Fines Creek Bluegrass Jam

The Fines Creek, NC  Bluegrass Jam was held on Friday, August 24 and Saturday, August 25, 2012 at the old Fines Creek School.  If you didn’t get to attend this event, you missed some great entertainment.  The bands featured included -

·         Steve Brown & Hurricane Ridge  (my space)

·         High Windy    (website)

·         The Ross Brothers    (facebook)

·         Monroeville    (website)

·         Leroy Troy    (website)

·         Eddie Rose and Highway 40  (website)

·         Buncombe Turnpike   (website)

If you have never been to a Bluegrass Jam, you would find it to be a unique and pleasurable experience. Instruments showcased are fiddles, guitars, banjoes, mandolins, harmonica and bass fiddle. What really blows you away is the level of talent of these musicians. These guys are amazing.

The event was held outside with the bands performing on a covered porch 8 – 10 feet off of the ground so they would be visible to everyone. The audience had three tents to sit under in case of inclement weather but that did not interfere with the view of the performing bands.  Between the bands and the audience was a 24 x 24 foot cement pad that was sanded down for the cloggers and anyone else wanting to join in with the dancing. On Friday night adult cloggers entertained and on Saturday night a youth clogging group had the audience fully involved during their dance routine.

There were several food vendors present and tables were set up for the entertainment groups to market their CD’s and merchandise. We bought several CD’s, a shirt and three slices of fudge which was absolutely fantastic. You could also bring your own cooler if you wanted to picnic while listening to the music.

The event started earlier in the day when it was warm but by 9 PM everyone was putting on sweaters and jackets. Very unusual weather for August but that did not cool down the enthusiasm of the musicians, dancers  or the audience.

This is real, down to earth music in some of the most beautiful mountains you'll ever see. If you are interested in attending next year, mark this web site to keep track of the dates and the entertainers when it is posted …. www.finescreek.org  

I hope to see you there.

Staying Warm without Power

Have you thought about how you would stay warm if the power goes off in January and doesn't come back on? Do you have a generator or a kerosene heater and a supply of fuel? Do you have a fireplace and a supply of firewood? If you don't have any of those or you run out of fuel, then you may want to resort to long johns and layers of clothes. I personally do not like to have on a lot of bulky clothes since I find them to be uncomfortable.

Fortunately, we live in a farming community and some of the stores cater to the farmer. One such store near us is a gas station/restaurant/hardware/convenience store. I think they have been in business for about 50 years. You can tell this business caters to the farmer because the only clothes they carry are coveralls and overalls both non-insulated & insulated with matching jackets. My wife and I bought the Insulated Bib Overall because we felt the Insulated Coverall's may get too hot for us. We would rather put on light layers on our upper body if we need it. A nice feature of the overalls is the legs unzip almost to the hip which allows you to put them on or take off with shoes or boots on. They are also weather resistant which is important for staying warm.

http://www.berneapparel.com/

If you are comfortable with the clothes you already have, that's great. They are predicting a cold winter so it is always better to be prepared.

Peach Jam

We couldn't resist. Peaches are just coming in and we just had to buy some to make jelly and to just can. Today we made the peach jam so I will tell you the process we used.

1.  Wash the peaches
2.  Peal the peaches and remove the pit
3.  Cut up the peach and place in the blender (You can remove the red where the pit was but we leave it)
4.  Chop up to a desired consistency

Ingredients

4 C of chopped up peaches
2 tb of lemon juice
1 pkg powdered pectin
5 1/2 C Sugar

Put peaches, lemon juice and pectin in cooking pot
Bring to a rolling boil on high heat, stirring constantly
Add sugar and mix well
Bring to a rolling boil and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly
Remove from heat and let sit for 1 minute
Skim foam off of top
Ladle peach jam into hot jars, wipe the rim, place on a lid and ring
Place into a hot water bath and cover with 2" of water
Boil for 20 minutes (We are at 3,000 ft elevation)

This recipe makes 4 1/2 - 12 oz jars

Apple Jelly and Applesauce

We bought 2 pecks of Ginger Gold Apples with the intent of only making Apple Jelly. So, we filled up our fruit steamer with washed whole apples and steamed the juice out of them. We looked at what was left of the apples and we decided .... why waste it. So, my wife put the apple remains into her Blend Tec 3 HP blender and pulverized the pulp, seeds and skin into applesauce. She added a little cinnamon just for flavor. You know, I have had lawnmowers with 3 hp motors. Here's the remaining recipe for her applesauce.

