Basic Prepping

How to Use Desert Survival Skills to Get Drinking Water During Floods

August 1, 2022 / 10 Comments

Just in case any of you are in harm’s way this hurricane season, I wanted to post Leon Pantenburg’s excellent article for maintaining a supply of healthy drinking water during a flood.  The more methods you have to collect water, the less likely you are to become dangerously dehydrated.   An irony of floods is that muddy, filthy water inundates everything, but there is generally a shortage of anything to drink! If you are stranded in an area surrounded by …

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Product Review: The Berkey Portable Water Purifier

August 1, 2022 / 10 Comments

The spring in the Death Valley canyon was the only source of water for probably miles around, and my hiking partner and I had detoured to see it. But the spring (a seep really)  looked and smelled like a hog wallow, with the muddy, filthy water polluted almost beyond belief. The over-populated feral burros in the area had dug holes, so the water would seep in. But they also relieved themselves in the water while they drank. The desert bighorn sheep …

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Baby Step #4: Get home, no matter what

May 29, 2020 / 42 Comments

Like ships that pass in the night, my husband and I sometimes barely have time for conversation.  Today we finally had a short discussion on a topic that was concerning me: what should we do if there is some type of emergency that prevents him from being able to get home?  I don’t expect major tornadoes or a devastating earthquake, but civil unrest in the central part of our city, in particular, is easier to imagine, along with major flooding. …

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Baby Step #3: Get smart about potential disasters

May 28, 2020 / 2 Comments

Guest post by Janet Liebsch, co-author of It’s a Disaster Planning is a fact of every day life. We plan and make lists for our chores, the kids’ activities, shopping trips and vacations. But when it comes to planning for a disaster, many of us don’t do it. According to Lynne Eicher with the Mid-South Chapter of the American Red Cross, “Research shows that fewer than 15% of the population in this country is prepared for any disaster.” Unfortunately disaster …

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Book Review: A Kid’s Herb Book

May 28, 2020 / 2 Comments

I’ll admit that I haven’t exactly combed through every gardening and alternative medicine book out there. Who has that kind of time? But Amazon recommended this book to me: A Kid’s Herb Book: For Children of All Ages. As a total newbie to the field, I’m very favorably impressed by it. Since an elderly gardener I know who grew up using herbal remedies in China also really likes it, I think it’s safe to say it’s good for a wide …

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Make a Common Sense Urban/Wilderness Survival Kit

June 12, 2020 / 9 Comments

One aspect of  the “prepper” philosophy is  “Common Sense.”  After all, it is just common sense to plan for the future, regardless of what may or may not happen. That’s why we have retirement funds, car, home and health insurance and regular well-checks with the doctor. Planning ahead is also why you may stick an umbrella in your brief case or carry a light jacket on a sunny day. And it would be stupid to not carry a spare tire …

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The Baby Steps, #2: Prepare your vehicle

May 29, 2020 / 27 Comments

Baby Step #1 was all about being ready for a one-week emergency at home.  Most emergencies are short-term, and getting ready for just one week is being more prepared than most of your neighbors.  If all emergencies occurred while we were safe and snug in our cozy homes, then we would always be prepared.  It’s just as likely, though, that an emergency or crisis will occur when we’re out running errands, at work, or traveling.  It’s important to have your …

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The Baby Steps, #1: Plan for a short-term emergency

May 29, 2020 / 17 Comments

“It’s an emergency!”  How many times have I heard one of my kids yell during any given week?  Sometimes it really is an emergency, but just as often, they only want me to see a new toy advertised on TV or listen to a newly discovered knock-knock joke. Knock-knock! Who’s there? Don’t you recognize me?   (groan) In real life, emergencies and emergency planning are no joke, but too often we get caught up  in the day to day busyness of our …

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28 Survival Spices & Oils, or How to Avoid Tastebud Fatigue

October 16, 2022 / 57 Comments

Whenever one of the kids is sick, I prepare the blandest possible food for them — something like unflavored oatmeal. They eat it because they’re hungry but they certainly don’t enjoy it! What would it be like to eat bland food every day? It wouldn’t be fun, and it sure wouldn’t be enjoyable! But eating bland food for a while could happen to those ill-prepared for a disaster, especially if supplies were difficult to find. And, because naturally bland foods …

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Rice and Beans With a Bam!

May 29, 2020 / 16 Comments

I have discovered a recipe that takes simple black beans and rice so far beyond boring that you might actually look forward to the day when it’s all you have left in the pantry!