KiP 11: Medical Preparedness

Knowledge is Power (KiP):  When it comes to preparedness, a lot of people overlook this one major issue, and that is to prepare your body and family/group medically.  So the time is NOW to prepare you and your family medically before disaster strikes.  For if you’re not prepared medically, when you have a medical issue during or after a disaster when there is no medical support, you will suffer or even die.

For starters, when was the last time you and your family had a full medical, physical and dental checkup?  If it’s been a year or more since your last checkup, that’s too long.

MEDICAL and PHYSICAL EXAMS:  This includes a full medical examination / health checkup that includes a full blood workup, eye examination and get glasses as needed, chest x—ray, and if your over forty, an ECG and stress test.

Along with getting your checkup, if you’re not in shape, get in shape.  The more a person is out of shape or overweight, the more difficult it will be for them to survive under adverse survival conditions.  And if you’re obese, there is a very good chance you will not survive.  During post disaster survival conditions, physical labor will be in great demand.  This is when the heart attack rates go up because survivors are not use to the physical demands of survival.

DENTAL EXAMS:  This includes a full dental examination with x-rays, a full cleaning and getting all cavities filled.  Having an infected and/or impacted tooth under adverse survival conditions will cause a person’s death within days to weeks.

IMMUNIZATIONS:  This would include getting all your shots up to date to include but not limited to Chicken pox, Hepatitis A, B and C, Measles, Mumps, TB and Tetanus. 

IMMUNE SYSTEM:  While there is still time, everyone needs to start building up their own immune system for when disasters strike.

Working Class Thieves

I’ve been keeping a watchful eye lately on the little signs that bear witness to the gradual decline of society.  As everyone knows, when prices rise, people are less able to provide themselves with the necessities. Shoplifting increases and burglaries become more common.  But lately I and my neighbors have become victims of a a type of “burglary” that doesn’t involve breaking and entering. Indeed, many of us were victims and didn’t even know it right away; the crime is that subtle.  What makes these thefts notable is that many of them are probably being committed not by the usual hardened criminals, but by regular people just trying to get to work.

I’m talking about the siphoning of gasoline from parked cars. In the apartment complex where I live, a number of residents, myself included, have discovered over the past few months that gasoline has been siphoned right out of our cars as we’ve slept.  Most of us never knew it was happening until one of my neighbors caught a perpetrator in the act. I had noticed the week before that my gas gauge read near empty, but my odometer, which I normally reset each time I fill up, showed that I had only driven 94 miles.  At the time, I shrugged it off, never guessing the real cause of this anomaly.

Of course, there are ways to protect against this sort of thing. One is by buying a locking gas cap. There is also a $5.00 device you can insert into into the intake area of your gas tank that will block a hose from being inserted while still allowing room for the nozzle of the gas pump.

But it wasn’t that long ago when such precautions weren’t necessary.  After all, anyone attempting to siphon gas from another person’s automobile is taking quite a risk of being seen. Yet more often than not these days, gas thieves are willing to take that risk, although the payoff is certainly not as rewarding as other kinds of crime.

This rash of gas thefts suggests to me an act of desperation far different from the common run-of-the-mill petty crimes we are accustomed to seeing. Siphoned gas is not the sort of thing that is normally fenced, or taken with the intent to resell it to someone else like, say, jewelry often is. People who steal gas are people who are not just desperate for money, they are so broke they can’t get to where they need to go.

And we are now seeing even more acts of desperation relating to transportation. My next door neighbor’s car window was broken just so the perpetrator could pull the latch to open his hood and steal his battery. I can think of more portable -and more fungible- items an experienced burglar could steal than a car battery. This suggests to me that the thief chose my neighbor’s car to break into because it was similar in size to his own, and he really needed a replacement battery for his own car.

I don’t know if there is something about the layout of our parking lot that makes these types of thefts easier to pull off, but I and another tenant living in this complex have found the stickers on our license plates had been removed.  Now, this is an act I can understand, even if I don’t condone it.  No matter how destitute you may be, the government will still demand its pound of flesh, and you will find no compassion from that quarter.  Whether your car is a brand new Lexus or a beat up old jalopy, and even if you own your car outright, you can lose it in an instant if you fail to cough up the annual ownership tax the state demands. If a policeman notices your car is not displaying the current tags to prove you’ve paid their annual extortion fee, he will pull you over and have that car impounded right out from under you.

For those who are struggling day-to-day making barely enough money to buy the gas to get to work, having their car impounded can mean the absolute end of everything, including their employment.  What with the exorbitant fines, towing fee, and the heavy storage fees that accrue every day that car remains in the storage lot, for many working poor that means they’ll never see their car again.  So for some who just can’t come up with the money to pay the registration fee, or whose car cannot pass the stringent smog tests required before they can even think about registering, it’s an obvious temptation to take a razor blade to a stranger’s license plate sticker, slice it off, and glue it onto their own.

This is risky indeed, for anyone caught displaying a sticker not registered to their own car will face penalties much stiffer than simply having their car stolen by the state. But desperate times drive people to desperate acts, and although I do not approve of this kind of theft, I certainly understand what might drive a person to commit it.

When we begin seeing batteries taken and gas being siphoned right out of parked cars, and when the need to keep one’s car on the road outweighs the risk of driving it with a stolen state sticker, we are beginning to see signs of decent society fraying at the edges. Sure, these types of crimes have occurred in the past, but never on the level we’re seeing today, at least not in my city.  These are just a few small proofs that things are falling apart, bit by bit.

I’m certain there is every possibility we could witness an economic catastrophe that instantly plunges the world into sudden darkness. But right now I’m more concerned with the gradual decline I see taking place all around me.  Speaking about the recent surge in gas siphoning in Los Angeles, LAPD Senior Lead Officer told a neighborhood watch group that “we’re going to start seeing some people who are normally good do bad things in these tough economic times.”

The best way to keep from sliding down that slippery slope yourself is to begin accumulating a store of food before things get that desperate. That way, if you ever find yourself with only a little money on hand, you can use that money to get to work rather than having to spend your last dollar on groceries.

What to Buy in January to Be Prepared and Save Money

Being prepared is all about winter gear. Make sure to purchase several sizes of winter clothing for children to use in future years, as well as back up clothing and boots for the adults.

Winter-related equipment, from shovels to generators may also be on sale.

