Wildlife at the Homestead

My sister helped me identify this as a Black Kingsnake (we're pretty sure that's what he is). He's a beaut and all, but where is Saint Patrick when I need him?

The Great Paul Wheaton on Hugelkultur

Read all about Hugelkultur here. Mr. Wheaton seems tireless in his pursuit of good homesteading and permaculture information. I think there are few who know more about hugelkultur than he.

The Homestead

Having searched since mid summer, my husband and I just located and purchased a Middle Tennessee homestead. We've been spending as much time there as possible, learning everything we can of the place's history as well as trying to figure out the best way to contemplate and approach this piece of ground. We two have been urbanites our entire lives, so naturally we're awed and humbled. Regardless of the soil quality, the opportunity for cultivation is ours, I'll put it that way. Fossils and arrowheads abound in this place and there are lovely sycamores, poplars, hickories, buckeyes and oaks, along with deer, coyote and turkey. And here's my final rhapsody: owls and whippoorwills call of an evening.

I realize I've allowed this ongoing personal adventure to disrupt the already fairly loose Survival Messenger update schedule. Therefore, I am hereby resolving to a whole new level of commitment (for me, anyway) for blogitudinous blogadociousness delivered with established and faithful blogularity.

Just as soon as I get back to town.

LMR

Water Filtration

Survival Messenger appeared on Tim Ridley's Road Dog Trucking show this week to discuss emergency water filtration.

There are so many off-grid water filtration devices on the market--too many to cover in one show. All Tim and I could do was to touch on some well-known favorites: The British Berkefeld (Berkey) systems, AquaRain, Katadyn and Lifesaver.

I use (and love) the AquaRain gravity filter for daily processing of our home's tap water. This removes the chlorine taste and does not tax the filter elements at all.

For on-the-road emergencies, I keep some #4 Melitta coffee filters and a Sport Berkey in my road bag. The coffee filters can be used to strain the larger undesirables from "mud puddle" water. This pre-filtering helps preserve the life of the Sport Berkey's filter element which makes the yucky water truly potable. Additionally, I consider water purification tablets to be a must-have for travel, but I would use these as a last resort.

I'm really getting into DIY water filtration, thanks to cheaperthandirt.com. Here one can purchase an inexpensive filter element, combine it with two food-grade plastic buckets and a dispenser spigot, and voila'. Check out the video.

LMR

Today: Survival Messenger Discusses Water Filtration on The Tim Ridley Show - Road Dog Trucking - SiriusXM Channel 106

Notes on today's show will be posted shortly!

LMR

Survival Messenger on The Tim Ridley Show - Road Dog Trucking - SiriusXM Channel 106

The subject of Survival Messenger's guest appearance on yesterday's Tim Ridley Show was storable foods for truckers: military "Meals, Ready to Eat" and other foods which professional drivers can stow for emergencies. Tim told a great story about once having been stuck, for many hours, in a long line of traffic on a frozen rural highway. Because he had stocked his rig well, Tim was able to share his MREs and water with several ill-prepared motorists and their cold, hungry children. This is an excellent real-life example of how the reward of a little forethought-action can be, in the midst of a stressful situation, the material improvement of one's physical and mental well being -- yours, your family's or, as in Tim's case, that of strangers in need.

Tim Ridley possesses the survivalist mindset and he is also a Christian. This is a reliably solid combination. I can't help but wonder if his actions on the road that day influenced the thinking of some of his fellow travelers; if perhaps the beneficiaries of Tim's planning and kindness were inspired to adopt the habit of preparedness or maybe even the golden rule of Matthew 7:12. Perhaps they received a pivotal lesson in humanity and also took a first step toward understanding some of the attributes of modern survivalists -- attributes which I have attempted to describe on the "About" page of this blog:

...strengthening their positions of personal freedom quietly and calmly so that, come what may, they will be able to continue to survive--indeed, to thrive--with dignity and honor. These are people who intend never to have to be in a government water line, intelligent and observant people who understand that it is nearly impossible for a man to help others if he himself is struggling to survive. They know that, depending upon conditions, one's level of preparedness can be the difference between frustration and freedom...

Because our air time together is short, Tim and I are able only to scratch the surface of the topics we choose to discuss. Therefore, as a complement to my biweekly Road Dog appearances, I will expand on those topics here by providing my perspective plus as much information of value as I can.

Long-term storage foods may be purchased at any of the following sites. While not cheap, these foods are infinitely keep-worthy/travel-worthy. The links are also available on my "Resources" page, above, along with an ever-growing list of other good sites:

     The Ready Store
     Survival Warehouse
     Ready Made Resources
     Emergency Essentials
     Camping Survival

By the way, my next appearance on Tim's show will be October 31 at 5:30 AM Central Time. We plan to discuss water filtration, so please join us at SiriusXM channel 106 (part of Dave Nemo Entertainment)!

LMR

Websites for Purchasing Your Preps

I just added a page called "Resources" on which I link to websites which offer some of the best survival foods and gear around. Please take a look, on the pages bar above.