGxrJfezg/s400/Bounty.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598850580710152658" /></a><br /><br />Took a little walk in the bottoms today and look what He provided!<br /><br />They were tasty.<br /><br />.................................................................................<br /><br />If you have any comments I’d love to hear them.<br />If they really interest me, I may even post them.<br />You can reach me at <a href="mailto:Joe@vikingpreparedness.com">Joe</a><br /><br />You can also join us to discuss this and other issues at <a href="http://www.vikingpreparedness.com/forum/">Viking Preparedness Forums</a><br /><br />Prepared Americans for a Strong AmericaJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01042116713590623420noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36484412.post-18391443386356356322011-04-11T15:35:00.001-07:002011-04-12T09:38:50.174-07:00Mulching the Upper Orchard<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0OgzGCq_VJy16V3f5BFga4rLxmxc0krlsK1e5RpzlwFxCGURMsB6UaWiYTSdGcGuMkODQDuFZuv24amGN5WY7khRYcHggxUBi-vz5G61JNs0vzzd0H6XkRiiPd4NBH5XTOUiyXA/s1600/JM2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0OgzGCq_VJy16V3f5BFga4rLxmxc0krlsK1e5RpzlwFxCGURMsB6UaWiYTSdGcGuMkODQDuFZuv24amGN5WY7khRYcHggxUBi-vz5G61JNs0vzzd0H6XkRiiPd4NBH5XTOUiyXA/s400/JM2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594728843307365986" /></a><br /><br />Several years ago I had a student for a private course “Survival Intensive 1” who was a fascinating man. He was (and probably still is) a nationally known python breeder. Well, if you are in those circles you would know him. He was also a arborist. He knew all about trees. He told me my fruit trees would do much better if I mulched them. He also told me to mulch them well beyond the drip line and to mulch them at least 3” deep. He was a professional in his field and I like advice from professionals. <br /><br />So, we took his suggestions, mulched our trees and man, did they start doing better! Now, we free range chickens and ducks and Guinea fowl and they have access to our orchards. They like to scratch. They spread the mulch a bit out into the grass and every year we need to add a bit more to keep up.<br /><br />Yesterday was a gorgeous day at High Prairie Acres and while I was out attending to other things, my wife went to the county dump/transfer station/waste disposal place to pick up some mulch. When the county picks up grass and brush and limbs and trees they put it all through a grinder and out comes a beautiful mulch. They load it into your pickup for you for $10 a load. And people in this county still run to the various box stores to buy their mulch for about $5 a BAG. Silly sheeple.<br /><br />As you can see from the photo, our work truck is in pristine condition and we don’t want it scratched or dirtied – I mean, we paid $800 for it so we want to take care of it! My wife laid a brand new tarp in the bed and had the men at the station fill the bed with mulch. That was a mistake. We unload it with a potato fork because a shovel just doesn’t work and a dirt rake does not have long enough tines for the job. My tarp now has some holes in it. Live and learn.<br /><br />We cannot back the truck up to each tree in the upper orchard so we have to get close and then offload. We could use a wheel barrow I suppose but we really like using those plastic toboggans to haul stuff around HPA. We just place it on the ground under the tailgate, fork the mulch in, drag it to where we need it, dump it and rake it nicely. Ta-da!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDrM5ZUUW_3pNWHee94Q3Za52Bc_bJcDdwJi59GT8-3YnAlzLWuvOdDHeNEFXPkuq5dIRobb_A3gsXidetomNDmN05sEJShlmyNDJ-Hvr87RZiK3TVnZjJbhwX8dmG0oSJ7xs21A/s1600/Mo+mulch.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDrM5ZUUW_3pNWHee94Q3Za52Bc_bJcDdwJi59GT8-3YnAlzLWuvOdDHeNEFXPkuq5dIRobb_A3gsXidetomNDmN05sEJShlmyNDJ-Hvr87RZiK3TVnZjJbhwX8dmG0oSJ7xs21A/s400/Mo+mulch.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594463256043939122" /></a><br /><br /><br />We want to mulch out a bit farther from the trunk but our goal yesterday was to just get some fresh mulch down.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG6a7-blf1kF0BZ0igl4rjYxxgGEGdONfwnq8k-5MysGa1qDDaelB8fbxx-3oJatAyJEjVJM6R7RX5V01h_BUPdYMubFtE9Bnbp9I5u4cpEbyeGXFIStvyImeZGCCQWodqFqqwKg/s1600/Mulch.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG6a7-blf1kF0BZ0igl4rjYxxgGEGdONfwnq8k-5MysGa1qDDaelB8fbxx-3oJatAyJEjVJM6R7RX5V01h_BUPdYMubFtE9Bnbp9I5u4cpEbyeGXFIStvyImeZGCCQWodqFqqwKg/s400/Mulch.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594463240186908386" /></a><br /><br />My wife and I had a good time working together. It made the job easier and more fun. We would have had even more fun and the job would have been that much easier if we were doing it as a community though. We have been meeting regularly with a group of Believers investigating what living in an intentional community would look like. We do stuff together and it is awesome. It will be more awesome when we get CiC off the ground and onto the land…another blog entry for another time. <br /><br />Spring is in the air – I’ll see ya out there!<br /><br /><em>And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them. – Isaiah 65:21 - 23</em><br />.................................................................................<br /><br />If you have any comments I’d love to hear them.<br />If they really interest me, I may even post them.<br />You can reach me at <a href="mailto:Joe@vikingpreparedness.com">Joe</a><br /><br />You can also join us to discuss this and other issues at <a href="http://www.vikingpreparedness.com/forum/">Viking Preparedness Forums</a><br /><br />Prepared Americans for a Strong AmericaJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01042116713590623420noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36484412.post-5634549436821332672011-04-01T15:29:00.000-07:002011-04-01T15:43:11.742-07:00Christian Preparedness - Don't Worry<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ3Znw9yvP4CpISv0yauVLrfP7GtruV0WCGbJ-jwCRnlzAlfoaDi0Uzy2TjURcRkqWBeva65HBPYWE8mXS-ncLHMW8t9B3fsoUktzW-A17xrujK-dSd7gXyYg69jFxlTUu8j0STA/s1600/Flower.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ3Znw9yvP4CpISv0yauVLrfP7GtruV0WCGbJ-jwCRnlzAlfoaDi0Uzy2TjURcRkqWBeva65HBPYWE8mXS-ncLHMW8t9B3fsoUktzW-A17xrujK-dSd7gXyYg69jFxlTUu8j0STA/s400/Flower.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590749218956612402" /></a><br /><br />A reader recently posed the question, “How do you justify preparedness in light of what Jesus said as recorded in Matthew 6:25 – 34?”<br /><br />Here is what Jesus said:<br /><em><strong>Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?<br />Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?<br />Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?<br />And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:<br />And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.<br />Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?<br />Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?<br />(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.<br />But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.<br />Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.</strong></em><br /><br />It's a good question – I’ve heard it before. The key to unraveling this bit of scripture with regards to preparedness rests on two points - the first of which is the verse preceding it, Matthew 6:24 - <em><strong>No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.</strong></em><br /><br />We always need to take things in context and here the context is that you can either serve God or the world (worldly things and ideas) – but you cannot serve both; and then examples to illustrate the point follow.<br /><br />We need to serve Him. Period. The greatest commandment is to love God with everything we have – heart, soul, and mind.<br /><br />The second point is how we translate/modernize “Take no thought for”.<br />What this means is “do not WORRY about.”<br />Don’t WORRY about life, food, drink, clothing and so on.<br />Worry is a sin.<br />There is no trust of God in worry.<br />Trust God – He’s got it all under control.<br /><br />I try to follow God’s commandments.<br />I read the Word – His letter to me (and you), and I try to learn from it.<br />Here are some things I have learned about preparedness from the Word of God:<br /><br /><strong><em>Adam</em></strong><br />Because of Adam, man has been cursed with work. By the sweat of our brow shall we eat our bread. Does it mean we don’t trust God if we actually listen to Him and go out and work for our bread? Should we instead just lay around and wait for it to fall like manna from the sky?<br /><br /><strong><em>Noah</em></strong><br />Noah built the ark. God told him to get ready and Noah did. It was not a popular thing to do - building an ark when one was not needed. Did Noah trust God? You bet. Did Noah say, “If God wants to save me from the flood let HIM provide an ark?” Of course not.<br /><br /><em><strong>Joseph</strong></em> <br />Joseph stored up wheat during years of plenty so that he would have it during the lean years. Did Joseph trust God? <br /><br /><em><strong>The Ant</strong></em> <br />We can read in Proverbs 6:6 – 11<br /><strong><em>Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.<br />How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?<br />Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.</em></strong><br /><br />After being told to consider the ant who works hard and stores food during times of plenty are we to now “trust God” and not do anything about our future preparedness? That would not be trusting God – that would be TEMPTING (testing) Him.<br /><br /><em><strong>10 Virgins</strong></em><br />Consider the ten virgins waiting for the wedding feast (Matthew 25). Five had oil and five did not. Those with oil are called wise, those without – foolish. When the time came did the wise virgins share with the foolish ones? No, they did not. That story has a few different levels to it but the obvious level is still true.<br /><br />If you buy my book, Survivalist Family, from me instead of from Amazon, I sign it. Along with that signature I write this: 1 Tim 5:8.<br /><br />I Timothy 5:8 reads: <strong><em>But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.</em></strong><br /><br /><br />My understanding and advice is to Work (with a capital W).<br />Instead of spending your money on worldly things – prepare.<br />Prepare and then leave it in God’s hands.<br />Have faith in Him.<br />Then get busy – faith without works is dead.