Winter Planning - Ramblings

I keep watching the talks of this massive bail out and keep wondering how it will affect me. Well I have came to the conclusion we all will have to pay for these idiots. I say let them come down, let the market corrected it self. We have seen and heard enough on this bailout, so on to another subject.

Are your walls to your castle strong and fortified? There has been nice time of working around the castle. I tell you this I am not completely prepared, but I am much better prepared then when I started this blog.

I would suggest all prepper's check out www.freecycle.org it is a great way to get prep supplies for free. It is basically a network of people in your area that give away different stuff to keep items from going to the landfill. Sometimes there are great finds others well they just need to go to the landfill.

Compost - As I sit here to write my blog I have to keep dealing with a squirrel that keeps using my antlers from a deer to sharpen its teeth. Does anyone have a great way to get away from my compost pile and off my antlers?

I was going to shot it with a BB gun that I have, but it needs to be repaired. I think I will contact Crossman and see if they can repair it. It is one that I have had since I was kid. I don't want to give it up just yet. If anyone has info on repairing of BB guns or where to find it please drop me a line.

Now that it is fall don't forget to put all those nice leafies piles and grass clippings into the compost pile and have good soil for next years planting season.

Winter - Who is ready for it? I am starting to prepare for my winter time strategy. We are looking to cut down on heating cost, so we are investing in a kerosene heater. We have started going through our blankets and seeing if any need to be replaced. We need to get all the good stuff to make my bean & ham soup. It is awesome, just ask the Wife. Time to whip out your winter plan, if you don't have one put it down on paper.

Today- I will be going over my B.O.B for and making sure they are ready and complete to be used when need be. I need to have two different sets for... the wife & kids and one for me. I will bring the list of things in there later today.

On a side note, Sorry for not posting in such a long time, but had to deal with my family issues. The ones that know what I am talking about everything is now fine.

Working on the moat...

Rook

This just in...

The wife is start to come aroumd to the survival way of thinking. She is starting to ask me questions. Example: How do you know what going on or going to happen? That was the easy question of them all. Just follow the current events and dig deeper into every story is put out. Don't trust just one side of the story. I asked her if she would be willing to let me interview her and post on the blog and she agreed. So be looking for that to come out in a week or two.

As many of you have noticed I have been awol for a about a week or so. Everything is fine here in the crapper of the east coast. I have been doing to my best to stay focused on prepping and canning. I have some more pickles made, and will be working on salsa tonight. I am looking for a good recipe for make some relish and pepper relish, so if you have one please post it or email it to rookinde@gmail.com.

This is the start of my prepping on the month's topic starting today. So this month prep's will be about food and different items on hand. Now I will buy off topic if it is a good deal to pass up. Plus I am going to try to buy one item this weekend. I just did a weapons check and relized I need to get some shells for my 20ga shotgun. I didn't have any since last season. I know what kind of a prepper am I not to have ammo. That is the one reason we always should do a once over every month to see if there is something that critcal we are missing. I have saw on bear ridge project buckets for storage. I know there are food grade storage buckets, but if your stuff is in cans and boxes will other buckets work as well?

I am going to keep looking for a escape pod as our good friend mayberry calls them. They are crazy to find around my area that are not going to break the bank. I guess thats the price I have to pay for living near the ocean and camp grounds. Now I have to head off to work...

Keep working on your moats as I will as well.

Rook

Busy Weekend...

This was a great busy weekend of prepping and just hanging out with the family. Yesterday the kids and I went to a couple of locale yard sales. I didn't find to much, but I did buy a tamper for $5 bucks. It will come in handy when the I get to the point of building the retreat.

I am waiting for my water bath canning system to get here. It is suppose to be here on Monday. I hope so I have some veggie's wait in the wings to preserve. I had to do some small canning last night with just a couple of pot's I had here. I got 3 nice jars of bread & butter pickles put away now. I will be making some good ol' salsa tomorrow with the new cannier. I have gotten the food prep area cleaned and waiting for storing of the food. Now the question is what do I keep the food in for a bug out time? If anyone has some suggestions please leave them in the comment area. The kind of get out now. Most of my food prepping is going to be from my garden. That is the one area I have been getting my skills honed into. The other prep's are going to be in the form of boxed/canned/beans. I don't' have a grain mill to great whole grains. Plus I still at the beginning stages of my prepping.

I know of people losing jobs around here left and right. They don't know what to do. We as a community of preppers will be ready if that happens to us. At least we won't have to worry about there the food is coming from. Plus the Lord says he will provide. That doesn't make a man feel good when he knows he is suppose to provide for his family and can't at that time. So we are many ways ahead of everyone.

It is a real hot today on the east coast. I don't know what the people before us did in days like today. I don't even want to go outside to water the garden. It is going to take some real getting use to when the grid goes down. I would like to convert a little fan that I have that is rechargeable, with a way to charge up using solar. Has anyone messed with solar power for little things like that?

I have now came up with a budget prepping idea to present to the wife. My thinking is to take one month and devote all the funds for prepping to one area (food,band aids, bullets) type of thing. That might helpt to keep the foraging bear on task. I also think she will respect that better with a system in place. Well enough rambling for one day.

Working on the moat...

Rook