Preparedness – The Laughing Wolf

Amazon Wish List Update

Just a quick FYI, I’m in the process of massively updating my Amazon Wish List. I’ve dropped pretty much all of the “nice to have” with the exception of a couple of Seminary-related books and two storage “milk cans.” I mean, I would still love to have the still and some other items, but I’m really concentrating on things I consider essential.

There are a number of new food items on there. While I have a good stock of basics, issues from being hit by lightning continue to impact my digestive health. One example among many is that I’ve been advised not to have beans or products derived from beans for two years. The system is a bit sensitive right now, and I am pretty much on a strict carnivore while things (hopefully) settle down a bit. More on that soon as I’m having some blood work done which may have some answers.

So, no beans, rice is discouraged, and that takes a lot of easy things (dried beans and rice are easy to store) out of play. I’m working on canning a lot of beef, which is a learning curve. More on that soon too.

Bottom line, I’ve added a number of new items to the list and hopefully a range of prices though some things are expensive. Thanks to everyone who has sent things from the list, as they have been a huge help!

UPDATE I: To the person who sent me the powdered goat’s milk, THANK YOU! Arrived today.

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. If you would like to help me with seminary courses, pilgrimages, and more, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. Thank you.

Medical Preparedness Fun

Okay, a fair question/point: why don’t I recommend more specific items/drugs/etc. This comes up after I pointed out in yesterday’s update that Doxy and Keflex are handy to have around in true disasters. Well, there’s some reasons I don’t do more and they are two fold. First, there are legal issues I don’t want to deal with. Second, a specific drug or supplement, or even lifestyle, that works for me may not work for others, and that means you need in part to loop back to the first item of discussion.

What is generally good to say is that you need to include medical in your preparedness plans. You need to have as much of a stock of your regular prescriptions and supplements as you can. You need to be able to do basic first aid and have the gear to do it. It really is a good idea for you and those around you to take as much advanced first aid as possible, up to and including Combat Life Saver, EMT, or other training as is practical and possible.

Fairly generic and standard preparedness instructions. And they are generic for a reason. There is a two-fold legal problem if you get specific. First, you create the potential for legal liability. You recommend something that works for you, someone else tries it and has a problem, and unfortunately in today’s society you open yourself up to lawsuits and related legal actions — as well as bad publicity. No, not all publicity is good. Second, you also open yourself up to claims of practicing medicine without a license. Look back at the last administration during COVID, and you saw that being done both de facto and de jure to medical professionals around the country who ran counter to Fraudsti and the official narrative. A number of the medical professionals they targeted still can’t practice, and you should look at the price paid by non-medical people as well. If you get shut down, you can’t do anyone much good.

Personally, I think there is a point where you have to stand up and be counted. Absent that need, I find it best to walk a line. I know what works for me, and I share that within limits. I also do caveat that what works for me may not work for you and to check with your doctor before starting certain new paths. Before I start certain new things I check either with my doctor, or other medical professionals I trust, to make sure I’m not doing something stupid with interactions or known problems with that protocol.

If you truly trust your doctor (and there are good reasons not to trust a number of medical types, just look at who did what during COVID), they should be a part of your preparedness planning. They can help you plan, make sure you have sufficient current prescriptions for known upcoming things like hurricanes (to go with something current), and may even be willing to help you with contingency items. Current times are one reason I truly miss the sadly defunct Doctors for Disaster Preparedness as their membership list was a great resource for competent and trustworthy medical services.

So, am I going to tell you to get X and take it under Y circumstances? No. Most of you are smart enough to know that you need to obtain various things that you know work for you/probable circumstances. You read the same books and articles I do (yeah, Dark Tide Rising series is a good one, as is Alas Babylon, Pulling Through, and a few others I’ve mentioned over the years) and can connect the dots. Long time readers may remember that I shared that I did take certain supplements back during COVID. Didn’t have to push things, most caught the hint (and I love that a nurse looked at my medicine/supplement list during that time, smiled, and mentioned she took a particular combo too…).

