Prepare: End of the World Date Set - May 21, 2011

A group out of Oakland, California has announced that the world will come to an end on May 21, 2011. They base their announcement upon mathematical computations gleaned from several locations in the Bible which resulted in this date.

They have a website - Family Radio - which gives more information and the formula they used based upon scripture.

I don't want to pass judgement on these people. I have heard two interviews in the same number of days with their spokesperson on the radio. He seems very rational and a reasonable fellow. None of that "fire and brimstone" stuff, rather, he answered questions calmly and based upon his beliefs.

You can't prepare for this sort of thing.

According to the Rapture concept, if you are right with God, you will be swept up from earth to Heaven. There is no reason to prepare for that type of event as you will need none of your preps.

If you are not right with God, there will be a period of tribulation which preps may help, but the world will be so awful, it may not matter.

So the short of the long is, if you want to prepare for this end of the world scenario, get right with God right away.

My own perspective on the end of the world, Bible style, is based upon two things. First, I can't find in the Bible where it says the world will end on Tuesday. Rather, it points to signs and reminds readers, "Get right with God now and live each second as if Jesus were about to return".

Second, a pastor I knew was once asked what he thought about Rapture theology. His response was similar and basically said, "I can't worry about the actual day and time or how it exactly will happen. All I can worry about is preparing my own soul and helping save as many others as possible. That is what Jesus is going to ask me about when I meet Him".

I don't want to start a big theological fracas over this. Read this group's link and judge for yourself. Same with your religious beliefs; I don't want an argument with you.

Either this happens on May 21 and if so, I will see you on the other side. Or the date is wrong and look for another fine post here on May 22. Take care,

SHTF: Garden, Urban, Inflation

Sunday round up of miscellaneous stuff.. Here goes.

Gardening this weekend.

I setup a new raised bed in the backyard. This was pretty simple.

Cleared a 4 x 6 area of grass and weeds. Turned the soil.

Built out of left over bricks a 12" wall, (no cement) around the area.

Filled with 6 bags of soil from garden store.

Layered newspaper in the bottom to kill off any additional weeds.

Ready to plant with 3 tomato plants or bell pepper.

I won't put any down right now until the weather warms up. It's in the 50s today and set for the 70's this week, but who could have predicted the cold snap we had this past week?

Time: 1 hour.

Went to the garden store that same afternoon. Dwarf fruit trees and berry bushes are available. The prices were low and now is the time to stock up on these as online retailers are out of most fruit and berry plants.

Consider fruit tree availability like ammunition sales are now. They won't be available at all soon when people start getting wise to growing their own food. Sure, may will imagine that fruit tree producing 'store ready' produce in a few months, but realistically, if the tree is well taken care of, could produce some nice fruit next year or the year after.

By the way, the seed section was pretty well picked over too. More and more people are putting in food gardens this year what with the economy doing so well and prices going up.

Which brings up the next observation: Inflation.

With FedGov printing and pushing so much imaginary cash, it is having less value. Prices at Costco early yesterday morning were higher than I had seen before. Everything as two dollars more expensive than it was last October.

As debt-backed money increases, tangible goods cost more. Further, suppliers in other country, seeing our dollar decrease in value, demand more money for same goods. For instance, jasmine rice, produced in Thailand, was four dollars more expensive than the last time I shopped.

There were also several products understocked or low at Costco. This could be the beginning of shortages in the near future. Stock up now on staples like flour, honey, sugar, oil and so on.

Urban survival?

There has been a rash of stories sympathetic to this cause lately.

Urban survival means making do in the city during hard times or after the SHTF. There are a bunch of survival minded folks who believe that "peak oil", shortages, and other problems will force most of us back into cities.

The concept is that cities will become urban oasis' of like minded individual, families and quasi communes cooperating as they eek out an existence.

Homes, (buildings) will have roof top solar and rain collectors. Vacant lots will feature community gardens. Citizens will walk to work, shop and drop their kids off at nearby schools.

The problem with this scenario is lack of space.

If peek oil forces all of us into urban centers, the vacant lot will be razed for a new high rise condo to squeeze all the new citizens in.

Many jobs, such as manufacturing or retail, require more space and will compete for homes and schools for the room.

Even roof tops will be squeezed and hard pressed to provide enough power or water for all the citizens.

Further, money and power talk. That quaint neighborhood with its community gardens and proximity to shopping and jobs will be commandeered by the newly returned power elite just back from their far flung suburbs. Old residents will find themselves and their belongings thrown in the back of an open truck destined for the edges of society.

Nope, my theory is based upon the underpopulated suburb. Vast tracts of abaondoned homes and strip malls. One family home occupied out of every five or six houses. Gardens in overgrown backyards. Small scale livestock product such as goats, chickens and rabbits.

Swimming pools converted to cisterns. Solar panels and windmills generating power. Neighborhood groups organized for defense and protection while a few fortunate members work from home on hijacked Internet connections.

The key is space. Lots of room for production and food while still within an organized grid of streets and dwellings.

Now the smart, true rural prepper is laughing at my scenario right now. "The suburbs will fall to the gangbangers and welfare bums as soon as they cities are stripped clean", they say.

And they are probably right, but its my opinion and they have theirs. Regardless, I don't think the Kumbaya urban survivalist option is any better; its far worse.

Before the weekend ends, get to the garden store and do some stocking up. Spring is in the air, let's get those gardens ready!

Get your non-hybrid garden seeds here now!

Prepare: Grocery shopping, rural property, tip of the day

Hope you had a good weekend. We are in the equivalent of 1930, Depression-wise which means the stock market has already fallen and bank failures are right around the corner. Let's not become Okies, ok?

