Think About Everyone Who Might Know That You Are Prepared
I have addressed this issue multiple times over the years here on the blog. But this time, I want you to take it a step further. Identify (in your own mind) anyone and everyone who may know that you are “prepared”.
It is a hypothetical exercise. It will help you to be ready for a particular circumstance. One that is not beyond the realm of possibility as we transition “the turning” we are living through right now.
There is potential for pain, economic hardship, turmoil, and hunger as we enter the perfect storm which is upon us. Ideological and Economic Upheaval is tearing at the fabric of modern civilizations. Especially here in the USA, right now.
The future is very uncertain. It could be grim. And sooner or later, a particular circumstance may result…
Someone who you know – may call you, or knock on your door with an unexpected request. Will you be ready for it?
Let me back up a little bit…
Some of you have lived the preparedness lifestyle for many years – to varying extents. Others, perhaps more recently. During the course of one’s actionable preparedness, and during the everyday life of plain old “living”, interacting, working, playing… People may notice. That you’re (GASP!) somewhat of a “prepper”.
It’s gonna happen. Some will notice. They’ll know. It’s tucked away in their brain.
You may have talked about it openly with family, friend(s), trusted? individuals or groups.
Those who have visited your home. Your home environment may look “normal” to you. But to others, maybe they notice your extra food storage – or whatever…
OPSEC. Operational Security.
It’s easily forgotten at times. Most of us don’t live paranoid lives (I don’t!). So “things” might slip out once in a while. It’s probably the same with most of you too.
So here’s the exercise. Think about it. Over the years, and recent times, who is it that might know about your preparedness? Who are they?
It might be a short list. It might be a long one. But know this — they have not forgotten. It’s in their mind. And if and when they get hungry, or become unsafe in their living conditions, they WILL remember you.
What if the wheels fall off?
It may be difficult to imagine or hypothesize. A collapse from our “normal” way of life as it has existed for most of us. Fairly peaceful. Plenty of food. Law and Order. Decent income. Good times.
But what if the wheels fell off?
Maybe if and when “the wheels fall off the bus” – how many people will be badly affected who happen to know about your preparedness? Maybe after they’ve exhausted other methods of help — they come to you… Call you up or knock on your door. Can you spare some food? Or can we come live with you?
Listen. I’m not trying to be cruel here. Some of you will gladly help out. Maybe under your own circumstances that may work out okay. But maybe it won’t – after awhile… You just don’t know for sure. Lots could happen or go wrong when you start dishing out your stores/supplies to others.
You might respond differently depending on who it is. Who they are. Maybe what they can offer in return – hinging on their past actions, personalities, and behavior. That’s logical and reasonable. Especially if you have “plenty”, you have a plan for it, and you explicitly trust.
I am not going to suggest right or wrong. Too many variables.
But I will say this. And listen carefully. By now, given the turmoil out there, if someone has not yet prepared for a very uncertain future, they have proven themselves to be ignorant, dumb, and/or freeloaders. It’s too late for them.
That said, there will be those who have prepared to an extent, but when it gets worse – even they may fall short. That’s a bit different I suppose…
All I’m trying to say here is this — I do suggest that you consider identifying anyone and everyone who may know (that you’re prepared). And depending on who it is, decide what you’re going to say – if and when they come knockin…
I hope that we never unravel to that extent. But it’s not beyond the realm of possibilities.
Good idea to know in advance who might come a knocking.However they’ve all been warned, we’ve made our suggestions, offered help etc.Everyone has had plenty of time to prep and seen early shortages and most have seen the news. If they failed to heed all the warnings we’ve had then other than immediate family the welcome mat is gone and we’re locked down .
I don’t share a lotta info with folks I don’t know. I do talk preparedness with those I do. Most of the folks I know intimately know I keep what would seem to be an inordinate (to many folks) amount of food and supplies on hand….but, thanks to my shating my concerns with them…so do they.
