Homestead Journal

New Beginnings

 

Hello, and welcome to Homestead Journal.

Homestead Journal is here to help our community members live happier, healthier, more prosperous, fulfilling and resilient lives while using less cash, less petroleum and, well, less stuff. We encourage the development of a robust home economy and a vibrant social network.We are here to provide you with the ideas and connections that you need to navigate the turbulent times in which we find ourselves. Our aim is to help make sense of the mess in which America and the world finds itself and to be here with calm, realistic, personal, family and community scaled solutions...you can't fix the world, but you can take charge of your own house and encourage your neighbors to do the same .

The site is also an opportunity to watch Homestead Journal grow from a blog to other media, to track our journey, both literally and figuratively, as we grow. We hope that you'll enjoy reading, listening and watching...Thanks for sharing part of your day with us.

Firefly Alert and Other Happenings

First fireflies spotted on the evening of 14 May. "Blackberry Winter", the cold snap that happens about the time that blackberries bloom has passed and it's looking like 70 to 80 degrees for the next 10 days, so the tomato plants are hittin' the dirt as is family tradition, the week after Mother's Day.

Chicken Disaster

Why did the chicken cross the road, and why did he try to do that right in front of me? Was he just trying to get to the other side? Why couldn't he wait? These are really insignificant questions that take on real meaning when the chicken does $1200 damage to your car. Here's a country tidbit: all the neighbors won't have Master's Degrees in electrical engineering like my neighbor across the road and down a bit. Some will be incorrigible rednecks who let livestock wander loose right next to the road. In this case, the chicken came running around a truck that was parked in the road. The truck was parked in the road because there is no room in the neighbor's yard for all the junk he has parked and placed, strewn and thrown all about his 40 acres. Yep, he has 40 acres and no place to park his truck, or pasture his chickens. I never say things like,"There was nothing that I could do." Because I could have slammed on the brakes and risked sliding off the road and into the trees. Instead, I applied brakes as best that I could without sliding and, well I hit the chicken. The chicken was up and running the last time that I saw him and I have a chicken-shaped hole in my car's bumper...$1200

Free Or Nearly Free Things To Do To Prepare For The Next Collapse

• Walk and get in shape. You can find free exercise classes online.
• Poke around thrift shops and colleges for a cheap bicycle or two. College kids don't want them anymore and often sell them for cheap.
• Contact your local Red Cross and take a First Aid course and a Disaster Volunteer Course.
• The local Parks and Recreation Department will likely offer classes in Gardening and Canning.
• Get a library card and use it. READ READ READ. Used books from thrift stores are also a bargain.
• The false Spring weather that we are experiencing on the East coast is a perfect time to gather next year's firewood.
• $100 spent gardening should yield $500 to $1000 worth of produce. Now is the time order your seeds and gather tools. If you don't have land look online for Community Garden space in your area. THIS IS THE YEAR TO PLANT A GARDEN, particularly if you have never done it before.
• Get your Information Kit together. Gather birth certificates, Social Security Cards, School Records, Diplomas and Degrees, Professional Licenses, Deeds, Marriage Certificates, Medical Records, Military Records, Financial Records for every account and tax records for three years. Gather up pictures and photos and make copies.Take an inventory of what you own and record serial numbers. Make a video to back up the inventory. Take finger prints and have a lock of every family member's hair in envelopes. Take pictures of you and your children together. Make hard copies and thumb drives of all that and stick them in three different places, like Grandma's house, Aunt Sallie's house and Uncle Ed's house along with an extensive list of important names addresses and phone numbers and email addresses that covers both your personal and business life. You should also update your resume and have six references (three may be out of business or dead...just sayin'). Of all the free things that you can do to prepare for a calamity, the preparation of your information kit is the most time consuming, boring and critical. If you have a Social Security card, a birth certificate and a Driver's license you can start a new life in this country if you have to. The other critical records listed make starting over much quicker and easier.

Do Not Be Fooled By Early Spring Weather

 Don't take the warm-weather bait, y'all. Plant according to your zone. There will, sure as the sun rises, be another spurt of bad weather before the weather warms up for good. You'll plant early and it will all freeze. Plant according to your zones last frost date.

 

Peace

Resilience is When Things Don't Fall Apart: Or, Good Reasons to Build Your Own House.

I'm shivering beneath a throw in the great room of our 1930-something farmhouse.No kidding, shivering is what I do from January first (or so) to March 15th (or so). So let me tell you what we have learned from the "live in an old farm house in the country" experience (right after I get a thicker pair of socks):

1. People who lived in the country in 1930-something built their own houses. Wiring and plumbing got done with imagination and basic tools, not the electrical code book. Every light switch in this house turns on and off backwards. The plumbing looks like it was meant to be a puzzle, looping over itself time and again.
2. Level is as level does. It doesn't have to be level to be lived in. The roof can't leak (much) that's the big thing. My sons put Match Box cars on the kitchen floor and watch them go with nothing but built-in gravity power.
3. Insulation doesn't grow on the farm, so it isn't in the house...hence, the shivering.
4. Old farm houses may be sitting on a foundation of stones...just big rocks at the corners. Our house sits on a concrete foundation that was poured in the 1970s when the house slipped off its rocks in a big hurricane. The farmer jacked his house up, cribbed it and drove a small bulldozer under it to make a basement. When the house was lowered, he put it on the original stones and the concrete, so we have 2 foundations. Why did he do that? I don't know and neither did he, probably. But it makes an air gap that makes the house really hard to keep warm...hence, more shivering.
5. Bugs live in walls and come out when it's warm. This will drive you crazy if you let it.

So what's the take-away from all this? Look REALLY carefully before you leap into old farmhouse ownership. It will probably be cheaper in the short and long run to build your own, brand spanking new, old farmhouse.

 

Random Thoughts From Mid-Civilizational Collapse

It's 58f degrees outside as I type this missive. There should be snow on the tops of the mountains and in the shaded draws and ravines, even if it isn't piled high in the yard. I should be concerned about climate change but I can't help but wonder if we'll last long enough as a species to be boiled alive in rising seas. We may go much sooner from shear stupidity. What we need is for Fluoride to be removed from our drinking water and Xanex to be added. With Xanex in the water, we could watch the mid-winter goat-rope playing out on the streets and in the smoke-filled rooms of DC with soul-saving detachment, though it might take a stronger drug, like Thorazine, to detach some of us. With Xanex in EVERYBODIES water we could all just chill the fornication out until, hell, I don't know 2020? I know that doing nothing for four years would be risky for all parties, but would it pose a GREATER risk than doing something? Doing nothing would allow this whole tight-wound clock to stop on its own. Try to wind it any tighter, or screw with its gears and it may just fly all to pieces right in our collective faces. What's worse, the tweekers are sure to catch history's wrath as being "to blame" for something that is sure to happen even if we are all just eating Chips Ahoy in our pajamas while watching Captain Kangaroo reruns; happy as a Boomer can be. Moderate doses of Xanex don't keep a person from working, but they do keep him from worrying about microaggressions, which is good because, if I'm stoned, I might ask you where you're from. While we are all working and getting to know each other, we could order some seed catalogues, sharpen some tools, join a gym (and actually go three times a week) take a Ham radio class or learn to weld...though you might want to go easy on the Xanex water before welding class.

