Author of The Blackout Book and the online course Bloom Where You’re Planted
It’s pretty safe to say we’re living in a world where everything is dramatically different than it was a few months ago. Regardless of how we personally feel about the response to the coronavirus pandemic, we still have to live in a society that has adjusted the parameters of acceptable behavior and has changed irrevocably.
While it’s impossible to guess precisely what comes next (I mean, were you really expecting aliens and murder hornets?), we can surmise from the things happening right now which way the future is headed. And we can use that information to prepare ourselves for it.
The following are some areas in which we may soon (or already) be facing difficulty, as well as some suggestions for meeting them head-on with resolve and preparations. If you’re looking for more information about the second wave of the virus and effects of that, go here.
The economy
It’s no surprise that the economy is in shambles – after all, it’s been all but shut down for months. Back when I wrote about the potential costs of COVID, I underestimated the total destruction of small businesses and the devastation of the workforce. I didn’t go deep enough in my analysis to foresee 40 million people becoming unemployed in the span of two months or that not just small businesses would suffer – that dozens of major corporations would also go under, taking even more jobs with them.
Few would have predicted the mass money printing for stimulus checks and small business loans and grants, putting our nature further in deficit than ever before. There’s even a possibility that the US could willfully default on its debt to China as the government struggles to handle the most exorbitant national debt in history.
Things that could directly affect individuals are:
- Unemployment: It may be difficult to keep your job or find another one.
- Inflation: As the government continues printing money for “stimulus” it weakens the dollar, reducing its value. This means that the price of goods will increase. So every trip to the store will cost you more money.
- The implosion of credit: As more and more people become unable to make their payments, massive swaths of the economy will suffer, including housing, banking, and the automotive industry. This will result in an inability to get future credit for mortgages or cars, and will also result in a loss of jobs.
What can you do about these things?
It’s more important than ever to have an emergency fund. That might be easier said than done when jobs are difficult to come by and when the money you do have doesn’t stretch as far. If you are getting that extra $600 a week from the CARE Act, I can’t stress this strongly enough: SAVE IT.
Now is not the time to try and pay off all your debts, particularly if your future is looking precarious. Continue making the minimum payments while you wait to see what’s going to happen. Put aside the money you would be using to pay off debt – you can always pay it off in a few months if things are looking up. Remember that the big banks get bailouts. Everyday people do not. Paying off your unsecured debt should not be a financial priority right now.
Don’t get in over your head with expenses. If you can cut back, you should start doing so now. Don’t sign new phone contracts or expensive leases. Reduce your monthly cost of living as much as possible.
The public education system
The public education system was early to exit from normal operations. Children are currently doing “distance learning” online with their teachers and being guided by their parents.
While a lot of parents complain, many others have enjoyed reconnecting with their children. Some parents are also realizing that the education they thought their kids were receiving isn’t all it’s been cracked up to be when they find their children are far behind the curve and the teacher never even mentioned it.
After seeing some of the horrifying plans for schools reopening with “appropriate social distance,” many parents may decide not to let their children return to school at all. Here’s what the CDC is recommending.
What can you do about the education situation?
While for many the loss of “free childcare” would pose a financial difficulty, a report on the Cato Institute suggests this could be a positive change.
Prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, we may be on the brink of a massive educational reset. With families back in charge of their children’s education, free from the constraints of compulsory schooling, they may increasingly demand more educational choice and freedom. Some of these families will choose to opt‐out of schooling altogether, inspired by the learning, growth, and reignited curiosity they witness in their children during this time at home. (source)
It may turn out that educating kids at home is beneficial to the whole family. Here’s some advice for public schoolers from a homeschool parent and the first post of a series on getting started with homeschooling. It might be a good idea to begin looking into some homeschool programs to see what will might be a good fit for your family. In most states, you’re under no obligation to follow a public school curriculum when homeschooling.
The food supply
We’ve all see bare spaces on the shelves at the grocery stores. There’s a major problem getting food from the farmers to the people who need it. Our system has been designed around the centralization and processing of food.
Interestingly, this problem isn’t necessarily about actual shortages as much as it is processing and distribution.