KiP 10: Your Survival Psyche

Knowledge is Power (KiP):  Having the proper mind set in any post disaster survival situation is extremely crucial in order to survive any disaster.  So in order to survive a worst case scenario, it is very important to be prepared Emotionally, Financially, Mentally, Physically and Spiritually.  If you’re not prepared in all five of these areas, you will either not survive or have a much more difficult time in surviving.  For some disaster / survival psyche background, let’s answer some basic questions on the subject: 

What is Survival?  Survival means “Knowing How to Stay Alive” until the emergency is over, especially under adverse or unusual conditions or circumstances.

What is Survivalism?  Survivalism is a philosophy – a way of life.  The primary goal of survivalism, by any method chosen, is to increase the odds for the continued existence of individuals or a group of individuals, when faced with a life threatening situation.  It means knowing how to stay alive until the emergency or disaster is over.  Survivalism is your “#7 Food: A healthy person can live several weeks without food; however, to keep your mind sharp and focused during and after a disaster situation, you will need to keep your daily food intake current.

Without a “Positive Mental Attitude”, any type of survival will be very difficult.  So being prepared Emotionally, Financially, Mentally, Physically and Spiritually, and having the “Positive Mental Attitude” needed to survive, you will survive the horrors of the upcoming man-made and natural disasters far better than the common person.

The Fake Gold Scare

As I have always advocated, the wise person will have first acquired an adequate stock of food and other possibles, then begin putting aside some survival silver to supplement those necessities. You don’t want to find yourself in a future scenario having to spend your gold and silver buying food at inflated prices. So first things first. Get your food stores squared away, then begin acquiring a few coins as you are able.

The By-Products of GMO

Back in the mid-1980s, in an attempt to make grains hardier and more resistent to the pesticides used to destroy weeds and other pests, scientists undertook the task of genetically modifiying the grain seed. Using genetic engineering techniques, these seeds had specific changes introduced into their DNA and became what is commonly referred to today as “genetically modified organisms” or GMOs. It may sound like the begining of a science fiction movie from the ’50s or the work of a mad scientist wanting to play God, but it is big business and the unfortunately, the stakes could involve your health.

In the period from 1996 to 2011, the planting and harvesting of GMO grains has exploded. The land used for cultivating GMOs has increased from 4.2 million acres to 395 million acres. By 2010, ten percent of the world’s croplands were used to raise genetically modified crops. In a 2011 forecast by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it was reported that U.S. farmers intended to plant nearly 90 million more acres of corn GMOs, 58 million acres of wheat GMOs, and over 76 million acres of soybean GMOs.

GMOs are big business and are constituiting a larger and larger portion of the foods you eat on a regular basis.

One side effect of GMOs—I’ll let you decide whether it was intended or not—was that GMO grains possess two substances that distort our body’s ability to process the amino acids, proline and glutamine. Instability in these two sulfur rich amino acids affects your body’s ability to deal with heavy metals, regulate genes, and control protein function.

It makes sense that anything that inhibits your body to perform the way it was created has the ability to be problematic with a person’s health. One of the ways in which this is happening is with celiac disease. Studies conducted show an increasing link between consuming GMOs and celiac disease.

Celiac disease, or commonly referred to as a gluten intolerance, inhibits a body’s ability to break down fat in the digestive system. With symptoms as unpleasent as abdominal distention and diarrhea to ones as threatening as anemia and malnutrition, people suffering from this condition must eat a special diet requiring that all food is gluten grain free. And this is for the “lucky” ones who are able to have the condition properly diagnosed. Many are suffering with the effects of celiac disease and all of its accompaning symptoms because of a mis-diagnosis of the condition.

The American Academy of Enviromental Medicine (AAEM) has conducted several studies concluding that GMOs pose serious health risks. They have found that three proteins (peptides) found in GMOs are linked to the gluten intolerance seen with those suffering with celiac disease. These peptides cause a reaction that distorts the immune system, inflames cells, and plays havoc with cell communication.

Whether you are suffering from celiac disease or not, one needs to be aware of what is in our food. But even then, it can be tricky. In fact, one of the more clever marketing techniques used is labeling items as “whole grains.”  While sounding like a healthy choice, these whole grains are often the GMOs corportations have our nations farmers produce on an ever-increasing basis. Couple that with the fact that in the U.S., GMOS are not required by law to be labeled as such and you find yourself at a distinct disadvantage.

However, labeling can also be part of the solution. While some want to keep GMOs a secret from you other companies realizing the dangers of GMOs are proud to label their products as GMO-free. If you value your health and are concerned with what goes into your body, I encourage you to search these companies out.

Doing so will not only help you sleep better at night, but may very well help you avoid the next condition caused by GMOs.

Personal Encounter with Celiac Disease

I am the youngest in a family of three girls, and I happen to look up to my older sisters quite a bit. I have watched my sisters overcome many of life’s challenges, and I have been particularly impressed with the way my oldest sister has dealt with the life long challenge of being diagnosed with celiac disease.

An Introduction to Celiac Disease and its Symptoms

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that causes damage to a person’s small intestine due to an intolerance for gluten − a protein that is found in wheat, rye and barley. Individuals who have celiac disease may also become malnourished when they are unable to absorb proper nutrients because their villi − small bumps that line the small intestine − are being damaged.

The symptoms of celiac disease are varied, but one that I remember noticing in my sister was fatigue. Other symptoms in my sister’s case were abdominal pain and anemia, but other individuals might experience diarrhea, vomiting, weight loss, bone or joint pain, depression or anxiety, or seizures. (A complete list of possible symptoms can be found here http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/celiac/celiac.pdf).  It is important to know the symptoms of celiac disease because it often runs in families. While 1 in 133 people in the United States have been diagnosed with celiac disease, it has been found that those odds grow to 1 in 22 individuals when an individual has a parent or sibling who has already been diagnosed with the disease. It is also important to note that Celiac disease can be triggered when an individual has experienced something stressful like surgery, pregnancy, or emotional trauma.

Living with Celiac Disease

While there is no cure for celiac disease, it can be successfully managed through a gluten free diet. I have seen first hand that following a gluten free diet isn’t easy, but it is possible. According to the Mayo Clinic, a gluten free diet means avoiding barley, bulgur, durum, farina, graham flour, rye, semolina, triticale, and wheat. This translates into avoiding most beers, breads, cakes, pies, candies, cereals cookies, crackers, gravies, oats, pastas, chips, processed lunch meats, soups, and salad dressings.