 

Peace

Good Gear:The Streamlight Siege Lantern

 Homestead lighting is a tricky proposition. You don't want to have all your eggs in one basket, particularly if that basket is the very long power line that snakes over the mountain to the transformer station near town. Anything can happen to the line--a strong wind, a broken tree limb, a depressed squirrel. We keep a combination of Dietz lanterns and battery operated lights. I really like the Streamlight Siege Lanterns. They feature tough construction and quality that you can feel with bright, even light.The intensity is adjustable and there is a red-lens option for preserving night vision and signalling. Batteries last long enough to make these lights practical for long-term use (how long depends on the intensity of light that you choose to use) . In the summer, when you don't want the heat from the oil/kerosene lanterns, the Siege Lantern will light your space without heating it up. We keep two of these in our house, one near our bed and one on an easily reached shelf down stairs to help us deal with the frequent power outages that come with living in the sticks. The Siege is waterproof and floats. There are models that use either AA or D batteries. The lanterns aren't inexpensive, but you only have to buy them once. I have a whole box of battery lanterns that didn't last. We've had these in service for a little more than a year with no failures. We've used them indoors and out and they've been rained on many times without ill effects.

Midwinter Blues? Nope.

Here at Homestead Journal we are moving forward with our plans to expand our blog into new media forms. In 2017, you'll  find us on Facebook and you'll be able to watch as a 55 year-old learns to Tweet. You'll also find us wandering the aisles at Gardening, Homesteading and Prepper Shows. I would like to thank those of you who called and sent support and prayers while I was down with the broken leg. For those of you new to the blog, I wrecked my truck in September of 2015 and was hurt medium-bad. I was left with a torn-up right knee and a dent in my head (no kidding, it's still there). I missed most harvest that season and was only able to plant one field in 2016 (pumpkins). I'm feeling better and getting stronger with every work=out, though I did put on significant weight while laying on the couch with the knee up...getting back in shape...hmmm, could that be another blog?...anyway, thanks for the love while I was down. I've got a bunch of posts built up and plenty more great homesteading thoughts and ideas to share, so enjoy and feel free to comment.

 Step 1: A new color scheme. Blue. Whatdaya' think?

Peace

Spring And Summer Decisions

As my leg continues to mend we decided to put in a field of pumpkins for fall. This will allow us to harvest the entire crop in one (really long) day and wholesale the whole crop to a single vendor. The constant picking, weeding, spraying and more picking required to grow vegetables is more than the old knee will take this year. We have a small garden for our own consumption, but we aren't selling much in the way of veggies....except...we are doing an experimental planting of late tomatoes and peppers in our hoop houses. Our goal: To deliver tomatoes the week of Thanksgiving. For fun, we are gonna try and grow a row of giant pumpkins. Hope you are all well and having a great year.

 

Peace

Giving Up On Predictions In 2016

For me, 2015 could not be over fast enough. It was the year of the broken leg and a concussion in the middle of growing season, a lost crop,  a wrecked truck, ongoing physical therapy and emotionally wrenching family matters. Economically, socially and politically, 2015 was the year that I turned off the news for two weeks because my blood pressure was not conducive to life. I still only look every three days or so. It stays the same. My constant attention changed nothing.

 Let it be known that 2016 is the year that I gave up on predictions. What I would predict for 2016 is exactly the same as I predicted all those other years: A slow descent, until it speeds up, and either a three point landing in a rock-strewn field, or a nose-dive into Mount Reality. We all know what's coming. Only a few masters of the universe think they know exactly when. And even THEY don't know exactly when.

2016 would be a good year to get your financial house in order, start a little business, build a house in a safe place on good ground and build some family and community around you. Make a to-do list and get 'er done, as my hat says. Of course, any year is a good year to do those things.  So, Keep Calm and Carry On. And may you do so in peace, love and prosperity.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone. May you have a New Year filled with  peace, joy, health, happiness and prosperity .

 

 

What's The Matter, Is Your Leg Broke?

As a matter of fact, my leg is broken. I partially tore my right ACL, and my MCL, got a compression injury to my meniscus and fractured my tibial plateau. I have an injured left shoulder, rotator cuff, and I sustained a concussion, all in an automobile crash (it was my truck, actually) in September. I am not quite healed up, though I am feeling better. Hence, my time away from the blog. I'll try to catch up.

 There is some good news on the American jobs front. Texas Jeans are being made right here in the U.S. From what I could see, first-rate duds at a reasonable price. Here's a link: www.texasjeans.com.

Weather? The early snow in Siberia, the thickness of wooly worm fur and, of course El Nino all point to a hard/wet winter. Cut more wood. Around here, it will be a hard winter with very few acorns to eat. The oaks just didn't produce. The lack of acorns is hard on lots of species, but the deer are the best known, and biggest, sufferers. Right now, the deer should be up in the woods eating acorns. Instead, they are standing in the middle of fields in the middle of the day trying to put on weight by eating grass; not easy.  

I am disheartened by the news from the Middle East and Europe. Our infallible leaders have seen fit to set the North Africa and the Middle East alight with no plan to control the flames. Thousands of people have been killed, millions are displaced and on the move threatening to overload the welfare systems of Western Europe and bringing the threat of global jihad right along with the desperate and starving. The Paris attacks are still fresh in everyone's minds. The only solutions are either to resolve to fight, hard, on every possible front and in every possible sphere until the enemy is utterly defeated, or, admit that you're beat and convert or hope that they offer you the infidel tax. Atheists, and many others, won't be offered the "pay the tax" option and won't be believed when they convert, a pretty touchy situation. Keep a bag packed. Just today, Turkey has shot down a Russian jet and the undisciplined dumbasses from the Free Syrian Army have shot the pilots while they hung in their parachutes--a war crime and an outrage. A pilot's parachute is white. When he bails from his plane he floats beneath a great big sign that he surrenders. These are the people that our Infallibles have chosen to back in our name? I denounce them without reservation. All of them.

How long before the Jihadists find their way here? They are here. Be ready for absolutely anything, because anything is possible.

What should you do? Gather those close to you closer. Make a hundred friends--Facebook doesn't count. Join a church and a couple of civic groups. Take classes in Red Cross CERT, First Aid, Ham Radio, Shooting and Self Defense. Keep some cash on hand. Fill up your gas tank and a couple of gas cans. Order your seeds as soon as possible. Take a long walk every night and do your push-ups and sit-ups. Is your bike in good shape? If you have NO preps at all, buy some canned food and start rotating it for freshness. What do they have at the discount club? Flour, salt, corn meal, sugar, powdered milk, honey, powdered potatoes, beans and rice, vinegar, baking powder, baking soda, yeast, spices, bouillon cubes, peanut butter, jelly, coffee, tea, Tang and a Food Saver sealing machine to package it all up (order some oxygen absorbers from eBay and the flour and milk will last three years). Add some batteries and bleach, soap and toothpaste. None of this should go to waste. Watch the dates and eat/replace the stock. Stay alert. Keep your car radio on a local news station. Be aware of what's happening, and enjoy watching people be people. Awareness doesn't have to mean paranoid.

 

Enjoy the Holidays. Peace.

 

Resilience:The Importance, and Limits of Self-Reliance

Gather your own information so that lies and mistakes quickly become obvious. Build your own skill set. Husband your resources. But you can't set your own broken leg. For that, you need a competent friend or three. And to pick your beans and potatoes while you're down with that broken leg, you'll need a community behind you. Time to gather.

 

Peace

 

 

Resilience: Post Disaster Pest Control

 Homestead pest control and post-disaster pest control are part of an overall preventive medicine plan.

Stock bug repellent, insecticide, fly paper and fly swatters (get the kids to swat flies). Be able to cover food. Have mosquito nets for beds and a sitting area. Cover your human waste with wood ashes, lime or, at least, a little dirt and site the outhouse/waste pit away from the living area so that flies don't fly from feces to food or water.

