The New and Improved Questions List-The official thread

[savingdogs]

When beginning your journal, or if you already have one, to make it interesting, SS forum members have formulated some questions to get you started and keep our conversations interesting. This is the list, below. Your answers can be just added to your own thread, or you can answer them here. Include a link to your journal if you wish.

If you do answer the questions here on this thread, please, no commentary, this thread is for JUST the answers to your questions. If you have a comment for the person posting their list, please make that comment in their personal journal, not here.

These questions are meant to be a conversation starter, and to help everyone here know more about you and what mutual interests you may have with some of the members. Feel free to use this list, use a part of this list, or none at all, this is entirely optional. Please keep in mind that our journals are not diaries and private names, addresses, and personal details are not necessary to be relevant in answering these questions or, for that matter, in journal entries. If you do not understand a question, it is because it does not apply to you. Feel free to cut and paste from this list the questions you wish to answer. This isn't a "test".......................... this is so we can all have fun and learn how to be Sufficient Selves together!

1. What state/province/country are you in and what is your climate like?
2. How many people are in your family? Marital status?
3. How would you define self sufficiency?
4. What would you do with your spare time if you had any resources you needed?
5. Have you ever built a house , or other types of building? Do you want to?
6. Can you weld? Steel, aluminum, MiG, TiG, stick, Oxy-Acet?
7. Who or what inspired you to become more self sufficient?
8 Cloth or paper?
9. In what ways are you self sufficient now and in what ways would you like to learn more?
10. In what way(s) will you never choose to become self sufficient?
11. Are you interested in stocking up for future needs?
12. Where do you end up when you sink into yourself, away from the outside world?
13. Can you drive a farm tractor or a semi?
14. Do you make crafts or useful items? Would you want to teach others how to do these?
15. Can you have legally livestock where you are at? Do you have any? What kinds?
16. Can you operate a lathe? Metal, wood?
17. Do you like to garden? If so, what do you enjoy growing?
18. Do you fish? Bait or explosives?
19. How much space/land do you have or rent? City? Country?
20. Are you a Novice, Technician, General, Advanced? ARRL?
21. What is your self sufficient specialty? Or what one would you like to learn?
22. If you could create a degree and curriculum, what would you major in and what classes would you take?
23. Do you do wood work? framing, finish, cabinet?
24. Are you interested in herbal medicine?
25. If you could live any place you chose, where would it be?
26. Do you use a wood stove for heating or cooking?
27. What would your ideal super hero/villain be?
28. Are your family or friends also interested in self sufficiency?
29. Do you like to cook? Are you interested in whole foods and natural foods? raw milk? farm fresh eggs?
30. What was your MOS?
31. Do you forage or hunt for part of your food needs?
32. What skills do you have that help you be more self sufficient?
33. In which fictional universe would you most like to live?
34. Do you have solar panels? Plans to use solar energy?
35 What is the mass/weight ratio of a European swallow carrying a coconut from the tropics to England?
36. Have you ever lived completely off grid? Would you like to?
37. In what do you trust?
38. Do you make things yourself to save money?
39. Has trying to be more self-sufficient changed your attitude or habits about money/spending?

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Same ole stuff...different day.

That's pretty much my life, lol.

 

[flowerbug]

That's pretty much my life, lol.

but it's day old stuff, so aged stuff, which if nothing happens to it would mean it would last forever, but since nothing lasts forever enjoy it while you can. or something...

 

[Hinotori]

I don’t know how to copy this.

I don't think I even did this. Just tell us about yourself.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

but it's day old stuff, so aged stuff, which if nothing happens to it would mean it would last forever, but since nothing lasts forever enjoy it while you can. or something...

I get it, I think...kinda!

 

[savingdogs]

1. What state/province/country are you in and what is your climate like?
SW Washington state, pretty much in the rain forest, south facing slope.

2. How many people are in your family? Marital status?
Married with Children. Gosh, not like the show though.
I have a grown daughter referred to as Bud and she has The Granddaughter, 19-year-old Computer Nerd son who live with us and works from home, and Trouble who is 15 and just starting high school this fall.

