What a strange summer! 2020 has been LIT so far

Sorry for not posting for awhile. My body seems to be going through a bit of a CIDP flare and honestly I have not been getting a lot of projects done.  I’m trying to get back into the “habit” of work again but I think I developed something like a “Bunker Mentality”while my CIDP was flaring up. Taking it easy physically during the bad weather or flare is okay but for me I escalated into laziness and procrastination and did not force myself to do even 15 minutes of work to break me out of that mental hunkered down mode.  I will say I have had a few good days of getting yard work done during the BUNKER period and have some new stuff to report to all of you .

I waited on finishing the garden cart bed until I could buy the wide 5 5/8 in cedar fence boards.  The wider boards just look better to me for the raised bed wall compared to skinnier cedar boards.  If you prefer using more of the less wide fence boards go for it!  That is the nice thing about building something yourself.  You get to make what you want rather than buying something from the store and making it work for you.  I have built a few items out wood like my kindling wood box and my firewood racks and while those projects are functional they are not pretty/ something I’d be proud to show off.  I want this raised bed/garden cart to be something I want to show off a bit but mostly something beautiful I see everyday and know I built that and I did a darn good job.  I’m also adding some extra 2x4s under the plywood base for strength to hold the weigh of the dirt, water and plants.  It might be some over engineering on my part but holding in a lot dirt and water exposed to air is not the best environment for wood structures.

Of course I had to go to the local home improvement store to get lumber and Home depot had a huge display of 1 gallon 30% acidity vinegar for $20.00.  I had bought 32 oz. of high acid vinegar for my local farm store for the same price.  I filled up my sprayer and attacked the weeds in the alley way. Now it was a hot day in the 90 degree F. range but the area was in the shade when I sprayed. After about 30-60 minutes broad leaf thistle plants withered.  I will give an update on the effects on Morning glory, cheat grass and all other weeds I can Identify.  I won’t use Round up or weed killers like that because that sterilizes the soil.  While a 30% acid  vinegar base may seem extreme I have very alkali soil. At worst I’m adding some ph balance to the poor soil in my alley way.   Weeds are Mama Natures Paramedics to help even poor soil stay in place. You can’t be mad a weeds because they grow where ever they are allowed to grow.  I have stored up a lot of less than positive colorful for the people that plant Morning glory and some seem to be nice people besides being gardening lunatics!  I hope the high acid will start killing back the weeds but especially the Morning Glory.

I got all of the soaker hoses laid out in the 10 foot long raised beds.  If you are using standard 5/8th hose fittings you will need to use 1 1/4 inch holes saw or spade bit to feed  hoses through the wood of a 2 inch thick raised bed board. At least I won’t be watering all the weeds outside my raised bed gardens.  I gathered up another ball of morning glory and tossed it the trash bin.  My hope is that the very acidic 30% vinegar will kill off at least the morning glory.  If it kills off other weeds, that is all the better.

Time to start getting your firewood heating taken care of. Hiring a good chimney sweep in July is easy,  You might even be given a discount because you are ahead of the masses that want a chimney sweep just as the weather turns cold in the Fall.  Most folks that burn fire wood suggest that wood dry/season for a over year.  That might not be possible for everyone but getting firewood in summer and have it dry through summer is possible for most people.  You really want a stack that lasts 3 years at min. because dry wood burns cleaner and heats your home more efficiently. I’m also in control of my heat and no one else. Not the electric company, or the government nor any mobs.

It would be difficult use to me as disabled Vet as a victim.  Because I’m not a victim at all.  I may disagree with stuff but overall my life is darn good.  I’ve hit rock bottom and managed to climb out of my screw ups. They were my screw ups believing the government and advertisements and hype.  I don’t do that so much any more.

Last but not least stop supporting companies that despise you!  Amazon, Walmart google, twitter… You get the idea. I may buy from from Amazon but the won’t be my first choice for shopping.  OMG I may have to wait 5-7 day to get a product.

 

Over all not a bad bit of work if not all I wanted to get done.

