How to be a Better Employee in 40 Days (or Less)

One of the best ways to be prepared for the future is to keep what you already have. Here are some personal observations about how to be a better employee. In my experience, the best employees reap the biggest rewards. Feel free to disagree.

• Arrive 5 minutes early (first to arrive)
• Stay 5 minutes late (last to leave)
• Be prepared
• Dress the part
• Get organized
• Take initiative
• Learn continuously
• Get motivated
• Be visible
• Be nice
• Be persistent
• Be honest
• Be a team player
• Get engaged
• Go all in
• Make your boss’s job easier
• Do it right the first time
• Develop thick skin
• Act in the company’s interest
• Go the extra mile
• Give 101%
• Make meetings productive
• Build your own brand
• Volunteer
• Do what your co-workers won’t
• Understand your benefits
• Invest in a retirement plan
• Get educated
• Improve your skills
• Develop yourself
• Invest in self-improvement
• Be flexible
• Be realistic
• Let your work speak for you
• Participate in the performance review process
• Keep your resume updated
• Create value
• Be a follower
• Be a leader on your team
• Be supportive

How to Make Laundry Soap

You can make an 8 month supply of laundry soap for just a few dollars.

How to Generate Massive Amounts of Free Compost

If you have difficulty finding horse manure to use for composting try Craigslist. Where I live, a quick search yields all the free horse manure you could ever desire. :-)

As an alternative, you could also use rabbit manure. I have personally used rabbit manure for vermicomposting for several years. I like it as a alternative to horses and cattle. Rabbits are not generally given the same types of medications that larger domestic livestock receive.

Armed with this new knowledge and strategy for generating an unlimited supply of free compost for gardening, you now have no excuse not to start your own backyard garden.

To speed up the process you could inoculate the compost pile with some red wiggler worms, but in my experience that's not really necessary. A big pile of the "stuff" will attract red wigglers on its' own. But if you already have some red wigglers, or can find a source of them from a family, friend, or neighbor by all means use them to turbo charge your composting efforts.

Reduce the Deficit, Create Jobs - Buy American

I earned a "comp day" at my day job for working on Veteran's Day, so today I am spending the day at home. I have spent it relaxing for the most part - choosing to run a couple of errands, filling the gas tank in my car, and reading highly recommended book written by Leonard Pitts titled Freeman. Coincidently, my timing for reading the book was impeccable because on Sunday I watched Steven Spielberg's movie Lincoln at the local theatre.

After eating a quick lunch of tilapia seasoned with some Old Bay seasoning I turned on CNBC to catch up the financial news for a few minutes. The news is full of fiscal cliff this and stalemate that interrupted every now and then with one guy bad mouthing the other guy....you get the picture.

I've got a suggestion if anyone is listening. Instead of trying to "one up" one another, I think it's time to get back to basics. How do we do that you might ask? Start by buying American.

I heard a statistic the other day cited on a news channel (I don't remember exactly which one, or I would like to it) that individuals  will be spending $431 shopping for Christmas gifts this year. Imagine if that $431 was invested in Made in the USA products.

I don't mean just buying products sold by an American company. That doesn't mean buying groceries from the local supermarket that are imported from Indonesia, Columbia, Bolivia, Peru, China, or Brazil. Genuine American Made products that are actually produced here (not just assembled here or sold by a company that is based here) are what I'm talking about specifically. Doing so creates a multiplier effect in the economy.

I am not an economist and I didn't sleep in a Holiday Inn Express last night, so I won't attempt to explain the finite details of what that means, but if you do your own research I am sure you will reach the same conclusion I did. Buying American Made makes sense. ABC News featured a report recently explaining that if Americans spend $64 on holiday gifts that are USA produced, it would create 200,000 jobs in the U.S. economy. Imagine how many jobs would be created if the entire $431 is spent on American Made Products.

I'm in. Are you?

And don't start making excuses about the products being more expensive, harder to find, etc. American Made Products exist. They are high quality. And there are plenty of variety available. It's kind of like prepping. You just need to make it a priority.

I buy small gifts for my employees every year. This year they are getting home made jellies and jams from a local resident that sells them at the farmer's market. The fruit is grown locally on nearby farms. The money I am spending goes to a local resident with a husband who works nearby and whose kids attend local schools.

Are you in yet?

Mountain House Freeze Dried Food

I try to prep a little bit each day. Some days that means buying camping supplies. Some days that means buying an oil lamp, fuel, or candles. Some days that means improving my knowledge by researching techniques and skills online. Today, I purchased a few bags of freeze dried food at my local sporting goods store.

They had some beef stroganoff, chili mac, granola, and even some freeze dried ice cream. Today I chose Mexican Style Rice and Chicken.

I spent almost 12 years eating Meals Ready to Eat (MRE's) in the U.S. Army Reserves. At that time, I would have never imagined paying any amount of my hard earned money for food in a plastic bag, but my thoughts and ideas have changed gradually over the years. Now, I think it's a "must have" for everyone.

I don't plan to buy more than 10-15 of these freeze dried meals in a bag and I plan to use them mainly for emergency or back-up food options.

