7 Prepper Tips for Teenagers

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When most people think of preppers, they picture middle-aged white guys. While that demographic does make up a large portion of preppers, there are people of all races, genders, and ages who are interested in prepping. There are even teenage preppers out there.

You might be surprised to learn just how many members are Generation Z are interested in prepping. They’ve grown up in a world where the United States has always been at war and where the world economy barely avoided another Great Depression, so many of them are acutely aware of how dangerous the world is.

In this video, City Prepping shares seven tips for teenage preppers. These tips also apply to anybody who’s new to prepping. Here are his tips:

1. Focus On Skills Over Gear
2. Physical Fitness
3. Get Involved With Boy Scouts
4. Learn To Regulate Your Finances
5. Learn The Value Of Hard Work
6. Don’t Get Caught Up In Fear
7. Work With Your Parents, Not Against Them

Be sure to watch the video below to hear him expand on these tips. For each one, he spends a couple minutes sharing some excellent advice.

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Federal Government Lost Track of 1,475 Immigrant Children

The post Federal Government Lost Track of 1,475 Immigrant Children is available on http://totalsurvival.net/

Immigrant children continue to be caught in the middle of the crisis.

The federal government may well be “in over its head” when it comes to actually keeping track of immigrants. A United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) official recently admitted his agency lost track of 1,475 immigrant children. Many of the immigrant children had been taken from their parents at the border.

Immigrant Children Placed With Sponsors
Even though HHS itself placed the children with sponsors, the department did not know where they were, Steven Wagner admitted at a U.S. Senate hearing in April. Children from Central America were among 7,635 kids that illegally crossed the U.S. Mexico border, The Washington Post reported. Wagner is just one HHS official who was supposed to be keeping track of the kids.
The HHS’s Office of Refugee Resettlement was unable to find around one out of seven of the children it had placed with sponsors. The sponsors are all foster families chosen by the HHS.

The Worst Foster Parents in the World
“You are the worst foster parents in the world,” U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-North Dakota) said of HHS. “You don’t even know where they are. We are failing. I don’t think there is any doubt about it. And when we fail kids that makes me angry.”But sadly, the kids the government does keep track of might be in worse trouble than those it cannot find.

The Associated Press (AP) has reported that at least two dozen immigrant children had either been sexually assaulted by their HHS chosen sponsors or forced into what amounts to be heavy child labor, The AP also found that the HHS was not performing background checks on many of the sponsors and not visiting their homes to check on the kids once the Feds placed the kids.

Gang Violence Creating Some Of The Chaos
Large numbers of children and teenagers from Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras have been crossing into the US because of gang violence in those countries. Many of the children are traveling alone, trying to reach their parents who are working illegally in the United States.

The Federal Government Cannot Keep Track of Immigrants
Skeptics wonder how the federal government is supposed to keep track of adult immigrants. If the Feds cannot even locate the “processed” immigrant children it has already placed in foster homes. The current findings suggest that keeping our borders genuinely secure may be a much bigger task than previously thought.

A government that cannot keep track of immigrant children already processed and “in the books’ is quite obviously going to struggle with keeping track of adult illegal immigrants, terrorists, or even visitors infected with dangerous and contagious diseases.

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7 Survival Uses of Pine Resin

The post 7 Survival Uses of Pine Resin is courtesy of http://totalsurvival.net/

Growing up in the Piney Woods of East Texas, I have become well accustomed to the scent of pine resin. When we would camp out for weeks at a time, my uncle would always hike out into the area of pine forests surrounding our campsite to find good and solid pine trees to pull some sap from so that we could get a fire going the “old fashion” way, but I never realized how many other uses there were for pine resin.

(Please note, I take no credit for this article. It was originally run on beforeitsnews.com, by crisissurvivortips, and just happened to catch my eye)

Pine resin has multiple uses for survival. This sap is produced by the pine trees to seal up cuts or damages to the tree. If you ever find yourself lost in a wilderness environment, having pine forests in the area is one of the best case scenarios you can hope for. There are many different species of pine trees but they generally prefer open and sunny areas. They are found abundantly throughout North America, they are also found throughout Central America, Europe, North Africa, in the Caribbean region, and in some places in Asia.

Native Americans used pine sap for medicinal purposes. The resin is either chewed on or made into a beverage by mixing with water. It is known to be very effective in treating stomach ulcers and rheumatoid arthritis. Modern medical experts have not verified the medicinal benefits of pine resin though.

Look for the damaged part of the pine tree because it will be where the resin production is. The resin will be dry and hardened but can be softened with heat. Look for damaged or fallen limbs first before you purposely cut into the pine tree’s bark for the sap. If you have to damage the tree, do it in a small area on one side only. Also, take only as much resin as you will need and leave some on the tree to protect the cut from boring insects.

7 Survival Uses of Pine Resin You Need to Know

1. First Aid

When you’re outdoors camping or in a survival situation, cutting accidents will always almost to happen. Pine resin can be applied directly over the wound to stem blood flow almost at once. The resin will also inhibit the growth and spread of bacteria because of its sticky nature which denies the bacteria the moisture it needs to survive. Just leave the resin in place until it dries out and then peel it out. The resin will close the wound up the same way stitching it up would. You may reapply resin as needed. There are many instances where wounds have been stemmed using pine resin, like this shared by Scott in his site, Bug Out Survival.

2. Use the Resin to Make Shoes and Other Items Waterproof

Heat the resin to liquid form and then apply it to the material you want to make impervious to water like the lower half of your hiking boots. You can also use resin to seal seams, repair holes in shoes, boats, or structures to prevent leaks. When heating the resin, use a deep container to keep the sap away from open flame. Pine resin can ignite easily.

3. Light and Heat

Pine resin can be used to make a lamp. Look for a stone with depression, a can, a clamshell, or anything which can be filled with resin. For a wick, use some twisted cloth. Fill the depression with the resin, lay the wick on top, and ignite the wick. The wick material will ignite the resin which will burn like a candle. Feed more resin to maintain the flame.

To use the pine resin as a heat source, get a metal container and punch holes in its side. Place it over the ignited resin. The metal will absorb the heat and conduct to the surrounding area. This will not heat a large area but you get enough heat to warm hands and feet.

4. Make Glue Out of Pine Resin

Heat the resin to liquid form. While the pine resin is heating, crumble some charcoal from the fire to fine powder (or as fine as you can make them). When the resin is ready, remove from heat and stir in the powder charcoal – the amount of the charcoal powder should be about 1/3 of the resin’s volume. Dip a stick repeatedly in the mixture to form a ball of pitch on the end. Store the glue until it is needed. Heat the hardened glue until pliable.

Tip: You can form fishhooks with the glue, repair holes in water containers, repair the soles of shoes, apply feathers to homemade arrows, or harden the ends of hunting spears to keep them from splintering.

5. Start a Fire with Pine Resin

You can use a pine resin to start a fire in damp conditions. Look for some hardened pine resin and some pine sticks. You will see streaks of rosins when you split the pine sticks. Lay some dried pine needles near these. When you ignite the resin, it will burn long enough to dry the pine needles and you can add small pieces of the pine sticks which will burn even if somewhat damp because of the resin. Once you’ve got a sizable flame going, you can start drying out other wood.

6. Treat Rashes

When you're out in the woods, it's often that you encounter unfamiliar substances. These can make your skin itch and give you rashes. Pine resin's sap has a natural treatment for this. You just need the help of a fire ash and oil to mix it with the pine sap, and there you have it: moisturizing soap to treat rashes.

7. Soothe a Sore Throat

Another survival use of pine resin is to soothe a sore throat. You can get the sap directly from the tree and eat it. This will help soothe and coat your throat, especially if you're feeling under weather.

