Air Force, Maybe?

Well, there's been a lot of talk in the Prepper household over the past couple of days, and we've come to a big decision for both my husband and I... although it's not a guaranteed life changing moment, I am going to the air force recruiter. I have 3 Mos's in mind to ask about, and if they try to give me something else, there's a good chance I won't take it. For my top 2 I would have to get a really good ASVAB score, but the third is my ultimate backup. So, here's... The List:

1) Crypto Linguist- Not airborne. I'm not afraid of planes, but for right now I don't know if this is a one time enlistment, or a life sort of thing. That means no planes because I want kids, and would have to be grounded anyway. I'm very interested in language and know that this can translate (haha... pun) into a civilian or government job. It's what I truly wish to do for a living. Plus, it means that we may very well move to Europe. What's better than that for perfecting/learning languages?

2) Special Investigations- I'd working here in the states to investigate "criminal, fraud, counterintelligence, and other security concerns." I'd love to do something like that and not be deployed a lot. The goal is not to leave the country as much as possible unless I am able to bring my husband/family. But we're hoping Europe. Lol.

3) Mental Health Specialist- I'd pretty much be doing rehab and basic maintenance with mental patients. I'm very interested in psychology, and dipping my feet in psychology for a semester was a blast! I'd have almost a zero chance of deployment, and learn about everything abnormal(and normal) with the brain.

When we went through our first round of "Maybe I'll join the Air Force" I was very interested in SERE, and although I'm still very drawn to it, I think my husband really doesn't want me to go through something like that. Especially if he can't help me. It basically means I would be an instructor to teach people how to avoid, survive, and escape a POW camp. Only one of my friends (one of my closest) was supportive of me going, and told me we should test water boarding before I left. Lol. She's seen me beaten up more than a couple of times and is really one of the few people who really understands that I can take a beating. But, if I do stay in and we start a family, it's not a great idea. We'd move a lot, I'd constantly be on trips around the country, and it's very hard to explain to your kids that you had a bad week... So, I decided to let my husband keep his sanity and do something a little less exciting.

On that note, does anyone have pointers for talking to the recruiters? I know I need to have everything written down, but what else do I need to know? My husband will be with me, and has a very good job in the Marines, but I just want to make sure that I cover all my bases.

Happy Prepping!

-PrepperKat

Another Day...

Hello Everyone!

Spent all day out hiking and climbing yesterday! I had a blast! We hiked about an hour on a pretty steep trial, and ended up at Middle Earth. I didn't climb this time, since I'm not totally confident in my strength for it yet, but a little more practice and I'll be there.

When we got home we had a barbecue with some of our neighbors. We rinsed off all the dirt we got from climbing and watching 2 year-olds respectively in the pool and played a game of volleyball. Everyone was tackled for the ball a few times. Then we went home, took care of the dishes and had game night. It was a perfect day... minus the still healing sunburn from the day before.


Today I have been getting ready for our AZ trip. Two days to go! YAY! We went out and some some .22 ammo for my new pistol, and some really good Greek food. My husbd goes back to work tonight and the routine is tarting to feel a little more normal, even if it's no where near it. I'm happy to have a few days to get away from the house and the job to do a little shooting and have a little fun.

Happy Prepping!
-PrepperKat

A Day, A Trip, And A Move

Hello All!

It's been a busy day so far. Lots of chores, getting ready for our AZ trip, and a good time at the pool with neighbors. Mr. Prepper is working tonight, and that means I have been finding weird things to do thaat have no importance what-so-ever... Like dusting... again. Sure, I could be actually picking up the place and doing more than laundry and dishes, but that would be helpful. Lol.

So, when we head over to AZ, I'm very excited to get some more shooting lessons from Mr. Prepper, the gun/rifle/whatever guy. I don't know if it will happen, but I'm hoping for some good shooting pictures and maybe a video or two... If mine sucks, maybe one of him. Lol. He's really good, and was invited to shoot at a military competition this year. I'm very excited to see what he has to show me, and see how much I can improve.

Also, I'm coming up with a list of common herbs that can be used medicinally for my upcoming gardening project. I've heard about a lot of plants doing a lot of things, but I want to make sure that we can still grow what we have when we move from California.

Speaking of moving from California, my husband and I are very excited to go! As much as we love the weather and the beach, I could do without the horrible allergies and the outrageous prices. Plus, the laws out here for prepping are really bad, and in an emergency we've already witnessed first hand how it takes people just a couple of hours to begin riots and looting. This is by far one of the worst places to be in the United States in any kind of disaster. We would know, we survived the power outage. (If we can't survive a few hours without power, what hope is there for humanity.)

We've been looking at houses and have run into a very annoying problem. The homes we want are planned within our budget, but out of our driving range to the various locations my husband could work. Unfortunately we want land and storage place, but like every other person drawn to the city, the gas alone would kill us, and no one wants to see Mr. Prepper stuck in traffic... It's not fun. Lol.

Happy Prepping!
-PrepperKat

Felling a Bit Glum, Are We?

There are a lot of things to be said about survival. One of the major things is to keep a positive mindset about both yourself and your situation. This is something that I'm currently battling with the job market the way it is. You can do all of the tips and tricks you like to keep your image of yourself up, but without your belief in them they will do nothing. So, are a few good and bad examples.

DO NOT say things like "it could be worse" or look at all the things that are going wrong. It's going to be okay. Things may not be perfect, and they may even be bad but you have the power to change them.It's your natural born right to make the world you live in a better place, but you have to make it that way.

DO make a list of things you are doing well, or like about where you are. You decide how you feel about your situation. No one else. You make the rules for yourself and no one else can change that.

DO NOT dwell on all the bad things that are happening around you. This is not your fault. If you are willing to make the change, you can and will survive even if it means changing locations or having to find more food/water.

DO make a to do list daily. When you're not feeling well about yourself, one of the big things I do is make a list of the things I want to accomplish. Usually the more sad I am the smaller it is, but as I check things off my list I feel better about myself. Write down everything small that you do, so instead of "Clean the Kitchen" put down "Do the Dishes", "Wipe off the counters", Sweep the floor". After you've seen how much on your list you've powered through, you'll know that you really are helping everyone else.

DO NOT set your expectations higher than you can achieve. No religion believes that the world was created in a single day, so why should you believe that you have to have everything done (big or small) the second you think about it. Put it on your long term list if it isn't an immediate threat to life and limb.

DO make sure to talk to someone if you have the blues for more than a day or two. It could be a sign that something is seriously wrong, and that you need more help than you may realize. If you don't want to talk to someone then start a diary. Write anything you like in it and keep it somewhere safe, or put a lock on it.

The better your disposition, the better your chances of survival, and the more your teammates will appreciate your company. Remember that everyone gets sad sometimes, but depression is a real problem so please let someone know if you feel like hurting yourself. I would say "or others" but then you wouldn't have the element of surprise! Lol. Jk.

The HAM Radio

I've talked about some forms of communication in the past, but today I'm going to focus on the wonderful things that a HAM radio can provide for a community. I'm aware that a lot of you are probably not sure what a HAM radio is, or if you do, you're a little unsure about why this can be such a big asset. This is a very elementary article on the subject, so if you know a lot on the subject understand that I will go more in depth with it at a later time, and that there will be a lot less jargon in this post than would normally be expected.

