Somehow sticking your bare hands into holes in the muddy bank really just dosent seem like a smart pastime to me…..  have you ever seen an alligator snapping turtle?  I’ve seen large snapping turtles that could easily bite off a hand.  Just sayin

Hiding things in plain sight is a great way to protect them.  Slightly hiding a diversion in almost plain sight is a great idea too!

I am an electrical contractor, and I’m not bashing any tools to help anyone be a better do it yourself er but do have a warning about those pen testers.  First off, always test it on another known live circuit.  They have been known to just stop working and can give you a false sense of safety.  The other thing to be aware of is a neutral wire can possibly shock you as well.  In commercial work one shared neutral can carry the load back to the panel for three circuits.  Basically that means it can shock you more than the hot wire.  I am a big fan of a real meter that can tell you exactly what is going on.  Another thing to help keep you safe is never touch the copper end of the wire.  Always only touch the insulation on the wire and use a tool with an insulated handle (plastic coated) to touch the copper if needed.  If you’re not really experienced with electrical it is also a good idea to turn off the main breaker before working on any system too.  Nothing in residential is super complicated but watching some YouTube videos first is a really good idea.

Truly an impressive project.  I wish I had gotten a large excavator for my pond project.  I used a regular sized backhoe and made three ponds on a small stream that runs across the front of my property.  It is visually attractive with spillways and water splashing into them but they are a bit small and shallow to be really practical for farming fish.  That was a great idea to set up a shooting range while working on the project.  I always try to plan out whatever project I’m working on to avoid waste and be efficient.

I have handled firearms most of my life.  I don’t shoot much anymore, for multiple reasons such as hearing loss and ammo scarcity, but I do have plenty options for self defense still.  I just wanted to throw in my two cents on this topic.  The best advice I can give to any inexperienced person considering buying a firearm is to take a safety class before anything else.  Way too many are injured and killed by mishandling and accidental discharges.

I’m not a fan of fishy taste either.  Mild white fish is all I’ve ever eaten, and usually fried. Unfortunately that pretty much gets rid of the health benefits….  I just started liking salmon in the last couple years.  Especially with some blackening seasoning.  Grooper is my favorite, but catfish are good as well.

Here in the states most people seem to take our way of life for granted.  We have had a great infrastructure of power, water, medical and food distribution for so long most don’t even give it any thought at how that could change at a moments notice.  Many in the less developed world have had to deal with hardships their whole lives and can function a little better with minimal resources.  I’m not saying they don’t suffer, as they do, but just that most in the US are really soft now and don’t even know how to make a fire and cook with it.  I hope I never live to see a massive disaster here.  As I’ve stated to many, always be greatful when you can go to sleep with a full belly and in a safe, dry place.  And I really wish all those people well through this.

The brushless tools are worth the extra money, regardless of brand. They get a lot more run time out of the battery.

The only thing you can’t do yourself is the thing where you say to yourself that you can’t do it and don’t even try.  Always think things out and be safe, but you would be surprised what your capable of.  I have built three houses by myself.  When I say myself, I mean by my own two hands by myself.  The last one, which I’m living in now, I used a sawmill and even cut the lumber for it.  I built the cabinets, did all the mechanical and even put in the septic system.  I did hire someone to drill the well, but I installed everything after they dropped the pump down the bore hole.  My point here is I’m nothing special.  Reasonable intelligence but not anything out of the ordinary.  I am smart enough to learn anything that I’m not familiar with.  I read books mostly to learn about how to do things but now days with UTube you can watch a video on just about how to do anything.  Don’t sell yourself short without trying things.  

I am a contractor as well. Most of my dewalts, and I have almost every one of them, are 20 yrs old and still working fine. They are the 18v and have gone through multiple batteries but the tools rarely fail.  It is getting harder to find the 18v batteries now as most places only carry  the newer 20v now.  I had three of the hammer drills and one finally bit the dust, but that was after drilling countless holes in concrete.  I am starting to switch to the Milwaukee now as I want all the tools standardized on our service trucks.  My truck is the only one with dewalt.  Those tools will go into my shop though and continue to do stuff around the house.

I just saw this image this morning from the Indonesian earthquake.  Trying to evacuate during a large scale emergency just puts you in more peril.

