Monthly Archives: October 2022

WinCo keeps winning

Posted on by

Ah, WinCo….How I love thee.

About a week ago I thought WinCo had sealed the deal and become my favorite place to shop. But, today plucked the strings of my heart (and wallet) even further. Behold:

Now, my freezer is already at 105% capacity. No room at the inn. But, dang it, for a buck and a half a pound I will figure something out. Is it a bargain if I spend $400 on a new freezer in order to save $1.50 a pound on chicken? Mmmmm…probably not…but it sure is tempting.

No idea how long the sale lasts, but if you’re local, the WinCo is on Reserve and South. Tell ’em Commander Zero sent you.

 

Flashlight history sites

Posted on by

As much as the field of guns has it’s wildly nerdy devotees who geek out on what might otherwise be considered ‘useless trivia’, the field is not alone in that. Case in point: flashlight nerds.

A posted about flashlights and a little bit about MagLite and, unsurprisingly, there are blogs out there dedicated to the history of such:

It’s a fascinating thing, to see how the technology and design have changed over the years. There have been very few advances in technology that trickled into the realm of survivlalism in such a pronounced way….the advent of LEDs and newer battery technologies have really made a tremendous sea change in flashlight options compared to the olden days of survivalism.

Both of those links are fascinating reading, doubly so if you have law enforcement experience. No doubt the KelLite’s bring back some memories for the long-retired cops.

 

Fenix PD35

Posted on by

Man, I remember in the very fledgling days of my survivalist existence the flashlight to have was the MagLite. The bigger the better, and MagLite made some of those things in as many as, I believe, 6 D-cells which was alot like carrying a baseball bat. And, of course, that was the idea behind it. MagLite’s unspoken-yet-obvious big selling point was that you could beat someone to death with it if you needed to. And, back in those days, you had a Krypton bulb that threw out a decent bit of light compared to the flashlights of the day. But if you dropped your MagLite there was a good chance the filament in the bulb would break, so they came with a spare bulb nestled in the tailcap.

Now it’s thirty years later and technology has actually delivered on its promise, at least as far as flashlight are concerned. Thanks to LED’s we get ten times the battery life and about that much times the brightness.

I mention this because I sent a pocket flashlight to someone as a gift and got one for myself on a whim. And I am astounded at the light output in it’s maximum mode. The light in question is the Fenix PD35 v3.0 1700 Lumen Tactical Flashlight with Two ARB-L18-2600Us and LumenTac Organizer.

For the last several years I have been carrying a Fenix E11/12   which has proven to be an outstanding choice for an everyday pocket light. Bright enough for most operations without getting into the overly tactical realm. It’s small, runs on one AA batt, and fits in your pocket quite nicely.Its a good everyday carry kind of item and I recommend it highly for that.

But…sometimes you want something in the same (or similar) size and form factor but you want to up the firepower. So, after examining the one I got as a gift for someone I decided I very much needed this thing in my repertoire.

It runs off an included rechargeable battery. The battery charges off of USB cable so you can pretty much charge it anywhere. Probably even off a Goal0 solar panel that’s designe for charging USB appliances. And, since it is USB, you can charge it off of anything that is meant to charge your phone…like those portable little battery banks. But, in a crunch, it’ll also run just as nicely on a couple of those CR123 batteries you’re using in your Surefire weapon lights. So..dual fuel.

The biggest attraction , to me, is this retina-scorching maximum setting on this thing. Hit the button on the tailcap to on/off. Once on, there’s a small button at the front bezel that you can click through the five power settings. Lowest setting will give you a nice ‘work light’ output for finding things close at hand in the dark, highest setting will look like an aircraft landing light. Hold down the selector button for a few seconds and you get a wildly disorienting strobe on maximum setting. Pretty sure it’ll induce an epileptic seizure on pretty much anyone…epileptic or not. It remembers what setting you had it on when you last used it, so if you turn it off on low, it’ll be on low when you turn it back on. Turn it off on maximum, and when you turn it back on…maximum.

Runtime, according to the paperwork, is something like 200+ hours on the low setting and about five hours on max. Battery recharge is about fifteen minutes and the battery has a red/green LED indicator on it to let you know when its charging/charged.

Price? Not cheap. About a hundred bucks which, even with Bidenflation, still seems like a bit of a bitter pill. But…cheap bastard that I am, I’m telling you that you’ll get what you pay for with this thing.

It’s about the size of your average Surefire light, but still of a size that would fit in a pocket. Theres a belt clip and lanyard for keeping things handy and from getting lost. If you do things like take the dog out at midnight, or walk home from work late at night, this is the last word in pocket handheld illumination.

Do I think it’s worth a hundred bucks? Hmmm. I think so. I’ve never had an occasion where I wished my flashlight had less power, but I’ve been in plenty of situations where I wished it threw a beam further or brighter.

So…thumbs up from your buddy Zero.

Article – About To Cook Freezer Burn Beef? Think Again. Here’s How Long Meat Really Lasts in the Freezer

Posted on by

So you bought too much meat during your last grocery run and decided to stash some of it in the freezer until a later date. But then you forget all about it—until months later, when you find those chicken breasts, turkey burgers or skirt steaks hidden in the back of your freezer. 

