Pioneer Living Survival

DIY Shoe Repair

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:10:00 +0000

DIY Shoe Repair

The notion of a cobbler conjures up images of an older man with a thick grey mustache bent over a wooden bench, using a wooden hammer to nail leather soles by candlelight. Few people would think to take their shoes to a cobbler to be repaired. When soles start to wear down and straps break, shoes are thrown away. However, the problems that prompt most people to throw their shoes out can usually be fixed with a minor repair. In fact, you can easily make many minor repairs yourself. Here's how you can fix your own shoes to extend their life and reduce waste:

Cracks and Splits

Over time, leather and rubber will crack and split, creating cosmetic blemishes. Wood and rubber soles can also split, letting in water or reducing the shoe's ability to protect against cold. These issues are easy to repair with a simple product called "Shoe Goo." This product acts like an adhesive putty to fill in these gaps on leather, rubber, and wood. For wood soles, you can use a wood filler for the same purpose, as well as to smooth out rough, worn edges. Just use a bit of sandpaper (for wood) or rough cloth (for the leather) to smooth out the surface.

Water Proofing

If you find that your leather shoes and boots are becoming damaged or porous, you can easily waterproof them to protect the fabric and your feet. Buff the surface with mink oil and spray the inside with a waterproof spray. The mink oil will reinforce and protect the fabric, and the waterproof spray will create added protection from inside.

Repairing Uppers

There are many simple repairs that you can make to the uppers, depending on the type of fabric and the kind of damage.

Scuffs, scratches, stains, and other minor blemishes can easily be remedied with simple tools. For leathers, a leather lotion or oil can be used to buff out the scuffs and to restore the color and shine. These ingredients also help to put moisture back into the leather, helping to preserve it and extend its life. For suede, a scuff stick -- similar in appearance and texture to an eraser -- can be used to buff out stains and other minor imperfections. A stiff brush can then be used to restore the nap.

Eyelets can tear out of holes as the fabric slowly weakens and frays over time. This can be repaired by removing all of the eyelets (use an exacto knife to carefully cut around the other eyelets if they are not easily removed), then sewing a small strip of sturdy canvas or leather over the row of holes. Choose a canvas or leather that complements the type and color of fabric of the shoe. Sew the strip in place by hand or machine, and reinforce it with glue if desired. Then use a small punch to create new holes in the strip and set new eyelets. You simply need to purchase an eyelet setter, which come in two types: A separate punch rod with a hammer, or a handheld device that looks like a small vice.

Straps and tongues can start to detach over time when the thread wears out or pressure tears them out. These can easily be repaired by using a sturdy thread like carpet or leather thread. Use a large sewing needle (a leather needle works great) and a pair of pliers to pull the thread through the fabric, leather, or rubber.

Interior

Making repairs to the interior of your shoes is quite easy. For small holes and tears -- like that hole that always seems to appear on the lining in the heel -- use scraps of thin leather or a sturdy canvas to sew on a small patch. To replace interior soles, use a pair of pliers or a knife to pull up the old piece, then cut a new sole from a piece of foam-backed canvas, thin cork, or some other sturdy yet springy material. Use a strong glue to attach it to the shoe.

Soles

Replacing a sole can be the most difficult shoe repair to make. Typically, you can replace the soles on leather or dress shoes yourself. However, you would not be able to replace the soles on athletic shoes (which require more support and wear down more quickly) or other rubber soles. If the sole is showing minor wear or other flaws, but does not have major structural damage, you can replace it by using manufactured soles that are sold for a few dollars, or by cutting a new sole from a thin piece of wood or heavy, treated leather. Attach the sole with a strong glue (easier than trying to nail or sew the sole) and trim it to fit the shoe. You can then sand or stain the sole for cosmetic purposes. You can use the same methods to replace a low heel, like that of a men's dress shoe.

Do not attempt to make repairs if there are major structural issues, such as the interior support of the sole or the last.

Do not attempt to fix high heels or stilettos, as the construction of these shoes has a significant impact on the support of the feet and the body. Improper support can lead to severe foot problems, back pain and other physical ailments.

Shoes and boots do not have to be discarded when they show signs of wear or are damaged, nor do you have to spend a significant amount of money having them repaired by a professional cobbler. Most shoe problems can be fixed with minor repairs, using easily accessible materials and tools. These repairs can be made with little technical expertise -- a little sewing, perhaps, and some sanding and measuring. If you feel nervous about making the repairs, start with a cheap pair of shoes that you are ready to throw away and look for instructional videos on You Tube. Gain confidence repairing these shoes with guided instruction, and you'll be ready to tackle bigger projects in no time!

About the Author:

Bridget Sandorford is a grant researcher and writer for CulinarySchools.org. Along with her passion for whipping up recipes that incorporate “superfoods”, she recently finished research on culinary schools in France and nyc culinary schools.

Dutch Oven Cooking with Food Storage

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:45:00 +0000

Dutch Oven Cooking with Food Storage

By Archie and LindaDixon

Have you ever wondered how you would cook your food storage when there is no gas or electricity for any length of time? There is a real possibility that this could happen. For instance, ice storms that take out power lines for weeks, tornadoes that do the same, earthquakes breaking natural gas and electrical lines, or a virus in the computer system of the power company. Any of these emergencies could happen to us today. Think about it. There’s not always sun to use your solar oven, the barbeque doesn’t bake bread very well, and that camp stove is going to run out of fuel if you have to useit for very long. So, what do you use for long-term cooking? Easy, get “back to basics”. Use what the cooks on those cattle drives, the pioneers crossing the plains, and Lewis and Clark used, the good olde Dutch Oven! And what about fuel? Wood, buffalo chips, etc. are ok, but modern day charcoal briquettes are the best. And, they are easy to store,not dangerous in any way, and if they get wet you just dry them out and use them.

OK, if the stores are out of food and everything in there frigerator and freezer is eaten up or spoiled, what will you eat? Hopefully you have food stored and you know how to fix it. You will have to use your #10 cans of dried or freeze-dried foods if you have some, and those cans or jars of tomatoes, peaches, soup, etc. you have stored in the pantry, basement or garage. Are there any recipes using just this type of food? Yes there are. There is a book, “Don’t be afraid of your food storage…just Dutch it!” and all the recipes in it are made from food storage and cooked in a Dutch oven. In the following pages I will share with you a sampling of some of those delicious recipes so you can make great tasting meals and learn how to cook them in Dutch ovens. But first let me tell you about Dutch ovens.

