What did you do to prep this week?

This week’s preps – well, preps since May 12 2018…

I haven’t really done any “prepping” for 88 days – over 12 weeks. I’ve been so distracted, busy, whatever that for the past 2 months I skipped CERT meetings, permaculture meetups, and I didn’t even stay for my prepper group meetups. That last one is a shame because the topic was map reading.

Life happens…

So what happened? Life. We picked up my in-laws and moved them in. Our rental house project turned into a really MAJOR project. I found myself suddenly in need of being able to secure a $200K loan (!!!) with really crappy credit. Still working on that one… Oh, and I managed to crash my truck. It’s still driveable but the side of the bed is wiped out. Another $2500 to get that fixed…

Life goes on…

Even though I’ve been slacking, I still got some things done that maybe could be considered prepping. I finished an online class in programming embedded computers. My brother and I have the back yard looking really good. He even caught a quail that he cooked and ate. Last weekend I took him and my sons to watch our first IDPA pistol match. Last night I loaded about 300 rounds of 9mm. We keep working on the garden 🙂

I’m also working on my personal library and I’ve had the chance to read some really good books. Maybe not prepper books, more suited to the backyardsman than a prepper. Some are Nothing To Do But Stay, Truck – a Love Story, and The Warwolf. Tomorrow night is my monthly prepper’s meetup so hopefully it will nudge me back into a more formal prepping routine…

What about you? What have you been doing to prep lately?

Peace out,
porcupine

What did you do to prep this week?

This week’s preps – Jan 14 2018

This week all I did was go to my monthly prepper group meeting. We didn’t have one in December so it was good to be back. Two of my friends (married couple) were sick and couldn’t make it. That sucked because I was looking forward to seeing them. On the plus side, there were 3 new people. That was nice since we haven’t had any fresh faces for quite awhile. One of the new guys did a nice presentation of a simple solar oven. Only five pieces: small piece of sign board, 9 x 9 inch mirror, 9 x 18 inch piece of aluminized mylar, small glass jar with lid, and second glass jar large enough to fit over the smaller one. I hope to build one soon and post pics and a how-to here…

We had a good discussion about “what is prepping” and what’s the difference between preppers and crazy, paranoid people. This was brought up by another one of the new guys. When I think of prepping, most of it would have been considered common sense not all that long ago. Know how to grow your own food. Know how to prepare, preserve, and store your own food. Be part of a resilient community.

Opsec? What opsec?

It was nice seeing some new people, but it also reminded me of the importance of Opsec. I guess going to a meeting isn’t an “Op” but you still need to know when to STFU when talking to people you don’t really know. So… the only thing I talked about was Baofeng radios and getting an amateur radio license. Better to just fly under the radar until I get to know them better (assuming they come back).

What did you do to prep this week?

Peace out,
porcupine

What did you do to prep this week?

Day late and a dollar short, but you know the holidays… Spent last night doing a comm drill with the local Citizens Corp Program (CPP). Met a few new people and learned about how local law enforcement will react to an emergency situation. Other than that it was pretty boring. After testing radio comms we sat around monitoring local events. Nothing bad happened so it was a quiet evening. Got home this morning at 1:30. Oh, and I learned that my 50+ year old self doesn’t handle over nighters as well as I used to…

Went to Costco, not usually a big deal but I’m figuring out a way to stealth prep a bigger food supply. Got my kid to liking certain things that make good medium term food so just pick up a little extra, right? With wife’s blessing of course… so picked up an extra pack of Dennison chili and a pack of lentil soup.

Got a couple more books (reviews coming soon) and got the rest of the things I need to finish Cody’s survival kit. Once I get it all put together I’ll see if it fits in my pack. If not, either get a bigger pack or re-think what I need to carry.

That’s it for today (still recovering from last night)

Peace out,
porcupine

What did you do to prep this week?

My family has spent most of the last 2 weeks with nasty colds (thankfully not all at the same time). I was second, so the week before last I didn’t get much done. I did manage to go to CERT orientation and rethink meds for a prep kit. The past week was better so at least I didn’t have to waste 2 entire weeks…

CERT

On the 4th I went to CERT orientation, which is different than the CERT Academy. Basically went over paperwork and SOP’s regarding operations, chin of command, etc. In my area, CERT is under the authority of the Sheriff’s dept. That was the boring part. The good part was getting to meet some of the local CERT team leaders. We have 6 CERT teams within an hour drive of my home, and it was interesting to hear about each of them.

Last Wednesday I went to the monthly training of one of the groups that meets close to my home. Training was good (wildland fire evacuation and helicopter safety) but I probably won’t be joining that group. This coming Thursday I’m going to the group meeting that meets close to my work which is probably the group I’ll join. The other 4 groups are just too long a drive…

Prepper Meetup

I went to my Prepper Meetup this past week. Topic was open forum/general prepping questions. Mostly we talked about earthquake safety and when/why to bug out. It was a good discussion, except it resulted in me spending money. More on that in a bit…

We’re down to only 5 core members which kind of worries me, because the one other topic the group organizer sent out in his email was “the future plans for the group.” That kind of bummed me out because I thought he was going to disband since only the same 5 or 6 people seem to be showing up. No worries though, he just wants to change the focus of the group from “beginning prepping” to “intermediate prepping.” Oh, and go on social media to help promote the group.