Processing plants across the country are shutting down as more and more employees become ill. At least ten large meat processing plants have closed due to the virus. Distribution issues have farmers dumping thousands of gallons of milk, plowing under vegetables in the fields, and leaving potatoes to rot.
A lot of the food being produced was destined for restaurants, hotels, and cruise ships. Diverting it to grocery stores and the millions of people using food banks right now (because they didn’t get their money from unemployment yet, remember?) is unfortunately not as easy as it should be. This article explains some of the issues with getting food to hungry people.
One of the issues processing. With meat, in particular, this is difficult – most folks aren’t even going to be willing to process their own chickens and it’s wildly unrealistic to imagine a family in the city processing a cow or a pig. With produce, it becomes a little bit easier – anyone can wash fruits and vegetables – but employees are still needed to harvest the food.
A lot of that scarcity could be remedied if we could reallocate things – if janitorial supplies could be sold to the general public, if farmers could sell directly to stores or consumers, and if farmers could donate unpurchased items to food banks.
To summarize, farmers are losing billions of dollars and people are going without food, while the food we have is left to rot. Hopefully, President Trump’s new 19 billion dollar plan will allow the federal government to play matchmaker between frustrated farmers and hungry families. (source)
Governmental bandaids aside, this isn’t a problem that will be going away quickly. In fact, it may get worse.
What can you do about the food situation?
No matter where you live, you can produce or acquire at least some of the food you eat.
- Gardening – Grow food any way you can, from sprouting microgreens in smaller apartments to container gardens on a patio or balcony to full-on vegetable gardens that take up 90% of your back yard. With all the bare shelves at the grocery store, producing any of your own food will be helpful. Here’s some information on how to start a garden inexpensively.
- Livestock – If you live in a place where you can have livestock, now might be the time to do it. Many cities allow 3-6 hens in backyard coops, and of course, if you live in the country, it will be no problem to have chickens. Having fresh eggs at your disposal could be very important one of these days. Also, keep in mind that chickens are a great way to dispose of leftovers and vegetable scraps. Here’s some information on raising baby chicks. Rabbits are also a good animal to raise and can be farmed a lot more subtly within city limits because they’re so quiet. They can provide a very sustainable source of meat.
- Hunting – If you already have the equipment to do so, hunting can help you to acquire meat. A deer could provide your family with venison for months. Smaller game, like ducks or geese, are also good additions to your freezer. And depending on where you live, you can use snares for rabbit or other small mammals.
- Foraging – Even in the midst of the city, a park can be an abundant source of food in season if you know what to look for. Get yourself a good regional guide to the food growing freely in your area. It’s important that the book be regional because there are so many medicinal and edible plants in the US, you’ll want to narrow it down to what you can find where you are now. Makes sure your harvesting from an area not sprayed with toxic pesticides.
- Sprouting – The fastest and easiest way to grow something yourself is through sprouting. While supplies for orders are backed up, you can get excellent guidance on sprouting what you already have on this website. Sprouting can be done just about anywhere, in just about any home. They provide high nutritional value and some fresh veggies, any time of year.
The ability to locate or produce food is something that can mean the difference between keeping your family’s bellies filled or hunger. Grocery stores remain low on inventory and food banks cannot keep up with the demand of people who are out of work and who haven’t yet received their unemployment checks.
The supply chain of other goods
It isn’t just food that people are having difficulty finding. Nearly any store you visit right now has a lack of inventory. Some of it isn’t being produced, other things aren’t being imported, and still others are somewhere in limbo in the broken supply chain.
Some of the things that are missing are products that originate in China – see this massive list.
Other items, like paper products, are also sparse even though many of these things are made in the USA. It isn’t just because of so-called “hoarders” either, as the media wants us to believe. There have been shortages of TP across the globe and the main reason is the fact that everyone is now at home most of the time now. Previously, a lot of a person’s toilet paper usage was outside the home – so everyone was using those giant janitorial supply rolls. Most households are now using 40% more toilet paper than before. This interesting article goes into detail about why there isn’t a quick and easy fix for this. (source)
We can expect shortages of everything from medications to automotive parts to hygiene supplies in the near future due to the breakdown of the supply chain.
