I'd like to broach a serious subject this evening. First let me admit I'm a dinosaur. I came from a time when we could leave our doors unlocked, leave our keys in the car, take our 22 rifles to school to be used for plinking on the way home. The place I come from no longer exists.
We are close to total collapse of the country we grew up with. What's to come is the great unknown.
I have political and religious beliefs that are deeply a part of me, it's a big part of what makes me.....ME. I'll drag this portion of me through what ever is to come.
Those of us that might survive the great culling will have a great responsibility, that is to rebuild a social order. This brings me to my point.
I have been asked by many to share a retreat situation. Because of my long efforts in survival preparation, knowledge and skill sets, I seem to be an attractive asset to many peoples notion
of a retreat partner or addition.
So far I have rejected all comers. Many who have asked are friends and I feel bad that I cannot become part of their clan in the face of certain days of sorrow. There is a good reason for my hesitation.
I have many firm beliefs about what has caused the destruction of my beloved country and I cannot compromise on those beliefs. If I survive the destruction and death about to befall us, I will be part of that chosen remnant that the burden of rebuilding will fall upon.
I cannot and will not retreat with anyone that adheres to morals and ethics that I feel are to blame for the fall of the American Nation. I won't for the sake of political correctness..(puke)..discuss those issues here but will urge you to think long and hard about what kind of folks that deserve to survive. Do you want to retreat with those that do not share your core beliefs?
I may end up alone...I may end up a cold blooded killer...I might make decisions on who deserves to live and who should perish. If that scares you then just try and imagine rebuilding a social order with those that have taken great steps to destroy what we knew as a beautiful nation...you know...we didn't have to lock our doors...we could leave the keys in our car....we could take our .22's to school....you know...America.
Make sure your retreat partners share your morals and ethics or they might just become your enemy.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Going Native
So one day I'm thinking to myself and I picture myself in a bugout situation. I'm in a forest somewhere between my home here at the White Rooster Ranch in the Nevada desert and my retreat. What should have been a 12 hour drive has turned into several weeks because of circumstances that prevent me from getting from point A to point B. Maybe the roads are blocked by rural communities that have decided they don't want strangers passing through, maybe civil unrest has caused thousands to flee the cities and they are robbing and looting everything in sight. Whatever it is I'm stuck in the low mountains in a wilderness area, secluded but still close enough to the hungry hordes to cause some concern.
I could take a squirrel or bird with my pellet gun or sling shot, however if I fire a shot with one of my blasters the bad guys would know where I am. So the answer is a silent primitive weapon.
I decided sometime back to get a bow and some arrows and start learning to shoot. I chose a longbow. It's a self bow, in other words a stick bow with no shelf for the arrow cut into it.
My bow is 72 inches, 50 pound draw weight at 28 inches draw length. For the first 3 weeks I was sore as hell from drawing that bow. I'm 60 years old and a 50 pound pull is a lot on this old frame. I kept at it though. I started by shooting at least 25 arrows a day, every day even though the pain continued. I needed to learn this primitive skill to add to my bag of tricks to survive the coming collapse.
I'm now up to 100 arrows a day and I'm getting pretty darn good with that hunk of oak and those cedar arrows. I feel pretty assured I could take a deer or hog at 35 yards without making a sound except the bow string twang. Certainly the zombies camped two miles away wouldn't hear the silence of my arrow. So I'm feeling good.
I chose the longbow because it is most like a bush bow or stick bow one might fabricate in the wilderness. I was afraid to buy a compound bow because if I broke a cam or pulley and had no spare parts it would be worthless.
I might run out of ammo...but I can always make an arrow, and, a bow if need be.
All my painful practice might just save my life.
I could take a squirrel or bird with my pellet gun or sling shot, however if I fire a shot with one of my blasters the bad guys would know where I am. So the answer is a silent primitive weapon.
I decided sometime back to get a bow and some arrows and start learning to shoot. I chose a longbow. It's a self bow, in other words a stick bow with no shelf for the arrow cut into it.
My bow is 72 inches, 50 pound draw weight at 28 inches draw length. For the first 3 weeks I was sore as hell from drawing that bow. I'm 60 years old and a 50 pound pull is a lot on this old frame. I kept at it though. I started by shooting at least 25 arrows a day, every day even though the pain continued. I needed to learn this primitive skill to add to my bag of tricks to survive the coming collapse.
