Welcome to the new MutuallyAssuredSurvival forums

[Ryder]

Just signed up. Located just east of the divide in Montana. My wife is a RN with a broad knowledge of what to do if you dial 911 and nobody answers. I have built underground shelters cheaply and am currently working on water storage.

[opsec]

You're right on our frequency Ryder. Glad to have you here.

[Carpenter]

This looked like a great place to find some good info. Cant wait to find out all I can.

[Atash Hagmahani]

Greetings, Carpenter, and welcome. As I mentioned to Sutton, if you aren't getting attention try PMing me. I'm trying to get some documents ready for next planting season, but I will also try to get some documents ready for financial self-defense (for lack of a better expression).

[Horsea]

And don't anybody forget to save rainwater in barrels.  Yes, it goes woofy in the summer,  but the water that comes from melted snow in late fall is preserved by the cold.  You can bring chunks of ice into the house and melt/sterilize it on the wood burning stove, with the fuel being deadfall from  the bush - I mean, if things get really bad.  No, there won't be any fancy baths, but I'd rather eat than be clean. 

I can't see keeping large quantities of water in large bottles, unless you have a cistern in your basement. 

[Beeherder]

Hello Out There, 

First let me thank you for a refreshing approach to these very serious times! And I really like the sense of humor you obviously knowledgeable folks exhibit. I hope you find some merit in my occassional offerings, I already have in many of yours. Helpful suggestions always welcome and criticism usually accepted gracefully.

After intermitent lurking now for awhile its time to invite you to get to know a little about me. So here goes:

After graduating from High School in Okinawa Japan, (age 17) Mom gave me a list of all the places we had ever lived. There were 23 addresses on those three type written pages. And I kept moving at about that pace for another 15 years. I have had the pleasure of living in 17 states and 2 foriegn countries. Picked up some college degrees along the way and then got to spend 25 mostly exciting years with one of the Federal Research Labs, in Boulder Colorado. But even the good things need to come to an end so I decided to take a substantially reduced pension and retire at the ripe old age of 52. Best decision I ever made. I've gotten to use my body to do wonderful exhausting, exciting things before it got to old to do them. The 7 day mountain bike ride from Telluride CO to Moab UT accross the Uncompagre Plateau is not something I could do at 60 but I did it at 43 and again at 53. Loved every exhauting minute of it booth times even if it did take even more training the second time.

   In that process I managed to grow quite fond of living in the same place these past 24 years. These Colorado foothills have captured me and become a part of me and me a part of them. Outdoor adventures like archery and black powder Elk hunting, XC skiing with 50 lb packs to any of the wilderness hut systems where our group would stay for 3 - 5 days, solo llama hiking trips (gotta love that beast of burden concept when it comes to those 80 lb loads), bird hunting,  backpacking weekends, and sunburns galore.

All of those activities were quite wonderful and now that I am a bit physically limited (25 lb max carry weight) I choose to let my activities be a little less frantic. You know, things like gardening (you don't really need to FILL the wheel barell). beekeeping, day hikes, dog training and more.

This life is about making choices. I choose to NOT support big oil by being part of biodiesel fuel cooperative. see: www.sustainableoilservices.com

I choose to be a member of a local credit union, I refuse to use the service of banks whenever I can. (not often but I'm workin on it)

I choose to oppose all wars of aggression even when they are committed by my country. No make that especially when they are committed by my country. That's why you found me on street corners carrying IMPEACH signs beginning in spring of 2005. That's why you found me organizing the 10,000 person strong protest march in the spring of 1972, in my little college town of Alamosa Colorado.

I choose to be a member of a local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm where we pay a fee in advance of planting for  a share of the harvest. This way the farmer is protected in case of bad year (hail happens) and we mostly get more veggies than I can eat every week from May through the end of October. see: www.stonebridgefarmcsa.com

I choose this forum because it has a positive perspective on some really terrible horrific sh*t.

