Preserving Important Documents...

I've heard the question asked many times..."If your home was on fire...your family was all safe outside...and you could only take out 3 things before the house burned down...what would they be"?  It seems that most people that respond to this sincerely (after joking about big screen TV's)...generally mention things that would be difficult or impossible to replace...like photographs...sentimental items like stuffed animals...home movies...important documents...and so on.  I am left to wonder...if someone were really to try to collect those things to get the door REALLY fast....how long it would take to collect all those things?  Photographs are likely hung in frames...or on a computer...or in a plethora of photo albums.  Home videos might be scattered through the home on old VHS tapes...on tiny tapes...or on computers.  Important documents like birth and marriage certificates...property info...and others may also be in disarray.  Without the luxury of time...one might have a really difficult time collecting all of the items on their list.  I also wonder if they would physically be able to carry those items?


While there are a myriad of valuables where only the original will suffice (like a stuffed animal)...a great many of those irreplaceable items can be shrunk down and stored digitally.  Even a tiny keychain sized 16gb flash drive like the one pictured above can hold upwards of 14k photographs!!  16gb might be enough to hold every important document you own!  You might just stay on the curb and watch your home burn if everything you felt you needed was on a flash drive in your pocket.  The Patriot xporter flash drive is nice too because it is fast...has great reviews...and may withstand weathering like going through a washing machine.

I am by no means a computer tech.  Of course there are all kinds of opinions from tech to tech as to which brands are best...and which document back-up methods are best.  Some people like to back files up on DVD's.  Some like to back files up onto portable external hard drives.  (Which may be necessary for people with lots of home videos and other large files)  Some people are now even paying for back-up services that use off-site hard drives.

Now as far as how to do it.  If you are computer illiterate...you may either have to learn how and pick up some equipment (like a scanner)...or pay someone else to do your work for you.  Here is a site that discusses some of the "how".  When it comes to archiving old home video and audio...there are services out there that will take your old reel to reel and make it into a format you can enjoy without all kinds of defunct equipment and make it ready to be put onto run out the door.  A good friend of mine does that work and could help you tremendously...his name is Judd.

Whatever methods you choose...it is wise to get them all collected now and stored digitally...so that when and if the day comes that you have to leave your home in a hurry...you have it ready to go!

Preparedness Frisbees and Ponchos for Teens at Christmas!

Just a couple of thoughts that have been running around in my mind.

One area of preparedness that I think is often overlooked when a person is putting together emergency plans...is a way to have fun.  If you wind up confined to your home....or an evacuee facing a long term camping situation...what a boon it would be to have something fun to do!  A simple deck of cards...a doll for a child...a tennis ball...etc...could really brighten spirits...and help to pass the time.

Personally...I love throwing a frisbee!  I am admittedly a bit of a frisbee snob...and find lesser quality frisbees to be more aggravating than enjoyable.  I like the heavier frisbees made for ultimate frisbee.  The good ones fly long and true.  Of course you can't go wrong with a discraft frisbee....the official disc of the Ultimate Players Association!  Frisbees also serve a double purpose in that they can be used as a plate!

Next topic...

I teach an early morning religion class to high school kids.  I have noticed that not a single one of them ever wears a rain jacket!!  It could be pouring rain...and they will be wearing sweats.  That may be fine if they are indoors all day...but what if they get stuck outside.  I guess there is a sense of security that there will always be a shelter available somewhere and a place to get warm.  Perhaps a good stocking stuffer...or at least something to stick in their backpack is one of those cheap dollar store fold up ponchos.  They might look at you funny...but they may well appreciate it when the day comes that they need it.

Perhaps your shopping is already done.  If it isn't...you might consider getting some of what people need and hopefully want...things like preparedness frisbees and ponchos...the things that will help sustain those you care for through crisis!

Handgun Training...

People have seen too many movies...and think that they can just pick up a gun and become dirty Harry when they need to.  A reality is that becoming proficient with a gun takes practice...and a knowledge of fundamentals.  Here is a course that is being offered locally (Rocklin) that my wife and I will be attending to hone these skills...for a screamin' deal!  A 6-8 hour course with shooting range practice for $87!!!!!  Regularly $175.

The deal ends tomorrow...I believe before 6am.

Nothing says "I love you" more for Christmas than the gift of teaching your loved ones to defend themselves!