To give you more details, here's a video from The Outsider's channel featuring one of the survival uses of pine resin:

Now that you've learned about the uses of pine resin, you'll know how to survive in case you're trapped in the woods. May this list serve as a handy guide for you and your friends if you ever plan to go out for a hike. It's always a must to be prepared in whatever situation you encounter.

Do you have anything else to add to our list of survival uses of pine resin? Tell us in the comments section below.

Up Next: 27 Surprising Uses for Salt

Editor’s Note – This article has been updated for accuracy and relevancy. Original publish date: November 25, 2013.

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“Everything Has Gone Wrong”: Soros Warns “Major” Financial Crisis Is Coming

“Everything Has Gone Wrong”: Soros Warns “Major” Financial Crisis Is Coming was originally seen on http://totalsurvival.net/

In a speech delivered Tuesday in Paris, billionaire investor George Soros warned that the world could be on the brink of another devastating financial crisis, as debt crises reemerge in Europe and a strengthening dollar pressures both the US’s emerging- and developed-market rivals.

And Europe, with Italy dragging worries about the possible dissolution of the euro back to the forefront, won’t be far behind. Political pressures like the dissolution of its transatlantic alliance with the US will eventually translate into economic harm. Presently, Europe is facing three pressing problems: The refugee crisis, the austerity policy that has hindered Europe’s economic development, and territorial disintegration– not only Brexit but the threat that countries like Italy might follow suit…

read more…

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How to Remove a Splinter

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If you're busy with outdoor and indoor activities or you spend most of your time in the woods, knowing how to remove a splinter can be very helpful for you. You'll never know what will happen so being equipped with this knowledge will save you from trouble. Wood splinters, glass splinters, name it– these can be hard and painful to remove. Some people opt to use a tweezer, but it can be painful which will only make the situation worst. Here are 11 painless ways to get rid of a splinter you should try before grabbing a tweezer!

How to Remove a Splinter In 11 Natural and Painless Ways

1. Bacon Fat

Cut a pea-sized piece of white fat from a raw strip of bacon and place directly onto the splinter. Secure the bacon fat with a bandage and leave it overnight. The bacon fat should draw out the splinter from your skin.

2. Hydrogen Peroxide

A hydrogen peroxide can help remove the splinter effortlessly. Just soak a clean cotton pad in a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution then apply it on the affected area. The splinter should come out easily after a few minutes.

3. Onion

Tape a fresh onion slice onto the splinter and leave overnight. The splinter will be drawn closer to the surface of your skin and will be easier to remove.

4. Epsom Salt

Epsom salt can help get rid of a splinter by increasing the osmotic pressure on the skin. All you need to do is dissolve 1 cup of Epsom salt in a tub of water then soak the affected area until the splinter gets drawn out.

5. Wide Mouth Bottle and Hot Water

Fill the bottle with hot water close to full. Place your hand with splinter over the mouth of the bottle until completely covered. Steam and suction caused by your hand should draw out the splinter from your skin.

6. Clear Nail Polish

Did you know that a nail polish can also be your companion in removing a splinter? To do this, apply a clear nail polish over the affected area and let it dry. Peel off the nail polish in the opposite direction of the splinter. The splinter should come out after one try.

7. Essential Oils

Add a few drops of lavender or clove essential oil to the affected area. This allows the splintered skin to naturally swell. The splinter should come out right after a mild swell.

8. Castor Oil

The use of a castor oil in removing a splinter is a widely practiced home remedy. If you accidentally got a splinter, apply an ample amount of pure castor oil into the affected area. Cover it with a bandage and leave it overnight. The castor oil will soften the skin making it easier to get rid of the splinter.

9. Tomato

Fresh tomatoes aren't just used for cooking a delicious meal but also for removing a stubborn splinter. Apply a small piece of tomato directly onto the splinter. Put a band-aid to cover the tomato and leave it overnight. The tomato will move the splinter to the surface and it will be easier to pull out.

10. White Vinegar

Simply immerse the affected area in a bowl filled with white vinegar for about half an hour, then wait for the splinter to rise on the surface of your skin. Remove the splinter gently with your hand or with a tweezer.

11. Tape

For this way of splinter removal, you'll need either a packaging tape or a duct tape. Gently cut a small piece of tape and tap it on the affected area while gently catching the splinter. Be sure to stick the splinter on the tape so you can easily pull it out. You can repeat the process if necessary. This is applicable only if the splinter is not too deep and close enough on the skin surface so the tape can be attached to it.

Watch this helpful video from Tech Insider's channel for more ways on how to remove a splinter:

Now you know several ways on how to remove a splinter. Try these in case you or someone you know get stuck in an unexpected situation. You'll find these ways very handy and convenient since you can easily find the things you need in your household. If you love making yourself busy and active, the last thing you want to do is remove a splinter in your foot or finger, so being cautious is still the best thing to do!

Do you have anything else to add to our list of ways on how to remove a splinter? Tell us about it in the comments section below!

Up Next: What to Include in a Home First Aid Kit

Editor’s Note – This article has been updated for accuracy and relevancy. Original publish date: February 8, 2016.

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27 Campfire Recipes For Your Next Camping Trip | Homesteading

Survival Fishing Strategies When You Don’t Have A Pole

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Learning the basics of survival fishing isn’t all that difficult or expensive.

What’s more American than spending a lazy Saturday fishing? Some of my fondest memories were going down to our neighbor’s lake; we simply called it “Josh’s.” Most often we were just fishing for fun, catching little bluegill and a few bass. It was simple, it got us out of the house and it was fun. I’m excited to take my son once he’s old enough. It’s also, however, highly crucial to use survival fishing as a technique to bolster your skill set in situations where food is more difficult to find.

Besides being a great American pastime, fishing is an incredibly valuable survival skill. I live in Florida, so I’m surrounded by water pretty much anywhere I go. Learning the basics of survival fishing isn’t all that difficult or expensive. A simple freshwater setup can cost less than $50.

But what about fishing without equipment? If you have the skills and equipment, survival fishing isn’t much different than regular fishing.

Building a survival fishing pole is simple and easy. You can build one from a tree branch. Of course, this won’t be as effective as a standard rod and reel, but there is a reason cane poles are still being sold. There is a way to build a small and efficient fishing pole and later an entire fishing system with the same methods.

Learn the secrets of a veteran hunter as he shows you how to quickly and efficiently field-dress your game

A plastic water or soda bottle with a line wrapped around the neck of the bottle can be a very small and simple fishing rod. Now, what to use as hooks? You can use trash, of course. The tabs from soda cans can be cut at an angle, giving you an improvised hook. You can wrap them around the neck for storage and simply stick any twig in the opening of the soda bottle.

For bait, you can use almost anything that’s creepy and crawly. You can dig up earthworms, catch grasshoppers and crickets, or use simple shiny material. Of course, you can use smaller fish as well. I prefer live bait and always have, but often the reusability of artificial bait makes it a bit more useful.

Now, the best part about those bottles is the fact that they float, and if you carry paracord (and you better) you can make a simple, floating, fishing super trap. I really don’t know how else to describe it. Here is how we do it. We need a few soda bottles and their lids; they have to be plastic, and any size will work. You need to tie them together, with 2 to 3 feet between each bottle. Run an actual fishing line with hooks and your chosen bait. I suggest using a variation of length to give yourself a wider “net.” We’ll call each of these contraptions “lines.”

Story continues below video

Float your bottle an appropriate distance away from the shore, which will be different for each body of water. Depending on the number of bottles you have, you can use multiple lines out there, giving you a highly efficient fishing system that only requires you to check for fish and change the bait.