Put the applesauce into a pot and bring to a boil for 1 minute.
Pour the applesauce into hot pint jars, add the lids and tighten.
Place in the water bath and cover the jars with 2" of water.
Because we are at 3,000 ft elevation, we boil in the water bath for 20 minutes.
That's it.



Apple Jelly

4 C        Apple Juice
3 C        Sugar
1/2  B    Powdered Pectin

Add the pectin to the juice and bring to a rolling boil on high heat
Add sugar, bring to a rolling boil and boil for 1 minute
Pour into hot jelly jars, add lids and tighten
Place in a water bath with the jars covered with 2" water and boil for 20 minutes (3000 ft elevation)
You're done.

USA Drought

We heard that the corn crops were devastated in the U.S. due to the drought. We also heard that the ranchers were cutting back on the size of their cattle herds because of the drought. Because of the shortage of corn, it will be more expensive to feed the remaining cows and other animals. Ranchers are dumping their cows on the market because they will not be able to afford to feed them. That has caused a glut of beef to hit our markets with some great prices for the consumer.

So, what do you think is coming?

Because of all the events taking place we stopped by our friendly Farmers Co-op to pick up 50 lbs of yellow food grade dent corn and 50 lbs of white food grade dent corn ($13.50 & $15.25). We grind this into cornmeal. How much does cornmeal cost you at the store? I told the girl behind the counter that we wanted to buy before the prices went up. She said, Oh, we have had good rain so that doesn't effect us. In one sense she is right. The corn around here is 9 - 10 foot tall and amazingly green. Beautiful. The corn bought at the farmers market is full and super sweet. But, if the corn in the rest of the U.S. is devastated, what do you think will happen to our corn. It will be going to the rest of the country, for ethanol and for export. Once a shortage is created, prices go up. It's coming.

The other day, we noticed that Ingles had sirloin tip roast on sale for $2.28 lb. Guess what? Is this caused by a glut of beef? It doesn't matter, we bought about 25 roast over a two day period while they were on sale. We cut them up into cubes (kabobs), stuffed them into pint Ball jars and canned them. We also had some for dinner and you would not believe how tender they were. Sometimes we will grind it up into hamburger that is about 3 -5% fat, make patties for the freezer or a meatloaf mix, stuff that into pint jars and can it. This is our hedge against inflation.

I was in Ingles today, a day after the sale. Sirloin tip kabobs were selling for $7.50 lb. You do the math. When the beef shortage finally hits, how much do you think those same kabobs will be selling for?

Fortunately for me, they still had Boston Butt's with bone in on sale for $1.98 lb. We bought two the other day so I bought two more. My wife cooks it in a crock pot overnight and the next morning, you got it,  we pull it apart, stuff it into Ball jars and can it. This is the best barbecue pork you have ever eaten.

Unfortunately, people see the prices as a normal fluctuation. Prices go down and prices go up. No big deal.  But if you pay close attention, prices keep creeping up all the time. I would much rather be eating sirloin tip kabobs for $2.28 lb any day.

If you want a hedge against inflation, then watch for your sales. Basically, any meat under $3.00 is a good buy. You can buy and freeze it whole, cut it up or grind it up and can it.

Need help? Get in touch with us. We'll be happy to help.

smokeymountainprepper@gmail.com

About This Blog

We live at the foot of the Smokey Mountain National Park and the Great Cherokee Nation.  My wife and I are in our mid 60's and we are, what would be considered, Preppers. We do not prepare for any particular event but for any event that could cause us to be without power, food, water and sanitation for any length of time. We want to be self sufficient and not worry about having to venture out into a world of crazies (zombies) trying to find supplies for our family.

