MSG2 - Aug 14th 2010 Meet'n'Learn - AAR

[Keith_Indy]

Well, it is 12:06, and we are finally getting settled for bed. Meeting went till about 45 minutes ago, although the crowd kept dwindling every time we had a break.

I want to thank Lynn, Jerry, Mike, and Don for doing their presentations. I want to thank everyone who brought food, I don't think anyone went away hungry, and everyone's food was excellent.

I hear everyone enjoyed the shooting, and no ambulances or sheriffs were called, so I guess that went well. Got to love living semi-rural, where you can have people target shooting for a couple of hours and nobody says a peep.

We'll be posting more information as people get their notes. We had about 30 people in all, and it got quite toasty. Hopefully the weather will cooperate for the next meeting, otherwise I'll have to clean out my workshop to fit everyone comfortably.

Attending: 32 in all

Hotfarmboy1
SavageEagle
Lex Concord
Irishfan
CosmicJetFighterPilot
LS*!&DUBB
Soon to be Skunkerbit
Lynn Smith +2
The Colonel
SSGSAD
Que
AW-SIM
Steve
Charlie2
DHolder
Bendrx
USMC_0311
EKengle + Wife
Keith_Indy + wife
O2Guy
MinuteMan47
gator88
E5Rangle375 + Family
Pamcake
JSX1043

Activities:

-Range Time! Lots of function tests on new firearms, pistols, revolvers, some .22 rifles, a couple AR's, an AK, a sweet 16 ga. and .45 ACP Tommy!

-Chow Time! Great vittles, Grilled pork chops, pulled beef, spicy mac n' cheese, baked beans, too many desserts to remember!

-Larnin' time! We had a lot of newcomers and some first-time SHTF planners so we had a TON of get-off-the ground information!

-50/50 raffle - Steve organized a 50/50 raffle, with 1/2 the proceeds ($36 dollars) going into the MSG2 X fund. We are discussing what we can do with this fund below. I (Keith_Indy) am currently holding the money for safe keeping.

*************************
Lynn Smith did small intro into food storage with resources from Wendy DeWitt, including a CD-ROM and extensive workbook. He also spoke about his own soda bread recipe and it's ease of making and storage, and even brought along a fresh baked loaf! He also showed us a couple of the great tricks of the trade the "Hobo stove" or tuna can stove. consisting of a tuna (or in his case cat food) can, strips of cardboard, and wax, and the soda can alcohol stove.

************************

E5Ranger375 discussed another version of an alcohol heater/stove consisting of a coffee can, de-tubed toilet paper roll and alcohol. He also showed the group how to break down and use an MRE, and how to get rid of the "fluff" and re-pack it to make it 1/3 it's size and keep the nutritional content.

*************************
Steve shared with everyone his experiences in "prepping on a budget," utilizing warehouse stores and similar budget stores to get some of his supplies, including, Harbor Freight, Big Lots, Dollar Tree, and even the biggest money saver - garage sales! For a grand total of about $20, he showed us a LARGE survival knife, 2 pry bars, headlamp, carabiners, LED flashlight, plastic ammo case and LEATHERMAN multi-tool! Don't forget to think outside the box!

*************************
DHolder gave a great lesson on canning, dehydrating, and vacuum-packing using the Foodsaver, as well as recipes and variation of your food supplies.

*************************
JSX1043 discussed the difference in breaking down one's plan into different parts and having multiple and redundant strategies. He discussed the likely event of "Bugging-In," and some basic principles for readying for 7-30 days.

Some topics discussed were:

1. Weather - the most likely event to cause you to bug in.

a. Hot
b. Cold
c. Use of Microclimates, shelters/insulation (ie heat rises, cold sinks)
d. Ways of losing/Gaining heat:

A. Conduction
B. Convection
C. Radiation
D. Evaporation
E. Respiration
​

e. Alternative heat sources: make sure you ventilate if burning any kind of fuel indoors.

