Destiny Survival

Archive for August, 2008

            One Hollywood production down, one to go.  I refer to the political conventions of the two major political parties.  I certainly hope you’re not expecting meaningful change or some sort of salvation for your personal situation as a result of what happens at these conventions or what may happen in November.  If so, you’ll be sorely disappointed.  A thought from an unidentified source relates why this is true.  Power corrupts, but the corrupt seek power. 

            This isn’t to say we wont’ see some sort of change.  We’ve been seeing plenty of change the past year or so with the economic downturn.  For many that change has not been for the good.  For others, they have initiated their own lifestyle changes in anticipation of further changes for the worse.  I refer to those who have begun gardening or who have started stocking up on food, ammunition, and other survival supplies.

            About two weeks or so back, ABC news spoke with a couple heads of survival preparedness schools.  Both agreed that many people are as uneasy as if anticipating calamity that many anticipated regarding Y2K.  There are indeed issues of concern, such as higher prices of food and many other items, resulting from the higher prices for oil.  There is tension, whether contrived or otherwise, over Iran and the situation between Russia and Georgia.  Some say we face the threat of nuclear confrontation.

            We live in stressful times.  Stress, however, is not necessarily an enemy.  Animals in the wild sense danger and either run and hide or fight.  Think of your pets.  A house cat is ever on the alert.  Dogs bark to alert us of something they think we should know about.  We would do well to be more like the animals and pay attention to the world around us and take discerning action.  Granted, the media, mainstream and otherwise, can whip us into a frenzy, if we let them.  That’s when it’s important to determine as best as we can the threat level of a given situation.  If a hurricane is on the way, it is best to be prepared.  If a job cut at your place of work is a possibility, begin preparing for such a thing.  If an asteroid is due to strike in 2029, we can put that in its proper perspective and take no action.

            For the most part, we have lived in an affluent and prospering society long enough that we may feel stress is uncalled for and out of place.  We may think that, since we don’t face the same kind of hazards as our forefathers, there is something wrong if we’re stressed.  However, we face a different set of stress causing concerns than those who lived one or two hundred years ago.  Today many address stress by taking medications.  While I don’t wish to give medical advice, such a solution may not always be the correct one.  It’s important to recognize stress, determine the source, and take action to alleviate that stress.

            If you’re sensing things aren’t quite right, don’t ignore it.  Think it through.  Talk it over with family and trusted friends.  Read up on survival and preparedness.  Follow the example of animals in nature and prepare for danger and change.  Rather than heighten your stress level, you’ll find that taking action gives you confidence and puts your mind at ease.  While it may not be possible to resolve all of the problems causing you concern, you’ll be taking steps in the right direction.  Let your stress serve as a signal to you.  Let it be a tool for survival.

By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.  (Hebrews 11:7, Holy Bible, King James Version—emphasis added)

            I’m excited today because I get to introduce the first video posted on John’s blog–with his help, of course!  I thought it would be good to start with something about cooking with storage food.  In this case, it’s on making sweet corn fritters from ground corn.

            Now, I don’t know the man who made this casual video, but if you can spare about ten and a half minutes, you’ll see how to use corn you can grind yourself, along with other ingredients from a supply of stored food.  I like the way he encourages you and me to experiment and get familiar with using storage food.

            After you’ve watched the video, you might want more ideas on cooking with your storage food.  It so happens that a while back, my friend diane and I had a conversation about a book that tells you how to cook with the storage food you’ve set aside.  It’s available from Nitro-Pak.    Click here to read about it.

            A lot more people these days are getting interested in back to basic living and homesteading, which includes raising chickens for eggs and meat.  Some people are raising chickens right in the middle of cities, which proves you don’t have to be out in the country to keep chickens.

            Maybe your grandma and grandpa or a favorite aunt and uncle raised chickens.  Maybe you even had a favorite one that you named.  You also know how good those fresh, farm-raised eggs are.  They’re better for you and don’t taste the same or even have the same pale yoke color as the eggs you buy at the grocery store.  Chickens are good at keeping the insect population down, too, which is good if you’re doing some gardening as well.

            If you’ve thought of keeping chickens, I know where you can get some good information to get started.  It could be helpful if you’ve been raising chickens for a while, too.  On this page is a link titled Self Sufficient Life that takes you to a site with plenty of practical tips and e-books on several areas of self reliant or back to basics living.  You can also get there if you click here.  They have a couple of e-books on raising chickens:  A Guide to Success With Poultry and How To Build A Chicken Coop and Run.

            Here’s a brief excerpt from the page featuring these e-books.

Raising chickens is one of the first steps to self sufficiency that many people take. As well as providing much enjoyment and amusement one of the many benefits keeping chickens is the eggs that they give us. All breeds and varieties of fowls may be grouped in four classes:

1. Egg Breeds

2. Meat Breeds

3. General Purpose Breeds

4. Fancy Breeds

            You can read more on their site about these classes of chickens by clicking here.  A new window will open up for you.  On the left sidebar of that page, click on Keeping Chickens.  That’s where you can order their two e-books, A Guide to Success With Poultry and How To Build A Chicken Coop and Run

            Get these e-books today and make raising a few chickens part of your strategy for survival.