First of all, a hand radio is a device that lets you send information over radiowaves. This means you can click a button and talk, send morse code, or even send data over it. There are even ways to call people's phones. Think of the old police radios with the knobs and the the weird microphone and you have a mounted radio. Their walkie-talkies with the weird buttons all over it? That's a hand held one. The term HAM means it is used by a civilian and not a company or government.

Some of the advantages of the HAM radio is that it lets you talk an almost infinite distance with the help of repeaters. That gives you knowledge of all the areas around you and a way to communicate. there are HAM operators all over the world, and are simple to use once you get the hang of it.

Now, some of the big reasons you want to communicate with the outside world when SHTF. 

1) Trade- People in your area are bound to have things you don't have, or need something you do.

2) Protection- Bad guys headed your way? Need help from a neighbor? Are they in trouble? Be prepared!

3) Friendship- If you have people who are close enough to your site, you can easily boost your morale by getting together and having fun.

4) Connect Families- If you're loved ones had to bunker down somewhere else and they have a radio, you now know whether to worry or not.

Communication is invaluable, and a HAM radio is one of the best ways to talk to people about your situation and hear about all parts of the world. 

More Radio Craziness and a Bit of a Climb

We finally got our car radio mounted! We got it from my dad at Christmas and haven't had the time (and until recently the SUV) to mount it in. Mr. Prepper is very excited to get his HAM license since I cringe any time he reaches for a radio. Last night we spent time listening to stations on the air with other radio enthusiast friends and picked up on a... colorful... conversation. We think we may have picked up an FRS frequency, but it just goes to show you that conversations on the radio, no matter what kind, are never private. Also, if our neighbors are reading this- please refrain from arguments dealing with Brandon and the multitude of women he may or may not have... you know. At least it was entertaining.

Last night we set up the family emergency radio station that we could reach each other on in an emergency. Hopefully I can figure out a repeater to use if Mr. Prepper is at work. I'm very excited to be back on the air, and if you guys are ever on keep an eye out for KE7OQG. When we get Mr. Prepper's callsign, I'll let you know what his is too.

Last night I did some of the hardest rock climbing I've ever done (since this is a new thing, that doesn't say much) and my arms are really sore from holding me up on the wall. a little more strength and conditioning and I'll be up there in no time! Just you wait!

We're headed to AZ here in the next week so we can hep out a friend in need, run some errands, and do a little shooting! ^_~ We're really excited to go out and have me train a little bit more with the guns. Maybe pics/video? We'll see what we end up doing that that blasted camera. Good thing I have Mr. Prepper to help me get better and make me look less like an idiot. Lol. At least I'm not a safety hazard.

Happy Prepping!

-PrepperKat

Radio Day

Hello all!

So, today my husband and I took a trip over to our local HAM radio outlet. Lots of cool stuff and we ended up leaving with two Yaesu ft-60r/e hand held radios. We've been playing with them and think we may get them to work.

We're making plans for the Blazer and Mr. Prepper's HAM license. The big goal is to have communications for shtf or just long distance travel.

As for yesterday, I was cleaning house and grocery shopping. Nothing interesting, but very time consuming. I'm very excited for the prepper fair, but we've received sad news. Mr. Prepper will not be joining me since he has work. At least it means we don't have to go to the mandatory family fun day... Yeah... When you don't have kids and can't drink all you can do is stare at your shoes for 6 hours... Fun.

My husband and I are hoping to get a smaller faraday cage set up sometime soon. I'll be posting pictures and a how to once we get it all set up. Yay! I'll also be researching more in depth on how they work so I can let you know about it more later.

-PrepperKat

A Very Long Nap

Today was one of those days where I was so tired that I slept through everything but sushi. Which was delicious. We went with our good friends across the way. We have a place we go every once in awhile that does all you can eat sushi, We showed up at 2pm, and they stopped taking orders for lunch at 2:30, so we worked quickly. My husband and I ate an appetizer of pot stickers each and 3 rolls of various sushi. I had an eel handroll and my husband had 2 more plates of pot stickers.

However, a big reason I have been so tired today was because of my mischievous kitty Jasper. He has been incorrigible! He decided that he was going to drive me nuts by breaking glass, and knocking pictures, paper and anything else he could find into it. He got his kitty butt beaten. Big time. This also wasn't all at once. It was gradual through out the morning, but because of our one litterbox situation we can't just lock him in the bathroom at night... (He can't be trusted alone in the kitchen, and would rive us nuts in our room at night.)

We just got back from the hot tub, and it was great to see a friend who has been assisting with training for the last month. I love going into the warm water and feeling my muscles relax, and what's better than doing it while being with friends?

We're ordering some pizza since we've been sleeping all day and Mr.Prepper needs some form of food before work.. So, I'll be helping him out of the house here soon!

Happy Prepping!

-PrepperKat

A Bit from Today and Yesterday

So, I've been out and about dealing with fixing more internet issues and traveling to a few different stores today. I got my first sunburn of the year yesterday signaling the start of summer, and it's really humid today which means it's really hot. I can handle tons of heat at a time (it gets to about 120 in AZ) without much of a problem. Stay in the shade and you're fine, but this is ridiculous. Who knew 76 would be so awful?

As for the stores, I have mentioned recently that I'm starting a hobby with scuba. One of the stores we went into was a, I kid you not, military scuba store. So, we walk in and the first thing I see is neat watches that go underwater on one wall and a few little trinkets for scuba. Cool. But then you walk into the main room and there they are. Blackhawk holsters, black scuba suits, plate carriers in black and digital, and zombie hunting patches. Now somewhere here in all of this craziness I realize something. As I'm looking through the wet suits I notice that they are all very thin. and for those who don't scuba, the water gets colder as you go deeper, so you're either on the beach or... ASSASSINATING PEOPLE ON BOATS! Lol. Jk. But seriously, for my scuba classes they require a minimum of 7mm thick suits and the most they had was 5mm. They're trying to kill me.

We also went to an outdoor store that happened to sell guns. It was amazing. They actually had guns at a decent price. We were shocked to find a place in California where it would be cheaper for us to buy long guns and have it be worth not driving to AZ. SWEET!I learned the difference between zombie hollow points and regular hollow points. Don't worry. The green dye in the wax for a hollow point is what kills the zombies.
From this store we got some ammo and soft case for our "cowboy gun" (a Winchester 1894). This is a purchase from last Christmas that we've kept in AZ for awhile.

Now, about yesterday. I got to "scuba" for the first time yesterday. Me and our neighbors got to put on full gear and jump into the water. we had a great time swimming around and playing catch the torpedo. We also went to the beach, and I got a bit sun burned running and jumping through waves with my husband and his family. After that we went to eat ice cream and they left to head back to AZ. We had a great time, and are glad that we got to spend time with them.

Styling!

People wear clothes for many reasons. They express our personalities and they are a badge that we wear to give others a message, but when society collapses, there are many other purposes to clothing such as warmth and protection from the sun. It can protect our feet from the climate and the terrain, as well as save our skin from being cut and getting an infection. Gloves protect our hands from being burnt, getting cold, and being hurt. There are a lot of things you need to pack as far as clothing- although these will be different in every area, here are some ideas to get you started.

Live in a cold climate? Make sure you pack some snow suits and shoes. It's easier to fix too warm than too cold, so make sure you have everything you need to bundle. This means hats, earmuffs, gloves, good shoes, good socks, and winter pants and jackets. Make sure you have layers to peel off in case you get too hot.

