Food and edged instruments

Originally published at Notes From The Bunker. You can comment here or there.

:::carefully lights the candles and incense burner:::

:::consults the oracle [teh interwebtubes] and sees the signs look favorable:::

:::begins Gregorian chanting:::

OhBigBrownTruckOfHappinessArriveTodayyyyyyy……..

OhBigBrownTruckOfHappinessArriveTodayyyyyyy……..

OhBigBrownTruckOfHappinessArriveTodayyyyyyy……..

And…it works! What sort of goodies has pre-apocalypse consumer America deposited on my doorstep today? Well, lets take a look.

First up, a nice little collection of #2 cans of goodies from Augason Farms. Before I buy anything in a #10 can I try to get it in a smaller serving so I can see if it’s something I’m going to enjoy or did I just waste ten bucks on wallpaper paste? Sure, after the meteors hit and we’re living in Lucifers Hammer country, what with the murdering cannibal armies and all, we’ll be happy to eat wallpaper paste. But why if you don’t have to? Franklin said that hunger never met bad bread, but I’m sure hunger would prefer awesome bread if it had a choice. I’f I’m eating out of food storage I plan on eating more than just rice-n-beans (which I actually don’t like), or whole-wheat-everything. Man does not live on grains and legumes alone. Third World diets are for Third Worlders. I live in a country where I can make a world-class gourmet meal using nothing but a credit card and a cel phone…why wouldnt you take advantage of that? What did we get this time? Glad you asked:

  • Dehydrated Diced Red & Green Bell Peppers
  • Freeze Dried Banana Yogurt Bites
  • Freeze Dried Pineapple Chunks
  • Freeze Dried Sliced Strawberries
  • Freeze Dried Strawberry Yogurt Bites
  • Spiff-E-Whip Dessert Topping
  • Chicken Bouillon

Interesting choices, no? I’m sure the more drug-centric will make jokes about ‘Spiff-E-Whip’. Whatever. Ever go and do the MRE gourmet routine using the MRE components? There’s something about mixing the non-dairy creamer and the hot chocolate powder to make your own field-expedient chocolate mousse. I admire that kind of culinary creativity so I figured an instant ‘non-dairy desert topping’ would be a good base to mix with, say, orange drink powder or similar to achieve mousse-like results. Yes, the apocalypse is gong to feature shortbread with frosting…my end-of-the-world is not for diabetics and paleo freaks. After a long post-apocalyptic day of hanging quislings from lamposts, clearing roadblocks, and cheerfully relocating the contents of the local National Guard armory who wouldn’t want to relax with luxury food?

The fruits and ‘yogurt bites’ are mostly for grabbing a couple fistfuls, shoving them in a ziploc bag, and putting them in my cargo pockets for later consumption during those slow times as we repel looters and man checkpoints.

I’ll have some write-ups on these and some of the other Augason’s products down the line.

Next up, a box ‘o knives. The amazing irony was that I had nothing on me to cut open the box. :::facepalm::: I like the Glock knives for their utility, ruggedness and price but sometimes you need a big hunk of sharp steel for getting medieval on something that needs..uhm…medievaling. Anyway…another knife I rather like for sheer brutality is the Becker Knife and Tool (BKT) series of knives. With full-tang construction, 1/4″ thick blades, and somewhat-indestructible handles, these things have been moving up on my list. I have their ‘TacTool’ which is really just a sharpened prybar with a handle…and it looks like just the ticket for getting myself out of any situation where the things standing between me and safety are things like windows, doors, debris and the like. This trip I picked up:

What can I say? Knives are like guns…no one item does it all. I figure the BK7 is sort of a GP large fixed-blade knife…enough heft for chopping things, enough length for big tasks, amd if it had a bayonet attachment it’d be right at home on the end of my AR. But, for those quiet non-zombie-filled walks in the woods during fishing, hunting or geocaching trips something with a little less weight and bulk would be nice…hence the BK2 to try out. The little BK11 was just an impulse buy. I usually carry a Benchmade folder that was a gift from one of the LMI but an EDC little sheath knife might be nice to have. Cool part is if any of these wind up not really fitting my needs I can always give ‘em away as Christmas gifts or something.

Speaking of silver….

Originally published at Notes From The Bunker. You can comment here or there.

