Monthly Archives: March 2016

Kitchen Tools nonelectric

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Kitchen Tools needed have handy when electricity goes out

Go to your kitchen and look at the tools that you use to cook food. How many use electricity? In this blog I want you to think about which tools you could use if you did not have electricity and what foods you could make. The number 1 kitchen tool you will need is a manual can opener. Whether that be a P38 that is used in the military to open one can at a time, or one that your grandmother had on the wall, that can open large cans. It would be beneficial if all pre-teen to adults had a P38 or P51 (these are different sizes that the military uses) on each person say on a keychain or a lanyard and then a larger one for the kitchen area this can be one of the ones that is called a hand can opener or one that you put on the wall. Either way they are easier to use when opening more than 1 can at a time. Also, if anyone carries a P38/51 they should know how to use it. Put this on your list to teach everyone how to use one and especially the pre-teen to adults to be able to use easily. If anyone is going to be cooking in the kitchen make sure they know how to use the larger one.

How do you mix your cakes and cookies? If you use an electric mixer start learning now how to use something that does not require electricity. There is a handy device that grandmother use to use that was called an egg beater. It has two mixing blades like an electric mixer but uses a crank wheel to beat the eggs, not as hard on the hands as a fork. But, whichever you use get it and start practicing, then make sure that it is handy for when the electricity goes out.

How do you make bread, or do you make bread? If the electricity goes out you will not have a bread machine, but you can bake bread in a solar oven. This should be something you practice on a bit, because it takes practice to make bread for different areas. Where we live, we are over a mile in altitude, but there are places that are below sea level, and these and the areas in between require slight differences in making bread. Also differences in humidity require slight changes. Start with simple recipes and go to the more difficult ones. This will also make help make your diet healthier not to have so many preservatives in it.

Choppers and blenders are other electrical appliances, but the way to get around using these is to chop items up very small and stir a lot. If you don’t know how to chop or need a good knife or cutting board put this on your list and as soon as you get them start practicing. This is the way baby food can be made by chopping food up real fine and adding liquid to it and stirring real well.

Are there any other kitchen tools that you use that are electrical that you would need to change your way of cooking? If so, let me know and we can add that to this blog for future use. We will talk about how to cook without electricity in another blog.

3 on the 3s for 3

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3 on the 3s for 3

This is the hailing plan for a group communications plan. The way to read this that the person out in the field could check in and reasonably expect to be answered if they call [hail] on channel 3 of their radio on the 3s [times on a 12 hour clock expressed in multiples of 3 or more simply put 3, 6, 9 or 12] and then monitor for 3 minutes before and after the hour. This allows for slight variations in what time your watch says.

In today’s world there are several ‘kinds’ of radios that people use so it would be that factory designated channel 3 for that radio. CB channel 3 is 26.985 MHz, channel 3 of GMRS equals FRS channel 17 or 462.600 MHz, MURS Channel 3 is 151.940 MHz. If you have access to HAM or shortwave equipment there are other frequencies that can be set up for this as long as everyone in your group knows what those frequencies are.

This system worked well for the military.

This system will work for cell phones too. For the sake of argument let’s say that you are out camping and or hunting in the mountains and you are for whatever reason unable to charge your cell phone so for most of the time you have it turned off to conserve the battery. Yet you want to be able to check in with family so they won’t worry as much about you so you agree on use of this system and turn on your phone and call or text your family at 6am when you get up and then again at noon while you are having lunch and finally at 6 pm after you are back in camp for the day.

Shutting off your phone yet still having check in times prevents the phone sounding and spooking the game you are after too.

A variation on this that we used in the military was blocks of time that a frequency was good for. For this discussion we will split the clock into 4 equal parts. Block A would go for 0005 to 0605, block B goes from 0605 to 1205, block C goes from 1205 to 1805 and Block D goes from 1805 till 0005. as a practical matter the ‘control center’ would monitor all sets of frequencies to account for any overlapping times.

