Youtube channel Christmas Day 2020 update

 

Video on Youtube with Christmas Day 2020 updates.  Similar to the previous blog post, but this is the video to accompany.  Please Subscribe to my channel if you like my posts and hit the notification bell.  Also, don't forget to "Thumbs Up" the videos.  Thanks for all your support!

Christmas Day 2020 Update on Youtube

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Christmas Day 2020 Reflections

 

So, as I sit here on this Christmas Day of 2020, just reflecting on life and the past year, I wanted to send a very warm Merry Christmas to everyone out there.  I'm also sharing a few pictures I have taken around the area.   It’s been a tough year for many of us…certainly a crazy year.  Still, I’m grateful for many things.  I’m spending Christmas alone this year.  For various reasons, my family are all off doing different things.  And that’s ok.  I’ve spent the last two days hunkering down from the strong cold front.  Last night it got down to about 30 degrees and tonight it’s supposed to get down to about 26 degrees.  That’s fairly cold for my area. 

I live in Milton, Florida, which is in the Panhandle of Florida.  This type of cold front is not unheard of, but it’s not typical either.  We normally get about 2 or 3 of these cold fronts through the winter.  We used to get a lot more of them.  I remember back years ago it was common for ditches and small inlets to be frozen over.  About 14 years ago we had 4 nights of upper teens in a row.  On the 3^rd day, the power grid overloaded, and everyone lost power for about a day or so. 

So, I’m thinking about what a beautiful area I live in.  From beaches to rivers to creeks, marshes to woodlands and all manner of creatures.  I do wish we would get a little snow more often, but that’s okay too.  I think we all need to be more thankful for what we do have.  We don’t realize how much we have in this country.  I’m not going to wade into politics, but I will say that if you think this is a bad country, you should see how

some people live overseas.  We are very fortunate.  I have an amazing daughter and a wonderful grandson.  I don’t get to see them as much as I like, but we both have busy lives.  My daughter is a firefighter, which is no surprise.  I was a firefighter for many years and she basically grew up at the firehouse with me.  I had no doubt that she would want to do the same.  I’ve very proud of her for how strong she is. 

                                    Yes, that's my daughter in the picture to the right-->

At 48, I decided to go back to school.  This term I took 4 classes which I just finished, but that finished off my Associate’s degree, so now I can transfer to a Bachelor’s program.

I’m just reflecting on things here, life and such, but I also am pointing out that we should be grateful for what we have.  It may never be exactly what we want, but it is still a blessing.  I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas.  If you’re not Christian, then I also wish you Happy Holidays.  Regardless of religion or non-religion, I hope peace and love finds you.  And regardless of religion or non-religion, I want to leave you with these words, the words of Our Lady, the Theotokos (Mother of God):

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior

for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:

the Almighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his Name.

 

He has mercy on those who fear him

in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,

he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

 

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,

and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.

 

He has come to the help of his servant Israel

for he remembered his promise of mercy,

the promise he made to our fathers,

to Abraham and his children forever.”

 

I absolutely love these words.  It’s called the Magnificat.  My friends, I hope the Most High brings you peace.  And my final words to you on this cold Christmas night:

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you

Because, by Your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.

Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom…Pray for us

St. Joseph…Pray for us

St. Francis…Pray for us

 

What to Do Today to Become Self-Sustaining

 

So, you want to be self-sustaining?  You have dreams of turning your home and yard into a “preppers paradise?”  Or perhaps your goals include purchasing a tract of land and turning it into a homestead?  Whether you have desires to create a self-reliant farm or just want to start down the road of learning how to become more self-sustaining, I have a few tips for you here.  Maybe you were convinced by my previous article on the subject –

Why Everyone Should Learn “Prepping” Skills

Whatever the case, it’s important to realize that it takes dedication to succeed in any of these areas.  Generally speaking, there are 6 major areas to consider being self-sustaining.  Of course, this isn’t all-inclusive, there are many, many things to learn beyond this.  But these 6 are the basics of getting started.  Now I don’t want to scare anyone off.  In fact, my hope is to help everyone achieve some level of sustainability. 

So, let’s look at these 6 areas:

1.       Shelter

2.      Electricity

3.      Water

4.      Meat

5.      Fruits and Vegetables

6.      Staples

When we speak of shelter, there are going to be 2 avenues which I have already touched on.  You either already own property with some type of shelter (a house, a mobile home) on it or you plan to purchase property with either shelter already on it or you plan to place a shelter

there.  The first thing you need to do is figure out how you can live comfortably.  Not how you dream about living.  Yes, we all watch those “Alaska” shows where people thrive in -40 degree winters and 10 feet of snow.  And we all (or those like me) think, “Heck yeah, I can do that.”  Well, it takes a special kind of person to do that.  So, what environment are you capable of living in?  And what the heck does this have to do with the sudden shift away from shelters?  Well, can you live in a canvas tent, or an RV, or a cabin built from free pallets?  Or do you need to build a brick home just like any other brick home in any other subdivision?  The choice is yours.  So, decide on your land and your shelter, then you can move on from there.