Most of my friends are seasoned citizens. They’ve seen how things can go south in a hurry…many times with not much warning. They too had parents raised during the depression. They too experienced the hardships and shortages brought on during Jimmy Carter’s disastrous presidency. They too experienced the runaway inflation brought on by the Arab oil embargo, the disastrous effects of Carter’s price controls which created many shortages (remember the toilet paper shortages NRP? Quit making it when cost to produce it was twice the price Carter allowed it to sell for). They remember when gasoline shot up from .35 cents a gallon to over $1.00 a gallon overnight. The pumps were not even capable to handle the price increase. They remember the hand printed signs taped to the pumps “cost is twice what the pump has registered”.
So folks that know me and my preps have all heeded the warnings. Some better than others. I belong to no “group”, but have close friends who swear to be ready to come to each other’s aid if needed and to cooperate with sharing game for the table and labor to help when needed.
My family will always be welcome on the mountain. Doubt some of them will contribute much besides hungry mouths and hopefully some needed labor. That’s OK…not ideal, but OK…they’re mine…I’ll go to my grave trying to help them survive….wouldn’t meet God under lesser circumstances.
yup i lived through that time i had started stocking up long before the current bs started
Funny you would put up this story. We have some lovely flagstone set out in the red mulch around the front porch. I mentioned to my hubby how nice a job he did and how nice it looked–but–then mentioned that if someone wanted to get in the house they would use that flagstone against us! If they threw it thru the window in summer we’d be hot, if winter we’d be cold. And then he said they’d be dead. But we’d still be hot/cold and even more vulnerable. Guess I should get more plastic sheeting, just in case.
Someone knowing you are a prepper isn’t all that matters. I thought of something as I have been driving towards and in town for those who have Trump signs in their yards and American flags. It is an advertisement to hit this place for those rioters on election night if you are in a bad area.
That’s right, I wrote about that not too long ago (here). Political Signage.
I guess my Molon Labe Flag ain’t a good idea! Trekker Out
Ooopps, I didn’t see that article–on vacation then, but it is a good thing to bring up now.
I fly an American Flag on my home 365 days a year. I’m not going to take it down and hide the fact that I am a proud American just because it might be a target. Our flag has been a target through quite a few wars and as the old saying goes ” THESE COLORS DON’T RUN ” if people want to try and attack my home because of the flag then so be it. I don’t claim to be a tough guy but I’m not backing down and running away because someone else doesn’t like my beliefs.
Stardust, I took it as a warning when we put our Trump signs out at the end of the drive. We believe in the Second Amendment. Our flag will always fly, as long as we are able to protect it. My father was a Marine in WWII. My uncles and other family members have all fought for that flag. I lost friends in the Vietnam war. Our whole road has Trump signs. No one has polled any of us as to how we plan to vote. I keep getting asked by the Dems, though, because they have someone else number wrong.
I agree with Dennis, family can always come, others, take care of your own. I keep a little extra to help if we can, but I keep a little extra in terms of protecting my own as well
I am with you. I have chunks of broken concrete bordering my flower beds. I have the same fear.
The people that know about our self-sufficient lifestyle and what we have stored away will (probably) be coming here to stay anyway, mostly family. Oh, and our furnace repair man. The first time here he raised his eyebrows at our ‘storage’ and I explained it as my “Winter Pantry.” We are far from our small town out here. And here we are 5 years later and he has done the same for his family. He also has a “Winter Pantry” now. Like Dennis, we don’t belong to a “group,” tho I tried to start up something with some neighbors until one neighbor sort of destroyed relationships with everyone. So, that’s out. We will be sharing with family and some friends, if need be. But most people we know have already seen the writing on the wall. Everyone is as set as can be or as finances allow. I just remind others that bring up the subject to differentiate NEED vs WANTS. Get the things you will absolutely NEED. Only then consider the extras.
And one more thing….I wish you all blessings and peace in the days to come. Whichever way this goes, you have all kept me going when the others here in my life have quit on me, deciding “fun” is more important. My deepest thanks to Ken and all of you here.
And….the Lord is still on His Throne.
most of my family have there own bug out locals
we dont get along with most of my family
i dont know where there bug out locals are and i dont want to
they dont even know what part of what city we live in
my wife has some on going health issues and she needs home health aides
so any opsec is not possible in this place
if anything were to happen we would have to bug in
Does it really matter? The kind of people that remember you have 12 boxes of pasta on the shelf are going to remember the likelihood of you taking on a charity case. Most people know me as a fairly nice person but nobody asks me for help that didn’t first try to help themselves. In fact, many people have told me when I find out they had a problem after the fact that the reason they didn’t ask me for help was because they wanted to save it for when they really needed it and could reciprocate. That’s respect.
