I am honored to be invited as a guest tomorrow afternoon on Cherilyn Eagar’s radio show (www.k-talk.com) in Salt Lake City discussing the subject of preparedness.

To welcome any new readers from the show who might visit this blog, I thought now would be a good time to review what I call the Seven Core Areas of Preparedness. This blog post is an encapsulation of my Backwoods Home Magazine article from Jan/Feb 2012.

The Seven Core Areas of Preparedness are:

• Food
• Water
• Heat
• Lighting
• Sanitation
• Medical
• Protection

I need to stress this list is by no means comprehensive. However if you’re prepared in these seven areas, than you can focus on achieving other, more tailored preparations to suit your particular circumstances.

What is preparedness?
Preparedness refers to the stockpiling of goods, supplies, knowledge, reference literature, and other essentials in order to better weather natural disasters, terrorist attacks, economic uncertainty, and other difficulties. Preppers (as we’re called) know our efforts will not insulate us from hard times, but will help cushion the blows of regional or national emergencies which are out of our control.

By definition, "prepping" means preparing done in advance of hard times, not after. This little subtlety – that preparing is best done before rather than after a serious event – seems to escape a lot of people. A typical example is the panic that ensues whenever a hurricane approaches landfall – there is widespread chaos at grocery stores, Home Depot locations, and gas stations as people frantically try to get ready for something they should always be prepared for anyway.

The testimonies of people facing a disaster while prepared speaks strongly in favor of prepping. These people are calmer, more rational, less panicked, and can concentrate on helping others instead of requiring help themselves.

I think everyone can agree: it’s far better to be prepared than not. But preparedness comes in a lot of different flavors and intensities, depending on the personal level of concern by the individuals involved.


How you prepare depends on endless numbers of factors. Your location (urban vs. rural), type of home (house, apartment, mobile home, etc.), numbers and ages of family members, health, income… these issues will all affect what kind, and to what extent, you can prepare.

Many people feel it’s easier to be prepared in a rural location, and to some degree this is true. Livestock, gardens, space for stored supplies, and a lesser likelihood of roving gangs of looters are all benefits of living in the country. But living in the country is no guarantee that Preppers will escape any problems. And this does not excuse our urban cousins from preparing to handle emergencies as best they can.

This article will focus not so much on the nuts-and-bolts of what to store, but rather on some general things to consider. These considerations must then be tailored toward your particular circumstances.

Short-Term Preparedness
It's helpful to know what you're preparing for. Preparedness can roughly be divided into two categories: short-term and long-term.

Short-term preps generally are meant to address local and regional events. Here in rural north Idaho we prepare for wildfires, earthquakes, and blizzards. Other locations need to prepare for tornadoes or hurricanes as well. Urban short-term preparedness may consist of all of the previously-listed natural disasters, but might also include social unrest and acts of terrorism.

In the short-term, most urban situations can be handled by staying indoors rather than roaming the streets or attempting to bug out to a rural area. When riots or other social unrest erupts, your chances of escaping looters is fairly high if you stay inside and make sure your doors and windows are barricaded or at least patrolled from within.

For short-term preparedness, I recommend having at least three months of supplies in the Seven Core Areas. Why three months? Under even the most dire regional conditions, things will usually shake out by the end of three months. Outside help will become available, or conditions will otherwise change.

Keep in mind that if things are in chaos for a week or more, your unprepared neighbors may ask you for help. And you should help, if for no other reason than long memories after the crisis is past. It’s important not to forget charity and mercy during an emergency.

Long-Term Preparedness
What conditions would necessitate long-term preparedness? This would mean an interruption of our way of life on a national (or extended regional) scale. Along these lines, I have concerns about two possible scenarios.

The first is that our country will experience an economic collapse, in which case our best "savings account" is what is euphemistically called "tangibles." (In Prepper lingo this is known as beans, bullets and band-aids.) A collapse of our banking system and its fiat currency could result in massive unemployment and other financial hardships.

A second possible scenario that concerns many Preppers is the loss of our national power grid either through natural events such as massive solar flares, or terrorism (electromagnetic pulse weapon detonated in the upper atmosphere which will incapacitate the power grid). Our country is no longer capable of functioning without electricity. If you’ve read the book One Second After by William R. Forstchen, you’ll understand the need for additional supplies to handle a long-term interruption of services.

