How many have actually made the change?

[Icu4dzs]

For a long time the gardening and chickens were done, but just because we liked the taste and felt connected to the land, but I must admit that for a long time DH and I have been extra conservative and probably about 2008, we began to be very concerned for the whole country and our own security.

I was taught (by a cajun) that the first thing to say to a Cajun"how y'all is?"
Having now dispensed with the appropriate cajun formality of greeting, I see that concern for things in the country starting in 2008 is not limited to any particular area of the country and certainly no mention of political influence. While I've seen it myself, and felt it, I began to think that this might not have been as much a phenomenon as I had originally thought but now my concerns are deepened by the fact that I don't appear to be the only one who thinks something happened in 2008 that was significant. While anyone can add their own spin on the issue, the truth to me is that something very specific happened and while I can't quite put my finger on it at the moment, I absolutely believe that this is when something changed.

rhoda_bruce details her history succinctly and that seems to be a really good source of information in my opinion. Obviously, there are a number of things operant here including education, economic change and a host of other nonspecific issues that while no one of them can be assumed to be truly causative, the sum total appear to be involved in what happened.

In another string on SS-f, Hinotori documents her experience with power failure due to ice in Washington state. The days without power seemed to have sharpened her DH's keen sense of interest in the SS approach and he now is looking at a more aggressive pursuit of becoming more SS than previously.

We are seeing that being/becoming SS has much of its roots in the influence our ancestors had on us, both living and those who were here before we even came to this place. Fortunately for some, their family members did significant amounts of teaching and training in how to do things for yourself.

What I am seeing is that there is a perceived change in the approach to life by folks who are now able to realize that the national treasury is expended beyond its structural limitations and that poverty and discomfort (much like that of the "Great Depression") could very well consume our society in ways we can only begin to imagine. In this post, rhoda_bruce details her concerns for such thing and tells of her approach to deal with the problems she and her DH perceive as "coming".

I am continually reminded of Aesop's Fable of the Ant and the Grasshopper, which my mother pounded into my head on many occasions, particularly when I was "goofing off" instead of burying my nose in a text book as a child. While I may not have always "heeded" her warnings at the time, those things did get firmly "written on the hard drive" and they are there to this day. What concerns me most now is that the issue of SS and preparation for difficult times, be they environmental disaster or socio-economic disaster, seems to be more concentrated in an older age group. The Generation X and Y folks seem to be getting it,but the "Millenium" folks still seem to be convinced that the national treasury is an unlimited source of handouts that will never be broken. I am not so sure that this is a good idea.

How we deal with this is an individual matter. Some "bury their heads in the sand" and just try to "wish it away" and others find ways to become adapted to it. This part was particularly interesting when she said,

We couldn't get homeowner's insurance we could justify because the ins co.s sure don't wanna run the risk of losing anything, so we found out what we were supposed to be paying and started paying ourselves. We had a special account in mutual funds, until we got scared that everything would collapse. So we sold out and invested in a huge coop, barn, retaining wall blocks for a big raised garden, beekeeping equipment, seeds, chickens and the like. We felt that we still had money to invest, but we were investing our money into ourselves. If we got a poor return it was our own fault. So we dove in to SS, with a passion.

The confidence that all the "entitlements" our country had devised to protect us when we are old appeared to be diluted to almost the point of vanishing before our very eyes. On the other hand, to make things worse, the social security insurance system, to which we are all forced to contribute from our paycheck every time is rapidly being depleted by those who are NOT contributing to the system making the demise of that system rapidly approaching. Congress has already changed the rules on us making us wait longer for our pension to begin and it is my guess that they will continue to change it rather than admit that they have squandered that money away for all kinds of boondogles rather than saved it and invested it so that when our turn to benefit from our own hard work comes up, that something would be there. As it is right now, that is looking more and more remote if at all possible. My guess is that the system will collapse from being overburdened in the very near future and there won't be anything we will be able to do to revive it. Hence, the need for us to become SS in our old age to ensure that we will be able to eat and live in a dry home.

While I am not a pessimist, and the glass is not half empty, the truth is the truth. If we face those issues now and continually make arrangements to adapt to the changes we see coming, the effect on our livelihood will be limited. We will still be eating those fresh garden vegetables, gold yolk eggs from our chickens and have a roof that doesn't leak over our heads.