You also can build a fish snare. This works off a simple snare device. Of course, you need a so-called “engine,” which will be a small but strong tree near the base of the body of water. From the tree, attach a rope and tie it to a thick piece of wood. Carve a simple notch into the wood. This thick piece of wood will be your trigger. This notch needs to be approximately an inch above the bottom of the wood. Your notch needs to form a ledge with the bottom of your trigger. This piece of wood will also have your fishing line, hook and bait.

Next, carve an identical notch that forms a ledge in the top of a piece of wood. This wood will be your stake. The notch on your stake needs to match up with the notch on your trigger, and they need to rest inside each other. Bend your engine down and attach your stake and your trigger together. The idea is when a fish grabs the bait and pulls away, the trap will spring and hook your catch.

Add a good weight and hook to your fish snare and you’ll be able to cast your line as far as necessary. These little traps can be placed all around a pond, giving you a wide capture net when it comes to fresh water.

I’ve had only one of these traps set for the last three days and have caught one nice bluegill. I’ve checked and changed the bait twice a day. Now, that may not seem incredibly effective, but with multiple traps set I could catch several fish with hardly any effort. This leaves me to tend to other duties and simply check my traps as I would a normal snare.

There are different ways I haven’t covered, like the survival fish funnel trap.

Experiment and practice. This is a skill that is much easier than hunting, and has a much greater chance of catching food on a regular basis. Happy fishing!

What are your survival fishing tips? Tell us in the comments section below.

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Geothermal Power Plant In Hawaii Nearing Dangerous Meltdown?

Geothermal Power Plant In Hawaii Nearing Dangerous Meltdown? Read more on: http://totalsurvival.net/

Lava continues to flow towards Hawaii’s PGV geothermal power plant.

If lava reaches Hawaii’s PGV geothermal power plant, it could release of deadly hydrogen sulfide gas. That’s the latest potential danger from the Kilauea volcanic eruption in Hawaii. Residents now fear that lava flow will trigger a meltdown at the Puna Geothermal Venture (PGV) power plant that would release even more toxic gases into the air.

Nobody knows what will happen if lava engulfs the PGV because magma has never engulfed a geothermal power plant, Reuters reported. A geothermal power plant uses steam and gas heated by lava deep in the earth to run turbines that make electricity.
The PGV power plant produces 25% of the power used on Hawaii’s “Big Island.” The plant, considered a source of clean energy because geothermal plants burn no fossil fuels, and produce little pollution under normal circumstances.

The Potential Danger from Geothermal Energy

The fear is that the lava would release chemicals used to make electricity at the plant. The PGV has been shut down and authorities moved an estimated 60,000 gallons of flammable liquids away from the facility. They also shut down wells that extract steam and gas used to run the turbines.
Another potential danger is that lava would open the wells and release clouds of toxic gases from them. The wells are typically sealed to prevent the gas from entering the atmosphere.
The most significant threat is hydrogen sulfide, a highly toxic and flammable gas that is colorless. Hydrogen sulfide normally has a rotten egg smell which people might not detect when the air is full of smoke. That means people can breathe hydrogen sulfide in without realizing they have been exposed.

The greatest danger from hydrogen sulfide is pulmonary edema; the accumulation of fluid in the lungs, which causes a person to stop breathing. People have died of pulmonary edema after just a few minutes of exposure to hydrogen sulfide gas. Many victims become unconscious before the gas kills them. Long-term dangers that survivors of pulmonary edema face include brain damage.
Hydrogen sulfide can also cause burns to the skin that are similar to frostbite. Persons exposed to hydrogen sulfide can also suffer from nausea, headaches, severe eye burns, and delirium. Children are more vulnerable to hydrogen sulfide because it is a heavy gas that stays close to the ground.

Geothermal Danger Extends Far Beyond Hawaii

The danger from geothermal energy extends far beyond Hawaii. The world’s largest collection of Geothermal power plants located at the Geysers in California’s Wine Country.
The Geysers field contains 350 steam production wells and 22 power plants in Sonoma, Lake, and Mendocino counties. Disturbingly, the Geysers which located just north of the heavily-populated San Francisco Bay Area and just west of Sacramento. Problems at the Geysers might lead to significant blackouts because the field supplies around 20% of the green energy used in California.

Another danger from geothermal power is earthquakes because many geothermal power plants inject wastewater into hot rock deep below to produce steam to run turbines. A geothermal project in Switzerland created Earthquakes by injecting water into the Earth, Zero Hedge reported. A theoretical threat is that quakes caused by injection would cause the release of deadly gases at a geothermal power plant.
The dangers from geothermal power might be much greater than its advocates admit.

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Companion Planting: Vegetable “Buddies” That Actually Thrive Together

Companion Planting: Vegetable “Buddies” That Actually Thrive Together is courtesy of Total Survival

Companion planting makes sense in an organic garden by creating plant diversity and using garden space more efficiently. Some plants work as pest deterrents, while others act as traps, drawing harmful bugs away from more susceptible veggies. Some gardeners are convinced that companion planting doubles the harvest, making it well worth the extra effort.

Companion planting can produce lots of benefits.

Companion Planting Goes Way Back

The Native American Three Sisters planting method, which involves corn, beans and squash, is one of the best examples of how companion planting works. As corn stalks gain height, they provide support for vining bean plants, and the beans repay the favor by fixing nitrogen in the soil. Squash, a fast-growing plant, does its part by shading the soil, preserving moisture and helping keep weeds in check.

Keep in mind that companion planting is not an exact science, and what works well for your friend across town may not work for you. Experimentation will reveal what natural friendships crop up in your garden.

Companion Planting Ideas For This Year’s Garden

Beets – Cabbage and related plants do well near beet plants, as do members of the onion family. Beets also like bush beans, lettuce and chard, but it’s best to keep them away from pole beans.

Beans – Bush beans interact positively with cucumbers, corn, radishes, celery, beets and members of the cabbage family. Pole beans, on the other hand, are a little pickier. They get along famously with radishes and corn, but hate beets. Plant potatoes next to either type of bean if you have problem with beetles, as potatoes tend to repel the pests. Avoid onions, garlic, leeks and chives, which may stunt bean plant growth.

Carrots – Onions, garlic and leeks help repel carrot flies and other pests, while members of the cabbage family also tend to discourage various pests that bug carrots. Beneficial carrot buddies also include peas, beans, lettuce, radishes, peppers and tomatoes.

Sweet corn – Beans are super helpful companion plants for corn, attracting beneficial insects that feast on corn-ravaging pests. Other companion plants that may enhance corn plant growth include potatoes, beans, melons, squash, pumpkins, cucumbers and peas. However, plant corn and tomatoes at least 4 feet apart, as the two don’t do well together.

Cucumbers – Cucumbers thrive on nitrogen that peas and beans provide to the soil, while radishes help by drawing cucumber beetles away from tender cukes. Corn is a good companion for cucumbers, but potatoes and melons aren’t so good. Plant them in a different area of the garden.

Lettuce – Plant onions, garlic and chives nearby to deter aphids, maggots and other pests. Additionally, you can plant lettuce under tall tomatoes or corn, as lettuce appreciates the cool shade. Lettuce also gets along well with carrots, cucumbers, parsnips, beets and members of the cabbage family.

Onions – Onions grow well alongside many vegetable plants, including tomatoes, beets, peppers, lettuce, carrots, chard and most members of the cabbage family (with the exception of kohlrabi).

Peas – Plant peas near radishes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, parsley, tomatoes and turnips, but not in close proximity to onions, garlic, leeks or chives.

