Month: December 2019

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Don’t make New Years resolutions

I don't make News Years resolutionsI don’t make New Years resolutions. They sound great, like a New Beginning or something like that, but really to me they’re a waste of time. I guess they’re a waste of time for a lot of others, too. People who study these things say that around 80% of those making New Years resolutions don’t keep them. In fact most people last less than 2 weeks. They “average” day for giving up is January 12. Most of the rest give up by the end of February. If the failure rate is so high, why even bother? Look at it this way too… if something is so important that you have to RESOLVE to do it, why wait for the New Year to start it? Why not get off your butt and start working on it now?

Just do it…

How about this… don’t make New Years resolutions for 2020. Are there things you were going to RESOLVE to do? Today is December 31, what’s wrong with starting today? Why do you need to wait until next year? Just do it already. I didn’t do a lot of things this year I wish I had. I should have worked out more. My shed still needs finishing. We didn’t have a garden. I didn’t get my kid to finish his Hunter Safety course. I still need to get my General class amateur radio license and finish some FEMA training. And about a million other things…

What about you? Do you wish you’d spent more time outdoors this year? Don’t make a resolution to spend more time in the outdoors in 2020. Go to Alastair Humphry’s microadventure site for some ideas and plan a microadventure. Heck, do one tonight. Skip watching the ball in Times Square drop and spend the night in the back of your truck or your back yard.

Been thinking about getting in shape? Eating healthier? Living a more rural lifestyle even though you’re stuck living in big city? The Mountain Guerrilla blog has you covered. Check it out, or better yet get a subscription to his Patreon page. I don’t often recommend buying online access, but the Tier 2 support level is only $5/month and well worth it.

Wish you’d done more fishing? Take up fly tying or build a lure display box. Can’t hunt because you live in the city? Make a rabbit stick or build a box trap from scrap wood. Want some reading inspiration? Dig out your copies of Backwoodsman Magazine or check out the Backwoods Home blog.

Don’t make New Years resolutions

My point is, just do it. Don’t wait to make a New Years resolution. Everything I talked about above is free, easy, and you don’t even have to wait until next year to get started. Do something now. I know what I’m doing tonight, and it won’t involve the television, heavy drinking, or revelry. What are you going to do today instead of waiting for the New Year? Until next year…

Peace out,
porcupine

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What did you do to prep this week?

This weeks preps – December 21, 2019

Spent the last 2 weeks working on refinancing a hard money loan on one of our properties. Four different banks. Every bank has a different set of documentation they want. Some won’t let you apply online, only face to face. It’s a bigger hassle than it should be because my credit score sucks. It’s my fault, I made some poor decisions in the past. So I’m not blaming anyone besides myself, but it reinforces the idea that finances should be part of your preps. Because of the time spent on finding a mortgage, I didn’t get a lot of “big” preps done, so I concentrated on the “small” things.

Why are you prepping anyway?

I mean besides the basic will to live that most (all?) people have. I’ll agree that’s a pretty good reason, but the best preps in the world will only keep you here for so long. A couple other good reasons to prep – the ability to care for and protect your clan, and the ability to pass on your values. This is talked about occasionally on the Mountain Guerrilla blog and in detail in Forging the Hero. Since I haven’t had time for major preps and not much extra money, I focused on values and “little” preps.

Something else, too, reminded me of the importance of passing on values. My wife is not a Christian. I want her to share my faith, so a few years ago I would gather the family every night and read from the devotions booklet that my church gives out. It didn’t work, we got busier with our side jobs, so after a few weeks I quit doing it. For some reason last week, my wife said she wants me to start doing it again. That got me thinking about my values and passing them on. It’s also something that doesn’t take a lot of time. One of the “little” things.

“Little” preps…

Nightly devotions – at the suggestion of my wife, I started reading devotions to the family every night.

Exercise – I’ve been working out on and off since July, but over the past 2 weeks I’ve really tried to be more consistent. One of the things holding my up was my back. I’m at the point where trap bar dead lifts are harder on my lower back than my legs. I got a lifting belt, and yes it really helps. Now I can lift heavier with no back pain. Also I’ve tried to get the kids more interested in working out with me. That is still definitely a work in progress…

Besides weight work, I’ve been pretty consistent with walking at least 1-1/2 miles a day, every day. I’ve also started putting on a pack when I walk. Currently mine is loaded to 20 lbs. Not a lot, but I think it’s better to work up slow since I haven’t carried a pack in a long time. Besides, the stuff I’m adding for weight is all stuff that will be permanent content of my bug out/micro adventure bag. The weight will build as I get more gear to add.

