Jamie Jackson

Good going Chazmr. I agree with Mark. I'm certain you'll be pleased with your decision. Let us know which Berkey you choose and what you think about it.

Thank you JRW. I bookmarked their website. I'll have to give it a through look over when I get a day off. Much obliged.

Thank you dlm. Thank you. And no doubt that change is in fact the only constant, and I certainly hope that it will be towards Constitutional Conservatism. I have no faith in politicians and they have earned that. I have Hope in our citizenry and I pray my cynicism is for naught. Time will tell.

Thank you GKar. Much obliged. I'll look into it. It definitely sounds intriguing.

While I agree that a seed bank is a good idea, I think planting and growing heirloom seed fruits and vegetables now, while our lives don't depend on the results, may be a better option. This allows us to work through the learning curve, (and there definitely is one), find the plants that grow and produce the best in our location, and save the seeds from the best of our production. I have used Baker and Victory in the past and have been pleased with the results. While I haven't joined Seed Savers (but probably should), I have done some "horse trading" and sharing with like minded friends as regards seeds. I'd also like to recommend a book, Gardening When it Counts: Growing Food in Hard Times by Steve Solomon. It's less than $15.00 on Amazon and is one of the best investments I've made. Baker Creek Victory Seeds Seed Savers

Just my : Contextually we already have gun control. And compared to the days of my youth...pretty severe gun control... I am 58 and can well remember looking in a Sears & Roebuck catalog prior to 1968 and marveling at all of the incredible guns you could simply order through the mail. As a kid I frequently walked through my suburban neighborhood with my 16g single shot and a box of shells on my way to the local gravel pit. The neighbors would simply wave, or say “Nice day for some shooting†or something to that effect. While I wasn't around in the beginning of the 20th century (some may argue differently), the National Firearms Act of 1934 really accelerated our Nation's slide down that slippery slope. It's a sometimes blatant, sometimes insidious, slide and it is moving constantly towards the erosion of, even elimination of, our God Given, Constitutionally Protected Rights. While we may delude ourselves into thinking we are regaining some of our Rights through "Shall issue" Permits and decisions like Heller, we remain on that downward slide. Unfortunately we, through apathy, are mostly, if not entirely, to blame. By “weâ€, I mean our populace as a whole, as we continually re-elect the same self serving, malignantly narcissistic career politicians. Shame on us! My primary regret is that my son and grand children won’t enjoy the same freedoms I had. If you not had the opportunity to read Unintended Consequences by John Ross, you need to, imho. The first section “Seeds†is an eye opener. I’m reading it again and it’s uncanny to see how far we’ve actually gone since my first reading in 1996.

Well Done Baron. Thanks for the vid. I wholeheartedly agree that Patriot Nurse has some great vids as well. +1 on that. I worked yesterday, but Monday I processed 2.5 gallons of finely chopped tomatoes for the freezer (and for canning later). I PM'd my Sthil & McCullough chainsaws. I purchased my Sthil around 1984. It represents a genuine value for the money. I'm starting to believe that sucker just won't wear out. I did some reloading this morning and planned a shooting day tomorrow with some friend. Perishable skills need to be maintained. After this afternoon's appointments I hope to get in some more garden work...the tomatoes, red kidney beans, butternut squash, and okra are growing well... There'll be plenty of canning in my future...Good Lord Willin'.

That's friggin' Funny! Well Done Sir.

Here is a list of webistes that I have personally used and would recommend. They are primarily related to food preparation and storage. John Wayne aka p-38...a "gottahave" tool. Ready Made Resources in Tellico Plians, TN LDS “store†online Internet Grocer Emergency Essentisls MREDeopt HoneyVille Grain Lehman’s Store Excalibur Dehydrator All American Pressure Canners Sportsman’s Guide…Mountain House… Costco…Thrive freeze dried & dehydrated storage foods Thrive brand storage foods direct nitro-pak Wise food storage Wise food sample pak Freeze Dry Guy MRE info with various links I am a member of Frugal's forum and have been since '08. Great folks and wealth on info. I also listen to Jack Spirko's podcast several times a week on my drive to & from work. I am the first to say I don't agree with some of what Jack has to offer, I have learned a great deal (since I research many of his topics for myself) and greatly enjoy the array of guests he's had on for interview shows the past several months. I look forward to other folks suggestions and recommendations.

