Cerberus Capital Management: The Guardian of the Gates of Hell!

About 8 months ago several of us, (RangerRick, PlanetPrisoner, Ben and others) had questions about what was

CERBERUS: A fitting name for a corporation conspiring to subvert our 2nd Amendment.

happening in the firearms industry. Several of us in the patriot community had heard rumors of a financial investment group called Cerberus Capital Management that was buying up gun manufacturers with the express purpose of running them into the ground or destroying their credibility in the public’s eye. I called every industry insider that I knew and everyone responded that the Cerberus Group was a BENIGN investment group and was not headed by George Soros and was not trying to destroy the gun manufacturing industry. Well, it is happening, slowly but surely.

 I don’t trust anything named Cerberus because in Greek mythology Cerberus was the three headed dog-like creature that guarded the gates of hell.

Too Big To Fail Gun Manufacturers

We have all heard about Too Big To Fail regarding banks but what about gun manufacturers? It appears that this is the case with companies owned by Cerberus. Cerberus’ biggest purchase by far has been Remington Firearms. Unfortunately, it is not the only one. Cerberus has also purchased several other companies, one of them being DPMS Firearms of Windham Maine.

The Wyndham Maine firearms plant has a long history of firearms manufacturing even before DPMS emerged on the scene. It began, as far as I know, manufacturing firearms in the early 1970′s. It was named Bushmaster, which produced a quality product. It was an CAR-15 style rifle with an AK-47 gas system which made it very efficient and very short. Unfortunately, this company went broke and was purchased by a brilliant businessman Dick Dyke. He started producing and selling AR-15 parts and accessories under the name of Quality Parts. Mr. Dyke also purchased Professional Ordance, who was a leader in producing carbon fiber AR-15 lower receivers. So, Mr. Dyke moved most of the manufacturing from Arizona, where Professional Ordance was located, left the Carbon fiber production in Arizona under the name Bushmaster and began full scale production of AR-15′s out of the Wyndham Maine plant under the trade name DPMS.

Cerberus Capital Management approached Mr. Dyke and purchased  DPMS for $76 million in 2006 and made Mr. Dyke sign a 5 year non-competition clause.

Everything seemed hunky dorey for 5 years and then Cerberus decided to “consolidate” some of its holdings. By this time Cerberus had acquired Remington Arms, Para USA, Barnes bullets, Marlin, Dakota Arms and DPMS. So the Wyndham Maine plant was closed in 2011 and moved to Remington’s factory in Ilion New York. This put a lot of talented gunsmiths and business people out of work.

What happened? Five years later Mr. Dyke got wind of the move and bought the factory back since his non-competition contract had expired. He re-organized the plant and brought back his old employees and now the old DPMS, Wyndham Maine plant produces high-end AR platform rifles under the new name WYNDHAM WEAPONRY.

Now, any of you who have been reading my articles for any length of time know that I am especially fond of DSARMS weapons. I still am, but I will vote for Mr. Dyke and Wyndham Weaponry with my pocketbook. Today, we can be pretty sure that the political voting in this country is rigged, that is all except being able to vote for something or someone by purchasing their product(s).

I am not saying throw your old DPMS in the trash but I am saying if you plan on purchasing an AR-15 style rifle in the immediate future, and yes they do produce a plain Jane model, then please consider purchasing a new one from Wyndham Weaponry. That way you are telling Cerberus and George Soros to go back to hell where they belong!!!

Good luck and God bless you and yours in 2012.

On the Clock of Tyranny…

On the clock of tyranny we are 30 seconds from Midnight. I will not go into an analysis of the N.D.A.A.or the various Executive Orders from der fuehrer in the last five months. So many people have already done this that I think it unnecessary for me to add anything to their analysis. I just wanted to add a link to an older article that I wrote December of 2011. ( http://codgerville.wordpress.com/2011/12/15/it-is-not-a-brave-new-world-but-rather-a-world-only-for-the-brave/ ). The closer we get to the summer months the more likely these events will take place. As I have stated in other articles, I do not see Obama voluntarily leaving office. I still believe that the key time will be the period from August through the end of the year, with major emphasis on the period just prior to the general election in November.

