Cross your fingers but it looks like my email is back up and running.
I answered all emails that people have sent within the last couple weeks, so if you didnt get one back from me please check your spam folder.
Trust, but verify
I’ve mentioned in the past that I have a buddy who works in a coin shop. I also mentioned that, from time to time, he’ll sell me gold at spot – no premium. Usually this happens when he gets something in thats a little odd of in an unattractive condition. For example, if he gets a gold coin thats bent… its harder to sell than one that isnt, so he buys it for below spot and then flips it to me.
So..with that backstory done. Here’s todays acquisition:
Its a US Gold Eagle (1 troy ounce) coin. It has some sort of crud or something on it whih makes it aesthetically not as attractive as one that doesnt have such an issue. So, a good question would be how do you know thats a real gold coin and not some made-in-China knockoff thats all over eBay?
Well, my buddy at the shop has a gold tester which you can see in the photo. I don’t have silver tested, usually…. but I always have gold tested. He tests it when he buys it, but I politely insist the he test it in front of me before I purchase. I trust him very much, but theres always the possibility of mixing the coin up with another one. And this keeps everyone on the same page.
The tester isnt cheap, they cost about a grand. But if it keeps you from buying one Chinese carbide-filled ‘gold’ coin, then it has paid for itself…twice.
When I get the opportunity to buy gold at spot, I usually jump on it. I use the money from one of my various savings funds. For instance, I save money over the course of the year for paying my property taxes. If gold becomes available, I’ll convert some of that savings into cash figuring that by the time the taxes come due, the gold will still be worth what I paid or better. And if it dips, I have enough to cover it anyway. But my lizard brain likes having some gold in the safe.
I’d really prefer a smaller fraction of gold…I love me some 1/10 oz… but I almost never get those at spot. They are far too desirable, even at their inflated premium. But, hey, when the opportunity comes to buy gold with no premium…sign me up.
Tote
You guys are familiar with these ubiquitous yellow-n-black 27-gallon totes, right? In my opinion, they aren’t the best totes from a survivalist standpoint but sometimes the not-best becomes the most ubiquitous and by virtue of that ubiquity it becomes the de facto ‘standard’. A good example of this would be the old VHS vs. Betamax war in the home video market back in the day…Betamax was a superior format, but VHS was cheap and it was everywhere…and it drove the better product into the dustbin of history.
So, I have a bunch of these totes for storing things I want to protect from..well..everything. What I did not know, but that I should have guessed, is that there is a surprising thrid-party market for accessories for these things. Case in point, I was up at Lowes picking up some things and saw these:
A set of internal dividers for those yellow-black totes. I suppose you could whip up something similar using an Xacto knife and some heavy duty cardboard. But..I’ll take the easy way when I can. Assembling them and fitting them in the totes gives you this:
Handy for some needs. But as I mentioned, there’s a bunch of third-party support out there for these things.Another notable accessory, which is currently available at Costco (or, at least, my local CostCo)…a wire shelving rack.
What is it I don’t like about these totes. Really, three big complaints: a) a more tactical color would be nice, although other companies do make versions of this in OD, though. 2) the tote tapers from the bottom to the top…the footprint of the bottom of the tote is smaller than the footprint of the top of the tote..like a funnel. This means stacking things uniformy is pretty much impossible. I understand why this situation exists – if the tote were straightwalled it wouldnt drop out of the mould as easily as a taperd design. But…still annoying. III) The lids for these are designed to facilitate stacking these totes, and thats a good thing, but the tradeoff is that lid will collect any liquid or debris that accumulates on top. Also, they really cant take too much weight on them. A couple of totes full of Christams lights and decorations? No sweat. Canned goods? Gonna be an issue.
But, as I said, the ubiquity of these totes, and their price point ($6.99@ at CostCo today) makes them the most common tote in this size that youre gonna find virtually everywhere. And, since these things are all over the place, with the large numbers out there the aftermarket sweeps in to bring us the aforementioned accessories.
Usually these totes are about $10 at most places, and my CostCo, as of late, haas them at $6.99. For that kind of money, theyre a nice way to keep stuff off the floor, outta the wet, free from dust, and just generally keep what limited space you have looking orderly.
Canned Sunshine
Its interesting to read some of the other blogs out there these days in regards to the actions going on in Ukraine. There’s definitely a contingent of people who are certain that the current course of action, and the ‘permission’ given to the Ukes to use the US supplied long range munitions, will lead us into a genuine nuclear scenario.
Nuclear weapons are interesting weapons and deterrents. Ostensibly, no one wants to be the first to use them but no one wants to be the last to use them either. What is more liekly to happen if someone launches a (small) nuke at someone….the receiving side and it’s allies restrain themselves form retaliating in kind in the name of the moral high ground? Or they retaliate in kind?
Is the current likelihood of nuclear war, or at least a couple ‘tactical’ or ‘limited’ nuclear uses, higher or lower than what it was during the Cold War?
