Survival Key Ring

I read an article a few months back entitled Make A Survival Key Ring - Your Everyday Tool for Emergency Preparedness by Jeffrey R. Yago.

In the article, Yago shared his ideas for putting together a survival key chain. Think of survival key chains as a miniature, portable survival kit. I thought it sounded like a great idea, so I set out to make me a few. I also added a few items that he didn’t suggest.

The Key Ring
Key ring styles. Plenty to choose from here, from the basic design to pull-apart dual rings to carabiner styles that look more like rock-climbing tools than key rings. I prefer the carabiner style. You may decide some combination works best for you. You can also purchase a variety of ring sizes at office supply stores.

Lights and Knife
Knife or Swiss Army multi-tool. Lights and a cutting tool are items I consider “required components” of any good survival key chain. Again, you can spend as much or as little as you wish on the various styles. Utility knifes such as a Swiss Army knife with fold-out instruments may be sufficient for most every-day survival key chains.

Mini LED Flashlight. As for flashlights, we’ve come a long way. They now make super-bright LED flashlights the size of a quarter that last for hours. No shortage of these around, and it is definitely something to add to your survival key ring. These little lights will come in handy when navigating in the dark.

Navigation and Fire-Making
Fire starter bar. Unless you want to spend hours trying to start a fire rubbing two sticks together you need dry matches or a fire starter bar. I attended one survivalist camp where the guy leading the fire starting workshop never did get the fire started before it was time to move on to the next topic. Yes it is exciting to be able to start a fire by turning a stick 5,000 times into a small piece of wood with tiny kindling. But it takes a lot of time and energy - two things you may not have depending on your survival situation.

This fire starter bar fits nicely on your key chain, and can generate fire in under a minute. Here’s how it works: Using the backside of a pocketknife, or any other metal edge, you simply scrape magnesium shavings onto a sheet of paper, or scrap cloth, or whatever dry kindling you can find. Then a scrape down the striker rod produces a spark that ignites the magnesium shavings and your kindling.

Compass. As I have written in previous articles, please learn how to use a compass before you are lost! For navigation, basically you just need to find general directions from a key ring compass. From there you can extrapolate other directions. If you find yourself lost, and you know a little about the surrounding terrain, you may be able to make it to a road, a river, or a town, just by knowing which direction to move.

Rescue
Safety whistle. Few people think of whistles when putting together a survival kit, but it is one of the more valuable rescue tools available.

First-Aid
You can purchase a key-chain with these items from the Red Cross for $5.00
Contents:
• 2 - Antiseptic Towelettes
• 1 - Triple-Antibiotic Cream Pack
• 1 - Non-Adherent Bandages 2”x3”
• 10 - Junior Bandages
• 10 - Adhesive Bandages 3/4”x3”
• 2 - Flexible Knuckle Bandage
• 2 - Flexible Fingertip Bandage

I would also add a couple days worth of prescription meds that you take and aspirin. The above are only suggestions. Make your survival key ring to your own specifications.

I keep survival key rings at home, in my hiking backpack, my office and in my vehicles.

Sprouting Seeds For Food

Seeds themselves are a very nutritious form of food because they contain proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. Many of these are increased greatly when the seeds are sprouted. It's very easy to grow your own sprouts at home with a minimum of supplies.

Buying Seeds
Experiment with different types of seeds, but purchase only those that are designed for sprouting. Seeds sold for vegetable gardening are often treated with pesticides and should not be used. There are many places to purchase your seeds expressly labeled for this purpose including health food stores or from seed catalogs.

Methods
Seeds may be sprouted by many methods. The one requiring the least material is sprouting between two paper towels. Seeds are spread thinly between the paper towels and the towels are moistened. Add water when the towels start to dry out. Once the seeds have sprouted, they may stick to the towels or may mold if left too long.

Sprout seeds may be sown in a shallow dish or pot filled with light potting soil and watered as needed. As the sprouts grow, they are clipped with scissors for use.

One of the easiest and most reliable methods for sprouting is with a sprouting container. You can purchase one for under $20 or you can make your own. A wide-mouth quart-canning jar is preferred because of the ease of getting the sprouts out and because it is the standard size of sprouting screens sold in health food stores.

