I installed the solar panels on the roof of the powerhouse today and then hooked up all the wires and the other components. I had to call the vendor and ask a few questions, but once the basic principle was explained then it really wasn't that difficult. Just time consuming making sure all the wires were connected properly.
I didn't get it hooked up until about 4pm today so I'm not sure exactly how much power it was producing, and I'm sure there are a lot of inefficiences in the system (starting with the angle of the solar panels themselves). But we're off to a good start. I was able to see the battery being charged and the readout on the charge controller indicated about 70 volts was coming in. I don't know if that's low or high or what yet. More research is required.
Tomorrow we're ready to get the safety wall up in the loft and then tomorrow night we'll be spending our first night inside! We're jumping ahead a little bit but the woodstove is in place. I just need to run the stovepipe now and I'm confused as to how to do that. A little internet research should reveal that secret.
God is great!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
January 31 Bunker Index - Deep Wells
Listening to the radio this mornin as I was putting around at dawn, a news report was talking about how many small communities around Lake Travis (near Austin) are having to truck water in. The drought and the fall of the aquifer has left those people without any water at all. Right now the state is absorbing the cost, but it's doubtful they will do so forever. Those people are now in a very real SHTF situation.
As for myself, I'm due another heavy rain at the end of the week, which may cause me to put the roofwater collection system on the fast track ahead of the solar panels. I think I'm going to hustle over to town right now and pick up the pipe to do so. Can't miss this rain though if it's more than 2 inches it will overflow the small tank I have now. An abundance of wealth making giant puddles outside my backdoor.
We must prepare for our future and preserve what blessings the Lord bestows upon us. We are stewards here, owning nothing and only using what we need in order to do His work. Those are easy words to say but harder yet when we must deny ourselves creature comforts such as a flush toilet or a hot bath.
1. New Jersey is set to pass a bill banning handgun ammunition. How are they going to deal with folks like myself who practice "cowboy logistics"?
2. A nuclear power plant in Byron, Illinois lost power and began emergency venting of steam. The steam contains only low levels of tritium (a radioactive element) and officials are saying that everything is under control. We've heard that before.
3. A new translation of the bible, produced by reputable Christian groups no less, has recently removed all of the words "father" and "son" and "son of God" from that version of the New Testament. The terms are considered offensive to Muslims. All references to Christ's divinity have been removed. Mainstream Christianity is weak, if not dead. Am I to be considered a Christian extremist because I still believe Jesus Christ was the son of God?
As for myself, I'm due another heavy rain at the end of the week, which may cause me to put the roofwater collection system on the fast track ahead of the solar panels. I think I'm going to hustle over to town right now and pick up the pipe to do so. Can't miss this rain though if it's more than 2 inches it will overflow the small tank I have now. An abundance of wealth making giant puddles outside my backdoor.
We must prepare for our future and preserve what blessings the Lord bestows upon us. We are stewards here, owning nothing and only using what we need in order to do His work. Those are easy words to say but harder yet when we must deny ourselves creature comforts such as a flush toilet or a hot bath.
1. New Jersey is set to pass a bill banning handgun ammunition. How are they going to deal with folks like myself who practice "cowboy logistics"?
2. A nuclear power plant in Byron, Illinois lost power and began emergency venting of steam. The steam contains only low levels of tritium (a radioactive element) and officials are saying that everything is under control. We've heard that before.
3. A new translation of the bible, produced by reputable Christian groups no less, has recently removed all of the words "father" and "son" and "son of God" from that version of the New Testament. The terms are considered offensive to Muslims. All references to Christ's divinity have been removed. Mainstream Christianity is weak, if not dead. Am I to be considered a Christian extremist because I still believe Jesus Christ was the son of God?
Monday, January 30, 2012
Accumulation Day
Well, I didn't get much done in the way of projects today, BUT it was a grand accumulation day. Those are the days when you put together all the materials you're going to need for a couple of the next big projects. It doesn't feel like you did much, but it lines up everything else for much more efficient work! Or so they tell me.
Today we got the woodstove and all of the materials to build the hearth. That's some flat-ish cinderblock things, a bunch of pavers, and assorted stovepipe material. Tomorrow Kathy starts building the hearth. That's old hat for her. She built one a couple of years ago at our house in Illinois.
I, on the other hand, will be climbing up on the powerhouse roof to install the solar panels and then to wire up the charge controller to them. I'll have to move all of the batteries and assorted components over to the powerhouse and then we're ready to throw the switch. That's pretty amazing to me. We've been talking about solar for years and now here we are about to DO IT this week!
I love how all of this is coming together. My bank account has been rapidly depleted by all this activity but we're about at the end. I talked to the well digger today and I can expect the well to run about $3500. That will have to wait. We have a water solution, though it's not the greatest. I'll make do for now. I still don't have the rain catchment done yet, but that's on the list right after I get the power finished. I haven't wanted to empty out the 550 gallon tank to hoist it to the water tower. It's got 300 gallons left in it and we're not yet out of the RV for cooking and bathing. The cabin is yet to have any degree of plumbing installed, as rudimentary as it was going to be.
I guess at some point I ought to organize this into a checklist, but as for now my fingers are blistered and I need to go secure everything for a real windstorm tonight. They say it's gusting out of the desert around 9pm tonight at around 22mph. You can already smell the dust in the air. At least it's going to be warmer at night for the next few days. Around 55 degrees.
Today we got the woodstove and all of the materials to build the hearth. That's some flat-ish cinderblock things, a bunch of pavers, and assorted stovepipe material. Tomorrow Kathy starts building the hearth. That's old hat for her. She built one a couple of years ago at our house in Illinois.
I, on the other hand, will be climbing up on the powerhouse roof to install the solar panels and then to wire up the charge controller to them. I'll have to move all of the batteries and assorted components over to the powerhouse and then we're ready to throw the switch. That's pretty amazing to me. We've been talking about solar for years and now here we are about to DO IT this week!
I love how all of this is coming together. My bank account has been rapidly depleted by all this activity but we're about at the end. I talked to the well digger today and I can expect the well to run about $3500. That will have to wait. We have a water solution, though it's not the greatest. I'll make do for now. I still don't have the rain catchment done yet, but that's on the list right after I get the power finished. I haven't wanted to empty out the 550 gallon tank to hoist it to the water tower. It's got 300 gallons left in it and we're not yet out of the RV for cooking and bathing. The cabin is yet to have any degree of plumbing installed, as rudimentary as it was going to be.
I guess at some point I ought to organize this into a checklist, but as for now my fingers are blistered and I need to go secure everything for a real windstorm tonight. They say it's gusting out of the desert around 9pm tonight at around 22mph. You can already smell the dust in the air. At least it's going to be warmer at night for the next few days. Around 55 degrees.
January 30 Bunker Index - Where Does the Day Go?
I just looked at the clock and it's noon. My routine here is shattered and even though I'm getting up probably 30 minutes before dawn I'm still having a hard time sitting down at the computer.
This morning the generator wouldn't start so I had to fiddle with it for awhile. Then I planted some cabbages in the new raised bed. Only 15 of them as that's all that will fit under the row cover but that's a start. I have some more to plant here when I get the other row cover built. I feel like I may have been taken though. I paid $1.68 each for these red cabbage starts. I'm not sure an entire head of cabbage in the grocery store is more than $1.25. Ah well. It's a start and I feel much better for having something growing in the garden. By mid to late April I'll be eating cabbage as well as whatever else I get going between now and then.
We also got our woodstove and the associated pipe and fittings. Now the wife is off to the store for some fireboard and pavers and then we can start getting it set up. It's a little Franklin-style stove. Not huge but appropriate I think to the smaller cabin and our limited wood supplies. I suspect it will heat this place nicely, especially when I get the tar paper and siding up on the walls.
Things slowly come together here as the wheels continue to come off the outside world.
1. Super Bowl security is extra tight this year. Do they know something of an impending threat or are they just being extra cautious? Or perhaps this is just part of the increasing number of foot soldiers for the totalitarian state?
2. Black teens assault cab driver and passenger in Philly. We haven't seen this sort of stuff in a little while. Has it still been going on and just not reported?
3. Occupy Protestors in DC are being evicted today from the parks. How violent is this expected to be? I'm not sure, but they've been evicted everywhere else for the most part. I suspect they'll stay evicted until spring's warmer weather.
4. In a presidential eligibility hearing in Georgia, Obama failed to appear and a judge issued a default judgement AGAINST him. For more info, check this out. I'm not entirely sure what this means at this point.
5. Vain much? A new study indicates more men in Britain are choosing surgery over going to the gym. More evidence of the decline of Babylon.
This morning the generator wouldn't start so I had to fiddle with it for awhile. Then I planted some cabbages in the new raised bed. Only 15 of them as that's all that will fit under the row cover but that's a start. I have some more to plant here when I get the other row cover built. I feel like I may have been taken though. I paid $1.68 each for these red cabbage starts. I'm not sure an entire head of cabbage in the grocery store is more than $1.25. Ah well. It's a start and I feel much better for having something growing in the garden. By mid to late April I'll be eating cabbage as well as whatever else I get going between now and then.
We also got our woodstove and the associated pipe and fittings. Now the wife is off to the store for some fireboard and pavers and then we can start getting it set up. It's a little Franklin-style stove. Not huge but appropriate I think to the smaller cabin and our limited wood supplies. I suspect it will heat this place nicely, especially when I get the tar paper and siding up on the walls.
Things slowly come together here as the wheels continue to come off the outside world.
1. Super Bowl security is extra tight this year. Do they know something of an impending threat or are they just being extra cautious? Or perhaps this is just part of the increasing number of foot soldiers for the totalitarian state?
2. Black teens assault cab driver and passenger in Philly. We haven't seen this sort of stuff in a little while. Has it still been going on and just not reported?
3. Occupy Protestors in DC are being evicted today from the parks. How violent is this expected to be? I'm not sure, but they've been evicted everywhere else for the most part. I suspect they'll stay evicted until spring's warmer weather.
4. In a presidential eligibility hearing in Georgia, Obama failed to appear and a judge issued a default judgement AGAINST him. For more info, check this out. I'm not entirely sure what this means at this point.
5. Vain much? A new study indicates more men in Britain are choosing surgery over going to the gym. More evidence of the decline of Babylon.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Garden Antics
And we're gardeners again now. Today we built the first of a whole series of raised beds. I like them to be about 4'x16' and this one I built extra deep instead of the one level I used to do. It's about 16" deep. That will be a lot of soil to fill but it'll hold water quite well. Here's some photos of one of today's projects.
I also built a pretty good row cover for this with an interesting design. I'll tweak the next one to be better, but this one I'm happy with. It's almost finished and I'll post some pictures of it later this week as well as discuss the changes.
Hugelkulture is a concept I'd read about since I built the raised beds up in Illinois. I'd wanted to try it but didn't have the opportunity. This time we thought we'd try a controlled experiment and see if we couldn't get it to turn out our way. Half the bed will have some rotting logs and branches in it and the other half will remain open. We'll see how that goes throughout this year and particularly the summer. I may break down and go ahead and make the other beds hugelkulture beds as well. Haven't decided.
I feel much better after my rest the other day. Yesterday we put the sides and roof on the powerhouse and tomorrow the solar panels should be arriving. I've got this Outback charge controller to figure out how to hook up for tomorrow and then it's time to figure out how to run power to the cabin. Other than a long pair of wires across the ground, that is.
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| Jared builds the raised bed. |
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| Yard Goblins fill the raised bed with mulched material. It's a combination of wood ships and dirt. |
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| Experimenting with hugelkulture. |
Hugelkulture is a concept I'd read about since I built the raised beds up in Illinois. I'd wanted to try it but didn't have the opportunity. This time we thought we'd try a controlled experiment and see if we couldn't get it to turn out our way. Half the bed will have some rotting logs and branches in it and the other half will remain open. We'll see how that goes throughout this year and particularly the summer. I may break down and go ahead and make the other beds hugelkulture beds as well. Haven't decided.
