Christopher discusses "Tending the Wild" by M. Kat Anderson

Christopher Nyerges Channel... on "Survival Skills of Native California"

"... Why Americans Love Russians."

A Lesson in Persistence

By Christopher Nyerges

[Nyerges is the author of “How to Survive Anywhere,” “Extreme Simplicity: Homesteading in the City,” and 10 other books. He has led wilderness classes since 1974. For information on his books and classes, contact him at www.ChristopherNyerges.com or Box 41834, Eagle Rock, CA 90041]

            Our small group had just finished a wild food class at a picnic area in the Angeles National Forest.  We’d collected wild morels, miner’s lettuce, chickweed, and other greens, and we cooked up a superb four course meal.  We made our fire the old-fashioned way, using a hand drill.

            We discussed various survival skills, including how we might survive after a major tsunami.  Finally, we hiked out to the parking area, only to discover that one of our group had forgotten her keys inside her locked car.

            Thus began another “survival exercise.”

            We found a weak clothes hanger in the parking lot, and tried to open the door.  But we couldn’t get a grip on the flat door lock knob.  The knob didn’t have the little bump on the top that makes it easy to grab with a clothes hanger. 

            A passerby decided to try, and he worked the driver’s side window. Another passerby found a heavier coat hanger in his car trunk and began to try again on the passenger side.  It was easy enough to get the wire into the car, but it was hard to manipulate it onto the little protruding flat button. 

            Three Russian men, who had been picnicking down by the river with their families, saw the action and came over to the locked car.  They brought a flat aluminum tent stake with them, and then proceeded to use it like a slim jim.  I spoke with the one Russian who had some mastery of English.  He was the shortest of the group, with a large grin, and nearly bald.  He smiled as he told me that they could do it.

            The three of them spoke loudly and animatedly about what they were about to do, and then one slipped the aluminum bar into the door siding, hoping to engage the linkage from the latch to the knob, and open the door.  They tried this on the outside, and then into the inside of the door, and they were unable to capture the linkage.  The short Russian explained that the linkage was probably in some sort of internal cover.  They then moved over the drivers side, trying once again to grab the linkage.  This went on for about 20 minutes without success.

            A Japanese passerby watched for awhile, and then politely explained that it might be possible to open a Toyota door if someone had another Toyota key.  He explained how he has many times opened Toyota doors, by taking any Toyota key and jiggling it a certain way in the keyhole. Someone else produced a Toyota key, and 10 minutes of jiggling did not open the door.

            All this time the two coat hangers had been passed to at least five different individuals who each tried to open the door.  The doors remained locked.

            The three Russians persisted with one method after another to enter the car.  It was obviously a challenge to them, and they showed no signs of frustration or desire to quit.  It was a puzzle to be solved, an obstacle to be overcome.  Failure was not an option.
 

            They attempted to grab the linkage, but it didn’t work.  They managed to push a button inside the car which should have opened the door. It didn’t  They actually grabbed the inside latch, and managed to pull it outward, but could not leverage enough to open the door.  They attempted to go into the outside door handle, and through the trunk key hole.  No success.

            These three casually-dressed men constantly spoke in Russian amongst themselves as they moved around the car trying each method.  We could not tell if they were arguing or problem-solving.  But clearly, at this moment, all that mattered was getting into the car.

            A teenager walked up with backwards hat and pants falling down.   He walked with an arrogance towards the car.  One observer yelled out, “I’ve got my money on the kid!”   The teenager took the clothes hanger and worked on the driver’s side for all of five minutes before quitting in defeat.  The Russians persisted.

            I had someone drive the car’s owner up out of the canyon so she could get coverage on her cell phone and call emergency road service for a locksmith.  I waited, as the Russians continued, and one after another man would step up to the car and try his hand and opening the door.  They each looked like the types of guys you’d see in a police line-up, so you’d think they could open the door. But none of them succeeded.

            All along, the Russians continued, discussing each aspect of their task amongst themselves, as they tried tactic after tactic.

            By now, about 55 minutes had elapsed and perhaps 20 individuals had tried to open to locked door.  A tall fourth Russian, who’d been down by the river with his family, came over and joined the other three. The tall Russian didn’t say very much, but he carefully examined the situation.  He took the stiff wire clothes hanger, and began making a series of very careful bends and angles as the other three Russians animatedly spoke among themselves about what the forth man was doing.

            The tall Russian quietly and carefully slipped the wire into the car, and managed to slip the end of it between the knob and the glass, and then exerting just the right amount of tension in the right direction, he freed the knob and the door was open.  The small crowd cheered in that parking lot in the Angeles National Forest, and everyone was shaking hands with the Russians.

            With the broadest possible grin, the short Russians said to me, “This is why Americans love Russians.”  Then they disappeared back down to their families and I drove the car out of the canyon to where the owner was waiting, with no emergency road service in sight.