The only way we will find joy in getting through the coming hard times is with community. The community of netizens is wonderful but we need local community too. How is that working for you?

Permission to come aboard?

[Dame]

Hello to you as well.  You seem to be already aboard.  Welcome.

[opsec]

Hi Beeherder,
   Glad to have you with us. The more the merrier.

[Atash Hagmahani]

Beeherder, we have some other Coloradoans. Hopefully they will notice your post and introduce themselves.

I wonder if your handle implies that you keep bees? We have a few other folks doing that, too.

My father and his brothers settled in Marble, Colorado for a while, although my father and his younger brother moved on. So, one summer I visited and got to see the iron-stained hills covered in Aspens, Columbine, and Indian Paintbrush. Hummingbirds were the most common type of bird in the summer, and walking through the woods one heard constant zipping and humming. They were almost "tame" from all the feeders that the locals had out. Saw a few exotic birds that pass through the southern Rockies, like a Tanager of some sort.

[Beeherder]

Yes, my handle is intended to reveal my passion and curiosity about bees. I am astonished that beekeeping hasn't exploded in this community. I joined up so that I could restart the thread about beekeeping and will stop over there later this week. Imagine harnessing wild livestock to produce a surplus of their own food so that you can "rob the honey". Imagine never purchasing refined sugar again (except to feed the bees in early spring). Imagine giving a pint of honey to every new acquaintance and bartering your excess honey for other items. Imagine developing a positive supportive relationship with flying stinging venomous insects. Its easy if you can. (apologies to John Lenon)

Life is so SWEEEEEET,

Enjoy

[Wellspring]

Welcome Beeherder!  Delighted to have you more involved in the dialogs.

I've "Herded" bees as well but have given my hives to my good friend as we can't have the hives where we currently live.
One of my most memorable experiences (and there were many) was seeing a swarm at the entrance to an empty hive.
I wonder how many Scouts and how long it took for them to find that hive.

I'll be more incognito and lurking these days as my 92 year old mother has been weak and taking more of our time and energy.

Cheers mate~

[Atash Hagmahani]

I'll be more incognito and lurking these days as my 92 year old mother has been weak and taking more of our time and energy.

Uh oh. My best wishes to her and here's to hoping that you get enough rest to make it through.

[silverseeds]

Hello,

Darwinslair (tom) linked me here from idig. Im also known as silverseeds, on a few other forums.  Ive seen atash, on other forums as well.......

Ive read a bit of the forum, and find it very interesting.....

Ive had the idea of working toward a self sustainable lifestyle for a long time. Since I was a early teen working on a local farm, back in ohio. Ive always been relatively frugal, and after trying out a few places settled in northern new mexico, with plans  for the fastest path towards my dreams. We have five acres outside of town, and a small place with a 1/4 acre in town. Pretty simple actually, just live within your means without excessive debt. We retain much much more of the total we have earned then most people do.

I was always more apolitical. Over the years however, I started realizing how our leaders keep selling us down the river, in various ways. Trapping us into debt, and many other possible pitfalls. It always goes in the same direction, centralization of power.

Over this time I also became aware of various reasons why our system will have to change, some within a few years, some over a generation maybe two. The main thing imo is our dollar. It is on its last leg, and our leaders seem poised to kick that out from under it. We are already having conflict over energy resources, instead of using what we have, and we do have options. Our agriculture is also off kilter, unsustainable and will be forced to change as well. Due to my proclivity towards growing food, this is where I choose to focus my energy.

I am working out a sustainable system for my area. Im collecting, as many varieties of as many different plants as I an for trialing and breeding. Im also studying permaculture style things, and learning about creating microclimates to make the best use of what water I do get. We have several limiting factors which make farming here much more difficult then many other areas. First it is arid here. second being at such a high elevation we have warm days but very cool nights even in the depths of the summer. Late or early frosts are common. Local tribes always found a way to make it here, but rarely thrive. I honestly think I can change that.......