That said, I’m looking at two emergency medical kits that just happen to have pretty much everything you would need for an extended time in the wilderness (cough). Neither is huge, designed for travel (cough), and can get you through a number of tight spots. Problem is cost (for me) so if you want to hit the tip jar feel free as getting both is pricey (app. $600). Will I share more as I can? Yes. Especially if I get the chance to fully explore this option as I think it could be a very good one.

As I’ve mentioned before, it’s good if you have a doctor or other medical professional on your preparedness team. Meantime, keep your eyes peeled as even a certified pharmacist can be a huge resource (many programs require them to learn to make various medications and other things from scratch). Me, I’m just glad my landlord has a special rental for contract medical professionals. Been a mix of doctors and nurses, but a nice resource to have nearby if things go sideways in any capacity.

So, don’t expect a lot of ‘you need X, Y, and Z drugs/supplies’ posts. Better to keep it generic in public while pointing towards certain things in a quiet way. For example, listing the drugs that work for a certain problem and noting that some may be more readily available than others. Or noting certain drugs or classes of drugs that end up being extensively used in major disasters. It is not my place to act as your doctor. It is, however, my place to remind you that making medical part of your preparedness is a good thing, as is having on hand the things that work and are legal for you in your circumstances with the help and advice of competent medical authorities. I will also note that a number of sources for emergency medical preparations offer free medical consultations in regards their products and your choices (and uses for) same. If you aren’t confident of your current doctor, such resources can be invaluable.

So, an answer to a point/comment. I am not likely to make specific recommendations of what products to have on hand. I am going to tell you that having as much first aid gear on hand as possible is a good thing. How exactly you construct your load-out is up to you. I may occasionally point to some resources who provide a variety of options or products; but, I will not be likely to recommend specific items within such products.

Hope this answers the question/comment/point.

“I’ll Use Nukes!” Yet Again

Once again, Vladimir is rattling the nuclear sabre like it’s a set of castanets in a flamenco dance. It’s been his thing from the start, as he’s threatened to go nuclear every time Ukraine dares to truly fight back. Put up resistance, NUKES! Any attack on territory Vladimir has seized, NUKES! Any deep strike against Russia, NUKES! Zelenskyy takes his daily dump, NUKES!

The latest bit of castanet soundings comes out of a 2024 update to military doctrine which allows for use of nuclear/special weapons in response to a conventional attack. Frankly, I regard it as a sign of awareness that Russian conventional forces are in a parlous state. The only thing interesting about this latest bit is that it may have been first stated in public by a Russian diplomat/dignitary in Ireland. Really doesn’t matter, as Vladimir and his Moscow Orchestra began baying about it for all to hear.

Why? Simple really. Go back and read here and here. Even the slackest armchair strategist noted that if Vladimir did indeed go after Estonia, in whole or in part, NATO or certain of its member states would be well within their rights to take out Kaliningrad. A pretty obvious response that seems to have slipped the attention of some advisors in Moscow. To try to block such a move, Vladimir has once again trotted out NUKES! as a tired, overworked, overused response to the possibility. Frankly, in many respects, it’s the only strategic card he has left.

It also leaves aside the questionable reliability of his nuclear weapons (don’t laugh, our own may not be any better) and that of his delivery systems. Dr. Doomsday can rattle on all he wants about limited use of tactical nukes and how Russia would win such usage and things would not escalate. Fact is, there has never been a distinction made between tactical and strategic use at the political policy level of the West. Under current U.S. leadership, I would expect that to hold. Caveat Emptor, at a level I really don’t want to see tested but know where I think things would fall. I have seen nothing to change my previous thoughts on the 80/20 divide.

So, I don’t expect nukes this time either. What I do see is an huge increase in asymmetrical warfare, including the use of proxy terrorists (who may even do it for one of the political causes de jour despite funding and assistance) to take out targets in Europe and England. I noted a good while back that England has gotten a LOT of the focus of Russian ire, and that has not changed. For now, Vladimir seems content to let the current leadership finish off what little is left of England; but, I also wouldn’t be surprised to find that there was some clandestine support for attacks via immigrants as well as some of the malicious prosecutions underway against ruling clique opponents. I will say that if there is anything approaching an open attack, it will be against England. In Europe, it will stay proxy for now. In the U.S. things will stay proxy for now.

