Confessions of a Prepper

When do you have enough stuff? I have often asked myself this question. I started preparing when I was young so I have had a long time to acquire my stuff. I am to the point now that I have so much stuff I wonder if I have too much. I have multiples of everything. I call them "AIR SPARES", Air Force for having an airborne spare aircraft for any mission. Should I pass up the good deals I see and stop buying?

Can you have too much stuff? You can never have too much food, water, supplements etc. But what about everything else we buy? If you had say 12 sleeping bags for a family of 4 that may be excessive. Guilty!

I think that at a point prepping becomes very obsessive. Am I wrong? I know that we must be obsessive to a point in order to get it right. But when I read that one blogger mentioned he had over 200 mags for a certain firearm. It hit me that maybe there has to be either a point of no return or an end point.

To be honest I think that my buying is a compulsion of sorts. It is like an Adrenalin rush to me. I just keep buying stuff. I can't help it if stuff just keeps showing up that I want or should I say need. Even if I have some already.

How many of you out there have this compulsion? I cannot be alone in this.

Well let me know your thoughts.

Mark

I Have Been A Sheeple for a while

As I have mentioned before I get plenty of time off at my job. On Friday the 8th of May I started a long period of no work. Boss did some traveling. In fact in the last 18 days I have only worked 5 days. During that time I avoided ALL news. No news was good news for a time. I hope everything went well during this time for all of you.

I just took care of things around the house and did some needed maintenance on the vehicles. Spent some quality time with the family and did some traveling.

Having ones head in the sand can be refreshing. Like the old song "Don't Worry Be Happy." That was me for a time. Now its back to reality.

Later I will do some catching up on what has transpired since I have been in a news blackout.

I did not stop my seemingly never ending quest for Stuff. By the way when is enough enough? That's a post for a later date.

In my travels I went to the states largest Flea Market about 240 miles from here. Found two extreme cold weather bags for $15.00 each. Got two more mags for the AR at $5.00 each plus some stripper clips. Precious metals were abundant. This was a mini vacation of sorts and it was a good time for all. The weather was excellent and the scenery was outstanding. All in all a great trip.

Locally I installed a new radiator and shocks in the truck, new tie rods in the MR2 and oil changes all around. I find working on vehicles relaxing and somewhat enjoyable, except for the busted knuckles of course. Gives you a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction.

Local yard sales have been good too. Lots of stuff I did not need and some I did. Just popped into one sale by chance and they had a Remington 740/06 for $300.00. Thank you very much! I love surprises. Found a great reference collection of books on WWII, 17 books in all. I am a WWII buff and cannot ever get enough info. Here is just a few of the great books I found. Aviation Badges and Insignia of the United States Army 1913-1946, Luftwaffe Aircraft and Aces, The Allied Aces of WWII, Uniforms/Weapons and Equipment of the WWII GI, The Submarine at War, Wearing the Edged Weapons of the Third Reich and many more. I will be sharing info and pictures from some of these books in later posts. If you have an interest in a specific book I am glad to share. I will post the complete list later.

Good news abounded during this brief time. My oldest made the Deans List at college with straight A's, Life is good. Have you seen that show about Found Money where they surprise people with large sums left by some distant relative or an old bank account or stocks they forgot about. Well my wife did some checking and my father was on the list by name. Some Life insurance policy from whom he does not know as yet. Got to love it.

I will be getting the trailer ready for the summer. You know cleaning and maintenance. I cannot wait to go camping. May hit a few National Parks and some local State Parks as well. Drowning worms is high on my to do list too. The locals rivers and streams are too fast and full for now but soon they will be prime for fishing. May even do some inner tube float trips. Summer, got to love it. I get even more time off during the summer and I cannot complain. We only work 3 days a week during this time and I make good use of the time off.

Well I guess for now I have gone on long enough. It is good to be back at the daily grind even if it means that there is bad news out there waiting to be discovered. I will now catch up on what I missed in the real world and with all of Your blogs. Thanks for reading my rambling thoughts.

May God Bless America!

Who Speaks For You?

Below in green is a saying I have always held close.