Have mouse traps, rat traps and, maybe, a cat (if you are a cat person and can afford proper upkeep.).

Chickens and guineas will keep bugs out of the yard, and ducks love to eat flies.

Stock a couple of flea bombs, flea collars and flea meds for the pets.

Keep garbage in cans with tight lids, or in bags tied shut. Don't allow uncovered garbage to stand about.

Don't allow standing water, it breeds mosquitoes.

Animal waste should be cleaned up quickly from areas that humans inhabit.

Bury dead animals as quickly as possible.

Have masks and gloves to help dispose of hazards without being exposed to germs.

Wash your hands with soap and water when forced to handle garbage, waste, or dead animals, before every meal, after every bathroom break and before going to bed.

The best cure for any disease is to not catch it in the first place, doubly important after a calamity. Stay clean, stay safe.

Peace

Resilience: Don't Hold Out For the Best...

Do what you can do now. I really love Alladin Kerosene Lamps. But I haven't been able to afford them. I'm not holding out, though. We have several Dietz lanterns, along with spare wicks and a lamp oil. Holding out for the best would mean no light when the lights go out. The Dietz are good quality and serviceable. They'll serve us well even if we never get the Alladin Lamps. Can't afford a Randall knife? Don't worry about it, a Kabar will serve you well. Do what you can do before you can't do anything.

 

Peace

Resilience: The Basics; Making Biscuits

 Here at Homestead Journal, we love home made biscuits.This is a recipe for "traditional Southern" buttermilk biscuits, but I'm willing to bet that they'll taste good up North, or out West . Biscuits are a staple of affordable at-home, at-camp, on-the-trail cooking. Everybody's Grandma and Grandpa (or Great-Grandma and Grandpa)) knew how to make them. Give this recipe a try and you'll know too.

Resilience: The Basics; Making Bread

It doesn't get any simpler, or more important, than knowing how to make bread. Here's a short, sweet video about the short, sweet process: 

Good Video, could do without the techno-"Tishy Boom", but otherwise, right to the point.

 

Peace

Resilience: Deciding To Do More Than Survive

Resilience is the ability to bounce back and begin to live a healthy life after surviving a tragedy, disaster or atrocity. It's the ability to survive surviving. It means being able to rebuild on many levels: social, political, economic, personal and group from local to national level.

A community is a bonded group of people. They may be bonded by blood or soil, mutual experience, mutual interest, a mutual belief system, love for something, or hate. Bonds--the ties between people that hold a community together--may be social, political, fraternal, economic, religious or a combination of some, or all, of those.

So a resilient community is a bonded group of people that are prepared to both survive and rebuild--to survive, then thrive, in the face of adversity, tragedy or disaster.

Bad times may necessitate a stay in a camper trailer, a tar-paper shack, a tent, or a debris shelter. You may be injured, unemployed, financially ruined, menaced, physically attacked, dispossessed, abandoned, belittled, brow-beaten and betrayed. Any of those things would be bad. For a Syrian in Aleppo, a Kurd in Mosul, a border resident in any one of a dozen second and third-world countries with lawless border regions (including the US Southern Border) any one, any combination, or all of those things are a daily possibility. If calamity strikes, you want to be able to put the bad times behind you as quickly as possible. A debris shelter may be part of your life's journey. You don't want it to be a long-term destination. The trip from being dispossessed ( as in a tornado just crushed your 2200-sqare  foot house,  both cars and all your stuff) homeless, jobless (because your business got crushed too) and living in a tent into a new home, a new job and some new stuff can be long and arduous, or quicker and less painful. Resilience makes the difference between the two. Survival means knowing how to live comfortably in the tent. Resilience means being able to rebuild your life. Be able to do both.

 

Peace

The Zenith Aircraft Sky Jeep: Some Things are Just Plain Cool

I want one. I know that I don't need one. I just want one:

 

 The Zenith Aircraft 701 Sky Jeep:" I am pretty sure that I could save the lives of a lot of cute puppies if I had one of these." That's gonna be my Kick Starter pitch.

The Most Dangerous Thing I've Ever Owned

What's the most dangerous thing that I have ever owned? My Tractor, by a mile. My tractor is way more dangerous than any properly working firearm. Your tractor is just as dangerous as mine, so here's a good tractor safety site: extension.usu.edu/files/publications/factsheet/FM-27.pdf

 

My experience has been that small tractors are more dangerous than big tractors. They get stuck easier and are more likely to roll. BE CAREFUL.

 

Peace

My Buck Knife and Other Things Worth Owning Two

 I remember my first Mini Mag light. It was the mid 1980s. I paid about $20 for it at the PX at Fort Bragg, N.C. Before the Mini Mag, I carried a US issue L-shaped flashlight that used two D cell batteries I had also owned a Pilot's Penlight from the 1960s that would be a collector's item today if I hadn't lost it. There was also a Techna Light that cost me about $40. These days, a basic Mini Mag that uses 2 AA batteries is around 8 bucks at Wally World. Buy two. Yes, there are sexier lights on the market and you should own a few..right after you buy two AA Mini Mag Lights. The LED Mini Mags work, but are more complex and change modes on me with the slightest tap to the bezel. Bic lighters? I once met a man who had quit smoking 13 years earlier. He still carried his 14-year-old Bic lighter in his pocket. It still lit on the first strike, every time.Buy a bunch. Dietz lanterns? Two minimum, four is better. I like the Air Pilot and the D-Lite. This is a best buy on essential gear. Four lights and some spare wicks should set you back a little less than $100. Buy plenty of wicks, too. Buy a 2-quart bottle of lamp oil every pay day until you have 4 or five gallons saved up. The advantage in winter is the heat that the lanterns give off, warming up a room. The same heat is a disadvantage in summer. That's why I bought (yep) 2 Stream Light Siege lanterns: battery operated, LED, cool running, long running, well made.  Stihl chainsaws? Yep, two. I know, it's a lot of money: $800 (with spare chains and a case each). You'll think it's a bargain when one breaks and the other saves your life. Tillers? One and a spare engine. I bought my new engine from Tulsa Engine Warehouse. They were even on the phone to help me install it Nice guys. Remington 510 single shot .22s? Two.You can still find them for $150 bucks. I found one a few years ago that was unfired, but someone had spilled peach-colored paint on the stock (painting the closet that it was stored in without taking everything out of the closet). I paid a $100 for it. The paint came off by tapping it gently with a razor blade, then using a terry-cloth washcloth to wipe off the-roughed-up paint , and repeat for about an hour. I started at the beginning of Jeremiah Johnson and the paint was off before Jeremiah's family was dead. It looks great. H&R Topper single barrel shotguns? Yep, two. They are too useful and inexpensive not to have two in 12ga. and at least one in .20ga and .410. I am still looking for my .410. I guess I just told you to buy more than 2, oops.  Council axes?  Two.  Old Ruger revolvers and pistols: I like the heavy-barrel MK II .22. You can bag rabbits from the tractor seat with this one. Older Black Hawks and the Single-Six are also excellent, relatively inexpensive, accurate and homestead-tough. When you see them cheap, snap them up. Good hammers and other tools are offered at estate sales and yard sales. Don't be afraid to invest. I have a whole box full of American-made Stanley thermos bottles that I pick up at yard sales, usually for .50 cents, never more than a dollar. I save them until I hear of someone who needs one and make them a gift. And my Buck knife, specifically the 110 Folding Hunter, I own two that I use and two for each son. They are solid, well made and will last a lifetime AS LONG AS YOU NEVER TRY TO PRY WITH ONE. There are newer designs. There are slicker opening and closing systems. Go ahead and give them a try. But the Buck is available at Christmas for $30 and you oughtta buy two...just sayin'. What we are looking for are tough, time-tested heirloom quality tools at bargain prices. When we run into those thing we buy for now, and the future.