Peppers – Peppers get along well with most vegetables, including eggplant, parsley, carrots, tomatoes and members of the onion family. On the other hand, beans and peppers aren’t a good combination.

Companion planting needs to be considered before the spade hits the dirt.

Radish – Radishes are cheerful little plants that get along with most vegetables, including carrots, beets, parsnips and spinach. Many gardeners think companion planting radishes and lettuce makes radishes more tender. However, it’s best not to plant radish in close proximity to members of the cabbage family.

Spinach – When you plant spinach and radishes side by side, the spinach works as a trap plant. This means that it attracts leafminers that are capable of decimating your spinach crop. Chinese mustard works in much the same fashion. Spinach also grows well alongside eggplants, celery and members of the cabbage family.

Potatoes – Plant spuds along with beans, eggplants, corn, peas and members of the cabbage family. Nevertheless, you should locate tomatoes, melons, squash, turnips and cucumbers in another corner of your garden.

Tomatoes – Many gardeners believe that chives can make tomatoes even sweeter. Other good tomato companions include parsley, carrots, celery, asparagus, onions, garlic and leeks. Tomatoes and corn are enemies, primarily because they tend to attract the same pests. Similarly, potatoes are susceptible to the same blight, which means they aren’t good companions for tomatoes. Plant tomatoes away from cauliflower, kale and other members of the cabbage family. They are believed to stunt tomato plant growth.

Which vegetables do you plant near one another – and avoid planting near one another? Share your tips in the section below:

Every Spring, Gardeners Make This Avoidable Mistake — But You Don’t Have To. Read More Here.

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Smith Wesson Model 19 Is One Of 5 Classic Guns Your Grandfather Owned

The following post Smith Wesson Model 19 Is One Of 5 Classic Guns Your Grandfather Owned was originally published to http://www.totalsurvival.net/

Grandpa’s guns are worth keeping around.

Firearms are tools and often represent technological trends, if you think about it. Today’s firearms are lighter, more durable and sometimes more accurate than they were even a generation ago. That does not, however, mean that people ought to mothball older guns, such as the Smith Wesson Model 19, or turn them into scrap. As a matter of fact, some of Grandpa’s guns are almost essential to own today.

Let’s take a look at five:

1. Winchester 1894 Lever-Action Rifle

You do not see too many lever action rifles in today’s gun market, unless they are specifically designed for Old West reenactors. Yet, these rifles literally tamed the West and have brought meat to the table for over a century and a half. The 1894 represented the ultimate refinement of the design. Purists prefer their Winchesters made prior to 1964 due to manufacturing changes, but even a post-1964 rifle is still a keeper.

Ultimate Tactical Self-Defense And Hunting Weapon That Doesn’t Require A Firearms License!

A Winchester ’94 chambered in 30-30 Winchester represents a fine hunting and brush rifle, even for today’s shooters.

2. Smith Wesson Model 19

One of the finest double-action revolvers made this side of the Colt Python is the Smith Wesson Model 19. Built on the classic K-Frame, this mid-sized revolver served as a police sidearm and is still used today by hunters and outdoorsman. Notwithstanding, they can be a bit hard to find and were eclipsed by the slightly larger models 586/686 built on the L-Frame.

Chances are that if your grandfather owned a 357 Magnum wheel gun, it was most likely a model 19.

3. Colt 1911

If your grandfather served in the US military, it’s more than likely he carried a Colt 1911. This 45 semi-automatic from Colt is an iconic handgun made by numerous manufacturers today and has been popular with those who participate in shooting sports.

I’m not talking about an accurized modern handgun made from CNC, MIM or stainless steel. I’m talking about the original, slab-sided Colt version. These were hand-fitted pistols assembled by master craftsmen and saw service from World War I through Vietnam.

A great addition to any collection, US Property-marked Colts are going through the roof in price now. Runner-ups include those made by Remington Rand, Savage, Union Smith, and Signal and Ithaca. Barring that, a commercial Colt as late as a Series 70 will suffice.

4. Springfield 1903

Springfield 1930. Image source: Wikipedia

The 1903 Springfield is a classic bolt-action rifle based on the 98 Mauser action that saw service as late as the Vietnam War. Chambered in 30-06 Springfield, this rifle became popular as a hunting rifle between wars.

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In its original configuration, it is a fine example of a classic military rifle. Still, even a sporterized version makes for a perfect deer camp candidate.

5. Winchester Model 12

This pump-action shotgun has probably dropped more ducks and taken more deer than just about any other model in existence. Originally offered in 20 gauge only, Winchester soon offered the model 12 in the more popular 12 and 16 gauges and later in the 28 gauge.

The company made more than 2 million between 1912 and 1954. They included riot and trench gun variants and deluxe pigeon-grade variants with better wood and finishes. In addition, Winchester’s first internal hammer-pump shotgun set the standard by which people judge every other pump shotgun produced since then.

In conclusion, even if your grandfather didn’t own any of these firearms, these five examples represent what I think are the true classics of days gone by.

What would you add to this list? Share your ideas in the section below:

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Survival Gardening: 18 Plants & Trees That Can Survive a Drought

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Planting a survival garden requires you to foresee and prepare for a number of possible scenarios that could kill your plants and leave you without a source of food. One of the most dreaded of these scenarios is an extended drought. Many plants are unable to survive more than a few days without water. In a survival scenario where no rain is falling, providing water to them can be a real struggle.

While it’s important to devise a plan for watering your plants during a drought, it’s also beneficial to have plants that you can rely on to survive drought when the weather turns hot and water is scarce. The plants listed below are all able to survive without water longer than the average plant and can handle the heat quite well. If you live in a part of the country where drought is a possibility (which is most of the country), consider including these plants in your survival garden.

1. Eggplant

Once the plant has been established, eggplants are able to survive droughts better than most vegetables. Eggplants are a heat-loving plant and won’t begin to wilt until daytime temperatures exceed 95 degrees for an extended period of time. Eggplants will also still set fruit in temperatures exceeding 100 degrees so long as they have some moisture and nutrients.

2. Figs

Fig trees need ample sun in order to thrive, but they aren’t particularly picky about the soil they grow in or the high temperatures they’re exposed to. Come time to harvest, fig trees will yield a bounty of sweet, sticky fruit.

It’s recommended that you water figs every five days during the summer months in order to yield the biggest fruit, which isn’t a lot, especially considering that figs are able to survive and yield fruit with even less water. Add to that the fact that fig trees love the heat and are easy to care for, and you’ve got a plant that is well worth considering as part of your drought-preparedness strategy.

3. Peppers

In addition to having some heat of their own, peppers handle heat and droughts quite well. It doesn’t particularly matter what variety of pepper that you plant, as most all peppers are fairly drought-resistant. Larger peppers such as bell peppers will naturally provide more sustenance, but there’s certainly nothing wrong with mixing up your pepper plants for more variety – provided, of course, that you can handle the heat yourself!

4. Oriental Persimmons

If you’ve ever had the misfortune of tasting a wild persimmon that isn’t quite ripe, just the name persimmon alone might put a bitter taste in your mouth. However, the flavorful oriental persimmons have little in common with their wild-growing namesake.

Oriental persimmon trees produce tomato-sized fruit that is fairly firm and sweet. What makes oriental persimmon trees drought-resistant is the nature of the tree’s root system. Most fruit trees have roots that are shallow and branch out. Oriental persimmon trees, however, have a tap root that goes deep into the ground, allowing the tree to collect water even when all the water near the surface of the soil has dried up and other trees are struggling.