Living in a desert comes with it's very own fashion. Around the world and in different times you're seen people wear long sleeve shirts and long pants in the middle of summer, or in arab countries they drape clothing all over their bodies. Although in some places it is religious, there is a dual purpose to this attire. It keeps the sun off your skin and the bagginess allows air to flow through the garment as you move. You'll need large brimmed hats, long dresses/long pants, and long sleeves.

Be prepared for the nice weather, too. You'll want lots of extra clothes to make sure that you stay clean. Lots of socks and underwear. You'll need good shoes that protect you from both the  ground and other creatures. Try at least 2 pairs of steel-toed boots.

There's one more big thing that you will need to be prepared for. Everyone will lose weight when this happens. The lower calorie count plus the extra physical activity will make all of us more susceptible to weight loss, and we will need to prepare for this with our clothing as well. Make sure you have multiple sets of each type of item in different sizes so you can fit whatever you have. Also, you'll need belts.

What clothing will you bring?

-PrepperKat

Scuba, Yoga, and an Upset Chi

Afternoon!

I slept in, and it was wonderful. This morning I had cats driving me nuts and after I fed them and locked them out slept for 3 more hours. It's awesome. As for yesterday, it wasn't super exciting. I'm getting back into yoga/pilates. We bought a mat the other day, and one yoga routine made my back about 90% better. Yes. Plus, fitness is important for the end of the world. I'm not talking about running, but just having the ability to lift objects and do those harder chores will do wonders for you. I'm not runner, and I don't think that running to the point of hating life will be good for me. Find an exercise you like and just stick with it.

I'm also doing my first scuba dive tomorrow. It's not anything fancy, but I want to learn how to do it, and this will give me a good feel what it's like to have all the gear on while I'm swimming. I'm doing it with Raquel's mom (for those who don't know she's a blogger who writes about her daughter's life) and we're super excited! Our husbands have been roommates all through their careers in the military, and now all of us live across the pathway from each other. We're hoping to keep it that way and really be able to go out together and do tons of cool things, like rock climbing and now scuba.

No word from the places I've applied at, and I'm really starting to lose hope on ever getting a job. My experience has really ruined my chances of actually getting anything and no ones wants the girl who's moved 3 times in the past 3 years and is a ghost on paper. Oh well. I'll keep trying, but it's really disheartening.

So, it's Friday, my husband is at work and the people who are supposed to fix our car continuously try to get us to bring it early in the morning. My husband is the car guy, so he needs to go with me to make sure they actually fixed the problem, instead of just putting a temporary fix on it, but he's either working or sleeping in the wee hours of the day, and that's the only time they ever offer us the chance. Ugh.Oh well, c'est la vie.

So, what are you excited about?

-PrepperKat

There's Always Time...

Keeping time is a very important thing. Especially when you have a lot of things you need to get done, and things you wish to remember. It's also a get anchor to reality to know what day it is and have celebrations for  birthdays and anniversaries. There are a lot of skills that you can learn about keeping time by the stars and the sun, but out of everything you're already adding to your learning plate, maybe it's just easier to do the basics.

There are several ways that people used to tell time, and one of them was the sun dial. This can tell you the time of day, and can be made from just about anything. Here is a good video I found on making a paper sundial but, since sundials are different depending on your latitude, some research may be needed to make a sundial work at your location. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1645371521878054626 this video is put together by Hila Road. They have tons of great videos on sundials.

If you aren't next to a sundial, another way to tell the time (approximately) is to look up at the sun while facing the equator (south in the Northern Hemisphere, and north in the Northern Hemisphere). Straight up? It's noon as long as you don't have daylight savings time. If you want to know how to more about looking up and knowing the time, Wikihow has a great article all about calculating time with the sun, stars, and moon.http://www.wikihow.com/Tell-Time-Without-a-Clock

However, since I'm more of a morning noon and night person, what I really want is a calendar. I want to be able to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays. It may not always be in the same way we did before, but you can make up your own traditions and holidays. Maybe you have an end of the world party every year. Get creative. The more fun you have, the better your morale, and the less chance you have to get sick, or injured (unless you're drinking heavily). Plus, you'll have an idea of how long you have been at your location.

Remember that time is a powerful tool that we can use to make sure we're safe and bring us together. It gives us a daily routine, and allows us to makes the most of our time. It also reminds us that we don't always have to be so serious.

More Stuff

Hello everyone!

Sorry for not writing a lot. Not only has family been in town, but our internet decided to stop working yesterday. This post is from my phone. We're switching internet providers because we've had so many problems in the past. (Who throttles YouTube?!?! Oh yeah. AT&T.) So, we'll be going back to Cox. Yay actual service!

Now, I will also resume writing informational articles when both my internet and time allow. Hopefully we can hay something really cool going up this week and I can have pictures ready to go. However, it seems that fate is against me at the moment.

So, lots of good news. I'm on to my second interview with the insurance company! Yay! Also had a good interview with a part-time job as a pool monitor. Very excited for both! As the insurance agent I'm supposed to be setting my own hours, but it turns out there's a scam using this company's name. Therefore I really need to tread lightly and get everything in writing. I'm also asking people I know who are agents (and if I have any readers who are) for some advice on this one. I've never been an agent, and don't know what to expect for training and all that.

Also had a lot of fun at Legoland. Unfortunately I was only able to make it to one of the two days that we were supposed to go. V.V Wish I could have been there.

My husband has had a lot of fun at his tech conference. Cool stuff. He's brought home all kinds of cool new bobbles. Like special cards, and the like. We're also waiting for our 1911 to come. My husband bought a "tactical cowboy hat" just for the occasion. Lol.

Happy Prepping!

-PrepperKat

I'm a Ninja!

Good Morning All!

I'm really nervous and excited about today's interview! YIKES! It's been one disaster after another. My kitties decided to hide my mascara from me and so far, I have not been able to borrow any from my neighbors. This means no make-up, and a less professional look. especially since so much of my job will be about working with customers. Oh well. This means it's not as bad if I don't do much with make-up at my job, right? The goal is that all important SECOND interview. I'm already coming up with Q&A stuff for the interview. I'm mostly glad that this is a trainee program, and that it means they are more than willing to actually train me. PHEW! I'm young, pleasant, and can be serious, so I think I have a pretty good shot. ...maybe I'll use sharpie as mascara... Lol. Jk. ...I think...

I'm VERY excited to go to Legoland. I've never been, and I'd really like to check it out. I have no clue what they have there in terms to types of rides. I really want it to be surprise so I won't know what to expect. I think the thrill of not knowing is a huge part of being excited.

Now, this morning I have been on a huge Damien Rice kick. I've been listening to the very long, but awesome youtube playlist for him. I'm very huge into music, and they are some of the greats. I would know, I've spent 6 years surrounded by ancient languages, sounds, and have even performed at Carnegie Hall. I thought very seriously about becoming a music major for a while, but abandoned it knowing that I'd be stuck in chorus lines no matter where I went, and a uncertain future for my whole life. I have dreams and goals that require some stability, and I don't really consider it an option unless it just "happens".

Doomsday Preppers have asked me to go onto their show yesterday, and I actually got a real person who chatted with me on Facebook. I turned them down for a lot of reasons, but the 2 main ones were OPSEC (someone will recognize where I live. Guaranteed.) and that we've only been married a year. Our stores just aren't where we want them to be yet, and we have almost no room in our apartment. We had to buy a separate pantry and put it in the dining room for regular food. Not to mention that if word gets out who we are, it means that the President can actually take all of our preps in a national emergency. Food, rifles, land, everything. It's all in our laws and I can't even begin to wonder how many military people would hold us at gun point or kill us for them given the chance. No way.

