TOTM December '16- Survival Goals, Planning & Training

I think my first goal is to come to the realization that I am not a 21 yr. old kid anymore. Visions of myself as Rambo racing through the jungle mowing down the bad guys with an M60 are the dreams of Hollywood. Once I come to understand that while my mind is 21, my body is 64 with diabetes and all the associated aches and pains that comes with age, I can then plan accordingly.

The smartest thing we ever did was move from the South side of Chicago back in the early 90s, to a small village in Michigan...population 1200, so bugging out of the city is a non-issue. I do have issues with walking long distances such as more than a few miles...

So I have revised my goals to accommodate my physical as well as age-related abilities.
First, if I bug out it will be to the midst of acres of woods in my area. There are several 80-100 acre plots that I plan to get lost in if I am forced from my home. To try and go any further would lessen my chances.

Otherwise, my plan is to stay put in my home. I have prepped accordingly, focusing on canned goods and the like rather than freeze dried or dehydrated which are more suitable for bugging out. I am friends with the village leaders including the chief of police, mayor and others...if anything comes down the pipe, I will get a heads up. My goal in this regard would be to become more in tune with whats going on around the community and gathering intelligence on everything that could affect my survival.

I will continue to stock foods, making weekly runs the the Amish community in Shipshewana, IN and keep educating my family on the world situation and the importance of remaining alert. I will also try to put together a map and compass reading class if I can find enough interested people. ...prepping is catching on so there may be a few.

My house is fortified as best as it can be without creating barricades, but I will have the supplies at hand to make Caltrops and some other goodies should ne'er do wells approach my house in the bad times.

 

Radios and the other items going first....
Reloading stuff staying behind as it might take a few trips to get finished product moved....
Just wish there was a good long distance range on the south coast of Oregon.
Any suggestions????

 

Don't know much about Oregon. Could look into local clubs if there are any. Even in and around my America hating leftist / communist wannabe town there are several ranges, one good for 1000 yards although it's quite a drive. Others with shorter ranges are closer but they require a membership (and associated fee).

Wouldn't leave the reloading equipment too long in the People's Republik. The state apparently doesn't like its citizens having access to such capabilities. The Duma could ram a law through in a week that would allow for confiscation and destruction of such equipment and related supplies, especially if Gavin Newsom assumes the chairmanship.

 

Mine are more of a regrouping. Since we moved to OK and have changed our lifestyle, I've gotten more into gardening, dehydrating, vacuum sealing foods, even baking my own bread. But I've not gotten a good balance between learning new prepping techniques, and maintaining the writing. And the harsh reality is that since my writing output has dropped, so too has the income. And income is a necessity. So I'm faced with the idea of either spending more time on the writing (and so less time on the preps), or brushing up the resume, giving up the idea of making a living with my writing, and getting back into corporate America. Either way, I'm going to be losing some of my learning time.

So, #1 is to decide which way I need to jump, and get the income stream flowing better.
#2 - Once the income problem stabilizes, find a shooting range around here and get my shooting skills back up to snuff. (Haven't been shooting since I moved up to OK. In Houston, it was easy. There were ranges all over the place. Not so out here.)
#3 - Get back into my martial arts training. I've been using the excuse that there isn't a decent self defense class in the area, but the reality is that I can still practice on my own. I just need to get off my ass and do it. Writing is too sedentary, and I need to do more to keep myself healthy.

And that's it. My prepping goals for 2017.

 

Keep healthy should be top of everyone's list!!
I hope to find another Aikido (Iwama style) dojo after the move... hope of hopes!
Until I can do more of that I'll hone my pistol skills....Only to get to my rifle.....
If you have your health anything is possible! Attitude is important! Get some!
If your health is not the best, fight your way until most everything is again possible.

Age and treachery will win over youth and enthusiasm! I'm at least 25% qualified there.... Varies as to day...

 

My wife is constantly learning me of my limitations.