I guess what I am saying is that being SS is much the same as the approach rhoda_bruce and her DH took. Rather than keep putting money into a system that may or may not exist in the event that we need it, we need to invest that money in ourselves and our survival because it is clearly the view from where I sit that if we don't, there won't be anything for us to eat when it is our time to need it. Our system is overwhelmed and that my friends is the only way it was ever going to fail. Our forefathers put a lot of energy into seeing that the future was better for their children and their children to come, but they could never have imagined that the system would be overwhelmed (in my opinion intentionally) and thus be destroyed from within rather than from without. They found they couldn't beat us at war, they couldn't beat us at science or education but they have learned that in order to beat us, they would have to overwhelm the system and destroy us from within and that is exactly what I see happening and what I saw start in serious earnest in 2008.

If this seems "political" then I am sorry, because it is nothing of the kind. It is simply the observation of the events that have been steadily deteriorating our American society since the early 60's, much like the frog in the water. The heat has finally become severe and the hope of getting the frog out alive now appears to be in serious doubt.
Saepe Expertus, Semper Fidelis, Fratres Aeterni
PRIORITY: URGENT
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[rhoda_bruce]

The Cajun was either not from my bayou or just joking. They do that a lot. We actually don't say things like that. "How you doing?" would be fine. I can say it in French, of course, but my writting is worse than a 1st grade French child's should be, so I"ll spare myself the humiliation. An old school Cajun would figure out this SS stuff. We pretty much like a lot of you here on the forum; just bi-lingual and cook a bit different.
A lot of them are trying to get back to their roots. I have a lot of Cajun customers who come here when I am selling chicks in the spring and summer. Lots of our local Indian tribe too....the Houmas. I am also having a lot of Latinos showing up. Very shy group. Fortunately, I can understand a lot of their language.....it sounds similar to French.
Something keeps me here. We have lots of game and seafood, so we can eat. Plus Mom and Dad divided everything and I got the woods, plus my own place, but to tell the truth, I don't like the amount of people who have moved here in the past 30 or so years. Houses everywhere, where there used to be cane and woods. Lots of auto accidents.....that used to be a rarity. I sometimes think of buying lots of property cheap somewhere in the middle of nowhere; like say if a massive catagatory 5 hurricane hits and I'd need to start over anyway. We actually have to figure how to protect ourselves from thieves now. That pretty much didn't happen when I was a child.
If that day ever comes, I hope I'm still young enough to pull my load. Even if I can't eat shrimp and such and I'm away from the bayou, I'll still be a Cajun and I'll always remember the life's lessons passed to me, so that comes with me.
It does freak me out how cheap I could buy land, because really just selling my house on a single acre, I could buy a huge place elsewhere. I can tell you, its tempting sometimes.

 

[TheMartianChick]

A couple of years after that, we got the opportunity to purchase the empty lot next door...and the next one over. When combined with the rental property that we owned on the other side of us, it gave us 3/4 of an acre to turn into an urban homestead. Since that time, we've invested in the tools, training and know how to be able to do the things that we do. We have chickens and quail for eggs and have the potential for raising the quail for meat, too. We've installed a lot of permaculture into the property in the form of asparagus, raspberries, herbs, mulberries, lambsquarters and potatoes. Yep...around here, potatoes are permaculture since I get lots of volunteers from spuds that I failed to harvest.

While we consider ourselves to be urban farmers and homesteaders because of our frugal ways, we just aren't finished yet. We plan to move to a farm once the kids are out of college. That means a couple more years of city living. When we move, we'll carry our skills, knowledge and plant starts with us. One more thing that we'll take with us is the ability to earn a living without relying on a job. This area of NY has lost a lot of jobs over the years. That didn't start in 2008. Our city is an old rust belt city and it has been shedding manufacturing jobs since the 1970's. Since getting married over 20 years ago, Hubby and I have purchased rental properties to provide a supplemental income. Houses can be quite inexpensive in this area. Over the past 10 years, I've counseled a lot of small business owners in the course of my career and have built a nice little side business to supplement my paycheck. I've also been writing for agricultural magazines and now, I'm writing novels. I can work from anywhere, but once we have our farm, I don't want to have to commute a long distance to get to an office each day.

