Is Recession Preparing a New Breed of Survivalist? [Survival Today - an On going Thread #2]

May 05th,2008

[nw_arizona_granny]

Yahoo ran an interesting article this morning indicating a rise in the number of survivalist communities cropping up around the country. I have been wondering myself how much of the recent energy crisis is causing people to do things like stockpile food and water, grow their own vegetables, etc. Could it be that there are many people out there stockpiling and their increased buying has caused food prices to increase? It’s an interesting theory, but I believe increased food prices have more to do with rising fuel prices as cost-to-market costs have increased and grocers are simply passing those increases along to the consumer. A recent stroll through the camping section of Wal-Mart did give me pause - what kinds of things are prudent to have on hand in the event of a worldwide shortage of food and/or fuel? Survivalist in Training

I’ve been interested in survival stories since I was a kid, which is funny considering I grew up in a city. Maybe that’s why the idea of living off the land appealed to me. My grandfather and I frequently took camping trips along the Blue Ridge Parkway and around the Smoky Mountains. Looking back, some of the best times we had were when we stayed at campgrounds without electricity hookups, because it forced us to use what we had to get by. My grandfather was well-prepared with a camp stove and lanterns (which ran off propane), and when the sun went to bed we usually did along with it. We played cards for entertainment, and in the absence of televisions, games, etc. we shared many great conversations. Survivalist in the Neighborhood

[Marmolade]

“I was given one of those, it does not have a fan,”

Maybe I will have to start out with dehydrating some food.
We do have a dehydrator hubby bought many years back. It doesn’t have a fan and is a small, round one with several trays. He tried making jerky in it and it turned out OK.

I got a call this morning from the canning jar couple, saying they had a firm offer for their jars and if I wasn’t willing to match that then they would sell it to the other person. So, I didn’t get the jars after all. The price they were asking was about equal to new jars and I would have to buy rings and lids as they said some of theirs were rusty. I’d rather just buy them new at that point.

I did pick a bunch of strawberries this morning, but I won’t have to worry about jam or dried since they will be long gone by tomorrow.

[metmom]

I wouldn’t pay almost full price for used canning jars either, especially if you had to buy the bands and lids.

[DelaWhere]

One item which I never hear mentioned as an advantageous survival item - BORAX - Yep, good old fashioned 20 Mule Team Borax!

When we have to be self-reliant, we can use all the help we can get Borax’s unique properties serve to enhance stain removal and bleaching, stabilize enzymes, provide alkaline buffering, soften water and boost surfactant performance.

Because borax acts as a biostat, they also serve to control bacteria and fungi in personal care products.

Borax treated wood is on the rise as a safe and long-lasting method to protect homes from wood destroying organisms. There are several types of borate wood preservatives used to treat solid wood, engineered wood composites and other interior building products like studs, plywood, joists and rafters.

Borax prevents fungal decay and is deadly to termites, carpenter ants and roaches and many other insects - but safe for people, pets and the environment. Borates interfere with termites’ metabolic pathways when ingested through feeding or grooming, effectively killing them. Surviving termites avoid the treated wood products like the plague.

Boron is an essential micronutrient for plants, vital to their growth and development. Without sufficient boron, plant fertilization, seeding and fruiting are not possible.

On every continent of the world, crop yields and food quality are diminished due to insufficient boron concentrations in the soil. Sandy soils are notoriously deficient in boron. These deficiencies can be corrected with borate fertilizers, produced to meet farmers’ varied needs and application methods. In areas of acute deficiency, borates can increase crop yields by 30 to 40 percent.

I use it on fruit trees as a fungicide spray (and essential element). Mix it with diatomaceous earth for dusting garden vegetables. Mix it with soapy water and it works even better than Safer Soap insecticide (and way cheaper). Beans are one exception - they don’t take to too much boron - just about everything else either tolerates it or thrives with it.

If you live in an area where termites are a problem, it is the safest, most effective, quickest acting treatments you can imagine. (I found some at the back of one of my outbuildings the other day - mixed up a strong mixture of water and borax, sprayed everything, soaking it well, and poof - termites are history - so I have now sprayed all around the bases of the outbuildings for the long term protection. You can even use it to protect wood from just about all wood enemies - fungus, rot, etc. It is very long lasting.

If you are ever troubled by nail fungus - soak nails in a gallon of hot water with 2 or 3 heaping tablespoons of Borax a couple of times a week and you will really see improvement way beyond what all those commercial preparations give.

