This weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.
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Magma beneath Mount St. Helens is ‘recharging,’ scientists say. This article begins:
“Mount St. Helens, which notoriously erupted in 1980, has been showing signs of increased seismic activity lately, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It’s thought to be part of the volcano’s natural magma recharging process.
The volcano, which sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” has experienced around 350 earthquakes since the beginning of February, with 38 alone in the first week of June.
Most of these earthquakes were not noticeable, but one registered 2.0 magnitude on May 31 — strong enough that it could have been felt by humans.”
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Double Digits: Biden Admin tells Americans that it’s soon time for their 10th Covid shot.
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Reader D.S.V. sent us this: 567,000 “MyCharge” Portable Battery Chargers Sold At Costco Recalled After House Fires.
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C.B. suggested a post over at the oft-mentioned Rural Revolution blog: Pickling Tip.
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Biden Admin. Asked Amazon To Hide Vaccine Critical Books During The Pandemic. JWR’s Comment: It seems that The Resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue considers the 1st Amendment just “guidance.”
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SaraSue sent this snippet:
“The heat wave we’ve been having, and no rain, has been difficult for the animals, the garden, and the humans. I miss Idaho’s cool weather! Most of my time has been spent making sure there is plenty (hundreds of gallons) of fresh, cool, water available at all times and that no animals are in distress. This week I had to purchase another 100 gallon stock tank since one sprung a leak. One of my air conditioning units stopped working, but it was fixed within 2 days by our local heating and air guy. It only needed freon. There’s a slow leak somewhere.
I am very thankful for a well that provides 10-12gpm, and don’t have to worry about a water bill. Electricity where I live is “cheap” in comparison to other places I have lived, but the bill will still be high. In our state, the government encourages people to stay inside and run the air conditioning during heat waves such as this. Rather than, yelling at people to stop using electricity. I noticed that I become dehydrated very quickly due to working outside in this heat and humidity. So, I’m being mindful about staying hydrated and try to stay indoors beginning at Noon, with only a quick walkabout/animal welfare check at the end of the day when it is the hottest.
I found a pleasant surprise in a pile of old pig manure near a pasture fence – a giant pumpkin plant that is bearing fruit. I also was surprised by a giant zucchini plant that grew in a raised bed – I did not plant it. That bed was planted with onion starts. It grew up from the underlying manure in the bed. Last year I had fed the pigs pumpkins and squash! Funny how that works. I got another raised bed planted out with sweet potato slips, harvested lots of zucchini and squash. One morning I found huge grubs on the tomato plants that I picked off and tossed so I’m keeping an eye out. Other than that, I have not seen any aphids or other creepy things on the plants. I didn’t plant a fraction of what I wanted to plant, only potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini, squash, onions, peppers, and sweet potatoes. The sunflowers came back full force and most are over 8ft tall. The garden effort, on year 3 now, is finally proving successful after a lot of trial and error. The tall raised beds, while a pain to get set up and filled, are working beautifully as far as weeding goes and keeping the rabbits out. No more bending over and hoeing.
I have a coyote and/or bobcat problem here, so I contacted local people who hunt them. Soon one or two coyote hunters will be here, and I hope they can rid the area (for now). After losing 4 or 5 entire flocks of laying hens, guineas, and meat birds, plus some cats, it’s time to deal with it in a more serious way. I made the call after I heard one of those creatures take down a young deer and/or her baby on the property next to mine. It was so close that I heard the thumping paws of the predator and the crying out of the deer. Not a good sound.”
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Reader C.B. mentioned this product review video: Olight Ostation X AA Battery Charger. C.B. note: “Systems start at $99 on their Kickstarter page.”
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Video: Ultimate Simple Method for the US Military to Destroy Enemy Drones.
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Ferd spotted this news: Hiker found alive after 10 days lost in California mountains reveals how he survived. Ferd’s Comments:
“An ‘experienced hiker’? Maybe a lucky fool who overestimated his skills. Going on a hike without telling anyone where and no supplies? Seriously, I really wonder about people’s intelligence level and sanity.
[Some deleted, for brevity.]
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H.L. spotted this at The Burning Platform: Common Sense and Memes Are Viruses to the New World Order.
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And lastly, news from Oz that sounds like something out of The Babylon Bee, but it is genuine, sourced from the leftist CNN: Australian state appoints official for ‘Men’s Behavior Change’ as outcry over violence against women grows.
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