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by Tia G.

Growing up, I had the pleasure of never seeing a roach, except on T.V. I grew up with the assumption that only dirty people had roaches. When I moved to Texas, I found out how wrong that assumption was. Even the cleanest of homes can get infested with roaches and it doesn’t take much.

My first apartment in Texas appeared to be clean. Nice neighborhood, clean grounds, the apartment itself looked and “smelled” clean, all the stuff you look for when moving into an apartment. I didn’t know the signs to look for, or even that I needed to look, for a roach infestation.

Within a week I saw my first roach. It was huge and it flew right into my hair. I found out later it was a wood roach or a palmetto bug. Did I mention it flies? After an hour-long shower, and scrubbing my hair a dozen times, I was fine. After all, the bug was outside and I was inside, so I was safe-right? Wrong!

My first-midnight foray into the kitchen proved just how wrong I was. There were roaches everywhere on the floors and counters. Of course, I didn’t have any kind of bug spray, I didn’t even have a flyswatter. I went around with a flip-flop smacking all them I could catch while doing the “ewwwe dance.”

The next morning I stormed the manager’s office complaining. I was practically laughed out of the office with the advice to go and buy some roach spray. I keep a clean house, and this is probably some kind of a fluke, some roach spray should get rid of them, so I believed. That started my two year battle with them.

You can name any brand of roach spray, gel, trap, bait, and fogger, and I will guarantee that I have tried it. I moved into a different apartment that sprayed on a weekly basis. I cleaned, and cleaned, and cleaned some more. All food was kept in an airtight container or in the fridge. Nothing seemed to help. When I sprayed, it was like they spread.

When when I used the baits, they seemed to multiply. When I fogged, they would disappear for a day or two, and then would be back in full force. It got so bad I was seeing them not only at night but during the day.

My breaking point happened over two events. I went to make a pot of coffee and there were roaches crawling all over and in my coffee pot (to this day I still drink instant coffee) and my daughter got up from the table during breakfast, came back and there were roaches all over her food. I freaked out.

I had tried everything I could think of to get rid of them and nothing was working. How do people live like this? How do people get away from them? I tried moving and they just packed themselves into my stuff and moved with me. I keep my house clean as can be, I even tried pouring straight bleach on the counters and they seemed to enjoy playing in it.

After having my little breakdown, I had a thought pop into my head. “Know thy enemy.” No one said that it only applies to people. So what do I know about roaches? They are creepy and nasty. They carry disease, and would probably survive a nuclear holocaust. Time to do some research.

I learned so much about them, things I never wanted to know. It confirmed that I NEEDED to get rid of them, but that the approach I was taking would NOT work. Here are three things that told me I needed to find a different way:

1) Roaches can eat and survive off of pretty much anything. From that microscopic crumb that got left behind, to the glue on book bindings, stamps, and envelopes. They will also eat body parts that they shed and other dead roaches. So in essence, they can feed each other, and don’t need the food you have in your home.

2) Just like we build immunities to antibiotics and other medications, roaches can become immune to the chemicals we spray on/feed them.

3) They can hold their breath for an obnoxious length of time, 40 minutes. That means when you start spraying, unless you are hitting them directly they hold their breath and scurry off to a safe location, usually in another room. It works the same for the foggers, they hold their breath until they can find a pocket of fresh air the chemicals cant reach. So in spraying all the roach sprays, I effectively spread them throughout the apartment.

With those being some of my biggest problems, how do I work around it? An internet search on getting rid of roaches brought up so many sites selling pesticides, and all the exterminators, that I would never find what I needed that way.

I did a search on “alternative ways to kill roaches” and it came up with mixed results.

Where I struck pay dirt was when I looked up “natural ways to kill roaches.” On site after site, three things kept popping up. Diatomaceous Earth (DE), boric acid, and baking soda.

Here Are My Results For Each:

Diatomaceous Earth: I found that it does kill roaches if you can actually get it on them. The problems were that you do not want to breathe this stuff in so it really limited where all you could place it, and the roaches avoided it. Where it really helped was that I was able to put it in the dog and rabbit food. It was safe for my pets to eat and yet kept the roaches out.