             The calendar says there’s still nearly a month of summer left, but many consider summer finished with the end of the upcoming Labor Day weekend.  It’s the last three day weekend for a while, and the weather offers promise of still being fairly decent, depending on where you live, of course.  It’s often when families take that last ccampout.

            This doesn’t mean you can’t go camping during the fall or even winter.  However, for those who will be wrapping up their camping soon, but wonder how to make the experience even better, I recommend getting the Camping Guy’s camping tips book online.  How do you choose a good camp site?  What do you take along and leave at home?  How do you stay warm and dry?  What about meals?  You can see what the Camping Guy has to offer for answering those and many more questions, and you can order by clicking here.

            When you get the Camping Guy’s book, you’ll get tips and techniques he has picked up over more than 25 years of camping and hiking.  He has been involved with the Boy Scouts through the years, so you know he’s not just making up something that sounds good to sell his material.  Tim Dales, The Camping Guy, has helped many families make camping fun and practical, and he has saved them a lot of money as well.

            If you’re thinking about a survival camping adventure this weekend, get the book, Discover the Secrets of Family Camping Without Breaking the Bank.  If you order today, the Camping Guy will give you even more practical information you can use on your outing.  Click here to learn more and place your order.

            The other day I heard a talk show host reviewing predictions for the coming winter from the new edition of the Farmer’s Almanac.  I don’t know how much stock to put into this, but supposedly two thirds of the country will have a winter that’s colder and wetter than average.  Not so for the Southwest and Southeast.

            In any event, with oil prices up, many are already converting to or adding a wood burning stove for heating at home.  If you’re thinking about doing this, the following article gives some useful information to consider.

Steps to Choosing the Perfect Wood Stove   by AJ Vanderhorst

When you set out to find the right stove for your home, there’s a lot to think about. Fortunately, after you answer some basic questions, picking a wood stove becomes a question of style-not survival! Here are some steps to help you enjoy the buying experience.

AJ Vanderhorst writes about modern wood stoves for today’s home owners. A world of warm aesthetics and hot, clean, fuel economy awaits your discovery. Explore today’s wood burning stoves at Wood Stoves.

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            Lehman’s has the wood stoves and accessories you need.  This is one of their areas of expertise.  I suggest going to their web site by clicking the logo below, then click the Stoves category on their  left sidebar.  If you decide to call them with questions or to place an order, mention you heard about them from DestinySurvival.com.

            If you’re already burning wood at home, here’s a nifty item from Lehman’s you’ll want to have.  It’s a Newspaper Log Roller that lets you use old newspapers as fuel.  Tightly wrapped newspaper burns slowly and provides extended periods of heat.  All you do is insert a folded edge of the paper into the slot and start winding.  Once you’ve started, keep adding sections of newspaper until the log is the desired size.  With practice a log can be rolled in about 5 minutes.  Then pull the center rod out of the log to remove it.  Lehman’s warns that paper logs should not be used in a catalytic stove as the ash will damage the catalyst.

            To order your Newspaper Log Roller, click on the Lehman’s logo and type the item number 72737 in their home page search box.  When the next page appears, click on the picture of the Newspaper Log Roller for more info and to order.  Turning old newspapers into fuel to heat your home is a great way to make recycling work for you.

            LED flashlights are another one of those items which has greatly improved over the years.  They’re more widely available, are more affordable, and come with various features compared to just a few years ago.  These days you may see LED flashlights built into emergency radios or other items for your survival kit.

LED flashlights have several advantages over flashlights with incandescent bulbs.  A LED flashlight, even a mini LED flashlight, will burn brighter than a traditional light. It will also use less battery power, so that your flashlight lasts longer, and your bulb will burn for many times longer than a traditional bulb, meaning that you wont have to remember to change bulbs out between trips.  How many times have you turned on an incandescent bulb flashlight only to find the batteries are down or the bulb is burned out?  You need dependability in a flashlight, especially if you’re going camping, hunting, kayaking, or hiking.

The Gerber Infinity Ultra Task Light White LED Flashlight amazingly runs on 1 AA battery.  The 2002 Outside Magazine Buyer’s Guide describes it as "A nearly indestructible, take anywhere, low maintenance flashlight for kayakers and anyone else that is hard on their gear."  It’s a small but powerful LED light, great when the space for gear is limited and the need for brilliant light is mandatory. 

            The Gerber Infinity Ultra Task Light White LED Flashlight includes these features:

* Rubber o-rings seal it tight, waterproof down to a depth of 10 feet

* LED bulb will never need to be replaced, will blast out a beam for 30 feet, and will burn to upwards of 100hrs on the AA battery (included)

* Anodized aircraft aluminum housing and a rugged pocketclip, this little light machine

more than earns its keep

* Detachable metal clip allows hands-free use

quality brightness from a single economical AA battery

* Weight: 2.0 oz

This may be just the light you’ve been looking for.  To order yours, simply click on the picture of the flashlight below, and you’ll be taken to the Amazon.com page featuring this incredible LED flashlight.  You can order from there.  

When you need a good, dependable LED flashlight that can take a beating on your outdoor adventures, you’ll be ready by getting your own Gerber Infinity LED Flashlight.