You've got a great plan, and obviously have admirable commitment and persistence. I gather real-estate was originally a sideline of yours. You don't have to go any deeper into explanation thatn you care to, of course... If you're comfortable discussing it, I'd be curious to know whether your current "office" job is connected with your real-estate (rental property, etc) business - or whether you've still got some other mainstay business. I've gotten the point that you've also done some counselling/teaching and writing, and that writing your novels is now a chief interest.

I'm just checking back in here to respond to your question, Joel. My current office job is completely unrelated to our rentals and is only marginally related to real estate. I work for a nonprofit organization that does a lot of different things. The agency builds housing for low to moderate income families, provides credit counseling, operates a GED program that teaches dropouts to do construction, assists entrepreneurs with business planning, operates a summer youth entrepreneurial/agricultural endeavor, provides office skills training and dabbles in commercial development. (Whew! that was a lot of typing!)

I serve as the micro-business counselor so I can always pick up additional work along the lines of designing marketing materials, writing or updating business plans, grantwriting, conducting market studies, editing, etc... This time of year, I do a few sets of taxes for family members and I am often asked to pull resumes together for jobseekers and those seeking financing. Of course, I'm also willing to roll up my sleeves and sell a carton of quail or chicken eggs, too!

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

I've dreamed of being SS for many years. Hard to figure out how to do it as a single mom on a nanny's pay with a kid and disabilities. Hubby had given it thought too so when we met (online), this was a big part of our discussion for the future. Our families think we're nuts. "You eat eggs from your chicken's butts? You eat your chickens?" "You know how to milk a goat? Doesn't it kick? Doesn't it eat your hand and clothes?" I'm sure we're not the only ones to get these questions.

We got married 5 years ago, and moved on to our little 2 acres exactly 2 years ago, give or take a few days. Has a nice big house, wood fireplace, leachfield "sewer", propane heat and hot water. Big workshop. Subdivision out in the country, where properties range from 2 acres to 35 acres. Corner store 5 minute drive, small town 30 minute drive, large town 40 minute drive, huge city (Denver) an hour drive.

Have 4 adult goats and 5 babies (dairy). Upwards of 40 chickens, including some broodies so we'll never have to buy chicks or chicken again. Finally have a few bucks (from FIL's passing) to do a few things so just yesterday I built (with help from 3 teenagers, $10 per hour a piece) a combo chicken house and buck/goat house. Still need to paint, add tin roofing, and build the fence around the pen. Will also be doing a few small solar panels with a battery bank, and if we can figure out the best way to capture our very windy "breezes", a wind turbine. If we can figure what to get, we'll be adding a hand pump to our well (we have an automatic that runs on electricity). Have a "portapotty". Adding 1/8 acre worth of raised-bed herb boxes ... medicinal, cooking, and cleaning (since I'm allergic to soaps).

Posted notice on community mail room and got these 3 teens who help whenever they can. i have so many disabilities that sometimes I just can't swing a hammer or push a drill so it's worth the $10 an hour to get help. (Hubby's usually at work.) We have also advertised for someone to park their RV here free in exchange for handyman services.

Just decided to add pigs to our menagerie: to be our "plow" and producer of bacon! Which means we're adding a couple of oak trees to the back corner (for acorns as pig fodder, to provide shade for the girl goats, and to use the twigs as toothpicks/teeth-cleaners). Also will be planting 2 pecans, 2 walnuts, 4 almonds, lots of fruit trees (apples, pears, plums, peaches), and lots of berry bushes. Have a half-acre to grow grain for us and critters. Have a 1/4 acre raised bed garden.

Kid has a service dog so we'll be adding meat rabbits in the spring for his dinners (variety from chicken and eggs). Plan to get another dog or two.

We're close. I can sew if I need to (next week I'll be making a new quilt and still have placemats and tablecloths to do. Plus I just discovered "tooth cloths" so I'll be buying material for that. ). Got so much more to do but we can surely survive a few months as is now but by the end of this year, we intend to be off the grid.

