What can I do? (Critically Important)

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Yesterday I hit on the “7” practical areas of prepping but there is more to cover that is really important as it applies to each of the “7“. So there are some categories of learning that kinda fit outside of the “7” put actually touch on each in some way or another. However, I can’t tie them to any of the “7” specifically. I will cover some of those in general…

Psychology & Personalities –

Here is what I am saying…there are certain personality types that exist pre & post event/incident. Meaning people behave one way during normal everyday life, but after an event/incident, when the stress is really on, their true personality comes out. Often this transition is determined by stress and desperation, but not always. Sometimes people in every day life can hide really well who they truly are under layers of society’s norms. But once those norms, such as laws/expectations/rules, no longer apply…they become who they were all along…who they were deep inside their soul. Understanding this potential transformation could be just as important, maybe far more so, than owning a great shotgun with plenty of ammo or having the best water filter in town.

Resources:

Exercising & Scenarios –

Over the years I’ve come out with ways to think through different scenarios and options on how to react. Yup, it’s called training. It’s not meant to dictate to you what you must do…but showing you what you might run up against and letting you figure out how you might handle it.

Do NOT discount this kind of training. It has proven over and over again how effective that role playing and scenario training works! Do not doubt me on this one. The time to be making big decisions is not when they have a gun pointed at your head. The decisions should have been made a very long time before that occurs. But if that time should ever come…you will already have a pretty good idea what to do if you have done role playing and scenarios.

Resources:

Parallel Action Tracks –

I am sure you already figured this out, but let me sound important (at least in my own head) and share this with you. This is not a plan (or suggestion) to do one thing at a time, it is not a plan to work on only one of the “7” at a time…you can work on whatever you can at any time. Meaning?

While you are working on the “who are you” principles part you can certainly be buying extra cans of food for your pantry when you go to the store. That’s a no-brainer…you are going to need some soup so buy it next time you go to the store. But that shouldn’t delay you from figuring out what you believe in…discovering your core values.

While you are buying ammo (part of priority #1) you can also purchase a Olicamp Vector Stove (part of priority #7). When you order items for your medical kits (part of priority #2) you can also order a water filter/purifier (part of priority #5). You get the idea, yes?

CAUTION: Although you can work on multiple areas at the same time…concentrate on the “7” in order. Meaning, don’t neglect buying a shotgun to buy all of your food storage. Don’t ignore putting together your IFAK to buy a pressure caner.

Remember the “7” are there for a reason…and they are in a particular priority order for an even greater reason. Neglecting a high priority area for an easy/lower priority can lead you and your family to disaster. Yeah, you might have bought an awesome tent…and die from an injury that a simple Home/Family First Aid Kit could have prevented.

Realistic Expectations –

If you are brand new to prepping you are probably pretty excited to get started…and that is great! If you are an old hand at prepping but you’ve just kind of stumbled around in your quest to become prepared you too might be excited to find an actual systematic approached in this series of articles to better ensure you are truly prepared. But there is a nasty little problem lurking in the shadows.

Unless you are blessed with unlimited funds (i.e. money) you probably can’t do everything immediately. And, due to the time required, you probably couldn’t do everything immediately even if you wanted to and had the money to make it all happen.

The answer is ‘realistic exceptions’…yeah, maybe you’ve never heard that term before or maybe never truly understood it. Let’s start with an example…You’ve never shot a pistol before, is it realistic that you can become a highly effective gun fighter in a week? Ah, no. Can you be better than when you started? Yes. Can you be Delta Force level good within that week? Absolutely not…it’s not realistic! Can you be good enough to defend yourself or your family in that week of training? Maybe…probably. For most people it takes time to develop all of the motor skills required to become a good gun fighter. And a lot of that time isn’t spent punching paper at the range.

Wait a second…do you know why I use the term “gun fighter”? Well, it is a matter of skill level. Many people can safely handle a pistol, many can shoot great paper target scores, some have mastered mag swaps, FTF/FTE drills, and off-hand shooting. But, few can shoot accurately and effectively under pressure, on the move, with the bad guys shooting back at you.

About 10 years ago I took a class designed to teach you how to shoot accurately enough, under pressure, effectively, against odds…with the bad guys shooting back at you. In the class, once we proved our basic firearm skills, they put us into scenarios with high-powered paintball guns. Yeah, laugh it you want to…it changed the whole concept of gun fighting for us. My point? I was a good gun fighter before that…but only to a certain degree. But once I went through that training my abilities went up by a factor. But it took me years to get to that point.

Another example would be food storage. Is it realistic that you can acquire 5 years worth of food storage, or even 1 years’ worth, overnight? Of course not…unless you have thousands of extra dollars on hand just laying around. It will take time to understand what you need, where to find it, and then actually to acquire it. Then there is how to store it and how to use it in rotation. So not only is there the realistic time-frame to acquire your food storage…there is also the realistic time-frame to gain the skills associated with using food storage.

You already know what your priorities are…the “7”…now you have to set goals that are both achievable and realistic. If you don’t…then you are going to get very, very frustrated…or maybe you get burned out.

Resources:

Balance –

I could have just as easily labeled this section as ‘burnout’ and maybe that would have painted a clearer picture. But let’s stick with balance.

If you are a fairly average person you have a spouse, kids, job, church, home, garden, yard, hobby, and friends. Think for a minute what would happen if you started spending all your free time with one particular friend. Or, you worked all the time and stopped going to church and/or spending time with your spouse and kids. What would happen? Yeah…a ‘come to Jesus’ meeting would take place and you would be told to straighten out your life.

Same will be true when it comes to prepping…you gotta stay balanced. If you don’t folks are going to get ticked-off at you or you will simply burn out. The key to the ‘balance’ is to steal a little time from each area of your life and use it to prep. Here are some pictures to give you an idea what I am getting at…

Do these graphics help?

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What can I do? (Practical)

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Each of the “7” common risks/threats (talked about that yesterday) has the practical side such as buying a gun and ammo; we’ll call the tangibles the “hardware”. But along with the hardware is the skill to use it; let’s call the intangibles “software”. That means, in addition to buying a gun and ammo, you have to take basic firearms classes or online instruction, then eventually tactical weapons training if you can. Remember, there is a huge difference between punching paper at the firing range and learning to shoot effectively and move in various scenarios under pressure.

So we have the hardware and software parts down pat…we’re confident, skilled, and capable. But are you knowledgeable? In other words…do you know when to use a weapon, when not to, how to properly employ it…and when to run like hell. Part of the learning curve involves gaining that highly important, maybe the most important part, “knowledge”. Granted, some folks might refer to that as “wisdom” and I can’t argue that. Either way you call it…that my friend comes from Situational Awareness.

Being the best shot in your community, having the coolest tricked-out AR, the best quality ammo, and optics to die for means nothing if you don’t know when to pull the trigger or stay hidden and avoid the fight. Hell, do you even know what to look for before you pull the trigger to recognize bad people or a bad situation?!? I would love to be in a group setting to hear all the different answers.

Wrapping this up…acquire the hardware, the software, and the knowledge for each of the “7”.

7 Common Risks / Threats –

#1 – Violence

#2 – Injury or Sickness

#3 – Poor/No Communications

#4 – Poor/No Organization

#5 – Dehydration (water purification & storage)

#6 – Exposure

#7 – Starvation

Knowledge / Wisdom –

 

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What can I do? (Laying the Foundation)

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This is the beginning of the “practical” part. This practical part is also broken down into two areas; 1) the learning, 2) the doing. The ‘learning’ part can be fun and accomplished pretty quickly if you have the time…and to a lesser degree, if you have the money.

As I’ve documented many times through my decades of experience in professional incident and emergency management there are 7 Common basic threats/risks to every emergency, disaster, or grid-down event. They are:

  1. Violence
  2. Injury or Sickness
  3. Poor/No Communications
  4. Poor/No Organization
  5. Dehydration
  6. Exposure
  7. Starvation

So these are the areas, the only areas, you need to worry about and concentrate on when it comes to the practical part of prepping. Why? because it covers all the bases.

There are a whole lot of so-called ‘experts’ out there that will preach all sorts of systems and methods. Don’t be sucked into, or suckered into, all that crap. No doubt they may have some skills in certain areas but few will have decades of experience with a wide range of incidents and 1000’s of hours of training in an approach to preparedness that makes sense and is organized…and is proven successful.

Why are the “7” numbered 1 – 7 in my list above? Because that is their priority order to be worked on and accomplished. It is also the same priority order of risk of killing you and your family. Listen to me…hear this loud and clear…the priority order is an absolute! Anyone who tells you anything else is laying the groundwork for YOUR failure…which means your family’s failure.

