DISASTER What are you doing to improve your suvival situation?

ShadowMan

ShadowMan

Designated Grumpy Old Fart
No matter what the Doom and Gloomers predict I'll just keep marching along on my little postage stamp homestead trying to create a living Permaculture landscape of abundant perennial food sources instead of "pretty landscape plants" put in by the previous owner.

As the weather is now cool enough for me to get back to work on our place (I don't do triple digit heat). I'm trying to catch up on my outside work. I'm redoing an "English" flower garden and turning it into a culinary / medicinal / kitchen garden. Removing all the TOXIC plants (things like Oleander and such) around the property. Planting bee friendly flowering bushes. Might even try a small hive next season out in the back corner of my place. I will be importing Native bees to try and establish them here. We're building more raised beds in the main garden, building a greenhouse, potting shed and lath house. Replacing the fruit trees that drowned last winter during our seriously heavy rains. Planting avocado and olive (Fruit & Oil) trees. We already have an orange tree that is thriving in a little warm protected micro-clime near the house.

I've got to hustle to get this all done before the rainy season kicks in, but I should make it.

I would be interested in hearing about folks that have built an above ground root cellar. My property is flat as a cookie sheet, so I'll have to make my own little hill or something. I thought about digging down below grade....but not sure how I'd keep it from flooding. Any help, ideas, links, etc., would be much appreciated.

So let's hear it.....what are you up to?
 
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WalknTrot

Veteran Member
It's canning season. Lotsa bright shiny filled jars on the kitchen island - looking for places to store all of them. Apples are next...
 
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Marthanoir

TB Fanatic
Been teaching the kids how to bake in the range, when the Norks whack us with an emp (;)) at least we still have lemon drizzle cake,
we did a lovely beef stew & mash potatoes and soda bread, all done with the range, you can't beat cooking with solid fuel,
 
F

Faroe

Un-spun
Yard work and clean up. Getting rid of junk that will never be useful. Stacking wood. Re-habbing animal shelters. Recently added Flemish Giants to the rabbit flock. They were gifted to me - absolutely beautiful rabbits. The feed conversion isn't great for the giant breeds, but if I'm feeding mostly forage anyway...

We finally got the house organized, now I want the yard the same way.
 
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Watchman2

Veteran Member
I am working on changing my revenue stream.......... and integrating it with what we already have going........
 
NoDandy

NoDandy

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Loading mags, making range cards, stringing barbed wire, filling sand bags, digging punji pits, placing claymores, etc.

:D
 
Sacajawea

Sacajawea

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Over the summer, I've had all the windows & doors replaced with better thermal qualities (and they were installed correctly - so no more drafts!), 2 woodstoves installed... the water & filtration & septic fixed - and replacing the filtration next week, along with an a tankless water heater out in the garage/studio. Sometime within a week, I will also have a 24x31 metal "barn" constructed out by where I'm going to build a garden/small orchard. That area's still a work in progress and I'm going to ponder either an outdoor canning kitchen there - or closer to the house. There's a little shed coming with the barn, too - fuel storage mostly but I have lots of wagons, etc that need to go somewhere else except the garage.

Garage will finally get sorted & purged late this fall... so I can begin the process of setting up a workshop. Studio is coming together - my company that usually comes out like to hang out there, so I've been unpacking while we're just relaxing.

Almost forgot: the exterior of the logs has been completely sealed & caulked too.

And I did forget - had 2 doors and 5 windows (up in a cathedral ceiling support wall) removed and framed, insulated & sided. Little house like this with 9 doors was excessive.
 
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seraphima

Veteran Member
Getting the garden put to bed for the winter, so it will be ready to plant early next spring. We had a frost this morning.
 
Taz

Taz

Deceased
We have been just as busy, but not near as productive. We moved further out in the sticks on a dead end dirt road. We have everything here but the house is a mess. Still need to get the old house cleaned and on the market. Then I had a stroke which has left me with memory problems like not being able to "find the right word" for things. It is strange, there is a difference in my being able to type something and to talk. Talking is not so good. Crazy. After the stroke/hospital then hurricane Irma hit. No serious damage, but no power or water for 10 days and no telephone for 14 days. And it was hotter than hell and twice as humid. No AC, no cool showers, etc. We are just now getting things put away in the house. Preps are not yet up on their shelves and still in boxes but at least in an AC/insulated building. Not ready to buy more 'cause I can't remember what we already have. I know one prep that really got used and that is the Eddie Bauer inflatable mattress. Hubby uses C-PAP so he would go to the old house, only a little ways down the road, where we have a whole house generator. He enjoyed AC while I stayed here and sweated! Things are starting to level out now and house is at least liveable. Life seems to be good again on our little farm. Hope to get another whole house generator before next monsoon/hurricane season

People are saying, "what is the next tradgey to hit the US." My guess it will be a destroyed water system furnishing a large city.
 
