Wildfires, Ducks, And Firetrucks

Once a year we take a much needed time out to Mt. Charleston, Nevada from our home in Las Vegas. 

This year brought a close to home event of a wildfire being seen over the mountain edge from Carpenter Canyon. 

The fire did not reach us but the smoke sure did. I spent the evening with a slight cough from the hazy air and caught these images drifting into the area.

This event reminds me how very important it is to keep on hand a ready made go kit. A bug out bag that is more of an overnight kit so to speak.

This emergency kit would be different from your Bushcraft kit. It would not require survival gear.

 If an area you are in is prone to wildfires, leaving in a moments notice is necessary. You will not have time to pack your essentials. Having a bug out bag stored and already assembled with personal items is a necessity.

This bag does not need to contain your 3 day rations or a ton of survival articles if you are evacuated to a nearby city or family or friend's home. You will only need a change of clothing or two, your hygiene items like a toothbrush and comb. Just the essentials.

Keeping copies of important records in this pack would be a good idea, too. Insurance papers and anything you would need in the event your home and property were severely damaged, God forbid. Keep a gallon of water near this emergency bag for each member of the family and lift and go if a situation calls for it.

Another thing to consider is what each member of the family would need to get through a day or two away from the home. Does Jr. need his asthma meds? Does Dad have the equipment and medication needed for his Diabetes? Will your family need allergy pills or anything to get them through just 2 to 3 days of and away from home when having to bug out to a civilized area?

Plan for emergencies like this accordingly and you won't have to think about what you need to bring with you  if this does happen close to your home. Grab that bag and go!

Related Articles: 

Bushcraft Kits 

Emergency Supplies - www.survival-recovery.com

The rest of the retreat was a nice time out:

Duck Pond And Images From The Mount Charleston Resort and hiking areas:

What is your favorite time out?

The Zombie Apocalypse Is Already Here

Mayan Calendar - Peel and Stick Wall Decal by Wallmonkeys

They were anxiously waiting the countdown on December 21, 2013. 

The Mayan Calendar came to an end. It sure did. But what most people fail to realize is that the Zombie Apocalypse is here and it has been for decades.

The Zombie Apocalypse is not in the form of a T Virus or some deadly plague - or is it? 

It is here among us in the form of drug dependent people who have let their use of chemicals over ride anything in their lives other than the pursuit of more. Look around you. Have you seen the way a Meth addict staggers? To me they walk like a worm wiggles. Slithering back and forth. This way and that. Just amblin along. The hardcore lost ones do this. Its sad but funny. They can't hide it. It shows in the way they talk. Their eyes all bugged out of their heads. Skeleton skinny and usually a conversation with them is impossible. Its a shame, too. Many of these folks are very intelligent or were before they got into trouble. These are our Zombies today. The only difference is they are not mumblin' "Brains!!!" or dragging broken body parts with

them.

It is a sad state of our world and one that will get worse as out economy and political climate darken. 

These folks are already desperate for anything they can use to get more dope. They rob and steal. Some can work but I doubt they can keep a job long. The drug holds too strong an influence over their minds and will.

Walking Dead Attack TV Poster Print

I bring this up because it is a minor tone of what will be happening when the SHTF for real. I am approached on a daily basis sometimes many times through my day and asked for money. I see them on the street corners and in the parking lots of large warehouse chain stores. My answer is NO - to them most of the time. I cannot help you until you choose to help yourself, is my reply. I do contribute occasionally to someone who is in need because my heart will tell me that person needs it. The rest of them can go put that in a pipe and smoke it!

Now, before you jump off the deep end and say I am bashing helpless people and I don't know what I am talking about, I want you to know that as of this moment I have been clean and sober for over 8 years now. I very well know what I am talking about. I have seen it. I have lived it. I survived my stint on the streets and that is what I am driven by today. 

I Am A Survivor!

I want to share with you this because while you are reading my posts, I want you to remember this. While most of them seem like Pollyanna - Aunt Bea from Mayberry light conversation, at the core of all of these writings is a woman who faced her demons, the streets, and survived a few years among people like I have described above. I am not an couch potato - PC nerd who hasn't ever left home.

