To those who skip the comments section in fear that my minions will be posting weak imitations of my wit and wisdom and can’t be bothered with such foolishness, let me repeat my profuse apologies for the late posting Wednesday. I had auto-posted it and the computer failed to put it up at 7 AM. When you schedule a post ahead of time you put the date and time and then it is on auto. But if you were not finished writing or hadn’t yet scheduled it then it is saved as a draft. For some reason, I can only speculate that it is directed at me personally, it will sometimes go from scheduled to draft all on its own. Then, if I don’t double check in the morning it doesn’t post. Wednesday I forgot to check, sorry. Thursday it did the same thing, and although I tried to check it the Internet connection was screwy. A few snowflakes and our high-tech tenuous hold to the outside is in danger. On other business, I’ve noticed I’ve been drifting towards longer articles. I had been shooting for a thousand words and noticed it lately at 1200. I’m obviously so in love with the sound of my own words that I’ve taken the extra 15 minutes of lunch I now have and used it to write more. I’ll have to watch that. Pretty soon you will get spoiled again and I need to keep you at the cusp between excitement and non-expectant. Today will be on the short side as I’m going to try to publish my most excellent yet underappreciated masterpiece “Life After The Collapse” in paper form. I hesitated this long as it was $100 to buy a ISBN number for publishing. Now, Lulu.com is waiving that fee. If you are too tight to buy a copy in e-book or paper, I have the first quarter of the book posted at my web site for free. I think it brilliantly spells out why we won’t avert a collapse, but then I’m a bit prejudiced.
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A minion asked me to address the question of how you can weather the collapse
if you are of advanced years. If you are pretty much anything over seventy you have fewer options, but it certainly isn’t impossible. I thought this would be a good topic to cover as I am no where near old but I certainly am no spring chicken
. Even the most optimistic certainly will agree that by 2035 we will see oil at a mere 25% of present use. Even if we somehow avoid catastrophe
until then it will be a very different world where human and animal muscle does all the work now done by machines. That will not be a great time to be old and feeble. I myself will be seventy years old. If the stress from too many ex-wives doesn’t blow out my heart by then, most certainly it will be one of my asshat readers that tries to kill me off by raising my blood pressure. But even if I escape that fate, seventy years old will be a trial. Obviously I’ll still be riding a bike then as gasoline will be several hundred dollars a gallon ( I’m speaking as if things haven’t collapsed-which of course is simply foolish but I’m catering to the Cassandra
’s at this point, just a little change of pace to appease all those exposed to my nuggets of wisdom ) when you can get it by lottery. That will keep me in reasonable shape for that age. The only worries should be a weak sphincter from all the years of holding back loose stools from the all vegetable diet I’ve been forced to embrace as meat is as expensive as gasoline. I’ll be dribbling as I’m peddling. *
Obviously, old age hundreds of years ago isn’t the same as now. And our average age will shrink in the decades ahead. But there were still plenty of old bastards back in the day, even if 80 was about the max compared to 100 today. Obviously being old isn’t a hindrance survival
wise if you plan ahead for it. You just put yourself in the position where younger folk act as your muscles and eyes. But you must have something to offer in return other than experience ( which is invaluable except that youngun’s think they don’t need it ). Right now I would be taking the filthy lucre you got from my Social Security
tax and investing it in bribing younger people during the collapse. Not any stranger off the street but family or trusted acquaintances that have not prepared. You prepare for them in return for a strong group. This obviously goes against your grain, as the worthless pukes are getting a free lunch at your expense. But, hey, you are old and feeble and have no choice. And of course, once they eat your food they will still complain if you don’t do something, so you better have a skill they need. Chemistry
or engineering or something. It isn’t fair, but neither is getting old before you can enjoy wisdom. *
Before you get too old, but old enough to start slowing down, you can still go the lone wolf
route. But you must be in good shape, and strenuously practice preventive medicine, as well as being fully stockpiled and having backup plans for everything. For instance, not just wood heat but an earth bermed shelter in case you can’t haul much wood anymore. Getting old sucks, and an old survivalist
must work twice as hard to get things done. But until we are back in a solar economy with three generational households where the old are welcomed for their skill at raising and training the next generation, you are on your own. Plan on that, just as you should be planning on your SS check being inflated away to spit.END
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14 comments:
At 45 I ran easily, rode my bicycle 22 miles or so for fun, 300 bench press, 280 bentarm pullover, and sets of 50 pushups on the floor. I could take Garand, 200 rounds, lash two packsacks to my Schwinn 18 speed with airless tires, and disappear into the piney woods. They would be lucky not to
catch me.