What can we do about the shortage of goods?
In reality, a lot of the things we used to run to the store and buy simply aren’t essential. We can begin to downsize and to focus on needs instead of wants.
We can begin to be more careful with the resources we do have. How many times have we said, “It’s cheaper to just replace it than try and fix it” when tossing something in the trash? We should be living by the adage, “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.”
It’s also a good time to begin to be more creative with our reuse of things. Can you use the fabric from an item of clothing you’ll no longer wear to make something else that you need? How can you repurpose things? What multiple uses can you get from items? You can’t go wrong with learning new skills like making or repairing commonly used items.
Instead of making a dash to the store your first option, see how you can solve problems without buying anything. Start looking for substitutes and make your items last as long as possible with careful cleaning and maintenance. This way of life has the added bonus of helping you to get a handle on your finances.
The increasing desperation
As Selco has often warned us, the biggest threat in an emergency is often not the emergency itself, but other people. Many of us saw this during the lockdowns, both within our inner circles as well as outside our circles, with the sometimes surprising behaviors of neighbors, coworkers, and friends.
As the financial catastrophe our nation is facing becomes more apparent, so will the desperation that people are feeling. And desperate people can behave irrationally and dangerously. Anyone who has ever considered the extreme measures that they would go to in order to feed or protect their children can understand that others feel exactly the same way.
Right now, during these early stages, we’re still in the “good” times. The government is doling out money hand over fist. Food banks are still operating, although supplies are very limited. A lot of people have looked at this as a “paid vacation” from their everyday lives. Many are making more money staying home collecting unemployment than they made at work – for some it’s triple the amount.
But when that money stops coming in…when the food banks are empty…when the jobs don’t reappear…when supplies are short even for those with money…when there’s no more help?
That’s when people will begin to feel desperate.
What can you do about this?
First of all, it’s of the utmost importance that you practice good OpSec. That’s a military term that means “operational security.” Put simply, OpSec means that people outside your inner circle should be completely unaware of your supplies, your level of preparedness, and your willingness and ability to defend what’s yours.
Nobody needs to know you have extra toilet paper or canned goods. If you really want to help someone out, pick up a few things for them at the store and drop it off in the bag from the store saying, “I grabbed a few things for you while I was at the store.” Make sure they don’t think it came from your home because hungry people have very long memories.
Secondly, you need to be prepared so that you don’t feel this same desperation. We’ve been talking about preparedness on this website for almost a decade. If you haven’t put your plan into action, you are truly running out of time to do so, and quickly. Stock up and get ready because the future is going to be bumpy.
The outrage
Last but definitely not least, we can expect outrage.
Outrage will occur for a million different reason when times are tense, not the least of which are:
- Loss of constitutional rights
- Loss of freedom to move around as you want
- Loss of the ability to make a living
- Loss of loved ones
- Loss of security
- Loss of certainty about the future
We’re dealing with a scenario in which loss is rampant. One of the stages of grief is anger and we can absolutely expect this to erupt. We’ve seen some of this anger already, with protests across the country. Of course meeting those protesters are counter-protesters – everyone has a different story so they’re viewing this situation through a different lens.
The sides are being clearly drawn here – people are being cast into the role of caring only about the economy or only about public health. Those who are outraged aren’t looking for the middle ground – they’re furious due to their loss or their fear of loss. And don’t forget, this is an election year, so the media and the political parties will be out there in full force, stirring the pot.
What can you do about this?
You have to be prepared to protect yourself and your family from those who are outraged. This might mean staying at home in order to avoid conflict, enhancing your home security, carrying a weapon (aren’t you doing that already?), or taking measures to isolate and protect the health of the people you love. It might also be staying “gray” and understanding the baseline mood of the place where you are. Regardless of your personal feelings, the best way to avoid drawing attention to yourself is by being just another person in the crowd/neighborhood/office.
I strongly encourage you to be proactive about this and take responsibility for your health. If you are in a vulnerable group (or have a loved one who is) are you really going to trust other people who don’t care to protect them?