5. Sweet Potatoes

Most varieties of potatoes don’t do well in hot climates and instead prefer cooler soil. This is not the case with sweet potatoes, however, as they do quite well when the weather turns hot. Like any other variety of potato, sweet potatoes are full of carbs that will keep you full and energized in a survival situation, and they have a high yield relative to the amount of area they take up.

6. Okra

A southern classic, okra is considerably more drought-resistant than most vegetables and does well in hot, summer weather.

Okra pods can be added to soups and stews, grilled, or battered and fried. The last method is the most popular way to cook okra, as any other method leaves okra quite slimy – an off-putting texture for many. Prepared correctly, though, okra makes for a delicious dish that you will be able to enjoy when there’s not enough rain to keep other plants in your garden alive.

7. Pomegranate

Pomegranates have gained a lot of popularity recently among natural health enthusiasts thanks to the fruit’s powerful antioxidant properties. Hailing from the Middle East and the Mediterranean, pomegranate trees are used to the heat and are quite drought-resistant.

Getting the fruit out of a pomegranate’s fleshy outer shell requires a little bit of work. However, the sweet morsels inside are well worth the effort.

8. Natal Plums

Natal plum trees are among the heartiest of all fruit trees. Not only are the trees drought-resistant, they’re also able to grow in a wide range of soil conditions and climates.

With a wintertime harvest, natal plums won’t provide any food during the drought. However, they’ll be able to survive the drought and provide you with food in the winter that follows.

9. Carrots

Simply looking at a carrot and understanding how the plant functions will let you know why carrots are more drought-resistant than most vegetables. The part of the carrot that you eat is the plant’s root, meaning that the carrot is able to extend deep down into the soil and collect water that other plants can’t.

10. Black Eyed Peas

Like most plants native to the Southwest, black-eyed peas are plenty capable of surviving a drought and hot weather. The peas themselves contain very little moisture, meaning that little water is required to produce them. Combine this with a relatively deep root system and black-eyed peas are plenty capable of producing food when the weather turns hot and the rain stops falling.

11. Jujube

Also known as a red date or Chinese date, jujube trees are a drought-resistant fruit tree native to the Chinese mainland. Originally, jujube fruits were quite sour. Over the past few thousand years, though, growers have tweaked the species to produce a fruit that is much sweeter and more enjoyable.

Jujube trees may not be the most well-known fruit tree. However, their resistance to drought and ability to produce fruit in hot climates make them an option worth considering.

12. Horned Cucumber

As a general rule, most varieties of cucumber are fairly drought resistant, and the horned cucumber is even more drought resistant. This unusual cucumber is quite different from the cucumbers that most people are familiar with, as the fruit it produces is spiny, bright orange, has a jelly-like texture, and is said to taste like a cross between a lime, a cucumber, and a banana.

13. Beets

One of the main sources of sugar aside from sugarcane, beets handle the heat and drought quite well. The deep purple tubers grow and are harvested much like potatoes. If you don’t wish to make processed sugar, though, don’t worry; beets are quite tasty in salads, pickled, or mixed into other dishes.

14. Watermelon

Given the amount of water in a watermelon, it may come as a surprise that this fruit grows best in long, hot summers and well-drained soil. While watermelon will naturally need some water to produce fruit, you won’t have to worry about the high heat wilting the plant and killing off its fruit.

15. Malabar Spinach

Ordinary spinach plants don’t do particularly well in a drought. Malabar spinach, however, which grows on a vine and tastes similar to the spinach you’re used to, loves the heat and can survive a drought quite well. Since you’ll have a hard time getting most leafy greens to produce in a drought, Malabar spinach is definitely a green you should consider planting in order to incorporate leafy greens into your diet during a drought.

16. Beans

Most every variety of beans, from bush beans to pole beans and beyond, are able to handle the heat and drought incredibly well. The best part is that you’ve got a lot of options considering all the different varieties of beans that are available, meaning that planting several different types of beans in your garden will add plenty of variety to your drought-time cuisine.

17. Kei Apples

Kei apple trees originate from southwest Africa, which is enough alone to tell you that this fruit tree is able to handle the heat and drought. The Kei apple tree grows up to thirty feet tall and produces smallish, bright yellow apples.

Kei apple trees are also able to grow in high salinity soil. However, they do prefer the dry air of higher climates, meaning that growing them in a humid climate may prove difficult.

18. Squash

Squash is one of the few vegetables where the hotter the temperature is, the bigger the fruit they produce. This goes for all varieties of squash, both summer squash and winter squash alike.

This fact enables you to plant vegetables with both a summertime and a winter harvest and ensure that they will be able to survive any dry, hot weather that comes along.

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Remembering Our Past “According To The Scriptures”

Remembering Our Past “According To The Scriptures” was originally published to Total Survival

The Myth Of Neutrality – According To The Scriptures

The only real to accurately study the past is to do it… according to the scriptures.

No history text can be objective or neutral because facts can never interpret themselves. All history books reflect their author’s religious and moral assumptions. The historian collects and chooses his facts in terms of his own presuppositions. He decides what to include in his history and what to leave out on his own belief system. Further, historians name the good guys and the bad guys in terms of that system. In fact, everything he writes is an expression of his religious faith. That’s we need to look at history according to the scriptures. OK…

Does this mean that history is nothing more than a pack of lies, a tool for manipulation and oppression? To answer this important question, we need to step back, back to the beginning.

According To The Scriptures – The Bible as History

God’s word comes to us as history. Genesis tells us the history of the world from Creation to the death of the patriarch Joseph in Egypt. That’s roughly twenty-three hundred years. Exodus takes us from Egypt to Mt. Sinai, where God gave Israel His law (c. 1445 BC). Leviticus mostly enjoins laws for moral and ritual purity, but historically it follows Exodus: Israel is still at the foot of Mt. Sinai.

Numbers describes Israel’s failure to enter the Promised Land and the forty years of wilderness wandering that followed. Deuteronomy gives us Moses’ farewell speech and his own interpretation of Israel’s recent history. Joshua describes Israel’s six-year conquest of the Land. Judges recounts the three-hundred-year cycle of apostasy, judgment, and deliverance that followed. Samuel and Kings continue the history of Israel through the monarchy to the Captivity. Chronicles covers much the same material. Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther tell us about the Restoration and take us into the Medo-Persian era (about 450 BC).

The Latter Prophets all speak out of a specific historical context described elsewhere in Scripture. So do the poetry books or Wisdom Literature. There is nothing here resembling the esoteric or occult. Even the prophecies, obscure as they sometimes are, generally point forward to a specific fulfillment in real history.

So far, that’s the Old Testament. The New Testament begins with four Gospels, each a true history of Jesus the Messiah in His 3½ year earthly ministry. After the Gospels comes Acts, a history of Jesus’ ongoing ministry from the Father’s right hand through His Spirit, word, and Church here on earth. What remains of the New Testament are the Epistles, letters written by Jesus’ apostles to actual 1st-century churches.

The Epistles assume the historicity of the Gospels and Acts and speak to historical situations in these local congregations. Even the Book of Revelation is addressed to seven real churches in Asia Minor, and though it contains a good deal of imagery and symbolism, it speaks to events “that must shortly come to pass” (Rev. 1:1) Real history again.

Now the history contained in Scripture certainly isn’t exhaustive. There are no clear references to distant Asia, Australia, or the Americas. India gets a brief mention as part of the Persian Empire (Est. 1:1), but northern Europe and the British Isles are entirely absent from the biblical record. Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome each find a place in that record, but only as each of these ancient empires interact, for good or ill, with God’s covenant people. Scripture ignores the pyramids, the Hanging Gardens, Socrates, and Julius Caesar. And though Scripture tells us a lot about Israel, it skips over all sorts of things that archaeologists and social historians would very much like to know. Why?

