Absolutely thrilled to see this mention in mainstream news!!!  <3 https://www.reuters.com/world/us/prepping-disaster-diversifies-more-americans-lose-trust-2024-03-09/

Don’t follow the “traditional” time lines for presents, but have gifted varied prep items.One year I bought  2 doz bulk back packs and made BOB’s for friends and family.  They contained some shade blankets, rain gear, water purification tabs, lifestraw, waterproof matches in a recycled medication bottle which also had some fishing line and hooks wrapped in butcher paper, can opener, clean pair of socks, mini first aid, playing cards or some other sort of toy/game, some other stuff I can’t remember.  Last year after we got our Harvest Rite Freeze Dehydrator, I sent out care packages of food – dried fresh fruit and veggies, meals like stews and soups, dried meats and treats.

thank you!

So how much time have you put into practicing with this?  Have you used it for real?  Do you feel confident with it?In my Berkeley bicycle days, I saw a guy w. what looked like a car antenna and a ball bearing welded on the end.  He used it when cars got too close and it was pretty effective.  

The car, which my husband refers as my “purse” has a packed BOB, and an empty backpack which if needed, I can pick and choose from the other supplies in my car should I have to “hoof it.”   After I broke my leg in 2020, I added a collapsable luggage cart with wheels so that I could bring more stuff if needed.  Temperature, situations, air quality and how far will determine what all gets to come and what I will leave behind. Overall, I still feel that “general” prepping and tweaking as needed makes sense for me.  Higher possibilities like extreme heat, fire, earthquakes and electric withholding get more attention as they are common occurrences where I live.  Stockpiling and maintenance fit most scenarios, as does having a solid financial base and investing in one’s physical fitness and health.I USED to think that living rural severely lowered the odds of Radom violence, but not too far away, there was a mass shooting at a Walmart distribution Center and another at a rural community, where  some whack job went on a rampage after killing his wife.  He was driving around headed to the school where their lockdown process saved lives and frustrated the shooter to move on.  The county to the North of us is having an alt-right political sh*tstorm and their spring election will be something to watch as they voted out the Dominion machines in favor of hand counting which the state just outlawed.  There’s a bunch of 2nd A itching for fights  about this and other stuff so there will be times and places that I will avoid when I go for biz to the north.  My “supplies” goal since Covid has been to have a years worth of food, water, meds, house supplies etc.  2 months ago, Carolyn wrote a great post with an excellent link to a lecture Dr. Emily Schoerning. https://theprepared.com/forum/thread/framework-for-prepping/  Dr Schoerning advises prepping for 3 days, 3 weeks, and  when you get to thinking about 3 months, it’s necessary to have community if you expect to survive.  After thinking and praying on this for awhile, I think maybe it’s time to do a BLOCK PARTY to build community.  I mean we’ve been here over 20 years so….So, I am with Eric as far as general and realistic making sense.  For example, imo, self defense skills and weapons should be in everyone’s “tool kit,”  but I can guarantee you that if you don’t practice and maintain your weapons, including yourself, they have little to  no value and in some instances will be used against you. AND, even if you have an arsenal, if you are alone, you can only do so much.  So, it doesn’t matter if you are defending against locals, invading aliens, zombies or what not, you will need to practice and to make allies.It’s not possible to think about EVERYTHING.  As best I can, I try to pray for the best and prepare for the worse. 

Humans pump so much groundwater that Earth’s axis has shifted, study finds https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/26/world/pumping-groundwater-earth-axis-shifting-scn/index.html?fbclid=IwAR0ToV_qhDqqcYyQKbX4dZJxJ1PamTf9VNU0I1H0XVRb7IrJYafYF70md0M

https://weather.com/storms/severe/news/2023-06-26-severe-weather-thunderstorm-forecast-northeast-mid-atlantic

As a weather nerd for over half a century, it’s been amazing to me to see the escalation of intensity and incidents, especially the last five years.https://www.yahoo.com/news/brutal-heat-wave-hitting-texas-going-to-expand-to-multiple-us-states-national-weather-service-says-195703534.html