Under these conditions, having adequate supplies in the Seven Core Areas will help people survive in moderate comfort. By “adequate” I don’t mean you’re living in the lap of luxury. I mean you’re not starving, freezing, or sitting in the dark.

Rule of Three
We have some prepared neighbors who abide by what they call the Rule of Three. What this means is they have one main and two backup means of doing whatever needs to be done (in other words, a backup to their backup). Cooking, heating, lighting, communications… all are aspects that need backups of backups in case the primary method(s) are incapacitated.


These neighbors are off-grid, so having that Rule of Three for everyday necessities has allowed them to live comfortably under conditions many of us would find difficult. So in your preparations, think in terms of multiple backups in case your primary source fails.

Bugging Out vs. Bugging In
The decision whether to bug out or bug in (hunker down) depends on the nature of the emergency as well as your physical location. A few scenarios:

• Riots are hitting your urban area. Stay indoors, barricade doors and windows, and hunker down. Do NOT draw attention to yourself.

• A Category 5 hurricane is approaching your low-lying coastal property. Gather your grab-and-go kits and get out.

• An economic crash has plunged our nation into a severe Depression. Resources are scarce. There is no easy answer to this situation. Bugging in – staying in the city – will only work until your supplies are gone or your safety is compromised. At that point, bugging out may be your only option…IF you have someplace to bug out TO.

Hunkering down (bugging in) is a legitimate option for many people under a number of emergency circumstances. But that doesn’t mean you just lock your doors. Hunkering down means you create your bug-out retreat right there at home. That means having your Seven Core areas stocked and ready.

However bear in mind, no one can be self-sufficient in an urban apartment. The best you can hope for is to stay safe until the immediate crisis passes.

Bugging out from an urban location opens a whole new can of worms. Unless you have a fully-stocked self-sufficient rural retreat (and who does?), then you’ll probably be trespassing on the kindness of rural friends or relatives. How long will you be staying? How long can they support you? It’s almost impossible to say, since no one can predict the duration of a major emergency.

All I can suggest in this case is: (a) bring every supply you can possibly cram into your vehicle; (b) be the most gracious houseguest you can possibly be. Remember it’s not your home, so be prepared to work for your “rent.”

You’re Not Euell Gibbons
Remember Euell Gibbons? (“Ever eat a pine tree? Many parts are edible…”) Gibbons was known for his ability to literally live off the land.


Most of us aren’t Euell Gibbons. Most of us wouldn’t know an edible plant if it bit us on the butt. So whatever you do, don’t think you can “live off the land” if the bleep hits the fan just because you know what a blackberry bush looks like.

One time while lurking on a “green” forum, I posted a question: If you’re in an urban area and the bleep hit the fan, what would you do? Do you have any food stored away? I receive the usual we’ll-all-join-hands-and-sing-Kumbaya type of answers, but one reply made me blink in astonishment: this person didn’t see the need to store any food because he would simply forage for all his dietary needs from wild plants in vacant lots.

This kind of – sheesh, what would you call it? Ignorance? Naiveté? Stupidity? (yeah, that’s the word) – always astounds me. Assuming you could even identify edible plants, just how much filthy polluted plantain can you collect in order to keep yourself and your family alive? How will you cook it? And what happens when the vacant lot is stripped bare of everything except broken glass and tin cans? Would you even dare to step outside your apartment and risk meeting roving mobs while you search for wild purslane and dandelion shoots?

And please, don’t even get me started on the “mountain-man” hunting scenario. I don’t care if you’re the greatest recreational hunter in the world – you won’t be able to survive off your hunting, especially if you live in the city. Where will you hunt? How will you get there? Will the locals welcome you? (Remember, if people are hunting for survival, you’re no longer a visiting cash cow; you’re competition for a limited resource.) How will you get your meat back home? How will you preserve it?

There’s a reason humans moved from hunter/gatherer societies to an agricultural-based culture: food sources are more secure. To assume you can suddenly move back into a hunter/gatherer mode to survive – while living in a city, no less – is lunacy.

You’re Not Rambo Either
A popular whimsy among some male survivalists is the Rambo fantasy. They have vague thoughts of gunning down any and all threats to their survival. Let a starving mother with a crying toddler knock on the door and plead for a bowl of cereal, and Mr. Rambo will threaten to blow her away rather than treat her with compassion. (That said, my elderly aunt who lives in Louisiana told me how this was a common ploy for home invasion robberies after Hurricane Katrina hit.)

