Hard Times Create Strong Men and Teaching Resilient Children

 Contrary to widespread belief, the quote “Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, and weak men create hard times” is not an ancient proverb or classical philosophical insight. Instead, it originates from the mind of G. Michael Hopf, an American author and U.S. combat veteran born in 1970, who included this line in his 2016 post-apocalyptic novel “Those Who Remain,” the seventh book in his “New World” series.

In the early 1970s, scientist John B Calhoun conducted his famous “Universe 25” experiment, creating a “mouse utopia” with unlimited food, water, and shelter.  In these ideal conditions, the mouse population grew rapidly before collapsing as social behaviors deteriorated and reproduction ceased.  While not a literal prediction, the experiment serves as a powerful metaphor for how prosperity and social disconnection can erode purpose and cohesion in human societies.

American society is not yet in collapse, but fragmentation is evident: deep political polarization, eroded trust in institutions, and fading shared norms.  Many retreats into online echo chambers, curating realities that shield them from real-world friction.  This produces phenomena resembling Universe 25’s “isolated females” (seen in aggressive or entitled behaviors like “Karens”) and “beautiful males” (withdrawn, self-focused, feminized men).

Both on the left and the right, good times have allowed us to forget what we learned in the hard times that got us through those hard times into the good. Should we not soon turn back, both the left and right will have to relearn.

 

Hard times have a lot of complications for the weak that created them.  Particularly for the LDS priesthood holder.  It’s more than just being a wimp.  It’s being afraid of change and your shadow.  It’s dealing with “woke” ideas and becoming self-sufficient so that you can raise self-sufficient children.

 

Brothers it doesn’t take that much to change the men in the church.  Don’t accept woke ideas.  Call out those leaders who are trying to make this church like our government.  Remind everyone of the doctrine behind “The family a proclamation to the world.”  I’m not saying we should be unkind or mean, but we need to be bold about the truth and about our lives.

Years ago, I lived in a District and a Branch.  I was called to the District High Council.  I had a District President who was from Minnesota.  He and I did not agree politically.  But we were friends and enjoyed talking with each other to get that other view. In one particular meeting he would not stop talking about a particular political subject.  He wanted to debate and I kept telling him that this was not the time or place for such a discussion.  He would not let up and so I finally said some rude things that silenced the room.  (The good brother sitting next to me whispered to me, “Now you’ve done it!  Good job!”) Most people would not talk to a priesthood leader that way.  I would normally not talk that way to my priesthood leader either but I had to jar him back into reality so he would stop trying to talk about inappropriate things in a meeting where other things should be happening.  My tactic worked!  Later on, I apologized and he said, “You had to shock me back into reality.  I know you didn’t have a choice because I was not listening.”  I was glad he understood and our relationship was not damaged.  Over the years you have learned that you can stand up to a priesthood leader if you do it in a respectful and kind way.  Many people will not do this, but a left-leaning leader can do a lot of damage in a ward.  Politics doesn’t belong in Church.  But many people let their extreme views, left or right leaning, spill into their teaching and speaking at Church.  If that view is in opposition to gospel doctrine it must be corrected. The Church has solid stances on Gay marriage, abortion, and gender.  I don’t have a problem with the people that believe in opposition to this doctrine, but these points are non-negotiable.  And they have no place at Church.  Many believe the Church will “come around” concerning these doctrines and that the Church will change.  My contention is that will never happen.  Policy changes, doctrine does not.

Learning to be a man and then stepping into that role is something that seems to be lacking in some generations.  My kids were given responsibility early in their lives.  We have a large family and we all needed to help to care for ourselves, and our home.  Kids have an amazing capacity.  They can do a lot!  At 8 our kids learned, and were responsible for, their own laundry.  When our Grandkids visit they are given the same responsibility at the appropriate age.  Our kids also had chores they got allowance for but also some they had to do out of duty being a member of the family.  I made sure they understood that because we do have an obligation to each other as family members.

 

 Teaching boys to be men and raising resilient kids so they don’t have to take resilience classes should be every parent’s goal.  The Church now offers resiliency classes, I understand why.  It’s taught in seminary now. What the heck?  I’m an LDS Seminary graduate but I never had a class or a lesson in being resilient.  My Dad fought in WWII.  My parents went through that world war and through the Depression.  They could handle whatever was put before them. So, they raised us kids to weather whatever storm they were put through.  My wife and I were children of the 60’s and 70’s.  We were taught how to work and how to survive.  

 

The men of the church need to stop being “nice” and start being men. Being nice is not the same as being kind. We should be kind. Families need to be resilient because Christ is coming. Looking at the signs we know life is poised to be worse. Certain prophecies must be fulfilled and that means things will get worse in this world. We need men who will bear up the church and the gospel. We should be defenders of the faith. It’s hard to defend from a safe space. LDS men should be meek but not push overs. That’s why boys need to be taught to be men. 