(NEWSPAPER HEADLINE)

JULY 1, 1937, MARTIN NIEMOELLER, CHURCH DISSIDENT LEADER, ARRESTED
Martin Niemoeller, one of main opponents of Nazi racial ideology in the Lutheran church and one of the founders of the oppositional "Confessional Church," is arrested. He is sent to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp in 1938 and spends the next seven years in concentration camps. After the war, Niemoeller's condemnation of bystanders to Nazi policies will become a call to early action.


His words: "First they came for the Communists, but I was not a Communist - so I said nothing. Then they came for the Social Democrats, but I was not a Social Democrat - so I did nothing. Then they came for the trade unionists, but I was not a trade unionist. And then they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew - so I did little. Then when they came for me, there was no one left who could stand up for me."
From the following website http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/prisochr.htm


Now I know there are many who find fault with what Michael Savage has to say. I must say right up front that I agree with 90% of everything he says. I like the guy OK! But as I type he is being attacked for his free speech. He is on a "No Entry List" for the U.K. as a "Rabble-Rouser"(really that's the term used) of all things.

They put him in the same category as a famous American music star that escapes me for now. Michael can't get into ENGLAND, PERIOD! A frigging Talk radio Host. What could he possibly do to the entire country of Great Britain?

Why all of a sudden does Great Britain FEAR Michael Savage? Is it Micheal's FREE SPEECH they don't like? Michael said this could get him on the no fly list for being a threat in another nation! Why are they coming for Michael? Anyone?

Now if a foreign nation can do this to American Citizen, whether its a Musician or a Talk Show host, what IS OFF LIMITS TO YOUR OWN GOVERNMENT.

I can hear some in the world saying "That's only one man I, I could care less if he has problems." Well folks that one person is our problem. He is just the beginning of much more unless someone stands up for FREE SPEECH NOW!

I think the above saying is Very appropriate for TODAY. To SPEAK UP for Michael Savage get the MSM like Fox News to give it the attention it deserves. I know I am a Whore for telling you to use the MSM but what else is there? Sure you can write you REP. But why waste your time? They could care unless it involves them.

The only avenue left is the MSM. Someone needs to get it out that FREE SPEECH is under attack. So email those losers at FOX and tell them they need to speak for Savage. No need to contact the rest of the MSM, nothing but deaf ears. Fox is our only chance.

So if you love FREE SPEECH please send an email to Fox.

Here is the email address for the Fox News Manager newsmanager@foxnews.com

Thank You for your help and your visit.

Saturday Night Specials

Most who read this kind of blog may not consider the "Saturday Night Special" for their kit. I for one think it is perfect for what it is. It is a small cheap pistol. Not very stylish, not very powerful and inexpensively made. The Clerke 1st is an example of one of these little pistols. Made in Santa Monica Ca. by the Clerke Technicorp company. Caliber 32 S&W with an 1 1/2" barrel. A very heavy weapon for its size at 1 pound 4 oz. Holds five shots and is very reliable.

This is what I call a GUT GUN, you know how in the old movies when the bad guy shoves the gun in the gut of his target and pulls the trigger. The way Ruby did Oswald. You cannot miss at that range and it will kill. Not very effective at a range of more than a couple of feet but when in need its better than nothing.

The price is right too. Around $25.00 for a pistol is CHEAP. I have seen them from $20.00 up to $50.00. They are pocket pistols basically and for a backup weapon they serve a purpose. Heck one of these and another more expensive backup would make me feel better any day. Any rounds in the direction of the bad guys is better than none. Also at that price they are disposable if needed. Try throwing away your Glock, I bet you won't.

What better weapon to have for barter or to give to that neighbor who has nothing when the SHTF. You can keep it in the BOB and if God forbid its stolen who cares. You are only out a few bucks instead of the hundreds you may have paid for that Browning or the like. Keep one in the trunk, glove box, toolbox, tackle box etc. with a box of ammo. Cheap insurance for sure.

Most of these little pistols are looked upon as inferior to all others. I suggest you give them a second look for what they are Inexpensive firepower. So the next time you see one of these much maligned weapons buy it for what it is and for what it could be.