If you have made it clear that there is no room for freeloaders then it doesn’t matter. Sure, you will have to deal with the entitled but that’s no different than normal.
The only ones that worry me are ones that may think they can take it by force. My solution for that is to ensure it is known that they may be successful but unlikely to be unscathed. I don’t go quietly and I won’t go alone.
“Does it really matter?”
Maybe, maybe not. But I felt motivated to post about the subject today.
Only if they know you have Nike shoes. ;)
Check out the Philly riot last night.
pinky… your last paragraph is what the topic was about, so you are in effect agreeing that, yes it does matter.
@Bummin’
Kind of. What I’m saying is that work on probability of an altercation or unfortunate encounter. You probably have an inner circle of 15 or fewer people. How many of them live within a reasonable distance? How many of them are thinking they can show up needy? Let’s say you have another 50 people that by happenstance know what you’ve got, how many of them do you think are going to show up?
I suspect there is a better chance of a random home invasion than someone you know somehow coming and looking for anything.
As long as people don’t think you’re UNICEF I wouldn’t worry about it. If people do think you’re UNICEF then you’re probably already used to it.
I have a good friend who swears she is more prepared than I am. However, her home is not defensible — no fence and her front door lock doesn’t work. Plus she doesn’t have a gun. I expect to help her and let her move in with me if necessary. Being alone means no one to stand guard.
I have another good friend who also knows I am prepared. I once told her that she should come to my house if the S… hit the fan. She said, “Can I bring my 8 children and all my grandchildren and great grandchildren?” I explained there wouldn’t be room or enough food and supplies.
She said, “Well then, I won’t come. I don’t want to survive if all my family dies.” She means it; she won’t come.
The only other people I have told besides people on this site were my daughter, grandson, and nephew. My daughter died on my last birthday and my nephew died last month. My grandson and his family live in Louisiana, so I don’t expect to see them.
That leaves my best friend with lots of supplies and no way to protect them. I will welcome her when she comes.
Where I live about 1/3 of the population are Mormon and even the ones who are not usually have gardens and food stored. Most people shop for groceries in Cody or Billings and lots of them only shop once a month, so they have some supplies on hand.
Daisy K – so sorry for your losses. I have lost a child as well and its a grief one shouldn’t face. I have a number of friends with skills and various levels of preparedness who will be welcomed. They are considered part of our family as much as our remaining children who are not prepared but will still be welcomed for their skills and yes because they’re family.
Sorry Daisy, but that friend with the 8 kids that says she won’t come if she can’t bring her children and their families, Surprise! She may mean it now and you may think she means it, but when their belly button touches their backbone, you may have more company than you want. Trekker Out
Mountain trekker,
Fortunately, that friend with the 8 kids has kids all over the US and even abroad. If it is as bad as I expect, they won’t be able to get here. Even my friend (who lives closest) has moved clear to the other side of WY, about 300 miles away over the mountains.
Just finished reading One Second After and Alas Babylon, reading Lucifer’s Hammer now. The posse/highwaymen/scroungers/government will always find most of us eventually.
Your not done!
1 One second after
2 One year after
3 The final day.
I have all three in audio.
Horse, the second and third in that series were a disappointment. Not nearly as good as One Second After. Or maybe I had read too many of those types of books by the time I read those. The first one was a read eye opener.
I agree. Each became successfully more disappointing. However the 3rd explains how it happened and let’s just say it is quite the revelation. My local public library has many of these books available as e- books which is nice. But I quit my bedtime reading habit because it was getting my mind going and I wasn’t getting enough sleep.
i read lucifers hammer long ago i remember having to put it down and look around and say to myself ok it aint happened
2 scary things I remember from that book were 1) the rich guy has his planetarium site in the booneys all stocked just in case, but when he gets there, his handyman and an obnoxious neighbor have taken it over and are armed sending the rich guy down the road and 2) the brainiac who stores all his books he thinks are needed to rebuild society and then finds the survivors is so busy getting them into recovery he puts off making insulin and dies from diabetes. My DH is Type II but doc says it acts like Type I and he is on insulin now. I asked him if he wanted me to find out how and what was needed to make insulin and he said no. Either it would be controlled through diet and the extraordinary exercise of life after WTSHTF or he wants a Viking funeral pyre in a boat on the lake.