In June, I will be heading back to New Mexico. In all honesty, I have no immediate plans on returning, but that is subject to change. This is not fear-mongering but what I consider to be the act of a “reasonably prudent man”. As I have stated in personal messages and phone conversations with some of you, I have been early many times in getting to the party, but I have never been late. I don’t care to start now.

Now, before some of you ask when you read my next article, “Why are you looking at staying in New Mexico if you are building a new home in southeast Texas?” Because I hope I am wrong! If I am, you can laugh at me all you want to and I will laugh with you. But, if I am right and some type of a coup takes place to totally enslave Amerika, no one will be laughing.

I think it is time that all of you that are serious about preserving your family check and re-check your bug-out bags, double check your vehicles, use up all your stale gasoline or diesel and buy fresh fuel for your spare fuel cans. NOTE: this is much more important for gasoline than diesel because of the way gasoline is produced. Fuel purchased in the winter is much more volatile than fuel purchased in the summer due to additives used in the cooler months. Gasoline purchased during the warmer months is less volatile and will store longer than fuel purchased in the winter. Just a hint.

I will continue to add articles until I leave for New Mexico, @June 20th. After I am there it will be very difficult for me to add anything. I may be able to work something out with PlanetPrisoner or Rainmaker to make postings for me but I have yet to discuss this possibility with them. (Guys, let me know what you think of this idea.)

If I say that I have faith but don’t translate that to action in my life then my faith is really dead. (The Book of James in the New Testament is one of my favorite.)

Having said all of this, this is NOT a bug-out call. It is a personal note to all of you of what I  am preparing to do in my own life. As of today, May 10th 2012 we still have a reasonably free nation and some hope of turning this thing around. But, when the roadblocks go up I think it will be too late.

Good luck and God bless you all.

 

Yes You Can!…Build your own Refuge

I want to apologize, once again, to all those that I owe emails to. April, I know I owe you and Tess and others emails. But I have been tied up, almost literally, with this latest house. I will show you where we are and how easy it can be to build you own home/cabin. It is easier than you think.

Here you can see we used railroad ties for piers and beams.

Rule Number One: Start with a good foundation. It is up to you, based on economics, demographics, geography and geology whether or not you use a concrete slab or a pier and beam. Most, not all, of my houses are pier and beam. There are several reasons for this. Naturally, the first has to be cost. At $100.00/cu. yd. (cubic yard)of concrete, a pier and beam home looks fairly attractive. Also, another thing that goes in favor of the pier and beam home is that you will not have a fleet of concrete trucks beating a path to your door along with the team of concrete finishers that you would have to pay if you cannot finish concrete. You can build your cabin/home in privacy. But regardless, it is your decision. I go with privacy first. Pier and beam homes are very comfortable for Von and I and we use the below house space to dry our garlic, onions, herbs etc. and some other practical applications that I feel should remain unknown. (You’ll figure it out.)

Second: like the old saying goes, “size is not important.” Do you really need that 4 bedroom/3 bath half million dollar monster now worth $250,000? Rural property on the other hand is increasing in value. A small house that I built several years ago, with the land, cost less than $30K. It was appraised in October 2011 at $84K. Why? People are getting older, and looking for rural property to retire, cyber-commuting is more common, people are tired of watching their neighborhoods deteriorate, tired of crime and who knows, maybe some are moving to the country because of the Mayan Calendar publicity or the planet NIbiru is going to hit the Earth. (If the world is going to end, how will moving to the country protect you? Oh well.)

As I have mentioned in other articles, I believe, and this is from experience, that a family can be comfortable and enjoy life based on 150-200 square feet(sq.ft.)/ person. Many people have that much room rented at a Stor-N-Lok filled with stuff they will never use. (Rule of thumb: if you haven’t used it in two years you’re not going to.) And, this is on top of the things that fill their garages, attics and basements.  I have news for some folks, “He who dies with the most toys, is just dead! Period! Sell the junk and use that money to add to your preparations or to buy the land for your retreat.