I feel much better after my rest the other day. Yesterday we put the sides and roof on the powerhouse and tomorrow the solar panels should be arriving. I've got this Outback charge controller to figure out how to hook up for tomorrow and then it's time to figure out how to run power to the cabin. Other than a long pair of wires across the ground, that is.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Exhausted Today
I've got a ton of projects to do but I am just bone weary. All of my off-farm work I moved from December had to be accomplished in January so it's been a double work month. And on the few days I've been home each week I've been working myself ragged getting the cabin fixed up.
So today I decided to put myself on light duty. Easy work only and plenty of naps. Tomorrow I can get back to the grind and now that January is over I'm back on a more human schedule. We cannot completely ignore the demands of the flesh.
So today I decided to put myself on light duty. Easy work only and plenty of naps. Tomorrow I can get back to the grind and now that January is over I'm back on a more human schedule. We cannot completely ignore the demands of the flesh.
January 27th Bunker Index - Reflections
First, I'll start off with a confession.
I am not a prepper nor a survivalist.
I once was, and thus my long and noisy participation in the Survival and Emergency Preparedness forum of HomesteadingToday. However, over the years, I have transitioned out of it as a mindset. I'm going to numerate some of the reasons for that now, and I hope the reader will understand my meaning.
Readership has dropped off in the blog lately. We went from about 800 readers at first to a more casual 500 readers once the initial drama of its creation wore off. Over the hiatus in December while I built a home, more readers fell away. With the drop in readership came a corresponding drop in advertising revenue, but this is not a great concern. We are still providing enough in revenue to pay for my internet connectivity so that I may still have the means of producing this. Enough is as good as a feast.
And as a bright side, the readership has now spread out and is coming in from multiple sources now instead of simply the duality of two different forums. (The one group coming to appreciate what I say and the other group coming to scorn.) Now I have readers coming in from various other blogs out there on the internet and folks who I have not yet met. And there's also the ever-present scrutiny of the government, checking in every few weeks to download every word I post. I take this as a good sign. When I was simply an anti-government survivalist ranting into the void they paid little attention. As a Christian extolling the virtues of a simple life of humility withdrawn from the system, I suppose I represent a much greater threat to the establishment. Drinking rainwater and pooping in buckets may just become the status quo among Christians!
I thank you for your visit with me each and every day and I am always surprised that people do indeed show up to read what I have to say. Your prayers sustain us and your encouragement lightens my heart.
Your friend in the desert,
Ernie
I am not a prepper nor a survivalist.
I once was, and thus my long and noisy participation in the Survival and Emergency Preparedness forum of HomesteadingToday. However, over the years, I have transitioned out of it as a mindset. I'm going to numerate some of the reasons for that now, and I hope the reader will understand my meaning.
- I believe that a very large disruption in the corporate-industrial grid is coming our way and that it will permanently cast us backwards about 300 years. With that in mind, no amount of beans, bullets, and bandages is going to save your family. Thus I am adopting a simple, sustainable lifestyle in obedience to God. This will by no means preserve your life, as God does not sustain Christians simply because they are obedient. Often the saints die horribly as martyrs, and that may still be our fate.
- Survival at all costs is simply not in my worldview any longer. Suffering and deprivation would not cause me to give up and die, but there are many, many situations in which I would willingly put my life between hammer and anvil for God to take as He wills. What good is the preservation of the body if you lose your soul?
- I have come to see dependence upon worldly things as a lack of faith in the providence of God. Jesus felt it was so important that we understand this topic that it was mentioned multiple times by him in the New Testament. We have firmly been instructed to seek ye first the kingdom of God and let worldly wealth follow if it will. It has been promised that our necessities will be provided. History is filled with the saints being murdered horribly by unbelievers or their government, but I don't know of many cases where they starved to death.
Readership has dropped off in the blog lately. We went from about 800 readers at first to a more casual 500 readers once the initial drama of its creation wore off. Over the hiatus in December while I built a home, more readers fell away. With the drop in readership came a corresponding drop in advertising revenue, but this is not a great concern. We are still providing enough in revenue to pay for my internet connectivity so that I may still have the means of producing this. Enough is as good as a feast.
And as a bright side, the readership has now spread out and is coming in from multiple sources now instead of simply the duality of two different forums. (The one group coming to appreciate what I say and the other group coming to scorn.) Now I have readers coming in from various other blogs out there on the internet and folks who I have not yet met. And there's also the ever-present scrutiny of the government, checking in every few weeks to download every word I post. I take this as a good sign. When I was simply an anti-government survivalist ranting into the void they paid little attention. As a Christian extolling the virtues of a simple life of humility withdrawn from the system, I suppose I represent a much greater threat to the establishment. Drinking rainwater and pooping in buckets may just become the status quo among Christians!
I thank you for your visit with me each and every day and I am always surprised that people do indeed show up to read what I have to say. Your prayers sustain us and your encouragement lightens my heart.
Your friend in the desert,
Ernie
Thursday, January 26, 2012
January 26 Bunker Index - Heart of Stone
I have been praying for awhile now that God would use me in some grand ministry. The night before I received a waking dream during prayer which did not make sense at first but it has resolved into meaningfulness.
I was a large, flat boulder beside a road. I thought, "I could be the cornerstone of a mighty cathedral! Or part of a wall protecting God's children! Oh, if only a builder could see how I could be used in these holy purposes!" And I sat there for centuries wondering and praying that I could be thus used.
Over the centuries, many pilgrims came and took shelter from the sun in my shade. Some hid behind me to avoid bandits. Yet others simply sat upon me and rested for awhile before continuing on their journey. Then it was revealed to me that I was a large stone on the pilgrim road to Jerusalem and that was exactly where God had intended me to be.
I've come to understand from this that there may very well be no grand purpose to my existence, but rather I am to simply be a good man and a Christian. Is that not enough? What sort of world would we live in if all men sought that goal? Just being a good man will be a difficult enough endeavor for the rest of my days. I need seek no higher purpose.
1. A senator in Oklahoma is pushing for a bill that would outlaw human fetuses in foods. When such a thing is even considered by the world, then it clearly means the last forces of good have lost and are doing nothing more than fighting a rearguard action against evil.
2. Do you still wonder why I left that state? Illinois is descending into a bigger financial mess than Greece.
3. Our government created these people, and now can't figure out what to do with them. "Mentally unstable veterans" is going to be the watchword for the next few years. The government is setting the stage to be able to call any veteran honoring the oath "unstable".
4. You think all the government's monitoring of social network sites is creepy? Check this one out. Yes, this is a real business service.
5. Watch your dog! This video had me screaming up until the end. Don't panic though. The dog is fine. (No survival value at all to this, but I just had to include it. We all lose our situational awareness from time to time. We're in a dangerous world.)
I was a large, flat boulder beside a road. I thought, "I could be the cornerstone of a mighty cathedral! Or part of a wall protecting God's children! Oh, if only a builder could see how I could be used in these holy purposes!" And I sat there for centuries wondering and praying that I could be thus used.
Over the centuries, many pilgrims came and took shelter from the sun in my shade. Some hid behind me to avoid bandits. Yet others simply sat upon me and rested for awhile before continuing on their journey. Then it was revealed to me that I was a large stone on the pilgrim road to Jerusalem and that was exactly where God had intended me to be.
I've come to understand from this that there may very well be no grand purpose to my existence, but rather I am to simply be a good man and a Christian. Is that not enough? What sort of world would we live in if all men sought that goal? Just being a good man will be a difficult enough endeavor for the rest of my days. I need seek no higher purpose.
1. A senator in Oklahoma is pushing for a bill that would outlaw human fetuses in foods. When such a thing is even considered by the world, then it clearly means the last forces of good have lost and are doing nothing more than fighting a rearguard action against evil.
2. Do you still wonder why I left that state? Illinois is descending into a bigger financial mess than Greece.
3. Our government created these people, and now can't figure out what to do with them. "Mentally unstable veterans" is going to be the watchword for the next few years. The government is setting the stage to be able to call any veteran honoring the oath "unstable".
4. You think all the government's monitoring of social network sites is creepy? Check this one out. Yes, this is a real business service.
5. Watch your dog! This video had me screaming up until the end. Don't panic though. The dog is fine. (No survival value at all to this, but I just had to include it. We all lose our situational awareness from time to time. We're in a dangerous world.)
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
January 25 Bunker Index - SOTU Special Edition!
I watched as much of the State of the Union speech last night as I could stomach. One of the things about living an off-grid lifestyle is that you pay a higher cost for the material things of the world. Or perhaps I should say you pay their true costs. I pay about $3 for every hour of power I provide. Listening to the ravings of a tyrannical megalomaniac is not worth it.
I found plenty of alarming things in his speech and instead of a news roundup today I'm going to pull out some of his sound bytes for critical examination. There couldn't be anything more alarming in today's news anyway.
Unfortunately, I believe Obama is God-ordained. He's perfect for the American people. We wish to have an all encompassing state and so we have been sent a statist. We wish to be slaves so we have been sent a slavemaster. We prefer the comfortable deception to the hard truth and so we have been sent a honey-tongued deceiver.
Before I begin, it is a good time to review a select bit from 1 Samuel 8.
1Sa 8:10 So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking for a king from him.
1Sa 8:11 He said, "These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots.
1Sa 8:12 And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots.
1Sa 8:13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers.
1Sa 8:14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants.
1Sa 8:15 He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants.
1Sa 8:16 He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work.
1Sa 8:17 He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves.
1Sa 8:18 And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day."
1. For the first time in two decades, Osama bin Laden is not a threat to this country.
This is a reminder that he, the protector, has killed the national enemy. Of course we only really have his word for this as he scripted the entire event entirely for his own glory. Only a handful of Navy Seals know the truth about this, and they aren't likely to go off the reservation and tell us the truth. Assuming he did kill OBL, do not think for a minute that it wasn't staged as a matter of timing.
2. In 2008, the house of cards collapsed. We learned that mortgages had been sold to people who couldn't afford or understand them. Banks had made huge bets and bonuses with other people's money. Regulators had looked the other way, or didn't have the authority to stop the bad behavior.
This is pandering in the worst degree. "Hey, America, it's not your fault that you lived above your means. You were tricked. It's THEIR fault. Let's GET THEM!" Somehow in the "get them" you'll discover that the people who share Obama's ideology will not be found at fault but it will be the "greed" of the Republicans.
3. In the six months before I took office, we lost nearly 4 million jobs. And we lost another 4 million before our policies were in full effect. Those are the facts.
"Bush did it." This passing-the-buck got him elected and it will help keep him elected in 2012. He claims no responsibility at all for the nosedive our country has taken since he was elected.
4. So tonight, I am proposing that every state, every state, requires that all students stay in high school until they graduate or turn 18.
In other words, we're going to encourage the states to enforce slavery. We want to keep the youth in the government run propaganda camps as long as possible. They're refusing to sit still and be lobotomized in record numbers, so we intend to force them to do so.
5. Let's limit any elected official from owning stocks in industries they impact. Let's make sure people who bundle campaign contributions for Congress can't lobby Congress, and vice versa, an idea that has bipartisan support, at least outside of Washington.
He has been one of the worst offenders of this. Do you really think he's going to stop? Or do you think this is just yet another one of his lies?
America, you've gotten what you deserve in Obama, and I suspect you're going to get another four years of it. At best you'll be putting in office someone new who follows the same policies as him and continues to lead our country down the path of destruction.
