So how many have new friends or family on board with prepping?

So this little bump in the road virus comes up and suddenly my lovely missus who has given me the sideways glance with raised eyebrow, when I talked about preps is 110 percent on board.

She even decided to learn how to shoot.

This was bad enough for her to be an issue even as she is going thru breast cancer treatment,

How many others have had something similar happen.

And yes she is fine surgery successful, caught early, no chemo, radiation only.

 

Well, lets say I've had more than a few coworkers that asked me what type of gun they should buy.
they were thinking hand gun or AR15.
I suggested pump shotgun instead.
they've upped their supplies from just enough for today to the FEMA recommended 3 days.

 

The very few people who have some idea that I am prepared have all reached out wanting to know what they should do. The wife, an eternal optimist, has now decided that maybe she would like to use some of the surgical gloves I have stocked and that maybe me storing so much stuff wasn't such a bad idea after all.
I bet this site and others like it get real popular in the coming days!

 

Dunno 'bout the site, but some folks that have let it be known that they know something about projo spitting devices are going to be asked a lot of questions. I'm a hermit, and not a lot of people know what I have in the way of knowledge. Planning on keeping it that way, I do NOT want anyone, anywhere, at any time connecting me with what for them was bad advice. The time for training new "shooters" is passed.

 

This has certainly opened doors for those conversations. I talked to my family and friends a few weeks back suggesting they add an extra round of diapers, food and other supplies to their cart. They thought i was being paranoid. I had the same conversation Jan, Feb and now in March they are paying attention.

Whether you are a genius or an idiot is all about context and circumstance. I dont know about all of you but i went from paranoid idiot to futuristic soothsayer genius in just a few days.

 

No problems here as I married a smart woman. Pretty much keeps things in order and has skills as well.
Kids, well they came around real quick.
Rural area and most keep their mouth shut and do their own thing.

 

Have had several friends check up on us, wife 80, me 82, and a lot of new interest in how to make the old food extenders, oatmeal, beans and rice, spaghetti, etc. Most realize that it is too late for freeze dried buckets at $100 a pop, but aren't sure if they will have a business or a job tomorrow. People used to $1500 a week and spending every dime of it aren't going to make it on unemployment insurance of a max of $427 a week and it used to take a couple weeks to get the first check. A lot of them work construction, finance, computers, retail, hospitality, tourist related, etc, and there is no way of knowing if it will in fact ever come back.

 

I just act dumb which comes easily for me....

On a serious note,The young couple next-door are getting on board.
She is attempting to learn the art of bread making this week...
He is a former Marine who went thru Fallujah killing everything that moved....
Also has an interest in other things,But at times hes a bull in the china shop!!!

 

Seen a few places where it's down in the 1.80s range,Not good for my oilfield people.

 

Well see'in as how she reads these posts- I did too

Actually Sass called me this morning: "What are you doing? Well just got a heads up that they plan on shutting the state down SOON. Get yer ass in the truck and make a last minute run on anything you think we can use more of."

"Yes Dear.."

 

Words to live by and ones that can be done in a very irritating way, preferably a high nasal whine.

 

I married well! My Gal comes from the school of hard knocks where lines to get your gov. sub standard hand outs were the norm, so she fully gets it! My boys are both current serving mil, so they get it, and were pretty isolated here as it is, so a shelter in place isn't really needed for us! Our fall back/bug out is looking mighty nice right now, so, as things get worse, were going to bug and defy any state mandate of shelter in place, easy enough for us, and I happen to have a plane, plus, there are many back roads to drive and the powers that be cannot possibly block them all!
Most of our friends and folks around us know we are prepared, and most are themselves, but there are a few who were too self absorbed to see any of this for what it was, and are now "On The Path Of Righteousness" as it were, nothing like a Come to Jesus event to realign your beliefs to the correct frequency, and at least they have had enough time and funds to get them selves set up better! Most are smart enough to know not to ask, but still, they are going to need! Our plan is to be long gone before that comes to pass!

 

Never forget the Donner party. They were within a few miles of the summit of the pass and if they had been on the other side when the early snow began, there might not of been any stories and histories of that horrible winter. We can hope and pray to God, prepare as best we can, but in the long run we will all have to play out the hand we are dealt. Watching the mass media and the politicians of both parties, I have little faith in their solving the problems and at best hope that they don't take me down with the sinking ship. Personal feelings are that if you aren't ready now, it may be too late to prep for the long run. Problem becomes 4 years for self or 1 year for extended family and I have never been able to say no to a 2 year old. I will help all I can, but I will not feed dead horses, nor am I going to dig up all of my caches. I have never seen a more important time to appear to be as much a part of the herd and as grey as right now.

 

I wasn't lucky - I was careful. I found and married the proverbial Farmer's Daughter, one from rural Utah. You know, the kind that knows how to kill, clean and butcher hogs, chickens, turkeys and the other fun things that God gave to eat. Knows how to can, bottle and salt all the other Chow that comes with a farm.

She wanted to be a wife and mother, has worked regularly since she was 10. Talk about 'low maintenance.'. We are, in fact, life partners in every sense of the word. In this, I've been blessed. We were both raised by Depression babies - their hard learned lessons and those of our grand-parents were driven into our very thought processes. I think it shows in how we choose to live - modestly.

The kiddos are of the same mindset, having been dragged around and around in my military career - they've seen 1st hand what happens when things go sideways. Their gran-parents were fantastic role models as well.

As for the other - I often share the story of my FIL.

As an MP, he served in the PTO thru the entire war in the Pacific. He would share a few of his experiences as we were 'military'. The one I most often quote was his experiences that came in the PI during the end and shortly after the end of hostilities.

He said that folks that had farms or lots of food "had it stolen by their good neighbors or had it taken - at gunpoint - by the authorities (locals or the Japs) as 'taxes.'
He never bothered with the mythical 'years supply' even tho he was raised in rural Utah during the great Depression. His idea was leave it in the ground, use it as you needed it and so on.
It makes complete sense to me - after all, you only really own that which you can carry in your arms - at a dead run...

YMMV.

I see this current kerfuffle as just that. A hiccup in normality. As soon as things get back to 'normal' a lot of this will start showing up in gargle sales or put out on the kerb, sad to say. Spending like a drunken sailor will resume, personal debt will multiply...and the road to perdition is, once again, paved by idiots.

and I will be looking for a retirement home in rural Texas, Hill Country to be specific. Folks there mind there own business and won't tolerate lawlessness. In the dead of winter, the most you have to shovel off the walk is sunshine..

As for everyone else - good luck.

 

As most of the family is hundreds if not thousands of miles away, that isn’t a big concern. If they haven't prepared by now, they likely won’t.
New friends? Heck no. And the few I would truly call friends already have items set back for bad/hard times. I have had a few of them ask opinions on matters, but that’s about it.

 

$1.74 near here.

 

I know the feeling! My 80 year old Mother has finally realized the threat to HER! One of my Sisters is also on board and the other Sister has always been an idiot

 

It's funny, a couple that I have been friends with since high school (and I set up together) texted me the other day wanting advice on what to do, where to get supplies, how to do things, etc. I advised them to get a couple of canners (2 water bath, 2 pressure) a lot of jars and lids, abs start canning food to put up while it's available and relatively cheap. Then I had to explain the differences and why you would want two canners. They are trying at least.