How so? Simple, as an example notice the ‘starvation’ threat/risk is priority #7? Let’s do a little exercise…you decide, because you read it on the Internet, that you must have food storage before anything else. So you spend hundreds, maybe thousands, of dollars buying two years worth of food storage. Yea for you! Oh, wait…you completely ignored priority #1.

Now along comes a disaster, you are all set to go…plenty to eat, no problems. Yeah, no problems until a couple of guys come along armed with nothing more than a baseball bat…and take all of that food storage that you so diligently acquired. And no, you can’t do anything about it other than getting your head bashed in because you ignored priority #1.

Let me make this real clear for you…How long do you last in a gun fight if you don’t have a gun…maybe 1 – 3 seconds? Further clarification…Did you know an average person can last 3 – 7 days without food? Hummmmmm…1 – 3 seconds vs 3 – 7 days…which is the higher priority again?

Do prepper ‘experts’ have knowledge that is worth learning? Of course many do, some don’t. Pick up quality skills and applicable information from any source you can. But if you don’t prepare correctly with a proven system, then you are prepping for somebody else’s benefit other than for you and your family.

And let me share this serious danger with you right now…I know men who have a simple plan when times get tough…they plan on taking whatever they need from people who have it. And I will also share this with you…they have the skills to do it. And if you don’t have the weapons and skills to stop them…your ‘stuff’ will become their stuff. And taking your stuff will be the best case scenario when talking about kids and women. Yes…a dark warning…a very dark and very real warning.

Enough of that…let’s get to laying the foundation practical prepping…

Broadly speaking you are prepping for emergencies. However, there are different types of emergencies, so you must learn how to prepare for each type. Otherwise, you are just flopping around like a fish on the dock.

Categorizing Emergencies –

Within the broad stroke of ‘emergencies’ (a.k.a. incidents) there are actually three categories; 1) emergencies, 2) disasters, and 3) grid-down events. And they are far, far different in sense of urgency and potential for loss of life. Let me share this with you:

  1. cut finger = emergency
  2. wildfire = disaster
  3. EMP attack = grid-down event

Here’s another way to look at it…if you get a cut finger maybe a simple first aid kit can handle it, or a trip to the 24-hour clinic for stitches may be required. Chance of loss of life is virtually nil. Now, a wildfire comes through your community might entail you evacuating, or fighting the fire yourself, and potentially losing your home. Chance of loss of life is real, and far above a simple cut finger. Finally, an EMP attack on the country could be devastating, shutting down the entire power grid, taking out all chances of hospital care, and collapsing the economic system. Chance of loss of life skyrockets due to looting, theft, desperation…to say nothing of traumatic injury and disease.

Here is a way to look at this ‘probability’ of each occurring. You are far more likely (probable) to cut your finger than an EMP attack occurring against the country.

And that comes to setting priorities for ‘how’ you prep or ‘what’ you buy. Here is a great example of all of this…if you put together a basic first aid kit you probably have the cut finger covered as far as being prepared to provide self-care. Therefore, when you put together your Individual First Aid Kit (BOK & IFAK) it still applies to all three levels. Eventually you want your family to have a Field Trauma Care Kit (FTCK) to take care of far worse injuries, such as you might find in the EMP attack. But, the time, effort, and money you put into the BOK & IFAK is just as valuable as it ever was.

So once you know how to categorize emergencies you can readily identify which to prepare for.

Resources:

Setting Priorities –

So once you know which emergencies are ‘where’ on the severity scorecard…how do you know what to prepare for first?

I already hit on that…it is the “7”. But how do you come up with that “7” and which to go after first in prepping? For that you have to understand setting priorities. Not hard…LIPS.

Resources:

 

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Wanted to throw out some funny prepper memes just for the heck of it…you know…the expert preppers!

Prepper Geek with equipment and gear

 

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What can I do? (Principles)

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I ended yesterdays’ article with a couple of questions:

  • Who are you really and what do you truly believe in?
  • Are you willing to die for those things you believe in?

Isn’t that the real test of commitment in something? Are you willing to lay down your life for something you believe in?

Here is an example of a principle that you might consider…

Self-Defense: While many say they believe in the right to self-defense most don’t understand its origins and authority. If you don’t understand the foundation of a principle, how easily could you be persuaded, or compelled, to abandon that principle?

What is self-defense? Generally speaking it is a legal concept that allows an individual to use reasonable force to protect themselves or another from personal injury that is inflicted by another. Our Founding Fathers saw it as a God-given or natural right, but it didn’t originate with them.

Our Founders refined that concept from John Locke (1632–1704) who stated that natural rights were self-evident and gave man the right/power to pursue life, health, liberty, and possessions, as well as the right to self-defense. But that right came from English law long recognized an absolute right all the way back to 1330. And that can be traced back to Roman law 2000 years ago that stated a man had the right to defend his family and home from anyone who would invade that home. But it can go back further still, all the way to Exodus 22 (1400 BC) stating that a man has the right to defend his home, family, and possessions. Today we would call that the ‘castle doctrine’.

In today’s day and age in a constitutional sense, the natural law basis of the right to armed self-defense is part of the original meaning of the Second Amendment. That human rights were inherent (coming from God), and not granted by government…after all, the entire basis on which the nation was created comes from:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident…that all men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights…” – Colonial America Declaration of Independence, the foundational document of the United States of America.

How does this right of self-defense apply? Well, it is easy to understand how it applies against criminals who wish to hurt us or others. And I noticed that there is no defining of, or any limitations on, who a person can defend against as it applies to that right. So the criminal part is easy…but so is the defense against a government who wishes to harm/injure us. And that was the bottom line to the whole Declaration of Independence…the right of self-defense from a government that was oppressing 1700’s Colonial Americans.

Hence, we see the Second Amendment was written based on the events of April 19th, 1775 in the Battles of Lexington and Concord. If the Founding Fathers didn’t want us to be able to have the unlimited right of self-defense they would have not have clearly stated such in our Founding Documents and they would not have executed that right themselves 249 years ago.

Now it comes down to morals in terms of self-defense…for instance, if we are committing a crime and injure/kill a person trying to stop us…is that self-defense? No…plain and simple. Or is it? In 1930’s & 1940’s Nazi Germany it was against the law to help Jews avoid capture. Would a German citizen be committing a crime trying to help Jews avoid capture? Yes.

So it boils down again to morals. What morals have priority…which have the highest authority when it comes to laws…now comes the concept of right and wrong.

See how this can get weird and deep…and confusing without much trouble. Let’s go back to Nazi Germany…would you have the moral courage to recognize that the capture and murder of Jews to be right or wrong? Think about it…killing men, women, children, and babies either by shooting, starving, or gassing…right or wrong? For my way of thinking…unquestionably wrong!!

So now it comes down to this…if I break the law helping Jews escape that fate and kill a government agent doing so (i.e. Gestapo), am I guilty of murder or am I justified through the natural right of self-defense?

Let’s change it up a bit…I am a Jew and I kill a German soldier defending my family against capture by Nazis am I guilty of murder or am I justified through the natural right of self-defense even though I committed the crime of murder trying to protect my family?

Let’s make it way too close to home…example: in a disaster law enforcement officers come to my house to take my food storage and my only source of power to keep the lights on and heat running in my home. They do so with the five members of my family present. I refuse to turn over the generator, they threaten my family with guns and attempt to take the food and generator. Would I be justified in defending myself and family?

Remember, there is a difference between justified/legal and the right thing to do (morals). And remember, murder is the shedding of innocent blood. A thief is a thief is a thief…and therefore not innocent.

Let’s take a hypothetical example out just a bit…The Second Amendment is clear…perfectly clear. So next year the US federal government declares all semi-automatic guns illegal via an ATF ruling and begins immediate forceful confiscation the next day. How do you feel about that? I mean how do you really feel about it way down deep in your soul? Pause to think…

Then the day after the declaration…a heavily armed FBI/ATF SWAT team shows up at your door breaking it down to confiscate your guns…what do you do? Or, they show up at your neighbor’s door doing the same…what do you do? How deep is your commitment to the Constitution and Bill of Rights? Are you truly committed…or a fair-weather Constitutionalist?

Can you be persuaded to give up your beliefs in clearly outlined rights, liberties, and freedoms when a pretty boy starts talking about safety, security, the greater good, or national security? Politicians and bureaucrats talk that crap all the time. They spew national security, national interests, keeping the street safe, protecting our children, common sense gun laws, protecting the homeland, patriotism, salute the flag, sing the national anthem, law and order, apple pie…pure bullshit.

What is my point to all of this? The point is…WHO ARE YOU? What do you truly believe in? How deep is your commitment to what you believe in?