If you are in a state with a lot of restrictions, it pays to be attentive. (Of course, it always pays to be attentive.) If you choose to go protest, that’s entirely up to you. If you hope to avoid potential trouble, when there are large, angry groups of people, don’t be there. It only takes a small spark for people who are already angry to erupt and you probably don’t want to be around when they do.
If there are large, angry groups of people, don’t be there. It only takes a small spark for people who are already angry to erupt.
Find things for which you can be grateful.
This may sound like crazy advice, but finding things for which you feel gratitude is the most life-changing thing you can do when you are trying to adjust. And adjusting is exactly what we must do as we prepare to meet a future that is different from what we ever expected.
You may find that your situation has dramatically changed since the beginning of the year. You may have lost one income or all income. You may be depending on checks from unemployment. Your business may not be able to withstand the extended shutdown. You may find yourself unable to pay bills that were never a problem before.
It’s a whole new world out there.
If you can find things to be grateful for, it will give you the encouragement you need to push forward. A full pantry, healthy loved ones, being together with the people you care for, being able to be present in your child’s education, making new and supportive friends online, a thriving garden, a delicious and filling meal, some free time after years of non-stop work–>activities–>bed only to get up and start it all over again – all of these are reasons for gratitude. Every day you’re on the right side of the grass is a good day if you can find things for which you are thankful.
Your attitude is everything. If you wallow in misery, you’re going to be miserable.
Everything has changed, but it’s still important to find reasons to be happy, grateful, and hopeful. These traits will help you find the resilience you need to survive and thrive, regardless of the challenges ahead.
About Daisy
Daisy Luther writes about current events, preparedness, frugality, voluntaryism, and the pursuit of liberty on her website, The Organic Prepper. She is widely republished across alternative media and she curates all the most important news links on her aggregate site, PreppersDailyNews.com. Daisy is the best-selling author of 4 books and runs a small digital publishing company. You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.
IF you have children, have a age appropriate discussion about what is going on.
Dont go down the conspiracy rabbit hole or political hole.
And talk honestly about how it is (or is not) impacting your family.
For those older, explain the importance of having savings.
Wants vs needs.
When my daughter’s college shut down, I explained to her about how all those food trucks that surround the campus, just lost a major source of income. That never occurred to her.
Talk about our food supply system, and how it works. Why there is a disruption.
Be honest, but try not to scare the beegeebers out of them. What lessons do you want to them to take away from this.
Then, maybe ask them to help you start a garden.
Well said!
Great read. Thanks Daisy.
Daisy I agree with you. An attitude of graditude is very important in challenging times. It is allow you to not be overly consumed by greif any worry so you can make decisions and actions. It can also keep you safe by not being drawn to the potential violence of protests (or at least able to leave when things get questionable). Safety and opsec has to be a priority in any emergancy….
Being prepared will let your kids feel safe not worrying about meals or dangers obsessively…
Things will change, but then they always do. Things keep on changing that is Life.
Many of the point made wee great but some need perspective.
Most local food banks accept goods directly from the farms. It is up to the farmers to plow them under or to give them away. Corporate farming companies are a large part of the big problem here.
As well as a bit of gloom and doom propaganda by various media sources.
Shortages in stores vary widely.
I go to the local Kroger owned store (Fry’s) and they remain with a lot of empty shelves. Paper goods are still pretty well wiped out.
I go to Walmart and most everything is in stock, but the quantities on the shelves is low. Very low on paper goods
I go to Winco and almost every thing is back in stock in good quantities, even paper goods.
Now for those not familiar with Winco, they are a regular type grocery store, but sell a lot of Prepper stuff( MRE’s, big bags of rice, oats. etc and mylar bags, 5 gallon plastic pails, etc. and bulk stuff from nuts and candy, baking and condiments, to honey and coffee.)
So was to be expected that they would be hit hard, but they have bounced back quickly. They also run their own fleet of trucks to bring in the food.
So they were hit really hard in paper goods, pasta, ramein noodle stuff and prepper bulk foods.
So learn from this event which stores can be relied on to restock quickly and which can’t.
Also consider local farmers markets where a lot of individual farmers sell stuff. Don’t just rely on Corporate farms for your stuff or to supply your local grocery store.