*****NOTE: if you buy DE make sure you buy the FOOD GRADE as the stuff they sell for pool filters is very toxic to people and pets.

Boric acid: I first tried Borax as I had some in the house. The problem with the borax is it caked really easy and would not work. I then bought the both the powder and tablet form of boric acid. I believe this to be the reason I am now roach free.

The powder form I found at the dollar store for $3 a bottle and the tablets I found at a grocery store for around the same price. I put the tablets under all appliances, in the back and corners of my cabinets, and anywhere I didn’t want loose powder.

I put the powder in a very thin line around all baseboards, on my bookcases, and anywhere else I needed a large area covered. I would sprinkle it all over my floors and counters at night before going to bed, cleaning it up in the morning. It was not a quick success by any means. It took a couple of weeks for me to notice a difference and a couple of months before I completely stopped seeing them. The trick with boric acid is to put it in very thin lines otherwise the roaches will go around or jump over it.

Note: be very careful using boric acid on and around areas that you prepare food. It is toxic.

Baking soda: here is where I started and had my least amount of success. The roaches were not interested in the baking soda by itself. When mixed with sugar (which is the most recommended) it became a hard sticky mess, at least in my high humidity area. It did work if you changed it out every day so the mixture would be fresh, but you couldn’t spread it out like with the boric acid.

It took about six months of trying all the different techniques and finding the one that worked in my home. In the end, although I believe it to mainly be because of the boric acid, I used a mixture of the three things.

I used the DE in the pet food, the boric acid pretty much everywhere else, and I would fill bottle caps with the baking soda/sugar mix and put them up as bait stations throughout the house in problem areas, making sure they walked through the boric acid to get to them.

I have now been roach free for 4 years. Even now, and after moving into a house, I keep lines of boric acid down behind the baseboards, and the tablets in my cabinets and under appliances. I still buy DE to mix with the animal food. The boric acid, as long as it is kept dry, will last for years. Some easy measures to take so that if/when SHTF and sanitation becomes an issue, it is one less thing for us to worry about.

Well, folks, it’s that time again! Last weeks segment did well with over 150 comments posted. Let’s see if we can pass 200 comments this week.

But before we get started, let’s talk about the changes here, what you can expect and why. I think you’ll love the change and get more out of it.

Five days a week (Monday through Friday) I will get up at 6:00 o’clock, drink a cup of coffee, eat breakfast, pour another cup of coffee and then head to my home office where I will scour the internet for the most 10 recent and vital news and happening from around the world and post those in a ten-point list with my thoughts and options.

This will be a HUGE time-saver for you because I’ll be the one spending several hours each morning putting this all together for you in a form that is easily skimmed over and digestible in the short amount of time.

You will be educated and entertain – I will cut through the clutter and noise of the internet and deliver to you what you need to know each day, including links to the original stories where you can go to read more if you’re interested in doing so.

No bots. No computer algorithms. Just me, each day’s import news, and you. You will be informed, you will be entertained, you will laugh, you might cry, or you might get pissed off by what you learn, but one thing is sure – you won’t want to miss it!

And in this same column (Monday through Friday) I will be posting a daily photo, this will not be a stock image but a photo that I’ve taken for you and publish for your entertainment and enjoyment. 

And that’s not all! Nope, I’m not done yet, there will also be a scripture of the day and maybe even a quote of the day…  

And every Saturday (yes, I’m posting early this week) there will be a new segment of “What Did You Do to Prep This Week”… This is all going to be a great change for the better.

Thank You!

Okay, now that we have that out of the way, I’d like to thank you and give a huge shoutout to Susan H and Barbara H for their generous contributions this week. It’s good folks like you that keep this site going! Thank you! 

If YOU would like to send a monetary contribution then you can easily do that by clicking on this link – this one right here – click it.  Be sure to leave a note in the PayPal form to let me know if you want me to include a shoutout to you here in next weeks segment. 