Today I purchased one that will be kept in my Ford Fusion and the other will be kept in my wife's Ford Explorer. We have emergency supply kit's with first aid, 3 options for starting a fire, a blanket, suncreen, water, etc. in both vehicles, so it makes sense to carry some emergency food too.

Some may balk at the price of this type of food, but I am certain that I'd gladly pay 3 or 4 times the price if I find myself in a true emergency situation where other options are limited.

The Road - Cormac McCarthy

If you are still on the fence about the need to prepare for possible future emergencies and other unforseen events and need a little motivation to get you moving, or if you simpy enjoy ready quality writing with a thought provoking plot, I recommend you read The Road by Cormac McCarthy.

I read the book and then watched the movie. As is more often the case than not, the book contains more details, but if you're short on time (or you just don't like to read books) then by all means watch the movie. 

Urban Aquaponics

Aquaponics has been popular in Australia for quite a few years, but in the last couple of years the interest has been increasing in the United States.

There are many examples of commercial aquaponics businesses on the internet, but for the purposes of urban survival something along the lines of the video below might be a nice starting point.



After our holiday travels to visit family out of state, we're going to start our own basement aquaponics system.

Last winter I successfully operated a very prolific homemade hydroponic system. I've posted some example pictures below:

Kale, Spinach, Collards

Kale

Spinach for supper





The downside to hydroponics is the cost of nutrients. With aquaponics, the fish generate the nutrients and the media and plants help filter the water for the fish.

6 Minute Plank Exercise

If you are looking for a low impact exercise that is highly effective in strength building, flexibility building, and improved overall fitness that promotes weightloss, please watch this video. You don't need any gym memberships, special equipment, or personal trainers. Just watch the video and I think you'll be able to emulate it.


DDP Tv 6 minute Plank from Dallas Page on Vimeo.

I ran across this video after a friend posted another video from Diamond Dallas Page on Facebook.

Best Value All-Around Survival Knife

I purchased the knife below a few weeks ago. My only regret is that I didn't buy three of them! This is a very good knife for a very good price.

Morakniv

My recommendation:  Get them before the prices go up.

Weight Loss

Looking at the title of this post, you may be wondering why my blog about emergency preparedness would contain a post about losing weight. It's simple really because if you're overweight and in an emergency situation, your chances of getting out of harm's way and/or avoiding injury are reduced.

Here's an example scenario:

• Suppose it's 100 degrees in the shade and your car breaks down in a remote area that gets little traffic. Do you think it would easier to walk 5 to 10 miles in 100 degree heat if you are 50 lbs overweight or if you are within the basic recommended weight range for your age and height? 

Here's another scenario for your consideration:

• Suppose it's 20 degrees and raining and you're spending the weekend in the woods at a friends cabin. The power goes out and your vehicles won't start. Phone service is spotty at best and there are no neighbors around for a few miles. Your spouse has been sick for a few hours, is becoming dehydrated, and needs to see a doctor.

Do you thnk it would be easier to walk 2 miles throught the woods, in darkness, and in ankle deep snow if you're 75 lbs overweight or if you are within the basic recommended weight range for your age and height?

I can help answer that question in case you're stumped. If you're overweight - you are going to be miserable and you may not be able to make that walk to go for help. I know from experience.

I have had chronic knee pain for 15 years and I've had surgery on both knees a few years ago. At the time I weighed 219 lbs, which for my height and age was about 30 lbs too much. To make a long story short, I lost 27 lbs in 4 months and my knees feel better than they've felt in two decades.

Click the image above

Do you want to know how I did it? Check out this website about the Dukan Diet. Basically you lower the amount of carbohydrates you eat and increase the amount of protein foods in your daily meals. Gradually, you will lose weight and inches if you stick to the plan. You can pick up the book at almost any major bookstore or on Amazon.com.



If you follow the detailed plan, this book will help jump start your weightloss efforts, improve your health and increase your chances of protecting yourself and your family in an emergency situation.

Why do preppers focus on so much negativity?

I started this website about emergency preparedness a.k.a. prepping, because so many of the blogs, discussions, forums, and website about "being prepared" focus almost solely on negatives. I think I understand why they chose such a negative tone in their material - because it sells.

That is almost exactly the same approach the mainstream news media takes as well. Why? Good news doesn't sell the same way bad news does. Good news blogs and bloggers aren't popular to the same degree that the "doomsday" guys are either. Documentaries seem to follow this same pattern.

Case in point:  NatGeo's Doomsday Preppers series.

There is nothing that good and positive about emergencies, disasters, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, etc., but must the so called prepper experts continuously flaunt the negativity to such a degree?

