Just thought I'd pop in and say hello (hello!) and introduce myself. Hopefully this will be considered an appropriate forum for me....I currently live in AB, but plan to settle in BC.
Like most people, I spend a lot of my days reading and researching what a long-term "prep" lifestyle might look like. Not just big picture stuff like where to have a place, how to settle in and things like that, but I'm now at a point where I'm collecting bits and bobs and building a binder with recipes and plans for building almost everything from a small hydroponic greenhouse and a rabbitry to personal care items and cleaning supplies. I'm testing things out while we're still in the city and I can run out to the store if I muck something up (which is as often as not! lol)
I have a teenaged son who wants to be able to join me in my adventures and he's apprenticing as a blacksmith....getting pretty good at it too (he recently acquired his own forge for coal forging). As a single parent, I've always been on the scout for ways to do things in a cheaper, greener, healthier way, but as he's gotten older, planning for a life that is quieter, out of the city and away from modern insanity has become an ever-evolving goal. I'm getting more than a little disgusted by the "honey boo boo" society we seem to be headed towards
Anyway....that's me....looking forward to getting to know people.
Heya modernmithrandir,
Welcome aboard. Sounds like you are well on your way to a self-sustainable life style. If you are into hydroponics, check out Aquaponics as well. Got a bug out bag yet? Where in BC are you looking to settle?
Preppersaurus
You've Got To Be Tough, If You're Going To Be Stupid.
Welcome,
You just stated most of the reasons my wife and I moved out of the lower main(ly insane) land.
Doglover
The difference between a man and a warrior is simple, a warrior will stand between harm and all others.
Preppersaurus,
I was looking at the mountains east of Prince George. Mountain terrain I am very much accustomed to (lived in the Banff/Canmore corridor for years), good water systems, mild (compared to many places I've lived lol) and hopefully some nice quiet bits of land to settle into. Honestly not sure if I want to buy something or maybe go for some crown lease that would allow some of the plans I have in mind. I guess I will have to get more information regarding the rules and regulations. If there's anyone that has info on that, I would love to chat with them.
I guess I should also say that i'm more interested in either starting or becoming part of a more community-based thing. That was why I looked hard into hydroponic greenhouses.....there's one in Chicago (colder than here) that has been producing enough for 20 families year-round for the last three years out of a fairly small vacant inner city lot. A model for small mixed livestock farming should also not strain environmental resources, but still support a small group of people sustainably for a long-haul if need be. I am very interested in aquaponics, but don't quite have the confidence yet to try it......I hope to get there, though! I would love to pick the brains of anyone who has done it.
My bug out bag is more of a "bug-out camper" lol. I've decided that this is our last winter in the city, so i'll be back on the road in spring. My big project is to get it hooked up with solar power so we won't be quite so dependant on other things. i was a nurse for years, so my med-kit is in good shape, my soon makes tools and weapons, so there's no issue there and I could probably set up a prepper-hole with the camping gear I currently have lol. I just want to be a bit more mobile and have a few more options open to me while I travel and find "just the right spot". After all, I do still have to work and pay for things while i'm looking, so I have to be able to move.
Because our family does a lot of ren-faire stuff, i guess I've been taking my cues from that period in history (ok....how *did* they wash their hair and make laundry soap back then? it's not like they ran out to safeway or superstore!) In doing so, I've found fairly easy designs for compostable toilets, how to make baking soda into washing soda, how to make lye from scratch and a host of other things. I also have an invitation to visit the local Hutterite colony and pick their brains a bit. That should be interesting. I'm looking forward to it.
Anyway.....didn't mean to ramble....i look forward to reading and chatting with everyone.
I hope to hit Prince George mid-spring, so if there are any others on the forum that are from there, I would love to get together.