 

Peace

Resilience and Preventing Injury

There are many tools available to the homesteader/prepper that will help prevent injuries. None of these items is expensive and you should have them on hand and use them all when appropriate: eye protection, ear protection, dust masks/N95 mask, rubber gloves, work gloves, knee and elbow pads, steel-toed boots, long pants and heavy jackets, helmets, goggles, personal flotation devices, sunscreen and bug repellent. A tetanus shot is a good idea as is being careful not to cut yourself in the first place. Stay out of enclosed spaces and don't get between a vehicle and a wall. Watch what you're doing, don't swing a tool too hard, or when you're too tired.  In a zombie apocalypse situation, you may wish for expensive armor. But you still can prevent a substantial percentage of injuries if you just use the affordable gear that is available at the hardware and sporting goods store.If the first rule of staying alive is, "Maintain correct body temperature". The second rule is; "Don't get injured." We have to work but we have to be safe too. Cautious, but not timid. So get a good night's sleep, put on appropriate gear, use common sense and get too it...

 

Peace

 

 

There Are Times When "Tactical" Just Isn't Practical

I'm an Army Veteran and I like my gear to be milspec tough. I don't care about camouflage these days, but I do prefer earth tones--you see more game and blending in seems to fit the homestead philosophy better than sticking out in bright colors. But I can't find my Blastmatch or my matchsafe. They were both dark colors, they both slipped out of my bag at a lunch stop and they are both gone. A little blaze orange in my bag certainly wouldn't have compromised my position. A cell phone,a Bic lighter, a pocket knife, a fire starter, the sheath of my multi tool all could use a splash of bright color; a little paint, a strip of tape or just buy the blaze orange version to begin with. Case knives are offered with yellow handles for this very reason. If a farmer drops his knife in the dirt, the last thing he wants is brown scales. With yellow, he has a chance at finding a treasured possession. Just throwing it out there: sometimes you don't want to be seen, but you always want to be able to find the lighter that you dropped in the leaves.

 

Peace

 

Peace (and keep your eyes open for my Blastmatch, will you?)

Resilience: 100 Things That Disappear First When Calamity Strikes AND What Good Folks DO About That

WOW...long title for a post, but a big idea. I want you to take a look at the following list (there are a dozen slightly different lists circulating out there in the netosphere) and think hard about how many of these things that you can provide for your neighbors.

100 THINGS THAT DISAPPEAR FIRST IN AN EMERGENCY (Divided by category not demand)
GENERAL SUPPLIES:
Generators
Backpacks and Duffle bags
Gasoline and Gasoline containers (Plastic or Metal)

CB's / Walkie Talkies and Portable/ Battery Operated Radios
Propane Cylinders (Large and Small)
Coleman's Pump Repair Kit
Water containers. (HARD CLEAR PLASTIC ONLY)
Glue, nails, nuts, bolts, screws, etc.
Duct tape
Fire extinguishers
Lumber (all types)
Fishing supplies/tools
Hand Tools, Saws, axes and hatchets
Garden tools and supplies
Garbage bags (Impossible to have too many.)
Wagons and carts (transport to and from markets)
Garbage cans Plastic (storage, water, transporting)
Mousetraps, Ant traps and cockroach magnets
Knives and Sharpening tools: files, stones, steel Carbon
Carbon Monoxide Alarm (battery powered) and Smoke Alarms
Dust Masks / Respirators
Bleach (NOT scented: 4 to 6% sodium hypo chlorite)
COOKING:
Paper plates/cups/utensils (stock up, folks...)
Hand-Can openers and hand egg beaters, whisks
Cook stoves (Propane, Coleman and Kerosene)
Insulated ice chests
Coleman Fuel (Impossible to stockpile too much.)
Aluminum foil Heavy Duty (Great Cooking and Barter)
Portable Grills / hibachis Cast iron cookware (sturdy,
efficient) Charcoal and Lighter fluid (Will become scarce)
Grain Grinder (Non-electric) FOOD AND WATER
Bottled Water (all sizes)
Water Filters/Purifiers and bleach
Milk - Powdered and Condensed Bagged Ice
Vegetable oil (for cooking) Prepackaged Meals Rice, Beans, Wheat
Tuna Fish
Garlic, spices and vinegar, baking supplies All canned meat
Pet Food Chocolate
Flour, yeast and salt Canned foods, Fruits, Veggies, Soups, stews, etc.
Vitamins, minerals, probiotics (Critical) Chocolate/Cocoa/Tang/Punch (water enhancers) Bouillons/gravy/soup base Honey/Syrups/white, brown sugars
Hand pumps and siphons (for water and for fuels) Soda / Sports Drinks
Garden Seeds: Go heavy on root crops that you can store and corn and beans that can be dried.
COMFORT & SHELTER:
Tents, canopies
Clothing, Socks, Underwear, T-shirts, etc. (extras) Long Underwear
Rain Gear, Ponchos and Rain Coats. Portable Toilets (Increasing in price)
Hats and cotton neckerchiefs
Plastic Sheeting
Gloves: Work/warming/gardening, etc.
Tarps/stakes/twine/nails/rope/spikes
Reading glasses
Cots and Inflatable Mattresses (for extra guests)
Work boots, belts, Levis and durable shirts
Guns, Ammunition, Pepper Spray, Knives,
Bats Board Games Cards, Dice
Sleeping bags and blankets/pillows/mats
HEAT & LIGHTING:
Batteries (all sizes)
Lamp Oil Flashlights
Mantles / Wicks Candles
Lantern Hangers
Matches ("Strike Anywhere")
Snap Lights

Coleman Lanterns  Mini Heater (Propane)  Oil Lamps
Seasoned Firewood (wood takes 6 - 12 mos. dry) HEALTH AND HYGIENE
Prescription Medicines
Deodorant Toilet Paper, Kleenex, paper towels
Baby Supplies: Diapers,formula,ointments,aspirin, baby Wipes First aid kits,
waterless soap (saves a lot of water) Shaving supplies
Laundry detergent (Liquid) Feminine Hygiene/Hair care/Skin products
Washboards, Mop Bucket w/wringer (for Laundry) Shampoo, Toothbrush/paste, floss, nail clippers, etc Clothes pins/line/hangers (A MUST)

I want you to go through the list and think like this: "Hmm. I can run a generator and a couple of extension cords into my garage. I have a couple of lanterns and a good AM-FM-SW radio, we'll get together around the picnic table and listen. No trash bags means we have to dig a garbage pit. We'll cover the garbage with wood ashes while it's waiting to be burned. Lack of toilet paper means we use phone books and junk mail. When that runs out we'll have to wash our butts. Fire extinguishers and smoke alarms in short supply? We'll get a fire prevention class/pamplets from the fire department and run a fire watch. Alternative medicines...gotta study up on that. Tools? we make an inventory of what we have and we share. That old guy down the street has every tool known to man and he's in a wheel chair. We'll cut a deal with him. He let's us use his tools and teaches us how to use them and we keep him alive ...seems fair."

I won't go through the whole list. You'll have your own work-arounds. What's critical is to think about them now.