Cheesecloth may be use and secured onto the jar with a rubber band. It works well, but is a little messy. If you want to do a lot of sprouting may want to make or purchase a more permanent sprouter top. Stainless steel screening can be secured to the top with a canning jar ring. Metal screens are sold in a variety of mesh sizes for different types of seeds. The only problem with them is that the rings tend to rust (even though the screens don't). Plastic sprouter tops are a successful alternative. These are also available in a variety of mesh sizes.

Regardless of the jar or screen you choose, the procedure is the same. Start with a small amount of seeds (1 tablespoon to 1/4 cup depending on seed size), and soak in water 12 to 24 hours. Attach screen and pour off the water. Rinse twice in cool water and pour off each time. Repeat rinsing and draining two to three times a day to prevent the seeds from turning sour. Recycle the sprout rinse water by watering houseplants.

There is some controversy over whether sprouts are better grown in light or in the dark. It is really a matter of personal preference; however, there may be a slight nutritional advantage to the light-grown sprouts. Sprouts grown in light are greener and have a stronger taste. To keep sprouts white (blanched), place them in a dark place while they are growing.

Let sprouts grow until they are the size you want them. Taste at various sizes so you can decide how long to let them grow. Large seeds tend to get soft and become moldy if left too long at room temperature and will lose quality rapidly. As seeds grow, you may want to change to a larger screen so that hulls will wash out before "harvest." Hulls are edible, but do affect the taste and storage qualities of most seeds.

When sprouts are ready for eating (usually after three to six days), rinse off excess hulls and drain thoroughly. Store in plastic bags in refrigerator. Small-seeded sprouts keep fairly well for a week or more; larger-seeded ones are best if eaten within three to four days.

Pet Survival Kit

The likelihood that you and your animals will survive an emergency such as a fire, tornado, or terrorist attack depends on emergency planning done today. It is the responsibility of all pet owners (survivalist or not) to properly prepare for pet survival with an emergency preparedness plan. The best pet survival kits will consist of the following:

Short-term survival
Recent pictures of your pet placed both in the pet survival kit Survival collar worn by your pet that contains the pet’s ID, name and address, phone number, rabies tag, and license

Your pet’s vaccination documents with proof of rabies vaccination
Copies of other important medical records
Pet Health records
Mini-first aid kit with pet meds
An extra leash and collar
A pet carrier
Water and food bowls.
Two-week food supply
Several gallons of clean drinking water
A pet waste disposal system including newspapers, cat litter, poop scoop, bleach, and plastic garbage bags
Grooming tools, toys, and treats

Place all of the contents in a large bag clearly labeled and place inside the carrier. Planning and preparation will enable you to evacuate with your pets quickly and safely. But keep in mind that animals react differently under stress. Outside your home and in the car, keep dogs securely leashed.

Long-term survival
If you plan on storing a six-month or longer supply of pet food you need to purchase food grade buckets to store the food in.

Blanket
A good pet first-aid book
De-wormers
Pepto Bismol tablets
Generic Benadryl capsules -- 25mg, for allergies
Sterile gauze rolls and pads for bandages
Adhesive tape
Ace self-adhering athletic bandage
Hydrogen peroxide
Rubbing alcohol
Over-the-counter antibiotic ointment
Epsom salts
Tweezers
Petroleum jelly
Antiseptic lotion, powder or spray
A Nylon leash
50 feet of rope
Cotton balls
Splints and tongue depressors
Towels
Muzzle or material to make one
Penlight
Scissors
Needle-nosed pliers
Ice pack
Plastic eyedropper or syringe
Sterile saline solution
Glucose paste or corn syrup
Styptic powder or pencil
Latex gloves
Ear-cleaning solution
Nail clippers

You never know what unexpected situation may arise so be prepared to improvise and use what you have on hand. If you evacuate your home, DO NOT LEAVE YOUR PETS BEHIND!

Roughly 600,000 pets were killed or were left without a home as a result of Hurricane Katrina. Many pets lost their lives due to the immense weather, and others could not be taken into safety shelters so they were unfortunately left stranded.
(www.hurricanekatrinarelief.com)