Here's an example that arrived in my inbox today from one of the urban prepper experts that writes a very popular website and blog. These are the main points from the e-mail:

1. Stop believing that positive thought about the future will make things better
2. Don't become overcome with the paralysis of analysis
3. Don't believe the economy will improve

Here are my personal thoughts on the points above:

• I am not an absolute believer in abundance theory, but I know from personal experience that people who are generally positive about the future and who have a postive outlook during their daily social interactions are usually more successful in their careers and with their families. Nobody I know wants to hang around someone that prescribes to the glass half empty point of view constantly.
• I have to agree with point #2. It's better to take small steps toward the overall goal of preparing for the unknown that may never occur than be taken completely by surprise when it happens.
• The naysayers and pundits (preppers included) have contributed to the self-fulfilling prophecy to a large degree, but they do so from a subjective perspective and for selfish reasons. Many of the naysayers and pundits have a conflict of interest. Many of them (not all) want to sell you something. They want to sell you bug out bags, survival food, e-books about buying gold and silver, etc. Don't get me wrong...I'm not saying you don't need to be concerned about those products and the potential for return to economic recession. You surely do. But if you blindly follow the experts and their recommendations, you may actually end up in worse shape financially.

I am not a prescriber to the idea of moving your family to the countryside, into a compound, or to an underground bunker. My goal with this blog and with this article is to add a little normalcy and moderation to the overall debate.

I don't believe in by-passing my 401k donation and spending it all on gold and silver. I don't believe the government is out to get me or looking for me around every corner. I am not going to run high balances on my personal credit cards to by 2 or 3 years worth of dehydrated food to store in my basement or spare bedroom.

I do think putting a little extra food, first aid supplies, water, batteries, etc. on a regular basis makes sense. Having some gasoline, good tires, and a vehicle in good working mechanical condition provides a comfort level that I can leave the area when I need to and get to where I am going. You will continue to need these things whether or not SHTF.

CG-15 Commercial Grade Vacuum Sealer

I purchased a commercial grade vacuum sealer from Cabela's 6 years ago. It's been one of the best investments I've ever made.

My wife and I were looking for a solution for storing leftover bbq and identified the solution--a vacuum sealer. Leftover bbq will store for a few days in standard plastic bowls with lids, but more than a few days of storage requires something more substantial. Enter the vacuum sealer solution.

The vacuum sealer extends the storage life of food by withdrawing oxygen. Too much oxygen accelerates the deterioriation that causes the spoilage process in food. After cooking, we just place the remaining meat into a bag of the appropriate size, press a button and less than a minute later we have a professional quality vacuum seal that will store in the freezer or refrigerator with ease.

When we have a craving for bbq, we just pop the bag into a pan of hot water and--presto--we have a bbq meal at our fingertips.

I'll be the first to warn prospective vacuum sealer shoppers that the CG-15 Commercial Grade Vacuum Sealer is not inexpensive. Ours cost $399.99 and the 15 x 18 size bags were another $45.00, but when you bbq as much as we do...and can't eat all that you cook in one setting (we often cook 10-15 lbs. of meat at a time), the vacuum sealer is a wise investment.

Here are some alternatives to the Cabela's model that are a little more economical.

Foodsaver Vacuum Sealer
Foodsaver 1-Gallon Bags

We've used the vacuum sealer to store vegetables too. We blanch them first, drop them in an ice bath, seal in a bag, and pop them into the freezer. The veggies stay very fresh this way for us. This method works very well for squash, zucchini, green beans, and peas.

Bean Recipe Refinement

I cooked this recipe again today with a few adjustments.  We had a ham bone leftover from the holidays and after trimming the country ham we ate for Thanksgiving, I set it aside the fridge to use with some beans later one. Well, today was the day.

Bean Recipe

• 1 cup great northern beans
• 1 cup garbonzo beans
• 1 cup pinto beans
• 1 cup white beans
• 1/2 cup chick peas
• 1/2 cup black-eyed peas
• 2 tbsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp onion powder
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp Kosher salt
• 1/2 cup George Dickel No. 12 whiskey

Directions: Soak dry beans for 4 hours. Drain beans. Add bean mix, ham bone, 2 quarts of water to a medium sized dutch oven (or crock pot). Cook for 4 hours on low heat or until beans are tender (use bottom heat only if using a dutch oven).

I always pre-mix spices when I cook and last night I mistakenly doubled the black pepper in the mix. Instead of 1 tbsp I mistakenly added 1 tbsp. Rather than scrapping it all and starting over, I "went with it".

After sampling the beans after 3 hours of cooking, the pepper was a little strong (o.k. very strong). A few Google searches later, it occurred that I happened to have a solution - a half empty bottle of George Dickel. The alcohol is known to help take the edge off excessive heat from too much pepper in a recipe. It actually worked pretty well. And in case you're wondering...the beans had only a hint of the whiskey flavor when I served them two hours later.

Here's a little more information about George Dickel No. 12 if you're interested:

There are many fine Tennessee whiskies. Then there is George Dickel No. 12 Tennessee Whisky. Displaying enormous depth, range and personality, it is considered by many to be the gold standard of Tennessee whisky. 

Back to my original recipe change, before the whiskey....

I doubled the amout of cumin in my bean recipe from 1 1/2 tsp to 1 tbsp. I think beans benefit from a stronger cumin flavor. For those who might be reading this who have ever tasted a bowl of competition quality chili, you know what I mean.

And one last tip about cumin....

Adding the cumin toward the half-way point of cooking will help reduce the chance of your pot of beans turning bitter. For some reason, simmering cumin for several hours sometimes produces a bitterness.

Preventing Food Borne Illnesses

During an electrical outage or other emergency situation, the chances of getting a food borne illness are potentially higher than normal. Luckily, according to the Center for Disease Control there are a few precautions that can dramatically reduce the chances of it occurring.

