I am reading the strangest book right now

Cassandra

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It's called

Possum Living: How to Live Well Without a Job and with Almost No Money


http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0876639872/ref=nosim/foldedspaceor-20/

I found this weird place where you can read it online for free, but I don't have the link to it at work.

It was written in the mid 1970's by Dolly Freed. Dolly was a teenager girl at the time. She lived with her dad on a 1/2 acre lot in Pennsylvania. They lived on $1,400 year. Grew their own food and stuff.

I am hesitant to actually recommend the book to anyone because of the way it was written. It's out of print now. I'm not sure why, but there's a lot of material in there that is definitely not PC by today's standards. And I only got to page 31 before I went to sleep this morning.

It's funny and crazy, though! They raise rabbits and chickens in their cellar (because it's often too cold to bother walking outside to tend to them.) Dolly admits that laziness is their primary motivator for not wanting a job.

Where it gets strange is ... Well, I guess there wasn't so much political sensitivity in the mid 70's. Dolly mentions some people who like to live simply due to religious or ideological reasons and basically calls them cultist wackos. She writes very intelligently for a teenage girl. Every once in a while I would read a phrase that sounded a little immature. But I wouldn't have thought so if I hadn't known she was young.

Then, some of their methods of cheap living are completely suspect... like the tax evasion and poaching on public lands. Then, she describes how to avoid the SPCA if you want to trap pigeons in densely populated areas.

I find it a little shocking. But not offensive. I was growing up during that time, and I remember a lot of people who actually did those kinds of things.

She has so far gone into great detail about what regional wildlife is tastey enough to eat and what doesn't have enough meat on it to bother with. She describes how to dress out rabbits. And it takes quite a long time to explain, but then she says it's not as complicated as it sounds because she was doing it by herself when she was ten.

It is really fascinating. I just wonder if anyone else would be interested in reading it. I only want to be very clear about the off color bits. It may get much worse as I read on.

Cassandra
 

MorelCabin

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Hey that actually sounds quite interesting. I wonder if that book could be found in a used bookstore? I hate online reading
 

annmarie

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I looked up Dolly and apparently a documentary was also made about her, but it looks like the documentary is just as hard to find as the book. When I was reading your description all I could think was, this would make a great movie! :p
 

PamsPride

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It sounds like a book that would really be handy if things got REALLY bad!! If it is written by a teenager then it is at a reading level that anyone can understand and do. Let us know if there is anything that we could use in our everyday life now to help us become more SS!!
 

k0xxx

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I read the book online a number of years ago. Strange yes, but very interesting, hard core, living under the radar type stuff.

I agree that it is the kind of info that could be very helpful if the economy reaches a worst case scenario. Worthwhile reading. IMAO :D
 

FarmerChick

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yea I have read some of it.
the Dad would do alot of fishing, and if needed, would get a very temp. job for some money....then back to not working etc.

I don't know....I think some of it just sounded kinda like lazy, mental illness on the Dads part too for not supporting the family actually. Maybe just the times, I don't know.

Had some good SS stuff but for me, I am not living that way...for others, it might be right up their alley!
 

Cassandra

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She says the most hilarious things. Like in the beginning of the gardening section she goes on about how difficult some people make gardening out to be. I don't like to quote to much but things like

"Some authors give the impression that gardening is some sort of complicated, esoteric art/science"

followed by

", mankind was successfully practicing agriculture even before metallurgy or writing, so how complicated can it be?"

Really cracks me up!!!

Cassandra

ETA: That gives me visions of cavemen banging rocks together and scratching their head at the sparks while their lush vegetable garden vines form arbors climbing up the sides of the cave door. :p
 

Better Half

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Sounds interesting. Especially eating the city animals. I've noticed while visiting developing countries that there are no wild animals. Here there are so many rabbits, geese and pigeons that there are city and animal groups relocating and sterilizing the animals. There was some talk of feeding the animals to the homeless but the animals would have to be inspected first. Plus geese are protected so only the Feds can kill them without getting into trouble.
 

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