Why Everyone Needs a Survival Bracelet

Survival Bracelets
I recently obtained a survival bracelet from the good folks at crisiscord.com.  It came in my favorite colors which happen to be purple and gold, go LSU Tigers.  It is comfortable to wear and the buckle has a built in whistle.





What is a survival bracelet?
It is typically made with paracord also known as 550 cord.  It is typically military spec woven cords with an outer nylon covering.  The inner core is braided with up to seven strands of yarn. This type of rope or cord is called kernmantle and is very strong due to the way it is constructed and has a minimum breaking strength of 550 pounds, hence the nickname 550 cord.

Uses of Survival Bracelets
Anyone who has ever served in the military can tell you of multiple uses of paracord.  It has been used to replace torn boot laces, strapping to secure items, improvised slings, hammock, or it could be used in a life and death situation to egress from a multi story building. There is word that it has been used on space shuttle missions and was even used for emergency repairs of the Hubble Telescope.  Have you ever been hauling a load of lumber and need additional rope to tie down the load?  I just read a story of a lifeguard who rescued a drowning swimmer who was very overweight.  The straps to the spinal immobilization board were too short to go around the torso of the drowning subject and the lifeguard used his survival bracelet to improvise a longer strap. The importance of having cordage available is so great that many survival manuals recommend always having it and the uses can be so many and varied it would be impossible to name them all.



Styles of Survival Bracelets
There are many different styles of survival bracelets depending upon the colors and the type of weave used to create it.  Crisis Cord TM uses many styles of buckles depending upon your taste.  You may select a simple clasp, whistle buckle, or just a knot to secure your bracelet.

If you do not care to wear a survival bracelet you can use it on your key ring or clasp it to your pack.  They also produce key fobs, necklaces, belts, and probably anything else you can think of.

Crisis Cord is a 100% American owned company and was created by a Paramedic with a dream.  A portion of each sale goes towards a scholarship to help aspiring EMT's and Paramedics.  If you use your bracelet in a survival situation it will be replaced for free. I liked it so much I got one for my wife and kids as well!
To get yours visit crisiscord.com, you can also find them on Facebook.

The Big Hunt

My two girls aged 13 and 9 have been expressing an interest in hunting for some time now.
I have no idea where it came from as I haven't seriously hunted since I was a kid and never since having them. 

I started by purchasing a 22 rifle for my oldest on her birthday this past summer.  We then joined a local gun club with a shooting range.  I can't say enough to express my gratitude to the range master.  He went over gun safety and allowed her to shoot several of his guns including a pistol.

For Christmas they each received a shotgun. I picked up a couple of 20 gauges at a gun show. One is a single shot, the other a pump. We decided to go out to the land to rabbit hunt. We had began the hunt by reviewing our safety rules. The day was cold with a brisk wind. Unfortunately we had no snow. We walked the brushy area at the edge of the woods. It wasn't long before we had spooked up a rabbit. I was the only one to have a shot and despite taking two shots the rabbit managed to escape unharmed. We kicked up several more rabbits over the next hour or so. It was cold and getting late. We made a small campfire and made some s'more's.

Despite not bagging any rabbits it was a good time spent with my girls. I think with some more practice their shots and confidence will improve and one day we may actually bag some rabbits.

Crisis Prepared

When one decides to take their destiny into their own hands it's one thing.  When you bring your family along it's another.  It's a special breed of of people who choose to be self reliant.  No depending upon the government or another person when things go wrong. No calling 911, you are 911.

I always have my eye out for products that will make my life easier, dependable, durable, there when I need it.  I ran across one such item recently and I feel it is so important that everyone else has access to it that I had to post about it.

Imagine being in a situation where the difference between life and death depends on you having that one item.  It may be that your home is on fire and you have to escape the second floor. No ladders, the fire department is to far away, you have to be your own rescuer Imagine an item you can wear on your wrist.  It comes in a multitude of styles and colors.  It is always with you because it looks good and your life may depend on having it.

I have found that item.  It's from a small, American start up company called Crisis Cord.  I got mine for less than the price of feeding two people at a fast food place.  I chose a bracelet because it looks cool, I could get it in my team colors, and I can show my school pride while being prepared.  I got my bracelet in LSU colors.  You can choose from many different color combination and style. OU Fan? Covered, they have crimson and white.  Obscure?  Covered, they have camo, black, OD green.  It looks good and is comfortable to wear.  If I needed to escape that burning house or just needed some rope to secure some lumber on top of my car I can simply take it apart and I am covered. 

My crisis cord bracelet has a whistle buckle.  I'm going to buy the kids and my wife one.  If someone tried to kidnap them or if they are lost in the woods they could use the whistle to call attention to themselves.