My metals-dealing buddy  stopped by the other day and handed me a silver Eagle. Not known for his boundless generosity, I inquired as to what I had done to deserve such a coin. He said that “one of your readers” contacted him to do some purchasing and said to send an Eagle in my direction. Of course, he won’t tell me who it was since that would violate the customer/metal-pimp confidentiality clause. So, whomever it was that put that Eagle in my pocket, mucho thanks! After the economy collapses and I use it to procure desperate coeds to work in the Lingerie Proving Grounds I will be reminded of your generosity.

Article – Panic in Greek pharmacies as hundreds of medicines run short

Originally published at Notes From The Bunker. You can comment here or there.

Greece is facing a serious shortage of medicines amid claims that pharmaceutical multinationals have halted shipments to the country because of the economic crisis and concerns that the drugs will be exported by middlemen because prices are higher in other European countries.

Hundreds of drugs are in short supply and the situation is getting worse, according to the Greek drug regulator. The government has drawn up a list of more than 50 pharmaceutical companies it accuses of halting or planning to halt supplies because of low prices in the country.

More than 200 medicinal products are affected, including treatments for arthritis, hepatitis C and hypertension, cholesterol-lowering agents, antipsychotics, antibiotics, anaesthetics and immunomodulators used to treat bowel disease.

Why would a drug company ship millions of dollars of product to a customer who apparently has no ability to pay?  Simple math…no one stays in business long when they give away the product instead of selling it.

The lesson here is that when an economy collapses (or comes close to it) those convenient modern miracles may not keep coming. Of course, anyone with hard currency (cough*gold*cough) shouldnt have any trouble getting their drugs since there’s always someone somewhere who can deliver for the right price.

Followup article – Allure of Mystery Helps Recluse’s Gold Net $3.5M

Originally published at Notes From The Bunker. You can comment here or there.

You guys remember this post: $7 Million In Gold Bars Found In Reclusive Man’s Home Month After He Died

Well, the followup is that a portion of it was sold for $3.5 million the other day. Here’s the article:

The tale of a mysterious Nevada recluse’s gold has reached a new chapter when a portion of the trove raked in more than $3.5 million at auction.

The allure of mystery pulled some bidders to the courtroom where the auction took place Tuesday. For others, it was the sheer value of a collection unknown to the public before Walter Samaszko Jr. was found dead in his modest ranch-style home last year.

Regardless of motivation, those who converged on the auction could sense the immense value of the treasure upon arriving.

Numerous guards were stationed at the entrance, more in the hallway outside the courtroom, and finally several with bulletproof vests and others with helmets inside the room holding the gold.

Five bidders diligently inspected the 11 lots of gold displayed in plastic sleeves, tubes and felt jewelry display boxes heavily guarded room before the bidding wars began.

As I said, the sad thing about this is that The State found this guy’s stash before someone more deserving did. The article goes on to mention that the gold had been purchased as far back as the ’60s…so someone basically bought a little gold on a fairly regular basis. Sounds like the subscription plan my buddy offers. I suppose the major takeaway from this story is that you should let *someone* know about your stuff so that if you die those fiscally responsible guardians of public interests at the state don’t get it.

Zombie wargaming epiphany

Originally published at Notes From The Bunker. You can comment here or there.

I’ve often said that preparedness fiction, and even zombie fiction, have some merit in our busy reading schedules because they may force us to think about circumstances or situations that we may not have otherwise thought about…and those situations may have more practical applications in ‘real world’ preparedness.

Lemme give you an example……

I’m walking back to the house from work today and I’m thinking, “Ok, zombie apocalypse. Ammo and guns are scarce. What can I do to find more?” And then I have a brilliant idea. Have the team members check the wallets of any zombies we kill and see if they have a concealed weapon permit. If they do, odds are good there might be more guns/ammo at that person’s address.

Started to pat myself on the back and then another thought occurred to me – if I lose my wallet with my permit in it, whatever goober finds my wallet will make the same assumption: theres lotsa guns and ammo at this address. Hmm..I dont need that kinda targetting.

So…I need to make sure my carry permit address isn’t my ‘real’ address. I should be able to have them use my business shop address or the PO box.

This PSA brought to you by an overactive imagination, a touch of paranoia and the letter Z.

Comments

Originally published at Notes From The Bunker. You can comment here or there.

Those of you who comment know that WordPress usually prompts you for a name and, if applicable, website. Additionally, if you are so inclined, you can post comments anonymously. Lotsa folks disable anonymous commenting because it can get pretty ugly at times but so far it hasn’t been too bad, so I leave it turned on. Don’t abuse it, kids.