Here are some specific suggestions from the CDC website:

• Cook poultry, ground beef, and eggs thoroughly. Do not eat or drink foods containing raw eggs, or raw (unpasteurized) milk.
• Wash hands, kitchen work surfaces, and utensils with soap and water immediately after they have been in contact with raw meat or poultry.
• Be particularly careful with foods prepared for infants, the elderly, and the immunocompromised.
• Wash hands with soap after handling reptiles, birds, or baby chicks, and after contact with pet feces.
• Avoid direct or even indirect contact between reptiles (turtles, iguanas, other lizards, snakes) and infants or immunocompromised persons.
• Don't work with raw poultry or meat, and an infant (e.g., feed, change diaper) at the same time.

I am often guilty about washing my hands after contact with my pet bird. Based on this list of suggestions, I need to be more careful. I've known about the potential for years, but admittedly I've lapsed now and then.

When the power goes out for more than a few hours, it's time to begin thinking about the possibility of discarding refrigerated foods. The USDA recommends that meat, fish and poultry be maintained at temperatures below or above the danger zone, with the danger zone defined as above 40 degrees or below 140 degrees for 4 hours. If the refrigerator loses power, it's better safe than sorry. It's better to lose some food, than to get sick from a preventable illness.

Foods stored in the freezer can last for a longer period, but I'd rather check it closely with a meat thermometer to ensure it's safe to retain it than risk illness.

Getting Out of Debt

There are numerous books to read, free seminars, consultants, fee-based seminars,and many guru's that cover the in's and out's of getting out of debt. A typical book costs between $10-$20 and is well worth the money, if it provides the motivation you need to get started down the pathway to becoming debt free.

It's a journey. It's a commitment. It may take a few years, but it may take a lifetime.

In my personal experience once you put your mind to doing it, you can pay down a lot of debt in a short time. It's a simple concept, but easier said than done. You can increase your income. You can decrease your expenses. Or...you can turbocharge the process by doing both at the same time.

As an example, I have calculated that in the last 22 years of my working life I have spent approximately $57,000 on eating out for lunches. I am currently saving 60%-70% of that daily by eating leftovers instead of going out for fast food.  Instead of $7.00 at Subway, now I spend $2.50 or so eating leftovers from the previous night's supper time meal.

Likewise, drinking soda's or coffee adds up too over decades. Two 20 oz. Cokes are $2.50 plus tax. Drinking water saves 100%, but even bringing iced tea or coffee from home saves nearly as much on a daily basis. It starts to add up after awhile.

It's also easy for me to spend money on the debit card without realizing how much is going out the door for spur of the moment purchases. I now start the week with $50 cash and when it's gone, it's gone. Any money that is left over, goes in my "reward" fund for larger purchases that I want to make at a later date. Books, magazines, and gadgets fall into the "reward" fund category.

I also never let my gas tank get past 1/2 full. I figure that 1/2 my gas is at lower prices and just 1/2 my gas is at higher prices, since gas prices tend to fluctuate. I'm dollar cost averaging my gasoline, in theory. I don't for certain if it really works or not because I haven't tracked it religiously, but the theory sounds pretty good to me.

Those are just a few of my money saving and get out of debt tips. I'll share more of my experiences with you in future posts.

If you have additional tips, please share them by posting a comment below.

Bean Recipe

Today I brought on the dutch oven and made a 6 bean soup that turned out well. Well actually it was 4 beans and 2 peas, but legumes nonetheless.

6 Bean Soup Recipe

• 1 cup great northern beans
• 1 cup garbonzo beans
• 1 cup pinto beans
• 1 cup white beans
• 1/2 cup chick peas
• 1/2 cup black-eyed peas 
• 2 tbsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp onion powder
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp Kosher salt

Directions:  Soak dry beans for 4 hours. Drain beans. Add bean mix, ham hock, 2 quarts of water to a medium sized dutch oven. Cook for 4 hours in the dutch oven on medium low heat or until beans are tender (use bottom heat only).

Dutch oven table, ash bucket, and bag of charcoal briquettes

I started with 9 briquettes and added 6 - 7 hourly

Ham hock

Legumes ready for cooking

Adding the beans to the dutch oven pot

I used a single slice of ham hock

Adding the spice mixture

Half way there

Bowl of beans topped with some home grown pepper relish

The beans turned out very well. The relish adds just the right amount of additional heat. If I make this recipe again without the relish  I'll add 2 tbsp of vinegar instead.

Spice Up Your Food

If your are familar with the history of chili cooking in Texas you may already know this already, but if you don't you need to learn more about it. In a primitive food preparation scenario whether using a bbq grill or cooking directly over a camp fire, it's vitally important to season it with spices so that it tastes better. How difficult would it be to eat unseasoned, bland, tasteless food for several days, weeks, or months?

I always keep plenty of garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, oregano, black pepper, white pepper, cayenne, salt, sugar, and cumin powder in my pantry. Beef bouillon and chicken bouillon cubes are also key to making plain foods like beans and beef a little more enjoyable.

