Discussions
Reply to: What was the catalyst that compelled you to begin prepping? Posted November 23, 2022
Reply to: Emotional support group – Lay your burdens down Posted November 20, 2022
Reply to: Public safety power shutoffs – Dress rehearsal for the real thing Posted November 20, 2022
Reply to: What was the catalyst that compelled you to begin prepping? Posted November 20, 2022

I’ve only been seriously prepping since the pandemic started when I inadvertently (or not so inadvertently – there are no accidents) was sequestered in my home with every Chris Hedges book I could check out from the library. Schools had closed, and no one knew what would be closing next. I went to the library on Saturday, March 14, and grabbed everything I could by this journalist who had written two articles I had stumbled on in the time of Trump and whom I remembered walking away from the NY Times over comments about the Iraq War. I also checked out Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. I’m not a big fiction reader, but it was an National Endowment for the Arts novel and the author was going to be visiting, so I thought I’d check it out. OMG! It didn’t freak me out, people weren’t dying of covid in a matter of hours, but it was really readable and I devoured it in three days. Then I started on the stack of Hedges. OMG x 10 to the nth! In my earlier years I had political aspirations, but walked away at 31 after having a Road to Damascus kind of awakening. I spent the next 17 years with my head down, trudging the road to serving my purpose (Ayurveda, yoga, mindfulness, degrees, licenses, teaching, mainstreaming Love and Self-awareness) without time or necessity to look up. Then the pandemic hit and I had almost nothing but time on my hands to read, read, read, and be awake at 4 in the morning working in the yard and listening to lectures. I’m one who has always been able to see the big picture, taking in large amounts of information and processing it very quickly. I can connect dots quite easily and have never been polly-anish about the nature of the human being. I knew how we lived as a culture/society would eventually turn us into what we feared (I speak of the US) and that our species in general was a strange one seemingly bent on self-destruction. Between finding a source (Hedges and Friends) that spoke the words describing what I had been watching, feeling, and seeing culminate in the rise of Trump (he’s the symptom – not the cause), white nationalists being emboldened (I live in a white supremacy hot spot and they were/are again rearing ugly heads), the pandemic laying bare the US as a failed state, and the obviousness of what our rabid consumption has brought us (climate collapse) I started to prepare accordingly. I refi’ed my house and got to work! I even transferred to a K-5 campus with an honest to goodness real garden at the center of a wooded community, thinking it may provide compound security in the future. Best to have a key to one of the rooms, right? It also took me away from middle school where I was aware of extremist cells forming and figure an active shooter is a matter of when, not if (I’d been taking krav maga classes for 8 months when the closures hit). Funny thing about the above, though, as I was checking out my new campus, after knowing I got the transfer, I watched a Stealth drone fly overhead (on its way in for a landing at an air force base not far away as the crow or SR 71 or Stealth flies) and the Uvalde shooting happened two days before the end of my time in middle school. How ’bout that? Sometimes you just have to laugh. Then put your head back down and continue trudging.

Reply to: How to prepare with pets Posted November 19, 2022

I bought a backpack carrier for my cat with a clip inside to keep her from jumping out when/if I unzip the peek-a-boo part for her to get fresh air. I have her harness, leash, and a baggy of food in the pocket. Probably should put holistic pet anxiety drops in there too. I bought it when I really started prepping for fire evacuation and realized if I have to get out of my car and run, or get to a lake and float, a hard shell/hand held carrier would be a hindrance. I’ve carried her around in it, just to try and get her used to it. Didn’t really work. Wish I’d had her on a leash from the time I got her as a baby. But in an emergency we’re both going to be freaked out so… you know… she doesn’t like the hard shell either. When I’ve evacuated early I put her in the hard shell and keep the backpack with her other supplies.

Reply to: Should I get a natural gas home generator or one that runs off propane or diesel? Posted November 19, 2022
Reply to: What does prepping look like in your area of the world? Posted November 18, 2022

