1. Not that I needed any reminder, but number one is never trust the government to do what is right by and for the citizens.
2. Have more then what you think you need.
3. Repeat 1 & 2
Seriously, one could list a thousand items but in the end, if you have a list, just add to the quantity and look at all the related or chain type related items and add those.
And per number 1, use ones brain, detach oneself from any allegiance to the party you voted in, experience... and use the smell test on the BS being fed to you.
This is NOT a political statement on any party... but simple fact. There are lies and incompetence galore in this file and it’s continuing and will do so for foreseeable future.
Don’t worry, no need for masks, we have no shortage of food.... all BS and anyone in the know or paying the slightest attention could see the lies from a thousand feet or meter away.
I have said it before and will say it again. If one wishes to prepare for any and all manner of man made or natural disasters, you need to think and think with an open and honest mind. If one says 2,5,8, 10% ...of people will be sick, that means... % of people will not be able to work. That means lower production, which obviously means less supply on your shelves and in all likelihood higher costs. Simple, simple logic, BUT if one wished to keep the public from doing the natural and logical thing of stocking up, then you lie to them and tell them everything will be fine. No different then past wars where the mantra was, “I’ll be home for Christmas” they skipped the five years later part 😯 😯 😆 Funny except of course for the dead and grieving.
So for the Possible upcoming 2nd and 3rd wave, may I suggest sitting down and really going over lessons learned and ramp up preps as much as you can. IFFFFFF the following waves have a higher illness and death toll, then it’s obvious to a sack of pumice that one will have increased shortages and higher prices! Then because we live in a cold climate, with snow and freezing rain... one can logically expect power outages. All normal and usually not a big deal, except if now one is short 30...% of workforce!
Besides all the likely increased food shortages and subsequently higher costs, I am logically anticipating delays in power being restored. As we also know, large storms see crews coming in from other provinces and the states to help, well I can’t see that happening this winter! So redundant power, fuel, batteries for flashlights, making sure your not running low on meds and the obvious food and water all need a good review.
If you need new winter tires for next year, think about snagging them now!
I am going to be trying to obtain more seeds this week for next springs planting.
I am looking at building winter boxes and trying to grow kale, lettuce this winter ( very envious of you folks with green houses, very envious).
Lots to think about and I think this board will help keep these things in our minds and we won’t be caught as flat footed as some of us were for this winters fun and excitement! ( I plead guilty as well)
What the economy brings is a real wild card, we are running on peppercorns famous fiat currency and it’s getting worse by the second, so when the shoe really drops is not known to me but I can guess ( per professional knowledge) pretty good at what it will translate to and it’s not pretty. Should we get two other waves and they are as predicted worse than number one, I think next spring will figuratively look like bombed out buildings at the end of WW2. No not real buildings but the concept of destroyed lives and economies. That is of course if we continue with shutdowns, throwing borrowed and devalued money around, increased unemployment, higher food and commodity costs etc. in other words, at best continue on current Path for another 365 days.
I am not looking forward to this at all, retired now so money isn’t there like good old days and I am not as physically fit as I once was.
I am finally able to get the site to load again, thanks to Denob.. I kept getting a default page.. its been driving me crazy but he must have done something because look today the site loaded.. I have reading to catch up on! WAVE HI.. missed you guys..
http://livingmydreamlifeonthefarm.wordpress.com/
Hope a goodly number of folks read this thread.. but update.. prep, prep, prep and garden on.
So hubby healed up good but he for the first time had a allergie flare that needs some help getting under control, but thankfully my homemade salves are helping and I am getting him on the nettle tea but its a new health challenge we have not had.
The early spring gardens are in, the heat loving gardens are going and we have added in lots .. a new asparagus bed with 135 plants, 200 more strawberry plants, 10 regular blueberry bushes, 15 haskup bushes, and I have my baby peach trees and I have a couple dozen started from seed high bush blueberry bushes.
We took down the rest of the "tree line" that needed at some point to come down, combo power line guys were going to cut it and we needed to take it down now while we still had a direction to have them fall without damage in our food forest.. So they were replaced with 82 fruiting, flowering or tea bushes.. a blend of lilac, Black choke Berry, elderberry, high bush cranberry, bosten tea bush, spice bush, haskup, chokecherry, pincherry, saskatoon, flowering quince all pretty fast growing, tight spacing and lots of under planting will be coming into play..