I was pretty sure the Russians weren’t going to invade Ukraine and I was quite wrong about that. My ability to reasonably predict the future is, obviously, not that great. Do I think someone is going to open up some canned sunshine in this conflict? I really don’t know. I think that it would be alot like the situation the Israelis were (supposedly) in back in ’73 – When their back was to the wall and it looked like they were gonna take it in the shorts, they made a somewhat public show of prepping their nuclear weapons for use and Nixom quickly fired up Operation Nickelgrass and turned on the taps of materiel. I could see the Russians letting the satellites see them moving nuclear munitions to a ‘ready’ position and suddenly US pressure for Kiev to make ‘reasonable compromises’ occurs. Of course, we’d never know about it…but I bet if there’s a dramatic shift in policy towards compromise or appeasement, I’ll bet its because someone put on a show for satellites.
But, do I think anyone will heave a nuke, even a small tactical battlefield nuke, at someone? No,but I’ve been wrong before.
On the other hand, it’s always a good idea to be prepared just in case. And even if thes no nucelar exchange, those preparation work for other non-nuclear disasters as well. I mean, if you’re prepared for WW3.5 youre probably prepared, by default, for lesser things like hurricanes.
TurkeyFest 2024
Or, as others call it, ‘Thanksgiving’.
Personally, I don’t restrict my gratitude to one day of the year. I’m always aware of what I do and don’t have and who is or is not responsible for that.
This year, I’m thankful the election didn’t go to Harris. I’m also thankful that the fourth quarter of the year was pretty good to me market-wise. And, of course, I am thankful to me for all the cool and good stuff I’ve done for me this year. Thanks me!
The problem, if you want to call it that, with being aware of what you do and do not have is that it makes you very sensitive to things that threaten that status quo. I can sit in front of a giant plate of turkey, potatoes, stuffing, pie, and ice cream, and while I’ll enjoy the heck out of it I’ll also be very aware that just because I have it now doesn’t guarantee I’ll have it next year. But..I’d bet folding money that the odds of me having an abundant holiday next year are a darn sight better than a lot of folks. Again…thanks me!
And lets hope next years Thanksgiving doesn’t go like this:
Article – The oldest known firearm in the U.S. unearthed in Arizona
A 500-year old swivel gun is an interesting find. My favorite, though much younger, is the ’73 Winchester found propped against a tree.
Every now and then someone digs up an ancient, pitted, rusted ‘relic’ here in Montana. The stories those guns could tell………..
Incomunicado
Still screwing around with Bluehost to figure out why my email is all wonky. Practical up shot is that I owe a few of you guys some email. I got your emails just fine, so … messages received. But outgoing is a different story. Will let you know.
ETA: I suppose I should take this opportunity to reply, as discreetly as I can, to a couple emails:
- Regarding magazines: Yes, please. My mailing address.
- Holosight: I just picked up the PS2x and like it a lot.
- Dozen: I’ll be around for Christmas and will let you know when your stuff arrives.
- Avid Fan: Find help in Galatians 6:11, 15:2, Acts 3:3, Revelations 18:7, Jonah 6:8, John 6:22, Luke 1:7
This’ll be interesting…….
Sooooo…..that happened.
The Montana boys
You know, every so often I make a post and people leave comments that mention they are in Montana as well.
So, I’m a bit curious. How many of you folks are actually living in this fine state? You can be as vague as you want, but I am curious to know how many of you reside here in Montana.
I am willing to bet money that some of you have mutual friends with me, and I would not be surprised if I’ve met one or two of you and not known it.
Avoiding freezing to death
Fall is definitely on the way out. The evenings and early mornings are getting downright chilly. Time to pull the Filsons out of storage and start gearing up for the cold.
I have absolutely no faith that anyone can predict the kind of winter we’re going to have. In fact, I genuinely believe most weather forecasts in Montana should just be a pre-records loop of “And now here’s Ted with the weather. Thanks…might rain, might not. Back to you Steve.”
However, getting caught unprepared is always something to be avoided. And it doesn’t have to be something dramatic. It can be something as stupid as you ducking out of your house without a jacket to just run to your car for a forgotten item, and locking yourself out of the building. People have died in this town from similar experiences. A few years ago some old guy got locked out of his car and froze to death. Maybe he didnt have the strength to bust a window, or maybe he was just reluctant. But either way, he became a statistic because of something as simple as forgetting that his car auto-locked when he got out of it.
I keep a heavy coat and other outwear in the truck, and I have a spare key on the outside of the truck to get into it in a crisis. But I also keep the Winter Module in my Bag O’ Tricks(tm) and that’d definitely make a difference in a pinch. But….the main point here is: don’t go outside without proper clothing even if its only for a few minutes…because life has a way of throwing curve balls at you that will suddenly turn ‘a few minutes’ into an hour and you can lose a lot of toes and fingers to the cold in an hour.
Its that time of year, guys. If you took the sleeping bags and blankets out of the truck over the summer, it’s time to put them back in. And for the love of Crom, raingear in winter is always a good idea. Because cold and wet will kill you a zillion times faster than just cold. Suspenders and a belt, guys.