 

“Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, and weak men create hard times”

 

We are moving into those “hard times”. LDS men and boys need to learn what the 3 P’s are from the Proclamation on the Family. 

What does it mean to preside, provide, and protect?

That’s what we can talk about and teach. Dirty Civilian focus on the Christian preparedness side. The LDS perspective is similar, but with the priesthood comes a higher responsibility.

Boys (and girls for that matter) need to learn physical work.  One of my sons is a computer developer.  One is a welder.  They grew up the same, but the welder likes physical work for his mind and body.  The developer takes care of himself and exercises, but he prefers the more cerebral work of working on software.  Both of them (and our daughters and other brothers) moved rocks.  When we bought our property there was a large pile of stone with rocks about the size of 2 bricks.  We seemed to need this rock pile moved for construction projects and other reasons to move the location of the stone.  So, our kids were given so many rocks to move when they got in trouble.  We did spank our kids but not that often and even less as they got older.  They were given work in addition to the chores they already had.  They were given other tasks sometimes and not always rock moving.  It was physically hard work, but they knew if they complained they could get more rocks.  All my kids know how to work.  It’s interesting because the guys my girls married aren’t necessarily DIY guys.  So, my girls have tool bags, and they work on things as they need to.  Their spouses are getting better, but my girls are hard workers.

One of our family’s sayings is actually from my son-in-law.  “Suck it up, cupcake!” With this mindset our children were not raised to need safe spaces and could handle most everything that has been thrown at them.  They are resilient. I believe it’s our responsibility as parents to bring up our children to handle life and what it throws at you.  To learn from adversity and to become stronger from trials.

There are generations that are soft because their parents wanted things better for them.  I understand that feeling but fight it and teach them how to navigate life themselves.

I had a Stake President growing up who was a millionaire.  His children did not know until they were young adults.  The kids had work at home and jobs to pay for cars and college.  Dad could have just paid for it all, but he and his wife wanted resilient, prepared children.

I hope the men in the church can figure this problem out and stop producing unprepared, dependent children.  I also hope they can change the way the church does things and stop being so timid about running the Lord’s Church.

 

Semper Paratus

Check 6

Burn

Tactical Training for Your Family

Family Training

Broad & Inclusive Training

No one is safe at all if they only learn how to protect themselves in one type of situation. That is why even if you are focusing on one specific discipline of tactical training you will find that it is both broad and inclusive of a variety of potential scenarios. Any good tactical training course will provide you with multiple situations to overcome, preparing you for a variety of both physical and psychological tasks associated with your survival. Yes, you can learn to shoot the same menacing looking targets in different orders each time at the gun range, but this only covers one scenario and is not effective tactical training. True tactical training will also call on more than one level of physical and psychological needs at any given time, to ensure you are well rounded and prepared for any situation. A good tactical training session might even appear chaotic, but they are highly structured to call on multiple skills to test a trainee. If you can use your range of skills to make sense and survive the situation, the chaos melts away, which is exactly what you are hoping to be able to apply to a real-life scenario.

I had my family learn how to shoot, how to use pepper spray, and how to grapple.  We talked about tactical thinking and situational awareness all the time.  Try to be versatile. 

Drills

Remember you can help prepare your family with tactical training as well. There is a fine line between preparing and scaring your children, so always consider their age and understanding level in every training scenario. Drills, however, are important and can give you the lifesaving seconds you need in a disaster scenario. Many families have fire drills for instance, so considering a few potential events and outcomes that your loved ones can practice, increasing your chance of survival is a form of tactical training that can keep your whole family safe and better prepared.

Keys to Good Tactical Training

• Avoid highly specialized training classes and events. While it is good to practice in specific ways, broad range courses are best for beginners, so you can build a solid skill set. You can go on to more specialized training down the road.
• Look for a course with scenario-based training as it can help prepare you psychologically, as well as physically.
• Hone your instincts. One of the goals of tactical training is to take actions from being intellectual to instinctual. In high-stress situations, if you can rely on your instincts to help in your defense you have a higher chance of surviving a confrontation. Any few seconds you can spare in mental processing and decision making, due to effective, tactical training could be lifesaving.
• Self-defense is a lifelong journey. You must adopt it as part of your regular life and commit to continually practice if you want to truly become a master in the art of self-defense and be able to defend yourself no matter what the situation brings

·         One of the most popular forms of civilian tactical training  is with the use of firearms. Ranges offer tactical shooting courses that provide you situations that represent more realistic scenarios, rather than just standing at one end of a range and shooting at a stationary target. Classes are often the best course for many, however, if you do have the property, or can find a place where you can lawfully fire the rounds, you may consider setting up tactical training courses of your own. Remember that the element of surprise is a huge aspect of tactical training. If you do set up your own course, you will need a partner who can change the targets and situations to create a unique training experience every time.

