WEDNESDAY MORNING PREP TALK

I spent the day yesterday checking up on my preps and seeing what I had accomplished. I haven't done too bad and am striving to do better. I e-mailed my list of food preps to a few friends and asked for a reaction. I'm not doing too bad but I ain't the big dog on the blcok either. I can guarantee that I am not the big preparer. Some of the guys made me look like small potatoes.

I had to get an idea, however, of where I stood and why. I am a protein fan and I have protein covered pretty well. But I am sorely lacking in tasty vegetables to go along with the protein. I am sorely lacking in decaf and teas. I am extremely lacking in SALT. I wouldn't be a bit upset if I found myself with 400 lbs of salt. That may seem like a lot but if the electricity fails I have a small chest freezer full of meat that will need preserved. It ain't much but it's there and I don't like the idea of it going away due to spoilage.

Herbal teas with goodies in them to keep the old immune system up and going are another area of concern. The Handmaiden gave me some hot tea yesterday made from Nettle leaves and Dandelion root. Delicious. Sorta reminded me of Ginger tea. I love Ginger tea.

I'm not saying to stock up on commercial canned goods but I can see the need of some fruit, along with those vegetables, to brighten our days. These canned goods will go along with other canned foods such as beef stew, chicken, chili, etc. I know one guy who has 2 or 3 cases of all these things. I have so little it's not worth mentioning. But the downfall of the system has not happened as yet and prepping can continue. I'm for that.

I saw a slogan yesterday that I have seen before but it struck a chord that made lot of sense. "Store what you eat and eat what you store." That made perfect sense to me. I have read about people who buy "survival" foods that are vacuum sealed and good for 20 years and all of that but the food is so far away from their regular diet that they have trouble even digesting some of it. And if their kids don't like it then they have a world of trouble. The other half of the saying is "eat what you store." This just keeps your supplies up to date and still good for you.

So store the foods you are used to and can eat regularly. Strange mixtures of powdered this and that might be nutricious as all get out but they will make you very tired in a helluva hurry. And rotate your prep foods. Eat the older stuff and keep adding newer and fresher. That way you are in top shape if an emergency comes along.

Emergencies don't necessarily happen on a schedule. That is why they are called emergencies. They come up out of the blue and there you are like a fish out of water. Those countries where they are having food riots have been just plain slow and stupid. Their governments have let them down. If you live in a country where the average wage is $2 a day the government should have gone with their hat in hand to other countries that could help them. The people who are hungry aren't stupid, it's their governments that are stupid. I think that if I lived in Haiti I would find some way to fish before I would starve. Even the most primitive of fishing methods would help prevent starvation.

I have found that preppers are stocking up on beer, wine and hard liquor. Some of them don't even drink the stuff they store but they have it in mind to use it for barter if things get bad. Cigarettes and booze can be very valuable in times of economic stress. So can coffee. I have heard from people who are storing green coffee beans for hard times. Others are storing packages of things like Cafe du Monde. CDM comes in a foil sealed brick and is very easily kept. I am still hesitant about trading with these things. But that is why I am for a local Barterville instead of selling out your front door. Who the hell wants some drunk to come banging on their door at midnight wanting to deal for some alcohol? "Not I", said the Michael. But value is value and alcohol is valuable when there isn't any to be found. Same for tobacco. Just be careful. You can get killed for a lot less.

Another area of preparedness that gets overlooked is tools. How many axes and hatchets do you have? How many Mill Bastard files do you have to keep them sharp? How many splitting mauls do you own? How many steel wedges do you have? Do you have many shovels to dig outhouses and other things like water lines? Do you have a Pick and a Mattux? Got any spare plumbobs? How many pounds of nails do you own? Since cut lumber will bring a horrendous premium, do you have long spike nails of 40 penny or longer to fasten logs togethr for shelter and barns?

Ands what about screwdrivers and hammers and sledgehammers and wrenches? Those things can be pretty precious if you need them. If the system ails then you ain't gonna get to use your fancy electric tools. You are going to saw things by hand with a carpenters saw, or a bow saw, or a crosscut saw. And what about all those fasteners we take for granted? Screws and nails and angle braces and such. Sure is a lot to keep track of. But that is what prepping is all about. You try to be ready in the event of whatever emergency comes your way. Tall order. Very tall indeed. Got plastic pipe and fittings in case a water line goes out? Go the glue it takes to hook them together?

I think we need lists. I think we need inventories. We have so much to do and we have no idea of the time frame. Hell. The banks could dissolve tomorrow and then where would we be?

I am not going to write any more posts to go up today. We will declare National
Inventory Day and find out where we stand. And put that inventory on paper! Don't trust the computer to come on when the system fails. We all really need to do this to have some peace of mind and know where we need to go. Thursday's e-mail should be very interesting, to say the least. By the way, I do not want to do this inventory so that I might know what your preps are. Your preps are YOUR business. I want the inventories so that you might know your own personal status.

Have fun and stay alive.

Michael

mboone@rtccom.net