All is Not Lost I Hope

With all of the crap coming down the pike from the Obamanation Administration such as treaties and the like I still believe there is a glimmer of hope out there. My Hope rests with the American People in general.

Even my Liberal Boss says she stands behind the Constitution to the letter. She is anti gun in her home but defends my right to own them. She is not a fan of Talk radio or anything Right Wing but she fully supports their right to exist and their Free Speech. She has told me this on many occasions. She is well educated and has groups of common sense. She is a live and let live Liberal. She has said that if she is allowed to live her life according to what she believes then why shouldn't everyone else. She never tries to impose her beliefs on anyone and is open minded about your point of view.

Surely she is not a minority among the Liberal masses. I hope she is the rule and not the exception. There must be Millions of others like her who just want to go about their life without being told how to live it and want the same for everyone else.

This is where my Hope comes in. I cannot believe that the majority of People in this country do not think like her. With the exception of the 535 and the MSM, I think that the majority of this country is still of sound mind and will only take so much crap before they make themselves heard.

Most of us are busy trying to make ends meet, doing the job thing and just going about life. Some could care less about events unfolding around them,the Sheeple. There are 300 million of us and I am betting the majority of us are not going to take it much longer. "WE" as in you and I have seen to much crap come at us for many years but those who just stroll through life without a care must soon wake up to reality.

I am an optimist at heart and a little pessimism is fine at times. But I believe in this Country and the People who live here. It is not to late yet and maybe just maybe there will be an awakening of the Masses and then the real UNITED STATES OF AMERICA will shine through like it has so many times before.

MAY GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

MARK

A New Countdown on the Sidebar

I have started a temporary countdown of the left sidebar. This is for an acquisition that will arrive in about the number of days indicated. There is a backlog due to the Obamanation. A nice hard case and other items will wait until its arrival. Well I think that will do it for now.


P.S. This Countdown is for my own entertainment, mostly.

Spring is Back Again

The snow we got last weekend is now mostly gone and today was a beautiful sunny warm spring like day. Temp was about 52 and it felt much warmer. I look forward to going camping and doing some fishing. I love to fish the local streams and creeks. I do not know how much it is for a fishing license where you are but here a year is $17.00. I don't catch anything very big but they put up a good fight just the same. I release everything since I am not in need of food. I let them get bigger. I just enjoy catching them for now. We have Rainbows, Cutthroats and Browns. Some of the lakes around here have Grayling too. The local river has some big trout but the current makes it a task to fish. I drown worms as opposed to Fly fishing. Flies are fine when required by law but I prefer live bait. Lots of fly fisherman here. They flock to the rivers to get a workout with their arms. I have always thought that fly fishing was a lot of work.



My favorite place to camp is about 35 miles from here. A great stream runs through the area and there are Deer, Black bear and and an occasional Elk. I have even seen a Beaver or two at times. Plenty of campfire wood all over so I don't even have to bring any. Night time is my favorite when all the stars come out that are invisible in the city. On one occasion I counted 35 meteors streaking through the sky in one hour. If you are patient and look long enough you can see satellites circling the planet.



There is something about cooking in the woods that makes everything taste better. I know it is just my imagination. People seem to cook more when camping too. Maybe its the fresh air or the exercise. Most of us are not accustomed to walking much but when camping we seem to do a lot. I seem to sleep sounder out in the wild than I do at home too. Again maybe the exercise or the fresh air.



There are still those among us that insist on bringing the modern things along, like music, chain saws, generators, motor bikes and once I saw a TV on a picnic table! I try to avoid the crowded areas since here you can camp for free anyplace in the State parks that is not a developed. By developed I mean tables, outhouses etc. Just find a spot anywhere and set up camp. No restrictions on fires unless the fire danger is high.



I once spent a month camping in the local forests and that was a time the family and I will never forget. The freedom it provided and the lack of stress was GREAT. During the week we never saw anyone except for maybe a Ranger now and then. Basically we had the entire forest to ourselves. Once a week we would drive into town for propane and some grub needs. Otherwise we were camping fools. We were not roughing it by no means. We had a 12' cab over camper with a sink, shower and toilet for the bathroom, a Real refrigerator with a freezer, 4 burner stove and an oven. The fridge was a 3 way power type. It also had the old propane lights that are now no longer made. They make great light and provide heat too. This thing had a hot water heater too. I sold it years ago and regret it. It was good to us for a long time but we needed bigger digs.



