Category: Rational Prepper

Victory Garden Update

4/5/2025

Spring has arrived and it's time for outdoor projects. I've stated a new palm garden and added a new arbor/trellis to the Victory Garden.

Last year, I had pretty good luck growing cucumbers in one of the rear containers. Unfortunately, my flimsy bamboo trellis blew over in a thunderstorm and I lost several weeks of cucumbers.

Clearly I need a far more substantial trellis so I decided to put an arched arbor between the two rear containers. I found an inexpensive arbor that is almost the exact height and width as the entry arbor at the front of the garden. Life is good :-)

I built a platform out of pressure treated 2x4's, got it level and screwed it into the adjacent containers. The new arbor is screwed into the platform and the yard box is now level, as well (YAY!)

I wrapped the front arbor with rabbit fence last year and got a surprising crop of green beans from such a small area. So, I wrapped the rear arbor the same way and hope to get a good crop of pickeling cucumbers this year.

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The Rational Prepper

10/2/2024

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Intro
The Rational Prepper series is based on the premise that the best way to deal with bad situations is to avoid them.

Lessons From Helene
However, as Helene dumped two feet of rain in eastern Appalachia it became apparent that nowhere is completely safe from disaster. Low lying areas were totally devastated and there is nothing anyone can do to prepare for such an onslaught.

The wider disaster is still unfolding. Higher ground (which is most of the region) wasn't washed away but is now inaccessible due to destruction of roads and bridges and is without electricity or communication.

Electricity
As of this morning, over 400,000 remain without electricity in western North Carolina.

That many people without power is certainly serious, but the greatest problem is government incompetence.

Over 360 substations have been damaged or completely destroyed. There is not enough replacement equipment available and it could take months before all these substations are repaired. Try to imagine going two or three months without electricity.

To make matters worse, the Harris-Biden administration has been sending critical equipment to Ukraine.

Communication
This is the greatest travesty of all. In 2021 the Harris-Biden administration allocated $42.5 BILLION to the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program to bring internet service to under served communities. To date, it has connected no one.
www.washingtonpolicy.org/publications/detail/the-42-billion-internet-program-that-has-connected-0-people

A few years ago, the FCC revoked a grant under which Starlink would provide over 100,000 terminals to users in remote locations. 19,552 of those terminals were earmarked for locations in North Carolina that are now cut off from all communication.

Pathetically, FEMA has just announced that they are bringing 67 Starlink terminals to the state. 67.

As an aside, 100,000 Starlink terminals would cost less that $100 Million, a mere drop in the $42.5 BILLION Harris-Biden BEAD bucket.

The incompetence (or, perhaps, corruption) is beyond astounding.

Lessons - Resiliency
It is not practical to prepare for a once-in-100 years flood (or hurricane or earthquake). The only option is to evacuate and hope there is something left to salvage.

That said, vast, adjacent areas (that aren't destroyed) may/will suffer from loss of infrastructure for a very long time. I now believe that resiliency (i.e. multiple options to stay self sufficient) should be a key aspect for the Rational Prepper who becomes stranded by damaged roads.

Note: This is assuming you're stranded at a location that wasn't severely damaged.

Food: Roads may be washed out or impassable ...you may not be able to get a store ... and if you do, it will probably be picked clean. Just a few weeks of shelf stable food (rice, beans, canned goods, powdered milk) might make the difference between desperation and getting by.

Internet: Communication might be gone for weeks or even months. Starlink is the only communication that can be relied upon. Fiber/cable on poles will be blown away and underground utilities could be severed or washed away. Cell towers will be gone.

Starlink can be run from the batteries in a car or RV.

Energy: Electricity is a necessity.

Yeah, I know our ancestors lived just fine without it ... they lived in a log shack, had a garden and chickens and a root cellar. AND, they ate squirrels and rancid meat that would make us sick. We are spoiled and soft ... accept it.

A whole house propane generator is the ultimate prep but most people can't justify the expense.

Just a few solar panels are all you need to run a refrigerator, Starlink and a microwave. But the sun doesn't always shine so a small gasoline gen is needed to provide a backup (and gasoline).