I finally got the pouch from amazon. Forget the prime delivery promises. Between the pandemic and the holidays things are really slow right now.  The pouch was smaller than I thought so it isn’t as practical as I was hoping.  The multi tool holder part is good, but the other two parts are really tight squeezes.  I am carrying a sharpie marker and an led pen light.  I use all three things daily with work anyways.  As far as a rating, I’d give it a 3.5 out of 5, so not great but not bad either.  It is nice to have a multi tool on me every day again at least.  The nylon holder on my old one self destructed in weeks. At least this is heavy leather and will likely last a good while.

I’m with you there.  The one in the video is only six feet.  I’d be really wary if a ten footer!  Catfish is fairly mild and pretty good.  It’s best to eat the smaller young ones though. The large older fish aren’t as good and have more toxins built up in them.

I am a dewalt fan, my son is a Milwaukee fan.  I honestly think the Milwaukee is slightly better designed and more ergonomic but the dewalts have lasted me for years even with commercial use. You wouldn’t go wrong with either. As far as harbor freight, everything I’ve bought from them left me less than satisfied.  Pretty low quality, but I understand when it’s only 5$ you can buy a bunch of them and consider them disposable.  If you can afford better quality great, but if not at least it’s an option.

Great resource!  I love fried catfish….  I have three ponds  on the front of the property here and had some bass and large coi in the middle one.  Unfortunately between the cranes, hawks and the occasional storm washing my fish downstream I’ve given up on keeping fish on the property here.  There is a large creek on the back of the property too and there are fish but most are really small and wouldn’t sustain anyone for long.  I’ve considered a wire mesh cage to keep some fish contained but it sees more work than it’s worth.

I got extras of all the normal yard tools and such.  I have a wood working shop and some metal working tools too.  I’ve always worked with my hands and am a big do it yourself er so already had most tools.  After a Sunday morning pile burst a couple years back I realized that you also need supplies to go along with your tools.  So I started stocking up on plumbing and hardware supplies.  Everyone has different needs and skill levels so just start with what you know you can use and expand from there.

https://apple.news/ASPHyCHwdSs2xZy3pbCpV2w I don’t know if that link will show up as an Apple subscription or not.  It’s about a ten ft catfish species that’s spreading across Europe called a wells catfish. It can jump out of the water to snatch a pigeon (or possible an eagle in your case).  In the article there is a video of a guy catching one of them.  I’d love to fish for one!

Growing up in a hurricane prone area I learned to never try to bug out unless you did it a couple days early.  Not only are there just too many cars on the road but when they start running out of gas they make perfect barriers, ensuring most are stuck in place.  The hurricanes always had advanced notice too, yet people were still not prepared.  In Atlanta there was very little warning of the ice storm a couple years ago.  The city was paralyzed and many were trapped in their cars for 15hrs in freezing temps.  Im sure earthquakes and many other situations where there is no pre warning are tougher to prepare for.  It just shows the need for us having an emergency kit in our vehicles. I’m fortunate enough to be able to afford 4 wheel drive vehicles now.  I also keep a full tank at all times and have an emergency kit.  Most of my life I was lucky enough to have a car that wouldn’t break down so I definitely get that we all have different capabilities of prepping.  But even with a small budget just knowing the need to be prepared to the best of your ability puts you ahead of the pack.

Although that seems possible I don’t believe you could get anything through the door jamb and past the door stop trim without setting the alarm off.  One thing for sure though, if someone is smart enough to invent a security device then someone else is smart enough to find a way past it.  I don’t believe there is a way to make anything completely theft proof.  I mostly want to be alerted so I can be the main deterrent to any would be trespassers.

I got some stick on window and door alarms from amazon.  That at least gives me a loud audible warning to be ready to defend myself when home.  If I’m not home then hopefully the shrill sound will at least make someone reconsider sticking around. I also have three dogs that are fairly protective of the property.  Fencing with signs warning of the dogs and a locked gate as well.  Inside the house I have a large fire safe that would slow down a regular burglar at least.  Even with all this I realize crime happens every day and with police being stretched so thin many cases go un investigated, and I already feel like you are on your own.honestly my mindset is if you are in an area that has a high rate of crime than it’s time to consider a relocation.