Sam's Club, Costco, BJ's and Gordon Food Service (GFS) are sources for bulk spices where I live, but if you don't have access to those retailers in your town you can order them online at reasonable prices.

If you're looking for a source of various types of chili powders, look no further than Mild Bill's. I have personally ordered from their online store and received my order for California, New Mexico, Santa Cruz chili powders within 7 days. The powders are packaged in reseable plastic bags.

If you would prefer to buy a ready-made spice rub there are hundreds of available. The Kansas City Style BBQ Rub Seasoning above if a nice pork rub for making baby back ribs or bbq pulled pork. Cabela's is another nice source for outdoor cooking seasonings. They have plenty available at their retail stores, or you can order from them online as well.

Emergency Car Kit

My wife and I put together an emergency car kit for each of our vehicles. Please don't confuse this with a "bug out bag" that you may be familar with. 

This kit is not meant to be a "doomsday" survival kit that has become so popular on TV and in the blogosphere during the last few years. This is a kit of items that might come in handy if we have car trouble, have an accident in a remote location, or if we are forced to leave the vehicle and go for help at some point.

I am sure I missed a few things here and there, but these items are basically all that will fit into the spare carrying bag that I had available. I do plan to add a couple of bags of emergency food items. I prefer Meals Ready to Eat (MRE's for short) if I can find them locally. Otherwise I plan to pick up a couple of Mountain House brand food bags from Wal-Mart's camping section. Those emergency food rations have a 7 year shelf life.

Emergency car kit

The kit was put together last summer, if the sunscreen and bug spray weren't a tip off to you already. It's not pictured but I also keep a wide brimmed hat in the car for additional sun protection. For winter we are carrying a spare blanket, sleeping bag, and winter gloves in our vehicles at all times. We also have several 16 ounce bottles of water available in our vehicles.

I'll try to list the contents of the photograph the best way that I can.

• Five 1 gallon Ziploc bags
• Fishing line
• Hand sanitizer
• Spray-on sunscreen
• Insect repellant
• Toilet tissue
• Band aids
• Three pair of wool socks
• Pair of wool gloves
• Rain poncho
• Folding shovel
• Fifteen black garbage bags
• Compass
• Nylon cord/rope
• Water treatment tablets
• Sharpie
• Duct tape
• Emergency mylar blanket
• Aleve brand pain medicine
• Lighters
• Fire steel
• Utility lighter

How to Store Food

Dried Soup Mixes

I considered buying dried soup mixes to add to my food storage plan, but soon realized that I could probably just make my own.

Here are two basic dried bean mixes to use as building blocks for your own recipe:

Four Bean Dried Soup Mix
1 cup great northern beans
1 cup black beans
1 cup pinto beans
1 cup white beans

Nine Bean Dried Soup Mix
1 pound great northern beans
1 pound black beans
1 pound pinto beans
1 pound white beans
1 pound kidney beans
1 pound lentils
1 pound garbanzo beans
1 pound barley

These can be mixed and matched in various quantities. I prefer to keep them in equal parts, but they can be customized to individual tastes.

Adding spices to the mixes will help add flavor. Garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, salt, cumin, and chili powder are several nice options. In my experience garlic powder, onion powder, and chili powder work well if added in equal parts. When developing a dried bean mix recipe, I think it's better to start with smaller quantities of black pepper, cumin, and salt. The flavors can always be adjusted later on. Of course once you develop the recipe you like, your dried bean mix can be stored in a "just-add-water" state of readiness. A vacuum sealer works well for this purpose.

The addition of dehydrated vegetables to these basic bean mixes offer the ability to make hundreds if not thousands of different combinations based on what you might have on hand. You can also add pork, beef, chicken, venison, or tofu and just about anything else you can think of that might taste good.

As I fine tune my own dried soup spice mixes for a few different flavor profiles, I'll post the recipes here.

Home Defense

Please don't mistake this posting for a pro-gun article meant to influence you one way or the other.  You can choose to own a gun, or choose not to.  I grew up in a rural community where my friends did a lot of hunting for squirrels, rabbits, coyotes, deer, and turkeys.  We had guns in our house too.  My dad had a .22 rifle, a .410 shotgun, a 12-gauge shotgun, and a .357 revolver.  I will say that if you choose to own guns, learn how to handle them safely and teach all who reside in your home how to handle them safely. 

Here are a couple of pictures of my Ruger SP-101. It's a 5-shot revolver that will fire in either single-action (by cocking the hammer prior to pulling the trigger) or double action (by pulling the trigger alone). It fires .38 Special caliber and .357 caliber ammunition.  The difference is the power behind the round, the length of the cartridge and of course the blow-back and noise when it's fired.  The SP-101 has a 3-inch barrel, rubber hand grips, and is physically small enough that my wife can also hold it and fire .38 Special rounds comfortably.

Whether or not you choose to carry a handgun outside your home for self-defense purposes, I do recommend that you take a Concealed Weapons Training Course. 

I chose a revolver for the simplicity. You just point and pull the trigger. The drawback though, in my personal opinion, is that you have to practice a lot to achieve the same level of accuracy. In single action, accuracy improves, but for me single action sacrifices some speed. It's a trade off, but in my personal situation the benefits outweight the drawbacks. My wife would struggle with a 9mm pistol, but she can fire the revolver with no issues.