If you don’t know the answer to those questions then no amount of preparedness will mean a damn thing. You will be too easily swayed by anything and anyone that comes along who sounds pretty and talks convincingly…or has a gun and a badge.

Here are some examples of my principles/beliefs:

  • No one will lay a hand on my family to do harm.
  • Abortion, other than to save the life of the mother, is shedding innocent blood.
  • The First and Second Amendments are sacrosanct.
  • Transgenderism is a mental illness.
  • Mutilation of a child in the quest for transgenderism is absolute evil and demonic.

The above are examples where I will not budge and will not be moved. Any attempt to do so will be met with resistance as needed. And no, I am not saying violence…I am saying resistance. However, the Founders did set the example that made violence an action of last resort. (Read the Declaration of Independence)

What about your principles/beliefs?

What do I base my principles/beliefs on? That is an easy one!

First, I base my beliefs on eternal principles. Meaning scripture based words of God. And I follow God far more than any man-made law. Man-made laws will come and go…God’s laws are eternal. Don’t murder, don’t steal, don’t commit fraud, and be faithful to your family. Add into that…try my best to treat others as I want to be treated.

Second, I also base my beliefs on the United States’ founding documents; 1) Declaration of Independence, 2) Constitution, 3) Bill of Rights. I see them each as carrying equal weight.

Anything preached outside of those two areas are null and void if it conflicts with either. And anyone who is doing preaching to persuade otherwise is not to be trusted at all…or is to be resisted or potentially stopped.

What would you use as a basis to define your beliefs and principles? In today’s world…there are lot of people and a lot of organizations that talk pretty, their ideas even sound good and look good. But, if they fall outside of, or are in conflict with, my ‘first’ and ‘second’…then they are of no use, no value, and are to be cast aside by me.

How about you?

In my way of thinking…you MUST figure out who you are, what you believe in, and how committed you are. Otherwise, how will prepping really do you much good?

 

 

 

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ASKED OF ME: What can I do?

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The following question was posted as a comment to article of mine last month. The article that I had written outlined a number of current event issues that had come up that are very disturbing and that little can be done by the average person to affect them. So the person posting a comment asked “What can I do?”…mostly out of frustration I think.

The question that was asked shows amazing fortitude and desire to make a difference. Another way to ask that question could be “How do I prepare for what is happening and what is coming?” I am sure there are other versions of that same question but the bottom line is the same.

The answer is “preparedness”…or…to be prepared. To ensure we are on the same page, here are some well-established everyday definitions:

  • Preparedness = The state of having been made ready.
  • Prepared = Made fit or suitable; adapted; ready; willing.
  • Prepare = To make ready beforehand for a specific purpose, as for an event or occasion. To equip yourself.

I found it really interesting how these words all fit together in intention and action. Then it occurred to me to look at another term… self-reliant.

Self-reliant means to be reliant upon one’s self; trusting to one’s own powers or judgment. And to be free from external control and constraint in action and judgment.

As I was pondering this whole concept I put it together like this…

Self-reliant is the end-state, the goal. To get to that point (the end-state or goal), you have to prepare (the action)…thus you are not just prepared, you are self-reliant.

Can you actually be self-reliant in this day and age…or self-reliant in any and all scenarios such as TEOTWAWKI? I don’t think so…too many moving parts and no one person can be sufficiently proficient in all aspects of preparedness. Example: You might be really good at food storage but you might not be a combat medic ready to treat gunshot wounds. In my opinion, being self-reliant in all things is not realistic.

However, I do believe that it is possible to be relatively free from external control and constraint in action and judgment when it comes to who you are and what you believe in…when things get rough. I also believe that the more you are prepared the more self-reliant you can be. Then add to that a trusted circle of people who have additional and complimentary skills.

Why is this exercise in terminology needed? Because you have to have realistic expectations of what you can and can’t accomplish. If it’s not realistic…then you will always be in a state of “fail”. What you want is to be suitably ready, willing, and adaptable to deal with the events that are occurring/coming, while being free external controls and constraints…to the best of your ability. To me that is the essence of preparedness.

If you wanted an instant answer with me telling you what to do, the list could include things such as:

  • Call an elderly couple and ask them if you could do their shopping for them.
  • Take some diapers over to a single mom’s home.
  • Give a couple of rolls of toilet paper to the largest family you know.
  • Take a meal to an elderly woman’s home.
  • Call your friends and ask them how they are doing and if they need anything.
  • Take a big container of soup to your neighbor’s house for dinner.
  • Get on Skype and read books to your grandchildren.
  • Ask your church’s congregation leadership if a family could use your help.
  • Identify some older couple in your neighborhood and call them each day to see how they are doing.
  • Take a gallon of milk to a needy family with kids.
  • Bake a loaf of bread for your Pastor/Minister/Bishop.
  • Post positive stories and messages on your social media account.
  • Text friends telling them you are thinking of them and hope things are going well with them.
  • If you are shopping take only what you need, and don’t take the last item…look around for someone who needs it more…especially if they are elderly…take it over to them and offer it to them.
  • If you are shopping and you see an elderly person shopping by themselves…help them…or at least make eye contact and smile at them.
  • Start a Neighborhood Watch program.
  • Get out of the mainstream economy the most you can; buy at farmer’s markets, buy at garage sales, buy meat direct from a cattle rancher, barter some of your excess garden vegetables with your neighbors. Trade your skills for other folks’ skills.
  • Don’t buy into the FBI propaganda and public relations; see them for who they are.
  • Don’t believe a single thing the DOJ says.
  • Don’t let law enforcement on you property, especially in your house, without a warrant.
  • Never talk with a federal agent without a lawyer present.
  • Stay away from 90% of all mainstream media outlets.
  • Garden, can, dehydrate, ferment, and freeze as much of your own fruit and produce as possible.
  • Learn about and understand the ATF is the most unconstitutional federal law enforcement agency ever created. It exists specifically and solely to destroy the 2nd Amendment and imprison US citizens.
  • If you belong to a political party…leave it.
  • Develop strong principles, morals, and ethics…don’t compromise them.
  • If you belong to a church that supports abortion…leave it and find a Christ-centered church to join.
  • If you have children in public schools…try your best to homeschool…or at least provide education to your children that counters the anti-American, pro-Socialist/Communist crap they learn in public schools.
  • Learn and teach history.
  • Figure out how to make a great living without going to college. Professions such as electricians, plumbers, builders, mechanics, computer programmers and technicians, and a wide range of other occupations that pay as good or better than college educated jobs…and without the 10’s of thousands of $’s of debt that college requires.
  • Become as independent of the government, utilities, media, school systems, and the economy as possible.
  • Work outside of the conventional economy. Buy direct from farmers, ranchers, and farmers markets; buy from thrift stores, flea markets, and swap meets. Go to garage sales and estate sales; buy from online classifieds. Give your unneeded stuff away…or barter them for things you wan/need.

All of the above could make a difference in life…for you and others. But, you know, I really don’t want to just tell you things to do because they would be my ideas, not personal/applicable to you. Additionally, you also would just be doing stuff and not figuring out what was behind it all…the ‘why’ you were doing it. And honestly, the list may not include a single thing for you; you have to figure out what is right for you to do.

I would much rather share some insight in preparing and let you run with it…you figure out your own list.

Preparedness has two major components; 1) the principles, 2) the practical. Preparedness also is by far more a state of mind than anything tangible. Most people live their lives simply going through the daily motions of eat, sleep, work, a little socializing, barely some quality time with the family…repeat. Few folks ever really put much thought into the “what if” side of life…probably for along list of reasons. Mostly, I believe that people feel that disasters happen to others and ‘grid-down’ stuff only shows up in novels and movies. Add on top of that, preparing takes time and money…something most people feel they already don’t have enough of. It takes a particular, a special, mindset to be successful at prepping long-term.

Have you already had a change of your mindset, your thinking, your view of the world? If not, are you willing to see things differently, unconventionally, non-conforming?

Generally speaking the “principles” part are the intangibles, the “why’s” and the underlying reasons behind what you will be doing as a prepper. This principles area is a little more ambiguous in nature and due to it being so broad of a subject it will need a bit more explanation. The “practical” part is fairly easy…it is what you will do to be prepared. The “principles” part is who you are, or who you will become, to be prepared.

Which element is more important, principles or the practical?

Dang, tough question to answer…kinda like a “chicken or the egg” kinda question. They both are very important and one can’t be very successful without the other. But, I feel the “principles” component is the highest priority. Why? Because it will probably take more thinking, more introspection, and potentially tougher actions/changes.