The Meaning of History – According To The Scriptures

Scripture has a very specific focus: “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Rev. 19:10). The gospel of Jesus Christ is the spirit that animates all of Scripture. Scripture is about Jesus. Biblical history is about Jesus. All of history is about Jesus. The history of the world … is the story of the gospel. So what’s the gospel?

When Paul summarizes the gospel for the church at Corinth, he says this:

For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures: and that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep (1 Cor. 15:3-6).

There are two things here: the historical facts of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, and God’s authoritative interpretation of those facts. Jesus didn’t just die: He died “for our sins according to the Scriptures.” He did not merely rise from the dead: He did so “according to the Scriptures.”

The Scriptures at the time Paul lived and was writing would have been mostly the books of the Old Testament. In the Law and the Prophets, God had already declared the meaning of the Messiah’s death and resurrection. Messiah would die and rise again as a penal substitute for God’s elect (Isa. 53): He would procure forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit for God’s people (Joel 2:28-32). This message and the spiritual kingdom that incarnated it would sweep the world and bless all nations (Ps. 72).

The point is this: God says what history means. He tells us in Scripture as He has always told his people in Scripture. History is about Jesus Christ, crucified and risen for sinners. The story is about His gospel and His kingdom.

Reading History – According To The Scriptures

Biblical history stops at around AD 70 and the fall of Jerusalem, but no further. As students of history, how are we to proceed passed that date with any confidence? Here are some thoughts.

First, as we’ve seen in the previous article, unbelievers lie. So do Christians sometimes. We are all swayed by our prejudices. Honest scholarship is required when reading historical records, especially primary source documents. In short, we must remember to be critical and discerning.

Second, we have to remember that the heart of Christ’s kingdom is His Church. Not with national Israel or Europe or England. Not with America. As we read history, we are tracking the City of God in its conflict with the City of Man. Man’s kingdoms, empires, and republics come and go. The kingdom of God endures.

Third, we should measure the success of God’s kingdom and its representatives in terms of God’s word. Christ’s kingdom comes through the preaching of His word, through the gospel. Sound doctrine and the preaching mission of the Church are key factors in the development of history. Because of this, the orthodoxy or doctrinal soundness of key figures within Church history matters greatly.

Not everyone with a reputation for Christian piety has, in fact, been a blessing to Christ’s Church. Not everyone who has spoken well of God has actually been a servant of Jesus Christ. All this to say that our reading of history must be rooted in creedal, confessional theology based solidly on Scripture. The doctrines of creatio ex nihilo, the ontological Trinity, the hypostatic union of Christ’s two natures, total depravity and sovereign grace, and justification by faith must be “key plumb lines” by which we measure the great figures and movements within the history of Christendom and within that of the wider world.

Fourth, historical judgment on the acts of men and nations is always by the infallible standard of God’s law, as it is revealed in Scripture. Great men sin. Stalwart Christian leaders sin. Nations that claim the name of Christ also sin. How shall we decide between slave and master, between crusader and jihadist, between colonizers and colonized, between communist and capitalist, if not by the law of God? There are no favored nations with God. He is no respecter of persons: He calls all men everywhere to repent and to kiss the Son (Ps. 2).

Fifth, we should understand the key role of the gospel in shaping Western civilization, what was once called Christendom. God’s grace is by definition discriminatory. He gives it to some folks and withholds it from others based wholly on His sovereign will. To the present God’s grace and the fruit of the gospel have been more evident in Western culture than elsewhere. (Then, again, we generally define the West in terms of the influence of orthodox Christianity.) This westward spread of the gospel owes nothing to race or ethnicity and gives us no reason to glory in the world, the flesh or presume upon God where the future is concerned. But it would be a very gross ingratitude and blindness not to recognize what God has, in fact, done in our history.

Sixth, it’s important to understand that Earth’s history is and has always been a winnowing process. Christ’s kingdom grows and develops over time. We can’t expect the Church of the past to know everything we know today. Anselm understood the atonement better than Athanasius. Calvin built on Augustine. The Westminster Confession far surpasses the Nicene Creed in depth and breadth. According to the scriptures, history moves forward.

That means that we can’t return to the past … not to the Reformation, or Colonial America, or Jane Austen’s England. Truthfully, we shouldn’t want to. The New Jerusalem lies in the future. We can learn from the past, but we shouldn’t try to repeat it. We live in an age of differentiation … the tares becoming more obviously tares, the wheat more obviously wheat (Matt. 13:24-32, 36-43). The City of God and the City of Man grow towards epistemological self-consciousness.

Seventh, it’s crucial to remember that we do not stand at the end of history. Since the Church hasn’t yet fulfilled the Great Commission, we would be hard-pressed to believe that history will end any time soon. If we are going to truly study history according to the scriptures, it’s always healthy to remember that our nation and our civilization are not the “be-all and end-all” of all that God has been doing.

Our Future – According To The Scriptures

With these principles in mind, we should be able to read and write history more clarity. We should also be able to make more sense of what God has done in the past and how His kingdom might grow in the future.

Hopefully, we can find our own calling and own place in His story. And, we should be able to help our children find theirs. Hopefully, we will be able to see a lot more of God’s wisdom as we examine the world today. Hopefully, we’ll see the power of the gospel working in our world.

Studying history “according to the scriptures” make the study of history more than worth our time. What a blessing, to be able to think, discern and remember what God has done, is doing and promises to do in the future.

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Celebrate Memorial Day By Planting An Heirloom Seed “Victory Garden”

Celebrate Memorial Day By Planting An Heirloom Seed “Victory Garden” Read more on: http://totalsurvival.net/

The American Victory Garden provided food for many people during hard times.

Planting heirloom seeds in your vegetable or “victory garden” could be one of the single best ways to celebrate Memorial Day.

Heirloom Seeds are natural seeds harvested from plants descended from those grown by our Colonial and Pioneer ancestors. The difference between Heirloom Seeds and most commercial seeds is genetic engineering.

Most of the seeds sold in big box stores are genetically modified not to pollinate. That means plants grown from the seeds will not produce new generations of seeds. Such seeds are a poor choice for subsistence or survival agriculture.

Heirloom Seeds are natural and capable of pollination. That means they will produce new seeds and ensure future generations of crops.
It also means that you can garden like the pioneers, who did not buy new seeds each year from stores. The pioneers harvested the seeds they used from the crops they grew the previous year. They created sustainable, environmentally-friendly agriculture, and a food source they controlled.

Plant a Victory Garden!

An excellent way to celebrate Memorial Day is to plant a Victory Garden. During World War Two the U.S. government encouraged all Americans to grow their own vegetables to free up resources for military production.

An estimated 20 million Americans planted Victory Gardens in their backyards, on vacant lots in the city, and on rooftops. Cooperatives and neighborhood groups operated many of those gardens.

The program worked too as it produced between nine and 10 million tons of food. That food helped America field up to 12 million fighting men and women in the armed forces.

Planting a Victory Garden is a great way to honor the memory of both the GIs of the Greatest Generation and the people who supported them on the home front. Gardening also passes on the values of those men and women; including their patriotism, sense of duty, strength of character, and spirit of self-sufficiency. A Victory Garden is a great way to teach some of those values to your kids and grandkids.

The History of The Victory Garden

Victory Gardens began in Canada during World War as “War Gardens.” In 1917 the Ministry of Agriculture launched a campaign called “A Vegetable Garden for Every Home.”

Such a campaign was necessary because food production fell because large numbers of men; who did the farm labor, were off fighting in the trenches. To increase food production, the Ministry of Agriculture encouraged every Canadian family to grow a good, can food, and keep chickens to produce eggs.

