If the original Barbie Girl sounded like this I might have liked it.

Victor de Andres is metal guitarist from Spain. His cover of Barbie Girl just rocks.

Turn it up!

Based off researching 3,000+ prepper blogs, guides, and campfire talk, we finally decided to start storing food. We've already solved our water, shelter, medical, and security issues. But we've sadly neglected a serious effort on food, other than cans and small furry animals.

Tonight we started with the tried & true mylar bag method with much success. Our plan is to make a 30 day food bucket, with a max of 3 buckets to start. Then add another bucket on a regular basis.

Because our family is small (2 adults/2 dogs) we wanted smaller portioned bags instead of the infamous SuperPail! Consequently we are using 1/2 and 1 gallon bags with the requisite 500cc oxygen sucker uppers. After sealing, the bags are going in food grade buckets with gamma lids.

Oh, I did lie about the infamous SuperPail. I apologize. We will be making 2 SuperPails, one with salt, and the other sugar. 

We plan on augmenting the dry goods with canned meats, seafood, and additional small furry animals.

Dry Foods:

• Potato Flakes
  
• Flour
  
• Corn Meal
  
• Oats
  
• Rice
  
• Elbows
  
• Beans (navy & pinto)
  
• Lentils
  
• Sugar
  
• Drink Mix
  
• Evap Milk
  
• Spices
  
• Salt
  

Obviously this is meant as an April's Fools joke. But as PT Barnum once said, "There's a sucker born every minute."

Gonzales Battle

The Battle of Gonzales was the last military engagement of the Texas Revolution. It was fought near Gonzales, Texas, on October 2, 1835, between rebellious Texan settlers and a detachment of Mexican army troops.

In 1831, Mexican authorities gave the settlers of Gonzales a small cannon to help protect them from frequent Comanche raids. Over the next four years, the political situation in Mexico deteriorated, and in 1835 several states revolted. As the unrest spread, Colonel Domingo de Ugartechea, the commander of all Mexican troops in Texas, felt it unwise to leave the residents of Gonzales a weapon and requested the return of the cannon.

When the initial request was refused, Ugartechea sent 100 dragoons to retrieve the cannon using peaceful means. The soldiers neared Gonzales on September 29, but the colonists used a variety of excuses to keep them from the town, while secretly sending messengers to request assistance from nearby communities. Within two days, up to 140 Texians gathered in Gonzales, all determined not to give up the cannon. 

On October 1, settlers voted to initiate a fight. Mexican soldiers opened fire as Texans approached their camp in the early hours of October 2. After several hours of desultory firing, Mexican soldiers withdrew.

Although the skirmish had little military significance, it marked a clear break between the colonists and the Mexican government and is considered to have been the start of the Texas Revolution. 

News of the skirmish spread throughout the United States, where it was often referred to as the "Lexington of Texas". The cannon's fate is disputed. It may have been buried and rediscovered in 1936, or it may have been seized by Mexican troops after the Battle of the Alamo.

Gadsden Flag

The American Revolutionary period was a time of intense but controlled individualism - when self-directing responsible individuals again and again decided for themselves what they should do, and did it- without needing anyone else to give them an assignment or supervise them in carrying it out.

Such a person was the patriot Colonel Christopher Gadsden of South Carolina. He had seen and liked a bright yellow banner with a hissing, coiled rattlesnake rising up in the center, and beneath the serpent the same words that appeared on the Striped Rattlesnake Flag - Don't Tread On Me. 

Colonel Gadsden made a copy of this flag and submitted the design to the Provincial Congress in South Carolina. Commodore Esek Hopkins, commander of the new Continental fleet, carried a similar flag in February, 1776, when his ships put to sea for the first time.

Hopkins captured large stores of British cannon and military supplies in the Bahamas. His cruise marked the salt-water baptism of the American Navy, and it saw the first landing of the Corps of Marines, on whose drums the Gadsden symbol was painted.

The flagpole project was great with no issues. After waiting impatiently I was able to raise my first flag, a Gonzales banner.

What a beautiful day for an outdoor project! After a few years of procrastination, I finally ordered and installed a flagpole. This was one of few projects where I only needed to visit Lowe's once. I couldn't believe it. Luckily, my best bud Dave, has knowledge in concrete and steered me correctly.

I settled on a 20' Sunsetter telescoping kit. I chose this kit because there is no hardware to clang, no ropes to tangle, and the flags do not furl. Valley Forge makes a cheaper, non-telescoping kit, but I read reviews where the lowest pole has bent over in a gust. 

I installed the pole in the inside corner of the sidewalk. We decided on the triangle shape to mimic the patriotic Tricorne. The concrete is pigmented with a buff color. Sadly, the only other choices were charcoal and terra cotta. I really wanted green to blend in, but I can always paint it later if necessary.

The instructions called for a 22" deep hole and 12" in diameter. Our isosceles triangle measured 48" on the long end, and 32" equally in the sides. For drainage, sleeve stability, and cost, we used 2 standard pavers instead of gravel.

After four bags of 80 pound concrete and three hours of labor we will be ready for the pole tomorrow.