More Exciting than Necessary

As I write this, the Capitol is just beginning to recuperate from a day if trauma.

Congress met to certify the votes from the Electoral College, a normally quiet bit of bureaucracy. A gaggle of Republican Senators and Representatives had pledged to object to some of the votes; this would have gummed up the works for a number of hours, but ultimately not stopped anything.

Then, when they had only barely begun, Trump egged on a crowd of (proof dump) protesters, who proceeded to storm the Capitol Building. (The first breach of the Capitol since the War of 1812.) 

All of the Congress-critters made it to safety. After some missteps, the D.C. police and the National Guards of Virginia and D.C. (in that order), and eventually of Maryland, got the building cleared. Congress is apparently minded to finish the certification job tonight. (The dissenters were discussing whether to continue holding things up; as of now, I don’t much care.)

That all describes things very quickly. The situation got out of hand fast. I’m surprised there weren’t more fatalities (one that I know of at present, with someone else in critical condition after a bit of misadventure). There is/was a lot to unpack. The official response was wildly different than during the BLM protests in the summer. People were waving Nazi and Confederate flags on the Senate floor. Things were wild.

But I won’t go there right now. Partly because I’m still kind of processing it. Partly because it’s not completely done yes knows what asshattery tomorrow may bring.

Instead, I’ll leave you with this thought: people knew there was going to be violence. Heck, I was predicting that as far back as September. But the speed with which things escalated was surprising.

If you were in a situation getting that dangerous, that quickly, would you have the wherewithal–the mental clarity–to see it starting to go awry, and figure out how to get out from under it?

Not really looking for discussion on this one. I’ll likely circle back to the subject when things calm down a bit. For now, keep your head down, your eyes open, and your wits about you. Be safe out there.

One More Step

That’s where we are, this morning. I’m writing this post later than normal, on the “morning of,” rather than the day or two before normal posting time, because writing last night wasn’t going to happen.

We got six-ish inches of snow followed by freezing rain yesterday. The snow came down in a bit of a rush, starting at about noon; as a result, my drive home was somewhat harrowing. Despite heading out early, it was still a 3-hour drive (normally, it takes about 45 minutes), mostly due to people being either absolutely insane on the roads, or having no clue how to handle them. (On reflection, those are really two sides of the same coin…)

There are other “one step” advances being made, though. The Electoral College has voted, and Biden was re-affirmed as President-elect. (I’m not certain it’s finally “official” until after the votes are delivered to Congress. Still, it’s close enough for me…)

The first vaccine for COVID has also been approved, with a second on the way; the first doses have been administered to nurses and doctors. The distribution is being predictably bumpy, but again–first steps. And these are bringing some sort of “normal” closer to being.

So, we’ll call that a high note on which to end the year. The next post will be in 2021, and we’ll take a look at some of the various things that can still go awry. But for now, Happy Seasonal Holiday of your choice! I hope it’s a good one.

Priorities

In wandering the wilds of the internet recently, I found a good discussion of things to prioritize, when beginning prepping. I like finding reminders like this from time to time, because it always seems to reinvigorate me in my preps.

The first priority was listed as “Health.” Particularly, physical health. I’m not talking about crazy workouts and strict diets. Just a decent level of overall healthiness. (Although I for one could probably exercise a little more, and keep a closer eye on portions awe tend to eat relatively health fully around here.) In the event that Things Go Wrong, you’ll want to be able to get up and make things go, for at least long enough to establish a baseline of comfort.

Second was “Wellness.” By this, they meant mental health. This has lots of aspect, from therapy if needed, down to just talking with significant others/bug-in/bug-out teams, to make sure you’re all on the sane page. (And please don’t become an echo chamber of paranoid groupthink; try to keep it real, and rational.) The more you can mentally prep yourself, the easier it’ll be to keep thinking through an emergency.