Water: This is the most serious concern. Municipal water might be interrupted or contaminated. A well will continue to deliver water ... if you have the power to run it.

You might be able to collect rainwater or get water from a stream. In either case, it may not be fit for modern, pampered humans to drink. You will need some way to filter out debris or silt and some household bleach to kill bacteria and pathogens.

Medicine: I'm no expert on this. If there's some med you absolutely need to live (like insulin) then you should keep an extra one month supply in the fridge (make sure you rotate your supply, expired meds are worthless).

Tools: There are SO MANY tools. However, if you live in a wooded area then a good gasoline chain saw (and a couple of spare chains) is a necessity. A selection of cordless tools is a plus.

Emergency Repairs: Like tools, this could be a big topic. But I'm focused on a few weeks, not some Zombie Apocalypse. Tarps and/or rolls of heavy plastic sheet might be needed to cover broken windows or a damaged roof. Duct tape and staples.

Several heavy duty extension cords to get power where you need it. For example, you might need to run the fridge from your gas generator ... never, ever run the generator inside the house!

Gasoline: Yeah. We all want to save the Climate by going electric, right? (I'm being sarcastic).

Gasoline is concentrated liquid energy. Electric cars and electric tools will be useless when the grid is down.

Gas gives you resiliency when electricity fails. However, if your area is cut off then the supply will be quickly exhausted. I should recommend that you always keep your tank full, but that would make me a hypocrite. I don't fill up until I get down to 1/4 (about three trips back-and-forth to town).

I'm sure there are more items but, it's time to move on.

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The Rational Prepper - Investing for Kamala

8/17/2024

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Kamunism
VP (and Democrat candidate for President) Harris recently proposed a plan of massive tax cuts (a Trump Kopy Kat maneuver) and communist style price controls. It should be noted that price controls have been tried, and have failed miserably, in every Communist/Socialist regime throughout history. There has never been a successful outcome.

Kamala's Great Vision
Price control seems wonderful if you're a low-information sheep who doesn't understand economics or history. People can't make a living selling products at a loss, so legitimate stores have empty shelves (or go out of business) while Black Markets thrive. The elites get whatever they want while the common people are faced with shortages and starvation.

The Dems might try to convince you that this is just a scare-tactic from the Cold War. But the current situation in Venezuela proves them wrong.

This article from NPR is from the Saint Obama era. But I assure you, the situation in Venezuela has only gotten WORSE.

Here is an excerpt describing price-controls:

"In Venezuela, government supermarkets sell price-controlled food, making them far cheaper than private stores. But Valero explains that people are allowed in state-run supermarkets just two days per week, based on their ID card numbers.

We stop at a state-run store. There are no lines outside, but that often means there's not much food left. Inside, the meat department is a barren landscape.

There's just unplugged display cases, flies and a bad odor," Valero says. She settles for three cans of sardines. She also finds diapers for Jeremy.

The clerk scans the merchandise and then informs her she can only buy two of the three cans of sardines. Then, Valero must produce Jeremy's birth certificate to prove the baby is theirs and that they really do need the diapers."

The only folks who actually have food to sell (at exorbitant prices) are the Black Marketers.

The Black Market Coffee Company
So, as a hedge against Kamala, I suggest a fantastic business opportunity. The Black Market Coffee Company. YAY!

Over a year ago, I published a Blog about the alleged global coffee bean shortage. Of course this isn't about government incompetence ... it's always about Climate Change.

I had to give up my beloved Sumatra and I bought two cases of (12 tubs) of Folgers Black Silk. It was $6.99/tub back then and is now $11.99.

So, I think I should buy 1,000 tubs of Folgers and wait for Kamala to destroy the supply of coffee by forcing the price down to a loss. It's a sure bet ... if she wins.

I'm sure that some of you can remember the old jokes about a con-man selling stolen watches from his trench coat. "Hey Buddy, wanna buy a watch?"

Sometime old-school is best-school so my strategy is similar. I'm gonna hang out in front of an upscale (non gov controlled) coffee shop and pick up hot babes who can no longer afford their morning latte ... you know, the ones standing outside, face pressed up against the window, looking desperate for a cup of joe.