            Before we departed, three of us discussed what had just happened, and the value of “urban” survival skills –such as locksmithing.  We also discussed those Russians, and their unique character of not quitting easily, when all the “average Americans” gave up easily.  And though they all wore obviously American clothes with obvious makers’ mark such as Nike and Tomy Hilfinger, they had a certain nitty-gritty quality about themselves that told me they’d be far more likely to survive in an emergency – be it urban or in the wilderness –than any of the polite, proper, and nice people. 

            It’s hard to say with precision what the short Russian meant by his statement “that’s why Americans love  Russians,” but we certainly admired their persistence and willingness to help someone else with no promise of any “reward” but a handshake.  Those are good character traits that we could use more of.

           

Christopher Nyerges Channel... Christopher talks with Alan Halcon

Christopher Nyerges Channel... on Christopher's "Enter the Forest" book

Christopher Nyerges Channel... Christopher's early botanical influences.

Considering the Relative Shortness of Life…

It is always best to tell your friends how much you love them when they are alive – not after they have died!

In my book, “Til Death Do Us Part?”, I share many of our stories of how to deal with the death of close loved ones in an enlightened way. We also talk about how important it is to support the survivors – spouses especially.  The book is full of lots of unique ways to deal with death, and very interesting reading.

After Dolores died, a friend offered this saying, suggesting that we all interact with each other with this sort of message:

FARE WELL SONG TOO-SELDOM SUNG

This could be the last time that I see you;

either you or I could die before we meet again;

so please know that I deep-admire your admirable traits

and laud your ceaseless efforts to perfect your soul

and elevate your character (and that of everyone you interact with).

I hope we interact again (in this life or the next);

but if we don’t

I want that you should know

my heart has been enriched by having had you in my life

and hereby do I wish you Godspeed

in your up-and-onward sojourn through Eternity.

This, and many other unique stories and ideas, are in the “Til Death Do Us Part?” book, available at Kindle, or at the Store at www.ChristopherNyerges.com as a pdf.  Please get a copy and let us know what you think.

How to Survive Anywhere, 2nd edition

The second revised edition of my “How to Survive Anywhere” book has just been released, and you’re really going to enjoy it.

Some of the noteworthy points in this new edition include recognizing George Michaud for having figured out how the ancient promontory peg was used, and a mention of how Alan Halcon made fire with the hand drill in two seconds!

When the book was originally written, I wanted a guide that would be useful in all circumstances, with the basics that I’d learned and acquired from a lifetime of study, application, and research.  That’s why I didn’t focus on scenarios, per se, but rather the basics that must always be taken into account in order to live and survive any situation, anywhere.

The book addresses the basics of water, water purification, finding water, and storing water. It includes all the ways to make a fire when you have no matches, and ways to cook including how to make a low-cost solar oven.  There is a whole chapter on health and hygience, something I rarely see in a “survival” book.  We cover how to make alternate toilets, and the many soaps that are found in the wild.

Clothing and the many possible fabrics is addressed, and some patterns are provided in the book for making your own clothing.  Shelters are discussed, and there are plenty of photos and drawings to assist you in making your own shelter, should the need ever arise.   There is also a whole chapter on natural fibres, and how to  make twine, braids, sandals, baskets, etc. This is truly a lost art.

Food in the city and food in the wilderness are both addressed, along with a list of some of the most common, readily recognizable wild plants. Traditional hunting methods are discussed, such as deadfalls, snares, and bows. 

There are chapters on first aid and navigation with some unique information, but those chapters are kept deliberately short since there are so many good references on those two topics.

Of course, my favorite chapter is the last, “What is Survival?” where I describe that survival is not just about having stuff, but about a mindset and way of life.

This revised 2^nd edition is 32 pages longer with lots of new graphics, including chapter summaries inside an acorn, called “In a Nutshell.”  There are new charts for the four mechanisms that create fire, and the four ways in which water is purified.

The books is available wherever books are sold, like Amazon, and copies can be obtained from the store at www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com.

Low-Budget Camping

[Christopher Nyerges is the author of  books on the outdoors, including How To Survive Anywhere.  He regularly teaches self-reliance and wild food classes, and he blogs at www.ChristopherNyerges.com.  A schedule of his classes is available from School of Self-Reliance, Box 41834, Eagle Rock, CA 90041.]

Some time ago, an editor of a magazine called and asked me to write an article for his readers about “low budget camping.”  My first question was, “What do you mean by low-budget?”

He thought about it for awhile, and then told me to keep the total shopping list under $2,000.  Wow!  That’s low-budget?  He then explained that he was assuming that the reader had absolutely no equipment at all, and he or she would have to go out and purchase everything from scratch. 

I eventually wrote the article, entitled “Backpacking on a Shoestring,” and everything I suggested could be purchased for under $300 or so, if you followed my instructions.

However, I had to think back when I was 10 or so, and how my brothers and I got interested in hiking and backpacking in the Angeles National Forest.  Even if we couldn’t get a parent to drive us, we could just walk outside our door and in a short while through Altadena we were in the mountains.  We certainly enjoyed exploring the hilltops and valleys and hidden canyons.  That appeals to everyone.  But unlike so many of the urban attractions, we knew that we could do our mountain exploring without ever having to pass through a ticket booth where someone collects an admission fee.  For all practical purposes, the mountains belonged to the people and they were free for anyone to enter and explore.  And for us at that age, that was critically important.  We didn’t go hiking on a “low-budget.”  We didn’t even know what the word “budget” meant.  We went hiking and backpacking on NO budget.  We had no money and none was needed to head to the hills. 