By limiting the transmit time and varying the frequencies it made it harder for the enemy to use direction finding [DF] techniques and pinpointing field operatives. This was used a lot during WWII in ‘occupied’ areas. They also made use of \crystal\ radios for receiving coded messages. The BBC would at set times transmit groups of code words and or numbers most of them were meaningless yet they were important as ‘cover’ for the real message. Examples include ‘John has a long mustache’ or 15,24,13,43,51.

How does all of this relate to here and now [aside from the hunting/camping example] ? let us say that you have an elderly or sick friend or relative not living with you, they may be across town or in another nearby town but it is not ‘practical’ to see them every day, maybe you work shift work times. You can arrange check in times so that they can leave you a message [text or voice] that they were up in the morning and before bed time. If they don’t check in on time you can call them or go over.

Some of the biggest trouble that I get into with my daughter is when I fail to check in with her on time or departing / arrival on trips.

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/practical-application-frsgmrs-radios/

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/product-review-baofeng-radio/

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/range-comms/

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/comms-part-1/

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/cb-radio/

NO room

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Don’t tell me that you don’t have enough room to store food and water.

This is the most used excuse that I have heard over the years. The come back to that excuse is that if something is important to you, like being able to feed your children, then you will find a way to accomplish that task.

One of the first times we taught preparedness I thought if I heard this excuse one more time I would pull my hair out. At that time of our lives we lived in a 2 bedroom trailer with 2 pre-teens and we had a year and a half worth of food inside the trailer with us. Now, our home was not out of Better Homes and Gardens but we could take care of ourselves and others. We had homemade storage shelves that we could take apart and move easily and our bed was built up on a platform and we had storage underneath. We used the closets and stored food and water in there on the floor and put shoes on top of the boxes. The kids had bunk beds with their desk underneath. We put boxes against the walls and then their stuff went on top of the boxes.

We partitioned off part of the living room and made another bedroom for the other child. And his room also had a bunk bed with the desk underneath and storage boxes along the walls with his things on top of the boxes. With our bed built up we could put the roll a way rubber-made garbage cans underneath to be able to get them out easier. We stored our camping supplies in these. And we had homemade storage shelves along our walls. We built all of the shelving and the beds with bolts so we could take them apart and move them easily.

At this time we taught a class on how to make furniture out of storage boxes and how to disguise them to look and function as furniture. We took 3 boxes and placed a board on top of them and then placed a table cloth and had an end table. And if you make them 4 high and 2 wide with a little larger board on top and then a table cloth you have a kitchen table. We put 4 high boxes against the wall and then 3 high against that and and board over the 3 stack and a board against the 4 high. Then we made cushions to sit on and to put against the 4 high and we had and covered the boxes with cloth and we had a couch. We put 3 high boxes with a board over them and had a coffee table. We even made an entertainment center to put the TV on, and then covered the whole thing with sheets to make it look nicer. Of course it is easier if all of the storage boxes are the same size. Ours had #10 cans of dried food so they were sturdy enough to sit on. When we moved, everything was easy to take apart and set back up at the next place. No large pieces of furniture to move.

This will solve 2 problems: one if you don’t have much furniture you can build it, two takes care of how to store your food and with a bonus of it is easier to move than a traditional home move. The smaller cans and the water were put on the shelves that we made. So, now you will have a come back when someone tells you that they don’t have enough room to store food and water.

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/food-formula/

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/to-start-a-food-storage-program/

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/breakfast-cereal-wheat/

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/how-to-store-food-safely-part-1/

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us

School Emergency Kit

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School Emergency Kit Contents List and something to carry it in.