 

Peace

Resilience and My Yellow Rubber Rain Gear

I resisted buying my yellow rubber rain gear for the longest time. It is, without a doubt, the least cool suit of clothes that I have ever owned--and I owned a beige leisure suit in 1975/76, complete with giant collar and tiger-printed polyester shirt. What IS cool about my yellow rubber rain suit is NOT THINKING about my rain suit as I work in the rain, around oily engines, muddy tires, ag chemicals (organics still ruin good clothes) and animal droppings. Before the yellow suit, there was high-end, state-of-the-art Gortex , which I still own and love...just not-so-much for farming. But even cooler than the suit is the change that got me to forget all about cool and state-of-the-art and embrace practical and time-tested. Resilience, in this case, meant rolling with cold, hard reality. I'm dry, mostly. And I'm not worried about ruining a rain suit that I can't afford to replace...because I bought TWO on sale. They are good quality  suits and I should be good through retirement. These days, I don't leave home without one in my job box, and you shouldn't either.

 

Peace

Busy Busy Busy

Where does the time go? I attended a huge ag conference, actually a big conference on small-scale agriculture in January. Wrote a business plan in February. Sat with a dying Uncle. Ordered seeds, got a tractor running, started seeds in flats, broke ground and prayed my way through March. Along the way, I managed to file taxes...twice. I'm in the middle of trying to start a CSA and a Little League Baseball team. This time of year I'm always excited and nervous, like waiting your turn at a wrestling match--you know what's coming and you know it won't be easy. You just hope it doesn't hurt too much, and you hope it's your arm in the air at the end of the match--and the end of the season.

Keep up the prayers. We will.

Peace

2015 Predictions

I haven't had a lot of luck with this--nobody has, really. My predictions for the times ahead seem to run a couple of years ahead of when they are happening. There were some interesting wild cards thrown into the mix in 2014...some dudes named ISIS/ISIL, a dude named Putin. Who would have predicted that we would ever pay less than $2 for a gallon of gas again? I didn't think that the fracking and tar sand would turn us into "another Saudi Arabia", but I wouldn't have predicted that the Big They would drop the price of oil when the tar sand bubble burst...I would have said, "bubble busts, and the price goes through the roof". But we stopped quantitative easing, so that money isn't cranking the price of commodities sky high and Putin must be punished for invading his neighbors and planning a total re-build of the Russian military and his backdoor/back alley proxy wars and his popularity with the Russian people and his dreams of global hegemony. Falling oil prices would be a good thing in much of the world if it weren't for the boatloads of paper that the traders wrote over the last ten years, all of which depended on oil staying up in price. This causes the predictions based on falling oil prices to be almost universally bad...in a nutshell, deflation and destabilization (Did I hear somebody say,"QE four through seven, coming right up?) Of course, when it comes to oil,  economics and politics run together like warm butter and syrup on a pile of pancakes. I'm not making any predictions for the price of petroleum products in 2015. But I am certain that the price of oil won't stay down too long. A couple of years from now, it will be back up in the $80 to$100 range, maybe more. Tarsands are an expensive way to extract oil and the bonds that were issued to support those efforts won't be so easy to come by when the price rises the next time. They'll dig some, but not like they did over the last 5 years...at least not until oil goes way up--high enough for the effort to pay for itself without the risk that makes the "high yield bond" a necessary financing tool. When will that be?  Who can say for sure? Not me. I know what's coming, but I can't say when. I do know that scooter prices will most likely be down this Spring and it might be a good time to buy. I like the Honda Ruckus.

I saw a plan being floated on a very reputable site that called for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps to secure Baghdad against the IS threat, while the Kurds secured their section of the country, effectively dividing Iraq. Of course, the US would provide air power for the plan. I would argue that having Iran secure Baghdad counts as the fall of the Iraqi government that I predicted a couple of years ago. Of course, even now, it's hard to tell how much of Iraq the Iraqi government actually controls. What is certain is that 2015 will be a time of great uncertainty in the middle east, and in other parts of the world as well.

Europeans are showing signs of dissatisfaction with both economic and immigration policy with right and far-right parties on the rise. South America is stuck in an economic tar pit. Mexico is a hell hole caused by NAFTA destroying the economy and drug dealers with drug money moving to fill the economic and political power vacuum. 

Violence spilling out of the Middle East, Central and South America is a possibility. The economic dominoes that lined up in 2007-2008  still stand, teetering, in virtually the same order, on the same slick surface, waiting for the puff of wind that will set them to falling.

Of course, along with all this global bad news we are experiencing the worst race relations of the last 45 years. Today, I read that support for the police was surging following the assassination of two NY police officers. This surge is, of course, straight down racial lines, just like its meant to be, and accompanies our sky rocketing debt and a couple of new derivative bubbles that have just been put off onto the financial shoulders of the American people by our illustrious legislators. In the meantime, the G20 decided that bank deposits are no longer money, but an "investment" in the bank, an investment that, in the event of a crisis, gets paid AFTER the derivatives. Of course, if you choose not to "invest" your money in a bank, but tuck it in a mattress instead, the police will seize it on suspicion of illegal activity.

Deteriorating economic and social conditions would be bad enough, but on the political horizon there is nothing but bad news borne by the exact same people/families that caused the problems in the first place. The dark horses from either party have a zero chance of getting the nomination, unless Hillary or Jeb decide that they don't want the nomination. Either way, it's President Bush, or President Clinton (I predict that only one of them will run.)...but that's a prediction for 2016, isn't it?

So, what to do in 2015? The same as we've been doing; face the certain uncertainty with a measure of curious wonder at our past stupidity and present powerlessness. Gather that which we can gather. Learn what you can learn. Read some good books. Save some good books. Take some classes.  Save some cash. Start a garden. Learn to can. Chop wood. Catch water. Find, save and cook some of your grandmother's best from-scratch recipes. Plant fruit trees. Get in shape. Ride a bike. Find a safe place and settle there. Build a network of friends. Mend a broken family. Improve what you can improve. Take good care of yourself and those that you love. Be careful, but not timid. And, at no time, be surprised by anything that happens.

 

Peace

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sad News: Back Home Magazine

 Earlier in the month, I noticed that there was no new issue of Back Home Magazine on the shelf at the book store. I headed over to their web site to find that they have ceased publication. A major distributor bankrupted while holding a sizeable chunk of money. It wasn't just Back Home that took the hit, even Time Warner was adversely affected. But small publications, like any small business, walk a much narrower fiscal line and Back Home was simply unable to recover from the hit. I talked with Richard Freudenberger, the editor of Back Home. He conducted himself with much grace and without a hint of bitterness about the situation. He hinted that he may be appearing at seminars and other gatherings hosted by other publications. The Back Home web site is, and will remain, in operation. Back issues and DVDs are available (I am starting a petition to get them to produce a complete- 24-years-on-DVD set for $49.95, a bargain, and a perfect gift for Christmas 2015...:) ) and their warehouse still has stock available, so give them a call--the link still works, and will stay up as long as their site is there.

 

Peace

Don't Burn Your House Down...

Everybody is trying to stay warm and save some money and for some of us that means "area heating" using space heaters and for others firing up the wood stove. What ever methods you use to heat your house, make sure that you practice good common-sense safety. Use only heaters that are in good working order and don't over load electrical sockets. Never run an electrical cord under a rug and make sure that all cords are in good shape--no frayed or bare spots. Keep all combustibles well away from heat sources of all types, check that the seals are in good condition on stove doors and that the door is shut tightly when you close it. Make sure there are no broken bricks in the stove lining . CLEAN YOUR CHIMNEY and watch the stove like a hawk while its burning.