When the United States entered World War I, a National War Garden Commission was established to encourage Americans to emulate the Canadian effort. The commission organized a “United States School Garden Army” to encourage children to garden.

By the end of the war, American families had produced $1.2 billion worth of food in five million War Gardens. The phrase Victory Garden probably originated with a World War I propaganda poster that encouraged Americans to “Sow the Seeds of Victory.”

Digging for Victory

During World War II the British and Australian governments encouraged citizens to start “Digging for Victory” or “Dig On for Victory.”

In the United Kingdom, sports fields and golf courses were requisitioned and turned into Victory Gardens. Sections of the lawn in London’s famous Hyde Park were transformed into Victory Gardens. Even the Royal Family planted Victory Gardens at Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace. The British government also established County Herb Committees to gather medicinal herbs for use in the war effort.

First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt planted the most famous Victory Garden in the United States on the White House Lawn. By 1944 Victory Gardens produced between 8.2 million and 9.1 million tons of food, an amount equal to that produced by commercial agriculture.

Contrary to popular belief most American Victory Gardeners in World War II were not motivated by patriotism. A 1942 poll found that 54% of the people said they planted Victory Gardens for economic reasons to get cheaper food. Only 20% pointed to patriotism as their motivation for gardening.

Today’s Americans should follow the Greatest Generation’s lead and plant their own Victory Gardens with high germination heirloom seeds. That way you can save money, help the environment, eat healthier, get some exercise, and pass on American Values at the same time.

Using Heirloom Seeds will also make your Victory Garden more economical and sustainable because you will not need to buy new seeds in the future. Planting a Victory Garden with Heirloom Seeds is the perfect way to celebrate Memorial Day.

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How To Keep Rabbits From Eating Everything In Your Garden

How To Keep Rabbits From Eating Everything In Your Garden was first published to http://totalsurvival.net

How to keep rabbits from eating everything in your garden even if nothing else you’ve tried has worked.

Rabbits are voracious eaters and they can wipe out an entire area of new growth overnight.

Have you had the unpleasant experience of visiting your garden in the morning only to find that your tender young shoots have been cut off overnight, as if with a pair of shears?

If so, you may have had a nighttime visit from a rabbit or two. Rabbits are cute to look at, but they can be a real nuisance to gardeners. Known to be voracious eaters, they can wipe out an entire area of new growth overnight.

Because they have both upper and lower incisors, rabbits tend to make a clean cut on a stalk when they eat. Other telltale signs of rabbits in your garden are pea-sized droppings in and around the garden, and chewed tree bark close to ground level. Moreover, tufts of fur on branches and areas that reveal digging activity or even bedding down also can be signs of rabbits.

Rabbits are timid animals and do not like to stray far from cover. One way to discourage them from getting into your garden is to eliminate hiding places such as areas with tall grass and piles of stone or brush.

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Another idea is to plant alfalfa or clover outside your garden area. Rabbits are particularly fond of these two plants and may remain there for their meal– especially if it feels safer — instead of bothering your other plants.

One more plan of action to deter rabbits is to add some plants to your garden that rabbits dislike. Rabbits tend to go for tender shoots and tender woody plants that have a thin bark, so your young plants are at the highest risk of being eaten. However, if you place some less attractive plants among the ones that the long-eared guys like, they may stay away from your garden.

How To Keep Rabbits From Eating Everything In Your Garden

Generally, rabbits dislike plants that have a strong fragrance or have fuzzy leaves. A determined rabbit may simply graze around the plants he does not like, but here are seven garden plants that repel rabbits.

Plant lavender to deter pesky rabbits!

1. Veronica – With its pretty flowering spikes of blue, pink or white, veronica adds some height (one to two feet) and texture to your garden. Veronica prefers full or part sun and well-drained soil. In addition, the bunnies don’t like it.

2. Lavender – You may love the fragrance of lavender, but rabbits do not. This tough beauty can withstand both heat and drought. You can plant it as single plants or form a hedge with many plants to deter pesky bunnies. Lavender prefers full sun and well-drained, slightly alkaline soil.

3. Siberian Iris – This elegant iris variety has gorgeous purple, rose, blue or white blooms and big, grassy foliage. It adds beauty to your garden while potentially deterring rabbits. The Siberian iris grows from one to three feet tall and prefers full or part sun and well-drained soil.

4. Salvia – With a wide variety of bold colors to choose from, salvia is a colorful addition to your garden. Try it as a border plant to keep rabbits from entering your vegetable garden. Salvia likes full sun and well-drained soil. Furthermore, it can grow from one to even five feet tall, depending on the variety you choose.

5. Peony – They take a while to establish themselves from new roots, but when they do, peonies are a joy to behold. With large, late, springtime flowers and a beautiful variety of colors, peonies are an attractive addition to your garden. What’s even better is that rabbits do not like their tough foliage. Peonies like full sun and well-drained soil and can grow up to seven feet, depending on the variety of plant.

6. Verbena — Lovely verbena can grow from a mere six inches to three feet in height. It produces delicate pink, red, white or blue flowers, depending on the variety you select. Rabbits do not like the way verbena smells and usually will steer clear of the plant. Also, verbena prefers full sun and well-drained soil.

7. Daylily — Easy to grow and maintain, daylilies come in a rainbow variety of shades. They like full sun and well-drained soil and can grow up to six feet tall. Rabbits do not like their thick stalks.

Keep in mind that if your long-eared nighttime visitors are hungry enough, they will eat almost anything green in your garden. However, your plants are particularly attractive to rabbits when they are young and tender. Once your plants are established, they are less tempting, and, as a result, other plants may more easily discourage rabbits. We’ll. I hope you’ve learned how to keep rabbits from eating everything in your garden. If you have any tips you would like to share with other readers, please leave them below. Thanks!

Related:

Deer Hate These 7 Plants (So Plant Them Around Your Garden)

How do you keep rabbits out of your garden? Share your ideas in the section below:

Sources:

http://ifplantscouldtalk.rutgers.edu/planttalk/article.asp?ID=13

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/how-keep-rabbits-dining-trees-and-shrubs-1

http://www.pcmg-texas.org/animals/88-keeping-rabbits-out

Every Spring, Gardeners Make This Avoidable Mistake — But You Don’t Have To. Read More Here.

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17 OTC Meds For Survival Kit

The First Memorial Day And Some Other Facts You May Have Missed

The First Memorial Day And Some Other Facts You May Have Missed Read more on: http://totalsurvival.net/

The first Memorial Day was celebrated celebrated by former slaves and Union troops.

The first Memorial Day isn’t something Americans talk about much. If we knew our history, we’d all know that Memorial Day is far more than an opportunity to fire up the barbecue or get to the lake for the first time.
The holiday is an extraordinary celebration of America’s values, history, and traditions.

First Memorial Day Fun Facts

Heres a few surprising things you probably didn’t know about Memorial Day:

1. It commemorates the end of the Civil War. Freed slaves and Union troops held the earliest Memorial Day celebrations in May 1865 – just a few weeks after the fighting ended.

2. Memorial Day was first celebrated on May 1 or May Day. The first recorded Memorial Day observance occurred on May 1, 1865, when U.S. Troops and freed slaves celebrated in Charleston, South Carolina. Charleston was the city where the Civil War started with the bombardment of Fort Sumter in 1861.

3. Memorial Day is also about prisoners of war (POWs). The first Memorial Day celebration in Charleston on May 1, 1865, was held to consecrate the graves of 250 Union prisoners who died while in prison. The prisoners were called the “Martyrs of the Race Course” because the camp where the prisoners were kept was constructed at the site of a former horserace track.