You think to yourself: “How long does meat last in the freezer—and can I still eat what I’ve been storing in mine for, like, ever?” Well, the good news is that you can pretty much keep frozen meat around indefinitely and it’ll still be safe, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Phew! 

Buuuut…we do have a bit of bad news to share. Just because frozen meat won’t go bad, per say, doesn’t mean it’ll always taste good once you decide to thaw it out and grill, sear or pan-fry it. As the USDA notes, the quality of frozen foods decreases over time. Womp, womp.

This article, and several like it that have been making the rounds these days, are complete and utter nonsense. IF you package the meat properly, and IF you keep it at a nice 0-degree-or-less temperature, it will last for years. I know this because I eat meat that is way older than a year all the time.

To be fair, there are other variables involved…how you cook it, for example. Will a rare steak taste from five years ago taste as good as one purchased yesterday? I don’t know. But I do know with utter certainty that meat used in stews, soups, sauces, and that sort of thing will taste just fine. Tacos, enchilladas, spaghetti sauces, sloppy joes, stews, soups, that sort of thing….not an issue at all.

I have eaten frozen turkey that was at least five or six years old. I just recently has some meat that was about ten years old. No problems whatsoever.

But, as I said, it’s all about the prep and storage. You’ve got to keep air from contacting the meat. I use a vacuum sealer but you might get away with plastic wrap if you make sure to wrap it thoroughly and to leave no voids with air.

After that, you need to get that meat down into the -0 range and keep it there. The freezer in your fridge will not be the optimal choice for this task. A dedicated chest freezer is the ticket.

I’ve noticed that articles like these are abounding lately. I wonder if it’s a concerted effort to get the population used to the idea of eating out of their freezer because of expected shortages and high pricing….or is it just coincidence? Hmm.

Article – How Did the Swiss Army Knife Become the Original Multitool?

Posted on by

It has been 125 years since Karl Elsener had the Officers’ and Sports Knife patented, and although the main manufacturer, Victorinox Société Anonyme, has expanded its line of cutlery and tools to about 400, the original has not changed much — and is still a bestseller.

One of the best gifts I got as a kid was a Swiss Army knife, often abbreviated as SAK. And, until the advent of the Leatherman, and subsequent ‘multitools’, the SAK was the constant companion of savvy survivalists. I doubt MacGuyver could have pulled off half the shenanigans he did without one.

But, times change. The SAK is still a classy and elegant pocket tool that is not out of place in todays world. However, it has been eclipsed in funtionality, in m opinion, by the recent crop of multitools.

When I carry a multitool, its usually a Leatherman Wave that was gifted to me years ago. What can I say, I’m a sentimentalist. But since then there have been advancements in design that make todays multitools even more useful.

Just because there’s some new and gadget-ier multitool on the market doesn’t mean your old ones are useless. I have a first gen Leatherman that I relegate to backup status for vehicle use.

They make awesome gifts, and they are genuinely handy objects for everyday use…no need to wait for an apocalypse to get your moneys worth outta one of these things. I prefer the Leatherman brand, but there are other brands that seem to have some good features too.

For me, the only drawback is that i prefer to carry mine in my pocket and that chews up pants pretty quick. I don’t like crowding my belt like I’m Batman or something, so I prefer not to use a belt-mounted pouch. I just try to rotate from pocket to pocket to delay the inevitable.

But..as I said, great gift items those SAK’s and multitools. If you’re ever unsure what to get me for Paratus…there’s your clue.

Articles on nuclear survival and Nukemap

Posted on by

“Shattered people are best represented by bits and pieces.”
― Rainer Maria Rilke

And nothing shatters like atoms getting smashed overhead. As of late it seems that the media is warming us up to the possibility of nuclear war. This is silly because, really, ever since 1945 nuclear war has always been a possibility…its just that some times it was more likely than others.

Two articles that popped up on my feeds:

The notion that a nuclear attack is unsurvivable is demonstrably false. There are people who survived the nuking of Japan who were literally only a few hundred yards from ground zero when the bomb went off. To be fair, they were, I believe, in a heavily fortified bank vault, but the point is that with appropriate protection you could have a nuke dropped nearby and still make it out. I wouldn’t recommend it, but it is survivable.

But, of course, the number one rule of surviving any disaster is: don’t be there. Don’t live where nukes are likely to be dropped. Being fifty miles away from any major target area isnt a bad idea.

Curious how you’d fare? Hit Nukemap, select your closest likely target area, drop a good sized nuke on it, and see how your area would fare. Great Falls is a likely target but according to the simulator, even the biggest bomb Putin has would still leave my region safe from immediate blast damage. Windborne fallout, of course, is a different story.

But…in case you havent given consideration to nuclear stuff, you might want to read the articles and play with the simulator.

Right Place, Right Time II

Posted on by

So, yeah, it was a good deal at WinCo yesterday on chicken. A really good deal. And WinCo is one half of my weekend grocery shopping…the other half being CostCo. And CostCo had a nice chicken andouille sausage available that I like. And I picked up my weekly bag of frozen shrimp for the quick shrimp scampi that I enjoy for dinner. Hmmm….Chicken, andouille, and shrimp…..that can only mean one thing: etouffee or jambalaya, depending on your adherence to Cajun canon.

