A FAVORITE PLACE TO SHOP

I eagerly read the Walgreen’s newspaper insert each Sunday to see if they have my favorites on sale: Scott’s toilet paper, canned ham, foil, olives, mandarin oranges, and household gloves. Little did I ever dream I would grocery shop at a drug store, but bargains are to be had there.

The Scott’s individual toilet paper rolls have been $0.50 a roll for ages. It’s not overly plush but not near as bad as “school TP,” you know, the kind we grew up with in elementary school. I find it to be a dandy bargain, and I hope the price is not creeping up. The wrapper and used cardboard roll can be used for fire starters.

The DAK or Celebrity canned ham is no longer a full pound, but rather 12 ounces. I grew up eating canned ham, so it’s not a big transition for me. On sale, it is $1.99 and can serve a family of four amply at one meal. I have tried it fried up for breakfast, in omelets, and in sandwiches, and it’s pretty darn good for a canned product.  My prediction is that in a worst case scenario, this product would be worth its weight in . . . well, you get the idea. Limit 2.

The mandarin oranges are $0.50 a can, but that is the price at my grocery store, too. A perfect size for two people in one meal. Household gloves go for $0.39 a pair, limit three. The olives and foil are a dollar each.

As long as I’m at a drug store, I like to scan the first aid aisle and see if anything catches my eye and I need to add anything to my supplies. Picked up some generic Betadine today, several dollars cheaper than the name brand.

Until next time,

– The Aging Prepper

LET’S TALK WATER

Everyone who loves the topic of survival and prepping addresses water needs. We all know the drill: 3 days without water and you’re dead. You can be dead even quicker if you drink contaminated water. Who would want a rip roaring case of diphtheria, cholera, or dysentery? I sure don’t want giardia, protozoa, viruses, bacteria, intestinal parasites or any other the possibilities. Count me out. I am of the opinion that you really can’t cover this preparation too thoroughly in a variety of methods.

Have you ever been thirsty? I mean really thirsty for hours on end and there was nothing to drink? Once I boarded a train in Paris to cross the Pyrenees into Spain on an overnight train. I had been on European trains before and at every little depot stop there were men or women selling food and drink from pushcarts on the platform. Being a trusting young American, I never considered that I should plan better. There was no dining car, the bathroom had severe warnings about not drinking the lavatory water, there were no vendors on platforms, and besides we didn’t stop. As the hours wore on, I become thirsty, then more thirsty, then unbearably thirsty. It was a misery I never want to experience again and it only lasted a few hours.

Finally, early the next morning we pulled into a Spanish station and I was able to buy 2 orange Fantas from machines. I drank them down, one right after another. Being desperately thirsty at age 26 was a life-changing experience for me. I was Scarlett O’Hara and I vowed to never be thirsty again. I drilled this into my children. All my car trips, no matter how short, are made with liquids in hand or purse. I just won’t ever go anywhere without something to drink. I never want to be thirsty again.

So, what do I think? The following is a list, a ”water list” of a variety of purifiers, filters, and different means of water storage. Here goes:

• Katadyn MicroPur Water Purification tablets
• Katadyn Vario Purification Portable System
• Royal Berkey Filtration System with additional black filters
• Berkey filtration sports bottles
• “missionary” ceramic filter system with additonal filters
• 55 gallon rain barrels connected to roof gutter system
• 1 liter and 0.5 liter commercial water bottles
• water stored in glass sangria jugs and wine bottles with bleach drops
• in-ground swimming pool or above ground
• gallons of plain bleach

At my house we have firewood for boiling water, if need be. However, that would be an inefficient method of pasteurizing water. A better way is to well filter dirty water several times, then pasteurize it with UV rays from sunlight. The method I have read about is to filter the water, then fill clear water bottles, place in direct sunlight lying on corrogated metal such as is used for roofing outbuildings.  In my opinion, this is a last ditch effort to stay healthy. A better idea is to prepare with adequate water, filters, and tablets.

Another item that has my attention is the LIFESAVER BOTTLE 4000, a water filtration system that will filter down to 0.015 microns.

On Google Earth you can check your neighborhood for backyard swimming pools for possible use if the owners bug out of town and leave them. Learn where creeks, streams, tributaries, rivers, canals, bar ditches, whatever, flow in your area even on an intermitent basis, especially if you live in dry or drought areas. Do this now because in the event of an EMP or grid down episode your computer will not show you Google Earth.

– The Aging Prepper

All Creatures Great and Small

This week’s cold spell has been hard on the human population, but please think about domestic pets and wild animals.