Buying and caring for a Dutch oven

Youneed to have a “camp” type Dutch oven. This is not the ovenyou find in your cooking magazines, but the kind you take camping and use for outdoor cooking. It is made out of castiron (there are also aluminum ones,) has a flat bottom, and three short legs. These legs allow you to move briquettes in and out from under them, regulating the oven temperature. The lid has a raised rim around the edge so coals will stay on top while cooking.

Now the big question…..what size do I need and how many ovens should I have? This is something you need to think about. If you start out with a 12” oven you will be at a good starting point. I also like a 14” and a 10”. With three ovens you can cook your meals very easily. This could change depending on how many people you are cooking for. Also you can take advantage of stack cooking. This maximizes your charcoal. Your top charcoal becomes the bottom for the one stacked on top. You may want to look at how deep they are as well. You may want to have deep ovens for soups etc.

Below is a picture of 4 ovens of different sizes stacked up to show sizes and stack cooking technique. Of course to cook you will need to add hot charcoal briquettes. The ovens are 14”, 12”, 10”, and 5”.

Dutch ovens and a charcoal chimney starter 32 gallon garbage can filled withcharcoal,

(don’t cook next toyour picnic table) then put on tight fitting lid. 1-2 months of fuel.

Wash your new Dutch oven (or the one you might have picked up at a yard sale) in hot soapy water and scrub off the protective wax or oil put on by the manufacturer (unless told otherwise per instructions with oven), then dry quickly. To do this use a stiff brush or green scrubbing pad. Dutch ovens are iron and will rust if not kept dry, even for a short time. This will be the only time you should need to use soap on your oven.

Now you need to “season” the oven. While still warm from washing, wipe dry oven and lid all over with a lightly oiled paper towel or cotton cloth. Use regular vegetable oil. Don’t pour oil into oven, pour oil onto cloth, then wipe. After oiling Dutch oven, place it in your kitchen oven on the bottom rack at 350 degrees with lid ajar. Bake one hour. You may get strange smelling fumes so open a few windows. Once the Dutch oven has cooled down, remove it, oil it, and bake it again. Leave it in the kitchen oven until warm, remove it, then oil it lightly one more time. Your Dutch oven is ready to use. You will notice it has turned a golden color. But after continued use it will have a black shine. This is what we want. If it does rust, just repeat the above process.

After cooking in it, scrape it out with a spatula. After it has cooled slightly, put an inch or so of water in it (Do Not Put Cold Water In A Hot Dutch Oven, You Could Crack It!) and return to the coals to boil and steam out the stuck on food. After several minutes remove and when not too hot lightly scrub with a brush or cleaning pad. Dry and lightly coat with oil.

You need to make sure it is clean and dry. Besure it is lightly coated with regular oil and wipe off excess. I always store my ovens with a small wad of aluminum foil under the rim of the lid. It is also recommended to place a piece of paper towel or cotton cloth in the Dutch oven to absorb any moisture. If you don’t crack the lid with foil or somethingI have found it very hard to get the lid off after it has been stored for along period of time. Make sure you store it in a dry place.

Cooking in the Dutch Oven

There are several tools you will need to have:

* Lid lifter and/or long handled tongue and groove pliers

* Gloves

* 16” or longer tongs

* Charcoal chimney starter (optional but almost a must have)

* Newspaper and/or lighter fluid

* Matches

* Long handled spoon

* Charcoal

* Vegetable oil and applying clothes or paper towels

* Bricks for lid cooking

When cooking in your Dutch oven it must be on a flat surface clear of dried weeds, grass, etc. This is where a Dutch oven table is nice but not necessary. An inexpensive item to cook on is a 12” square concrete stepping stone. Get two so you have one for the charcoal chimney. After the briquettes are hot, then what? You will need to place the hot coals (they are ready to use when they have a white ash on part of them) evenly spaced around in a circle the size of the Dutch oven. Place the top coals evenly spaced on the lid. Use the tongs to do this.

Each recipe tells you how many briquettes to use. The basic rule is: If it is a 10” oven, use 20 coals, 12” oven use 24 coals,etc. Just double the diameter of your oven and that is the amount of coals you will need to cook with. This equals about 350 degrees. For a cooler oven (like with granola) useless, for a hotter oven (like with rolls) use more. When baking you need twice as many coals on the top as you have on the bottom. This is because heat rises, therefore more heat is needed on the top.

With your Dutch oven you can fry, bake, boil, or use the lidas a griddle. Anything you cook in your kitchen oven or on the stove top, you can cook with a Dutch oven!

Recipes

I would like to share our story about how we came up with recipes using only food storage items. My husband Archie decided we needed to write a book about cooking food storage in Dutch ovens. We had cooked many different foods in Dutch ovens: biscuits and gravy, upside-down cakes, cobblers, chicken with rice, beef stew, rolls, and even Chicken Cordon Bleu. But we didn’t have any recipes using just dried and canned food, since that is what we had stored. In an emergency there would probably be no fresh meats, no fresh vegetables or fruit, no fresh milk products, and no frozen microwave meals if the power was out and we could not get food from the store.

Archie cooking food storage on Dinner Rolls and PineappleUp-side Down

a metal table in the backyard Cake cooked on camping trip

We were pretty good at Dutch oven cooking, but I had neve rused just food storage items to cook with, and had never even thought of cooking food storage in Dutch ovens.

That is when I got to work. I wanted to have recipes that we were used to, so I got out some of my favorite recipes and modified them to use only food storage items.

Dinner Rolls

10” or larger Dutchoven, 4 round or square cake pans; makes 32 rolls

24 briquettes: 8 on bottom, 16 on top (more if using a larger oven)

Good:

1 Tbsp. yeast

¼ cup warm water

¾ cup warm milk (reconstituted powdered milk)

¼ cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

¼ cup oil

3 - 4 cups fine whole wheat flour

Directions:

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in milk,sugar, salt, egg (if using it), oil or shortening and 2 cups of the flour. Beat until smooth, mix in remaining flour. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 5 -10 minutes. Grease medium sizebowl, place dough in bowl then turn dough over so greased side is up. Cover with towel and let rise in warm (not hot) place until double in size, 1 1/2 – 2 hours. Dough is ready if finger impression remains. Punch down dough and form into your favorite type of rolls. For our example you will make pan rolls.