Now, I realized yesterday that nothing comes up for me on the free background check stuff. And by nothing, I mean just that. It doesn't even find me. So, when we bought our car and they said I was a ghost... they really did mean it. It's kind of comforting to know that maybe it's a little harder for people to find me than I thought. I was always a very hard person to find. I'm constantly on the move. Even in school I lived in 3 different houses simultaneously.

What would you do to protect your property?

-PrepperKat

New Stereo & A Really Big Hole

So, I did not get my first post out this morning. I know. I'm a horrible person. Tis morning I woke up and immediately got ready to install the car's new audio stuff. It's officially awesome, now. Lots of bass, better sound, and my husband was smiling all day. This is the first time he's really been spoiled in a while. I'm so happy to see him grin so much. ^_^ He's my world.

After going and getting all the audio stuff finished, we went to the beach with my husband's family. By the time we got there, it was cloudy, the water was cold, and it was nearly 5:00. So what do you do? Bury people in the sand. All the kids and myself were buried and had to break free from the sand. Then, me and my sister in law decided that we needed to dig  tunnel that we could crawl through in the sand. Well, we dug for 2 1/2 hours and were able to touch out feet in the tunnel and lay down in the hole. Although it wasn't fully crawling status, it was enough for us to be overly proud of our creation. PLUS it didn't collapse after 350 lbs of people on top. (Except when they jumped). If it weren't for the actual tide, it would have been a perfect temporary shelter because it was warm, and no very noticeable unless you were right there.

Tomorrow we'll be hanging out at Legoland and I have my all important job interview. My husband had the idea to come home from work and stay up all day. He's so tired. Poor guy. 22 hours awake is never fun. Especially when you didn't get much sleep the night before. Luckily I'll be out of the house all day tomorrow for him to get some really good sleep without me (and the kitties if he closes the door) interrupting him every couple of hours. At least he won't be on these shifts much longer. (About a month left)

I have one more interview this week as a part time pool attendant/guard thingy for a housing community. Needless to say, it pays a little less than the position at the insurance company, but for now something is better than nothing, and I'd be making sure that the rules of the pool are followed. Not too difficult. It would start immediately and I could easily leave if the better job came up.

I hope I can give you guys a some more posts tomorrow!

-PrepperKat

As Close to Usual As You'll Get

Hello all!

 Right now Mr. Prepper and I are planning on having all technology wiped out in am EMP, so what does that mean? That technology will only work if it is kept in a Faraday cage, or pretty much a metal box. So, if this is what will happen, you have to know what technology you want/need to keep in the cage. We have an idea right now to turn our entire garage in a Faraday cage. Awesome, right? Tons of room and a vehicle that will run. But what else would you keep in your cage? What will you need?

Depending on your level of comfort that you would like to have, there is a ton of possibilities here. as a minimal, I would suggest having a ham radio and a laptop. They don't have to be fancy, but you'll want just one. Why on the laptop? It stores knowledge and is a communication device. Copy blueprints, movies, anything that you truly value information-wise should be on there. Yes, books are better if you can afford the weight, or can have them already at your site, but these are things you will need. Also, a generator to run them.

Now, if you're going Faraday crazy like we are I have two words for you- solar panels. Anything you could want to bring that's run by power will now still be available to you, and let you finish other tasks that you may have missed faster. We're planning on having the solar panels along with our car wrapped up with all our power tools in our Faraday cage. Maybe even some on the roof outside in case it isn't an EMP just to lower the electric and still be functional in an emergency. There are limitless possibilities with this, but the cost will be huge. Right now we're looking at 20k for our whole compound. Obviously, baby steps on this, but it could be a great thing that makes your lives easier.

List of things to keep if you have a solar panel plan-
Basic Power Tools
Computers
Radios
Rechargeable batteries (preferably the big ones that you can plug things into)
Lights for night time visibility
electric camping stove
and anything you deem important that is electrical.

Big disclaimer on this on. Technology almost always fails when you need it. I'm not sure why, but I blame the chaos theory. So, if you have anything electronic that is key to your actual survival, I suggest find a non-electrical alternative. Solar panels should only be considered for a permanent bug out location that you own, or for bugging in. some areas rules on solar panels are totally different, and you should check your local laws. remember that in the case of an EMP this will only work if you have a Faraday cage.

And the World Still Turns... For Now

Good morning all!

We've recently had some technical difficulties- as you can see by the lack of ads. Hopefully they will be up and running soon. It's been a busy morning.

Now, I'm very excited to have a clean house and feel happy to relax without all these "things" I  need to do. My husband and I are very excited to have set up the "blog station". We can now monitor everything that's going on all the time. ('Cause I'm creepy like that). But it's very exciting to see how our blog is growing.

Yesterday we spent the afternoon a pizza place that sells giant pizzas with the in-laws. We talked a lot about things that are going on in life and catching up, which was nice. My younger brother in-law got pizza sauce all over his shirt and we had to take it home to get it cleaned again. We;re not a fan of stains. Lol.

Mr. Prepper and I are extremely excited to be looking at moving to a real home here soon in the next year. I know I've said it before, but we're really excited. There are a couple places we might go, be we thing we've found the perfect house. 6  bedrooms. 4 bathrooms. 5 acres. Workshop. And basement for prepping storage. YES! Win! Possible bug in situation going on over here. Woot! Our other plan is to get a nice house in a city and buy land for our bug out location. We'll see which ends up happening.

I'm VERY excited for my job interview. coming up on Tuesday. If I get the job, we'll have a very different financial situation and it'll increase my money for prepping, and experiments for my blog. (I believe that a garden is an experiment. Lol) We'll just have to wait and see what happens. (I never was good at growing things, but am determined to try!) Cross your fingers that my personality is one they can handle! (I promise it's more toned down in real-life.)

Happy Prepping!

-PrepperKat

The New Layout With New Features

Normally I would be doing a post about skills you need in an emergency situation. However, There's just so many cool things happening right now with this blog that I have to let you guys know all about it!

First, I know you've seen the new layout! Yay! No more crayola box colors and much more readable!! (Also more boy friendly) There were a lot of cool things we did to switch it up and give you guys a little more macho and awesome without sacrificing my taste in style. Yes. I do like fashion to a certain extent. XP

As you may have noticed (or maybe you came from here) I have also put up my very own Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ just for this blog! Now you can stalk me through my everyday life as it happens! Please share the word and invite people to experience this blog with you! Not only do I try to put up useful information, but I'd love to get some ideas and discussions going. I'm even thinking of having a semi-regular hangout session on Google+. Will it happen? I'm not sure. It depends on if people would come and... well... hangout.

We also have nifty new features on here, like clicking over to my most common blogs and participating in the poll. Hopefully I can use stuff like this to know what you want from me. I am not a mind reader all the time. Lol. If there's anything else you guys would like me to include on here as far as doodads and what-not shoot me an email or a comment.

So, what is all of this leading up to? Making the prepper community into more of an actual community. Yes, sitting at the computer and typing about this stuff is awesome, but maybe some of you guys have better ideas out there, or know more than I do. I know a lot of you probably do. So, let's get together and share them face to face(ish). Remember that preppers are definitely not alone. I would know, this blog has been looked at on every continent, and this is only a little over 2 weeks since its creation. Pass it around, spread the word and know that this could be the place to hang out!

https://twitter.com/#!/PrepperKat
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mrandmrsprepperkat@gmail.com

Prepper Fair, New Layout

Good morning all!