I’m in Northern California. Fire is our first and foremost natural disaster so I have a go bag and have practiced evacuating. I’ve got it down to 15 minutes (5 minutes if I’ve already had to evacuate and didn’t put anything back in the house). I learned a lot from the Paradise Fire, which isn’t that far away as the crow flies. I’ve practiced all evacuation routes, know back roads into lakes, and have items loaded into my backseat that I wouldn’t mind giving up if other people need to jump in on the way out. Next is the great endeavor of fire clearance – in the forest. I’ve been at it for years. We all have around here. I took down a workshop over the summer and plan to use the cleared land for a garden, but first it allows for a safe burn spot instead of the slower process of hauling to green waste. I came home tonight and my folks bought me a chipper for Christmas! Omg! Yay for that! I also prepare for civil unrest. Lots of white nationalists in these parts. It’s obvious they’re empowered from time to time. And we’re close to Sacramento and (close enough) to San Francisco that one wonders what the influx of people from there could be in societal collapse. That’s where community building – especially going for walks in the neighborhood and greeting everyone regardless of signs in their yards or flags on their trucks – is important, along with attending inter-governmental task force meetings related to climate impacts and cultivating relationships with like minded people involved in the arts and activism. I took krav maga classes. I loved those! Had to stop with COVID and would love to start again, but honestly kind of scared to get the cr*p beat out of me now – being 3 years older and all. And we’re near a high security air force base so yeah – that’s a thing. Watched a Stealth drone fly overhead on its way to making a landing. That was something! Wow! Dystopian and disturbing! I actually saw it pass as I checked out the  campus I was transferring to, partly for it’s large community garden and feeling of compound security should something come to that. It’s all just so weird! With the climate crisis wind, snow, and torrential rains are a regulars now, too. We’ve always gotten snow, but with extreme weather events trees *really* come down on houses, power lines, etc. and supply companies, as well as emergency vehicles, can’t get into a lot of places. Chain saws, snow removal equipment, good snow and rain gear, secondary heating sources, food stocks, and proper first aid kits are a must. A land line would be a good idea, too. PSPS in extreme heat require plans to stay cool – understanding wet bulb temperatures and having a generator for a/c or knowing where cooling centers are. I’ve looked into solar, but alas the trees. Finally, I’ll be getting my teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) certificate soon, in case I have to leave the US altogether. Would like to go to Dubai, but it’s feeling more and more like wherever one goes, they’re gonna fry, so… There’s so much! I just take it step by step, doing the next indicated thing. Started with fire prep, then moved onto food and water and no tech entertainment like puzzling and playing musical instruments (and toilet paper – lol) with COVID, and just continued with supply chain disruptions, [un]civil society building and climate catastrophes becoming the norm. It’s a lot, but feels good to be ready. Water filters are in the mail, now. Panic is what kills people. That’s sometimes what guides me. What to do to avoid panicking? I take care of that.

Reply to: Should I get a natural gas home generator or one that runs off propane or diesel? Posted November 18, 2022
Reply to: Philosophies for good mental health Posted November 18, 2022
Reply to: Philosophies for good mental health Posted November 16, 2022
Reply to: Philosophies for good mental health Posted November 15, 2022

Great feedback! Ditto, ditto, ditto! HALT is an acronym I’m always reminding myself of. And hands on creations… yes! I love puzzles! Especially ones that tell stories. They give me something to zone in on (and get me out of my head) and give me a happy wow factor when *that* piece goes in. I’ve taken just enough water color classes to play in paint w/out continuing classes. They’re on my list to start again, though. I want to paint my dad a piece and need professional guidance. I’m taking ukulele lessons at the library. I’m not good at it yet, but it’s fun and the other students are good company. I spent Friday learning Harvest Moon from YouTube. I’m thinking the harmonica will be next since that’s played in the song. Suits me fine. I want to learn Loves in Need of Love Today by Stevie Wonder. No harmonica in that but he plays one so… Yay! Okay! Art and creative expression are very important to me these days. I am (a lot of us probably are) super well informed, like you. I journal about things, but words cannot express the grief and sometimes terror (I’m a school teacher) that I live with almost everyday. Making things with my hands definitely relieves the pain. Sometimes I’m the most joyful person around, however. I may have tears in my eyes watching waning flocks of geese flying, but I’m standing still to take in the beauty and loving the wonder of the world in that moment. People who carry heavy burdens are also the ones who know how to truly, deeply, appreciate life. That knowing and appreciation shows. And finding this platform. Just having like-minded people to communicate with helps a lot too!

