Quoting

I know I have been doing a great deal of quoting lately, but sometimes you just get in a mental state that you do not know how to express what is going on. As I have said before, if a man in a clean silk suit stepped into a pig sty, the clean would not rub off on the sty...I may not be in a silk suit, but I don't think I am pig sty material either, and it seems as if I have fallen in head first. So, until I get my head clear, here is another quote:
"No matter what the cause, social collapse will bring out the worst in those who did not prepare. Everyone of us will transition through four stages to get the things we need. We will BEG. As simple as asking if someone might share with you their water, a little food or fuel to help you on your way. Next, when that fails, we will offer goods or services to BARTER for the things we need. During times of extreme adversity, moral constraints will slacken if not disappear all together. If our request is denied and no means of earning what we need is offered, we will STEAL what we believe we need. Perhaps this is beyond our thinking now but what would any of us do to provide life sustaining essentials for our children? In the final stage of desperation we will KILL to get what we believe we need to survive. We may not start out with intent to kill but we will do it if survival demands it.

This being the case with each of us, what would you expect from the unprepared masses who live among us? Those first three months after "the curtain comes down" will be something right out of a horror movie. It won't be safe to walk the streets during the daytime much less at night.

For prepared families during those critical three months, it is vital to not present yourself as having resources. Use blackout curtains over windows of any rooms that have lighting. Stay indoors and allow no "emissions," such as smoke, cooking odors, music or radio sounds. Don't hang wash on the line outdoors and bury garbage quietly at night.

It would be prudent to live on ready to eat foods that require no cooking for those first three months. Warming with hot water is OK but if something needs heating on the stove, put it in a zip-lock bag so cooking smells won't carry in the breeze.

We tend to look down on mobile homes as frail structural protection, but looters will tend to pass by mobile homes as less likely to contain what they are looking for. If there are no boats or trailers visible and clutter is spread all over the yard, it would appear that the home had already been looted.

The object is to attract no attention. You need to look poor and in as bad shape as everyone else.

This would be a very bad time to start running a generator, using an outdoor grill or practicing your marksmanship.

Your lifeboat can only carry as many people as you have prepared for. Attempting to rescue more people than you have resources, could cost the lives everyone in the boat.

Some unchangeable rules are:

1. You can't change what caused the catastrophe.

2. People may die because they failed to prepare.

3. You can't alter rule #2 but you can jeopardize your family by trying."
Just some words of wisdom, sometimes the obvious things are the ones overlooked.