What I Did This Week To Prep 3/30/12

This week tended to be oriented around writing on the blog and creating a public blog more than anything else.  I know that blogging may not be considered prepping, but I would argue that it is for me.  First, it helps get my thoughts organized.  Second, it forces me to think about what I've done this week, and if the answer is not much, then I try to go do at least a couple of small things.  I'm also finding that in the private blog I'm maintaining, there have been some good discussions on how we might approach our planning/training for a SHTF event.  Although a SHTF event is not my primary focus for preparing, it is something I try to make consistent little gains on.

I did my normal workouts this week.  I've definitely been feeling better since I've started back doing regular workouts in about mid-January.  Already my pants are fitting a little less snug and I have much greater breathing control on the bicycle.  In addition to working out, I've made it a goal to cut out Coke, lattes, and beer during the week.  I started doing this about 3 weeks ago.  I figure I improved myself by something on the order of 600 calories a day during the week just by cutting that stuff out.  I did not have to lift a finger or break a sweat to do it either (my favorite way to start a weight loss program).  During the weekend, I don't go super crazy drinking a bunch of that stuff either. It is nice to have a bit of reward for a couple of days, though.

I purchased some books this week.  "Tom Brown's Field Guide to City and Suburban Survival".  I've been reading a copy borrowed from my friend Greg up until now.  I just finished the chapter on weather this week and will continue "Disasters" soon.  "Tom Brown's Field Guide to Wilderness Survival".  I'm hoping this will be a good follow on to the first book I'm reading.  "Washington Road and Recreation Atlas".  This book shows a lot of the trailheads and back roads of WA.  I'm hoping to use this as a guide this spring, summer, and fall as I start exploring the northern Cascades.  My goal is to start committing geography to memory in this area since I consider my current primary BOL to be this wilderness.  "Fieldbook: The BSA's Manual of Advanced Skills for Outdoor Travel, Adventure, and Caring for the Land".  I've never really looked at this book and have no idea if it will be useful or not.  I figure since it's BSA, there must some value in reading it.



I also purchased some supplies to add to my primary and secondary BOB's.  This includes 6" Ace bandage wraps and some mylar emergency blankets.  These items were all relatively inexpensive and have a lot of useful versatility.


I've been using Amazon Prime for a big portion of my preparation purchases.  I've found that the pricing is very competitive on items that I want and I like that using Prime gets me free shipping.  It costs a yearly fee, but I find that with the number of little things I purchase at a time, the price is worth it.  Especially when I'm home with a toddler.  Going shopping just does not hold a lot of appeal for me.

Over the next 2 weeks, I'm expecting to get our garden planted and to transplant our strawberry bushes to a new bed I'm creating next to our fence.  We'll also be adding blueberries and asparagus to that same bed.  We're going to keep our garden simple this year I think.  We intend to plant several types of herbs, zucchini,  tomatoes, and peppers.  We've had rotten luck with tomatoes the past 2 years, so we are going to change it up by trying tomatoes in pots.  We're going to put them against a wall that gets a lot of afternoon sun to see if that helps us.



What did you do this week?