Number Three: the real estate maxim, “location, location, location” has many meanings. One of the implied meanings is that the price of what you are buying will be artificially high because other people are being told just like you that “It’s perfect for you, “Close to your work, only a 45 minute commute”, “you’ll grow into it”, “excellent schools nearby” and on and on. Drivel. Rural schools are still some of the best in the country. Our local school has a rifle team and competes statewide. How about your school? I know that this is just one example but is the type of thing in rural school systems that sets them apart. The Junior Livestock Auction in our small community routinely raises in excess of $100K a year for kids to go to college.

The  next meaning for the “location maxim” is that while I find southeast Texas and Four Corners New Mexico ideal for my purposes, you may not. You may prefer Kansas, Idaho, Montana or Kentucky. If you really are planning to relocate based on a survival strategy buy Joel Skousen’s excellent book “Strategic Relocation, (3rd ed.). It is for sale at many places on the internet. It is pricey but it may help you avoid making a serious mistake.

“Okay, Codger, you’ve convinced me. I’m moving to Moose Snout, Idaho. What is next.”

After determining that Moose Snout is the ideal location for you and your family and you plan on building your own home, contact local builders associations, building inspectors, contractors and ask them what the best type of construction is suited for the area. There may be a reason for this type of construction, i.e. it is the warmest, easiest to build, local materials are readily available and, yes, some rural states have building codes that specify types of construction.

Framing the subfloor.

In the first photo you can see that I used railroad ties for my piers and beams. I could buy them locally at a great price. We sank them 5′ in the ground, bolted them together with steel plates, (that is what my nephew Brandon is doing in the top picture) and then we framed the subfloor on top of these. As you can tell by the photo the subfloor decking was recycled from a house that we tore down for the materials.

This is the actual subfloor. You can see the framing and the decking.

After you have framed and decked the subfloor you can begin building the walls. They are a couple of strategies you can use to build your walls. First, I always build them on the subfloor or foundation and raise them into place. This is much easier than building them and moving them any distance at all. Second, if I have a couple of fresh bodies, I build the wall in its entirety and raise it complete. Third, if it is just Von and I then we build the walls in sections that are easy for us to handle, raise them, anchor them to the foundation or subloor and then repeat the process until each wall is

All bodies were needed to raise the walls and no one left to take the photo.

finished. My rule of thumb for handling walls is, I can raise a 12′ section by myself or with Von’s help and then she anchors the wall section while I hold it. Everything I build has at least a 6″ thick wall. If you build with 2″x4″s you are wasting money, unless you live on a tropical island.

What appears to be a long table in the photo above is actually several shipping frames for tractors. I use these for workbenches. If you click on the picture to enlarge it, you will see that we are laminating 2-2″x12″s with a piece of plywood cut to the same dimension. In other words, we are making a sandwich with 2″x12″s and a piece of plywood will be the meat. Then they are glued together and allowed to dry (24hrs.). I used Liquid Nails for the bonding agent. I like it, it is moderately priced, strong and readily available but you may prefer something else. We are doing this to produce a strongback.

Here yo can see the strongback at the right, the ceiling joist tied to it and then the bridge bracing to support the rafters.

What is a strongback? It is a central support that will provide support and stability for the ceiling joists, rafters and roof. Since I made the strongback so thick, I had to use joist hangers to tie the ceiling joist to the strongback. (Note: in all the pictures you will see straps hanging from the wood. These straps were used to hold the front-end loaders to the pallets so they could be shipped and assembled with the tractor at the dealership. Most dealerships will beg or even pay you to haul the wood off.)

Once you have your strongback and ceiling joists in place you can begin installing the rafters, that will actually support the roof, and then install the bridge bracing that will provide

Sorry about picture clarity but you can still see that the rafters are now up.

strength and stability to the rafters. I know all of these terms sound complicated but they are not. Most are local terminology and may not be used in your area. Our crew consisted of my best friend Teddy, 11 year-old nephew Brandon, grandson Alex, Von and myself. With this small crew we built everything you see in these photos, with the exception of the floor, in five days. Not bad for three senior citizens and 2 kids, if I may say so myself.

Here you can see more detail on the bridge bracing and a lot more straps!

In the photo on the left you can see the center bridge bracing and bracing going off to the left. The bracing for the right side had not gone in when this photo was taken.

