good point ranger made me think a little. although my area doesnt snow often we have perfect storm conditions here in new zealand.
and mamabear if you are afraid of your daughter geting raped i agree with mountainmans papabear approach but that involves her getting raped. i
think it would be a good idea to get a fake skull you can stick on a pole outside and a fake necklace with some part of the human body. although it would be hard for her at first if a rapist saw a knife on her hip and 5 human ears on a necklace he would probably be pretty scared.

I once knew a girl who's parents where both black belts. She started learning from the time she could walk. By the time she graduated high school she had three black belts. I was there once when a guy wouldn't take no for an answer. Her extremely fast and brutal response has always stuck in my mind. Go with mountainman's advice.

We've decided that martial arts is going to be mandatory for her as she's growing up. I always had one 'mandatory' activity that my parents chose, and no matter how much I hated it I still had to do it and some of that stuff I learned actually resides in the gray matter to this day. Ditto for the little. I was thinking of swimming as her mandatory but this is much, much better. Thanks SO much for the idea! Weapons training is another on the mandatory list. I'm starting that by getting my PAL on Sunday so I can teach her the very basics as she grows up. I have a feeling I'll be going through martial arts with her as my aunt did with my cousin just so I know she's getting the information and so that SHE knows that yeah, girls can do this too.

MamaBear,

I am glad you find my suggestions useful. One other point, you want your little girl to have a well rounded education, please do not remove the swimming lessons. Water survival is important too. The good thing about swimming lessons it does not take many to get to a point of being fairly safe when around water. Try not to stack too many skills in only one direction, keep it well rounded.

See you at the meet. Say hi to PapaBear.

Cheers,

Mountainman.

Don't worry about the swimming...I've got that covered VERY well. 😉 And yeah she's gonna have one heck of a rounded education. No TV time will mean plenty of hours for lots and lots and lots of skills to be learned.

Although I do like the idea of an "ear necklace"...hee hee!

See you on the 29th!

As Alice Cooper once phrased, “Welcome to my Nightmares” for this is what I’ve seen in my dreams.

Everybody seems to think that TEOTWAWKI only happens in nice weather where if any thing happens you can all just hop in the car and head out to your BOL. Well people, we are now going into the most unsettled time of Solar disturbances. Between now and March, the odds of having a Major CME/Solar flare will increase dramatically within the next few month. Most you have not considered, or don’t want to face the fact that one of these Events could happen during a snow/ice storm, when all the major routes out of the city are closed. Think about it people, if a large Carrington Event happened in the middle of our winter…We are screwed. Most of our cities, will become Metro-Necropolis. In other words, a major city of the (frozen) dead. Start reconsidering how much food and heat you have, because spring could be forever and a day in coming, and Death will be sitting patiently on your doorstep. Sweet dreams all.

Ranger you are spot on. Many do not think about this but it will be a huge population reducer if the SHTF. Whether it actually happens during a winter or not, the first winter with nothing functioning will wipe out most. If, as you mentioned, it happened during the dead of winter it would be really wipe people out in urban areas as the infrastructure quits functioning and winter piles up with no snow removal, etc.

I am glad we live a long ways from the nearest cities and people in general. Dealing with winter and power outages is just part of everyday life for us. I believe in having two years worth of supplies at all times and keeping that level of preparedness continuously takes some doing with certain items, but the peace of mind is worth it.

Timing is everything as they say. In a post a while back ( I apologize for forgetting who the author was) it was pointed out that if the SHTF we would probably be at work or home sleeping. That is because that is what we spend the most hours to the day doing. It was a simple but brilliant observation. Speaking for my location in Northern Ontario even with the warming trend we still have 6 months of winter. So of the all four seasons winter is the most likely for a SHTF event.

Now depending on your location, your prepping plans and prepping stores there are upsides and downsides to a winter event. If you are in a city and your plans are to bug out then winter does not favor you as travelling would be more different and more dangerous. Probably better to bug in and keep a very low profile if you have enough food stored and access to water. Wait for the weather to improve and the "hoards" to subside.
If you are in a rural location and your plans were to bug in then a winter event might benefit you for precisely the above reason. Again if you have enough food stored, access to water and sufficient fuel you can activate your plan. Less travel will mean less "hoard" traffic to you location. By the time winter ends "population reduction" would have taken place in situ so to speak. You may never see the amount or relocation and attempted relocation that you would have seen with a summer event.

A winter event may spare many from having to make a lot more though choices than they would have. Your supplies could probably be stretched out longer too. As soon as spring arrived you could hit the ground planting knowing that you would be depending on your crops for the coming fall and winter.

Martial Arts would have been cool as a young boy. I was into it but my parents wanted me to play a friggin band instrument. I was good at it but it was more or less chosen for me. Let your kids chose a mandatory thing. If they don't have an idea give options to choose from, but making the choice for them kinda sucks.

same here gravlore. i was always into bow hunting and trapping from a young aged but i had to play piano instead...

