Posted on 01/21/2012 9:20:17 AM PST by Jet Jaguar
When Patty Tegeler looks out the window of her home overlooking the Appalachian Mountains in southwestern Virginia, she sees trouble on the horizon.
"In an instant, anything can happen," she told Reuters. "And I firmly believe that you have to be prepared."
Tegeler is among a growing subculture of Americans who refer to themselves informally as "preppers." Some are driven by a fear of imminent societal collapse, others are worried about terrorism, and many have a vague concern that an escalating series of natural disasters is leading to some type of environmental cataclysm.
They are following in the footsteps of hippies in the 1960s who set up communes to separate themselves from what they saw as a materialistic society, and the survivalists in the 1990s who were hoping to escape the dictates of what they perceived as an increasingly secular and oppressive government.
Preppers, though are, worried about no government.
Tegeler, 57, has turned her home in rural Virginia into a "survival center," complete with a large generator, portable heaters, water tanks, and a two-year supply of freeze-dried food that her sister recently gave her as a birthday present. She says that in case of emergency, she could survive indefinitely in her home. And she thinks that emergency could come soon.
"I think this economy is about to fall apart," she said.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Bill Mauldin wrote a book (A Sort of a Saga) about his childhood in rural New Mexico, in the Ruidoso/Cloudcroft area.
He told of one episode in which a flood cut his area off from town, and the tobacco supply ran out.
It's been about 40 years since I read it, but as I recall the tobacco users went to some fairly extreme lengths to try to remedy the situation.
NO THANK YOU! To high Maintenance for me!
Most emergencies would put us off line for maybe two weeks as you say. But something serious could knock us down for 6 months or longer. Actually, losing your job in this economy could put you down for at least that long. If the emergency was broader, and the economy was disrupted in some serious way (war with Iran, maybe?) as you say, zombies will roam.
In that case, we'll want a bigger pantry, and a shotgun, and good neighbors we can count on. We'll have to build our own microeconomy in a case like that, and stick together.
You just reminded my of something I have been meaning to write on prepping. Will try to post it tonight - have paid work to do first.
Thanks!
During hurricane season the State of Florida will say about 80% of the people don’t even have 3 days, let alone a week.
The river I'm anchored in now offers pretty good fishing, and the swamps are infested with wild pig. Also a big waterfowl flyway for mallards and canadians.
You remind me of my ,deceased now, father-in-law when raising my kids. He had a beautiful basement entertainment area...but off that was a room chocked full of water jugs and various survival type foods. He said then he knew the family wasn’t concerned but he was putting aside enough for all the family to survive. He had even considered a bomb shelter on the property.
Though it was never necessary to utilize what he had set aside..it was comforting to him he was prepared. Things were not as serious as they are today...in fact they weren’t bad at all at that time. But he saw the handwriting on the wall.
Were these the Hog Farm people who finally settled. Traveled with Hog Farm briefly, they fed people for free lots of brown rice at festivals and gatherings. Nice folks.
****He told of one episode in which a flood cut his area off from town, and the tobacco supply ran out.****
I am reminded of an old MAD Magazine cartoon from 45 years ago.
A man is looking out his window at a horrible snow storm and says...”What a storm! I’m glad I don’t have to get out in it!”
“Oh my God! I’m out of cigarettes!”
Last cartoon in the strip shows him bravely driving through this storm to go to the store.
“Of course they are all set to vote for Zero again”..........now that is a crying a$$ shame.
May be a coincidence or you are married to one of wife units siblings, cause my inlaws are more than ready to pull the lever for Zero again....
Of course, they just left with a box of home canning from our garden this last spring, since they do not have a clue how to do something like-—————feed themselves————.
My mom had a farm house next to her property where some hippies decided to set up shop as a commune in the 60’s. They were pretty much to themselves but lasted only thru one winter there. I guess they were fair weather hippies. They had huge gardens but few who would work them. I’d guess those doing the heavy lifting decided enough was enough as well. At any rate their desire to be self-sufficient didn’t work as they thought.
I’m a prepper. I don’t prepare for when the stuff hits the fan. I prepare for when the stuff hits MY fan.
One of my favorite experiences back in the day was when a group of the local communards came over to help us till our garden for the first time (just freshly spaded sod). One of the most vocal ran his hands through the soil and stated:”Ah, the good earth!”, then went back to the house, asked for a cup of coffee, spent the rest of the time jawing while my husband and another guy took turns on the tiller. The rest of the *crew*, just hung out, as well.
Last time we expected any assistance and we didn’t bother offering any, either. A few months later, one of the two employed members of the commune asked me how I *got* my husband to work. I was flabbergasted and just replied, “We have both always worked, our entire lives.” She didn’t get it.
That was a Dave Berg cartoon.
He was the soul of MAD. When he died, they went nasty fast.
you apparently recall like I do how the counterculture took the back to nature tack after the big acid days and rock went from psychedelia to Gram Parsons influenced country sounding from the Eagles to Byrds to Stephen Still to the Band and so on
Gaskin’s little tribe made the trek in 71 or so I think...and established in Summertown TN...remote hills and some farm land...I think they have around 2000 acres now and lease more...their buses and music troupe toured the South and I used to “party” with them and their hippie girls myself in my teens and actually met Gaskin's wife who was a very nice older hippie lady
later I knew folks who were involved with them in the late 70s and early 80s
not sure what they are all doing now but it looks more like a big co-op...and they offer quite a few programs and services and still take in folks who will work, abandoned children and preggers girls...they have a large mid wifery and are anti abortion...even though agrarian progressives
I also hear rumours they are still linked with the medical marijuana stuff and attract attention from some federal authorities
over the years the local cops have grown used to them and the old animosity is largely gone
I drive by there every now and then but have never stopped...our paths sorta diverged long ago as you can imagine
There was a gal there, I think named Ina who was involved in the lay-midwivery movement. Very well respected in the field.
Went back to the land in the northeast for a while, now I am back doing it again...I was smarter at 16 than I knew.
I’ll play the part of Adam and any of the 3 can play the part of Eve.
At least two shotguns. My wife backs me up, and can reload. Have plenty of ammo, but my Mossberg only holds 9. And thank God for good neighbors.
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