[jasonraymondson]

I am currently ill-prepared. I have several talents and skills that should benefit me, but I know I am lacking in a lot of areas, I am wondering how everybody else feels and how much further they need to go to be completely prepared.


About me

Can operate and maintain virtually every type of firearm.

Demolitions and tactical experience.

I can make over 40 different types of incindeary and explosive devices..

Electronics Know How..

Experienced carpenter, plumber, and electrician
.

Decent physical condition, but poor vision without glasses.

Thinks I want to learn.

Gardening.

Solar Cell tech.

Thinks I need

Supplies, food (freeze dried foods, canned food, more guns).

Water Storage System.

Proper Land, with house that can function off the grid.

Shortwave Radio(marconi here I come).

Power storage system.

I am not sure what I am forgetting about, and if you all want to contribute that is great, I am always interested in learning more. Also I like to hear stories about where you ran into trouble and how you overcame those problems.

[patience]

It's a good idea for us all to do a self-audit, I think. I tend to get bogged down in details, and can miss some of the big picture, despite many years trying to gain self reliance. A few minutes thought on this shows that while our extended family is far ahead of the masses, there are obvious shortfalls, too. One thing that we need to work on is cross-training of skills, to avoid too much dependence on one individual, leaving several people vulnerable should we lose one to accident, or whatever.

I'm a retired mechanical engineer with a repair shop business, and can claim a lot of skills, from minor foraging, horse farming, gardening, carpentry, forestry, logging, metal work from blacksmithing to current machining practice, leather work, electrical/PV, plumbing, hydraulics, primitive toolmaking, first aid, some herbal knowledge, built (the hard way) some blackpowder arms, and can cook well enough to stay alive. There's more, but my point is that with all that, I am short of what is needed.

One daughter has a chemistry degree, deep knowledge of herbal medicine, gardening without machines or chemicals, horses and harness, metal work, and wants to learn blacksmithing. The younger daughter is an electrical engineer, can do some mechanic work, and shares a lot of her sister's farm knowledge. My wife is an accountant for our business, has nurses training, sews well, cans food, bakes our bread, and sees after our nutrition.

My son in law does wrought iron for a living, and just built them a windmill generator. He has built a super efficient home in the woods and will dig a pond, clear garden space this year, and add PV solar to their DC only home.

Our locations were chosen with PO in mind.

That's all cool, but we all need water storage, more food storage, more medical supplies, and have no one with enough tillable ground to feed us all. We rely on trading our skills to close friends and neighbors for staple foods. It would be nice to have enough land for a couple horses. We don't have water wells, but rely on cisterns.

The key to the matter is to KEEP THINKING, IMHO.

[patience]

I think it was Mel Tappan who asked a cogent question, "How many gunfights do you think you can survive?", pointing to the need to avoid trouble. The best fight is the one that did not happen. Like nuclear war, the only defense to major trouble is a lot of distance from it.

[vision-master]

I'm getting prepared for the time when I'll need the "big dummy" with the stokemonkey and park the auto mostly.

I'm thinking I'll have about $4,000 into one.

Stokemonkey Human Electric Hybrid Drive

is an electric motor assist kit for Xtracycle® Sport Utility Bicycles. Xtracycle gives almost any bike amazing cargo capacity, and Stokemonkey gives you the power to haul it over mountains or swiftly across town.

Most electric bike products are designed for people who don’t, won’t, or can’t ride regular bicycles. Stokemonkey is different. We don’t believe in replacing human power with electricity; we believe in replacing cars for tasks that even the strongest cyclists seldom if ever choose to handle without a car. Developed in a car-free household, Stokemonkey is for fellow riders who want to become more completely independent of cars in their daily lives.

http://cleverchimp.com/products/stokemonkey/

[jlw61]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('patience', 'I') think it was Mel Tappan who asked a cogent question, "How many gunfights do you think you can survive?", pointing to the need to avoid trouble. The best fight is the one that did not happen. Like nuclear war, the only defense to major trouble is a lot of distance from it.

[Lumpy]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('jasonraymondson', 'I') am currently ill-prepared. I have several talents and skills that should benefit me, but I know I am lacking in a lot of areas, I am wondering how everybody else feels and how much further they need to go to be completely prepared.

[Lumpy]

Sorry - double post

[vision-master]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Lumpy', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('jasonraymondson', 'I') am currently ill-prepared. I have several talents and skills that should benefit me, but I know I am lacking in a lot of areas, I am wondering how everybody else feels and how much further they need to go to be completely prepared.

[Lumpy]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vision-master', 'I')'m sure Jayson will look at your post and just get pissed off!

[RedStateGreen]

This is a good thread.

I'm a former family doctor (out of practice eight years now) with some knowledge of alternative/herbal medicine. I delivered a thousand babies or so in my time, and I can do all sorts of minor surgery and some major if I had to. I probably should have become a surgeon; I'm not a people person, which is one of the reasons I left practice.

I've been an organic gardener close to twenty years, and I'm learning about permaculture. I've provided our family's entire fruit and vegetable supply in the past, but we moved a little over two years ago to a bare grass lot, so I had to start over.

I was disabled for a long time, and my physical condition isn't the best, but it's coming back with forcing myself to work outside. My vision isn't that great (hello 40's), but I can make do without glasses if I had to.

I'm sort of obsessive about food, so I have a lot of freeze-dried and canned/dry/frozen stored (enough for at least three months), and if this summer does well, I can start in with the home-canning. I have a solar oven, and know how to make a rocket stove out of bricks. I'm a fairly decent cook, and know how to make jams/jellies.

I also have been a backpacker since college, so I know how to build a fire, find water, set up shelter, etc. I'm comfortable living outside if I have to.