You might also revisit this article if you need some motivation.

Is the future optimistic...or pessimistic...the answer is...YES!!!

Perhaps you have noticed that I haven't been super active with the blog in a while.  My lack of posts is due largely to my being called back to teach a daily early morning religion class called "seminary".  With how demanding such a task is...in order to do a good job I have had to change much of my course of thought and think less about how to stay alive eating bugs...and more about how to help a group of youth stay spiritually alive!

Despite my lack of posting...I am pleased to see that the readership continues to grow!  I hope that people will continue to read some of the past articles and find information that will help them to prepare.  I have started an additional 30 or so topics all in varying stages of completion.  As I find time to put the finishing touches on them...they will be posted!  Thank you for reading.

Now the article...

As the wicked Macbeth knocks on the witches door.  A witch...sensing his evil presence proclaims..."By the pricking of my thumbs...something wicked this way comes".

While our thumbs may not prick...and we don't expect Shakespeare's Macbeth to arrive at our door...a great many people of discernment...sense that evil times...times of great hardship are around the corner.

One needn't consult a necromancer to see "that there is a portent of stormy weather ahead to which we had better give heed"...when the news of the day is filled with ample signs of the degeneration of our society and how the life that we now live will more than likely change overnight.  Economies fail...as do crops...wars start...shipping is interrupted...natural disasters...plagues...infrastructure failures...etc...etc...all these things can happen overnight.  While it may pain us to dwell on the precariousness of our situation...the honest realize that we do truly walk on thin ice every day of our lives.

In addition to the news...people of Christian faith also have the words of Christ and prophets that paint a picture of some dire circumstances prior to the Saviors return.  Christians do not have to wonder if "if" these things will happen...they know they "will" happen.  While many of the signs that were foretold are around us...we know that we now only see the tip of the iceberg with regards to the troubles that are to come to mankind.  Troubles that will serve to turn man to God...or deny Him.

Those that are awake are being given time to prepare...and are grateful for each successive day that allows for them to hone another skill...amass more desired supplies...and of course get themselves spiritually sound.  And of course we aren't left in the dark as to what we are preparing for...as a merciful God has also given us much information about how to be prepared and what to be prepared for.

A person...awakened to an understanding of impending peril could get pretty gloomy.  Stressed out.  Full of anxiety.  Full of grief for lost hope for a bright and cheerful life in the future.  Some who get in this funk will fall out of public life.  Some stop talking to their kids about "When you grow up you could be a..." believing that their child will in reality not have such opportunities but will instead be scavenging for food in a post apocalyptic world!  Some will say that it is just better to not even have kids with the world the way it is going.  Like Eeyore they walk around spreading 'sunshine' saying things like..."No use planting flowers...they're just going to be destroying in the nuclear blast..."  Real life Debbie Downers.

While I don't want to spend a lot of time getting into all of the doctrinal points...I do want to remind people that the trials that are to come are spoken of as "great and dreadful".  So often the dreadful overpowers our memory that it will be great too!  So if asked if the future is optimistic or pessimistic...I'd say that the answer is YES!!  It will be hard.  It will try us more than we have been tried.  It may even dispatch us and those we love to meet our God earlier than we anticipate.  Or we may find that we are offered deliverance from many of the trials.  Whatever may be our lot...we should live our lives happy and grateful for whatever situation we may be in.  And if it seems that there is no end to the darkness...we must remember that after the storm comes the rainbow...and the righteous win in the end!

I often think about how wonderful the earth will be in the millennium (The period after the destructions and return of Christ).  The shackles of oppressive government gone...the earth cleaned of unrighteousness.  I think I'd like to become a better surfer...learn some musical instruments...and work on the arts...and of course delve into trying to understand the many mysteries that will be revealed in those days!

Here are some quotes I recommend reading slowly and pondering...that can shape how we feel about impending drama...

“We must have faith in the future regardless of the ultimate eventualities. There could be no greater calamity in this world than the calamity of sitting down and waiting for calamity. We must not let the things which we can't do keep us from doing the things we can do . . . The future will always be better for those who are best prepared.”  Elder Richard L. Evans(Church News, June 25, 1988, p. 2).