Grease pans that will fit into your Dutch oven. You can bake directly in your oven so use foil to line it, then grease foil. The only down fall of this method is you can’t pre-heat the oven. I use 9 inch round cake pans or 8 inch square pans. This recipe will make 4 pans of rolls, 8 - 9 rolls in each pan. Divide dough into 4 equal parts. For round pans, form 8 balls of dough out of each divided part of dough. If using square pans, form 9 balls of dough for each pan. Place balls of dough equal distance apart in pans. Cover and rise 20 – 30 minutes. To pre-heat, place Dutch ovens over coals (don’t forget the top too) 10 minutes before baking rolls. Place one pan in each oven, being sure touse rolls of flattened foil underneath pans. You may have to cook several batches of rolls, or you can stack ovens toconserve charcoal. Bake 15 minutes,then lift lid to check rolls. They should be golden brown when done. Bakelonger if necessary. If you were cooking in a kitchen oven you would be baking at 400 degrees.

Better:

Add 1 egg (fresh or dried)

Best:

Replace oil with butter or butter flavored shortening

Replace whole wheat flour with white flour

Note: If you are using a square pan, youmust use at least a 12” Dutch oven. These rolls are really easy and taste great.

The kids will get pretty grouchy if they don’t have some dessert once in a while that they really like. This chocolate cakeis really good; quick and easy too.

Chocolate Cake

10” or larger Dutchoven, 8 or 9 inch round or square pan; serves 9

24 - 26 briquettes;10 on bottom, 14- 16 on top; pre-heat 5 minutes; bake 30 minutes

Good:

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour

1 cup sugar

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. vinegar (white or apple cider)

2 tsp. vanilla

1 cup water

1/3 cup oil

Directions:

Stirtogether the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Mix the vinegar, vanilla and water togetherand then add to the dry ingredients. Add the oil and mix well until smooth and creamy, about one minute.Grease and flour pan, pour batter in pan. Place pan on foil ring and cook around 30 minutes. (check after 20minutes). Cake is done when it has pulled away from sides of pan.

Better:

Use white flour in place of whole wheat

Best:

Use melted butter in place of oil

Dust top of cooked cake with powdered sugar

Note: Do the kids love chocolate cake? Well you better have plenty of cocoa and vinegar stored because this cake is a favorite with children.

I really like apple cake and banana bread. I made those recipes out of dried fruit withno eggs.

Banana Bread

BananaBread 12” or larger Dutch oven; 1 loaf

24 briquettes: 8 onbottom, 16 on top; cook 1 hour

Good:

1 cup sugar

2 cups whole wheat flour

½ tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. salt

1 cup dried bananas, broken intovery small pieces, soaked until tender, and drained

½ cup oil

¼ cup reconstituted powdered milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Lightly grease loaf pan. Mix dry ingredients (first 5) together. Cream together remaining ingredients, then add wet ingredients to dry. Mixwell. Pour batter into pan. Bake on foil ring for 1 hour. Check for doneness. Cook until done (bread has pulled slightly away from sides). Do not add more briquets.

Better:

Replace whole wheat flour with white flour

Best:

Replace oil with butter or butter flavored shortening

Replace ½ of sugar with brown sugar

Add walnuts

Note: You might say, “Banana Bread out of dried bananas?” Yes, this works really well. It is better the next day too, since the banana flavor has had time to permeate the whole loaf. Enjoy this one!

I really like pie, so I made whole wheat pie with dried apricots and raisins; here is apple pie made from dried apples.

Dried Fruit ApplePie

12” Dutch oven, 10”oven or a pot to cook filling; serves 8-10

24 briquettes: 18 tocook filling, then 8 on bottom and 16 on top; pre-heat for 5 minutes; bake 40 minutes

Good:

1 - Unbaked 9” pie shell, trimmed to edge,and 1 - rolled pie crust for top

3 cups dried fruit: Apricots,apples, raisins, peaches, etc. or combination

2-3 cups water for soaking (soakingfruit 30 minutes will save on cooking time) drain,

reserving liquid

1 3/4 cup fruit liquid

¾ cup sugar

2 Tbsp. corn starch or ¼ cup flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

Dash of nutmeg

1 Tbsp. shortening or oil

Dash of salt

Directions:

Make pastry. Soak fruit 30 minutes. Drain,reserving liquid. Put fruit and 1 3/4 cup of reserved liquid into Dutch oven orpot on bed of coals and bring to boil, stirring constantly. If using separate pot, support on bricks so pot is not directly on coals. Mix spices with sugar and cornstarch or flour and add to fruit. Stir until dissolved and bubbling. Add fat and salt. Fruit should have thickened. It will thicken more as the baked pie cools. Pour hot mixture into pie shell. Moisten pie around edge with a little water so top will stick better. Cover with top and trim top crust 1 inch from rim of pan. Tuck top crust under bottom crust around edge. Flute edge or use fork to seal edge together. Cut slits in top crust with sharp knife (4-6 slits, 1 inch long). Dampen top crust with a little water and sprinkle on a little sugar if desired. Place pie into clean Dutch oven (pre-heated for 5 minutes) on rods or rolled foil so pie is not directly on bottom of oven. Bake approximately 40-50 minutes. Check after 30 minutes. If top is getting too brown, cover with foil or remove some coals from top of oven. Cook until juices bubble inside slits. Remove and cool.

Better:

Use butter flavored shortening or margarine for fat

Best:

Use real butter for fat

Use fresh fruit and reduce liquid to1 cup

Note: This fruit pie will blow you away. After you serve it to your family they’ll think you bought it at some fancy pastry shop. The texture and flavor is out of this world. No one will believe you made it in a Dutch oven. After you make your first one, try some different fruits. We made apple and also araisin/apricot. They were both really good! This crust, even though it’s made with whole wheat, is wonderful. Have fun with this one. It’s one of the best surprises in this whole book.

Pie Crust Pastry

12” Dutch oven;serves 8

24 briquettes: 10 onbottom, 14 on top; cook 5 – 10 minutes

For two-crust pie:

2 cups whole wheat or white flour plus extra for rolling

¾ tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. sugar (optional)

¾ cup shortening, oil, or lard (use2/3 cup if using oil or lard)

5-6 Tbsp. cold water, 8-9” pie pan

Directions:

Measure flour,salt and sugar into bowl. Cut in shortening, using two knives or pastry cutter. Sprinkle in water a little at a time, mixing until all flour is moistened and dough mostly sticks together (don’t make sticky wet). You may need to add 1-2 teaspoons of additional water. Divide in half. Put one half on lightly floured surface and gently flatten, shaping into flattened round. Roll out to two inches larger than inverted pie pan, gently turning and flouring underneath, being sure it does not stick to surface. When large enough fold in half and place in pie pan. Shape crust down into pie pan, then trim overhanging edge of pastry to ½ inch from rim of pan. Roll out top crust. Put filling into pie pan, moisten pastry edge around rim with water, then center top crust on pie. Trim top crust to one inch from rim. Tuck top crust under rim edge of bottom crust and flute or seal with fork marks around edge. Make 4-6 slits in top with sharp knife so steam can escape. Bake as directed in recipe. For baked pie shell, trim bottom crust 1 inch from rim, turn under and flute edge. Poke holes in crust with a fork evenly all over sides and bottom. Bake in hot oven 5-10 minutes until golden. Be sure it is baked off of the bottom of oven.

