Apocalyptic Homesteading (Day 412)

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Hello Everyone!

Apocalyptic Homesteading Day 412!

The Year's Sleepy Start, Where Did The Music Go, Hoping For The Best, Not Much Need For Heat & There Will Be Potatoes

The wind picked up steadily during the night and this morning when I got up it was blowing too hard to have a fire safely outdoors which was what I was hoping to do today. It was not even all that consistent of a high wind but the stronger gusts were frequent enough that even when I went on a short hike I was careful to stay out from under the trees and kept a wary eye on them when I was near them. Watching those big strip pine trees sway back and forth is always a bit freaky to me especially given how top heavy they look since they have so few branches below their crown. The hike was nice nonetheless even though there was not all that much wildlife to see given what time of year it is.

Anyway, I never drank that beer last night to celebrate the coming of the new year and wound up falling asleep instead. Thankfully the fireworks, explosions and gunshots were not all that bad nor were they a constant bombardment. It was kind of funny because by the time that midnight rolled around there were only a few bangs so I guess that whoever was doing it blew their load a bit too early in the evening. It was definitely way better being in the cabin for it than the way it was last year when I was still in the canvas tent. The insulation in the walls, floor and ceiling sure are effective at reducing the sound rather well and amazingly the dogs were not all that concerned with all the commotion going on. I am sure that had I been outside around a fire it would have been a different story entirely.

As far as the music goes I have not been playing much of it lately. Part of that has to do with how little I have been doing stuff outdoors but the main reason is that I just do not want to draw all that much attention to myself or the place in general. Admittedly maybe I am being a bit paranoid but it just seems like all too many folks are looking for a reason for other folks to 'piss them off' and given the wide variety of music that I enjoy listening to at high volume... some of it is bound to offend someone which could assuredly be problematic. Perhaps my thinking will change once I get back to working outdoors a lot but for now it just seems like one less thing to worry about. I know that I could always listen to it at a more 'reasonable' volume but every time that I have tried to do that I just wind up cranking it up!

I know the last few years have been pretty hard mentally for folks and although it has not exactly been easy for me I think having grown accustomed to isolation so long ago put me in a better position for dealing with or at the very least a little better than most. Honestly, I cannot say that folks being 'stuck' at home is entirely a bad thing. Yeah, the cause of it is horrible but folks getting unplugged from the constant 'rat race' seems to have been exactly what some folks needed to reassess what was really important to them. So, while part of the population has used the entire scenario to 'act out' (or as an excuse to be ill-mannered, rude and violent) I think a larger percentage has become more compassionate and understanding not just towards others but also towards themselves. All of which could maybe make for some interesting changes in the future if we can somehow steer our way through the coming years without a bunch of upheaval. Personally I am not counting on that last bit but it sure would be nice.

Having always been a rather cagey person I have to say that at this point in things that caginess has gone to this whole other level and although I am not quite as paranoid as I probably should be I also know that stressing out all the time is no way to live. It is not like I was exactly trusting of folks before things began falling apart but now (even with folks that I have known for years) I am pretty damn hesitant (nay resistant) towards the idea of having them around just in case things really start falling apart. Not to be all doom and gloom here but it would be pretty damn foolish to ignore the realities of the scenario. I often ask myself what more can I do to help buffer myself from the fallout and the number one thing that comes to mind is taking better care of myself both physically and mentally.

Heck, I have no delusions that I can ride out the apocalypse unscathed but I damn sure want to make it as far as I can. Food is always the big concern and having gotten off the government food assistance last fall it has become more difficult to not just afford the food I need for the month but also have enough to put a little food away for later use. I am unsure if I ever mentioned it or not but the last several times that I have gone on a supply run the amount of groceries that I get for the exact same amount of money keeps dwindling and I do not mean by a little! It is more than a bit disheartening but I have adjusted by not getting much in the way of fresh fruit (or treats) and tend to buy the largest items that I can at the cheapest price regardless of if it is really what I want to be eating. Although I do not like the notion of relying on a freezer (or refrigeration for that matter) I have been making good use of it by freezing bread and other bulk items and thawing them out as needed. Of course I have been cooking a lot more also but that is another story entirely.

Anyway, I keep thinking on 'the food thing' and mainly about what I can grow. Given my utter failure at growing much the previous year (I tried at least) it would probably be best not to waste a bunch of time on it this year and just stick with growing the one thing that almost always seems to grow well for me... potatoes! What I am basically thinking of doing is finding the sunniest spot I can (that is not prone to flooding) and making either just one or several large mounds of soil to grow potatoes in. I know that it is not exactly the best way to grow potatoes but given how hard the ground is here and how densely packed the clay is... it seems like my best option and especially so if I just want to leave them in the ground. It really would not be that hard to get the potatoes started since I still have a few big flower pots full of the potatoes from last year. I was looking at them yesterday and was surprised to see a new potato plant had popped up from them which is pretty odd given what time of year it is.

As far as the winter goes I have hardly used any heat this year in the new cabin and when I did it has just been the electric recirculating oil heater. Although I am all stocked up on propane I have not even needed to unpack my propane heater this winter. I cannot say that I miss having that sort of 'wet heat' (from the propane heater) but it is nice knowing that it is available if the grid goes down for an extended period of time. At some point I should probably set that heater up anyway just so that I have it figured out before its an emergency. Just figuring out where I would put it, what settings will keep it comfortable in here and whatnot would go a long way towards not stressing about it when its so frigging cold that I am using it out of necessity. Even with no heat I would probably be okay in this setup as long as I partitioned off the doorway so the wind did not suck all the heat out every time that I open the door. Thankfully it just does not get (nor stay) all that cold in this region which is awesome after spending so many years in the mountains.

On a different note (or maybe the same note) not battling the elements so much sure has taken the 'edge' off things as far as survival goes and although I love the mountains there is no way to adequately describe the mental impact of not having to stay holed up indoors. Sure, I have been holed up indoors anyway but going outdoors seldom involves any sense of dread let alone having to put on layers of clothes, chapstick, gloves and all that jazz that keeps the body warm in such conditions. I have still only used a jacket a few times this winter and mainly gotten by with a sweatshirt and a warm hat. The next few months (heck even the next few days when the temperatures drop) will be a bit different but overall dealing with the weather outside as a whole is just way less of a pain in the neck in this region. Yeah, the summer is another story entirely but I will take getting too hot over getting too cold any time!

Okay, I am going to get this wrapped up and call it good enough. I unintentionally fell asleep just before dark and woke up a few hours later (a little after eight) tonight and was mildly panicked that I had not written anything today. Having not initially seen the time upon waking I was like: Well you failed on your very first day of the year and will have to write for two days tomorrow! Then I saw the time and was like: Well if you really apply yourself perhaps you can hammer out a few words before midnight, get it all edited and posted and avoid the failure altogether! I hope that everyone is doing well and has a nice day/night or something like that.

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Bob the rooster says: What's Up!

Thanks for reading!

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That Is All For Now!

Cheers! & Hive On!



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