A new blog for those who like the outdoors and preparedness

I was perusing a forum, where I am a member and one of the other members posted a link to a VERY informative article about just how many calories you can ACTUALLY get if you tried to "Live off the land"

The article is: Living Off The Land: Delusions and Misconceptions About Hunting and Gathering

And his blog is now added to my Preparedness Blogroll, or you can go look at it yourself here: Wood Trekker

I'm going through his archives right now and I'm seeing a LOT of good stuff.  So check it out yourself.

A new book just went on my To purchase list - Pivot Points

A gentleman who frequented a forum I belong to recently wrote a book.

From the Description on Amazon.com

"Too many Americans lack the know-how and provisions to adequately handle even a small disaster—be it man-made or natural. Meanwhile, the image of the disaster prepper as either paranoid or actively hoping for social disruption has become commonplace. It’s time to face the sad truth: the disaster preparedness movement in America has failed.

In Pivot Points, experienced disaster “prepper” Paul T. Martin argues for a shift in how America views disaster preparation. Instead of their dismissing prepping as a hobby or the result of an overactive imagination, Martin challenges individuals, emergency management professionals, and community leaders to answer three vital questions:

Do we need a culture of preparedness in America?
What should that culture look like?
How do we create that culture?

Martin challenges readers to discover their “pivot points,” those sources of motivation for preparing both themselves and their communities for disaster. For some, motivations might center on family safety. For others, a sense of citizenship or religious beliefs might drive their preparedness.

By exploring different pivot points, we create a more resilient, inclusive culture of preparedness, transforming the reader into an advocate for public safety and creating better preparation in private and public spheres."

It is now on my list of books I will be buying on the first of the month.

If you think you might want to check it out for yourself click the following link:  Pivot Points By: Paul T. Martin

Note: Amazon Prime Members can buy the Kindle version for Free.  (And no I'm not shilling for Amazon either.)

The Day After - Surviving after a Nuclear attack

I was reminded about this movie from a post over at War is Boring. According to that post, this is the movie that scared President Reagan into getting a treaty to reduce most of the intermediate range Nuclear weapons.

Wikipedia has a decent page about the movie: The Day After

In my case, watching that movie as a young teenager, it scared the H**L out of me. You have to remember this. I was getting ready for High School. My school district still held "Tornado and Attack Drills" My family's house was about 4 miles from McDonnell-Douglas world headquarters. Scott Air Force Base, home of the Military Airlift Command was less than 40 miles away.There were Anti-Ballistic Missile bases ringing the St. Louis Metro Area.  And just about 3 weeks before this movie was on tv, there had been a story about a problem at one of the missile sites.  The Missiles that were supposed to protect my home didn't pass some inspection.

So combine all that together, and The Day After scared me.

So when I was 17, with my parent permission, I joined the Army Reserves.

Not to be infantry or a tanker or for combat.  I signed up to be a Medic.  To help people.  To try to save lives.

Because the idea of the aftermath of an attack or a war terrified me.

So in 1985, when I was 17, I went to basic training.

Ever since then, I have been interested in Preparedness.  Or as some would say, Survivalism.

And for that, according to the government, I am a threat to the country.  Because I want to prepare to protect/defend and provide for my family's safety and well being.

I would ask them to watch that same movie through the eyes of a 15 year old.  Who all his life up to that point had the idea that there could be a nuclear war, and where he lived was a target.  His school ran Duck and Cover drills, disguised as Tornado Drills, at least once a month.  I remember when President Reagan had been shot.  How my teachers were cracking jokes about how it was too bad he had survived.

And I looked around.  And decided I HAD to do something.

So when I was 17, I got my parents to sign off on my joining the Reserves.

Nowadays, I look around and I see a lot of the same warning signs I saw back in the 80's as that young impressionable young man that I was.  And I am scared.

Scared for my children.

Scared for my family.

Scared for all of my neighbors and my country.

The same country that considers me to be a threat.

You tell me.

Who is the threat?

Me, who wants to prepare to protect his family from privation?

Or the government who thinks that I am a threat?

And preppers are vilified

"The latest real estate boom to sweep America comes with all the trappings of luxurious living: custom-built swimming pools, gyms, full-length basketball courts, and even airplane hangars.

The only catch is that this time, the features are all buried underground.

The boom in bomb shelter sales over the past 15 years has taken the spartan 1950s notion of a fallout shelter and given it a makeover, according the owners of three companies that make and sell shelters.

Now, custom installations can create 100,000 square foot underground dwellings that could hold dozens of people for months or years."