Principles –

What exactly am I referring to when I talk about principles? Over the last several years my attitude and view of principles have changed. My view used to be strictly along the lines of principles only as applying to the practical side of preparedness. Topics such as Situational Awareness, classification of events to be prepared for, risk mitigation, etc. And I wasn’t wrong. But, as time went on I realized there was a whole other side to the principles concept.

Let me share a couple of quotes for you to ponder…

“A man who has nothing he is willing to die for has nothing worth living for.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

“If you’re not ready to die for it, put the word ‘freedom’ out of your vocabulary.” – Malcom X

“In the great scheme of things, what matters is not how long you live but why you live, what you stand for and what you are willing to die for.” – Paul Watson

“If you’re not at least willing to die for something -something that really matters- in the end, you die for nothing.” – Andrew Klavan

And then there is…

“Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” – Patrick Henry, 1775

A little less dramatic would be a quote normally attributed to Alexander Hamilton –

“If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.”

The point I am trying to make is this…Who are you really and what do you truly believe in? Followed up with…Are you willing to die for those things you believe in? Isn’t that the real test of commitment in something? Are you willing to lay down your life for something you believe in?

Tomorrow I will get a little further into those questions with actual examples, more information, and a challenge for you.

 

Articles in this Series –

 

 2009 - 2025 Copyright © AHTrimble.com ~ All rights reserved
No reproduction or other use of this content 
without expressed written permission from AHTrimble.com
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See Content Use Policy for more information.

SitRep – 1/6/2025

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I guess I should start off by wishing everyone a Happy New Year. But…I am just not feeling it. I am going to try one of the short version SitReps and include a short personal message towards the end. And then at the very end I am going to tell you about a series of articles “What Can I do?” that I’ve been working on. It’s a 7-part series that I started about 3 weeks ago and I think it is really good. Then again…I am the one that wrote them so naturally I would think they are good 😉

Why have I not been writing more? Well, that will be covered in the “personal note” towards the end.

Topics to be covered:

  • Economy
  • Terrorism
  • DeepState Coup
  • State of the World
  • AI
  • Personal Note
Economy –

Corporate bankruptcies were up 33 – 40% in 2024 (% depends on the data source), bankruptcies set records during multiple months, highest number of bankruptcies since the Great Recession. Primary reasons according to the reports…1) high inflation and 2) interest rates. Notable bankruptcies; Big Lots, Bowflex, Joann Fabrics, Party City, Popeyes, Red Lobster, Spirit Airlines, TGI Fridays, True Value Hardware, & Tupperware. China and Russia suffering same issues.

Actually both China and Russia are in even worse economic shape than the US. Many international economic experts are saying China’s economy is actually in the process of collapsing due to their real-estate issues. Then again…I’ve been telling you about China’s economic problems for almost 3 years, so you shouldn’t be surprised.

Why is the economic situation in the USA, Russia, and China important? Major nations usually solve economic problems the same way…especially the USA…war. And we know for a fact that the US government (i.e. military-industrial complex) loves war…just look at our record.

Christmas season spending…ah, yeah. You heard all those reports of increase of spending this year over last Christmas? Well, let’s look at through the lens of reality. First off…the increase was an anemic 3%.  Factoring in inflation and the larger amount of returns (100’s of billions of dollars)…well, it was an actual net decrease in Christmas spending. And then there is the fact that the majority of the money spent wasn’t money at all…it was plastic. Yup, credit card debt/spending went through the roof.

75% of Christmas shoppers put their purchases on their credit cards. To make matters worse…1/3 of 2023 Christmas shoppers have still not paid off last years’ purchases. Now, take the total spent this year, then subtract all the returns, then the interest that will be paid for the credit card purchases…crap, the economy is in horrible shape and people are racking up debt that can never be repaid. So ask yourself this…What is the natural outcome to this situation?

Think through the whole economic situation very carefully.

Terrorism –

We started out 2025 with two instances of terrorism…Las Vegas and New Orleans. DHS released a report that states that terrorism threat in 2025 will be “high”. The primary threat will come from Islam, cartels & gangs, radical left-wing groups, and to a much lesser degree fringe right-wing individuals. However, some terrorist actions will be masked. China and Islam have infiltrated thousands of military age men into the US; expect these individuals to perform acts of terror that may not be initially recognized as legitimate terror activities…call some of those acts ‘soft’ terror.

Remember that China hacked a long list of telecommunications companies last year as well as the United States Department of the Treasury. Acts such as these could be classified as ‘soft’ acts of terrorism or conversely “acts of war”. 2025 will see a substantial increase in this activity.

Along with the obvious individual casualties of terrorism is the cost associated trying to prevent terrorism. While no exact figures are known, estimates place the costs at about $50billion – $75billion per year in preventative measures. And those figures don’t include losses of time and productivity.

DeepState Coup –

Many good folks are celebrating the election of Trump as President, and they are expecting a massive turnaround in the country. I too am glad Trump was elected…a miracle in itself. As for the turnaround…don’t hold your breath. Granted Trump won…but do you think the Democrats simply will roll over and give Trump everything he asks for? Do you think the radical leftists will take a nap for the next four years?

The DeepState will not take his win laying down and rolling over. Many government agencies have already held strategy meetings on how they will undermine Trump’s agenda. That is the case even for the Department of Defense…and especially at the DOJ and FBI.

After Trump’s first election the DeepState actually began coup operations against Trump led by the FBI, DOJ, and even the CIA. What do you think they are doing for his second term? Worship at Trump’s feet and lick his boots?

The DeepState is planning, has been planning, on how they intend to thwart Trump’s agenda…or stop Trump himself. Think about this…the second terror attack in the US for 2025 was a suicide bomber in Las Vegas outside of a Trump-named building in a Tesla truck. Do you think there is any coincidence considering Trump choosing Elon Musk (Tesla head) to work at dismantling government agencies? Yeah, reports from the FBI already stated there is no connection…yeah, uh huh.

Is there a connection between the two terror attacks? Yup, both ex-military. Interesting, eh?

The DeepState is actively planning and working towards its goals…and that ain’t good for Trump or the US citizenry…and especially not good for the Constitution…or what’s left of it.

State of the World –

As we start 2025 you have to look back at the state of the world as we ended 2024. China is actively threatening Taiwan, South Korea government is in a shambles, Africa is a disaster, there are problems in Romania, France, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen; and Canada is a mess with a radical leftist as its leader and in complete political turmoil. And you gotta love Mexico…run by cartels.

Then you have the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. In Gaza alone it is estimated that the number of deaths is approaching 50,000…with no functioning hospitals left. The following graphic gives you an idea…

AI (Artificial Intelligence) –

This is a weird category to be sure; I am including DeepFake in this category as well. I’ve written about AI and DeepFake over the last several years…but it now hit a new level of concern.

We saw some use of DeepFake usage during the 2024 campaign, but not nearly as much as I expected. AI on the other hand was used extensively, mostly potential voter analysis and media targeting. Be aware that as the DeepState ramps up its anti-Trump coup we may see more of DeepFake. As for AI…the growth of AI capability is exponential…every month. According to some industry experts it is on the verge of being uncontrollable. AI can already out think and out perform humans in almost every category…especially in the medical and research fields. Think about that one for a minute.

As for DeepFake (which uses AI technology)…it is about to cross a crisis threshold in a major category. First off let me share that last month I watched a video where two current media stars were in a bar with Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr.; both of whom have been dead for 3+ decades. The video was dated late last year and showed all to be interacting with each other in real-time. Yup, all 4 were AI generated and interacting as if they were alive at the same time in the same place. If you concentrated and knew what to look for you could pick up some very subtle clues that it was AI generated DeepFake…but man it sure looked real. And it was entertaining…that is the concerning part…appealing in content.

Several years ago something was brought to me attention of grave concern. Parents I knew told me of a situation with a child of theirs. I was asked if there was anything they could do to stop the problem and have the photos removed from the Internet. That is not my area of expertise and I referred them elsewhere. However, it did get me thinking…and worrying. I began a very unscientific investigation/process/experiment that has lasted off and on since then. What I found is really disturbing.

Over the course of 3 or 4 years there has been a notable change occurring in pictures of people, including children appearing on the Internet. A significant growing percentage of these pictures found through major search engines with ‘safesearch on’ are now AI generated. Originally, 3 – 4 years ago, it was pretty easy to spot the AI pictures. However, the last 4 – 6 months the AI generated pictures are becoming almost indistinguishable from ‘live’ or ‘real’ pictures of real people. Several pictures have taken me 30 minutes or so to finally label them AI.