I know I could live in our current travel trailer forever and be as happy as a lark the entire time. Even the wife says she would enjoy it! We both like simple surroundings without the clutter and and unnecessary things that most of us have in our homes. You know the useless things that are just dust collectors and serve only as decoration. Of course there would still be the necessary items that we all have in our stash. Firearms, Etc. I know firearms are modern things to but they are NECESSARY no matter where you are. But I can do without a TV, Stereo, even the computer. A radio would be the extent of my modern electronics. It seems to me that we all are addicted to too many modern things that we could if we had to live without. I know it would be tough on the young ones but they would survive I am sure. They will be going their own way soon anyway.



Well I am getting anxious to go camping and the next opportunity I get I am off. Drown some worms and eat like a pig. That's the life for me. Mark

Another Bargain Gear Item

I went to a local auction today and I normally do not even leave an absentee bid. I hate to wait around for them to get to the items I am interested in. I saw three things that I Wanted. Two Marine Ghillie Suits and a Blackhawk S.O.F. Ruck Pack Kit. I put in some bids and left. This afternoon I went back to see if I got anything. I missed out on the suits but I got the Backpack. It lists for $383.00 on the Blackhawk site. I paid $60.00. It has tons of room and many pockets. It is new and I think it was an Issue item to the same guy who had the suits. Below is an image from the Blackhawk site. Both of the large side pockets have Alice clips for removal. WOW a bonus, I was going through the pockets and found a Beretta 9MM Magazine by Pro Mag. Cool!

The other day I picked up a Kevlar helmet #6 for $18.00 and a WWII Like new backpack for $20.00 the kind that has the triangle shaped frame. I needed another pack like I need another hole in my head. I have more packs than people to use them by a factor of 2. I just can't pass up a good deal for the life of me. I guess I should stop buying stuff so the wife will be happier but it is an obsession with me. MUST BUY GEAR! MUST BUY GEAR! Everywhere I go I see something I want and I already have one or two at home most of the time.

Well I think that will do it for now. Have a great day out there. I have already!

I Found My Ammo Fairy

As usual I spent the morning hitting yard sales. Got the usual things I look for and a surprise too. At one sale I met a man named Ed and he had a few boxes of ammo on his table. I bought up a couple and he said he had MORE.

He reloads in his basement and does cast and jacketed. His garage is full of lead and he said all he needs is Brass for some of his stock. I have brass galore and he said bring it over and he will take care of me. The ammo I bought was 9MM for $9.00 a box and .223 for $10.00. Now this may not be the cheapest price in town it is the quantity I like. He said he has the ability to reload tons of ammo! I am bringing over all my brass and he said check back in a week.

This is a great find, better than a silver mine at this time.

He also ties Flys which is another good thing to know.

He has been at this for 45 years and that makes me feel good about buying it from him. He has dies for every caliber I own. I asked him how well stocked he was on primers and he Laughed! So things are getting better for me daily except for the Possible Pandemic thing that I ranted about last night. Not much I can do about it so I am going to go about my business for now and be thankful for what I have and the new source for more AMMO!

May God Bless America!

Mark

AS I SEE IT NOW!

This is what is happening NOW! Schools are closing around the country and more to come and here's why! Not because of the flu but a possibility of the flu is reason to close a school. Schools around the country will ALL close. To quote the OBAMANATION :

"He said that schools with confirmed or suspected cases should consider temporarily closing "to be safe as possible," and advised parents to prepare for contingencies, including not sending a child to a daycare center."

Confirmed or suspected cases! That means as a Principle do you want to have it on your conscience that you kept a school open and a child died? NO! So we have the domino effect across the country! No more School!

Now one parent/guardian home with the kids all day.

If they sent your child home from school because there might be a chance of getting the flu, and you can't take them to childcare, are you going to take them shopping or go anyplace for fear of getting the flu(sheeple!)? Since we still have some Nuclear Families (look it up)out there, maybe one more member of the family is out in that toxic air and that wouldn't be prudent, maybe everyone should stay indoors except for emergencies!