We also added in a new line of pixie well gooseberries, taking us from 8 bushes to 15, added in a line of black and red currents, added in 10 german wine rhubarb plants and more.. but you get the idea.
So our beef is booked for the fall, two lovely weaner piglets are now on the farm, Piggy Sue and Buddy Hoggy, 30 male meat chicks are growing like weeds, our laying hens are productive, Our duck hens are sitting and hatching clutches of between 12 to 14 ducklings.
The lambs are all growing well, shearing is going good for those that need shearing. I am prepared for the garden things for the next couple years and I have been contracted to grow more seed, so have expanded a garden area, its a combo of seed growing and fodder as well as local food sales.
My new greenhouse is trucking right along and I am LOVING IT.. now I want a bigger one lol.. I have healed so much since last year and am getting stronger by the day doing the work that needs to be done..
That's about what is new with us!
http://livingmydreamlifeonthefarm.wordpress.com/
Very happy to hear your partner in life’s adventures is healing up. All I can say is wow! That’s a lot of stuff you have going on!
Yes to farmgals statement! prep, prep......and repeat.
Hubby took a week off and we went none stop for 10 days.. but so much got done.
http://livingmydreamlifeonthefarm.wordpress.com/
Taught me to try and stay ahead of the next supply shortage...
So our beef is booked for the fall, two lovely weaner piglets are now on the farm, Piggy Sue and Buddy Hoggy, 30 male meat chicks are growing like weeds, our laying hens are productive, Our duck hens are sitting and hatching clutches of between 12 to 14 ducklings.
Piggy Sue & Buddy Hoggy....lol, you gotta be a certain age to get that one!
Well done!
It made me realize the importance of Preparedness vs Being a Grey Man. I explain...
Prior to the pandemic, we had a a few dozen disposable "surgical" masks and a couple boxes of 50 or so N95 masks. I also still have my issued gas mask as well as a 3M full face respirator (with different filters) and a half-mask, both for hobby work. Finally we had a couple of kid-sized masks from asia that we got as a result of poor air quality index due to fires a few years ago.
In my mind, we would be good in the event of a temporary reduced AQI if we needed to evacuate the area, or in the event of a virus of sort.
Turns out that we certainly didn't have enough disposable masks. As for the other masks, they scream for attention, which is NOT good. I can't imagine the looks I would get at TSC/Peavey Mart with a full face respirator. As for the N95s, they're still sitting in the closet! They were taboo to wear as a "lay person" from the get go after they announced the poor healthcare providers had to do without. There certainly were pressures for those who had them to "surrender them" at local care facilities (yea, I'll bring mine up riiiight away...).
While I could reasonably go around for a week or 2 with disposable masks (maybe my wife is a nail tech and we had a bit of a stash as an alibi), wearing them past that point would have identified I have a stash, again, it draws attention. So the end result is that the only compromise that can be made is having home-sewn REUSABLE (washable) masks.
So, my point is that I should have realized earlier what a Grey Man prepper would do in this situation, better anticipate the home-made mask situation and find myself a reasonable source. Mrs HP can't thread a needle, let alone sew (I'm the one mending clothes at home) and we are not equipped - nor skilled!! - to make reasonable masks for the family. This leaves us at the mercy of whatever we can find on Kijiji or FB Marketplace around the area as any kind of commercial grade reusable masks are sold out everywhere.
Another hard lesson regarding masks... People sew adult masks (sometimes Men and Women sized masks) and kids masks, but neither fits "tweens." It took a bit of time to find someone willing to custom make masks at a reasonable cost.
That is all for this lesson!
Heli. Per bellow, try and make a fake mask that you can wear over your N95. Make it so e multi colored design so it distracts a persons attention away from any possible seam etc, maybe a big bandana style that covers more of the face and chin/ neck area, keep your head moving as you walk so they can’t get a good look at you and your mask.
I learnt that 8 want more backup food and stuff. Meds I will be forever screwed with but at least I can set my family up better with other things, kids and wife are all on board and they always were a believer in the old man but more so now 😆 Have to say I was really impressed with how my family snapped into focus mode, Jesus was I impressed. Stocked up quickly and continued to do so, travel routes defined in case one child was cut off on main roads.
Lots to be very happy about but also now know I was not as prepared as I thought or would like.