Now, I know what you carpenters are going to say when you see this picture. “You have your strongback in the wrong place!” No, I don’t. I made two strongbacks, split the width into three sections using them and then tied them together with my ceiling joists. Why did I do it that way? Simple, all my two by sixes were less than ten feet long and the house was 26′ wide. By using two strongbacks the longest two by sixes I needed, the center section, were 108″ long. I had to adapt the building to the wood that was available. 

What comes next? The decking or often called sheeting, sheating or sheathing. This will provide a

The decking is nailed to the rafters.

platform to hold your roofing material, which in this case is steel roofing. Once again, I apologize for the poor quality of picture taken here but it is the best I can do at times to find the correct button for the camera on my phone.

It is not necessary but I always place 30# roofing felt on the decking before I add the roofing. It is cheap insurance that there will not be a leak in your new roof.  There are numerous styles and colors of metal roofing you can use. Today some of the roofing even looks like red tile roofing. Unfortunately, we did not have a choice. The roofing being used was purchased from the U.S.

Alex putting the final touches on the roof.

government at auction for $300.00. It had never been used, had the manufacturers name on the shipping label and the manufacturer will even warranty the roofing for the full 20 years.

What happens next? The outer sheathing is next. Once you have the outer sheathing, roof, windows and doors in place you are now “in the dry”. It is now Margarita time. If it rains, everything will be protected. “Getting in the dry” is a very

You can see Alex attaching the exterior sheathing which in this case in 7/16″ CDX.

important step to protect your materials from damage or deterioration. If you have to stop working on the house, for any reason, it will be reasonably protected from damage.

As you can see we used 7/16″ CDX for the exterior sheathing and on top of this we will place “Hardie” board. Hardie board looks like thin plywood but what is actually consists of is fiber, a bonding agent and cement. It is very heavy to work with, lasts for 50 years or more and is flame proof. This is a big plus if you are building in an area of the country that suffers from wildfires. Hardie Board can be ordered plain, pre-primed or “painted”. The painted Hardie Board is not painted at all. It actually has the color imbedded in the material. You will never have to paint your house again.

What comes next? In the case of this house, the floor. I had taken it upon myself to produce a one of a kind floor that Von could be proud of. I

Planing each board before it is set in place.

planned to produce it from my most common asset: 2″x6″ lumber. First we had to pick the straightest lumber, pull the nails and countless staples holding the straps and then each board had to be planed. After the boards were planed, they had to be individually cut and fitted into its proper place. Could we have accomplished this faster and with less trouble? Of course we could have but I wanted a one of a kind floor. And, if you will look closely at the next few photos you will see what I accomplished, although it was six months in the making. What you

The beginning of the floor in one corner.

will see in the next photograph is the beginning of the floor on a 40 degree by 50 degree matrix. This is due to the 26′ x 32′ size of the house. The next two photos will show you the final finished product before any type of finish or sealer is added. I will wait for a few days to add the polyurethane sealer to protect the surface of the wood. The areas susceptible to the most moisture invasion, the bathroom and the kitchen will receive a coat of FamoWood which is a 2-part epoxy that will not only seal the wood but bond it into a solid unit.

Hopefully you will be able to see in the photo on the right the various levels of contrast in the wood in addition to the multiple angles that make this floor one of a kind. Like I stated earlier, this floor is done on a 40 degree by 50 degree matrix that ends up producing a diamond in the central setting. What looks like waves or bumps in the boards are due to the various types of wood and their corresponding colors. Take a close look at the next photo and you will see what I mean by the various shades in the

Here you can see the various textures, colors and grains of the woods used in the final floor.

wood that makes up the final floor.

Now i know you are dying to ask, “Is this really necessary for my retreat? No! Absolutely not. This is not even my retreat but my latest house in southeast Texas. Will it help the resale value? Nah, the next guy will probably put carpet over the whole damn thing. No, this was a promise I made to my wife to give her a floor that was one of a kind.

