Don’t tell my wife about today’s column. She’d probably think I’ve flipped out. But, then again, she’s not an “over-think the problem” kind of person. I am… When we look at prepping – step way back from the problem – we need to begin asking at every turn “What could go wrong?” We know, for … Read More
Hot off the press (release): NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 25, 2018 – S&P Dow Jones Indices today released the latest results for the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Indices, the leading measure of U.S. home prices. Data released today for July 2018 shows that home prices continued their rise across the country over the last 12 months. YEAR-OVER-YEAR … Read More
I know what you’re thinking. “What do yah mean “cardboarding? Never heard anything so stupid…” I mean real, honest-to-God cardboarding. Making useful from leftovers. You see, if TSHTF, you will need to be able to improvise, adapt, and overcome. This means having a handful of basic skills that get terribly overlooked on most (misnamed) prepping … Read More
I know what you’re thinking: “George, how can you think of something like a chainsaw as a prepping tool???” Well, the answer is simple: Once you leave the “call 9-1-1 for any problems – or the water department – or whatever – and you get back to Nature, you finds that nature isn’t going to … Read More
We recently decided to take down our www.ruralpioneers.com website, but there are a number of very useful articles buried in the archives of that site that should be considered today because they offer very valuable – timeless – advice to preppers and contingency planners of today. Here’s an example from 2004 where I wrote up … Read More
Is it interest rates climbing that are driving borderline people to finally buy a home? Is the 2009 period gone behind us and never to return? Is the APP BUBBLE going to last forever in Seattle and the Bay Area? Here’s this morning’s press release from S&P: NEW YORK, JUNE 26, 2018 – S&P Dow … Read More
Oh boy! Soon as we get the tractor back in operation (next week thanks to the rain – this week was rained out) it will be time to install the first set of one-pound coffee cans and get seriously into “Original Rough Country Golf.” You may have never heard of the ORCGA – Original Rough Country … Read More
[Adult language alert!] So, you think this is funny, do yah? A few months back, I posted a rather negative review on the whole notion of the “smart home” as embodied by the app-crazed marketers of the world. The product involved was TP-Link HS100 Smart Plug (2-Pack), No Hub Required, Wi-Fi, Works with Alexa and Google … Read More
Housing is screaming up in the West. And with the SotU tonight and a Fed meeting, the markets look to take a dump at the open today with a downside of 200 points, or more, possible in the Dow.
Housing: It’s a very big deal – and statistically the largest investments any of us ever make. Turn over? Sure: On average it used to be every seven-years, or so. A year or so back, friends of ours sold their “dream house” up north because they were finally tired of the weather. Won’t mention the … Read More
Housing: Last week, a female reader was asking where can a woman (or any gender) go to learn shop skills, if they didn’t pick it up in school… The answer to this is both simple and hard (a Zen thing) because there are tons of ways to learn. First, though, a little background on why … Read More
Health/Environment: As the year draws to a close, a survey of what we’ve gotten done over the course of the year makes for an interesting cup of tea. On the plus side, we haven’t missed a column, health is good, Peoplenomics has been spectacularly good at being on the “right side” of the market. And … Read More
Housing: I hadn’t heard too much from my son for a while – and got to wondering what was up with him so I rang him up and he’s got a new GF. No news there EXCEPT: The new GF has figured out how to totally game “the system” in a crowded big city – … Read More