 

Psychological Aspects of Tactical Training

·         Tactical training requires a level of psychological involvement that is simply not applied in ordinary self-defense training approaches. Of course, learning a specific technical skill for defense is extremely important. However, a technical skill that is only mastered in a controlled environment is only applicable to similar controlled environments, not to situations in the real world. In order to learn a technical skill that will be helpful in any situation, you must be conditioned psychologically as well as physically. With the psychological aspect of tactical training in mind, you will practice your technical skill in a variety of anticipated states, considering factors like stress or exhaustion.

·         Preparing your mind for the possibility of these stressful situations will enable you to perform with greater effectiveness when an actual disaster occurs.

 

Hoplology

·         Not all tactical training is physical in nature, and hoplology is a great place for many beginners to start. As with most things, research can be a huge asset to a person’s self-defense repertoire. Hoplology is the study of the development of human combative behavior and performance. It is in short, the relationship between different cultures in regards to how and why we fight. Becoming a student of hoplology opens you up to a slightly different tactical approach. Taking the knowledge of why and how we fight into consideration can give you a slight advantage when engaging in combat with a potential assailant. Studying other cultures and fighting techniques can also give you an advantage when approached with any self-defense situation as not only can you anticipate what might be coming, but you can take appropriate action to combat it as well.

There are many ways to improve your family’s training.  Tactical is just one of them.  Find a course, or person, who can teach tactical training in a simple way that is understandable to your entire family.  Develop or find drills that can be practiced easily.  Make it fun for the whole family and you will find that not only is your family prepared and safe, but healthy and happy.

Semper Paratus

Check 6

Burn

The Beginning of Self-Defense

 Self-defense is usually thought of as weapons and martial arts.  But most self-defense begins long before an attack.  You can win or lose a confrontation before you step outside.  The correct mindset makes all the difference.  Here are some things to consider before self-defense is called upon.

 

Situational awareness (SA)

I know some instructors who don’t agree that SA is that important.  I believe in the ADD method before violence.  Avoidance, deterrence, and de-escalation.  SA is needed to be successful with ADD.  Be aware of your surroundings.  To make your SA more effective consider these 3 points.

Stay off your phone in public

Observe your environment and know where exits are.  Focus on suspicious activity or potential threats.

Trust your instincts.  If it feels wrong, it's probably wrong.  Don’t second guess yourself.

 

Project Confidence and Strength

Attackers look for easy targets. Someone who appears weak, distracted, or timid is more likely to be chosen. To deter threats:

·         Walk with purpose, keeping your head up and shoulders back.

·         Make eye contact with people around you to show awareness.

·         Speak assertively if someone tries to intimidate you.

Develop a “What If” Mentality

Thinking ahead can prepare you for real-life situations. Ask yourself:

·         “What would I do if someone followed me to my car?”

·         “How would I react if someone grabbed my wrist?”

·         “Where is the nearest exit if something goes wrong?”
By mentally rehearsing scenarios, you train your brain to respond quickly under pressure.

 

Trust Your Gut

Your intuition is a powerful tool. If something feels wrong, don’t dismiss it. Take action by:

·         Changing your route

·         Seeking help from others

·         Preparing to defend yourself if necessary

Stay Prepared and Practice

A self-defense mindset isn’t just about learning techniques—it’s about making safety a habit.

·         Carry personal protection tools such as a firearm (if legal in your area), pepper spray or a tactical flashlight, and know how to use them.

·         Practice self-defense drills regularly so your reactions become instinctive.

·         Stay informed about safety strategies by reading, taking courses, and staying engaged with self-defense communities.

Conclusion

Developing a self-defense mindset is about being proactive, confident, and prepared. By improving your awareness, setting strong boundaries, and training in basic self-defense, you can significantly increase your ability to protect yourself in any situation. The goal isn’t to live in fear but to move through life with the confidence that you can handle whatever comes your way.

 

Mindset changes everything.  It gives confidence and keeps us prepared.

I know that many instructors don’t put much stock in SA.  I think it’s the beginning of self-defense.  Anyone can, and should, practice SA.  Stay aware my friends!

Semper Paratus

Check 6

Burn

Gun Theft

 One concern we all share as responsible gun owners is keeping our guns out of the wrong hands. That can range from children who aren’t ready to handle the responsibility of gun safety to violent criminals looking to arm themselves.  Based on police experience, we want to share some ways you can protect against unauthorized access and loss of a firearm.