Click Here to Send a Donation

Okay, let’s get on with this weeks “what did you do to prep this week” after all this is why you’re here reading this right…

First of all, the property that I told you all about last week that I had thought about trying to buy didn’t work out so as of right now I will be staying where I am. Where I am now is a great place; however, I wanted more land to homestead. And I’ll probably move to a larger parcel in the future, but not right now. Maybe next spring. 

When I put my current place up for sale, I will post it here like I did with my other p, and then you all can come look at it if you’re interested in moving to Tennessee. 

As for preps this week – I read “The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History” it’s great. If you are interested in real history and not the crap that you were taught in school, then you need to read this book!

Click Here To Read The Reviews at Amazon.com

I’ve been a fan of the show “The Dukes of Hazard” since I was a teenager and I always loved and wanted one of the Buck Knives like the ones that Bo and Luke Duke carried on the show.

So I bought the one below at a local fleamarket… what do you think?

Click Here to Check Price and Availability at Amazon.com

Harvested a five-gallon bucket full of squash. And as you can see, more are growing rather quickly.

I also bought a few boxes (5 to be exact) of .22 CCI ammo and ordered “One Month Basic Food Kit” from Valley Food Storage, but I’ve not received it yet.  I’ve never ordered from them before – if you have then, please post a comment below about your experience. Thanks.

Click This Button to Checkout Valley Food Storage

Well, folks, that’s it for me this week. What about you? What did you do to prep this week?

‘Could 2019 be the year humans open the first portal to a shadowy dimension which mirrors our own world? 

Scientists in Oak Ridge National Laboratory in eastern Tennessee hope so, and have completed building equipment they are to test this summer which may allow us the first glimpse of a parallel universe which could be identical in many ways to our own, with mirror particles, mirror planets and possibly even mirror life. 

That is according to Leah Broussard, the physicist behind the project, who described the attempt to reveal a hidden shadow world as “pretty wacky” in an interview with NBC last week. 

The discovery of a concealed mirror world may sound like science fiction from the Stranger Things series, but it has been repeatedly suggested by physicists as a tempting means of explaining anomalous results. However, as yet, hard evidence such a realm exists has refused to manifest itself. 

One set of anomalous results, and the ones which inspired the research, date back to the 1990s, when particle physicists were measuring the time it took for neutron particles to break down into protons once they were removed from an atom’s nucleus. 

Two separate experiments saw the neutrons broke down at differing rates, instead of decaying and becoming protons at exactly the same rate, as was expected. 

In one, the free neutrons were captured by magnetic fields and herded into laboratory bottle traps, and in the other they were detected by the subsequent appearance of proton particles from a nuclear reactor stream. 

Those particles fired out in the stream from the nuclear reactor lived on average for 14 minutes and 48 seconds – nine seconds longer than those from the bottle traps. 

It may sound like a small difference, but it has troubled scientists. 

But the existence of a mirror world offers a credible explanation: That there are two separate neutron lifetimes, and it could be that around 1 percent of neutrons could be crossing the divide between our reality and the mirror world before crossing back and then emitting a detectable proton. 

The new experiment will fire a beam of neutrons at an impenetrable wall. On the other side of the wall, a neutron detector will be set up, which normally would expect to detect nothing.’ 

Read more: Scientists attempting to open a portal to a parallel universe 

‘Nearly 4 years ago, I wrote an article entitled, “Lasers and Electronic Warfare To Be Used in New World of Drones and Anti-Drones,” wherein I detailed the trend toward using directed energy weapons in warfare. Unfortunately, it appears that much of the speculation at that time about whether or not this was merely the military-industrial complex looking to fund more boondoggle projects that would never see the light of day actually has become reality. 

Fox News reports: 

If swarms of enemy small attack boats armed with guns and explosives approached a Navy ship, alongside missile-armed drones and helicopters closing into strike range, ship commanders would instantly begin weighing defensive options – to include interceptor missiles, electronic warfare, deck-mounted guns or area weapons such as Close-in-Weapons System. 

Now, attacks such as these will also be countered with laser weapons being added to the equation, bringing new dimensions to maritime warfare on the open sea. 