And the Christmas tree...KEEP IT WELL WATERED and don't leave it up too long. Check the lights for frays, abrasions and loose or broken bulbs. KEEP OPEN FLAMES AWAY FROM THE TREE...duuuhhh. Don't let the cat, or the kids, knock it over and cause a disaster, which might include a fire and might include breaking Great-Grandma's ornaments...have a safe, and happy holiday!!!

Peace

Book Review: The Market Gardener

I recently purchased "The Market Gardener" by Jean-Martin Fortier from New Society Publishers     www.newsociety.com . I can't recommend this book highly enough for those who are considering trying their hand at market gardening/truck farming. While not quite a complete business plan for the small-scale grower, the book comes close, covering planning, land allocation, planting, harvesting, cooling and storage, pest and weed control and equipment. Rather than increasing the acreage under cultivation in order to increase farm income,the author suggests staying small and growing more on a couple of acres by extending the growing season with high tunnels and hoop houses. The capital needed to get started using his methods is much less (about $40 thousand for the deluxe set of gear, and 2.5 to 3.5 acres of land) than the prohibitive costs involved in conventional agriculture. His book is easy to read, well thought out and written from experience. A definite "BUY"...sticker price $24.95 from New Society Publishers, a bit less on Amazon.

Peace

Happy Thanksgiving everyone...heading into a very merry Christmas...

Peace

First Frost

It was 31f degrees at our house overnight and we awoke to a solid white coat on everything. Praise the Lord, I managed to get the lawn mowed on Sunday, just before the frost killed the grass. In my defense, the predicted low was 39f, off by 8 degrees (a 20% error in my book). It was beautiful. And, once the sun got up, you could tell that things were moving at a different pace...the squirrels looked positively desperate. I ordered a scope mount for a muzzleloader and cleaned a couple of shotguns, looked at my woodpile and decided that it ain't big enough, shopped snow tires and put my hand out of the truck window every couple of minutes to convince myself that the whole thing really is happening. It is. Winter is coming on with an early vengance. Highs in the 50s and lows in the low 30s is early December weather here, not mid-October. More wood, must have more wood...

 

Peace

Resilience And Shopping Smart

The very best sale prices are available at this time of year on a whole host of home and homestead items.

Last season's seeds will grow just fine in the coming spring and they are half price at the local seed store.

Hunting season brings the best sale prices of the year on outdoor goods and ammo. So it's time to stock up on #4 and #6 shot (to settle the score with garden raiders) as well as other game harvesting (and processing) gear.

Need a tractor, or other equipment from the farm supply? Now's the time to haggle.

All sorts of cool gear will be put on sale as holiday gifts. Over the last few years, I have bought Buck #110 folding knives with leather sheath for $29 and Mini Mag Lights for $5 at Christmas sales at the big box stores.

The Holidays are also a time when baking and cooking items are at their lowest sale prices..canned milk, butter, cocoa powder and baking chocolate, vaniila extract and spices will all be on sale for the resilience-minded shopper. Butter has been going up in price and has actually been scarce in some places. When  you see it on sale, grab it and growl (it freezes nicely).

OK, we know that real resilience means being able to PRODUCE our own butter and tools. So keep your eyes open for the the tools and knowledge that you'll need to contribute to that endeavor. But until the time comes when those skills and tools become practical and necessary, and to have the supplies to bridge the gap, stock up, at the best prices possible, while you still can.

Peace

It's Time We All Start And Stop...

It's time to stop spraying our lawns and let some clover grow. When I was a boy, it was simply not possible to run across the lawn barefoot without getting stung by a bee. Now, even though we have clover in our yard, we have very few bee visitors. Stop spraying and put the money that you save into skills and tools.

It's time to start learning some skills...wood stoves and canning and First Aid and Ham Radio...

It's time to stop fighting, dump the family baggage and learn to care for each other properly. Enough is enough.

 It's time to get outdoors, not just in the summer, but in the fall and winter also. Plan 3 or 4 family camps every year from now on and a day-hike or picnic every month. Get comfortable being uncomfortable, or put another way, learn to make yourself comfortable without electricity and the conveniences that go with it. Boost your confidence, get outside.

Peace

Wow...Where Did That 8 Weeks Go?

Five hundred tomato plants; that's how many are in my fields at various stages of growth. It's like having four babies in diapers, one of whom is a hard-headed, adventurous two-year-old...

I've learned a lot. I now know about half of what I don't know about growing tomatoes commercially. I know that you have to have a plan to water and trellis your plants well before you plant them. I know that weed barrier isn't necessarily a barrier to weeds. I know that you can either spray (for bugs, fungus, bacteria) or pray that your plants don't get sick. I know that the best fertilizer may be the farmer's footsteps, but the second best is fish emulsion. I know that nobody knows when the tomatoes are gonna come in, how fast they will grow or how fast they will ripen. And, I know that there are as many ways to plant a tomato as ther are people who plant them. I have one neighbor who makes a hole with a stick and pokes the plant, pulled from a root ball, into the hole. Another neighbor digs a horizontal trench and buries all but the top three inches of plant, which he points toward the sky with a little hill of dirt and firm packing. I dig a hole deep enough to bury the plant half way up the stem, put in some Symphony fertilizer and a Tums for calcium, soak the hole with water, drop in my plant and cover. Now, I place a stake pretty much as soon as I drop the plant and pull the row cover over the plants. I waited too long to stake my first plants.

I set out to grow heirloom tomatoes for restaurants. I know that it will require that I work those accounts hard because heirlooms won't hold, they must be picked and eaten.

Heirlooms are harder to grow. They are more suseptible to disease. They take a more time, labor and inputs. Their yields are smaller. These are the reasons that we have hybrids. They are also the reasons that heirloom tomatoes cost more. Flavors are the reason that folks want heirlooms; the flavors and the connection with something that is old and grown with a human hand. They get more than a slice of tomato, they get a story, an experience, a connection with the past, and a better tasting sandwich or salad. That is why we grow the heirlooms. I love the stories that go with the varieties, where they came from, who developed them, and why...

What The??? I Call It The Great Inversion...

We live in a backwards world...a piece of farm gear broke and I took it to a repair guy. It sat in his lot for two weeks and part of a third. He never touched it. Over the past weekend, I called to find out when I could expect it. I had to leave a message. I came home later that day to find a message on my machine that said that I would have to call him back and promise to be patient, otherwise, I could just come get my gear. So, I went and picked up my gear. The owner of the repair shop wasn't in yet, though it was half an hour after opening. He could have used that half hour to diagnose my problem, but he chose to sleep in. I drove to town and rented a working unit. I wanted to spend my money locally. But customers and their money are a bother these days. We really need to be kept in our place. I can remember a time when the mechanic would have competed for my business (and money) by being prompt and competent. But that was before the Great Inversion. Since the Inversion, people with money to spend and need of a product or service can pretty much count on having a really degrading experience as they try to buy. I wonder if this is a trend that will continue as we spiral downward, or will competence and service return as folks seek an edge over their competition? Who knows?

 

Peace

 

 

Medically Speaking:There's Sterile, And There's Damn Clean...

In a homestead, or other long-term emergency you may need to dress wounds or perform minor medical procedures that would, under ideal conditions, demand sterile dressings or instruments. So, you look in the med kit and your dressings' are out-of-date. The packages are unopened, but the dates are way off. Me? I'm gonna use the dressing. It'll be a heck of a lot cleaner than my t-shirt.