 

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I think the Rioters tried to setoff a riot in Boise

Idaho is a Constitutional carry state so you can openly carry or conceal carry a firearm without a “Certificate of Mother may I” from the state.  Boise had a small protest that went on after BLM bailed and one fire arm discharge that is being treated as a sort of “accident” in Boise.  Up north people came out strapped in Ceour ‘D Lane Idaho for some protesters and everyone stayed polite and there were no reports of looting or fires.  I was looking at the USA map and Idaho has not had much in the ways of rioting, looting and other mayhem. A couple of small protests and a battery powered candle light vigil for George Lloyd.  I myself was outraged by the death of George Lloyd because of what I see is “Police Brutality” and lawless cops. We have seen it in Idaho from cops doing no-knock warrants, to shooting dogs to shooting people with very little cause as I see it.  I used to support cops and was totally supportive of following the law. Not any more! If you are a cop and are afraid of getting bit by a dog pick a new line of work.  I will no longer give you cops the benefit of doubt because you have proven you don’t deserve it.

I know it is not all cops are bad, but enough are bad and are protect by their peer, unions and the city, counties and states that don’t fire the bad cops, You “GOOD” cops don’t get a pass any more. It was not just one bad cop sitting on that neck for 8+ minutes there were 4-5 other cops that let him commit that brutality. Don’t come at me that being a cop is stressful!  Lots of jobs are stressful and you can do the job or not and you don’t get a pass for doing a stressful job.

Enough on covering the rioters. I started cleaning up the Iris plants and the front yard beds a OMG it was a workout.  I have cut most of the Iris leaves around 3-6 inches and started cleaning out all the old plant material along with some weeds.  From what I have read after the flower stops blooming it is safe to cut the green leaf parts of the Iris between 3-6 inches and then dig up the root/rhizome for replanting.  If the root/rhizome is mushy it probably is not going to grow. Have a spot for those new Irises from the old beds or share the Iris Rhizomes with your neighbors.  Clean up the root with a sharp knife and wrap in newspaper/craft paper. I have several purple/ lavender and purple/ gold mix Irises.  But the real beauty is a pristine white iris that I have no idea how it propagated.  Serendipity is a wonderful thing!

I got the tree cut down so a lot more sunlight is hitting the front yard lawn. I treated the lawn for some nasty bugs and I added some lawn “Food”/nutrients and the grass is growing like crazy. It looks like some of the weeds are getting choked via the new grass growth but it is still early days. I really want to create a gazebo seating area with a small fire pit but that will take a bit of study and money to make that happen.  For now I will just clean up the area and work on getting it some what level for future projects.

I like Trump and I want the congress to eliminate the War Powers act!

I think Trump did a good job “threading the needle” with Iran of hitting them hard but also giving them a face saving out.  I think he sent a good message of strength to the middle eastern terrorist factions as this president hits back.  I don’t want the USA in the middle east involved in forever wars. I was a soldier and though I never served in a combat zone I had many friends who did serve. If the wars never end why should anyone sacrifice themselves to fight the war.

I had hope in Pelosi and the House limiting the WAR POWERS Act.  She did nothing but pass a non-binding resolution along mostly party lines that means “nothing changes”.  I want Congress to reassert it’s power of the purse and pass a realistic budget based on current tax collections.  I want the SCOTUS to treat all of the rights in the Bill of Rights as sacrosanct and over any of those rights via the legislature or popular vote is an anathema that violates the Constitution.  If you think an Amendment to the Constitution is wrong there are provisions to add or revoke amendments.  I’d love to revoke the 17th Ammendment of Senators being elected by “popular vote” and let the states Appoint Senators again via whatever mechanism the States chooses.  It could be a state popular vote or vote of the state legislature or even a Governor appointment.  We just need the US Senate to be a “brake” to passing laws via the mob/ or it is popular on twitter.

I like Trump, I disliked Obama as Presidents.  Trump will not be President forever and we need to restore the checks and balances of power the US Government.  Yes, there will be gridlock that is not a bug, but a feature. As people will find away to work around the gridlock if it needed.  Virginia is a good example of a grass roots push back against a over-reaching state government. As the Founders hoped each state would be an incubator of different types of societies.  I doubt this is how the Founders thought it would turn out but let’s roll with this idea.  California is the Social paradise the Progressive Democrats/Socialist want.  Many people don’t want to live in California.  Texas is conservative in politics.  Pro capitalist, pro private property rights, low taxes and minimal government interference with people.

A lot of people hate politics and just want to be left alone to live as they wish.  They don’t give a damn about “issues” they MUST care about, according to the elites. Those people see how the elites live.  Al Gore was so concerned about Global warming and the rising oceans he bought Beach front property.  Obama bought a several million dollar Beach house property in the Hampton’s that is literally is less than 300 yards from the Atlantic Ocean.   How does that compare to a guy having to government mandated Flood insurance in the mid west?  Or a rancher/farmer in the west trying to protect his crops, farm animals or trees from wild fires and droughts.

