Happy Thanksgiving! Nov. 25, 2010

I'm very thankful for...

I have a wonderful wife who supports me in so many ways.  I have great family and friends.  I love my job and work with a lot of great people.  I'm thankful for you guys reading this - for taking time from your days to read about what I think about preparedness and survivalism.  I'm very fortunate on so many levels!

My ancestors were among the settlers at Jamestown in 1607.  They started Shirley Plantation on the James River several years later.  Shirley is just up the river from Berkley Plantation, site of the first Thanksgiving celebration in the New World.  It came a year earlier than those pretenders up at Plymouth Rock!  I don't know for certain, but I would assume that my ancestors took part in that first Thanksgiving.  Now, you want to talk about preppers and self-sufficient living, those early European settlers were the picture of it.  Maybe that is still in my DNA a bit, and that is why these ideas are so important to me.

Apocalypse, PA

I watched the first two episodes of this show this week on the History Channel, and I have mixed feelings.  On the one hand, they were showing some very cool skills and techniques that would be of use if it hits the fan.  In the first episode, they built a wood and manure burning pickup and discovered the trials and tribulations of goat owning.  In the second episode, they cast bullets, made black powder, and built a still to make corn liquor.  Nick over at Save Our Skills would be a good one to work with them.  My mixed feelings come from the way the family is presented by the producers.  Yep, the stereotypical "crazy survivalist."  Mom is constantly rolling her eyes at Dad's crazy antics.  The son is aligned with Dad and the daughter goes with Mom, but they all go down in the basement that is paneled in chalkboards (leftover props from Glenn Beck's show?) for the family meeting that starts each show.  Dad stands in front of the chalkboard and tells the family that if the world is going to end, then they need to .... whatever that show's topic is.  The chalkboard is covered with detailed drawings which I doubt dad put up.  Also, behind the mom and kids, is a counter.  On that counter are two strategically placed cases of MREs that are obviously there to show the audience how "crazy" the family is.  The cases did not move between the two episodes, and there is no other food stored on the counter.  I'd say that if you get the chance, spend a half hour watching this show.  You'll learn some cool information and skills.  When the show comes up in the break room at work, be ready for the naysayers who look at the "crazy" side, and maybe they will understand that the basement chalkboards and MREs are just there for entertainment shock value.

The Berkey Guy Radio Show

Tuesday evening I had my interview on The Berkey Guy Radio Show.  I think it went very well.  We talked about my background in prepping, then moved on to school disaster preparedness.  We discussed some of the threats that children face at school, some strategies parents can use to become involved in their schools' disaster planning, and some possible things to do with kids to help them be more prepared in school.  We had a lot of interaction with listeners on the chat room, too.  If you missed the show, you can download it here.  It has also lead to a possible future interview on another BlogTalk Radio show to talk about terrorism and mass violence in schools.  I'll let you know when that gets confirmed.

Thanks to Jeff Gleason, The Berkey Guy at Directive 21 for having me on his show.  I really enjoyed it.

I hope you all have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!