Reply to: Prepping with family member having dementia Posted November 15, 2022

Wow! Thank you for sharing. My mom has dementia. My dad takes care of her. They’ve been married 58 years. They are both 82. My dad is a climate denier with all sorts of other strong opinions/delusions. I’ve evacuated both of them for fire, which I commented on in another thread. That was an eye opener! Dad also claimed we were just going through a fluke heatwave two years ago and chided me for buying an air conditioner. Two days later, mom was in tears because the heat was insufferable. I called my sister. She called them and offered to buy a central a/c. This got him to buy a portable although it’s too small for their space. It’s certainly better than nothing, but I still then bought a generator, not for winter power outages but for summer outages so I can keep the a/c on if/when it’s 110 degrees; not for me but for mom if I need to get her to my place. To be clear, dad takes very good care of mom. They have always been inseparable and are deeply in love. So to answer your questions- YES AND YES. I always have all of my family in mind as I do what I do. They may scoff, or I scare them sometimes, but they know very well I’m the one one wants around in case of an emergency. I’ve also learned how to maintain healthy mental and emotional boundaries and not take on what I have neither been asked nor need to. However, family is family and we take care of each other, some times just being harder than others. My existential struggle is, specifically with fire, I think they’re going to get me killed but how do I let them die? It sucks! My heart is with you. God bless!

Reply to: An observation on prepping in 2022 Posted November 13, 2022

The emotional response is due to fear of the unknown and foreshadowing pain of how others will suffer. I’m preparing for societal collapse. It’s scary on multiple levels. I also feel tired after, so maybe it’s emotional release, too. The tension I carry dissipates.  Since I’m the only one I know doing this, and get poo-pooed by family members, I internalize being the one they’ll be coming to if what I see coming comes.  But once the filters arrive, I will feel good and strong and I won’t have an emotional reaction to buying a larger filter. It’s like building up immunity. As a side note, I’ve been prepared for fire, lengthy power outages, and traveling as a single woman for years. Never had a reaction to being/staying prepared for those things. It’s now that I’m amping up supplies and preparing for something else that I get shaky.

Reply to: Emotional support group – Lay your burdens down Posted November 12, 2022
Reply to: Emotional support group – Lay your burdens down Posted November 12, 2022
Reply to: Emotional support group – Lay your burdens down Posted November 12, 2022
Reply to: Emotional support group – Lay your burdens down Posted November 12, 2022
Emotional support group – Lay your burdens down
10
11
Posted November 12, 2022
Reply to: An observation on prepping in 2022 Posted November 12, 2022
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Emotional support group – Lay your burdens down
10
11
Posted November 12, 2022
Reply to: What was the catalyst that compelled you to begin prepping? Posted November 23, 2022
Reply to: Emotional support group – Lay your burdens down Posted November 20, 2022
Reply to: Public safety power shutoffs – Dress rehearsal for the real thing Posted November 20, 2022
Reply to: What was the catalyst that compelled you to begin prepping? Posted November 20, 2022

I’ve only been seriously prepping since the pandemic started when I inadvertently (or not so inadvertently – there are no accidents) was sequestered in my home with every Chris Hedges book I could check out from the library. Schools had closed, and no one knew what would be closing next. I went to the library on Saturday, March 14, and grabbed everything I could by this journalist who had written two articles I had stumbled on in the time of Trump and whom I remembered walking away from the NY Times over comments about the Iraq War. I also checked out Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. I’m not a big fiction reader, but it was an National Endowment for the Arts novel and the author was going to be visiting, so I thought I’d check it out. OMG! It didn’t freak me out, people weren’t dying of covid in a matter of hours, but it was really readable and I devoured it in three days. Then I started on the stack of Hedges. OMG x 10 to the nth! In my earlier years I had political aspirations, but walked away at 31 after having a Road to Damascus kind of awakening. I spent the next 17 years with my head down, trudging the road to serving my purpose (Ayurveda, yoga, mindfulness, degrees, licenses, teaching, mainstreaming Love and Self-awareness) without time or necessity to look up. Then the pandemic hit and I had almost nothing but time on my hands to read, read, read, and be awake at 4 in the morning working in the yard and listening to lectures. I’m one who has always been able to see the big picture, taking in large amounts of information and processing it very quickly. I can connect dots quite easily and have never been polly-anish about the nature of the human being. I knew how we lived as a culture/society would eventually turn us into what we feared (I speak of the US) and that our species in general was a strange one seemingly bent on self-destruction. Between finding a source (Hedges and Friends) that spoke the words describing what I had been watching, feeling, and seeing culminate in the rise of Trump (he’s the symptom – not the cause), white nationalists being emboldened (I live in a white supremacy hot spot and they were/are again rearing ugly heads), the pandemic laying bare the US as a failed state, and the obviousness of what our rabid consumption has brought us (climate collapse) I started to prepare accordingly. I refi’ed my house and got to work! I even transferred to a K-5 campus with an honest to goodness real garden at the center of a wooded community, thinking it may provide compound security in the future. Best to have a key to one of the rooms, right? It also took me away from middle school where I was aware of extremist cells forming and figure an active shooter is a matter of when, not if (I’d been taking krav maga classes for 8 months when the closures hit). Funny thing about the above, though, as I was checking out my new campus, after knowing I got the transfer, I watched a Stealth drone fly overhead (on its way in for a landing at an air force base not far away as the crow or SR 71 or Stealth flies) and the Uvalde shooting happened two days before the end of my time in middle school. How ’bout that? Sometimes you just have to laugh. Then put your head back down and continue trudging.