While the list of foods to avoid may seem daunting, there is hope for those diagnosed with celiac disease and those who may be cooking for them. Those with celiac disease can still enjoy grains such as amaranth, buckwheat, corn, and rice. In addition, all fresh meats, fruits, most dairy products, potatoes, and vegetable are still fair game.

EfoodsDirect offers another solution to those seeking a gluten free diet. Many of the products offered by efoodsDirect are gluten free, and as part of efoodsDirect’s Nutriversal Seal of Promise, all gluten free products are labeled with the indicated icon. This means that now, or in 25 years, individuals diagnosed with celiac disease can enjoy a helping of Cheddar Broccoli Soup, Au Gratin Potatoes, or Cheesy Chicken Rice all without giving their gluten intolerance a second thought.

Further information on celiac disease as well as celiac disease support groups can be found here: http://www.celiac.nih.gov/organizations.aspx

How to Deal with Your Children’s Fears

From the state of the economy to the Mayan calendar, from zombies in popular culture to deadly diseases, animal husbandry or carpentry may make them feel empowered to tackle anything.

KiP 9: Where Not to Be

Knowledge is Power (KiP)  “Where Not to Be” when all hell breaks loose will mean the difference between life, being enslaved or the death of millions.

Out of all the places to be in the United Stated, the #1 place not to be is the entire south western region of the United States to include the entire southern California south of the San Francisco area, southern Nevada/Las Vegas area and southwest Arizona.  This region has the largest gang presences in all of the U.S.  When all hell breaks loose with mass widespread anarchy, looting, riots, etc., these very violent gangs will defiantly take advantage of the situation and go on mass killing and raping sprees and take what they want.

Other areas will be all major cities across the U.S., especially in the eastern states.  Starting with cities with a population over one million then working the way down to smaller cities with populations over 500,000 then over 100,000, then smaller cities.  With two thirds of the U.S. population is in the eastern half of the country, you can easily see that this part of the country is not a good place to be.

With upcoming natural disasters, all coastal regions within at least 100 miles will be instant death traps with tsunamis that can reach at least 1000 feet.  In certain regions of the U.S., earthquakes in excess of 10.0 will destroy massive areas.  The New Madred Fault Zone will be especially deadly due to the geologic softness of the soil.

The map below shows a 100 mile radius around all nuclear power plants here in the U.S.  With the aftermath of these earthquakes like after Fukushima in Japan, radiation from these numerous nuclear power plants would make large portions of the U.S., especially in the east, uninhabitable for decades if not centuries.

And from massive volcanic eruptions in the American west, very large portions of the country will be devastate with tons of ash fallout.  This has happened numerous times in the geologic past and will happen again.

When things start to go to hell with mass rioting, lootings, killings and home invasions all across America, there is not of local, state and federal law enforcement to suppress the massive amount of widespread violence and starving people.  This is when our traitorous government will initiate martial law and call in the foreign troops to quell the violence. (see “Security and Prosperity Partnership” signed by Bush in 2005)  People will either escape, die or be taken prisoners by these foreign invaders.

When this time comes, most people that are afraid and starving will blindly give up their freedoms and liberty for food, security and slavery.  These gullible people will go willingly to the F.E.M.A. camps for food and security.  Then one day they will wake up and realize they have become slaves of a socialist government.  A government that would easily put the husband in one camp, the wife in another camp and their children in another camp in a way to better control them.

So the choice of where not to be when all hell breaks loose is something that everyone really needs to consider when preparing for such disasters.

KiP 9: Where Not to Be

Knowledge is Power (KiP)  “Where Not to Be” when all hell breaks loose will mean the difference between life, being enslaved or the death of millions.

Out of all the places to be in the United Stated, the #1 place not to be is the entire south western region of the United States to include the entire southern California south of the San Francisco area, southern Nevada/Las Vegas area and southwest Arizona.  This region has the largest gang presences in all of the U.S.  When all hell breaks loose with mass widespread anarchy, looting, riots, etc., these very violent gangs will defiantly take advantage of the situation and go on mass killing and raping sprees and take what they want. 

Other areas will be all major cities across the U.S., especially in the eastern states.  Starting with cities with a population over one million then working the way down to smaller cities with populations over 500,000 then over 100,000, then smaller cities.  With two thirds of the U.S. population is in the eastern half of the country, you can easily see that this part of the country is not a good place to be.

With upcoming natural disasters, all coastal regions within at least 100 miles will be instant death traps with tsunamis that can reach at least 1000 feet.  In certain regions of the U.S., earthquakes in excess of 10.0 will destroy massive areas.  The New Madred Fault Zone will be especially deadly due to the geologic softness of the soil.

The map below shows a 100 mile radius around all nuclear power plants here in the U.S.  With the aftermath of these earthquakes like after Fukushima in Japan, radiation from these numerous nuclear power plants would make large portions of the U.S., especially in the east, uninhabitable for decades if not centuries.

And from massive volcanic eruptions in the American west, very large portions of the country will be devastate with tons of ash fallout.  This has happened numerous times in the geologic past and will happen again.

When things start to go to hell with mass rioting, lootings, killings and home invasions all across America, there is not of local, state and federal law enforcement to suppress the massive amount of widespread violence and starving people.  This is when our traitorous government will initiate martial law and call in the foreign troops to quell the violence. (see “Security and Prosperity Partnership” signed by Bush in 2005)  People will either escape, die or be taken prisoners by these foreign invaders.

When this time comes, most people that are afraid and starving will blindly give up their freedoms and liberty for food, security and slavery.  These gullible people will go willingly to the F.E.M.A. camps for food and security.  Then one day they will wake up and realize they have become slaves of a socialist government.  A government that would easily put the husband in one camp, the wife in another camp and their children in another camp in a way to better control them.

So the choice of where not to be when all hell breaks loose is something that everyone really needs to consider when preparing for such disasters.

Mayan, Shmayan -The World Is Still Coming To An End

Due to some delusional hype about the ancient Mayan calendar, some 12 percent of Americans had expected the world to come to an abrupt and violent end last Friday. That would mean almost 40,000 Americans woke up on Saturday either greatly relieved or gravely disappointed that no global catastrophe had wiped out their neighbors.

When this catastrophe failed to occur, giddy critics could be heard ridiculing anyone who happened to be engaged in acquiring stores of food for future use as being in the same category as those who were looking forward to some sort of Zombie Apocalypse. But I do not consider the prudent and sensible acquisition of necessities to be the sign of a fevered brain. Quite the opposite. The practice of buying food at relatively low prices today in order to avoid paying a lot more tomorrow strikes me as a pretty smart move.