This kind of hyper-machismo is asking for trouble. I firmly believe part of being prepared is being suitably armed… but if you’ll pardon my French, don’t start talking from your balls. Be sensible in your defenses.

In my aunt’s case, after hearing about a number of these home invasions, she refused to answer the door at all. Other people answered the door while fully armed. All I’m saying is, don’t go looking for trouble. Just be prepared to handle it if it arises.

Practice Practice Practice
No matter how fully prepped you think you are, you won’t know for sure until an emergency arises. But the least you can do is make sure (a) you know where all your emergency supplies are located; (b) your equipment is in working order; and (c) you know how to use it. (You’d be surprised how many people panic-buy generators before a hurricane but don’t have the faintest notion how to hook them up.)

If the power goes out, the last thing you want to do is grope around in the dark trying to find your flashlight, only to find the batteries are dead because the kids were playing Spook. Know where your equipment is and make sure it’s in working order.

Once you feel you’ve thought through every contingency and you’re reasonably prepared, the best possible thing you can do is shut off the power for a week and prove it. There is no finer way to discover your weaknesses and vulnerable spots than to stage an “emergency.” That’s why professional emergency services stage drills.

Practice OpSec
This is advice we ourselves have not taken because of our rather public involvement in teaching Prepping and self-sufficiency, but I suggest you practice Operational Security (OpSec). In a word, shaddup. Keep your preps quiet and low-key. Don’t talk about it. Don’t brag. Don’t announce to the world what kinds of firearms you possess and how much food you have stored.

The reason is, there will always be somebody happy to liberate you of your supplies. Nuff said.

The Seven Core Areas of Preparedness

• Food. This is obvious. I don't mean you should stuff your freezer with TV dinners, either, because if the power goes out, they're gone. Consider purchasing staples you enjoy eating (rice, beans, oatmeal, etc.) and learn to store and prepare them. These have the added advantage of being dirt cheap. If you want to take the next step, learn to can. Properly canned food lasts years without refrigeration, and canning is a valuable skill as well. Alternately, buy lots of commercially canned food.


Along with storing food, you should have the means to prepare it. Your options will be more limited if you’re in an urban high-rise apartment (where you can’t install a wood cookstove, for example), in which case your food will have to be pre-cooked (such as MRE’s) or otherwise edible without cooking. Eating unheated soup or beans right out of a can might not be the most pleasant meal, but at least you won’t starve.

• Water. Without water to drink and wash, you'll be miserable (or dead). At all times, you should have a minimum of 20 gallons stored in your home. Look for options to secure larger quantities of water (roof runoff? storage tank?) as well as ways to sterilize surface water such as bleach, iodine or filtration.


If you’re preparing for a minimum of three months, then your storage space for water will be huge and will probably take up far more space than most people have available. That’s why you need the means to purify water. A nonelectric water filter (such as Berkey) might be part of your water storage efforts.

• Heat. We live in rural north Idaho not far from the Canadian border. Heat is a major concern for us. How can you heat your house if the power goes out? Everyone's circumstances are different – you probably can't install a woodstove in a Manhattan apartment – so think through the alternatives that will work for you.


Be careful about ventilation when considering your heat sources. Endless people have been asphyxiated due to carbon monoxide poisoning because they chose the wrong option to heat their living space. Some buildings have windows which will not open, and this must be considered when thinking through your heat sources.

• Lights. You don't want to be in the dark, do you? Everyone can afford an oil lamp or two. Don't bother with those pricey containers of scented lamp oil, either. A gallon of kerosene is less than $10 and works just fine.

While flashlights and batteries are nice (and necessary), you’ll go through your battery supplies very fast if you depend on them exclusively for lighting. Remember your Rule of Three: plan to have backups to your backups. You should have candles, oil lamps, perhaps battery-powered LED lamps, or other light sources.


If you’re “bugging in,” consider blackout curtains for your windows which will block light. Alternately, a roll of black plastic and duct tape will work (as well as being useful for other purposes). No sense advertising how prepared you are (OpSec!). But remember, sheeting your windows in plastic will trap carbon monoxide, so be careful.

• Sanitation. What happens if you can't flush your toilets? If you run out of diapers or feminine hygiene? If you don’t have toilet paper? Think about what kind of reusable alternatives you can substitute for pricey disposable items.