 

Have you checked into a secure storage unit?
You could stage preps there, possibly even a preloaded trailer that is backed in and ready to hook up to your BOV. I'm not trying to add to your juggling act, but a small trailer made out of a pick up bed possibly with a canopy can be had on the cheap if a person looks a bit. Might not hold everything but could hold most if not all on your "must have" list. Just my

 

Well, the moat and retractable bridge have been completed, but man who knew that piranhas could eat so much?! Now that the local stray dog and cat population has been exhausted I may have to rethink perimeter defense..


Seriously, my list is so long I'll never get down to just three.
There are more improvements to be done to the perimeter and surveillance systems.
Would really like to get an alternate well we have here up and running on off grid power.
The smoke house still isn't finished.
Sass wants to take advantage of some combat medic type courses that are being offered by a friend of ours this spring, then come back and teach the rest of us. Same for her son with regards to some shooting and other schools his dept.has been sending him to.
Need to finish improvements to the shooting range- reactionary targets and a "tire town".

 

Well...this year I am converting to a mobile lifestyle rather than staying in the area of the farm.

I have pretty much always kept 30 days of basics in the motorhome, but will be expanding that to about 90 days of supplies that are not quite as basic. I also plan to convert the 12V system in the MH to solar with enough power storage to maintain lights, refrigeration and communication.

I may explore upgrading the motorhome to one that will more comfortably pull my EMP-proof Isuzu Trooper (one heavy vehicle) rather than my '90 Wrangler or convert the Wrangler to a system more likely to survive and convert the Isuzu to cash.

The reality is that the maximum amount of a few of the medications that keep me alive that can be stored without losing potency is about a year, so the long term preps at the farm are no longer of much use to me and with my wife gone, I am ready to give up the security they have offered me and both follow the better weather and get away from the slowly changing political climate where I am. My son now owns the farm and is committed to maintaining the preps there with assistance from my best friend and prepping partner for the past 30 years...he is about 20 years younger than I am (my friend...my son is another 10 years younger) and in better health, so the group should not suffer from my absence. In a SHTF scenario, I will attempt to return here, but want to be prepared to survive wherever I am.

 

AND the whole 'stocking enough toilet paper' makes me crazy! we had a post awhile back on alternatives but I still can't see a decent alternative, long term, for wiping the butt.

 

Ummm.....
Somehow brewing copious amonts of beer sounds much more interesting than the stockpiling of TP! (Happily wife alows reloading equipment inside the house! I'm a lucky guy)

 

You don't like the reusable rags soaked in bleach water favored in PAW fiction?

 

Let me suggest again. I've been using mine a few months and equipped ever bathroom at BOL and home with them. Cheap and hygienic if you have running water. Much better than a corncob and you never run out as long as you have running water.

 

I love bidet's and I'm thinking what happens with no water and no power.

@Pax Mentis lol no I don't believe it and I dont believe in corn cobs. and the reusable rags only work as long as you have bleach.

 

Top priorities for next year:
1. Getting several raised beds started so we can begin gardening here.
2. Sustainable back-up power for the well. It's not good when we lose power, and thus lose water pressure.
3. Get my small practice range set up in the woods, so my wife and I can stay proficient at close range targets.

 

I'm with BT

1. Survive this next year
2. Work with my youngest son and the grandkids on ramping up for more PAAS101 skills. We got making fire without matches this last summer, so cooking over a campfire should be next.
3. More bicycling. My grand-daughter has been nagging me for another long tour for this summer.....

 

1. Get some fairly remote property where family can meet, enjoy, plan, and build. My little family can't make it alone, so I want to make sure we get dependable, like-minded people to join us in our pursuit.
2. Exercise and get into good condition. This can not be left to a future day anymore. Period. This can not be a 6-weeks on 20-weeks off thing anymore (my modus operandi).
3. Work on living/survival skills and practice them - camping, hiking, lights-out scenarios, etc. As Americans we're pretty dependent on buying something that promises to "get us there", but developing our mental skills can get us way past the infomercial gadget that gonna break soon anyway. I've got a long way to go!

 

I am learning more and more that I am really dependent on mechanics. And the hardest thing is that these new cars require computers vs, old cars that were easier to diagnose and repair. I am wondering how to solve this short-fall. I saw some shop classes at the community college but I do not think this would benefit or maybe it would.