There is one particular experience a patrol officer had that demonstrates just how easily avoidable many of those gun thefts are.

This was in a primarily commercial district. There were several gyms near the county line, and just on the other side of the county line was a large apartment complex that housed more than its share of criminals. As a result, the LEO was taking multiple vehicle break-in reports every day at the gyms, sometimes in the double digits.

After talking to so many victims, seeing where the cars were in the parking lot, and gathering information on what was taken and from where, one fact jumped out. From victim interviews and surveillance tape, it became clear the suspects were scouting cars for visible valuables. So, the LEO created a little flier that looked like a parking ticket, and he would walk the parking lot looking in cars. When he noticed valuables visible in the car, he filled out the blanks on the “ticket”. It would then read something like “Patrol. Blue conducted an anti-theft patrol in this parking lot. He noticed the following unsecured valuables in your vehicle _____. Had a thief noticed it, he would have broken your window and, within seconds, stolen your items. Please secure your items in the locker room or hide them from view.”

It was amazing how often purses, laptop bags, and expensive electronics were visible from outside the car. But with the “ticket” reminders, he saw fewer and fewer exposed valuables. Break-ins at the gym plummeted dramatically, so he continued the practice at other locations and solved the problem for his beat until a covert unit could become available and catch the thieves in the act elsewhere.  

Criminals gain access to firearms in several ways, the two most common being vehicle break-ins and residential burglaries. While guns are sometimes stolen from gun stores (often by driving a car into the building) and by robbing someone known to be carrying a gun, today we’re focusing on how the average armed citizen can avoid the theft of an unattended firearm.

Vehicle break-ins come in two varieties: residential parking (i.e. in your own driveway or at the curb in front of your home) and parking lots. Both types of crimes tend to be clustered in certain areas of any given jurisdiction. If your local police or sheriff’s department has online crime reporting, you can often filter the crimes to see where they cluster in your area.

Residential vehicle break-ins occur more frequently in areas that are high in other types of crimes, particularly narcotics and vice offenses. Non-violent addicts who are looking to feed their habits will often target unoccupied vehicles due to the lower risk of both being confronted by property owners or detected by law enforcement. The neighborhoods that attract these types of criminals lack stores to shoplift from, often making cars the lowest hanging fruit for theft. Only the most desperate will smash a window just to rummage, hoping to find something of value. Most will scout cars for valuables or access them without needing to break a window. They will try door handles looking for an unlocked vehicle to go through and will look in the windows of locked cars to see if there’s anything of value. The “tool” they use to break windows is often a simple spark plug — the electrode acts like a window punch and will break a side window quite easily. They generally do not gain access to the trunk in a modern car that requires the keys to pop it open. The center console and glove box are the prime focus of the rummaging. Valuables under the seats are sometimes missed.

For low-crime residential areas, vehicle break-ins can still occur. The thieves are often younger and live in the area. Residents of the neighborhood generally have a suspicion as to who the likely culprits are. They tend to be the source of other issues in the neighborhood such as vandalism, noise complaints, and petty theft. If you can think of someone that fits this narrative within easy walking distance of your home, then you are at an elevated risk of a vehicle break-in.

In more affluent neighborhoods, it’s generally kids looking for a thrill and hoping for money to buy something parents don’t know about. They usually travel in groups and are sometimes easier to catch since they are known to the neighborhood.

Those who live in rural settings generally have less to worry about. The low density of both people and potential targets means there’s little opportunity for scouting. Unfortunately, a quickly growing number of rural communities have issues with meth, pills, and heroin, so you still need to know your neighbors and be aware of anyone who heightens your risk.

The biggest step you can take in reducing your risk of a vehicle break-in in a residential setting is to not live in an area where they occur. I understand this seems self-evident and that where you live is often not entirely in your control, however, it’s worth mentioning, particularly if you are moving and will be renting. Run the crime stats for the neighborhood before you commit to it. Even for the most temporary lodging, like when I am choosing a hotel in an unfamiliar area, I will look at these sorts of crime stats for the neighborhood as well as reviews on travel websites. For a place you plan to live long-term, drive through the area in both the daytime and at night, watching for any suspicious activity.

Next is securing your vehicle. A garaged vehicle is much safer than one parked in a driveway, which can be marginally safer than one parked on the street, particularly if the driveway is longer, well lit, and the yard is fenced. It’s easier for criminals to scout while walking on a sidewalk and peering into curb-parked cars than going up into people’s yards or down long driveways.

Next is not advertising valuables. Thieves in our jurisdiction have targeted both marked and unmarked police cars since they know it’s very likely there are guns inside. They are often visible in a rack. Anyone with access to YouTube and Google can easily learn how to access a gun rack with a set of wire cutters and a 9v battery. If thieves, whether computer literate or not, can see valuables in your car, they will take note and go after them if the opportunity arises. Don’t leave bags, purses, electronics, cash, or weapons visible in the car. Not on the seats, not on the console, not on the floor. Hide, cover, or place in the trunk if it has to stay in your car.