Now, the two most difficult items to obtain from the list above are Water and Staples.  Yes, some may disagree, but hear me out.  Unless you have a continuously running water source on your land or you are able to build a water source (i.e., dig a well), you’re not going to have freshwater resources.  So, you need to plan that into your check-off list.  And then, there are Staples.  What do I mean by that?  These are things like Flour, Corn Meal, Sugar, Coffee, Tea, Salt, Spices.  Items we use in everyday cooking that we buy in bulk but are extremely difficult to produce on our own.  I wouldn’t be able to grow coffee on my property.  Or grow cane fields to produce sugar.  Or field of wheat to make flour.  So, we have to think about how to obtain these or substitutes.  And this leads to the next category…Fruits and Vegetables.

So, I was doing a lot of thinking the other day and remarked to my mom, that there are 3 main carbohydrates in the world.  Rice, Flour (Bread and Pasta), and Potatoes.  Wherever you go, different cultures depend largely on one of these three staples as the basis of their diet.  Now, in a situation where we had to “live off the land,” we wouldn’t be growing rice.  Like I stated earlier, I couldn’t grow enough rice or wheat (flour) to support myself.  But we can grow potatoes.  And rather easily too.  Potatoes, and to a lesser extent beans, would be the main carb we could grow to sustain our diet. 

So back to the main point of this article, what can you do today to get started in being self-sustaining?  As I have argued before, start with a small backyard garden.  First, learn what grows well in your area. 

Check out your Agricultural Zone below:

USDA Plant Hardiness Zone

Then, begin to plant fruits and vegetables that you enjoy eating.  Start with easy to care for items that are staples of dishes like tomatoes, bell peppers, and sweet peppers.  And don’t forget the potatoes!  Growing potatoes is easy and a great start to becoming self-sustaining. 

And that leaves us with the next category of Meat!

Yep, good ole’ meat.  I can go on and on about mean and sustainability, but that’s for another article.  The purpose here is to get you started.  For purposes of this article, I’m not referring to hunting or trapping to obtain mean, but becoming self-sustaining, as in a homestead.  And the easiest and most rewarding animal to raise for beginners are chickens.  They are so easy to care for and most municipalities do not have laws against raising a couple chickens in your

backyard.  A decent size coop, fresh food and water, and some hay, and you can raise 2 or 3 chickens right in your own back yard.  Some chickens lay an egg a day, some every other day.  But you are learning how to raise animals and getting the benefit of fresh eggs.  And from time to time, you could butcher one up for dinner if you like.  More on that on another day.  If you are really feeling the call of the homestead, you could also consider raising meat rabbits.  These animals breed well.  Yes, they are cute.  You have to go into it with the mindset that these are for food.

Let There Be Light!

Finally, we arrive at electricity.  You will have to decide how much or how little electricity you can live with (or without).  Just remember, if you want to truly be off-grid, or in a total SHTF situation, there may not be any external electrical resources.  We don’t realize how much we depend on it, until it’s not there.  My suggestion to you is to try and rely on as little electricity as possible from time to time to get an idea of just how much is used.  And it’s not the lights!  Lighting is one of the smaller consumption items.  Think about the things we forget about.  The refrigerator, the deep freezer, the HVAC (Air Conditioning and Heating), the washer and dryer, the TV, the Wi-Fi modem, the aquarium, the stove, the computer, shall I go on?

There are several options out there, solar, wind, water, but only solar is accessible for most people.  So, obviously, it is possible to go totally solar, many are doing it.  It is expensive though.  Do some research on the matter.  Now I said this was about what you can do today, right?  Well, dip your toes into the river of solar power.  Start with solar power packs that have small solar panels that you can use to recharge cell phones and small electrical items. 

Purchase lights like these on Amazon that are cheap, but recharge with small solar panels

and provide a lot of light for many hours:

Get inexpensive solar panels and solar batteries that can charge higher consumption items like fans and computers.  By the way, these and the solar pack and lights I mentioned are great for camping!

Start building your way up to more and more solar power and then spend time using only these items.  This will help you get used to the idea of relying on solar power. 