<br /><br />I prepare.<br />I don’t worry.<br />I am not overly concerned about tomorrow – in fact I eagerly anticipate His return.<br /><br />I prepare because I am told to.<br />I don’t worry because I know God is in control.<br />I don’t worry because I read the whole book and I know how it all turns out in the end.<br /><br />I hope to see some of you there.<br /><br /><em><strong>He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.<br />The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. – Revelation 22:20 - 21</strong></em><br /><br /> <br /><br />.................................................................................<br /><br />If you have any comments I’d love to hear them.<br />If they really interest me, I may even post them.<br />You can reach me at <a href="mailto:Joe@vikingpreparedness.com">Joe</a><br /><br />You can also join us to discuss this and other issues at <a href="http://www.vikingpreparedness.com/forum/">Viking Preparedness Forums</a><br /><br />Prepared Americans for a Strong AmericaJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01042116713590623420noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36484412.post-57103266278877628952011-03-25T13:43:00.000-07:002011-03-25T14:17:19.805-07:00What's in YOUR Coat?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj53oysFlc71ZK29cUAFOx7GIj_16s-7VxYqF1buLFZ5hQUap4wsRQKPqobCVthZ99BO5PhQuRRGf_Qvo3bkhGP7Fo2nKDsek-U1kWpVXHWhMY4ClE0OhLUhXBiotYBeqHyqoMvmw/s1600/Coat1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj53oysFlc71ZK29cUAFOx7GIj_16s-7VxYqF1buLFZ5hQUap4wsRQKPqobCVthZ99BO5PhQuRRGf_Qvo3bkhGP7Fo2nKDsek-U1kWpVXHWhMY4ClE0OhLUhXBiotYBeqHyqoMvmw/s400/Coat1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588123389812434770" /></a><br /><br />We have been experiencing Pacific Northwest weather (which is to say, cold and rainy) lately and it just seems as if winter does not want to let go – we are actually expecting snow and sleet tonight. So, I have been wearing my coat longer than I planned this year but when my wife took this picture I figured it would be a good opportunity to tell y’all about my coat.<br /><br />Relatives gave me money for Christmas one year and I spent it at Cabela’s on a Dry-Plus (Goretex after the patent ran out) parka with a fleece liner. I think it cost about $200. I am a size Large but I buy most of my shirts, sweaters, hoodies, and coats size XL. I like to have the ability to layer under them when it’s cold and I like to be able to conceal some useful items on my person without printing. Lately it’s been in the high thirties so I just wear the coat as a shell.<br /><br />This parka is pretty neat. It has a BUNCH of pockets – 4 exterior and 3 interior and when I first put it on I thought I should just go ahead and put some useful items in there on a more or less permanent basis. That way, if I was ever “caught out” I might be able to make myself more comfortable.<br /><br />The coat itself makes a fine shelter all on its own – I could sit up against a tree in the rain and just wait it out . It has a hood for rain protection or warmth and pit zips to allow for cooling. It is also the perfect camo-camo color – it blends well in the city and it disappears in the woods.<br /><br />I did not “load” the coat for this blog post. I figured I’d just empty my pockets, take a picture and talk about it. So here we go. We can start in the upper left and work our way generally counter-clockwise. Try to keep up.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxOroQZaiZflJoJOHnkBWVHZ5vG4kZodYAn7nlCj1YYS785Ipuw0GByN5GlSx00HMOrTwNJOS2E6qhJCCHYx9wgY6lHBTE9dCaO8S3RM3hVLcuszfsnyrsvqpa5Se-9kxq_IH5Qw/s1600/Coat2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxOroQZaiZflJoJOHnkBWVHZ5vG4kZodYAn7nlCj1YYS785Ipuw0GByN5GlSx00HMOrTwNJOS2E6qhJCCHYx9wgY6lHBTE9dCaO8S3RM3hVLcuszfsnyrsvqpa5Se-9kxq_IH5Qw/s400/Coat2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588123387267116786" /></a><br /><br />Paper napkin and some tissue – I reckon I was in line for food somewhere and just stuck them in my pocket. I didn’t put them back after I snapped the photo.<br /><br />Knit cap – it’s not the same one I am wearing in the photo up top – it’s an acrylic Thinsulate hat because wool makes me itch. I don’t know if I’ve ever worn it because I usually grab some kind of hat on my way out the door. So it’s a spare.<br /><br />Becker Knife and Tool knife. I have never used it and honestly – I forgot it was in there. I like the size, weight, and shape a lot and I guess I should go play with it to see if I like the steel and grind.<br /><br />A pen and two large trash bags. The bags are for emergency shelter or emergency rain gear for people (like my daughter at a football game once) who get caught out without. I know, I know –she should know better. Actually she DOES know better. Kids...<br />Oh yeah, there is a Viking Pocket Fire on the one bag (lighter and inner tube) – hey, if you click on the photo it will enlarge for better detail.<br /><br />Three granola bars and a throat lozenge. I used to have fruit in there too but I must have eaten it. <br /><br />That’s a space blanket in the bottom right. I have a couple packets of Bio-Freeze a friend gave me one time and I forgot they were in there too – like I said, this coat has a lot of pockets.<br /><br /><br />A hank of 550 cord and my “EMT knife”. It has a seat belt cutter and is wicked sharp and pointy. I carry it in my off side pocket with that red flashlight you see there.<br /><br />I keep a simple first aid kit in a one gallon Ziploc bag – two large gauze, some duct tape and a few Band-Aids.<br /><br />S&W Airweight .38 Special and two speed strips of +P ammo for reloads. I keep it in a slightly modified pocket holster that a friend gave me. I cut it a bit to allow trigger access and I carry it in a pocket in such a way that I can ruin my coat if an up close and personal emergency occurs. I don’t keep the handgun in the coat all the time but it was in there today.<br /><br />So there you go. I don’t carry a “survival kit” but I could do pretty well with this coat and what I typically carry in it. No, there is no water but I usually have a bottle with me – I had two bottles in the shoulder bag in the first pic.<br /><br />I hope you found something useful and interesting in this post. I’ll see ya out there.<br /><br /><em>When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. – Matthew 24:15 - 21</em><br />.................................................................................<br /><br />If you have any comments I’d love to hear them.<br />If they really interest me, I may even post them.<br />You can reach me at <a href="mailto:Joe@vikingpreparedness.com">Joe</a><br /><br />You can also join us to discuss this and other issues at <a href="http://www.vikingpreparedness.com/forum/">Viking Preparedness Forums</a><br /><br />Prepared Americans for a Strong AmericaJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01042116713590623420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36484412.post-12898096646281761662011-03-07T14:08:00.000-08:002011-03-07T14:46:56.058-08:00Death and Life at HPA<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAmFScg8wdFjzs2SfGLd9d5NnDcCGbx8X-wRI0e8tkTRmRIgPhN8TfLgYV_IRrB_ZpT1QD9PjUuU-LcZGme-QMBwgR7D4H2mQf38_4wqvvsPEeiEXNWSIqiS3d9emYQrd9WPNeNg/s1600/Bruski.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 381px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAmFScg8wdFjzs2SfGLd9d5NnDcCGbx8X-wRI0e8tkTRmRIgPhN8TfLgYV_IRrB_ZpT1QD9PjUuU-LcZGme-QMBwgR7D4H2mQf38_4wqvvsPEeiEXNWSIqiS3d9emYQrd9WPNeNg/s400/Bruski.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581466263676436626" /></a><br /><br />It has been a rough two weeks here at High Prairie Acres.<br />The picture is of our Anatolian Shepherd puppy and was taken about a month ago when he was 8 weeks old. We called him Bru or Bruski. He had just started working with the goats, and he had figured the shepherd thing out. He would bristle and bark (pretty deeply for a pup) at approaching dogs, or chickens that he didn’t recognize as such because they were too far away (hey, it could have been a BIG THING farther away! It takes time to get used to such things as range and what is normal on the farm). He was our daughter’s puppy.<br /><br />Called..<br />Was..<br />Past tense.<br /><br />Long story short, he drowned in our pool/pond. Our above ground pool quit being a pool two years ago and instead, became our pond. Ducks swim in it; gold fish grow in it and I had plans to divert our house roof water into it and then pipe the overflow into an-as-yet-to-be-made small pond. I was also planning a solar pump affair where I could pump the “dirty” (nutrient rich) water from the pool to our large vegetable garden.<br /><br />Well, two dogs walked out onto the ice when no one was watching, the ice cracked and they fell in. The larger dog lived but the pup didn’t make it. It was really quite tragic. Not only was the death of Bru a sad shame – the dogs just tore up the liner trying to get out and now our pool/pond has only about two feet of water in it. A new liner cost us $400 three years ago. So, the pool is coming down and going away and I’ll plant something that does well in sand where it once stood. Any ideas?<br /><br />We have also had a critter sneaking in and killing our chickens. We are down to only a few. Every few days we’d find a dead, half eaten bird. We then discovered the culprit – our Aussie Shepherd/Blue Heeler. Yep, Drover is a chicken killer. We have tried all the “remedies” and they don’t work. They didn’t work with another dog we had years ago either. Once they get a taste for fresh chicken blood it is darn near impossible to get it out of them. Drover is a beautiful boy. House broken, polite, comes when called, sits, etc. But he kills chickens. We tried to give him away but no luck. His days are numbered here at HPA.<br /><br />Regular readers will know that we raise goats. We like Alpine Boer crosses. About ¾ Alpine and ¼ Boer so that we can milk the girls and the boys have some meat on their bones to eat. Last year we got an Oberhaslie (also a milk goat) and bred her to a Boer. She had triplets on “Easter” – Shadrack, Meshach, and Abednego. It was difficult for her.<br /><br />This year she looked like she was carrying at least twins. And then she went down. As in – wouldn’t stand up.<br />For a few days. We did everything three different vets and four different goatherds told us to do. She went into labor – for about 48 hours. The first kid came out (with assistance) dead. The next morning I checked on her as I went out for a jog. She had a little goat foot sticking out of her. I pulled gently on it and it pulled back – “good, it’s alive”. I decided if it was still there an hour later when I got back I’d see what I could do. It was and I pulled and maneuvered the little guy as Brownie contracted – he was born!