Grocery shopping -

Too many family activities this weekend, so I went grocery shopping early this AM (Monday). There were few people in the store that day and time (good) and plenty of things to choose from (better).

Here is what I purchased:

Milk 2 gallons
Bread 2 loaves
Cheese 2 blocks
Cheese 1 bag shredded
Cottage cheese
Tortillas
3 lbs ground hamburger
1 pack bacon
1 pack baloney
2 boxes cereal
2 boxes granola
36 eggs (2 18ct)
cat litter
dog food
4 large bags frozen vegetables
Large plain yogurt
3 lbs butter

Produce will come from a farmers market type grocer down the street. The prices are better and the produce is very nice.

We already have several hundred pounds of rice, flour, sugar, salt, etc. on hand as well as many cans of basics. I picked up 40 lbs of potatoes and onions each this weekend.

Notice about the above list: There are no frozen meals (like pizza or lasagna), no sodas, no sweets (like ice cream or cookies). Only basic components to build breakfast, lunch (especially for school kids) and dinners.

Also, there is little meat. We use eggs for most of our protein and big meat, like steak, chicken or pork, is only a couple of times a week. Simply put, we don't want to go into debt for a single meal of steak or a roast chicken.

By using basics, like rice, at home, we can make filling and healthy meals every day.

This is our frugal diet in our home and we eat well. Needless to say, we don't eat out either.

Rural property -

Friday night my wife mentioned a friend from high school who grew up in a small town north east of where we live. Then the wife says how much she would like to drive out to this small town. Then the kicker; wife says she would love to live in this town if it is still the same as she remembers it.

So I grab the laptop and bingo! The town is about 10,000 souls total and 100 miles from our home.
A real estate page shows two perfect homes in our price range; one with 5.2 acres and another with 8 acres. One of the homes is relatively new and has a well, barn and multiple trees on the property.

Realistically, we are two years from making this move, but we are driving out in a couple of weeks to get a feel for the land and town.

My wife's reason for bringing this up: she is tired of living in our city (1million), the rat race, wants to be self sufficient, no longer trust the government, worried about our kids, etc. The usual litany which brings the DGI over to our side. I am a happy guy. It pays to be patient.

Tip of the day -

Have cats? Use cat litter? Do you purchase the plastic containers with the handle? Those containers have lots of uses. Now, I would not fill them with water for myself to drink, but I do use them for water storage. This weekend, I punched a dozen holes in the lid and now have a new watering can. Pretty neat, huh?

We are in tough times. You should be prepared or working on it every chance you get. Get busy, its going to be a bumpy ride.

Good luck,

SHTF: The Road

Unless you have been under a rock or in your bunker for the past two years, you have heard of The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Forget that it is an Oprah book club book, whatever, rather that it is a masterpiece of literature.

The Road describes a world where everything, all life, people, animals, plants, are dying off after a cataclysmic event. (Although the book does not say, to me it is obvious an extinction event, such as a massive meteorite storm or comet strike has taken place. Other reviewers love to pontificate, incorrectly, that the the story describes "nuclear winter" after a man-made nuclear war).

Amongst this ruin, we have a man and his son, both unnamed, traveling across this blasted and cold land moving south where they hope there is warmer temperatures and food.

The story is about survival, but it is more about love and keeping hope in the darkest of times. Something we here understand and appreciate all too well.


Heavy handedness aside, let's get down to practicality. If you have read The Road, you probably thought what I did - "How could I have survived in that situation?"

As I read The Road, I figured out these few lessons:
- Be prepared - duh. But really prepared with food for several years, ways to grow more and preserve it in adverse conditions, to have a retreat well off the beaten path and obscure from passers by and have plenty of ammo for your weapon.

With that in mind, is there anyway anyone could survive that cold desolate world described in The Road? I'd like to think there is, after all, there were communes and survivors who had not yet degenerated into cannibalism and despicable acts.

To get started..

Don't be a refugee - Lesson one. The Man and Boy are wandering with all their worldly possessions. Around every corner is death and destruction waiting for them. Rather than walking to death, we know to have a retreat ready before the day happens.

Retreat location is everything - we don't know how the disaster took place, but we do know from The Road that pretty much everything above ground was affected. So having an underground shelter would be advantageous. Further, the shelter should not be too far north (colder), near an earthquake zone (falling asteroids could trigger a quake) or near the sea (flooding). So somewhere in the southwest or lower Plain states would be nice.

Our shelter must be over a deep aquifer for our well to go. Something with water for years and unaffected by the elements. So a well is mandatory and having the pump run on wind or another renewable power source is mandatory

Next, our shelter must be large, very large to house what we are going to stock it with.

Food,food,food - the characters in The Road are starving most of the book. We will need to stock our shelter not for a few months, but for years. That means the some sort of list of foods and schedule of consumption:

Year one, two - canned and packaged food.
Year three - long term storage food such as grain, rice, beans, powdered milk, honey, cooking oil.
Year four through seven - more long term grain, powdered milk, honey and oil. Retort foods such as Emergency Essentials, Meals-Ready-To-Eat for variety and as a treat.
Year eight and on - Underground food production garden with grow lights and hydroponics. Continued use of grains. Small scale animal production such as pygmy goats and chickens.

That was my estimate, so I went to the food calculator and entered in my data. Here is what I got..

First, I figured in seven years worth of food with four big people and one little person consuming - so that (7 x 4) + (7 x 1) x the estimated annual amounts.