3. How would you define self sufficiency? I would define 100 percent self sufficiency as not requiring anything from the outside world, which is beyond my goals....I would never want to be a complete hermit, I like to talk too much! big_smile But you can be MORE self sufficient as a goal.....

4. What would you do with your spare time if you had any resources you needed?
ANY resources.....gosh, with limits like that, I'd have some sort of dog rescue shelter that I could run, with staff to scoop poop!

5. Have you ever built a house , or other types of building? No Do you want to? Possibly in the future. I'd love a solar-powered home, off grid.

6. Can you weld? Steel, aluminum, MiG, TiG, stick, Oxy-Acet? No but my Hubby can.

7. Who or what inspired you to become more self sufficient? My husband. It wasn't a hard push however as I'd been fascinated as a young adult by books such as Jean Auel's Earth Children series and in reading the Laura Ingalls Wilder books to my daughter when she was young, and The Story of Dora in the book Time Enough for Love by Robert Heinlein.

8 Cloth or paper? Paper!

9. In what ways are you self sufficient now and in what ways would you like to learn more? We heat the house partially with a wood stove and use it for cooking on sometimes, we harvest the wood from our own forest mainly. We have a local well shared with a good neighbor. We have animals to provide us with milk, eggs and some of our meat, with goals to eventually provide ourselves with 80 percent of our meat grown here on our property. As far as what ways we want to learn more....in EVERY way. I'm a curious person I guess.

10. In what way(s) will you never choose to become self sufficient? I must have hot running water for washing and cooking and a decent toilet. Other than that I could rough it. I also have health limitations I have to consider though. In the pacific northwest, a year round garden is difficult to maintain, so I'd rather barter with someone who is good at that skill (although I'm not done trying).

11. Are you interested in stocking up for future needs? Yes! Not far enough along on this project however.

12. Where do you end up when you sink into yourself, away from the outside world? Honestly? I imagine myself on the Oregon Trail. I have a book idea about it that I've thought about for about 25 years and I tell the story to myself at night to go to sleep (guess it isn't that exciting....) caf

13. Can you drive a farm tractor or a semi? Absolutely not...I don't even drive a car anymore. caf

14. Do you make crafts or useful items? Soap, laundry soap, cheese, rag rugs.
Would you want to teach others how to do these? Sure!

15. Can you have legally livestock where you are at? Yes, that is why we moved here.
Do you have any? Bwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
What kinds? Dogs, cats, chickens, goats, ducks and rabbits.

16. Can you operate a lathe? No

17. Do you like to garden? yes, very much, but I have a little bit of a black thumb regarding vegetable gardening. If so, what do you enjoy growing? I like doing landscaping projects and such more than growing food, and I'm trying for more of an "edible landscape" at most of the homes I've lived at. I love the english garden look with plants overflowing everywhere. I remove lawns whereever I've lived. I pour over Sunset magazine and wish I could have been a landscape designer as a career, I would have loved that.

18. Do you fish? Bait or explosives?
Neither! We don't fish as no one but me will eat it. I had a dad obsessed with fishing and my first boyfriend also was a fisherman fanatic, so I have been kind of relieved my Hubby does not enjoy it. I love to EAT fish though.

19. How much space/land do you have or rent? City? Country? We have five forested acres in the country, very very remote. But we lived all of our prior life in the city, originally from Lost Angeles.

20. Are you a Novice, Technician, General, Advanced? ARRL? n/a

21. What is your self sufficient specialty? I'd say the chickens, although I'm not particularly expert! Or what one would you like to learn? I'm getting to know more about the goats and find they interest me the most, as far as my livestock is concerned. I'd like to learn more about food storage, solar energy, raising meat, gardening.....just about everything we talk about here.

22. If you could create a degree and curriculum, what would you major in and what classes would you take?
Constitution 101. I would major in The Founding Fathers. Classes would include economics, US history in Depth and How to Win Friends and Influence People.

23. Do you do wood work? framing, finish, cabinet? no

24. Are you interested in herbal medicine? Only in case TSHTF. While it was fine for Ayla and The Clan, I like my modern medicine, thank you very much. I do have an interest in herbs as food and as healthful additives however.

