Keep Your Gas To Yourself

I'll share a prepper tip I recently had to relearn.

NOT My Truck - Way Too Pretty
(imageshack.com)

I've got an ol'  Ford F-250 HD 4x4 parked in front of my house. It's as ugly, capable and reliable as I dream of being. Amenities are sparse, it barely has an electrical system, and the only computer in it is my smart phone. It's the epitome of yester-tech: brutally simplistic. That's one of the reasons I keep it around: it's my Mad Max truck.  

The truck does have one Achilles' Heel: it needs fuel - lots of it. As such, it carries 43 gallons in two tanks. Last week, someone thought that was entirely too much gas, so during the night they attempted to redistribute the wealth. Unfortunately, they found out it's a diesel truck. That wasn't to their liking, so they tipped over their container, and let about 4 - 5 ill-gotten gallons drain into my gutter. That's about $20 at Cali diesel prices. Thanks, a-holes. I hope you got a mouthful of California's special, unicorn-safe diesel.  

However, I really do need to thank those scum, as they've pointed-out a flaw in my preparations. 

If SHTF, the wifey and I are going to desperately need every ounce of that diesel - and yet, I haven't secured it in any way. During the '70's gas crises, everyone had locking gas caps - or a gas can and a siphon hose like my douche-bag neighbor. We've largely gotten away from locking caps in the intervening decades. But, that's going to change RealSoonNow: I'm protecting my automotive life blood with two new locking caps.

I've already got the siphon hose.  ;^)'   

9/11 Prep

This Thursday is the 13th anniversary of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center.

Islamist Rage   (thepeoplescube.com)

Because of the newly invigorated Islamists, our feckless defense and foreign policy, the deliberately compromised immigration system and the wide open southern border, this is probably the most dangerous 9/11 anniversary to date. Unfortunately, the danger will probably ratchet up each year for the foreseeable future.

In any case, it's probably a good time to review your everyday disaster preparations.

• Always keep no less than a half of tank in the cars and trucks
• Have at the very least one week's worth of water, food and supplies
• Be able to live "off the grid" (light, heat, cooking, sanitation, etc) for a week
• Money talks; be prepared to shout with physical cash
• Get a good first-aid kit: more than the cheapy band-aids and aspirin kits
• Have a good toolset: standard tools, plus prybars, axes, util. knives and guns
• Prepare your bug out bag, or as we call them: Go Boxes (3 Rubbermaid boxes)
• Lock your house and car doors
• Keep your head on a swivel

That's the minimum: many experts are recommending at least 3 weeks of capability.

• Most importantly: exercise, get in shape, lose weight, and quit smoking -- a heart attack is by far the most probable killer you will face

As I tell the wife when she accuses me yet again of paranoia: "Yes, I'm paranoid -- But, am I paranoid enough?"