I do read every comment that comes through here. (I have to, since a comment only gets posted once I approve it.) Spam comments bypass me and go straight into a spam folder. Usually the spam detector is pretty good and legitimate comments very rarely wind up in there. If I do find a legitimate comment in the spam folder I always redirect it to the appropriate post.

Although I do read, and enjoy (usually), most comments I am always interested in comments from people who have their own blogs as well. I’ve found some very interesting blogs that way. If you havent noticed, when scrolling through comments to a post, the persons name will be linked to their website (if they entered one)…you may want to follow a few of them and see where they go. Some are preparedness related, some aren’t, some are general interest, and some are just uninteresting (to me), but it’s a nice way to get some new exposure. So if you have a blog or website you want to share, make sure to add it when you add your name to the comments. BUT..add it only if it really is your website/blog…not some website/blog you think I should go to.

Also, generally speaking, I don’t edit comments. If you’re trying to make an intelligent argument to someone, check your spelling because I won’t clean it up for you. Also, use profanity if you want, I don’t care. I’m not one of these hypocrites who thinks posting about slitting the throats of bad guys in the post-apocalyptic world is okay but using the word ‘dick’ will somehow horrify readers. (Although I prefer folks not use racial slurs…somehow it seems to dumb things down more than profanity does.) If youre going to use profanity, use it sparingly as an enhancer to your point…don’t just use it gratuitously.  The only thing I do ask people to refrain from doing is dropping religious/superstitious comments…there’s already way too much of that in other blogs and I really try to keep it out of here. I think of posting about religion like a penis – its great that youve got one, I’m glad youre proud of it and that it brings you joy, but don’t wave it around in here and dont try to force it down my throat. There’s plenty of preparedness blogs out there where you can tell people how awesome your beliefs are and how evil and wrong theirs are..go do it there. (Note – Im not saying your religious beliefs are wrong or silly..I’m simply saying I just dont want ‘em posted here.)

I usually let comment flamewars burn themselves out but sometimes it just gets way outta control and I have to close comments. A little online brawling is good..gets the blood and ideas flowing, but sometimes it goes too far. Try to wrap up your  vendettas in two or three cascading comments.

Finally, if you have some detailed comment or something that you want kept private, you can always email it to me. My email address is in the ‘About’ section of the website.

And I think thats pretty much all the admin stuff for the moment. Thank you, and have a nice day.

The next SIG thing…..

Originally published at Notes From The Bunker. You can comment here or there.

Picked up a cop gun today. Sig 226 w/ three HydraShock-filled mags. I like cop guns, always a bargain. Theyre the sorority girls of the gun world … cheap and easy to pick up if you have a few bucks.

What I don’t like about cop guns is the way cops tend to neglect their guns. Behold:

IMG_0627

Breaks your heart, don’t it? But don’t feel bad. A half hour with some Hoppes #9, brass brush, some dental picks and a buncha elbow grease gave me this:

IMG_0629

Clean as can be. No pitting or permanent damage.

I’m not a Sig kinda guy. Really, is there a market for DA/SA autos anymore? But I’ve been wanting a handgun that could be kept at the shop, or in the truck, that I don’t mind losing or relegating to ‘nightstand duty’ where it’s pretty much just going to sit there unused for months or years at a time. And the price was right.

By the way, one of the handiest things I’ve ever found for use when cleaning guns is a cafeteria tray. Keeps everything in one place, catches all the drips and drabs, and cleans up dishwasher safe. Command Zero recommended and approved!

IMG_0630

 

Suppressor advice

Originally published at Notes From The Bunker. You can comment here or there.

I’ve been wanting a .22 suppressor suitable for use between a 10/22 and a MkII pistol. My criteria is pretty simple:

  • Must be durable
  • Must be as efficient as possible within the other parameters that have been set
  • Usable on pistol or rifle
  • If there are any parts that can/will need replacing, must be user servicable
  • Threaded for the usual 1/2-28

This would be exclusively for .22 LR, not for use on a .223. Price isn’t much of a consideration as long as its a high quality product that works great and lasts a lifetime. Weight is also not much of an issue, although obviously a giant hunk of bronze the size and length of a salami might be a bit too much.

I’m not concerned about body diameter of the tube since the sights on both guns will be mounted pretty high.

Anyone have any suggestiions or, more importantly, some first hand experience? Links to manufacturers models would be appreciated.