Okay Codger, what is next? Well, I would say that the next step is to add the interior walls, electrical, plumbing and then sheetrock. As you can see from the next photo I have

The electrical distribution panel and the wiring was salvaged from another house that I was paid to tear down. Get the picture yet?

already added my insulation and have already begun my electrical installation. Next, I will begin my interior walls. But, I have hit a snag. I know you will not believe this, but I have hit the same snag 3 times in a row. Alright, I know what you are saying, “fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me! Right? Well, it is not that easy. I swear that what you are seeing is the persistent efforts of the same bird. This little bird has invaded my last three construction projects, at the same time of year and done the same thing each time. The Momma bird flies in from the open soffits, builds a warm comfortable nest in the insulation and each time I have to wait for her babies to learn to fly before I can finish my house. I hate being

Don’t you just hate it when you are outsmarted by a birdbrain?

outsmarted by a bird each time that I build.

Is this a plot by the New World Order? No, it is a simple fact of nature. I have at least 2 to 3 weeks before the babies learn to leave the nest and fly. Last time I had to pick up each of her chicks and hold them in my hand and let them learn to fly by jumping from my hand. When the babies fly away I will add the sheetrock to the walls, once the electrical and plumbing are finished. After the interior is complete I will finish the exterior by adding the Hardie Board. After that I will add a screened porch to both the front and rear. But until then, I am on hold for my greatest fan and her family to fly away.

Can you build your own retreat? Yes, of course you can. Is it easy? Hell no, it takes a lot of work. Oh, by the way, my total outlay for a 32′ x 26′ home will be about $3000.00. Yes, I know it only has one bathroom and two bedrooms but hey, I have no mortage, it is paid for and there is no lien holder. Bet that half million dollar home is not looking quite so good, even though it is only worth $250,000.00.

Sorry, I did not mean to be mean but my final bill is $5,000 for a little over two and a half acres of land and @ $3000.00 for my materials. So for a total of @ $8000.00 I have a home that is paid for, 2.5+ acres of land and no mortgage. What is that worth to you? Yes, You can do what I have described. Oh, one more thing, each time you move to another house you can rent the others out. This will help you pay that $5,000.00/mo. note on your house, that is unless the other guy or gal reads this and decides to build their own home.

Recommended reading:

Housebuilding: A Do-It Yourself Guide by R. J. Cristoforo

p.s. just hurry up and beat the bird before it  builds a nest in the insulation in the spring.

Good luck and God bless.

Behold a Pale Horse

This is a quick note to say Thanks to Rainmaker for bringing this to my attention. Here is a link to the copyrighted material, so I will not repost here without permission. This theme song tells a powerful story about the rise and fall of America.

Behold a Pale Horse Theme Song

If you want to know more about the documentary go to: www.beholdapalehorse.tv

God Bless the Republic. Death to the New World Order Odor!

True Economics

In  “Positions to be Examined” concerning national wealth, April 4, 1769, Benjamin Franklin rightly commented on how nationns may become wealthy and the origin of true wealth:

• By war, which permits taking by force the wealth of other nations;
• By trade, which to be profitable requires cheating. For example, if we give and receive an equal amount of goods and services through trade, there’s no profit other than that obtained in our own production cycle.
• By agriculture, through which we plant the seeds and create new wealth as if by a miracle.

I have been asked many times, either in emails or phone conversations, what I thought was the nature of true wealth. I have had only one answer and it surprises most people. There is only one measure of wealth and that is RAW MATERIALS. The idea 0f raw material economics encapsulates the prime thought that there is NO TRUE WEALTH THAT DOES NOT COME FROM THE EARTH!

People argue that gold is a store of wealth, silver is a store of wealth, diamonds are a store of wealth. I agree that they are each a component of the raw materials economics but they are not the only stores of wealth. I can argue that oil is also a store of wealth, seeds are a store of wealth, grain, coal, natural gas are all components in raw materials economics. Now, I am sure that some will say, “Okay Codger, oil is a store of wealth because we have the idea of the petro-dollar keeping America afloat, but seeds?”

Yes, seeds. In 1983, the price of gold was generally between $375.00/oz. and $510.00/oz. At that time I operated a commercial greenhouse and purchsed tomato seeds from Bruinsma Seed Co. in the Netherlands for $528.00/oz. Today, it is not unusual to pay $1-2.00/seed for commercial cucumber seeds. With 750-850 seeds per ounce you can see how quickly you can pay $1700.00/oz. of seed.