Probably...But what about us that have plenty of guns & ammo along with solid training in their use... food, water, generators, med gear, and families that depend on us? Don't worry, I'm sure we'll all want to share our stuff... Just ribbing ya bro'. Security is a definite necessity and a darned good start.

Thanks bubbiesdad! The vids are always appreciated. I agree Spiffy. Videos can be a good learning aid/tool. I would imagine the vid angle from a hand held recorder would give a better overall perspective, but those small head-cam units are pretty remarkable.

I finally caught a day off work, so I ran the weedeater and cut the grass (lots of clippings for the compost pile since we are finally getting some rain) ...gotta be able to see where the snakes and rabbits are at in & around the raised beds. I pulled and braided about 2 dozen onions and they are now hanging in the basement pantry with the garlic. I have a dining room table full of tomatoes to dip, skin, chop and freeze tomorrow...I'm strategically delaying my canning for the time being. I cut several butternut squash and have them on a metal rack curing in the basement. I had to run to the local grocery store pharmacy (Ingle's) for my DW this afternoon and decided to check out their fruit. I picked up a "Produce Manager's Special" bag of several pounds of very nice bananas for $1.49...I have 5 trays of them in the Excalibur (saved back six for eating fresh), along with 2 trays of previously canned apricots and 2 trays of previously canned pineapple chunks. I eat oatmeal pretty much every morning (rotating it through the pantry...inexpensive and stores a looong time...) and love it with dried fruit and a little honey in it.

deleted post r/t computer issues...sorry

Good point, and yes it will overflow. As previously stated, we have ours in constant use, so I can now tell by the flow force if water is needed. We keep a gallon water pitcher on the counter beside the Berkey. I, or my DW, will normally add about 3 quarts at a time when the flow starts to weaken. I normally take 2 liters to work with me each shift, and routinely add the 3 quarts when I putting my lunch together. They are pretty awesome tools aren't they Kraut? And as Kraut said, easy keepers. And, imho, well work the expense. I intended to mention this earlier, but I have several projects going and as usual sidetracked myself: Water is such a crucial prep item. All of us loose about 2 liters per day as imperceptible water loss, through our respiratory cycle and through our skin, every 24 hours. As was well covered already, with increased heat, work, and stress, that loss dramatically increases. (Water intoxication or dilutional hyponatermia is certainly a potential...albeit a minor concern with anywhere near a tolerable dietary intake, or at the very least a dilute electrolyte replacement supplement intake.) I know that for myself, after Katrina and bucking a chainsaw for 8-10 hours a day, I consumed well over a gallon of water each day. The effects of dehydration can be subtle, but ultimately devastating. The Rule of 3's comes into play here.

fwiw folks, and I have no financial link whatsoever, Jeff Gleason at Directive 21 is a decent guy to do business with. When I first received a Berkey Sport bottle I noticed the filter in it looked remarkably like the Black Berkey filters I have set back. I sent an e-mail to Jeff and he phoned me within a few minutes. He's very personable, knowledgeable, and helpful. So, from my personal experience if you want to talk with someone that's a prepper and running a business related to that aspect of your life, Jeff's a good to go guy. I don't mean this to sound like a commercial or anything. But I get tired of contacting a business with questions about a product, and maybe...just maybe...getting a response from their "customer support" personnel who may or may not be knowledgeable about their products. also fwiw and at risk of creating a potential thread drift, and so it won't seem so much like a Directive 21 commercial... ...Chris Ondatje at Honeyville Grain offers the same level of great service.