Note: Use some of your instant pudding in a baked pie shell for a special treat.

One of my favorites on a cold day is Chicken Noodle soup. Here is my version:

Chicken Noodle Soup

10”or larger Dutch oven; serves 6

20-25 briquettes, allon bottom; cook 30 – 40 minutes

Good:

5 cups water

2 cups egg noodles

½ tsp. garlic powder

1 Tbsp. dried onion

3 chicken bouillon cubes

1-3 Tbsp. dried parsley

1 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

Directions:

Bring 5 cups of water to boil over all the briquets in your Dutch oven. Add all ingredients, making sure chicken is broken up into pieces. When soup boils again remove half of coals and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until noodles are tender.

Better:

Add 1 tsp. celery powder or 1 Tbsp. dried celery

1 Tbsp. dried carrots

Best:

1 can chicken, liquid too

Note: This soup has lots of noodles. If you like more broth, just cut back on the noodles or add more water and bouillon. Enjoy this with a slice of whole wheat bread.

I like Au Gratin potatoes and came up with the following recipe:

AuGratin Potatoes

12” Dutch oven with9” glass, 2 qt. casserole dish. You can also use 10” oven without dish.

24 briquettes: 8bottom, 16 top; serves 8

Good:

5 cups dried potato slices

½ tsp. salt

1 – 2 Tbsp. dried onion

2 Tbsp. whole wheat flour

1cup powdered milk in 4 cups water

Salt and pepper

½ - 1cup cheese powder

1 cup crumbled bread crumbs

Directions:

Soak potatoes and salt for 1 hour. Drain (save water for mixing with milk). Grease casserole or line Dutch oven in foil and layer ½ of potatoes in bottom. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and ½ of onion and ½ of cheese powder. Layer remaining potatoes, then salt and pepper, onion, and remaining cheese powder. Mix reconstituted milk and whisk in flour. Pour over potatoes. Bake in oven, checking every 15 minutes. On the 3rd checking, sprinkle bread crumbs over potatoes. Cover and bake 15 more minutes. Be sure bottom does not burn. It would be best to make a foil ring* to set casserole dish on. Cook 1 hour, checking every 15 minutes.

Better:

Use white flour in place of whole wheat

Replace powdered milk with evaporated milk and water.

Best:

Use 1 cup grated freeze dried cheddar cheeseto replace cheese powder

Note: When I first made these I wasn’t sure how good they would be, but after making my first batch, I am sold. You will needto increase the amount of dried potatoes you have in your storage, along withthe cheese powder (store this in freezer for a longer shelf life).

*To make a foil ring take an 8” sheet of foil, roll up like a snake, shape into a coil, flatten slightly, and you have a baking rack to use in your Dutch oven.

Au Gratin Potatoes

Let’s not forget something for Breakfast. Here isa great recipe for Granola:

Granola

12”- 14” Dutch oven;makes 3 ½ cups

18 briquettes, 6 onbottom, 12 on top; cook 40 minutes

Good:

3 cups rolled oats (Quick or old fashioned. For a higher protein cereal, substitute 1 cup plain TVP for 1 cup oats)

½ cup whole wheat flour

¼ cup honey

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 ½ Tbsp. oil

Directions:

Lightly coat bottom of oven with oil. Mix together oats and flour in a bowl. Heath honey, brown sugar, and oil in Dutch oven until brown sugar is dissolved. Add dry ingredients and mix until all flour is absorbed and everything is coated with honey mixture. Put on the lid and cook for 10 minutes. Removed lid and stir well. Replace lid, cook 10 more minutes and stir again. Cook another 10 minutes, then remove from heat and stir again and leave lid off. After granola is cooled, store in air tight container.

Better:

Add some type of seeds or nuts such as walnuts, almonds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds or pumpkin seeds.

Best:

Add raisins, dried coconut, etc. after cooking

Note: When the cold cereal is gone and you are tired of cooked cereal, granola is a welcome alternative.

In making these recipes and many others, I discovered that you need to have lots of oil stored along with plenty of water. You also need to havea little oil for maintaining your Dutch ovens. When I first made rice pudding it wasn’t very good, so the next time I added oil to the recipe and it was to DIE for.

Besides storing plenty of oil, you need lots of seasonings: spices, dried onions, bouillon cubes, vinegar, etc. These and other condiments can be added to your storage to make your cooking more flavorful.

Have fun learning how to cook just your food storage in a Dutch oven, so you will Be Prepared for any Emergency. I’m really glad that I am.

www.justdutchit.com

Custom Lighting

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:45:00 +0000

Here is real simple way to install real solar lighting and avoid the cost and equipment of panels.

I installed some in the Solar Bathhouse this weekend and it really made a difference.

Using only a empty coke bottle, all I did was wash it out and filled it with water. I added a cap full of bleach to keep the growth down and the water clear.

I drilled a three inch hole in the roof, installed the filled bottle and siliconed the heck out of it.

I also had to support the bottle on the underside for about 6 hours until the silicone dried.

There you have it. One of these give off as much light as a 40 watt soft light bulb.

Soalr Bathhouse Update.

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:50:00 +0000

It has been a while between posts on here so I thought it would be good to give an update on the Bathhouse to those who do not follow the Modern Day Redneck Blog over at blogspot.

The weather and work has kept me tied down for the past couple of months but finally there is now water in the bathhouse. The system is ready to go.

The composting toilet is ready to be used and the sink is finished. Yes that is a salad bowl I am using for a sink and it does drain. After the pic I did some decor work and hung the mirror and curtains.

The shower rod is made from 1/2 inch PVC. It took three Shower curtains to get it wraped but it is nice and cozy now. After the picture I hung clothes hooks using old horse shoes and did some more decor.

The big black thing on the side of the building is the solar batch water heater.

Yesterday the temp outside was 65 and the water was 115 degrees.

There are more details over on the blog at http://moderndayredneck.blogspot.com

I hope to give this thing plenty of use this summer.