Today is the day! The in-laws have left on their 6 hour(ish) drive, and the house is almost done! Just one more vacuuming in the bathroom and a check for bugs the kitties found last night, and we're ready to go! My husband is hoping for laundry, and we'll work on it and see how it goes... It never ends up being put away and we always forget to buy more hangers TO put it away. Oh well. The rest of the house is clean, and that makes me happy.

Today we'll be putting our new stereo in our car. YAY! Chaz is excited that we can have some actual bass in our car. Lol. I'm excited because it'll make everything sound better.

Yesterday I got the movie, Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (yes, that is the actual title). If you haven't seen it, you should. It's very hilarious. If you have "I won't let them impurify my precious bodily fluids, Mandrake.." Check it out. It's an old movie and it's in black and white, but it's about a bunch of crazy characters in our military and government trying to prevent a bomb going to Russia. So watch it or "you'll have to answer to the CocaCola Company."

My husband finally watched Down with Love. It's a hilarious movie, even if the plot is a little outlandish. He was laughing through the whole thing.

I'm also very excited to learn about a Prepper Fair out here in my area at Be Ready Inc store! There will be tons of cool things do do like HAM radio testing, talking to experts, and I and Mr. Prepper will be there as well! If you happen to see us around give us a shout out! Here's a website with all of our information! http://bereadyinc.squarespace.com/be-ready-prepper-fair/ See you onthe 30th!

Also, I will be redoing my layout! Yay! I've heard it's a little hard to read, so I'll tone down a bit on the crazy. Lol. If you have suggestions feel free to either leave a comment, or email me at mrandmrsprepperkat@gmail.com . I'll be tweaking it all day, and if I get some ideas I like, I just might use them!

-Prepperkat

Getting Out of Dodge

Many of you are sure to be experienced preppers who have really thought about your escape plan for when things start to get really bad. Others may not have even fathomed it. What with everything else you've thought of, you probably thought no more than get in the car and go, right? For those who get out early enough, that may be a viable option, but when the pandemonium is in full swing and marauders are blocking off the streets, what will you do? Have you planned on how far your car will need to go and do you have the gas on hand to make it there? Every single moment needs to be planned to the T with a lot of redundancies set up for when everything goes wrong (even more so than JUST society falling apart, that is).

One of the first things you need to do is plan both an immediate evacuation, a delayed evac, and bugging in. I know that you're thinking, "Whoah. That's way too much!" But trust me, it's better to be safe than sorry. You'll need to have food and water in at least 3 locations- your home, your bug out location, and your travel pack. A good guideline is 3 days, but if you can try and carry as much as it takes to get to your bug out location. If your location is 300 miles away and you have to walk for a month at a rigorous pace to make it, it's not the best place. Try to find an area outside of the city, but close enough to walk within a few day's time if you have to.

So you have your place. Great! Do you have fuel to get there? There's only a few options when it comes to fuel- stock up on gasoline, ethanol, or biodiesel. I'm sure some of you have heard of this magical substance, and I would highly recommend that anyone who owns a diesel car/truck/whatever stock up on it. Why? Because it's refined vegetable oil. It'll get you less mpg, but it's a lot cheaper than gas, and depending on how much you like people, you can probably get it for free. Talk to your local restaurants (think fries and other fried foods) and ask if they can give it to you when they're done. It costs them money to dispose of it properly and you'll both benefit from the exchange.

Do you have an alternate plan for when the roads are blocked? Plan ahead and try to find a way to escape your location while being on as few roads as possible. This means you'll need to know landmarks, have maps and will probably need a compass (can't be used in the car, so frequent stops) or a gps that hooks up to the dash. This will cost extra power, but will ensure you're headed in the right direction. No one will follow you when you attempt to drive through the brush, but you'll have to be on the lookout and avoid hazards. Being alert is key. Off road tires are a must.

Is it better to leave during the day, or the night? It will honestly not be entirely up to you. The best time is when you have a chance to not be seen. If no one is around during tthe day, go for it, but if night is when your local thieves are asleep, that's even better. The goal is to magically disappear and not alert people to your location.

Once you get there, do you have a plan if looters have taken it over? There are a lot of options and this situation can get hairy, so make sure you have enough people to overpower a small group of people or that you have a way to get back to your home and bug in. Remember that you may have to fight your way in and out of your locations, and that you will need to be armed at all times. The more remote your location is, the better. the less used the road looks, the more likely people won't use it.

Are you ready?

-PrepperKat

Projects

Good morning all!

Job interview Tuesday! Woot! I'm excited to possibly be making as much as my husband. Double our income..? Yes please! We'll have to see how the interview goes. Hopefully we can use this to work on saving up for our honeymoon! We didn't really have one, and spent our honeymoon in his parents backyard. I wouldn't take it back for the world, but it's more than time to take our vacation time and head out to do whatever. I really need to apply for a passport.

Hopefully we'll be able to do some major saving to get ready for everything that comes from getting out. House, vacation, family plans, it's all very expensive, and if we knock it out with a little bit of savings, we should be fine.

I've been doing some home decorating the past two days. Lots of editing pictures and putting them in frames. In the future I definitely need to get one of those home picture printers. Now our walls are almost done, and we actually have the place looking a little more... us. It's been very difficult trying to balance the pictures of me and my husband. I came into this marriage with lots of pictures and mementos. Mr. Prepper brought autographed Starwars pictures and guns (although cool and useful, not exactly wall material). And so I'm stuck scouring the internet for pictures and editing them to fill our house. Yikes! Oh well, they still look nice when done correctly. Lol.

We took the new car to have the panel on the driver's chair replaced. It was messed up when we bought it and they called us to let us know the part was in. Now we have a sturdy panel and a shiny car. YAY! We're taking in our other car that has this weird sound it makes in reverse... We've been glad to use the new car more often. Luckily both cars are in warranty, and it's no expense to us to drop it off at the shop.

We're getting ready for the in-laws to come over, and I'm very excited about it. This will be the first time they've seen the new (and much nicer) apartment. Plus, it's a million times easier to clean. It's been just the push I needed to finish unpacking a little more. (Less boxes=more room and less crap I have to walk around). Now if only we could find a way to organize our office... Not a chance. Lol.

So what projects are you working on?

-PrepperKat


*Edit* No clue on the weird color scheme on this one. My computer expert husband tried, too. Sorry!

Testing! Testing!

Sometimes in life, we have to do hard things for ourselves, and for others. There are so many different ways that we communicate to each other using sight, sound, and even touch. Although I'm not a fan of all the preppers out there who advertise where their house is and such, I did see something pretty interesting on one of the first episodes on doomsday preppers a while back. Communication through touch. Which got me thinking about all sorts of different types of communication that could be used in the end of days.

Smoke signals- In a world where you have to hunt for food and all power is gone, this is a great way to tell people far away that there's danger or that dinner is ready. We will rely more on fire to cook and keep us warm, so this is a great option.

Touch- Just like in the episode of preppers you can create your own version of touch communication. You might not need something as elaborate as Morse code, but a general idea for "I'm here" or "They're on the left" aren't bad ideas. It'll keep you from alerting others of your position.

HAM radio- Used for much longer distances, but requires electricity to run. If you can find a way to hook up your area with solar panels, this is a much more viable option. Otherwise conserve batteries by only having it on  once a day for short periods.