Only a few pages in to hammer, What I get out of the books are studies of possible human interactions.
and to get ideas on survival info. Stories are usually good too.
It doesn’t really matter if someone knows what you have or not, somebody or somebodies WILL come knocking at your door.
What will you do ?
Are you prepared for that when it happens ?
To be forewarned is to be forearmed.
Same thing I tell politicians, salespeople, pseudo-daylaborers, and would-be thieves.
I am voting for your opponent.
I already bought one.
These hands clearly know work.
You’re on candid camera.
Ken. “It is a hypothetical exercise” it is?
Who me? A Prepper? Nahhhhh
One of the funniest things I’ve seen online was on a gardening site–a woman said she had been contacted by an Aussie on a prepper site. The first question was “Do you mean a pepper site?”
Like Dennis I lived through those time of Carter and others and that is why I prepare for what may come. Parents lived the Great Depression and I remember their stories.
I always thought we were more likely to go on a slow road to national suicide but now….. No one knows I prep though some may suspect. I will help my family and perhaps others but too many spent money like water to buy the latest truck, computer, firearm, or what ever rather than put anything back substantial for the future. They are in for a tough time. Any charity will be through the church to try and keep a little opsec.
I would still tell people who are worried something to the effect that “things look rough ahead, they still sell beans and rice at wally world…for now” if I could without compromising my own security to put a bug in their ear.
Deep South & Dennis, I too got into prepping during the Carter years, aka the peanut years. I had nightmares when he was in the White House, I picked up Howard Ruff’s book and followed it buying up silver and stocked up on Mother Earth News magazine, which hadn’t gone downhill by that time.
I’ve talked to various people about preparedness, usually without mentioning details or even suggesting that I am prepared, and I often get the dreaded “I’m coming to your house.” My answer varies, from “That’s what I’m preparing for,” to “bring everything you’ll need for a year,” to “make sure you have gas to get you back home.”
People will make assumptions. You don’t even have to talk about what you have–people will assume that if you mention water, you have water, that if you mention food, you have food.
If it’s someone I know casually, I usually talk about their skills that might be useful, or using the water in your water heater if you need extra, or gardening. They still make assumptions, but when someone asks how to prepare, I can’t stay silent. I can’t just leave someone in the dark about the possibilities if they want to be prepared, then close the door in their face if I didn’t warn them.
I do the same thing, start rattling on about how they need to have at least 1 year shelf stable foods and supplies for each person and a long list of other supplies, they usually start glazing over when i drop into squad specific standard weapons and sidearms with 20,000 rounds for primary weapon as well as 5000 for side arm,,,, i generally lose em
I find it is better to ease them into how many rounds per pound and how many you can fit in a 30 and 50 caliber ammunition can. Then hit them with the 10 ammo cans of a thousand requirement. Haha.
Recently purchased a video door bell so I no longer have to open the door to answer it. Good for thawrting home invasions and those who think they will just come to your house when tshtf.
how does that doorbell hold up against a Pulaski like the one ole Jack is swingin,,,,
or better yet a breaching crown on a 12 gauge
Just curious is all,,,cause, yea
And that is when I start making peep holes in the door with my 12 gauge!
😎 🤙🏻
Not Me,
A year or so ago, I bought new secure storm doors. Steel, with self storing unbreakable glass and steel mesh screens. Not a sure prevention against home invasion, especially since my wooden house would burn. But what good would it do someone to burn down my house and all my preps? They would be burning up their own loot.
I keep my security door locked at all times now. Yesterday a masked man came to my door. He claimed that he was from Charter Communications and wanted to inspect my equipment. I told him I had no problems and hadn’t called. He said their computer said their might be a problem. I refused to let him in. I was so glad I had that security door. Well, I called the cable company and the lady said they had indeed sent someone to replace my cable box because it was old. I said I had things I had taped on it and no way was I letting some masked man into my house to replace something I want to keep.