<br />He did great – for one day. Then he crashed too. We tried to help him but he died about 4 hours later. That was yesterday and Brownie is still not standing up - I think her days are numbered also. Well I know they are - even if she lives, I doubt we will be able to milk her and we certainly cannot breed her again. I'm not into feeding critters that don't produce - it sounds hard, it sounds cruel but it is farm economics. As much as we love them - they aren't pets. They are livestock.<br /><br />Last year, someone gave us a registered, papered Red Boer. They are supposedly rare and expensive. Last night, we took her to a friend’s house. Our friend recently “got into goats” and also purchased a three year old Anatolian. She had about four goats and had a borrowed Boer billy so we took our girl over to get bred. The dog killed our goat sometime last night.<br /><br />That’s just how it goes sometimes I reckon but, MAN! It’s been a tough couple weeks.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhizyCgd6-N1s6ogdoKBL_TTAKgBmeRrTzWZTHBUj-XAPRTH6XoWr1wh3Q6BEstPpGOnoJupaHCcTer4RZnVthmnaLKmgyEPZiF2b_7QR5HTOBKJ6h5ac8Gl2h9K238vfpmbqxbPw/s1600/Chicks.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhizyCgd6-N1s6ogdoKBL_TTAKgBmeRrTzWZTHBUj-XAPRTH6XoWr1wh3Q6BEstPpGOnoJupaHCcTer4RZnVthmnaLKmgyEPZiF2b_7QR5HTOBKJ6h5ac8Gl2h9K238vfpmbqxbPw/s400/Chicks.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581466257069513554" /></a><br /><br /><br />Today however we got a delivery of 60 chicks. Half Barred Rock roosters and half Barred Rock hens. I think they are about the perfect all around farmstead chicken. We’ll see. They have taken to their new temporary home just fine. Very soon though we are going to have to expand their personal space and we have not yet decided if we will get another trough or what. All of our other troughs are currently being used to water critters.<br /><br />So that’s life here at HPA.<br /><br />I’ll see ya out there!<br /><br /><em>To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. <br />- Eccleasiastes 3:1 - 8</em><br />.................................................................................<br /><br />If you have any comments I’d love to hear them.<br />If they really interest me, I may even post them.<br />You can reach me at <a href="mailto:Joe@vikingpreparedness.com">Joe</a><br /><br />You can also join us to discuss this and other issues at <a href="http://www.vikingpreparedness.com/forum/">Viking Preparedness Forums</a><br /><br />Prepared Americans for a Strong AmericaJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01042116713590623420noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36484412.post-82942662368166088182011-03-05T11:58:00.000-08:002011-03-05T12:44:59.557-08:00Mora Neck Knife<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1OMyPXn7gwhd4H9AZyQuuKZP74tOTxBIsccM4NarJr09qqmo7HdHz5BfJwCmCZ6qgRrwrqqY2WYGuOkxp-BveNrpW-iIZPmDH92-21RHTYXNmFcVh7NxXICVKKRKH0vcyiiNhqw/s1600/neckknife.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 297px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1OMyPXn7gwhd4H9AZyQuuKZP74tOTxBIsccM4NarJr09qqmo7HdHz5BfJwCmCZ6qgRrwrqqY2WYGuOkxp-BveNrpW-iIZPmDH92-21RHTYXNmFcVh7NxXICVKKRKH0vcyiiNhqw/s400/neckknife.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580696712616295586" /></a><br /><br />For a few years in the early part of this century I was a Boy Scouts scoutmaster. It was a lot of fun and I think I was able to pass on some useful stuff to boys in my troop. One thing I instituted early on in my tenure was an addition to the weekly uniform inspection. In addition to checking for proper wear of the uniform at weekly meetings and prior to campouts, we would do a “Fire and Steel check”. When a Scout leader said “Fire and Steel!” the Scouts would have to hold up their knife and a means of starting a fire. <br /><br />As an aside, I laugh (if I didn’t I’d likely weep) at folks on the Internet who say things like, “Boy Scouts cannot carry a sheath knife” or “Boy Scouts cannot wear camouflage”. My Scouts did both – and yes, at District events also.<br /><br />Anyway, back to the post: I have always liked Mora knives. They are inexpensive and work well within their intended parameters. I do dislike the sheaths, however. They are cheaply made and look ugly. So, I decided to make one of my Moras “cool” from a scouting perspective.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1165Hbs0unpSRxIw21VXY0Zu2Ydwx_3agbRIRUMub3qelNwOi9AFyCoVkLrbVbpG8WP8fJp3ikQ8IN6RMNYk0au-C9Sw94_pa4ERk9WpoVrnjHV2SvkPXh1bg6ojGkHDs8CQlmQ/s1600/neckknifestuff.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 281px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1165Hbs0unpSRxIw21VXY0Zu2Ydwx_3agbRIRUMub3qelNwOi9AFyCoVkLrbVbpG8WP8fJp3ikQ8IN6RMNYk0au-C9Sw94_pa4ERk9WpoVrnjHV2SvkPXh1bg6ojGkHDs8CQlmQ/s400/neckknifestuff.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580696706256641250" /></a><br /><br />Basically, I modified the sheath and hung cool do-dads on it. First I cut off the belt loop and then affixed a long leather thong to the sheath by wrapping it first with dental floss and then covering the whole with epoxied on leather. I left enough extra to cut fringes. You will notice the necklace is adjustable for length – sometimes I wore it over just my Boy Scouts shirt, sometimes I wore it over (and outside of) my parka.<br /><br /> A good friend gave me the little leather pouch which holds blood tubes stuffed with PJBs (petroleum jelly coated cotton balls) and a piece of wax impregnated cardboard. Both are excellent for starting fires. I also have a small Boy Scouts ferrocerium rod “sparker” and a striker fashioned from a bit of hacksaw blade (it works well at sparking and I could possibly use it as a small saw also). You will notice the handle of the knife is covered in part by a piece of bicycle inner tube. You can read <a href="http://vikingpreparedness.blogspot.com/2009/11/viking-pocket-fire.html">Viking Pocket</a> Fire to see how to use it. Yes, I modified the knife handle a bit – just sanded the paint off, then carved it a bit, sanded some more and stained it – all to “make it mine”.<br /><br />My Mora is made from carbon steel and has a full, though skinny, tang. I sharpened the upper “false edge” and blued it with some liquid cold blue. I keep it oiled with vegetable oil so I am not afraid to slice and eat an apple or something. This knife can get wicked sharp – another long story entails me slicing my thumb to the bone –yes, to the bone (my bad). But it does need to be touched up a bit while in the field so I also attached a DMT flat diamond hone. If you click on the photo it will enlarge - you may notice that the top/back of the knife is nicked. I have started a few fires with flint (real flint - the rocks, not ferrocerium)with this blade as well.<br /><br />Because I don’t want to open cans with my Mora, I also attached a P38 can opener. That completes it. Sure, I could have added other stuff. A whistle comes to mind but I really wasn’t trying to create a “survival necklace” I just wanted to have some useful stuff handy when I needed it. And that’s the key to my little contraption – I actually used the stuff on my neck knife ensemble. I doubt I would have used a whistle.<br /><br /><em>And thou, son of man, take thee a sharp knife, take thee a barber's razor, and cause it to pass upon thine head and upon thy beard: then take thee balances to weigh, and divide the hair. – Ezekiel 5:1</em><br />.................................................................................<br /><br />If you have any comments I’d love to hear them.<br />If they really interest me, I may even post them.<br />You can reach me at <a href="mailto:Joe@vikingpreparedness.com">Joe</a><br /><br />You can also join us to discuss this and other issues at <a href="http://www.vikingpreparedness.com/forum/">Viking Preparedness Forums</a><br /><br />Prepared Americans for a Strong AmericaJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01042116713590623420noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36484412.post-82725009740811700932011-02-23T14:44:00.000-08:002011-02-23T15:12:52.913-08:00An Investment in the Future<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvI-QhvyhbUGMcxJShwJV1h3QiOfitcnpaydLu83X0UCDxn2dE48UL-l4I2xrnBdG3NEN-OHdj7iPQ_wRHoWwMzZ1dIJWk9ELCxuATC6PNAa9xOy148E8OM2ezTf8f-kPZTgAK9w/s1600/Investment.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvI-QhvyhbUGMcxJShwJV1h3QiOfitcnpaydLu83X0UCDxn2dE48UL-l4I2xrnBdG3NEN-OHdj7iPQ_wRHoWwMzZ1dIJWk9ELCxuATC6PNAa9xOy148E8OM2ezTf8f-kPZTgAK9w/s400/Investment.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577021974930186786" /></a><br /><br />If you have been following the <a href="http://www.vikingpreparedness.com/forum/">forums</a> you may have noticed a post called <a href="http://www.vikingpreparedness.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4380">February - No Consuming</a> <br />Basically, we decided to try to spend no money this month beyond bills, gas, and groceries. We would not buy “stuff”; we would not go out to eat; we would not <em>consume</em>. <br /><br />We failed. In the past week we have eaten out three times and today we put a dent in the credit card. For various reasons I won’t go into here, I may be transitioning job-wise and we wanted to splurge a bit and get some things we “need” before our paycheck disappears. Yeah, yeah, I know...<br /><br />But honestly, we view today’s credit card splurge as more of an investment in our future than it as outright consuming. We have already started a veggie garden – we have turned some ground and planted Swiss Chard. This year, we are going to take our first steps into permaculture and we want to grow a HUGE garden. We are going to try and supply most of our own food. If you have been reading this blog for long you know we have rabbits, goats, and all manner of fowl so we should be okay meat and dairy wise but veggies...well, we are going to get serious.<br /><br />Hence our investments of today. We bought those seed starting trays with clear plastic tops so light can get in but heat and water won’t get out. We already have several so we also bought some replacement little peat pellets that expand when you add water. Last year I kept these trays in an office and left the lights on 24/7 but this year they will be at home so we also bought some florescent lights – not “grow lights” but we hope they will work. We also bought some potting soil and small biodegradable pots which will hold some transplants.