All nonsense about the Mayan calendar aside, we do know that disasters do occur; earthquakes, tsunamis, floods and fires have been known to vex local populations to disastrous effect. But as far as the whole world coming to an end, that is more likely to occur incrementally than catastrophically. In fact the end of the world as we know it is already well under way.

And that is the key phrase: The End Of The World As We Know It. I suppose it is possible for the planet to just up and disintegrate one day. But what is more likely to actually crumble are your comfortable assumptions about how you had always expected things to turn out for you.

What we have come to refer to as “The American Dream” has often been thought of as going something like this:

You study hard and go to college so you can graduate and get a high paying job. The money you earn will allow you to buy a nice house and provide you a comfortable living. You will then have money to buy nice things, enjoy vacations, and have enough set aside to send your own kids to college in turn. When the time is right you’ll be able to sell your house for hundreds of thousands more than you paid for it, and retire in comfort.

That world actually existed for a majority of Americans for several decades. It’s a world my own parents lived in and grew wealthy in.

But that world is now fast disappearing. A large number of college graduates today are forced to accept the same menial employment they might have gotten had they not spent the past four years acquiring a degree. Those Americans who still own their homes have found there will be no profit from selling it.

That expectation of a leisurely retirement? For the ten thousand Baby Boomers now turning 65 every day, that’s a dream that has been canceled or postponed indefinitely. As for being able to purchase the finer things in life, many Americans today are grateful just to have a job that provides enough for food and shelter. For a growing number, life is becoming a dismal struggle with little hope of any light at the end of the tunnel.

And despite optimistic predictions to the contrary, this decline will continue. It must. The tidal wave is unavoidable for the simple reason that for the past 100 years our government has borrowed trillions of dollars from private banking families, and you were pledged as the collateral for that debt.

You will pay for it through higher taxes, to be sure, but where you’ll really feel it is through the inflation that results in higher prices for the food you’ll need in the coming years just to survive. With a 22 trillion dollar current shortfall, There is simply no way to avoid the continuing devaluation of the dollar and the coming hyperinflation. It is just a matter of how long it will be before this thing hits us with full tsunami force.

Before the Great Depression of the 1930′s, most men went to work every day wearing a proper suit of clothes. It wasn’t long before many of those men ended up riding the rails in those same suits, now increasingly worn and dirty, as they traveled the country looking for any kind of work in exchange for a meal. This was the origin of the American Hobo, once a regular working class Joe, gradually reduced to an embarrassment of poverty and rags.

We know the exact date the working man’s world began to unravel: October 29, 1929. Within weeks, the financial collapse spread throughout all of Europe, Australia, India, and South America. The world these people had become accustomed to living in had suddenly and unexpectedly changed for the worse. The American hobo, striving to maintain his dignity in a tattered suit, became a symbol of the Great Depression, the personification of the daily struggle all Americans were going through just to get something to eat.

The end of the world has happened before. And yes, it can happen again. Do what you can to prepare for it.

Steps to Reduce the Trauma in Children Before an Event Occurs

Children are very resilient and can usually adapt to change well. However, they can also be easily traumatized when a situation gets scary, as will occur should a long-term disaster strike. Life as we know it will cease, and there will be new ways of doing things that can be overwhelming for the kids. It is important to start preparing them now for the most likely scenarios, but it is also vital to prepare them in a natural way. This is not about giving them shooting lessons or survival skills, but rather preparing them mentally and emotionally and even physically, for what life may be like, all without them even knowing you are doing this.

Plan Monthly Black Out Days

Electricity and other power may be hard to come by and need to be heavily conserved. Make living without it seem like fun and a normal part. Start small, such as shutting off the power to your home for just a few hours during the day. Eventually, you want to increase the time without power and include a night. Eventually, you may even want to try going without power for more than a day.

How do I know this works? My own kids are used to frequently power outages from storms. When the power goes out, they react calmly, even at night, knowing that being without power does not have to be scary.

Get Their Pallets Ready

Kip 8: Bug-Out Back Pack

Knowledge is Power (KiP)  Your Bug-Out Back Pack (BOBP), also known as your Get Out Of Dodge (GOOD) bag, is essential in preparedness and survival. 

QUESTION:  If a major disaster were to hit where you live right now and you were given only 5 minutes to evacuate your home, not knowing if you would ever return, what would you take with you?  Seriously think about for a minute.  Given only 5 minutes, what would you grab from your home to take with you not knowing if you would ever return?  Or if you get to return, you find your home totally destroyed and you have lost everything. 

This is why every man, woman and child in every family should always have a BOBP packed and ready at all times for when disaster strikes.  To have a bag ready at all times and to grab it at a moment’s notice.  This bag would also be worn on your back in the event that you are forced to walk.

Types of BOBP’s:  Depending on how much you want to carry, your BOBP can range in size from a small day pack to a full size back pack.  Your BOBP should be a heavy duty, light weight, strong, water proof, have a built in canteen and be in an earth tone color.   I would recommend a full size outdoor backpack to carry everything you need to survive a post disaster situation.

Recommended items for your BOBP:  Along with the 10 Essentials that I strongly recommend be mandatory, there are several other items that are recommended and depend on the personal needs of the individuals.

The 10 Essentials:

1. A pocket knife (with locking blade), a sheath / skinning knife and a multi-tool.
2. A well stocked emergency disaster first aid / medical kit.
3. Extra clothing, footwear and a broad brimmed hat – seasonal, in zip lock bags.
4. Rain gear.
5. One gallon of water.
6. A weatherproof LED flashlight with extra batteries.
7. Emergency food rations for 30 days (Survival Tabs)
8. Weather proof matches and fire starter.
9. Sunglasses with multi-UV A, B & C protection and SPF 30+ sunscreen.
10. A Lensatic type compass and a topographical map of the area you will be traveling.

Other items:

Toilet paper, Insect repellent, Contact information of family and friends, Important documents and papers in zip-lock bags, Small pad of weather paper and pencil, Large towel, Rope or 550 cord – 100’ minimum, Gun & ammo (as much as you can carry), Gun cleaning kit, Silver coins for barter, Pocket P38 or P58 can opener, Prescription medicines, Prescription glasses (no contacts), Pocket thermometer, Ear plugs, Pocket chainsaw, Folding hand shovel, Hand hatchet, Emergency/Space blanket, Fishing kit, Sewing kit, Knife Fork & Spoon, Insect/Mosquito net, Light weight cooking pot, Cup/Mug, Duct tape, Diapers, Infant formula, Backpacking stove, Knife sharpening stone, etc.