More of a confirmation than anything else, but depending on how one looks at it, I find it hilarious or sad how the media is so silent on all the issues occur Around covid. Oh sure they give a tiny stat on cases and a a few other messages from the alleged experts on mask wearing and social distancing but it’s really void of news on all the industry’s being hit,% of mortgages behind in pay,ent, food and part shortages, no precise updates on PPE quantities in hand or on any form delivery dates, exact costs/ debts on government bailouts ( yes we are supposed to get an update on July 5th or so but guessing that will be a loosey goosey Number and of course ZERO word on how it will be repaid). Political opposition parties Don’t even appear to exist, little talk on second or third wave scenarios. There appears to be a few ideas floating around for school in September but when they mention two days in class per week, I haven’t seen anyone explain how parents will, assuming they are back to work, will just take three days off per week to homeschool!
We do talk a lot about bars and restaurants reopening but no hard hitting interviews on the hotels, air industry.... on how they are fairing or for how long they can last. Oh yes, I almost forgot, we do chatter on like children before Christmas time about how, when and if some sport will be back on. Silly me, I forgot how important that is to surviving a pandemic 🙈
Just light stats and smiles about “we are all in this together “ but zilch on any serious examination of where we are and where we will be or how we will be prepared come the fall and winter.
I have always believed in reading as much diverse news sources as possible and try and get a feel for where we truly are. Based on what I have read or in many cases “not read/ no one wishes to talk about it”. Things are not good in the empire and those who could and should be keeping us informed, appear to favor keeping us in the dark like mushrooms. Remember, if it’s good news, the smiling, hand ring, baby kissing hacks would be all over the news smiling, the opposite speaks loudly.
It made me realize the importance of Preparedness vs Being a Grey Man. I explain...
Prior to the pandemic, we had a a few dozen disposable "surgical" masks and a couple boxes of 50 or so N95 masks. I also still have my issued gas mask as well as a 3M full face respirator (with different filters) and a half-mask, both for hobby work. Finally we had a couple of kid-sized masks from asia that we got as a result of poor air quality index due to fires a few years ago.
In my mind, we would be good in the event of a temporary reduced AQI if we needed to evacuate the area, or in the event of a virus of sort.
Turns out that we certainly didn't have enough disposable masks. As for the other masks, they scream for attention, which is NOT good. I can't imagine the looks I would get at TSC/Peavey Mart with a full face respirator. As for the N95s, they're still sitting in the closet! They were taboo to wear as a "lay person" from the get go after they announced the poor healthcare providers had to do without. There certainly were pressures for those who had them to "surrender them" at local care facilities (yea, I'll bring mine up riiiight away...).
While I could reasonably go around for a week or 2 with disposable masks (maybe my wife is a nail tech and we had a bit of a stash as an alibi), wearing them past that point would have identified I have a stash, again, it draws attention. So the end result is that the only compromise that can be made is having home-sewn REUSABLE (washable) masks.
Heli,
The Attention that a good supply of masks draws has crossed my mind a few times during this Pandemic.
When the Pandemic first started and masks were near impossible to find, I noticed the looks that people with masks were getting in public. I have to admit although I don't wear a mask, these looks caused me concern.
Now its no big secret that cloth or homemade masks don't provide much protection but for anyone who has a modest supply of disposable masks (surgical or N95) then I think the idea of a cloth or homemade mask that covers the Disposable mask is the way to go. This would allow you to blend in with the masses without drawing undue attention to you and your family.
For any Prepper in a disaster the trick to survival is to blend in and not become a target or you may not have your supplies very long.
Now its no big secret that cloth or homemade masks don't provide much protection but for anyone who has a modest supply of disposable masks (surgical or N95) then I think the idea of a cloth or homemade mask that covers the Disposable mask is the way to go. This would allow you to blend in with the masses without drawing undue attention to you and your family.
I’m not convinced that wearing an N95 in everyday setting would help the average person with virus prevention. Let’s be honest, good mask hygiene - that is proper donning and doffing as well not constantly touching the dang thing - is not germane to the average person. Even with non-medical masks, people are constantly touching them, bringing potentially contaminated hands by their face.
Also, the virus isn’t a gas and other than the contaminated surface -> hand -> face most common infection route, the other would be through droplets (the moist speaking the PM was talking about). So unless you wear goggles or a face shield, an N95 alone serves little other than drawing attention to you.
Well the below is most certainly not a surprise to me and there’s a lot more of the below that many a government can easily execute, so for those who have the belief that a western government wouldn’t lock you in your home, think again. Remember, we are talking Australia and not China, Nigeria or some other dictatorship country.