My only problem is I don't own a fedora or a trench-coat. Maybe I can write those off as a business expense.

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Victory Garden Update

7/7/2024

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The Victory Garden is doing much better this year. The new, expansion area doesn't have much in it ... only a couple of blueberry bushes and some strawberries that won't produce until next year.

The original section has tomatoes, green peppers, beets, green beans, cucumbers and sweet potatoes.

The tomato plants are about 5 feet tall and the cages aren't big enough! The green beans have covered the arbor and the cucumbers are about 7 feet and I'll need a stepladder to pick the ones near the top. Maybe I'll make another arbor next year so the cucumbers can grow over the top like the beans.

There are a lot of tomatoes, though they'll need a few more weeks. The cucumbers are doing great.

This morning I discovered some tobacco hornworms eating the tomato plants. They are HUGE.

The best way to get rid of them is to pluck them off the vine and squash them. I found and squashed eight of them today. Making them burst into a gob of slimy goo is satisfying, but it confirms my conviction that I shall never eat bugs instead of beef (Sorry Klaus).

I just read that they glow under UV light so it will be easy to hunt them down.
"Bugs! Kill them all!" - Johnny Rico

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The Rational Prepper - Canning

6/13/2024

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I've been doing some rainy-day canning this spring.

Pressure Canning
Pressure canning is still a challenge and I have difficulty getting all the jars in a batch to seal :-(

Liquids seem to be the most difficult ... I recently made a batch of pasta sauce and only 3 of 5 jars sealed. The failed jars are still thoroughly cooked and will keep in the fridge for a few weeks, but it's disappointing.

Dry Canning
I've been using mylar bags for preserving shelf-stable dry goods like rice and beans. Properly stored, dry goods will stay fresh for 10 years or more.

Recently, I discovered a great vacuum sealer for canning dry goods as well as salt and sugar.

When I opened the last bag of Basmati rice from 2018, the aroma and consistence was still perfect. It will take a few months for us to use 5 lbs of rice so I transferred the rice into jars. I was happily surprised that the vacuum-sealer worked perfectly every time and I've now used it to seal many jars of pickling salt (which was getting hard and lumpy).

As an aside, I use leftover jars from Classico pasta sauce for dry-canning. My friend, Jane, warned me that these jars shouldn't be used for pressure canning because the stock-persons at the supermarket use box cutters to slice the boxes open. If the jars are scored they could burst in the pressure canner, but they are perfectly safe for vacuum canning.

I buy Classico whenever there's a really good sale. If you reuse the Atlas jars the pasta sauce is almost free.

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The Rational Prepper - Apocaloptimist

6/9/2024

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Summer is almost here so it's a good time to talk about some Spring projects.

Victory Garden Expansion
The Victory Garden was a disappointment last year, but I decided to expand the garden anyway. Over the past several weeks I've added a 9x18 section to the east of last year's garden.

Since the ground slopes up to the east I decided to use 1' high containers rather than the 2' containers in the original garden. The back half of this section already has 18-24 inches of topsoil so no containers are needed.

Of course, the electric fence had to be extended to keep Bambi and Yogi out. The wildlife is so inconsiderate. The posts are set in concrete. Like last year, I ran three stands of electrified wire and then attached rabbit fencing. Installing the rabbit fencing is really tedious but it keeps the raccoons out and strengthens the fence.

This expansion more than doubles the size of our growing area. However, this is NOT a garden that could sustain us in an apocalypse. As I've mentioned in previous posts, I'm an apocaloptimist ... I'm prepping for continued inflation and the decline in quality of 'industrial' vegetables.

If I feel ambitious, I'll add a similar extension to the west (left) next year.

The Guardians of the Garden
We now have two whimsical guardians at neoTerra! We have a tactical garden gnome with a rocket launcher (He's small but deadly!) and a fierce Gargoyle (to ward off evil spirits and demons).

We've had the Gargoyle for many years but he was lost in the weeds. I decided to upscale an expended Starfleet photon-torpedo casing as a pedestal so he now has a place of honor.

