Cooperation among your neighbors?

[goatilocks]

DH and I are looking for some land. We have looked at a few pieces that had neighbors we would have loved to have, and pieces we didnt even make an offer on because of the neighbors. Im all for the barter system. Kinda like you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. But dont ask for a free handout because you're to lazy to try to do it yourself. When things get bad, my family comes first.

 

[k15n1]

More prepared neighbors means fewer zombies.

I get the "that's weird" look from some people, but it's always been common to store up food for yourself. Maybe the rich and city-folk never did, but farming folk always grew gardens and stored up lots of food. As much as possible. And in some parts of the world where drought is common, people prepare and store up years of feed for family and livestock.

 

[hqueen13]

Right now? I'd head down the hill to my neighbors house, and I think he'd be ok with us. We'd bring the guns and the horse along, LOL. Just found out the other day that when a woman made a wrong turn up his driveway (happens a lot on our road) and he told her she couldn't turn around in his yard (no room on his drive to turn around), and she proceeded to attempt to do it anyway, he rammed her square in the side with his F150 and pushed her ALL the way down his driveway, over the edge of the hill, across the (busy curvy) 2 lane road and into the guardrail on the other side. Yeah, he paid for it, but he did it anyway. So yeah, I'm holing up with him! We can't do too many things at the moment that are seriously SS on a large scale, we don't own the place and can't do our own thing here (long story), so we just keep trying to prepare and wait for the right moment to buy land and do it ourselves!

 

[Beekissed]

Yes...all the farming folk around here seem to think they have plenty of foods and such stored, and I'm betting they do. Out in the country, it has always been a way of life to grow and store foods for the long haul. Some of the newer generation have gotten away from it but the old equipment to preserve foods is probably still in the cellar, basement or attic.

This whole idea of "prepping" seems to stem from more urban folks, as the farming communities have been doing it for generations. I remember when a trip to town was a big happening and only happened rarely...you can see where the necessity to have food stored up would be imperative to these kind of folks. TOWN was always spoken as having a capital "T".

 

[moolie]

I live in a city of just over a million people, in a typical suburban neighborhood. I and my family are very connected within the community due to involvement with Girl Guides, volunteering at our kids' schools and in the community association, and our involvement in our church. We know our immediate neighbors all along our street (about 6 houses) and are getting to know more all the time (we've only been in this house for 3 years), as well as knowing just about everyone in our old neighborhood not too far away due to our 10 years there. Selling Girl Guide cookies door to door with my daughters has gone a long way toward getting to know my neighbors

That said, as lovely as my neighbors are, I don't think any of them are "like us" ("us" being my family). They garden flowers and lawn, not veggies. Most have what my kids call "tiny useless dogs". I see large tvs glowing through their front windows as I drive by when it is dark out. So I know that my family's priorities are slightly different than the local average.

I do believe that we would all pull together in a time of crisis, but I also don't personally see one coming any time soon. And I don't believe in living in fear, rather I believe in "living" life (see my sig line below).

My city is weathering the current economic crisis quite well--unemployment here is only 5%, well under the US average and also below the Canadian average of 7.4%. The recession didn't hit most of Canada like it did the US, although some areas such as Ontario's automobile manufacturing heartland suffered badly. Canada did not have the mortgage and banking issues that occurred in the US due to differences in our banking system, and from what I hear on the news every night Canadians by and large are actually learning to curb their personal debt load even as they are spend-spend-spending as we approach the holidays.

Yes, the fortunes and misfortunes of the rest of the world affect Canada's economic position, but we're a country that tends to pull together in times of crisis--especially since we tend to believe that guns are for hunting, not for household or personal defense. (In fact, I believe it's a fact that Canadians own more guns per capita than any other nation?)

All of this is not to say that we don't try to live as self-sufficiently as possible, ensuring that we have "put up" as much as possible in the way of food and water (hubs was out of work for most of 2010 so "putting up" is huge in our life), and that we are prepared in case of natural disasters. But we're not survivalists or even "preppers". We're just average, frugal folk who live pretty simply and as abundantly as possible (our abundance focusing on time spent with friends and loved ones, often involving good home-made food--rather than an abundance of "things").