• Water bottles, reusable, I recommend 3 L in 750ml or smaller increments
• 10 feet para cord x 3
• Deck of cards or other small activity
• duct tape
• Emergency blanket
• Emergency whistle
• Face masks – particulate
• Family contact numbers
• Feminine sanitary products
• Granola/protein bars
• Hand warmers
• Hand-crank flashlight / am-fm radio with ear phone
• hard candy and mints
• Kleenex or roll of TP
• Mini first aid kit (band aids, cravats x 4, ect ,)
• PB crackers or similar in hard plastic case [2,000 cal]
• spare phone charger and extension cord with a 3 way spliter x2
• Wet wipes

Discussion of the Emergency Kit for School Contents List what ever you decide to use to carry all this stuff in should be durable and easy to carry without using your hands.

In addition to helping to keep your kids comfortable should something happen at school it will also help impress upon them the idea that preparedness is a way of life. Size, items and amounts should be adjusted for the kid’s size and maturity.

• Water bottles, reusable, I recommend 3 L in 750ml or smaller increments
This amount will last for a while and is intended to be able to share if you have not been able to convince your friends to build a kit.

• 10 feet para cord x 3
This has many uses some of which include tying the door shut. This length pre-cut works great and this way you will not need a knife which most likely be prohibited.

• Deck of cards or other small activity
This will save your battery ;]

• Duct tape – Just because.

• Emergency blanket to stay warm and act like a pillow too.

• Emergency whistle -this is in addition to the one that should be on your person.

• Face masks – particulate to keep dust and bugs out of your lungs

• Family contact numbers this copy is in case you lose the one that should be on you.

• Feminine sanitary products – periods are bad enough, think if you start unexpectedly or in the middle of a lock down.

• Granola/protein bars – it makes the wait easier if you are not ‘starving’.

• Hand warmers – the power may go out or for use in first aid

• Hand-crank flashlight / am-fm radio with ear phone – in case it goes dark and to get news reports.

• hard candy and mints – morale buster and to ease a sore throat.

• Kleenex or roll of TP – blow your nose, ect

• Mini first aid kit (band aids, cravats x 4, ect ,) – obvious

• PB crackers or similar in hard plastic case [2,000 cal] the plastic case will protect the crackers

• spare phone charger and extension cord with a 3 way spliter x2 – obvious

• Wet wipes – to clean yourself and others wounds.

Repurposing Prescription Bottles

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Re-purposing Prescription Bottles

If you know anyone who get lots of prescriptions, usually grandparents, then they will have quite a few empty bottles around the house. Instead of putting these in the trash you can re purpose them and they come in all kind of sizes and shapes. After they are empty, take the label off, if you have trouble getting the sticky off of the bottle where the label was you can try a solution called “Goo Gone Sticker and Label Remover” or you can make your own. The 2 main ingredients are oil and a mild abrasive. Any cooking oil will do, place a small amount on the label. Then put a mild abrasive such as Borax onto the oil and make small circles on the label until the label comes completely off. Then wash and rinse as usual. You will need to make sure the bottle is really dry before putting anything into it so let it air dry upside down for about 3 to 4 days depending on how humid your house air is. When you put things into the bottles you can either leave them open or put the top back onto it whichever way you are using them.

• In the bathroom you can place a number of these in a flat bottom bowl or short box and use them to place small items like hair ties, combs, scissors, toothbrushes, cotton balls, Q-tips, makeup, etc.

• In a junk drawer you can put paper clips, rubber bands, memory sticks, pens, pencils, erasers, batteries, coins, matches, push pins, etc. Loose batteries are a BIG fire hazard when they short circuit.

• In the kitchen try putting your decorating tips, matches, birthday candles, etc.

• In your backpack try putting cotton balls with Vaseline on them, small tinder, matches, sewing kit, buttons, nails, screws, and first aid supplies, etc.

• In your tool kit you can even use them for nails, screws, small parts, wire, etc.

• In a craft room there are so many things you can put in them including beads, buttons, wire, small tools, glue sticks, paint that you are currently using, glitter, embellishments, etc.

• For a teacher use a small bottle to put painters tape around sticky side out and then put that into a larger bottle to keep it from sticking to everything else.

• If you make a salve or lip gloss you can put them in these bottles.