So, when the stuff hits the fan, the last place I would want to be is in a city or nearby suburb. My advise is, if you can swing it financially, make sure you have a plan in place to go before the barricades... go up and that you don’t procrastinate in leaving. I know, easier said then done with jobs, family, health etc but keep it in mind and as we can see below, Just don’t believe in the tooth fairy. Once they have you, your theirs till they decide to let go. Think cruise ships where no one wanted people and you were stuck with the sick. As we have seen, our governments are not really prepared, the media is useless and people become so afraid of their shadow, they blindly follow directions like an old mare with blinkers on and headed to the glue factory.
I am no wing nut redneck, conspiracy theory, hearing voices speak to me from a rock etc. just a fairly experienced soul who Can flip between a Tux, jeans, to suit or hunting camo and can chat with a corporate president, federal cabinet member, deputy prime minister, director of ABC agency, ambassador, carpenter, farmer, hunter, anti hunter, soldier, gang biker, Rabih or minister and who knows a fair amount on various security related topics and what comes naturally to me or what I have been taught or learnt. I don’t trust to many folks and while I have worked with or for governments and respect and love many in the security or other fields, I wouldn’t trust the government blob to do what’s right by me, they think of themselves or as I know it, “the crown” and When it comes down to brass tacks, nothing else. Some of the people care, but the corporation is geared to preserving the crown. They have a place and function, but people need to not place any great trust in the blob and as we have seen time and time again, to simply plan to take care of oneself and others. All good, no need to panic, be angry etc. just do what we do and that is plan for various scenarios. Prepare on, prepare on and get the heck out of tight spaces when you can.
Because IFFFFFFF, we get the predicted second and third waves, which again in theory will be worse then the first wave, it would, given what we have seen and continue to experience, that things will be far worse then round one. True we now know not to listen to amateur “experts” on things like masks, that besides cleanliness, the really only thing is distance because the air in a store, elevator or office space circulates around and around and around. We know the lies about products And food being available isn’t worth the air it’s floating on and that our supplies chains are weak. We know that the debt is ballooning and someone, somehow will need to pay for it in some way or fashion. Which of course will lead to other system or life style changes. Forget listening to talking heads and just think. Given what cities look like in the US, could we expect something along those lines during a bad phase two and three? Just a question we should Honestly ask ourselves and subsequently consider preparing for. If one kept their job this round, would your employer be able to carry you or yours from mid September to next May? How could you help a family member if they fell on hard times in another city? IFFFFFF, travel restrictions/ emergency measures act was to be implemented, how would your family manage. We noticed tiny border control measures this time around, what will happen of things get far worse? We have people on this board who travel from province to province or have family in other provinces, so it’s something to not forget about. We witnessed gun seizures or at least the start of them, would Sales of ammo for your trusty 22 be Suspended? I can’t see the current government being overly concerned about shutting down hunting stores with their typically more conservative voter base ( no one freak out about politics, just a simple and logical theory about life or somewhat predictable behavior ) Closure of a hunting store may cramp ones shopping for snowshoes, cross country skis, tents, stoves, ice fishing gear etc etc.
So let’s think of this fall and winter with the lessons learned
you want to know what this has truly taught me.. that in order to prep in the way we talk about.. we need money.. so much more money spent then most peaple want to say..
What about those trying to keep their heads up above water without that extra funding.. yes I know, I know.. I am going to get the they should have prepped better.. but I am being real here..
Step out of the "hey, we should have all done this or that.. " and lets see about those that have done all the basic's, that are already living plainly on basic smaller incomes.. I am watching what is happening and coming and I am truly worried..
Sigh.. they just said yesterday that it will take 5 years at a min to dig our way out.. and to which I grunted and went.. sure.. not if it keeps going the way it is.. sorry I am a bit of a downer today.. but its hitting home in so many ways over the growing season..
While I am lucky enough, I have so many peaple's who birds or more are dying in this heat, peaple who's gardens are dying, tree's are dropping leaves, other area's that are flooding and plants dying from the water.. others who had heavy frosts less then two weeks ago.. they will not get the crops off..
Hay crops that are getting 1/4th to 1/3rd the normal amount.. winter kills and more.. the different challanges world wide are staggering if you start lining them up and really looking at them..
http://livingmydreamlifeonthefarm.wordpress.com/
Farmgal you are on the right side of the grass. Some day's that's the best that we can hope for.