Warning bells- a loud sound that not only alerts intruders that you are aware of their presence, but also lets people know when it's supper.

Letters- Sometimes the best way to be perfectly clear is to have something written down. Sending letters to other colonies may be very important. Trading supplies and having a good idea of your surrounding area will be very necessary. These can be delivered on foot, or by horse.

Light- Other than seeing, a light in a window could mean that something is wrong, or that it's all clear. 

Rock formations- Not natural ones, but you can easily mark paths and show where dangerous areas are through the way you arrange rocks. There are even actual guide lines for this should you wish to not be creative.

Other things you may want to think of for your prepping location is a secret word or phrase that triggers alarm like "under the shed" or "up in the attic" in case someone is forcibly getting information from you or if they see a danger and don't want to alert the hostiles.  For this you'll wan to keep in mind that it needs to be something that would sound common to a burglar and can be used in fairly common sentences that would be out of place in your stead. Make sure that everyone knows the secret word and exactly what you use it for.

What are some special communications you use?

-PrepperKat

A Little Visit

Morning!

Have you ever forced yourself awake in a dream because you thought something was real? Like a sound or touch? I can usually tell in my dreams that I'm actually sleeping but I can't control what I do. This morning I thought I heard a door slam beyond my sleeping and forced myself awake. On further inspection I found that the door was locked, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

My husband's family is coming over this weekend, so I'm getting the house ready. Hopefully I'll stop being lazy and actually get some work done since I only have two days. I'm really glad that we're living in a much nicer place, though. We really like this apartment, and it's a lot easier to care care of than our old place. (Yay less carpet!) Plus it's just so much brighter! It makes our house so much more comfortable and open. Plus, kitties need sunshine. It makes them less chaotic.

Anyway, back to them actually coming over. I'm excited because we're all going to do the tourist thing over here. I haven't had a chance to really do any of that. Mr.Prepper and his dad will be attending a conference about computers and we will be hanging out on the beach. This is totally agreeable.

We're still deciding where we want to live, but in one of the places my husband got a job offer, we found the perfect house for not only us, but our prepping. I think 5 acres and 4000 sq ft in our price range is awesome! WOOT! I've been looking at houses and coming up with designs for them, because I like things to look pretty. I used to draw, but I only had a few that ever came out the way I wanted them to. XP Now those drawings are totally lost somewhere.

What do you like to do?
-PrepperKat

Dehydration vs Freeze Drying

The dehydration vs. freeze dried debate. It's a battle that has many different pieces to it. Although I believe that most prepackaged food has tons of salt, sugar and other preservatives that knock some of its original nutrition, what is the nutritional value of each? Which has more flavor? What are the differences?

Dehydration is in essence setting food out to dry. What happens in dehydration is that 98% of the water is evaporated leaving the food hard. How you get it to be edible again is to boil it in hot water. It changes the texture of the finished food and will probably break your teeth in some cases. This is how beef jerky is made. So far I haven't found any information about the actual dehydration process making it have any less good for you. What I have confirmed on many websites is that it's only good for about a year depending on the item. That means you have to rotate your stock frequently. It also doesn't taste as flavorful.

Freeze dried foods also only have 98% of their water, but the technique to get it there is very different. Freeze dried foods are made by taking foods and freezing them quickly (there are supposedly ways to do it from home, but I'm not sure if it works). This gets the water so cold that it sublimates (like when dry ice changes from a solid to a smokey gas). Now what does this mean for your food? It means that it keeps its original shape, and has a completely different texture. It makes it more crisp and crunchy. It definitely won't break your teeth and it is much more flavorful. than dehydrated foods. Many companies claim they are healthier, but I have found no actual proof of this. Freeze dried foods keep for a much longer period of time, about 15-25 years depending on the food and where its kept.

So which do I prefer? Freeze dried. It tastes better cooked and dry. It lasts about 20 times as long, but if you buy it, it's more expensive. Just make sure that when you buy either one that they don't use a ton of preservatives. These will make it less healthy, and ruin your ability to survive in the long run.

Any great survival recipes?

-PrepperKat

A Wonderful Morning!

Good morning everyone!

And what a wonderful morning it is! Mr.Prepper is still asleep, but I guess I can forgive him since he has to work until midnight tonight. Lol. There's tons of awesome crazy things happening here at the Prepper household.

Yesterday my husband tweaked his back, and not being a chiropractor proscribed a heat pad and a massage. It seemed to help, but I think the tylonol was what sealed the deal. We looked at more puppies and found one that had the same name as me! SWEET! (I would post the picture from my phone, but my port on it is finicky and I don't want to break it. :/) Unfortunately it was an adult pitbull (as all California rescues are..? WHY SO MANY PITBULLS?!?!) and we couldn't take her home... Oh well, we couldn't take any of the dogs home until we left the apartment complex. ($100 bucks a month per animal? Sheesh.)

Recently I have been watching the food channel, which is weird, because I was never interested in TV let alone the torture of watching someone make food I can eat... I may be thin, but I'm an absolute eater. I have a problem which left unchecked could cause problems later... i haven't needed to diet yet, but one day I fear I may have to, and so does my husband. (I get cranky if I don't eat my meals on time already...)

The job search has still gotten nowhere. V.V It's sad since I'm truly a good worker and every place I've worked has tried to convince me to work longer, except one, but I'm too honest to be a telemarketer. I'm sorry. I've failed at this one thing. I was fired for "not being bitchy enough" after my first week... I may not be the best sales person, but I rock at customer service. I'm one of those people who loves working with other people, and generally gets along with everybody. All those jobs losses I guess. All the hundreds of thousands of jobs... Grr...

So, today starts the hunt for the one actual working camera we have. (We don't really take a lot of pictures. We always forget and my husband is so picky. Lol) We still have a few boxes from move in day (like all my books) and I need to unpack them anyway. It's probably in our office/this'll--do-for-now room. It's filled with boxes, guns, computer, BIG desk (no really, it takes up two entire walls floor to ceiling), and a queen sized mattress with box spring. Plus Starwars legos. We also still have a dresser in our dining room that we've said we'd get rid of but keep filling with stuff.

Anyway, I'm going to have some breakfast since I'm actually awake on time today (Yay!) And you probably should too.

Happy Prepping!
-PrepperKat

Take My Breath Away (Part 2)

On the first part of this post we discussed what to do if someone is choking and is still conscious. On this second piece we'll be talking about if they pass out while giving them care. If you are standing and giving a choking person care, be sure to have your knees slightly bent with your right leg in between their legs and one behind you to make sure you catch them when they fall.

Let them sag into your arms and slowly lower them to the ground face up while protecting their head. Kneel beside their head with one hand on their forehead and push it  just enough to get the head to tilt back. When you do this you should also lift their chin with the finger of your other hand. Do this until their head is in an extended position with their chin pointing straight up.

Look into their mouth for any food or other items that you can sweep away with your hand.

Keep this head position and put your mouth onto their mouth while pinching their nose closed. Breathe into their mouth until their chest rises. If it can't go through there will be resistance. Re-position their head and try again.

If you still can't get them to breathe expose their chest and start performing CPR for 30 compressions. Continue checking the mouth, re-positioning the head, and performing CPR until the airway is clear. Remember that everyone who has CPR performed on them will puke. It's best to have a mouth shield if you can. If you still cannot get them to breathe begin rescue breathing.

Questions/comments anything I missed? Please let me know!

-PrepperKat

Well, That Was a Shock!