It is also important to consider the following because if one of your BOBP’s is lost or stolen, you won’t lose everything.

Each person carries all the 10 Essentials.

Each person needs to carry toilet paper.

Each person needs to carry silver / barter items.

Each person needs to carry camping equipment.

Each person needs to carry ammo.

Each person needs to carry at least one gun.

When the time comes to bug-out in a moment’s notice (5 minutes), you just have to grab your BOBP and go.  So having a BOBP packed and ready at all time in your home and vehicle can save your life and the lives of your family members.

Car Repair: Knowing When To Ask For Help

Last month I posted a piece here titled “Taking the Mystery Out of Car Repair” in which I attempted to show how pretty much anyone can fix quite a few of the things that go wrong with a car just by knowing one thing.

But how do you know when you’re in over your head? In other words, when is it advisable to bring in someone more knowledgeable about this stuff to lend you a hand?

The answer: All the time! If you can find a friend or neighbor willing to look over your shoulder and give you advice, by all means accept! As times get tougher, more and more of us are going to have to rely on each other, so the more people you know who you can draw on for help, the better.

The thing about car repair is that most any backyard mechanic who does his own repairs is likely to be willing to offer free advice to a novice. Accept that advice willingly, but don’t take advantage. If you need more than passing help with a specific project, offer to pay him or her $20 dollars or $50 dollars to jump in and lend a hand. Trust me, whatever you end up paying your friend will be cheaper than taking your car to a mechanic.

There will be times, however, when the project is so complicated that the only real choice you’ll have is to take it to a professional.

As I wrote previously, most repairs are just a matter of moving a couple of things out of the way so you can get to the broken part, detaching the broken part, and replacing it with a new one. But sometimes that gets complicated, one example being a problem that has happened to me twice, and is likely to happen to you: the dreaded leaking Heater Core.

The Heater Core is a small radiator located behind those air vents that blow the heat into the interior of your car to keep you from freezing in the winter. The device couldn’t be simpler; the water that is already being heated by your engine runs through this little radiator, and there are blowers behind that blowing the heat onto you and your precious kin.

The problem is that eventually these things tend to spring a tiny leak, and along with the hot air blowing on you, you’ll start to see a fine, smoky mist of green radiator coolant entering the interior of your car. This isn’t good. You want to put a stop to that ASAP, because even if you immediately turn the heaters off, that green mist sometimes just keeps on a-comin’.

The Heater Core itself isn’t expensive -I only had to pay $22.00 for a brand new replacement. The difficulty lies in getting at the old one.

It has been said that whenever auto manufacturers build a new car, they begin with the heater core, then build the rest of the car around it. That is a truism if I ever heard one. For a part that almost always goes bad eventually. they sure make these things extremely difficult to get to. You practically have to take the car apart to reach it.

This is not something you will want to do yourself, and it’s certainly not something you would ask a friend to do for you. That would just be mean. I have talked to professional mechanics who tell me they want to run the other way when they see a heater core job come into the shop.

Happily, I was shown a simple solution to the problem when it happened to an old Lincoln Continental I once owned. And you can do this for any car. Just open the hood and find where the heater hoses are. (This is where you could use the help of a knowledgeable friend to make sure you get the right hoses, or refer to your Haynes or Chilton manuals). One hose goes into the heater core (the heater core is behind the firewall, so you can’t see it or get to it from there), and a second hose comes out next to it. All you have to do for this quick fix is cut both hoses close to the firewall, then connect them together with a two dollar connector you can get at any auto parts store. This allows the water to bypass the heater core altogether, and just continue to circulate through the engine, which is the water’s main job anyway. Problem solved!

Except that gives you a whole new problem: no heat to warm you as you drive. Your family can, of course, bundle up with extra layers of clothing in the winter every time you go someplace, but it still leaves the problem of defrosting the windows. You might be able to drive, but you won’t be able to see.

For about $30 you can buy a small heater that plugs into the cigarette lighter, and that will slooowly defrost your windshield. It might even eventually warm up the interior of your car, but most likely before that ever happens you’ll already be at your destination. I speak from experience. This is a passable solution, but not the ideal one.

Let’s face it. If you want any kind of quality of life whatsoever while you’re on the road, eventually you’re going to have to pay someone to replace that heater core with a new one.

What makes this chore so dad-gummed complicated is that the thing is located far behind your air vents, somewhere behind the glove compartment, and in most cars that means removing the entire dashboard, all the panels, and the radio, and the steering wheel and the steering column just to get to it.

Making the job ten times harder, inside and behind those panels are scores of wires and connections galore, and guess what? None of it is labeled. So if you were to disconnect all these wires and gismos, you had better remember what goes where, or when you put your car back together your speedometer won’t work, your odometer won’t work, your radio won’t work -heck, there’s even a chance your brakes won’t work.

If you make a mistake, you won’t likely know about it until you’ve put it all back together and the dash back on. Which means you’ll have to take it all back off again and try to find what you missed. There are scores of things that can go wrong when an amateur tries this job. Trust me, you’ll want to hire a professional. Do not ask a friend. Not only will it ruin your friendship, chances are he’ll botch the job as much as you would yourself, and now you’ll have to pay to have the car towed into a shop and have it done right.

So the question is, how to find a good mechanic you can afford for these more complicated jobs? All mechanics have a resource where they look up the amount of hours a particular job on a particular make of car is expected to take. That’s how they know how much money to charge you. The time expected for a professional to replace the heater core in my car was five hours. That’s much longer than most ordinary repairs would take, but this is no ordinary job. The worst part of that news is that the standard industry rate for car repairs is now a hundred dollars an hour, sometimes more. So the first thing you want to do is NOT take your car into a national chain. Those rates are fixed. They can’t budge on price.

Look for an independent dealer, one who has been at his location so long that he already owns his shop free and clear. That means his overhead is lower, and he won’t need to take every cent you have just to stay in business.

My advice is to look for that grizzled old mechanic who’s been at this forever, the kind of guy to whom no problem is new or surprising. He has seen it all a hundred times over, and no job is too hard for him. He is not afraid of your silly little heater core.

You want to find a small place where the owner does most of the work and he doesn’t keep an army of employees; maybe just one or two assistants. Father and son enterprise? Even better.