By 2021, U.S. Navy destroyers will be armed with new ship-fired lasers able to sense and incinerate enemy drones, low-flying aircraft and small boat attacks — all while firing at the speed of light.

As nation after nation becomes wired for war and neutralizes then surpasses each other, new methods must be developed to maintain military supremacy. This is the nature of military conflict and one of the prime reasons why the world seems to have new security threats each and every day. It becomes one endless problem-reaction-solution loop that only serves to benefit those who are invested in each of the three components. 

Now that lasers are being applied to ships, we should be seeing further rollout across the military. Here is a video from all the way back in 2012 which showed where we are probably heading. If this is what is being shown to the public, one can only imagine what is really being planned for the future of warfare.’ 

Good morning everyone… I hope everyone had a great fourth of July Independence Day and didn’t over do it with the hotdogs, burgers, and fireworks. 

Sadly, the main threat to what resemblance to freedom that we have left isn’t from a foreign power but our own government. We live in a country where we have to get a permit or a license for just about everything we do, and or follow a law or ordinance or be fined and or jailed and since 9-11 we have been on a fast downhill slide as far as individual freedom and constitutional rights are concerned. 

Granted we are better off than North Korea for example, however, “our” own government and the powers that be continuously chip away at the freedoms that we still have and will continue to do so no matter who is in Congress, The Senate, and the Whitehouse. 

That’s what governments do… they chip away at freedom while dipping more and deeper into our wallets via taxation and then when the people push back they might back off a little, you know take three steps forward and one step back, and then start again.

It’s never-ending and we have to always be on the lookout for the never-ending encroachments. Sometimes the powers that be will even allow a new president to be elected to calm one political side down for a while so that they think that they have a choice and a say in how things are going while in reality they continue on with their agenda.

It’s like professional wrestling… it’s all a show to keep everyone entertained and pacified while “Rome” burns…   

Okay, now on to the next topic… I still get an email or so each month asking why I stopped posting the original “what did you do to prep this week” segment… so I’m going to answer that for everyone here today all at the same time.

I stopped posting it because it turned into a circus of whining, complaining, and ridiculousness. Every day I’d get emails from the main commenters (probably 70% of the comments were from the same five people), complaining about someone else comment that didn’t agree with them. Ban them or I’m leaving was the general and common thread of the emails.

Oh me oh my, if for some reason the system held their comment for moderation – here came the emails accusing me of “censorship” because their comment wasn’t approved instantly. If you’re going to turn into a dictator and censor comments I’m leaving the site.

And this from people who are supposedly preparing to survive TEOTWAWKI – newsflash, if you can’t deal with a comment in a blog comments sections without falling all apart then you’re probably not going to survive TEOTWAWKI. 

An then there was this one guy who thought that it was his personal mission to reply to EVERYONE else’s comments with his opinion. And even when asked by other comment posters to stop replying to their comments he still would not stop.

This is also, the same guy who publicly stated in the comments that he purposely avoided clicking on my affiliate links to Amazon.com because he didn’t want me to earn anything for my work here on the blog, even though, clicking an Amazon affiliate link costs the reader NOTHING extra when they order. 

And there were the ones who are horrified at the thoughts of me actually making a couple of dollars from my efforts here. I remember back when I first bought my solar panels and posted a photo of those on the site, several left nasty comments saying I should be ashamed, that I was getting “rich” off them somehow. 

And then there were the ones who when a few loyal readers would send a small donation to help support the site and I’d then thank them publicly for their support in the “what did you do to prep this week” segment, the jackasses would respond with the “here MD goes begging for money again” or the “looks like a scam to me” or other stupid crap.

To be honest I just got sick of all of the bullshit and the whining people that came with the segment so I closed it down. And then when I did they really showed their true colors yet again by going to another site and talking about me like a dog in the comments section there.

Some even came back here using different names and posting comments asking others to stop reading this site and to come to the other site… this went on for a couple of months before they “the wolf pack” got tired of trying to destroy me simply because I had decided to shut down their gossip column. 

Anyways, as you can see I decided to post it again today to see how it goes… so feel free to comment below if you have anything to say that you want to share.