Trump does not get a pass with me as he was more than willing to go after a homeowner to make a parking lot of her home for one of his casinos in Jersey.  It was not a personal attack but that really strikes at an individual and is “punching down”.  I wonder why no one in the DNC never brings up DJT being an ass is some of his real estate dealings? Who could bring this charge and assume a Moral High Ground?    Bernie Sanders ( I own 3 homes Socialist).  Elizabeth Warren I claimed Native American status while earning $300,000-$500,000 via IVY college and government consultation jobs.   Don’t believe me call up the net worth of the Democrat Candidates.  Heck Chelsea Clinton gets paid over 9 million dollars per year as a board member and ….

We the people are not that dumb.  We see the game and we know there is not a damn thing we can do about it!  That is why this video is important.

“I’m coming to your house if TSHTF” and varations got me thinking

We have either heard or read folks that seem to think they can just show up on your doorstep and they will just walk in to home and you will take care of them. Some others think they can turn renegade/criminal  and just walk in and take your stuff  you have prepared.  I have very little sympathy or tolerance in either mindset as they both miss the point that by being prepared you are not dependent on others be it the Government, Friends and family or potential victims.

I do some prepping for friends and family, heck I even have some “charity buckets” that I can give out to help someone move on down the road. I do this because of my beliefs and I’m trying to help out my Mom with the other family members.  My neighbors joked about coming to my house when the wood stove was installed to stay warm. They are folks I would welcome with open arms as they have helped out with my yard work, given me produce from their garden. Even my trike I got from them for free because of the volunteer work they do in the community. I have got a lot of help from them because they are young and strong and just “good people”.  I have no problem helping these kind of people out.

For the moochers, I have no time for because I have proven in less than five years even on limited income you can not only prepare but thrive.  It takes some work to pay down debt, to not go out to bars, cafes and give up things that save time.  You will have to take time to learn new skills and practice them. You will probably looked at as a cheapskate or at least a little odd by people and yes they will talk about you!  You won’t have the latest and greatest stuff while you do that hard work of paying down debt and building up you provisions and skill sets. I know for me it seemed like it was taking forever the first two years, then some things became habits on saving money. I got excited about paying off a debt and instead of going out to celebrate I plowed that money into paying off other debts or food/equipment for my preps. How do you think I came up with my original $100.00-$125.00 shopping list. I got it $20.00 at a time starting cooking from scratch and as I used those bulk foods to learn and eat I would add more to my preps. Making up a bunch of bread or beans and rice is simple. Learning to make it tasty takes practice and cook books/internet.

One of my pet peeves is most prepping sites only recommend buying whole grains. If you can’t afford to buy a good grinder that’s dumb and if you are not used to eating whole grains it can effect your body badly making you feel quite ill. Buy 50 pounds of unbleached flour and start making your bread to save money. Once you can afford a grinder then you can look at slowly adding things like whole wheat to your diet slowly and mixing your flour 1/2 and 1/2 with whole wheat as your body gets used to it.  White flour will last about 5 years if stored in cool dry place so you will have plenty of time to use it up by making bread and stuff then rotating it.

Now for you criminal wannabes who think you can simply take what ever you want from those who prepare. I’d like to enlighten you on a few facts about preppers and survivalist.