When you go in there, tell him you’re looking for a good, independent mechanic to handle your cars needs, so at least he has the promise of your continued business. Get his price quote on the job you need done, then negotiate lower. Larger chains can’t give you any wiggle room on the price, but this guy can. He owns the place.

By all means, offer to provide the part yourself, which you’ll just go down and buy from the auto parts store. This tells him you’re willing to do the legwork, and it also means he won’t be tacking on 30% over what he paid for it at the same store you would have bought it from.

I recently got the heater core on my current car replaced by a local independent for $300. That was a pile of money for me to have to shell out, but it would have cost me $500 minimum anywhere else. And I also made a new friend. His shop is located on the route I normally take my bike ride, so I’ve stopped in a few times since just for some friendly banter, and came away with some freely given advice.

Whatever the future holds for this country economically, a big part of your preparations for the coming hard times should include fostering relationships with other individuals you can depend on, interact with, and support. It may come down one day to bartering food, or even making payments from your small supply of silver coins. You won’t be able to develop such fungible friendships with any corporations. It takes knowing people, and working together for the mutual benefit of all.

Be Prepared for the Little Things

World events lately have reminded us of the importance of being prepared for the big emergencies like natural disasters. However, we often overlook the smaller, daily emergencies that can be just as distressing if not properly prepared for. The “little emergencies” that you might consider preparing for depend on your stage in life, but here are a few general situations to get your mind rolling:

Waking up late

Nothing can ruin a day quicker than sleeping through an alarm and being late for work or school. This is a stressful situation, but by taking a few measures ahead of time, you can make that inevitable morning a little less chaotic. The best advice I can offer for this situation is to keep a stash of the morning essentials in your car or office. These might include gum, a hair brush, travel size deodorant, extra mascara, facial wipes, travel size sewing kit, a few dollars in cash, a breakfast bar, etc.

Minor car problems

Minor car problems can quickly develop into emergencies without the proper preparations. For example, I have found it helpful to keep a tire pressure gauge in my glove box as well as a few dollars worth of quarters in case I need to stop by the closest gas station air pump. Bottled water is also an excellent thing to have on hand because it can serve multiple purposes. It can come in handy for yourself, but it can also be useful if your engine begins to overheat due to loss ofeFoodsDirect meals in my pantry. With the stress of writing papers and studying for tests, having an easy and healthy meal that I can make in twenty minutes makes a world of difference. I’ve also found it helpful to have an extra pack of printer ink on hand and as well as list of professor’s email addresses and office hours.

I’ve listed just a few of the countless issues that could affect your daily routine. We might not consider these “emergencies,” but it’s these little things that can add up. By taking a few minutes to plan ahead and be prepared for life’s “little emergencies” you can make your life a little easier.

Holiday Gifts for Preppers (and Those They Love)

While you are ringing in the holiday and doing your gift buying, focus first on gifts that will help families prepare for disaster as well as being practical for everyday living. Ask yourself if the gift can be used now as well as later. This way you can’t lose. Those receiving the gifts will either add them to their “be prepared” stockpile or use them for everyday use. Folks who aren’t prepared may just be inspired by your gifts and learn more about getting ready for possible disasters.

There are so many great holiday gifts out there for everyone on your list from kids to seniors. Here are some easy suggestions.

Sleeping Bags

My eldest son loves to use his sleeping bag as a bed comforter, because it keeps him so warm even during winter storm power outages. Sleeping bags and extra bedding are very practical for all ages, and I don’t know a family around that couldn’t use a few extra blankets for the home or the car.

Seed Kit and Gardening Tools

Most kids would love aspend the winter working on the preparations before obtaining the actual livestock in the spring.

Self-Sufficiency

With a recent slam by a hurricane, many have delved into a personal inventory. Am I  prepared for a disaster? Some may revisit their food storage, others check on batteries, first aid kits and other necessary items that will be invaluable if such a disaster were to strike.

Preparedness is vital. It ceases worry for the “What if’s?” I would like to suggest several ways in which we can prepare ourselves, beyond stocking up on food storage.

I have latched on to the term “self-sufficiency.” I like the idea of being independent and stable, especially in crucial situations. We should make goals and act to become self-sufficient in several ways, some of which being in finances, health, and education, not to mention in building up your storage of

3. Education – As things get more competitive in the workforce, I have really come to see a degree as the “food storage” of the job market. Often, it leads to opportunities for work. Sometimes your degree of choice has nothing to do with your occupation; however, in the event you ever find yourself unemployed, you will have that degree as a reserve to better equip you for finding another job. Also, educating yourself prepares you to lead in many fields, including at work and in the family. It prepares us to make important decisions and see situations in a new way.

These are three examples of many. We are helping ourselves be self-sufficient probably in ways we don’t even realize. As with food storage, we are to consistently change, adding to the ways we can prepare ourselves better.

KiP 7: Bartering

Knowledge is Power (KiP)  Ever since the first humans came together and before the advent of any type currency,  bartering evolved and became the norm for everyday commerce and trade.  So the Art of Bartering has been around for over ten thousand years.

Bartering is an art, a skill that is acquired over time.  One of the best ways to practice these skills is go to your local garage/yard sales and flea markets.  When you see an item you want, set the max price you would be willing to pay (say $50).  You start at say $25 and the seller starts at $75.  You work your way up getting the seller to work their way down to the price your willing to pay.  After a disaster, what are you willing to barter with for what you want?

Items to Barter:  When collecting and storing extra items for bartering, strongly consider common everyday items that would make day-to-day survival more bearable.  Items like:

Barter town:  After a TEOTWAWKI situation, there will come a time when the survivors will come together to trade.  New “Barter Towns” will spring up where folks will come together to trade for items they need to survive.  This is the place where you will bring your extra barter items, your skills and knowledge, and/or the items you’ve made and/or grown to barter for the things you need to help make your own survival more tolerable.

Barter Entertainment:  To get a good idea of how to barter, I would recommend watching two popular shows on the History Channel, “American Pickers” and “Pawn Stars”.  I would also recommend the reading of four books by James Wesley, Rawls.  They cover in detail a TEOTWAWKI situation and each has a section on bartering.