I'm now up to 100 arrows a day and I'm getting pretty darn good with that hunk of oak and those cedar arrows. I feel pretty assured I could take a deer or hog at 35 yards without making a sound except the bow string twang. Certainly the zombies camped two miles away wouldn't hear the silence of my arrow. So I'm feeling good.
I chose the longbow because it is most like a bush bow or stick bow one might fabricate in the wilderness. I was afraid to buy a compound bow because if I broke a cam or pulley and had no spare parts it would be worthless.
I might run out of ammo...but I can always make an arrow, and, a bow if need be.
All my painful practice might just save my life.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Coming Full Circle
An excellent guest post from BrushFire
I will make a serious attempt to avoid politics and religion in this post. If some seeps through, please forgive me as it is difficult at this late date..(prepper wise)..to avoid my own thoughts on why this civilization is in dysfunctional gridlock and on the cusp of total failure.
I will make a serious attempt to avoid politics and religion in this post. If some seeps through, please forgive me as it is difficult at this late date..(prepper wise)..to avoid my own thoughts on why this civilization is in dysfunctional gridlock and on the cusp of total failure.
I recently attended the 2010 Shot Show in Las Vegas. Immersed in the American firearms subculture, I had some insights that I presume were only fostered by my age and background,
I am a firearms instructor and as such I am familiar with all types of guns and gear,
I have trained with the best. I know folks that can present a handgun from the holster and deliver a deadly kill shot in 1/2 second. That is no exaggeration.
During my years as an instructor I have seen the best of the best. Handgun,rifle,shotgun,submachinegun and machine gun were the tools of our trade in our efforts to make better gun fighters of citizens, military and law enforcement.
For the past 12 years I have dedicated my life to preparation for the coming collapse of the world as we know it. A good part of that prep is firearms related due to my belief that some scum sucking moron will insist on stealing my last can of tuna when the stores close.
Now to the point. I've had a real change of heart about survival weaponry. Trust me, I've dwell-ed in the high speed/low drag tactical world of AR's and all the attachments..AK's and all the rest. There will always be those in the prep movement that will insist that guns and gear have to be expensive and "tactical" in nature. To that I say "bunk".
You would be far better off buying a few books on edible wild plants and forget about the laser.
So here is my thought, keep in mind this is the culmination of time and experience, forget the high tech gear and get a good old fashion revolver and a lever action rifle in the same caliber. Not that I needed any vindication on this concept but recently I spoke with a friend in another state that has a few ex Navy Seals as his circle of friends and to my surprise he informed me that his high speed/low drag buddies have thrown off the 40 caliber handguns..the mp5's and other notions of defense and survival weaponry and have come to the same conclusion. It seems the .357 6 inch revolver and Winchester lever action chambered in the same round have found favor among the former Seal gents.
I'm not going to dwell on this, and most of my instructor friends will assume I've lost my mind...(I sold my tricked out AR)....bought a .45 revolver and Winchester and with my .22 and shotgun, I'm calling it quits on the firearms hording and am now learning to make soap,
learning herbal medicine, making candles and a bunch of quiet past times to better prepare.
By the way, after attending the Shot Show and seeing all the latest gear for your guns, I fully expect that next year every AR will come with a ham radio, satellite dish and toilet seat warmer.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Wake up and Prioritize
by Kellene Bishop
Having a nice house isn't everything photo c/o www.merchantcircle.com
The party was so wonderful. The house was warm with hugs, greetings, and shared tales of joy and heartache from the previous year. So and so had a new baby on the way. The hostess had just received a new customized dining room table so that she could seat her burgeoning family at meal time. A young man had just been honorably advanced in the military. Seeing old friends and making news ones was a great way to start the New Year. So why was I so distraught as I walked home? What was it that was interrupting my happiness from attending such an event? What a beautiful home. The food was scrumptious. What a choice person—such great hosts. What a great family. I was thrilled that they had opted to show me what they had done with all of the new food storage space they had built into their basement. That’s practically my favorite part of any home. As I reflected back on what I saw, I realized the source of my distress. A thriving family of nine. Plenty of space. Beautifully decorated. But a large food storage area that was frighteningly sparse.
