Monday morning, of course Monday morning, I come back in to town and read up on the Saudi Arabian near 10% cut in production
last month. Which pretty much fits into today’s article, which I commented about Friday and brooded about all weekend. This article will just me being indecisive and panicky, but first let’s talk about Saudi Arabia. I got this nugget over at my favorite non-doomer site,http://americanenergycrisis.blogspot.com/2011/04/us-economy-hits-rough-patch.html#links
Greg not only has a solid track record as an economics guy ( I don’t agree with his assessment that commodity inflation is over, but what the heck do I know? ), he puts his money where his mouth is and is raising all his own food. And he isn’t blogging for profit but as a community service
. Yes, I know I’m in this for the money myself, but keep in mind I regularly insult anyone and everyone, driving away readers. Just this morning a sweet ol gal had the courtesy to write me and explain why she would no longer be reading my drivel. Among other things I’m a bit harsh pointing out the many faults of the fairer sex
. Not that I spare males my wraith, but that isn’t the point. My mental diarrhea splattering about uncontrollably obviously will drive away a few people here and there. I think my point is that I somehow make money doing this despite my best efforts ( a bit more on this below ). Anyhooo, the Saudi’s cutting ten percent AS oil goes over a hundred bucks means to me that it simply isn’t there. They are desperately putting lipstick on a pig
but no one wants that bride. Okay, there is one other explanation, but it would be reaching. They desperately need to bribe their population to keep from rioting so they need more than $110 a barrel for oil. I don’t really buy it but it is a possibility. One month doesn’t make a trend, but a ten percent drop does invite you to pay a bit more attention from this point on. Libya was 2% of global production, and if the Saudi cut stays permanent than we are at 3%. Are you seriously going to look at me, mouth agape, and deny my New Years prediction of oil doubling doesn’t have a good chance of happening? Not guaranteed of course, but the odds just got better.*
Friday we are talking about the population of Elko. Yes, I’m two hundred miles away from everyone else, but Elko has a population of 18k. Plenty of Yuppie Scum
with semi’s who will kill me for my food. I’m protected from the urban whores but must take into account the indigenous asshats. And, yes, I know no place is safe because anyone with a gas tank can drive here. But why would anyone come to Elko? It is a crapstain on the side of a desert wasteland
. My only hope is that before the collapse petroleum heat becomes too expensive and all these scum sucking anal polyps move out of here and down south. But I can’t count on that happening. So I’ve been giving some thought to moving much farther away from town. Remember, I have land fifteen miles away from town, a lot already paid for. I only visited it once and realized the road wouldn’t allow me to commute to work come winter. Which is why I bought another lot much closer to town ( one third the distance ). I don’t care about the payments I’m making on it. That is the least of my concerns budget wise. What concerns me is my visible location only four miles from the city limits ( about three miles as the crow flies ). What good is it going to do to have a Super Deluxe Bison Bunker Of Doom, and a super nifty earth pipe heater if I’m an exposed target? In effect, my present location is only suitable for an economic collapse
. My land further north is only good for a civilization collapse
. And never the twain shall meet.*
Even before the Saudi cuts announcement, I’ve been getting that twisting feeling in my gut that is sending alarm bells into my brainpan. The cuts just underline my growing unease. I can’t decide if I should punch the eject button
. Should I play it safe and get the hell out of Dodge? My job now doesn’t really matter, now that I have enough assets to pay off the ex-bitch. But it would mean liquidating pretty much everything. Roughly about a year to go on payments, so I would need to come up with five grand. In about three or four months I could have enough extra saved to get out ( I would need savings, a back-up computer
, extra marine batteries and twice my current solar panels
, plus an extra bike and a trailer ). By then I would need four thousand for her and the other thousand in the investments. I would have a few nagging details such as towing the van, clearing the lot, starting to dig all over again, etc. All that doesn’t bother me too much. But future income does. If I’m wrong, and I’m now dependant on my writing income, and that income drops ( of course Amazon orders will drop once the shipping and handling jacks up when transportation diesel is five plus bucks ), I’ve screwed myself. I can’t even be too reliant on Food Stamps in case I don’t get enough. I need to eat and buy propane ( I can wean myself off propane ASSUMING the earth tubes work, but I can’t count on that just yet ). *
I mean, don’t get me wrong. This has always been the dream. Writing income, paid off land, desert hermit
. I want this kind of lifestyle ( and, yes, Vlad, I would be going with the no-flat bike tires
since I’m so remote ). I just don’t know if I need it now or if I can wait a year. The collapse complicates things. If it was just a slow decline I’d still want to live frugally with almost no income, isolated from all the scumbags out there. But throw in PODA ( we haven’t used that one for awhile, have we? Post Oil Dark Ages ) and it isn’t so simple anymore. Paid for land too close to town isn’t as sweet as it used to be. It becomes downright dangerous. Oh, the conundrum. I’ll be chewing on this one for a bit. I know you remain riveting in anticipation.END
The Official Bison Web Site http://www.bisonpress.com/
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My e-mail is jimd303@netzero.com
*
Anyone can submit a guest article. No minimum word length, no writing skill necessary ( just get the idea across ). You retain copyright ( this must be your original writing ) and I’ll just use the once. I’ve yet to turn down an article, just don’t use the N Bomb or libel another that can sue me. Send by e-mail ( please, label as “guest article” so I can find it easily later ). Payment will be your removal from my enemies list.