While some vehicles are more secure than others, I haven’t noticed that any particular models are broken into more often than others with one notable exception. Early model Ford Super Duty Pickups are very easy to break into due to a security flaw in the external door handle, and because of that, they are more often targeted by professional thieves, both for break-ins and for auto theft. If you own a Super Duty, take the time to research the issue online and consider purchasing one of the aftermarket security upgrades to mitigate the problem. Some vehicles have a trunk that’s much easier to punch than others, but the overwhelming majority of break-ins involve the passenger compartment only.

I’d highly recommend not leaving firearms anywhere in a vehicle overnight, especially if it’s not garaged. If you absolutely must leave guns in the vehicle, lock them in a safe that is secured to the vehicle either permanently or via a cable lock with a high-quality padlock. This will deter all but the most dedicated thieves. The thieves that have been apprehended are sometimes carrying tools such a spark plug or other makeshift window punch and maybe a knife. They might also have a screwdriver and something to strike it with in order to punch car locks, but not wire cutters, pry bars, or the kind of tools needed to quickly force open a decent pistol safe.

While there are may very few reasons to leave a gun in your car when it’s parked at home, we can think of several reasons to leave a gun in a vehicle in a parking lot. Some states have a law that employers can’t prohibit a gun in your vehicle, but can prohibit them in the buildings. As a result, many citizens drive to and from work armed but must leave the firearm unattended in their vehicle while they are working. Additionally, every state has areas that are off limits for legal carry. Some are more restrictive than others. Finally, there are some places and activities that are just not conducive to carrying a firearm. I carry pretty much any time I’m awake, but even I haven’t figured out a good way to carry while swimming.

We should all assume there will be a time we have to leave our gun in the car and plan ahead, taking adequate precautions to keep that gun in the car and not let it fall into the hands of criminals. Layered security is the key. That could include a car alarm, parking in areas with more lighting and traffic (also a good personal security measure), and once again, making sure there is nothing of value visible from outside of the vehicle. You can use a small safe and cable lock that goes under the seat. Again, very few thieves carry the tools necessary to cut a cable. Given enough time, it could be pried into or otherwise defeated, but the combination of a car alarm and hidden safe are generally adequate precautions.

There are some people online saying it’s unwise to display NRA or other gun related stickers on your car as it advertises that there may be a gun inside.  While I’m not saying it has never happened anywhere, it has not been a factor in my area.

The most obvious answer for keeping your gun secure at home is a gun safe. While a well-made large gun safe is expensive, a pain to move, and can take up a lot of room, it’s also the best protection for your guns from any sort of unwanted access. While I was overseas, my Fort Knox safe protected my guns through two burglaries. Fort Knox even replaced a damaged faceplate for free when I returned.

Random thieves that break in will seldom have the tools required to get into a quality safe. If you’ve layered your security with an alarm or other ways to limit the amount of time a criminal is willing to spend in your house, it’s unlikely they will have time to get into your safe even if they do have the proper tools and knowledge. When larger gun safes are defeated, it’s because the thief was given plenty of time with it. That’s generally accomplished by simply stealing the entire safe and then opening it somewhere else. Cheaper safes and security cabinets are often relatively easy to pry open once they are laid on their backs. Bolting the safe down or framing it in so it’s not easily removed, combined with limiting the thief’s time via an alarm system will increase the effectiveness of any safe.

I’ve also seen small “quick-access” or nightstand type safes defeated in the home. Some of them do not require any tools to open. Simply slamming it repeatedly on the floor causes it to spring open or the locking mechanism to fail. This is an important measure of how easy it is to quickly defeat a small safe by even the most unprepared thief.  Any small safe must be secured in some way so it can’t be removed from the home and opened at a later time. Nightstands are often easy to break, again, by simply picking it up and smashing it on the floor. An eye-bolt sunk into a stud or into the floor for a cable or chain lock is significantly harder to defeat for a thief with limited tools.

A subset of gun safes are in-wall units. They can’t be stolen as an entire unit, so the thief would have to pry into it. Their safety can also be enhanced by hiding the unit behind a mirror or painting. Burglars do not routinely remove wall decorations, but they can be targeted if the thief knows what to look for. The more people who know about it, the higher the chances of the information reaching the wrong ears.