25. If you could live any place you chose, where would it be? Well if I answer from a practical sense, I'd say Skamania County, WA. If I was fantasizing, I'd say somewhere on the coast of northern California, i.e., Russian river area, or in the Sequoias, or maybe Montana De Oro or Big Sur.

26. Do you use a wood stove for heating or cooking? Yes, mostly for heating. Cooking on it happens during power outages, but I bought a dutch oven this summer so that I can use it more, come winter.

27. What would your ideal super hero/villain be? I'd say right now, my super hero is our own dear OFG.

28. Are your family or friends also interested in self sufficiency? ha ha ha ha ha ha ....not at all, except Hubby and to some extent Trouble.

29. Do you like to cook? sometimes.....I have never been a good cook but have been working improving that recently. I watch cooking shows and try to make nice meals. I love Rachael Ray!

Are you interested in whole foods and natural foods? raw milk? farm fresh eggs? Yes! Yes! Yes! I have found my health depends upon it.

30. What was your MOS? N/A *takes off hat in respect to all that have served*

31. Do you forage or hunt for part of your food needs? Yes, but not a significant portion. Berries and nettles. Hubby intends to hunt but has a soft spot for wildlife so hasn't really done it. He would if we needed him to.

32. What skills do you have that help you be more self sufficient? I'm a very patient and determined person, willing to "do without" or "make do" or find a new way of doing things. I'm not afraid to ask questions. I understand animals and have a lot of knowledge about them.....probably just enough to be dangerous lau, but I'm especially experienced with dogs. I think I can be trusted with them. gig

33. In which fictional universe would you most like to live? Probably Heinlein's Time Enough For Love

34. Do you have solar panels? no Plans to use solar energy? Would love to be able to make the investment.

35 What is the mass/weight ratio of a European swallow carrying a coconut from the tropics to England? growing a coconut tree in the tropics looks like...so that coconut got pretty darn heavy and the bird stayed in the tropics th

36. Have you ever lived completely off grid? no
Would you like to? yes! I HATE the power company.

37. In what do you trust? The only answer here for me is God.

38. Do you make things yourself to save money?
Yes! My best example is probably my laundry soap.

39. Has trying to be more self-sufficient changed your attitude or habits about money/spending?
My budget is part of what dictated me wanting to become self sufficient!

My journal is located at: http://www.sufficientself.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=4765 I like to tell the stories of my farm, our animals and our life fostering dogs and finding them homes.

 

[Beekissed]