 

I could use some more practice, but you get the idea.

Do You Know Where Your Food Comes From

I spent 5 minutes at the local grocery store this afternoon conducting an informal survey. This survey was meant to validate an article I read on Huffington Post while back.

A short quiz (answers below) --

1. Where does salmon come from?

2. Where do artichoke hearts come from?

3. Water chestnuts?

4. Cactus?

5. What about mushrooms?

6. Mayonaise?

Answers:

1. Thailand or Chili, 2. Peru, 3. China, 4. Mexico, 5. Indonesia, 6. Mexico

Granted these represent only a few brand names and two aisles in the entire 24 aisle store, but I purposely chose brand names to validate the point that a heck of a lot of food you and I eat every day is imported from who know's where. I suspect the scope of the problem would be magnified if I checked more foods and more aisles. This is a MAJOR grocery store chain folks. How does this make you feel?

What do you think the chances are for the food that comes from half way around the world to make it to your local grocery store in a day or two after an event that spurs a food shortage? Are you beginning to see the reason it might be beneficial to have a few extra food items on hand?

Still need some convincing? Try your own test at your own local grocery store. You might be surprised.

Doomsday Preppers

Let me start by saying that I enjoy watching the Doomsday Preppers episodes on NatGeo. Now airing in its' second season, the show has a loyal following of viewers. Among my friends, the show has garnered mixed support. Some have told me that they applaud the show for raising awareness for the importance of preparedness, but other friends have told me that after watching the first episode they never watched it again due to perceived extremism. Whether you personally love it or hate it, the show has increased awareness of the possibility that bad things can sometimes happen when we least expect it.



The clip above is from Week Two of the 2012 season. It features a teenage prepper from rural Missouri.

Initially I wasn't sure I liked the teenager taking prepping so seriously. Kids need time to be kids, right? But after watching the entire episode, I changed my mind. From what I saw, the kid seems to be very well supervised by his mother.

Some folks I know were surprised at the target practicing portion of the show, but his mother was close-by the entire time. Growing up in Missouri myself, I know from first hand experience that hunting and fishing and being outdoors is a normal part of life in a rural area.

Cae to share your thoughts on Doomsday Preppers?

Growing Garlic in Winter

Several months ago we visited the Plymouth Farmer's Market and purchased some garlic scapes from Michigan Garlic Farm. My wife loves garlic and we cook with it a lot (although she did not particularly like the scapes). After talking with Les and Donna for 15 - 20 minutes at the farmer's market, my excitement for growing garlic was ignited. The Abel Family talks about garlic with so much energy and vitality that it's contagious. We purchased a few varieties from them for planting, although I forgot to ask specifics, and I also purchased another 1 lb from another source a little later on.

With some of the Earthboxes moved out of the normal "flower" beds that the previous homeowner installed, we now have room to plant some garlic! I planted most of our beds with the Music garlic variety and the remainder with the garlic we purchased from Michigan Garlic Farm.

Here are a few pictures (please excuse the picture quality from my cell phone):

It's my first attempt at garlic, so I am not really expecting spectacular results. If we have a few small successes, I'll be happy. The soil is supposed to be worked 18", but for my backyard I couldn't achieve that without some type of mechanical tiller (I don't own one), so I had to settle for a 7-8" base of worked soil, and another 4 inches of mulch on top. I planted the garlic about 5" inches deep.

We also have a second bed on the opposite side of the deck that was planted and mulched also.

For any of the garlic pro's that might read this post later, I apologize if I have violated any written or unwritten laws of growing garlic successfully. Sometimes when conditions are less than perfect, I employ the Nike strategy and go into Larry Cable Guy's mode of just getting it done. Most of the time, I achieve some level of success in spite of myself. I've got my fingers crossed! :-)

Is anyone else growing garlic this fall?

Primitive Cooking

Do you know how to make a meal for the family if the pilot light on the oven goes out?
What if there is no electricity to power the microwave?
Think it can't happen to you?

Think again.

Several years ago while visiting the in-laws in Tennessee for the holiday season, an ice storm knocked out electricity for several days. The in-laws had a house full of 13 people and no running water, no lights, no shower, no refrigerator, etc. But it wasn't really that bad, because we cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner on the gas grill.

Do you own a bbq grill?
Can you cook with a dutch oven?
Do you have charcoal available?

For a modest investment, you can turn out some good food in a cast iron pot. You can probably find one at a garage sale for $15-$20, or if you would rather buy a new one expect to spend closer to $65 for one like this one from Lodge.

Here's a picture of a meal cooked in my dutch oven several weeks ago.

Rabbit, potato, carrots, and celery cooked in my Lodge Dutch Oven

Ummm, tasty!

Here are a couple of additional convenient cast iron accessories:

Lodge lid lifter

Lodge trivet

Lodge lid stand

Preparing for Pets

If you are a pet or livestock owner, don't forget to include plans for how you will take care of your animal(s) in the event of an emergency evacuation. Here's a video from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AMVA) with some tips and suggestions.

