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Post by redleg on Nov 13, 2013 21:59:55 GMT -5
Just look at CO in late Aug and early Sep. Several towns there were cut off completely from the rest of the world. No power, all roads cut in and out, and without the Army and civilian slicks, the people there would still be in a world of hurt. Those towns are at about 9000-11000 ft, so the winter comes really early there. Those that didn't have anything put away for emergencies would have died. I've always heard that folks who live in the high country in places like Colorado and Idaho have a different take on what constitutes a well stocked pantry than say, Baltimoreans or other urban dwellers. There were a few that refused to leave, even after the NG told them that there wouldn't be any power, food deliveries, or medical care at least until spring.
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Post by kemmer on Nov 13, 2013 23:53:02 GMT -5
Prepping is a fun hobby that helps the economy by having people spend money on things that are mainly made in america, dried food etc. The Mormons have practiced it since their beginning, and it hasn't harmed them. Think of the ant, and the grasshopper story, but without the ant getting a free ride at the end. If there is no crash then it has all been a fun game of make believe. Yeah, but the story in the OP smacks of selling over-priced "survival goods" to aging yuppies. Bee hives? You can't exactly store those in the basement until they're needed. (Bees come mail-order, and when armageddon arrives...) A stash of dried food is just a waste of space and money, unless you eat it regularly. The Mormons set aside a year's worth of food, etc-- then, in year two, they eat it while laying in supplies for year three. That works better than relying on 10-year-old "special survival food" when TSHTF. Note the age group: 40-70. I did the hippie "back to the land" thing in my twenties when digging a half-acre of garden from old pasture with a mattock was doable, if not exactly fun. I'd hate to try it today-- or even a decade or two ago. My aging back would hate it. (Believe me, aging muscles have a way of making their displeasure known!) I hope these folks are tilling gardens in their suburban back yards today, because any fancy "organic" seed kits they purchase won't be viable forever. Not to mention, it takes a couple of years to get good garden soil from scratch. Attending a "survivalist sales convention?" My, how far The Whole Earth Catalogue has come! (Anybody else remember that? Fun reading.) Most people who want to be prepared would do better to just shop at Costco for staples they already eat regularly, a la the Mormons, and start gardening with cheap seeds from Gurney's. Heck, even the seeds from store-bought tomatoes will magically produce expensive "heirloom" varieties. All you have to do is plant them. Lots of silliness out there. But it's making opportunities for entrepreneurs to give the customer what he wants, so it's all good. But I notice that most suburban backyards remain in grass-- with a landscaping crew coming around to mow it-- and the folks in the household get their exercise at the gym.
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Post by howarewegoingtopay on Nov 14, 2013 3:29:36 GMT -5
Prepping is a fun hobby that helps the economy by having people spend money on things that are mainly made in america, dried food etc. The Mormons have practiced it since their beginning, and it hasn't harmed them. Think of the ant, and the grasshopper story, but without the ant getting a free ride at the end. If there is no crash then it has all been a fun game of make believe. Yeah, but the story in the OP smacks of selling over-priced "survival goods" to aging yuppies. Bee hives? You can't exactly store those in the basement until they're needed. (Bees come mail-order, and when armageddon arrives...) A stash of dried food is just a waste of space and money, unless you eat it regularly. The Mormons set aside a year's worth of food, etc-- then, in year two, they eat it while laying in supplies for year three. That works better than relying on 10-year-old "special survival food" when TSHTF. Note the age group: 40-70. I did the hippie "back to the land" thing in my twenties when digging a half-acre of garden from old pasture with a mattock was doable, if not exactly fun. I'd hate to try it today-- or even a decade or two ago. My aging back would hate it. (Believe me, aging muscles have a way of making their displeasure known!) I hope these folks are tilling gardens in their suburban back yards today, because any fancy "organic" seed kits they purchase won't be viable forever. Not to mention, it takes a couple of years to get good garden soil from scratch. Attending a "survivalist sales convention?" My, how far The Whole Earth Catalogue has come! (Anybody else remember that? Fun reading.) Most people who want to be prepared would do better to just shop at Costco for staples they already eat regularly, a la the Mormons, and start gardening with cheap seeds from Gurney's. Heck, even the seeds from store-bought tomatoes will magically produce expensive "heirloom" varieties. All you have to do is plant them. Lots of silliness out there. But it's making opportunities for entrepreneurs to give the customer what he wants, so it's all good. But I notice that most suburban backyards remain in grass-- with a landscaping crew coming around to mow it-- and the folks in the household get their exercise at the gym. Cycling through the food is a good idea, somehow I never get around to it. That is except for my supply of back pack food that I take when backpacking (boy has that gotten tastier than way back in the old days of backpacking in the 70's. As I said it is an fun hobby, and even the bee hives would be useful barter materials if the SHTFan. In would love to go to one of these shows, of course I probably already have most of the stuff. I even have a large collection of supposed survival books that I also never read, the old foxfire mag/books reference how to butcher a hog etc. Other than being part of the make believe, I figure that I will be more motivated to read these books when I am unemployed. I have some of those seed packs you talk about, I plan on making my greenhouse be hydroponic, and as an experiment will see if I can grow some salad fixings, but being a farmer is not a lifetime dream. What it will all come down to in the end is a matter of luck anyway, we might as well have fun up until it happens.
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Post by redleg on Nov 14, 2013 10:38:43 GMT -5
Prepping is a fun hobby that helps the economy by having people spend money on things that are mainly made in america, dried food etc. The Mormons have practiced it since their beginning, and it hasn't harmed them. Think of the ant, and the grasshopper story, but without the ant getting a free ride at the end. If there is no crash then it has all been a fun game of make believe. Yeah, but the story in the OP smacks of selling over-priced "survival goods" to aging yuppies. Bee hives? You can't exactly store those in the basement until they're needed. (Bees come mail-order, and when armageddon arrives...) A stash of dried food is just a waste of space and money, unless you eat it regularly. The Mormons set aside a year's worth of food, etc-- then, in year two, they eat it while laying in supplies for year three. That works better than relying on 10-year-old "special survival food" when TSHTF. Note the age group: 40-70. I did the hippie "back to the land" thing in my twenties when digging a half-acre of garden from old pasture with a mattock was doable, if not exactly fun. I'd hate to try it today-- or even a decade or two ago. My aging back would hate it. (Believe me, aging muscles have a way of making their displeasure known!) I hope these folks are tilling gardens in their suburban back yards today, because any fancy "organic" seed kits they purchase won't be viable forever. Not to mention, it takes a couple of years to get good garden soil from scratch. Attending a "survivalist sales convention?" My, how far The Whole Earth Catalogue has come! (Anybody else remember that? Fun reading.) Most people who want to be prepared would do better to just shop at Costco for staples they already eat regularly, a la the Mormons, and start gardening with cheap seeds from Gurney's. Heck, even the seeds from store-bought tomatoes will magically produce expensive "heirloom" varieties. All you have to do is plant them. Lots of silliness out there. But it's making opportunities for entrepreneurs to give the customer what he wants, so it's all good. But I notice that most suburban backyards remain in grass-- with a landscaping crew coming around to mow it-- and the folks in the household get their exercise at the gym. If nothing else, though, using the store bought seeds means that the person buying them will learn how to plant, water, weed, and harvest. That's far more than most city slickers know today.
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