Merry Chrstmas

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 02:05:00 +0000

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!! Be safe and don't forget why we celebrate!!

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Tue, 06 Dec 2011 19:45:00 +0000

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Brand new bank charges quietly appearing

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 05:45:00 +0000

After customers effectively got banks to decrease wild-ly unpopular debit card charges, a warning was issued that brand new fees were soon to follow. Brand new financial institution charges are already starting to show up. I found this here: New bank fees al-ready being quietly added

Right caution Large banks have been consistently raising charges this year. However, when they tried instituting monthly debit card charges, consumers quickly voiced their displeas-ure. In a colossal game of chicken, hundreds of thousands of people dropped their big-name bank in favor of institutions that do not try to nickel-and-dime them to death. The banks started dropping fees, but industry analysts instantly cautioned that more bank fees would follow and would be far less conspicuous. This has already started happen-ing. Service charge fees Bank of America is currently charging $20 for rushed delivery on debit cards. To get them replaced, you have to pay $5. Those fees, as reported by MarketProSecure.com, were declared in July, but silently took effect in September. You've to pay 50 cents at U.S.

Ban-corp now to deposit checks by taking a picture of it and putting it in the mobile banking app. To be able to have cash wired to an account, TD Bank is charging $15 right now. According to the New York Times, you will get less money in a savings account now. Interest rates are going down. There was a decrease from 0.8 percent to 0.74 percent in the first half of the year in interest rates. That means that throughout the nation, $1.5 billion will be lost each month to consumers. Check on Checking account charges Since last year, the average checking account fee went up 76 percent, as reported by a BankRate survey that was quoted by the Boston Globe. The average minimum balance requirement, the standard way to waive checking account charges, now sits at $585, which is more than double last year’s requisite minimum balance. A program is being tested in California and Nevada by Wells Fargo that makes it harder to bypass checking account fees, as reported by NorthJersey. Account holders will no longer be able to get monthly fees waived by making automated transfers between connected accounts. They can waive fees with minimum balances ranging from $1,500 to $7,500, depending on the type of account. A checking account program was just ended by Chase that charged $10 a month to checking account holders, as reported by USA Today. The bank said it was “gauging price structures.” Chase did something like this except it charged $15, as reported by BusinessWeek. Extra ATM charges It can be expected that the ATM surcharge charges will go up as customers use ATMs that belong to other banks. About $1.41 was charged on average for using an ATM out of your network, the ATM Marketplace explained was shown in a Bankrate survey. The average total charge, or the surcharge fee plus the out-of-network fee charged by the ATM, was $3.81. Estimates show that each consumer pays over $500 a year for ATM fees, as reported by CNN. There wasn’t much of a change in surcharges. They stayed about the same.

Citations

New York Times MarketProSecure BostonGlobe NorthJersey USA Today BusinessWeek ATMMarketplace CNN

No Yeast? No Problem!

Sat, 19 Nov 2011 14:15:00 +0000

So what happens when SHTF and you run out of yeast? Well there is yeast in the air we breathe all around us as well as in the flour we use to bake bread. All you need to do is set out a bowl of food to capture and grow it. This is called sourdough. To make sourdough bread, you need a sourdough starter.

Here is what you will need...

Flour

Water

A glass bowl to keep it in...clear glass with a lid will be best as you can use this to keep your starter in.

Yup, that’s it.

In your bowl, mix

· ½ cup flour

· ½ cup water

Day 1

Combine the flour and water in the container until all the flour has been absorbed and there are no more dry particles. It will look like a sticky, thick dough. Scrape down the sides and cover. Put the container somewhere with a consistent room temperature (like the top of the refrigerator) and let sit for 24 hours.

Day 2

· ½ cup flour

· ½ cup water

Your starter should be fairly thick and soupy. You may see a few small bubbles here and there. This is good! The bubbles mean that wild yeast from the air and the flour itself have started making themselves at home in your starter. They will eat the sugars in the the flour and release carbon dioxide (the bubbles) and alcohol. They will also increase the acidity of the mixture, preventing other "bad" microbes from growing.

Add the fresh water and flour. Stir vigorously to combine everything and incorporate more oxygen into the mixture. Scrape down the sides, cover, and let it sit for 24 hours.

Day 3

· ½ cup flour

· ½ cup water

By day three, your starter should be getting nice and bubbly (see below), be the consistency of pancake batter, and have roughly doubled in size. If you taste a little (Go on! Try it!), the mixture should make your mouth pucker with sour and vinegar flavors. It will also smell musty and fermented, a bit like grain alcohol.

Go ahead and mix in the fresh ingredients as with Day 2, cover, and let sit for 24-hours.

Day 4

Repeat day 3.

Day 5

By day 5 (or even day 4) your starter will be ripe and ready to use. The surface will look frothy and fermented (see below), and if you've been using a clear container, you can see an intricate network of bubbles when you hold it up. It will smell and taste very pungent and tangy like, well, concentrated sourdough!

At this point, your sourdough is ready to be used, or you can cover and store it in the fridge for up to one week. After a week, you'll need to refresh the starter by taking out a cup or so of starter (to use or discard) and then "feeding" it with 1/2 cup of flour and 1/2 cup of filtered water. Likewise, after using some of your starter in a recipe, you can replenish what's left with equal parts flour and water.

Starter will keep indefinitely as long as you feed it every week or so. Treat it like a household plant that needs to be watered and fertilized regularly. It's very hardy and will even perk back up with a few daily feedings if you've neglected it too long. If a clear liquid forms on the top, just stir it in (this is actually alcohol from the wild yeast). The only time you should throw away the starter completely is if that liquid has a pinkish hue, which indicates that the starter has spoiled.

To use your starter, simply replace ½ cup flour and ½ cup water in your favorite recipe for 1 cup of starter and forget about the yeast. Then, replace the used starter with ½ cup four and ½ cup water to keep it up.

Best Product of 2011

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 17:55:00 +0000

This product is our #1 pick for 2011

Preparedness minded people have set aside food but struggle with the issue of how to safely store enough fuel and rotate it to keep it fresh. Using a Sun Oven on sunny days decreases the amount of fuel which needs to be stored. Sun Ovens can be used year round on sunny days. Even though it is called an oven, food can be baked, boiled or steamed in a Sun Oven.

Sun Ovens will last a lifetime. They have been around for 25 years and are very well tested and widely respected. In addition to cooking, a Sun Oven can also be used in a variety of other ways including:

Boiling or pasteurizing water,

Naturally dehydrating fruits, vegetables and meats

Heating water for doing dishes or personal hygiene.