We once had a rescue English Springer Spaniel for many, many years. A beautiful animal, but all in all, a crazy puppy. When we first got him, he was like most puppies: a chewer, unmannered, a runner, not house trained, a destroyer. He was relegated to the backyard. At age three with his puppyhood behind him, we moved to another state, one colder and with more severe weather. We made the conscious decision to bring our spaniel inside, potty train him, make him a member of the family. To do otherwise would be inhumane in those bitter winters of snow and ice and hot, humid summers.  People who have pets in cold climates should only be pet owners if they are willing to do what is necessary to show kindness to animals.

Within a short time, our spaniel was transformed into a loving, protective, friendly, eager to please, well-trained, clever house dog. We never looked back. He became a poster child for good pets. In only a few months, he  could be trusted to stay with us without a leash and not leave our presence while outside. He had gorgeous markings and was an exquisite animal. People would ask us, “How did you get your dog to be so good?” The answer was always, “We brought him inside and made him a member of the family.” He lived for 13 years.

Our current rescue is a huge black coonhound, probably a mix. This guy was abused in his youth, he has the burn scars on his back where fur will never grow again. On adoption, his severe case of heartworm cost $1000 to cure. Seriously underweight, his time on the streets resulted in starvation and malnutrition.  He didn’t wag his tail for over a year. He chewed his way through our house and yard, but we knew that if we could outlast him, love and time would win out.  That tail now wags non-stop and our little starvling is a sleek, fat and sassy animal. He sleeps with us in the king size bed and, indeed, does follow us around like a puppy dog.  We are still working on the running . We are his pack and he is in doggie heaven.  Life is good.

I don’t know about your area, but if you feed them, they will come. I’m speaking of hummers, those little bossy, showy, squeaky balls of energy. Last summer after a week in the mountains of New Mexico and observing how engaging multiple hummingbird feeders can be, we came back and relocated our one feeder to a higher, shadier, more protected location, and added a couple of more from Wal-Mart. While we had from time to time over the years, seen a stray hummer in our backyard, it was not a common occurance. Immediately, and I mean within minutes, the word got out to the neighborhood hummers that our yard hosted a bonanza of nectar. The feeders had non-stop traffic and the little guys also enjoyed our blooming annuals. Hummingbirds are also pollinators. They stayed until the weather turned cold. Hummers are bossy, possessive, and territorial. Hang out a few feeders in the spring and get ready for cheap, clean entertainment right in your backyard.

Now, about the wild bird population. I have read reports of declining bird populations, although it seems that grackles and pigeons thrive in my city. I would urge you to join The Audubon Society and support their work with birds. They do great work and have a beautiful magazine. We have multiple feeders in the front yard and the backyard, 3 bird baths, and an outdoor swimming pool which the neighborhood wildlife enjoys sipping from. The rule is that if you start feeding birds, either stop in time for them to migrate, or be faithful in your feeding. You can’t go on again, off again. We carefully keep the seed feeders filled during this cold snap. Get some good birdseed, especially one that has lots of sunflower seeds.  As I talk about our yard, you might be tempted to think that it is quite large. Au contraire. Our lot is smallish, we just maximize the space. Great things can be done in small, interesting areas. Back to the birds, please consider joining The Audubon Society and feeding the birds in these freezing temperatures. It is the right thing to do.

No deer come into our yard, but we have plenty of squirrels. They also feast on the birdfeeders,and I occasionally put out old bread or crackers for them. We hear the coyotes beyond the fence at night and see the evidence of the possums digging in our beds around our fruit trees. Our yard is a registerd Certified Wildlife Habitat. Check out nwf.org/backyard/ on how to certify your yard. Over 96000 yards have been certified. This is a fun program that stimulates conversation and supports environmental work. National Wildlife Federation also publishes a lovely magazine.

Feeding wildlife helps ensure their survival through the winter. Your pets will live longer and have a happier life if they are protected from the cold.

Until next time, The Aging Prepper

Picking and the Woodpile

What occcurance this week  is one of my favorite semi-annual events?

It’s the twice a year brush and trash pick up that our city schedules. 

Homeowners are notified in advance by the city that your week is coming up and what rules must be followed.  Tree trimmers come out in force going from door to door getting jobs to trim trees and shrubs. All that lovely “garden trash” is put out on the curb days in advance. I am a recycler and scavenger at heart. This week just makes my heart sing.  We hit a bonanza last weekend.  A neighbor four doors down from us must have had a firewood pile they wanted to get rid.  The wood was already cut it into firewood lengths along with a large pile of  branches, just sitting there awaiting a trip to the city landfill. We rushed back home to get our pickup truck and gloves to load the logs. The load filled the back of the truck. How fortuitous! This week we have experienced the coldest weather in 26 years. I can’t even begin to tell you how perfectly seasoned the wood is and how it makes such a beautiful fire in the fireplace. A true bonanza. We had the chimney sweep come out in August since we’ve been in this house six years. However, due to our mild climate, some years we never even open the damper to light a fire.