Raw material economics is not to be confused with commodity trading on some pie-in-the-sky scheme called a commodities market. As I am sure all of you are aware of the government’s manipulation in the gold and silver market, so it is for the commodites market.

It all began during the Roosevelt administration (FDR) when it was decided during the First Great Depression that Americans could not afford basic foodstuffs. Most Americans are not aware of the concept of PARITY. Simply stated, 100%parity is equal to the free market price set by the marketplace. Unfortunately, with a nation that was out of work and starving most Americans could not afford to purchse wheat, corn, salt, meat, or fiber for its true worth. So, our brilliant government devise a plan to reduce the price by 50%.

This fifty percent reduction in price caused many farmers to plow their crops under, pour milk into the rivers and reduce the size of their herds and flocks. In other words, they killed their livestock rather than sell it for less than it was worth.

Realizing they had made a mistake, one among many, Congress then decided that if the price is reduced 50% farmers must be compensated, in some nature, for the other 50%. This began the monstrous agricultural price support system in place today. Since it was necesaary to stimulate the production of certain key commodities the government “paid” farmers not to grow certain commodities and then promised low interest lows for seed, equipment, and to buy more land. This was the beginning of the end for free market driven commodities.

One thing Congress did not fully understand: if you take 50% of a farmer’s wealth and replace it with a low interest loan you have destroyed wealth, not created it. Before the A. A. A. (Agricultural Adjustment Act) farmer’s were free to sell the produce to the highest bidder and receive 100% of what they thought was a fair price. (As a farmer I know first hand that you NEVER get what you think it is worth.) After the A. A. A. the farmer received half of what he should have and now he has to pay the interest on his low interest load with half of the income he should have received. Sound familiar doesn’t it?

This is the very same system used by the Federal Reserve to sap the wealth from America as a whole. The Treasury Department authorizes the printing of a certain sum of money, say $100. The Treasury Department must now issue notes or bonds to equal this amount. This is taken as collateral by Osama Ben Bernanke who now gives approval for the money to be printed by the Treasury Department. Now the Treasury Department must pay the Federal Reserve not only the $100 but must also pay the interest which is varied and can be a fractional number or in the double digits like we saw in the late seventies.

The key here is that no WEALTH has been created, only money and now it has been devalued because the supply of money must now increase to “buy” back the bonds and notes. Each time this is done the money supply increases and the value of the money decreases. I think all of you know this and I simply repeat it here so you will see the similarity between what is happening to our money has also happened to our wealth but instead of having to pay 1%, 2%, 5% or 15% in interest, farmers have lost 50% and must pay interest on the remaining 50%.

Do you see now why only the Too Big Too Fail Factory Farms (TBTFFF) are the only ones prospering right now. Con-Agra, Archer-Daniels-Midland, etc are recipients of price supports (50% parity) and low interest loans and have the money to affect the legislation that favors their debt based farming practices. Small independent farmers are essentially barred from competition due to the SCALE of their operation. Instead, small farmers turn directly to consumers to interest them in farm fresh produce and Consumer Supported Agriculture.

Obviously, you can help by supporting your local Farmer’s Market, CSA”s or even by stopping at a roadside stand and buying eggs on the way home from work. Is the fix that simple? NO! We must have 100% parity in the system but as long as the current system benefits the TBTFFF and they have the money to have legislation that benefits them passed then the chances of seeing real wealth restored to this country  are slim to none.

But that is not the worst part. The average age of an American farmer is about 57 years old, which means in 5 years they will be eligible for reducded Social Security benefits and in 8 years full benefits. How many will continue to farm? Who knows? Why stay in a business where one half of your wealth is taken before it is produced?

