Member coyotech
MemberForum Replies Created
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For one thing, what in the world good is a whistle going to do you? If I stood out here whistling, probably nobody would hear me, and if they did they’d wonder why that crazy old woman was standing out there blowing a whistle.
It looks like that plan intends that you won’t be going anywhere, just staying at your place, since there’s nothing for transportation, gas, or people meeting up anywhere.
There’s nothing mentioned for defense, not even a baseball bat. No tools mentioned of any kind. What if you need a knife or have to fix something?
I guess it depends on what kind of emergency you’re preparing for … this could be OK for a hurricane, for instance. Not for societal collapse. 🤓
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oops. It went in twice and you can’t delete!
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I didn’t grow up rural. I was an Air Force brat and we moved a lot, and saw many different places and things, and lived through turbulent times like everyone did who grew up in the 60s and 70s (and all the other decades, too). My mom and dad had both grown up on farms and ranches, and I remembered the things they told me about it. We didn’t have much money when I was a kid, and mom and dad had both grown up pretty frugal and independent. They taught us kids to be the same. All the things that had recently happened when I was a kid- the events in Europe and Asia with the wars, the concentration camps, the cold war, the upheavals in society that were developing, the natural disasters, all helped form in my mind the idea that there was a bad moon rising, and I needed to be ready. I wasn’t sure for what, but that things would be completely different and it was necessary to be tough and ready … I won’t say I understood things as a teenager and young adult like I do now, by any means. But it was a theme running through the back of mind for most of my life.
I learned to do all kinds of things and adapt to all kinds of situations. I learned to cut firewood, work on vehicles, do house repairs, plumbing and electrical, butcher chickens and rabbits for meat, hunt, survive in the desert and whatever I could do to get ready for whatever I was supposed to be getting ready for.
I got an old house and a little land at the turn of the century and eventually got goats, raised a garden, learned home cures and herbs, and how to fix, make and build more things. I was still working then, but got fired from m IT job at a university for political reasons in 2012. That was rough, but it was also really good for me in many ways. Around 2016 my husband died, and I realized I couldn’t afford to keep my place with its mortgage indefinitely, as the taxes and insurances kept going up on it, and there were ever more laws and regulations being made. I worked on making repairs for a couple of years and tried to sell it, but couldn’t. Meantime things were getting crazier in the world and society. Finally I walked away from my place, went to be a caretaker on a ranch while I bought some land, and then moved onto the raw land and started building almost 3 years ago.
I’m not that far along yet – no livestock or chickens, a small garden, not much storage room, lots of equipment I’d like to get. On the other hand I have built and made quite a bit here, and have a small but comfortable place that I keep improving on, and friends I’ve been making. I call all of that prepping (more like being independent), even though I don’t have a big stockpile of ammo, a year’s supply of food, a bunker or a bug out bag. 🤓
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Ha, nobody’s an actual angel, even if they act like it some times in some ways! But that’s a real good start. Probably saves their hides now and then when they’re jump roping.
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May we all be angels surrounded by angels. Sounds like you raised a whole flock of angels!
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Funny how self-reliance, and gratitude and humility tend to be lessons that go together.
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True, getting offered help with lifting and picking things up is an advantage that women get, and rarely men. I’ve also found that men tend to ask for help with jobs easier than women do. Probably lots of reasons for that, including the training in teamwork that you get as boys and young men. Girls learn to do work on their own more, so even if a woman’s doing a “man’s” work, she’s less likely to think of that. Also, a woman doing a man’s work is liable to want to prove she can handle it and turn down offers of help. A man usually isn’t worried about that. But of course sometimes being seen as needing help can be nice.
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Yes, good men come in all ages. Sometimes watching the news you might think the younger people don’t do that kind of thing any more, but not so. One time a man older than me and only a little bigger helped me carry a 5 gallon bucket of drywall mud out to my truck. We were both struggling with it, but we got it there. It’s hard to get used to being closer to 70 than 60!
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That’s good! Those random acts of kindness have more effect on the world than you see. There was a nice commercial about that awhile back, even. I don’t know who ran it. Even when I say no, I try to let the person know that I did appreciate their offer. And I try to remember to do that kind of thing myself, seeing how good it is. I’m not up to lifting people’s heavy stuff any more, but I can climb on shelves in the grocery store to reach the top shelf, and have done that sort of thing for people. 🙃
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Ha – I don’t plan. So no holes in MY plan!
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Yes, being a brat definitely makes you adaptable, and you don’t get fazed easily. I’m glad for my experiences, too.
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And you’re right!
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People tell me that’s something I need to work on. 😉 I do have a couple of big friends who would help if I asked. I just hate to bother them. I’ve called on them a few times when I was really desperate. That generally involved dead vehicles by the side of the road. And they help out in other ways too, but if I can get it done myself I try to go ahead and do that. Many things take longer, but you do finally get it done.
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Thanks for the explanation and photo! I hope they have smaller than 98 lb bags! I have enough pain with those 80 lb bags. Yeah, even stucco and ready-mix are hard on the hands. They eat through vinyl gloves, too. I’m kind of small, about 5’2″ and 100 lbs. I can make up for a lot of that with carts, levers, pulleys, ladders, etc, but the weight and size of the things I’m working with is always a consideration.
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By pure portland, you mean not ready mix, just the non-ready cement in bags, with no sand or anything added?