In addition, we put out broken and worn out patio furniture that we had stored until this special time and a broken-but-fixable-by-a-determined-and-handy person, very expensive wicker and upholstered recliner.  The pickers were out in force. Within 15 minutes the patio furniture was gone with scrap metal recyclers. The recliner took longer although several people examined it closely prior to pick up. I hate the idea of items heading to the landfill.

Over the years, I have rescued several useful plant stands for use in the backyard and tidy bundles of wood thoughtfully set out by my neighbors.

I find it comforting that if my husband and I were really desperate for firewood, we could go down the street with a battery-powered chain saw cutting useful lengths of logs. If we really were in need of mulch, we could load limbs into our pickup and bring back home to grind up in our gasoline-powered chipper shredder.  The reason we don’t need any mulch right now is that we still have bags and bags of oak leaves from thoughtful people in the city who religiously bag their oak leaves and set out on the curb. We picked up several dozens last season when the oaks dropped their leaves. Those leaves are turning into beautiful, rich soil. We used many buckets of leaves to protect young trees and bushes from the cold spell this week.

Let me hear from you! The Aging Prepper

Hello world!

Welcome to The Aging Prepper!                                                                                                                        

Did you just say, “Oh, no, not another survival / prepper / blogger?”                                              

Yes, this is another blog because I feel like I have something to say, not just regurgitate what has already been said and repeated as if it is always, undisputedly true. I bring a fresh point of view: female, urban, professional, upper middle class, approaching 60, moderate, not gun-toting, and indifferent to your own personal religious or political beliefs.

I have written several times for survivalblog.com and consider James Rawles a long-distance mentor, although we have never met. However, he doesn’t always publish my submissions, so this way I have a venue for my ideas. If you are interested in this topic, please visit his website to begin with if you haven’t already.  He is the granddaddy of survival bloggers and preppers, a recognized authority and published author.

What are the parameters of this blog?

• civility
• respect
• truthfulness
• limited gun talk
• no religion discussion
• no conspiracy theories
• no racism allowed, ever
• no extremism in any form
• focus on positivity and optimism
• no advice is offered, simply my opinion
• acknowledgement that there is more than one way to do something

You are welcome to post comments, but I will edit at will or delete if the rules are not followed. Please respond in English. You may submit guest articles for consideration. I am not giving medical or legal or even ethical advice. The content comes fresh from me based on readings, travel, opinions, and most of all life experiences. I have my religion and you have yours. Enough said. When I mention a commercial product, know that I have nothing to do with the company selling or the product. It just means that I probably use it or own it.  If I do ever get any endorsements, I’ll clue readers in.

Now, a little about me: I am a public school teacher. Don’t even bother to tell me how great homeschooling is and how public schools are of the devil. My only agenda is to help children prepare for an uncertain future and preserve some happiness of childhood in a world that can be crass and unpleasant. My politics are neither left nor right. In fact, I really don’t have much use for politics as I feel we, the people, have been sold out to commercialism and pursuit of wealth at the expense of the ordinary individual. You yourself most likely attended public school and turned out just fine, even knowing lots of useful information that has helped you and life lessons. Yes, there are idiots in education, as in all the professions, but they are not teachers in the trenches. We are the Good Guys. Go look to the universities, those who are publishing for the sake of academia without really knowing or understanding the affect that their “data driven” recommendations will have on students and learning.

I am 58 years old and adore my garden, reading, travel, handcrafts, cooking, food preservation, and most of all my precious family. My family is the most important part of my life. I live in a southern state with an extraordinary growing season. I have traveled all over the country and lived in many different regions of the country. I abhore fanaticism and extremism in any form and consider those two to be the root of many of the evils in the world.  I go out of my way to avoid both of those “isms.”

My blog will utilize all the commonly accepted acronyms:

• TEOTWAWKI
• SHTF
• BOB
• GOOD

Of all the doomers, naysayers, predictors, I want to give a tip of the hat in this public forum to the man who first sounded the alarm:  Howard Ruff.  He was correct, just 30 years early. Mr. Ruff has updated his classic, “How To Prosper in the Coming Bad Years.”  This little jewel gelled our thoughts on insecurity when we lived in the Northern Tier and set us on a lifetime path of thinking, “WHAT IF?” and how to better answer that question. You’ll find his original book and the updated version on amazon.com.

So, this is my initial blog and I do hope you look forward to daily posts. Please let me hear from you! The Aging Prepper