Monthly Archives: November 2022

The return of canning supplies

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A trip to WinCo this evening shows that, at least at this location, the supply of canning jar lids and related materials has returned to normal. (Or, I suppose, normal-ish.)

Much like how the Great Primer Scare of the ’90s turned many of us into primer hoarders, this recent experience in being unable to locate canning lids has made me quite certain that my future plans include keeping several hundred lids on hand at all times. You know….just in case.

I don’t enjoy canning. I have better things to do with my time than stand around and babysit what is basically a potential boiler explosion for 70 minutes. I dont dislike canning, but, dang it, I’ve got better things to do.

However..I do enjoy eating. And I’m a huge fan of saving money and not starving to death. So….canning.

And that canning requires one critical component: jar lids.

So, I havent inventoried them but I should be sitting somewhere near a thousand or so lids at the moment. At one pint of canned meat or other food per day, that would be about three years of canned food. Of course, keeping a thousand pint jars on hand is unlikely but I do have a hundred or so, which should, I think, see me though most tough times.

But the lids…..like primers they are the one critical and expendable component that bottlenecks the whole process if you can’t find them.

Glad to see theyre back in stock. For now.

Why all those gas cans?

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So I ordered up a goodly amount of new NATO-style gas cans the other day. A reasonable person might ask, “Why do you need so many?”

Like it or not, the world runs on gas and oil. Most of us get our gas the same way – we trundle down to the gas station and fill our cars and gas cans. What can prevent that? Tons of things, man. What shuts down a gas station? Lack of product, outrageous demand,  lack of electricity for pumps, curfews, riots, government mandate, etc, etc.

It’s not unreasonable to think that, in even a moderate crisis such as a blizzard or hurricane, your local gas station is going to either have sold out of all their gas, or their pumps aren’t working, or they haven’t been able to get restocked. And that’s assuming that .gov doesnt shut them down to begin with or restrict their sales to .gov organizations only.

But, since I’m sitting in a well-fortified and well-stocked house, why would I need so much gasoline? I’m not going anywhere, right? Well, not if I can help it. But….sometimes things don’t go as planned, for whatever reason, and I might need to be somewhere else. In that case, the last thing I want is to be standing in a crowded line of frightened, panicked, angry people.

But…there’s other reasons to keep a goodly amount of fuel handy. Even if I don’t go anywhere, I’m still going to need gas for the generator. And, depending on the situation and the nature of the relationship with my neighbors, it wouldn’t be a bad thing to be in a position to help them out..if I choose to.

I mean, even if you think that your particular situation is so well squared away that gasoline isn’t a priority for you, for whatever reason…it’s still probably a good idea to have some on hand. Generators, chainsaws, snow blowers, lanterns, four wheelers, water pumps, etc, etc, all need gas. It’d be a little short sighted to think that just because you don’t foresee needing it for a vehicle or a generator you can ignore keeping some around.

Heck, you get a hurricane and your vehicle is outta commission, you gotta have something to offer someone to take you and your gear outta harms way. Being able to gas up someone elses vehicle can go a long way towards getting them to make room in the back for you. Same for generators. Maybe yours craps out or is in the shop. Offer to fuel up the neighbor’s genny and I’ve no doubt he’d let you run an extension cord to your place for your freezer.

So, thats why, for me, buying that many gas cans isn’t a bad idea. The more fuel I have the further I increase my ‘range of safety’ to get away from trouble, the longer I run my generator to keep my freezer going, the more help I can offer to people I deem worthy of helping, etc.

For my needs, those NATO cans are perfect. They seal up tight, don’t ‘breathe’ like plastic cans do, are easier to handle, and take abuse exceptionally well. And, this is important ,guys – these things are only going to be more expensive later, assuming you can find them at all. Two AM by the side of the road in a downpour during a crisis because you thought “I’ll just swing by the Conoco and gas up…I’m sure they still have gas” is a situation easily avoided.

And, of course, if youre going to store gas, do it safely. Store it outside your home in a shed, barn, garage, or under a tarp along the side of your shed. Use a gas stabilizer to keep it from ‘going bad’ (I use PRI-G), and make a note on the can of when you filled it up and make sure to rotate it every year or so.

If you like your gas can spout, you can keep your gas can spout. Unfortunately, .gov had to dick around with things and now the only spouts easily found for gas cans are these insanely stupid non-spill spouts. Screw ’em. I lanyard a funnel to every other can, but it’s easy enough to find the matching spouts for these cans that don’t use those ridiculous shut-off mechanisms that California wound up mandating.

So there you go. Why so many gas cans? Thats why.

Higher Breyers

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Went grocery shopping yesterday to try and catch some post-Thanksgiving turkey sales. Didnt really see anything spectacular, but I did notice that my favorite ice cream…Breyers…was at…wait for it…..over $7 for a not-a-half gallon. Merciful Crom, when the heck did $7 for grocery-store-quality ice cream become normal?