Here is the problem…AI programs are scanning millions of pictures per week of real people whose pictures appear all over the Internet…especially social media sites. They are using these images to ‘train’ their AI software in producing AI images of ‘fake’ people. But it gets worse…as an off-shoot of this process software is now available to take the image of a person from a picture on a social media website and create an AI generated picture of that person…in any setting they want. And some of those settings are potentially graphic in nature.

Here is my warning…I know many people/families love to post pictures of their family, including their children. And, teenagers and young adults post their lives on the web to stay in touch with friends. The dark side of this is two-fold; 1) those pictures are being used to train AI for DeepFake, 2) pictures of anyone on the web, including children, can be used to generate the kind of material that would be wholly inappropriate, and in some cases illegal. I would strongly suggest that you not post pictures of your children on any social media or other similar website…and consider taking existing pictures down.

Personal Note –

The Friday before Christmas we hosted a party at the glamstead. We had a full house, lots of great food, and some wonderful friends with us. We even had a few new community folks show up and join in the festivities. However, someone brought an uninvited guest. By Saturday afternoon I was in bed with some kind of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). It beat me up fairly badly for a couple of days. On Sunday afternoon, my wife went down with it really hard. I was functional enough, more so than my wife, to take care of her all of Christmas week. Ten days into it we felt notably better but a cough hung on until day 16 for both of us. We are now in the third week and still suffering from an occasional dry coughing spasm.

Why am I sharing? To explain one reason I haven’t posted anything in the last 3 weeks…mostly. I have also been working on a series of articles…the topic…”What Can I do?” That is without a doubt the most asked question I get. It started out as an easy read single article. It is now a 7-part encyclopedia. But I will tell you this…it touches on a wide range of answers. The articles also provide an extensive list of resources and provides additional resource material as well. I will start posting the series on Tuesday. My intent is to post an article of the series each day…provided that something urgent doesn’t come up.

Also, I am following my own advice. Over the last month I have been hardening the glamstead. I have installed a new steel combo-lock door to the utility room (infrastructure), installed motion detection lights, driveway alarms, and a new heavy duty driveway approach and gate. I would suggest to everyone consider how you might ‘harden’ your home to make it more safe and secure.

Summary –

Folks 2025 has started out looking really bad. Honestly…I think it will only get worse generally speaking. Not only have we seen two terror attacks so far in 2025…but think about this…in November Tennessee state law enforcement officials held a press conference wherein they announced that the Venezuelan gang called Tren de Aragua (TdA) is now operating openly and freely in every major city in Tennessee. Why hold a press conference? Only one reason…they weren’t getting the attention of, or the necessary help from, the Governor of Tennessee. In the press conference they stated that they didn’t have the resources or manpower to stop TdA. And Tennessee is not alone. TdA is national threat.

The Biden economy is bad…really, really bad. And actions taken by the Biden Administration since the election were designed to intentionally further degrade the US economy. Why? To lay the ‘crash’ blame game at Trump’s feet.

The world is literally on fire right now. And the two main culprits at this point are Israel (war in the Middle East) and the United States (Ukraine/Russia war). We have never been closer to a nuclear war than right now. We are flirting with WWIII so closely that you can hear the guns being loaded and the missiles fueled.

You folks are amazing and truly wonderful people. I see you have your head screwed on right and understand the situation in the world today. I am so very grateful for each of you who come here…and everything you do for your families and communities.

It has never been more important, more urgent, more critical than now to prepare….please do so.

Pray, Plan, Prepare, Practice and be Peaceful.

 

P.S. Yeah, sorry…not such a short form SitRep after all.

 

 

 2009 - 2025 Copyright © AHTrimble.com ~ All rights reserved
No reproduction or other use of this content 
without expressed written permission from AHTrimble.com
No legal, economic, or financial advice is given, no expertise to be assumed.
See Content Use Policy for more information.

Merry Christmas !

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Please remember the reason for the season…and bring your family close and hold them tight.

How to make dirt…Part #4

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This is the fourth in the making dirt series. If you haven’t already read Parts #1, #2 & #3 you might want to:

We are moving on from grass/yard soil to the soil I make for our woodlands…a pine meadow.

Woodland Soil –

This may sound like an odd category of soil to build, but here in my area, on my property there is a need for this category. Let me explain…the patch of soil I am referring to is roughly 1/4 – 1/3 of an acre. The soil is fine sand soil that is compacted tight, void of organic matter, dry as a bone and it sits on sandstone. There is some clay involved as well. The soil is basically baked dry. Yeah, not too conducive to growing anything other than sage brush along with the occasional cactus. Okay, truth-be-told, there are a few tufts of native grass and plenty of juniper trees.

As mentioned earlier there are some old pinyon pine trees on the property hanging on for dear life…barely. So this general

Piñon (pinyon) Pine Tree

area can support pine trees…with some luck…and supplemental watering. But here again, all those pine trees from days-gone-by had good soil to get started in and they were able to establish a great root system. Remember some of those old pine trees were 16 – 18” in diameter according to the trunks I’ve been able to find on our property. So I am right back to the need of making good soil. But, it is a little different with ‘woodland soil’. Why? Coz I need some grass to protect the ground in between the trees…but I don’t need another yard to mow.

The healthy natural environment for woodlands is…trees, maybe 2 – 15 per acre (depending on the types of trees and specific ecosystem), with plenty of grass in between. The grass captures more of the rain preventing it from just running off and the grass roots keep the soil broken up to allow that rain to wick deep(er) into the soil. The grass also keeps the soil cooler in this higher altitude intense sun…basically keeps it from baking. The grass over time also add humus (organic matter) to the soil. In the wild the grass also burns when low-intensity natural fire takes place. Once the fire is out it leaves behind nutrients that are introduced into the soil increasing the soil’s fertility. And let’s not forget that the fire removes unwanted invasive plants and destroys unwanted new trees from sprouting up. That being said…hopefully we won’t have any fire on our property.

So my challenge is making soil for both grass and trees. For the most part I build a widespread lower quality “Grass Soil” and then build a lower quality “Orchard Soil” for the immediate area where I plant my trees. Why lower quality? Nothing complicated…the pine trees and Buffalo Grass don’t need the better quality soil as does orchard tress and yard grass.

Let me touch briefly on the types of pine trees I am planting:

  • Afghan Pine Trees – fast growing (1 – 2’ or more per year), very drought and heat tolerant. They tend to struggle and/or die at -5 degrees. Gorgeous tree! Grows to 30 – 60’ in height.
  • Southwest White Pine Trees – moderate growth rate (1’ per year), drought tolerant, adapted to SW heat & sun. Withstands sub-zero temps. Very pretty tree! Grows to 30 – 60’ in height.
  • Scotch Pine Trees – moderate rate of growth (1’ per year), drought tolerant once it is established. Very hardy in weather (native to Scotland). Very pretty tree! Grows to 20 – 100’ in height.
  • Piñon (Pinyon) Pine Trees – very slow rate of growth (<=2” per year +/-), very low water need (10 – 12” per year), perfectly adapted to the desert and our altitude (<7500’). Pretty tree if pruned. Grows to <=20’ when mature. Can live 600 years even in the most harsh conditions. Now comes the really good part…this pine tree produces piñón pine nuts. They can be added to meat, fish, salads, and vegetable dishes or baked into bread. When dried for eating, pine nuts are 2% water, 13% carbohydrates, 14% protein, and 68% fat (almost all unsaturated fat). Rich source (20% or more of the Daily Value, DV) of numerous micro-nutrients, particularly manganese (419% DV), phosphorus (82% DV), magnesium (71% DV), zinc (67% DV), copper (65% DV), vitamin E (62% DV), vitamin K (51% DV), and the B vitamins, thiamine and niacin (29–35% DV).

I purchased five 12” Afghan sapling trees to give the area an immediate pine tree presence that is beautiful and will show good progress in the short-term. However, should we get an abnormal weather system that pushes the temp below -5 for a couple of days we could lose those 5 trees. I planted them last January, they are now 15 – 30” tall. Yeah, the shortest one got eaten down by rabbits.

I purchased a combination of 1 & 2-year old Southwest White pine saplings because they were a fraction of the price of the Afghans. I planted them late in the summer so they are still just getting established. And yes, the jack rabbits got to some of those trees as well.

I purchased a couple 3-year old Scotch pine saplings to give some moderate height between the SW pines and the Afghans…and they were reasonably priced for the height and quality. And once again…the jack rabbits got to one of the trees and trimmed it for a late night snack.