Find reusable versions of disposable sanitary items. Cheap washcloths from the dollar store can act as reusable toilet paper. Use cloth instead of disposable diapers. Try washable feminine napkins instead of disposable. Of course, these reusable versions require a means to wash them, so think through your options. For short-term preparedness, it might be better to stock up on disposables.


If you cannot flush your toilets and an outhouse isn’t possible, a five-gallon bucket lined with heavy-duty trash bags and a toilet seat may be your next best option. Wood shavings, sawdust, or ash can be sprinkled in the bucket after each use to help control odors.

• Medical. Can you doctor yourself for minor injuries? Do you have a good stock of your prescription medicines? It doesn't cost much to pull together a comprehensive first-aid kit. It might be harder to stockpile prescription medications, so this is something worth discussing with your doctor.


Now might be the time to take a refresher course for basic first aid. You might also stock up on medical items you might not otherwise consider – burn dressings, tape closures, compression bandages, and lots of over-the-counter pain killers.

• Safety. What happens when too many people suddenly want to be your best friend post-bleep? What should you do if you live in an urban area subject to rioting and unrest? Some people interpret “safety” to mean they should have an arsenal of guns. Others think they need a secret rural bug-out location. However you interpret it, identify prospective dangers for your circumstances and think of how to mitigate them.


Personally I believe every family member old enough to handle a firearm should be taught safety factors and target practice. Adult members should also have holsters (either concealed or otherwise) for ease of carry during “bleep” situations.

Safety should be more than just firearms. It also includes such things as situational and strategic awareness, home and property security, communications, and local relations (friends, neighbors, community).

This post can barely scratch the surface of the preparedness mindset. But as our nation faces an unprecedented number of major threats to our economy, our security, and our way of life, I believe everyone should have the basics of Prepping down cold.

I had a thrilling experience this morning. I had the opportunity to do a phone interview with one of my lifelong heroes, the esteemed Dr. Jane Goodall.

Dr. Goodall, who conducted pioneering research on chimpanzee behavior in Tanzania starting in 1960, was quite literally the reason I became a field biologist in my younger days. I cannot begin to describe the impact this woman has had on my life.

Several weeks ago a neighbor, knowing my deep admiration, informed me that Dr. Goodall would be speaking at Gonzaga University in Spokane on April 9. In the spirit of "It never hurts to ask," I immediately called the university and asked if Dr. Goodall was granting interviews.


I was put in touch with the Director of Community and Public Relations, a kindly woman named Mary Joan H., who said she would add me to the list of interested press. At that point she wasn't certain whether Dr. Goodall's tight schedule would permit any time for interviews.

Yesterday while I was out threshing wheat, Don came trotting outside with a notepad in hand. "Drop what you're doing right now," he announced with a grin, "and call back a lady named Mary Joan about an interview with Jane Goodall."

I squeaked in excitement, dropped the flail, and dashed for the house. Ms. H. said that Dr. Goodall wasn't available to do one-on-one interviews, but would I be interested in participating in a conference call interview tomorrow morning? You bet! Dr. Goodall was still back east somewhere, and the call was to take place at 8 am our time.

I was faced with the problem of how to record the interview, since I wanted to base some future articles and columns on it. Don, clever fellow that he is, learned that our cell phones have a recording function. We tested it with a sample call, which was recorded in perfect clarity. Phew!

So this morning, heart a-flutter, I gathered my prepared interview questions and called into the conference number. On the phone with me (besides Ms. H.) were three other representatives from the media -- a radio station, a newspaper, and a regional magazine, all from Spokane. I was the only freelance writer in the group, and was later told by Ms. H that it was my enthusiasm that prompted her to select me to participate. I cannot even begin to express my gratitude.

We had a fifteen minute delay in connecting with Dr. Goodall's representative because of a misunderstanding (she thought we were calling her; we thought she was calling us). Once this was cleared up, there was a momentary delay, and then the gentle British tones of my favorite scientist in the whole world was on the other end of the line.

Ms. H. briefly introduced us and then invited the participants to ask their questions round-robin fashion. When it was my turn, I couldn't resist a little bit of history. I told her, "It was because of your influence in the late 1970s that I became a field biologist myself, and I worked throughout my 20s and 30s in the field before retiring to stay home with my kids. Some of my most prized possessions are the two letters I have from you dated 1979 and 1980, and the book you signed for me in 1980 when I saw you at a lecture. So first and foremost I must thank you for offering hope and direction to a passionate teenager who, thirty-five years ago, wanted nothing more than to spend her life among animals, which in fact I have done. It’s a pleasure to be able to thank you in person."