<br /><br />We have a small orchard and two grape vines which we plan on adding to again this year but we aren’t ready to put them in yet. We have some blackberry vines that did well last year so we bought two more and four blueberry bushes. We had bushes in Washington State that did well and I didn’t know they would grow here on the prairie until last year when I saw some at a friend’s house. So we’ll see - I reckon in a couple years we may have enough blueberries to make a pie. <br /><br />We also bought a bunch of seeds: everything from tomatoes to peppers, to turnips and corn and squash and on and on. We got some heirloom so we can save the seeds and some hybrid so that we can be assured a good crop. I learn more about gardening every year and for me at least, it is not something one can just read about in a book and then go do successfully the very first time. But based on last year, I have confident hope for a good season if God wills it.<br /><br />We bought the gardening stuff on plastic (which we pay off in full every month) but I also had some extra FRNs so I stopped by a coin dealer and bought some silver bullion. We got one ounce rounds at a buck something over spot. The store will buy back silver at sixty cents under spot – not bad. Our dollars are worth less and less every day and silver is worth more and more everyday and I think it is currently under priced when compared with gold so we’ll see.<br /><br />So did we consume? Yes, probably but the stuff we bought today should show us a decent return on our investment.<br /><br />Hey, I’ll see ya out there!<br /><br /><em>He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth; And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart. – Psalm 104:14 - 15</em><br />.................................................................................<br /><br />If you have any comments I’d love to hear them.<br />If they really interest me, I may even post them.<br />You can reach me at <a href="mailto:Joe@vikingpreparedness.com">Joe</a><br /><br />You can also join us to discuss this and other issues at <a href="http://www.vikingpreparedness.com/forum/">Viking Preparedness Forums</a><br /><br />Prepared Americans for a Strong AmericaJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01042116713590623420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36484412.post-50391677088774694552011-02-14T06:21:00.000-08:002011-02-14T11:38:43.000-08:00National Winter BoB Exercise - Viking Edition<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib6AD_H5BQHeXcq4B10XQB162q4BtbDmWrE5Do_LzKL7ljmTWrz03QpbNgayLfrLes2qIRJYuCLZo965OHchjxco6c6LI_tu2e7bwPaJpe8mDj1d61zMyiTLXU15GzMFV9t2M7hg/s1600/Thumbsup.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib6AD_H5BQHeXcq4B10XQB162q4BtbDmWrE5Do_LzKL7ljmTWrz03QpbNgayLfrLes2qIRJYuCLZo965OHchjxco6c6LI_tu2e7bwPaJpe8mDj1d61zMyiTLXU15GzMFV9t2M7hg/s400/Thumbsup.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573551312394730930" /></a><br /><br /><br />The Seventh Annual National Winter BoB Exercise – Viking Edition was a success.<br />Conceived by a good friend of mine well…SEVEN years ago – the exercise is designed to test oneself and one’s gear in a winter setting.<br /><br />The concept is simple: On a designated winter weekend (we get to designate it because we invented it) take your BoB out of your closet, head off to the nearest patch of wilderness and survive for three or so days with just what you have packed. Bring extra gear in your vehicle so that if you make mistakes they are not fatal. If you have to go back to the vehicle you “fail” but you live and learn. Go with friends if you can for the same reason and because it is a lot more fun that way.<br /><br />In years past, we did this exercise in the Ozarks – there are several writes ups on this blog. Quite frankly, I tired of walking into or out of our training area in t-shirts (despite choosing dates in “deep winter” the temperatures were frequently in the 40s or 50s in the Ozarks) so I moved the Viking edition of the exercise north a couple hundred miles to northeastern Kansas. This year, week prior to our exercise, the temperatures were below zero and I was a bit concerned for those who regularly attend from the Deep South. Yes, we have people who drive hundreds of miles and more than half a day to attend these events.<br /><br />When we linked up at the training area at noon on Thursday the temperature was probably somewhere around 15 degrees or so – it was COLD. We rucked up (or is that BoBed up?) and walked over hill and dale, through the snow to a preselected area. Enroute we had to cross barbed wire fences, horse jumps, downed limbs, creeks and all manner of terrain. New folks discovered what more experienced folks had also learned the hard way during past events – BoBs were too heavy to carry all day across terrain, and people were dressed to heavily for conditions. We stopped after about 15 minutes of hiking to allow folks to take off layers so as not to sweat. Sweating in cold weather is a bad thing as it condenses in clothing and makes one COLD once exertion ceases.<br /><br />We saw several trails made by what appeared to be a mountain lion – very clear, very large cat tracks in the snow – pictures will undoubtedly show up in the forums…<br /><br />We set up camp which consisted of folks picking out individual areas to set up their shelters, clearing snow, building fires and what not. Most grabbed a bite to eat and by then it was sundown. We had a group campfire where we attempted to solve the world’s problems and most folks turned in early – it was cold and they were tired.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyIE3Mfq57Xiy4qrCazID30LvSZTwqLq8f0j1IADrHYN-v81gDD3AA2vkyjTCDmk0_5a18SDq3sgWAmaWElYVA73_sa0UIH-3b661DA1QAZS5DFCXKQARR_vjSEVr4a1_AAdl2kg/s1600/FatherSon.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyIE3Mfq57Xiy4qrCazID30LvSZTwqLq8f0j1IADrHYN-v81gDD3AA2vkyjTCDmk0_5a18SDq3sgWAmaWElYVA73_sa0UIH-3b661DA1QAZS5DFCXKQARR_vjSEVr4a1_AAdl2kg/s400/FatherSon.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573551318336802866" /></a><br /><br />The next morning we woke up, made breakfast (I ate instant oatmeal made with water from melted snow), broke camp and moved BACK to the link up area to pick up some folks who just could not get off work on Thursday (or who saw that the weather was supposed to steadily get warmer and decided to wait a day….just kidding)<br /><br />We then moved to a different campsite even deeper in the woods and set up camp again. Later that afternoon, four other intrepid souls joined us (the girl in the party could not miss class that day so they waited for her) and easily tracked us to our camp site. It is difficult to “leave no trace” when moving in snow…. All in all, we had 14 people on this venture including a 10 year old boy and an 18 year old woman – both of whom “had never done anything like this before” and both of whom had a blast.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_3fkEC7JPOtrIOPmp2INGwntcPtmrAJfKmV6QXd4KUTiNPRCr78glIgOL8WSO1lO2OO5RWbVIpbbC8LUPLqh-DPIJ6PA3wcBGX0RTO4pdnJ8_M0uK8tHGbJvNlLKmP_OAZZoI6A/s1600/Crewshot2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 371px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_3fkEC7JPOtrIOPmp2INGwntcPtmrAJfKmV6QXd4KUTiNPRCr78glIgOL8WSO1lO2OO5RWbVIpbbC8LUPLqh-DPIJ6PA3wcBGX0RTO4pdnJ8_M0uK8tHGbJvNlLKmP_OAZZoI6A/s400/Crewshot2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573553780150994882" /></a><br /><br />On Saturday we had range time where we fired various weapons at various distances and had a class on snares. That does not sound like a lot of activity to those who have not camped in cold snowy conditions but no one was bored. Just living in those conditions takes time. This was the second Winter BoB Exercise where I did not use my water purifier. The first was because it never stopped raining so I just gathered water off my tarp and this time I just melted snow the entire time.<br /><br />O Most folks built fire reflectors and open-sided lean tos and this seemed to work well.<br />O Those without stools or camp chairs wished they had one.<br />O Clothes got wet (due to melting snow near warm fires) and had to be dried out.<br />Most folks cleared the snow under their sleeping arrangements which typically consisted of evergreen boughs topped by sleeping pads.<br />O One fellow did not bring a rifle – but he did bring a snow shovel. He was very popular.<br />O There was no precipitation while we were out – in fact, it was sunny so I rigged my <a href="http://www.survival-solutions.com/The_Swack_Shack_Details.html">Swack Shack</a> with a fairly high profile to block the wind but allow me to sit by my fire and reflect heat onto my back – it worked perfectly. I think three people had Swack Shacks and I know some more will be buying one after seeing ours.<br />O Two guys had cook kits fashioned from #10 cans and picture hanging chain – they were the best things going for melting snow due to their size.<br />O I only ate one of my meals the entire time I was out there – but when I got back, I was hungry. We walked a lot but not all day so I’m sure I’d have eaten more if we were exercising more.<br />O I’ll say it again because it bears repeating – most BoBs were too heavy. Things were made more difficult by moving overland through snow. The only way you can truly appreciate how difficult is by getting out there yourself. I encourage you to do so.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2gDnzB_VUBAz0FtWSKYzImSl4-w8x1EamXlFhmV3RCoXIkQIaFYBw9JHIINlaNuCRanOwN1aFWi9kQOSklYbv-jMB4jnn0bvhCN6LVPWK-ioGmQWy8rtI5uECzREw7cDZmy5Qzw/s1600/GJH.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2gDnzB_VUBAz0FtWSKYzImSl4-w8x1EamXlFhmV3RCoXIkQIaFYBw9JHIINlaNuCRanOwN1aFWi9kQOSklYbv-jMB4jnn0bvhCN6LVPWK-ioGmQWy8rtI5uECzREw7cDZmy5Qzw/s400/GJH.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573551317603646658" /></a><br /><br />I hope to see some of you next year for the EIGHTH Annual Winter BoB Exercise!<br /><br /><em> But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. – Matthew 24:20 - 21</em><br />........................................................................<br /><br />If you have any comments I’d love to hear them.<br />If they really interest me, I may even post them.