Hope everyone is doing well.
This week has been extremely busy – kids, work, etc. I managed to get a few things worked on in the realm of preparedness.
- Picked up some cinder blocks needed for the next rain barrel installation.
- Completed a set of seed banks for my group.
- Found cardboard needed to line the inside of the galvanized trash can I picked up a couple weeks ago. Going to put together an EMP kit. Should have completed this project already.
- Pulled out a few knives and sharpened them up. This was also long overdue.
- I’m putting together a kit that allows a Sawyer water filter to be connected to a bucket for larger volumes. Sourcing all the parts is not easy but think I am almost there. This could end up being the most cost effective, high volume water filtration system I’ve come across.
- Worked more on the homemade ham radio repeater with zero success. Going to keep trying.
- Finished Mark Goodwin’s new book Behold, Darkness and Sorrow: Seven Cows. Ugly and Gaunt. Fantastic! Like his other offerings this book is Christian-based and lacks profanity and lewd “situations”. Really good.
“Ambitious college student, Daniel Walker, has his world turned upside down when he begins having prophetic dreams about the judgment coming upon America. Through one of his dreams, Daniel learns of an imminent threat of an EMP attack which will wipe out America’s electric grid and all computerized devices, sending the country into a technological dark age. Living in a nation where all life-sustaining systems of support are completely dependent on electricity and computers, the odds for survival are dismal. Municipal water services, retail food distribution, police, fire, EMS and all emergency services will come to a screeching halt. If he wants to live through the most catastrophic period in American history, Daniel will have to race against time to get prepared, before the lights go out. Buy your copy of Behold Darkness and Sorrow and jump into this post-apocalyptic, prepper-fiction thriller, today!”
- Caught up on watching some YouTube.
So – what have you done this past week?
JR
This week I did some reorganizing, labeling and clean up of supplies. Added another couple cases of bottled water and 9 gallon jugs of water. Sharpened knives, cleaned some guns, added a 2nd 38 special Taurus pistol for my wife, her preference and 300 rounds. Found a couple of large pickle barrels at a salvage store – strong pickle smell – think they would work for water storage??? Left them in my shed with lids off. Look forward to seeing your Sawyer kit, I have several and this sounds like a great idea. Can you share what you mean by seed bank? Thanks for pointing out Mark’s new book, read his others and will need to get this. Another week bites the dust, they seem to pass so quickly – anyone else notice?
– Keep Looking UP
Sawyer sells a kit that allows you to connect the filter to a bucket and the best part of it is that it comes with an attachment that keeps the hose from kinking. The old kits let the hose kink when it hung down. I have added a fitting to mine that allows me to attach it to a 55 gal water barrel using one of the small threaded bungs that take a faucet.
Also I bought more ammo this week, trimmed all of the palm trees prior to hurricane season and planted some more papaya trees.
Scored a few yard sale finds…..
16 various Duke leg hold and body hold traps…. about $250 retail, for$35.
CVA Wolf 50 cal., with a Simmons 8Point 3-9×32 scope, for $100.
Disassembled and cleaned every part.
BTW… Don’t EVER take the trigger/hammer apart unless you take pictures first.
$150 Simmons range finder for $50.
Small $15 Plano tackle box for $3.
Had a bad A/C blend door actuator on my truck. Saved $600 replacing it myself.
Not strictly prepping, but…. ‘a penny saved…’.
Purchased another 10/22 mag and ammo for the CVA.
Man you hit the jackpot Jim!!!!
The garden is pumping out collards faster then I can eat the darned things. I’ve been blending them into a liquid to make a nutrient rich soup for the freezer as well as eating them daily. I got all my okra seedlings set in.
Need to get my okra seeds in the ground as well. Meant to do it this past weekend but missed it.
More Fish Mox purchased and 1000 rounds of 9mm. Also added a fish filet knife. Congrats to Jim on the yard sale finds. I can never find items like that!
Question to all, what are you doing for detergent to wash clothes with? I have added some powder detergent but getting had to find it at a good price even in the Dollar General or Dollar Store.
Where do you get your Fish Mox Fred C? Same here with the yard sales.
Sorry for the delayed reply, was in your State on business. Campingsurvival.com had a sale.
plowed, tilled, worked on hot house, bought seeds, Read Arthur Bradley (2 books), did some research and downloaded a few interesting Field Manuals (FM-) AND spent a couple days playing around with food poisoning… NOT FUN. So we’ll do a little couch work and get my strength back up where it needs to be. That sick thing gets in the way.
Hope you feel better goingray58. Have had a lot of people locally get hit by some kind of flu bug going around.
Turned over the garden beds, was hoping to get it planted this week but expecting frost this coming weekend. Ended up doing repairs on both vehicles after visiting a U pick parts yard, repacked the bearings, new tires and redid the wiring for the HB Trailer we had inherited, bought some Emberlit stove knockoffs, hit a couple garage sales (found nothing except womens, girls & baby clothing) and missed out by 15 min a near brand new Briggs & Stratton front tine rototiller for $75, bought the monthly box of ammo – 38spl this time.
Fred C – we’re putting up the mixtures to make our own detergent in powdered form or getting the cheap liquid stuff from local store – dollar stores are a bit of a ripoff once you compare the ounces to the price. 1 bar (or 4.5 ounces) shaved bar soap (a homemade laundry bar, Dr. Bronner’s, Kirk’s Castile Saop, Ivory, ZOTE, or Fels-Naptha)
1 cup borax
1 cup washing soda
jh – I have made that same detergent and it worked well. Finding the time to make it is my challenge but I may make up some large batches coming up.
Thanks JH. Where should I get the washing soda. I don’t think I have seen it for sale any place I frequent or possibly I don’t look in the right place!
JH Dr Bronners is great and we it for shampoo and cleaning as well.
This week I was sick and happy to have Astragalus and co Q 10 supplements on hand. I contacted a new prepper and offered. to teach her to can and shoot.I just e mailed her a bibliography of exc. books.She just bought a shotgun and she will teach me how to sell things on e bay.I have known this woman for sever al years and she is now starting to prep.
I just read an exc. article on the advantages of staying in p[lace vs. bugging out in the SURVIVALIST Magazine. Exc pub. I recommend.Lightning
PS Still to cold here to put out plants. 38 last night.
Hope you feel better Lightning!
Past few weeks working on my two grow beds that have been fallow for a couple seasons. Just moved 6 potato plants to second bed after starting from seed. Now less clutter for the pepper tomato cucumber and two berry bushes in the first bed. Maybe I’ll plant a couple seed onions.
Chased two of neighbors dogs off of my chickens with a pellet gun yesterday. this is the second time for one dog…perhaps time to call animal control.
D. – I’ve not had a whole lot of luck with onions. Luckily I put a fence up around my backyard as well as main garden so no problems with dogs.
Long week at work but got more bean, peppers, squash & cukes in. Tilled up some more yard and put in 75 onion sets & radishes plus room to expand. Had to jury-rig fencing to keep the dogs out, but will upgrade later. Picked up 200 rds. of 9mm 20 rds 20 ga 00. DW asked how much ammo we have? I just looked her, next on the list isno an updated inventory. Probably way over due anway. I have a good SWAG, she wants a count. Oh well when she’s happy I’m happy and she never says not to buy just curious.
Looks like a great week prepping Gunner. Same problem with dogs here and installed a fence a couple years ago. Keep it up!!
Reading everyone’s comments all week is always a learning experience and incentive to get out and do something at least each weekend if I can’t during the week.