Hey preppers and patriots,

I wanted to take a quick moment to say “Hi!” I also wanted to say thank you for the many emails from folks wishing us well on our new adventure.

I miss you all. I miss the opportunity to connect with you via the weekly podcast. It took me a while to get internet service, but it finally came. We have Hughesnet and have been happy with the service so far. However, being a satellite service, it would be very difficult for me to continue the podcast. It takes some time for the signal to hit the satellite and come back, so that would create long pauses in the conversations with my guests. I’m not sure I could endure it and I’d never think of putting you through it.

So, instead, I’m going to go back to writing the occasional blog for now. Today’s blog will talk about a few of the things I’ve learned since moving to the Southern Appalachian Mountains.

Leave Your Hurry Behind.

While the mountains have tons of wide-open spaces, they simply don’t have anywhere for you to put your hurry. You’d best leave it at the house when you come. Folks around here move a little slower. They’re not caught up in the hustle and don’t know the meaning of the word bustle. If you decide to buy a fixer upper, it will take a lot longer than you’d ever imagine unless you plan on doing all the improvements yourself. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s a different culture. While folks may not always get things done on schedule, they always have time to chat. That’s more valuable to me than getting things done quickly and efficiently.

Thars Critters in Them Thar Hills

While we’ve left our conventional neighbors behind we’ve gained a whole new set. Upon moving in, we had to share our home with wasps, yellow jackets, and bees that had a hive inside the door frame. Perhaps the most peculiar tenants were the flying squirrels living in the attic space. Slowly but surely, we’re taking possession of the Promised Land and evicting the squatters.

However, being in the wilderness does mean we’ll adjust our long-term food storage plan. Everything we buy has to be in a metal can, glass jar, or must be stored in a thick plastic bucket which will keep the critters out.

Survival Food

One of the things I’d done in the past is to store my bags of beans and bags of rice in buckets together. I have some buckets from 2012 which means the beans will soon be reaching their maximum storage time of eight years while the rice still has well over another decade. As I’m purchasing new stocks of both for the new house, I’m separating the beans and rice. When this batch of beans goes past date, I won’t need to disturb the rice.

Also, we’d stocked up on some pancake mix and crackers about three years ago thinking they would last longer than the stated expiration date. While it may actually be edible, the taste is awful. It has a sort of varnishy taste to it. Our thoughts are that the baking soda may be causing the bad taste. While many food items off the grocer’s shelf will last as long as those from survival food companies, we’ll be sticking to bakery mixes specifically packed for long-term storage from here on out.

I hope you’ll continue to check in from time to time and I’ll keep posting the occasional update.

God bless and happy prepping,

Mark