If the SHTF I will have so keep a padlock on my front gate, though someone a little more agile than I could climb over the fence.
DaisyK, we can never be too careful these days! And the cable company should have called you first, even telling you the technician’s name. We also are keeping our doors locked at all times. But, hey, if someone wants to barge through a couple of snarling GSDs while I grab the 12-gauge, it could be interesting!
DJ5280
Well, this is Wyoming. People leave their cars and homes unlocked. Most people wouldn’t be concerned, I guess. It was partly the mask. I wasn’t going to let a masked man in my house. In any case, even without the mask, I would have refused. I had so much trouble getting them to give me a cable box that worked. Every couple of months it seemed they had to replace it, causing me to lose whatever was taped. So, finally I have a box that has worked without problems for a couple of years. No way I will let them replace it.
We’ve had our homestead for decades, but it wasn’t until 2008 that we realized we needed to start keeping a much lower profile. When people ask how’s life on the ranch, I talk about how painful scorpion stings are and how cautious we are to avoid rattlesnakes. They usually grimace and change the subject.
The uninvited guest is one of my greatest concerns (that and forest fire) and we’ve talked MANY times about how we would handle different scenarios. I know how it will start. “Please, please, it’s just one more.” Multiply that by twenty and we’ll be quickly overwhelmed. We’ve prayed for wisdom and prepared for as many as physically possible.
It’s kinda hard to hide a prepper type lifestyle if you have chickens, rabbits, maybe other livestock, in the yard.
But I make known, that I also have security backup.
Good or bad times
I will,
AIM to please
Anyone including family, friends or neighbors that I have not specifically invited to my house is an intruder the minute they step foot on my property and will be dealt with as such. When I was in the military I was told compassion and mercy is for Chaplains and Medics of which I am neither. Every meal that goes into someone else’s mouth is one less meal for my family.
Ha! That’s my sister and BIL. Millions in the bank, multiple houses, and “food storage” consists of two boxes of jello and a case of water.
I’m so glad my other siblings are more realistic.
No offense…I only wish that I still had my parents around…they fed and clothed me when I couldn’t…I would feed them and cloth them if they needed and were they still here…their wisdom alone would be worth it.
Amen Dennis
Yep
whats that thing
Honor thy father and thy mother.
Kuala, that right there is one of the main problems in this country, too many of the animals in the concrete jungles ain’t got a father to honor and their mothers don’t give a damn, so no honor for anyone, I’m not talking about all, just the majority. I could keep on but will shut up cause I’m sure some will say I’m racist for the remarks, so be it. My definition of racist ain’t the skin color, but the way they live their lives in their actions
👍🏻
they keep having babies and the newest one is the only one that gets any attention. The rest are on their own
Ask your mom if she’d prepare at her cost if you helped to show her how. You could then have a nice mother and daughter moment that sounds like it might be a good thing. If she’s the kind of lady that doesn’t want to be bothered, that’s another story. However, if she just doesn’t know all that you know, and didn’t understand that her mooching off of you when the time comes would be a burden to you, it may be a nice gesture for you to explain that her means for prepping the needed supplies exceeds your ability to buy everything for her.
My parents are part of my extremely limited invitation, other family not so.
You know what you could do? Sometimes people that don’t prep that have the means like your mom and dad just don’t know what to do, what to buy, etc. Maybe offer to go with her, or do it for her with her money, and make the move into self sustainability easier for them. You might find that they would then be glad to fork out the money if they had some guidance. Just a thought.
Unless to the point of cannibalism people will reject the idea of coveting your canned goods if you tell them how impressed you are with the concept of using human defecate as fertilizer.
:-)………
Besides my neighbors on the road, only a few relatives and even fewer friends have been to the farm, or even know where it is. When anyone says they’re coming to my place I say the more the merrier, just make sure your camper or container with a year’s supply of food and all other stuff is here beforehand. So far, one couple took me seriously and is getting their year’s worth together. Two siblings just bought campers.
. . . .
A friend who raises horses said that and I replied please do just bring all your horses. We’ll eat them first. Actually would eat only the ones incapable of work – the rest would be used for horsepower.
