The Survival Weekly Dispatch - Volume 11, Issue 19

Hey everyone, thanks for checking out the newsletter this week. It’s been relatively quiet here the last few days, not that I’m not complaining. I’m between major magazine deadlines, so I’ve been spending some time with other projects. Something I should be doing is catching up on sleep, but that hasn’t happened yet.

I hope all of the moms out there had a great Mother’s Day. We went to my in-laws’ for the day and gorged ourselves on a giant ham dinner, played cards, and just hung out. In years past, we usually helped put up their pool on Mother’s Day, but it was way too windy for that, so we’ll have to plan another day for it.

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Prepper Tip -- There’s been a lot of chatter lately about a series of Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) that were headed our way from the sun. What’s the difference between a CME and an EMP (electromagnetic pulse)? Check out this video featuring Dr. Arthur Bradley, one of the recognized experts in this field.

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Something I’m working on is spending less time working. I often work seven days a week, putting in anywhere from 10-14 hours each day Monday through Friday and then a few hours at least on Saturday and Sunday. Obviously, that’s not healthy. I’m spending way too much time on my arse at my desk, and my body is paying for it.

While I can’t change my deadlines, I can change how I approach them. As it stands right now, the immediate goal is to try to take at least one full day off each week. I’m also working on getting up from my desk more often throughout the day, at least once an hour or so. Movement is life and standing (or sitting) still isn’t going to get me anywhere.

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Coming up in a few weeks is the Grind-In at Bark River Knives. If you’re a knife person, this is an event you should attend at least once in your life. The gist of it is that you get to make your own knife from the ground up using all of Bark River’s materials and equipment. At every step, you’ll have very experienced craftsmen and craftswomen showing you exactly what to do. You can do as much or as little as you’re comfortable with at each station.

Bark River Knives is located in Escanaba, Michigan, which is in the Upper Peninsula. The scenery in that part of the world can’t be beat.

The dates are June 7-9 and you can find all of the details here.

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Baby, can you dig your man?

I’m sure I have several people on my subscriber list who are fans of Stephen King’s novel THE STAND. In case you haven’t heard the news, my friends Christopher Golden and Brian Keene are in the process of putting together an anthology that’s set in that novel’s world. They have King’s full approval and blessing for this and a publisher has been secured. I don’t have many details yet, but the anthology is going to be nearly as long as the unabridged novel, tipping the scales at something like 34 different short stories. It’s titled THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT. The book is not yet available for preorder, but I’ll be sure to keep everyone in the loop as the project continues to move forward.

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The last couple of weeks, I’ve been trying to be on social media less. While I’ve made some great friends on Facebook and such, the whole deal is just a dumpster fire and seemingly getting worse each day. Quite often, I’ve felt that if I didn’t have to be on social media due to my work, I’d probably just fade off into the sunset, so to speak.

I tell you that to tell you this – don’t be surprised if at some point down the road this newsletter and my Patreon page become the only places you’ll see me posting anything regularly. And rest assured that the newsletter here will always be free.

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Cover reveal! This is Backwoods Survival Guide 28. It will be out around 5/24. Here are a few stories you’ll find inside.

• Tarp Camping 101

• Make and use a Dakota Fire Hole

• Homesteading on a Budget

• Alternatives to chickens for homestead poultry

• Making your own household cleansers

• Build and use a gear support kit for when you’re away from home

• Pocket dumps – three of our writers reveal what they EDC

• A full profile of one of my favorite companies, Tuff Possum Gear

All of that and so much more. Again, this one comes out 5/24. You’ll be able to find it just about anywhere that sells magazines. Or you can subscribe here.

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The Wisconsin Prepper Expo is coming up in July. It runs July 12-14. I’ll only be there Sunday, due to other commitments. The schedule hasn’t been finalized yet, but I’m planning to lead two classes – Financial Preparedness and Prepping with Children. More info to come as I receive it.

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They’re doing extensive work on one of the dams in our town, so for our hike this week we chose to swing over to a park that’s nearby, just so we could be nosy. There wasn’t much to see, though. So, here’s a pic from the trail instead.

Survival Tip – Keep Your Circle Close

I’m a strong proponent of community-based survival planning, believing that in the wake of a major disaster, many hands make light work and all that. However, in their haste to form a group, I feel like some people put qualifications and work experience ahead of compatibility, people skills, and trustworthiness.

A preparedness author named Clay Martin put it like this. “Speaking on a finance podcast sometime back, I asked the host what happens when it truly falls apart, and the warchief you ‘bought’ decides your shit is his shit. You could hear a pin drop.”

He’s not wrong. How do you prevent this from happening? A good start is ensuring all members of the group have a sense of ownership in the success of it. What I mean by that is to make sure everyone is working toward the same end goal. And actually WORKING, not just sitting around supervising. No, not everyone is capable of doing physical labor, but everyone is capable of doing more than just watching others work. Those who have physical limitations can contribute in other ways, such as organizing supplies, maintaining inventories, and most important of all, teaching others and passing along skills. A benefit from this approach is reducing the risk of any group members feeling as though they’re being taken advantage of.

Of course, even before that you should vet any prospective members thoroughly. Just because they’re a friend of a friend doesn’t necessarily make them a great fit for your group.

Prepper Survival Guide and Backwoods Survival Guide

For those new to my little corner of the Internet, I am the Editor in Chief for both Prepper Survival Guide and Backwoods Survival Guide magazines. Here are the covers for the current issues that are available in stores right now. 

You can find them just about anywhere magazines are sold, including:

• Walmart

• Sam's Club

• Costco

• Publix

• Walgreens

• Rite Aid

• CVS

• Tractor Supply

• Fleet Farm

• Barnes & Noble

Subscriptions to both titles are available here.

Questions, Comments, Complaints, Concerns?

I am always just an email away - jim@survivalweekly.com.