When I was a boy, my family regularly attended the Christmas Eve program at church. As everyone filed out, Santa Claus handed red and white Christmas stockings to all of us children. Among the candy canes, chocolate bells and peanut clusters would be an orange. Continue reading “When I See an Orange”
Category: Survival
Sheltering in Place, a.k.a. Bugging In
As a result of restrictions brought on by COVID-19, you may think you know what you need to know about sheltering in place or bugging in. But guidance from a survival expert will keep you from making critical mistakes. Continue reading “Sheltering in Place, a.k.a. Bugging In”
How Great is the Threat of an EMP?
For those who may not be aware, an EMP is an electromagnetic pulse. It might come from the sun in the form of a giant solar flare (to keep this simple), or it might come from a nuclear blast high in the atmosphere. Continue reading “How Great is the Threat of an EMP?”
“I Love You, Elaine,” He Said, Then Bowed His Head and Kissed Her—Cassettes!
Personal Reflection: A recurring obsession for Gerald was the study of better ways to grow food. When he discovered Dr. Elaine Ingham’s material on soil microbes, he became more excited than usual.
One fall afternoon he came to my house unannounced–which he did often–and insisted I listen to a tape of one of Dr. Ingham’s lectures.
The following fictional letter from Karl to his friend George demonstrates Gerald’s enthusiasm for what he was learning. Continue reading ““I Love You, Elaine,” He Said, Then Bowed His Head and Kissed Her—Cassettes!”
Look Ma, No Hubs!
Personal Reflection: Over time Gerald built several geodesic domes. Sometime in the early to mid 1990’s he bought supplies and helped me build one, which served as a greenhouse in my yard for several years.
He put considerable thought and effort into making modifications to domes to make them easier to build. He wrote an item for my preparedness site (not reproduced here) on a couple of designs, one of which included replacing 4″ diameter PVC pipe hubs with lids from five gallon buckets.
Upon his insistance, I turned that piece into a video with slides and put it on YouTube.
What follows is a fictional letter from Karl to his friend George (without pictures) on a dome design that doesn’t use hubs at all. I’m not sure how practical it is, but Gerald was proud of the hubless dome he built. Continue reading “Look Ma, No Hubs!”