There is no hope at this point. You cannot save yourselves by electing someone else. Your best chance for survival is to get yourself as far from "civilization" as you reasonably can and limit your interaction with it. Ask nothing from the world and expect them to still turn their hands against you.
I found plenty of alarming things in his speech and instead of a news roundup today I'm going to pull out some of his sound bytes for critical examination. There couldn't be anything more alarming in today's news anyway.
Unfortunately, I believe Obama is God-ordained. He's perfect for the American people. We wish to have an all encompassing state and so we have been sent a statist. We wish to be slaves so we have been sent a slavemaster. We prefer the comfortable deception to the hard truth and so we have been sent a honey-tongued deceiver.
Before I begin, it is a good time to review a select bit from 1 Samuel 8.
1Sa 8:10 So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking for a king from him.
1Sa 8:11 He said, "These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots.
1Sa 8:12 And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots.
1Sa 8:13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers.
1Sa 8:14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants.
1Sa 8:15 He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants.
1Sa 8:16 He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work.
1Sa 8:17 He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves.
1Sa 8:18 And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day."
1. For the first time in two decades, Osama bin Laden is not a threat to this country.
This is a reminder that he, the protector, has killed the national enemy. Of course we only really have his word for this as he scripted the entire event entirely for his own glory. Only a handful of Navy Seals know the truth about this, and they aren't likely to go off the reservation and tell us the truth. Assuming he did kill OBL, do not think for a minute that it wasn't staged as a matter of timing.
2. In 2008, the house of cards collapsed. We learned that mortgages had been sold to people who couldn't afford or understand them. Banks had made huge bets and bonuses with other people's money. Regulators had looked the other way, or didn't have the authority to stop the bad behavior.
This is pandering in the worst degree. "Hey, America, it's not your fault that you lived above your means. You were tricked. It's THEIR fault. Let's GET THEM!" Somehow in the "get them" you'll discover that the people who share Obama's ideology will not be found at fault but it will be the "greed" of the Republicans.
3. In the six months before I took office, we lost nearly 4 million jobs. And we lost another 4 million before our policies were in full effect. Those are the facts.
"Bush did it." This passing-the-buck got him elected and it will help keep him elected in 2012. He claims no responsibility at all for the nosedive our country has taken since he was elected.
4. So tonight, I am proposing that every state, every state, requires that all students stay in high school until they graduate or turn 18.
In other words, we're going to encourage the states to enforce slavery. We want to keep the youth in the government run propaganda camps as long as possible. They're refusing to sit still and be lobotomized in record numbers, so we intend to force them to do so.
5. Let's limit any elected official from owning stocks in industries they impact. Let's make sure people who bundle campaign contributions for Congress can't lobby Congress, and vice versa, an idea that has bipartisan support, at least outside of Washington.
He has been one of the worst offenders of this. Do you really think he's going to stop? Or do you think this is just yet another one of his lies?
America, you've gotten what you deserve in Obama, and I suspect you're going to get another four years of it. At best you'll be putting in office someone new who follows the same policies as him and continues to lead our country down the path of destruction.
There is no hope at this point. You cannot save yourselves by electing someone else. Your best chance for survival is to get yourself as far from "civilization" as you reasonably can and limit your interaction with it. Ask nothing from the world and expect them to still turn their hands against you.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
January 24 Bunker Index - Rekindling the Flame
Of late I have lost a lot of enthusiasm for politics and current events. Yesterday I had to drive to Dallas and over the course of the three hours I listened to some talk radio. Does it seem to you that the democratic process of choosing a Republican contender to face off against Obama has been turned into a version of "American Idol" or "Dancing With the Stars?"
Self-appointed media judges critique every gaffe and sound byte from the contenders and then place some sort of score against their "electability". This is a complete charade.
I don't need a republic; I already live in a kingdom. My king is Christ. I say no to the tyrants who would have me because I have already been bought and paid for with my savior's blood.
I have a new catchphrase I've been using whenever someone tries to explain to me why my lifestyle is too difficult or too harsh.
"Rattle your chains elsewhere. I care not for the prattle of slaves."
Feel free to use it yourself.
1. A judge forces a woman to decrypt her laptop so that the files may be used against her. You didn't protect the 2nd Amendment, so why are you now surprised that even the 5th is falling?
2. Texas ranchers along the border are now reportedly arming themselves against the cartels. If our government does not protect us, then what good is it?
3. According to market reports, India is now going to pay Iran in gold for the oil it purchases. Supposedly so will China. OPEC's petrodollar was the last real support propping up our worthless currency. Look out for hyperinflation now.
4. We're having the strongest solar radiation storm in 7 years. I'm not too alarmed by this. It's getting a lot of press but we had one just like it 7 years ago. Technology hasn't changed that radically. Still, it hits us sometime today.
5. UK, US, and France are sending warships through the Strait of Hormuz. This is a very public message to Iran, who has promised to prevent this. War is inevitable at this point.
Self-appointed media judges critique every gaffe and sound byte from the contenders and then place some sort of score against their "electability". This is a complete charade.
I don't need a republic; I already live in a kingdom. My king is Christ. I say no to the tyrants who would have me because I have already been bought and paid for with my savior's blood.
I have a new catchphrase I've been using whenever someone tries to explain to me why my lifestyle is too difficult or too harsh.
"Rattle your chains elsewhere. I care not for the prattle of slaves."
Feel free to use it yourself.
1. A judge forces a woman to decrypt her laptop so that the files may be used against her. You didn't protect the 2nd Amendment, so why are you now surprised that even the 5th is falling?
2. Texas ranchers along the border are now reportedly arming themselves against the cartels. If our government does not protect us, then what good is it?
3. According to market reports, India is now going to pay Iran in gold for the oil it purchases. Supposedly so will China. OPEC's petrodollar was the last real support propping up our worthless currency. Look out for hyperinflation now.
4. We're having the strongest solar radiation storm in 7 years. I'm not too alarmed by this. It's getting a lot of press but we had one just like it 7 years ago. Technology hasn't changed that radically. Still, it hits us sometime today.
5. UK, US, and France are sending warships through the Strait of Hormuz. This is a very public message to Iran, who has promised to prevent this. War is inevitable at this point.
Monday, January 23, 2012
January 23 Bunker Index - Manna Falls
On the heels of yesterday's dust storms, it's really cold here today. I'm struggling to type it's so cold in the cabin. I've got to bump the old woodstove project up on the priority list. I'm sure winter has a few more cold spells to deliver to us.
In my brief chores this morning before I came inside to do the BI, I was pondering just how God delivers our needs to us. He knows them well and will sustain His people through hardship. I suppose the problem is that we don't often recognize those blessings and squander them foolishly on other things. The forecast calls for rain in a few days, which I suppose is what has my mind dwelling on this.
Is a blessing in your life about to come due? Have you thought about the best way to put it to use as a steward of God?
1. 953 dead people allegedly voted in the SC election. What an amazing amount of fraud for such an unimportant political event.
2. The owners of the cruise ship which met its disastrous end at the hands of a cowardly captain in Italy have offered survivors a 30% discount on all future cruises. This just amused me to no end to read. It has no real survival value other than a reminder of how little the corporations care for you.
3. Across the south, tornado season starts early tonight. This reminds me that I have not, as yet, dug out a root cellar! My neighbor has offered the use of his backhoe when the occasion arises.
4. Meth makers are catching themselves on fire at an increased rate. While I can exhibit a slight amount of sympathy for someone who has become addicted to meth, I cannot summon up any for the creators of this horrible substance.
5. In this NYT article you can get a glimpse of why high tech manufacturers are never bringing their jobs back to the United States.
In my brief chores this morning before I came inside to do the BI, I was pondering just how God delivers our needs to us. He knows them well and will sustain His people through hardship. I suppose the problem is that we don't often recognize those blessings and squander them foolishly on other things. The forecast calls for rain in a few days, which I suppose is what has my mind dwelling on this.
Is a blessing in your life about to come due? Have you thought about the best way to put it to use as a steward of God?
1. 953 dead people allegedly voted in the SC election. What an amazing amount of fraud for such an unimportant political event.
2. The owners of the cruise ship which met its disastrous end at the hands of a cowardly captain in Italy have offered survivors a 30% discount on all future cruises. This just amused me to no end to read. It has no real survival value other than a reminder of how little the corporations care for you.
3. Across the south, tornado season starts early tonight. This reminds me that I have not, as yet, dug out a root cellar! My neighbor has offered the use of his backhoe when the occasion arises.
4. Meth makers are catching themselves on fire at an increased rate. While I can exhibit a slight amount of sympathy for someone who has become addicted to meth, I cannot summon up any for the creators of this horrible substance.
5. In this NYT article you can get a glimpse of why high tech manufacturers are never bringing their jobs back to the United States.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Whew - What a Weekend
Things are coming together well. A bathroom has been carved out and we put part of the wall up there. The furniture is in the cabin (some of it) and we're spending a lot of time there during the days but having to go back to the RV at night due to lack of heat. My brother-in-law is coming out next week and I'll get his help installing our wood stove. It's too heavy to move for just one man. It will put a serious crimp in our work effort if I herniate myself.
Some more windows are to be carved out tomorrow and I should be getting the rest of the walls and such upstairs taken care of. I could really use a full week to work on this stuff instead of just 2-3 days on the weekends.
Today the wind kicked up and a dust storm obscured almost everything outside in a deep haze. Made for a rough day outside but a beautiful sunset.
Some more windows are to be carved out tomorrow and I should be getting the rest of the walls and such upstairs taken care of. I could really use a full week to work on this stuff instead of just 2-3 days on the weekends.
Today the wind kicked up and a dust storm obscured almost everything outside in a deep haze. Made for a rough day outside but a beautiful sunset.
Friday, January 20, 2012
January 20 Bunker Index - Bone Weary
It's not yet 8am and I'm already sick of people and the world. Shortly I'll be back home with my loving family and can spend some time on farm projects, but I've got to go through hell to get there. No matter. I'm willing.
As I'm watching the politics unfold in advance of the 2012 election, I'm beginning to see clearly how we may end up with another 4 years of Obama. All of the Republican candidates are self-destructing. Ron Paul is being marginalized as usual and this year there's a disturbing new trend of "conservatives" attacking him as well for his isolationist stance and his lack of support for the perpetual wars we're fighting. What a disaster. I think Americans should probably brace themselves for 4 more years of Obama at this rate, and they'll be the absolutely worst years as he no longer has to handle us with kid gloves.
Hang in there, folks. We've got another weekend in front of us. Time to scrape out what time we can muster and use it for our own meager ends.
1. Ann Barnhardt is discussing rumors of banks refusing large cash withdrawals. Some good advice there. I don't know for sure this is really happening on a widescale yet, but it will. Don't wait for it.
2. While many websites "went dark" to protest SOPA, hacker group Anonymous took a different tact. They brought down many music and movie websites through hack attacks and did not forget to include government websites as well. They took down the DOJ, the FBI, and the government's copyright websites as well.
3. The state of Texas airdropped 7000 square miles of territory with a rabies vaccine in an edible packet to entice varmints to consume it. What an incredibly ill-conceived notion this is. Where is the science indicating that this might be safe? They fed it to a coyote in a lab perhaps? Do they realize that the coyotes in the wild are consuming completely different food? I wonder if some lamebrained plan like this won't actually be the start of a real "zombie apocalypse" as the rabies vaccine mutates and then jumps species over to humans.
4. A homosexual advocacy group is pushing a new training video on educators on how to address gay and lesbian issues with 6-12 year olds in school. Are your children in public school? Are you aware of what they're being taught?
5. Buying your way in is considered normal in the Obama administration. A report indicates that out of Obama's top 350 campaign donation "bundlers", 68 of them received posts in his administration. Is this the same guy who railed against Bush's cronyism in order to get elected?