“I recall a reported statement, attributed, as I remember it, to President Wilford Woodruff. Some of the brethren of his time are said to have approached him … and to have inquired of him as to when he felt the end would be—when would be the coming of the Master? These, I think, are not his exact words, but they convey the spirit of his reported reply: ‘I would live as if it were to be tomorrow—but I am still planting cherry trees!’ ” (Richard L. Evans Conference Report, April 1950, 105.)

From a talk by Patricia Holland (wife of the Apostle Jeffrey Holland)...

Not long ago we experienced the worst windstorm Bountiful has seen in several decades. The wind on the freeway was gauged at 113 miles an hour. Coming out of our canyon, it seemed even more than that. Just as I was hearing news reports of semi trucks—twenty of them—being blown over on the roadside, I looked out my lovely back window down toward our creek, and I saw one of our large trees go down with a crash. Another smaller one followed almost immediately.

For a moment, I confess I was truly fearful. For an instant, I thought of Kosovo and Littleton, Colorado, of our own Family History Library, and even the great bug-a-boo of the year Y2K. The wind became even more furious, and it was very loud. I am a little embarrassed to say it, but I was scared.

It was very early in the morning as the worst of this was happening, and Jeff was just leaving for the office. I said to him, "Do you think this is the end? Is it all over—or about to be?" I whispered. My husband, who has deep faith and endless optimism, took me in his arms and said, "No, but wouldn't it be wonderful if it were? Wouldn't it be wonderful if Christ really did come and his children really were ready for him? Wouldn't it be terrific if evil was finally conquered, once and for all, and the Savior of the world came down in the midst of the New Jerusalem to wipe away every tear from every eye? Yes," my husband said, "in lots of ways I wish it were the end, but it's not. It is just a stiff windstorm in Bountiful. We have got more work to do." So, he kissed me and drove off to work, with trees falling and rafters rattling.

Now, I was probably imagining it, but I thought I could hear him whistling a few bars of "Master, the Tempest Is Raging," especially that lovely closing refrain: "Peace, be still; peace, be still" (Hymns [Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1985], no. 105).

And from Neal A. Maxwell...

"Being settled in his soul, he has a serenity even in the midst of war and tumult. If he lives, he lives unto the Lord, if he dies, he dies unto the Lord, just as President Brigham Young said:

I say to the brethren who are leaving home . . . when you pray for your families . . . you must feel--if they live, all right; if they die, all right; if I die, all right; if I live, all right; for we are the Lords' and we shall soon meet again. [Journal of Discourses6:273]

The true believer can read the depressing signs of the times without being depressed because he has a particularized and "perfect brightness of hope" (2 Ne. 31:20). He knows that "Christ will lift [us] up" (Mor. 9:25). He does not naively depend on mortal rulers, assemblies, congresses, or parliaments to lift him up, though he is genuinely grateful for any true success by these. Rather, he has the precious perspective of Joseph Smith who observed:

The laws of men may guarantee to a people protection in the honorable pursuits of this life, and the temporal happiness arising from a protection against unjust insults and injuries; and when this is said, all is said, that can be in truth, of the power, extent, and influence of the laws of men, exclusive of the laws of God. [Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1972) p. 50]

Besides, the true believer knows that in the awful winding-up scenes human deterioration will be finally and decisively and mercifully met by divine intervention. He understands, therefore, that in such conditions the sooner he renounces the world, the sooner he can help to save some souls in it."

The future is bright and dark.  Lets be ready for both!

Using Less Saves Money...No Duh...

I'm always grossed out by the portion of toothpaste that is used in toothpaste ads.  Of course such ads are put out by people selling toothpaste...who desire that you would put a monstrous glob of toothpaste on your brush...and proceed to burn through piles of toothpaste tubes and have to buy more.

Hopefully we know that putting toothpaste dripping off of your brush is not necessary for clean teeth.  One could use a tenth of that amount and still obtain clean teeth and fresh breath.

I'm not sure if many adults use that much toothpaste...but a lot of kids sure do.  They come to my home...and I watch in amazement as they pile their toothbrushes up...brush for a few moments and then spit a big clump of blue toothpaste in the sink to dry.

Follow these same children around and you will see them pump six pumps of soap on their hands to clean moderately dirty hands...or they will spin at the toilet paper roll like they are playing "The Price is Right" so they can use a giant wad of toilet paper to wipe a little pee-pee!

