Month: July 2014

Bugging In Place with the Elderly

James Burnette 1 Comment

Today I have a guest post from Lukas Nicholson. Lukas contacted me about writing a guest post on a subject I hadn’t really thought about. Buggin in with the elderly. I know many of you have parents and grandparents at home with you. Enjoy -James

 

Bugging In With the Elderly
Bugging In With the Elderly

When SHTF, most of us won’t have a secondary bug out location we can run to and wait out the chaos. In fact, the vast majority of preppers plan to essentially bug in place. That is probably a wise decision. Unless you have a fully stocked location nestled away somewhere out of town that can provide adequate shelter, food, water and security for an extended period of time, you best not plan on “heading for the hills” at the first sign of trouble.

Bugging out becomes even less of an option if you have elderly family or friends to account for. But I would guess that when most people are making plans they are not realistically considering the needs of their elder members. Before continuing, it should be made clear that not all older individuals will need special attention. Many are physically and mentally fit and perfectly capable of taking care of themselves.

But the truth is that many more elderly individuals are quite dependent on modern society for their needs. They may have extreme limitations brought on by maladies like diabetes or debilitating arthritis. They may depend on daily prescription medications to keep them relatively healthy. In our modern society they may get about and function with relative ease, but that shouldn’t bear on our assessment of how they will do when the lights go out permanently and we’re living like we did 150 years ago.

Realistically, there is only so much you can do to ensure the health and safety of the elderly during an extended period of catastrophe. But here are some things to think about and prepare for as best you can.

Bug In at the Older Member’s Home

It may make sense to make your bug out location at the elderly person’s home. If they are supportive of the idea, consider stocking your supplies at their location so when SHTF occurs, they don’t have to travel to meet you. Instead, it would be easier (but still dangerous) for you to bug out to their location.

This is advantageous for several reasons. They will have the comfort of staying in familiar surroundings and have all of their medical needs, such as walkers and other appliances, already in place. Staying in familiar surroundings will help them cope with the fear and may subsequently lessen the resulting depression as they experience the outside world crumble apart. In addition, many elderly are either particular about the food they eat or have health restrictions on the types of food they must have. For these reasons it might be far easier and sensible to plan on weathering the storm at the elderly person’s home.

Secure Your Home

Regardless of where you plan to stay, you must ensure the security of everyone in your party. So instead of focusing energy and resources on a vague plan for bugging out, it would be better to focus your efforts on securing your home for SHTF. Human psychology being what it is, people will still be creatures of opportunity, even under harsh circumstances. If your home is hardened against break-ins, looters and those searching for resources will tend to opt for your less secure neighbor’s home. This is not to say that in time they won’t get around to your home, but by then you will have had adequate time to assess your situation and devise concrete plans for your extended survival.

 

Lukas Nicholson hails from a family of preppers hardened by numerous Florida hurricanes. He found an outlet for his skills in the security industry, where he has spent the past seven years. He is now interested in sharing his knowledge online, where he writes in association with Topconsumerreviews.com.

 

 

SURP-T-Final

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Glen Tate

Episode 21 Glen Tate on 299 Days and Crossfit

James Burnette 1 Comment

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Glen Tate
Glen Tate

Glen Tate Interview

Another Mikes guest invite paid off. Glent Tate author of the 299 Days books emailed me about being on the show. He liked my review of the books so much be wanted on. Also as It turns out we have something else in common. Glen drank from the kool aid and joined the cult of crossfit. We both are of the mind that physical fitness is one of the most important preps. I’ll take any chance to spread the word on getting in shape. We do talk about the books a good bit though. I got my co host Mike hooked on the books before this podcast. Mike really got into the swing of things and asked some hard hitting questions.  This will be different from any interview with Glen Tate you’ve heard. He all had a great time and covered some important info.We hear about the upcoming audio versions.  Glen Tates 299 Days books are the best prepper fiction out there. Go check them out.

 

Topics

  • Who is Glen Tate.
  • The Role Of Fitness In Disaster Preparedness.
  • What is Crossfit.
  • Get Fit NOW Rather than later.
  • 299 Days: Semi Fictional Story Set In A Preppers Guide.
  • Is He afraid to be found out?
  • Worst Workout Ever?
  • Best P.R?
  • Community Aspect.
  • Glens Take on Nutrition.
  • Doors opening and Making Friends.

 

Links

299 Day’s Website

299 Days On Amazon

299 Days On Facebook

 

SURP-T-FinalThink this post was worth 20 cents? Consider joining The Survivalpunk Army and get access to exclusive content and discounts!

