Friday's Thoughts and Other Stuff

Dear Preppers and Survivalists,



The Pot of Gold
Wow, all the problems of the world have seemed to disappear.

The economy is adding jobs, the stock market is moving higher, government regulation is being reduced, food is on the grocery store shelves, firearms and ammunition have become plentiful and inexpensive, North Korea is no longer rattling the saber of war, Hillary Rodham-Clinton is in New York, not Washington D.C., and it's getting better.

President Trump nominated another Justice for the Supreme Court, Democrats, and some Republicans, are divulging their actual beliefs, these United States is poised to be the world's leader in oil production, and ...

The list is unless!!!


Voices in Your Head
Do you hear them?

Democrats are going to sweep the Republicans out of office, President Trump is going to be impeached, there is going to be a mass uprising of woke people, Military-style assault weapons are being banned in states around the nation, and many more shouts of triumph.

Do you also hear the voices that tell you, everything is O.K., the country is stable and prepared for any event, President Trump is winning, turning the country around, onto the right track, and so much more?


Everyone Else
A lot of people are with you. They have stopped prepping, with some people selling their stuff or giving it to charity.Some have, gasp!, even started watching television, again.


Warning
China, Russia, Iran, and many other countries are still trying to undermine the country's power. Many groups of people are still trying to subvert the nation's laws. North Korea, Pakistan, and (possibly) South Africa have a nuclear weapon.

In other words, ...

If you're reading this, you know the true state of affairs, ... Nothing has changed.


With That Said
I haven't completed a big preparedness project in a many months, as you can tell from my weekly Friday posts, but I have been doing smaller project, such as ...


Dan Forrester Project
In the book "Lucifer's Hammer" by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, a minor character, Dr. Dan Forrester is introduced placing informational books, wrapped in plastic bags, into an abandoned septic tank, just after the event.

Later on, Dr. Dan Forrester's reasoning is revealed. He is trying to save some of the world's knowledge and to possibly barter this knowledge for the things to keep him alive.

I thought it was a good idea, so I have started my own Dan Forrester project, just a little bit sooner though.

For my project, I use mylar bags and oxygen absorbers.One, two, or three books are placed in the mylar bag, an oxygen absorber is added into the bag, then I seal the bag with a clothes iron set on low-high.

Now, it's a little bit more complicated then that because I want to be able to stack the package of books on top of each other, so I suck the air out of the bag. I do this by almost sealing the bag, such the air out, then seal the bag the rest of the way.

No, I don't have pictures

Lastly, I place a heavy-duty plastic bag, one of those contractor bags, in a 55-gallon metal drum then load it full of packages of books.

Of course, it didn't go the way I planned (I thought I could place three stacks, side by side, but I could only get two stacks side by side.

So, I stacked them flat, side by side, until I could place three or four packages of books, upright, in the empty spaces. This allowed me to almost fill the metal barrel.

Now, I used mylar bags because plastic bags will allow water vapor to pass through the bag. Also, the plastic bags are relatively delicate, compared to a thick mylar bag.

I also used a metal drum to prevent vermin from chewing through the barrel and destroying the books.


Home Improvement 
Recently, I installed four energy efficient windows. These windows will help Katniss and I lower our electrical usage to heat and cool our home. It will also allow us to stay comfortable, during an event, with just our wood stove (to be installed next year, maybe)


Visitors
My brother, Jumper, and his wife visited my family for a few days, three or four weeks ago, so I had to clean up the guest room. This gave me an opportunity to really look at the items we would need to have people over during an event.

Also, ...

My brother wanted to go shooting, so I had the chance to talk to him and his wife about standardizing weapons. We agreed (he is former military) on the AR-15 rifle and the Glock 19 pistol for protection.


Food
Another subject, that my brother and I have been talking about for years, is having enough long-term food storage. Unlike the firearm (I told you he was in the military), he discounts the need to have enough food to feed yourself and the family for at least one year.

However, ... He has started sending me money, so he won't feel too guilty, showing up empty handed, during a longer term event.

To prevent his family from starving, if the show up, I have been buying from Emergency Essential (mainly vegetables) and the Latter-day Saints Bishop's storehouse (beans and rice).


The Beta Site
Of course, we live in one of those areas that could see massive disruptions from certain events, so I have decided to seek a more permanent solution to our potential housing problem, by buying a house.


That's it. A lot of little stuff that when added together means my family and I are alittle more prepared for the tough times ahead.