Reply to: How to prepare with pets Posted November 19, 2022

I bought a backpack carrier for my cat with a clip inside to keep her from jumping out when/if I unzip the peek-a-boo part for her to get fresh air. I have her harness, leash, and a baggy of food in the pocket. Probably should put holistic pet anxiety drops in there too. I bought it when I really started prepping for fire evacuation and realized if I have to get out of my car and run, or get to a lake and float, a hard shell/hand held carrier would be a hindrance. I’ve carried her around in it, just to try and get her used to it. Didn’t really work. Wish I’d had her on a leash from the time I got her as a baby. But in an emergency we’re both going to be freaked out so… you know… she doesn’t like the hard shell either. When I’ve evacuated early I put her in the hard shell and keep the backpack with her other supplies.

Reply to: Should I get a natural gas home generator or one that runs off propane or diesel? Posted November 19, 2022
Reply to: What does prepping look like in your area of the world? Posted November 18, 2022

I’m in Northern California. Fire is our first and foremost natural disaster so I have a go bag and have practiced evacuating. I’ve got it down to 15 minutes (5 minutes if I’ve already had to evacuate and didn’t put anything back in the house). I learned a lot from the Paradise Fire, which isn’t that far away as the crow flies. I’ve practiced all evacuation routes, know back roads into lakes, and have items loaded into my backseat that I wouldn’t mind giving up if other people need to jump in on the way out. Next is the great endeavor of fire clearance – in the forest. I’ve been at it for years. We all have around here. I took down a workshop over the summer and plan to use the cleared land for a garden, but first it allows for a safe burn spot instead of the slower process of hauling to green waste. I came home tonight and my folks bought me a chipper for Christmas! Omg! Yay for that! I also prepare for civil unrest. Lots of white nationalists in these parts. It’s obvious they’re empowered from time to time. And we’re close to Sacramento and (close enough) to San Francisco that one wonders what the influx of people from there could be in societal collapse. That’s where community building – especially going for walks in the neighborhood and greeting everyone regardless of signs in their yards or flags on their trucks – is important, along with attending inter-governmental task force meetings related to climate impacts and cultivating relationships with like minded people involved in the arts and activism. I took krav maga classes. I loved those! Had to stop with COVID and would love to start again, but honestly kind of scared to get the cr*p beat out of me now – being 3 years older and all. And we’re near a high security air force base so yeah – that’s a thing. Watched a Stealth drone fly overhead on its way to making a landing. That was something! Wow! Dystopian and disturbing! I actually saw it pass as I checked out the  campus I was transferring to, partly for it’s large community garden and feeling of compound security should something come to that. It’s all just so weird! With the climate crisis wind, snow, and torrential rains are a regulars now, too. We’ve always gotten snow, but with extreme weather events trees *really* come down on houses, power lines, etc. and supply companies, as well as emergency vehicles, can’t get into a lot of places. Chain saws, snow removal equipment, good snow and rain gear, secondary heating sources, food stocks, and proper first aid kits are a must. A land line would be a good idea, too. PSPS in extreme heat require plans to stay cool – understanding wet bulb temperatures and having a generator for a/c or knowing where cooling centers are. I’ve looked into solar, but alas the trees. Finally, I’ll be getting my teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) certificate soon, in case I have to leave the US altogether. Would like to go to Dubai, but it’s feeling more and more like wherever one goes, they’re gonna fry, so… There’s so much! I just take it step by step, doing the next indicated thing. Started with fire prep, then moved onto food and water and no tech entertainment like puzzling and playing musical instruments (and toilet paper – lol) with COVID, and just continued with supply chain disruptions, [un]civil society building and climate catastrophes becoming the norm. It’s a lot, but feels good to be ready. Water filters are in the mail, now. Panic is what kills people. That’s sometimes what guides me. What to do to avoid panicking? I take care of that.