. . . .
My farm helper who lives just up the road feels we’re far enough away and low enough profile to stay off everybody’s post-election radar. I’m more worried about international adversaries. And hunters who’ve been down the road looking for elk and remember seeing livestock.
Look at what is happening in Philadelphia and imagine this in every city across the country and it will give you a glimpse of what’s coming. When the truckers refuse to deliver to the cities and the food runs out, when the LEOs walk away and the fire fighters can’t put out the fires, the reality of years of democratic policies will be come a nightmare.
The doo doo has hit the oscillating device and it just hasn’t made it’s way to yours or my house but it’s coming arriving at some places sooner than others.
Hmm, every time I see an article about prepping , I think or remember about one or two women who would drive by our place and look at our garden ( we had two , one that was in full view of the well travelled road ) and would ask what we had planned on doing with all of our produce. We replied that we froze it, canned a lot of it and dried the rest and used most if not all it though the yr.That is when one of the women stated that we were hoarding food and we should give it to the people who could use it. Naturally these two women be happy to help us get “rid ” of any and all garden produce that we didn’t need our selves. My wife of 48 yrs is gone now because of cancer and I don’t really care one way or another. No garden
Allie,
Sorry to hear your wife has passed and I would guess she was a hell of a lot better woman than the two liberal hags could ever imagine to be.
alfie,
That’s a good example of how others may look at one’s preparedness. Even a moderate size garden is considered “hoarding” by some of these quacks. To us it seems a bizarre thought for others to think in such a way. But they’re out there. And that’s why I posted this. Food for thought.
Sorry about your wife. Cancer is a terrible thing.
hug hug Alfie, remember you are special too, please care….
Alfie,
Your story hit home…what a contrast between your late wife and those umm, women
(I’m not using the words I’m thinking so Ken or the regulars here don’t delete me). I pray for you, and will continue to, to find peace and comfort in your situation. As stated by RC, Ken and Mrs. U, we are all here for you. The MSB family is solid and we stand together. Never, ever give up!
And Alfie, if you need to talk to someone, Ken has my phone number. You can call anytime, any day.
“We use it, so we don’t put a strain on the grocery stores.”
Affie, so sorry for the loss of your life’s partner. My husband and I work in the gardens together and it is a very special bond, I know you miss her. We are older now, but continue to put up our produce in the same manner that you and your wife pursued. How is it different to put up your food for the year or buying it for the year? It is your choice. The big difference is quality and availability. Your shelves were not empty. Hope you can find your way back to care again. Life can throw you some unexpected and sometimes pleasant curves. Blessings. If those women show up, get out the buckshot.s Ariel
Yes this is a tough thing to predict. I can see friends and family I am not close to reaching out for help even though they don’t know that I am prepared.Desperate people do desperate things. If I start helping them where will it lead? I have to be strong. In a worst case situation am concerned I will falter and give in.That thought is alarming. Thanks for making me think.
No one I care about, or who knows about me, lives within the same state. The only people, who will ever bang on my door, will have had to climb over my walls, first.
The walls of my home are made of concrete, as are my almost eight foot high walls surrounding my property. The entry doors are steel with steel jambs. Windows are storm proofed and are shuttered with “decorative” metal, locked from the inside.
So, people would need to be pretty determined, or government personnel under orders, to breach without blowing a hole in a wall, while under fire. Plus, my interior is built to allow internal defense, and, my walk-in, Master Closet, is an armored safe room, with a concealed exit to outside my property wall.
I think I am pretty ready.
Sounds pretty secure….I’ve seen places like that…had signs with catchy phrases too…like “Department of Corrections”
Just pokin’ fun….sounds like you’ve put a lot of thought and effort into your defenses….not everyone’s cup of tea….but it is yours…I applaud your diligence.
Since I made my money as a builder/developer of custom homes for the rich 2%, the trick to a good home for defense is to build it yourself, and use all the historical architectural designs of the past to good advantage. The best design to use is that of the Old Spanish style. With this robust style, a deliberately fortified and fire proofed home is easy to construct…without it being obvious to the novice.