6. This one amuses me to no end. This Democrat Representative is telling wealthy Americans that they have to "pay their fair share", but meanwhile her husband is sitting in prison for tax evasion. Again the total hypocrisy of the left is exposed. They would be a joke if there weren't so many idiots in America who actually fall for their nonsense.
As I'm watching the politics unfold in advance of the 2012 election, I'm beginning to see clearly how we may end up with another 4 years of Obama. All of the Republican candidates are self-destructing. Ron Paul is being marginalized as usual and this year there's a disturbing new trend of "conservatives" attacking him as well for his isolationist stance and his lack of support for the perpetual wars we're fighting. What a disaster. I think Americans should probably brace themselves for 4 more years of Obama at this rate, and they'll be the absolutely worst years as he no longer has to handle us with kid gloves.
Hang in there, folks. We've got another weekend in front of us. Time to scrape out what time we can muster and use it for our own meager ends.
1. Ann Barnhardt is discussing rumors of banks refusing large cash withdrawals. Some good advice there. I don't know for sure this is really happening on a widescale yet, but it will. Don't wait for it.
2. While many websites "went dark" to protest SOPA, hacker group Anonymous took a different tact. They brought down many music and movie websites through hack attacks and did not forget to include government websites as well. They took down the DOJ, the FBI, and the government's copyright websites as well.
3. The state of Texas airdropped 7000 square miles of territory with a rabies vaccine in an edible packet to entice varmints to consume it. What an incredibly ill-conceived notion this is. Where is the science indicating that this might be safe? They fed it to a coyote in a lab perhaps? Do they realize that the coyotes in the wild are consuming completely different food? I wonder if some lamebrained plan like this won't actually be the start of a real "zombie apocalypse" as the rabies vaccine mutates and then jumps species over to humans.
4. A homosexual advocacy group is pushing a new training video on educators on how to address gay and lesbian issues with 6-12 year olds in school. Are your children in public school? Are you aware of what they're being taught?
5. Buying your way in is considered normal in the Obama administration. A report indicates that out of Obama's top 350 campaign donation "bundlers", 68 of them received posts in his administration. Is this the same guy who railed against Bush's cronyism in order to get elected?
6. This one amuses me to no end. This Democrat Representative is telling wealthy Americans that they have to "pay their fair share", but meanwhile her husband is sitting in prison for tax evasion. Again the total hypocrisy of the left is exposed. They would be a joke if there weren't so many idiots in America who actually fall for their nonsense.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Clumsy
Well, while I was finishing up some work today at a customer, one of the people I'm working with mentioned that I have some odd beliefs and questioned me as to what religion I belong to. I announced that I am a Christian. This inspired some further discussion which made one of the participants uncomfortable with having it in the workplace. He suggested that we should adjourn to a nearby restaurant to continue.
Turns out he's an athiest. As the conversation continued on into the evening he attempted to essentially cure me of my insanity and explain away the delusion of religion I have been suffering under for all these years. When he failed, he ultimately stormed out angrily.
I suppose that I am a poor witness for Christ. I remained calm and patient throughout the discussion, which is not particularly in my nature to do, and I steered clear from trying to argue the promotion of Christianity from a logical standpoint. (Christianity is NOT logical and is an act of faith, not intellect.) Yet ultimately I failed. I don't know what success would have looked like. I didn't really expect to get down on my knees with an unbeliever in a TGI Friday's restaurant and have him accept Christ on the spot. Yet angering him to the point of leaving wasn't really my intention either.
I pray God grants me more success in the future, or at least more opportunities.
Turns out he's an athiest. As the conversation continued on into the evening he attempted to essentially cure me of my insanity and explain away the delusion of religion I have been suffering under for all these years. When he failed, he ultimately stormed out angrily.
I suppose that I am a poor witness for Christ. I remained calm and patient throughout the discussion, which is not particularly in my nature to do, and I steered clear from trying to argue the promotion of Christianity from a logical standpoint. (Christianity is NOT logical and is an act of faith, not intellect.) Yet ultimately I failed. I don't know what success would have looked like. I didn't really expect to get down on my knees with an unbeliever in a TGI Friday's restaurant and have him accept Christ on the spot. Yet angering him to the point of leaving wasn't really my intention either.
I pray God grants me more success in the future, or at least more opportunities.
Knives - for HermitJim
I love showing off my knives. Glad you asked.
Here's a couple of the ones I've either made or sold recently. I have an Etsy store (Possum Creek Knifeworks) but not a lot up for sale right now. I've sold almost everything I made before I moved and haven't had time to get the workshop up and going in Texas yet. Soon though I'll be back in production!
Here's a couple of the ones I've either made or sold recently. I have an Etsy store (Possum Creek Knifeworks) but not a lot up for sale right now. I've sold almost everything I made before I moved and haven't had time to get the workshop up and going in Texas yet. Soon though I'll be back in production!
January 19 Bunker Index - Bleak Wilderness Outside the Door
I do not like the cities. I feel oppressed and jumpy. They are an assault on all of the sense ... too dirty, too flashy, too loud, too smelly. I believe I have largely accomplished God's goal in getting us out to a place where we can life sustainably and free and though much work remains, it is mine to do. So I wonder how much longer I shall hold on to my corporate life of income and travel. God willing, it will not be for very much longer. I have little to no interest in going forth from my farm now. The farm work just gets further behind and I have a lot of knife orders that need to be accomplished. To the point that I wonder if the knife work will keep me in frijoles now that the major expenses are gone from my life.
I am praying for guidance on this topic. Babylon is getting ready to burst and it is past time for me to unhitch my wagon from it.
1. A recent article in the AMA Journal is making waves ... it seems to advocate making participation in vaccine trials MANDATORY. So if the pharmaceutical companies have an experimental drug and they can't get enough volunteers, and your doctor diagnoses you with a disease that drug is for, you could be forced to undergo experimental treatment whether you want to or not.
2. A recent report puts the average age of the American automobile at 10.8 years due to the declining economy. I'm actually rather impressed. I would have thought the ill-conceived "cash for clunkers" would have done in all the old heaps. I drive a 1990 Ford F-150. It's got a new engine and a new transmission but it keeps right on ticking. The rust from the salted roads up north is probably going to eventually kill it, but for now I'm very happy with my old truck.
3. The government is allowing the importation of over 80,000 M1 Garand rifles from South Korea. While they are relics, I want a couple. It's a very fine weapon and was designed to kill the soldiers of tyrannical governments. Nuff said?
4. Iran is threatening to torpedo U.S. aircraft carriers if strikes are carried out against its nuclear sites. It seems as if yet another war in the Middle East is all but unavoidable at this point.
5. Lawmakers are retreating from the SOPA bill in response to the outrage of internet-using Americans. Don't you wish we could harness this outrage for no-knock raids, anti-gun laws, and the murder of the unborn?
I am praying for guidance on this topic. Babylon is getting ready to burst and it is past time for me to unhitch my wagon from it.
1. A recent article in the AMA Journal is making waves ... it seems to advocate making participation in vaccine trials MANDATORY. So if the pharmaceutical companies have an experimental drug and they can't get enough volunteers, and your doctor diagnoses you with a disease that drug is for, you could be forced to undergo experimental treatment whether you want to or not.
2. A recent report puts the average age of the American automobile at 10.8 years due to the declining economy. I'm actually rather impressed. I would have thought the ill-conceived "cash for clunkers" would have done in all the old heaps. I drive a 1990 Ford F-150. It's got a new engine and a new transmission but it keeps right on ticking. The rust from the salted roads up north is probably going to eventually kill it, but for now I'm very happy with my old truck.
3. The government is allowing the importation of over 80,000 M1 Garand rifles from South Korea. While they are relics, I want a couple. It's a very fine weapon and was designed to kill the soldiers of tyrannical governments. Nuff said?
4. Iran is threatening to torpedo U.S. aircraft carriers if strikes are carried out against its nuclear sites. It seems as if yet another war in the Middle East is all but unavoidable at this point.
5. Lawmakers are retreating from the SOPA bill in response to the outrage of internet-using Americans. Don't you wish we could harness this outrage for no-knock raids, anti-gun laws, and the murder of the unborn?
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
January 18 Bunker Index - To Blackout or Not
So initially I wasn't going to participate in this "internet blackout" protest that is being conducted today. Not that I'm FOR the government's heavy hand controlling the internet, but because I don't believe a blackout will have much impact. Then I began to read a little more about the SOPA act and began to see it as the complete framework of tyranny that the new American regime would need in order to get control of the internet. Don't like what some blogger is posting? Claim his host posted some copyrighted material and shut the entire site down. His blog pops up somewhere else? Seize the domain name as part of a never-ending investigation. It's a brilliant piece of tyranny. Entire forums or blogs can be eradicated until only shopping, porn, and government propaganda is available.
So then I began to think about what kind of statement me posting just a black picture would make. By not making a statement I would be making a statement. If I simply didn't post today then you might think I'd just gotten very busy and wasn't able to.
So while I'm sending out a few news articles today, I am more or less participating in this "blackout", even though I might post again later today. Some rumors are circulating that the SOPA has been killed but I'm not entirely sure they are true. How do you kill the tyrannical mind that was behind it? Even if they kill this bill, won't the tyrants just slip it into some other legislation when we aren't paying attention? The only way to truly end the threat is to drag the people who were behind it into a court for high treason. Enemies foreign AND domestic, in case some of you have forgotten how the oath runs.
So the blackout will go on today and then tomorrow it will be business as usual. If the bill does indeed go through then you will see nothing for awhile and then slowly some of your favorite websites will disappear or have all dissident content purged. The tyrants are still putting the pieces into place so you will not see much happening on the surface, but once all the framework is there it will happen overnight.
Watch for it.
1. 4 Middle Eastern males beat a young man to death in Philadelphia. For the crime of yelling at a cab when they happened to be nearby. Welcome to Dhimmitude in America.
2.In New York, police are soon to be testing some new technology that will do a "virtual pat down" of people walking on the street. This gun-scanning technology can be used to detect guns hidden on a person. The police claim they'll only use it in "reasonably suspicious circumstances" which is a lie from the beginning. They'll park on the corner and scan everyone who walks by. When pressed as to how it violates civil liberties, they claim it will also detect suicide bombers. Because we've had a lot of problems with those here in the states?
3. The drug cartels have now started beheading their victims in America. This was once something that only happened in the lawless regions of Mexico, but thanks to unrestricted illegal immigration (brought to you by the last two presidents) we're now seeing it here.
So then I began to think about what kind of statement me posting just a black picture would make. By not making a statement I would be making a statement. If I simply didn't post today then you might think I'd just gotten very busy and wasn't able to.
So while I'm sending out a few news articles today, I am more or less participating in this "blackout", even though I might post again later today. Some rumors are circulating that the SOPA has been killed but I'm not entirely sure they are true. How do you kill the tyrannical mind that was behind it? Even if they kill this bill, won't the tyrants just slip it into some other legislation when we aren't paying attention? The only way to truly end the threat is to drag the people who were behind it into a court for high treason. Enemies foreign AND domestic, in case some of you have forgotten how the oath runs.
So the blackout will go on today and then tomorrow it will be business as usual. If the bill does indeed go through then you will see nothing for awhile and then slowly some of your favorite websites will disappear or have all dissident content purged. The tyrants are still putting the pieces into place so you will not see much happening on the surface, but once all the framework is there it will happen overnight.
Watch for it.
1. 4 Middle Eastern males beat a young man to death in Philadelphia. For the crime of yelling at a cab when they happened to be nearby. Welcome to Dhimmitude in America.
2.In New York, police are soon to be testing some new technology that will do a "virtual pat down" of people walking on the street. This gun-scanning technology can be used to detect guns hidden on a person. The police claim they'll only use it in "reasonably suspicious circumstances" which is a lie from the beginning. They'll park on the corner and scan everyone who walks by. When pressed as to how it violates civil liberties, they claim it will also detect suicide bombers. Because we've had a lot of problems with those here in the states?