Medical instruments? Looking about, I see that I am dreadfully short on autoclaves, so I'll clean the new instruments in hot, soapy water. The ones that have been used will get washed in cold, soapy water. Then I'll see what I CAN do to make them as clean as possible. I can bake 'em in an oven at 320 degrees F for 2 hours. I can put them in a pressure cooker, or canner for 20 minutes. This might not quite hit a high enough pressure for true sterility, but they'll still be damn clean...I can boil them for 20 minutes, and I can soak them in chlorine bleach mixed 1 part bleach to 1.5 parts water for 20 minutes. I can (and probably will) combine some of those methods (especially the bleach) to get those instruments as clean as possible. Then I'll use them, because that's what I'll have to do.

Operating Room? I can scrub the whole thing down with soap and water, then scrub it again with 1 to 10 bleach-to-water mixture. I can have everyone who enters take a shower and wear clean clothes, a clean bandana on their head and a mask. A surgical scrub can be done with water, soap and a brush, if that's all you've got. Exam gloves are better than no gloves and if you wash them with 1 to 10 bleach and rinse them with sterile water, they are even cleaner--not sterile, but damn clean.

Prions are hard to kill in the best of medical circumstances. An improperly folded protein that causes Mad Cow Disease and Human Spongiform Encephalopathy, your main defense against prions is to avoid digging around in critter's (including human) brains, and don't eat brains. The times, temperatures and concentrations of bleach above have been strengthened and lengthened because of prions. Still, use a couple of methods and be aware that your tools are just really clean, not sterile. Then, when you have done everthing that you can do, do what you must...

 

Peace

Resilience: Not So Much... A Broken Plow And A Sore Back

I owned a 1952 Ford 8N for about four hours before I broke the doggone plow into two pieces. I have so much to do, I don't have time to worry over it, I'll just rent another plow and move on with life, but it would really stink if we were depending on that plow to feed the crew. My wife says that I could learn to fly jets cheaper, at $450 a lesson (the cost of a new plow).

Some seeds are in flats: corn, squash, cukes, etc. Some are in the ground: potatoes, onions. Some I've potted up from flats to paper pots to give them a chance to get bigger before I put them in the ground. I bought one of those small greenhouses, a sort of clear tent made from heavy plastic...I'll let you know how it works.

I'm getting good advice from a couple of Master Gardeners, a couple of successful growers, the seed guy and the Extension, so I'm way ahead of last year. Just knowing what I have to do puts me way ahead of last year. Gotta go, It's that time of year...

 

Peace

I'm looking at one of the walk-behind tractors from BCS. I know how to run a tiller.

Oh Boy...

As of 9:30am, sixteen inches of snow has piled up on my front lawn, and it's still snowing...good grief...pictures as soon as I can get out...Good Lord, I just remembered Valentine's Day...I was sitting here hoping to be out of the driveway by Easter...

 

Peace

And Now, A Foot Of Snow...

How many days until spring?..38?..The wife just reminded me that the biggest snows of my lifetime have all been in March or April...oh well, the  snow will make for great pictures...and mud...

 

Peace

Oh The Weather Outside Is...

Cold...and beautiful... Out and about; shooting photos for Homestead Journal...Here's part of my winter weather commute. Top picture shows the road looking up the mountain. The bottom photo shows a snowy view looking over into the valley below. The top of this particular mountain is about 3400 or 3500 feet in elevation and the valley floor is about 1000 feet above sea level...

My Predictions For 2014: Another Year, Another Two Trillion $ Down The Drain...

But hey, a trillion dollars ain't what it used to be, right? A trillion dollars of deficit and a trillion in quantitative easing equals, "a trillion here, a trillion there"...we'll see both in 2014.

I should be out of the prediction business. We are, after all, still running after the can that was kicked ahead of us in 2008, 09, 10, 11, 12 and 13. The much-deserved, inevitable, and oft-predicted reckoning remains out there, just below the horizon...but I can't call its arrival to within twelve months, I've tried, but I can only apply reason and common sense and neither of those commodities is in play. I only know that it must come, and when it finally happens it's gonna suck.

I do believe that 2014 will be a year dominated by the debate over quantitative easing and the disaster(s) that will be caused by either continuing,or ending,the policy. For what it's worth, I don't think they'll taper... much. Oh, they may take a little off the sides and use the thinning shears a bit, but an end to QE is as unlikely, and as socially disastrous, as a buzz-cut in 1975 (it was awful). Paper money is like crack cocaine for bankers. In this case, the supplier/dealer went to Harvard with his addict buddies. He can't cut them off, it would make things awkward at weddings and funerals and the club.

How much "good" QE and low interest rates will do to keep the economy afloat is another question that will be answered right before our eyes in 2014. You can't lower interest rates below zero, so that arrow is shot. The bankers could actually lend the QE money into the economy, but tapped-out consumers and energy prices that rise with every mention of recovery conspire to squash the bankability of most projects before the funds can be disbursed...so, the bankers simply park the money in government paper, as making a little interest (on money that you borrowed for nothing) is better than losing it to some middle-class economic recovery scheme...

 O'care will remain the greatest political and economic goat-rope in the history of the world.

2014 will see a rise in mobs of Berkeley-and-Birkenstock inspired lumpenproles who specialize in coveting their neighbors stuff (especially their paychecks). They'll make news, but not much more, since a bunch of billionaires are behind them and, well, billionaires don't REALLY work against their own interests. There are a couple of ways to expand an economy: increase incomes, or expand credit. Neither of those things is going to happen in 2014, so the billionaire-backed-Berkeley-and-Birkenstock inspired lumpenproles will make a show out of blaming their neighbors who make $250 grand a year. The result will be social strife, but no economic expansion, since waving a sign in the street while coveting your neighbor's stuff has never been much of a personal, or national, economic policy.

2014 will be the year that middle-aged, middle class Americans realize that "sales", and a bunch of other occupations, aren't really skills. They're going to head back to school. They're going to learn to make stuff the modern way.

MIley Cyrus and her onstage exploits along with two dozen other high-profile moral disintegrations may result in a moral tipping point that starts the pendulum swinging in the other direction...the question is, "Why does rich and famous have to mean morally disgusting?".."It doesn't", is the answer.

Social media will be less popular (with adults) at the end of 2014 than the beginning...people don't have the time, and the "new" has worn off..

Stocks will go UP before they go (way, way, way) DOWN...This year, or next? Nobody can say for certain. Much depends on how long the BS manipulation of every possible number holds up.

Housing prices and sales will remain depressed in all but the largest/hottest 10 or 20 markets with credit for the middle-class still very tight.

$3 to $4 gas will continue to drain the US economy, built on $1 gas...

 2014's Weather? Worse.

The Middle-East will continue to burn for all of 2014. In previous posts, I predicted Iraq's fall. I stand by that prediction. whether this year, or the next, or some other point in the future, Iraq will be divided between Shia and Sunni (meaning Iranian proxies and Sunni/Caliphate Builders Inc).

Afghanistan is screwed...2014, 2015, maybe 2016, the Taliban rides back into Kabul. Or, we ride back into Kabul and start over...you know, I'm thinkin' that it's Luxembourg's turn...

The Palestinians will be just as screwed in 2015 as they are now, the Israelis will be just as nervous in 2015 as they are now and Iran will still be playing the West/ BO Administration for a fool in 2015, just like they are now. If the Iranian government didn't have the US for an "enemy" and Israel and the Palestinians for a rally point they'd have no one to blame for their domestic incompetence and brutality. They can't make peace and stay in power. So they won't make peace. They'll just see what they can get from negotiating, like that bastard that took my little sister to the prom in '88...yeah, I'm still lookin' for YOU, Bryan (with a "Y")...