So, I hope this article was helpful for you.  I want to help individuals understand how to become more self-reliant and take the small steps towards that goal.  I believe that if we start small, we learn invaluable skills and knowledge to help us for when we have to make the big plunge.  That’s all for today, folks, wish you all well and Stay Safe!

#outdoorlife #selfreliance #sustainability #homestead #offgrid

Two New Pages to Check Out

 Hey, everyone.  Hope all of you are doing well.  This is just a quick post to let you know about two new pages I have created in relation to Timberwolf Outdoor Life.  The first is a Facebook page.  Primarily, you'll see content there that I have created here, along with my Youtube channel.  But, I may also be sharing posts that I find interesting.  You can link to my Facebook page here:

Facebook - Timberwolf Outdoor Life

The second page is where you can find Timberwolf Outdoor Life Merch!  That's right, I said it.  And I did it.  Right now, I'm only offering short sleeve T-shirts, long sleeve T-shirts, Hoodies, and coffee mugs.  But, I may expand that down the road.  All the merch has our logo on the front with our "motto" (chuckle) on the back.  These are some good quality items and it will help us out as well.  

If you want to order some items, the link is below:

Timberwolf Outdoor Life Merch

Thanks for all your support.  It means a lot.  Please comment to let me know your thoughts and ideas.  I value everyone's input.  As usual, my primary endeavor is producing Youtube videos that hopefully will both entertain and, maybe, educate a little.  That link is here:

Timberwolf Youtube

Until next time!  Take care!

#outdoorlife #direcklyonthecoals

Why Everyone Should Learn “Prepping” Skills

 

These days, the term “prepping” is tossed around without really an understanding behind the meaning.  I, personally, rarely use the word preferring terms like “self-reliance” or “homesteading.” Often a “prepper” conjures up images of some whacko holed up in the mountains with a cache of guns and ammo who rejects society and will kill anyone who comes within miles of his compound.  Come to think of it, maybe I am a prepper.  But really, to be a prepper means to be prepared.  “Prepared for what?” you might ask.  And the answer is anything.  It is not very farfetched that some type of incident or incidents could occur where individuals would find themselves in the position of having to be more self-reliant in some manner and to varying extremes. 

As a matter of fact!  - we’ve already experienced it this year.  Remember our initial reaction to COVID-19?  I don’t know about your neighborhood, but the grocery stores here in my town were wiped out.  Not just of toilet paper, but all paper products, canned goods, dried foods, meats, you name it.  And it lasted for weeks. 

So, it wasn’t a super extreme version of a SHTF scenario (for you non-preppers, that means a Shit-Hit-The-Fan scenario, a large incident that causes all of society to crash), but it certainly brought to the forefront how easily we could find ourselves in one.  No, my friends, it is not just for the whacko’s to contemplate what might happen in the event of a societal crash or even partial crash.

Epidemic?  War?  Alien Invasion?  Asteroid Crash?  Government Takeover?

Yeah, a lot of possibilities.  And don’t forget the very real possibility of a Zombie Apocalypse!  So, do you know some basic survival skills?  What if there were no grocery stores?  What if there was no electricity?  What if other people were trying to take what you have by force?  To understand where we need to go, we have to understand where we came from.  My personal belief is that it is a very pitiful situation that people have become so disconnected from the land and from their food.  And I don’t just mean meat, but yes that’s a big one.  Plants too.  So many people don’t have any idea how to grow a garden.  It is so important that everyone learns how to grow a small garden.  You can raise your favorite crops!  And it’s more than just popping a seed in some dirt and watering it.  Much more!  Do you know what crops grow in your location?  Do you know your agricultural zone?  Do you know what kind of dirt to use?  How to fertilize and with what type of fertilizer and when?  How much to water?  How much sun?  Every plant is different.  You can pretty much pop any seed in any dirt, add some water, and it will start to grow.  But the real test is, will grow to adulthood and flower and produce fruit?  What conditions do you need for the flower to produce fruit?  Do you need two of the same plant to cross-pollinate? 

And then there was meat!  …and don’t even get me started on meat.  Sorry, this is a pet-peeve of mine (pardon the pun).  Society has become so disconnected from where they get their meat.  We go to McDonald’s and order or a burger.  Sometimes, for those that can actually cook, they buy a piece of steak from the grocery store.  But that meat came from a living animal.  A lot of people view hunters with hatred, but that hunter loves animals just as much as anyone else.  That hunter also has the conviction to pull the trigger and kill that animal, gut it and clean it, and chop It up for his family to have food.  While you may detest hunting, it is a much more noble means of providing meat on your table.  I’d also like to add that a large percentage of funds from hunting licenses goes towards environmental stabilization. 

