Thursday, May 20, 2010

More cheery news

"Sell everything, you won't recognize America by the end of the year."

Those are the chilling words from Dow theorist Richard Russell. He says:

Do your friends a favor. Tell them to "batten down the hatches" because there's a HARD RAIN coming. Tell them to get out of debt and sell anything they can sell (and don't need) in order to get liquid. Tell them that Richard Russell says that by the end of this year they won't recognize the country. They'll retort, "How the dickens does Russell know -- who told him?" Tell them the stock market told him.

What can I say? This stuff scares me. Not necessarily for us personally, because we own a farm and with a lot of work and forethought are in a unique position to grow enough food to keep us alive. But what about everyone else? What about our friends and relatives whom we love dearly but wouldn't know what preparedness is if it bit them on the butt?

We don't want this to happen. We want life to continue as usual. We don't want the economy to collapse. We don't want to be in a position to turn hungry people away. We don't want we don't want we don't want...(stomping feet in frustration)...

But it's clear that something big is looming on the horizon, something beyond all our puny efforts to stockpile beans and rice. I don't know how big or disruptive or dangerous it will be. All I know is that a creeping sense of dread has been settling on our shoulders for the last year or so, spurring us to take our preparedness efforts more seriously than we ever have before.

12 comments:

  1. We are right there with you, only we are in the process of getting a farm, so we too can be self-sufficient (or we like to call it God-sufficient). We have been stock piling EVERYTHING for a few years now. We also try to spread the word, but people like to remain ignorant for some reason. All we can do is be as prepared as possible and PRAY, PRAY, PRAY!!!.

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  2. Thank you for sharing that.

    God has gently prompted us to read Isaiah 47 several times in the past few years. It is no fun to be the lone voice of concern. But, here's the thing - you aren't the lone voice. God never does something without warning his people first. God is gracious and compassionate. He is loving. He will not let His children go on sinning and living separate from him.

    We don't know what is coming, but we know He is sufficient. But, we are trying to listen to his voice and prepare. We truly believe we are headed into the days when God will have to supply like he did for Elijah and the widow of Zarapath.

    I know God has been training us and discipling us; we've been surrounded for 3 years by families in absolute chaos. I am trying to learn to discern God's will in helping. How much does one help, when another is not choosing to work? Oh, the questions go on. What is our responsibility, as the body of Christ to help, yet not feed pity and a poor work ethic?

    My Sunday School lesson for last week was on he who tills his land will be satisfied. We are created for work. We work hard to worship God and supply for our needs, and then God works miracles, where we cannot. This week's lesson is on The Parable of the Sower. What are we planting?

    Many hard lessons are yet to come. I believe the "bump" of 08 was to prepare those who would listen for what is yet to come.

    The world is shaking, why do we think we are immune to the shaking? God is allowing the shaking out of the chaff in mankind. Man's sin cries out to God. We are so lost without God.

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  3. What tips do you have for us average joes for being as prepared as we can be? What should we do besides trying to get out of debt?

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  4. I'm finally delurking. Hi! My name is Tanya, and I read your blog a lot. Probably too much. Thanks for all the great informational posts and the instructions on how to do things. And even your slaughtering pictures. It takes away the imaginary gruesomeness and makes the thought of raising animals to eat so much more do-able. As long as I can find someone to come do the processing. =)

    So here's my question - we've also felt that creeping sense of dread, but we're WAY behind. So what do we do? Keep cash or get out of debt? We can get 100% out of unsecured debt, but then we have little cash. And we'd still have our mortgage. We have chickens for eggs, but that's all. We can get probably find some pigs and goats to buy, but have no cleared land or barns/shelter for them. We can get broilers, but no shelter/movable pens. I'm not a great gardener - still learning, but do I plant hybrids that are available or search for heirlooms that are not as available. So much to do, so little time! Do we try to plant wheat or corn or both? We don't even have a truck, or a tiller, or a wheat grinder. So where do you suggest a newbie get started?

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  5. Heather, yes get out of debt. Buy non-perishable food items, powdered milk, alternate sources of cooking and heating your home. Search survival websites for list of items to obtain. Not all advise on these sites is practical for everyone, but it will help you organize. I also advise going to the Latter Day Saints site. These people as part of their religion have been doing this for decades. Hope this helps. You prepare the same way you eat an elephant. One bite at a time and what you can afford. Any prep is better than none at all.