For now, it never hurts to be prepared for interesting times. If you aren’t and want to get prepared, go here and work your way forward. For me, I’m not too worried about nukes. Far more concerning is how energy has become the primary battlefield and I expect that to continue and grow. Good time to explore alternate means of heating and cooking during the winter, just in case. My hope is that things don’t get out of hand, or otherwise too bad, and that we continue to walk the knife edge in all things. There is more solid footing ahead if we can just make it there.

Have Faith. Be Prepared. Keep your friends and family close, and your things where you can find them in the dark.

Running The Fall Checklist

It is the time of the year to be running your fall/winter preparedness checklist(s), and snapping up any bargains you can as various retailers drop summer (and even fall) items for various upcoming holidays. I must admit, this post and this post have added some impetus to my normal checklist routine.

First up, grab any bargains you can while you can. It’s already a bit late at big box stores, but summer/garden supply deals are out there. I’m currently stocking up on hardwood lump charcoal as various retailers try to clear space for Christmas and other seasonal goods. For a number of reasons, including price, I’ve decided it’s good to have 120 pounds or so of charcoal on hand this winter. Given the amount of cooking I’m still doing on the grill, not a bad idea to stock up and have it against need later this winter. There are a number of other things you can find good prices on right now, so don’t hesitate to bargain hunt for dual- and triple- use items and supplies.

Second, I’m also going to be grabbing some canning jars soon. Again, at some retailers, you can get them on sale this time of year. I’ve gotten a line on bulk ground beef at a very good price. Local in all respects, and arrives frozen. Freezer is fine, but I’m looking at canning a bunch of it and any other beef I can get at a good price. Beef is only going to go up, so am looking to grab a whole brisket and anything else I can catch at a good price, and can it. Canned beef is good for at least five years, and frankly a good bit longer if you take your time and do things right. Having beef both frozen and canned gives options. I’m also rendering and doing other fun things to maximize what I get out of the operation.

Third, I think I need to up my time-frame for potential propane operations such as emergency heat and cooking. Going to invest in three new tanks, go to Tractor Supply (or least expensive supplier) and get them filled. That gives me cooking and heating flexibility, and if the world situation starts getting more pear-shaped than normal, may look at some larger propane tanks and buddy hoses.

While I love my water distiller (thank you again kind person!!) and have filtering options, you really do need a fair bit in storage to keep up with normal cooking, washing/hygiene, and daily requirements. Thinking of laying in some larger containers of water just to be safe.

I’m also looking at testing an emergency heater that uses a copper plate, tea lights, and oven half-pans for both light and heat. Not sure how practical it is, but think it would be fun to play with as it could be useful as fallback in a true emergency.

Finally, checking both my alkaline and rechargeable battery stocks. The former may need some new items, and never hurts to have more of the rechargeable you use the most ready to go. Remember, it’s all about layers and the more layers you have for each facet of preparedness, the better.

Just a few thoughts to start the week. I’m celebrating Starship making orbit, and hoping X (and Elon) can move out even faster with the next one. Oh, changing up my Amazon wish list a bit to reflect current needs and such. More soon.

Remember, keep your friends and family close, and your clothes where you can find them in the dark. Be prepared.

Heads-Up!

The other day, I mentioned that I had an odd feeling about the next six months. This from Stephen Green at PJ Media is one part of some very disturbing patterns in the data. There are some domestic issues as well. For all that these exist, there are also opportunities to continue walking the edge of the knife to better and safer places.

Remember that there are those who would like us to step off the knife edge in a bid to retain power and control for the failed institutions of the past. There are yet others who believe, wrongly, that it is the fastest way to seeing them on top. Both groups are desperate and stupid, and we need to avoid their attempts. There are indeed many ways for the West to fall; but, there are opportunities to achieve something greater than ever before.

So, have Faith, hold the line, pray, and prepare. This too will pass. Maybe like a kidney stone, but it shall pass. Keep your friends and family close, and your things where you can find them in the dark.