Today we're going to touch on something that everyone wants to think won't happen, or don't really take into consideration. When bad things happen to us, our bodies can react in all sorts of different ways. We've all heard of fight or flight, but there is another crucial reaction that people can have when their lives are turned upside down. It is called shock, and actually needs to be cared for as a medical condition. This can be a very dangerous problem if they are left to their own defenses.

In the case of psychogenic shock, physicians believe that this can be the brain's way of trying to avoid a situation it would rather avoid.What happens is the brain tells all of the blood vessels to dilate (get bigger) and causes the blood pressure in your head to drop suddenly and make you faint. The good news is that since you fall, your brain and heart return to the same level allowing you to regain consciousness.

In the first stage of shock there are several things to look for. The person in shock will be anxious and confused. They will have a rapid, strong pulse, fast, shallow breathing, and cool clammy skin. It may be anywhere from sheet white to normal and clammy. Their blood pressure will be normal with a strong radial pulse (you can feel it in their wrist). Their pupils are normal and change when you shine a light into them. They''l probably be thirsty, nauseous, and will probably empty their lunch onto the ground.Ever seen the scene in Bourne Identity when the guy crashes through the window and the have to leave the house? When Jason finishes fighting the bad guy and the girl starts asking questions and can't move, that's your shock patient (notice that she pukes as they leave the house. Some people are different and will be frantic This is normal.

In your second stage of shock people begin to have an altered level of consciousness. Their pulse becomes rapid and weak along with their breathing. By this point they will have cold, clammy skin, and have a pale to blue or mottled skin. Their blood pressure will be dropping and it will be harder to feel at their wrists. Their pupils will react slowly to light.

In the final stage, there is no going back and is called "irreversible shock". Your patient becomes unresponsive with an extremely fast heartbeat and will have slow, agonal breaths. Their skin will be blue or mottled, as well as cold. It will also be either wet or dry. Their blood pressure will be almost non-existent and you won't be able to find their pulse. Their pupils will be very slow to react if at all.

Make sure that you are paying attention to your team and keep them as calm as possible. If you believe anyone may be suffering from shock, treat them immediately to make sure they will get better. Stay calm and try to reassure them. Have them lay on their back with their legs bent and their head at the same level as their heart. If they are pregnant, have them lay on their left side with their right knee bent supported by a pillow. This will keep the baby from pushing on their blood vessels and keeping blood from returning to their heart. Make sure that their body temperature stays at a normal level by giving them a blanket. Make sure they are drinking water, and evacuate the area.

If a person goes into shock due to other reasons such as blood loss or other injury there are more steps that need to be taken. This is just an outline for shock due to psychological stress.

What are you afraid of if society collapses?

-PrepperKat

Guns are Expensive

Hello!

Yesterday we went to a gun store by our old apartment. It was very sad, they didn't have what my husband wanted and the lady at the counter had a really hard time showing us the feed ramp. Plus since this is California, they're ridiculously expensive. In fact everything in California is expensive. The food, the housing, the electric (even compared to AZ where you won't survive without A/C 24/7 in the summer). It's insane. But back to guns. In California, no one knows the true value of a gun, and seems to not do research. My little Walther PPS would probably go for about $700. My husband bought it for me in AZ at $500. Yes there are more taxes here, but let's be honest, most gun stores are just out to take advantage of you here. It's ridiculous.It's more cheaper to drive to AZ, and buy one gun each trip than it is to buy here. It's insane.

We also went to the car audio store and my husband and I have set aside a little money for his audio, and buy one month's worth of prepping food. We're really excited to get everything set up and actually clear out a space for our extra food. We'll also be dating all of the food by expiration date, and making sure that we only get foods that last about 20 years or so. (Since we have no idea when the disaster could strike, or how long we'll need it for, the longer the shelf-life the better.) Hopefully we can really start to have a collection going.

Today we will be headed over to the Humane Society. We looked at some dogs over at a different location yesterday, and I was really sad to see they were mostly aggressive pit bulls. I actually like pit bulls, but they are very high maintenance and require a ton of training right off the bat. Although we plan on getting a professional trainer for whatever dog we end up with, we're just not ready to take that on. I don't want to risk it since we plan on having kids around the dog at the same time we'd actually get it.

What are somethings you want to do before TEOTWAWKI?

-PrepperKat

Mission Dog-Possible

There are a ton of different things to consider when choosing a dog for your prepping team. Different dogs do different things, and if there was ever a chore to be done, there's been at least one dog per continent to do it, so you have a lot of different choices when it comes to finding the right dog for you and your family.

The first question you need to ask yourself is "What do I want this dog to do?" There's a difference in buying a dog for security, hunting, and how they get that job done. You can use dogs to find lost party members, or track down a trespasser you saw near your food stores. Keep in mind that these dogs can all do wonderful things, but you need to have a clear purpose in mind when you buy a dog. Even if you train them in multiple things, something has to be a top priority.

How old are your children/ are you going to have kids? I've seen so many people who think that an attack dog is great and wonders why it bit their children when it was overly excited, or they did something a little too suddenly. Yes, a trained dog is easier to control than a dog that has an aggressive personality, but there are those moments. Certain breeds if not trained correctly or don't get enough exercise can also have these problems. There are some dogs you just don't want to have near children.

Your next question should be "How much effort am I willing to put into this dog?" Some dogs require a lot more work than other dogs, and that's fine depending on your schedule and your willingness to continue to work with them. It'll be harder to train some dogs than others. Some dogs need more exercise than others. My husband don't like the dog I want because it requires an hour of exercise daily, and if I have to go on a business trip later, it'll be harder for him to take care of. Every family is different. If you run daily, than get that high energy dog and bring it with you. If not, then you might want to get a more lax breed.

How much dog do you want? Although me and my husband's answers to this question were totally different, I can see his reasoning, now. Dogs come in all different sizes. You can get something 7ft long and over 100lbs, or you can get something smaller than a cat and 5 lbs (only one breed this small comes to mind when in an apocalyptic situation). Every family is different, and a lot of moms are worried about big dogs around small children. If you're one of them try a medium sized dog. If you want something intimidating then you'll want something massive. Keep in mind that your purpose may limit your size as well. Any dog you have will tae up food stores, and a larger dog means more food.

Where do you live and where are you bugging out to (if you bug out)? Some dogs are meant to be in cold weather, others in warm, and some can go just about anywhere. If you live in Alaska you might not consider a doberman because they can get cold very easily and require clothing in cold temperatures (a doggy snowsuit perhaps..?), just like if you live in the desert a husky isn't always the best choice.

Dogs are a great addition to almost any team and can really be the difference in a life or death situation. They are loyal companions and have as many different personalities as there are colors in the rainbow. Owning a dog is a huge responsibility, but can light up a dreary day in an instant. Research is a huge must if you are planning on getting a dog, and if you don't know where to start, there are a ton of sites online that can give you a list to start with. Every dog must be trained, no matter what their purpose is, or even if they have a purpose.

So, what kind of dog do you have/want?

-PrepperKat

Kitty Trouble!

Afternoon!

My husband and I just woke up... Oops. At least we got enough sleep. Last night my husband and I were up looking at dogs, and we've both picked our favorite breeds, so far. My husband is a fan of a Rottweiler, but I think it will take a lot of training and we don't want to train a security dog if we're having small children. So, out of all the dogs we looked at my favorite is the Rhodesian Ridgeback. They're hunting dogs that were bred for hunting lions. Since my husband wants to hunt big game in the SHTF scenario, I figure they can take an elk, no problem. My husband absolutely has to have a larger than life dog. So, we're still looking.