Dolomite, Os et al; We have been using our Big Berkey daily...constantly...for several years now and our original white ceramic filters are still working great. I clean them with a green scrubber about every 4 months or so. They easily pass the red food coloring test. We are only filtering municipal water at this time, and we've added the PF-2 attachment. The improvement in taste is remarkable imho...they heavily chlorinate the water here in West Knox at intervals. We do rain water collection, but I have made and maintain a "water pre-filtering system" out of two 5 gallon buckets, sand, and charcoal...so even muddy pond water wouldn't rapidly clog up the Berkey filters. fwiw we have a set of Black Berkey filters and a spare parts kit in our storage...just in case... In each of my GHB/BOB's I keep the Berkey Sport Bottle, and a couple of bandannas (multiple uses) that can be used for pre-filtering water. I gave a Sport Berkey to a friend of mine earlier this year and she used it on a 3 week Mission trip in Haiti. I think the majority of the folks on the trip with her have now purchased the Sport Berkeys. My only concern with having pretty much any water filter system or purifier stored in my GHB/BOB is the unit potentially receiving damage from protracted sub freezing temperatures if the unit is wet...(has water in the filter)...so I try to remember to bring my GHB/BOB in at night...It may not be necessary and I admit I am not always diligent about such things...but I haven't noticed any issues with them over the past couple of years. And since being prepared means having redundant capabilities, I also have iodine tablets and a small container (10 ml) of bleach in my bag. And a metal cup that I can boil water in...multiple items with multiple uses...

That's impressive vac sealer Mark. There is certainly true value in a quality tool.

Great idea USMC! I often find encouragement and ideas from a similar thread on another site. Mon-Tues-Wed: I picked, dipped, skinned, chopped, and bagged about 50 tomatoes and into the vegetable freezer they went. That made about 2 full gallon freezer bags worth. I have 7 more gallons in the freezer prepped for canning in the same manner. When times allows, they'll get canned up. I cut 8 butternut squash today and have them "curing" on a wire shelf in the basement...there's plenty more to be harvested from our little raised beds over the next few weeks. The rain has been a Blessing. I picked up a dozen 5 gallon buckets from a local grocery deli...6 traditional round and 6 that are rectangular...got those scrubbed and in the basement awaiting Mylar bag/o2 absorber filling with my next trip to the LDS Warehouse. I'm considering picking up a couple of sacks of corn from Tractor Supply, as the recent drought has wrecked havoc on our Nation's corn crop this year...the price of pretty much all food stuff will be effected by the corn shortage fwiw. Our asparagus beans are vining nicely, but still have several weeks yet before they yield any beans. But our okra is only a few weeks from making..so we picked up some more dill for making pickled okra. The drought and heat did our dill in... I finished putting up privacy tinting to all of the downstairs windows. I had put up reflective tinting last year...that coupled with privacy tinting is making a significant reduction in our electric bill...and it's a definite plus as far as security goes. We can see out...but you can't see in.

Thanks for posting. I too like his message. I especially like the fact that he understands that language structures thought, it shapes the way we process information...like in his example: " Mr. **** *****", The Senator from Tennessee", not "Senator ***". It does make a difference in our perception. I'll be looking more closely at this gentleman.

Thank you dlmeadows. I actually did shoot the IDPA match at ORSA in July. Mike and the S.O.'s ran a great match, imaginative and challenging stages, excellent facilities. I'm looking forward to the ORSA August IDPA match.

Thank you JWin.

Thank you JWin. That's good news. I figured there must be a few more around. Please excuse my ignorance, where is TAC2? Is there a website? Much obliged.

I can certainly respect and appreciate what you're saying. You can never be too safe. I've R.O.'d night matches back home in MS and found it best to almost ride piggyback with some shooters. Sometimes immediately behind someone with a firearm is the safest place to be. ...besides, it's easier to watch for any safety concerns from there. Thank you for the head's up on the date.

Thank you HOGNUT. I should have extended my search. The drive wouldn't be bad. Besides I've been reading discussion of the matches you guys run and they certainly sound good. I hope to make the drive out to shoot some of them with you in the near future. Much obliged.

Well...I reckon not. I'll just start asking around when I shoot a match and see if anything is in the works.