Patriot Express News Letter Edition #26
Fellow Patriots,
Good morning!!!
Hope you are doing great this Saturday morning. It is hard to believe we are approaching mid-October already. We finally have a weather break here in North Alabama and it is feeling a bit like autumn. I hope you are enjoying some autumn weather at your location. I don't know if you are watching the weather forecast for the Northwestern US of A, but winter weather has arrived with blizzard conditions. I once lived in Great Falls, Montana so I get excited when I see all the snow.
Ms. Lucy and I thank you for sharing your time with us and checking out the Patriot Express News Letter. Your time is never taken for granted so we are blessed that you share your time with us.
With that said...
Let's get moving....
(Reader advisory - This site, the author/owner and the contents of this site are for reading pleasure only. We are NOT responsible for your feelings, happy or sad. As always, avoid fear porn, take what you want, throw away the rest and apply to your own preparedness as you see fit. Keep one foot grounded always. Earthly speaking, the only thing we know for certain is how prepared we are.)
Thoughts for the Week -
Ms. Lucy and I stopped off on the mountain to have lunch with Ol' Festus while journeying to our camping location. It was good to break bread and spend some time chatting about life, family, and preparedness. Of course there is never a time together that we aren't ribbing one another for a good hearty laugh and realization of the world we live in today. He was updating me on the group he meets with at his location and topics of interest that I like to hear about. We tried to lure him off the mountain to the campsite but I think he was afraid he might wash some of his "perty" off hanging out in a tent. Ha. Just kidding, Festus, so don't go getting all spun up and fall off the mountain top.
Festus was telling me about a good article he read and some research he conducted on the topic. I smiled and jokingly said "that sounds like a good article for the website. Why don't you put one together?" I was kidding him, of course. Well, sort of. Low and behold, while Ms. Lucy and I played "camp" the old lad was pecking away at his teletype and when we got back to Bama last night I had a very solid article waiting for me. As I have shared before, Ol Festus is a good man and brother. His article is on a topic that is important to us and he put it to paper in a very solid manner. Even if you are not a person of faith, I know you will be able to relate to the points he is making in comparison to our founding fathers and the world we live in today. It is a topic that Festus and I have discussed ongoing, at least weekly, for the past six to eight years. You will see the article on Monday, most likely. It is ready now but all the upcoming slots for articles to be posted are filled to that point. I try to post one guest writer article per week.
Next...
We had a great weekend away to camp and enjoy the excitement camping brings. Band aids and bee stings for her and MRE's and campsite coffee for me. Life was sorta good. She handled it like a trooper and I'm happy for that much. I know the day is going well when I look over and see her shaking her head and my mind reading skills decipher her thoughts saying "what on earth are you doing now?" I could have stayed for a long time. We had great weather for the most part. Some heavy rain on Saturday evening but we didn't get wet and the gear held up great.
We had the opportunity to spend quality time with some good friends who are true Patriots and love our great nation. We shared numerous discussions and even shared a dinner of MRE's, which they thoroughly enjoyed and liked. On the last day before breaking down camp, Ms. Lucy and I filmed a 45 minute Podcast with our friends to discuss preparedness, faith, our nation's problems and why we all prepare. We send a big shout of "thanks" to our participants in the Podcast.
We enjoyed MRE's, Mountain House, and Chef - Five Minute Meals. I think Ms. Lucy was surprised at how tasty these meals can be....outside the carbs and sodium. We used our full sized (sleeps 6) tent, Coleman sleeping bag and Coleman two burner propane grill, and supporting accessories for the camp out. Next trip we will downsize and go with less to require more skills to prepare meals and survive. I wanted to use the "crawl, walk, run" concept starting out.
Next...
One of the tests I conducted was a day/night test using a deep cycle battery (140 minutes), a 750 Watt Inverter box I purchased at Wal-Mart for $40, and supporting equipment. The box includes two AC plugs and two USB plugs. I used three different light sources, two flashlights and a head lamp, which charge through USB jacks. We could use the lights after dark and then hook up the battery, inverter box and lights to charge in the daylight hours connecting a solar blanket to the battery to recharge. This is a concept to use at a static location such as your Bug In or Bug Out location. Instead of firing up our Generac generator and burn fuel as well as make a lot of noise, we can use the battery concept throughout our home without noise, odor issues and exhaust issues. We would then recharge during daylight hours using solar.
Remember, "one is none and two is one" is a primary focus and cost is a secondary focus. What can the average person put together for minimal cost. It is not for "in-transit" concepts. During our next outing I will test an "in-transit" concept using a solar pad that straps to a backpack with USB ports.
The first light tested was the O light - 130 Lumen Tiny Rechargeable LED Keychain Light with built-in battery and USB cable. (For the price and size, this light was outstanding). It is small, lightweight and offers two light strength levels, low and high. It is approximately two inches in length.
The second light was the Holicfun solar powered roadside emergency car flashlight with window breaker and seat belt cutter. This light has dual charging options: 5W 50ma Solar Panel & 5V Micro USB Charging; Built-in 2000mAh 18650 battery. This light is water resistant. This is a 6 modes emergency light - Main beam: high/low/strobe; Work light: high/low; Red & blue warning strobe. Both of the mentioned lights are hand held type lights.
The third light used is a motion sensor Headlamp, Loyal fire 9000 Lumen XM-L2 LED Headlamp Bright Light 4 Modes Waterproof Headlight Flashlight with Induction Power Bank 18650 Battery USB Rechargeable for Camping Running Hiking.