Over the years, of course, I have gradually acquired camping gear that works for me, and that I feel is worth having.  I don’t mind spending extra money on an item if I know it’s the best and if my life can depend on it.  On the other hand, to this day I don’t care much for useless gadgets that just take up space and add weight to the pack.  I like to go as light as I possibly can.

So, I thought that readers would enjoy hearing how we went hiking on no budget.  Some of you will chuckle at our youthful enthusiasm and silliness.  A few of you might even think we had a few good ideas.

CLOTHING

We NEVER purchased special clothes, designed for hiking or backpacking.  We just wore what we called our “play clothes” -- clothes that we didn’t worry about getting dirty or torn, but durable enough for a weekend or a week in the hills.  We simply dressed for the season, and took an extra sweatshirt along if it was cold. 

The one area that could have used improving was footwear.  I usually had poor footwear on the trails, but I never let it bother me.  The worst time was when I had some old suede shoes while hiking in the snow.  My feet were wet and cold the whole time, so I was either constantly moving or sitting by the fire all the time.  Eventually, I learned that you could put a plastic bag over your socks and keep your feet sort-of dry in the winter. 

But since most of our hiking was in fair weather, wearing our “city shoes” into the hills was usually not a problem.

KNIFE

Heck, every kitchen has a knife, doesn’t it?  We just wrapped a small kitchen knife in a piece of cardboard for safety and put it in with our gear.  Eventually, we received Boy Scout knives as gifts one Christmas, and we carried them all the time.  Now, I wouldn’t leave home without a Swiss Amy knife.

MESS KIT

Why would we need to go out and buy something special just for hiking and backpacking when every kitchen in the world -- well, at least OUR kitchen -- had dishes and silverware and pots?  We’d pack an old pan and pot, and would sometimes just carry an old pie pan and an empty can.  We reasoned that with the pie pan and can, we could crush them and bury them before returning home and wouldn’t need to carry them back.  We’d also grab a few plastic forks and spoons, and maybe an old metal one. 

Nothing more was needed.

CANTEEN

Back in the mid-1960s, plastic wasn’t as ubiquitous as it is today, and the plastic that was around back then was low quality.  So we didn’t have plastic containers to use for water.  On occasions, I actually carried a glass mayonnaise jar as my canteen, and I wrapped it with cardboard so it would be protected.  Eventually, I spent about $1 and purchased a metal WWII canteen.  It was a very good investment.  

However, we tried to plan so many of our hikes around the known water sources, that I never bothered to carry a canteen half the time. 

Today, inexpensive water containers can be obtained just about anywhere, so humanity seems to have solved this problem.

STOVE

Stove?  We simply cooked right on the flames of our small camp fire.  I’ve never carried a stove -- to this day!

FLASHLIGHT

Sometimes we’d find a flashlight in a drawer at home but more often than not it simply didn’t work.  Perhaps the batteries were no good.  So I never got addicted to needing a flashlight at night.  Did you know that the average adult has the ability to see in the darkness almost as good as an owl after 30 minutes in the dark?

LANTERN

Lantern?  We had NO budget.  If we had a lantern, we’d have to buy fuel and wicks and stuff called “misc.”  However, on some occasions, we actually carried an old soup can.  We cut out both ends of the can, and put an old clothes hanger through the can for a handle.  Then we cut a hole in the side of the can, and inserted a candle.  That was our “lantern.”

Another variation of the can-lantern is to cut open an aluminum can so that, when standing upright, it appears to have two “doors.”  You then hang the can by the pop-top, put a candle inside, and you have a lantern.  If made properly, the wind will catch the doors and turn the candle away from the wind.  I learned about this from fellow survival instructor Ron Hood.

WALKING STICK

Though we have marveled at the beautifully-carved walking sticks at backpacking stores, we never even came close to buying one.  For one thing, after you spend $40 for a beautiful stick, who wants to mess it up on the trail.  Additionally, we discovered that there was never a shortage of sticks in the woods which could serve as a walking stick.

TENT

Tent?  Those are heavy and expensive.  I have never carried one.  The closest I have ever come to packing a tent was when I used tube tents a few times in the early to mid-1970s.  But otherwise, you can usually avoid the need for a tent if you simply pick your campsite well.

MAP AND COMPASS

Get real!  We simply went up to the mountains and followed the trails, and often had no idea where we were going, other than some obscure rumor from someone that a friend of a friend talked to and suggested that maybe this particular trail actually led to some really good place.  It all sounds very silly and imprecise as I think back on it, but that’s how we did things.

After awhile, we got to know more and more of our local trails and we would go back to our favorite spots again and again, day or night, summer or winter.  No map or compass was ever needed, and we never got lost.