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Future Food

4/7/2024

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Intro
It's been quite a while since I wrote about Globalist efforts to change and manipulate the human food supply. They are so arrogant that they don't even try to hide their intentions.

I spent yesterday canning pasta sauce and beef stew (a separate topic) so today I'm inspired to provide y'all with a foodie update.

Genetic Poison
Back in 2022 I wrote a post detailing how the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) had begun perpetrating a massive fraud on American consumers.

In 2018 the USDA followed the UN and decided that most genetically edited foods are not Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) and do not need to be regulated or labeled as GMO.

So, in the world of woke-speak... Genetically Modified = BAD.... while Genetically Edited = GOOD.

Based on this deception, the number of patents for Gene-Edited foods has gone through the roof and Genetically Edited crops have been approved and are being grown.
neoterra.us/blog/future-food

Governments are actively pursuing the development of genetically modified food plants that will 'vaccinate' humans from COVID ( ... because the sheep are still terrified by COVID).

I quote from recent 2024 research: "we engineered and selected a transgenic tomato genotype (TOMAVAC) that stably synthesized an antigenic S1 protein of SARS-CoV-2." In other words, my friends, you would receive a dose of experimental mRNA when you eat a tomato (note, this particular study was done in a foreign country and has not been approved for actual use yet. However, our own NIH is conducting similar research). www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2023.1275307/full

In response, Tennessee has recently passed legislation (in defiance of the USDA) that would classify such transgenic food organisms as 'drugs' and require labeling.

As a humble brag, a central theme in my sci-fi novel unfolds when MarLynn Mistry, a brilliant young genetic engineer, discovers a World Order plot to develop a binary genetic poison to depopulate the lower classes. In the story, the binary vector is undetectable until consumed. I quote again from the recent 2024 study: "A binary pART27 vector bearing the custom synthesized S1 gene of SARS-CoV-2 ... "

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The Rational Prepper - Location, Location - Part 3

3/26/2024

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Intro
Back in 2022 I started the Rational Prepper series. The first few posts defined my ideas on how a Rational Prepper thinks. In my view, the best way to prepare for bad situations is to avoid them where possible ... Green Acres is the place to be ...

In the two-part series Location, Location, Location I explain how I decided where to move when I retired. Here's the links:

Update
As y'all know, I decided to move to the southern Appalachians ... an area I jokingly refer to as Appalachistan. It seems that the pundits have finally caught up. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal discusses the flood of people (particularly retired folks) that have discovered the area.

Please folks, don't bring your Progressive BS to Georgia. If you're a Democrat and feel compelled to move to the Appalachians go to North Carolina instead. You'll feel right at home in Asheville. Honest.

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The Rational Prepper - Apocaloptimist

3/3/2024

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Happy Sunday Everyone!!

This is a long post but I promise that it's worth reading!

Apocaloptimist

I have recently discovered that I'm an Apocaloptimist... someone who knows the world is going to Hell; but still believes we'll all survive (Well, most of us).

I suggest red wines, they age better.

Pax Americana
Today, I'd like to talk briefly about the erosion and possible demise of Pax Americana.

Aside - many Democrats dispute the very existence of Pax Americana while others are gleeful with the belief that it will collapse. It seems that people who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

As recently as 2019, Democrat/Socialist pundits claimed that Pax Americana wasn't even related to American power ... they claimed that the powerful nations of Europe (who've been bashing each other's heads in for 2000 years) were no longer inclined to fight wars. The subsequent Russian invasion of Ukraine proved them wrong (and now they are all Hawks).

These so called experts conveniently ignore that fact that the most important aspect of Pax Americana is global Freedom of the Seas guaranteed by the unrivaled United States Navy. Up through the end of the 1800's piracy, privateering (government sponsored piracy), naval blockades and naval battles were the norm.

80 years of relatively safe and open trade has facilitated an unprecedented global expansion in prosperity. This is the true and most important effect of Pax Americana.

The Situation in Europe
Since Biden took office we now have a prolonged war in Europe, a war in Israel/Gaza and the Iranian backed rebels disrupting trade through the Red Sea. Though it seems that Pax Americana is coming to an end, I contend these are all problems for Europe and, perhaps, it's time for Europe to step up and fix their own problems.