This is one of the reasons I feel a bit pleased with myself in terms of being a survivalist. When food, fuel, and other staples start getting out of control, and wages don’t keep up, I can dilute the effect by relying on my rather prodigious stash of supplies.

But, also, my survivalist lifestyle and its non-stop concern for consequences has led me to a life where, when ice cream hits $7 and gas hits $5, I can absorb it without too much difficulty because i’ve lived a life of financial moderation. No mortgage, no student loans, no car loans, no bank loans, no medical debt. Doesn’t mean I’m indifferent to the mess that the economy is being made into, just means I can weather it better than Joe Sixpack who spends it as fast as he gets it on stupid stuff like big screen televisions, jet skis, and chrome wheels.

But, dang it, $7 for ice cream is just ridiculous. And it doesnt stop there… I hit Wendy’s for lunch and a double cheeseburger, fries, and a coke is $12. What the heck??? I don’t want to be one of those guys from my childhood who, when confronted with a price they didnt like, would say “When I was a kid, this cost a nickel”, but that same combo was $7 just a couple years ago.

Being a survivalist is more than a basement full of MRE’s and 5.56mm. It’s thinking about the potential possibilities of what the future may bring. As they say, “the dildo of consequences rarely arrives lubed”. And thinking about consequences is a really large part of what being a survivalist is really about.

Being forced to choose between food and gas, rent or medicine, or an emergency room visit versus shoes for the kids, is no way to live. I feel bad for people who are in that strait, but most people have had just as long to get ready for this sort of thing as I did…and they had better income during that time. So, yeah, I feel bad for you but you’re the one who played your mandolin all summer while Ii was getting ready for winter.

Beretta mags

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The Beretta mags I ordered last week, at a rather nice discount, arrived yesterday. They are, as I expected, brand-new factory mags just ready for that long Deep Sleep in an ammo can somewhere.

I am, first and foremost, a Glock guy. Is the Glock my favorite 9mm handgun? No. The Browning HiPower is my fave. But the Glock is the gun I would prefer to carry through Ragnarok.

However, mostly because of the US military’s use of them, I keep a couple Beretta 92FS laying around as well. A fine gun, by 1980’s standards, but the double/single action design, all metal construction, and overall size/bulk make it a design that is surpassed by more modern guns…esp. the polymer ones.

Anyway, if I’m going to keep a gun tucked away for the end of the world, I’m gonna need mags for it. And when you need spare mags for your blaster you usually want them as capacious as possible while still being somewhat practical. (Which is why Glock 17 happystick yes, Glock 17 drum no.)

So these will get wiped down and tucked away in an ammo can to await the next magazine ban (because I always buy extras for resale) or to await the end of the world. Whichever comes first.

Although theres a good chance they’ll both be the same event.

Regardless, I hope you took advantage and got yours while you could.

Black Friday – CheapAmmo.com

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The notices of Black Friday (or Friday Of Color, for those of the woke persuasion) sales continue to land in my mailbox. Case in point from CheapAmmo.com:
 Here’s a look at what we’ll have Friday morning: • 9mm Ammo – 500 rounds 115 Grain FMJ – $100 (.20/rd delivered) • 5.56 Ammo – 500 rounds 55 Grain FMJ – $160 ( .32/rd delivered) • 40 S&W Ammo – 1000 rounds 180 Grain TMJ – $270 (.27/rd delivered) • 45 ACP Ammo – 1000 rounds 230 Grain TMJ – $380 (.38/rd delivered) • 380 ACP Ammo – 1000 rounds 95 Grain FMJ – $270 (.27/rd delivered) • 22 LR Ammo – 3330 rounds 36 Grain CPHP – $200 (.06/rd delivered)
It’s only Tuesday and the sales are trickling in already. Gonna be an expensive week!

Beretta mags

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Ok, I don’t know who here has the weight to pull off a purchase like this to get the discount , but:

Beretta 92FS Magazine 9mm 15Rds Unpackaged – $9.99 if you buy 41 with code 22BFD50

Their 30-rd Beretta 92 mags are already at 25% off, making them $29.99. If you order 27 of them, as I just did, you get another 50% off and free shipping. That brings the mags down to $15 ea. Since I have a pair of M9 pistols, these seemed like a good idea. I had plenty of 15-rd mags, but those 30-rd mags…mmmm….sexy.

These mags, ostensibly for the Beretta 93R, are tailor made for the Beretta 9mm carbines. But…they work just fine in your 92’s.

Go. Spend. Hoard.

 

Memento mori

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NOTE: Black Friday Friday Of Color sales are starting early. Find a good one? A discount code? Flash deal? Put it in comments.

Went to the movies last night. Bought a ticket and noticed a price discrepancy from the listed price and what I was charged. I asked the high-school-age drone behind the counter what was up. His reply…”Senior discount.”

Doubleyew. Tee. Eff.?????

Look, I admit my hair has got more salt than pepper than it did a few years ago, but I am nowhere..nowhere….near ‘senior discount’ age. Part of me was offended and part of me wondered what else I could get away with.