Reply to: Should I get a natural gas home generator or one that runs off propane or diesel? Posted November 18, 2022
Reply to: Philosophies for good mental health Posted November 18, 2022
Reply to: Philosophies for good mental health Posted November 16, 2022
Reply to: Philosophies for good mental health Posted November 15, 2022

Great feedback! Ditto, ditto, ditto! HALT is an acronym I’m always reminding myself of. And hands on creations… yes! I love puzzles! Especially ones that tell stories. They give me something to zone in on (and get me out of my head) and give me a happy wow factor when *that* piece goes in. I’ve taken just enough water color classes to play in paint w/out continuing classes. They’re on my list to start again, though. I want to paint my dad a piece and need professional guidance. I’m taking ukulele lessons at the library. I’m not good at it yet, but it’s fun and the other students are good company. I spent Friday learning Harvest Moon from YouTube. I’m thinking the harmonica will be next since that’s played in the song. Suits me fine. I want to learn Loves in Need of Love Today by Stevie Wonder. No harmonica in that but he plays one so… Yay! Okay! Art and creative expression are very important to me these days. I am (a lot of us probably are) super well informed, like you. I journal about things, but words cannot express the grief and sometimes terror (I’m a school teacher) that I live with almost everyday. Making things with my hands definitely relieves the pain. Sometimes I’m the most joyful person around, however. I may have tears in my eyes watching waning flocks of geese flying, but I’m standing still to take in the beauty and loving the wonder of the world in that moment. People who carry heavy burdens are also the ones who know how to truly, deeply, appreciate life. That knowing and appreciation shows. And finding this platform. Just having like-minded people to communicate with helps a lot too!

Reply to: Prepping with family member having dementia Posted November 15, 2022

Wow! Thank you for sharing. My mom has dementia. My dad takes care of her. They’ve been married 58 years. They are both 82. My dad is a climate denier with all sorts of other strong opinions/delusions. I’ve evacuated both of them for fire, which I commented on in another thread. That was an eye opener! Dad also claimed we were just going through a fluke heatwave two years ago and chided me for buying an air conditioner. Two days later, mom was in tears because the heat was insufferable. I called my sister. She called them and offered to buy a central a/c. This got him to buy a portable although it’s too small for their space. It’s certainly better than nothing, but I still then bought a generator, not for winter power outages but for summer outages so I can keep the a/c on if/when it’s 110 degrees; not for me but for mom if I need to get her to my place. To be clear, dad takes very good care of mom. They have always been inseparable and are deeply in love. So to answer your questions- YES AND YES. I always have all of my family in mind as I do what I do. They may scoff, or I scare them sometimes, but they know very well I’m the one one wants around in case of an emergency. I’ve also learned how to maintain healthy mental and emotional boundaries and not take on what I have neither been asked nor need to. However, family is family and we take care of each other, some times just being harder than others. My existential struggle is, specifically with fire, I think they’re going to get me killed but how do I let them die? It sucks! My heart is with you. God bless!

Reply to: An observation on prepping in 2022 Posted November 13, 2022

The emotional response is due to fear of the unknown and foreshadowing pain of how others will suffer. I’m preparing for societal collapse. It’s scary on multiple levels. I also feel tired after, so maybe it’s emotional release, too. The tension I carry dissipates.  Since I’m the only one I know doing this, and get poo-pooed by family members, I internalize being the one they’ll be coming to if what I see coming comes.  But once the filters arrive, I will feel good and strong and I won’t have an emotional reaction to buying a larger filter. It’s like building up immunity. As a side note, I’ve been prepared for fire, lengthy power outages, and traveling as a single woman for years. Never had a reaction to being/staying prepared for those things. It’s now that I’m amping up supplies and preparing for something else that I get shaky.

Reply to: Emotional support group – Lay your burdens down Posted November 12, 2022
Reply to: Emotional support group – Lay your burdens down Posted November 12, 2022
Reply to: Emotional support group – Lay your burdens down Posted November 12, 2022
Reply to: Emotional support group – Lay your burdens down Posted November 12, 2022
Reply to: An observation on prepping in 2022 Posted November 12, 2022
Reply to: 60 Minutes segment this Sunday Nov 6 about TP and how sane prepping has gone mainstream! Posted November 12, 2022
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