That would mean
Grains - 9436lbs
Fats (oils, etc) - 413lbs
Beans - 1848lbs
Sugars - 1883lbs
Milk - 2359lbs
Plus a bunch of cooking essentials like baking powder, yeast, salt, etc.

Using this same calculator, I would increase the number of years I plan to stay in the shelter and stock accordingly.

It is a lot to consider, but think about the core food, grain. Only 10K lbs would feed five people for 7 years.

So the shelter has to be huge. I figure that I would have to buy a truckload of grain at a time, although I think a grain truck carries about 20,000 lbs so one would be enough. Just having a place to store it would be a chore.

With food and water covered for our post-The Road world, we need a few other essentials.

Power - Solar is out and the electric grid is down. The wind still blows and wind power may be are only option. We have to keep the wind mills running in all the dust and ash, and discovery will always be a problem. But if the windmills are running outside and our shelter is underground hidden from view, other refugees and bandits will pass them by hopefully and move on.

The windmills would store their power in deep cycle batteries and would power cooking, heating and lights.

The other option would be to have several thousand gallons of propane stored underground around my bunker. It could be used for cooking, heating and powering a generator.

Wood and coal fire would be out as the smoke would have to be expelled and that would attract others.

Washing, toilets and personal hygiene - all I wanted to do when I was reading The Road was the desire to take a shower. Having wash facilities would be crucial as would be toilets. The waste would have to be used for fertilizer in the growth rooms for vegetables and fruit productions.

Water from the bath/shower would be reused for watering the plants. Waste from the animals would be used for earthworm production and fertilizer.

What else would we need? Clothing, including changing sizes for children as they grow. Shoes too.

Vitamins as our diet becomes progressively more limited. Medicine as the chance of minor infections spreading becomes a real issue in our closed bunker environment. Having a sun lamp or tanning bed for artificial sunlight and vitamin D production would help too.

I would want to have at least four or five families in the shelter. We would probably be down there, with very limited exposure to the outside world for 7-10 years judging from the book. At that time, most of the die off would have unfortunately happened and then we could wait for the world to hopefully heal itself.

Could you survive the world of The Road? Most likely not based upon what I read. But thinking about solutions to problems is what we should do and do often. However, some survival situations are simply too big to grasp and plan for.

SHTF: Emergency Supply List

Financial markets are heating up and there is no end in site. Couple that with gasoline shortages in the Southeast, tensions in the MidEast, crazy dictators on every corner and a nuclear weapon in every home and you got trouble.

Here is your Emergency Supply List for Now

Food -
Go get lots of staples like sugar, flour, powdered milk, corn meal, crisco, cooking oil, baby formula, canned meat, vegetables, fruit, oatmeal, peanut butter, and honey.

Water -
Buy some water storage containers, the bigger the better and fill at home. Get a good water filter system and replacement filters. Plan a water catchment system for rain water. Get a water well if possible.

Garden -
Go get a variety of seeds for this winter and next spring. Get hand tools and fertilizer. Start a compost heap. Lay out garden space wherever possible on your property. Get large containers for the patio.

Security -
Secure your home with good locks on doors and windows. Measure and purchase wood to board up windows and vulnerable exterior areas. Decide what type of defensive weapon you would be willing to use and obtain what is necessary. Park your cars in the garage or make sure they are secure and out of sight at all times.

Communication -
Get a good AM/FM/shortwave battery powered radio. Get simple walky talkies for each member of the family. Create a communications system for family members with code words for emergency situations.

Medical -
Get a list of prescriptions (including eyeglasses) and get extras. Stock up on aspirin, cold formulas, pain relief, baby medicines, feminine products, soap, alcohol, razors, antibacterial hand gel and bandages of all sizes.

Finances -
Make sure bills are paid and money is available in the bank and in cash at home. Have a credit card available for last minute purchases. Invest in junk silver coins for a post-dollar world.

Work -
Brush up on any skills someone would want and pay for. Like automotive, handyman, electrical, nursing or plumbing work. Be ready to grow food, sew clothes, protect property and lives.

Stay focused, faithful and charitable. Consider the fall of the Roman Empire, the Dark Ages, the Great Depression, wars, famine and revolt. Man survived, adapted and thrived after every one of these events. You will too.

SHTF: End of the world and prepare

That should get your Friday attention.

Friday shorties..

Work -
Be sure to fill up today and keep your tank above three quarters full. There are gasoline shortages all over the Southeast U.S. That means they will start diverting gasoline from other places to avoid further unrest in SC, NC, and GA.

Be sure to pick up extra groceries this weekend. My suggestion is to take a look at my Survival Foods on a Budget post this week for some cheap suggestions.

Fill up water containers too.

Defense -
There have been reports of "runs on guns" at several locations around the U.S. Make your own call here. But projectiles are as necessary as launchers. Shop wisely. Bricks make fine gifts.

Fiction -
Jerry D has a couple of new stories this week on TPASS. Both are fine page turners.

Fun -
Can you spot the survivalist? Look for the guy wearing a photographers vest with bulging pockets and a fanny pack pontificating about "fiat currency" and bragging about how much stored gas he has.

Clue - preparedness is about being prepared for your immediate loved ones and KEEPING A LOW PROFILE. Ditch the photog vest and fanny pack - nothing screams "Mug me when the poop hits the fan!" (or dork) more than accessories like these. Further, shut your yap.

Enjoy the weekend!

Prepere: Earthquake Survival Kits

I have read of a number of earthquakes in China and California the past few weeks. Unlike most natural disasters, earthquakes are nearly impossible to avoid if you live in a earthquake prone area.