As for my preps this week I ordered this, this, and this from Amazon.com – not really prep items but that’s what I’ve ordered.

I’ve also been working in my garden with my three sisters experiment and it’s coming along nicely, however, the weeds are trying to take over, I had hoped that the squash would shade out the weed growth but that’s not been the case. So I’m going to go pull some weeds after I get done writing and posting this.

Also, I’ve been thinking about selling my homestead and moving to another location with more land. While you can do a lot on three acres I could do a lot more on 13 and a half which is what I’ve been looking at buying. 

Oh yeah, for those who think that I’m getting rich running a prepper/homesteading blog I’ll post a couple of screenshots of my recent earnings below…

What did you do to prep this week?

by Seeuncourt

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” – Thomas A. Edison

Whether you want to leave the rat race, get off the grid, retreat from the city, enjoy a simpler life, or become self-sufficient, whatever your motive – to achieve your goals you need an income.  You can work for someone else or work for yourself.  Starting a cottage industry can be daunting but it doesn’t have to be. 

Start by exploring your talents and hobbies.  What are you good at doing?  Could you make money from it?  Then, look at your area; is there a niche market for what you do?  Are you able to create that market?  Starting small is key.  The temptation to “go big or go home” may cause you to invest your precious capital in the wrong areas of your business.

Hawking Your Wares

Begin with an analysis of your area for marketing.  Determine if your local area has a farmers market or flea market and how to participate.  Develop an Etsy or eBay page, or your own website.  Ensure that you are not using colloquialisms or local lore to market your product.  I’ll explain; as a youth, I went to a local restaurant with my father. 

My father is from Tennessee, but I was raised in Iowa.  At the restaurant, the menu read, “Ham n Aigs with Taters”.  I asked my father, “What’s an “Aig”?”  After he composed himself he whispered, “Egg”.  Some local cute-isms are lost on the young or international travelers!  Market accordingly! 

The best and most enduring way to market your product, in my humble opinion, is to donate your product or service.  Your generosity will be remembered and passed on to new customers.  Often your donation can be accompanied by your business card revealing to others how to obtain such a good or service.  Happy and satisfied customers are the best advertisement.

Green Thumbs

If gardening is your forte, attend your local or regional farmers markets.  Take notes on what is there.  Identify the excess and the rare.  See what people like and are taking home.  Tailor your efforts toward what is popular, but not in great supply. 

Some ideas that are surefire sellers:  Herbs, Onions, and Greens.  Nothing says “take me home” like fresh culinary herbs, onions, shallots, garlic, and fresh spinach, and salad greens. 

All can be grown year-round outdoors, in greenhouses and high tunnels, and in cold frames.  Low in overhead, simple to grow organically, and to harvest, they are easily packaged with a simple rubber band at the stems or stalks or in plastic baggies.  Think non-GMO, heirloom, and organic!

Cut Flowers and Floral Arrangements

This takes a bit more gardening know-how, but if you are a flower image, put them to work for you!  Donate an arrangement to a local church or nursing home.  Include a “donated by” business card with your business details.

More than Whirly-gigs and Lawn Ornaments

If your talents include woodworking consider items picnic tables, vegetable hods, window boxes, bookshelves, storage cubes, vertical gardens, antler mounting plaques, and natural walking sticks (add a hand-carved wood spirit and leather grip!)  Donate a picnic table to the nursing home or a mini-table to the daycare center with a “donated by” card.  Take orders for your creations by posting with pictures on Craigslist or in the free local add paper.  Consider furniture refinishing as a side industry.

A Stitch in Time Saves Nine

Sewing can encompass everything from quilting to mending and alterations to custom tailoring orders.  It can be basic or include machine embroidery.  You are limited only by your creativity and the capabilities of your sewing machine. 

Be aware that some may not be interested in your finished product, but in learning to make their own.  Offer sewing lessons as a mainstay of this industry.  Consider volunteering to teach a basic sewing course to a 4H or homeschool group. 

Investigate how to teach an adult education course through the local school system choosing an interesting finished product.  Consult with local fabric stores and hospitals to determine if they will display finished class products.