I transplanted several 12” Pinyon pines from other areas of our property. I wanted to get them into better soil because they were growing in basically sandstone. They are my long term investment in a hardy tree that can provide a source of food down the line…maybe to my great-great-great-great grand kids 🙂

I also found a 2’ tall Pinyon already in place and simply added a growth ring to it, improved the soil immediately around the trunk and added wood chips. I removed an oak brush that was growing right next to it. I also found a 4’ Pinyon already in place and did the same. While it didn’t have an encroaching oak brush, it does have a juniper growing around about 2/3 of it. This winter I will will start cutting back the juniper…maybe about ½ of it. And then cut back the other half of the juniper next winter.

So what exactly is lower quality orchard soil? Well, for this situation it is very similar to orchard soil…but I am officially calling it “pine tree soil”. It is a combination of:

Pine Needle Straw and Pine Cones

  • 50% dirty compost
  • 20 – 30% native soil
  • 20 – 30% pine needle straw and pine cones

Why “pine needle straw and pine cones”? I learned the hard way that pine tree saplings (up to 3 years old) like a starter soil that the roots can grab onto and also drains really well. Young pine tree roots like a little room to grow, grab onto rough organic matter, and get enough water. But, the soil must drain well so the roots don’t stay wet and/or the soil doesn’t stay soggy. Enough water must stick around long enough to get absorbed by those new roots but that same soil needs to drain well. Pine needle straw and pine cones meet that challenge, and over time, they break down into a great soil that the trees love…mature trees, not saplings.

Now, in this particular case I have to add plenty of water to the soil prior to planting the tree. This will basically be the last time, only time, that I can get a really deep and widespread watering done. Once the hole is dug I water it repeatedly for at least 2 days. The scuff up the bottom of the hole, add the appropriate amount of fertilizer and mix it around. Then fill the hole about ¼ full to allow the fertilizer to leach into the ground around the hole.

For fertilizer I use Espoma Organic Evergreen-Tone 4-3-4 Natural & Organic Fertilizer and Plant Food for Evergreen Trees & Shrubs or Osmocote Smart-Release Plant Food Plus (Outdoor & Indoor).

I don’t mix the soil mixture ahead of time, I mix it as I put the ingredients into the hole. I also am generous with water as I fill the hole with the soil mixture. Depending on the size of the tree I am planting I may or may not incorporate a watering ring. I always add 2 – 3” of wood chips on top of the soil after planting the tree. And after adding the chips I once again water it in until the chips float.

The center hole (planting hole) still has water in it that I want to leach into the soil, this is Day #2. I’ve also been watering the drip line ring. The drip line ring has rough compost in it. You can’t see it but the hole is more than 2′ deep.

Here is what it all looks like just prior to planting the pine tree. It’s all been very well watered in and the soil was mixed as I went. In case you were wondering…yes, I threw in some perlite with the soil as well. Not much, just wanted to try it. I placed fertilizer in the planting hole and in the drip ring. The nutrients, along with the water, will leach into the soil to motivate and stimulate root growth.

Here we are with the tree planted. Notice that the hole is about 3 times the drip line of the pine tree. And there is standing water in the planting hole and the drip ring. Again, I want to get as much moisture in the soil as possible. Yup, gives the tree’s roots plenty of motivation to spread out to suck up that water and the nutrients from the fertilizer.

Now here is where it gets interesting…the woodlands grass soil. Remember this is not yard grass soil…this is wildland grass. A note at this point…I don’t broadcast spread grass seed here in the pine meadow. It would take WAY too much water, too much fertilizer, too much attention, and cost way to much for seed. That is why I am using Buffalo Grass.

So, that means there is two different kinds of soil I am building; 1) the immediate plug hole where the Buffalo Grass plug is planted, 2) all of the rest of the area that isn’t a plug hole or a pine tree hole.

The plug hole soil is basically raised bed soil…maybe a touch less quality. The rest of the soil area, the wide open spaces, has to be improved…but within reason and budget. So here is how I did it:

  • Step #1 – I used the tractor with the rippers, ripping the entire area down 12”.
  • Step #2 – I spread a generous amount of pine needle straw and pine cones over the entire area.
  • Step #3 – I used the tractor and disc to work that material into the soil. It also helped break up some of the clods of hard soil left over from ripping the ground originally.
  • Step #4 – I spread a decent amount of rough compost over the entire area.
  • Step #5 – I used the tractor and disc to work that material into the soil. It also helped work the soil down to a pretty decent consistency. Not perfect but pretty dang nice.

The soil in this area now was pretty dang decent. I did a trial and watered it generously over a wide area. The water was absorbed really well to a very respectable depth.

As the Buffalo Grass is a stolon grass. These are grasses whose stems produce nodes from which new plants form and set down roots. In essence, the grass plant sends out runners across the turf, and when these runners come into contact with soil, roots will grow and a new plant will develop and fill in that area. That being the case the entire area’s soil has to be good enough to sustain new Buffalo Grass roots. Also, Buffalo Grass is a very hardy, drought tolerant, cold tolerant, heat tolerant grass that is suitable for this area. Theoretically, the grass can survive, even thrive, with just normal annual rain fall for the area.

By planting Buffalo Grass plugs in high-quality starter holes it give the main plant a really healthy start. Then as the runners (stolons) spread they have a really healthy plant to draw nutrients and water from until the new roots can get properly started and a new plant grows. I planted the plugs about 10 – 15′ apart. I would have done them closer had I enough plugs, but I didn’t. However, this spring, once the weather turns decent, I will plant additional plugs that I have already started…plus new starts that I will begin in January.

Why Buffalo Grass? If you remember back when I was writing about the regular lawn type grass in the yard, the roots penetrate 2 – 12” for most common yard grasses. Buffalo Grass on the other hand puts down 9 – 15’ of roots. Why? Because that grass has evolved to be one of the most drought tolerant grasses in North America. FWIW…the reason it is called Buffalo Grass is due to the fact that it was found throughout the western United States…even before it was the USA. It supported the huge numbers of buffalo (millions) found in North America. That grass could survive, even thrive, in virtually all conditions, including the heavy grazing of buffalo.

What do the deep roots do? Obviously the first thing is water. By putting down really deep roots it can reach moisture far below the surface. However, on our property there just isn’t any water there…at this point. So why choose that kind of grass if there isn’t a water component to consider?

As those roots make their way into the depths of our soil they add organic matter but more importantly, they break up the compaction of the soil. The benefit to that? When it does rain, or I irrigate, that water has a path to migrate into the soil much deeper than it would have without the roots to wick it.

That brings me all the back to my building of the dirt/soil for the Buffalo Grass. I need to add organic matter and nutrients to the top 12” or so of the soil. Additionally, I need to make sure that soil is loose enough to absorb any water that falls on it whether it be rain or irrigation. And the soil has to be receptive enough to allow the grass runners to be able to root in it.

The benefits to the surface covered in Buffalo Grass are numerous:

  • The soil won’t bake in the sun since it has a covering of grass to shield the surface from the sun’s direct rays.
  • The soil becomes less compacted since it isn’t baked and the roots allows improved water penetration.
  • When it rains the grass prevents immediate runoff that baked soil would guarantee. Thus allowing the water to penetrate the soil vs ending up in the dry wash a mile away.
  • It will also provide high-quality feed to the local deer…and if I am lucky, maybe an occasional elk as well.
  • And finally it reestablishes an environment, along with the pine trees, that is far more conducive to, and aesthetically pleasing to, our family…along with improving the value of the property.

After Step #5 mentioned above, I then did the following:

  • Step #6 – So I planted all the grass plugs and kept them well-watered for more than a month.
  • Step #7 – Once a week I would do a deep irrigation over the entire area.
  • Step #8 – Next came a thorough rototilling down to about 10″ or so over the entire area; careful not to till under the grass plugs.
  • Step #9 – This week I will spread a mulch material over the area again and till it in to the top couple of inches.

The purpose of the rototilling is to keep the soil from getting hard and packed. It allows the water and air to penetrate the surface. The last application of mulch and tilling to get as much organic matter into the soil as possible and realistic. That will help ensure that any moisture (rain or irrigation) continues to get absorbed into the soil. And that will help the new grass plants to get established.

Come this spring I plan on putting in enough plugs to have them spaced no more than 5′ apart, hopefully less. Prior to doing that I will apply a generous amount of Sta-Green Slow Release 16-0-10 Natural All-purpose Fertilizer. About a month later I will apply a standard application of a 10-10-10 fertilizer.

Depending on how the soil looks, I might do another tilling session to keep the surface nice and agreeable to both moisture and new grass starts. Once the grass runners are out I won’t do any more tilling.

One thing I did that I wasn’t expecting to was flowers. Yeah, you heard that right. You know those mini-sunflowers you see on the side of highways out west? They grow in abundance with only what rain falls and runs off the roadway. Well, we had one come up in our yard where it got a single drop of water other than the regular rainfall. I harvested a whole bunch…and I mean a bunch of those seeds. I planted them throughout the pine meadow early in the fall and watered them in really well. We’ll see what happens.