Having a good earthquake survival kit is two fold; it is there if a quake strikes and it can also be used for a "bug out" or "get out of dodge" bag.

I found a great list on the internet of supplies which are mandatory for an earthquake survival kit. Being a flatlander who lives in non-quake country, this type of reading is mandatory and enlightening.

Besides the standard water (two quarts per person per day, don't forget the pets!) and food (non-perishable, canned, needs no heating, ready to heat), an earthquake survival kit should include items most likely associated with quake preparedness.

First instance, tools. More than your standard all in one Gerber multi tool, but heavy duty tools like shovels, picks, crowbars, axes and pipe wrenches. In a post-earthquake survival situation, you may be called upon to rescue friends and loved ones from collapsed structures.

And all the debris calls for heavy duty boots, dust masks, hard hats and thick palmed gloves. Many of the items found in an earthquake survival kit would be a surprise in a standard home or car emergency kit.

What about shelter? If the home is damaged by the quake or is at risk from aftershocks, most earthquake survival kit owners have temporary shelter one hand such as a tent, tarp or other temporary shelter.

Here was a novel item on the earthquake survival kit; powdered lime for the "natural toilet" to control odors and keep away pests. After a quake, most survivors have no intention of abandoning their home and wish to protect their possessions. That means roughing it on site until organized help arrives.

An earthquake survival kit has a greater number of contents than the standard survival kit, but has a greater and more pressing need in earthquake prone parts of the world. Those of us into preparedness can learn quite a bit from the earthquake crowd about everyday preparedness.

What currency after SHTF?

This came up the other day: What currency will work best after the SHTF? You know, what forms of payment for debts, public and private and all that stuff...

My answers?

Gasoline, any amounts, but one and five gallon containers for counting purposes.
Toilet paper
.22 caliber cartridges



What do all three of these things have in common?

Once used, they cannot be reused. Well, in the case of the .22 cartridge I am sure some enterprising person will figure a way...



But gasoline once used is gone forever. Same with toilet paper thankfully.

But in many cases, hauling a couple of rolls of Charmin down to the trading post or swap meet may not be handy, will there be a more liquid form of money?



For many in the preparedness community, it has always been considered that gold and silver would make a comeback for post-SHTF money. After all, precious metals have a real intrinsic value that any of us would relate too.

However, I think some may question whether or not a Silver Eagle is indeed what you say it is. That is why I suggest that "junk silver", pre-1964 U.S. silver coins such as dimes, quarters and halves have a more convinient value than gold or specialty silver coins.

For those just joining us, junk silver coins have 90% silver content and are easily recognizable as legal U.S. tender.

More to the point, small silver coins will have greater value in common trades say for a dozen eggs, a bag of roofing nails or a quart of honey. What's more, common coins are easily recognizable and in most cases, trusted as not being forgeries. WHo knows if that Silver Eagle or Kruggerand is really a foil coated fraud or not?



My advice is as always is to stock up on real everyday tangibles first. Then, and only after your preps are at a comfortable state, consider investing in some junk silver coins.

SHTF: Home supplies list

OK. I don't care what your motivation is. Terrorists. Nuclear war. Global warming. Jenna Bush as president. You want to have your list of supplies on hand for when ....

THE SHTF.

Food - start with the basics.
Canned, packaged and dry foods. Canned anything as long as you eat it.
Medium-term length survival foods - Flour, sugar, salt, cooking oil, yeast, beans, rice, vitamins and protein powder.
Long-term - long term survival foods like Ready Reserve, MRE's, Emergency Essentials, whole wheat, dry milk, honey and cooking oil.

Food final - arable land, a garden, seeds, good soil, even a bunch of pots and a compost heap. Anything which allows you to grow more food.


Water - the essential!
Water. A well, rain barrels, a catchment system, a cistern, water barrels to fill now for later.
Water filters and purification systems including filters, a pump and lots of plain bleach.
The ability to dig a new well, sandpoints for a hand hammered well, a nearby lake, stream, creek or river.

Power/Fuel - got to keep going!
Wood for the stove. Gas for the truck. Solar or wind for the home. Propane or diesel for the generator. Batteries for storage. Gas for the stove including propane, butane or natural gas.

Medical - Stay healthy or what to do when you get sick.
Other the counter medicines, lots and lots, starting with apirin and working your way across cold and flu season, allergies, bug bites, sunburn, anything which can be painful, deadly or harmful.
Herbs to substitute for manufactured drugs.

Protection
Firearms, ammunition, bows/arrows, knives/swords/axes, clubs, sticks, stones and chemicals.

Hardware
Building materials, filters of all kinds, batteries, tarps, buckets, nails and other fasteners, tools, spare parts, rope, wire, flashlights, lanterns, tents, campers, cook stoves, bedding, hammocks, sleeping bags, and anything else which can be obtained from a hardware or camping store.

Cleanliness!
Soap, shampoo, tooth paste, disenfectant, bleach, cleaning supplies, toothbrushes, toilet paper, paper towels, tampons, towels, and razors.

Finally, lots of common sense, prayer, religion, faith, hope and courage.

You can call it from there. If I missed something, well, drop me a comment.

Lights Out - SHTF fiction

If you just showed up at Google and punched in SHTF fiction, you may have arrived here at the Prepare site. Let me save you some time, stop reading those half-baked, half-finished glory doom tales and put you on the page of probably the best, Internet-based SHFT fiction tale out there - Lights Out.

First, an update. Lights Out is not available at the link below any longer. The author has pulled free copies of the book online as he has published the book in traditional format. Here is the link from Amazon.