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 For all your Survival and prepping needs and bags to hold your gear check out Survival Gear Bags

 

Paleo Nachos

Paleo Nachos Recipe

James Burnette

 

Paleo Nachos
Paleo Nachos

 

I saw a recipe in a magazine at work that was for “Healthy” nachos. It was full of low fat this and that. It did have a unique twist. Instead of using tortilla chips it used bell peppers. I thought that  was genius. I decided to make some fully paleo ones. If you don’t have any issues with dairy these would be great with cheese. I’ve been eating a lof of Old Croc grass fed cheese. Much like real nachos add what you want to these. So how do you make paleo nachos and how do they taste? Join me in my much better lit kitchen.

 

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archery practice

Archery Series: Getting Practice

James Burnette 1 Comment

 

Hopefully you have enjoyed and learned something new from my previous two articles, so we can move on and get you out in the field on the next step…… The first thing you need to do after you purchase whatever equipment you have determined would best suit you, is practice!

archery practice
archery practice

When you start, if you haven’t ever shot a bow, you probably should begin at an archery range, with someone that has a significant amount of experience. Beginning at a 5 yard distance is ideal, you should be comfortable with short yardage before you move to longer yardage. After you get comfortable with shooting your bow, start moving and shooting from different angles, side to side and up and down. You need to practice shooting from all angles because you never completely know where your game is going to come from.

    There are a multitude of possibilities, whether it be uphill or down hill and you need to be confident when you let your arrow go. Try if you can to practice with a friend and create distractions for each other (my wife and I do this and have a pretty good time). When you get your concentration down, work on your strength. Start at a closer range and start holding your bow drawn back for 30 seconds before you shoot and work your way to holding your draw at farther distances, then try it again holding for 45 seconds and so on. The longer you can hold your bow back before you shoot, the better.

    I have been in a situation where I had to hold my bow back for over a minute before I let my arrow fly and to be honest I was shaking so bad, lost some control and I missed because nobody ever told me that I might have to do this. I was very disappointed in myself that day, so I stepped my practice and strength training up, now I can hold for 90 seconds without waver. I cannot stress the importance of practice enough, it will be the difference between a quick and painless kill shot and a painful wounding that you will have to track down.

archery practice 2
archery practice 2

When you practice in your backyard or in an archery range, you need to have the mindset that you are hunting and it is the real deal. If you have your quiver on your bow, make sure it’s full of arrows when you practice, because that slight amount of weight will make you shoot different if you don’t practice with it. If you are going to use a back quiver hunting, practice with it on your back full of arrows. If you might have to shoot with a pack on your back, practice with a pack on your back.

    Practice shooting from a sitting position, from a kneeling position, as well as leaning over. Practice shooting your bow every way you possibly can, so you are confident to make the shot you are given every time.

archery practice 3
archery practice 3

If you are wanting to set something up in your backyard or elsewhere, you will soon find out that targets are expensive, so I will share a couple ways to make your own target that can save you some money.

    Take any empty garbage can, put a plastic liner in it. Use a couple cans of spray foam insulation and spray them in the liner. Take the liner and fold over the top of the foam and put a heavy book on top of it in the garbage can. Give it a few hours to cure and pull it out of the can, then peel the plastic off and you have a foam block you can paint on to make your target.

The next way is to get a card board box and stuff it full of equal size pieces of card board and when I say stuff, that’s exactly what I mean. Stuff it so full there is no way you could get another piece in it, the tighter you get it the better it will stop your arrow. I have used both of these DIY targets and they work great!

If you practice like me you will be making a new target once a month, but it’s rewards are well worth it when you take down your first big game animal. I would also recommend taking it easy your first week of practice and work into strengthening those new muscles you will discover you have.

I hope this helps you in your adventure!!!

Robert

Find Robert at Rice Family Creations

 

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Also please enter our Reader appreciation contest and help spread the word about our blog.

 

Looking for the best prices and best customer service in buying Silver and Gold online? Look no further than JM Bullion for all your precious metal needs!

 

 For all your Survival and prepping needs and bags to hold your gear check out Survival Gear Bags

 

Trash

Trash That’s Not Trash

James Burnette 3 Comments
Trash
Trash

 

I don’t spend much time anymore reading other survival blogs. I usually stay off the forums for the most part. Heck I have been thinking about giving up tsp. Why would you do that for James? Well I am a sponge and would have to sound like I’m  mimicking anyone else. It’s a fine line between still learning and enjoying my favorite subjects and copying. There’s an article I’ve seen going around called something about the items to not trash. Items to always keep as a prepper. What’s on the list of not trash? I have no idea I haven’t read it. It got me thinking though that there are items I always keep. Some of you might be interested in what my packrat butt hordes. Let’s get into the trash and see what we find.

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