This moves us to the notion of hiding guns. This is the least secure method, of course, but if you must rely on it, there are areas that burglars do tend to search for hidden valuables more often and more thoroughly. These include:

• Under beds
• Dresser and desk drawers, sometimes pulling the drawers completely out to look behind them
• Refrigerators
• Kitchen cabinets
• Bookcases
• Closets, including clothes hanging in closets

Bedrooms and their attached closets almost always get the most attention when the thief has the time and inclination to search for additional valuables. I’ve seen dresser drawers pulled out and smashed apart as well as entire nightstands broken, presumably checking for false bottoms or hidden compartments.

I have no experience with safes that are built into shelves or otherwise disguised. My opinion is that the wall shelf option would be the best since things on the walls are rarely disturbed. I would be a bit more concerned about an item mimicking furniture that’s small enough to pick up, like a nightstand. Bookshelves or wall shelves are less likely to be smashed than a nightstand.

Finally, I’d like to end this article with a plea to keep guns secure from children not mature enough to understand the responsibilities of gun safety. Hidden is not secured. Kids are more resourceful and more observant than you think. Children who aren’t strong enough to pull the trigger in the traditional way still shoot themselves, often by pointing the gun at themselves, putting both thumbs through the trigger guard and their fingers on the backstrap, and squeezing. I’ve regretfully seen more than one child not yet old enough to attend school shoot themselves in the chest this way.

Guns left on nightstands, in shoe boxes in the closet, hidden on a magnet under an end table, and many more “stash guns” have all led to LEO’s responding to a child shot with a found handgun. Sometimes the victim is a child that lives in the home and sometimes they’re a visitor.

Please, don’t be the next household to have to go through that. Put your gun in a safe or keep it on your person in a holster. Don’t think it can’t happen to you or your child.

In summary, the best way to lower your risk of losing firearms to a thief is to keep them behind layered security. Vehicles are inherently less secure than homes, but the risk can be mitigated by keeping valuables out of sight, parking in higher traffic well-lit areas, and using a security device that requires tools and time to defeat. When not carried on your person, firearms in the home should ideally be stored in a safe that’s either too heavy to haul away or secured to the floor or wall. An alarm system will help ensure that burglars do not have time to search for and defeat those containers. Taking just a few extra measures can reduce the risk of your firearms falling into the wrong hands.

Semper Paratus

Check 6

Burn

When You Die What Happens to Your Guns?

 When you die who do you trust to deal with your guns?  Your reloading equipment?  Your shooting gear?

That could be a real problem for those you leave behind.  If there is no one in your family who is a gun nut, son, daughter or spouse, then what will happen to all that you have collected over the years?  I have a friend and neighbor whose father-in-law passed away.  His father-in-law had many guns and even more ammunition.  The mans widow had no idea of the worth of the collection.  She did know a local who owned an on again, off again, gun shop.  The shop owner wasn’t particularly dishonest, but he convinced the widow to sell him all the guns and ammunition in a lump.  I don’t know the details, but my friend said the price was ok, but not what she could have received if she sold the guns and ammo separately.  She let family members; children pick guns that they wanted then sold the rest.

There are several things you can do to avoid these problems.

1.      If the guns are guns you don’t shoot and you want to give them to a family member, do it now before there are any legal entanglements.  You can write a receipt for each gun to have a paper trail.

2.      Sell the guns you don’t use or don’t want in your collection.  Be serious about your evaluation and pick up some cash for ammo.

3.      Ammunition is a different story.  Get rid of ammo if you don’t have a gun that shoots it.  You can sell or give away ammo.

4.      Have a will.  It’s just good practice to have a will regardless of your age.  You can mention specific guns going to specific people or all the collection going to a person or family member you know will distribute or sell your collection to make the maximum amount.

5.      Write things down.  Some people keep a record of their guns and what they paid for them with each gun.  You can reevaluate each guns worth every few years.  This way your spouse or family will have an idea of the worth of your collection.

6.      It’s not just a good idea to have records of your guns for inheritance reasons, but insurance also.  I have a picture of each gun, a close-up of the serial number, and a written description.  If there is a receipt it is included in the package.  I also have a list of guns and where they need to go.  This way at the least my family will know my wishes.  If it goes different it’s OK.  Maybe one of my kids won’t want a particular gun or they have a memory tied to a different gun, then the will executor can make adjustments.

Make records of any accessories and gear you have too.  Scopes and red dot sights can be high dollar accessories.  Don’t forget reloading equipment, safes, or hunting gear.  Bows and their accessories should be included.

Mark your magazines so that they will be matched with the correct gun.

Keep a record of ammo and its location.  I’ve kept a running amount of ammo for many years even before the ammo shortages.  I shoot a lot, and I maintain a certain amount in each caliber.  I also keep a general idea of the worth of my ammunition so whoever wants to sell it will have an idea of its worth.