Great topic Nice Badger !!! Twice a year, we do a fiscal audit to look at our net worth and tweak our spending and savings as needed.  At the end of year audit, we agree on a # of how much $ we will be “tithing” for the end of year.  Then I play “Santa” and give $ to various charities.  I believe that our givings to the community is part of why we are doing so well.  I also do a “preps” audit and we try to do a good cleaning/maintenance of our weapons.  This year, I started dating items when opened, so that I can figure how much is needed for my goal of a year’s worth of supplies.  Every time, I have an empty gallon jug, I wash and sanitize w baking soda (learned in the prepared’s WATER class :)). After the gallon is filled, the container is dated and I feel gratitude that this represents another day that myself or someone (or some animal) can live should SHTF.    As I take care of our home and roam around our 10 acres, I think of ways to make safer especially from fire since we are in Norther CA.  This year, we had some dead and dying trees taken out. Unfortunately the dying trees aren’t dead yet and low growth needs to be ground down, so that goes on “the list.”  Luckily, we have been blessed with a mild summers far.   We do as much “skill learning” as possible.  Last year I did The Prepared’s ‘Austere First Aid”, and “WATER” classes, and we got our Ham Radio Licenses.  The year, I am studying how to be a Pilates Instructor and taking parenting classes because we now have a little dragon living in our Fun House with his grammy. Last year, we got a Harvest Right Freeze Dryer, and because of this, composting and keeping chickens and pigs, our food waste is close to zero and in a year, we have amassed over 20 tote boxes of FD food as well as having given away a fair amount to friends, family and mercy bags. For the last 37 years, I start my day with Tai Chi.  Lately, I also do Barre, and Pilates for ~ 5-8 hours a week.  My experience has led me to believe that there are so many things we cannot change and this can be very frustrating.  So I focus on what I CAN change which is how I move with my body, my actions and my thoughts.  These exercises help me both literally and figuratively with moving in a good way and staving off the pain that an older previously damaged body has as well as keeping my lifelong problem with depression in check. I would like to do a better job of checking viability of older stuff, especially my cars’ “BoBS.”  The heat and time can destroy the elastic in clothes, food, and first aid supplies.  Also, I would like to find a good habit that led me to getting to know my neighbors better. Finally, I wish I could develop a habit of practicing with my weapons more, especially the firearms. Any suggestions for developing new habits welcomed and appreciated!

Great points Eric!  Additionally, I would add that we need to keep up our basic prepping that keeps ups connected to and competent with our own survival and happiness. Because if EMPs, solar flares or sabotage take out all our tech, most of the people I know will not make it very long.

So, after playing around w. Chat GPT, I have to say I find it fascinating and horrifying at the same time.  It takes me about two hours to write one page.  Chat does it BETTER in seconds.  Not just this, but other tech is and will squash the HUMAN job market.  What kinds if work will y’all do for $ as well as for your personal needs?  There will (initially) be some jobs in being the “prompt writer” person who tells the AI what to create.  Also, there will be some rich people  that will use human workers as a status symbol – “my HUMAN maid/pilates instructor/gardener and so on.   Otherwise, Govco will dole out UBI (Universal Base Income)   IMO, the Covid Cash that most of us willingly took was laying the framework and a seemingly successful test run. 

Vietnam records hottest ever temperature https://www.yahoo.com/news/vietnam-records-hottest-ever-temperature-161500725.html

https://www.yahoo.com/gma/greenland-ice-sheet-melting-faster-190110352.html

First case of Covid detected in wildlife in California https://www.redbluffdailynews.com/2023/05/08/california-detects-first-case-of-covid-infection-in-wildlife/  –  “We don’t yet know what any of it means.”

Some of the interesting weather news lately https://weather.com/news/weather/video/blowing-dust-makes-eerie-scene-on-iowa-highway https://weather.com/storms/severe/video/severe-threat-also-brings-flooding-concerns-today https://phys.org/news/2023-05-rapid-ice-greenland.html

East Palestine Residents Claims Health Impacted by Norfu Suffix Train Disaster Some residents STILL living in hotels 3 months later.Trainhttps://www.foxnews.com/media/east-palestine-resident-lesions-stomach-pain-shortness-breath-train-derailment

Welcome Corrina,  Ditto to what has been said so far.I would also add on to start spending time investing in learning as much as you can about self-defense and survival skills.  If you can’t do classes, you can read or watch videos/TV movies etc.  What you keep in your brain is something that increases your value and cannot be easily taken from you.  First start with a decent BOB (boogie out bag) which will help get you home or on to your next step.  Water, food, a change of comfortable durable ugly clothes and basic survival stuffs like a knife, can opener, mylar shade, water filter device, plastic bag/s, tarp, rain poncho, basic first aid and some sort of diversion like a deck of cards or groovy toy.  That will fill a small/medium pack.  Practice carrying it and figure out how to lighten your load if it’s too much weight for you.  Assess and adjust your BOB regularly, especially if your food is not freeze dried.  Check that the clothes still fit and are in usable shape, albeit still ugly. Spend time watching and evaluating people and find and embrace the ones who can keep their word and keep their cool.  Know your area’s risk factors and focus on them more than risks that are unlikely in your area.   Be aware of your surroundings at all times.  Find a way to make your prepping fun and satisfying.  Like the PINK bacon fat candles we made last month ;o)..  Just do stuff but don’t stress.  Every time I put up a gallon of water, I feel gratitude that this could mean one more day survival for myself or someone I care about.  Best of luck!!!!ps your could check out Inherited emergency food lot post here….

Amen! <3

Water Restrictions Lifted After Brief Drought Relief https://www.redding.com/story/news/2023/04/26/siskiyou-pulls-back-some-water-restrictions-to-evaluate-future-plan/70151794007/

Shasta County votes to spend millions manually counting ballots, and not all voters are happy