At age 78 I do not run. My knees are shot. I cannot stand from the floor unless there is something to
pull on. I avoid low chairs and walk with a cane. At gun show or
flea market I use a walker as I sometimes am there an hour or more. I bench 80, do not do bentarm pullovers thanks to arthritis in left shoulder, and do sets of 50 pushups leaning 45 deg on kitchen cabinet. 50 lb horse feed seems heavy. To mount my bicycle I stand
against a wall, lean the bike
and pull it to me as I throw my leg over. To dismount I stop, step away with left foot, lean the bike over and push it forward as I raise my leg. I intend to put a heavy duty
wheelset (400 lb GVW) on an open frame aka girls bike. I can easily mount and dismount that bike when it is loaded with gear, and can push it almost anywhere I can walk in the woods. I can secure cane, walker, two rifles, ammo, fishkits and packsacks to the bike and disappear into the piney woods.
I still shoot well. I hope to be able to fight on my terms. I would fire the Garand only if necessary as it can be heard for miles. Better a warrior death rifle in hand than caged and starved by the enemy. Ranges are short in the woods. 22 rifles with 22" or longer barrels are very quiet with Aguila SSS 60 or Remington 22 Subsonic ammo. A quiet shot to the head will discourage the most determined pursuer; or take game without alarming the herd. East Texas has fish, snakes, nutria, armadillos, raccoon, quail, turkey, deer and feral hogs. Food will be no problem.
NOTA BENE Only a fool would shoot a feral hog with a 22LR unless the hog is in a trap. Tush hogs eat people.
Consider terracing, and build an earthsheltered greenhouse. Stand on one level and pick beans
at elbow height. http://tinyurl.com/2dmwx4n
Sounds like you were a beast, at age 45, would make most early 20's weightlifting guys shamed. Look at this way Vlad, at 78 yrs old, no matter what your ailments--you beat the statistics for males--just being alive!
I am much younger than you, but my hard lifestyle of training/fighting in my early 20's did some long term damage, not really noticeable now with consistent weightlifting for re-hab, but I'm sure its going to be rough for me once I hit my 50's, hoping I'm still alive and the world hasn't turned into hunter gathering in a diminished ecosystem.
-Meiyo
A small acreage with permaculture practices set up ahead of time will help, but time catches up to all of us eventually. The majority of the heavy work with animals comes from large cattle (> bovine / hog) - goats maybe, but even they can be a chore to be kept in a fence without strict fence riding maintenance. Chickens and rabbits - not a problem at all.
Vlad, my man, you are an inspiration to us all. I'll bet you can teach us all a trick of three - Thank You for your post. With old age comes sneaky sneaky tactics.
Bison, that was a good article.
Us old guys aren't done yet. We grew up during the depression and some of us lived then as you advocate now. Hunting, fishing, trapping and tending the fields were every day doin's.
Vlad, I'm about your age, but I don't feel a day older than 70. I played three sports in college and I never lifted a weight in my life. Nothing, that is, heavier than my M1 Garand. Butts and muzzles, it was and run all day after calisthenics settled us down.
I carry a good supply of squib loads for my M1 along with my full go loads. I load the ought six with the same 165 grain jacketed soft point and I paint the tip so that I know it's my sub sound load. I use a fast burning powder and keep the velocity to about 1,000 fps. It just makes a pop. It's a good small game load and squirrel eye accurate to fifty yards. This load doesn't cycle the M1's bolt so I don't have that noise to contend with.
I use the bicycle, like you, and load it like it's my pack horse. Pushed, I can make a few miles each day and as you they don't want to catch me.
Twenty million boots marched to war and that's how many are still alive, some of us old.
