Are You Prepared for Anything? No? Then Get this Book!

It was a busy - and tiring - weekend with two college-aged girls visiting. My daughter and her girlfriend spent half of their spring break with me this weekend. Since my daughter spend the first half of her spring break camping in Georgia, she was more interested in free laundry facilities than activities. Of course, this distraction left me at a loss for a post this week. Or at least at a loss for a post not about endless loads of stinky, college, camping laundry. Then I remembered that I'd just finished Tim MacWelch's book, Prepare for Anything Survival Manual.

I picked up the book after taking one of Tim's classes (Winter Wild Edibles) and put it in my to-read pile. It's a rather large stack and I didn't get to it right away. When I did, I was happily surprised. It is a fun read and Tim's sense of humor definitely comes through in his writing. (On canning food, "Drop Some Acid". Tip #179) This is not your gloom and doom end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it survival manual. I don't do gloom and doom. I try to take as little as possible too seriously.

It isn't even a manual I would consider just a survival scenario guide. It's useful every day. Who knew that vodka could de-stink your clothes or get rid of mold in your bathroom? Tim did, obviously. (I should have sprayed my daughter's laundry down with the stuff. It was bad!)

I love the sections on canning and drying foods since those are easy ones for me to replicate living in a condominium. I've considered planting a large garden or building a bunker, but the homeowners' association got a little testy when I suggested digging up the golf course. I guess I will make do with my indoor herb garden. Also on tap, home brewing!

There are a few tips I won't be trying voluntarily. There will be no jumping off buildings or treating bullet wounds unless I absolutely have to do so. Also, the first person who tries to puree animal brains in my blender to tan a hide will be buying me a new blender!

On a serious note, there is a lot of sage advice in this book: Get your finances in order, be responsible for your own wellness, secure your home, be prepared for emergencies. This isn't rocket science, but I'm always surprised at how many people can't put a bandage on a skinned knee, let alone splint a broken arm until they get to a doctor.

If you're interested in prepping or survival, this is a great book. If you want a fun read and to learn a little about being self-sufficient in the process, this is still a great book. If you want tips on how to survive a weekend with an invading horde of smelly college students, this book can't help, but I can. Drink. A lot.