I survived 25 years of off and on the streets and I know what it is like to go through a time span of hunger, what it means to be homeless, and how frightening it is to be so very alone with only the clothes on my back and a few things in my pockets to help me survive. Today I have a life worth fighting for and I will not let anything take it away from me. I prepare because I care. I share what I have learned and the things I stumble across in my searches so that you and I may meet on the road somewhere and be apart of the circle that is the core of the American Heart. Our patriots and preppers....

Read more preparedness at:
Survival-Recovery.com

Starter Survival Food Storage

Starting a food storage inventory for survival is not a difficult task. 

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Staple foods for your survival food storage pantry.

Tonight I stopped by the market and added to my reserves.
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When I looked at the goods I selected I thought this would be a great starter list for anyone who has yet to begin with planning food storage.

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This list are your basic staples. With these simple  items you have a base to build on and a few things that will be used for baking bread and other essentials. 

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Yes, there are rice and beans here, but they are a great source of protein and carbohydrates. This can be a good way to begin stocking up and for about $75 at your local Walmart. I chose the most economically priced items for the dollar. You can add to this list week by week at about $25 dollars per pass at the grocers and have what you need for a month or more in just a few weeks time. Let me share some ideas with you. 

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Basic List for Storage - Dry Goods

• 1 - 25 pound bag of flour
• 1 - 10 pound bag of sugar
• 1 - 20 pound bag of pinto beans
• 1 - 20 pound bag of rice
• 5 - pounds of elbow macaroni
• 2 - Boxes w/ 10 packets of Instant Oatmeal
• 2 - 1 pound bag of lentils
• 3 -  pounds of rotini 
• 3 - pounds of egg noodles
• 3 - small honey containers
• 2 - peanut butter
• 2 - Packets of Yeast

Carbohydrates are important energy sources

The reason I bought the pasta is I needed to add more goods to my grain group as I have depleted my stash and on a good week I supplement some of the categories I need to replenish. I use this food in my cooking weekly so it can stay rotated. I do not store anything I will not eat. 

These pasta items can be made into pasta salad with just oil and vinegar and dehydrated veggies in them or made into a goulash. They can be added to soups or mixed with a powdered cheese sauce and complimented with canned ham or chicken. There is a variety of meals you can make from these items. They can be prepared over a sterno can burner or a wood fire if needs me. 

Once prepared they can keep for several days if kept cool.

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Flour And Sugar In Bulk

The flour and sugar are a must have. These items will constitute a bulk of your staple items. The flour is for baking bread and tortillas and other bread like items like banana bread! It can be used for gravy and biscuits.

Sugar is a main ingredient in most baking or treat recipes so I like to have a lot of it on hand. I generally don't use it a lot for drink mixes but it helps make that sweet tea we all love. Kept in bulk and in stock we always have a source of quick energy.

Beans and Lentils

The lentils I add to my bean soups. With the beans and lentils alone, and about 4 tablespoons of onion flakes all I need is water and slow cooking for a great tasting soup. A batch of that gets picked at for a day or two then turned into chili. You wouldn't believe there isn't any meat in it! The lentils add almost a beefy flavor to the mix. Served over rice you have a filling meal item. 

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What Other Foods Can I Store?

I would recommend adding powdered milk, gallons upon gallons of water, and a few cases of tomato sauce and canned veggies, fruits, and meats to the above list. Building the menu comes next. What meals can yo make quickly and easily from these food items? Add a few tidbits for flavoring -- your favorite herbs, spices, and condiments that will keep on the shelf well while sealed.

There is so much more I could tell you about food storage and I have a few articles published about it. If you would like to know more about how to store these foods when you get them home, read more here 

Survival Food Storage and: Survival Food Requirements 

For more about the food groups and recipes, tips, and other facts see the site:

Survival Recovery.com

If you look at what is happening in the news, the potential for disasters or crisis is always close at hand. Insure your family has a decent supply of food available if something does happen. Emergency food storage planning covers your family's nutritional needs in a crisis. It is also a way to keep the food budget in check. Oh, and hey, it also is a way to have everything you need on hand to make the family's favorite baked items!

Stock, rotate, use, enjoy!

What item would you add to a beginner food storage list?