 Look at the news right now.  What is going on in Oklahoma?

WEATHER:Tornado warnings, watches for central Okla.

VIDEO: Tornado wipes out homes, schools, businesses in Moore

UPDATE: Two victims confirmed dead in tornado outbreak

A shelter is for more than a societal breakdown.  It's for tornadoes, bad storms, hurricanes, earthquakes and many other disasters. 

But many media figures would have you believe that people who have a shelter are whacko survivalists or cult members.

Granted there are some people like that who are into preparedness, however the large majority is just people who are trying to protect and provide for their families.

In Oklahoma (Tornado Alley) you will see storm shelters in the yards of many homes.  Also in Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas and northern Texas.

So these people are just being prudent, not some crazy survivalist.

Preparedness is a state of mind

Daisy Luthor who blogs as the Organic Prepper,isn't for everyone. I've read some people decry her writings as alarmist and over the top.  especially her writing about modern GMO foods.  I personally just read the information and then look for my own information.  She doesn't ask you to take what she writes for gospel, she does ask you to at least keep an open mind and do your own research.  What is one of the biggest things I always harp on about "DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH"  Don't rely on what I or anyone else writes, and DON'T only look at information which supports your own perspective.

However Daisy has a post up about the mindset of the vast majority of Preppers/Survivalists, that the various media organizations either ignore or willfully distort.  The mindset that a Prepper, identifies the various scenarios they might realistically  need to prepare for, and then prepare for what they can.

And with that this brief excerpt that by clicking on it will take you to Daisy's post.

"Preparedness.  It’s a state of mind.

When you are a prepper, you begin to think differently than the other folks on the block.  Not only do you take steps to become physically prepared, with food, medical supplies and tools – but you are mentally prepared.  You develop a problem-solving mindset.

Part of the reason for that is that preparedness is predicting problems before they occur.  Let’s take a snowstorm for example, because where I live, this is a very common occurrence.  We’re used to it, nobody panics about it and we have come to expect it."

Click the above to read the rest of "Be the hero, not the victim"

This post Reminds me........

Please Go here and read this first it will explain a little bit of what I'm about to relate to you.




I'm an old Farm Boy, 6'3" 285 lbs, Ex-Army Reserve Medic, former Security Officer, former EMT-D and other things. While it's not PC, I'm what the MSM would call a "Survivalist". I call myself a Prudent Parent, who prepares for the unexpected. I don't believe in the overthrow of the government or expect the breakdown in social order and civilization. I DO know however, that natural disaters happen, terrorist attacks happen, financial collapses happen, the power goes out at odd times, people get injured when you least expect it and criminals have no respect for the law or the law-abiding. I have kids, therefore I have the means to protect them and the means to provide for them. I also prepare, extra food stored here there and everywhere. My family owns property about 140 miles away where we can go if another evacuation is called for a hurricane. We have food water and other supplies there, and multiple routes to get to it and multiple ways of gettting there. However one thing I have always tried to teach my kids, which is getting harder since my 2 oldest daughter are now teenagers is, that if I say "DO SOMETHING NOW" I mean right that second, not after you get off the phone, or shut off your computer, or after you change your clothes. I mean "RIGHT THEN, THAT VERY SECOND" The reason is, after 10 years of working security I have somewhat good "gut" instincts, I don't always have the time to explain why I want them to do something I want instant compliance. That compliance could mean the difference between life and death, or the difference between getting scared or gettting hurt. But they being female teenagers and very much like thier mother at least in this regard will always question why I want them to do something. My Ex finally learned the hard way about if I say something DO IT, after I told her NOT to drop by my work when I was working security in a grocery store in North St. Louis, and she saw me go from merely talking to an individual and saw me and that individual go through a plate glass window while I was trying to control his hand that suddenly reached under his shirt. I told her to get back, she being concerned tried to help me, well she got hit in the face by the subject, while I was still trying to control his hand. My point here, if there EVER comes a time when you absolutely MUST have instant compliance, you need to work with your family, you will need to work out a way to let them know that there are no times for questions, only action. I have just recently started in on the idea of using a code word with my family, so they know that I give orders prefaced with that word, they will KNOW this is a No S!!T deal and to follow instructions immediately. I am also working so that if there is a time I am not available, a friend or family member will have a code word that will let the kids know to follow instructions. Crystal is starting to work this out with her daughter. And you really should take the time to work it out with your family. Assign a code word so they KNOW that compliance must be immediate. It just might save the life of your loved ones, or protect them from injury.


Mark