A result of giving up on politics and hoped for political solutions to our collapsing future state due to this last election, i have been involved in self reflection and examination. Have i become a geezer, casting doom and gloom theories on everything surrounding me? Am i unable to face the new reality and therefore prepare so that my tiny world can stay the same rather than face the future? Do i fail to have enough hope and confidence in our society that we will somehow muddle through as we always have done in the past? I have gazed into my belief structure on the upcoming failure, the future collapse of our society attempting to determine the difference between truth and self-created fiction. The best course is always honesty, and honesty compels me to state that i do believe we would be better off if our society crashes.....that we rebuild from a wasteland rather than cling to false beliefs, inept processes, and devious power structures that do not work and will merely prolong the hurt for the average citizen till the inevitable end. Desired or not i truly do believe that we are done for by our own hand...... If i am cynical our society and our leaders have taught me to be a cynic---wars without justification, theft of societal property, lack of thought in decision making, anything for profit...all the past 40 years of failure to recognize what is vs. what they want...has taught me to come to a state where i ignore my society, and ignore my leaders. Survivalism or prepping are merely the tools which will allow me to maintain this status of ignoring society regardless of exterior events or circumstances. In all honesty I believe what i say.

In Reading "The Worst Hard Times" by Timothy Egan, it was pointed out that during the depression 1930's there was simply no money in circulation. Rural individuals spent an entire year with $5.00 or less in their pockets as real money. Although trading and bartering during that time was discussed i had difficulty imagining this circumstance...I wanted to investigate this concept further and have ordered "The Moneyless Man" Mark Boyle. I am trying not to make presumptions on how he accomplished living for a year without money until i read the book and am looking forward to getting into it...this may or may not be useful information for the hard times ahead...but i will advise on this book after reading...

Preparing for the future often becomes twisted into purchasing vast quantities of survival stuff...with a subsequent failure of preparations in fundamentals. Last blog i spoke of salt. This time i will speak of olive oil....we keep 3 gallons of olive oil in food storage with plans to increase this quantity over time.

For Cooking, frying, as replacement for butter, skin remedy, vegetable dressing and for a host of other uses olive oil cannot be overlooked as a necessary item to be stockpiled. Originally i had wanted to plant olive trees on the urban homestead and make my own oil. Unfortunately i am simply to far into the winter zone to allow this. I am hoping that when my greenhouse is up and running i may be able to attempt to keep two, potted oil trees alive and producing within it.

Olive oil (and a little salt) is one of those overlooked preps which having at least a small supply in the future' may make that backyard squirrel and vegetable casserole tasty.

If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal.
Emma Goldman