Now, did I have a revelation overnight to discover this? No! I was very lucky to learn this from a brilliant man, Mr. Charles Walters, who is the founder of Acres USA and also NORM (National Organization for Raw Materials) and the man that has written the 5 Rules of Raw Material Economics. They are:

1. The amount of raw materials removed from nature becomes humanity’s potential wealth.  The potential wealth of the materials determine the number and value of jobs available to produce, transport, process, manufacture, distribute and retail finished products made from these materials.
2. The values placed on raw materials determine the amount of money that can be paid for the tools and services used to produce raw materials and controls the price and volume of tools and services purchased by raw materials producers.
3. Tools and services purchased by raw materials producers and the tools and services purchased by other people during the same economic cycle becomes the original method of job creation and manifests all the wealth necessary to purchase all finished goods.
4. A fair balance between the value placed on raw materials and the value placed on finished goods automatically creates healthy markets and manifests the wealth required to purchase all finished goods.
5. The act of production times the fair value of production (AoP x FVoP = wealth), or the proper relationship between production and price, manifests all the wealth necessary for the debt free consumption of all finished goods.

Should you invest in gold and silver? Absolutely, for they are a store of wealth, taken from the earth. But in hard times the real value of gold and silver may be the food or seeds that they will purchase. Please, for the good of your family, invest in storable foods and seeds so that you will have in your survival plan the basic building blocks of wealth.

Good luck and God bless.

For more information about Raw Material Economics go to: http://www.acresusa.com/magazines/magazine.htm

Leftovers, Lagniappe and La-Z-Boys

((Why did I named the article this, I don’t know. It was all I could come up with. Sorry.))

Although this article is NOT about leftovers at the dinner table, it could be. The title is based on the terms that I learned growing up. My family was from central Louisiana but I was raised in south Louisiana. This is similar to having your family from England and raising you in France.

Catching Up Is Hard to Do!

I want to thank everyone for being so patient. I have tried to catch up on emails, Honey-do’s, work (which I really enjoy but I call it work so everyone will feel sorry for me) and have had a couple of small setbacks, but we’ll work around them somehow.

Don’t Forget the Small Stuff!

A few years ago there was a self-help book on the New York Times Best Sellers list entitled “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff (and it is all small stuff)” I guess I am going to take a contrarian view because I want to get you to think about the small stuff.

What Did We Accomplish?

In the previous post you may have gotten the idea that the trip was not a succss. We did get our supplies safely there and inventoried as I stated. We also located a site for two more cabins. The cabin that we were able to start will be for Von and I and then the third cabin will be for visitors (also read refugees.)

There Really is No Place Like Home

The old saying, “Your home is where your heart is,” is very true. Even though I was in my favorite mountains I was not able to enjoy being there because Von was still here in Texas. As some of you correctly deduced in your emails and comments we did run into trouble. First, let me begin by saying “Thank You” for your concerns and prayers. My family and I appreciate them all.

Announcements

My first announcement is more like an apology. My family council has decided that we need to take more supplies to the mountains immediately so I have been preoccupied with that. I want to apologize to everyone but especially PIPER, SUNFLOWER, BEN, thePLANETPRISONER and others because I am sure that I am behind on my emails. I will leave tomorrow, March 5th, 2012 and be gone at least one week, possibly two. I doubt very seriously that I will have an opportunity to post another article during that time because of the remoteness of my location, i.e. no cell phone signal.

Where the Hell is Patrick Henry When We Need Him?

((I originally published this article on the Dont Tread On Me website on December 1st of 2011. Since that time I have grown in my admiration for our founding fathers immeasurably. No, they did not face FEMA camps, surveillance drones and all the electronic gizmos and whirlygigs that we do but they had to face the dreadnought of their day and face it they did. They did face prison ships with an unbelievably high mortality rate. They were tortured, hung, shot, had their wealth seized and their homes destroyed, yet they never gave up. Mr. Patrick Henry was one of my favorites. He reminds me of Joshua in the Bible. So without further ado I present to you a true American patriot and I wish I had the courage to stand by his side.))

Back By Special Request

My buddy Hognutz has asked that I repost a picture that I originally posted on the Dont Tread On Me website. I only left it up for a day or two because I was looking for feedback and it did not match the theme of the website.

The story behind it is as follows. One day I was at the local tractor store and the Truth and Veracity League were having their usual session discusing “strange things”. If you have ever attended one of the sessions you would know that the strangest thing there is the truth. Anyway, I mentioned the fact that my wife and her sisters had once seen a Bigfoot in a local river bottom on their way to town.