UPDATE I: Eric S. Raymond is all over this story and makes some good points. Start here and check out his timeline.

UPDATE II: Really do need to do a longer post, and may do so soon. Short take for now: the best thing that can happen is that all NATO members make clear that any incursion will be met with full force. Right now, Vladimir is banking on the fact that NATO won’t respond with full force. He’s betting that most of NATO lacks troops and the necessary means to project force to protect Estonia given how hollowed-out most of NATO is. The Royal Navy can’t even get a two-boat squadron underway (unless they are rowboats); Germany lacks the means to defend itself, much less get troops anywhere in a hurry; and, the list goes on. Poland has capability and will, but helping Estonia carries significant risks for them. The U.S. is the wild card, and Vladimir is quite well aware that a good number of Americans have no interest in saving Europe yet again, and few even know where Estonia is or why it’s important. The fact is, if he does act and NATO blinks in almost any way, shape, or form, it’s dead. Eastern Europe realizes this far more than Western Europe and the EU do. The latter have not figured out that the gravy train has stopped, and the few that do think this is temporary and will end as soon as Trump is out. This ties into a lot of domestic politics here as well. Maybe a longer post provided I don’t have to head to the ER again. If Vladimir gets multiple messages that NATO will act and not get away with this very old playbook, he’s likely to not act — at least not for now. If the DSA/DNC takes power again in a couple of years, no bets. Just look at all the whens and wheres in regards Crimea and Ukraine.

UPDATE III: Col. Kratman has a few thoughts. Pretty good ones as usual.

UPDATE IV: A longer follow-up post is here.

Hurricane Prep

Okay, so we are enjoying a nice break with no hurricanes so far. Still, they and other major weather events can happen. Tree Hugging Sister (aka Beege) has a good post up at Coalition of the Swilling on hurricane prep that can and does apply to a lot of other events. She’s done her annual repost/promotion of it as what she does works even in the worst of storms.

I’ve got more coming too as I’ve got an odd feeling about the next six months. Not just winter, but…

More soon.

Please check out my Summer Bleg.

Before I Forget

With fall approaching, and with a lot of odd things going on, this is a good time to start checking your prep list for fall. How are you set for going a day or three without power? Other services?

The recent floods here have caused me to re-assess some things, and I’ve added a couple of things to the wish list as a result. While I don’t have to worry about the river flooding and getting me, we do have to worry about too much rain too fast. Right now, what the landlord has in place, we can deal with a lot provided the power stays on. If it doesn’t… Got him looking into battery backups for the sump pumps, but I’d like to be a bit more pro-active if possible.

Take some time, make sure you have plenty of food, water, and other supplies in place. Hopefully things will fall in the inconvenience category and not true disaster, but being prepared never hurts.

More soon.

Please check out my Summer Bleg.

Preparedness Pays: Flooding

Well, last night proved that preparedness always pays. Sometimes in multiple ways.

The house where I rent my room is an older home, a duplex my landlord bought from a relative. The design was very popular in the late 1930s/1940s: drives ran down both sides of the house and there were steep drops down to garages in the basement. There is no real back yard on ours, only paved surface. Which means, given terrain and the steep drop, that water tends to flood down the slope and towards the garages.

There is a trench at the bottom connected to the sewer drain that is supposed to handle things; but, even after replacing the sewer line out to the property line it is easily overwhelmed. So, my landlord put an emergency sump pump in it that activates when the water gets to a certain depth. The pipe actually runs up our drive and to a point where the water runs away from the house and to the street (and the storm drains).

A couple of lines of severe storms rolled through last night, with the first being the worst. I was in my room and heard some commotion out in the other part of the basement so got up to see what was going on.

Turns out, someone (and we all know who) had unplugged the sump pump for some reason and forgot to plug it back in. That had been fixed by the time I joined the housemate and landlord, but water was coming in under the garage door and was flooding that end of the basement. I quickly got on the rubber muck boots I had bought a few weeks ago for another project, and quickly joined in on the bailing effort.