I've been collecting alternative fire-starting, power-generating, and lighting items. It's amazing how many different ways there are to make a fire.

We also just got the angora rabbits, so I have a fur/meat/skin option there. I know how to slaughter an animal, and I wouldn't have qualms about doing it. (I'm serious. It's not unlike doing surgery, except for the patient's dead.)

I already know how to sew (I made my wedding dress and did theater costuming for years) and crochet, and I'm learning to spin and knit. I also took a class in foraging.

I have a small rainwater collection system, about 1600 gallons total between that, a small pond in front, and water in bottles in the storm room.

My family is my husband (who's the breadwinner at a job that'll be around as long as the government is, but who's in terrible shape) and three teenagers, who are at varying degrees of helpfulness/on-board-ness. My husband has a lot of woodworking and stonework knowledge. The kids will be okay if things go south, but they don't have much in the way of skills or desire to obtain them right now. Our extended family is on both coasts.

I've been working on getting to know people in the local food system, the local fiber artists, and the local homesteaders. They have a ton of skills and knowledge.

Things I'd like to/plan to learn/do:

I've never even touched a gun in my life. I can see after reading on here that one would be useful for hunting, and my kids are interested in learning to shoot.

Expand the rainwater system. I have the plans for this in my head, just haven't gotten to building it yet. I plan to build a large wooden tank around the side of the house, with overflow going to a smaller barrel, then the overflow from that going to feed a larger pond in the very back of the property, which will have catfish.

Persuade my husband somehow to get a solar system on the roof or some other form of alternate energy/heating/cooling. He doesn't seem too interested in it.

I need to get a dehydrator. I also need to learn to use my pressure canner.

Get in better shape.

I'm planning on breeding the bunnies after we get back from vacation in July, assuming we don't get stuck in CA while there from some inane airline glitch, or the world doesn't blow up before that.

I've looked at getting involved with the SCA, both as networking and to learn new skills. It looks like it might be fun, although my extra time is pretty scanty at present.

[vision-master]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Lumpy', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vision-master', 'I')'m sure Jayson will look at your post and just get pissed off!

[patience]

Lumpy,
You brought up a crucial point, the psychology of the interdependent group. From what I've observed, it requires strong external socializing and common-cause to get each to do the required compromising and bonding. The closest example I can think of is the Amish communities around us, who have religion and cradle-to-grave socializing (schools, families, shared farm work, interdependent needs) to effect that cohesiveness. You must provide every element possible, or it will come apart. Well-defined roles for each member are absolutely necessary for healthy self esteem. Define these well in advance and practice them. Prevents feelings of imposition, and allows people to feel good about what they give.

One important factor is the need for individual development of self. Our situation is helped by having individual homesteads, with ours being the nearest to conventional, and the daughter and son in law's being the largest and most remote, a "bug-out" position, if needed. And this younger couple are 40 years old, and have made it on their own for long enough to feel their sense of self. Both are outspoken about their feelings, and easy to deal with.

Note that I said something about COMPROMISE. A number of generations living together has it's own more or less tribal psychology, which requires some set of established social norms that are quite different from what we are used to. I saw the tail end of that as a way of life with my grandparents generations, ca., 1950's. Grandparents lived with son's and their offspring, of economic necessity that begat lifelong resentments, shaping personalities, not always for the best. Compromises were what saved the day. You may find that something like enduring a certain amount of smoking, or the refusal to, being a serious problem. My grandfather moved in with his daughter when he was old, and she refused to let him smoke in the house. He quietly endured that for one winter, then come spring, she came home from shopping one day to find him gone, moved back to his own place in an afternoon, where he stayed until he died.

Think hard about what is really important to you, and to others. Things become issues because someone CHOSE to make them issues. Make your choices, and don't be afraid to talk about it, and change your mind if necessary. EVERYBODY HAS TO BE SINGING OUT OF THE SAME HYMNBOOK!

With regard to guns, just a few comments and I'll leave that alone. I read somewhere to "beware of anybody who just has one gun, 'cause he prob'ly knows how to use it REAL good." How many can you use at one time? How many can you carry? What good is it if it ain't there when you need it?

Best wishes for all. Jerry

[aardvarktonsil]

It is not that important how well prepared you are, because most will be removed by random desease process and pandemics. If you make it through that, you should be ok if you have shelter and food access, and full micron air filters for 6 months and you live west of the cities.

[Lumpy]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vision-master', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Lumpy', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vision-master', 'I')'m sure Jayson will look at your post and just get pissed off!

[jasonraymondson]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Lumpy', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vision-master', 'I')'m sure Jayson will look at your post and just get pissed off!

[bodigami]

Basically my preparations can be resumed on:

> excelent mental preparation
> working on improving physical preparation... I'm somewhat above "recommended weight" and losing it with changes on eating. But what is better: "recommended weight" or having a bit of "energy reserves"?
> skills on gardening and computing (...if the shit isn't that big)
> BUT I've not hoarded food, water, weapons, ...
> AND will prefer to have wood and metal working skills.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('jasonraymondson', '(')...)
Decent physical condition, but poor vision without glasses.
(...)

[bodigami]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Lumpy', '(')...)
So we have this is the best of scenarios (we have land, house, water, orchard, garden, chickens, pigs, horses, and family) -- and we have a difficult scenario with working out the intra-family stuff.

So how prepared are we? Well, we have the raw material. But now we have to bring it together in a "workable/working format". At least we all in the family recognize/know that this is the ONLY way everyone is going to make it -- pulling together.

Wish us luck -- please pray for us, all of you who pray -- and please, provide any thought about how we might go about approaching this "bringing together" in the best way.
(...)

[EnergyUnlimited]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Lumpy', '
')How are we UNPREPARED:
1. Not enough food stored yet.