Warthog

Warthog

Black Out
Other than staying in good physical condition, and watching your diet, you may want to hit the Situational Awareness Thread at the top of the Forum!!! Tons of info on that thread can assist you in survival! I don't know any other Forum that has a separate thread for Situational Awareness! Keep adding articles and opinions to this thread if you can!
warty out!!
 
Meemur

Meemur

Voice on the Prairie / FJB!
Yep, yard work and clean up, here too. Getting the raised beds ready for next spring . . .

Continuing to work on my "eating plan" (hate the word diet) and conditioning. I wear a pedometer and try to walk 10,000 steps each day (or more). When my cold gets better, I'll start adding light arm weights back into my routine.
 
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Marthanoir

TB Fanatic
With the hurricane set to hit Monday we're going to cut another drain with the mini digger tomorrow, all the drainage ditchs were cleaned out a few weeks ago but never hurts to have another drain cut in up hill from the house
 
homepark

homepark

Resist
I got a compost toilet going, and its attendent thermophilic compost pile going. So far so good. No odor other than peat moss.
 
D

Deena in GA

Administrator
_______________
Love threads like this! I've been so busy lately that I haven't done much of anything along the line in the OP, except for daily adding to the compost. We're trying to get some things fixed in or on the house that need it desperately before it gets cold (assuming that ever happens).
 
homepark

homepark

Resist
I got my compost toilet and compost pile running. No odor. Just the smell of peat moss. I opted for a simple approach. No urine seperation. Cover your doodoo with more peat moss. Empty the bucket into the pile and cover. Simple.
 
hiwall

hiwall

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Been a busy summer for us. Bought this house, moved in, and sold our other house. Bought a shed and had it delivered here for added storage and the slab is being done right now for our new garage/workshop which is set to be erected by the end of the month.
Planted some blueberry bushes and will be planting several fruit trees in the spring. Bought and hooked up a whole house generator (we are the last house on the grid line). We moved all our preps here so food is not an issue (especially with elk in the yard everyday).
I think I will start thinning out the coyote population around here soon so maybe the rabbit population might increase next year.
I added a non-electric propane fireplace to the house so we can have heat without any power during winter.
The list of things I will be doing here is almost endless.
 
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Housecarl

On TB every waking moment
Putting together a new pantry, redoing the car kit (between "actively" using it for a month before i got a "permanent" roof over my head and reflecting my new and very long commute)....

Effectively starting over from square one so a lot of stuff on all fronts...
 
Doc1

Doc1

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Drinking heavily, filing my teeth, putting a bone through my nose and scaring the neighbors...

(just kidding, folks)

Best regards
Doc
 
jward

jward

passin' thru
I would be interested in hearing about folks that have built an above ground root cellar. My property is flat as a cookie sheet, so I'll have to make my own little hill or something. I thought about digging down below grade....but not sure how I'd keep it from flooding. Any help, ideas, links, etc., would be much appreciated.

So let's hear it.....what are you up to?
Click to expand...

Check out Root Cellaring by Mike and nancy bubel for some good info on the subject

As far as what I'm doing. Lately, just trying to keep my head above water- thoughts of improving or sticking to the old plans and schedules for developing this little postage stamp into a permaculture oasis have been put on hold.

One major, related type effort was to find an online forum where I'm not known, and force myself to ask for information on how to do a project. I'm one of those who refuses to ask for anything, so this was a mile stone.

Actual projects / progress has been fencing, mostly. Going to add more fruit trees, and berries to the orchard this fall. The vegetable garden was a total flop again this year, as were my efforts to get the blueberry and raspberry patches to thrive.
I did manage to get my first doe bred, and buy a bred doe, so had my first births. The good news is my girl is such a good milker all I have to do is look at her and she fills her bucket.