FIRE STARTER

We would take book matches that we got for free at the local supermarket, and stick matches from our parents kitchen, and wrap them up in several wrappings of plastic.  Back then, there were no Bics, no magnesium fire starters, and none of the high-tech devices that today assure fire for even the village idiot.

FOOD

Food in the backpacking shops always seems to cost too much.  Freeze-dried, specially portioned exotic meals, MREs, special candy bars, juices, etc. etc.  Why?  We would just go to  the supermarket and purchase dry things like rice and buckwheat groats and spaghetti.  Then we purchased dry soup mixes and instant potatoes. Then we’d get a bottle of dried spices, and then some nuts and seeds, and some fresh fruit like apples and avocadoes and perhaps some cheese.  After awhile, you have good food at a reasonable cost. 

But in the very beginning -- as I said, we had NO budget -- we just looked through our parents’ cupboards and picked out anything that was dry and light and that we thought we might like.  Doesn’t every kitchen cupboard in the world have at least enough odds and ends to make a few decent trail meals for a week or so?  Ours always did.  And though some of our meals were very slim, it was partly because we didn’t want to carry any more weight than was absolutely necessary.  Which is why I have pursued the study of wild edible plants for most of my life -- but that’s another story.

Some of these ways that we did things might help some of you to keep the weight in your pack as low as possible, and to retain as much money as possible.  I have always believed that simple enjoyment of the outdoors should be as unadorned as possible.  Part of the attraction -- to me -- is to be in the outdoors where you can think and be with your self and your friends.  Why clutter it up with all the overpriced gimmicks and gadgets that take up weight and occupy too much of your time?   

I’d like to hear from readers who have unique low-cost camping methods to share. 

Christopher discusses Mugwort

Reviewing "Guide to Wild Food and Useful Plants" by Christopher Nyerges

Interviewing Justin Farmer

Seeking Paradise: How and Where does one look?

Christopher Nyerges

[Nyerges is the author of such books as “Self-Sufficient Home,” “Extreme Simplicity,” “How to Survive Anywhere,” and “Guide to Wild Foods.” He has been teaching self-reliance skills since 1974.  He can be reached at Box 41834, Eagle Rock, CA 90041, or www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com.]

At one time, life stretched out like eternity, like the last scene from “The Good, The Bad, The Ugly,” where you knew there were winners and losers and fools, and you hoped desperately that you’d be a winner. Well, at least a good guy. That’s the perspective of a child, seeing the world through simplistic eyes, black and white, good and bad, right and wrong. That’s good, really, but as Mark Twain once noted, there is enough good in the worst of us, and enough bad in the best of us, that we should quit pretending and start working together. At least Twain said something like that, and what he meant was that only in movies and childhood dreams do we ever get to see absolute clarity which doesn’t exist in the real world.

In childhood, I assumed that the older bodies also contained minds that were more developed, and advanced, and therefore more objective and mature. I assumed that parents were the fair arbiters of disputes and that elected officials took those positions because they cared about the good of the people they represented.  I believed in the Jimmy Stewart world of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” even though I never found it.

I believed that there must be a sanctuary of sanity somewhere where people practiced lives of sanity and non-prejudice, and where fraud and cheating were unheard of.  I lived on a farm for awhile right after high school, and I felt that perhaps there, in the rough existence where your work resulted in a very tangible result that supported your existence, it was hard to cheat and defraud, and the folks had pride in their skills, their

sense of community, and their honesty.

Could the urbanization of the world be part of the culprit in our fall from grace?  Perhaps. 

But it’s still no excuse.  Even if I never found Shangra-la on earth, I have not stopped believing in the principles by which such a place must exist. For example, you must keep your word.  Yes, printed papers are OK for poor memories, and for those who are inclined to twist the words later to mean something else from the original intent. But when you twist your word, and bend your word, you bend your very soul, and you dis-integrate your very integrity.  That’s why my father always said to keep your word, that a person is only as good as their word. Even in middle-class Pasadena, my father knew that there was an ineffable something about the giving and keeping of your word. In Shangri-la, you would always keep your word.

In my vision of Paradise, there would be work, but the god that we all trusted wouldn’t be money.  Money, or some version of it, seems inescapable for daily commerce and for converting your work and time into a medium of useful, recognizable exchange. But in Paradise, money would naturally be a tool to assist others to get their own enterprises going, and to provide for the common good.  People would not be obsessed by money and would not be driven by the desire for money. Killing for money would be unheard of.

Work must have a tangible result, within the framework of a goal.  A person must naturally feel uplifted by doing one’s work, and when one knowingly works at a menial and pointless job to fulfill someone else’s desires and goals, it’s hard to feel uplifted. 

Of course, bits and pieces of this Shangra-la exist right now, everywhere, in most people.  I believe that everyone has an innate desire to find rightness, and even fairness, and everyone ultimately recognizes the objective reality of the Law of Thought, that what you think and what you do has ramifications that are scientific result of those specific thoughts and actions. 