How to Survive The End of The World as we Know It

Patriots: A Novel of Surviving the Coming Collapse

Survivors

Founders

There’s No Pain Like Tooth Pain

There are few things that probably concern you less than a toothache -as long as it’s someone else’s toothache. When you get a toothache, it’s absolutely the only thing you can think about. So while you are busy preparing for those unexpected contingencies for the future, it might be a good idea to remember that at some point one of your teeth is going to start hurting you, and hurting you bad. You may as well expect it and be prepared.

When the dollar finally collapses (and the dollar will inevitably collapse), will you have the means then to get that needed filling? How about a root canal? Can you afford to pay for a crown?

The best way to prepare your mouth for the future, of course, is to get to a dentist today and get everything done that needs doing. But even now a visit to the dentist is no small consideration, and even if you can afford to have everything taken care of today, there will almost certainly be that day in the future when you have a new problem, and either you won’t be able to afford a dentist, or you may find yourself someplace where there are no dentists around.

So, let’s deal with first things first. If you have sufficient dental insurance, get yourself and your family members up to speed. Get all X-rays taken and cavities filled. If your dentist feels you may need your wisdom teeth extracted some day or a root canal is in the cards, get all that taken care of while you can. In the future, you don’t know if there will be opportunity or insurance for it. So do this now.

If you do not have dental insurance, you may be in luck if there is a dental school near where you live. Most of these schools have students who need real live patients to practice on, and they will charge you little or nothing if you are willing to be a guinea pig. There’s really not that much to be afraid of; this is not a barber college. You won’t be left alone with a greenie. Every procedure performed by one of these dental students is carefully overseen by an instructor at his side to make certain he’s doing everything by the book. There is very little chance someone will inadvertently drive a drill through your cheek, so relax. Dental schools are a cheap and wonderful way to get your mouth all prepared for the apocalypse.

There is a further development in the world of dentistry that can work to your favor, and it’s a further sign that we are already deeper into a depression than the government and media “experts” are telling us. And that is that dentists are beginning to hurt for business. In an article written in my local paper, the Sacramento Bee, a number of local dentists reported that many of their regular patients were not coming in for their twice yearly checkups because they just could not afford to. Often, these dentists said, they never even see some of their patients until the patient has a problem that has gotten so bad they had no choice but to finally come in. And of course, by this time something as relatively simple as filling a cavity had turned into an abscess that required an expensive root canal. But that’s how it goes; in hard times, a visit to the dentist is simply not at the top of most people’s to do list -until it’s too late.

The way this unfortunate phenomena can work in your favor is that dentists need your business right now. They are much more willing to accommodate a patient by allowing you to stretch your payments over several months, rather than having to pay it all up front. Here in California, the legislature passed a law which resulted in all adults who were receiving Medi-Cal services no longer being eligible for dental work. This was a sudden and unexpected blow to many dentists whose clientele had largely consisted of Medi-Cal patients.

Since just like everyone else, dentists need to eat, many of them will be much more accommodating. If you are willing to offer say, a hundred dollars up front for X-rays, cleaning, and a couple of fillings, you can probably get the dentist to agree to accept the balance in smaller monthly payments. Just be sure and make those payments timely, because in the future you may need this guy to trust you if the time comes you require something more expensive, like a root canal.

Not long ago I had a conversation with a man whose business involved molding dental appliances. When I pressed him, he admitted that the average porcelain crown he manufactured and sold to a dentist only cost the dentist about $200.00.

If that’s true, it means the remaining thousand dollars a dentist charges for a root canal and crown represents mostly his labor. If you are a savvy bargainer, you might be able to get the dentist to lower the price of his labor, especially if you can cover his cost for materials up front. I’d bet that if you offered $300-$500 up front, you could get a dentist to give you a very good deal, or at least to agree to accept the balance in lower monthly payments.

What About The End Of The World As We Know It?
There is always the possibility that you might have a dental emergency some time in the future when you just can’t pay for a dentist, or perhaps you may find yourself someplace where no dentist is available. The latter scenario was the motivation of author Murray Dickson for his book “Where There Is No Dentist.” My colleague Yonis recommends this book, along with its companion volume “Where There Is No Doctor,” and I agree with him that these books should be in every survivalist’s library. Murray, who spent a lot of time in third world countries, shows what can be done to help those who don’t have ready access to dental care.

The harsh reality, though, is that ultimately every serious concern you have with your teeth will ultimately require professional care, unless you are willing to resort to the way things were in the old days. In days of yore, the skills of a dentist were pretty much limited to one function. If your tooth was sore, he knew how to pull it out.

Dentistry today has advanced to the stage where just about every tooth can be saved, or at least replaced with something indistinguishable from the original, and this without having to resort to wearing dentures. So the trick to keeping your smile intact is to know what temporary measures to take that will keep your tooth alive until you can get to a dentist. Happily, you can find temporary fixes as close as your local drug store, and most are quite inexpensive. Here are a few:

For Lost Fillings or Loose Caps
If you’re chewing on something like a caramel and you feel one of your fillings come out, or worse, if you feel your crown come off, do what you can to keep from swallowing it and put it somewhere safe, such as a baggy. In the toothbrush aisle of your local pharmacy you should be able to find a kit such as Dentak Temparin Max Lost Filling And Loose Cap Repair (about $6.)

You’re not going to be able to put the filling back in your tooth, but you should keep it for when you get back to your dentist. I’m not sure if he can do anything with it, since what he will likely do is make a new filling, but it’s always a good idea to take the old one back for him to examine if you haven’t swallowed it. Clean it off with a toothbrush (make sure you have a colander under it so it doesn’t fall down the drain) and put it in the little jar provided in the Dentak kit. You should, of course, put your crown in the jar after you’ve cleaned it also, unless you want to try and stick the crown back over your dead tooth, which you might be able to do. Unlike your lost filling, that crown is very expensive, so you don’t want to lose it. This is something the dentist can put back on for you. So don’t lose it.

The main magic of the kit consists of a small jar of a chalky clay. Using clean hands, roll a tiny ball of this clay and knead it until it’s soft. Then squish it into the hole in your tooth, doing your best to mash it down and make it fit. If you use too much of it, it will likely come off when you’re chewing, so limit it to the hole you’re trying to fill. If you have a spouse or someone who doesn’t mind looking and digging around in your disgusting pie hole, all the better, but with a little dexterity, you may be able to pull this off yourself.

This substance, Temparin, tends to dry when it mixes with saliva, so if it isn’t going well or starts to chalk up and flake, abandon that batch and dip into the jar for some more and start over. If the filling is on the top of your tooth, that’s best, because once it’s in place, bite down gently so it fits against your upper teeth. It should dry in about three hours, but I would eat on the opposite side for the first day just to be safe.