3. The drug cartels have now started beheading their victims in America. This was once something that only happened in the lawless regions of Mexico, but thanks to unrestricted illegal immigration (brought to you by the last two presidents) we're now seeing it here.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
January 17 Bunker Index - In Celebration of the Small Men
You probably noticed my absence yesterday. No, I was not celebrating MLK day. Despite years of public education propaganda, I know that MLK was little more than a socialist. You want to see some civil rights heroes? How about the white people who were clubbed with batons or sprayed with fire hoses in defense of a racial group they were not a part of? Marching for your own rights is all well and good, but it doesn't make you a hero. Marching for someone else's is glorious.
Yesterday I was running late as we set about painting the cabin. The wife and kids did most of the work but it still threw me way off my schedule. Before I knew it the time was 5pm and I still hadn't done the BI, which at that point was moot.
I guess it didn't matter. Not a whole lot happened over the weekend. The European Union is still on the verge of disintegrating. I'm expecting Greece to finally splinter off sometime this week. I can't imagine that they're just going to hang on forever. They won't accept Germany's austerity plan and Germany won't loan them any more money. Greek bond debt has already been marked down 60% which means they're more or less desperate to salvage that debt. And when Greece goes, can Italy and Ireland be far behind?
I'm not sure that is going to impact us here in the states. At least not until it devolves into yet another world war and our government institutes a draft ... just like they did in the last two world wars. I'm just not sure how our government is going to spin it as our patriotic duty to help Greek citizens retire at 50 with full pay and benefits when almost all of our senior citizens expect to be Walmart greeters after social security has been pillaged and their 401k plans have been looted.
1. Planned Parenthood's solution for Africa ... kill more Africans. Apparently disease, famine, and war have some new competition.
2. Italian rescuers desperately search for survivors in a tragic cruise ship accident. Yesterday on the radio I heard the head of the Italian rescue agency say "In our own way we are searching very hard." Somehow that didn't sound very comforting. It comes across like they're searching all the brothels, coffee shops, and pasta houses.
3. Denver PD now has a drone. They paid $14,000 for this sucker which will soon be peeping in your windows, Denver citizens. The militarization of the police continues.
4. Germany rejects yet another Greek deal. In case you missed it last week, Greece is sinking fast and is about to leave the EU. What will follow is Greek hyperinflation and ultimately war (if history is any guide.)
5. Egypt has asked the IMF for billions. The same country that is implementing Sharia law, murdering Christians, and raping women in the street now wants a handout so it can continue all of those things.
Yesterday I was running late as we set about painting the cabin. The wife and kids did most of the work but it still threw me way off my schedule. Before I knew it the time was 5pm and I still hadn't done the BI, which at that point was moot.
I guess it didn't matter. Not a whole lot happened over the weekend. The European Union is still on the verge of disintegrating. I'm expecting Greece to finally splinter off sometime this week. I can't imagine that they're just going to hang on forever. They won't accept Germany's austerity plan and Germany won't loan them any more money. Greek bond debt has already been marked down 60% which means they're more or less desperate to salvage that debt. And when Greece goes, can Italy and Ireland be far behind?
I'm not sure that is going to impact us here in the states. At least not until it devolves into yet another world war and our government institutes a draft ... just like they did in the last two world wars. I'm just not sure how our government is going to spin it as our patriotic duty to help Greek citizens retire at 50 with full pay and benefits when almost all of our senior citizens expect to be Walmart greeters after social security has been pillaged and their 401k plans have been looted.
1. Planned Parenthood's solution for Africa ... kill more Africans. Apparently disease, famine, and war have some new competition.
2. Italian rescuers desperately search for survivors in a tragic cruise ship accident. Yesterday on the radio I heard the head of the Italian rescue agency say "In our own way we are searching very hard." Somehow that didn't sound very comforting. It comes across like they're searching all the brothels, coffee shops, and pasta houses.
3. Denver PD now has a drone. They paid $14,000 for this sucker which will soon be peeping in your windows, Denver citizens. The militarization of the police continues.
4. Germany rejects yet another Greek deal. In case you missed it last week, Greece is sinking fast and is about to leave the EU. What will follow is Greek hyperinflation and ultimately war (if history is any guide.)
5. Egypt has asked the IMF for billions. The same country that is implementing Sharia law, murdering Christians, and raping women in the street now wants a handout so it can continue all of those things.
Friday, January 13, 2012
January 13 Bunker Index - Superstitious?
It's Friday the 13th, which I probably wouldn't know except I'm compiling the BI. I don't pay a lot of attention to dates. Are you the superstitious sort? Going to stay home all day?
Europe seems to be in for a run of more bad luck as the S&P gets ready to downgrade them. Not sure what that will do, if anything. Your credit can get pretty bad before people stop loaning you money. And so long as there's someone willing to loan you the money, what do you care? Spend, spend, spend!
We've had a slight cold snap here over the past couple of days. It dropped down slightly below freezing last night and is expected to do so again tonight. We're not well insulated so we're burning a lot of propane to keep warm. I'm thinking today I'm going to run to town and see what they have in the way of woodburning stoves for the cabin. That would help somewhat and further our ability to divest ourselves of this incredibly uncomfortable RV.
Stay alert this weekend and if you're traveling, be careful not to get snowed in anywhere. It's nasty up north, I hear. And be double careful if you're a teenager vacationing at a remote lakeside camp.
1. Private companies and law enforcement have teamed up to create an enormous database of license plates and driver locations. The technology available to tyrants today is something Stalin only dreamed about.
2. Amish men go to jail over their refusal to put orange reflectors on their horse-drawn buggies. I'm really torn on this one. My desire to uphold their right to their religious convictions in the face of a draconian government is battling with my desire not to plow into the back of a dark buggy on some backroad.
3. The Obama administration has been increasing the national debt by $4.24 BILLION per day. We're never going to survive this.
4. Snow is now descending upon the Midwest. This winter has been ridiculously mild so far but now it looks like the correction has arrived.
5. After all the drama, we're about to hit the debt ceiling AGAIN. Our government is like a crackhead promising himself that the next hit will be the last one.
Europe seems to be in for a run of more bad luck as the S&P gets ready to downgrade them. Not sure what that will do, if anything. Your credit can get pretty bad before people stop loaning you money. And so long as there's someone willing to loan you the money, what do you care? Spend, spend, spend!
We've had a slight cold snap here over the past couple of days. It dropped down slightly below freezing last night and is expected to do so again tonight. We're not well insulated so we're burning a lot of propane to keep warm. I'm thinking today I'm going to run to town and see what they have in the way of woodburning stoves for the cabin. That would help somewhat and further our ability to divest ourselves of this incredibly uncomfortable RV.
Stay alert this weekend and if you're traveling, be careful not to get snowed in anywhere. It's nasty up north, I hear. And be double careful if you're a teenager vacationing at a remote lakeside camp.
1. Private companies and law enforcement have teamed up to create an enormous database of license plates and driver locations. The technology available to tyrants today is something Stalin only dreamed about.
2. Amish men go to jail over their refusal to put orange reflectors on their horse-drawn buggies. I'm really torn on this one. My desire to uphold their right to their religious convictions in the face of a draconian government is battling with my desire not to plow into the back of a dark buggy on some backroad.
3. The Obama administration has been increasing the national debt by $4.24 BILLION per day. We're never going to survive this.
4. Snow is now descending upon the Midwest. This winter has been ridiculously mild so far but now it looks like the correction has arrived.
5. After all the drama, we're about to hit the debt ceiling AGAIN. Our government is like a crackhead promising himself that the next hit will be the last one.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
January 12 Bunker Index - Everyday is a New Day
I tossed and turned most of last night for no real reason. Sometimes you just can't unplug your brain. Three hundred things face me and need doing and all seem equally high on the priority list. So how shall I do them? One at a time, I suppose. That's the way we were meant to handle things.
Setting up a new homestead is hard work, but the labor is enjoyable. It provides intellectual challenges as well as physical ones. It is living as God intended for man to live, and fully exercising one's capacity as He also intended. It is the most fulfilling thing I have ever done for my family.
But alas, there's still a world outside and it seems to be growing more dire.
1. Still believe that electing Republicans in 2012 will fix our problems? GOP leadership increased our debt by $1 trillion in 10 months and also passed the NDAA. If Republicans are elected, with the possible exception of Ron Paul, then I suspect everything that Obama implemented will stay the same and we will continue down the course of self-destruction.
2. An Iranian-born Christian convert who worked to convert Muslims to Christianity is missing and is feared to have been kidnapped by Muslims. The scary thing is that she wasn't converting them in Saudi Arabia, Iran, or Iraq ... but in Australia. It may prove that Muslims are now kidnapping Christians in Western countries to be murdered for the "crime" of conversion.
3. Homeland security is now in full citizen monitoring mode. When will Americans wake up? First they monitor you, then come the secret arrests and the gulags. They are putting all of the apparatus in place. Stalin dreamed of technology like this.
4. In NJ, a mayor is offering a $1000 reward for people who turn in their neighbors for owning guns. Not sure if guns are actually illegal in his town (I'm assuming so) or how he gets away with this.
5. A new strain of swine flu is making the rounds and has already infected 12. Watch out! I got this thing a couple of years ago and it was awful.
Setting up a new homestead is hard work, but the labor is enjoyable. It provides intellectual challenges as well as physical ones. It is living as God intended for man to live, and fully exercising one's capacity as He also intended. It is the most fulfilling thing I have ever done for my family.
But alas, there's still a world outside and it seems to be growing more dire.
1. Still believe that electing Republicans in 2012 will fix our problems? GOP leadership increased our debt by $1 trillion in 10 months and also passed the NDAA. If Republicans are elected, with the possible exception of Ron Paul, then I suspect everything that Obama implemented will stay the same and we will continue down the course of self-destruction.
2. An Iranian-born Christian convert who worked to convert Muslims to Christianity is missing and is feared to have been kidnapped by Muslims. The scary thing is that she wasn't converting them in Saudi Arabia, Iran, or Iraq ... but in Australia. It may prove that Muslims are now kidnapping Christians in Western countries to be murdered for the "crime" of conversion.
3. Homeland security is now in full citizen monitoring mode. When will Americans wake up? First they monitor you, then come the secret arrests and the gulags. They are putting all of the apparatus in place. Stalin dreamed of technology like this.
4. In NJ, a mayor is offering a $1000 reward for people who turn in their neighbors for owning guns. Not sure if guns are actually illegal in his town (I'm assuming so) or how he gets away with this.
5. A new strain of swine flu is making the rounds and has already infected 12. Watch out! I got this thing a couple of years ago and it was awful.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
January 11 Bunker Index - Going Down
Though this has been a very mild winter, I'm looking forward to spring. I don't like the cold in any way and green growing things nourish my soul. I've started thinking about the gardens this year and how we're going to get them set up. Raised beds will be what we start with but ultimately we may expand past that.
I think growing your own food is going to be a real need pretty soon. The system doesn't look like it's going to hold on.
1. Obama has now appointed a La Raza executive to head the Domestic Policy Council. In other words, a man who advocates the hostile takeover of the American southwest by illegal immigrants is now in charge of coordinating immigration policy with state and local governments across the nation.
2. A big upcoming meeting in Chicago of NATO and the G8 has law enforcement itching to try some new techniques. One tried and true method they're going to use is the deployment of large numbers of snipers. That ought to make you feel comfortable as you go about your business downtown and pause to reach in your pocket for your cellphone.