I have read a lot of posts on this topic and I think most people don't realize how bad or dangerous people can be. I'm a black belt and have been doing martial arts for most of my life in many different styles and disaplines I'm also 6'1 255lbs I'm a competitive bodybuilder and I work in a maximum security detention center (provincial). I have seen the most evil people on the planet and have witnessed first hand what people are capable of. I totally agree with martial arts training at a young age and believe it to be a wonderful tool for a survival roll. I do think that most of you don't understand what could be waiting if a major disaster happens and there is no law. As far as being concerned for the safety of our kids and families that is human nature but what you need to realize is if you hesitate or show any mercy you will die!!! It's that simple. Don't rack the shotgun to scare someone away shoot them in the head. No amout of martial arts training will make you invincible and if your a woman you are at a disadvantage pick and choose your battles consider the consequence if you lose. I deal with rapist, murders, drug dealers and mentally disturbed people all the time most can be controlled with the possible threat of losing a privalidge when it comes down to there being no concequence then they do not hesitate to take what they want. Teach your kids to hide and to fight how to shoot and feed themselfs. I have tought woman's self defence courses and the first thing I tell a woman if she thinks she may get raped or sexually assaulted to shit themselfs, also tell them you have herpes don't say you have aids and herpes. If its believable you can sell it. Condoms won't prevent herpes, but will prevent aids and yes rapes can happen with condoms. Sounds bad but can deter some people not all but some. The other issue is if your a woman or a man remember there is always someone tougher and more skilled then you, false confidence and underestimating your opponent can be the end of you. I don't care if your a fifth degree black belt in ten styles of martial arts, if your 145 lbs and your fighting someone who's 250 your probably going to lose. Sorry but its the truth and most don't realize it. In a magor situation you need to provide no opertunity!!! You feel a threat you run or kill the threat. If you pull a gun on me I will probably take it from you and use it on you. Don't give anyone that chance, shot them and if you don't have bullets don't get in the situation. In a SHTF situation there will be a lot of rape and prostitution it's inevitable. The only thing that makes a 200 lb man even with a 100 lb woman is a gun. Be very carful who you trust and who is around you. If you start a group be aware of personalities and manipulation, make sure there is consequence to and rules that are broken. I can't stress enough that the bigger the gun the more power you have with that power comes a big target people will want to take your big gun so they have the power. If you really think all people are good and the best of mankind will show itself I totally disagree. I think woman will be a big target and may be traded and enslaved if things get bad. I can't stress enough the need to hide and stay away from people and groups in a end of days situation. Men will fight hunt drink and have sex. Kids will be vonerable and woman will be at a big risk. The only safe time will be when your alone. Think about it five large men show up one has a gun there is no law they are going to rape you and your kids then take your stuff. There really is nothing you can do but avoid this situation or become part of a group that can protect itself. Scary stuff even scarier times.

You've hit on something that I have thought about for over 40 years( yeah I'm that old), an after SHTF community that trains every child martial arts, even if its just Akido (the art of redirecting force). I have also dreamed about people training with staff, staff sling and bola. When the bullets are used up, and fighting goes hand to hand,( Like Korea, and Viet Nam) even knowing how to use a single or double stick could be useful. Can it happen yes, will it happen, hope not.

BIgRed,

Excellent observations!!!

We come a full circle. Training, training and more training. Some of that training needs to be physical - pick your Art and the other is mental - pick your Art. If you will not defend yourself during times WROL or after the SHTF, who will???

Even those who clutch desperately to their Bible and say they cannot kill another person, it is against God's will. I will remind you to re-read your sacred Book. The Ten Commandments do not say, Thy Shall Not Kill, it said Thy Shall Not Murder. Big difference. Those institutions that try to perpetuate a revised Ten Commandments do their followers a disservice. Elsewhere, it speaks of seasons. And for all our hoping for peace, there is a season for making plow shares into swords.

Let us pray that we never have to experience any "Unfortunate Truths", but until our personal end of days - it is wise to prepare for tough times in all phases - training, food stores, shelter, community and family.

Mountainman.

Will the prison guards lock the doors and set the place on fire? If not it might as well be a death sentence for the general population. Let the non-violents go if possible.

One max. security prison or a FEMA camp, and one or more gas expansion bombs (Daisy Cutter?), It has been looked into by various Governments already. 👿

Gravlore,

I am not sure you want to do that. Just because they are currently incarcerated for a non-violent crime does mean they are good, honest, hard-working members of society.

Most persons are in the big house for a reason. If, they were petty criminals they would be serving their time on electronic monitoring or another method outside the prison walls. Will their be a mass die-off behind prison walls, you bet. Is it "right" that they die, maybe...or maybe not. But if they could not behave with rule of law, do you really want them around your community when there is no rule of law????

Just a counter point to ponder.

Mountainman.

just because someone is NOT in prison doesnt make them a good person either 🙂