A. Fireplaces
B. Wood stoves
C. Space Heaters
​

2. Power Outages

a. Grid systems will be offline.
b. Support systems may work:

1. Landline phones - if you still have a phone line, you should have at least 1 direct connect phone for when the power goes out.
2. Plumbing/Toilet - you have 1 flush if the water stops flowing.
​

c. Battery powered devices/backups:

1. Radios/Communications
2. Flashlights/Emergency Lighting
3. Sump Pumps
​

d. Alternative Power Supplies:

1. Generators
2. Battery Systems
3. Solar
4. Wind Turbine
5. Water Wheel
​

3. Water Advisories

1. Boil Water Orders
2. Water shut-off - shut your own water off ASAP after a contamination notice. The water in your house will be OK, but as soon as you turn the faucet on, you risk contamination.
3. Water Disinfection

A. Pre-filtering - remove the large particles
B. Iodine 2% and 10% - important to let sit for 30 minutes.
C. Chlorine Bleach -
D. Boiling - get to a rolling boil, and take off heat.
E. Pasteurization - over 140 degrees, but not boiling
F. Solar/UV
G. Distillation
H. Advanced Filtering Systems
​

4. Emergency Water Sources
-Water heater, Toilet tank, aquariums, line drain, Pools, hut tubs, rain collection, fountains, streams, lakes, ponds, ice/snow
​

4. Civil Disorder

a. Localized disaster/incident
b. Police/National Guard lock down
c. Societal breakdown, riots, medical quarantine, nuke/biological/chemical leak/attack.
d. Development of basic home safety plans including, fire, emergency medical, tornado, and evacuation. - Write it down, practice, and revise.
e. Planning for a "hurricane:"

1. Boarding windows
2. Moving/securing outside assets
3. Preps storage/utilization
4. Utility shutdown (self) - very important that you can shut off your own utilities in an emergency.
5. Sanitation
6. Fire Protection
​

f. Preparation of mind, body, heart and soul for possibility of defense:

1. Legality - when order is restored, can you justify your actions.
2. Morality -
3. Defensibility -
4. Mobility - bugging out may not be an option, but should still be planned for.
​

RESOURCES:

Wendy DeWitt's blog:
Everything Under The Sun

If you go to the Everthing Under The Sun website and email Wendy Dewitt she will email you a PDF version of the workbook she uses when she gives classes. It has a lot of info including recipes, how to build a rocket stove, and many many many food storage options.

Food Storage Seminar
Part 1 - YouTube - Wendy Dewitt -- Food Storage Seminar, Part 1 of 9. "Top 10 Reasons"
Part 2 - YouTube - Wendy Dewitt -- Food Storage Seminar, Part 2 of 9. "The System"
Part 3 - YouTube - Wendy Dewitt -- Food Storage Seminar, Part 3 of 9. "Worst Case Scenario"
Part 4 - YouTube - Wendy Dewitt -- Food Storage Seminar, Part 4 of 9. "Equivalency Page"
Part 5 - YouTube - Wendy Dewitt -- Food Storage Seminar, Part 5 of 9. "Where to store it all"
Part 6 - YouTube - Wendy Dewitt -- Food Storage Seminar, Part 6 of 9. "Pressure Canning Meat"
Part 7 - YouTube - Wendy Dewitt -- Food Storage Seminar, Part 7 of 9. "Solar Oven Cooking"
Part 8 - YouTube - Wendy Dewitt -- Food Storage Seminar, Part 7 of 9. "Solar Oven Cooking"
Part 9 - YouTube - Wendy Dewitt -- Food Storage Seminar, Part 9 of 9. "Questions and Answers"

Here is the info for the company that has the food grade 55 gal barrels:

B & B Box & Drum Inc

1527 Miller St
Indianapolis, IN 46221
(317) 639-5185

New & Used Boxes - Wholesale & Retail. We also sell 5 gallon buckets, 5 gallon plastic buckets, Poly Drums, Steel Drums & Fiber Drums. Come in and see if we have what you need!

Example of making a soda can stove: Can Stove

Example of making a can beacon/candle: Fire "Beacon"

FUTURE TOPICS:

1. Radio Communications
2. Home Defense/Fortification
3. Legal Options
4. More Food Preparation
5. Emergency Medical

ITEMS LEFT AT MY HOUSE:
Blue cooler w/ 6 pack of Pabst blue ribbon <- claimed by cosmicjetfighterpilot
1 bottle of Jagermeister

 

[MinuteMan47]

Thanks again Keith!

DHolder, Sorry I couldn't stay for your portion!

 

[irishfan]

Keith...THANKS FOR HAVING US!!! I had a great time and you have great place there. I do want to apologize for us all staying so late. There was a lot of discussion and it was nice to put faces with names as well.

 

[E5RANGER375]

Awesome time!!! Thanks again Keith and everyone who came out. WOW, there was A LOT of new people this time. great to see some familiar faces again, and some ones I already knew from previous outings.