Good topic.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

MyKidLuvsGreenEgz....For no more property than you have, you sure have crammed some serious farming into it. But its about the size of my yard and I completely believe you are able to do it. Not sure if you will want to keep those kids, though. It does seem like a good amount of dairy on a small scale. I have about the same amt of chickens as you, but I reproduce my own, so I'm not planning on purchasing any more. To me, if you have to continue buying your chicks every year or two, you could do better by having your breeders and setting or incubating.
I let my goats, geese, ducks and chickens clean up the garden for me and the guineas can do some insect control once its all nice and growing. I think I can do better, if I just finish my fence. I'm not completely closed in.

 

[Icu4dzs]

This topic appears to be distributed into a few other threads. There is one looking at what the world might be expecting in March of this year. With little doubt, being prepared for ANY problem makes you feel more confident but then if you really want to feel comfortable, regardless of what is going on around you, use the "Wayne Gretzki" approach.
Don't skate to where the puck IS, skate to where the puck is going to BE!

What do I mean? Simply, have an exit strategy for the future. I don't think it is a bad idea to be proactive and consider what you are going to do after an initial incident of any sort. Most folks have put food away for some protracted and unspecified time, assuming it will be enough for a specific period of time, but suppose things don't go back to normal (or what we currently think of as normal) for a much longer period of time. Whether it is evacuation from a hurricane, flood or whatever, the short term issues are generally thought out for most folks. It is the long term issues that we might want to explore.

What are the things I am discussing? How about Heirloom seeds? If you have them, and you can grow what they produce, you will get MORE seeds and then you will have a much better insurance for growing food. Hybrid foods are OK on the first season, but they are hybrids primarily to be hardy against diseases of the plants. They don't make seeds that will breed true for the next year like our grandparents had.

Having a little water put away is fine but being able to purify water for the long haul is better. The concept of SS is to be able to deal with any change, regardless of what, with a minimum of inconvenience to your way of life. If you are storing pre-prepared foods and you eat that all up, then what? How long will that last and what do you do after that?

Imagine if you had 100 seeds of every vegetable and bean you could ever want? You could grow them, harvest them and collect their seeds for the next year. Suppose you only need 5 tomato plants. You have 95 original seeds left and all the seeds you could ever dream of from your 5 plants. You give one good seed for each of your friends and now you have a city able to eat for the future. Instead of a lawn, you can have a garden in your reach. Rotating the plants properly will allow you to grow what you need for a year in very little space. Get creative. Buy Heirloom seeds and give some away so everyone will have them.

Imagine the confidence your friends will have if they don't fear starvation because they have that kind of seed and production capability? Why friends that would be a movement. The "Alice's Restaurant Home Grown Vegetable and Survival Movement" and all you have to do to join is buy one bag of some heirloom seed and trade them with your friends. So when you hear someone say "You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant" they won't be kidding. (I'm just waiting for it to come around on the guitar again...)
YMMV
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[rhoda_bruce]

I know what you saying. Just last night DH was taking inventory of our new pantry (formally the tv room) and complained that it was bare.
He wants me to make a huge grocery bill, but what I invisioned and expained to him was (pointing to the masons and then the canned foods) that all of these, will need to replace most of these, and the way we will do it is rotate, keep records, and plant much, much more of (pointing to canned) whatever you see here.
Some of my seeds are in the pantry, but not all and I need to also take inventory of what seeds I have. Not all my seeds are heirloom and I know I did use all of some types last year, without them going into seed. Think I need to obtain a book on saving seeds or saving plants for seeds, should I say; because really, if TSHTF, in whatever major form we talking about and people really do have to start taking care of themselves, it is me that my family will look toward to get things started, as I'm sure each reader can say themselves in their own little world.
As far as a temporary emergency, like Gustave, I'm fine. As far as a total melt-down, hmmm. I'll survive longer than anyone I know, but I could stand to get myself a few more goodies....and upping security would be # one on my list...but much easier and faster to take that inventory I was talking about first. The calendar tells me its time anyway.

 

[Icu4dzs]

As they told me in one of those classes I attended, "keep your head on a swivel, your butt below grade, and your powder dry!"
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