Of course...children aren't the only ones guilty of such waste.  Many of these wasteful habits carry into adulthood.  In a time when so many people are pinching every penny they have...one way to free up some money is to use less.  Seriously.  I bet most people could cut many of their monthly expenses in half...just by consciously controlling their portions.

How much toothpaste do you really need to clean your teeth?

How many squares of toilet paper does it really take to do the job?

How much soap will clean your hands?  Shouldn't you buy those foam soap dispensers that stretch your soap out forever?!

Could you put your lunch sandwiches in a reusable container instead of using ziploc bags every day?

How about using a terry towel instead of paper towels?

I am not trying to make you into the stingy police of your households...but just to know that curbing your own waste and lovingly encouraging your family to follow suit could keep some cash in your pocket!

Modern...Pioneer...Primitive...

I've never really seen this articulated anywhere before...but it seems to me that as I work on my being prepared for whatever may come...that my preparations fall into 3 basic categories.  Modern...pioneer...or primitive.  Each have their pro's and their con's.  But all are important to a well rounded preparedness plan.

Here is how I would define them...

Modern prepping makes use of the latest gadgetry and technology.  The goretex's...the high tech filters...the synthetic fibers that wisk sweat away...amazing metals to make knives out of that can bend without breaking and still keep a good edge...etc.  Awesome!  Science and capitalism have brought us some amazing things that can greatly enhance our preparations.  It is remarkable how so many things have become lighter and stronger and smaller making them easier to pack and transport.  The potential downsides that I see to modern prepping are...

1.  Many people purchase the latest and greatest gadget out there...which gives some level of peace of mind...but then they never actually practice using it.  Will they know what to do when an emergency happens?

2.  A lot of these gadgets are really expensive.  With the increasing stranglehold on the average families finances...it is may be hard to amass the "stuff".  Go to REI and tell me I'm wrong!

3.  I fear that strictly modern preppers will come to rely upon their gadgets too much.  What if they end up separated from their gadgets when disaster strikes?!

4.  I also think that it is possible to when using these gadgets...to separate yourself from the experience of the natural world.  We can end up like those people who try to experience Yosemite on a sanitized and aloof tour bus...viewing deer through plate glass...instead of getting down and dirty in nature and really gaining a better understanding of what is going on.

5.  A lot of modern gadgets rely upon electricity.  With the likelihood that a natural or manmade disaster could take out the grid long term...unless someone has a way to generate their own electricity...they will have a lot of non-working junk.

(Tip.  You know...there are lots of high tech preparedness gear items that can be picked up for a song on craigslist...and at local thrift stores.  People that never camp and clear out their closets...or they buy the latest and greatest and want to get rid of last years model.  If you can stomach being seen in last years Marmot sleeping bag...this might be a good choice to save a buck).

Pioneer prepping involves looking to those that lived before electricity came into the picture.  How did people wash their clothing before washing machines?  How did they stay warm indoors?  How did they live without running water?  etc..etc..etc...  Basically all of those things that that the pioneers used to make life easier and more comfortable.  It involves lot's of hand crank contraptions (see picture!) that work with some elbow grease.  A lifestyle that stresses frugality and makes use of means provided.

The good news is that a lot of the tools used by the pioneers are still available and generally are less expensive than their electric brothers.  One can actually find vintage pieces that are so well made...that they will work for you just as they did your great grandma.  There are even companies like Lehmans that specialize in reproductions and improved versions of those tools.

Downsides...well...not many I can think of.  I will say that...

1.  It still can rely on having "stuff".

2.  A lot of items in this category can be big and heavy duty.  This can be just fine if your staying in place...but not if you need to carry it somewhere!

Primitive prepping makes use of the technology that nature provides.  With knowledge and practice...given the proper resources...one can learn to provide all of the necessities of life with their own two hands.  This...as I see it...is the ultimate of self reliance.  Knowing the natural world so well...that you can make use of it's bounty to provide.

Downsides...

1.  To solely rely upon primitive skills for long term survival could be really rough...and for most unrealistic.  Most people do not have the skill sets to find and make use of all of the calories they would need to stay alive.  Most don't have all of the skillsets that would help them not to just survive...but to flourish.  It seems much more plausible to survive if there were a small group of knowledgeable people working together.  Don't forget that America has been raped of many of it's natural resources that helped the natives of this land survive.  Rivers overflowing with fish...acre upon acre of oaks...neatly tended fields with edible roots.  Accounts of preoccupation America paint a very different picture of the landscape than the one we now live in.