Pretty much anything that you would like to keep dry or together so you can find it can be placed in used prescription bottles. This can keep aggravation down when trying to find things and also cost down instead of purchasing something special for keeping these items together.

This is what I can think of. What items can you add to this?

Please email and add to this blog. http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/

The Dick Act

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This is an interesting read. I shared this with a few friends and the general conversation with one of them went something like this….

C – So why is this not being used.. 
R – my understanding [ from my years in military ] because WE the People are not holding their feet to the fire. 
C – Well we need to publish this in papers. Pool money and do Sign boards..

*** Well folks, what say you? I think that it would settle a lot of argument and make us safer if we went back to the original intent. ***

The Dick
Act of 1902 also known as the Efficiency of Militia Bill H.R. 11654, of June
28, 1902 invalidates all so-called gun-control laws. It also divides the militia
into three distinct and separate entities.
The three classes H.R. 11654 provides for are the organized militia, henceforth
known as the National Guard of the State, Territory and District of Columbia, the
unorganized militia and the regular army. The militia encompasses every
able-bodied male between the ages of 18 and 45. All members of the unorganized militia
have the absolute personal right and 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms
of any type, and as many as they can afford to buy.

The Dick Act of 1902 
cannot be repealed; to do so would violate bills of attainder and ex post facto laws which would be yet another gross violation of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

The President of the United States has zero authority without violating the Constitution to call the National Guard to serve outside of their State borders.
The National Guard Militia can only be required by the National Government for limited
purposes specified in the Constitution (to uphold the laws of the Union; to
suppress insurrection and repel invasion). These are the only purposes for which
the General Government can call upon the National Guard.

Attorney General Wickersham advised President Taft, “the Organized
Militia (the National Guard) can not be employed for offensive warfare outside the limits
of the United States.”

The Honorable William Gordon, in a speech to the House on Thursday, October 4, 1917,
proved that the action of President Wilson in ordering the Organized Militia
(the National Guard) to fight a war in Europe was so blatantly unconstitutional that he felt 
Wilson ought to have been impeached. During the war with England an attempt was made by Congress to pass a bill
authorizing the president to draft 100,000 men between the ages of 18 and 45 to invade enemy territory, Canada.
The bill was defeated in the House by Daniel Webster on the precise point that Congress had no such power over the militia as to authorize it to empower the President to draft them into the regular army and send them out of 
the country.

The fact is that the President has no constitutional right, under any circumstances, to draft men from the militia to fight outside the borders of the USA, and not even beyond the borders of their respective states. Today, we have a constitutional LAW which still stands in waiting for the legislators to obey the Constitution which they swore an oath to uphold.

Charles Hughes of the American Bar Association (ABA) made a speech which is contained in the Appendix 
to Congressional Record, House, September 10, 1917, pages 6836-6840 which states: “The militia, within the meaning of these provisions of the Constitution is distinct from the Army of the United States.” In these pages we also find a statement made by Daniel Webster, “that the great principle of the Constitution on that subject is that the militia is the militia of the States and of the General Government; and thus being the militia of the
States, there is no part of the Constitution worded with greater care and with more scrupulous jealousy 
than that which grants and limits the power of Congress over it.”
“This limitation upon the power to raise and support armies clearly establishes the intent and purpose of 
the framers of the Constitution to limit the power to raise and maintain a standing army to voluntary enlistment, because if the unlimited power to draft and conscript was intended to be conferred, it would have been a useless and puerile thing to limit the use of money for that purpose.

Conscripted armies can be paid, but they are not required to be, and if it had been intended to confer 
the extraordinary power to draft the bodies of citizens and send them out of the country in direct conflict with the limitation upon the use of the militia imposed by the same section and article, certainly some restriction or 
limitation would have been imposed to restrain the unlimited use of such power.”
The Honorable William Gordon Congressional Record, House, Page 640 – 1917

www.angelfire.com/retro/voices/page2.html#1902 is where I got this story from.