See the link here to download the whole story.

First, download the whole story in PDF format today. The story is good enough it may end up published and like "Patriots" (yes, by comma Rawles), it will be off limits gratis for the online crowd. Get it while you can, folks.

If you have read, Lights Out, good for you. You get it. If LO was not "gun porn" enough for you, or did not feature enough one-dimensional post-apocalypse convict, biker raiders, then to heck with ya.

Now, Lights Out is probably the best, realistic SHTF story out there, however, I have a few bones to pick with it.

Bur first the praise.

The story features mostly real people. Husbands and wives fight. Characters are flawed. Most of those facing the brave, scary world have little if any experience with the devil waiting in the dark. However, like Americans have always done, they step up to the plate and deal with it.

I like Lights Out and have read (in the process of reading a fifth time) several times already.

The problems:

1) Why did it take Mark Turner 9 freaking days to get to the darn grocery store? With a truck running, my butt would have been at Kroger, Costco or 7-11 everyday and loading up on everything I could get my mitts on!

2) Why didn't Mark and Jim tell the boss, Davis: "We have extended family and have no intention of leaving them to fend for themselves. Based upon your philosophy, you get where we are coming from. Thanks, but unless you open up the joint to our extended clans, you are on you own. You need us more than we need you. (New Age Ranch? Please... ).

3) Gunny was a cardboard cutout character. I love how he could not walk the Silver Hills neighborhood, but could do the quick step SWAT move with Mark at the Drew house.

4) They have one too many battle scenes - namely, the Jeep goes over the hill incident and the fight with the motorcycle gang in the culvert with the hand grenades. Again, a little over kill.


Reading Lights Out for the umpteenth time, I could be picky, but the bottom line is, it's a great story with very good characterization, a plausible story line and riveting action. Download it today.

Also good runner's up - Shattered and Deep Winter by T Sherry. The only problem with those stories is I kept hoping someone would punch Rick Drummond's nose once he made one too many smug responses and could not run to the Army or his pal the sheriff to protect him. Otherwise, another top story you can find on TB2K - if it has not been pulled for Lulu.

Quick tips for the SHTF garden

You hear this a lot...

"We are going to put in a garden on our property and grow our own veggies and fruit once things go downhill.."

"Just put in a garden and grow your own food in a small space!"

"Anyone can put in a container garden and have their own food once the SHTF, right?"

I have bad news for the novice gardener, it is not that easy to plant a producing garden if you have never done it before. What's more, there is no worse time to learn how to grown your own food if the poop has hit the fan.

So, the time to get started is now. It is summer in most parts of the country and there is no reason to not start growing at least some of your own food now. Be prepared: it will take some work and effort to get your garden underway and producing.

- The fastest way to start is with containers and already sprouted plants like the ones sold at the garden stores and big box retailers.
- Avoid using the black plastic pots the plants are sold in. They capture too much ambient heat which stresses the plant and evaporates the moisture in the soil faster.
- Replant only in high quality soil. I cannot stress this enough. Do not use any soil sold in a bag or worse, unfortified soil from the yard.
- To make your own potting or bed soil, use a high quality base soil for your area, add compost and vermiculite.
- Raised beds work better than planting direct into ground.
- Water in the morning. Water in the heat of the day burns off before it can help the plants. Water in the evening can produce mold on some plants.
- Water deeply container plants daily and raised beds a couple of times a week.
- Use natural fertilizers like fish emulsion and green sand. Make insect repellents from hot peppers and garlic.
- Work natural compost into your beds and containers often; it replaces the nutrients in the soil.
- Mulch beds using friendly bedding material like alfalfa grass. I purchased a bail at the local farmers market and had enough for my entire tomato bed.
- Grow what works local. For instance, tomatoes, corn and melons grow well in my area while asparagus, broccoli and lettuce does not. Post-SHTF is not the time to experiment with potential failed crops.
- Camouflage your garden space. Surround the borders of your yard with weeds, overgrown bushes and native plants. Grow food as landscaping. Grow herbs in the front or side yards where passersby will think they are wild growth or weeds.
- Fruit trees take 3-5 years or longer before they produce edible fruit. Plant dwarf versions now. If possible, put in large containers on wheels so they can be brought in during cold weather. I have a producing orange tree I keep in this manner and have done so for over 10 years.
- Experiment with seeds only after you have successfully grown from plantings. Start with small pots filled with top quality soil and replant in beds or larger containers. Herbs are best to start with.
- Corn is an excellent and fast grower, however it rapidly depletes the soil. Be ready to grown rye or another nitrogen replacement crop during cooler months in your corn patch.
- I have never had much luck with fruits or vegetables grown in doors. Maybe your experience is different.
- Certain food crops can be grown during the winter months like garlic, onions, and kale.
- Finally, don't bother gardening if you have not learned how to store your surplus with canning, drying and dehydrating!

SHTF: The coming food riots

So you have heard all about the looming, powder keg in the making, soon to be shown in an urban area near you, Food Riots?

Sure you have. Read any of the survival message boards or what not and you KNOW they are just around the corner, right? Soon, there will be little if any foods available in our grocery stores because of floods, global warming, global food demand, a shrinking food supply and the ever weakening fiat currency, the U.S. dollar, right?

Wrong.

In my opinion, I don't think widespread rioting in the United States is likely. In fact, I think there will be very little in today's man made, limited crises world. Let me explain.

First, food shortages will affect restaurants long before the grocery store. No, not that little boutique restaurant downtown. We are talking about the big box, mega chain fast food complex. When your average American cannot get a Big Pounder and bucket of fries to go along with that 55-gallon diet caca because the McRonaldary is out of food, they will know something is afoot.