Borax is Na2B4O7·10H2O Sodium, Boron, Oxygen and Water.

More than half of all the boron mined in the world is from the California Death Valley desert.

They’re safe too. Used for centuries, borates pose no risk to people, animals or the environment under normal handling and use. Even those who handle borates every day have experienced no adverse health effects.

So, I keep 3-4 of the 76 oz. boxes on hand - uses are way more than I have listed here.

[DelaWhere]

>>>The price they were asking was about equal to new jars and I would have to buy rings and lids<<<

Smart move not to buy them.

>>>I did pick a bunch of strawberries this morning, but I won’t have to worry about jam or dried since they will be long gone by tomorrow.<<<

LOL that is a problem around here too. Christi eats 3 puts 1 in basket - eats 3..... If she gets a pint in her basket, she has eaten a quart and a half...

[DelaWhere]

Sorry, I should have posted the source...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_GS1_country_codes

Some internal coupons are using their own proprietary codes. That way they can control the redemption to the stores they choose.

When you read the regulations, there are umpteen options. I was even set up with my own UPC for Hydroponic Lettuce back when I was growing it in the greenhouse. Then you have to be input into the stores computer so their scanners will recognize it.

[metmom]

Borax prevents fungal decay and is deadly to termites, carpenter ants and roaches and many other insects - but safe for people, pets and the environment. Borates interfere with termites’ metabolic pathways when ingested through feeding or grooming, effectively killing them. Surviving termites avoid the treated wood products like the plague.

I've used Borax mixed 1:1 with sugar for ants. The ants go after the sugar and get the borax and they're GONE.

Thanks for all that additional info.

[metmom]

I did a google search on the barcodes and it says the information is not the country of origin, but the participating country. I think where the company is headquarted, maybe.

[CottonBall]

The price they were asking was about equal to new jars and I would have to buy rings and lids as they said some of theirs were rusty. I’d rather just buy them new at that point.

No kidding. Was there anything special about these jars that would make someone pay more for them than new ones?

My canning from yesterday had one failure. It was really weird. All the ham and ground beef turned out fine - inspite of the fact that it was all pretty greasy stuff. There was some grease on the outside of the jars and floating on the water, which made me worry about the seals. But they were all ok! However, the chicken that I did after that had one failure. It was pretty obvious - the water in the jar was about an inch lower than when I put it in the canner, plus the lid never did get sucked down and pinged when pushed. Kinda funny it was a chicken jar, though. We ate it tonight - I wanted to test the quality of the chicken anyway!

It was a little dry. I'll listen to DW next time and not the Blue Ball book or the book that came with the Presto canner! Both books said to cook the chicken until there was just a little pink left in the centers, while DW said to cook meats about halfway. That's what I'm doing next time!

[CottonBall]

Borax prevents fungal decay and is deadly to termites, carpenter ants and roaches and many other insects - but safe for people, pets and the environment.

This is great to know. We have evil carpenter ants try to eat up our cabin each spring. Now I know how to deal with them without resorting to Andro pesticide that I worry about having around the cats (and us humans).

[JDoutrider]

I’m adding another humble Prayer to keep that good news coming for you!

[JDoutrider]

Borax is great stuff! Wasn't aware of it's pesticide properties! I will grab a large supply on my next buy in later this week...

Not so good news on the garden. This NE Mn weather is just not meant to plant early! Still getting the occasional frost, and with all the rain and cool temps I've lost some of my tomaters, and squash... not all, but enough babies to make me growl!

The Tribal natives are telling me this may be one of those years of no real summer! Hope they are wrong but so far all that they have shared with this adopted white man has been dead on! I've noticed the large farms here are just now getting some green shoots coming up! Going to have to intro myself to them and get some more info on this area 4 gardening!

Big changes here at our "gulch"! Was going to build a big storage building with guest accommodation and art shop for my bride after we were turned down for that FEMA trailer... However, we ran into a super deal on a log cabin style manufactured house that we just couldn't pass up! The new plan is to move that behind the current residence, closer to the forest line and use our home base into the uses we had planned for that building. will sub the foundation out and do the rest ourselves!

This plan will save me mucho time, and allow more time to upgrade my main shop and other plans I am doing for grins and giggles, especially the greenhouse and animal barn!

Hey DW, you are way ahead of me with the taters! If this rain lets up, these beauties go in this week, along with the onion slips...

[nw_arizona_granny]

Dear Quilt History Enthusiasts,

Womenfolk has a couple of new articles for you.