Third is “Knowledge.” Knowledge is the prep you always have with you. Learn how to do things, from the seemingly trivial (ever tied a bow line?) to the obviously complex (plan and assemble a small building from scratch) and beyond. Better yet, learn how to learn. And don’t be afraid to try something new, and fail–the odds are good that you’ll be able to figure out the right way for next time, and that knowledge will likely apply elsewhere, too.

Fourth they had “Skills.” By this, they mean taking your knowledge and using it. Practice with it. Every now and then, knock the rust off a little. You don’t need to be a master at everything you do; “good enough” is most often just that.

Last, they listed “Gear and Tools.” While you could probably spread this out in amongst the other items on the list, if you have a choice between getting a thing, and learning how to do without, try the latter first. That said, when you do go about buying your gear, do your research, and buy the best thing you can afford-“buy once, cry once.” You’ll spend less in the long run, and be less frustrated with the tools you get.

The only thing I’d add is “finances.” Get your monetary house in order; nothing takes a load off your mind (wellness) than not having any debt. And you’ll have a better footing to afford things in all the other categories. Classes (knowledge), an occasional “primitive vacation” (health, and skills), or just saving a bit to get that Spiffy New Thing, or to put up a 3 month supply of food & water in storage (gear and tools). We’re certainly not there right now, but we’re working towards it, and close enough to see it…

That’s this week in a nutshell. How are your preps going out there? Let us know in the comments!

Thankful

As I write this, the election is both finished, and not. The results are basically in (with Biden the projected winner). There will be recounts, and (more) court cases, naturally. I doubt the recounts will move more than a few hundreds of votes overall, and the courts have been tossing out every case thus far–despite Trump’s ranting for 4 years about election fraud and rigging elections, there’s just no evidence that it’s a thing. So, but for the certifying and the Electoral College, that’s done.

Thus far, the nut jobs on the right have been peaceful, relatively. (Vocal, yes, but generally not too violent.) I expect Trump to really blow a gasket after the EC selects Biden–I’m hopeful that things remain calm, but we’ll see.

In the meantime, things have been exciting around the homestead. We lost our water heater last weekend. (Electronic issues–I dislike trusting a machine that thinks it’s smarter than me.)

Fortunately, well, we had prepped for just such an occasion. (Remember, rule one is to prep for your local emergencies–and our main one is water issues.) In among our various camping gear – which all doubles as preps – we have a hand-pressurized, propane-fired water heater. It holds maybe 4 or 5 gallons, which is more than enough for 2 or 3 showers. (5 or more, if you take “boat showers” like in yhe Navy.) Propane isn’t required–you could certainly heat it up over coals or a small fire.

So, that got broken out, and things reverted to “manual hot water, or just cold” for several days. Fortunately, the water heater is newish, and the necessary parts available (with express shipping), but having the chance (even if of necessity) to practice with our preps was useful.

All of which comes back to another rule of prepping: now and again, break out the equipment and use it. Sure, you’ll get experience and confidence in its use. But almost as important, particularly for those non-portable “at home” prep things, is you’ll remind yourself of where the equipment got stashed. And you’ll maybe reorganize things a little. (For the record: I had just moved the camping water heater a few weeks back, and knew right where it was. In the dark. At about midnight…)

So that’s it for this week. Things haven’t been violent, nationally, and with luck they’ll stay that way. Preps were put to their intended use, successfully. And the world keeps on spinning. All of these are things I’m thankful for–as well as for having you, my loyal readers. Stay safe, and I’ll talk to you again after Thanksgiving.

The Morning After

Hi, folks. No final results yet, as of 0430. This was not unexpected. Lots of absentee ballots are yet to be counted, in some of the places that matter most.

That the count is as close as it is just reaffirms my lack of faith in humanity generally, and a vast swath of my countrymen more specifically.

I’ll drop another line when we have more results; otherwise, it’ll be about 2 weeks til the next “regular” post.

Be safe, out there!

