Are You Still Prepping?

If sharpening my blacksmithing skills counts for prepping , I still tinker .

 

Right now stockpiling meds for hard times.
Need a deer for the freezer, Most of it will be smoked sausage since I have plenty of 50/50 deer pork ground meat.
That makes one Hell of a chili btw.

 

True to a point...but many will not follow through for the long term. A couple of years will pass, the urgency will diminish, and things will return to their "normal" routine.

 

In a lull of sorts. Still adding food storage, guns, ammo and force multipliers. I think I was motivated for 4 years by Obama and the almost certainly of Hillary. When Trump won, I became less concerned and less motivated. That and 5 years older and slowing down in general.

 

Still prepping. You have ups and downs, that's normal. Sometimes I am more motivated, sometimes not so motivated.
Sometimes money (or lack of) will be a factor.
Don't forget to check thrift stores. A while back I scored a Big Berkey for $7.50. A steal even after I bought new filters. A few days ago, at a different store I found a Back to Basics hand cranked grain mill among the tools. It set me back a whopping $3.25!

 

Actually I have been reading quite a bit. Fiction books but always the SHTF/ PAW genre.

@Gray Wolf you have the best luck at thrift stores. I have been the last two weeks and walked out empty handed.

 

Prepping isn't something you 'do'

It is for lack of a better expression, a lifestyle. Kind of like being frugal, only ready for the out of the ordinary...

 

My most recent spate of prepping activity was shoring up a few holes in my storm preps after Hurricane Michael.
That done I have slacked off again.

 

Yeup. Working on a...jungle hut (?) frame to start doing drills in.

 

Yes.

 

I remember when they were forecasting an ice age back in the 1970s. Scientists were thinking up ways to melt the ice-caps. I got a FLIR last year and was really pleased with it. It set me back a couple of K and that hurt a little. I got it in a Faraday Cage, with all of my other electronics, and need to get it out again.

 

It comes it goes I have forever stopped worrying about the Government it's been like this since I started in the '80s I'm done with all that I alone can't change it so I will do my own thing. The world keeps turning and burning literally

 

After the initial "ramp up" my efforts to prepare have settled down a lot. I've made some small tweaks here and there. I continue to focus most on ham radio & off grid power.

For myself, and I would assume most other people too, there is a ceiling as to how much you can do within your current living arrangements and financial resources. I've pretty much hit that ceiling. More long term, 3-5 years out, that should change for me and I'll be able to do a lot more.

 

How is the Great State of Jefferson?

 

It does not matter whom is in office ,the regular changes in the planet are enough reason to stay vigilant on prepping .
Democrats could convert and congress could turn conservative and judges could turn honest ,but the planet is still going to do what it does and weather changes are going to effect us great and small .
Having been through fire and flood quakes and governmental abuse , the price of doing nothing is too great ,
Assuming since the things you expected haven't happened ,that they aren't going to happen ,or that you can simply resume prepping IF things turn sour, there may not be time . IE the fires of California this year .
People tried to escape and the roads were clogged with other escapees . .
Your escape plan does not work if you act too late ,or if the road you happen to pick has a hazard that prevents your escape.
Are you prepared to defend your place .you can't watch front and back doors alone unless you've got cameras even then how about the side of the house and windows how are you prepared. ? .

 

@Wildbilly "I got a FLIR last year and was really pleased with it."
We need to have a forum discussion of the latest Night Vision stuff out there: what works, what doesn't, likes/dislikes, cost vs performance, etc.. Want to hear about your FLIR...I will start one soon...

@snake6264 "It comes it goes I have forever stopped worrying about the Government..."
Yeah, me too, this election took it out of me, dumbass people to friggin lazy to get off they a$$es and vote and they will pay the price these next 2 years and in the next election then they will cry and whine and totally forget that everything was in place to make some major changes and they couldn't be bothered to simply vote. Screw'em. I'm done. I don't give a damn what happens to the country or the people anymore...

 

Hi @Meat. We're hard to kill here in Jefferson, but they're trying.
Other than that, mostly getting ready for Winter.
Thanks for asking.
Things are at mid remodel stage on the house and I'm thinking about selling & moving to Idaho, Wyoming or Montana.
It's just a thought at this time, I want to see how things around the Country shake out in the next few months.

 

I seem to like to develop new skills sets, but the basics are done and I look for ways to make things faster and easier.

I look at cycles. eating, acquiring/hunting/growing, storing, cooking, eating. My logic is if gathering and using have a cycle then so does prepping.

For the last year I have been toying with hydroponic gardening. Has that been a huge learning curve. Tomatoes, peppers and herbs give more produce than lettuce but you can't live on tomatoes and peppers.

To feed a family indoor gardening takes constant attendance daily, circulating water and artificial light. So in a grid down situation it's not sustainable with out a power supply. Also gardening in the dirt is more satisfying. Digging in the dirt is way more fun. It's easier when your soil is built up and it's seasonal. indoor growing is not seasonal and it's more consistent work every day. it has been a useful learning experience but I've decided I'm a dirt digger

 

I've been learning electronics and automation to expand my millwright skills. With my heart fixed I'm getting back in shape after 2 years of degrading health and weight gain.

Financially, we've been in a bind with Mrs. Zimmy being out of work for 15 months. The household has been at a financial deficit yet reserves pulled us through. She starts a good job on 02JAN19. It's still dark outside but knowing when the dawn comes makes all the difference. Praise be to God.

My kids have all developed a self sufficient lifestyle in skills and material. I don't have to put back for them anymore so my stocks will come down as they reach expiration. My bacon converters will turn dry beans to magic.

I have set standards to meet with my preps. I stick to them fairly well. Excess has been liquidated in hard times but that's why I built them. Minimum standards are upheld.