The Red Sea
As an example of my position, a few days ago the Rubymar, a British flagged cargo ship, finally sank after being attacked by Houthis missiles near the entrance to the Red Sea. As you can see from the following image, the Red Sea is a vital shipping route for Europe and Asia, but it's almost irrelevant for the United States. (BTW, the coverage by Aljazeera is the best that I've found).

NATO Is Useless
Perhaps, Pax Americana isn't dead yet. Perhaps we have finally realized that NATO is truly useless and we should stop subsidizing our European "allies". As you can see from the following graphic from Visual Capitalist, the United States spends far more on defense than all of our European allies combined. To make matters worse, whenever the shit hits the fan, we do all of the heavy lifting.

Heavy Lifting
Back in December, several NATO countries agreed to assist in fighting piracy/terrorism in the Red Sea (which they depend on). Germany sent one warship, the frigate Hessen, which finally arrived in theater on February 26th and promptly tried to shoot down an American drone.

Fortunately, for US, the Germans aren't prepared to fight. They're running out of missiles and they are no longer in production! They've been in the fight for one week and they're running out of ammo.... CLOWN WORLD.

However, my friends (those of you who are spending over $800 BILLION on defense), Germany is not the worst ... at least they sent one (poorly armed) ship. Norway will be sending 10 naval officers, the Netherlands has agreed to send 2 and our allies in Denmark will be sending one! NOT one ship, just one guy! NATO is CLOWN WORLD.

Now, more astute readers might be wondering what these Naval Officers will be doing when they don't actually have a Naval vessel to serve on. Well ... they'll be hanging out at the Bahrain Beach Club conferring and coordinating. LOL

Optimism??
YIKES Mr. Terra, with all the shit taking place it seems your optimism is unfounded. However, as I outlined in the Unrivaled series, the United States has massive natural and societal advantages over all other countries. ( www.neoterra.us/blog/category/unrivaled )

Furthermore, the demise of Pax Americana, if it occurs, doesn't really hurt Americans all that much. Global disruptions in shipping will crush the resource starved economies of Europe but the only effect here will be large increases in the cost of some imports ...

Damn!! I may have to give up my beloved Basmati rice and switch to Texmati. I may have to drink Colombian coffee instead of Sumatra. I can live with that.

Trade with the Pacific Rim, Latin America and West Africa won't be affected by the problems in Europe and the Middle East.

Imagine what might happen if some enlightened leaders decided that an alliance with China would be better than a confrontation. Together we would control more than 50% of the global economy and more than 90% of all military capability. An Ameri-Sino Pax could last longer than the Roman Empire.
OMG!! I may have just found the theme for a second novel ... Perhaps, in the Aftermath, Constitutional President Andrew Rodriguez extends an olive branch to China ... while Europe descends into the Second Dark Ages.

That's all for now my friends. I 'm motivated and must write some dialog for President Rodriguez!

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The Hateful Eight

2/25/2024

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Happy Sunday!!

Despite the sensational title, this post isn't about politics... it's about cooking oils. Recall that "science" has been telling us to use vegetable oils instead of butter for many years. There is now research that indicates seed oils (which are all highly processed) may contribute to inflammation, arthritis, heart disease and stroke.

Apparently most of the good oils are now bad oils. Remember the days when Mazola was "the heart-healthy goodness of corn?" Well, now corn oil is on the roster of the "Hateful Eight".

This makes me angry because I use grapeseed oil for searing.

The only "good" oils are Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) and avocado oil.

It seems that virgins are in short supply, So, as a public service, I will soon introduce neoTerra brand Extra Slutty Olive Oil (ESOO) ... the "S" makes all the difference!

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Victory Garden Update

The Rational Prepper

The Rational Prepper - Investing for Kamala

Victory Garden Update

The Rational Prepper - Canning

The Rational Prepper - Apocaloptimist

Future Food

The Rational Prepper - Location, Location - Part 3

The Rational Prepper - Apocaloptimist

The Hateful Eight

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