[I had this all written out in advance, of course. Do you think I could have been anywhere near that clear or eloquent otherwise? Not with my heart in my throat.]

Dr. Goodall was patient and kindly and extremely intelligent in her answers to all our questions. Half an hour barely scratched the surface -- we all had many more questions we could have asked -- but her time was limited and she doubtless had other interviews scheduled right after ours.

I hung up the phone in a glow of hero-worship. My kids have been chuckling at me all day, watching their mom react as if Dr. Goodall was the most coveted of movie stars.




Over the next few weeks I intend to write a number of articles and columns based on this interview. I'm thankful it's recorded so I can document every word Dr. Goodall said.

It would have been delightful to interview Dr. Goodall in person, but this was the next best thing. Wow.

I'm going to be on the radio tomorrow (Friday) morning at 7 am Pacific (9 am Central), talking with Mike LeMay and Amy Spreeman out of Q-90 radio in Green Bay, Wisconsin.


The discussion will center on preparedness, self-sufficiency, and what families ideally can do to prepare. Hope you can tune in!

When I was at the Self Reliance Expo in Colorado Springs last May, I had the pleasure of participating in a blog talk radio interview with Wilson of Pantry Paratus.


They just posted the podcast for this interview here. My computer is being persnickety this morning and won't let me listen to it, so hopefully I haven't made too big a fool of myself during the interview.

Tomorrow morning (Wednesday, April 18) I will have an hour-long radio interview with Susan Rich of Susan Rich Talks.


It's going to be an early-morning interview (for me) -- 8 am Pacific -- and will also be available via podcast (or whatever it's called) at this link, some time after the show is aired.


Hope you can listen!

Oops, sorry! I should have let folks know I'm having a radio interview this afternoon (ahem -- actually at 4 pm Pacific time, about ten minutes after I post this) with the Roth Show with host Laurie Roth.


Should have mentioned it sooner! It should be a fairly long interview, though, so hopefully some folks can tune in.

I'm going to be on the radio this morning -- as in, four hours after I post this -- sorry for the short notice! It's Backwoods Home Magazine's "Self-Reliance Expozed" via BlogTalkRadio, so it should be available on podcast at some point.

Here's the link to the radio show.


I'll be on around 8:30 am Pacific time. Hope you can tune in!

I was invited by a regional Christian radio program in Coeur d'Alene called Let's Reach America to tape a program to broadcast on a future date. The girls were invited to sit in on the recording session, so we'll all make an excursion of it.


I spoke to producer and co-host Becky Funk on Tuesday to hammer out details, but warned her that I (well, all of us) are getting over a cold. It's one of those nasty coughy colds that lingers and lingers. Every few minutes during conversation I have to pause and hack my lungs out (into a handkerchief). Becky told me that they have a pause button and/or editing ability during the taping, so hopefully my hacking won't be too apparent to listeners.

The show's website indicates the radio program is heard every Monday thru Friday, 4:00-4:30pm (PST) on 89.9FM, KYMS, The Bridge, or on the web at www.KYMSRadio.com. There will be a podcast available as well. I'm not sure when my interview will air, so I'll be sure to ask.

We haven't tried getting off our road since yesterday's little snow temper tantrum, and today's weather is windy and snowy (equal drift-y), so let's hope I don't have trouble getting to the city.

Hey guess what, I'm going to be on BlogTalkRadio tonight! (That's Friday, February 3, 6 pm Pacific time.) I'll be interviewed on Backwoods Home Magazine's portion of the show.


Much of the discussion will center around the last article that came out, The Seven Core Areas of Preparedness.


The link to the radio show is here. It also gives directions for how to tune in.

I received a very kind email and blog mention from Dave Duffy, founder of the magazine, at his blog here.

I'll be on during the second half of the program, so tune in around 6:30 or so. Now let's hope I don't blow it!

I have two radio interviews tomorrow. The first is at 7 am Pacific, a return to Q-90 FM station in Northeast Wisconsin (WORQ). I'm flattered they want me back! The show is Stand Up for Truth (Christian talk radio) with hosts Bob Lemay and Amy Spreeman.