Examples of Modern...Pioneer...Primitive....

Electric mill...hand crank mill...mortar and pestle...
Lighter...flint and steel...friction fire (sticks rubbed together)
Trail mix...pemmican...some seeds in a satchel...
Goretex jacket...wool jacket...twisted rabbit skin blanket...
Freeze dried food...dehydrated food...smoked
Nylon tent...canvas wall tent...structure built from sticks and debris...
GPS...compass...natural landmarks
Washing machine...tub and scrubbers...river and rocks...
Hybrid seed...heirloom seed...tending the wild...
Irish spring...lye soap...soaproot
Traveling in a car...with handcarts...on foot...
Flashlight...kerosene lantern...torch...
Toilet paper...a rag...a leaf...

I don't intend to throw out my nice insulated jacket anytime soon and try to kill enough rabbits to make a blanket to stay warm!  I appreciate my jacket too much!

I also don't intend to do my weekly bread baking milling my wheat with my hand crank mill...when I also have an electric one as well.  But hey...when the electricity is out...I know full well how to use the hand crank models...and if I get separated from that...well...I'll go and find a mortar and pestle to grind my grains!

Making use of the knowledge and tools of all three of these preparedness areas will help a person to be prepared much more than just studying one.  It provides a the peace of mind that comes with having a plan A...B...and C.

Buckeye Gathering 2011...

Hey friends.  This past May I went to what was to me...a life shaping event.  The first annual Buckeye Gathering.  A week long experience being submerged in an intense hands on study of primitive technology.  I drank up every moment.  The food was healthy and tasty...the music was incredible...I made great friends...the instructors were high quality.  It doesn't get better!

What is taught are "survival skills" of the highest degree.  Getting everything you may need from the natural world. No gadgets necessary.  A person at buckeye is learning to live basically as the Native Americans did and some other indigenous cultures still do.

I have had many people ask me questions about this event.  I want to give you a heads up well in advance...as they have set things in motion for the next one May of 2011.  With advanced planning...perhaps you can make plans to get off of work...and get the money together.   The cost for early registration is $300!!!  Thats for a week of all day instruction...and they feed you two meals a day!!!  That is cheap.

So you know...I should be teaching a class on oil extraction from acorns...and maybe something else on Oak tree ID.  We'll see.

Here is the link to their site.

Hope to see you there!

PS...People out of state...or out of the country...might do well to poke around and see if something like this is offered near where you live...

Investing in Food...

For several years now I have seen articles speaking of how various factors are pointing towards a time when there will be increased food shortages across the globe.  While food shortages may seem to the general public as something that only happens in countries that have names that are hard to pronounce...far removed from the cushy US...we more than likely will find out in the not too distant future how we are not above such challenges.

Here is an article that makes such sobering predictions.

My favorite line from the article...

"You don’t have to be an End Times survivalist to believe that storing food is pragmatic.  Everyone with expendable cash can and should design a good food storage and rotation system and buy bulk food as an investment -- in addition to creating self-sufficiency."

The Government in Your Garden...

I'd venture to guess that only a small fraction of US citizens have ever read a bill before it became law.  And who can blame them.  The bills are often ridiculously long and steeped in mind numbing and confusing legalese.  We're far too busy making bricks for Pharoah and attending circuses to try to wrap our head around such an intentionally convoluted mess.

A bill might have a fluffy...cute name like..."SB 2345 The happy fun make your life great act".  When in reality...hidden deep in the legalese...is wording designed to have Americans give up their right of habeas corpus and be tried by military tribunals...or some other such nonsense.

But...one asks....isn't this sort of thing what our elected representatives are supposed to protect us from?!!

Sure we believe in a representative government...but it's quite obvious that many or most of those that supposedly represent the citizens...really represent whatever will put cash in their pockets...grow the welfare state...get them reelected...etc.  Many of these representatives...good intentioned but misinformed...grossly negligent...or conspiring and evil...push these bills through and ultimately they may become the unconstitutional "law" of the land.

What is also sickening is that many of these representatives never have a chance to...or don't bother to read the bills they are voting on !!