Knitting and Crochet

While a fabulous pastime, hand knit and hand crocheted items are not often lucrative given the cost of fiber and the amount of time invested.  This and the influx of cheap china-mart knits make handmade fiber crafts money losers.  Better to offer a class as above with a finished walk away product.

Givin’ the Dog a Bone

We love our pets, thus, the pet products industry is very lucrative if you can create a product that appeals.  All natural dog treats packaged in human-appealing packaging, for instance, are a boon.  Or, hit up the local thrift shop on “fill a bag for a buck” day (or ask for the unserviceable items at a deep discount) and buy blue jeans and fleece coats or blankets. 

Turn these into creative two-sided recycled pet beds.  Stuff them with fabric scraps and cedar shavings for natural flea repellant.  Collars and leashes:  nylon webbing, paracord, leather – plain or covered in bling, these simple to make and high return for investment items are a must-have for dog and cat owners. 

Think of ways to make them original or trendy.  Donate a few of these items to your local animal shelter.  Ask them to post your business cards in return.

Bartleby the Scribner

Tutoring, typing, medical and legal transcription, resumes –put those 65 wpm+ typing skills to work for you!  Legal and medical offices often search for individuals to take on “a la carte” typing jobs.  Canvass your local area presenting a professional business card.  Obtain a “good conduct” certificate from your local PD and indicate that you will present it upon request.  Consider tax preparation as a seasonal side industry.

Are You Being Served?

Process Server and Notary Public:  With a small investment in training and certification or licensure, depending on your area population, you can make a decent wage as a process server.  Upon certification, make your service known to the local courts and attorneys by sending a business letter describing your qualifications and services. 

Include professional business cards.  Consider the dangers that accompany process serving and consider self-defense classes and/or a concealed carry permit.  Hang out a shingle stating you are a notary public, run a newspaper advertisement and post a notice on the community bulletin board.

Think Outside the Box

Do you own a truck and/or a trailer?  Put it to work for you!  Advertise “two grunts moving” on Craigslist, the free add paper, at the local storage units, and farm store.  Offer to move everything from hay bales and firewood to Aunt Fanny’s antique armoire.  Consider the overhead for packing materials, strapping, and added insurance when pursuing this venture.

Show me Angry – Now Sexy

Quality photography and photo products can be produced with a small investment in equipment and software.  If you have a digital camera, a computer, and a working knowledge of Photoshop, you have the makings of a popular business. 

Use your innate creativity to make stunning birth announcements, senior pictures, graduation announcements, holiday photo cards, etc.  Consider specializing in pet or infant photography. 

Add an additional creative niche selling matted photographs.  Take black and white photos of common objects that look like alphabet letters.  Arrange the photos to spell the name of a local popular establishment.  Mat and frame the photo montage and donate to the establishment with a request that they display your business card.

Tis the Season

Some work is only available dependent upon the season or your geographic area.  The key is to observe what is popular in your area and determine how you can get in on the action.  Some seasonal industries include:  cleaning gutters, sealing hot-top driveways, wreath making, gift baskets, rotor tilling/garden preparation, lawn care, leaf raking, camp wood and ice vending. 

Break up pallets (often free for the hauling) into 16-inch lengths, mix hardwood and softwood pallets, including a pack of matches and one commercial fire starter.  Saran wrap into a bundle.  Sell these and ice at or near local campgrounds (with the appropriate vendors’ permits, of course.)

Dressed in Overalls and Looks like Work

Don’t have all of the skills you need?  Explore the enrichment or continuing education credit courses at your local technical or community college.  These are usually offered at reduced price tuition.  Contact the local High School or Cooperative Exchange Office and determine what adult education classes are available in your local area. 

Request to apprentice with a local tradesperson during the “off” season.  Offer to work for free during the high season as payment to learn the trade.  Some trades to consider include butcher, welding and fabrication, and carpenter.

Your choice of employment doesn’t have to be conventional.  You may develop the next big thing.  Above all else, you must make wise choices and believe that you can be self-sufficient.

How about you?  What is your cottage industry success story or suggestion?