Quiet Until…

Continuing with the theme from the last post, let’s talk a little more about security on election day and beyond.

My lovely wife says, “be ‘gray-men.'” By which she means, do nothing to stand out. Lots of common sense things apply here–no masses of stickers, flags, signs, clothing, etc. for your candidate. No huge parties if your candidate wins. That sort of thing.

She also suggested a number of smaller, interim-type things, and said, “you know, all those personal safety things women are taught.” Don’t go anywhere alone. Don’t look armed. (Keys in your hand are one thing…) Make sure people know where you’re going, and when you expect to be there and/or to return. Trust your gut–if it feels dangerous, it probably is.

The election security number I mentioned last post: 866-OUR-VOTE.  If you see or experience voter intimidation going to or at the polls, call them.

Personally, I anticipate the worst will possibly come during & after the I auguration. (Assuming Trump loses–if he wins, I’m not sure what’s going to happen to the country, but I doubt it’ll be good.) So I suggest trying to get at least a 30-day supply of necessities in place before then. If things go poorly, you’ll be glad to have them; if things go well, they’ll be in place for the future, “just in case”.

With that, I’m going essentially offline until after election day–my next post is supposed to be on the 5th, but I’ll try to get something up on the 4th, particularly if we have anything resembling final results. I expect it’ll be very short, win or lose. Get out there and vote, folks–and we’ll talk then.

Where to Even Start

I spent all last week trying to come up with thoughts on personal security while voting/immediately before and after, and then the President announces he’s tested positive for COVID.

While this doesn’t solve, or even significantly alleviate that problem, it raises a whole host of others.

For instance, it was 28 days from Herman Cain’s diagnosis to his death. He was, on the face of things, much healthier than Trump. If Trump should follow a similar timeline, that would have him croaking right around the end of the month, just a few days before Election Day.

Lots of other people out there much smarter than I have already been writing reams of articles discussing that particular cleft stick, and what it would take to get out of it. My (very) rough summation: it’s possible, but it’ll be a mess.

Of course, the number of variables at play right now make any real speculation laughable. I mean, it’s possible (although I think unlikely) that the whole thing was faked, to distract from one, another, or multiple other issues. Tax returns and fraud. Utter failure as a businessman. 210000 and counting dead from the virus. Rising unemployment. An impending economic crash… and those are just a few.

So, in the in the interest of brevity, here’s my take on things (hey, this week has been a long one already):

1. If you can manage to vote early, do so. This will keep you away from shenanigans on election day.

2. Do not go to vote while armed. There’s a number to call, if you experience or witness voter intimidation or such; I’ll find it, and at the least get it posted next time.

3. Keep contacting your elected representatives. Call their offices, and let them know (politely) your stance on specific issues. (Don’t call to rant.)

And that’s it for now. As we approach the election, and/or more things go awry, I’ll possibly post more. So stay tuned–the ride is gonna be interesting from here on in…

Finishing up the GHB

Just a couple of quick notes, to finish out talking about the GHB. Then I’m off to have a drink, and contemplate the continually unfolding horror that us 2020…

My GHB is an unassuming canvas backpack, with the option of bringing another smaller bag, and whatever else I decide to bring out of my car’s emergency bag. (That’s a topic for another post.)

My wife recently tried to talk me into swapping the actual bags, between my GHB and my BoB. The BoB (Bug-out-Bag, for those new to this), which “lives” under my side of the bed at home, is a surplus Army backpack, with more pockets than you can shake a stick at.

I declined the swap, basically because if things go bad and I have to get home, my current bag is a bit more low-key, and doesn’t scream “former military, probably has cool stuff.” I’d just be a guy walking home, carrying a backpack.

The other thing I’d like to emphasize is that the GHB is supposed to be small, light, and just enough to last to get you home. As was pointed out in the comments, we get the occasional freak weather event in my neck of the woods, and they can make back roads (and sometimes even the main roads) impassable. This can be a problem, if you live on a back road…

That’s it for this round. What would folks like to hear about next? Any suggestions are welcome! Let us know in the comments.