<br />You can reach me at <a href="mailto:Joe@vikingpreparedness.com">Joe</a><br /><br />You can also join us to discuss this and other issues at <a href="http://www.vikingpreparedness.com/forum/">Viking Preparedness Forums</a><br /><br />Prepared Americans for a Strong AmericaJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01042116713590623420noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36484412.post-69868968390763299402011-02-09T06:59:00.000-08:002011-02-09T07:12:30.836-08:00Just Cache It!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk5JeSJOPDVT5aWoDOad6LMlOfpDtNHQjG4ZismcRyOskcJJx7HFyBo3eHjhLDjGz4cmustgTjGvW8Ed04UUnBVLe6gUV8TqA_eC45T9oVAUTytN5-TcpSW3bIvEb2jgZxIXcMhw/s1600/cache.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 277px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk5JeSJOPDVT5aWoDOad6LMlOfpDtNHQjG4ZismcRyOskcJJx7HFyBo3eHjhLDjGz4cmustgTjGvW8Ed04UUnBVLe6gUV8TqA_eC45T9oVAUTytN5-TcpSW3bIvEb2jgZxIXcMhw/s400/cache.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571704857900842114" /></a><br /><br />Midnight Gardening…Making a deposit in the Earth Bank Land and Trust…Caching. A cache (pronounced “cash”) is basically a hiding place for valuables. To cache is the verb for hiding your stuff. You should become very familiar with the concept and techniques.<br /><br />I have discovered a man, a Brother in Christ who “gets it”, and his YouTube post of yesterday <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/PastorDowell#p/u/7/oDNH2KzZ-aI">“Banks Unannounced Warrantless Looting”</a> got me to thinking about the subject of caches and caching.<br /><br />Watch his video (watch lots of his videos – he teaches and preaches on a wide variety of things that readers of this blog will find interesting and useful) and think. I bet most of you realize that our dollar is, at any given time, just 72 hours away from being worthless. All it takes is the idea to catch in a few sheeple minds that these pieces of linen-paper are backed by nothing and the stampede will start. <br /><br />I’d bet most of you also realize that the banks are not safe places to have things (whether they be dollars in an account or items in a “safety” deposit box”) when the balloon goes up. <br /><br />When the emergency strikes – the banks will be closed and have contracted security with M4s, body armor, and Oakleys standing outside on the sidewalk – you are not getting in and you are not accessing your stuff that day.<br /><br />The Patriot Act took your liberties – well, you gave them up, basically – and it can, and I submit, <em>will</em>, be used to take a lot more also. Snooping, expectation of privacy, collecting information on everyone, storing it, collating it, keeping it ready for The Day. If you think your stuff is safe in a bank – think again.<br /><br />If you think your valuables (be that precious metals, cash, guns, jewels, food – whatever) are safe in your home or in your barn – think again. Common dangers like fire, or thieves, or floods are threats to your “stuff”. Let me tell you about another potential threat – your government gone crazy. It could happen. Oh yes, it could.<br /><br />Our military and certain .gov organizations have gotten very, very good at searching houses, at searching villages, at looking for and discovering simple caches in obvious places. Those skill sets are not going away anytime soon.<br /><br />You need to cache your valuables. Sooner rather than later. There are three main types of caches. <em>Concealment caches</em> are where you just hide stuff. I did it with wheat and you can read about it <a href="http://vikingpreparedness.blogspot.com/2008/02/cache-pronounced-cash-is-hidden.html">here.</a> Another type is <em>submerged</em> – think a sealed PVC pipe anchored down with cinder bricks in a pond. The safest cache in my opinion is a <em>buried cache</em>.<br /><br />I may do an article on the techniques of caching but you can find that information in a lot of places. The important thing for me to impart today, I think is for you to get over your FEAR of caching. Doing it correctly is not difficult and done correctly – your stuff will be very safe and secure. Consider some ideas I have used in the past:<br /><br />House key<br />Everyone should know not to “hide” a key under the mat, above the door, under a flower pot or in the grill. But there may be a cause to hide a key. At one house we placed a key in two Ziplock sandwich bags and then “buried” it under about 3 inches of bark mulch that was around a tree in the backyard. It was easy to get to and secure enough.<br /><br />Cash<br />We kept cash at one house in two Ziplock bags (a trend?), inside an old metal can tossed into the corner of a chicken coop. It wasn’t “hidden” and it looked like crap – guess why?<br /><br />Handgun<br />At another place, we kept a loaded handgun inside…yep – two Ziplock bags, inside an old wooden box in a carport. There was a lot of junk in that carport.<br /><br />Those are fine cache locations for things you want quick access to and are only trying to hide from run of the mill thieves. If they KNOW you have stuff hidden – you must be smarter.<br /><br />If you are trying to cache stuff from organizations with means…you need to think like they do. They think about what most people do. Most people are afraid to cache their stuff in places they cannot see so they cache very close to their house – like in the flower bed. Most people, despite their perfectly fine waterproofing efforts are worried their cache will leak, so they cache stuff inside sheds, barns, or under pieces of sheet metal or plastic laying out and looking “junky”. These are the FIRST places professionals search. However, unless you have given them a reason, pros are not going to search your place. Do your own risk assessment.<br /><br />Do not worry about “ground penetrating radar” – no, they cannot determine from space that you have a cache in your back forty. And even if they could (work with me here) how could they differentiate between your hole and a badger hole and a coyote hole and a Model T wheel, and a tractor disc and a…. Yes, they can, if they want to, go over your back yard with a device but there are not too terribly many of these devices and they have to have a really good reason (like they suspect you of having bodies buried out there or you being the regional arms dealer or something) to bring all that gear to YOUR little slice of heaven. They can also dig up your entire yard if they want to. If you are worried about that – don’t cache on your own property.<br /><br />Here is the bottom line: You should have stuff at home or fairly nearby – accessible. Do not trust banks or storage lockers or similar places that rely on others to secure you valuables. Take personal responsibility. Consider the threat when deciding where to cache your goodies – fire, crack heads or organized people – and cache accordingly.<br /><br />Tell ya what – why don’t you put together a “fake cache” – you know newspaper in the place of FRNs, quarters in the place of gold coins, some old tools in the place of firearms and go do a test cache. PROVE to yourself that you can do this safely and securely. Then go cache those valuables you have laying about your house.<br /><br /><em>In the dark they dig through houses, which they had marked for themselves in the daytime: they know not the light. – Job 24:16</em><br /><br />.................................................................................<br /><br />If you have any comments I’d love to hear them.<br />If they really interest me, I may even post them.<br />You can reach me at <a href="mailto:Joe@vikingpreparedness.com">Joe</a><br /><br />You can also join us to discuss this and other issues at <a href="http://www.vikingpreparedness.com/forum/">Viking Preparedness Forums</a><br /><br />Prepared Americans for a Strong AmericaJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01042116713590623420noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36484412.post-85558341598822366962011-01-27T14:31:00.001-08:002011-01-28T10:43:22.372-08:00Root Cellar 1<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm8ZZwPaO9q5pr9gHgsnxU0lBMJ5kiEPl4FavcR9wMkVSOMMD7DjgXrLG-c1Py-ngB5Y39mzmZzf7NLIz2f4Lf84C4181BA4HimUDKZnBTN7lsj1EYHUYLlnpJEYYpHE34VvnmOQ/s1600/IMG_0780.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm8ZZwPaO9q5pr9gHgsnxU0lBMJ5kiEPl4FavcR9wMkVSOMMD7DjgXrLG-c1Py-ngB5Y39mzmZzf7NLIz2f4Lf84C4181BA4HimUDKZnBTN7lsj1EYHUYLlnpJEYYpHE34VvnmOQ/s400/IMG_0780.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567000763315753394" /></a><br /><br />The other day I was returning home late afternoon/early evening and all along my road were parked several working pickups. You know: the 4 door big white ones full of tools and gear in the back. A track hoe was parked in the field, there were a bunch of dudes standing around the boss’s truck, and I could tell they were wrapping up a long cold day.<br /><br />I thought to myself, “I ought to ask them if they could do a small job for me for some beer or something…” But then I thought that their day was over, they were tired, and since the track hoe was parked – they were likely coming back in the morning. There is a gas pipeline underground near High Prairie Acres and I assumed they were working on it. I was correct.<br /><br />As I exited my vehicle, my wife came out of the barn looking and acting strange. Her body language was just “weird” and she was motioning me to “come here” in a rapid manner. She obviously didn’t want to speak.<br /><br />I immediately went to Code Orange and started scanning the area for trouble. I’m looking at her for signs of physical distress, I’m scoping out the guys by the trucks over there; I’m looking for other people possibly hiding in the area…(It was one of those days and I just defaulted to a more “tactical state”.)<br /><br />She led me to our pasture off the drive and pointed at track hoe tracks going across our field and said in an excited whisper, “We need to call the Sherriff – look, they drove across our property”. She was still acting very strangely and I was thinking very fast.<br /><br />I don’t care if they drove across our field – it doesn’t look like they did any damage…Sure, they don’t have an easement or permission but still, we are not like that…<br /><br />I said, “So what?” <br /><br />My wife said, “You should see what they did over here!”<br /><br />So, looking back at the guys saddling up to leave for the day and thinking they were “getting away” I said, “Well call 911 NOW”. I figured I’d figure out what was going on later but we better get these guys who upset my wife fast or they are gonna get away…<br /><br />We were still walking and following the tracks and my wife said, “they drove through our fences, and they drove into the bottoms and, THEY DUG YOU A ROOT CELLAR!” At this point she was giggling and jumping for joy.