Dentek also makes something called Tempanol Maximum Hold Temporary Filling Material (about $10) which works essentially the same, except it is said to be better suited to those who won’t be able to get to a dentist for some time. Some folks have been able to make do with just this temporary filling for quite some time, so if you can’t get directly to a dentist, this might be what you’re looking for. It is made of the same stuff as dentists use for their temporary fillings, so you may be able to get by with it for quite a while. Just remember, any time you’re wearing a temporary filling, you’re leaving yourself open to further infection down the road. If you don’t have a dentist eventually fix it right, sooner or later it could all go terribly wrong. I would only look at this as my “permanent” fix if I had no other choice. Otherwise, get to a dentist.

You can use Temparin to “glue” your crown back on, but if you can make it to your dentist within a few days, it might be best to just use the Temparin to fill the hole for the time being, and just take the crown in with you when you go, because if you’ve stuck the crown back on, your dentist is going to have to do all kinds of stuff to get it back off, and his labor means more money it will cost you. If, on the other hand, all he has to do is pry off the temporary filling and glue your cap back on, you will probably be charged less.

If you are not able to make it back to the dentist for quite a while, take a toothbrush to your crown and clean it off good, dry it well, and do a “dry fit” to make sure you can get it to fit onto what’s left of your tooth. If it seems to fit, add some Temparin to the tooth, pack it down, bite down on it, and good luck. Maybe it will hold for several months, maybe it won’t. Follow the directions in the package carefully, and make sure you wipe off any “leaks” that seep up from under, or you’ll be feeling sharp edges with your tongue after it dries.

For Toothache
Just as you can find a tooth repair kit at your local pharmacy, you ought to be able to find a variety of toothache kits. There are a couple of ways to treat this; Dentek has a kit that includes Temparin, but it also comes with a small bottle of Clove Oil (sometimes called “Eugenol”) to relieve the pain. Dab a Q-tip into the clove oil and touch it to the painful area. You should find considerable relief. After a few treatments of clove oil, you can cover the cavity with Temparin, which will help keep out cold and food.

Another method is represented by the Red Cross Complete Medication Kit For Toothache (about $5), which contains a bottle of Clove Oil, a pair of tweezers, and a small box of tiny cotton pellets. You use the tweezers to pick up one of the tiny cotton balls, dip it into the clove oil, then place the ball directly into the cavity. The idea is to let that soaked cotton ball sit there in the open cavity and give you relief. This works well, depending upon whether the cavity is on top of a tooth or to the side. I think it’s a good idea to have both types of kits on hand, as you never know which type will work best for which ailment.

You may be able to skate by without going immediately to a dentist when repairing temporary fillings, but if a toothache is your problem, you had best not waste any time. Get to a dentist as soon as possible, because unless that cavity gets filled properly, things will only get worse for you. Ultimately the tooth can become abscessed and you’ll either have to pay for a root canal, or it will have to be extracted. A toothache is a warning. You can get some temporary relief for it, but sooner or later you had better get it fixed.

It’s a good idea to have a tube of Oragel on hand, which I think works best for gum pain. Oragel now has a sort of pen that contains a retractable brush that fills with Oragel when you twist the handle. You can “paint” that into an open cavity, or simply brush it along the gum area where it hurts. I don’t know how to describe the difference between clove oil and Oragel other than to say that clove oil relieves the pain, while Oragel numbs it. I think there is a place for both in your medicine kit.

While you’re at the drug store, look for those tiny little brushes that you can fit between your teeth like floss. They usually come in packets of several. If you have painful gums between your teeth, you can dip one of these brushes into some Oragel and massage it in.

If Your Tooth Gets Knocked Out
If somehow one of your teeth gets knocked out, you have between 15 minutes and a half hour to save it. That’s how long the root stays alive.

There is a product that should be in everyone’s home called Save-a-Tooth (about $25.00) that will preserve your tooth for 24 hours; hopefully that’s time enough for you to get to a dentist. What you do is pick the tooth up by the enamel part; you want to be careful not to touch the root, because touching it could kill it. Then just drop it in the jar, screw the lid back on, and head straight for the dentist.

If it’s a weekend and no dentists are available, getting your teeth knocked out is a good enough reason to go to the hospital emergency room, so go there if you have to. If you have no Save-a-Tooth available, drop the tooth into some salt water and hope for the best. But get to a dentist ASAP. An implant to replace that missing tooth could cost thousands of dollars, but if there is still enough life in your original tooth, a dentist can reattach it for about $300. So you’ll want to do everything you can to fix that tooth.

And if your tooth does get knocked out and you’re unable to save it, or you’re already missing some front teeth, you can actually make your own replacement tooth using a product called TempTooth ($30.) I’ve read all kinds of testimonials by people who swear by this stuff, and for some of them it seems to work quite well as a permanent tooth replacement. The more artistic skills you have, the better your tooth will look and fit, and the instructions are more than adequate to show you how to do it.

One particular woman writes of making a Temp Tooth for her husband while they waited for his permanent tooth arrive back from the dentist. When the professional tooth arrived, it didn’t fit as well as the temporary one she carved, so her husband prefers the cheaper one. This certainly seems like something everyone should have on hand, particularly anyone who’s already missing a tooth or two in front.

There is nothing quite so debilitating as tooth pain, and when it hits you the last thing you’ll want to do is drive down to the store and get something for it. Buy these treatments in advance, and be prepared for the worst before the pain takes you down.

Winter Survival Series

Fall is the favorite season for many people.  I live in Utah, a cold-weather, desert state, and now the scorching heat of the summer has given way to pleasantly warm days and cool nights. The mountains are ablaze with vibrant colors of the changing leaves and what a beautiful fall we have had this year! Yet as those leaves begin to fall many hearts begin to fill with dread at the thought of what is approaching. Winter! Freezing nights, cold days, and a perilous white knuckled grip on the steering wheel commutes as the white death begins to cover the land.

I admit that for many years now this has been my attitude, but it was not always so.  Though never my favorite season, in my youth I enjoyed winter.  What made the difference?  I met winter on my own terms.  If all we do is shovel it, drive in it, slip on it and endure various frozen extremities then it is our enemy and we need to take the advice of Michael Coreleone in The Godfather Part II and “keep your friends close and your enemies closer”!

This series will give you 10 tips to take back some power over old man winter this year!

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