But…I can’t deny that age comes on apace. Thirty-year freeze drieds are actually coming up on their ‘Best By’ dates, guns that were cheap and plentiful when I bough them are now collectors items, naps have a lot more appeal than they used to, and I spend a goodly amount of time waiting for the Advil to kick in. Apparently, somewhere, I got old.

I’m not stupid enough to think I’ll live forever. And, of course, I know that eventually it comes for us all. But, man, it sucks to be reminded of it.

But, reminded I was…and last month I updated my will. Because, as it turns out, part of getting old means acquiring a lot of stuff. Houses, land, gold, money, guns, vehicles, etc, etc. And I will set it all on fire before I let it fall into the hands of the state. In fact, sometimes I feel I should have some sort of fail-deadly switch to implode the place, wipe the accounts, purge the drives, and that sort of thing.

But, I did the next best thing and paid way too much to an attorney to write up some ‘final wishes’. It was all pretty straightforward. There’s only a small handful of people I want to leave stuff to and if for some reason they are unaccepting or unable to receive it, then it goes to the charity of my choice.

As I’ve mentioned before, if I go to my death without ever having had to use any of the ammo, freeze drieds, body armour, kerosene, chest seals, or parachute flares….well, I’ll consider that a victory.

But, realistically, and statistically, I’ve got about another 25 years left on the clock. Sure, I could have an aneurysm tomorrow, or get hit by a bus next week, but so far it’s been a somewhat quiet (in terms of life threatening events) existence these last few years.

But…senior discount. That still rubs me the wrong way.

Wifi valve control

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There’s a guy who lives a few blocks down he street from me who is a retired engineer. He’s an extremely handy fella and routinely engages in hobby-like activities that would be well beyond the ken of mortal men. One of the things he has done is installed wifi enabled remote valves and sensors on most of his water system. I was amazed when I first heard about it a year or two ago but, as it turns out, the technology is getting more and more mainstream. Most notably, he installed remote valves in his basement to allow him to shut off water to the water heater and other appliances via his phone. Additionally, there are also sensors that, when they detect water where it shouldnt be, send him an alert and optionally automatically shut off pre-selected valves.

This is the way.

If you hit Amazon and search “wifi valves” or a similar search term, you can see a rather staggering amount of devices that will perform these tasks. Truly, we are living in the future.

I’m a suspenders-and-belt kinda guy so in addition to an automatic shutoff when water is detected, I’d also want an audible alarm to bring the matter to my attention….just in case wifi technology and servo-enabled valves decide to not quite work as planned.

And, most importantly, having a pipe patch kit handy. Gasket material, dope, hose clamps, sections of hose, etc. I once got a broken pipe  capped off using a section of hose that slipped over thebroken end, hose clamped it in place, and then folded it over on itself andhose clamped it again to effectively cap the broken end…allowing me to run the water again.

I need to research some more, but I suspect by this time next year I’ll have some sort of HAL 9000 setup going to keep a handle, so to speak, on something like this happening again.

Water water everywhere

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Sitting on the couch watching TV at 10pm and there’s an odd noise in the background. Hmmm. I mute the television and hear a sound of….water? The hairs on my neck stand up and that little adrenaline rush bumps me from ready-for-bed to red-alert mode.

When you live in the same house for a number of years you become very attuned to the sounds of your surroundings. You know what noises are supposed to occur (or not occur) and when. This was a ‘something is not right noise’. It took about six seconds for me to run through the possibilities and then I was bolting down the stairs to the basement where, even before I saw it and heard it I could smell it…water.

We had snow during the week and the temperatures dropped abruptly. I wasnt ready for it and didnt turn off the water to the outside spigots. One of them cracked and a high-pressure jet of water was doing its thing.

I immediately grabbed the main shutoff lever and swung it closed. That solved the immediate problem. It also turned off the water to the entire house. But…with the immediate problem taken care of, now was the time to look closer.

The outside spigot branches off from the main water line and has it’s own shutoff as well. I closed that off and re-opened the main. Water was back to the rest of the house and the outside spigot line was isolated and shut off. I’ll deal with it in the spring. In the meantime, damage control.

I had always been concerned about pipe breakage in the basement so I shielded all my stored preps that were near any pipes. I also never put anything that was susceptible to water damage anywhere lower than a foot and a half off the floor. So, yeah, a few cardboard boxes of Pmags got soaked but while the boxes are a soggy mess, the mags are fine. I’ve a fan running down there now to dry out things but the bigger issue is: if I had gone to bed early, this thing would have run all night. How can I be alerted to such a failure in the future.

Well, first step, is I should have shut off the outside water two weeks ago. That was the biggest fail. But after that, unless I’m taking a stroll through my basement once a day, I need some alert systems. So..off to Amazon to pick up water alarms. Additionally, since I have plenty of unused ‘channels’ on the security cams, I’m going to dedicate a camera or two to keeping an eye on the basement.

All in all, it could have been a lot worse. But it could have been a lot better too.