As a result...our freedoms dim with each successive year...month...and day as we...like a collective Gulliver have the strings of tyranny placed over us.  Many of the politicians will continue to lull us with hollow promises...and encourage us to go back to sleep...while others are becoming brazenly open about their corruption as they believe that the people are too docile to ever do anything to really challenge them.

Here is a bill...that I am hearing about from time to time....that has the appearance of being ridiculously intrusive and corrupt.

It is called SB510  "The food safety modernization act".

Well...don't you want for your food to be "safe" and don't you want to be "Modern"?!!  What kind of crazy would be against safety and want to be a backwards outdated hillbilly in opposition to modernization!!?

Opponents of this bill say that it will (among other things) make it...

Illegal To Grow, Share,
Trade, Sell Homegrown Food

SB S510 Will Allow Government  To Put You In Jail ....

The government telling you how you can grow...what you can grow...etc!!!!

There are also people saying that there are ties to Monsanto...which is the devil.

To many...the notion that the government would ever come into your backyard and try to control what you grow may sound like some far fetched Orwellian plot.  That is...until someone shows up at your home with a clip board "just doing their job" to make sure that you are abiding the "law"...or you are found guilty of growing non-approved broccoli...and of course must therefore face the consequences!

So I'd recommend contacting your representatives...letting others know about it...and basically doing whatever becometh a concerned citizen.

An Ember a Day...and a class invite...

"Why don't you just use a lighter or some matches?"...I am asked almost every time someone watches me attempt to make and ember using the hand drill or bow drill methods of fire starting.

Well...it's hard to explain. Perhaps the wonder that inside of a few dried sticks lies a glowing ember that can be coaxed out and transformed into a fire to cook my food and keep me warm...just never wears out. Perhaps it is just a weird way for me to live out my boyhood pyromaniac tendencies I never realized. Or maybe it is the intensely deep satisfaction that comes with knowing how to make a fire with no gadgets of any sort...the ultimate of self reliance. Maybe I just need to get this one more survival skill checked off my macho survival guy checklist. It could be the exhibitionist in me that enjoys people looking at me like I'm some sort of magician. Or perhaps it is born out of an inner desire to shed the trappings of "modern" society and grow a greater kinship not only with the people that lived where I do in generations past...but also with a multitude of world cultures that have started fires the same way for 1,000s of years.

Whatever it is...I am compelled to master it.

In my quest to become proficient with the hand drill method of friction fire I have been attempting to make an "ember a day". I have collected spindles and hearth boards of various local plants...and daily spend a little time learning what variations work best for me...and which end in failure. And I'll tell you...I do fail a lot. Not all woods will work. Sometimes I just don't have the stamina to get the heat generated. Sometimes my spindle is too bent and it walks all over making the process difficult. I learn from each failure and success.

I generally work at it until my hands feel as if they will blister...and then I stop. By the next day...they are toughened up and will be ready for another go. If I fail to make an ember with the hand drill...and my hands are just to hammered to continue...I often just bring out the bow drill set...which I can make fire almost 100% of the time with...and call it a night.

If you have no idea what I am talking about...go to youtube.com and put in "hand drill fire" and "bow drill fire" and watch some videos.

CLASS INVITATION

If this sounds like something you would be interested in learning more about...

I will be doing a class on friction fire next month. It will be in two parts. We will go for a relatively short walk and I will help the class to identify some of the best plants for making fire. We will go over selection of woods and preparation of the materials for fire making. Then we will find a shady spot and try our hands at twirling up some embers...and making those into fires.

When - Saturday August 21st from 8am-10am.
Where - Hinkle Creek Nature Center at 7000 Baldwin Dam Rd. just below Lew Howard Park in Folsom CA.
Cost - $10 (That's the lot's of people have no job super special price!!)
Bring - Sun hat, water, pocket knife, a fire making attitude.

If you would like to come or have questions email me at stephenenix@yahoo.com

My 3 Favorite Knives for Survival...

A knives importance in a survival situation cannot be underestimated.

It is the tool that can fabricate most anything that you might need...to prepare food...defend yourself...and so on...

I agree with Ron Hood of survival.com that if I had to choose one knife to have with me in a survival situation...I would have a swiss army knife. As I said in another recent article...I like the Swiss Army Trekker. Here is why...

