Written by Bradford Angier in 1956, this 283 paper back is a substantial work for the serious survivalist.
Survivalists come from such a wide range of political and cultural, not to mention financial backgrounds its a word often misunderstood.
My meaning, for this blog, is someone who wants to make it out alive, regardless of the circumstances. Whether its government shit hitting the fan, or falling into a ravine, or becoming stranded for whatever reason, a survivalist in my book will figure out what to do and do it.
We don't expect grandma to hold our hands, a bailout or group hug.
Ok, back to this book.
The author's writing style is the old fashioned, Last of the Mohicans James Fenimore Cooper stuff. Not as plain and down to earth as modern times requires.
But its very much worth the read. I'm on chapter 4. He really makes a case for wild foods as soon as you think things are not going too good. Don't wait til your out of canned goods and dried beans before you start living off the land. He talks a lot about our taste and social preferences. For instance, I didnt't know that it took 10 eggs to fullfil a man's daily requirements for iron. Four Tablespoons of blood will do the same.
Some religions have a thing about blood. I remember a friend who got "saved" had to quit making Blood Soup. I've never had blood soup, but apparently real cow's blood went into the pot along with other delectable things.
According to Angier, blood is like milk, a product so valuable it should never be completely drained from the wild meat. I saw an article about tribes in Africa which often bled their cows, one quart at a time and used it for sustenance. This did not harm the cow who immediately replaced the blood draw through its normal body functions.
There are a few things that strike me wrong, things I personally would be hard pressed to do. According to Angier, one may rob a scavenger of his kill, even a bear, especially if there are small trees in the vicinity. Never, never never would I attempt to deprive a bear of his kill. Black bears can climb trees, while griz can knock it completely over. No go.
Another place, page 22 talks about firing a field to collect the cooked bugs and grubs. I would not try that either because a wild fire is hard to control. Back in 2009 a nearly blind guy tried to hike a portion of the Appalachian Trail alone. He got lost on a side trail not far from a town. He set the grass on fire as a signal. He got found alright. I hope he paid all the firefighters, too. Thankfully, no homes were lost, no lives taken.
I remembered this story because the guy worked with an outfitter and could have carried a host of electronic devices to overcome his poor eyesight. I'm not saying we need to go with a partner every time, but if you have a handicap, solve it before you head out to the trail, not after words.
I'm still working on the Never Say Die book. I finished the chapter on shelters. The diagrams for igloo building was interesting. It looks like an astounding amount of work for one person. The lean to was promoted for good reason.
While researching some survival stuff I washed then placed three raw Idaho potatoes in a tin coffee can. Once I had a nice bed of coals in my little wood stove, I put the stood the can up in them,shut the dampers and waited one hour.
The potatoes came out perfectly. The bottom one was a little charred, but totally edible.
I love this process because it didn't cost me anything and is fool proof. No aluminum foil, no garbage.
I'm saving the tin can. Has anyone else noticed that coffee cans, among other things are becoming mainly cardboard?
I finished Iron John, by Robert Bly.
At first I felt somewhat pissed on. Women got a bad rap, especially moms. Like we emasculate our boys or something.
But I continued reading and keeping my cool, calm non judgemental self (!) in tow. I realized its more an indictment of modern society and liberalism. The pacifist mentality of avoiding conflict, giving in to demands for civility when none is called for works against women as well.
The author takes us on a step by step analysis of the fable and all its secret meanings. In the end, the wild woman, the Princess marries the guy who became a full man by killing the enemies.
The alternate religions and mythology may leave bible believing church goers unhappy with this book, so I can't say I recommend it.
Now working on the Canadian book, Never Say Die.
I talked about Chapter 1, the Psychological Aspects, a couple days ago. Never giving up, feeling you have some control, at whatever level.
Chapter 2 is about general Canadian geography. All regions have food, no deserts
In Chapter 3 I learned about parachutes and falling properly. The main thing about falling properly, keep your feet together! I guess that should be self explanatory, I just never thought much about the dire consequences of not following this rule. Of course all of us have jumped off garage roofs in our youth know to bend the knees slightly and roll when landing. Parachutes are a science. The rate of decent is astounding. A body can fall 65,000 feet in 4 minutes, with a parachute it can take 32 minutes. Pulling the rip cord should not be done til about 10,000 feet or you could die freezing or without oxygen.
The feet together thing is my takeaway here. I don't plan on parachuting any time soon. As a survivalist, all knowledge is good knowledge. Ya never know.
Chapter 4 is about first aid. That should be good.
According to Men's Health, October 11th, if I don't swear more than 10 times a day, when I really need it, let er fly.
That's right, British researchers have found that swearing can enhance pain tolerance. People who said nasty words could withstand icy water twice as long as those who didn't and just held their tongues. I figure they tested both men and women. The article didn't say.
As an aside, they said, "If you regularly swear more than 10 times per day, the pain relieving power of your cursing may be reduced."
The final conclusion: for maximum pain relief, blurt out the word you find most offensive.
I got a feeling this was widely known for many of you out there. However! Now that we've been alerted to the actual facts, I'm cleaning up my verbage for a rainy day.
This is good news! If the SHTF and we run out of aspirin, there could be an endless supply of affordable pain reliever for the survivalist.
I'm not scrooge, but the black Friday, Internet Monday, green Monday, buyer's remorse and all that crap is getting old.
Then, on top of it our congress people can't get their act together and want a two month extension on whatever economics ail this economy.
All I want for Christmas is an honest politician. Well, I'd take a shitload of gold, but get real, neither is gonna happen.
So, with the holidays around the corner, and that means nearly over, Thank God! we'll get back to what passes for normal in this country. Wild market swings, celebrity scandal, election coverage, Lordy have mercy.
Naw, I'm good here, just cabin fever, and its only mid December. Where does the time go when your having fun in the back 40?
Happy New Year.
Didn't the Mayans warn us about 2012?