 

[SavageEagle]

Guys, great meeting. I have some ideas for format next time so that we can get through some more things, but I learned a LOT this time. Remind me tomorrow and I'll share some ideas.

Thanks Keith for opening up your home to us. Everyone, thanks for sharing your knowledge. Dholder, sorry I couldn't stay for your portion, but maybe we can catch up sometime. Ranger, good to finally meet you. Everyone else, excuse me, but I'm horrible with names, but it was great meeting all of you.

PATIENCE!

Look forward to more events. Have some good ideas that I thought of on the way home, but maybe if I get back from up north tomorrow early enough I'll touch on them when I get back.

 

[hotfarmboy1]

I got home about a half hour ago. Had to take a different way home due to the construction in Fortville and I didn't feel like doing a bunch of stops through town, along with wanting cheaper gas

It was nice meeting everyone I met and I had a good time. Thanks again Keith for opening up your home to all of us. Hopefully I'll be driving my car next time instead of that ranger so I have more room for stuff.

I learned alot and am going to try to work on some of it here soon.

 

[jeremy]

Maybe next time...

 

[BloodEclipse]

Any pics?

 

[Charlie2]

Big Thanks to Keith ..!!!!! You have a great place and I had a great time....!!!! Also thanks to all put on the demos and all the great info... The food was Awesome...!!!!

 

[SSGSAD]

Thanks to Keith, and Mrs. Keith, for inviting us into Their home again.
Food was GREAT, and I believe a good time was had by all... Sorry to D Holder, that I couldn't stay for your presentation, I am sure I missed some good info. Thanks to everyone, who presented info, I learned a lot, again...

 

[hotfarmboy1]

I want to thank those that did presentations again. They all did a good job and gave alot of good info. Thanks alot, and when you post, rep will be on the way!

 

[Steve]

Great time, great food, great information!!

Can't believe Keith didn't throw everyone out as late as it got, but then again, he was most likely having as much fun as the rest of us. I had to leave around 9:00, so I'm sure I missed some excellent info. Oh well, there's always next month.

Good turn out with a lot of good questions. Saw a bunch of people taking notes, too. Hope no one noticed that after closing my presentation with the idea of losing weight, I showed up a bit later with not 1, but 2 peices of Cherry Swirl Cheesecake. Who ever brought that is my new best friend/worst enemy.

Already excited about the next meeting!

 

[AngryRooster]

Thanks for inviting everyone to your home Keith. It was a good meeting, learned a lot and had a very good time. I wish we would have been able to stay for the remainder of the meeting but we needed to be up fairly early today to get some things finished.

My wife Kitty said she had a nice time as well and is looking froward to the next meeting. She has signed up here on INGO today as ladyglock and should be posting soon.

Thanks to all that brought food in, everything was awesome. And a special thanks to those that prepared lessons for everyone.

 

[Keith_Indy]

Just so you know, my wife said "they're about the most polite guys I've ever met as a group." I agree.

 

[irishfan]

Just so you know, my wife said "they're about the most polite guys I've ever met as a group." I agree.

Does that mean she will let us come back? You have a great house and it is a perfect setup for these meets but I understand that it can be overwhelming as well. Again, Thank You

 

[infidel]

 

[E5RANGER375]

i dont think any pics were taken at this meeting. plus we all agreed at the first meeting that no ones face would be posted on the internet.

 

[Que]

Keith, you and your wife's hospitality was beyond incredible! I enjoyed meeting everyone and there is nothing like putting a face with a user-name. The amount of knowledge among the group was amazing, especially "preparing on a budget." I have been looking around at stores and garage sales. I'm sure I'll find some good stuff.

I'm sorry I wasn't able to stay for the entire time. I wanted to learn about preparing food for storage, but I'm sure i will get another opportunity.

Ranger, don't forget you owe your daughter $12 for each piece of brass she found.

 

[USMC_0311]

Thanks Keith and your wife for the hospitality. What a great bunch of people. I reget having to to leave right during the good stuf.

 

[Keith_Indy]

Just so everyone knows, DHolder has agreed to go over his stuff again at a future meeting.

In the future we're going to be limiting the # of topics.

I really didn't think the bug in topic would go as long as it did. But then I think it was important to make sure everyone is up to the same level of knowledge. Even though I've been studying preparedness since the late 70's - early 80's, I learned a few things.

I'm also thinking, if we have 2 topics in a night, splitting the groups into 2, and have 1/2 in the living room, and 1/2 in the dining room. Then switch rooms to learn the other topic. If that doesn't work, we can empty out my workshop for the night.