Killing infestations in grains or dried foods

Enhancing winter sprouting

Sun Ovens are now available with a brand new Christmas Sun Dehydrating and Preparedness Kit which includes everything required for cooking, water pasteurization and dehydrating with the power of the sun. Until November 30, 2011 you can save $65 Christmas Sun Dehydrating and Preparedness Kit for a discount coupon visit: http://www.sunoven.com/podcast

Kevin D. Freeman of Freeman Global Investment Council.

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 22:25:00 +0000

Survival Foods Show #46

7:30pm EST

Our feature guest Kevin D. Freeman of Freeman Global Investment Council. I have attached a PDF with Mr Freeman's bio.

Mr. Freeman was commissioned by the Pentagon in 2009 to do a study with the aim at investigating the possibility of the financial collapse of 2008 being triggered by rouge groups or nation-states. Mr. Freeman admits that he was very skeptical going into this study but has since changed that skepticism into a full-blown crusade. His study was declassified and leaked to the press earlier this year. The links to all the media coverage have been listed below. Mr. Freeman also has a blog which highlights his findings. Interestingly the Pentagon and Congress had moved to commission a second study to explore the issue further with even a larger budget but that proposal was blocked by key Obama appointees.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/theprepperpodcast/2011/11/11/survival-foods-show-4

Solar Bath House

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 17:00:00 +0000

I have been really busy the last couple of weeks building a Solar Bath House.

When completed, the water will be pressured from the harvested rain water through a 12v on demand pump. It will then be heated in the batch water heater and delivered into the Bath House.

Inside, the bathroom will have a home made composting toilet, sink and a bathtub/shower combo made from a horse trough. Light will be from solar lighting during the day and oil lamps at night.

Here are some pictures of what has been built so far.

Composting toilet with saw dust bucket on the side.

Cute flower box.

Horse trough bathtub/shower combo.

A Sitting bench.

The building is 7'X10'

The batch solar water heater will be placed along the side wall in the picture above.

The sink will be made from an old steel bowl the wife had in the cabinet. I am in the process of building the stand for it now.

This weekend I plan to get the plumbing done and then I will start on the water heater part of it.

More pics can be found on my daily blog.

Plus I am doing something fun. For a small $10.00 donation to help finish the Bath House, you can have your name placed on the "Bathroom Wall". Just click over to my blog and hit the donate button, leave your email and thats it. Your name will be seen by thousdands. Who would not want their name on the Bathroom wall?

http://moderndayredneck.blogspot.com

TSA Checkpoints now on TN Highways!

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 16:00:00 +0000

The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security on Tuesday partnered with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and several other federal and state agencies for a safety enforcement and awareness operation on Tennessee’s interstates and two metropolitan-area bus stations. They are randomly inspecting vehicles on highways in Tennessee.

The random inspections really aren’t any more thorough normal, according to Tennessee Highway Patrol Colonel Tracy Trott who says paying attention to details can make a difference.

“People generally associate the TSA with airport security…but now we have moved on to other forms of transportation, such as highways, buses and railways,” said Kevin McCarthy, TSA federal security director for West Tennessee.

To increase national security, the TSA created Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response, known as VIPR, teams, which consist of federal air marshals, surface transportation security inspectors, transportation security officers, behavior detention officers and explosive detection canine teams.

McCarthy also pointed out that Interstate 40 is one of the country’s a major thoroughfares, being the third longest major west-east interstate highway in the United States after Interstate 90 and Interstate 80. Interstate 40′s western end is in Barstow, Calif. and its eastern end is in Wilmington, N.C.

This is not a surprise considering Tampa, FL bus stations have long been occupied by TSA checkpoints forcing random searches.

Source

No Prospects for Prepper Shows

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 19:35:00 +0000

There is something that has been bothering me since it`s air date. Doomsday Preppers. You know, trying to get people interested in being prepared for the smallest incident has become next to impossible. The very mention of a food & water stockpile, and having a flashlight & batteries on hand can make many people give you the weirdest looks. The fact is, being prepared for a disaster, no matter how small or large is just common sense. Let`s face it, if you`re planning on letting the government take care of you in the face of a disaster, even they will tell you to be ready to be on your own for the first 3 days. And if they tell me 3 days, I believe more like 3 weeks before any real help arrives. Why would I not be ready to feed my family, keep them warm & secure when the unexpected happens? Isn`t that what being a parent is all about? Doesn`t it just seem to make sense?

There has been a trend in the prepper community lately, and if you are a regular visitor to the blogs, forums & sites then you have probably noticed it. Television wants to become prepper aware. There have been a few shows looking for preppers to appear on television to show how they prepare and what they are preparing for. But there seems to be one issue for them. Preppers don`t appear to want to cooperate and no wonder. Many of you have seen Doomsday Preppers and if you haven`t, lookit up and give it a watch. After that, you will no longer wonder why you get strange looks for being a prepper. Shows like this do NOTHING to help with a common sense approach to being prepared. With the worst of the paramilitary wingnuts they can find and staged midnight food deliveries, it`s no wonder. No doubt there are some extremists out there holed up in a remote bunker with a stash of beans & bullets, protected by a booby trapped perimeter, but this is a vast minority. The likes of which have become the stereotype of preppers across the world.

I contacted one such show and at first they were very interested in traveling across the country to have me on the show. When I began to voice some concerns about how the show would portray it`s subjects, suddenly, they were no longer interested. This can lead me to believe only one thing. They are interested only in the most extreme subjects to film. To those responsible for these shows, I have only one thing to say...THIS IS NOT WHAT DOCUMENTARIES ARE ABOUT. If you want to show what preppers are all about, then get ready for the mundane. We are not a bunch of radical paramilitary fenatics waiting, no hoping for the end of the world. So stop moaning & groaning about why no one wants to be on your shows. Show us ONE EPISODE where preppers are shown to be the caring family types who live right next door to you, and you, and you. We are the average blue collar, white collar, students, whatever that walk our dogs in the morning, drop our kids off at school on the way to work and mow the friggin lawn on the weekends. If you stopped going for rating and sensationalism for one minute and tried to produce a true documentary, then you may not come upon the brick wall you seem to be encountering now. Until you can find some way to assure us that we are not going to be portrayed as nut cases, then you will never be able to find anyone willing to fill your precious air time and be able to produce a show, let alone a series.

A Time of Blessings

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 23:20:00 +0000

Samhain it means "Summer's End". It was in a time before ghost and goblins or even saints day. It was simply a celebration of the seasons coming and passing. Samhain or summer's end was a time when you brought in the last of your harvest. Took inventory of your livestock deciding what would make it through the winter and what would sustain you through. It must have been a very solemn time.

