Survivopedia

September 11 has reached a strange place in American memory. For those of us who were old enough to remember that morning, it still feels close. We remember where we were when we heard the first report. We remember the television staying on for hours, the uncertainty about what might come next, and the sense […]

There are certain days that divide life into before and after. September 11, 2001 was one of them. I remember how quickly an ordinary Tuesday became something nobody understood. People went to work, dropped children off at school, boarded airplanes, made coffee, and started another normal day. Then normal disappeared. Within hours, air travel stopped, […]

I pay attention to grocery stores differently than I used to. Years ago, I looked at the shelves mainly to see whether the thing I wanted was in stock. Now I also notice what is missing. One empty spot means very little on its own. A truck may be late, a store may have underestimated […]

One thing I have learned about preparedness is that a good system should still work when the person using it is tired, injured, older, or simply unable to do the physical work he once could. That is why aquaponics interests me. A traditional garden asks a lot from the body. There is digging, bending, kneeling, […]

I have never believed that home security starts with expensive cameras, subscription plans, or a wall full of monitors. Those things can help, but most trouble looks for something easier first. A dark house. A predictable routine. An empty driveway, a side gate nobody checks, a porch light that has been burned out for six […]