Growing Food

During World War II, backyard gardens provided a food source for millions of Americans.

From LivingHistoryFarm.org:

They planted gardens in backyards, empty lots and even city rooftops. Neighbors pooled their resources, planted different kinds of foods and formed cooperatives, all in the name of patriotism.

Many Americans are using similar concepts to supplement and, in some cases, replace the local supermarket as the primary source of food to feed their families.

While living in Florida several years ago we decided to start a backyard garden. We planted an above ground square foot garden spot that measured 8' x 4' in a corner of our postage stamp sized yard. We were able to grow an abundance of carrots, lettuce, radishes, and collard greens.  Eventually we added a couple of self-watering Earthbox containers planted with cucumbers.

Above ground garden

After our move to Michigan we expanded our efforts much further. We added 10 additional Earthboxes to accompany an 4' x 4' above ground garden area and 20' x 4' in ground spot. We grew 100's of Cubanelle peppers, green bell peppers, red bell peppers, jalapenos, pole beans, canteloupe, baby watermelon, squash, Malabar spinach, onions, carrots, tomatoes, strawberries, Swiss chard, and zucchini. We also planted rhubarb, blackberry bushes, and a lot of garlic this fall. During the height of the season we grew enough food to eat entire meals grown completely in our backyard. We harvested enough food from the backyard to eat regularly from it for several weeks in late summer and throughout the fall. We even canned 15 to 20 jars of pickles and pepper relish for winter enjoyment.

Above ground bed with 4 Earthboxes

In ground gardening spot just outside our back door

Pole beans and peas in some backyard Earthboxes

We've improved the in ground spot with additional compost this fall and with better planning and crop rotation methods next year, we anticipate doubling the in ground production. We were also able to harvest two different rounds of vegetables from our Earthboxes.

Our strategy for growing food encompasses vegetables that "keep on giving" throughout the season. To maximize yield for the space, we avoid 1 time items like cabbage and iceberg lettuce. The Malabar spinach, Swiss chard, lettuce, squash, and collards started producing in June and were still harvesting edible food the dinner table well into the fall months. The addition of more Earthboxes and proper management techniques could easily double or even triple our production from teh self-watering containers.

I hope this gives you some ideas for just easy and practical it is to grow your own food no matter where you live and no matter how small your yard is. You can even garden from a balcony or roof top. I'll be expounding on specific gardening techniques in later posts.

FEMA Prep Suggestions

Gasoline Storage

I was a young boy in the 1970's, but I still remember seeing news reports about gas lines, gas rationing, and spiking prices. I recall being at my cousin's birthday party one Saturday afternoon and listening to my uncles complaining about gas prices rising to 88 cents per gallon. We would all love to purchase gas for 88 cents a gallon today, but due to the rising-prices-over-time scenario popularly referred to as inflation that is highly unlikely to every occur again.

There are examples of gasoline shortages that do occur on a regular basis. In the aftermath of a hurricane, many gas stations in Florida are unable to pump gasoline due to a lack of electricity. Recently, hurricane Sandy created gas shortages that have been covered widely in the media.

Imagine tens of thousands of people fleeing the forecasted impact zone of a major hurricane. When Hurricane Ike impacted the metropolitan area of Houston, TX several years ago many people quickly discovered gasoline is a valuable necessity. Some people didn't have enough gasoline to evacuate the area. Imagine coming back following the storm and not having a source of gasoline to run generators and other power equipment to assist with the clean-up efforts.

I'd like to have more capacity for storing gasoline at my home, but for now I have about 11 gallons on hand. Based on my vehicle getting 40 mpg on the highway, that's enough gasoline to get me well away from impending danger, but far, far less than I would realistically need after an event that lasted longer than a two or three days.

To get started with gasoline storage, these 5 gallon gasoline storage containers might help.

I have two of these and at some point, I'll probably add another one. For storing a larger volume of gasoline, there are other options like this 14 gallon container.

Storing gasoline has it's own inherent risks. Whether the risks are worth the reward is a personal decision. Ventiliation, proximity to flame, heat build-up are some factors that must be carefully considered. Caution is warranted. If you decide to store gasoline in your home, be very, very careful. Make sure you are willing to accept the risks involved.

Water Storage

Coleman 5 gallon water storage container

Most people keep some spare bottles of water in the house, however; if you wake up one morning, turn on the faucet and nothing comes out, those bottles of water might not last very long depending on how long it takes to get the water back in operation.

Here's a nice rule of thumb for water storage:

• 1 gallon of water per person per day

At this point, I have 15 - 16 gallons of water stored for my wife and I to use if it's needed. I have some small sized bulk containers, some gallon sized containers, and two cases of 16 ounce bottles. I will continue adding to my water storage over the next few months and will most likely supplement it with a couple of 55 gallon blue barrels.
You don't need to spend thousands of dollars on a 1,000 gallon in ground cache of water. You can start simply and build your supplies over a period of weeks or months. If you live in an area prone to hurricanes or tornados you may want to step up the time table to a number of days, but affordable water containers are readily available locally.

Camping stores, big box stores, and hunting stores usually keep some suitable containers available year round. If you don't live near a retail store that carries them, you can order them from Amazon.