I understand and enjoy the changes of the seasons. It gives me time to reflect on myself. I find myself grateful that we do not live in times where what we eat is dependent on what we grow or kill. It doesn't matter how much I watered at night the parched sandy loam. The sun just baked it the next day allowing nothing to grow. As many of us can attest it was out of human control. We have had a few day here and there of drizzle now and with the cooler weather I am not seeing a carpet of grass form in my back yard. It is a grateful blessing to receive.

Our garden really only produced peppers in the beginning of the summer. After that I realized it was time to let it go. Recently I have harvested some grass for the sheep to eat from it. When you look around you see blessings that you might have missed at first glance. I was grateful for the trees that needed to be cut back out of the fence line. They to helped feed the sheep and goats.

In spite of the drought we have been able to build upon our homestead with nothing short of gifts. There are so many this past year. We have two guardian dogs that came from our neighbors down the road. They are sisters and I don't know how we would have ever managed without them. We have a sheep and her lamb. I tell you these are my beloved lawn mowers. (I really love my sheep) We were gifted 4 pygmy females that we were able to breed with our daughter's Nigerian Dwarf / Pygmy male before she banded him. No more Bandito/Pan babies after these. They are due in December. Not the best time of the year for babies so I hope we will be ready to help care for them.

This past summer there was a lot we couldn't do but there was a lot that got done despite it all. That is what it is all about. Putting one foot in front of the other and following your nose.

I watched a show yesterday on the history channel about the Mayan calendar. They explained that the Mayan's thought of time as always repeating itself instead of linear as we are taught. I understand time I believe more like the Mayans. It is not about a starting point to the ending point. It is more about the journey. In the journey things will repeat themselves and we will change as a result.

Have I changed as a result of this past year. Yes. Have I learned. I sure hope so. I know there are many things I will do different starting with now. If you wait to change. It might be to late.

Preppers Podcast

Sat, 24 Sep 2011 14:50:00 +0000

This is the one year anniversary of the Prepper Podcast Radio Network (www.prepperpodcast.com)

Special guests this week is:

Tue the 27th at 12:00pm Central on the Equip 2 Endure show: We are very excited to welcome, TV star, musician, writer, and survival expert Mr. Les Stroud.

Wednesday the 28th at 7:00pm Central on Survival Magazine: James Rawles the editor of SurvivalBlog.com

Thursday the 29th at 8:00pm Central on the Doom and Bloom show: Dave Canterbury (Pathfinder) - Dave Canterbury owner of the Pathfinder School, co owner of Self Reliance Illustrated Magazine and Co-Host of Dual Survival.

Note: I will be at the Self Reliance Expo in Salt Lake City UT on the 7th and 8th.....Come and see me.

Innovations in Organic Growing

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

This is my first blog. Within the past ten years and especially the last five, there has been some exciting new research being conducted in the organic world. The humus molecule (aka humic substances) is being analyzed down to the sub-atomic level. The findings are rewriting the textbooks. Questions and misconceptions are being addressed concerning how humus gets formed, how it gets into our soils, what it does, (new scientific papers galore about its many benefits) etc. These are new findings, not known until now. Humic substances have been studied many times before in history but not in depth or to the extent that they are now. SoilSecrets, a New Mexico LLC, has spearheaded this humus research. Michael Melendrez, the owner of SoilSecrets, put together a team of chemists about 4 years ago to do this research. It is being carried out at the National Laboratories at Los Alamos and Sandia, New Mexico. The Department of Energy (U.S. Gov.) found out what they were doing and gave them a substantial grant to further the work. This has grown to become a technology transfer program composed of SoilSecrets, The Department of Energy and New Mexico State University.

What does this mean to us growers? Faster soil building with less effort, less water use (up to 30%), improved flavor and nutrition in our food, improved sequestering of carbon in our soils, minimum to NO tillage required, in short, a completely new growing method giving faster results with much less work. I have been road testing these products and methods for two years now (1st year start-up garden last year and 1st year start-up garden this year in different location) and am astounded by the results. I have been gardening and growing organically for 39 years and I have never experienced results like I am getting now. I am an avid and thorough researcher and the original doubting Thomas. I have composted, manured, mulched and tried most of the organic fertilizers available over the years and have had results ranging from mediocre to pretty good but nothing close to what I am getting now. By the way, I am in Cochise, Az. in extreme alkaline soil (ph 8.8), organic matter .7%, excessive heat, etc. My soil has delivered very well but is steadily building fertility. Each year will be better than before. Oh, yeah. I want to prove what I am sharing here. I have had my soil tested by A&L Laboratories in Plains, Tx. and am having it tested again to measure the improvement. I have used A&L Labs for decades. True professionals. We're not talking home soil testing here which unfortunately is mostly useless.

If we are truly serious about quality survival and full flavored nutritious food production, we need to learn as much as possible about the right way to build our garden soils. History is scattered with dead civilizations that died or moved because they couldn't maintain the fertility of their soils. Unfortunately, many of us in the organic world spend too much time guessing and not enough time taking advantage of what good science has discovered for us. Results walk, BS just talks.

My next blog will discuss a beneficial root fungus called mycorrhizae. Roughly 95% of ALL plants on Spaceship Earth form a symbiotic association with mycorrhizae if they are in a natural landscape undisturbed by man. We are pretty good at destroying them. They must be restored to our plant's roots if we are to achieve optimum results. More on this next blog.

Take time to stop and smell the roses

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 20:25:00 +0000

It’s easy toget caught up in the constant strive for self reliance. Stockpiling food & supplies becomes soengrained in a prepper’s mind that everything we do relates somehow to growingthe already substantial store of rice, beans & bandaids. Every day, we go over our lists and keep awatchful eye for special offers, coupons, and garage sales. No sooner do we hit our target of a certainitem that we notice yet another weakness in our plans.

True,as preppers, we need to be ever vigilant and always aware of what could happenin the future, but is it possible to go too far? Recently, I chose a corner outside my houseand dug up a flower garden. Some of myprepper friends asked “what kind of survival flowers will you grow?” To be honest, I hadn’t thought of anysurvival, medicinal, or other prepper related plants at all. You see, my wife like flowers; and so, I gaveher a flower garden. A place to grow beautiful,fragrant flowers. I am sure that nextspring, we will have an array of colourful flowers filling the bed and attractingall sorts of birds & butterflies.