I'm sold.  I feel like you would be to.  They carry several different items, check them out and get yours.  Be prepared.  Check them out, they can be found on Facebook at Facebook.com/confrontit

Blog Hopping

I am going to share another link to a blog I just checked out.  It is a story of a family who had a dream, suffered set backs and generosity and are now living their dream on their homestead.
What I took away most from this story is that a home or homestead doesn't have to be a new, fancy house with lots of land.  A home is a place that is ours, a place to try out all the ideas we lie awake at night dreaming about, a place we are proud of.
You do not have to have a lot of possessions or the best place on the block.  As I read the blog I get thinking how much this author is like my own mother in law.
The blog is still relatively recent, but worth watching to see her dreams come to life.  Take a hop on over, tell her Kan-green sent you. 
Hopefulhomesteader.blogspot.com

Blog Hopping

I decided to do a little reading after seeing a post on a homesteading forum where like minded people listed their blog addresses.

The first site I visited was homesteadingstewards.com.  I have to say I am very impressed with how fast they managed to get their home built.  There were some nice pictures of the building process. 

Going back in the timeline on the blog I couldn't help but think that their situation was a lot like ours.  It took a year for them to sell their home.  We hope it doesn't take as long for us because making the payment on it and out rental is a burden. 

There was a section on the temporary housing, a FEMA trailer, shipping container, and yurt.  Sadly no pictures were included as it sounded like a good solution and I would have liked to see how they managed it.

I especially liked the section on gardening, in particular the lasagna concept.  Not many people are aware of this style gardening and in my situation it would be a good way to get rid of loads of limbs and brush.  Remember what happened the last time I tried burning brush which I believe was a major contributor to my ongoing health problems.

Overall I would have to say it would be worth your time to visit their blog and I would like to say congratulations on working towards your dreams.  Leave them a message and tell them Kan-green sent you.

What a day!

I wasn't able to round up any apprentices today but I have to get a roof on this cabin.  The good news is I discovered my framing nail gun was not broken but I had bought the wrong nails for it when I originally bought it.  Too bad I didn't get that figured out until after all the walls were framed.  It would have saved so much time.

We loaded all the lumber, generator, and all the tools and pulled out of the drive around noon.  I know, I should have started earlier but my two year old sounded like he was coming down with something so we let it warm up a bit first.  We had a couple of stops to make before we could head out.

After grabbing lunch we hit the lumber yard for nails for the gun and some brackets.

We got out to the land and got everything unloaded.  I had to fix a couple of mistakes and place some more nails in a few of the studs it was time to pick up the girls from school.  I stayed behind to continue working.  The plans called for doubled 2X6's at each end to act as ties and the start of the loft joists.

After getting those set I began work to prepare for placing the ridge beam.  I doubled up two 2X4's and set them atop the middle of the end walls and braced them.  I thought it would be smart to attach a short 2X4 at the top on each side of the ridge beam studs. 

After setting the ridge beam atop the supporting studs I realized my mistake.  If I was using a doubled 2X8 for a ridge beam it would've worked out great.  Since I wasn't I realized I had no way to nail the beam to the studs.  I had to cut off the "safety studs" and got the ridge beam secured.

I just started to figure out the angle for the plumb cut for the first set of rafters when my daughter advised me her Christmas program was starting in 30 minutes.

We hastily gathered and loaded the tools and covered the flooring and all our lumber with tarps.

I have to work a 24 hour shift tomorrow and they are calling for a lot of rain and/or snow for Saturday.  Hopefully everything stays dry and I can get the rafters up on Sunday.

Wish me luck, I need all I can get.

Prepping for a roof

As you may recall we obtained a load of cull lumber last spring.  Last week we retrieved the remaining lumber from the basement of our home we are trying to sell.

The lumber was a mix of 2X10 and 2X12's.  The plans called for 2X6 rafters.  This called for us having to rip enough lumber for 18 rafters.  The last time we ripped lumber we burned out the motor on my table saw.  We bought that saw about 10 years ago for less than $100 and it cut a lot of wood over the years.

The cabin roof is going to be 12/12 pitch.  On one side the rafters will be 12 feet long, the other side 8 feet since a porch will tie into it.  I am mainly concerned with getting the cabin in the dry before we start getting snow and ice.

We set up the table saw and rigged it so that the top rail of our trailer would support one end of the lumber as it came off the saw.  We improvise a lot around here. 

We got the lumber cut and we ended up with all the rafters I need and 2X4's I am sure we will use somewhere.  The are calling for heavy rain and/or snow this weekend so I must get out there tomorrow to get the rafters placed.

Wish us luck as we will need it and watch for my next post to see how it went.