The roof tile is fireproof, the walls over eight inches thick, also fire proof, the heavy timbers, saturated with salt, the massive iron work, the Spanish paver walkways, the massive ceramic pots in strategic places…gated, covered entrance ways…heavy exterior shutters with iron fittings…cast iron embellishments, which serve other purposes than being pretty…and the huge walls surrounding the place…all nicely Spanish…all very pretty…all incredibly defensible and tough.
Hurricanes will not touch it. It is deliberately designed against the threat of fire. It is bullet proof, short of rockets and artillery. Its interior entrances have enclosed foyers, which hinder people who breach the doors…and discover their lethal designs. Fire suppression systems cover the interior spaces, too. Water supply is on property…and cannot be sabotaged.
My parents have the exact same type of home in our valley in California, as does my Sister’s family home, which is within short walking distance…and she keeps horses and other critters on her property. My brother also lives in his own home with his wife, within a hundred yards of our parents large home, which my father, my brother, and I built.
The California Spanish designs work very well here in Spanish Florida, where the land is almost FREE compared to California..and, unlike California…WATER is not a problem.
I told them all to sell the land and leave California, long, long, ago. But, only now…regret not doing so. Should they manifest at my Florida home, they shall be welcome…
I like the Spanish style designs,
i think the homes with a central courtyard are my favorite, stucco and plaster with tile roof, good point on the wrought iron decorative details, coupled with aluminum clad exterior windows would be excellent. With addition of the 3M security film on windows and custom built exterior doors the house would be bomb proof.
Ision,
That is very good advice. Unfortunately I bought this house in January 2009, just a few months before I read One Second After. I paid $66k, just about all I had. So I couldn’t have afforded to build my own house.
However, I did live in a Spanish style house in Denver back in the 80’s. It was wonderful, walls 14″ thick, tile roof, fenced back yard, and a bunch of other features I loved. I was renting because my Boulder house was on the market. Interest rates in the teens then. When I finally sold my house, I tried to buy it from the old guy who owned it. He said the house had been in is family for generations and was not for sale.
Then he sold it to someone else and I had to move. Anyway, I remember that once my mother called me and asked me about the terrible wind storm. I said “What?” Then I opened the door and sure enough there was a terrible storm outside.
I loved that house.
Would these types of houses also have an interior courtyard sometimes? I have always thought in a situation where security is needed having an interior courtyard to permit being outside but still fairly well defended would be nice.
We know each other by now in my current location. I do not hang out with those that are not prepared simply because they are a different crowd than the one I run with. ( given days off, what do they do with their money, time and other resources.)
I tend to talk to those folks and do some business with those that raise their own food to include cattle, pork and chicken, eggs ( some lamb in there too ). Rather than to try to do all of these things myself, I have been bartering with them. I did business in my last community in much the same way. We are all low profile. Not a lot of bumper stickers on our rigs or signs in our yards.
My family lives far away. For those that consider me weird, do not come to me for help. Most consider me smart at this point in our lives. During the Carter Administration and the Gas Crisis in So Cal, I rode my bicycle around town and cities. I was the first male within my family to buy an economy car rather than a hot rod. Many purchasing decisions are based on: “I will need it later” versus “I want it now!” Many people do not think that way. They are generally easy to spot.
We live on the outskirts of a small, rural hamlet so most folks know what we have as far as livestock and gardening. But many others have more than we do so we would not be the primary target if “invaded” by hordes of blm types. I like to think it would be a mutual aid type thing as we have all so many times reacted in the past. I would hope that we survive as a community.
I have heard the comment said before about coming to our home by those who choose not to do the work or spend the money on pantry items. Most are too far away to make it to our home or would not recognize when to move their butts before they could not do so.
We just had an interesting conversation with our extremely liberal BIL who lives in TX…he wanted to know which protection piece he should purchase. I asked him why he felt the need to get one now as he has made fun of all of us in the past for becoming self sufficient and having protection. He said the world is going crazy. LOL, (no $h!t…you just noticed?). I pointed out it would not do him any good if he did not know how to use it properly, clear jams, clean it, etc. I suggested he check out local gun clubs or shooting ranges and get someone to train him before he makes a purchase. He was on his way to Costco to get supplies. I did confirm some of his planned purchases to make sure he was on the right track. Does this make him a “woke” liberal?