1. Most preppers and survivalist are not pacifists. Most of them have several weapons and consider 1000 rounds of ammo per weapon a good start.
2. Most have upgraded their doors and windows and have local alarms, lights and other defensive measures installed or can be installed quickly in a SHTF scenario.
3. Many have set up neighborhood watch groups or live in rural areas where strangers are noticed quickly and are encouraged to move along.
4. Most practice self defense skills quite regularly and pay for classes to become more proficient at dealing out violence.
5. While you might be a vet so are many of us.  For what you spend on your tacticool crap and the latest camo (which makes as camouflaged as a school bus) You could probably buy your own basics if you weren’t so obviously lazy.
6. Let us assume that all your great secret squirrel, ninja tactics work and you take over my home and my preps. You are going to do what with them?  While I do have canned goods most of my preps are in long term food that needs to cooked from scratch.   At best you might be able to carry away about 3-7 days of food.  Lack of clean drinking water will probably kill you in a couple of weeks before you can ever stage an attack.
7. Let’s just take a look at the quality of people that will join you in your little criminal escapade and just how comfortable with them not to shoot you in the back to take from you what you need to live.  I mean you have all agreed that murder, rape and pillage are quite acceptable in order to live. Good people to have watch you back.  /sarcasm
8. Now let’s look at the logistics and your so called supply train for your merry bunch. Heck I will even give you a vehicle or two to support your bunch of 5-10 criminals. Now you will need at a min. 10 gallons a day of water though 30 -50 gallons is more realistic, so that’s about 400 pounds of water you will need daily just to cook and maintain a min. level of hygiene. You will need about 2 pounds of food per person per day just to maintain basic health and closer to 3-4 pounds because attacking people in good defensive positions is physical work and takes quite few calories.  So you need about 20-50 pounds of food daily. Now you could stage a raid against a prepper or survivalist and take some casualties. Or watch a place for a week and maybe get lucky and catch someone unaware.
9. So if you are somewhat lucky, you will need to carry off over 2 tons of water and about 700 pounds of food just to pay off for that one raid. You better hope that prepper had a bit more than a few months on hand to deal with local disasters to justify your investment of time, energy and risk.
10. That’s only trying to pull off a raid twice a month and does not consider fuel for heat, transportation, the weight of ammo, clothes or anything else your group will need. People need water, food, basic shelter, sanitation and security everyday.
11. Oh I suppose you and your guys could take over a home for a few days to month until everything runs out. Guess what you just became a target to other raiders.

It’s dumb to think that you can raid homes and folks like preppers or survivalists when it is easy and fairly cheap to build your own supplies up. Most preppers might have 3-6 months worth of supplies for a family of four and a couple of those members are small children that are not food intensive.  Depending on the population you may not have a lot of time to loot and run back to your camp. Exactly how long do you think you may last before you run out of preppers to pillage? Three months,  six months at best as those preppers will be eating and using all those supplies while you get your little raids together. Even if you become good at raiding you will eventually run out of victims and then what?

Running through my checklists

I can’t say I feel all that optimistic going into this Labor day weekend.  All this war talk is making the markets jittery and is doing much for my nerves either. But all a person can do is the best they can with what they have to work with.  It seems to help me if I can do something to at least make me feel in control of my own life.  So, I’m going around and double checking my lists  and see how I can handle whatever may happen and doing some contingency planning.  It’s amazing the motivation you get when you think your country might be starting WWIII.

Vehicles: I already got the gas tank topped off last week and still have over 3/4 of a tank for the van.  I got my big “bugout box” finished up with my small tent and added some other odds and ends.  I picked a couple of the one pound propane bottles for my portable shower and added some batteries for the  pump. Stopped by the sporting goods store for a couple of the small blended cans of fuel for my new little backpacker stove. If I read the reviews correctly for the stove those little cans should be good for about 5-7 days each. If I have to use the van I have my dual fuel camp stove, fishing poles and other items I can load up at the last minute.

I’m not quite sure how I want to handle water if I have to bugout. I have a couple of gallons already in the van along with my water filter in the BOB but more on hand would be nice.  I’m hoping to sit tight but I forgot that my area provides call center/tech support for the Navy and Marine Corps. Dumb because I worked for that company before I got disabled. If you are wondering why Idaho is under Cyber attack that is probably the reason.

For backup electrical power I am charging  or have charged just about every battery I have for electronics.  Both of my little jump/power packs are charged and ready to go.  Plenty of small batteries are on hand for flashlights and radios.  Lighting can be done via kerosene and all of the wicks have been trimmed and tested out. I put the smaller electronics I don’t use daily or that I’m charging  in my Faraday cage.

I can cook, heat water all via propane, charcoal, wood or solar oven, but I will feel much better once the wood stove is installed.  I will be testing out my small generator tomorrow just in case besides it needs to be tested prior to winter anyway so I won’t be wasting my time or fuel.  Just move up my pre-winter storm checklist a little early.

Food, water and everyday stuff  is in good shape, but my local farm store has no wheat and is not sure when they will get any more in stock. I let myself get low on lighters but I got stocked up at Walgreen’s along with a couple of Canon printers that are on sale this week for $20.00. The printer may sound a little crazy but if you have read ferfal’s surviving in Argentina, having paper and the ability to print was a big deal.

Financially I should be in great shape as long as we don’t have a banking shut down of any sort. I have a couple of ideas but I don’t think they will work in the short term.  I need another week or two before I feel confident in my financial preps, it’s just a time issue because this administration loves to inform us of any bad news just before a holiday weekend. Hopefully I’m over reacting, but I have zero confidence  in the PTBs doing the right thing  for “We the People” instead of what they see is the best for them!