As I had mentally viewed the intermittent stores of food, my mind quickly calculated that starvation would come to this family within only six weeks if they were required to survive on the fruits of their preparedness efforts. To add insult to injury, it would be a very boring and unappetizing six weeks as well. Oh how I didn’t want that for this family. Fifteen years of friendship makes me feel like an aunt to their children and a sister to her. I adore her. I look up to her. I cringed as I recalled her answer to my question. “Is this your entire food storage?” “Yep”, she replied. I couldn’t tell by her voice…was I detecting a sense of good intentions to rectify the situation or was it a sense of being overwhelmed with the task?
A half-empty pantry won't be as much of a comfort in times of need as a full one would be photo c/o www.mlive.com
What good is a lovely home when an unexpected need for food, water, clothing, and fuel hits you? Who cares whether or not the sofa is frayed or if there’s a spot on the carpet when your family is hungry? I don’t know about you, but I’ve moved heaven and earth when I’ve had a specific craving for something. Imagine such a craving occupying your mind regularly, except it is simply for food and water. I realize that it requires some mental work to accept that such a scenario WILL occur in the future, but I promise you that it will. The Wii games, the latest reality show, the latest action-adventure film, or even what shenanigans the Administration pulls that week will be meaningless when one is unexpectedly thrust out of their modus operandi and has to actually THINK “how will I provide food for my family?” Most of us have never had to question the availability of food and water. For those of us who have, there has usually been a ray of hope right behind such a question in the form of an anticipated new job for the one lost, or even the ability to move in with family until things get better. But will the same hope be present when the supply of food, water, clothing, and fuel seems to be solely reliant on our own previous preparedness efforts?
I completely believe in being content and nurtured by ones surrounding. A home should be a person’s castle, inviting, comfortable. I love to spoil my family members and friends with gifts of love and acknowledgement. I like to look nice and wish that more “preppers” would portray a more polished and intelligent image to the community lest their message be minimized as an unrelatable and unreliable one. But just as the priorities for college students need to be their education—and thus traditional corners of comfort are cut to survive—so should we do the same in our basic preparedness efforts, sacrificing luxury for the security of being prepared.
As yourself before buying anything--Need or Want?
So here’s my rule of thumb. Don’t even think of gidgets, gadgets, generators, and the non-essentials in your life until you have at least the very basics of food, water, clothing, and fuel (where permissible) taken care of. Yes, you’ll never be satisfied that you are fully prepared for whatever may come your way. But yes, there IS a finite amount of food and water, etc. that you can at least start with and know that you’ve got a great foundation. THEN you can start building on it.
Newlyweds, let me address you specifically. No, you can’t afford a new television or cable or unlimited text messaging until you have your basics obtained and stored. It is a matter of life or luxury. Yes, I know that you’ve been quite accustomed to the leather upholstery, the beautiful automobile, and the abundance of comforts as you grew up in your parent’s home or when you were the sole beneficiary of your salary, but marriage is different. It’s a new life. It’s not a continuation of the one you had with your parents. Start new. Make it yours. Make it self-reliant. Make it solid by a good foundation of spiritual and temporal strength.
Ok. So what’s the absolute bare minimum emergency survival amount of food, water, clothing, and fuel (where permissible) you should have on hand?
■400 pounds of grains (i.e. pasta, wheat, rice, barley) per person per year (whole grains are preferred in order to benefit from sprouting)
■40 pounds of honey (or sugar, or molasses) per person, per year
■60 pounds of dry milk per person, per year
■5 pounds of mineralized salt, such as RealSalt (not iodized) per person, per year.
If you only had these 4 food items, you would at least survive a year in the midst of a major food crisis.
■60 gallons of water, per person MINIMUM. (This amount may at least get you through until you can find another water source—again, remember this is bare, minimum, emergency, survival amounts. In actuality, every person needs one gallon, per person per day just to take care of the minimum requirements of hydration, sanitation, medical, and cooking.)
■2 sets of appropriate, rugged, warm weather clothes and 2 sets of cold weather clothes per person. Anticipate the upcoming year. Store these clothes away, not have them be a part of the everyday fashion repertoire.