Housekeeping Part II

Some of you asked to see the results of our afternoon canning session. I will let you be the judge of our labors.

Mixed greens. Love the emerald color.

 Here you can see the mixed greens that we love so much. All  we have to do is add them to a pot, heat and serve, usually over cornbread with a little pepper sauce for added flavor. Greens, beans, peas and a few types of meat make up our diet. During the spring, summer and fall we live on fresh vegetables. We add meat in the winter along with dried beans.

 

Commercially grown mushrooms. Just imagine the gravies and sauces this will make.

We add mushrooms to our gravies and sauces and then add this to rice. ((The difference between  sauce and a gravy is, gravy is made with water and a sauce is made with milk or cream.)) Most of our gravies and sauces are made without meat. This does not include seafood. Etoufee, sauce piquant and couvillion are gravies and sauces made with seafood. These too can be canned in jars. This is very easy and you can learn to be a good canner in a very short time. Canning is simple and safe if you are careful and follow the steps outlined in the Ball Blue Book. You can branch out from there as your experience grows. Don’t be intimidated by what appears to be complex at first. It just takes practice and the willingness to not be afraid to make a mistake now and then.

 

Hope you enjoyed the pictures. Good luck and God bless.

Housekeeping

Several of you have asked for an opportunity to contact me directly, in case you have personal data you want to share or don’t want me to look like a total fool, so I have added an account just for your personal questions. IF you have a general comment, please leave it on the appropriate article’s comment site. I try to answer a lot of these questions and comments. Sometimes I wait to see what the overall feedback numbers are and address as many questions or comments in as few comments as possible.

countrycodger@ymail.com

I have other housekeeping issues that I will address in the coming days, weeks or months. Von and I are still canning greens and maybe, tonight, we will can mushrooms. These are commercial mushrooms not wild. I do not advocate canning WILD mushrooms. I get a great deal on mushrooms and we put them in pints. I will post a few pictures so you can see our successes and maybe BOO BOO’s.

Remember, if you want Von or I to address any particular issue just send us your questions or concerns and we will try to help or refer you to someone who can.

Currently working on an article and hope to have it out in the next day or two, depending on our canning schedule.

Good luck and God bless you and yours.

Home Again

I usually do not comment on a family “vacation” but I think I will this time because it has a very interesting side note for all of us. Every year, my family “group”

We observed nesting pairs of bald eagles on the way to the museum. Awesome!!

gets together during the months of February in winter and June/July for the summer. These get-togethers are to discuss strategy, current events around the world, go over our preparations and, many times, construct a cabin, road, LP/OP or some other needed improvement to our refuge. We have traditionally met in February because so many members of my family, including myself, have a birthday during the month. This year my mother turned 90 years old and when asked what she wanted to do for her birthday her response was to go to the World War II National Museum in New Orleans Louisiana

RED ALERT FOLLOW-UP

First; I want to thank everyone who helped get the word out. Second; I want to apologize for some mistakes that I made, conversation that I omitted and not giving more background. In all truthfulness, I was experiencing a splitting headache, something I hardly ever experience unless it is sinus related, and I was so angry my wife thought I was going to stroke out.

RED ALERT!!! WARNING TEXAS VOTERS: POSSIBLE MASSIVE VOTE FRAUD IN THE MAKING!!!

((Personal background: Today February 9th, 2012 I had to go to the county seat of my southeast Texas rural county to take care of registration renewals for vehicles and trailers. My grandson, who lives with us, turned 18 in October and immediately applied for his voter’s registration card. He has not received it so he asked me, if while I was in our county seat, would I look into his registration card’s delay.

The Last Great Act of Defiance

Never quit! FIght to the end.

(I originally published this article on December 5th, 2011 on the Don’t tread on me website but the question keeps coming up so I will repost it here.) 

Me and the little mouse in the picture have one thing in common, I don’t intend to give up. Maybe I won’t solve all the world’s problems, free mankind from the shackles of Debt Structured Bondage, find a Real cure for warts or anything else profound.

Menagerie Update

I want to thank all of you who commented on Menagerie and the site as a whole. I was really surprised and pleased with the responses. You’re comments have helped me make a decision.