The GHB, Revisited

As promised, this time around, we’re taking another look at the Get-Home Bag, or GHB. This is, put simply, a portable pack containing whatever you’ll need to get from a relatively remote location back to your home, in the event the world goes completely sideways.

The contents of the bag will vary widely, depending on numerous factors. These may include: how far do you normally travel from home? Do you intend the GHB to just support you, or you plus one or two others? What is the environment like where you live (high desert, or humid coast? Far north, or deep south?)?

Rather than list a bunch of things, let me walk through my thought process when building mine.

I work about 50 miles from home. I plan on a hike from work to home taking almost a week, worst-case scenario. In the mid-Atlantic region, the weather ranges from hot and muggy in the summer, to freezing and snow in the winter, with just about everything in between.

So, what do I need for that sort of trip? Clothing, shelter, food, water, and fire.

My clothing needs will vary widely by season. Generally, I assume I’ll be roughly dressed for the season, so would only want or need a couple of other pieces, like a hat, maybe a light jacket. I work in an office, so a pair of shoes more appropriate to a hike. And it’s almost always beneficial to have an extra pair or two of socks.

Shelter for my purposes is basically anything to keep the rain off. I have a small plastic poncho (the camping style, not the cheap clear plastic type), and a couple of mylar blankets. (They’re flimsy, but better than nothing.) I also keep an old blanket or two in the car, as well as a towel. With all that, a little string, and a dash of ingenuity, I can get the job done.

Food is tricky. I keep some dried stuff in the bag, maybe some sealed packets of nuts. Assuming I’m starting the trip from the office, I’ve got a stash of similar stuff at my desk, as well as potentially hitting vending machines and the like. We’re not looking for a full 3000 calories per day–this will definitely be absolute minimum rations. But if we’re hiking home on foot, that’s sort of where we are.

One option to think of is: if you have a vacuum sealer with the canning adapter (for vacuum sealing Mason jars), use it to seal a jar full of hard candy. They last forever, won’t get all sticky in the vacuum, and they’re a bunch if calories. Also, the jar would come in handy for other things–if you’re not worried about having breakable glass in your pack.

One of the uses for the jar would be as a drinking vessel. Water is plentiful in my part of the world, but somewhat sketchy for drinking. So I have purification tablets, and a Lifestraw filter, and a battery-op UV in-bottle sterilizer. I have a Nalgene bottle to carry water, as well as the jar, and a coulle of other options. If you’re in one of the more arid parts of the world, water is absolutely a thing to think hard about.

I’ve talked firestarting previously in the blog. As with other points here, having several options is key. Lighters, matches, magnesium sparkers, flint and steel… get several, and practice with them from time to time.

Are there other things to think about putting in the bag? Yep. Those, and some thoughts on the bag itself, will be the subject next time.

Fall is Coming

Yes, the season–we’re 2/3 through summer–but I fear we’ll be in for even bigger “falls” if this administration gets re-elected in November.

The Republican Convention has devolved into a long MAGA-rally, and they seem to be living in a different reality than the rest of us. They’re also not even pretending to hide the neo-fascism any more.

Add that onto the mental and emotional strain from (still) dealing with the pandemic, and it’s difficult to take. I’m so thoroughly done with anti-maskers, and police brutality, and and and…

All that aside, it’s time to start planning for winter. I’ve got to get firewood ordered, and various things will start getting winterized shortly. The garden–something of an afterthought this year–still has a month or two to go, despite starting to look a bit weedy. And I’ve already started feeding the bees, in preparation for colder weather.

Let’s talk something “prepper” next time–GHB’s, for instance. Or BoB’s. Or both. It’ll be a nice change of pace.

How are preps on your end, readers? Let us know in the comments…