Not only do we prepare for ourselves but we also prepare to barter for what we or someone else may need. We prepare for the worst and hope for the best. If we pass before we use any of our stores, then so be it, but if a disaster strikes, then we will be prepared to provide for ourselves.

Believe me, we are as well prepared to provide for ourselves, as we are, to protect what we have. To think that we are older and vulnerable would be a terrible mistake by anyone foolish enough to approach us with evil intent. We are both trained for close combat encounters, as well as, proficient with our weapons. We can help you and your family achieve this also.

You should be as serious about your families survival as we are. If a disaster is large enough, do not expect any help from your government. They could barely handle New Orleans. Do you seriously believe they have gotton any better? That is the reason for this blog. To help you prepare and give you suggestions to help you prepare for a worst case scenario. Our goal is to keep you and your family out of the FEMA Camps and to keep you from coming to us for help when a disaster strikes. We want you to be prepared.

Think about these two things.

1.    Noah did not allow anyone on the Ark he did not prepare for. Noah and his family prepared for years  building the ark and gathering food for all the different animals and his family to sustain them for one year. Now close your eyes and imagine Noah and his family pushing ladders off of the Ark of people trying to gain access and ignoring the plea's of his friends and neighbor's to save them. It simply wasn't possible to save just one without saving all. Number 2 tells you why Noah could not save even one.

2.    For every meal we give away to someone who did not prepare, reduces the time of our survival. As a family of two, if we have prepared to provide for ourselves for six months and we 'save' another couple, we just cut our survival time to three months. If you have a real tender heart, you may cut your families survival time from a few months to just a few days. As harsh as this is, keep this in mind.

So, now you know who we are and why we have a blog. It has taken my wife years to get me to even write a blog. I would be happy just being a hermit. I don't even have a cell phone. My wife has one.

I designed and developed computer systems for a Fortune 50 Company and I think that cured me of being a social net worker. But, I am inquisitive and I do a lot of research on the internet and try a lot of self preservation stuff, like, personal & home security, solar and hydro power. My wife's background is in Real Estate and Insurance. She is now into health, gardening, seed preservation, herbs, herbal medicines, cooking, canning and dehydrating.  We are not experts about anything, but we like to share what we know and have tried. If we can't answer your questions, we know someone in the Prepper Community who probably can.

We welcome your comments, suggestions and critiques.

Welcome to the Prepper World. The only thing worse than being a Prepper is not being prepared.

Our Email:       smokeymountainprepper@gmail.com

Alkaline Water

In 2009 we were on our way back from a 3 month camping trip in Alaska and was working our way back down the west coast. We ended up in Palm Springs, Ca and attended a street festival where we were introduced to Alkaline Water. The first sip got our attention because it tasted sweet and refreshing without all the chemicals we were use to. We began by buying a bottle at a time and doing some research on the Alkaline Water Machines. We bought our machine from Life Ionizer and began, what became a life style change.

When we first started drinking water from our own machine we had it set on a PH level of 8. Both my wife and I began detoxing but because my body was more polluted than my wife's, I went thru a more interesting detox than her. We both had flu like symptoms but hers lasted only about a week where mine lasted for two weeks. Also, the back of my calves on both legs developed a rash and got pretty raw. It was uncomfortable, painful even, to wear long pants. But, I stuck with it and after about two weeks, my flu symptoms and my rash cleared up. Now, if we even go to visit friends or family, we carry two to three big bottles of alkaline water with us. And, if we go on a camping trip, even in our tent, we carry our machine with us. Why? Because we have not been seriously sick since we have been drinking the alkaline water. We are both in our mid 60's and we both have normal blood pressure and no heart or diabetes problems. That alone is reason enough for us to continue drinking our Alkaline Water.

Before now, have you ever heard of Alkaline Water? Do you know of it's health benefits? If you are on city tap water, here is just one of the over 300 reasons to drink healthy water.





Another reason would be arsenic but I wouldn't worry because the FDA says it is in quantities small enough to kill the bugs and germs but is safe for human consumption. hummmm   How about a little fiber with your water. If that doesn't excite you, how about chlorine. I know you can smell and taste it in your tap water. But don't worry, even though it dries out your skin, it's safe to drink, also. I guess the drying properties of chlorine only works on the exterior. hummmm  Many people have started drinking bottled water but just how safe is that. A lot of the bottled water also comes from a tap.