1. It is a longer length than what you might expect a "standard" swiss army knife to be...which makes it easier for me to grip...and the blades and other implements longer.

2. I despise having to pull out twenty tools to find the one that I want! The Trekker has the tools I use most. A knife...saw...and awl...without all the extras. Oh...and the very important tweezers! Can't tell you how often I get splinters.

3. My biggest heartburn with Swiss army has been that when the implements in the knife get gummed up at all...it can take remarkable fingernail strength to open the knife. The trekker has a "one handed" open model that allows for the blade to open with a large thumb loop.

If I could choose two knives to take into a survival situation...
I would want the Ka-Bar Becker BK2. Here's why...

1. It has a heavier weight that allows for you to chop at branches. Like having a mini axe on your hip.

2. It is as thick as a pry bar which makes for effective batoning of wood. (Splitting of wood) This thickness makes it a virtually indestructible knife. No worries about abusing it.

3. It is not a cumbersome mini-sword like so many other knives made for similar purposes.

4. Though it may feel cumbersome...especially after carving with smaller knives...it is capable of doing various carving tasks.

If you wear it on your belt...be prepared to have people stop you and say "Holy Cow! What kind of knife is that!"...as most folks aren't used to such a heavy utility knife.

If I could choose a third knife I would have a simple Mora clipper knife. I have the carbon steel 840mg. (military green) Here is why...
1. I just love carving with it. It just feels good in my hand...and glides through wood.

2. It has a clearly laid bevel that beginners can easily sharpen. The carbon steel blade version has stayed sharp for me for a long time.

3. It weighs very little.

4. It is a tried and true effective bushcraft knife.

5. Not that this has any bearing on it's actual utility...but I also appreciate how inexpensive it is!

Knives are largely a thing of preference. What works best for one...may not be the best for another. Post any knife recommendations in the comments... Thanks!

Accumulating Jars for Canning...

I was chatting with a man who has taught canning techniques for longer than I've been alive. He works at a big canning supply factory in Oakland CA. Without any provocation on my part he went into a lengthy speech about all of the trouble our nation is in...how quickly a disaster could change our lives...and the importance of storing food and supplies. He sounded a lot like me!

His belief was that next to having food stored...one should have supplies to store more food. Of course the hope with home production is that one can produce more fruits and veggies at home than what the family consumes...enabling excess food to be put away for the future!

He talked about steel suppliers and issues he was having getting in the raw materials to make the lids for the jars. He talked about how the price for the jars and lids had gone up...and he expected them to go drastically up again. He felt like the public should be running to the stores and cleaning the shelves of all canning supplies...while they still can.

After our conversation I have stocked up on some canning supplies here and there. Here is what we have done.

Although we do have a pressure cooker...most of our canning is done in a good ole' ball home canner. I recommend it as a great way to get into canning. It even comes with a canning book that many consider to be like a canning bible.

Both Walmart and Lowes carry canning supplies. From time to time...and when the price is right...I pick up a flat of jars with lids and a few of the little boxes of extra canning lids.

A great way to accumulate some jars is to purchase products that come in canning jars. While most jars aren't standard canning sizes that will fit canning lids...there are some companies out there that do use standard canning sized jars. Classico spaghetti sauces come in Mason jars. You can tell because it actually reads "Atlas Mason" in big print on the side of the jar. I have also seen Walmarts "Good Value" brand come in Mason jars. Specifically...I know that their peach chipotle salsa comes in a Mason jar. To reuse the jar...simply remove the label...and run it through your dishwasher. Then set it aside until you go to can...and use it as you would any other canning jar.

Please read the comments.

Keychain Survival!...

A friend of mine went on a rafting trip a while back. He was with a group of 25 people heading into some pretty intense rapids. A raft flipped...gear was lost...and they struggled to the shore to lick their wounds. The plan was to go home that night...but now they were way behind schedule and night was upon them. They were going to have to camp on the side of the river. My friend said "You know...out of those 25 people...I was the ONLY ONE that had any way to start a fire!" He went on to tell me that he always carries a lighter in his pocket. He is chastised by others for carrying it...as he doesn't smoke...but it is just such occasions when having a habit of carrying useful items could save lives...or at least make a miserable night more comfortable.

A foundational principle of preparedness is to keep available what you need...when you will need it.