The positive take away here is: we are not Venezuela or Europe.
We are the US, almost everyone is pitching in to help make things better.
Though we had some supply and distribution problems, there is no real “lack” of food or critical supplies. Most of what China supplies is junk that we can live without.
Very true, China produces some junk,however the spotting scope I have was made in China yrs ago is outstanding as is Holosun products…..they are catching up to the west.Additionally, alot of our medications are made in China….so its a real witches brew….SA
Very well said Daisy, I’ve already made a few mistakes about OPSEC. Fortunately I’ve retooled verbally and wont fall into the OPSEC trap in the future. No real sense in being a chatty cathy in this crisis.
Also, on another note, now that most ranges are open and although its somewhat expensive, practice shooting as much as you can since its really a perishable skill.
In addition, check your medical kit contents and that you can do some stitching and/or splinting.
Stay Healthy
Dear Daisy,
It is good to be grateful, but to Whom? The answer: God the Father in heaven for the blessings that we receive.
Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow.
James 1:17
It is also important to ask God for wisdom in these uncertain times.
Sincerely,
Eb
Eb: Yep. We should all be praying. In gratitude, but also for God’s help in this multi-front crisis. The more prayers, the better.
Check out the various sites that are providing the food resources directly from the farmers. These sites are exploding on Facebook right now. People able to purchase meats, eggs, fruits and vegetables from the farm ! No middle man to add to the costs.
Greetings:
I am a constant reader of JHK, Peak Oil News, and recently Dedd blog and your site. I began preparing but very mildly, like I do for the winter storm season. But, I always thought I had more time, and growing up with the original Star Trek, I believed our knowledge and understanding and all our computers and machines could not fail us, but something that the naked eye cannot see brought our country to a standstill. Thank you for the valuable advice in this column. I fear that my parents were right if a great depression returns a majority of us will be clueless.
Yes, not only clueless but defenseless. Then government will become (even more) shameless. Unfortunately the doom is real and its hard to avoid the gloom. But Daisy is right about attitude. It’s ridiculous to think positively when things are atrociously negative. But positive wishful-thinking is not what gratitude is. Graciously accepting the truth of our circumstances and choosing to be satisfied will change our outlook.
There are some who are pointing out that the weather in general is shifting toward colder and more catastrophic, even in places normally considered mild. This moves me to better prepare in that direction. Now that summer is almost here, there are some great deals on winter stuff. Body warmth is as basic a survival need as having good air to breathe.
The Divided States of America is in a cold Civil War. We are being destabilized on purpose with the goal to split us up in to several smaller countries. Example: The Political/Culture of say Los Angles is 180 degrees from where I live in North Central Florida.
I expect “things” to worsen as we get nearer to the Election. The “Left” is already using the term “Terrorist” in regards to Conservatives. So what would a Biden or Pelosi do with a Terrorist but lock them up.
Look at what is taking place in say the state of Virginia with guns. Biden said that he will appoint Beto O’Dork ( Hell Yes I’ll take your Ar-15 away!) as his gun control Czar.
As Selco wrote yesterday, ” It can happen”
While I am a gun owner and supporter of Second Amendment rights – with rational limits – and though I am concerned about the potential for real civil war, as you mention, and likely in a very different format than the last one, I still think it’s important to acknowledge that those geniuses who founded our nation and expressed their great vision (and occasionally fought duels against each other, don’t forget), did not come up with those fundamental rights in the context of a modern civilization. With vastly increasing populations, dramatic reduction in earnings for large segments of our population, and numerous other side-effects of modernity, it might well become necessary to alter some of those Constitutional rights to allow people to function in our highly changed, technologically enhanced, over-populated, just-in-time world. As I say, I’m not a fan of the idea… but I do acknowledge that what worked well for Rome is not necessarily what would work well for us. Ditto for the 18’th Century insightful visions in a 21’st Century nightmare world.