■52 cans of butane and a small butane stove for cooking and cleaning.
■Enough fuel for warmth during the winter months
■Enough fuel for light for about 4 hours a night, for one room, for a year.
So, here’s my challenge to you. It’s the very beginning of a new month. How about you put yourself on a non-essential fast when it comes to spending this month? In other words, if it’s not absolutely necessary (such as utilities, groceries, diapers, etc) don’t spend money on it. Instead use that same money on what you need to be prepared with at least the bare minimum amount of preparedness. If you’re already prepared in the basics that I’ve outlined above, how about you focus on adding to your preparedness this month?
Copyright 2010 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved. You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to www.PreparednessPro.com & Kellene Bishop
Having a nice house isn't everything photo c/o www.merchantcircle.com
The party was so wonderful. The house was warm with hugs, greetings, and shared tales of joy and heartache from the previous year. So and so had a new baby on the way. The hostess had just received a new customized dining room table so that she could seat her burgeoning family at meal time. A young man had just been honorably advanced in the military. Seeing old friends and making news ones was a great way to start the New Year. So why was I so distraught as I walked home? What was it that was interrupting my happiness from attending such an event? What a beautiful home. The food was scrumptious. What a choice person—such great hosts. What a great family. I was thrilled that they had opted to show me what they had done with all of the new food storage space they had built into their basement. That’s practically my favorite part of any home. As I reflected back on what I saw, I realized the source of my distress. A thriving family of nine. Plenty of space. Beautifully decorated. But a large food storage area that was frighteningly sparse.
As I had mentally viewed the intermittent stores of food, my mind quickly calculated that starvation would come to this family within only six weeks if they were required to survive on the fruits of their preparedness efforts. To add insult to injury, it would be a very boring and unappetizing six weeks as well. Oh how I didn’t want that for this family. Fifteen years of friendship makes me feel like an aunt to their children and a sister to her. I adore her. I look up to her. I cringed as I recalled her answer to my question. “Is this your entire food storage?” “Yep”, she replied. I couldn’t tell by her voice…was I detecting a sense of good intentions to rectify the situation or was it a sense of being overwhelmed with the task?
A half-empty pantry won't be as much of a comfort in times of need as a full one would be photo c/o www.mlive.com
What good is a lovely home when an unexpected need for food, water, clothing, and fuel hits you? Who cares whether or not the sofa is frayed or if there’s a spot on the carpet when your family is hungry? I don’t know about you, but I’ve moved heaven and earth when I’ve had a specific craving for something. Imagine such a craving occupying your mind regularly, except it is simply for food and water. I realize that it requires some mental work to accept that such a scenario WILL occur in the future, but I promise you that it will. The Wii games, the latest reality show, the latest action-adventure film, or even what shenanigans the Administration pulls that week will be meaningless when one is unexpectedly thrust out of their modus operandi and has to actually THINK “how will I provide food for my family?” Most of us have never had to question the availability of food and water. For those of us who have, there has usually been a ray of hope right behind such a question in the form of an anticipated new job for the one lost, or even the ability to move in with family until things get better. But will the same hope be present when the supply of food, water, clothing, and fuel seems to be solely reliant on our own previous preparedness efforts?
I completely believe in being content and nurtured by ones surrounding. A home should be a person’s castle, inviting, comfortable. I love to spoil my family members and friends with gifts of love and acknowledgement. I like to look nice and wish that more “preppers” would portray a more polished and intelligent image to the community lest their message be minimized as an unrelatable and unreliable one. But just as the priorities for college students need to be their education—and thus traditional corners of comfort are cut to survive—so should we do the same in our basic preparedness efforts, sacrificing luxury for the security of being prepared.
As yourself before buying anything--Need or Want?
So here’s my rule of thumb. Don’t even think of gidgets, gadgets, generators, and the non-essentials in your life until you have at least the very basics of food, water, clothing, and fuel (where permissible) taken care of. Yes, you’ll never be satisfied that you are fully prepared for whatever may come your way. But yes, there IS a finite amount of food and water, etc. that you can at least start with and know that you’ve got a great foundation. THEN you can start building on it.