Misc. :

  • Got my workbench cleaned off and organized.
  • Boxed up a bunch of books I no longer read and offered them to my prepping friends.
  • Got my mule scope mounted on a rifle I bought last summer and haven’t had a chance to shoot yet.
  • Traded an ALICE pack I’m not using for a nice 10×10 silnylon tarp with stuff sack and a single person mesh tent. Both are now in my bug out bag.
  • Added 45 lbs (10 4.5 lb bags) of organic quinoa to my food supply. Instead of opening the bags and dumping them into a 5 gallon food bucket, I left them in bags and put 5 bags each into 2 food buckets. Bulkier but more versatile.

That’s it for the past 2 weeks. Last time I said I wanted to start some micro greens, but I just didn’t have time. Hopefully I will over Christmas and News Years. What did you dou to prep this week? Until next time…

Peace out,
porcupine

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Glock G44 – finally, a 22LR Glock

Glock G44Early this week Glock announced their newest pistol – the Glock 44 in 22LR. If you CCW a Glock 19 this is great news. I’m a firm believer in the saying “train how you fight.” If you carry a Glock, the G44 lets you do just that with cheap 22 LR ammo. The Glock 44 uses the same operating system and holsters as the Glock 19. Unlike other companies’ training pistols, the G44 looks, feels, and works almost exactly like all other Glock pistols.

Haters still gonna hate…

I was really surprised to see so many negative comments on some of the message boards I read. Should have been a long slide. Why only 10 round magazines? Not as innovative as Taurus (WTF???). Glocks are over rated(???). The .world doesn’t need another 22LR semi auto pistol. Ruger Mk4 is more accurate (probably right, but how do they know if they haven’t shot the G44?). I guess haters gonna hate no matter what. I think they’re all missing the point…

Actually the G44 really is innovative, in spite of the haters. It’s probably the first striker fired 22LR pistol on the market and it’s definitely the first “defensive” pistol offered by a firearms maker that functions exactly the same as their center fire version. That means the G44 trigger feels just like the G19 trigger. It means you can use your G19 carry holster to train with your G44. The sights and sight radius are the same (that’s why it’s not a long slide). And the 10 round magazines? Who cares? It’s a training gun, not a carry gun. Besides, the 10 round mags are 50 state legal.

Since I CCW a Glock 19, I know my next pistol is going to be the G44. It should be available on January 20, 2020. I’m already saving my money. Can’t wait to try it, and I’ll post a full review when I get it. Until next time…

Peace out,
porcupine

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What did you do to prep this week?

This weeks preps – December 7, 2019

The big thing for me was selling our rental property this week. Before you say “that’s not prepping” – I say it’s a financial prep. We’re using some of the money to pay off our home, which will save us a really big mortgage payment every month. Also, with one less rental to manage I’ll have a lot more time for other preps. I spent the past week educating myself on the local city government, networking (i.e. building clan – kith and kin), and getting ready to try some indoor winter gardening. I also put a bug in my wife’s ear about wanting an exercise bike. For me, physical conditioning is just as important as the other preps I do.

City government, building community, etc.

Our house is near a proposed development, so the city had a public hearing on the zoning change requested by the developer. If you thought that local governments work for their citizens, you’re wrong. Not a complaint, just an observation. I would highly recommend that everyone attend a local city council meeting. If you don’t live in the city, go to a county planning commission meeting or whatever your local equivalent is. If you’re a prepper, you need to be aware that your local government will not necessarily be working for your best interests. They’ll be taking care of themselves and their friends. At best, you’ll be an after thought. Be able to rely on yourself, family, and friends.

I met with a friend this week and we talked about a couple of areas I’m looking at for land. He and his wife might set up a small geodesic dome shelter if I get it, with a wind turbine for power. That should be fun to play around with. I guess now I need to get serious about looking for land…

I talked last week about wanting to grow micro greens, so I ordered a grow light from Amazon. Glad I did when I did. It was on special for $96. Two days after I ordered the price went back to $120. I also cleared a shelf in my garage for a sprouting tray, cleaned up one of my trays, and managed to find an unopened bag of potting soil. Now all I need to do is decide whether to grow sunflower or speckled peas. For the coming week, I hope to get the seeds started and maybe play around with a clay pot candle heater. What did you do to prep this week? Until next time…

Peace out,
porcupine