While it’s true that our century already looks like a long drawn-out nightmare, we still need basic principles to guide us and guard us against abuse of power. Human nature is still fundamentally the same as it was in Rome 1500+ years ago. Changing the goal posts on rules will only lead to even more confusion and division. Freedom is still cherished by many in this country. Those who are deceived into thinking they are being compassionate by choosing socialism will find out the hard way that socialism is thinly veiled fascism. Rome collapsed because of fascism. Our present American Empire looks very similar with the rich appeasing the lower ranks with bread and circuses. Most of our politicians are no different than they were in Rome. Today, the Vandals and the Visogoths are merely reorganized. If we look at our freedoms as lost than we are fighting an uphill battle with a foregone conclusion.
Skeptic,
what exactly are rational limits on the 2nd Amendment?
What part of “shall not be infringed” do you not understand?
Rational limits sounds a lot like — reasonable gun control–
Bull spit!!
My thoughts exactly. Reading those lines made my skin crawl.
A visit to my local WalMart revealed they are totally sold out of laptop computers. I’ve read no mention of any shortage but apparently there is one.
Laptops and Flat screen TV’s are out of stock. Most people who got the stimulus upgraded and now they are scarce. My neighbor dropped his laptop and decided to us his stimulus to get a new one and a new TV. He could get the laptop, but not the TV. Most of our electronic components come from China. By fall, we will really see the effect of the supply chain disruption.
Try finding a chest freezer ! We have several, and like Danby brand as they are well built and low energy users. Canadian company but built in China. Can’t find one anywhere. Home Depot has a GE listed with August 25th as delivery date.
I was and remain grateful that my job remained stable. It enabled me to manage to build my stocks up a little more, a little at a time, while others were panic buying. I had already bought my vegetable seeds, and I was able to find therapeutic time starting and tending my seedlings. I think I spent the first couple of weeks on autopilot, knowing I needed to ‘get more stuff’ and get going with starting my plants. We have been able to manage to stay current on most bills so far.
Attitude is important, as is action. So is learning–as in learning new skills, be it gardening, animal husbandry, finding a new source of income.
Thankful. Yes we need to be thankful. Thankful to who or whomever you should be. When I get so down that I want to give up. I am reminded to be thankful. Sometimes I start with the simplest. I am thankful I have plenty of clean water to drink. I am thankful I have enough food to eat. I am thankful I have a clean dry comfortable bed to sleep in. That usually leads me to a plethera of others things.
Absolutely!
Great advice Daisy!
As I’ve read here and at other excellent sites “whatever the SHTF event ALWAYS prepare for the responses of people around you”. The stressors so far have been illuminating for those that don’t make excuses for those folks around them.
We are in a Just in time supply system failure COVID19 fear driven driven stair step collapse of the system. We rationalize it as “The new normal” but in honesty “the times are a’changing” and as preppers we need to DO something beside complaining.
Reality check what is the value of “Money”? Simply said it’s worth what you can Exchange it for. The Government can create an “infinite” number of electronic digits and “Send” everybody “Money” BUT they cannot create a Loaf of Bread for you to “Buy” with it.
Inflation is simply put TOO Many Electronic Digits CHASING that loaf of bread.
Shortages are real due to multiple failures of the “Efficient” Just in time system. All those “unneeded ” small-local food processing were pruned out by regulations (written BY the BIG Food Folks) for more profit and central control.
If I have an “Extra Free Money” of 1200.00 and there is no bread to be found OR what IS available is more than twice what it costs last week (and increases in difficulty to find or price increases everyday) there IS a Problem.
When EBT cards cannot find enough food THERE WILL BE PEOPLE Problems. Everyday “Normal Decent” folks WILL do awful things when their Children say “Daddy I’m HUNGRY”. Folks who have less social kindness will Riot when they cannot buy what they want with that EBT card, NO Matter HOW many Electronic Digits Uncle Sugar puts on it.
Rodney King level rioting in all 50 states level of trouble. AND GUESS WHAT? Look at the highway maps folks, WHERE Do the Highways run through? Those Cities and that is even MOAR transport problems and MOAR shortages breeding even MOAR People Problems. See a pattern here once the veneer of civility gets torn away by Food Problems friends?
So what is Michael doing aside from pontificating here? I have several sprouted seed potatoes cut last night drying for planting this am. A lot of people don’t even know what a potato plant LOOKS like. I have a real world problem in New Hampshire called Voles. That means if I plant a potato unprotected I simply FEED the voles, so I use a hardware cloth bottomed potato tower system.