4. Memorial Day is a Christian holiday. The original Memorial Day in 1865 was marked by the singing of hymns, and readings from the Bible.

5. Memorial Day has been celebrated historically May 30, not the last Monday in May.

6. Memorial Day became an official holiday in 1868. Union war hero General John A. Logan organized the first Memorial Day and designated May 30, 1868, as the first official celebration.

7. Logan chose the date because no Civil War battles were fought on the day. He was hoping to promote peace by not reviving wartime hatreds.

8. General Logan was the head of the first modern veterans’ organization; the Grand Army of the Republic, which represented Union veterans. Logan Street in Denver and Logan Circle in Washington D.C. have been named after the General.

9. Memorial Day was first celebrated by African Americans. Most of the participants in the first Memorial Day celebration in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1865 were freed slaves. They wanted to thank the Union soldiers who had liberated them as well as celebrate their freedom.

10. Memorial Day is a celebration of freedom. The first Memorial Day was organized by former slaves who also wanted to give thanks to God and to the fallen Union soldiers for their freedom.

11. Memorial Day was originally called “Declaration Day” by General Logan. The term Memorial Day was adopted by ex-Confederates in the South who did not want to celebrate a holiday they felt was confined to the Union.

12. Memorial Day did not become a federal holiday until 1971. An act of Congress in that year created the modern Memorial Day by designating the last Monday in May as a national holiday.

13. Southerners did not start celebrating Memorial Day until 1886 when the Ladies Memorial Association of Columbus, Georgia, held a service to commemorate the Confederate War Dead.

14. Some states hold separate “Memorial Days,” nine Southern States still recognize Confederate Memorial Day; which falls either on the birthday of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, or the day General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson died.

15. Ironically enough, Stonewall Jackson was shot by his own Confederate troops. On May 2, 1863, Confederate infantry mistook Jackson and his staff for Union Calvary and opened fire on them after the battle of Chancellorsville. Jackson was hit and died eight days later from the wounds and other complications.

16. Even though the first celebration was held in 1865 in Charleston, South Carolina. Waterloo, New York, was recognized as the official birthplace of Memorial Day by federal legislation in 1966. Waterloo was one of the first towns to close businesses to honor the war dead in 1866.

17. Over 20 towns around the United States claim to be the “birthplace of Memorial Day.” Communities that claim to have held the first Memorial Day festivities include; Boalsburg, Pennsylvania, Columbus, Georgia, Columbus, Mississippi, and Carbondale Illinois.

18. Americans are supposed to pause for a “National Moment of Remembrance” at 3 p.m. on Memorial Day. Congress passed a resolution encouraging such a moment in 2000.

19. The Lincoln Memorial was dedicated on Memorial Day (May 30) 1922.

If you want to celebrate the real Memorial Day, it will take place on Wednesday, May 30, 2018. Not Monday as most people believe.

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Paracord Knots and Hitches | How To Make Paracord Hitches

The blog post Paracord Knots and Hitches | How To Make Paracord Hitches is courtesy of http://totalsurvival.net

Paracord knots are one of the most useful skills you need to know as a self-reliance connoisseur. Also, parachute cord, or paracord, is a must-have item for preppers and those living off the grid.

There are different paracord knots and hitches you can learn to make life easier. Knots are used to bind ropes to other ropes, while hitches are for binding ropes to objects. As a DIY survivalist, here are the most important paracord knots and hitches you need to know.

Useful Paracord Knots and Hitches: Guide for Survival

Supplies You Need:

• Paracord (Parachute Cord)
• 1 Screw eyelet (for practicing)
• 1 PVC pipe or other straight bar (for practicing)

The Two Half-Hitches

The two half-hitches is part of a group called “binding hitches.”. It is often used in situations when you don't want or need to quickly undo your hitch. Others refer to two half-hitches as “clove hitch over itself.”

Step 1: Thread the paracord through the eyelet

You can use anything to practice these knots on, but open eyelets are an easy practice tool to use.

Step 2: Wrap the paracord around the outside and through the loop that it makes

Use a simple overhand knot for this step.

Step 3: Repeat Step 2

Tie another overhand knot.

Step 4: Pull tight

Once weighted, the two half-hitches is tight. It's simple, but it can be quite difficult to untie, especially with thinner rope and paracord.

The Tautline Hitch

Unlike the two half-hitches, the tautline hitch is easy to untie. When it is not weighted, you can easily adjust its placement on your line. This makes it an ideal hitch for lashing down your tent or tarp. It is also useful in situations where you need to adjust the length of your line.

Step 1: Encircle the paracord around the pin and behind itself

Step 2: Wrap the paracord over itself and through the loop two times

Step 3: Repeat Step 2 (but only once)

Do this step behind (or in this picture, to the right of) the two other loops. This knot allows you to adjust the length of the paracord.

With the tautline unweighted, slide your hitch up and down the line. It should move without restrictions. Pull your paracord tight to cinch it in place on the line.

The Slippery Hitch

The slippery hitch is ideal for situations when you need to untie your hitch fast. When fastened over an object, the hitch holds strong. But once the object is removed, a simple tug on the paracord will undo it.

Step 1: Make two loops in your line (inverse to each other)

This is what inverse loops look like.

Step 2: Thread the left loop through the right loop

This is how your paracord should look like.

Step 3: Pull the right loop tight

Step 4: Fasten the remaining loop on your object

When weighted, the loop will tighten up over the object.

Step 5: To unfasten to the object, take the loop off

To do this, pull at both ends of the paracord.

Give them a tug and the slippery hitch will come undone!

The Trucker's Hitch

If there is one paracord hitch that you should know by heart, it's the trucker's hitch. It is useful when you need to secure something as tightly as possible. The most common use of trucker's hitch is fastening things on top of cars or on truck beds.

Step 1: Hitch one end of your paracord to a point

Use this opportunity to practice the awesome paracord hitches we talked about earlier! It doesn't matter how you affix this end, as the trucker's hitch will evolve from this fixed point.

Step 2: Make a loop in the line outside your initial tie-down point

Step 3: Twist the loop three to four times

Tie your paracord the same way as above.

Step 4: Make a Slippery Hitch

Take the free end of your line and feed a bite of it through your twisted loop.

Pull the bite through, just like you did with your slippery hitch.

Step 5: Tighten up the Slippery Hitch

And you're done with the trucker's hitch!

Related: 80 Uses for Paracord That Will Surprise You

Paracord Knots for Beginners

Are you still training to be a self-reliance connoisseur? Then you should also learn the four basic maritime knots:

1. Figure-Eight Knot — this is a type of stopper knot. It prevents ropes from running out of retaining devices
2. Bowline Knot — this is a type of knot that is easy to tie and untie. You will have no problem untying this knot even after subjecting it to a load
3. Clove Hitch Knot — also known as double hitch, its most effective use is being a crossing knot
4. Reef Knot — you can use this paracord knot to secure objects

To learn more about these five survival paracord knots, check out this article.

Read Also: 36 Awesome Paracord Projects For Preppers

Interested to learn other cool paracord knots and weaves? Check out this video from WhyKnot:

A survivalist's life is not complete without these essential paracord knots and hitches. Go over each step as many times as you need to so you can ensure that you master each one. These tricks will come in handy not only during emergencies, but also in your day-to-day life. Always be a proactive prepper!

Have you encountered a situation that called for any of these paracord knots and hitches? Share your experiences with us in the comments section below!

Up Next: 40 Essential Knots Every Survivalist Needs To Know In The Outdoors

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on May 19, 2014, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.

This Article Was First Found at survivallife.com Read The Original Article Here

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