 

[Wannabefree]

Right now? I'd head down the hill to my neighbors house, and I think he'd be ok with us. We'd bring the guns and the horse along, LOL. Just found out the other day that when a woman made a wrong turn up his driveway (happens a lot on our road) and he told her she couldn't turn around in his yard (no room on his drive to turn around), and she proceeded to attempt to do it anyway, he rammed her square in the side with his F150 and pushed her ALL the way down his driveway, over the edge of the hill, across the (busy curvy) 2 lane road and into the guardrail on the other side. Yeah, he paid for it, but he did it anyway. So yeah, I'm holing up with him! We can't do too many things at the moment that are seriously SS on a large scale, we don't own the place and can't do our own thing here (long story), so we just keep trying to prepare and wait for the right moment to buy land and do it ourselves!

I actually think I'd stay away from that guy, and try to fend for myself first. What if YOU make him mad not following HIS rules on HIS property? Folks like that are liable to shoot you and finish their sandwich over your corpse Nah...I'd stay home

 

[Joel_BC]

Just found out the other day that when a woman made a wrong turn up his driveway (happens a lot on our road) and he told her she couldn't turn around in his yard (no room on his drive to turn around), and she proceeded to attempt to do it anyway, he rammed her square in the side with his F150 and pushed her ALL the way down his driveway, over the edge of the hill, across the (busy curvy) 2 lane road and into the guardrail on the other side. Yeah, he paid for it, but he did it anyway.

When somebody in my general neighborhood acts that way, we suspect him of being a marijuana grower!

I must admit, that sort of guy isn't my cup of tea. Sounds aloof, mistrustful, beligerant.

 

[deb4o]

I do know most of the neighbors around us, none are as should I say prepared. The gal on the property to the west of us is a "medical"marijuana smoker andnow has a card to grow it(swell).So she really isn't into being SS, she tried to grow a small garden this year, the outcome from that adventure was she got her produce from us.

The family on the east is nice enough but not into much SS as I can see. The only thing they have on thier 2 acres is a couple of hores,they also tried a garden this year, it was small but did produce.

Now the family behind us, they wouldn't have a clue, they are all about eating out and the only thing they grow is a bunch of weeds that they mow a couple of times a year.So I don't have much faith in any of them grouping up with us to make it though anything big. Good thing we are very self reliant.

 

[Marianne]

We can go from girly to farming in a split second and have skills.

LOVE THAT!!

Me, too! And welcome Seven Hens!

I bet I could count on any person within a 10 mile radius of us! We all help each other now, when one calls for help, we all come running. You never know when you might be the one calling, you know?
Hunters, trappers, mechanics, farmers...not a dumb or lazy one in the bunch. Are they prepared? Some maybe more than others. I keep hearing 'you just never know' more and more. The newest neighbors now have goats, plans to plant 10 acres in hay, other acreage in alfalfa, leasing pasture ground, more gardening AND she recently joined our SS community, too!

 

[kstaven]

Well, it's interesting. These responses here on SS have been positive, so far. I was on another homesteading forum system, one that has a very active and knowledgeable bunch of posters on its preparedness forum. I was almost shocked, at the doubts the group there, overall, felt about being able to depend on cooperation among their neighbors.

I had to wonder whether some survivalist/preparedness people had somehow isolated themselves from their neighbors, for whatever reasons... possibly the survivalists themselves had distrustful personalities. And hence, in return, they felt isolated - though they might not realize just why.

Perhaps there is a difference between those operating from every day self sufficiency and those operating from a fear of the future. Just saying it is in the perspective.

I agree!!!!!!

Most people around here are prepared for disaster natural or manmade to some degree. But they also realize the skill sets of others around them may make all the difference if things get really bad. This is a very isolated valley that knows what community means.