Will they riot then?

No, they will then tramp across the street to Booger Royalty and see if the same situation applies there, and then on to Taco Heck and Was-Once-Beef before realizing "Hey, there ain't no food here!".

Now will they riot?

No they will call the local news station, ACLU, and BBB and demand a mini-cam come out and record their grievance. After all, food is a right, right?

But no riots not when there is a complaint department and an eager and compliant mass media.

Okay what about when there's no food at the local Kroger or Piggly Wiggly?

When food shortages finally reach the grocery stores, the real miff is going to be due to the shortage of ready-to-eat-and-die convenience foods, beer, candy, and cigarettes. The average American has no idea where food comes from and most have no idea what it looks like until it's wrapped in bright colored paper and has a serving suggestion airbrushed on the cover.

Never will they walk out of the frozen food section and see if there is any fresh meat, vegetables or fruits available and if there were, most would not know what to do with the ingredients much less be able to read a cookbook above the third grade level. So nope, no riots then either.

OK, what about when the REAL groceries start to disappear? Will there please be riots then?

When meat, vegetables, fruits, potatoes, pasta and what not starts showing up missing, there won't be riots then either. Rather, a bunch of entitlement freaks will stand in front of the store and want passers by to sign a petition, then they will protest and plan a boycott of the Big Evil Corporation which owns the grocery store. Someone will provocatively blog about it and another will build a web page to raise awareness. Then they will blame the president and want someone to bring them fast food, debit cards and a habitat for polar bears.

Nope no riots then either. However, there will be plenty of soundbites from "angry consumers" and "community activists". Yet, there will be very few riots.

The majority of American people no longer have riots in their veins.

The average American is deathly afraid of direct confrontation. Sure, they will vote for anyone who will promise to "get" the greedy corporations and and raise taxes on "that greedy rich guy". But this same angry consumer is a heck of a lot less likely to march over to the wealthy guy's house and demand that rich guy hand him a couple of hundred dollars and a bag of groceries because he feels he is somehow owed it. Better to use a faceless nameless proxy to get that which he is afraid to work for.

Nope, there will be no food riots. Rioting over basic necessities is no longer part of our plush, fat lifestyle. Rather, we are willing to riot over important events like aircraft seat assignments, concert tickets and exclusive pre-school enrollment.

And when the crowds finally wake up, and do become agitated because there is no fuel for the car or body, you should hardly care.

When the food shortages start, you should have already had a supply of food at home by carefully shopping and stocking up now.
You should also have had a back up plan for additional food from a garden in the backyard.
Further, you should be well aware how to get your mitts on more food from unorthodox supply locations.
Never should you be ready to hit the loot lines and hope to obtain a few choice canned goods and left over bags of pinto beans amidst the destruction. Those that join in the final fray of looting will find themselves injured, dead or herded off to a interment camp.

Nope, there will be no riots. Because by the time the average American wakes up and finds out there are no Ding Dong Donots or McStuffins available, it will be too late. So stop waiting for the food riots on TV. Instead, pop in a copy of Red Dawn on the old DVD player (or similar fine fair) and enjoy yourself this evening.

Beef stew and Tang

TB2K had a great thread the other day about food. With the price of food rising daily, shortage of certain foods here and abroad and our obsession with the end of the world, naturally any thread about food, especially "shelf stable foods" found in our pantries and cupboards.

Someone brought up how they purchased a case of Vienna Sausages. I don't know what was more surprising. How many people had never had Vienna Sausages or how many people ate them regularly.

The problem with people into preparedness, in my opinion, is how many of them are into food which are not exactly the best for you. Yes, when the poop hits the fan, you had better believe I will be into my canned beef stew and Spam. Yes, I have multiple boxes of macaroni and cheese, corn bread mix and other cholesterol laden foods.

However, long term, I know I will also be eating far more healthy fare. Rice, beans, fresh produce from my garden. The junk is just to get me from point A to B.

Second is the fallacy, "Look. You will be stressed and your body needs more fats to survive". Says who? Or "Look. You will be doing more hard labor once the SHTF and your body will need more calories". I guess that depends.

Take this scenario. The end has finally come. You are in your suburban home waiting for things to settle down long enough to load up the truck and head to grandma's remote house in the country. You might be holed up for as long as a month. Are you really going to stuff your face with Little Debbies, Hormel canned tamales and Criso? You know that stuff is bad for you and putting more in your system just increases the risk of a massive heart attack later in life. I can see the health care available when that happens! ("We can get Doc Stone the 80 year old veternerian down the road or get Mama in here. She know all about folk medicine!").

My suggestion is the fatty, cholesterol-filled junk food be kept on hand for limited sustinance or for younger people. For the rest of us, prepare now for a diet of healthier fare. YOur body will thank you after the SHTF.

How fast will the SHTF?

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Rice? What rice? What price rice?

Rice is a staple food eaten all over the world. The top producers of rice are:

China, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Brazil and Japan.

Of these countries, only Thailand and Vietnam export (send out of the country) any measurable amounts. The third largest exporter of rice is the United States and by the numbers, is not in the top ten producing countries.

China and India consume much of their production. The Philippines cannot produce enough to meet demand and must import a certain amount of rice annually.

Rice is inexpensive, nutritious and filling. It can be used a main dish and augmented with other foods such as meat and vegetables to create a healthy meal.

And now the problem.

Because of demand, weather and costs, rice has become difficult to buy. Check out this story from Costco's CEO. This is taking place in the U.S. Not some third world country, but here.