1. What state/province/country are you in and what is your climate like? WV, Mountains, four seasons, some extreme temps.
2. How many people are in your family? Marital status? A. Right now? Me. I also have three grown sons. B. And ruin a good thing????
3. How would you define self sufficiency? As a fallacy ...but I get yer meanin'. I always felt it was being as versatile, solvent and independent in your life as possible.
4. What would you do with your spare time if you had any resources you needed? What is this spare time of which you speak??? I would help those who need it most...the defenseless and persecuted women and children of this world
5. Have you ever built a house , or other types of building? Yep...assisted with the building of four log cabins in which we consequently lived.
6. Can you weld? Steel, aluminum, MiG, TiG, stick, Oxy-Acet? Can you embroider?
7. Who or what inspired you to become more self sufficient? My grandma, my mother, my dad....my poverty.
8 Cloth or paper? Eh?? Whatever does the job....
9. In what ways are you self sufficient now and in what ways would you like to learn more? Too tired to list them, too many to list and I always leave room for learning.
10. In what way(s) will you never choose to become self sufficient? I think I like my toilet paper..I could do without and have but I really, really like it.
11. Are you interested in stocking up for future needs? Do I can? Yes. Do I stock up for some fan event involving excrement? Not on your life.
12. Where do you end up when you sink into yourself, away from the outside world? Heaven.
13. Can you drive a farm tractor or a semi? Can you catheterize a 500 lb woman? Yeah, I can drive a tractor...
14. Do you make crafts or useful items? Yes. Would you want to teach others how to do these? Yes.
15. Can you have legally livestock where you are at? Do you have any? What kinds? Yes. I gave them all away. I had 30 chickens, three sheep, used to have a milch cow and calf(s).
16. Can you operate a lathe? Metal, wood? Can you operate a sewing machine? Serger? Heck, no, I can't...who devised these questions, some guy???
17. Do you like to garden? If so, what do you enjoy growing? Yes. As much food as possible.
18. Do you fish? Bait or explosives? Yes.Explosive baits.
19. How much space/land do you have or rent? City? Country? One green little acre, rental, we pipe in the sunlight.
20. Are you a Novice, Technician, General, Advanced? ARRL? No hablo englis? In WHAT, exactly???
21. What is your self sufficient specialty? I can do it all, baby. Or what one would you like to learn? Anything I can. That process never ends.
22. If you could create a degree and curriculum, what would you major in and what classes would you take? Beach bumming with a PHd in being lazy with a good book.
23. Do you do wood work? framing, finish, cabinet? Yep...I cut it down, stack it up, carry it in and light it up.
24. Are you interested in herbal medicine? Only when I feel sick...
25. If you could live any place you chose, where would it be? Heaven. Is that one of the choices? No? Well, I guess I'd be a citizen of the world...mountains, beaches, desserts and plains. I'd want to live in all those places at any given time.
26. Do you use a wood stove for heating or cooking? Yes and in the past.
27. What would your ideal super hero/villain be? Eh? I loved The Brain, from Pinky and the Brain. He was a villian that was my hero!
28. Are your family or friends also interested in self sufficiency? My mother...but no one else. Isn't that incredibly sad?
29. Do you like to cook? Are you interested in whole foods and natural foods? raw milk? farm fresh eggs? No. Yes. Yes. Yes.
30. What was your MOS? What was yer WNL?
31. Do you forage or hunt for part of your food needs? WV, remember?
32. What skills do you have that help you be more self sufficient? My ability to learn and apply theory to practice.
33. In which fictional universe would you most like to live? I thought I was there already..... :/ How did you guys get in here????
34. Do you have solar panels? Plans to use solar energy? We already pipe in the sunlight...now ya wanna have us convert it too?
35 What is the mass/weight ratio of a European swallow carrying a coconut from the tropics to England? Approx. 17 grams, depending on the ripeness of the coconut.
36. Have you ever lived completely off grid? Would you like to? Yep(9 years+) and yep.
37. In what do you trust? God only.
38. Do you make things yourself to save money? Yes. I'm currently learning how to mint money so as to cut out the middle process.
39. Has trying to be more self-sufficient changed your attitude or habits about money/spending?Yeah...now that living this way allows me to have some to spend, I no longer see the necessity. Bitter irony.

What happened to 40???? Does no one love 40???? Humph!

I'm adding a 40.

40. What basic truth about life, above all else, makes your life easier to live? That it's not about me. None of it. I used to think it was about me and my little ant-like scurrying through this life but now I know that the movie doesn't feature me as the starring role. What a relief!!! I can relax now!

My journal was deleted by the USDA and providing a link to it would only compromise your safety....please never mention it again if you value your prepping supplies.

 

[baymule]

Can we use the old list if we choose for our own journels?

Please don't disappear down the black hole of a journal. A lot of the members here post to their journals and I refuse to read 2 thousand posts, or filter through pages trying to find that one relevant post that had some information I remember. Then they whine about no one making new posts. I refuse to start a journal for that reason. If my opinion makes anybody mad or hurts feelings, too bad. It's the truth. Crawl out of your journals and start a new thread.

CJ1, you have been a breath of fresh air to this site and I hate to see you fall into the journal trap. I am enjoying the new threads you and @MoonShadows have posted and the revival of old threads. This site has been stagnant for a long time and I am delighted to have new members here that are activating it again.

 

[CJ1]

I can assure you that even if I were to start a journal that I would not stop posting elsewhere. But thank you very much.

 

[baymule]

I can assure you that even if I were to start a journal that I would not stop posting elsewhere. But thank you very much.