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By the by, all my writing is copyrighted. For the obtuse out there.
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15 comments:
Do both.. take some weekend time to start doing the digging at the remote(r) site... get things ready so moving is just a matter of pulling the trailer over and moving the van. Keep working on the current place too... you don't have to put in equal times on both places, but start working on the other now so it will be easier if needed.
Hedge your bets. How hard would it be to keep both places decently stocked at this point? It couldn't take more than 30 minutes to drive from one to the other in a pinch, and since you're actually paying attention, you'll have at least an hour before the yuppies get it in their lizard brains that shit's gone downhill. Think of the farther location as your secondary cache.
Jim, it's not time (as you have said more than once) because you still owe the ex. If you pay her off this will bring on the apocalypse. Why rush things? Some of us are not ready (some will never be). Find comfort in the fact that by paying over time (without interest) you are paying her in money that is steadily decreasing in value.
I do find it interesting that the Bisonator is talking about the need to bug out. One of your major points is to live in your safe place rather than trying to time the fall. OK, there, I did it – called you out on it but I will not be dragging you through the mud. Your basics are still sound. Land you can not be kicked off of because it is cheap enough to buy and pay the miniscule rent (taxes) on. Basic preps so that you can relax.
If I was in your shoes I would start making infrastructure improvements to the other property. This gives you a fallback defensive position to run to if you have to. Only a certain percentage of the population will turn to looting and given Elko’s small population you should be ok. The pictures of your compound (is it safe to refer to it as a compound given the government’s propensity for murdering people who live in compounds?) don’t exactly scream wealth which is exactly what you want. There are a lot of more enticing targets in town. Your big problem is that you are alone (wife or not) as far as fighting off a marauding group. I would try to find like-minded others to set up camp around me (not too close though) so we could circle the wagons if we had to. The real question is how to go about this. Finding people you can trust to move to bum fuck Egypt that will keep their distance until needed.
In the end, the absolute BEST defense is to HIDE. Growing up one of my favorite ideas was a group of kids who had a clubhouse/fort in a junkyard. It consisted of a travel trailer covered with piles of other junk that they had excavated a tunnel to. This would be perfect unless you were concerned with what others thought of you or were trying to increase your property value (sic) or just trying to get laid. In concert with having a ‘hidden’ dwelling it would be nice to have a sacrificial house where people thought you lived that had that abandoned worthless look. They could root around and move on to more fruitful targets.
Don't punch the eject button yet - TPTB always have a few more tricks up their sleeves to kick the can down the road a bit more. Keep working, pay off your ex, save more, buy more items you NEED, and begin planting some permanent food-producing trees and bushes on your property 15 miles out of town. Try apple trees (on rootstock best suited for your climate) by the dozen, blackberries, blueberries, peaches, nut trees (all suited for your climate). Pretty soon you won't need to buy much food - though the apple trees will take time to mature. Put the thorn-filled blackberries on the perimeter and let them grow to their hearts' content - it'll camoflage things and make for an unpleasant welcome for anyone running through (or trying to). Maybe put a chain-link fence midway through the blackberries - the plants will cover it up nicely within a year or two, and anyone trying to run through will smack right into it, not knowing that it is there.
Just my $0.02
I'd say listen to your gut feeling. If you suspect you will become a target, then you will likely not get over the feeling anytime soon, in fact even feel moreso as time goes by. Peace of mind is pretty nice to have is all I'm saying.
What I hate about owning remote property is that you are responsible for its upkeep. Some a-hole decides to dump his crap on your land, its your problem to clean it up. If neighbors have cattle that wander onto your property, you have to fence them out (and keep tending that fence, not hard but riding fence is a regular chore).
Much easier if you are living on site as your residence.
How about making one place your summer residence, and the other your winter home? Definitely you'll be wanting to ease your brain pan's anxieties with some work on the summer place, might as well get on with that. Just go like that for as long as you can, stay employed, salt away the extra dough. Don't leave work unless you can get unemployment benefits. You only need an hour or two headstart for TEOTWAWKI.