Then at 4 pm Pacific I'll be on IRN Radio Network, the Mark Skoda Show with host Mark Skoda.


Hope you can listen!

At 5 pm Pacific this afternoon I'm going to have an hour-long interview with Barbara Simpson on the Barbara Simpson Show on KFSO Radio 560 AM in San Francisco. Hope you can listen!

I have two almost back-to-back radio interviews this morning:

The first one is called The Guetzloe Report with host Doug Guetzloe, 8 am my time.


The other, rather surprisingly, is the G. Gordon Liddy show. Joseph Farah (head of WND) is subbing for G. Gordon Liddy while on vacation, and I'll be on the show 9 am my time (noon eastern).

Man alive, the publicist who is booking radio interviews for me has outdone herself. I'm doing THREE tomorrow! And as if that's not wild enough, on Wednesday I'm doing a radio interview with a HUGE show which broadcasts nationwide on 300 stations with over 3 million readers!!! (Pause while my knees knock together.)

My interviews are listed here.


Wish me luck...!

I'm going to be a guest on the Tea Party Hour of Power this afternoon from 3:30 - 4 pm Pacific time with host Mark Gillar. (This is a pre-tape interview so I'll have to let you know when it will be aired.)


What cracks me up is how the show's web page depicts all the guests with sleek suits and groomed hair. Then there's me...


...in my farm clothes leaning against Matilda's stall door. Oh well, it's a realistic depiction...

I'm honored to be among the first guests featured on The Survival Mom's new Blog Talk Radio program.


The nice thing about this format is you can listen from anywhere (unlike a radio program, which is usually regional) and you can also call in and/or submit questions.


This is Lisa's first excursion into radio and she is über excited about the new format. Tune in and give her some support!

For those of you who might be interested in listening to an hour-long interview (well, a bit less than an hour because advertisements are cut out) in which I discuss my book, here is the podcast for the Plain Jane Wisdom show I did last week with WLAC radio in Nashville, TN.


If you go to this link and click on the 6-14-11 podcast in the Plain Jane Wisdom box, it will bring up the interview.

These hosts, Devon O'Day and Kim McLean, were wonderful, warm, fun women. I was honored to be on their show.

UPDATE: WorldNetDaily posted this on their website. Cool! I didn't know they were going to do this!

I had the loveliest radio interview yesterday with station WLAC in Nashville, TN hosted by Devon O'Day and Kim McLean. It was for a program called Plain Jane Wisdom and we discussed the Simplicity Primer. These women made me feel comfortable right away -- very down to earth -- and the program will air tonight (June 14) at 7 pm Central on station 1510 AM.


I hope everyone in the area can listen!

UPDATE: My PR adviser gave me the link to listen live to WLAC tonight, 7 pm Central. Just go to that page and click “Listen Live." The podcast will be at www.plainjanewisdom.com

I was invited to be a guest once more on Chris Levels' radio show, Politics and Prophecy, broadcast on WSNL out of Flint, Michigan.  Mr. Levels, as you may remember, is the kind and patient host whose program last March got me over my petrifying fear of being on the radio.

The funny thing was, I didn't even have time to get scared with this interview because I thought the radio program was today (Thursday) but in fact it was yesterday.  At 6:55 a.m. yesterday morning the phone rang.  Wondering who on earth could be calling so early, I ran down to answer it and found myself speaking to the charming young woman who is the station's sound tech.  So within fifteen minutes I was on the air!  No time to get nervous!  It was great!

Chris and I discussed a number of issues, including the TSA (cough) "security" requirements, WikiLeaks, and other subjects.  He hopes to have me on again in the near future to discuss SB 510 (the Food Safety Modernization Act) among other issues.

Thank you Chris for once again being the perfect host!

Just as a reminder, I'll be on BlogTalkRadio tonight with Darrel Mulloy.  He wrote this way too flattering introduction as follows:

Wanna hear something cool?

You might remember a few months ago I had two BlogTalkRadio interviews with Paul Wald of SaltCreekLife.

Well Paul was in Kansas City recently, and he visited the Kansas City Renaissance Festival and saw our booth!  KC, as we call it, is the cause of all our recent busyness.  Our booth managers Tess and D are a husband/wife team who have been selling our tankards for well over a decade.  Together they are the most awesome sales team on the planet.

Anyway, Paul took the following photos and gave me permission to post them here.


Thanks, Paul!