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuvc4milSbfpFI63HrgnvCIm3hbnvSWWXnXUiZ6LzWJzI8GBebL5AFOVBLTROW1iWohW2naktR3rGaTf_lHl4Xwehm4qTijRQ7f4U36Ix0lOtaWJDSTcShXgCROHf9HHvZhAhKsA/s1600/IMG_0796.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuvc4milSbfpFI63HrgnvCIm3hbnvSWWXnXUiZ6LzWJzI8GBebL5AFOVBLTROW1iWohW2naktR3rGaTf_lHl4Xwehm4qTijRQ7f4U36Ix0lOtaWJDSTcShXgCROHf9HHvZhAhKsA/s400/IMG_0796.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567000755570981650" /></a><br /><br />We have been planning a root cellar down there for a long time. We want a place to store produce. Yeah, we actually want to use it as a root cellar. We had tried putting teenagers to work with shovels and they did dig a pretty good hole one afternoon but we figured out we would need more mechanical advantage.<br /><br />I talked to folks about borrowing or renting a back hoe or a bobcat or something but we just never got around to it.<br /><br />Until the crew showed up that afternoon.<br />When they all pulled up on the land next to ours my wife went over to the first truck and asked if they were the Boss. They said, “Nope, we’re the surveyors – the boss is in that truck.”<br /><br />She went over there and said, “Are you the Boss?”<br /><br />The guy said, “Yep – I’m the one you complain to.”<br /><br />My wife said she had no complaints but heard that sometimes they would do a good deed if it was a small job and close by and described what she wanted. They said, “Sure” and drove that huge beast down into my bottoms and dug the hole. Took about 15 minutes and my wife says there is a Bobcat-sized rock in the dirt pile.<br /><br />Anyway – a really tough part of the root cellar build is now done thanks to some really cool guys and a pro-active wife.<br /><br />I’ll keep y’all informed of the progess.<br /><br /><em>And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety. – Job 11:18</em><br />.................................................................................<br /><br />If you have any comments I’d love to hear them.<br />If they really interest me, I may even post them.<br />You can reach me at <a href="mailto:Joe@vikingpreparedness.com">Joe</a><br /><br />You can also join us to discuss this and other issues at <a href="http://www.vikingpreparedness.com/forum/">Viking Preparedness Forums</a><br /><br />Prepared Americans for a Strong AmericaJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01042116713590623420noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36484412.post-81906619164108098682011-01-26T08:00:00.000-08:002011-01-26T08:14:49.812-08:00Show-n-Tell<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfLlf0ffqpoJdAwDLegXHlG1lnjX5h6gHGe5O49mOYRMxeUQDMeVkDj5O82Kbtei9ShCzHndX3jGuw0lVx7F0cWSj1jZeSV8zfs-OkQlhnG183bmpRx6jqUyXiDmgtYbIcn7Yteg/s1600/Compass2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfLlf0ffqpoJdAwDLegXHlG1lnjX5h6gHGe5O49mOYRMxeUQDMeVkDj5O82Kbtei9ShCzHndX3jGuw0lVx7F0cWSj1jZeSV8zfs-OkQlhnG183bmpRx6jqUyXiDmgtYbIcn7Yteg/s400/Compass2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566525516426836706" /></a><br /><br />Last night our CiC group got together to do BoB layouts and show-n-tell. It was a lot of fun as well as a good learning experience. CiC is Christians in Community and we are a group that gets together fairly regularly to discuss and undertake activities related to Preparedness and Intentional Community from a Christian perspective.<br /><br />These men and women are well ahead of the average person as far as preparedness goes – physical and spiritual. It is because I want <em>everyone</em> to be more prepared in these areas that I write this blog.<br /><br />Below are some observations and lessons from last night.<br /><br />First – it was FUN. It was good to get together again (we had taken a break for the holidays), share some food and just fellowship in a very safe, non-threatening environment. Ten people showed up and we laid out eight BoBs.<br /><br />The last time I used my BoB I failed to put it completely back into a ready state. Hanging on the outside of it was my European mess bucket (cook kit) and I a.s.s.u.m.e.d it had been cleaned and was hanging on the outside so that I could repack it at my leisure. Yeah – NO. It was dirty and had trash in it (I carry out all my trash). It would still WORK – just not as well as if it had been cleaned and put away properly. Same with two pairs of socks. Hey, dry, dirty socks are better than no socks but c’mon, Joe!<br /><br />Also, I “borrowed” my white gas camping stove from my BoB and failed to put it back. I’ll do that on Saturday.<br /><br />As dirty and tired and busy as you are when you get back from an event – square your gear away before you forget about it.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKoEOzTOug3hRVrA2uHvXsr6jchkl1cOlJhP1WUwS16CHKsCxELhU838rGB33xMrzMz5sUXzCVmFE2y4MBGaIF67qPsZ8XH7JrnvaJzefVofNrjtSDLlI3bwWi-QuSdpgEkRpo1A/s1600/BoBlayout1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKoEOzTOug3hRVrA2uHvXsr6jchkl1cOlJhP1WUwS16CHKsCxELhU838rGB33xMrzMz5sUXzCVmFE2y4MBGaIF67qPsZ8XH7JrnvaJzefVofNrjtSDLlI3bwWi-QuSdpgEkRpo1A/s400/BoBlayout1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566525508377351282" /></a><br /><br /><br /><strong>Things to add</strong><br />Based on what others displayed there are some things I will consider adding to my BoB: <br /><br />o Sutures. One the one hand they are light, and cool. On the other hand I will very likely be in a non-sterile and even filthy environment and suturing dirt into a wound is probably a bad idea. I do have duct tape…<br /><br />o Handcuff key. I will buy several and squirrel them away here and there.<br /><br />o Fishing kit. EVERY time I get together with folks and look at BoBs I tell myself I’m going to add a fishing kit. I saw a pocket fisherman and a really neat deal made from a short section of PVC pipe.<br /><br />o Maps – my maps are in my vehicles. I need to get another couple sets.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Looking at other folks’ gear I made some observations:</strong><br />o Have a trowel to bury your waste. Chinamart sells a very good, very light, very tough plastic one for about a buck.<br /><br />o Waterproofing. Waterproof your stuff – especially your paper products. Double Ziplock bags work well.<br /><br />o Sleeping bag. If you live north of I-40 you better have on in winter.<br /><br />o Tarps – have you practiced setting it up?<br /><br />o Fire – can you build a fire with the gear you carry?<br /><br />o Clothing. I have a lot of clothes in my bag – parka, sweater, rain suit. Here's why: If one plans on starting out fully dressed for the weather and carrying your BoB any kind of distance at all you will quickly find yourself warming up,...then getting hot....then overheating. You do NOT want to sweat in cold weather - it will come back and bite you when you sit down. So, being the smart bugger outers you are, you will remove layers....where will you put them? Have a plan for that. You could easily strap your clothing to the outside of your BoB - do you have cordage cut and ready to go to do so? Sure, you all have cordage - but getting it out and cutting it (especially if it's your tarp set up cordage) might not be the best idea. Experiment now and leave some straps or already affixed cordage on the outside ready to use.<br /><br />A few folks had pouches they intend to retain if they had to dump/leave their BoB for some reason. Good idea. I also like to keep certain items on my person. I have a bag I call “pocket litter” that I transfer from the ruck to my body as soon as possible upon commencing to bug out. Is has a multi tool, Viking Pocket Fire, compass and so on. The more knowledge you have and skills you own, the less gear you will need to survive. Acquiring this knowledge base takes time and effort and does not happen over night. <br /><br />Some folks were new to the whole concept of BoBs and going on the National Winter BoB exercise might not be the best idea. We will likely set up some easier training events once things start thawing out. Things like taking the BoBs to a park or piece of woods some morning, setting up camp, building fires, eating lunch, breaking it all down and going home to sleep. Maybe follow that up with a one-night campout where we also bring all the amenities – we can experiment and play with the BoB gear but enjoy other more civilized camping gear like coolers, chairs, stoves and what not as well.<br /><br />Baby steps.<br /><br />I'll see ya out there.<br /><br /><em>When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. - Matthew 24:15 - 18</em><br />.................................................................................<br /><br />If you have any comments I’d love to hear them.<br />If they really interest me, I may even post them.<br />You can reach me at <a href="mailto:Joe@vikingpreparedness.com">Joe</a><br /><br />You can also join us to discuss this and other issues at <a href="http://www.vikingpreparedness.com/forum/">Viking Preparedness Forums</a><br /><br />Prepared Americans for a Strong AmericaJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01042116713590623420noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36484412.post-55157272840234029482011-01-17T15:28:00.000-08:002011-01-17T15:59:08.276-08:00Rocket Stove<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR7paiiyvuF5ZRI0KZ56U5p2j17kajr7KGEWLmnGZtI1O_7gAAEZqL_y0ssNdOhoOlrs3u0Ex8mmgoGH-U4guC1G6u8Xk_TiZBTjR4xQeupKpKZLWZEvIf-Ruoyh7qdHU6iT6heg/s1600/Side.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR7paiiyvuF5ZRI0KZ56U5p2j17kajr7KGEWLmnGZtI1O_7gAAEZqL_y0ssNdOhoOlrs3u0Ex8mmgoGH-U4guC1G6u8Xk_TiZBTjR4xQeupKpKZLWZEvIf-Ruoyh7qdHU6iT6heg/s400/Side.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563304041683262562" /></a><br /><br />I have been watching rocket stove videos on YouTube for some time now – they fascinate me. <br />These are stoves that are basically shaped in a J. The fuel goes in the lower horizontal end and the heat and flame exit the vertical part of the J at the top. They are extremely fuel efficient as all of the heat goes straight up to your pot. They are also efficient in that they take twigs and scraps.<br /><br />I decided before Christmas that I’d eventually get around to making one. I think these would be just the thing for emergency off grid cooking. Some folks build beautiful ones. Some folks turn them into cob oven home heaters. Some folks charge way too much money for them if you want to buy one. Anyway, I had some free time today so here we go!