Take a look at “Making String Quilts Then and Now”
http://www.womenfolk.com/frugal_quilting/string_quilts.htm
for history on string quilts and some variations.

Kimberly Wulfert wrote “The Relaxing and Uplifting Chemistry of Quilting” giving us the psychological aspects.
http://www.womenfolk.com/frugal_quilting/string_quilts.htm

Kimberly has been busy indeed. She has a published an e-book of stories written by women titled, “Changing Times: Women’s Stories 1902 - 1942”. Go to http://womenonquilts.blogspot.com/ and click on the book icon for the free PDF.

On the same page you will find information about a very special interview of Julie Silber. She will be bringing her slides and has some great quilt history to share with us. So go to http://womenonquilts.blogspot.com/ right away to get the information you will need to attend. DON’T DELAY AS THE INTERVIEW WILL BE THIS COMING MONDAY, JUNE 15!

---

America’s Quilting History
http://womenfolk.com/historyofquilts

Patches From the Past
http://historyofquilts.comYahoo! Groups Links

To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/quilthistory/

[nw_arizona_granny]

This message consists of the following:

1. LaJobi Recalls Bonavita “Cabana” Drop Side Cribs Due To Entrapment and Strangulation Hazards http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09238.html

2. LaJobi Recalls Babi Italia Pinehurst and Bonavita Hudson Drop Side Cribs; Risk of Entrapment and Suffocation http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09239.html

[nw_arizona_granny]

Thanks for the information on how to dry meat, it is new to me as I have never tried to dry it.

Now here is a dumb question, I heard it asked on the radio and as I have wondered at all the naked men the cops get called on, it could be they have heard it too.......

The caller asked if it was true that the dogs will not bark at a naked man?

And got a “I don’t know answer”.

[nw_arizona_granny]

I’ve read that a lot. In other survival situations, it seems the people that make it vs those that don’t can’t be determined ahead of time.<<<

To my way of thinking, those of us, who have read the books and listened to the old timers talk about the old days, are aware that folks do survive anything that can happen to us.

So many folks, male and female have no idea of the real world and that my world even exists.

A good test for people, is to take them out in the desert for dry camping, all you need to do is go far enough to cook a hot dog.

I have had them show up in black slacks and white shirts, with shiny shoes............or there is the other who is raring to go and bring his guns.

So we had two rules for our prospecting trips, no booze and no guns.

Sure got us out of taking a lot of greenhorns into the desert.

Disasters are like changing a full diaper, you don’t want to deal with it, but you will and you will survive, LOL, to do it again.

Hang in there, you will be ok in a disaster, you can process food and cook, you know how to twist a recipe and how to grow food, the only other thing, is your goat, you must learn to milk.

There are still range cows, deer, and even horses give milk.

LOL, my favorite part of the Pendelton Roundup/rodeo, was watching the cowboys, attempt to milk a wild range cow, directly into a coke bottle.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Because borax acts as a biostat, they also serve to control bacteria and fungi in personal care products.<<<

Yes, I use borax, have for many years.

The natural soap and lotion makers say that it should not be used on the body, I forget all the dangers, but it is not used in good and natural cosmetics, soaps, lotions and bath salts.

10 years ago there was talk of the gov outlawing it, in cosmetic/body uses, I do not know if they did.

[nw_arizona_granny]

I did a google search on the barcodes and it says the information is not the country of origin, but the participating country. I think where the company is headquarted, maybe.<<<

And with all the companies and their over seas factories, it could still be bad.

[Eagle50AE]

And Now:..... The Good News !!

(( a little /sarc ))
and a very disturbing article.

The Financial Crisis: The Hidden Beginning

http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/11814

and the thread:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2268328/posts

[nw_arizona_granny]

You will love your log house, my sister did.

Check for the local Farm Extension office, they should have a list of the frost dates for your area.

LOL, not that they will help that much, as last year we had snow here in April.

It is a cool summer here also, I have not needed the cooler for several days and am sitting here now, fully clothed with a lap robe, it is chilly........and i live in the desert.

It can mean a longer fall.

They say if the summer is super hot, the winter will be extra cold.

I could do with both being moderate.

I think of all that you are doing and don’t know if you should rejoice or find a shade tree and rest.

Take it easy and do not over do it, that won’t help.

I would love to do what you are doing, good for you.

Prayers for you and your lovely wife, that you will always be safe and happy.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Thanks for the links, I read them, but am too tired to understand what I read.

The world is in trouble, that I do understand.

I keep listening and I hear one say it is getting better, and the next says it is getting worse.