3. Lieberman is pushing for another tyrannical bill. After the outcry about the government imprisoning American citizens without trial in the last bill that came up, now they've slipped a clause in the Enemy Belligerent Act that would allow the commander-in-chief to unilaterally strip an American citizen of their citizenship, thus allowing the government to then do whatever they want to them. The tyrants never stop pushing and then when they lose they just get to say "awww shucks". Until we start arresting people for treason for even PROPOSING these bills we won't get anywhere.
4. A major cheating scandal has hit Georgia schools. Apparently they can't reach "No Child Left Behind" requirements so they're resorting to cheating. Such moral fiber being exhibited by the people you allow to teach your children.
5. Oklahoma citizens voted overwhelmingly to prevent judges from using Sharia in court decisions. Before the law had even taken effect, CAIR and other special interest groups had already appealed to the Obama administration and a federal judge stopped the law. Oklahoma citizens have no power to enact law in their own state. Clearly few other states have that power either.
6. Another nuclear scientist in Iran has been killed when someone placed a bomb on his motorcycle. This is the fourth in the last two years.
I think growing your own food is going to be a real need pretty soon. The system doesn't look like it's going to hold on.
1. Obama has now appointed a La Raza executive to head the Domestic Policy Council. In other words, a man who advocates the hostile takeover of the American southwest by illegal immigrants is now in charge of coordinating immigration policy with state and local governments across the nation.
2. A big upcoming meeting in Chicago of NATO and the G8 has law enforcement itching to try some new techniques. One tried and true method they're going to use is the deployment of large numbers of snipers. That ought to make you feel comfortable as you go about your business downtown and pause to reach in your pocket for your cellphone.
3. Lieberman is pushing for another tyrannical bill. After the outcry about the government imprisoning American citizens without trial in the last bill that came up, now they've slipped a clause in the Enemy Belligerent Act that would allow the commander-in-chief to unilaterally strip an American citizen of their citizenship, thus allowing the government to then do whatever they want to them. The tyrants never stop pushing and then when they lose they just get to say "awww shucks". Until we start arresting people for treason for even PROPOSING these bills we won't get anywhere.
4. A major cheating scandal has hit Georgia schools. Apparently they can't reach "No Child Left Behind" requirements so they're resorting to cheating. Such moral fiber being exhibited by the people you allow to teach your children.
5. Oklahoma citizens voted overwhelmingly to prevent judges from using Sharia in court decisions. Before the law had even taken effect, CAIR and other special interest groups had already appealed to the Obama administration and a federal judge stopped the law. Oklahoma citizens have no power to enact law in their own state. Clearly few other states have that power either.
6. Another nuclear scientist in Iran has been killed when someone placed a bomb on his motorcycle. This is the fourth in the last two years.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
January 10 Bunker Index - How Time Flies
We are already 10 days into the new year. I am surprised at how fast the days roll by when I am on the farm. And how slowly they crawl when I am not. There is no other earthly place I would rather be, despite all of the hardships.
I have been watching many of the deniers on the HomesteadingToday forum who like to pick apart the technical details when someone posts about the creeping tyranny of American government. I wish I could see their faces the moment the jackboots come for them. Will they bargain? "Don't take me ... I know someone who is REALLY anti-government?" Will they beg? Will they resist? I suspect they will be far less prepared for that day than those who have accepted the possibility in advance.
Patriots should take note of the disastrous drug raid in Ogden, Utah recently.
And these days, the tyranny is no longer creeping. The Obama administration has made leaps and bounds towards turning us into an Orwellian dystopia. Most days I can't believe they've made it this far without a bloody revolution, but I guess the reason would be that most Americans don't see it.
1. The Obama administration has given the go ahead for DHS to monitor journalists. From the article: Specifically, the DHS announced the NCO and its Office of Operations Coordination and Planning (OPS) can collect personal information from news anchors, journalists, reporters or anyone who may use “traditional and/or social media in real time to keep their audience situationally aware and informed.”
Hey, that's me.
2. Obama has a new chief of staff. This is a man who was a hedge fund manager who made billions off of mortgage defaults. Do you think the bankers installed him in the White House in order to keep Obama under control? Or is this more of the hypocrisy coming from the Obama administration?
Bleh. The rest of the news articles I found were just heavily political in the traditional Republican vs. Democrat bent. We'll stop for now with two and I hope to have some time this evening to expand on the Ogden, Utah issue.
I have been watching many of the deniers on the HomesteadingToday forum who like to pick apart the technical details when someone posts about the creeping tyranny of American government. I wish I could see their faces the moment the jackboots come for them. Will they bargain? "Don't take me ... I know someone who is REALLY anti-government?" Will they beg? Will they resist? I suspect they will be far less prepared for that day than those who have accepted the possibility in advance.
Patriots should take note of the disastrous drug raid in Ogden, Utah recently.
And these days, the tyranny is no longer creeping. The Obama administration has made leaps and bounds towards turning us into an Orwellian dystopia. Most days I can't believe they've made it this far without a bloody revolution, but I guess the reason would be that most Americans don't see it.
1. The Obama administration has given the go ahead for DHS to monitor journalists. From the article: Specifically, the DHS announced the NCO and its Office of Operations Coordination and Planning (OPS) can collect personal information from news anchors, journalists, reporters or anyone who may use “traditional and/or social media in real time to keep their audience situationally aware and informed.”
Hey, that's me.
2. Obama has a new chief of staff. This is a man who was a hedge fund manager who made billions off of mortgage defaults. Do you think the bankers installed him in the White House in order to keep Obama under control? Or is this more of the hypocrisy coming from the Obama administration?
Bleh. The rest of the news articles I found were just heavily political in the traditional Republican vs. Democrat bent. We'll stop for now with two and I hope to have some time this evening to expand on the Ogden, Utah issue.
Monday, January 9, 2012
January 9 Bunker Index - A Day for Reflection
It's pouring down rain outside, a real gully washer. It has been since around 5am this morning. The creek has risen and the neighbor's pond has overflowed its banks. There's standing water everywhere outside. The dog is wet, the chickens are wet, all of my remaining lumber is wet, and I am wet. At least I'm back inside now where it's warm and dry.
Yesterday I almost finished the stairs and the landing. I need to put a couple of steps up to the landing and then I don't like the way the stairs join to the upstairs loft so I'm going to widen a step up there, but it's finished. Today was going to be a day to cut out some windows and bring some furniture over from storage. If it doesn't quit raining though that's not going to happen.
So what will happen instead is we sit inside and read books or talk to each other. I have some hot cocoa I'm considering making. We need the rain; the entire region needs the rain. I am somewhat dismayed by the fact that I didn't manage to get the rain collection tank and gutter in place before this big storm hit. That would have been easily about 1500 gallons of water ... enough for several months. But now that the stairs are done it's the very next thing we do.
So how's the world outside today? Looks like more of the same. The Obama administration continues to ignore the law, liberals are still outraged that Christians exist, and the line between government corruption and incompetence is still blurry.
1. Looks like Obama's cabinet secretaries have been meeting secretly with groups of illegal aliens in order to advance the DREAM act. Obama's blatant disregard for the rule of law is going to be a huge problem for decades to come.
2. Liberal fear of Christians continues to run rampant. A Jewish rabbi wrote in a weekly magazine for Jews that if Tebow, a Christian sports player, wins the Superbowl then Christians will be enflamed and will burn mosques, attack gays, and indiscriminately banish immigrants. Very strange behavior indeed.
3. The Supreme Court is set to decide on whether or not cops can invade a home if a drug dog alerts outside. Of course there's no way to challenge whether or not the dog falsely alerted or if it was directed to alert by its handler. Or even if the dog was wrong. Your ability to resist the government's intrusion into your home gets weaker every day.
4. Scopes, night vision goggles, and range finders went missing from Fort Lewis and prompted the base to put its soldiers on lockdown. Hopefully these devices are finding their way into the hands of patriots and not drug cartels.
5. Chemicals from fast food wrappers have been detected in human blood samples. You might be better off if that McDonald's worker just hands you an unwrapped burger. I also wonder about what's happening to the water in plastic bottles that get left out in the heat.
Yesterday I almost finished the stairs and the landing. I need to put a couple of steps up to the landing and then I don't like the way the stairs join to the upstairs loft so I'm going to widen a step up there, but it's finished. Today was going to be a day to cut out some windows and bring some furniture over from storage. If it doesn't quit raining though that's not going to happen.
So what will happen instead is we sit inside and read books or talk to each other. I have some hot cocoa I'm considering making. We need the rain; the entire region needs the rain. I am somewhat dismayed by the fact that I didn't manage to get the rain collection tank and gutter in place before this big storm hit. That would have been easily about 1500 gallons of water ... enough for several months. But now that the stairs are done it's the very next thing we do.
So how's the world outside today? Looks like more of the same. The Obama administration continues to ignore the law, liberals are still outraged that Christians exist, and the line between government corruption and incompetence is still blurry.
1. Looks like Obama's cabinet secretaries have been meeting secretly with groups of illegal aliens in order to advance the DREAM act. Obama's blatant disregard for the rule of law is going to be a huge problem for decades to come.
2. Liberal fear of Christians continues to run rampant. A Jewish rabbi wrote in a weekly magazine for Jews that if Tebow, a Christian sports player, wins the Superbowl then Christians will be enflamed and will burn mosques, attack gays, and indiscriminately banish immigrants. Very strange behavior indeed.
3. The Supreme Court is set to decide on whether or not cops can invade a home if a drug dog alerts outside. Of course there's no way to challenge whether or not the dog falsely alerted or if it was directed to alert by its handler. Or even if the dog was wrong. Your ability to resist the government's intrusion into your home gets weaker every day.
4. Scopes, night vision goggles, and range finders went missing from Fort Lewis and prompted the base to put its soldiers on lockdown. Hopefully these devices are finding their way into the hands of patriots and not drug cartels.
5. Chemicals from fast food wrappers have been detected in human blood samples. You might be better off if that McDonald's worker just hands you an unwrapped burger. I also wonder about what's happening to the water in plastic bottles that get left out in the heat.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
On My Competence
I think from some of the comments lately that some of you may be missing the point I'm trying to make.
Nothing I'm doing is my own. This is God's will made manifest.
I am probably the least competent human being you know. I'm pretty good in the areas in which the world values ... computers have earned me a pretty good living and the military taught me a handful of skills that may eventually become useful (though we pray that they do not). However in the areas of plant and animal husbandry, carpentry, homesteading, etc. I am completely incompetent.
All things are possible through God. All things that we accomplish are made possible by God. The works of my hands are guided by God. I have put myself and my family on the path that God has ordained for us and put my absolute trust in Him that He shall provide what we need.
And He has in every way. From friends with skills who found time to help me, to mentors to guide me, to books and internet information to educate me, to the simple intuition when I stand before an obstacle and a solution pops into my mind. God has been with me in this through every nail driven, every hole dug, and every rock carried.
God has a path charted for your life as well and if you're feet are on that path then you know of what I speak. It is simply amazing to watch it all come together once you cast yourself into the void and put your trust in God.
At times the view from the cabin may be somewhat bleak and desolate this winter.
But at sunrise God's promise fills the sky and I take heart that the day shall be productive in His name.
Nothing I'm doing is my own. This is God's will made manifest.
I am probably the least competent human being you know. I'm pretty good in the areas in which the world values ... computers have earned me a pretty good living and the military taught me a handful of skills that may eventually become useful (though we pray that they do not). However in the areas of plant and animal husbandry, carpentry, homesteading, etc. I am completely incompetent.
All things are possible through God. All things that we accomplish are made possible by God. The works of my hands are guided by God. I have put myself and my family on the path that God has ordained for us and put my absolute trust in Him that He shall provide what we need.
And He has in every way. From friends with skills who found time to help me, to mentors to guide me, to books and internet information to educate me, to the simple intuition when I stand before an obstacle and a solution pops into my mind. God has been with me in this through every nail driven, every hole dug, and every rock carried.