Two reasons for the flower planting; 1) my wife loves them, 2) if them come up and bloom they will add a bright splash of color to the pine meadow. Bonus…if they come up, i can mow them down once they die out and it will make great mulch/humus for the surface. It’s wait and see now.

 

Articles in this Series –

 

 

 2009 - 2024 Copyright © AHTrimble.com ~ All rights reserved
No reproduction or other use of this content 
without expressed written permission from AHTrimble.com
No legal, economic, or financial advice is given, no expertise to be assumed.
See Content Use Policy for more information.

How to make dirt…Part #3

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This is the third in the making dirt series. If you haven’t already read Parts #1 & #2 you might want to:

We are moving on from fruit tree soil to soil I make for our yard.

Grass Soil –

This yet another challenge for us here…being able to grow grass. Remember our soil is baked dry, lacking water, lacking nutrients, and lacking the ability for water to penetrate/wick below the surface. Wind and soil erosion have removed most of the top soil and vegetative cover. The lack of water and the baking effect have also effectively killed any life in the soil…and most rain that does fall simply runs off into dry washes that become raging streams or rivers when heavy rains hit. Yeah, not a great situation.

This is a picture of the back yard before I started working on it to replant.

First thing we had to do was figure out what kind of grass(es) could grow here…and there are not many. My first attempt a couple of years ago was a ‘dry pasture’ grass…fail! Then I tried a mixer of common lawn grass…fail! The final solution depended on the mission/usage.

For our yard I went with a local nursery’s own mix of yard/lawn grasses specifically identified for this area. And along with identifying the proper kinds I had to yield to watering as needed. But that was just the start. Along with regular watering I also had to accept that I would have to amend the soil where the grass would be planted, amend it a lot. But I wasn’t done yet. I also had to accept that I would be caring for the grass with fertilizers, nutrients, and other vital healthy soil components on an on-going basis. Building soil for my grass yard was going to be a major project…but it was worth it to have a decent yard vs blowing dirt or sticky mud.

Here was my dirt building process:

  • Step #1 – Using my neighbor’s tractor to rip the existing soil with 12” deep rippers.
  • Step #2 – Using my tractor with a disc to break up the clumps of soil and to break the soil down a bit.
  • Step #3 – Spread native soil on low areas to even out the ground.
  • Step #4 – Using my tractor with a disc to mix the soil and do some leveling.
  • Step #5 – Using my ATV with a drag harrow I leveled the area to smooth it out.
  • Step #6 – Spread 8 yards of screened compost over roughly an 8,000sq’ (+/-) area; About ¼” of compost.
  • Step #7 – Using my tractor with a disc to mix the soil and do some more leveling.
  • Step #8 – Using my ATV with a drag harrow I leveled the area to smooth it out and turn it into a seedbed.

View of grass in the back yard before starting work.

This is what the dirt looked like after I tore it up but before any amendments.

This is what the dirt looked like after adding the amendments.

right click to enlarge

Once the amendment addition was complete and I leveled it, I put down Sta-Green Slow Release 16-0-10 Natural All-purpose Fertilizer. Then the grass seed went on. Finally, I put down a very light covering of a mix of peat moss and Grow King Steer Manure. Yeah…then plenty of water 3 times a day for a month, then watered 2 times a day till October.

This what the back yard looked like after all the work…just waiting for the grass to sprout.

Was it successful? Yeah, kinda, mostly, not quite completely. Lessons learned:

  1. I should have at least tripled the compost or used pine needle straw as my first load, then 2 loads of compost. There simply wasn’t enough organic matter the way I did it. But, it did work…it just could have been done way better.
  2. Some of the native soil I brought in to do leveling contained too much clay. I thought I had all sand but I didn’t see that I had tapped into a clay seam. This has caused two areas of the yard to hold water longer than the rest resulting in poor drainage. The areas are prone to turning yellow as a result. I will fix that this winter.
  3. I should have applied a slow-release 10-10-10 fertilizer after Step #1.
  4. I should have applied water after Steps #1, #2, & #5.
  5. Instead of using Sta-Green Fertilizer plus Soil Conditioner after planting the grass I should have applied a ½ application after Step #7. Then a full application after planting.

Lessons Learned Narrative: The soil was lacking organic matter at all levels, I simply didn’t add enough compost. LL #1 would have solved that. When I had completed the soil building/preparation there simply wasn’t enough water or nutrients in the deeper soil. LL #’s 3 & 4 would have solved that. Adding the Sta-Green Fertilizer plus Soil Conditioner to the upper layer would have made a far superior seed bed for the grass seed. Bottom line…I could of, should of, done a much better job of preparing the soil. In my defense…I was somewhat limited on my budget and had to conserve funds. And I had never built a grass soil in these conditions before.

Here is a final thought on building soil for grass…roots average depth for some popular grasses:

  • Rye grass – 5” (+/-)
  • Bermuda grass – 6” (+/- for 80% of the roots)
  • Zoysia grass – 2-6”
  • St. Augustine grass – 6-12”
  • Kentucky bluegrass – 6-12”

As you can see the top 12” of soil is vital for most grass to do well. I all but (mostly) ignored the lower 11” of the soil when it came to organic matter, nutrients, and water. Had I put more of all three in the full 12″ as I went, the soil would have been much higher in quality for the grass to thrive. As it was I had to apply double the amount of fertilizer/nutrients to the surface throughout the growing season along with watering twice a day.

Note #1: For the soil in our yard to do well the roots have to go deep. The custom grass seed mix we bought has a variety of seed, some of which will put down deeper roots. But, most the grass will be the more shallow root types which means plenty of watering…and that is OK. We have our own well so there won’t be a large monthly water bill. Over time, probably beyond my lifetime, the roots will find their way deep and that will significantly improve the quality of the soil.

Note #2: Once I started mowing the grass I never regularly mowed it shorter than 2” and mowed only once per week. And I caught the cuttings in a grass catcher bag, not mulching it as thatch. Leaving it a little taller at 2” also allows the roots to grow deeper. In retrospect I could have gone to mowing every 10 days to 2 weeks and allowing the grass to grow taller. That could have also assisted in root growth. I did wait initially until the grass was about 3” before cutting for the first time. Yes, taller grass means deeper roots.

Note #3: After the grass was well-established I mowed the grass down to

right click to enlarge

1-1/2”, aerated the soil, applied a full application of Sta-Green Fertilizer plus Soil Conditioner, along with some peat moss, to the lawn, and watered it in well. Aerating the yard allowed oxygen, water, and nutrients to get deeper into the soil…and that drastically helps roots to grow stronger and deeper. Going forward I will probably try and aerate 2 – 3 times a year if needed.

Note #4: Sta-Green Fertilizer plus Soil Conditioner…This product is a 16-0-10 natural all-purpose slow-release fertilizer. In contains blood meal, bone meal, and feather meal and sea kelp, humic acid, potash, sulfur urea, calcium, gypsum, along with other nutrients. This product goes well beyond simple fertilizer, it contains ingredients that actually improve the condition of the soil.

Note #5: Speaking of gypsum…gypsum is a soft white or gray mineral consisting of hydrated calcium sulfate. It allows for deeper water and roots penetration. The calcium composition in gypsum also aids in roots development and the absorption of other vital nutrients. I should have put a ton of it on the ground after having “ripped it” but before putting the disc to it. It would have made the soil far, far more conducive to a growing deeper roots and encouraging water penetration. Live and learn.

While I may not have done everything perfectly, I did a lot of the right things. Besides…my wife loves the lush green yard and that is really all that matters 😉

Here is a short video of the back yard the first week of October. I kinda like it 🙂

 

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Christopher Wray…Prison or Gallows?

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Most of you have heard by now that FBI Director Christopher Wray announced that he will resign before Trump’s inauguration. He made that announcement on Dec 12th. Why that particular and specific day for his resignation announcement?

Hang on for a minute, before I get into that let me apologize for not writing about his resignation before now. I simply couldn’t. First of all that was the first day (12/12) of my flu, respiratory issue, COVID, or whatever it is that I have that has knocked the wind out of my sails. I just felt like crap…kinda still do. And add to that my passionate views of the FBI…well, I just had to wait until I mellowed out and felt better. But here goes…

Well, well…on December 13th Justice Department inspector general’s office released a report on their investigation into the FBI’s involvement in the January 6th “event” (we will call it that for now). The report clearly states that there were 26 FBI assets/resources present at the event and had acted presently and/or previously at the direction of the FBI. Of the 26; 17 of them entered restricted areas including the Capitol itself. Another 3 were involved in planning meetings.