Keeping your guns, gear, and reloading or hunting equipment organized helps in the process of liquidating.  Be kind to your family.  Be organized. Write a will.  Keep updated records.  Doing these things will help if anything is ever stolen or there is a fire.  Keep a digital copy in a different place other than your computer.  It can be put on a stick and kept in a safety deposit box.  Even a locker at your job will work.

Doing these things will take care of your family and ensure your wife or children have an easier time if you’re not here.

Now, without getting religious, want me to tell you where you go when YOU die?...

Guess I shouldn't proselyte here.  

 

Semper Paratus

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FLAG Post: Eating Healthy

  

 

     Eating healthily needs to be a lifestyle and a change of thinking.  A person can go out to eat and enjoy the company of friends and eat healthy.  When ordering a salad, ask for extra veggies to be added and for them to put the dressing on the side.  This way you can add a smaller amount of dressing just enough to give it a little flavor.  Salads are very nutritional, but the downside is the salad dressing.  Loaded with fat.  If a meal comes with fries, ask if you could replace the fries with baked or mashed potatoes. 

     Sometimes when adding more fiber and product to diet, we can sometimes add extra gas into the digestive tract. This can make someone feel miserable, but this shall pass as your body adjusts to the higher fiber diet.  Sometimes changing our eating can be overwhelming and seem boring after a while.  Don’t be afraid to experiment with healthy ingredients and come up with your own recipes.

     Remember you are eating healthily to help your body and mind function properly.  Don’t get caught up with the scale and think all your work is doing nothing.  Our bodies go through times when we retain water.  We retain water because we are not drinking enough water.  One of the ways a body protects itself when feeling a famine, it will hoard.  So, if not eating properly, your body feels like it’s experiencing famine because of lack of nutrition.  Your body will start storing fat. Fat is a double-edged sword.  Being overweight can cause serious health issues but if your body doesn’t turn the bad waste into fat, you will get sick.  Fat helps keep toxins from your vital organs.  Your body can also retain water if you have too much salt in your diet.

     Also, if you are exercising and building muscle, there could be weight gain.  Muscle adds weight.  If you are exercising for proper health of body, if weight loss does not show because on scale, inches could be shedding off.  DON’T base your success on the scale.  If weight is staying the same or going up. You need to re-evaluate what you are eating, and then the type of exercise you may or may not be doing.  Don’t get discouraged.  Personally, the scale should be thrown away.

 

Here are some healthy meal ideas and recipes.

 

I usually buy a big bag of corn tortillas.  I make my own home-made chips.  I usually take a tortilla, lightly brush olive oil on it so the salt with stick.  I mean about a drop and spread it around.  I will do this with 10-15 tortillas.  I stack them after they are lightly oiled and salted.  Cut them into 4 or 6 parts.  Bake on a cookie sheet or pizza pan. I use my pizza pan with holes in it.  You don’t have to flip them over.  Cook at 350 for about 13- 20 minutes.  Take out and put in place to cool.  These can burn easily.  So, make sure you watch them toward the end of time.   Sometimes I eat a small bowl of them with salsa. Or I will make nacho chips with them. Put the chips at the bottom of a plate.  Sprinkle with heated and thinned out refried beans.  Cut fresh tomatoes, avocado, onions, cilantro and lettuce.  Top with a little grated cheese and eat.  I will also put lots of salsa on it too.  I don’t use liquid cheese because sometimes it is harder to control the amount of cheese added.

 

Tostada - I cook the corn tortilla the same as the chips.  Used canned refried beans with no fat added.  When heating up the beans I usually add seasoning, salsa, taco sauce and onions to give the beans flavor.  Put a lot of shredded lettuce, tomato, and avocado on top and sprinkle a little cheese on them.  I usually buy fine grated cheese, not the thicker grated because it looks like you have more cheese on your food.

 

Bean burritos are another meal we eat but we make them healthy by stuffing them with lots of veggies and a little cheese.

 

Chicken Tacos

This is a meal I make for our family that is healthy and fairly fast.  Take a chicken breast with no skin and fat taken off.  Cut the chicken meat.  In a saucepan sauté onions and chicken in a little bit of olive oil.  Cook the meat until it is almost completely cooked.  Add mixed frozen veggies and sprinkle on some seasoning, especially garlic salt.  While this is cooking.  Heat up corn tortillas on another pan that has a few drops of olive oil.  Cook until lightly brown.  When chicken mixture is done put into corn tortilla.  Avocado can be added, a little bit of mozzarella or cheddar cheese.  Top with green salsa.  It tastes great.

 

Chili

This is a healthy fast chili for college students.  This can be done on a pan on the stove or in a crock pot.  If making it in a pan, sauté all the veggies before adding the rest of the ingredients.