If you inwardly believe in the possibility of a Paradise on earth, you must start to grasp those principles of living and thinking that lead to Shangri-La. And though you must do so personally, on your own, it is fortunate that there are others, if you can find them, who are also seeking a higher road.

Shangri-La is not a place that you find, but rather, a place that you earn the right to be a part of, by the evolution of your thought and actions.  What does that mean? What must someone do?  Again, the answers are everywhere, hidden in plain view.  They go by such names as learning to think, separating feeling from emotions, distinguishing empathy from sympathy, learning to use words precisely, working hard to see world events objectively, and not subjectively based on your personal cultural bias.  It means learning the practical value and living the precepts taught by all the great Way-showers of history, from all cultures. Ever heard of the Golden Rule?  That’s a good place to start.  How about the 10 Commandments?  Another good starting point.

One winter night during high school, my friend Nathaniel and I bicycled into a little side canyon of the Angeles National Forest, and we made a safe little fire in our campground and talked about the meaning of life and how we thought that civilization might fail.  It had never occurred to us that we are barely civilized now, and we only believe we are “civilized” because of our material wealth and technological toys.  We bemoaned the fact that society is on the fast road to uncivil barbarousness, and wondered what could be done, and what should be done.

We always toyed with the idea of becoming hermits and hiding out in a cave somewhere, but both of us were way too social to live out our lives in a cave. By whatever choices we made, we felt that everyone should be a good example, and no one should assume that there is no hope for the future. Our civility, our culture, our sense of civilization, after all, is an internal concept that we first keep alive inside our thinking.  Once that flame is bright within, it is proper to share with others, and attempt to be a part of the solution to the many problems we see all around.

The Funeral for my Pittbull Cassius Clay

“The Character of a Nation is determined by how its animals are treated” Ghandi

by Christopher Nyerges

[Nyerges is the author of “Extreme Simplicity,” “Self-Sufficient Home,” and other books. He can be contacted at www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com.]

Everyone who has a close pet knows that the dog or cat becomes a part of the family, no longer a mere “animal.”  And everyone whose close dog or cat dies, typically feels the same pain – sometimes even deeper – as if a human close friend has died.  Love knows no boundaries and we develop ties with humans and other animals.

The world is full of stories, and monuments, and books devoted to a favorite dog or cat, which is evidence that these beings are indeed close to our hearts.

I once heard  radio host Dennis Prager claim – who apparently had no pets – that it is only those people who have not developed deep human relationships who become very close to their pets, as if the animal relationship is their stepping-stone to a “real” human relationship. Such a statement could only be made by someone who has never experienced a close animal relationship, or he would not have made such an erroneous statement.  (To be fair to Mr. Prager, it’s certainly possible that some close animal-human relationships develop because the person did lack the ability to have close human relationships.)

My perspective is that those who have the ability to enter into a close relationship with an animal have even more developed feelings than the average person.  These animal relationships develop not because of a lack in some area, but because of a greater development in the area of feeling and caring.  That’s how I see it anyway.

So, of my many close animal friends, Cassius Clay, my purple ribbon pitt bull who I loved, died at age 17 on Easter Sunday, 2008.  I’d grown so close to him, and my daily schedule was so structured around him, that I could barely believe he was gone. It was devastating on certain levels, and like when anyone you love dies, suddenly, for awhile, the world is a very dark and dreary place.

In the few days after he died, I reviewed in my mind all the things that he “taught” me, and all the ways in which I felt I became a better person because of Cassius.  I know regular folks don’t think that dogs “talk,” but that’s because most folks believe that language is entirely linguistic, when in fact, words are just one small part of communication.  Cassius talked to me regularly, with the tone of his voice, his eyes, his sounds, his body motions.  I learned to listen and generally understood what he was “saying.”

I buried him in a section of a nature preserve in Highland Park, and invited a few friends to join me in a little ceremony.  I’d planned to plant some herbs over his grave, talk about Cassius, show some pictures, and maybe let people who knew Cassius say a thing or two.

I was overwhelmed with the approximately three dozen people who showed up in the hilly amphitheater section of the property, and, with some friends, we set out chairs and laid down carpets so everyone could join us somewhat comfortably.  I know that many who came never met Cassius, so they came to join me in my saying goodbye to my friend.

I shared some highlights of how Cassius came into my life, and showed pictures, and we had some music. With so many people, I was uncertain how to proceed, but I began to ask people to share their experiences with Cassius, and if they never met him, to share their experiences with their own close animal friend.

It took over an hour for everyone to share their stories, and it was a tearful event even for people who didn’t know Cassius. Many shared stories of animals that were every bit a part of  the family, and how their relationship with that animal was life-enhancing.

When done, I passed out a little leaflet about Cassius, just like you might get when you went to a human funeral or wake.  And then I invited people to plant various flowers and herbs over Cassius’s grave, and to water those plants.

For me, it was a necessary part of the transition of life to death, to take the time to acknowledge a friend. As a child, I recall when our pet dog died, it was taken to the vet who then somehow “disposed” of it. I vowed to never do that again, not to a family member, and not to a pet. 