Our bodies, through thousands of years of evolution, knows what is good for it and what is considered a foreign toxin (poison). It wraps up the toxins to safe guard our organs and then expels them from our bodies or saves them as fat cells until it can expel them at a later time. Unfortunately, we put so many toxins into our bodies, it has a difficult time keeping up expelling everything that is not healthy for us.  We don't even have to think about this because our bodies does this automatically for us. But, instead of me trying to tell you all the research that has been done on the health benefits of Alkaline Water, you can go here to find out all about it. FYI - In Japan, the Alkaline Water Machine is considered a medical device.

www.lifeionizer.com/healthtrip

This is our web site because we liked the water so much we became dealers. If you are interested, you will notice Life Ionizer has a zero down finance plan.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Power Grid

Hundreds of millions without power after Indian grid goes down for second time in 2 days

Rajesh Kumar Singh / AP

Heavy traffic clogged streets in central New Delhi, India, on Tuesday following power outages and rain.

This was posted on MSN on July 31, 2012.

It is important to realize this is not a problem that only happens someplace else. The U.S. power grid and basically our entire infrastructure is aging and not being improved upon. With all the taxes that are collected and all the lotteries being played, there is little to no money to upgrade and maintain our infrastructure. All of the money appears to be going toward government salaries, expenses, benefits and social programs. So now we need to raise taxes for much needed projects but as soon as that happens, the money will be gobbled up by government salaries, expenses, benefits and social programs. What in the world has gone wrong here.

We already have rolling brown outs in some states because their consumption is greater than what they are generating. It would not take very much to jeopardize our entire system. Can you even imagine what it would be like if we lost out entire power grid for any length of time. For one thing you would not know what happened or how long it would be down. Remember, no power and you lose -

TV, Radio, Phones (Land Lines and Cell), Water, Sewer, ability to Cook, Heat, Air Conditioning, Traffic Lights, Restaurants and 911. You would also lose the ability to purchase gas for your car so you could escape to someplace else that didn't have power or the ability to purchase kerosene to heat with.

Yowzer. Oh, I forgot, we all suffer from Normalcy Bias. This is when we think that it has never happened before so it won't happen in the future. Or, don't worry, our government would never let this happen. Or, don't worry, it's only temporary. If we all whine in unison and loud enough, surely, our services will be restored. Go fish.

Our government has been constantly warning us of all the possibilities of the threats to our power grid. Have you not been paying attention or did you think they were just doing 'What If's'? Solar flare's that could damage our satellites and power grid, a nuclear explosion high in our atmosphere that would have the same effect as a massive solar flare, an internet attack on our power grid, a terrorist attack on key facilities and a strain on our entire power grid caused by demand. Our government has even told everyone to have at least a 72 hour supply of food and water for each person. If you are on sewer, you had better plan for your sanitation needs, also. If a disaster lasted longer than the 3 days of food and water you have, are you prepared to move your family into a FEMA Camp like the New Orleans Super Dome?

This CME occurred on Friday August 31, 2012.  
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48902487/ns/technology_and_science-space/

Pay close attention to what could happen with a direct hit on Earth. Especially notice how casually the effect on the power grid is mentioned so as not to alarm you.

About a 1/2 of a percent of the population would continue as though nothing happened. It would be a small inconvenience but overall, it's OK. They would have clean drinking water, food, light, sanitation and heat to continue life indefinitely. I'm not talking about the rich here. The other 99 1/2 percent, including the rich, would be in a total panic. Which group would you be in?  Would you want to venture out looking for supplies in a situation like that?

It cost so little and is so easy to prepare ahead of time it would be embarrassing for a disaster to happen and find yourself not prepared. If you want to just check into being prepared, just a little bit, then check out these sites.

http://www.carolinareadiness.com/


http://www.honeyvillegrain.com/


http://www.samsclub.com/


There are are lot of preparedness sites where you can buy supplies for long term storage. From individual meals to 72 hour kits to a years worth of supplies. All you have to do is take the time to, Just Do It.