The demand for rice is outstripping the supply. As I said, there are many causes. A healthier economy in Asia. A colder than expected winter in China and Vietnam. Higher demand from third world nations. Even commodity speculation.

With so few countries exporting, then the other shoe drops. India announces that they are curtailing their exports to keep prices low at home. Thailand, which usually holds a large surplus, has found itself with a three month supply and multiple customers including oil-rich, cash in hand nations like Iran shopping for a dwindling supply.

Food, once considered a boring commodity, is now a hot resource, much like petroleum and precious metals.

How does this affect us?

Rice, like wheat, constitutes a large part of our preparedness stores. At our home, we regularly keep 100 to 400 pounds of rice on hand in storage buckets. I recently checked at our Costco and found no rice in stock at all, save for the 10 lb bags of basmati rice which is not a big favorite at our house.

Rice, which used to be cheap and could be counted on as an everyday and emergency food stock is now hard to obtain and more costly when available. This can seriously hurt our preparedness plans.

What can we do?

First, we are facing a demand problem and not necessarily a shortage. Rice is available, but it might be hard to find.

Second, the time to buy was last year, but the time to buy is also now before the shipments stop and there are no restocks.

A few suggestions;

- Purchase smaller bags (1, 2 and 5lb) from your grocer.
- Check big box retailers like Walmart. Often they have the big bags like Costco or Sams.
- Check with Asian and Middle Eastern retailers. I would buy 25 and 50 lb bags from the Asian market near our house anyway. Also check the Hispanic oriented supermarkets if they are in your town.
- Keep an eye out at Sams and Costco. Ask the manager when shipments may arrive. According to the news, new stock arrives daily.
- Buy in reason. There is no need to snatch every 50lb bag you see. Buy what you can afford and reasonably store.
- Store what you buy, eat what you store.
- Consider other grains which may be in stock.

A note.

There have been a number of news articles about food shortages and riots. So far, this has not happened in the U.S. yet and I don't see it happening for some time.

Also, there is plenty to eat (real long term storage food) in the markets. I have not seen the all edged shortages of flour, sugar, salt or yeast some are hysterically reporting nor have my retailers placed any limits on purchases.

Finally, the government has not issued a statement on the rice demand. When the government issues a statement like "please limit purchases" or worse, "we have implemented price controls and rationing", then you have a real problem on your hand.

That does not mean to say that you should not continue to store food. On the contrary, we prepare for all eventualities which includes short term shortages such as what we are experiencing in addition to more serious events.

Survival manual neatly dressed as fiction

A survival manual neatly dressed as fiction.

This has to be one of the worse lines ever. Why?



Because every fiction writer in the past five years, who when combined with the Internet, and with even the slightest bent for "the end of the world" sits down at at the computer, the first tome he puts out is "a survival story, neatly dressed as fiction, but actually a how-to manual for when the world goes down the toilet".

Today's TEOTWAWKI author believes that every SHTF novel now has to have J.W. Rawles theme in order to be successful.

Have you read Patriots? Pick any version. The three in print. "Double Ought", "The Grey Nineties", or how about the screenplay?

The story is simple. A massive meltdown of America's economic system leads to chaos and anarchy across the country. A group of people, having long ago prepared a retreat in rural Idaho, take refuge and spend the following years fighting off hordes of convicts, cannibals and New World Order shock troops all while preaching the Good News.

The story is full of action and fast dialogue and the characters are basically decent people.

"Patriots" gets bogged down in overly detailed lists and descriptions of every type of firearm, ammo and accessory imaginable. Story characters become faceless blobs identified only by the make, model and finish of their weapon.

When I first read "Patriots" (an online version several years ago), I was halfway through the book and still had no idea if Mary (Todd's wife in this version) was tall, fat, red headed, two-headed or skinny as a rail. But I did know she carried a Remington 870 Junior Model in 20 guage.

Regardless, the tedious trend today has every post-SHTF writer, especially the Internet based writers, attempting to copy and surpass the "Patriots" model. I wonder sometimes if writers remember some of the great TEOTWAWKI novels like The Stand, Alas Babylon or Lucifer's Hammer? Camoflage patterns were not quickly identified, but the characters and storyline were first rate, riveting and memorable.

I like "Patriots" and think it should be on your survivalist fiction bookshelf. Further, I try and keep up on Rawles' blog from time to time for helpful survival information. However, I wish that prospective survivalist writers would attempt their own writing style and focus on character development and storyline first.

"Patriots" is out with a new, extended and updated version for 2008. Check out Amazon for great pricing and availability.

Prepare! Pre-1964 silver coins are a waste of time

Read the official Junk Silver Blog Here.

Are junk silver coins really a waste of time? No, in fact it is highly desirable to have some form of portable currency during and after an emergency. Starting with a credit card with plenty of room, then cash, gold or silver and finally, trade goods. 
 
Personally, I am a big fan of pre-1964 silver U.S. coins. Rather, I created this post to dispel a notion many armchair survivalists cling to, but also to remind readers to stock tangibles (food, water, etc) before investing in precious metals. 

First up, read all the survival fiction you can find out there on the internet. 

And that is fiction with a capital F.

Every protagonist has a stash of pre-1964 coins for barter, trade and commerce. And without fail, so does every other character they meet and wish to conduct business with. They all seem to have a mason jar full of Franklin silver halves, Roosevelt dimes and old quarters.

And so, when the inevitable "trading faire" (who comes up with this stuff?) opens, everyone shows up with a pocket of pre-Beatles change jingling and ready to purchase chickens, honey and auto parts.