Oddly enough…it made it clear that the FBI had advance warning of the Jan 6th event. Obviously, since FBI assets were there in the event’s planning meetings. Duh!

Now, let’s clear up a potential misunderstanding. All 26 were “informants”; however, they were, or had been, acting under the direction and control of the FBI. For clarity, at this point they are not being identified at undercover FBI agents. Meaning, the 26 were not official bureau employees. The 26 are currently being identified as “confidential human sources” (CHS) by the IG report.

In exchange for information, the FBI offers to CHSs several types of incentives for cooperation. These incentives may include monetary compensation, a reduction of penalties if involved in criminal activity, or complete absolution for crimes. Since there is an exchange of goods for services, or the promise of goods (i.e. money or preferential treatment) there exists a “contract”…with the FBI in control. That means the FBI had a contractual relationship with these 26 folks.

What does this mean? It means that the FBI had their assets involved, directly involved, in the Jan 6th event. 17 of those broke the law…and there is no record that they were ever charged, arrested, or prosecuted for those crimes. But here is the important part…3 of the FBI’s assets were involved in the planning of the event. But is that all of it? Ah, no…the most important part is this…

FBI Director Wray was repeatedly asked in Congressional hearings if the FBI, FBI agents, or FBI resources (including CHSs) were involved in Jan 6th. Under oath Wray gave the same answer every time…no. That is a crime itself…lying to Congress, especially under oath. Yeah, irony there…primary federal law enforcement agency head lying under oath. Huh?

So how do we know the depth of the FBI’s involvement in Jan 6th? Simple test…if the CHSs were not there under the direction of the FBI all Wray had to do is simply state that FBI informants were present but not at the direction of the FBI. And oddly enough…Wray never stated that. Meaning…logically, that the CHSs were there at the FBI’s direction…otherwise Wray would have stated such. Yes?

Now let’s go back to the “event”. Have whatever opinion you want…but here is where words matter…

“The United States House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol” was the official title of the Democrat controlled Congressional committee charged with investigating Jan 6th. The committee recommended charging Trump with obstruction of an official proceeding; conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to make a false statement; and attempts to “incite”, “assist” or “aid or comfort” an insurrection. Remember this…it’s important!!

Article III, Section 3 of the Constitution defines treason against the United States as: 1) levying war against the nation, 2) adhering to its enemies by giving them aid and comfort.

Chief Justice John Marshall clarified in Ex parte Bollman (1807) that “levying war” requires an actual assemblage of men for a treasonable purpose, not merely plotting. The line between conspiracy and treason is drawn at the point of physical assembly for hostile action against the United States. “Aiding and comforting the enemy” deals with acts that support entities hostile to the United States. Cramer v. United States (1945) clarified that this requires both concrete actions and intent to betray.

So the committee saw Trump worthy of those charges previously mentioned. And here is an important part…since they considered it an “attack on the capitol” and conducted by organized armed men, it rises to the level of treason. Yes? Hang in there with me one more minute…since Trump wasn’t physically there they had to charge him with “giving them aid and comfort”…again, a treason offense. Yes?

Okay, now set Trump aside for a minute, and think about this…

  1. FBI assets were involved in the planning of this attack / insurrection.
  2. FBI assets were involved in the breach of the Capitol and other restricted areas.
  3. FBI personnel lied to Congress attempting to cover-up the involvement of their assets in the attack / insurrection.
  4. The FBI had previously clearly had a contractual relations with them…at the very least.
  5. Christopher Wray was the head of the FBI during this time…he was in charge of all of this.

Does this paint a pretty clear picture of obstruction of an official proceeding; conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to make a false statement; and attempts to “incite”, “assist” or “aid or comfort” an insurrection?

Well, let’s set all of that aside for another minute. We know facts regarding the FBI:

  • August 2022 the FBI performed a SWAT raid on Trump’s home…nothing even close to anything like that ever having been done in the history of the US. And don’t forget…Biden authorized the use of deadly force during the raid.
  • In 2022 the FBI targeted the Catholic church as a hotbed of “Violent Extremists” and sought to develop confidential informants among Catholic clergy and members. Specifically targeting the Catholic church for their “pro-life views”.
  • Throughout Biden’s term as President the FBI made numerous highly armed SWAT raids of people accused of praying outside of Abortion clinics. Most of those targeted were senior citizens, many in their 70’s & 80’s.
  • In 2021 the FBI began an operation to use counterterrorism tools against parents speaking out at school board meetings in opposition to transgender-related issues and critical race theory curricula. Is was suggested in White House and FBI discussions that these parents were to be considered as violating the Patriot Act as “domestic terrorists.”
  • In the last 10 years the FBI abandoned the investigation recommendation into Biden’s illegal influence scheme with foreign governments in 2015. Including illegal payments to Biden from both Ukraine and China.
  • After the assassination attempt on Trump where he was shot, narrowly missing his head, but striking his ear, Wray testified before Congress suggesting Trump was never struck by a bullet.
  • The FBI knew about Hunter Biden’s laptop and its damning evidence against Joe Biden prior to the 2020 Presidential election. Then they had actual procession of it. The FBI hid that fact and covered up the entire incident until after the election when Trump was defeated. A clear example of election inference on the part of the FBI.
  • The FBI knew about the extensive criminal activity of Hunter Biden in regards to gun violations and tax evasion and covered it up. In 2022 an FBI whistleblower revealed that FBI leadership told FBI officials to drop the investigations.
  • FISC Judge Rudolph Contreras revealed in 2022 the FBI illegally spied on US politicians…and this was just one of several operations discovered.
  • And let’s not forget the FBI’s direct involvement in the illegal Steele RussiaGate operation.
  • Then there is a long list of whistleblowers who have exposed the crimes of the FBI.

And probably the most disgusting and disturbing of FBI atrocities…remember the report revealed in a Congressional hearing that stated more than 300,000 minors brought across the southern border NOT in the company of their parents. Yes, illegal human trafficking. How many of those more than 300,000 children has the FBI recovered and how many of their human traffickers have they arrested and are in prison? Yeah…you know that answer and you should be throwing up right about now. So ask this…Why do you think they have done nothing?

And the list goes on and on and on…and on and on and on…but you get the point by now. A significant fact to understand…this didn’t start recently or with Wray…the FBI has been doing this from the very beginning of their agency.

So now what? You will see a clear sign of guilt of Wray and the FBI if one or more of the following occurs:

  • Biden gives Wray a pardon.
  • Wray is never investigated.
  • Patel is not confirmed as head of the FBI.
  • No action is taken against any FBI personnel for any of the long list of FBI law breaking mentioned above.
  • No charges and prison time for any of the 26 FBI assets involved in the event.

So my question that served as the title of the post “Christopher Wray…Prison or Gallows?” is a moot point. Wray is a key player in the DeepState and will never be held accountable…as the FBI will never be held accountable. Why not the FBI? Based on factual evidence of the FBI’s conduct for decades…would it not be realistic to ask…”Is the FBI the thug enforcement arm of the DeepState?”

In a true Constitutional Republic an agency like the FBI would never exist. And the Founding Fathers saw it the same way…the US Constitution does not mention authorizing any agency even closely resembling the FBI. Hence, the FBI is not a Constitutional entity and should not exist.

However, if somehow the FBI was actually a part of a true Constitutional Republic and the FBI perpetrated the crimes they have since their beginning…well, the landscape would look entirely different. Huge numbers of FBI personnel would be in jail right now awaiting trial, those already found guilty would be serving long prison terms, and FBI leadership might just be facing the penalties of committing acts of sedation, insurrection, and/or treason.

But none of that will ever happen in our Banana Republic. Not because of the purity, blindness, and righteousness of our justice system…but because the DeepState controls this country’s government to its very core. And evil men will run amok using the government to create even more demonic evil.

Here is a little tidbit to close on…Wray’s salary as FBI Director is approximately $192,000 per year. His current net worth is somewhere between $23million and $43million. Huh. And how did that happen? Where is the money coming from? And more than all of that…why hasn’t Wray ever been required to release his true and exact net worth and exactly where the money comes/came from? Just asking…

Hey wait a minute…Ever wonder why the report came out just after the 2024 Presidential Election and not before? Surely you’re not thinking that the DOJ and FBI would again commit election interference…surely not!

 

 2009 - 2024 Copyright © AHTrimble.com ~ All rights reserved
No reproduction or other use of this content 
without expressed written permission from AHTrimble.com
No legal, economic, or financial advice is given, no expertise to be assumed.
See Content Use Policy for more information.