Newlyweds, let me address you specifically. No, you can’t afford a new television or cable or unlimited text messaging until you have your basics obtained and stored. It is a matter of life or luxury. Yes, I know that you’ve been quite accustomed to the leather upholstery, the beautiful automobile, and the abundance of comforts as you grew up in your parent’s home or when you were the sole beneficiary of your salary, but marriage is different. It’s a new life. It’s not a continuation of the one you had with your parents. Start new. Make it yours. Make it self-reliant. Make it solid by a good foundation of spiritual and temporal strength.
Ok. So what’s the absolute bare minimum emergency survival amount of food, water, clothing, and fuel (where permissible) you should have on hand?
■400 pounds of grains (i.e. pasta, wheat, rice, barley) per person per year (whole grains are preferred in order to benefit from sprouting)
■40 pounds of honey (or sugar, or molasses) per person, per year
■60 pounds of dry milk per person, per year
■5 pounds of mineralized salt, such as RealSalt (not iodized) per person, per year.
If you only had these 4 food items, you would at least survive a year in the midst of a major food crisis.
■60 gallons of water, per person MINIMUM. (This amount may at least get you through until you can find another water source—again, remember this is bare, minimum, emergency, survival amounts. In actuality, every person needs one gallon, per person per day just to take care of the minimum requirements of hydration, sanitation, medical, and cooking.)
■2 sets of appropriate, rugged, warm weather clothes and 2 sets of cold weather clothes per person. Anticipate the upcoming year. Store these clothes away, not have them be a part of the everyday fashion repertoire.
■52 cans of butane and a small butane stove for cooking and cleaning.
■Enough fuel for warmth during the winter months
■Enough fuel for light for about 4 hours a night, for one room, for a year.
So, here’s my challenge to you. It’s the very beginning of a new month. How about you put yourself on a non-essential fast when it comes to spending this month? In other words, if it’s not absolutely necessary (such as utilities, groceries, diapers, etc) don’t spend money on it. Instead use that same money on what you need to be prepared with at least the bare minimum amount of preparedness. If you’re already prepared in the basics that I’ve outlined above, how about you focus on adding to your preparedness this month?
Copyright 2010 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved. You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to www.PreparednessPro.com & Kellene Bishop
What about your Skills?
We are seeing the dollar fall and possibly no longer be the worldwide dominating currency. We can see by economic indicators, and history that we are heading into a time of mega inflation, and outragous taxes. There are things happening before our very eyes that have some speculating a revolution of sorts. Not just us "right wing nutjobs" either. I am seeing on mainstream media what we preppers have been preparing and thinking about for months now.
So that brings the question...What skills do you have?
Kellene Bishop on Preparedness Pro discussed this awhile back, and I have been working on my skills of self suffiency and living off my own land, but that is not enough! So I have been learning the art of spinning yarn, and the process of preparing sheared wool into something spinnable. Not only do I have animals that have nice wool to be sheared and spun, but would be able to barter that skill, for either pay or services.
Jobs are shrinking by the month, and the cap and trade and other job diminishing legislation is still pending to get passed, but they will. I am certain as the Healthcare nightmare is getting pushed through even though 67% of Americans do not want it. So even though elections this year may change the domination of democrats, they have created a system in Washington that allows them to pass as they please. It is scary to think about.
So the need for us to have skills that are sellable in a market of need vs. want is very important. What skills do you have, or think would be valuable in this kind of atmosphere?
So that brings the question...What skills do you have?
Kellene Bishop on Preparedness Pro discussed this awhile back, and I have been working on my skills of self suffiency and living off my own land, but that is not enough! So I have been learning the art of spinning yarn, and the process of preparing sheared wool into something spinnable. Not only do I have animals that have nice wool to be sheared and spun, but would be able to barter that skill, for either pay or services.
Jobs are shrinking by the month, and the cap and trade and other job diminishing legislation is still pending to get passed, but they will. I am certain as the Healthcare nightmare is getting pushed through even though 67% of Americans do not want it. So even though elections this year may change the domination of democrats, they have created a system in Washington that allows them to pass as they please. It is scary to think about.
So the need for us to have skills that are sellable in a market of need vs. want is very important. What skills do you have, or think would be valuable in this kind of atmosphere?
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