Still no answer on the biopsy for Bella but she seems like she's feeling better. The culture showed a serious bone infection and our fingers are crossed that this is all it is. She's got a few more days on antibiotics still. I've been letting her take the lead on our walks and she is back up to two miles and loving it.

I spent 9/11 with my daughter. We watched movies, went for a walk, and went to the pool. I stayed away from the internet because it's been such an ugly place there lately. You need only read some of the comments on my website or social media to see that people's nerves are fraying. And sometimes, it's just exhausting. More on that in the "what I've been watching and reading" segment.

I finished the first draft of my next book, which we hope to publish within the next two weeks. It is a book that started out as a blog post. Then I realized that I had a lot more to say about the topic than a post or even a series of posts.

The book is not titled yet, and it's pretty different from the other books I've written. It is about the lessons I've learned over the past three years traveling outside the US, and how they apply to everyday prepping. I became more adaptable, better at improvisation, and feel that I'm far more prepared than I was before my journey.

Even if you aren't a traveler, I think you may find some useful information in the new book. While the lessons were learned in exotic settings, one thing we all know from reading the writings of our authors from the Balkans, Europe, and South America is that human behavior is predictable, regardless of your location.

Anyway, once I finally think of a name for this book I'll introduce it to you guys first!

I've been a news and current events junkie for years. Before I started The Organic Prepper (and actually for the first couple of years I was running the site) I had a job running a couple of alternative media websites. I loved it and love having my own site that is a combo of current events commentary and preparedness.

But the past 6 weeks have really taken a toll. I don't know about you but I dread looking at what's going on in the world. I turn on my computer and grit my teeth, thinking, "What's next?"

It began with the debacle that was the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the utter betrayal that has been ground in under the heel of President Biden. This was shortly followed by the utter sh*tshow of an executive order released this past week by Biden, a wholly unconstitutional mandate that destroys medical freedom and discriminates against anyone who wants to make his or her own decision about the vaccine. I'm rarely short on words, but it's difficult to express my absolute disgust at how Americans will be forced to submit to a treatment that many do not want or lose their jobs, their children, or worse. Here's Biden's plan so you can read it for yourself and here's a breakdown from the AP.

In summary, this sweeping mandate will force a vaccination on millions of Americans, whether they want it or not.

However, adding audacious insult to injury, members of Congress and their staff will be exempt from the mandates. That's right. Can you actually be more of a federal employee than being a member of Congress? If we have to "protect the vaccinated from the unvaccinated" who's "protecting" us from members of Congress who opt out?

Rules for thee but not for me, indeed.

Then we have the utter ignorance about 9/11.

The very talented Caitlin Johnstone wrote a satirical article with legitimate links to people who for-real think that January 6th was actually worse than September 11. And that's not all. A bunch of kids who weren't even alive on 9/11, some "woke" students at the University of Florida, want us to all be really careful not to blame the terrorists for 9/11. I could not make this up.

'Don't blame the terrorists for 9/11': Florida college students say worst attack on US soil should be taught without 'placing blame' to avoid Islamophobia and curriculum should not perpetuate 'American exceptionalism' (source)

Don't.
Blame.
The.
Terrorists.

In more sane and rational reading and viewing, check out the following.

Don't miss The Survival Preppers livestream replay: Secret Stashes and Staying Organized
Here's what my fellow preparedness blogger Erica stockpiles from the Dollar Tree.
Congratulations are in order! My friend Modern Refugee hit 10,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel. If you aren't subscribed yet, do it! You're in for a wealth of wisdom.
Bernie at The Apartment Prepper wrote about how to build a product stockpile.
Ash at Mind4Survival wrote about what to do AFTER a hurricane - pertinent for MANY Americans right now.
Linda at Food Storage Moms wrote about what you should NOT buy at the thrift store.
With the opiod epidemic, knowing how to use Narcan could save a life. Greg at Active Response Training provides a crash course in saving someone from an OD.

This week was focused on writing, but I did order some extra dog food to put back, as well as an otoscope for my medical kit. I lost mine somehow and after my dog's surgery, she had a cough. I didn't have the right tools to check her throat and it was so frustrating.

Obviously, I know an otoscope is for ears, but as my friend Chuck from the Medic Shack says, "You can use an otoscope to look into anything it fits into." Truth. My dog didn't like it much, but I was relieved to see it was just some irritation from the tube in her throat and not something stuck.

My patio garden is thriving. I didn't expect that what with getting it in so late in the season but this week, I'll definitely be having some garden-fresh L and T for a BLT sandwich. I'm also stringing some hot peppers and herbs to dry, and I'm watching Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace for a cheap glass shelving unit I can put on my dog crate in front of the window when the time comes to bring my plants indoors.