Time is an asset. Time doesn’t bend to our desires. From planting to harvest is around 100-120 frost free days for my potatoes. Do you THINK waiting around complaining for Government “Money” to solve my problems will get me potatoes? Spend about what costs to feed a family of 4 at Mac D’s for some hardware cloth, scrounge up some lumber, research potato towers and PLANT your family some Potatoes THIS WEEKEND. Winter is coming I hear…..
Even if I am full of S**T and everything comes up rainbows and Unicorns this fall once the COVID-19 magically disappears you will still have a pile of potatoes to store and eat. What’s the downside aside from the bug bites from learning how potatoes are grown in the real world?
This time NEXT Year we will be talking about the Good Old Days that were TODAY IF the Gimme Dat’s don’t riot and destroy the power grid. And I will share some recipes for potatoes eh?
Mike,I’m in Arizona thinking about planting potatoes. Got advice?. Also, I don’t know what a Vole is? Is that like ground squirrels, which we have in abundance here?
Sylvia it is very hard to produce food in an area that trees don’t naturally grow. That is why prior to the power grid powering deep well pumps for water and interstate system allowing food production to be trucked in to your area very few, mostly nomadic people lived there. Have you heard of the term “Food Desert”?
Some commercial farmers USING both of the above systems can grow food UNTIL the Grid Powered Wells fail or trucking slows. Potatoes are grown where there is ample good soil, ample water and decent weather. While you COULD grow potatoes in towers, using trucked in bags of potting soil and grid power well water AND sunscreen materials to prevent sun scald on your plants… it seems not so ideal.
You might want to research how folks fed themselves in your area prior to the 1900. That hardscrabble lifestyle is very harsh with shortened lifespans. There *Might* be a reason the Anti-Indian laws of our young country relocated so many unwanted Indians into your area?
Yes ground squirrels are of the vole family, cute little destructive pests.
For people who are just figuring out that they need to garden, they are in for one heck of a rude awakening. I am from NW PA. Yesterday we were forecast to get a high of 82. It went to 95! Unheard of in my area. The humidity made it even worse. By the weekend we are forecast to get as cool as 60 for the high and one night might dip down to 39. Peppers don’t like that cold. I have gardened for 40 years and know what these temperatures can do to young plants and unsprouted seeds. The novice will be quickly disillusioned when they see their garden fail. The inexperienced will have a difficult time and one can see how easily a famine could become reality with a broken supply chain. When “Know how” went out of style, common sense went with it. I am with you, be prepared! They are already telling us nothing is going back to “normal” and the “second wave” will come.
Oh,no,no,no,NO ! Daisy you are telling people not to be angry about losing a job,home,rights,and being a free people? What are we supposed to do? Dance an Irish jig? NO. It is passed the time we got angry,and I mean yard dog angry!. We have been treated as children and disrespected and disregarded,and disenfrachised,and we’re not supposed to be angry? Tell the people in Michigan,California, N.Y.as the jackboot of tyranny squeezes their neck. I’m waiting,praying for a rising that will put the fear of a free people in those governors. If we do nothing now,there WILL be a second lockdown,and all sorts of hell will break loose. Let it come, let it come.
Sylvia are you the same AZ person that asked me how to grow potatoes?
Your very existence depends on modern life, the grid and trucked in EVERYTHING to your home in AZ.
Have you looked beyond the annoyance of not getting your hair done or nail to what would REALLY HAPPEN if your Wished for Revolt actually occurred? Don’t get me wrong I served our Republic for over 2 decades with over 19 months actual combat time in that service. I still have some scrap metal in me that Army Surgeons decided wasn’t safe to remove. I grieve at the Politicians running amok playing petty tyrants over this COVID19.
However if your wished for Revolution actually occurs YOUR Grid Power that keeps you in water is GONE. Your truckers that bring in everything you eat will STOP. Nobody is crazy enough to drive when their families need them at home protecting them. Both systems are already fragile and just a little craziness from Gimme Dat’s rioting or Patriots revolting will do the damage.
