Mountain Men: Family Survival Supplies

4 Comments

1. Interesting list. It reminds me of something I read (source: a WI State-Historical Society article about fur trappers in WI and northern territories (MN, IA) from a letter by a Fur Co. Outpost Representative to the Home Office in NE USA)…that a number of their trappers were dying from eating primarily trapped “rabbit”. Rabbit is very lean meat, not much fat, and it was decided by the Fur Company Representative that the lack of dietary fat was causing quite a few Company fur trappers to die. I would think that most trapped small game would be quite lean of fats necessary for energy, warmth, lighting fuel, water repellent; though I would think that beaver would have a layer of fat for warmth in frigid water. So on Fergus’ list fats are mentioned: butter, cheese, bacon, ham, milk from the one cow (presumably inseminated from one of the “cattle” brought. Also, by the way, lots of wild weeds can kill dairy cows by causing “gas” that cannot easily travel through their 4 stomachs. I know because I worked a 1940s era dairy farm and on one of my watches a heifer died.
   Another reflection that I had was about the list is the weight of this group of mentioned food supplies. Most modern homes built today cannot easily nor safely carry the weight of the foods mentioned unless they are on a rock or cement slab foundation, or unless added posts and beams are placed underneath flooring (such as from a basement to first floor, as well as under any crawl spaces. The weight of the foods mentioned is just above 3,000 lbs. That would be equivalent to about 360 gallons of water. The average bathtub might hold 80-100 gallons of water, and underneath it the flooring is reinforced to support the added weight of water in the tub plus one person. In Wisconsin and many “long-winter” states (where the wet ground freezes, and where wet frozen ground puts many 1,000s of pounds of “push-pressure” against basement walls, pushing them inwards and causing cracks in the walls, basements will not be the better places to put bags of flour, because many basements are damp with humidity, grow mold, spring rains cause water flooding to enter at the seam where the basement wall meets the floor foundation. Plenty of basements have dehumidifiers, but that only works when you have power. And the numerous spider webs in my basement think there are plenty of little bugs around to feast upon. There really is “a whole science” about food storage (e.g., weight) and canned and dry goods (humidity). Bakery flour comes in 50 lb bags, with 250 lbs per layer laying on a delivery pallet. Frying grease (corn based, or lard) comes, lined in plastic, in 50 lb boxes (can be used for frying, baking “fats”, candle wax, etc.)…just mentioning.it because I lift these things daily in my current retirement job.

2. Radarphos again. I continually find that “nothing” is easy in prepping, nor much of anything else, especially planning anything. LIFE is a system. You tinker with one part of a system and, whether intended or not, another part of the system is affected to a degree that complicates one’s original intentions. The best illustration of this is a “hanging mobile” above an infant’s crib–you know (I hope) that hanging toy-like-thing that wiggles every time the baby moves in the crib, or when an open window “breeze” blows. I don’t know why some adults put it there. Its traditional in my day (and my day has lasted over 65 years).
   But here is the thing about this. Parents think that the baby will watch it move, but parents also ignore it, WHEN IN FACT IT REPRESENTS A SYSTEM.
   What i means by a “system” is that if you pull on one string hanging from that mobile (pronounced: Moh – beel). everything it is connected to shakes alot, and since everything is also equal weighted, everything keeps shaking for quite awhile before things settle down.
   The analogy is excellent for all the advice anyone has ever heard that says something like “The Second (#2 response) WORD starts the fight (argument)”. When I (still, and repeatedly still, sucker myself to speak ‘a second word’ with my wife of over 45 years, I live to regret it for hours and hours and even sometimes days). Some of you know what I am talking about. And I am talking about something like a bad smell in the air that doesn’t go away. Marriage, or partnership, or friendship, or teamwork is supposed to be about mutual interest(s), values, etc.; and about working together–all that is fine until that bad smell starts hanging in the air. And when it does hang in the air, IT IS BECAUSE YOU ARE IN A SYSTEM AND AFFECTING THE SYSTEM–and your system that you affected is going to respond.
   Prepping is about imagining a SYSTEM where you don’t for sure WHAT FIRST WORD IS GOING TO BE SPOKEN–OR PUT UPON YOU)…but you believe it is coming for sure(!), AND while you intend to affect (and save) yourself and chosen loved ones from something dreadful. But if you are the chief Prepper, no one is on your page in the book about Prepping that should be called “Prepping-Systems” (excepting maybe Salty and Spice, :-).
   Still everything you try to do (even explaining what you are trying to do) wiggles the System (any and every other alternative view to the subject at hand).

   I am being facetious here (e.g., teasing). I wish Paranoid Prepper could have found Fergus’ wife’s letter in response to his request that she bring over 3,000 lbs of food items, and lots and lots of other goods in 3 wagons pulled by 6 cattle each, and all the goods on his shopping list! By appearances, Fergus holds the world record of “a shopping list for his wife to bring to him”, overland and possibly 1,000 miles of distance. I think Fergus’ idea and desire was right on target; but since even he was in a system, I wonder if she also brought a special odorous surprise for him for making such a grand request upon her. And, if it worked out well, I might want to meet one of the wife’s female descendants who might make a better companion than my partner wife for over 45 years (I am teasing myself now! And don’t tell my wife!).

3. This just goes to show you mountain men were tough, fearless, mens men. That is a heck of a list. I’m hesitant to ask my wife to stop for milk on the way home…

4. you can feed cows Tide or Laundry Soap if they bloat. I had two steers I raised and one bloated constantly. Just kept adding Tide to his feed. When they were 1200 they went in the freezer. In the contents of the Bloater were about 10 high density shopping bags balled up in a knot about the size of a grapefruit. I was lucky to get him to weight for vittles.

   I suspect that would work on cows that ate the wrong food too, but you would have to catch it in time.

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