Against my better judgement, I watched Doomsday Preppers.

Here's my opinion.

Family 1 - The head of the family covered their in-ground pool and set it up as a greenhouse - they keep tilapia in the deep end, with chickens over it, duckweed covering it (to feed the fish), and they use the greenhouse to grow food. They also keep a pair of goats. Great idea for providing for your family, but if things got to the point where power is not restored, how in the heck does that guy think he's going to protect his family? Now that he's on this show, he's a big dang target. Even with "educating" the neighbors, he'd end up overrun and out of food sooner than later. Smooth, dude. Real smooth. Furthermore, how does he plan on dealing with the inevitable sewage problem? How does he plan on avoiding disease? He didn't really discuss that beyond bagging their waste and "keeping it separate."

Family 2 - Okay, this lady's approaching things a bit differently. Lots of shelf-stable "prep" food. Has currency concerns, recognizes the possibility of an increase of home invasions, takes the kids to the range. Admitting her full name and showing her house on TV kindof destroys the whole point of getting food delivered at night, though.

Family/Group 3 - These guys seem to be the most prepared. Holy damn that's a lot of people to feed, though. It appears they've focused on combining knowledge to cover a range of skillsets. They're also raising cattle and chickens on a farm where they intend to get two families together to protect everybody. They've addressed border security and firearms training. These guys could easily be called exceedingly paranoid.

Family 4 - This guy...yeah. He's got an underground bunker. He's been preparing for nuclear holocaust for years. I don't think I really need to say any more about this guy. I don't recall if they said he's former military, but I get that feeling from watching his segment of the show. I would be concerned about their food choices, though, if their showcase dinner was ramen and mac&cheese. I understand those are shelf-stable foods, but you can't stay healthy on food like that. Still, dude's pretty much ready for anything short of running out of water in a year...and his bunker's out in the middle of Nowhere, Utah, making his cache the hardest to find out of the 4.


I don't think I'd watch more episodes, but it's interesting to see how many average people are really starting to get paranoid.

Things coming down the pipe.

Stuff that has had me preoccupied:
1 - I put something black and shiny on layaway. I'll tell you all what it is when it's in my grubby paws.
2 - We're putting a deposit on something furry and cute. This involves a lot of time spent elsewhere on the internet, doing research, since I've never ventured down this road before. I'll tell you more about *that* in a few weeks.


That is all. Carry on. :)

More women taking the plunge.

I came across this post recently, and I'm tickled pink.

Another post courtesy Michael. One by one, those afraid of firearms are getting over their fears. And they seem to be mostly women. I'm thrilled.

Even Sundance is taking notice of women who hunt. Maybe it's because female hunters are still a novelty, but I welcome positive media, no matter who's talking about it. Watch the video - it's refreshing to hear women sharing their thoughts regarding hunting. And, of course, one of our own is taking the plunge further into self-sufficiency.


*Yes, I'm still lacking in writing creativity. Have other, big things on my mind right now.

More help available for future DC gun owners.

According to Emily Miller (you HAVE been following her gun purchasing saga in DC, haven't you?), Charles Sykes, the only guy in DC who can transfer in firearms to residents, now has a website.


More updates! According to this link, it sounds like taking this to the government was the plan all along. She's starting with DC Council, and who knows how far it'll go?

Request for a friend: 5.25" Taurus 24/7 OSS?

Someone I know is shopping pretty hard for an inexpensive, fun-to-shoot 9mm, and the aforementioned Taurus caught his eye. He likes the barrel length, capacity, and price tag, wants to know if it's a fun range toy.

Anyone here have any opinions...or does anyone local to Maryland or Delaware own one they'd be willing to let him shoot?


Thanks in advance!

Good news, everyone!

Looks like the government is getting those Garands back from Korea.

HOPEFULLY the government is smart enough to sell them through the CMP.

No motivation.

Go check out the people on the sidebar. They've got lots to say.

Post of the month.

Don't believe me? Go read it. I'm refraining from quoting because I'd end up quoting the whole dang thing.

There's another giveaway out there....

And this time, it's tailored toward newbie female shooters. agirlandhergun has all the information here.

Go sign up!

These were so darned good I've gotta share.

When I have fresh Brussels sprouts in the house I normally use this recipe, which is fantastic, but I'm kindof sick of it. It's become a traditional side for Thanksgiving every year, and I make that recipe for anyone who's uncertain on the whole Brussels sprout thing. I even got MikeW to eat them, and he seemed to utterly enjoy them.

Long story short, a couple of weeks ago, I bought a stalk of the little veggies...and promptly forgot about them amidst all the Christmas cooking frenzy. Well, today I decided to take care of them before they all went bad. Since I'm sick of my normal recipe, I opted for a total departure from the household norm, and the end result is worth trying.

Raspberry Brussels sprouts

1/2 cup onions either diced or sliced very thinly
1 lb to 1 1/5 lbs fresh Brussels sprouts, with the outer leaves removed, stems trimmed, and cut in half.
1/2 cup ham chunks
1 cup white wine
1/2 cup raspberry balsamic vinegar (I used this brand)
1 ripe pear cut into smallish chunks
salt to taste
olive oil (to taste, but at least 2-3 tablespoons)

Put olive oil in the largest frying pan you have on hand over medium to medium high flame. When oil is hot, toss in the onions and let them cook until they are translucent and starting to brown. When they're cooked, toss in the sprouts cut side down and add some salt - I opted for about a half a teaspoon. Let them sear a little, then saute them until they're cooked through. Toss in the ham chunks and allow them to cook down until all the fat has cooked out of them. Add the wine and vinegar, and cook until the liquids begin to reduce into a sauce. Add the pear and continue to saute until the pear is coated in the sauce. At this point, add more salt if you feel it needs it - I added another half teaspoon. Serve immediately.

If you make these, do let me know what you think. :)