God has a path charted for your life as well and if you're feet are on that path then you know of what I speak. It is simply amazing to watch it all come together once you cast yourself into the void and put your trust in God.
At times the view from the cabin may be somewhat bleak and desolate this winter.
But at sunrise God's promise fills the sky and I take heart that the day shall be productive in His name.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Headway
Not making much headway today. Yesterday my wife's van had a flat tire. Big mesquite thorn in it. She may have gotten off the blazed path from the paved road to the house and encountered a pokey long enough to pierce the tire. I have the feeling we haven't seen the last of that happening.
Today my truck started having some problems. The ABS light is blinking and it won't go into gear straight from park. I have to put it into neutral and start it and then switch to drive. The turn signals went out at the same time so I'm suspecting some sort of electrical problem. I've had all sorts of electrical problems with that truck over the past few years.
BUT I did get the nest box hatch and the rest of the roost bars up on the chicken coop and got about half of the loft staircase finished. Tomorrow I'm going to build a landing and get the second stair stringer up. If I can get that accomplished prior to Monday then I'm happy as a clam.
We also measured out the walls for the bathroom and started discussing kitchen cabinet solutions. Sometimes we have to stop the actual doing and get a little planning in, despite my desire to go-go-go!
Today my truck started having some problems. The ABS light is blinking and it won't go into gear straight from park. I have to put it into neutral and start it and then switch to drive. The turn signals went out at the same time so I'm suspecting some sort of electrical problem. I've had all sorts of electrical problems with that truck over the past few years.
BUT I did get the nest box hatch and the rest of the roost bars up on the chicken coop and got about half of the loft staircase finished. Tomorrow I'm going to build a landing and get the second stair stringer up. If I can get that accomplished prior to Monday then I'm happy as a clam.
We also measured out the walls for the bathroom and started discussing kitchen cabinet solutions. Sometimes we have to stop the actual doing and get a little planning in, despite my desire to go-go-go!
Friday, January 6, 2012
Compost Update
Forgot to take a photo of this, but I had 3-4 tons of woodchipped mulch delivered today by the county landfill. Our lone compost pile has had trouble "digesting" the grey water and the septic as it will only seem to handle about 30 gallons every 2 days. That left some runoff after "bath day".
With this new system I've got a smaller pile started that's handling things just fine and I can add to it every day as we add in waste from the compost toilet and grey water. Once I get some fruit trees planted I'll have other uses for the grey water as well.
With this new system I've got a smaller pile started that's handling things just fine and I can add to it every day as we add in waste from the compost toilet and grey water. Once I get some fruit trees planted I'll have other uses for the grey water as well.
Reliable? Yes. Punctual? Rarely.
As promised, here's some more pictures of the cabin.
Here's the front. It kind of looks like a giant plywood box from this angle. This is the north face and the door and windows have been framed but as the windows haven't arrived yet (and I don't have the porch up) I haven't cut out the plywood yet.
The mighty, mighty chicken coop! Or, if the ventilation slots don't do the trick, the summer chicken baker! I assembled this out of scraps we had leftover from the house. It's safe and dry and the chickens love it. Kat wants to paint it red. She has a compulsion with painting things red.
This is the "back" of the house, or the south side. It's our only entrance right now. We consider it the back and eventually I'm going to screen in a porch back here, but it's the side of the house facing the road. Trust Ernie to live with his back to the world!
If a home invader attacks, they'll be able to chop through the walls quicker than they can get through this door. In this photo I didn't have the outside handle on it or the stairs leading up to it yet. The door fits a little tight, but each time it gets opened and closed it gets a little better.
This is the ground floor and the inside. I really wanted to wait until I had furniture inside and happy kids lounging before I showed this photo, but that's taking longer than I expected. So you get the cluttered-with-tools photo for now. We're going to wall off a bathroom in that left corner but the right corner will have a woodstove and an eating area. The kitchen will be off to the left about where the saw is.
Until I get a charge controller and some solar panels up, this 6500w generator is our power system. It burns about a half-gallon of gas per hour and is noisy and smelly. However it will charge the batteries sufficiently in not too long of a time and can provide power to the RV for however long we have gasoline.
This is the rather clunky and messy battery "array". 3 deep cycle batteries provide about 345 amp hours of power. We don't need a lot of power right now, but the RV has a propane furnace for heat that has a small electric fan. Without the fan the furnace won't kick on. The battery array can keep that going through the night and only requires us to run the generator for an hour or so each day.
This is our water supply. It's a 550 gallon tank from Tractor Supply. It's set up on pallets right behind the RV. I can use a small electric pump to fill up the RV from this every 3-4 days. Until the rain catchment system is complete I won't have this tank mounted up on the tower, but at that point it will provide catchment and water supply to the entire cabin. A 3000 gallon tank will catch overflow and provide for deeper water storage.
It's somewhat of a difficult transition, as you can see, but it's getting there. With each day that passes we add some large quality of life improvement. Today we finished the nest boxes in the chicken coop, added some steps to the back door, and put a handle on both sides of the door. It just don't feel like home until you have a handle on the door.
Here's the front. It kind of looks like a giant plywood box from this angle. This is the north face and the door and windows have been framed but as the windows haven't arrived yet (and I don't have the porch up) I haven't cut out the plywood yet.
The mighty, mighty chicken coop! Or, if the ventilation slots don't do the trick, the summer chicken baker! I assembled this out of scraps we had leftover from the house. It's safe and dry and the chickens love it. Kat wants to paint it red. She has a compulsion with painting things red.
This is the "back" of the house, or the south side. It's our only entrance right now. We consider it the back and eventually I'm going to screen in a porch back here, but it's the side of the house facing the road. Trust Ernie to live with his back to the world!
If a home invader attacks, they'll be able to chop through the walls quicker than they can get through this door. In this photo I didn't have the outside handle on it or the stairs leading up to it yet. The door fits a little tight, but each time it gets opened and closed it gets a little better.
This is the ground floor and the inside. I really wanted to wait until I had furniture inside and happy kids lounging before I showed this photo, but that's taking longer than I expected. So you get the cluttered-with-tools photo for now. We're going to wall off a bathroom in that left corner but the right corner will have a woodstove and an eating area. The kitchen will be off to the left about where the saw is.
Until I get a charge controller and some solar panels up, this 6500w generator is our power system. It burns about a half-gallon of gas per hour and is noisy and smelly. However it will charge the batteries sufficiently in not too long of a time and can provide power to the RV for however long we have gasoline.
This is the rather clunky and messy battery "array". 3 deep cycle batteries provide about 345 amp hours of power. We don't need a lot of power right now, but the RV has a propane furnace for heat that has a small electric fan. Without the fan the furnace won't kick on. The battery array can keep that going through the night and only requires us to run the generator for an hour or so each day.
This is our water supply. It's a 550 gallon tank from Tractor Supply. It's set up on pallets right behind the RV. I can use a small electric pump to fill up the RV from this every 3-4 days. Until the rain catchment system is complete I won't have this tank mounted up on the tower, but at that point it will provide catchment and water supply to the entire cabin. A 3000 gallon tank will catch overflow and provide for deeper water storage.
It's somewhat of a difficult transition, as you can see, but it's getting there. With each day that passes we add some large quality of life improvement. Today we finished the nest boxes in the chicken coop, added some steps to the back door, and put a handle on both sides of the door. It just don't feel like home until you have a handle on the door.
January 6 Bunker Index - Feeling the New Year
I got up early this morning and started on the BI and then the generator ran out of gas. Luckily I still had one of my two cans full so I was able to fix that, but again it highlights our situation until I get solar up and operational. Harbor Freight in Abilene supposedly has solar kits we could use but I haven't investigated further yet.
The world continues to descend outside our small homestead. The BI gets more and more unpleasant to read every day. How much longer do you think our society can continue? Does anyone still believe that any of these Republican candidates would be capable of turning things around?
Get you and your family to a safe place and brace for impact. Small and precious lives depend upon you.
1. In Egypt, the new Muslim government has pledged to institute a Sharia based constitution in which Christians will be forever banned from the presidency. Just wait until Muslims become the majority demographic here in the United States.
2. Obama's new summer jobs plan has been unveiled ... 180,000 liberal youth around the nation costing taxpayers $1.5 billion. What exactly will they be doing? That's the ominous part. We don't know.
3. Western civilization continues to self-destruct. A woman in Germany is now going to lose her unemployment benefits because she won't accept a job in a brothel.
4. Police shot and killed an armed 8th grader in Texas.
5. From Planned Parenthood's annual report: They received $487.4 million in taxpayer funds andperformed murdered 329,445 children. Hang your head in shame, America. God's judgement will fall upon us all for this.
The world continues to descend outside our small homestead. The BI gets more and more unpleasant to read every day. How much longer do you think our society can continue? Does anyone still believe that any of these Republican candidates would be capable of turning things around?
Get you and your family to a safe place and brace for impact. Small and precious lives depend upon you.
1. In Egypt, the new Muslim government has pledged to institute a Sharia based constitution in which Christians will be forever banned from the presidency. Just wait until Muslims become the majority demographic here in the United States.
2. Obama's new summer jobs plan has been unveiled ... 180,000 liberal youth around the nation costing taxpayers $1.5 billion. What exactly will they be doing? That's the ominous part. We don't know.
3. Western civilization continues to self-destruct. A woman in Germany is now going to lose her unemployment benefits because she won't accept a job in a brothel.
4. Police shot and killed an armed 8th grader in Texas.
5. From Planned Parenthood's annual report: They received $487.4 million in taxpayer funds and
Thursday, January 5, 2012
January 5 Bunker Index - Late Again!
What a day! I drove in from El Paso last night and this morning. The desert is beautiful at sunrise but my home is more beautiful. Even though it's still looking like a big plywood box.
I took some pictures earlier and I'll get them up and posted either tonight or tomorrow morning. I know y'all have been clamoring to know how we managed some of the solutions. Most things around here are being done only semi-competently and inelegantly, but they're being done. We're slowly bringing things together, Lord willing.
Everywhere I've been deficient I've found that God has sent the help I needed. Sometimes in the form of a mentor, or a book, or even just common-sense intuition, but everything has been provided. With more time and labor we will master this new environment and it shall be a proper homestead!
1. Liberal bloggers are cheering on the "new Obama" who so blatantly circumvented Congress with his recent recess appointments. Meanwhile conservative bloggers and radio show hosts are decrying the establishment of a new "monarch". Could we be any more polarized at this point?
2. DHS officers allegedly set up an ID checkpoint in a Florida social security office. It's difficult to wade through the infowars hyperbole to figure out what really happened, but it sounds ominous.
3. A recent Ohio earthquake was not a natural event, some experts claim. It's related to fracking or some other oil and gas activity. With all of the oil and gas activity in my area, that's a scary prospect.
4. The New York governor proposed that mandatory DNA samples be taken from everyone convicted of any offense. The continual expansion of the state.
I took some pictures earlier and I'll get them up and posted either tonight or tomorrow morning. I know y'all have been clamoring to know how we managed some of the solutions. Most things around here are being done only semi-competently and inelegantly, but they're being done. We're slowly bringing things together, Lord willing.
Everywhere I've been deficient I've found that God has sent the help I needed. Sometimes in the form of a mentor, or a book, or even just common-sense intuition, but everything has been provided. With more time and labor we will master this new environment and it shall be a proper homestead!
1. Liberal bloggers are cheering on the "new Obama" who so blatantly circumvented Congress with his recent recess appointments. Meanwhile conservative bloggers and radio show hosts are decrying the establishment of a new "monarch". Could we be any more polarized at this point?