They are already closings schools. Check it out for yourself.

I am no genius but I think I know what stinks and this stinks! This has the odor of a baited trap!

That has already SPRUNG!

Now what to do?

ME NOTHING. YET!
I DARE THEM!

MAY GOD BLESS AMERICA!

HOW THE SUN WORKS FOR IDIOTS

This title is in no way directed at anyone in particular. I just used that to let people know it is a very simplified explanation of How The Sun Works, Period. I am just borrowing the "FOR IDIOTS" guide books idea for a while. I promise to give it back. I know that to some of you this will be OLD news. But to some it will be an awakening.

Well I have always loved the Heavens but especially the Sun. That little bright ball up there is the only reason we exist. No Sun No WE! Now its been heating us up for a long time. Just like a fine watch it keeps going and going. Now even the Sun gets run down at times and cools just a little. We are 93,000,000 miles away from the Sun and it still warms our planet. Oh by the way any closer and we FRY and any farther we FREEZE. Just thought I would throw that in.

I want you to think of the Sun as pot of hot water on the stove. Now you can bring water to a boil and it roils like crazy. Really hot water. Now if you get it to a temp close to boiling, it is still very hot just not boiling hot. The Sun is the same. When the Sun is very hot it boils like that water making bubbles on the surface. These are the Sunspots. The more Sunspots the hotter the Sun is. Fewer Sunspots means its still hot but much cooler than when there are many Sunspots. Now for all you skeptics check out there this chart at : http://solarscience.msfc.nasa.gov/greenwch/spot_num.txt It covers Sunspot activity since 1749 starting in the month of May of that year.

Below is the 1913 records of Sunspot activity from that site. The numbers in ( ) is the number of sunspots seen in a given MONTH per DAY. I put the () around them to make them easy to read.

JAN 1913 1 (2.3) 3.6 FEB 1913 2 (2.9) 4.5 MAR 1913 3 (0.5) 1.7 APR 1913 4 (0.9) 2.9 MAY 1913 5 (0.0) 0.0 JUN 1913 6 (0.0) 0.0 JUL 1913 7 (1.7) 3.7 AUG 1913 8 (0.2) 1.3 SEPT 1913 9 (1.2) 3.6

OCT 1913 10 (3.1) 4.6 NOV 1913 11 (0.7) 2.2 DEC1913 12 (3.8) 6.8

I can hear it now why pick 1913? Well as I have posted earlier it has snowed quite a bit here in the last few days. It snowed 26.5 inches in 3 days. My point is that this 26.5 inches of snow snapped a 96 year old record for snow in April. April 1913 to be precise. We beat it by 8". Now that's a record that has stood for 96 years. The Sunspot activity in April 1913 was 0.9 sunspots per day. There were no Sunspots on the 25th through the 29th of April 2009. It snowed 26.5 inches it that time frame. If you doubt it go to, http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ftpmenu/forecasts/SRS.html and see for yourself.

Now in 1913 there were no Sunspots again until July of that year.

Now to go back even farther in time to 1645 through 1715. This is the lowest recorded period of Sunspot activity EVER! The data for this period is located at the site below.

http://solarscience.msfc.nasa.gov/SunspotCycle.shtml : This is called "THE MAUNDER MINIMUM"

Early records of sunspots indicate that the Sun went through a period of inactivity in the late 17th century. Very few sunspots were seen on the Sun from about 1645 to 1715 (38 kb JPEG image). Although the observations were not as extensive as in later years, the Sun was in fact well observed during this time and this lack of sunspots is well documented. This period of solar inactivity also corresponds to a climatic period called the "Little Ice Age" when rivers that are normally ice-free froze and snow fields remained year-round at lower altitudes. There is evidence that the Sun has had similar periods of inactivity in the more distant past. The connection between solar activity and terrestrial climate is an area of on-going research.

I guess historical records are not good enough! But anyway I digress.

Now lets recap, Maunder Minimum Less Sunspots colder earth, Maunder Maximum More Sunspots Hotter Earth. Got It!