<br /><br />I won’t go into explicit detail concerning how I built mine – there is plenty of better stuff in video. Just go to Google video and type in “rocket stove” – you’re welcome. But the basics for mine were as follows. A friend from church gave me a popcorn tin for the outer container and I had some stove pipe of different diameters laying around for the guts. The wider pipe is vertical, the narrower stuff is the horizontal bit. I cut holes in the big popcorn tin and the vertical pipe with my angle grinder (thanks, Viking 1 for recommending I get one) and tin snips. I’m no artist with metal – the holes were ugly and ragged. This is just a prototype though.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-T63VvPcXi-k8xUSWadyeTzTRmpYtq_BxLZSc_bZJJ8TZ4inQiDwlnaWwHJ80xg1jVY_RygB2z9h88eSvAwJdTc414groffB1wtt38xPBYLLhMYwv1mYwp6pF6i5rN7ToNg2mmQ/s1600/Fire.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-T63VvPcXi-k8xUSWadyeTzTRmpYtq_BxLZSc_bZJJ8TZ4inQiDwlnaWwHJ80xg1jVY_RygB2z9h88eSvAwJdTc414groffB1wtt38xPBYLLhMYwv1mYwp6pF6i5rN7ToNg2mmQ/s400/Fire.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563304033851057650" /></a><br /><br />On one video I watched, the instructor said to fill the outer container with vermiculite ( I THINK I remember that correctly – it’s not like I took notes). It is used to insulate everything and it doesn’t burn – I think.<br /><br />So after cutting and fitting pieces it was time to go buy some vermiculite. Home Depot – no go. Tractor Supply – no go. Chinamart ...(Yes, I went there and I’m hanging my head in shame...) – no go. My wife said I should have ordered 50 pounds of it on the Internet a month ago because, “no one is going to have it now and we could use the excess in our garden”. Whatever...<br /><br />Finally, the place I should have gone to FIRST – ACE Hardware – had it. At least they are semi-local and not huge corporate monsters...<br /><br />Back home I assembled the pieces – they did not fit perfectly because I did not cut the holes perfectly so when I poured in the vermiculite and started tamping it around the stove pipe it spilled out of the gaps. So I filled the gaps with aluminum foil. Ugly. Un-professional. Hey, it’s a prototype and it’s for ME – I’m not selling them.<br /><br />I drilled three holes just outside of the vertical pipe hole and put 1 ½” bolts through them to act as a pot rest or trivet or whatever. <br /><br />Finally, I cut up a metal gallon soy sauce container (that was destroyed by sorghum but that is another story entirely) to serve as the shelf in the intake tube. You put the fuel on top of the shelf and air flows (rushes) in underneath it – thus creating the “rocket” I guess.<br /><br />We needed to par boil some chicken for supper and I needed a test so we set it up outside and had a go. I rigged up a hasty wind screen of aluminum foil around the top to concentrate as much of the heat as possible on the pot.<br /><br />Normally one would use twigs but our twigs are currently soaked so I split kindling even smaller to replicate twigs and used that. Start with a piece of newspaper shoved in the chute and feed the twigs across the shelf. Wow – these things DO work well. The only downside is it turned the botom of our pot black.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcTForcx0IHSXezY6bPcCuEAIbVkshaM5gjFtfooVfH6e1u6zw-44UAY4BR-EPg2COndBctZ_i2QwnSAssJiqR4NzgUFoYpPPRrwZty47YjzHwEcOuJnYiSthqTSkhf284yVlKfA/s1600/Top.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcTForcx0IHSXezY6bPcCuEAIbVkshaM5gjFtfooVfH6e1u6zw-44UAY4BR-EPg2COndBctZ_i2QwnSAssJiqR4NzgUFoYpPPRrwZty47YjzHwEcOuJnYiSthqTSkhf284yVlKfA/s400/Top.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563304034215230978" /></a><br /><br />One thing I failed to do was insulate the bottom from the picnic table and now we have a scorch mark. Ah well, as my daughter says, “THAT’S why we can’t have nice things!”<br /><br />Hey – I’ll see ya out there.<br /><br /><em>And Samuel said unto the cook, Bring the portion which I gave thee, of which I said unto thee, Set it by thee. – 1 Samuel 9:23</em><br /><br />.................................................................................<br /><br />If you have any comments I’d love to hear them.<br />If they really interest me, I may even post them.<br />You can reach me at <a href="mailto:Joe@vikingpreparedness.com">Joe</a><br /><br />You can also join us to discuss this and other issues at <a href="http://www.vikingpreparedness.com/forum/">Viking Preparedness Forums</a><br /><br />Prepared Americans for a Strong AmericaJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01042116713590623420noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36484412.post-71150913154410882632010-12-24T09:28:00.000-08:002010-12-24T10:03:43.740-08:00Out Behind the Woodshed...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm5SgQYv7wkHAslR2O2DoZJH8U4m12-9_GVuiDmQhuAcaSRbexJWAwbXGQS5xSvax7m2GIhQ8pDAcA7BG3MMBWT4w4jDdTwsHbozds5T2tM9DIq5PTr6M71XuxbIZZ4zahxjdNsA/s1600/IMG_0767.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm5SgQYv7wkHAslR2O2DoZJH8U4m12-9_GVuiDmQhuAcaSRbexJWAwbXGQS5xSvax7m2GIhQ8pDAcA7BG3MMBWT4w4jDdTwsHbozds5T2tM9DIq5PTr6M71XuxbIZZ4zahxjdNsA/s400/IMG_0767.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554305814031132322" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg_AyruF7O3qUCpTCjrLxbgkDbDnHwYuMv5EDoz16EyyNUS2OVWZkGsEutMe7cZo6eL9qKvJv04KoxTFUNzPGP4hkXs2X2W2NDblSMnw19hfXbCgU9H0kwQRjH689qSNnKBtqkpA/s1600/IMG_0766.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg_AyruF7O3qUCpTCjrLxbgkDbDnHwYuMv5EDoz16EyyNUS2OVWZkGsEutMe7cZo6eL9qKvJv04KoxTFUNzPGP4hkXs2X2W2NDblSMnw19hfXbCgU9H0kwQRjH689qSNnKBtqkpA/s400/IMG_0766.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554305807460804450" /></a><br /><br />We have a wood stove in our home that was traded to us for a box of .45 Long Colt shells. Friends in the business installed our stovepipe for just the cost of the pipe and we use that little stove for a significant portion of our home heating.<br /><br />You can see a picture of our stove (and a drying duck) <a href="http://vikingpreparedness.blogspot.com/2009/10/cold-duck.html">here</a>.<br /><br />For the past few years I have stored our firewood at the end of our gravel driveway stacked between several T-posts. We covered it with plastic sheeting and tarps and tied them down but it was an unsatisfactory arrangement. The plastic would shred because of the elements, or it would blow off and our wood was always wet or covered in snow just when we needed it the most. So, I resolved to solve the problem. I decided to build a wood shed.<br /><br />I am not a construction guy. I have had no formal or informal schooling and the only experience I have has been building stuff around High Prairie Acres. I’m sure those of you with experience can tell that right off from the pictures. <br /><br />I built it from some spare lumber I had laying around and sided it with plywood that I bought. The roof is my standard roof construction – 2-by lumber covered with OSB and topped with tar paper and shingles. I’m getting better at roofing but I still don’t have it perfected yet – I used the wrong sheet metal strips for drip edge... It did go easier this time though because I now own an air-compressor and I borrowed my buddy’s roof nailer for the job. He also helped me to set the rafters - something I'm not that good at yet. I bought us (he and I) a big box of roofing nails and just the other day he stopped by to pick up his gun and I told him the nails were his to use. Barter.<br /><br />I divided the shed into two sections – one for firewood and one for kindling. I envisioned filling the right side up to the roof with dead branches for use as kindling but I haven’t gotten there yet. I left the back open a bit so that my view of “the bottoms” would not be totally blocked. The overhang is such that rain and snow don’t really blow in there. If it becomes a problem I’ll probably close it off with clear plastic.<br /><br />I thought the plywood siding would hold up to the elements okay but I was wrong. About a week after I built it, it rained and one side developed a big bulge from water swelling. Great... So I used some old orange paint I had and got a coat on. It was an atrocious color but it was free paint. I couldn’t stand looking at it though and planned to cover it with something better. Then it got cold for a couple weeks and I could no longer paint. When it warmed up, I used some left over white paint I had for a second coat. I figured I’d leave the wood “trim” white and paint the sides with a third coat the color of my house to make it match. Now I am thinking of siding it with vinyl siding – I’ve always wanted to learn how to do that and this is a small project. But for now, I’m done working on it.<br /><br />It snowed today and this is the first day I’ve really appreciated the effort I put into building this shed. So that's it – nothing major for the blog this time but I thought you might appreciate that an average Joe can take some steps on his own to alter his environment – to improve his situation. <br /><br />Have a Merry Christmas.<br />I’ll see ya out there.<br /><br /><em>And the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it; it shall not be put out: and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order upon it; and he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace offerings. – Leviticus 6:12</em><br />.................................................................................<br /><br />If you have any comments I’d love to hear them.<br />If they really interest me, I may even post them.<br />You can reach me at <a href="mailto:Joe@vikingpreparedness.com">Joe</a><br /><br />You can also join us to discuss this and other issues at <a href="http://www.vikingpreparedness.com/forum/">Viking Preparedness Forums</a><br /><br />Prepared Americans for a Strong AmericaJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01042116713590623420noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36484412.post-35985120755912218202010-12-13T20:05:00.000-08:002010-12-13T20:23:04.728-08:00AR rebuild<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5JB_23mOpondlVB9RgBOmqE4BH0CCr0GjPFbY-sWhsmc_TQlSUMDrGqdx98r9cWH43PRTMvcBV64pYxXXAdaFtoXBPtbuDg05EuGSvFZPuh1nUHIyZXGM4ITnDUAhmwlfmBpAbg/s1600/AR+rebuild.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5JB_23mOpondlVB9RgBOmqE4BH0CCr0GjPFbY-sWhsmc_TQlSUMDrGqdx98r9cWH43PRTMvcBV64pYxXXAdaFtoXBPtbuDg05EuGSvFZPuh1nUHIyZXGM4ITnDUAhmwlfmBpAbg/s400/AR+rebuild.