Mountain rifleman
I won't be moderating comments on Saturday. It is a bit of a time sink to hook up the computer at the library. But please keep them coming- you old farts give me hope along with the cautionary advice.
Definitely, my male role model growing up was my grandpa--WWII vet, who lived through the great depression as a kid--he taught me a lot--much of it to just keep plugging away at things in life, and to seek to work hard, adapt when needed.
I agree with Mr. Bison, I am inspired by some of the knowledge and spirit shown by my elders. But as I'm about a decade your Jr. Mr. Bison, I would call you a semi-old fart :)
I am sorry to see how much lost knowledge there is from older folks, we live in the information age, yet most people don't know much unless you give them an iphone etc. My grandparents grew up knowing how to make soap, grow/kill/clean all their own food, do woodworking, and they still read books. Many now adays, stare at pixels far too much, which research shows is bad for the noodle.
-Meiyo
I hate it that I missed the comments by the old farts. Mountain rifleman and I might have learned something. :-|
" A few snowflakes and our high-tech tenuous hold to the outside is in danger."
Or some volcanic ash...
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/20/world/africa/20kenya.html?src=me
If farmers in Africa’s Great Rift Valley ever doubted that they were intricately tied into the global economy, they know now that they are. Because of a volcanic eruption more than 5,000 miles away, Kenyan horticulture, which as the top foreign exchange earner is a critical piece of the national economy, is losing $3 million a day and shedding jobs.
You the MAN Vlad!
James, just looked at the "Rich Man's" blog where have I seen that letter from before? Your writings or perhaps one of his books?
Also what do you think about this C.Gattii spore that is now starting to come out of nowhere media wise but has been known about since 1995?
The older survivalist/resister/evader needs and will enjoy an electric bike. With solar recharge there is no need to go to town for fuel and be seen and reported. The ratfaced kid in third grade ran to teacher to tattle. He is grown up now and it is his civic duty to report anyone who does not eagerly obey each federfal law written by fat queers, communists, and other enemies of the Constitution in Congress. He elbowed his way to the head of the line to be first on his block to get the chip.
http://www.electricrider.com/
http://www.electricrider.com/crystalyte/index.htm
I am particularly interested in Phoenix Brute 3640 which has
adequate speed and muscle for East Texas sand hills.
http://www.electricrider.com/crystalyte/phoenix.htm
The Brute kit is worth the money if it saves my priceless ass.
The old geezer doddering along on
cane or walker, might use air rifle or 22 rifle with subsonics to harvest little freeloaders
at the feeder, and box traps and fish traps. He can place the feeder with good backstop about 30 feet from the back porch, place the
box trap in his yard, and the fish trap in pond, lake or river. He may install a jib crane on the dock to service the fish trap. If there is no dock he can rig two lines to the fish trap. One line from fish trap through a pulley on a tree limb, and the other to pull the trap to him. If there is no tree he might roll the fish trap into the river and pull it in with attached rope
secured to a stake on the riverbank.
I have seen four wheel walkers with seat and hand brakes. He might secure a basket to the walker to bring home the bacon, as it were.
The rattlesnake is to the desert as the porcupine is to the north woods. It is an easy meal for the man with a forked stick. I once killed a rattler with a long handle shovel. We can work together, You pin the snake with your stick. I will stand on his head and chop it off with shovel, hoe or hatchet.
Never say die.
The article on of guys is a timely one.
Slow decline or quick collapse: baby boomer are not going to be wearing depends to the golf course at an "active adult community."
Those joints may have to last until 80's and even older.
I don't want to put my self on an ice flow any time soon.
I used to know and old guy who lived in the middle of nowhere who well took more deer then he was allowed to...
I walk around enought to be mistaken for a homeless person. Riding a pedal bike is really a good idea like the Bison Man. Great for cardio and muscle tone.
Old fogies will need to be in good shape without the gravy train of current SSI bennies.
A favorite subject of mine is human health and longevity.
And best to have a small network starting now. It often considered quite deviant to say some of the truthful things that appear on this forum. I have an external persona that looks poor and excentric, digging things from the trash, walking aroud, driving an ancient shabby car. Why almost as bad as the "Bison Man":)
thanks for covering aging from a survivalist perspective. :)
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