My husband has the next two days off of work, and we're excited to spend time with each other. My husband is convinced that he is going to get a new stereo for the Blazer, but I really want to spend it on prepping. Since we're in an apartment We haven't had much time to really get started. We'll see what happens.

Our kitties have been very ridiculous lately. We love them to death, and wouldn't have it any other way... Well if we had gotten Jasper as a kitten so we could train him better, maybe. He's a really stubborn cat.. Here is some evidence that my cats are absolutely crazy.

These are my kitties playing in my room yesterday.

Jasper sleeping with my husband's AR at our old apartment.

Padme eating my Valentine's day flowers at the old apartment. (They were on top of mommy's fridge. :/)

Jasper in one of our cabinets here at the new apartment. I JUST NEEDED A TOWEEL1 Lol.

Another Jasper picture with him in the fridge here at the new apartment. I'm not sure why the kitties like it in there... But they do.

Last, but not least, this is Jasper in our old apartment, pre-Padme.

My husband helped me clean out a lot of my phone to put stuff up. YAY! Maybe it will run better..? Who knows. Computers/fancy phones are his territory. Hopefully I can now have all the storage space I could ever dream of! Mwahaha! Definitely need to update my phone soon.

-What's important in your life?

Dreams and Goals

Hello All!

I know it's a little late in day, but I slept in and have been working on chores this morning. XP Last night I had a friend and her daughter come over and watch a ghost story show. I think it affected my sleep because I had a lot of weird dreams last night. Oh well. That's life, I guess.

Hopefully I can get something from all the resumes I've been sending out. I just wish I had a uniform background and more time in each of my jobs. I feel like my seasonal work will hurt me more than help me at this point. Oh course, I can't really get anything close to the job I will go to school for- translation. Even though I'm preparing for something to change the world, I feel like communication is extremely important, end of the world or no. Maybe I won't make a lot of money, since I'm not planning on spanish yet, but I am planning on learning french, german, and japanese.

My husband and I are really excited to be almost out of the Marine Corps. This job has given him a lot of training and a lot of life experiences, but it has also taken a big toll on both of us. My husband was injured on deployment, and it's time to start settling down. We think that it will much better for us to just take things a little slower and enjoy the rest of the time we have together. (It also doesn't hurt that the pay will be better for my husband.) It's just time to go make a true home without all the restraints that you get in an apartment in California. (We're thinking about 6 months, but it could be up to a year... We'll see.)

What are your goals?
-PrepperKat

Cool Stuff to Come

Good morning. World!

Last night my husband and I sat down and im-ed each other while he was at work about a few things we want to do. One thing, is that we're currently working on fixing our camera so we can have more pictures. YAY! We'll also be planning out my instructional videos a little more as my projects become more complex and require more people to complete/demonstrate. Hopefully we can get some really fun skills ready for you, like making backboards in the wild, and (possibly) some gun videos with my husband. Let us know what you want, and we'll do it.

Yesterday we went to our local recycling center, and after making sure that we crushed all the cans, they wouldn't accept them. Grr. Oh well, that's life, I guess. We also had a great time grilling up burgers by the pool and having a lazy day home. Still working on job applications and my husband is still figuring out what he wants to do after the Marines. Lots of offers in tons of places, but we'll see what we end up doing. I'm backing him 100%.

Today will be a day of more cleaning and job searching. So far I have been looking at other blogs to see what they have to teach me. Someone actually wrote a post about my blog and I'm very excited! Every prepper has their own niche, and it's important to look around and learn what you can. This blog will try to encompass everything we can about our preparations good and bad (hopefully more good) as we continue with our lives and expand our preps. Hopefully we can talk about everything from training hunting dogs to food storage. Baby steps.

-PrepperKat

Take My Breath Away (Part 1)

Hello!

There are a lot of things that can go wrong and make a bad situation worse. Say that your family has found a good place with plenty of water. You've got a campfire going and due to your superior hunting skills you've just grilled up some meat. It's been a while since everyone has had food, and you all are scarfing it down as quickly as possible when Mom starts to choke, and her face turns blue. You've seen them do the Heimlich maneuver on TV, but you don't want to be wrong. Plus, she's very pregnant and you don't know where to put your hands.

If someone's airway is only partially obstructed you will be able to hear them coughing. If they are able to cough then they are able to breathe, and do not need help. Their coughing is their body's way of fixing the problem naturally.

However, if someone makes high pitched wheezing or weak breathing sounds then they are unable to breathe properly, and will need assistance. If someone is in this state they will usually look panicked and grab at their throat. This is considered a universal distress signal.for choking, and is involuntary.

Before riding in on your white horse, make sure that this is an actual emergency. Although it make seem silly, make sure that you ask them if they are okay. If they shake their head no ask them if they need help. Once permission is given begin the maneuver.

If the patient is standing or sitting start by standing behind them and wrapping your hands around their waist. You'll want to make sure that your elbows are out and away from their ribs. Make a fist and put it thumb in toward the patient in the center of their body, just above their belly button. Make sure that you are not touching the cartilage that extends past the middle of their ribs. Grab your fist with your other hand and pull quickly in and up very hard until the object is dislodged.

If a person is "fluffy" or pregnant, then your hands will go to the middle of their sternum (the cartilage in the front of your rib cage). The thrust will go straight back instead of up and back.

There are differences between a conscious and unconscious person, but you'll have to wait for tomorrow. Leave a comment on anything you would like to hear about.

Swimming, Fairs, and Guns!

Last night was great! We went to the pool and our friend's daughter went into the water at nearly three months old. The water felt exactly like bathwater and we figured it was the perfect time to take her in. She didn't seem excited, but she didn't hate it either. After a while she was tired of having a soggy diaper and we moved on to lunch. After a barbecue of awesome grilled chicken and hotdogs we headed over the the farmer's market in Oceanside. It had tons of neat stuff and great food. We bought some kabobs on a stick that my husband says tastes just like they did in the middle east. We also had some great cherry lemonade and cheesecake in a cup. You have not lived until you've had pumpkin spice cheesecake.We walked around and looked at all the different stands of art, jewelry, flowers, and even pillows. I love getting out of the house!

This morning I have been more productive than I think I have been all week. I started laundry (something I always mean to do and then forget) and moved the dishes over. My husband is currently repairing a friend's pistol, and I don't know what's wrong with it, but it requires a dremel tool. I like to watch because it causes sparks to fly up into the air. My husband explained earlier that one of the parts didn't fit correctly. Oh well, I'm just excited to see it work and take it to a range to test fire.

Today I'm going to be working on my gun knowledge. I own a pistol, and I know how to shoot it fairly accurately (once I set up my optometrist appointment it'll be much better) but after that it's kind of hard to know where to start. I'm an annoying adult that gets a little crazy on the "why" question, and I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing. A lot of times I spark questions in other people as well, and promote the need to know more in them, too.

Hopefully when I get more knowledge with weaponry you'll see more stuff abut it on my blog. Even though I'm smarter than the average street walker, I don't feel comfortable yet with giving my view on different guns. However, I have asked my husband to write a little more on the subject. He agreed "but only if [I] do all the typing." So, hopefully you ill hear from Mr. Prepper here soon about guns. We may even post up a few pictures of our own arsenal.

Leave a comment with any gun/rifle questions you have and encourage my husband to write!

-PrepperKat