The Road Home

The Road Home
There is no place like home.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Wake-y! Wake-y! The Wolf Is At The Door

Hello, Frank here.

Let's talk. Since my name is not Fern, then this article is going to have a slightly different slant to it. This is going to sound like a rant, because that's what it is. Rants are not always organized and structured or in a pleasant flow. So, please bear with me.


I read lots of stories, articles or other rants that believe that the collapse that's coming will be similar in nature to the collapse that occurred during the late 1920's. Okay, some of my numbers here are not going to be precise, they are going to be rounded off. Maybe up, or maybe down, but you will get the general idea, if you have the ability to think. So, if I say 70% and it was actually 60% or maybe 80%, then please bear with me. Remember, this is a rant.

Back to the late 1920's. The population of the United States was much smaller than it is today. The majority of the people still lived on a farm, let's say 80%. Therefore, 20% of the people lived in
larger cities. Now remember, people in rural areas did not have electricity in the 1920's or 30's. Most of the people in rural areas raised most of their own food. Summer, winter, spring, fall they ate what came out of the earth. Many, many rural people were what we would call today, dirt poor. My information source here, was my father. He and his brother did not wear shoes for most of the winter and never wore shoes during the summer. So, he is my source of data, along with census data. 

So. Most people lived in the country. Most people raised their own food. Most people didn't have electricity and everything that is associated with electricity. There were significantly fewer people in the United States. And many current authors tell us that we will get through this next depression or collapse or tyrannical government or whatever you want to call it, just like we got through the 1920's collapse.

Now let's look at today. We have a much larger population. That means more mouths to feed. The vast majority of people live in cities or suburbs, which conversely means, that very few people live in rural America, or on  
the farm. Almost everybody has electricity. So, what does this mean? Since the majority of people live in cities, that means that few, if any, raise their own food. Few or none, know how to preserve their own food,and all buy their food at the grocery store. Now those few that live in the country, are not living on a farm. For the benefit of discussion, yes, there are a handful that still live on a farm. But how many of that handful continue to raise all of their own food? Of that small handful, how many know how to preserve their own food? Get the picture here? 

It doesn't matter what type of shutdown, collapse or apocalyptic event is GOING to occur, there is not going to be enough food to feed the
massive numbers of people, not even remotely close. Even in rural areas, extremely rural areas, most people have no idea how to raise, process and store food. And now, throw into the equation, there won't be any electricity. So, all that meat you have stored in the freezer on the top of your refrigerator, sitting beside the popsicles and burritos will turn into stinking mush in about three days. 

Ladies and gentlemen. We are in significant trouble. Let me say that again. We are in a situation that we cannot recover from. I know folks that say
that they are going to go live in the forest and live off the land. Wake-y, Wake-y here fool! I know veteran, hard core, experienced hunters that laugh when they hear people say, and pardon me, unbelievably stupid things like that. There are many, many stories about mostly men, that have gone out into bush Alaska and had something to prove. Somebody normally finds them later. Going and living in the woods and hunting and feeding your family is not going to happen. 

Remember those people in the cities? They're just going to go out and live with somebody in the country. A farmer, right? I hope they like 10,000 acres of soybeans or corn or milo or even wheat. They don't need a farmer, what they need is a gardener and most farmers don't raise gardens because they go to the grocery store and buy it. 

Before the shortages of guns and bullets lots of people thought that the idea of survival was who had the most guns and the most bullets. Some of these people watch way too much television. I know people that have never shot a gun that were buying guns and bullets. Like others write, buying a surf board, does not make you a surfer. Buying a gun does not make you a hunter, or give you the ability to pull the trigger when you need to. These are false delusions of illusions. 

Look at some of the facts presented above about population densities, and food production or preservation. Don't get me wrong. I like guns and I like bullets, but I like shovels, hoes and seeds a whole lot better. I have even known people to buy these cans and five gallon buckets that have these survival seeds packed inside and they
wouldn't no more know how to raise a garden than they would to fly a space shuttle. Can they learn to garden? Yes. Can they learn to fly a space shuttle? I guess so. I know 80 year old women that still wonder why their tomatoes make one year and the next year they don't and they've been gardening for 65 years. I'm not saying that a bucket full of seeds is a bad thing. That reminds me. Where is my seed catalog? But gardening is an art, a skill, not something to be mastered in one year. The person that thinks they are going to raise a garden and produce food for their family in one year, got off the same bus as the guy that is going to go live in the forest and feed his family.

I hurt for those that can't see or feel what is coming. There are signs everywhere, just look around. Our economy is in dismal, dismal shape and I live in a part of the world that is in pretty good shape. Look at society. Look at the stuff you do see on television or read in the news. Society is collapsing. The EBT cards shut down for a few hours. Can you imagine
what society will be like when the EBT cards shut down permanently? Our government leaders. Look at what's happening in state capitals around our country. Look at some of the things that are happening that our parents and grandparents would have never thought possible.  There is a term called 'normalcy bias'. Basically, this means what we learn to accept over time as normal. Our society is in serious, serious trouble. There are things that I cannot say in this blog that when I was a child, people went to jail for, what today is normal. We have perversion crammed down our throats everyday. This is normal. 

Okay. Let's see. Our economy cannot be saved. Okay. Next. Society
can't be saved. Our political arena is unbelievably corrupt and is a massive cesspool. This next statement is only going to be said once, listen carefully. Christianity is under attack worldwide. That means here, in the United Sates, Christianity is under attack also. The future does not look good for it's survival. Pay attention. We are under attack.