Death is part of life, and it does not mean we should forget.  Life goes on, but we should never forget the value that others had in shaping our character, and making our life worth living.

BOOK REVIEW: "Practical Self-Reliance" by John McCann

“Practical Self-Reliance: Reducing Your Dependency on Others,” a new book by John McCann.

It’s good to know that in today’s world with war and rumors of war, accelerating environmental degradation, the ruin of the dollar, and inept and corrupt leaders “running the world,” more and more people are at least waking up to the fact that “we the people” means you and I.  The move towards practical self-reliance is not just a fad, but it’s a reaction to very real problems and issues in the world that threaten our well-being and the safety of our families and neighborhoods.  At the most basic level, we are realizing that the most functional definition of “the government” is also you and I, and we had better realize that quickly.

Part of this rational mindset is the attempt by many to self-govern: to do as much as they can to provide some of their own food, their own power, and many of the supplies they need.  No, this is not referring to “farming,” but rather a complete mindset which any urban dweller can and should adopt of being responsible for your own domain.

John McCann’s latest book provides a useful no-nonsense guide to becoming more self-reliant, from a man who has also taught wilderness survival.

Naturally, McCann points out the necessity of ascertaining need from want, a great starting point.

He addresses all the ways to get food. Yes, grow as much as you can, and grow plants appropriate to your locale. But what if you live in an apartment?  Try joining a neighborhood garden. And try supporting local farmers markets. Learn about wild foods.

McCann also provides us with a variety of ways to store food and water in case of an emergency, and multiple ways to prepare your meals in the back yard. Ever heard of a solar oven?  These are very practical for most of the U.S., and some can be made for very little outlay of cash.

Lots of things can be recycled (“repurposed” is the current hip way to refer to this) into practical and useful items, once we get over our foolish pride that everything must be new from Target.  My father and grandfather would enjoy McCann’s section of the tools needed to make and fix everything around your home and homestead.

I liked the section explaining how to make a simple slush lamp (basically, an oil lamp) from an old wine bottle which has a wick stuck into it.

Everything you need to know about water purification, water storage, alternate toilets, compost toilets, is detailed in this heavily-illustrated book.

There’s a good section on alternate sources of electricity, not how to get off the grid, but how to start using solar electricity little by little within a budget.

Perhaps the section that we should all read carefully is Chapter 9, “Don’t Bank on Banks.”  No, it’s not a rant against the establishment, just some common-sense reality about what to do when the banking system fails.  Even a short-term electrical blackout renders all  your ATMs and electronic money moot.  Remember that cash is king, and learn to barter with useful items and skills.

This book made me smile often, since it was reminiscent of my 2002 book, “Extreme Simplicity: Homesteading in the City,” where my wife Dolores and I described our efforts to live in a normal suburban yard and live as self-sufficiently as possible.  John McCann’s book, and my book, make a wonderful complementary package.

Practical Self-Reliance is available from  Kindle at Amazon.com at $9.95.  The print edition can be purchased directly from John McCann at www.survivalresources.com or from Amazon.com.

BATS: An Ecological Method of Insect Control

Tips for installing a bat house

Many people believe that bats are dangerous because they’ve been watching too many movies.  In fact, bats are an important way to control insects.  They do eat mosquitoes too, but  this part of their reputation is a bit over-rated because bats tend to fly a bit higher than mosquitoes. Still, they do eat mosquitoes.  Encouraging bats to live around your place is an easy, natural way to control unwanted insect populations.  In nature, bats would reside in hollow trees, which are abundant in the forest, but less common in the urban areas. 

This is why you’ll probably need to install a bat house if you want to encourage them to live around your place.  Bat houses can be purchased at garden supply shops and on-line catalogs.  They can also be made from scrap lumber, and rough lumber is better because bats need something to cling onto.

The location of your bat house is important because bats are a bit choosey as to where they make their home. Just tacking a bat house up on the wall doesn’t guarantee that bats will occupy it.  Bat Conservation International offers a few suggestions for properly installing a bat house.

Make sure that the bat house gets a lot of sunlight. The bats don’t like the sunlight, per se, but they need the warmth to raise their young. So a bat house should be situated where it get a lot of sun, ideally on a free-standing pole if possible.  The bat house can also be painted black to help with heat retention.

Bats are more likely to occupy a house that is about 15 to 20 feet above the ground.  A pre-made bat house should be well-anchored to the house, or pole, and studies have shown that the bats are less likely to use the pre-made house that is anchored to a tree. 

Make sure there are no obstructions to the entry of the bat house within 20 feet. 

Assuming you’ve done all this, you should still give the bats time to notice the house.  If  there are no bats in the house within two years, try moving it to another location. 

Even if bats occupy the house you’ve provided for them, don’t expect miracles. They are not going to reduce your mosquito population to zero, but they will eat mosquitoes and other insects, and you won’t have to use harmful insecticides on your property to take advantage of their free service.

And because the needs of bats are very specific, it turns out that many bat house that are pre-made are not ideal.  Bat Conservation International provides a list of bat house manufacturers which conform to the needs of bats. They also provide free plans for building your own. Just check their web site at www.batcon.org.