So, you can grow your veggies and you can kill and clean a rabbit.  Now what??  Well, you’ve eaten meat for a day, but what about the next day?  So, you kill and clean a deer.  Now what??  What do you do with the extra meat and veggies that you don’t eat today?

Canning and Preserving.

That’s right.  One of the main skills to learn in prepping is how to can and preserve food.  It’s the only way to make it through the year.  You can’t grow plants year-round, at least not most and not with a lot of fruit production.  You probably (maybe?) can’t hunt year-round.  Or at least you wouldn’t be able to kill large animals on a regular basis.  So, you have to learn how to preserve the excess food that you have.  And trust me, this is a science all to itself.  It takes a lot of knowledge and math to know how to properly do these things.  Unless you don’t care about killing yourself and your family with some bacteria. 

Then there’s all the other things:  building a fire, cooking, building shelter if you need to, living without electricity, making and repairing clothes, raising animals (chickens are the best to start with), and on an on. 

You can start now!  That’s right!  No matter where you live, you can start learning with a small backyard or patio garden and some backyard chickens.  Chickens are great because it teaches you how to raise animals (there’s a lot of science for that too) and you get the benefit of daily fresh eggs.  Just think, if you raised 2 chickens who lay one egg a day each and had a few bell pepper and tomato plants, you could, if nothing else, survive off a southwest style omelet every day.  You wouldn’t be eating a lot, but you could survive!

So, I think I’ve made my point.  These are important skills to learn.  The good news is you can learn them.  There are many resources out there to help you with gaining the knowledge you need to survive if things get bad.  Don’t think that it can’t happen.  It can and likely will.  Only you can take the steps necessary to ensure that your family will be able to face the undesirable consequences. 

The blog you are reading right now was designed to help you take those first steps:  Read More.  Click on the “Follow” button to make sure you get notified of future posts.

And this accompanying YouTube channel will provide you with videos of living outdoors:  See More.  Be sure to “Thumbs Up” the video, then click on the Subscribe button below the video and hit the notification bell so you get notified of future videos.

Thanks, and I hope this was useful information for you!

#outdoorlife #direcklyonthecoals

My History Blog

 Good evening, everyone!  I wanted to introduce you to another blog that I have recently started.  It's not so much a blog as it is a collection of my college papers that I have written in the areas of History, Anthropology, Archaeology, and Religion.  I also plan to post any independent research papers that I write here as well.  

For those that don't know, I am currently working on a Bachelor of Arts in History with a Minor in Judaic Studies through the University of Central Florida.  I am also working on an Undergraduate Certificate in Catholic Theology through St. Joseph's College of Maine.  I currently have an Associate of Arts in History from Pensacola State College and a Certificate in Eastern Christian Traditions from Newman Theological College.

Link here:  John Haynes History Blog

Cooking Chili in a Cast Iron Dutch Oven Over a Campfire

 

Good morning everyone!  Hope ya'll are staying safe and warm.  We had a strong cold front move in here to the Panhandle of Florida.  Last night was perfect to build a fire and cook a pot of chili in  a cast iron dutch oven.  Another "direckly on the coals" moment.  Beautiful night and yummy chili.  I'll post the link here to my Youtube video of me cooking and then I'll give you my special recipe below that.  In this video, I talk a little bit about the history of "traditional" chili.  I'll make another blog/video that goes into more detail about that subject.

Cooking Chili over a Campfire

The recipe for my chili (remember "low and slow" is what you want for any chili, stew, or gumbo):

-Preheat cast iron dutch oven over fire, using a rack or a tripod.

-Add 1 pound of hamburger meat and 1 pound of ground sausage (any type will do).

-Brown meat and drain the grease.

-Add 2 Tablespoons of minced/chopped garlic (more or less to your taste, I like a lot of garlic).  Let meat and garlic cook for 5 or so minutes.

-Add 1 green bell pepper, chopped, 1 onion, chopped, and 1 jalapeno, seeds and white membrane removed and chopped.  Place lid on pot and cook until vegetables are tender.  I leave the lid cracked to get some of the smoke from the fire into the pot.  Gives the chili a great taste!

-Add 1 can of crushed tomatoes plus 1 can of water (rinsing out the crushed tomatoes can).  Place lid on pot and cook for about 5 minutes.

-Add 2-3 Chipotles (I use canned Chipotles in adobo sauce) depending on how spicy you want your chili.  

