The Elephant in the Room (AKA is this the "IT" everyone is always talking about?)

The other day I made the trek to my credit union to close out an account that I no longer used. I just wanted to tie up one of those loose ends that I'm always thinking I will do when I have the time. After going to a teller I was told it would be a 30 minute wait before an account specialist could assist me and was directed to a waiting area.  Quite honestly it is the first time I have ever had to wait more than a few minutes at my bank for anything. Most stuff I do online but this particular thing required a visit in the flesh. So while waiting an elderly woman sat down near me. She obviously needed to say something and started a conversation  about how busy the bank seemed for a Tuesday. I politely engaged with what I was hoping was a joke by saying maybe this is what a run on the bank looked like and she responded with a nod and one of those looks that said "That's exactly what I'm talking about". The conversation went on from there. While we never actually mentioned what we were talking about, we both knew we were talking about the looming doom of the debt ceiling in Washington DC. I won't bore you with the details but I casually mentioned that I didn't think people were talking about "IT" but that they did seem nervous.  Her response was that it was like the Elephant in the room. I suppose she is right. It seems to be a quiet nervousness. Some people want to ignore it and believe it could never happen and some are quietly trying to prepare for "IT".

So what is "IT" and how do you prepare for it? I happen to be one of those people that want to be prepared and for the most part I have always thought I was relatively prepared for most emergencies. I have water and food put away and have discussed with my girls what to do or where to go in an emergency. We have a meetup spot in case of a house fire and in the case of an earthquake and Tsunami they know to go to a nearby hill and wait for us. I keep extra stores on hand and everyone has cell phones. So now I have to ask. How many different emergencies can you prepare for? What if whatever "IT" is destroys your preparations? Do you keep stuff in the car? In an out building on your property? To be prepared for all emergencies you would need a moving van to haul all the stuff you might need in case of....and then where is a safe place to put it so that it is unaffected by whatever the emergency is? In our case there is the slightest possibility of a tsunami because we live on an island. A somewhat protected one but an island just the same. We also have a major fault that runs right in front of our property so earthquake is a definite possibility even though we are pretty sure our house was built with that in mind. We are located between two volcanoes, Mt. Rainier and Mt. Baker that could spew ash and make life difficult and although I was relatively unaffected by Mt. St. Helen years ago I remember it well. So how about an economic meltdown? One where money is worthless because of hyper inflation. Any one remember the meltdown in Germany in the thirties (yes before my time) where it took a wheelbarrow full of money to buy a loaf of bread? Yike! Fortunately I know how to make bread. And a lot of other things too like soap, and cheese and butter etc. But there are a lot of people out there that don't even know how to cook anything unless it is frozen and microwaveable.

I like most people don't want to be labeled an alarmist however if this thing in DC actually happens I'm afraid there is going to be panic and marching in the streets. I wouldn't be surprised if the tea baggers didn't get lynched for being obstructionist. Even if you agree with them it is like closing the barn door after the horse got out. Too little, too late. I know there have been many many "depressions" and "downturns" etc., and that they  happen about every 20 years or so. You can find info on them starting in the 1800's here in the states.  We live through them. We learn from them. At least regular people do. Politicians don't seem to. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panic_of_1819 Take a peek at history.

For those of you who want another good blog on self sufficiency here is one for you. Go through the archives and read. There is a lot of stuff here that is helpful. There is also some cute fluff so pick and choose.

http://www.cammather.com/category/complexity

I hope everyone reading this does at least a minimal amount of prep for it. The worse that could happen if it doesn't happen is you will have stuff to use for awhile.

Would love to leave you with a cute or funny photo but all my pictures are on my broken computer so this is just going to have to be an ugly looking post. However there are lots of pictures on cam mathers blog. Give it a try.

My computer is busted......

And since I have to borrow the mans computer I am going to be awhile before I can post anything except maybe a few pictures here and there. (If I get any cute ones) In the mean time I recommend you follow this link and read Cam Mathers blog. He has a lot of helpful information in his archives for different projects.  He writes a lot about living on his off grid homestead and about the animals and the different things he is doing to be self sufficient. Be patient. I will be back ASAP. http://www.cammather.com/2011/07

Thanks everyone.

Back Story: The End as We Know It!

Back Story: The End as We Know It!

Hooligan geese

This is going to be a short post. I love my geese but.........
My geese are into everything. Today I watched from a window as they decided to harass the hammock in the back yard and pull the blanket into one of the water buckets that I have setting around for them. If I leave my gardening gloves within reach I get to chase them around the yard trying to get them back. They have opened feed sacks, ripped holes in bales of plastic covered bedding chips, and climbed the steps to my front porch looking for trouble. If I am in the house getting some work done or dinner they stand on the back porch trying to pull the screen door off.

click on photo to enlarge

Territorial with the poultry waterers or anything else with water in it they chase the chickens biting their butts until I yell at them. Then they run to me acting  (and looking) like innocent angels with their wings open and talk, talk, talking when I'm out in the yard. I know it is my own fault because they imprinted on me as babies and I wanted them to so they would be nice. I just wasn't expecting them to be like kids that have to be watched all the time.
Like babies they look totally innocent when they are sleeping with their heads tucked under their wings. Because they have so many feathers you can't tell where their heads are unless they open an eye to see what you are doing then that big beautiful blue eye looks at you to see if it is worth waking up for.

 Yes, I love my geese.