"Searching for the Meaning of Life" -- a book excerpt

This is just an short excerpt from a book on Kindle: "Searching for The Meaning of Life in the City of Angels" by Victor Woodenturtle. It's about 300 pages. This section is where they are talking about reincarnation.

 

“Very interesting,” said Joe, “and it really makes me think about it.  I’m not exactly saying I disagree with you.  I’m just saying, there’s still no proof.  Even with all these stories.  I’ll think about it all, but I still see no reason to believe in reincarnation.”

Laughing Bear asked, “What exactly would you accept as proof?”

Joe quickly said, “Well, no one really knows what happens after you die.  No one has ever come back to tell us about what happens after death.”

This caused instant laughter among half the participants.

When the ruckus died down, Laughing Bear said, “How do you know that?  Lots of people have talked about past lives, and having died and come back to life, and having interacted with ghosts.  But what happens? Our biased, body-mind driven media labels them all as hoaxes, quacks, liars.  Why would a sincere person expose themselves to such indignity?”  After a pause, Laughing Bear added, “What you’re really saying – and this is really OK – is that you, personally, have no knowledge of the afterlife.  That is OK.  We’re trying our best to open your eyes.”

No one had anything more to add, and Shining Bear began putting away his papers that he carried to our gathering spot under the huge arching oak tree.  We never did get to the lesson about the Brahman Chronology and the description of the vast periods of time in a Maha Yuga.

As there was nothing to be gained by trying to convince anyone about anything, especially if they clearly assert their opinion or belief in something else. Shining Bear continued to pack up as others did likewise.

“Remember,” said Shining Bear, “that our opinion of how the universe operates does not affect the universe continuing to so operate.”

Joe retorted with an air of authority, saying  “Truth is never established by proclaiming it.”

“Ahhh,” said Shining Bear, as he got up and walked away.

"Foraging California" -- the latest book by Nyerges

“Foraging California: Finding, Identifying, and Preparing Edible Wild Foods in California,” is a Falcon Field Guide by Christopher Nyerges, the latest of Nyerges’ books, just released in late May of 2014. The 244 page book is full color, and is organized by plant family, according to the latest Jepson Manual (“Higher Plants of California”).

I began my interest in the use of wild plants when I was approximately 10 years old, trying to discover the practical applications of how Native Americans once lived without the benefit of supermarkets, hardware stores, or hospitals.  Everything was obtained from the land, and that was mostly from plants.

As I entered high school, and even worked at the local library, I found few resources for study.  There were no videos then, and very few of the plant books were in color.  There was no internet.  So I took botany classes, went to lectures, and made friends with the local botanists. Many times I rode my bicycle across town to learn just one new plant.

I compiled my various notes, and with the assistance of friends, that pile of notes became my very first book, “Guide to Wild Foods.”  I felt I’d arrived early one Saturday morning when I heard Dorothy Poole reading from my book on the American Indian Hour that used to appear on KPCC.

After 40 years of teaching these skills, and 10 books later, I was asked by the publisher of guide books to produce a book exclusively on the edible plants of California.  The book is  “Foraging California,” with a foreword by Paul Campbell (author of “Survival Skills of Native California”), and I dedicated it to my teacher and mentor, Dr. Leonid Enari, who taught that the way to learn about plants was to understand their familial relationships.  Based on the methods I learned by Dr. Enari, I emphasize in this book that there are many safe families, and that there are many more foods beyond what is in this illustrated book.

The book includes a map of the state of California, showing the distribution of wild foods by environment. Also included are nutritional charts, a chart for wild bread and wild sugar sources, and the wild food test which I use in the classroom.

Whereas my “Guide to Wild Foods” book goes much more in-depth into individual plants, “Foraging California” presents a much broader view of edible plants, in the context of their families. 

Because this new book contains all color photographs, I had to go out on many expeditions to get photos at just the right time. This was not an easy task, considering that California has experienced two drier than usual winters, which results in a lot less flora.   Still, Rick Adams and I managed to get out many times to the desert, ocean, and other areas to capture some of the photos you now see in this beautiful book.

Another friend, Pascal Baudar, also participated in this book. Baudar, and his girlfriend Mia Wasilevich, practice gourmet cooking with wild foods.  They kindly contributed many of their unique recipes which appear throughout this book.

Nyerges can be reached at www.ChristopherNyerges.com , or School of Self-reliance, Box 41834, Eagle Rock, CA 90041.  “Foraging California” is available wherever books are sold, including Amazon, and the Store at www.ChristopherNyerges.com.

"Guide To Wild Foods" just released in all color photo edition

WHY I WROTE MY BOOKS

Guide to Wild Foods and Useful Plants

[Nyerges’ “Guide to Wild Foods” book, originally published in 1978, has been released in the spring of 2014 in full color.  The book is available at bookstores, Amazon, and at www.ChristopherNyerges.com.  It has even been adopted for use as a college textbook in one college.]

