The Survival Weekly Dispatch - Volume 11, Issue 49

Hey folks, thanks for checking out the newsletter this week. I’m sending this out a day early due to the holiday. I’m under the proverbial gun to wrap a few things up, no pun intended.

I'd like to wish each of you a very Merry Christmas. If you don't celebrate Christmas, please enjoy whatever winter holiday you do recognize. If you don't have a specific winter holiday you celebrate, hey, have a great day!

Over the last week, I worked on a few articles for GAT Daily and Offgrid Magazine, as well as my daily Patreon posts. Other than that, not a whole lot of writing got accomplished. Disheartening, but not the end of the world. I’m planning to hit the ground running in the new year.

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Prepper Tip -- Be careful what you post on social media, folks. This is a post that popped up in a large prepper FB group last week. I’ve redacted the OP’s name and profile photo.

Putting aside the abhorrent attitude about laughing at friends and family suffering in a crisis, bragging about all of his stuff just makes him a target, yeah? I was curious, so I checked out his FB profile and did a little snooping online. It took me all of about ten minutes to determine:

--His date of birth

--The date of birth of his daughter

--His wife’s name

--The two states where he maintains residences, including fairly narrow search areas for both of them

--Two vehicles he drives regularly

--A photo of one of his homes

--What he does as a side gig for fun

All of that was found via what he’s posted publicly on Facebook. Watch what you’re sharing with the world on social media. Keep an eye on posts where friends and family have you tagged as well.

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Twenty-odd years ago, there was a message board called Shocklines. It was one of several boards that were centered on horror fiction, movies, and such. Shocklines was run by a bookseller and the board was frequented by a number of “name” authors as well as lots of fans. I became a regular there and made several friends, some of whom I still hang around with online today.

I tell you all of that to tell you this.

If you’d have told me then that an author I greatly admired would someday call my cell phone out of the blue because he was chatting with a fan of my books and thought it would be nice for me to say hi to her, I’d have thought you were certifiably insane. But, yeah, that happened and it was pretty damn cool, LOL.

Lisa, if you see this, the cell connection was kind of spotty but if you want anything signed, give me a shout and I'll make it happen.

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FB memories reminded me that it was six years ago this week that my dad’s caregiver tried to swindle him out of his house. Long story short, a friend of her husband’s (along with her and her husband) approached my dad and offered to buy his house. The offer was for less than half of what it was worth, basically just paying off the existing mortgage. They would then graciously allow my dad to continue living there until he passed, paying them rent of course. Had I not insisted at being present for this meeting, dad might have gone along with it and lost what little he still had.

If you have older folks in your life, please watch out for them. Make sure the predators in the world don’t take advantage of them. Keep the lines of communication open and actually listen when they talk to you. Pay attention to your gut and speak up if something sounds amiss.

I had/have a lot of issues with both of my parents, most of which are unresolved, but the one thing I don’t regret is doing everything I could to protect dad from those who wished to do him harm. Even if he didn’t see it the same way.

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Our hike this week was a night hike at White River County Park, Lyons, WI. Every year, they do an event for the winter solstice that includes a candlelit hike. Because it was a night hike, we didn’t get any photos to share here. Instead, here’s a photo my wife took from our hike a few weeks ago at Carver-Roehl Park outside Clinton, WI.

Survival Tip – Ergonomics and Survival Gear

[I’ve run this article a time or two before. Since many of you will no doubt be receiving gift cards under the tree, keep ergonomics in mind as you shop.]

Ergonomics is the science or study of the efficiency of people in the workplace. I’m old enough to remember when this was a new buzzword and employers were all talking about how to improve it. For a while, offices around the country were filled with ever more confusing pieces of apparatus that were supposed to improve efficiency while also reducing stress-related injuries, though I’m not sure of the success rate in either of those categories. The term has also come to refer to the design cues or features of an object and how they work to improve the efficiency or comfort when it is in use.

When I review a knife or other piece of kit, the “ergos” of the product are always one of the areas of focus. How does it feel in use? Is it comfortable or awkward? Are there risks of hot spots or other problems if you’re using it for a while?

In the prepper and survival world, we sometimes concentrate on being able to make do with whatever we have. And that’s absolutely a great mindset to have, no question about it, as there are times when you don’t have the luxury of options or choices. However, that doesn’t mean we need to entirely forget the concept of purchasing gear that is comfortable for us to use.

If a new piece of equipment is awkward to carry, if it is cumbersome to use, if it just doesn’t feel right, you’ll find reasons to leave it behind. That negates the whole point of having it. What good is survival equipment if it isn’t available to you when you need it?

What works best for you isn’t likely to work best for every single other person and what another person feels is whiz-bang awesome might be lukewarm at best for you. We’re all built differently, from hand size and strength to length of reach, height, weight, and more. This is why it is critically important to play around with and test out new gear. That’s the only way you’ll find out if it works well for you.

Roughing it is great and being able to tough it through whatever is to be commended. But don’t look for ways to make the job even harder on yourself. Seek out gear and equipment that is ergonomic and compatible with your body structure.

Backwoods Survival Guide Magazine

For those new to my little corner of the Internet, I am the Editor in Chief for Backwoods Survival Guide magazine. Here is the cover for the current issue available in stores right now.

You can find Backwoods Survival Guide just about anywhere magazines are sold, including:

• Walmart

• Sam's Club

• Costco

• Publix

• Walgreens

• Rite Aid

• CVS

• Tractor Supply

• Fleet Farm

• Barnes & Noble

Subscriptions are available here.

Questions, Comments, Complaints, Concerns?

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