Thankfully, between the rain finally letting up a small bit and the sump pump getting going, we limited how much got in and how far it got. Between buckets and a floor squeegee, we got pretty much all the water out. By this morning it was mostly dry in that area.

Four different areas of preparedness came into play last night: proactive checking by the landlord and/or housemate; sump pump in the trench (when plugged in); buckets, bins, and floor squeegee, etc.; and, waterproof (and electrically resistant) boots. The response was a defense in layers with backups. Six years ago, the water actually came back up the sewer lines and that was fun! I actually have sand bags to drop over the big floor drain just in case that ever starts to happen again. Having the light pair of rubber boots I could get into quickly got me into the fray quickly and kept me dry. Or at least my feet.

So remember: make your plans and have multiple layers in place so that if one doesn’t go as planned, you have means to limit the damage. Might be time for me to suggest an emergency generator the landlord again so we can keep the sump pump running, and the refrigerators/freezers going, if the power goes out.

Be prepared. Keep your family and friends close, and your things where you can find them in the dark.

Please check out my Summer Bleg.

Preparedness Pays — Again

I mentioned the other day that the power had gone out at my apartment. There was an accident that took out power to a chunk of the neighborhood, so I ended up eating out both breakfast and dinner. What I cooked last night was the meal originally intended, which takes about five hours to slow cook.

Now, it was a pain in that I had not yet raised the rolling shutters when the power went out, so no way to raise them to get some light. Thankfully, I had both a penlight and a taclight with me, so had no problem navigating this basement apartment. I decided when I went out to run errands that afternoon to get some candles, which wasn’t quite as quick and easy as I had hoped. I ended up buying some expensive tourist things, but now have three candles just in case. Of course, by the time I got back with them, the power was back on.

Always have multiple means of generating light, even when on travel. I almost forgot about the head lamp I had gotten for Mount Athos, and do need to note that the red lamp function allowed me to get up, dressed, and ready at 0300 one morning without disturbing anyone else. The only thing I would do different would be to get candles at the start. Need to put that on the long-term travel checklist.

Always have a means of making light, and remember that preparedness always pays.

If you would like to help me with this trip, seminary courses, and more, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. I’ve added Cash App ($CliffPow7) and Venmo (@Clifford-Powers-5). There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. Getting hit by lightning is not fun! It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

Musings On Yellowstone

The other day, the talented Leslie Eastman posted about the return of an acid geyser at Yellowstone and some of the subsurface activity going on. It’s a good article over there at Legal Insurrection, and touches on the fact that Yellowstone was and still is a supervolcano site. Go read the article, it is time well spent.

I will just add this, given that the activity seems to have some of the doomsayer guild members hyperventilating.

First up, from what has been determined of past activity, IF Yellowstone does anything it will likely to be volcanic rather than supervolcanic (if I am understanding things correctly). Volcanic will not be fun (especially if you are in the region) but survivable for most. It could be like Mount St. Helens, or it could be more towards a Krakatoa with worldwide weather and other effects. Key is, not pleasant, not fun. but survivable for most species including humanity.

Second up, if it does build and go off as a supervolcano, your best bet is to be south of the equator. Given that we should have some warning, I plan to suck up to Milei on X, flee to Argentina, and then bunker up. A supervolcanic eruption can be a true Extinction Level Event (ELE) for the world, and in particular for the northern hemisphere. Not much you can do in terms of individual preparation other than prayer (highly recommended) and maybe having travel options to get as far into the southern hemisphere as possible.

Fact is, odds of anything happening right now, or even anytime soon, seem to be pretty low. That said, this is 2026 and given how things are going, who knows. Me, I’m going to ignore the doomsayers guild members and enjoy the many blessings that are present in 2026. There are a lot of them, may even go over some of them in the days ahead. That’s a far better use of time than worrying about something over which you really can’t prepare for and is not likely to happen.

Just some thoughts. Before I go, some more thoughts on Iran and other things from The Scuttlebutt. Well worth the read.

Please check out my Winter 26 Bleg!

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, and to start a truly new life, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.