Horse feathers.

For those just joining the end of the world, pre-1964 US coins have a silver content of 90% silver. To the "fiat currency" crowd, these coins were the last "real" money available to citizens.

Most pre-1964 coins have been pulled from circulation, both by the government and by collectors. I still find a silver coin from time to time, usually about one or two a year. With silver so highly priced, it makes sense to keep those dimes which are now worth over a dollar for metal value.

However, I don't know anyone who has a stash of pre-1964 US coins. Most people I meet don't even know such coins had any value. So why do SHTF authors think that commerce will quickly migrate from barter (or theft) to usage of pre-1964 silver coins so quickly when so few people have any to spend?

Most likely, gold and silver and precious stones will have a certain value for a time after the SHTF, but will fall out of favor as people realize they cannot eat a diamond ring or ward off bad guys with a Kruggerand.

My advice is to stock the following in your post-TEOTWAWKI bank account FIRST with: 
- Food.
- Supplies needed to produce clean water, i.e. bleach, filters, storage containers, etc..
- Guns and ammo.
- Manufactured goods like nails, screws, lumber, concrete, safety pins, sewing needles, etc.
- Medicines. Aspirin alone is worth its weight in pre-1964 silver coins.
- Shoes and clothes in general.
- Feminine products and birth control.
- Cleaning supplies particularly disinfectant, bleach, soap, etc.
- Toilet paper (cash money on a roll!).
- Gardening supplies (tools, seeds, potting soil) and animal feed. For that matter, small livestock like chickens, goats and rabbits.

Stock up enough ammo and egg laying chickens and you can become the next Warren Buffet of the post-apocalyptic world. Only after your food and other supplies are stocked should you take dollars and invest them in silver U.S. coins or gold.

Check out the Junk Silver Blog here.

Mountain House Freeze-Dried Food

How long could you last at home?

Here is a neat quiz you might want to try today.



With the food I have on hand, I could live for over 200 days in my home. Funny, they did not ask about water or the ability to make more fresh drinking water. No water, you no live.

Prepare! Water storage and plans to produce more

Water.

Without water we die, our animals die and our plants die. No water means no life. Thus the relation between water and life since the beginning of time.

Most survivalist sites direct readers to a) move to the country and b) get a house with a well. Sound advice if it applies, but most of us have to stay in the big evil city if we want to make a living.

If that is your particular situation, what ways can you build and maintain a water supply?

First, unlike most foods and manufactured goods, the means to get water is at your fingertips. Water service is a few steps away at the kitchen sink. So the fastest way to build up a water supply is to get some containers and start filling them from the tap.

For many, that can mean a tupperware or pitcher filled and placed in the fridge. Great, but what about when that is empty?

Fill those pop bottles

Many survivalists recommend storing water in empty plastic "pop" bottles (we call it soda down here, but to each his own). The drawback with this is it requires the survivalist to incur an additional cost for the two-liter bottles of unhealthy soda at 1-2.00 a pop. Also, the bottles have to be stored and with their design, that is not always the easiest to do.




But, if you do have soda bottles, please use them. For water storage, the suggestion from experts is that you wash the bottle out thoroughly with soap and hot water. Fill the clean bottles nearly to the top and add a couple of drops of unscented bleach. Store the bottles in a cool dark place. The water should remain fresh for about a year, although some rotate (pour on plants or in toilet) every six months.

Larger water containers

For larger water storage containers, you might want to take a look at 5 gallon water containers available at big box retailers and sporting goods stores. I have seen these at a major sporting goods store for less than ten dollars and they are fairly durable.



Even larger, 15, 30 and 55-gallon drums can be obtained from specialty retailers online or in the yellow pages.




Have even more room for water storage? How about a multi-thousand gallon agriculture storage tank? They are available at farm and ranch stores. I saw several for sale recently at the farm and ranch store north of where I live. They can cost several hundred dollars but are designed for outdoor usage so they are quite durable.




How about rain barrels? Hundreds of gallons of water roll off your roof when it rains and all of that water can be collected and reused.



Dig your own well?

How about a well? Doesn't that mean a lot of money and/or a great deal of work and expensive machinery? Well, yes and no. Not many are familiar with the sand point well. A simple screened drill point which is hammered into the ground and connected above with lengths of pipe. Once the water table is reached, the water can be pumped out using a manual pump (if not too deep) or a motorized pump.



If you are a city dweller, check with your local municipality and make sure that drilling a well in your yard is permitted. Many cities allow small wells like a sand point well for agriculture (read: watering yard and garden) use.


Water storage supplies to have on hand.

Make sure you have the following water supplies on hand:

A high quality water filtration system and extra filters. For daily use, a Brita filter will do for city or treated water.

For questionable water, check out Katydyn for small and medium size filter systems.



For larger quantities and home use, you might want to look at the Berkey Systems filters.


Finally, bleach.

Bleach kills almost any bugs found in water. When boiling + filter + bleach
are used, nearly any water source can be made safe to drink. Stock up on inexpensive, fragrance-free bleach today.

Prepare! Fallout Shelter 353 changes

The new link is tpass.org (The Preparedness and Survival something or other). One of the forum members has taken over the old site, has revamped it slightly, (more of a blog feel) and hidden everything else. Look carefully for the Discussion Forums link on the right and find the old entries.

Jerry D Young has two new stories; QHT is really good. Jerry's writing and story lines just keep getting better with each entry. I don't know how he does it, but it says a lot about getting better at something from practice. I hope he is realizing some sort of revenue off of his passion.