As it is now, I could easily care for my family. Hopefully I get atleast 2 years though..... Over time I will be much much better off, and be in a position to help many more people if or when things go sour. That is my intention. Like I assume the forum name refers to, if your neighbors, have their basic needs taken care of they are much less likely to try to steal yours. I feel in this small secluded community with a massive amount of ranching (which means alot of cows to eat) if people had the RIGHT, seeds and varieties already singled out, and the seeds in hand, MAYBE people will move through sudden transitions, with a little effort, and teamwork.......

So in general I will be starting breeding work, adapting various things to my conditions, with a major goal looking to build the pieces for a locavore cropping systems, with the least input(specifically water), which I feel will be necessary in coming years, and barely exists here. This will also be a business venture. Creating a economy for myself where none really exists. My wifes job is relatively secure as a teacher. As of now, I am the stay at home dad/researcher. It would take awhile to explain and might offend people, so its best to just trust me when I say it is not easy to keep a job here. This might not hold true for all of New Mexico, but in my town it surely is.

Really since I want to create a way to make money from my land anyway, as well as live as sustainably as possible, I would be doing the same or similar work regardless....

[Atash Hagmahani]

Welcome, Silverseeds. Any friend of Tom's is a friend of ours! 

Hopefully I get atleast 2 years though

2010 will be harder than 2009. 2011 will be a little harder still. We're using 2012 as our "last chance be prepared for system crash" date.

If you haven't already, have a look at Chris Martenson's crash course (http://www.chrismartenson.com/crashcourse), which does a pretty good job of explaining the situation. What it's lacking in details you'll find mentioned here. We're expecting a crash in commercial real estate next year, plus the so-called "economic stimulus" has already worn off, so next year will be a hard one.

As of now, I am the stay at home dad/researcher. It would take awhile to explain and might offend people, so its best to just trust me when I say it is not easy to keep a job here. This might not hold true for all of New Mexico, but in my town it surely is.

No surprise and high unemployment is something we all need to get ready for. For various reasons this recession is hitting male workers more than female. It is hitting Afroamerican men especially hard.

Here are some ideas for working around the problem:

1. Cutting expenses is roughly equivalent to the same amount of income. This includes both doing without, and growing/making yourself.
2. Small amounts of income are worth pursuing. In other words, if you can make money from odd jobs, selling stuff you make or grow, renting out equipment, renting out rooms in your house, whatever, and chances are you can, then do it.

If you have many income streams, losing one is bad but not catastrophic. If you only have one, losing that one is catastrophic.
3. Try to be self-employed. You can cut back your fees if you have to, you can deal with fewer hours, but if you are a hireling, you are at the mercy of your employer, and they have to look to their own benefit first.

Like I assume the forum name refers to, if your neighbors, have their basic needs taken care of they are much less likely to try to steal yours.

The name refers to the fact that surviving this system reboot is not a trip to the shopping mall. It's not something that one person can "buy" for himself. It is impossible for a single person, or even a single family, to develop enough division of labor to keep anything above the most rudimentary hunting-and-gathering existence.

The problem with the traditional approach to collective solutions is the one you've already alluded to: government is the problem, not the solution. Therefor, you develop a private network of family, friends, and neighbors, and organize them into a survival team.

It can be challenging, because even this late in the game, a lot of people do not realize how precarious our situation is, because it is not a topic for their nightly television viewing which forms their model of reality. Keep the faith, maintain a powerful sense of purpose, and be a little chummier than is the norm.

[opsec]

Greetings Silverseeds. Always nice to have another person on board.

second being at such a high elevation we have warm days but very cool nights even in the depths of the summer. Late or early frosts are common.

A homemade greenhouse might solve that problem. PVC tubing and plastic sheeting. Leave the ventilation open during the day and batten down the hatches at night to hold in heat.