Reliance Aqua-Tainer 7 gallon water container

• The 5 gallon Coleman water storage container pictured above is listed for $12.99. 

• The 7 gallon Reliance Aqua-Tainer water container is listed for $16.99.

• And if you have some significant money already set aside for water storage, another option to consider is a 55 gallon water container from RSD Co. Inc. It's listed on Amazon for $99.00.

When storing water, please keep the weight per gallon in mind. A gallon of water weighs 8.3 pounds. A 55 gallon drum filled with water tops the scales at more than 450 pounds. Storing hundreds of gallons of water on the second story of a structure could cause major structural problems over a long period of time.

We store our water down in the basement where it's out of the way and where weight is not an issue.



Lights

Growing up in the midwest, we lost electricity A LOT. My mom always kept candles and an oil lamp on hand to help mitigate the inconvenience. Although I have had a lot of personal experience with the issue, I did not have an alternative lighting plan in place. Flashlights, lanterns, candles, and oil lamps are all possibilities. I recently picked up some Sterno 55 hour emergency candles, an inexpensive glass oil lamp, and lamp oil at the local retailer.

If you live near a Wal-Mart you can probably get the candles, lamp, and oil for less than $25. It's something everyone can afford and everyone can't afford to be without if the lights go out for more than a few minutes.

A power outage has the potential to become more than a simple inconvenience. Depending on the specific conditions where you live, it can also be a security concern. Sometimes a simple light is all you need to provide security for your family.

During a potential looting situation, a simple light may protect your property from damage or worse.

Why Prepare?

I lived in Florida for 10 years, which is smack dab in the middle of hurricane, fire, and tornado zones. Emergency managers in Florida ran an advertising campaign for the Tampa Bay Hurricane Expo in 2010 at the start of hurricane season reminding residents:

The First 72 Are Up to You

From the website:

The 2010 theme - The First 72 Are Up To You – which meant that after a natural or man-made disaster it is important for families to have the water, food, batteries and other essentials they will need to sustain themselves for at least three days.

Not only is it a catchy and memorable slogan, but it's good practical advise for everyone. After a hurricane or tornado in Florida it sometimes takes several days or weeks to restore public utility services. I can recall several examples where it took weeks to restore electricity to homes in the hardest hit areas.

There are also many, many occasions I can think of where in anticipation of an upcoming snow storm, there was a run on groceries. When we lived in Nashville the local news station called the phenomenon a Kroger Alert. The funny thing about it though, 50% of the time there was no snow storm. The simple possibility of snow caused a buying frenzy for basic items like milk, bread, and eggs.

If you haven't already done it, now's a good time to look around your house, in your pantry, cabinets, storage rooms to determine if you have adequate supplies on hand to sustain your household for 72 hours until emergency management personnel can mobilize and retailers can begin the process of re-stocking the shelves.

Budgeting Preps

Since my budget is not unlimited, I have prioritized emergency preparations based on what I think is most important for my personal situation.

 

It's not possible for me to make the trip Wal-Mart and purchase $10,000 worth of groceries to ensure that I have a year's supply on hand. My goal is to prepare for future emergencies without going out on a limb financially; and without alienating my family, friends, and co-workers. To free up some money for the effort, I reflected on our household budget and looked for ways to save a little here and there to allow for a few extra purchases for future needs.

 

For the past 20 years or so I have eaten my lunch meal in a fast food restaurant 99% of the time to the tune of $7.50 per day, $52.50 per week, $225 per month, $2,700 per year, and a grand total of $55,000 during my working career. For the past several weeks I've been taking leftovers for lunch instead. Based on the savings to date, I'd estimate a $1,200 savings during the next year. I still eat out now and then for convenience. As a side benefit, it's also helped me lose some weight.

Other ideas for finding hidden money:

• Skip the gourmet coffee and make it at home
• Skip the soft drinks and drink more water
• Skip the brand names and buy generic instead
• Cut back on the cable package
• Shop around for a better cell phone plan
• Hold a yard sale
• Sell unwanted items on Craigslist or eBay

And if none of that works for you, pick up a few extra food items during each grocery shopping trip. You'd be surprised how much food you can accumulate in a few months time with consistent effort.

Welcome

I am starting this site to help me organize my personal planning, execution, and assessment efforts. At my day job, part of my daily responsibilities include business continuity planning. To this point I have not really made a concerted effort to incorporate that level of detailed planning into my urban lifestyle. That's about to change.

This site is for everyone. I will make every attempt to keep my personal politics out of the site content. I will not cater to one political party over another. If you like that sort of blogging, there are a multitude of other preparedness and survival blogs available for you. A simple Google search will provide you 40 or 50 at your fingertips.

And...I won't try to scare anyone with predictions of an impending economic apocalypse. I won't predict gold and silver prices. I won't pretend to understand the global implications of out of control hyper-inflation.  There are other sites on the internet that cater to those audiences better than I ever could. A quick visit to the local Barnes and Noble can provide that for you better than I can.

In my view, we don't and can't really ever know what we are preparing for, but we should know by now that we need to be prepared for it. I hope you will decide to join my on the journey. Learn from my research, successes and mistakes.