Another new tool

One of the things that came up at the Meetup was “what if the building you’re in collapses in an earthquake”? Someone mentioned the Stanley FatMax demolition bar. So when I got home I looked into it. Turns out they make 2 styles in 2 sizes: the “peon” model and the “tacticool” model, both are offered in your choice of 18″ or 30″.

The difference between the 2 styles is the “tacticool” version has a gas shutoff tool, 2 types of fire hydrant wrenches (square and 5 sided), and a spanner wrench built in. The “peon” version doesn’t have these, except from the pics it looks like the 30″ “peon” version has (at least) the 5 sided fire hydrant wrench. Oh, and the “tacticool” version is hard to find and wildly over priced IMO ($36 vs $91 for the 18″, $62 vs $160 for the 30″).

I couldn’t care less about the hydrant or spanner wrenches, but the gas shutoff could be really handy if I had a gas leak in my house, so I sucked it up and splurged on the 30″ “tacticool” model. It left a bitter taste as I ordered it. Why don’t they put the gas shutoff on the “peon” model? Not like it would be harder to make that way. OK so off my soap box…

Gardening

I ordered 2 fig trees and 2 blackberry bushes. They got here yesterday but I probably won’t have time to plant them until Mon or Tue after work. I also bought some of the things I need to put hoop houses over our planting beds. I messed up on the rebar. I thought I needed 3 foot sections. After pounding 2 of them into the ground, I’ve decided that 2 foot sections would be better. So another trip to Home Depot tomorrow 🙂

For next week, I hope to finish the hoop houses over our raised beds. Already talked to the wife and she’s on board. In fact, it was her idea to get some Agribon. Still need to order the clear plastic that goes over the hoops, but one thing at a time. Hopefully next week we’ll all be healthy and I can get back on my regular schedule. What did YOU do to prep this week?

Peace out,
porcupine

What did you do to prep this week?

I got three of our raised beds ready for garlic. They all have good organic soil and are tamped down and ready to plant. I’m pre-soaking the garlic buds tonight, and tomorrow I’ll have the kids help me plant. I also picked up and crushed a bunch of leaves and put them in a fourth bed. Hopefully it will turn into compost… Besides that, I finally got around to clearing out the dead bean and tomato plants.

Permaculture Meetup

On Saturday I went to a work bee hosted by the local Permaculture Meetup group and learned how to make low tunnel hoop houses. They’re basically mini greenhouses that let you grow some things over the winter. The key idea is “some” things, not “every” thing. Where I live, “some” means plants that can live through almost freezing temperatures. In my case, that means spinach and broccoli.

More Tools

The last thing I did to prep this week was buy a compressor. Home Depot had a 30 gallon model on sale for $279 so my wife agreed to let me get it. When we went to buy it, I changed my mind and (amazingly) talked her into letting me get a Dewalt 15 gallon for $100 more than the Husky. What? $100 more for a tank that’s only half the size? I can explain…

First, I don’t have a problem with Husky tools, but Dewalt tools have never failed me. Also, the Dewalt is light enough that I can load it into my truck by myself. The Husky is too heavy. I’m not painting cars or running an air driven belt sander, so 15 gallon air capacity should be fine for my needs.

That’s it for me this time. What did you do to prep this week?

Peace out,
porcupine

Random notes

Haven’t had time to update this lately, so here are some random notes…

Permaculture

Went to my second permaculture Meetup last night. They are having 2 work-bees this month, where members get together and help each other out and learn. Really a good idea for a Meetup group IMO. One is this weekend which I won’t be able to attend due to a previous commitment. Wish I could go though, because the topic is butchering and processing rabbits. I did talk to the guy running the work-bee and he said to contact him and he’ll help me get started with raising rabbits. The second work-bee will also be useful, helping one of the members put in some low-tunnel growing beds. That one is at the end of the month so I’ll be able to go.

Preppers

My monthly preppers Meetup is tonight, but I won’t be able to go because of a previous commitment. The topic is situational awareness so it should be interesting. I do have a couple of good books on the subject, notably Left of Bang.

CERT

The big deal for me for the next 2 weeks is CERT training. If you don’t know what CERT is, it means Community Emergency Response Team. The training is provided by county law enforcement under the guidance of FEMA. I figure it’s a good way to learn how FEMA operates, meet other like-minded people, and learn some helpful skills.

Kifaru

I’m still pissed at Kifaru about the missing pulls on my Urban Zippy. TWICE now I’ve requested they be sent to me, twice now I was promised they’ve been sent, and twice I’ve gotten stiffed. And yes, I verified both times that they have my correct mailing address. I could just get some paracord and make my own, but I want the side pulls to match the other pulls. Hell, they wouldn’t even bother to tell me what brand and color they use so I can match it myself. Maybe it shouldn’t be that big a deal to me, but we’re talking about a day pack that cost over $300.

I’ve been saving for an AMR or Mountain Warrior, but after my experience I’m looking at Eberlestock and Mystery Ranch too. So far I don’t see anything I like as much as the big Kifaru packs, but I’m not very happy with Kifaru’s customer service right now. Hopefully I’ll be over it by the time I have the money saved up.

Garden

My garlic order showed up last week, so I got a bunch of really good planting soil and set up 3 raised beds for the garlic. Hope to get it planted next week. I have 2 more beds I’m going to plant with brussel sprouts, lettuce, and spinach. From what I learned last night, they’ll grow over the winter (even in freezing weather) as long as I keep them under a low tunnel cover.

Peace out,
porcupine