Now, let me go back to the first part of this rant. Many writers will tell you that we survived the Great Depression and we will survive the next one too. And these are the people giving you the bad news. Not to mention those that are telling us that everything is okay and that "things are getting better". I borrowed that last line from the Postman. Folks, we are in serious, serious trouble and I really don't know if we are going to survive this. The world is not going to be the same world when this thing happens. Hold your family close. Prepare yourself mentally, physically, spiritually and temporally and with the help of God we will do the best we can.


That's it for now. Maybe we'll talk more later. It's time to wake-y wake-y.

Frank 


15 comments:

  1. I can't get people to realize what is coming. To them I look like a fool. I am trying to learn as much as possible as quickly as possible. This summer's garden was a disaster. I have never been unsuccessful with squash of all things. I didn't get one squash that was edible. My tomatoes didn't grow either. So yes we will not learn it when the time comes...now is the time. Learn, read, gather, experiment, and do it all over again. Thank you for all you and Fern teach us daily.

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    1. Thank you for sharing. As you well know, we can learn a great deal from our failures. Of course, it would be great if everything was beautiful and successful. None of our squash did well this year. The summer squash did better, and the winter squash this year was basically a no-show. Last year, people hated to see us coming to their houses carrying bags. We had an abundance of squash.

      We're all in this together. Who knows? Maybe next year your friends will hate to see you coming with a bag in your arms? If you choose, you can use fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, and you might have a better success rate. But your soil will be dead.

      Hang in there.

      Frank

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    2. You're so right! The soil WOULD be stone cold dead!

      Around here, the squash joke goes like this:

      "Why do you need to lock up your car during the month of August?"

      Answer: "Because if you don't, it'll be full of zucchini when you get back."

      Just Me


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  2. Thank you for that Frank. Once in a while, we need to be reminded of the seriousness of what is headed our way. Today was an especially blessed day, because instead of feeling like a paranoid fool-yoked to a guy who didn't care.....my quiet husband had a conversation with me that showed that he is thinking about how we could protect ourselves and our property if necessary. I feel as if a huge load has been lifted off my shoulders.

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    1. Fortunately, Fern and I have been on the same page for most of our married life. I have read stories about others that have uncooperative spouses, some wouldn't even discuss it or allow it to be discussed. Consider yourself fortunate, I certainly know I am.
      Frank

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  3. Awesome post. You speak the truth. I hope that many are listening to the homesteaders and gardeners and thinking bloggers that are trying to spread the warning. I started teaching myself gardening/preserving/chickening/sheeping........about six years ago...and I am still learning. I fear it is already too late for people to find ways to survive if they have not already been working to learn and practice those skills.

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    1. Thank you for your comments. We have also been hitting it hard for about five years. I wonder what my friends are going to do when there is some type of a shut down. I know, through the instrument of words, there are some easy answers, but through the application of reality, they may be difficult to practice. I just don't know what's going to happen when friends show up. I just don't know.

      Frank

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  4. I want to thank you both for sharing your thoughts. I am very blessed to have learned to grow food, both plant and animal, from my grandparents. I preserve all that I grow and try to learn something new everyday. I married a city boy 26 years ago and have tried to bring him along in my way of thinking but it has been a tough road. I quietly go about preparing for the future and praying for a pure heart, a strong back, and eyes to see, ears to hear. I say what needs to said and am not afraid of the consequences. Jesus is my rock and I'm okay with that. The main thing I will say to those folks having a tough time learning how to self sustain is DONT EVER GIVE UP. You will be a blessing in ways you cannot even comprehend.

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    1. And I want to thank you for sharing your thoughts, too.

      Frank

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  5. Absolutely spot on!!
    Thank you for this post.

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  6. I too just wanted to let you know how much I also appreciated everything you had to say here. Like you and yours, me and mine are preparing and have been for a number of years now. We have had many people laugh at us because we chose to save our money, put food by, collect garden equipment and all the rest. Now many of those folks are having a tough time already. I can't imagine what is going to happen to them when things really go out of control.

    I don't feel any satisfaction from being able to say told you so. I have tried to put enough of everything I can by but it will only stretch so far and my own family has to come first, especially as two are disabled and I am their sole source of support. We don't receive goverrnment money.

    Even if by some miracle the rest of the country doesn't collapse, that doesn't mean that individuals and families cannot have their own type of collapse. It may be an accident or illness, a lost job, cut in pay. Doesn't matter what the cause is, it still makes sense to me to do what one can to be prepared. Being prepared has carried my family through some tough times. I can't help but think our country would be in far better shape today if more people had thought to do the same years ago.

    As it is, my gut feeling is that time is indeed running out. God Bless and Protect us all.

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    1. As you are aware, we have to play the cards that we are dealt and many times they can be seen as a blessing. I have known families that have had food storage and something occurred that caused them to be without employment. Their food storage certainly came in handy.

      There are many people that store food and they do it quietly. And then there are others that store food and say, "Look at me! Look at me!" It is sometimes hard to decide to show or tell people what you have, to encourage others to do the same thing. I have had people laugh at us before and they think we are fools. But I have an old saying, "I would rather be a prepared fool, than an unprepared fool."

      Do the best you can. May God be with you.

      Frank

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  7. It's so good to read a man speaking openly and directly about the state we are in... may the Lord bless you and yours, and you outreach that helps others gain perspective...

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    1. Thank you for the comment. It seems like everyday something occurs to reinforce the views that something seriously bad is coming. It seems all disciplines are under an organized attack and it's a very well organized attack. Do your best to be ready because we never know the time. There are days I think it could be tomorrow, but this thing has extended out many months past many folks predictions of an imminent collapse. Again, be vigilant, the wolf IS at the door.

      Frank

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