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  6. Save the Canning Jars says:
    Try getting a copy of the book, The New Passport to Survival ($15.95) which is usually sold out at Amazon or B&N. She (author Rita Bingham) is Morman, which may not be your religion, but a delightful writer and well worth reading on how to prepare, how much to stock, how to stock on a budget, emergency preparedness, etc. Well worth
    the price.

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  7. I also wonder what you think the city dwelling person should do. Also, what do you do with your supplies so they don't go bad, are you always rotating your stock?

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  8. That's a really good question that I have too Heather...I don't have access to a farm or area to raise a large garden. What are our options? Thanks!

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  9. I think preparedness is great and just common sense how I grew up. However, that said, the gov't absolutely has plans to come help themselves to your stores and will probably have the help of the databases from warehouse stores. If you have the option of living one place and storing another it's a great idea -- meaning "the grasshoppers house" who has lots of room but no inclination. How you'd do that without them blabbing would be another issue....maybe a half-grasshopper half-ant household you could have a collaborator...just an idea.

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  10. For all those in cities or just beginning to prepare, here are some thoughts. First, YOU are your best resource. What you know, what you can learn and what you can DO! If you are so out of touch that you can't do anything valuable, then buy books and LEARN! If you don't have the money to buy stocks of food, make yourself 'worth your salt' so to speak. Ask yourself "Do I know something valuable enough for someone to feed me?" If you do, learn more and start networking and find someone, like me, who would welcome you! I know we are planning on folks coming to us, and frankly, we NEED folks to make our land sustainable and secure. We depend on God to bring us who He wills, but everyone will work, no one will shirk! Hone your skills, learn more, gather the printed resources, and become a valuable asset.

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  11. For the folks who feel behind the curve, barter and keeping an eye out for resources will help build the stockpile.

    Watch Craigslist for things like an old Troy-Bilt Horse rotor tiller. I picked one up for $100 that was made in 1973, and it might have 10 hours on it. That thing will outlast me as the gears are good case-hardened steel and the housing is cast iron. Not the stamped sheet metal junk made today.

    If you have multiple sources to cook, you can collect full barbecue propane tanks. A local junk hauling guy gives me several full ones every few weeks because he can't throw them away. He says I'm actually doing HIM a favor! If you just use propane for cooking, not heating, it will last a long time. Try to get an older propane-powered refrigerator out of an RV. That way if a loved one or neighbor has diabetes you can keep the insulin at proper storage temperature without electricity. A larger RV model with separate freezer compartment uses about 1,250 BTU / hour. At that rate, a small 250 gallon propane tank will run it for 2.1 years. Even a 100lb, 23 gallon tank will run it for 2.6 months.

    Wick lamps that use Kerosene / "lamp oil" are good to have. If you stockpile kerosene you can also use it in your diesel powered vehicles. These would also be a good trade item, as some light would make people feel better after their batteries run dead. Trade a quart of kerosene and a lamp for some help splitting wood.

    Think way down the road when looking for materials or equipment. Extra shovels, rakes, axes, hammers, sledgehammers, pickaxes, saws, fence material, steel tubing, re-bar, dimensional lumber, plywood, galvanized sheet roofing, metal fence T-posts, PVC tubing, boxes of nails / screws, all will be useful and unavailable if something big happens. Look past the dirt or surface rust to see what's really underneath, it may be perfectly good stuff. Most of this might even be free if you ask nicely while keeping your eyes open for it. I've had more than one construction foreman tell me to take all their extra re-bar because "Otherwise I'LL have to move it!"

    Keep plugging away at it. Make progress every day. Remember what Eddie Rickenbacker said: "I'll stop fighting when they nail the lid of my pine box down on me."

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  12. Don't forget that olive oil can be used for "light". I ordered some wicks and wire thingys from Leamans a year or so ago. They work wonderfully and don't catch fire like with candles or lanterns. We had a mason jar with the oil and it tipped over once. Nothing caught on fire but it was messy to clean up!

    Thought I would share a tip seeing that Patrice shares so much with us.

    Ouida Gabriel - p.s. it is the only tip I know ;-)

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