My earliest interest in wild food began around 1967 or so as I began my awareness that Native Americans who lived in Los Angeles County in the pre-Spanish era gathered and hunted all their food.  I wanted to do that too, because I thought I would be a good survival skill, and mostly because I thought it was one of the most essential things a person could do.

I studied all I could from the local library, and by enrolling in botany classes in high school and then college. I made the effort to study with whomever I could, when the opportunities arose: Native Americans, Amish, gardeners, botanists, bums -- whoever knew about plants and was willing to share their knowledge with me.

By 1974, I was asked to lead Wild Food Outings with the Los Angeles-based non-profit, WTI, whose focus was to educate in all aspects of survival. I fit in well, and not only led the walks (and continued to this day) but started work on a book about local wild foods.  It took the next four years of typing and researching and asking questions and compiling notes, but finally my stacks of seemingly-random notes were taking shape into a book.

My notes consisted of various piles of paperwork that I stacked around my bedroom, and which I finally began to order when I started a typesetting job at the Altadena Chronicle.  The editor, Sue Redman, allowed me to write a column each week which I called “The Emergency Plant Survival Guide,” which was eventually assembled into a photocopied 8 ½ x 11 format.   In many ways, since I have always used my own book for looking things up, I wrote the book to assemble my own diverse notes and experiences about using plants for food, and other uses.

And by then, I’d met and began studying with botanist Dr. Leonid Enari, who really opened my eyes to the vast botanical world “out there.” Dr.Enari, as well as my mentor at WTI, were instrumental in shaping that very crude first edition of what we called “A Southern California’s Guide to Wild Foods.”

The second edition, completely revised, came out within another two years or so, and then soon another revised edition with more plants being added each time.

At the time, there was no other book like this one which appealed to the common useful plants in the Southern California area.  There were a few academic books, though they didn’t appeal to the person who wanted to actually try these plants. And there was no internet then, so all my research was done in libraries or with first-person interviews, or spending all day to get somewhere just so I could learn one new plant.

The fourth edition was released in 1995, and in many ways this was my favorite version since all the plants drawings were painstakingly done in my own hand.  After two printings of this version, the book came out with photos, though they were all black-and-white. Though this book always sold well, the photos were the weak area since they were not clear or large enough. 

And finally, in the spring of 2014, the book has been released in full color, which is perhaps the ultimate format we’d dreamed about in the mid-1970s when the idea for this book was formulated. But back then, the technology didn’t exist for relatively inexpensive color books, and we couldn’t afford it anyway.

It’s great to be able to make a meal from plants growing in the mountains or in your backyard. And it’s incredible to make sweet desserts and juices from cacti and wild fruits, following in the footsteps of our ancestors. I wrote the book to share with others that these things – and more -- are possible.

I hope that you enjoy the book, and that it benefits you in many ways.  If you have questions about the uses and identity of wild plants, please feel free to contact me.

"Squatter in Los Angeles" by Nyerges

Here's a review of my latest book, on Kindle and available from the Store at www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com.

 “Squatter in Los Angeles: Life on the Edge,” by Christopher Nyerges, is the true story of the author’s year and a half as a squatter in the Highland Park district  of Los Angeles.  Nyerges emphasizes that his book is not intended as a how-to guide, nor is it meant to encourage anyone to break any laws. “This happens to be the true story of what I did during a very influential time in my life.  I learned how to get more for less, and I realized – just like Thoreau at his pond in the woods – that we can live quite well and fulfilled if we attempt to differentiate our true needs from mere wants.”

Nyerges shares how he came to be a squatter, and some of the details of moving into an empty house. He describes the concern of never knowing when someone would come up the driveway and tell him to get out (which never quite happened), and how he took the time to learn about gardening, permaculture, recycling of resources and water recycling.



“It’s true I had no rent to pay so I was able to devote more time to learning things.  But I also had hardly any income, which made it clear to me why most people get regular jobs,” he says.



“Squatter in Los Angeles” is about 100 pages on Kindle, and it’s a fast moving story of the mixed experiences during this short period in the author’s life: dealing with a ghost, a near-death experience, learning how to recycle everything, learning how to dowse, insights into sustainable gardening, an emergency toilet test, and also a rain dance in August with rain the next day.  The book also includes a period of homelessness and how the author dealt with it, and what he learned from it.

According to Dude McLean, author of  "The Songwriters Survival Guide to Success,”

“Your story is filled with a lot of truth -- some might even be uncomfortable with it.  All that means is you have touched them in a manner they never thought of in the past.  Few authors make you think. They are writing to please others rather than being truthful to themselves.  I think this is a very interesting and unique book.  The book has a great lack of desperation.  I feel it is a very positive outlook. Good job!”

“Squatting in Los Angeles” is available as a Kindle download, and can also be purchased as Word document from the Store at www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com.

Nyerges is a naturalist who is mostly known for his books on wild foods, survival, and self-reliance, and his other books are available on Kindle, Amazon, and fine bookstores everywhere.  Nyerges is also a manager of the Old L.A. Farmers Market, every Tuesday 3 to 8 p.m., Ave. 58 at Figueroa in Highland Park.