Mypoint is that not everything we do in life HAS to be prepper related. Sometimes you just want to do something forthe sake of doing it. Now that we have aflower bed ready to be planted, I am sure we will be stopping more often tosmell the roses, tulips, marigolds, lupins...well, you get the idea.

What About The Kids?

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 05:05:00 +0000

With all the buzz on prepping for "IT", most if not all the prepping/survival blogs that deal with Bug out Bags I have read only talk about the main bag or bags that will support the whole family for the 72 hour duration. My question is, what about the kids?

Yes they will be covered under your main BOB when they are with you but in a worse case situation and they are at school, then what? We all think if something terrible happens tomorrow we will be able to jump in the car and go get our children and take them to safety. Being they are at school, friends house, church function or where ever they may be, jumping in the car and racing to save them may not be that easy. It may take several hours or depending on where you work, days to get home and secure your loved ones and your belongings.

The best thing I have found to ease my mind on this matter is have each child, no matter the age, have their own personal survival bag or BOB. I do not know of any school policy that prohibits a small bag with certain items being hung in your child's locker. Of course you would have to use your head when filling the bag and not put weapons, knives or medications in them, but simple survival items to help them cope with the time of disaster and to be safe upon your arrival.

Here is a small list of such items that I think would be useful for any child stuck in that situation.

Basic Survival Items:

Do not overload you child's bag and keep in mind their age and carrying capacity.

Small flash light. (LED)
Emergency whistle so they can be found in a crowd or get your attention when you drive up.
Emergency contact list with names of relatives, home address, and telephone numbers.Area map
Emergency Poncho.
Inflatable pillow. (Used in case of a overnight stay or a flotation device)
Emergancy Blanket
A full change of clothes. (socks and underwear for sure)
Small box of Band aids & wipes. (Remember no medications)
Small bottle of hand sanitizer.
Hard candy.
Bubble gum.
Energy / Breakfast bars.
A couple of Water bottles.

I am sure there are items I have missed, but this list will get you started and get your mind working. All these items will fit into a cute little pull string bag or a hand bag your kids can put in their school lockers, take with them to church camp or just a overnight stay at a friends house.

Make sure you go over each item in the bag with your child and explain to them what they are used for. Having the items at hand is only half the battle and are useless if they do not know how to use them.

It is also good to have an evacuation plan. Being my kids are older and working outside of the home, we have devised a plan to where if a disaster hits and there is no way to get home, they will know where to meet. If they have their small survival bag with them, at least I know they will be ok until I can get to them.

Good luck with it and have fun.

At The Door Step

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 16:55:00 +0000

Right after hitting the Publish button for the FireFlies For the Soul post the other day on my blog at http://moderndayredneck.blogspot.com, my phone rang and I noticed it was the wife calling. I answered the phone the same way I always do, "Hey babe, whats up?"

What came next through the ear piece was mixture of tears, panic and total chaos. The first few sentences there was no way I could make out what she was saying, but I knew from the sound of her voice it was not good. I told her to calm down and start again.

This is what I got, "Fire! (huff, huff) House! (holy crap, holy crap) Neighbors house is burning! (come here puppy) I'm out of here! (sounds of running) Ours is next! (truck door slamming) I will call you back!"

This of course got my curiosity up a little and I decided to go ahead and leave work early and I defiantly did not break any speeding laws on the way home.

Upon arrival forty five minutes later (I work an hour and a half away) I saw the street was lined with fire trucks and clouded with smoke.

As I drove up near the end of our road, through the smoke and the haze I saw the wife with several people around her. She was digging through the BOB handing out water bottles to other evacuees.

My first thought was "I hope they are not eating all my MREs".

A fire is one of those occurrences that I would define as "IT". We have drilled on this and our evacuation plan many times. The wife executed the plan with perfection and I got to see the Bug Out Bag at work.

I overheard many of the neighbors telling their spouses that they were going to make up a bag just like mine. My unemotional response was, "You should already have one".

I am telling you right now friends, you can do all the planning and drills you want, but when "IT" happens, you have to be able to control your adrenaline so you can make the decisions that have to be made. If not, all that prepping you have done is for not. I am proud of the wife for keeping her head and taking charge of the situation.

Through the help of neighbors and the Fire department, they were able to stop the spread before it got to my house. Not much damage on this end but that is not the case for my neighbors. They lost their house.

A Round Baler was the cause of the fire. A stuck baring caused sparks to fly and with this drought we are in here in Texas, it was not good.

This picture was taking from my property line.

I will say, that was a close one.

Mr. Survivalist

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 16:45:00 +0000

I was twelve years old the first time I was exposed to the word Survivalist. It took a while to get it in my head what it actually meant, but after I fully understood it I knew I had to be one.

My dad had an old friend that came by every now and then and sometimes while they sat and talked I would ease-drop in their conversation.

The old man would sit and tell stories and talk of his dreams about being a mountain man and surviving in the wilds. He would tell my dad about all the preparing he has done to achieve his life long goal. He described the plan right down to the smallest detail, the log house he was going to build, the food he was going to grow and he even set a date on when all this was going to take place.

I would sit at the end of the porch, captured by his every word and listen to the thin, grey haired man as he talked about a day when he was going to live free among the wilds of the mountains. It did not take long for me to start asking questions and trying to learn as much as I could about how he planned on doing so. After he would leave, I would always looked forward to his return so I could lean and plan for the day I too, decided to head North.

Finally, the day the old man spent so many years preparing for came. I wondered if he was going to come and say goodby or not like he said he would. When I saw his little red truck pull into the driveway loaded down with supplies and bags I was thrilled. He got out and told me that he had brought me something special. Reaching in the back of his truck he presented me with a cage and his pet Ferrets. He told me to look after his pets while he was away and to take good care of them. He would be back to get them in the fall.

IThe last thing I wanted to do was look after his animals, I wanted to go with him. All the talking he and my dad had done about surviving in the wilderness, starting a homestead, living off the land and living free only built a fire in me to do the same. I even packed a bag on the hopes my dad would let me go with him for a while, but no amout of begging would change his mind. Remember, I was around twelve years old at the time and Grizzly Adams was still on TV. All I could think about was having a pet bear and living in the mountains.

For the lifeof me I cannot remember the old mans name. All I remember is how he lit up every time he talked about his dream and the smile from ear-to-ear across on his face while he waved goodby and drove away to capture that dream.

I never saw him again after that day. I would often think about him and his wild adventures he must be living while I fed his pets a year or so later. I want to believe he parked his truck off some old mountain logging road, grabbed his bags and wondered off into his dream.

May God be with you wherever you are Mr. Survivalist