Regardless, it was yummy and will be a nice dish when winter finally sets in here. In case anyone cares:

  • 1 green pepper, diced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • a few stalks of celery, diced
  • Chicken
  • Sausage
  • Shrimp
  • Bay leaves
  • 2 tsp thyme
  • Salt/pepper
  • Tabasco
  • Bacon drippings
  • 15 oz. crushed tomatoes
  • 6 clove garlic
  • 15 oz tomato sauce
  • 2 cups water

You should be able to figure out the rest from there.

I did cook the shrimp separately and added them at the last couple minutes of the process so to avoid overcooking them. Other than that, its pretty straightforward. I liked a thicker finished product, so I reduced it more than I probably should have. If I exclude the shrimp, theres nothing in here that won’t pressure can nicely into jars for later off-the-shelf use.

 

Right place, right time

Posted on by

As you may recall, around the beginning of this year I was able to head up to WinCo and purchase boneless/skinless for a reasonable $1.98/#. And then Bidenflation started its magic and the price slowly crept up to an amazing overnight $0.60/# price increase.

But, my favorite animal protein is chicken…its versatile and goes with everything. So..I buy. And during today’s trip to WinCo I beheld this:

Well then….time to enter Survivalist Mode. First thing was to grab a bunch for myself. I mean, it isn’t like availability and pricing are going to be getting better, right? (Although the more literal minded of you will point out that, yes, the price did, in fact, go down. But…thats a sale, man. A temporary lull.)

Second step, take a picture and alert the local LMI that it’s an opportunity to stock up. And, my freinds, that is one of the advantages to having a small group of like-minded individuals as friends – when one finds something thats useful he can alert the others to the deal.

And this is why I always leave room in the budget for serendipitous things like this. Unfortunately, I don’t always leave room in the freezer….so, its back to freezer Tetris as I try and stuff a not inconsequential amount of chicken away for that upcoming rainy day.

By the way, meat wasn’t even on my shopping list. But I always take a pass through the meat department to keep on top of things like this. Good habit to get into.

Article – Judge blocks federal law banning possession of firearms with serial number removed

Posted on by
CNN  —  A federal judge in West Virginia has invalidated part of a federal law that prohibits the possession of a firearm with an “altered obliterated, or removed” serial number, citing the Supreme Court’s recent decision that demands a historical review of gun laws to determine their constitutionality.
“Firearms with no serial number are just as ‘bearable’ as the same firearm with a serial number,” Judge Joseph Goodwin said in his opinion Wednesday, though he acknowledged that guns missing serial numbers “are likely to be used in violent crime.”
The court’s decision is the latest to reflect how far reaching the Supreme Court has opened up new legal challenges to federal, state and local gun control laws nationwide.
This is interesting on a very big level. How do you track firearms to/from specific people without serial numbers? While .gov will continue to try to restrict guns (and mags) at the entry point into the general public through bans, licensing, registration, etc. once that gun has entered public circulation and it has it’s number removed it is now as free as a bird. There are some interesting consequences as far as the ability to enact effective control.
Many people don’t know that it was only within this lifetime that guns were required to have serial numbers. Until 1968 you didn’t have to have a serial number on shotguns and .22 rifles. In fact, you can probably find a serial-less .22 in almost any gun store’s used rack. I’ve had plenty of ancient .22 rifles that lacked serial numbers, and a couple little .410’s as well.
Regardless of whether this serial number episode has any effect on gun freedoms, it is interesting to see how the winds are changing in regards to guns. But even if something is ruled unconstitutional, it can still take years…decades…to wind through the court. So don’t stop buying those mags and AR lowers just yet.

Article – Prepare for the Butter Shortage

Posted on by

Brace yourself for bad news: It looks like we might be heading for a butter shortage, and the timing couldn’t be worse for holiday bakers. FOX Business reports that butter sitting in cold storage facilities amounts to just over 282 million pounds as of August of this year. That sounds like a lot, but it’s significantly down from the amount stored during the same period in 2021, which was over 362 million pounds

Here are a few of the problems plaguing our nation’s butter supply:

Yet another piece telling us that something will be (or is) in short supply and that we had best be ready for it.

It’s funny, I don’t recall this many articles about this sort of thing before January 2021.

Butter is awesome. Let’s face it, everything tastes better with it. Fortunately, it freezes rather well and I keep about 20# in the freezer at all times. The more astute will recall that ghee will provide butter flavor without needing the freezing/refrigeration of regular butter. And, the truly thoughtful, will have cases of Red Feather sitting in their bunker….just in case.

I haven’t seen any problems walking into CostCo and walking out with as much butter as I want, but perhaps I should bump up the house supply. Even if there isnt an availability issue the price certainly isnt going to go down.

And, yeah, bacon grease can be used for a lot of the things that I like to use butter for when it comes to cooking….but, there’s still alot of things out there that just arent the same without nice melted butter on them.