'Mousse
Gas is $10.00 a gallon.
Super markets have armed guards.
Restaurants are closed.
People are still buying from Amazon?
Power grid has collapsed but the internet is still cooking with unlimited bandwidth?
Bison retires to his land with a writing income that literally comes out of thin air(WIFI)?
Am I missing something?
What happened to a herd of sheep or goats or whatever?
the rat
MR- as I said
". All that doesn’t bother me too much. But future income does. If I’m wrong, and I’m now dependant on my writing income, and that income drops ( of course Amazon orders will drop once the shipping and handling jacks up when transportation diesel is five plus bucks ), I’ve screwed myself."
I know writing income drops to zero before the collapse. Herding plan is knowing folks with sheep, and transitioning them from sheltered, imported feed to strickly grazing. Not a great plan, but it will have to do. Also, I know you aren't as evil as you act. You probably do really care for fems.
Jim,you've put yourself in a glorious place. You are walking tall in the land of plenty. Everything you've ever needed or wanted still exists. For just a short time can you work overtime ? get a better paid job .. anything to take in the bux and then buy more of what you need ?
My latest plan is that I'm looking for a bug out motor home. Then retrofit to self supporting. Locate several local bug out locations that have water and limited access. That is limited, once I blow the bridges behind me lol.
Jim, Get friendly with some of the local Claude Dallas types up there.
Plenty of water out there in the hills,if ya know where to go. The key to any place, is knowing people with local knowledge. Like ya say can't do it on your own. Get topo maps of the county, particularly towards Duck Valley, if ya gotta run, that's the direction to go. Go do some exploring.
Just saying what I'd be doing, were I to live there.
James,
Like the other folks have said--hedge your bets.
Start working on your other place on the weekends. Dig another pit, build whatever size "shed" you can without a permit so you have some sort of shelter in an emergency.
You can always use it for storage after you move the trailer.
Bury some barrel caches on your place.
But keep your day job for a little longer.
I'm worried that if you pay of the ex, that Murphy will raise his head and Florida will screw you over again since you are obviously so rich to have that much money all at once.
By the way, how far is your other place from some source of water?
Idaho Homesteader
I use only airless polyurethane foam tires since 2001, and have never used the Bell No-Mor Flats Bike Inner Tube. Is it rated for weight of the rider? My first airless tires
(not inner tubes) were too soft for my 280 lbs and had enormous rolling resistance. My 130 lb
grandson says they are a great ride.
http://www.nu-teck.com/product.html
scroll down to see airless tires (not inner tubes)
For information on products or manufacturing status
please email "nu-teck@estreet.com" DO NOT CALL the
Factory. Information on manufacturing and shipping
times can be found in the "FAQ" section.
Nu-Teck offers custom firmess equivalent up to 175 psi.
Tell Nu-Teck that you like the ride of the KIKtire
26x195 Ocelot high resilient +30%,
and 26x195 Sierra Unidrectional high resilient +30%.
or Missy Sitko in Ameritye Customer Service @ 800 808-1268 X100 will take your order.
Amerityre purchased Kik’s assets over a year ago so you should see little difference.
I agree with TMM - start getting the far site prepped now. If TSHTF, can you setup roadblocks/trees across the road/etc?
I may have missed it, but how do you aim to COOK your wheat since the area, as I understand it, has a lack of firewood?
Do you plan on using a solar oven? If so, what brand/design?
Also, are you stockpiling cooking oil and yeast? If so what kind/types?
Me and mine are looking for wheat through LDS outlets right now...
Better Recon your spare land and see if it's still as isolated as you think it is. Never can tell when some Desert Rat decided to do some Squatting out in the Boonies on your land. Also, you may not know if you have any new neighbors next to you, either. And go Armed.
I think you've hit the nail on the head very eloquently, Jim. That is, the basic dilemma of your readers: preparing for economic collapse and/or societal collapse. I think it's fair to say that we readers are somewhat prepared for the former...but we are drugged by the gentle seduction of a well paid job, in the Big Smoke, whereas we should have something in the Bush - if not be living there already.
Jim, don't you see that you have both!? To me it's as plain as the nose on your face. As several fellow readers have pointed out, you develop the place out a ways and bloody well piss off there when things get even more interesting than they are now.
I think the best suggestion was having a "shed" there. Jim, have you even checked as to whether you're allowed to plonk a shipping container, on your land, as a shed? Such a thing might deter casual theft...and might stop bullets as well. I imagine it'd be a disaster though, in the heat of summer or or the cold of winter.
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