-Add 1 teaspoon of Chili Powder (or more if you want it spicy, I would add a little at a time and taste it before going full blown spicy), about 1 teaspoon of Thyme leaves, and 2 Tablespoons of Cumin.  Now, for me, Cumin makes or breaks the Chili.  I love the taste of it.  You may want less or you may want more.  I usually end up adding another Teaspoon to Tablespoon of Cumin before it's all over with.  You'll have to adjust to your taste.  At this point, I normally add about a Teaspoon of Garlic Powder as well, but I didn't in the video from last night.  Replace the lid, slightly open, and let simmer for about 10 minutes.

-Add 1 can of Ranch Style Beans (or any canned bean that you like, Ranch Style is my favorite for Chili because it has a  great taste).  I don't like a lot of beans in my Chili.  If you do, you can add 2 cans or mix your beans, Pintos and Black beans, Ranch Style and Black beans, whatever you prefer.  Then, add water by filling up the can and rinsing out all the leftover goodness into the pot.  Replace lid and let simmer for 5-10 minutes.

-At this point, check your Chili to see if it needs more liquid, depending on your preference.  Some like it more soupy, some like it more chunky.  Then taste it to see if it needs more seasoning.

-Replace lid and let it low simmer for another 10 minutes, at least, before eating.  The longer it simmers the better it gets.

I hope you enjoy this recipe!  My family loves it.  Secret ingredient:  Cumin!  

Here again is the link to the video:  Cast Iron Chili over Campfire

Thanks for visiting and I hope you watch the video.  If you like my content on Youtube, I hope you will hit the "thumbs up" to Like the video and click on Subscribe.  Hit the bell and click on "All" to get notified when I upload future videos.

#outdoorlife

#direcklyonthecoals

Garcon Point Trail

 Not too many people are aware of a small, but enjoyable hiking trail in Santa Rosa County, called the Garcon Point Trail.  It is located on the peninsula formed between Escambia Bay and East Bay.  The land is a conservation area owned by the Northwest Florida Water Management District.  There are two trailheads, the North Trailhead and the South Trailhead.  Both are located on Avalon Boulevard, but the South Trailhead is the primary launching point, located just north of the Garcon Point Bridge Toll Plaza.  From the South Trailhead, you can hike the 1.2 mile spur to the North Trailhead or take the 1.7 mile loop that ventures out onto the prairie and comes back to end at the South Trailhead.  

If you plan to hike the trail, make sure to plan accordingly.  Don't go if it has rained in the last few days.  These are designated wetlands and you are likely to get bogged down or it may be impassable.  Also, remember during the warmer months that mosquitoes, ticks, and other creepy crawlies are out.  And for Northwest Florida, the summer months generally run from April through October.  March and November has bouts of warm and cold.  Make sure to keep an eye out for snakes.  The path is generally well-worn, so you shouldn't be wading through brush or weeds, but a snake may be laying out on a path enjoying the sun.  

I have hiked these trails several times and, aside from being beautiful land to enjoy, there's another reason why I am writing about this area today.  As you may already know, I am a history student and avid local history buff.  As it turns out, this general area was a mission site for Yamasee Indians who were fleeing the English in Saint Augustine.  While archaeologists believe the site was probably closer to the west coast of the peninsula, and the trail is on the east coast of the peninsula, the fact is the mission site has yet to be found.  Add to that the width of the entire peninsula is less than 2 miles.  Probably closer to 1 mile.  

The site was established around 1749 as Yamasee Indians moving into the area wanted grounds away from the main Fort at Pensacola.  During this time, West Florida was under control of the Spanish.  The site was named San Antonio de Punta Rasa.  A small mission was established by a Franciscan missionary and sometime around 1750 a small garrison was established with a few Spanish soldiers.  The mission continued in existence until 1761 when it was attacked by Upper Creek Indians during the French and Indian War.  

Early work on identifying the history of the site was done by Dr. John Worth of University of West Florida.  San Antonio de Punta Rasa

And further archaeological investigation was done and is expected to continue by anthropology PhD candidate Patrick Johnson with William & Mary College.  Yamasee Mission

I plan to hike the trail again in the very near future, but this time with an eye to the possible historical nature of the area.  I would like to explore the area around the trail, particularly closer to the west side of the peninsula in search of any identifiable features.  I plan to video the adventure and you will be able to find it on my Youtube Channel as soon as I have it uploaded.  I hope you will follow me on this adventure as I am looking forward to it.  Click on the Youtube link above and Subscribe to my channel, hit the bell and check "All" so that you will be notified anytime I upload a new video that way you don't miss it.  And while you are there, check out my other videos for some of my outdoor adventures.  Thanks and see you outdoors!

#outdoorlife

#GarconPointTrail