The bad news is both births were singleton bucks. I'm admittedly new to the country living stuff, but am pretty sure that bucks aren't much good in a dairy.
 
Bud in Fla

Bud in Fla

Veteran Member
Had a new well drilled out back about a month ago and installed a Simple Pump hand pump on it. We decided to look into adding the Simple Pump solar operator when we could afford but their operator costs as much as the pump & well combined.

The Simple Pump is still a good manual back up plan but we got an RPS Solar pump to install along with the Simple Pump.

I bought angle iron a couple of days ago and welded up the frame to support the solar panels today. I also ordered the 1600 gallon water storage tank today.

It will be positioned near a 3/4" water line I ran to the garden a couple of years ago so if need be, the solar pump can supply the house, too. Meanwhile, it'll water the garden that's a few feet from it.
 
nomifyle

nomifyle

TB Fanatic
After a two month set back due to surgery and recovery, DH and helper rebuilt the damaged half of the chicken house. He bought a hog trap, many many wild hogs. Dieting, not much else.

Judy
 
F

Faroe

Un-spun
jward said:
Check out Root Cellaring by Mike and nancy bubel for some good info on the subject

As far as what I'm doing. Lately, just trying to keep my head above water- thoughts of improving or sticking to the old plans and schedules for developing this little postage stamp into a permaculture oasis have been put on hold.

One major, related type effort was to find an online forum where I'm not known, and force myself to ask for information on how to do a project. I'm one of those who refuses to ask for anything, so this was a mile stone.

Actual projects / progress has been fencing, mostly. Going to add more fruit trees, and berries to the orchard this fall. The vegetable garden was a total flop again this year, as were my efforts to get the blueberry and raspberry patches to thrive.
I did manage to get my first doe bred, and buy a bred doe, so had my first births. The good news is my girl is such a good milker all I have to do is look at her and she fills her bucket.

The bad news is both births were singleton bucks. I'm admittedly new to the country living stuff, but am pretty sure that bucks aren't much good in a dairy.
Click to expand...

Castrate them while young, and raise them for meat.
 
ShadowMan

ShadowMan

Designated Grumpy Old Fart
The bad news is both births were singleton bucks. I'm admittedly new to the country living stuff, but am pretty sure that bucks aren't much good in a dairy.
Click to expand...

NO....but they are great on the BBQ!!
 
marsh

marsh

On TB every waking moment
I got everything fall pruned (not as severe as post winter frost pruning.) I set up the cold frames and transplanted the lettuce, kale and spinach into them. Will also cover with sheet plastic later in the season to extend them. I bought my "insurance" seeds for next year. I have some additional transplanting to do when the perennials go dormant. I have some grapes to move into barrels and some grape poles to set.

I still have some security items I need to finish installing.

Water was very expensive for irrigation this year. I need to finish installing some stations for programmable drip lines. I also want to put in an emergency well. (I have the kit.) Water table here is less than 20 feet.

I had an initial instructional talk with my (young) grandchildren about basic nuclear survival. I sent info. to their Mom and she followed up.
 
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Martinhouse

Deceased
I am patching or replacing greenhouse plastic that has become weathered and/or torn. My greenhouse is a framework built against the south side of my house and covered with plastic. Greenhouse grade on top and clear vinyl on the sides. I can grow both a fall and a spring crop of kale and broccoli in there. This year I'm trying cabbage, too, but may decide to go with collards after this one try. And I've bought and filled about twenty of the white 5 gallon pails with water, so case of a prolonged power outage, I can water everything in the greenhouse at least twice. They are covered so all my little lizards and toads don't drown. And since I weigh less than 100 lbs. they make nice stools for when I weeding or watering and feel too shaky to stand or bend over.
 
packyderms_wife

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
Meemur said:
Yep, yard work and clean up, here too. Getting the raised beds ready for next spring . . .

Continuing to work on my "eating plan" (hate the word diet) and conditioning. I wear a pedometer and try to walk 10,000 steps each day (or more). When my cold gets better, I'll start adding light arm weights back into my routine.
Click to expand...

I refer to it as our food plan now since that's the word they use in Beach Body on Demand programs. Food prep, and food plan. Sounds so much friendlier, and sustainable, than "dieting". Coupled with exercise they refer to it as a lifestyle choice.

Gotta get some branches chipped up, quite a few came down this week during the storms. Weed whack a few places in the yard, and all is good for winter.
 
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