For the most part, the sun will come up, and the sun will go down. Spring will come and smart people will plant something to eat and something pretty to look at and smell. Smart people will also cut a pile of wood and plant some fruit trees on a little piece of safe ground that they own. We'll harvest and can and in the Fall put a couple of deer in the freezer beside the fish and vegetables. A solar power system will get installed next to the shed that holds the generator and the batteries. We'll celebrate Thanksgiving and cut a Christmas tree in the Fall of 2014, just like we did in the Fall of 2004.In other words, things will slog along in the new normal way until they quit. And then, there will be no normal for a while. And we have no choice but to handle whatever comes...

Resilience: Building Resilience On A Budget...Quick Tips

Know what good gear looks like. Sometimes, older gear--just as serviceable, but lacking "cool factor"-- can be found at reasonable prices. Read older books and articles and take note of the things that were considered state-of-the-art and highest quality when written. Someday, I'm gonna find a Specialized Stump Jumper mountain bike at a yard sale for cheap.

Know what gear you need. Have a list. Don't shop willy-nilly. Purchase ahead of need. Avoid panic buying.

Use shows and conventions( gunshows, hamfests, thrasher conventions) tag sales, flea markets, Craigslist, trading papers, and used goods stores to get good deals.

Pick it up off the side of the road. I have 8 propane tanks that I picked up for free when people threw away a barbeque grill. They are worth $30 a piece. The chain stores don't care where your trade-in comes from. You get a 20 pound tank of propane for $18.

ASK...older family members with tools, gear and land if they'll share or sell to you.

 Remember: You need GOOD gear, you don't need the LATEST gear.

 

Peace

 

Early Ice Storm...

You can see the ice covering the trees at higher elevations (about 3300 feet) and the Autumn colors down below...

Damn, I love living out here...

 

Peace

Resilience: Sometimes It Means Knowing When to Move

Our little house on the creek was in serious danger of bursting at the seams... 800 square feet, one real bedroom, two sons (at home, two more children away, but home some),  all our stuff and no washing machine. It was time to move, and that is what we did. It's nice to have more room, but the move screwed up my favorite time of the year...Fall, and hunting season. That, and the fact that the only internet service available is one meg dsl, just a bit better than dial-up, and the lack of firewood on the new property (my Scotch-Irish/Northern European inner voice starts screaming "Winter is coming, you fool," in August and does not stop until March.), and I hit a deer this past week with the car (number nine for me and the missus over the last ten years). Politics and economics has us all on edge...I have been in a very bad mood. Then I saw the muzzleloader. It's a flinlock, a Thompson-Center, made in the 80s...nobody wanted it; not an inline, no scope, most primitive ignition system still made, a lot of work and totally cool. It's mine now (cheap!!), and this evening I am going to watch the sun go down with my flintllock across my lap and probably not shoot anything, and that's just fine as long as the sun sets right like it's supposed to.

When we dedicate ourselves to living the next-right-thing-no-matter-what there are a lot of crappy decisions that are made obvious for us. But there are no bad sunsets watched from a mountain top with a flintlock across your lap. I am going to breathe deeply and find some peace, and I hope that you will do the same...now, where did I put my coon skin cap?

 

Peace

Working It

I've spent the last two months working on a 25 to 30, 000 word addition to the "Guide"...I am hoping to have that work, including photographs, completed before Christmas. I have also been working a cash job, drying corn, and taking classes...busy...but well...

 

Peace

The Road to Collapse, Where Are We?

Not quite there, just yet, but steadily heading in that direction. Poland confiscated private retirement accounts this week (Welcome to paper-and-ink capitalism, cousins. What did that take, 35 years, since you were staring down Soviet tanks and secret police in a bid to be free?

BO is just dying to bomb something in Syria, ostensibly over the Assad regime's use of gas on it's own citizens. The real reason that BO wants to help topple the Assads is suspended in the political ether. Who gassed those poor people is uncertain. What is certain is that the proposed attack but has more to do with the desires of Saudi Arabia and the other Arab states (who have apparently volunteered to pay the full cost of a full US invasion) than the desires of the American people. The fact that the month of dithering since the BO administration announced its desire to strike Assad has given the Syrians time to move, hide, dismantle, replicate, duplicate, stockpile and fortify the air power and chemical weapons productions facilities that BO would like to strike is not lost on either the American people, or the Syrians on either side. It does, however, fly right by our illustrious leader, who still believes that even  air campaigns are political excercises in community organization and vote manipulation. Of course, we were no more surprised by bus loads of strange voters being shipped into Ohio than the Syrians will be when cruise missiles streak across their skies and slam into all those empty buildings, buildings as empty as the suit in the White House. The effects of a strike on our economy, both long and short term are unknown, but you can count on gas prices surging. Retaliatory strikes on US interests abroad are likely and domestic strikes are possible with those aimed at aimed at systems disruption most likely to be officially sanctioned by the governments and quasi-governments involved. The wild cards, like college students with pressure cookers, Army Officers with handguns and people flying airplanes into buildings are, well, wild cards. Be ready. Higher gas prices represent another blow at the very foundation of our not-so-recovered-recovery. Be ready.

 

Peace

Wow, What a Summer

I had no idea when I planted my field what an undertaking it would turn out to be. I was expecting hard work. I got that, and more. With sincere apologies for being away so long, I return to report that the corn is up and bearing fruit. It will be ready to harvest on September 25th, though we will leave it up through two frosts before we pick and shell it.

 This particular summer has been one of unprecedented rainfall. My field received 14 inches of rain in the two weeks after planting. Much has fallen since, thirty inches total. It has been nearly impossible to get into the field with my tools, so the weeds threaten to take over--I keep them down with a weed trimmer and a mower. Actually working the soil is out--it's just too muddy. On the positive side, my irrigation costs have been minimal...:)...

I broke and planted new ground. I was hoping to duck the typical corn pests since nothing, much less corn, has been planted on this ground in my lifetime. So much for hope; yesterday, I found an ear worm. The seed and feed guy says that ear worm eggs ride on the legs of bees and other bugs. So today, if it will hold off raining, I am spraying with an organic pesticide...Backpack sprayer:$80.00...Organic pesticide:$40.00...jeez...Back and forth, up and down each row with a fifty-pound sprayer on the back, carefully squirting each ear at the silk-- this is why it's important to finish college.

Bugs and weeds haven't been the only troubles in the field. I had a pretty impressive wall of weeds around my field. What I learned from that was that, whatever weeds are AROUND your field will be IN your field. So, I chopped them down. At this pont, the deer said, "Whoah. Look at that! A corn field!" They were more than a little rude for the couple of days that it took me to construct a fence. Conventional fencing was out, it's way too expensive. I put up metal pickets at the corners (most of the weight bears on the corners) and wooden stakes between the pickets and strung heavy monofilament for my wire--four strands. I added some "Liquid Fence" all the way around. So far, it's working.

Gotta go. Peace Guys.

Just Surviving Not Enough

You have to be able to build a decent life for yourself and your family, and help rebuild a community and an economy... You need tools, skills, ideas and vision... As the book says;"Where there is no vision, the people perish..." (Proverbs 29:18)...First, survive. Then, bounce back healthy and strong. That's resilience.

Related articles

Common Sense Survival

Resilience and The Limits of Hand Tools

I'm all in favor of folks using and knowing how to use good, historical hand tools like scythes and broadforks. Come a calamity, a family can feed themselves with a good set of hand tools and husbandry of animals (with a bit of luck hunting, fishing and trapping). Hand tools makes horticulture possible. Agriculture, however, takes machines. You can feed yourself with hand tools. For you to feed yourself and your neighbors is going to require machinery...horses and/or tractors, tillers, wagons and implements make agriculture possible...