The challenge arises...that if you were to carry around with you all of the stuff you might need...your pockets and purses might end up filled to overflowing! A compromise is to have things stashed...like a car kit...to be close when you might need it...or to have small preparedness items that are manageably carried from day to day.

An examination of many of our keychains would reveal that we currently are carrying keys that unlock who knows what...trinkets picked up from vacations...and other stuff we've accumulated over time. Our wallets and purses likewise also are collectors of junk...and could use a good purging from time to time to get rid of unwanted cargo. For people that drive...a keychain and wallet/purse...are some of the most important places to have preparedness items. Why?...because we almost always have them with us!

Here are some ideas about some things to consider putting on your keychain...or in your purse/wallet...

1. A knife - There are all kinds of options. For my everyday carry knife I have a Swiss Army Trekker. It has a few of the most important tools...without being what I consider too bulky or heavy. I have mixed feelings about the serrated edge on the knife...but I like the fact that it has a saw and an awl. This one even comes with a mini swiss army knife that would go well on a keychain.

2. Sharpener - A way to sharpen your knife! Here is a credit card sized option that fits in a wallet.

3. Firestarter - You could have a lighter like my friend. Another great option is to have a firesteel. They will produce thousands of fires...and you don't have to worry about getting them wet...or breaking them.

4. Pepper Spray - For subduing the bad guys...or animals.

5. Oil vial - For giving blessings to the sick. Personally...I see no reason why a woman can't also carry an oil vial. Prepared for her unprepared brothers.

Oh...one more thing I think is really important. Something that can allow for someone to return your keys to you if they are lost. I like dog tags engraved with my last name and phone number. Now...a person could get themselves all worked up wondering "What if they fell into the wrong hands!...A person would know where to go to rob me". While there is truth to this...I tend to believe that 99% of the time...the people that find your keys (granted you don't live in the ghetto) are prone to want to return them to you. I can't tell you how many functions I have been to where someone lost their keys...they were found...but no one had any clue how to get them back to the owner.

You might also consider having a carabiner like these to hold your keys. They allow for items to come on and off easily and have other potential preparedness uses.

Your Last Shopping Trip?...

I am often asked by people..."How long do you think things will go on before we're living in the wild west again?" Speaking of societal collapse in the US.

The answer is..."Every day that passes...I am amazed that it hasn't already happened"! It has been absolutely incredible that we have made it the last few years without a major disaster...manmade or otherwise to send us reeling back into the dark ages. One could look at our economic ails...terrorist threats...illegal alien problems...natural disasters...mettlesome foreign policy...wickedness...growing welfare state...poor crop yields...drought...corrupt governments...etc...and make a case that any one of them could cripple this country...and yet we have many of them reaching their ebullition seemingly at the same time!

Along these same lines...every time I step into a grocery store I think to myself..."I wonder if this is the last time I will be able to purchase food and supplies before the collapse?"

With this mindset I really...really question every purchase...making sure that every red cent goes to putting up more sustaining food and needed supplies for my family...as opposed to being frittered away on useless garbage.

This has prompted the purchasing of extra apple sauce...toilet paper...and so forth.

Just a thought for you. If you knew that when you go to the grocery store tomorrow...that it would be your last time to stock up on food and supplies for an undetermined amount of time...what would you be buying? Would it just be business as usual? What items would be dropped from your list?

I am not recommending "going to extremes" or getting into debt for food storage or anything like that. I just want for people to have a reality check about the precariousness of our current situation...and to truly make use of the means that are currently available...that may not be for long.

Food Staples Surging in Price...

Not a lot of time for blogging these days...here is a quick thought...

I am always interested when I see stories such as this one that talk about food shortages...inflation...rationing...etc. While this may seem like the problems of distant peoples... totally unrelated to the US...I think that would be a shortsighted assumption. Our connections can affect us when markets fail...when trade is limited or ceases...and in other ways. Our relations are a line of dominoes stood on end that reach around the world.

I read a story like this and marvel how little Americans currently pay for their food. While the people in the article pay up to 70% of their income on food...Americans pay somewhere around 7% of their income!!!

How differently we would view food if it was that expensive to us. I am planning for the day when we will be in the shoes of the so-called "poorer nations". When the facade of prosperity bursts...we will find we're not much different.