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550385804758595634" /></a><br /><br />I have had a collapsible stock AR15 (it’s a civilian version of the M4 – sort of) for years. If you have known me at all either in person or via my writings on the net, you know I’m not big into goo-gaws. The only “accessorizing” I did to it was spray it with some Krylon and paint the front sight post yellow. Oh, and I added a “really highspeed sling” mounted to the rear and the front sight post with 550 cord. About a year or so ago I mounted a bright flashlight and a forward hand grip – the barrel gets hot when you rip through several magazines in rapid succession.<br /><br />It wasn’t pretty. It didn’t spend hundreds of extra bucks doing the “Barbie for men” bit. And I could still shoot it better than most mortals.<br /><br />But then I got an EOTech for Christmas one year. I had an ACOG back in the day and really liked it but I had to give it back and couldn’t afford my own. EOTechs are almost as cool – they are very fast for target acquisition out to a couple hundred meters. Well despite my booming business, I’m not made of money so I bought a cheaperthanmud “gooseneck” mount for my rifle and threw the EOTech on it. It worked great once I zeroed it....until I put it away and took it out again – then because the cheap mount would move, I’d have to rezero it. I can imagine what would have happened if I had to run, dive, and jump with it – it wouldn’t work.<br /><br />I decided I needed/wanted a flat top upper. But they are too expensive. Then some guys on the forums suggested I just build my own. “Can I DO that? I’m not very mechanically inclined”. They all assured me I could.<br /><br />They were right.<br /><br />I bought an upper receiver for $100 and a back up/flip up iron sight (BUIS) for another $100. A friend gave me a sweet ambidextrous single point sling attachment back plate and another bud lent me a bunch of tools (punches, vice adapters, punch plates, etc) and a DVD explaining the process (he gave me the DVD). He also consulted with me on the project and provided a lot of help that way too.<br /><br />I sat down and watched the DVD once and then got to work. First I removed the forward assist by merely removing a roll pin – then I stuck it in the new upper.<br /><br />Next, I added the ejection port cover which was easy except for the 20 minutes I spent looking for a little C-clamp I dropped – it was tiny and it bounced far. I had a spare cover assembly so I left the original one on the original A2 upper.<br /><br />Next up was removing the gas tube – again just removing a roll pin and it was out.<br /><br />Then I had to remove the barrel by unscrewing big nut at the base with a special tool. I used the tool wrong and broke off a piece, emailed my bud asking for advice and he told me how to use it correctly. I felt pretty dumb but once I did it correctly, the barrel came right off and went right on the new upper. It was a bit tricky aligning it correctly to accept the gas tube but we got it done (I went to another friend’s house to use his bench vice – I don’t have one). Then I just replaced the gas tube roll pin and the upper was done. I used my original bolt, carrier and charging handle.<br /><br />Replacing the old back plate with the new one that allows me to attach a single point release sling was easy – I had replaced a buffer tube before and new about the two springs to watch out for.<br />All in all (not counting looking for the C-clamp or the first 10 minutes trying to take off the barrel the wrong way) it probably took 2 hours to complete – but I was working slowly and methodically. It would be a lot faster if I did it again.<br /><br />Anyway there she is. I’ll probably get a decent snap link or something for the single point release instead of the 550 cord I’m using now and it obviously needs new Krylon. More importantly thought, I need to zero the BUIS and the EOTech and I’ll be back in business.<br /><br /><em>Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend. – Proverbs 6:3</em><br />.................................................................................<br /><br />If you have any comments I’d love to hear them.<br />If they really interest me, I may even post them.<br />You can reach me at <a href="mailto:Joe@vikingpreparedness.com">Joe</a><br /><br />You can also join us to discuss this and other issues at <a href="http://www.vikingpreparedness.com/forum/">Viking Preparedness Forums</a><br /><br />Prepared Americans for a Strong AmericaJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01042116713590623420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36484412.post-16253386323936091512010-12-11T06:26:00.000-08:002010-12-11T06:40:38.194-08:00"I'll just hunt for my food"<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkvDM8i8MBRex4tZRL9bod5flJ3PlXYSQcjgluoMjwtBwqqOfwOFfGTLJGsAoKW8piUZpR4UVELbAW84vpbbEoR8zImbrvYHoZF9Dpwml_OHSH_f0ahvGACn0Yg6W1byrdzbUqvA/s1600/Doe.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 244px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkvDM8i8MBRex4tZRL9bod5flJ3PlXYSQcjgluoMjwtBwqqOfwOFfGTLJGsAoKW8piUZpR4UVELbAW84vpbbEoR8zImbrvYHoZF9Dpwml_OHSH_f0ahvGACn0Yg6W1byrdzbUqvA/s400/Doe.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549433184706714994" /></a><br /><br />I'm a pretty good hunter – in addition to as many squirrels and rabbits as I want, I shoot a couple-three deer a year. This year I have been out hunting about 6 days and have not got ONE deer. This is mildly upsetting. See, we just bought a new upright freezer and I aim to fill it with venison.<br /><br />While I've been out there hunting I've had the opportunity to do a lot of thinking.<br />Hunting takes TIME.<br />Time that I have now but may not have later.<br />Hunter Gatherer cultures didn’t really thrive. They are not known for robust arts and sciences programs. This is because when one is living that life – one’s LIFE is dedicated to obtaining calories. All day long every day.<br /><br />Hunting is uncertain.<br />That's why they call it "hunting" and not "shopping".<br />During the Great Depression, whitetail deer and turkeys were about hunted to oblivion. Hard to believe, huh? It was through the efforts of many good people that these species made a come back.<br /><br />There were a lot less people running around in the 30’s. If we hit really hard times the ubiquitous whitetail will disappear me thinks.<br /><br />So, I want to shoot a few deer to fill my freezer. But if I don’t, I’ll buy half a side of grass-fed beef and call it good. Because I can. Now.<br />Counting on deer for food – well, I’m just not that good, I reckon.<br /><br />I came up with a few recommendations whilst sitting in the cold and they make up the bulk of this entry.<br /><br />Assemble a robust food stockpile. Get into food storage. Canned goods, stuff in jars, crackers, rice, beans, pasta. You know - the stuff you can buy at your grocery store. Buy a lot. Then go get a bunch of wheat and corn and put it up in buckets. Then get some grinders.<br /><br />That would see you through a lot of problems. Not just The Dollar Crashed Overnight problems but “I just lost my job” problems and “It’s not safe to venture out” problems and so on.<br /><br />But no matter how much food you store – it will be a finite amount. Some day it will run out. And you’ll go hungry...<br /><br />To supplement your food storage, in addition to hunting, I recommend you learn how to trap (and find a recipe you like for possum - I saw two I could have run down and brained with a stick). I'm an okay - as opposed to "good" - trapper. I can without too much difficulty trap a coon or possum that decides it likes eating at Joe’s Chicken Coop. I got good enough trapping rabbits that I got bored with it. Then we moved to a place with not quite as many rabbits running around so I began raising my own. I even did some very limited fur trapping but I quit doing it because I really don't like skinning and fleshing. And, truth be told, I still have those skins in my freezer. I did the skinning but really didn’t do the fleshing -I need to bite the bullet and get a fleshing knife and practice some more...but this post is about food. (yeah, I suppose you <em>could</em> eat a fox or coyote...)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxL_DjvzO7nNvIjPPRhJBtM6ehFPagKGtzOwVYnnIJJow9viOLissVHRwfaMarYvytoaSmNo5CgblFZ__1YEG_EaUI7xXgAb-i4fEOhL9wcZxzY0Opy0OTYpWkx4NXR5Rl9OGIFw/s1600/Trail+Goats2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxL_DjvzO7nNvIjPPRhJBtM6ehFPagKGtzOwVYnnIJJow9viOLissVHRwfaMarYvytoaSmNo5CgblFZ__1YEG_EaUI7xXgAb-i4fEOhL9wcZxzY0Opy0OTYpWkx4NXR5Rl9OGIFw/s400/Trail+Goats2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549433180741460162" /></a><br /><br />So in addition to working on your hunting skills, and trapping skills and building up a robust food stockpile, I have one more recommendation that can be summed up in a word: Sustainable.<br /><br />Get yourself a garden going that will continue to produce year in and year out.<br />Get some critters that will provide food and more critters.<br />It is better to live out in the sticks – but that is not an excuse for not doing this.<br />You can raise a prodigious amount of food <a href="http://urbanhomestead.org/">in your backyard</a> or on your balcony.<br /><br />You can raise rabbits in an apartment. Many municipalities are beginnig to allow chickens in the yard. Some forbid roosters which is not a problem – you don’t need roosters to make eggs.<br /><br />Something else I have been investigating lately is Permaculture - sustainable agriculture. There is a lot to it. It fascinates me. Google it. Watch some videos.<br /><br />Food is very important. We are blessed with not having to give it a whole lot of thought. Things may not always be so. Someday we could be focused on nothing but where our next meal is coming from. <br /><br />If really hard times come (and I believe they eventually will)<br />Some will starve<br />Some will get by<br />Some will have excess to share with others<br />Where do you picture yourself in this situation?<br /><br />Do some serious thinking.<br />Make a plan.<br />Get started.<br /><br /><em>And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it. – Genesis 27:5</em><br />.................................................................................<br /><br />If you have any comments I’d love to hear them.<br />If they really interest me, I may even post them.<br />You can reach me at <a href="mailto:Joe@vikingpreparedness.com">Joe</a><br /><br />You can also join us to discuss this and other issues at <a href="http://www.vikingpreparedness.com/forum/">Viking Preparedness Forums</a><br /><br />Prepared Americans for a Strong AmericaJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01042116713590623420noreply@blogger.com3