The three boxes of our Republic are The Pulpit Box where We the People express our demands in peaceful assembly to our leadership, the voting box where we vote in leaders we need and LASTLY the Bullet Box where the 2nd Amendment is used to destroy the Tyrants and then we rebuild the Republic.
That last box should be named Pandora’s Box because we will kill off almost 90% of our population due to disease, starvation, dehydration and simple killings.
Think HARD of what you ask others to start. Selco’s writings can give you a personal viewpoint of what will REALLY Happen as I too spent time in Bosnia during the ethnic cleanings aka Civil War. AND reading his accounts Remember their homes are mostly build of concrete and stone, thus fire and bullet resistant, OURS are highly flammable nothing to stop a bullet constructions for the vast majority. Their people *still* had a sense of family so they circled the wagons in a single defense-able home to survive AND *still* had knowledge of outhouses and gardening. Watching Super Storm Sandy where folks were pooping in the hallways of their apartment buildings just days after the storm bodes poorly for the extrea Disease Issues We the People will suffer during this Revolution….
Think Hard and Pray for Wisdom
I’m concerned about the outrage that will occur if/when unemployment benefits end, people discover their jobs are gone for good and the government isn’t providing much. I’m already seeing, even here in my state, a lot of aggressive driving which I attribute to either anger, fear and/or a sense that no one is out there watching. I’d expect break-ins of unoccupied homes and thefts to occur if things get worse. I’m concerned about theft from gardens, taking poultry etc if the economy gets worse. Things will only stay cool if the checks keep coming imo.
A lot of jobs are gone for good. Not just the small businesses closing as you noticed(yoga studios, cafes, restaurants, gyms, clothing stores and “boutiques”, antique and crafts stores etc) but all of the businesses that supplied them with services or products, the print or online media that carried their ads etc. will be impacted. Add to that all the arts organizations, concert venues, musicians, dancers and a whole long list of the maybe long-term unemployed.
I also don’t see a lot of people regaining their jobs who had to leave them due to being high risk(older or with health issues). I’m guessing most employers would prefer to hire younger healthy people to minimize theirs risks. I doubt we’ll go back to seeing older store clerks, Walmart greeters etc; many of these depended on this income to supplement their Social Security and will be plunged into poverty for the rest of their lives.
The lines to get a free box of food(dairy, meat and prepared meals in many locations in my state was many miles long; many were sent away with nothing.
It’s really hard to find a balance between OPSEC/grey man protocols and being helpful and giving when possible. I know that I gave an N95 to a grocery store worker who needed one but cautioned her that this was it and she should tell no one where she got it. I mentioned to neighbors that I had a few and I know they haven’t forgotten that! I need to be more careful I think. My garden is very visible- no reasonable way to get around that. I’m going to continue to donate food/money when I can to the local food shelf. I grew extra seedlings which I will make available; figured they might be in short supply plus the weather here is pretty crazy and an unexpected frost could strike, wiping out the ones planted for many.
They have been out for months. People cleaned them out to create their home offices. You could not find a desk or desk chair either
Where can I find a good list of barter items that are good for this specific event? I’m good on gold,guns, and lead. Think lightweight, high value, and a long shelf life. Im thinking stuff like bar soap, or instant coffee.
I don’t can but over the last few years I have bought canning jars, in original boxes when possible, at garage sales. But most don’t have rings or lids or boxes. Years ago I helped my mother can. She said that some people would reuse lids, if they were suitable, but she never did. I have been buying rings with lids and just lids at Walmart the last few weeks. More than enough, I hope, to put on lids on all my jars. I figure canning jars, rings and lids, in any combination, could make good barter items. I notice a wide range in price on Walmart for lids. Signed, in my local store I can pickup a 12 pack of regular Ball lids for $2.28. not signed it and shipped a box costs over $4. $ that price I plan to pickup 10 or 20 more boxes.
I often hear people say they’ll hunt for meat to replace what they can’t buy. My grandfather grew up in the depression. He told me hardly ever saw a deer until he got home from the war. Everybody hunted. It took a long time for the game to recover.
This was a very good article!
Thanks, Daisy
Very good article, thank you!