 

½ onion, diced                                                                                     1 bell pepper, diced                 3-4 garlic cloves, mashed, if you don’t have cloves use garlic salt

1 jalapeno, unless you buy ranch or pinto beans with jalapeno added

2 Cans of Ranch Beans           1 Can of Tomato Dices

1 Can of Pinto Beans                          1 Can of Tomato Sauce

2 TBSP Chili Powder                                                                         1 tsp Cumin                             ½ tea Salt

 

If you put it in crockpot, throw all ingredients in to crock pot and simmer on low all day.  If in a pan on stove.  Sauté veggies in olive oil then add the rest of the ingredients.  Heat up chili and simmer on stove for an hour.  If you like the chili a little thinner, add a little water.

 

Smoothie

 

This makes a refreshing snack. I make this every morning for my husband and me for breakfast.  I also make 2 pieces of whole grain wheat toast for my husband with butter spread on it.  You need a blender for this though.

 

In blender: Add about a 1 ½ Cups of 1 % milk.  That is what you should be drinking if you are not drinking skim milk.  I usually use my home-made soy milk.  Don’t buy soy milk in store, too much junk is added to it.  So, 1 % milk will do.  Put in 1 banana and 3 droppers of stevia, or a few teaspoons of sugar.  If the banana is very ripe, sugar may not be needed. Put in about 4-8 spinach leaves. If you don’t have spinach, that’s fine.  I like the extra nutrition it adds to the drink.  If you are not used to the spinach flavor.  Add 1-3 to start off. Blend it.  Slowly add frozen fruits.  They sale strawberry, blue berry, mixed berries or mixed fruit.  I usually make strawberry banana one for my husband and mixed fruit for me.  Once it is thick, don’t add any more fruit.

 

Buy popsicle containers at the store and make them with the smoothie mix.  Freeze. They make great snacks.

 

Stevia: Is a natural, healthy sugar.  It can be purchased at a health food store, whole food store or on amazon. It comes in liquid and powder form.  I usually use the liquid.  It adds sweetness to food but not calories.  It is concentrated so don’t use a lot.  It may seem expensive but a little goes a long way.

 

Popcorn is another good snack.  We use an air popcorn popper because we can control the amount of butter added.  If you buy store-bought microwave popcorn, get plain and add butter or get the lightly buttered one.  We lightly spread butter and mix in through it, so the flavor is spread evenly.  We sometimes sprinkle ranch dressing powder, Julio’s seasoning or garlic salt to give the popcorn a different flavor.

 

I also keep pretzels, the small ones in a sandwich bag and may snack on them with some veggies I have taken with me.

 

Hope you are having some success with changing your diet and eating healthier, being creative and not giving up.  You will notice as you change your diet, that your body starts to adjust. Your body will start craving healthy foods.  Your taste buds will change and come alive, and as your body starts to clean out, as you stop eating things laden with fat, like French fries, you will discover a whole new world of food.

 

Keep up the great job.     

National Preparedness Month: Home Emergency Kit

It is national preparedness month and so I feel every home should have an emergency kit.  This list is a suggestion and a place to start. Make sure you have the basics covered ASWiFF.

The basics of survival are: Air, Shelter, Water, Food, Fire

I also like redundancy in these areas.

If you already have an emergency kit now is a good time to go through it and replace and recirculate.

• Water (2 gallons per person for drinking and sanitation)
• Food (at least a two week supply of non-perishable food)
• Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert
• Flashlight
• First aid kit
• Extra batteries
• Whistle (to signal for help)
• Dust mask (to help filter contaminated air)
• Plastic sheeting, scissors and duct tape (to shelter in place)
• Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties (for personal sanitation)
• Wrench or pliers (to turn off utilities)
• Manual can opener (for food)
• Local maps
• Cell phone with chargers and a backup battery

Consider adding the following items to your emergency supply kit based on your individual needs:

• Soap, hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes to disinfect surfaces
• Prescription medications. About half of all Americans take a prescription medicine every day. An emergency can make it difficult for them to refill their prescription or to find an open pharmacy. Organize and protect your prescriptions, over-the-counter drugs, and vitamins to prepare for an emergency.
• Non-prescription medications such as pain relievers, anti-diarrhea medication, antacids or laxatives
• Prescription eyeglasses and contact lens solution
• Infant formula, bottles, diapers, wipes and diaper rash cream
• Pet food and extra water for your pet
• Cash or traveler's checks
• Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records saved electronically or in a waterproof, portable container
• Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person
• Complete change of clothing appropriate for your climate and sturdy shoes
• Fire extinguisher
• Matches in a waterproof container
• Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items
• Mess kits, paper cups, plates, paper towels and plastic utensils
• Paper and pencil
• Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children

As I said before this is a good place to start.

Semper Paratus

Check 6

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