We are now in Maunder Minimum as I type and have been for quite a while. Since 2007 to be precise. Check out the charted data here : http://solarscience.msfc.nasa.gov/images/Zurich_Color_Small.jpg

The Earth is starting to cool in conjunction with the Suns 11 year cycle of Sunspot activity. We are now at the lowest point of Sunspot activity in this part of the cycle.

Now my whole point of this is to put my 2 cents into the GLOBAL WARMING THEORY. If you look at the charts and then check out the weather during any given year back to 1749 you will see that its colder on Earth in the years that fewer sunspots are recorded. Just the same it is HOTTER on Earth when there are more Sunspots!

Now the hottest period we have had on Earth is from 1998 to 2007. There were groups of sunspots during that time frame. Check it out.

So one more time repeat after me: MORE HEAT HOTTER PLANET, LESS HEAT COLDER PLANET! Period.

If your read this rant Thank You. I hope you at least give this some thought. It would be nice if we started worrying about important things, not what the temperature of the planet is since we can do NOTHING about it!

Mark, up to his butt in 26.5 inches of snow in APRIL!

Epidemic Influenza And Vitamin D

I visit http://www.stevequayle.com/start.html every weekday and I always see a bunch that interests me. Today I found an article that may be of use to all. The title of it is "Epidemic Influenza And Vitamin D" it is located at http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/51913.php. Read the entire article and make up your own mind as to it relevance to today's situation. This is no crackpot site but a medical site.

Since in the past I have been plagued(no pun intended) with pneumonia on occasion I am following the advice given here just in case. The way I see it if it only costs me $6.00 for some supplemental Vitamin D it is worth the price. I am going to take 1000IU a day from now on except when I am able to get the natural stuff from the good old Sun. We have 11" of snow so far and its still snowing so pills will have to do for now. According to this paper you get about 12,000IU after 20 minutes of sun over the entire body(naked?) I think I will stick to shorts and no shirt thank you. Don't need the neighbors getting sick on my account.

Ultraviolet B light works too but use eye protection or you will burn your eyeballs!

OK I have to tell this story about ultraviolet light. In the 1980's I was stationed in Iceland. They have hot water pools that are formed by the output of the geothermal plants that produce electricity and steam heat for the country. This was way before they were made to look like the resorts they are now. This was just a silt bottomed huge pond of hot silty sulphur smelling water that locals laid around in anytime of the year. The only building was a small trailer about 8' by 12" long with chairs and a tanning bank of lights. Most of the Icelander's went in nude and then went into the trailer during the winter and hit the tanning light. My Ex wife and I tried this pool several times and found it relaxing. On one trip she decided to try the tanning light. She had been using the one on base and thought it would be the same. Since we were alone in the trailer and the pond was empty she tried it nude. She only stayed 5 minutes on each side. It was a vertical type lamp bank that you stood in front of. That evening she started to feel like she had a bad sunburn. When she looked in the mirror she was red everywhere. We went to the ER and they wanted to admit her since she had 2nd degree burns on over 90% of her body. The only places she was not burned was the bottom of her feet, top of her head and between her legs. Needless to say I was the lotion master for the next few days. They gave her pain meds since it was so severe. So be careful of the eyes and your skin if you use UV lights. Even the ones that are used for finding minerals will burn your eyes. That's why the cop shows wear the red glasses when using UV.

Just thought I would pass this on for those who have need for the info. I have already informed my extended family in other parts of the country. Better than a kick in the butt or a shot in the arm.


Mark Kent

WINTER WONDERLAND?

In an earlier post I mentioned we were expecting about a foot of snow. Well here are some images of that snow. This is a really wet snow but it is not sticking to power lines as yet. Trees are heavy with it and a few broken branches here an there.

I thought it would be fun to drive what I call my skateboard to work today. I have an MR2 that sits very low but is fun in the snow. It has no problem since the roads are kept very clear here. Might hit a big parking lot for some donuts.

I love snow and even at my age I like to go play in it. This is great snowman and snowball snow.

Its a beautiful day in the neighborhood as you can see.

Later Mark