2. DHS officers allegedly set up an ID checkpoint in a Florida social security office. It's difficult to wade through the infowars hyperbole to figure out what really happened, but it sounds ominous.
3. A recent Ohio earthquake was not a natural event, some experts claim. It's related to fracking or some other oil and gas activity. With all of the oil and gas activity in my area, that's a scary prospect.
4. The New York governor proposed that mandatory DNA samples be taken from everyone convicted of any offense. The continual expansion of the state.
BI Later Today
I'm running behind schedule this morning and traveling back home so I don't have time to compile the BI this morning. Look for it later today in the early afternoon!
While I drive, I'll be listening to last night's recording of Michael Bunker's radio show. This is the episode from January 4 in the On-Demand section of the web page. In it he will be talking about his recent fiction book "The Last Pilgrims" which I'm very much looking forward to sitting down and reading.
While I drive, I'll be listening to last night's recording of Michael Bunker's radio show. This is the episode from January 4 in the On-Demand section of the web page. In it he will be talking about his recent fiction book "The Last Pilgrims" which I'm very much looking forward to sitting down and reading.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
January 4 Bunker Index - Limited Newsworthiness
Ok, after scouring my usual sources I was unable to find more than 5 rather boring and mundane news items for the BI this morning. It seems EVERYTHING has been bumped off the page by the results of the Iowa caucus.
And what exactly do those results mean? I'm not sure yet. Santorum was such a non-player up until now that I didn't bother to ever research the guy. Romney is just as much of a globalist tool as Obama, and Ron Paul is still third place. That's better than I could have hoped for though. I really thought Perry would do better in the results, his stupid gaffes notwithstanding. I would like nothing better than to see that shill return to Texas in disgrace and then lose the governor's race.
The only thing that would have given me a glimmer of hope would have been Ron Paul winning the caucus outright with a wide gap between him and all of the other candidates. The Iowa caucus is still a long way from November 2012, but it's a good indicator. Of course if Ron Paul becomes the president then expect all-out civil war as soon as he begins trying to implement any of his policies. You think the Occupy movement is bad now? Wait until you see it under a Ron Paul presidency.
But realistically, I'm watching politics these days like some men follow football. It's interesting, but doesn't have so much impact upon my life. Politics won't put water in my tank. It won't make my fruit trees grow. It won't get these solar panels built and it won't make any knives.
I live in a different kingdom now.
1. The Obama administration is reportedly speeding up the approval of fraudulent visa applications. I don't know that this one is accurate, but if so, who does it benefit? A puzzler.
2. In China, hundreds of Muslims clashed with police over the destruction of a mosque. I didn't know China had any problems with their Muslim population. Heck, I didn't know China HAD a Muslim population.
3. A drunken state trooper kicked his way into a home and assaulted a resident there. This story has a happy ending though. The homeowner, while defending his family, grabbed a hammer and whacked the trooper into unconsciousness.
4. In Florida, someone sent an envelope containing a white powder that sent 4 people to the hospital. Remember the anthrax scares? Even that didn't make people sick upon contact. What kind of powder was that and what does this mean?
5. A recent study indicates children are harmed by overexposure to computers. They become addicted and it damages their conversational and reading skills. I have seen ample evidence to suggest that it also harms adults.
And what exactly do those results mean? I'm not sure yet. Santorum was such a non-player up until now that I didn't bother to ever research the guy. Romney is just as much of a globalist tool as Obama, and Ron Paul is still third place. That's better than I could have hoped for though. I really thought Perry would do better in the results, his stupid gaffes notwithstanding. I would like nothing better than to see that shill return to Texas in disgrace and then lose the governor's race.
The only thing that would have given me a glimmer of hope would have been Ron Paul winning the caucus outright with a wide gap between him and all of the other candidates. The Iowa caucus is still a long way from November 2012, but it's a good indicator. Of course if Ron Paul becomes the president then expect all-out civil war as soon as he begins trying to implement any of his policies. You think the Occupy movement is bad now? Wait until you see it under a Ron Paul presidency.
But realistically, I'm watching politics these days like some men follow football. It's interesting, but doesn't have so much impact upon my life. Politics won't put water in my tank. It won't make my fruit trees grow. It won't get these solar panels built and it won't make any knives.
I live in a different kingdom now.
1. The Obama administration is reportedly speeding up the approval of fraudulent visa applications. I don't know that this one is accurate, but if so, who does it benefit? A puzzler.
2. In China, hundreds of Muslims clashed with police over the destruction of a mosque. I didn't know China had any problems with their Muslim population. Heck, I didn't know China HAD a Muslim population.
3. A drunken state trooper kicked his way into a home and assaulted a resident there. This story has a happy ending though. The homeowner, while defending his family, grabbed a hammer and whacked the trooper into unconsciousness.
4. In Florida, someone sent an envelope containing a white powder that sent 4 people to the hospital. Remember the anthrax scares? Even that didn't make people sick upon contact. What kind of powder was that and what does this mean?
5. A recent study indicates children are harmed by overexposure to computers. They become addicted and it damages their conversational and reading skills. I have seen ample evidence to suggest that it also harms adults.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
The Struggle Continues
One of the struggles with going off-grid is that we tend to look to mentors for advice but also as a gauge to how we're doing.
First problem you encounter there is that mentors are rather thin on the ground. There's not a lot of them and those that there are tend to not be very vocal or plainly evident.
Once that problem is overcome you run into the next depressing challenge. You constantly compare yourself to people who have been off-grid and homesteading for years, if not decades. It's easy to forget that all of the problems you are facing have already been mastered by those others and you tend to get discourged if you're not wary and prayerful.
I've talked to a couple of folks about solar power now and I think I understand the basics, but I can't find a store I can walk into and actually browse the components I need. I don't want to spend thousands of dollars only to discover that part A doesn't work with part B. The kits I find aren't very good either. They're very low use kits meant to power perhaps a light bulb. I would have exhausted the battery power in one of those in the first paragraph or two of this post!
While some of these things seem insurmountable at times, I'm coming to grips with the fact that we've only been really doing this for a few days now. The first 2 weeks was spent dedicated to getting a roof up over our heads. Certainly we'll soon come up with a better solution than the generator charging the batteries we have now. We keep depleting the batteries to the point where they won't power anything at all.
Transition times are difficult, but we persevere.
First problem you encounter there is that mentors are rather thin on the ground. There's not a lot of them and those that there are tend to not be very vocal or plainly evident.
Once that problem is overcome you run into the next depressing challenge. You constantly compare yourself to people who have been off-grid and homesteading for years, if not decades. It's easy to forget that all of the problems you are facing have already been mastered by those others and you tend to get discourged if you're not wary and prayerful.
I've talked to a couple of folks about solar power now and I think I understand the basics, but I can't find a store I can walk into and actually browse the components I need. I don't want to spend thousands of dollars only to discover that part A doesn't work with part B. The kits I find aren't very good either. They're very low use kits meant to power perhaps a light bulb. I would have exhausted the battery power in one of those in the first paragraph or two of this post!
While some of these things seem insurmountable at times, I'm coming to grips with the fact that we've only been really doing this for a few days now. The first 2 weeks was spent dedicated to getting a roof up over our heads. Certainly we'll soon come up with a better solution than the generator charging the batteries we have now. We keep depleting the batteries to the point where they won't power anything at all.
Transition times are difficult, but we persevere.
Catching Up on the News
This one is sort of weird ...
http://news.yahoo.com/pepsi-says-mountain-dew-dissolve-mouse-carcasses-213911576.html
A man filed a lawsuit against Pepsi because he claims he found a dead mouse in the bottle of Mountain Dew. Pepsi says "nuh uh!" and counterclaims that any mouse in a bottle of Mountain Dew would have completely dissolved into a jelly-like substance and would have been unidentifiable as a rodent carcass.
Mmmm mmmmm. Suddenly drinking muddy creek water don't sound so bad.
http://news.yahoo.com/pepsi-says-mountain-dew-dissolve-mouse-carcasses-213911576.html
A man filed a lawsuit against Pepsi because he claims he found a dead mouse in the bottle of Mountain Dew. Pepsi says "nuh uh!" and counterclaims that any mouse in a bottle of Mountain Dew would have completely dissolved into a jelly-like substance and would have been unidentifiable as a rodent carcass.
Mmmm mmmmm. Suddenly drinking muddy creek water don't sound so bad.
January 3 Bunker Index - The Hour is Late and So Am I
I'm late! My apologies, friends. I meant to have this out yesterday but time and circumstances foiled me again. I have not yet developed a new routine, working each day on the homestead from dawn to dusk. I'm settling down though. I'm so beat up at this point that I can barely walk and so I'm going to take the next few days to "relax".
Having not followed politics or current events for almost 2 full weeks, I'm shocked but not surprised to find that almost the exact same problems exist. Christians are still being persecuted and killed, Muslims are still violent thugs, and Obama is still working on destroying America.
Are you prepared for the new challenges that 2012 is going to bring? With God's help I can endure and overcome anything, but without God I will fail in even the simplest of my endeavors.
Look for more later. I'm planning on updating later this week with more pictures of the new cabin. I've been hesitant to post pictures of the messy and cluttered inside and the scattered tools everywhere, instead hoping to get it all cleaned up and show you a perfect new world. We're still transitioning over into it. When I get some time soon I'll update you on all the goings on and logistics.
1. In Egypt, Coptic Christians continue to be persecuted by the new regime. The Arab Spring continues to disappoint.
2. In Virginia, schoolchildren sang a "pro-occupy" song with some strange lyrics. The school board is defending the teacher who either allowed this or sponsored it, depending upon whom you believe. Our public education system is nothing more than a propaganda tool of the state.
3. In Tajikistan, a young man decided to dress up as Santa Claus to surprise some relatives. His Islamic neighbors gathered into a mob of about 30 and then attacked and killed him with knives while shouting "infidel". Is this the peaceful "religion" we are supposed to be more tolerant of?
4. A man has been detained in Los Angeles, accused of setting over 55 fires in 2 days. One person managed to paralyze an entire city for a couple of days. Let that one sink in while you reflect upon the competence of our government.
5. On January 1st in the "land of the free", 40,000 new laws just took effect. The government's goal? Criminalize EVERYTHING and then use that power to selectively punish its enemies.
Having not followed politics or current events for almost 2 full weeks, I'm shocked but not surprised to find that almost the exact same problems exist. Christians are still being persecuted and killed, Muslims are still violent thugs, and Obama is still working on destroying America.
Are you prepared for the new challenges that 2012 is going to bring? With God's help I can endure and overcome anything, but without God I will fail in even the simplest of my endeavors.
Look for more later. I'm planning on updating later this week with more pictures of the new cabin. I've been hesitant to post pictures of the messy and cluttered inside and the scattered tools everywhere, instead hoping to get it all cleaned up and show you a perfect new world. We're still transitioning over into it. When I get some time soon I'll update you on all the goings on and logistics.
1. In Egypt, Coptic Christians continue to be persecuted by the new regime. The Arab Spring continues to disappoint.
2. In Virginia, schoolchildren sang a "pro-occupy" song with some strange lyrics. The school board is defending the teacher who either allowed this or sponsored it, depending upon whom you believe. Our public education system is nothing more than a propaganda tool of the state.
3. In Tajikistan, a young man decided to dress up as Santa Claus to surprise some relatives. His Islamic neighbors gathered into a mob of about 30 and then attacked and killed him with knives while shouting "infidel". Is this the peaceful "religion" we are supposed to be more tolerant of?
4. A man has been detained in Los Angeles, accused of setting over 55 fires in 2 days. One person managed to paralyze an entire city for a couple of days. Let that one sink in while you reflect upon the competence of our government.
5. On January 1st in the "land of the free", 40,000 new laws just took effect. The government's goal? Criminalize EVERYTHING and then use that power to selectively punish its enemies.
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