It is tough NOW. So how are we coping

Confuzzled

ceridwen wrote: »

I've just been having a little "virtual discussion" with someone who reckons "only the hard (people) will survive" - to which my main rejoinder "well....I dont agree with that - but (if thats what you think) then who would even want to live amongst only hard people anyway?" The thought of even trying to live amongst the "toughest of the tough" is:eek::eek::eek: - I like my company nice/well-mannered/etc.....

i quite agree i'd prefer to live among well mannered folk too!

of course, if the proverbial sh*t hits the fan methinks many people in detroit and other hardcore places won't survive as long as those that can live off the land and know how to make and fix things. i'm not saying they wouldn't be capable of learning but if things are desperately hard you have a VERY sharp learning curve so those who already went through their trial and error when things weren't so bad will obviously have a distinct advantage

however saying that, i would think that those who have lived a tough life would be easier to persuade to get on with helping and sorting out food and supplies for at least themselves if no one else, whereas those who barely had to lift a finger in their lives would probably moan and whinge and STILL not see the severeity of the issues. it might be more pleasant in many ways to live with the more genteel but if it came down to survival i might like a few rough people around (if i could trust them enough) to help with the hard stuff and to know they'd put their back in... sometimes it takes living in harsh times to know when to just get on with it.

besides i could encourage the uber tough to do the jobs i'm slightly squeamish about

Confuzzled

lillibet_dripping wrote: »

I am trying to do the same thing! The only way I know of to track where I have got to is to press the 'thanks' button . That way, I know when I start to see thanks again, I need to start reading from that point. Apart from the (very OS:rotfl:) paper and pencil, I'm sure there must be a way of 'putting a bookmark' at the point you left off - can anyone help me out?

as a relatively recent convert to using Firefox vs IE i can gladly say that reading large threads like this have become much easier. you see, if you open new tabs in the one browswer window you have open you are allowed to save everything as is when you shut down your computer. the trick to this is to only have ONE firefox window open (it can have 20 tabs but just the one window) when you go to close it down the first option is save and quit, choose that and next time you open the firefox window all is as it was!

now just in case i forget and open another window by accident then close the wrong one i do periodically check the page number i'm on then i have at least a starting reference to quickly get back to where i was but i need that less and less as i get used to using firefox... i resisted switching to firefox for ages because it didn't use google tool bar but when i found out it does now i switched and haven't looked back!

i do still have IE installed for the odd site that doesn't work well with FF but really if you're into reading complex pages or long forum threads i can't recommend Firefox highly enough :T

Gigervamp

Another thing I like about firefox, is if your pc crashes, or a page crashes firefox, you get the option to restore it and it will open all the tabs that were open when it crashed.

ceridwen

Confuzzled wrote: »

i quite agree i'd prefer to live among well mannered folk too!

of course, if the proverbial sh*t hits the fan methinks many people in detroit and other hardcore places won't survive as long as those that can live off the land and know how to make and fix things. i'm not saying they wouldn't be capable of learning but if things are desperately hard you have a VERY sharp learning curve so those who already went through their trial and error when things weren't so bad will obviously have a distinct advantage

however saying that, i would think that those who have lived a tough life would be easier to persuade to get on with helping and sorting out food and supplies for at least themselves if no one else, whereas those who barely had to lift a finger in their lives would probably moan and whinge and STILL not see the severeity of the issues. it might be more pleasant in many ways to live with the more genteel but if it came down to survival i might like a few rough people around (if i could trust them enough) to help with the hard stuff and to know they'd put their back in... sometimes it takes living in harsh times to know when to just get on with it.

besides i could encourage the uber tough to do the jobs i'm slightly squeamish about

Hmmm.....see what you're saying here...well...lets just hope things will be in the "just different - but not worse" camp. Anyways....I'm busy experimenting my way through a steadily increasing range of how to use familiar foods/how to grow foods I've never even heard of etc. Its certainly one heck of a "learning experience" in some ways. I've been thrown into "steep learning curve" experiences before now....and come through in one piece..though theres certainly times in ones life where the thought crosses mind of "do the learning experiences have to come QUITE so thick and fast?":rolleyes:. I was only thinking earlier today "Oh well....if it came to it....I could filter some rainwater to make myself a drink/use stuff I've gathered myself as a basis for the hot drink I'd make and then heat up the filtered rainwater with a Kelly Kettle".....all that, whilst many people would still be thinking "gotta use water from the tap and tea or coffee and then boil up the water in a kettle". Power cuts....what the heck?....I'd manage...and listen to music from my wind-up radio whilst I was at it....or tap out a tune on my African drum.....

Do you think this is where we all break into a rousing chorus of that song by Gloria Gaynor(? I think?) of "I will survive"....:D

mardatha

Yaaay ceridwen ! We're preppin and buggin-in !

ceridwen

...and a thought on the foodgrowing front...with the difficulties many of us are experiencing in getting allotments:

http://www.cityfarmer.info/city-of-london-plans-guerrilla-allotments-for-vacant-building-sites/#more-1769

....but it IS necessary to get in quick in these sorta spaces....before car-owners "grab" them as carparking spaces......which is something that I've noticed happens in my area a lot..

My advice would be to "pip them to the post" - ie since car-owners have a tendency to "grab" these bits of land by just putting their cars there and establishing these "patches" as "theirs" - that would-be allotmenteers should just get in there FAST and "stake a claim" with growbags full of food before the car-owners have a chance to get into the habit of parking there. Since no-one ever seems to challenge these car-owners - then I cant imagine its very likely that anyone would challenge those intending to use the land for more important purposes either.

Confuzzled

ceridwen wrote: »

Its certainly one heck of a "learning experience" in some ways. I've been thrown into "steep learning curve" experiences before now....and come through in one piece..though theres certainly times in ones life where the thought crosses mind of "do the learning experiences have to come QUITE so thick and fast?":rolleyes:.

oh don't i know that one sadly enough!

all this talk reminds me i need to get my ex to bring me some of my books next time he visits the wee one. they range from self sufficiency and permaculture books to worst case scenario and sas survival guides... just to keep my bases (ie a**e) covered

ceridwen

Confuzzled wrote: »

oh don't i know that one sadly enough!

all this talk reminds me i need to get my ex to bring me some of my books next time he visits the wee one. they range from self sufficiency and permaculture books to worst case scenario and sas survival guides... just to keep my bases (ie a**e) covered

Hmmm...then in that case you will doubtless have come across Casaubons Book (ie the blog by Sharon Astyk - the sorta "unofficial Queen" of preparedness thinking American style) - but she's not the "Annie Get Your Gun and hole up in the back of beyond School of Thinking.

http://sharonastyk.com/

Her basic premise she operates from is "now we must all adapt in place where we are right now - grow things/can things/get a sense of Community going - as thats one of our best "defences"/etc". Her and Rob Hopkins (of our Transition Movement) have been reading each others blogs and have now got a dialogue going of the two ideas - as there is some common ground between them.

Think a lot of us on both sides of the Pond are "virtual visiting" each others blogs now..

sammy_kaye18

kidcat wrote: »

Does anyone know how Sammykayes partner got on with his eye op??

Hi Kidcat

Sorry haven't been on MSE a while. he had his surgery on 22nd June and it went ok , was seen on the 25th June by the day surgery unit and was dismissed form them and hasn't had another appointment since.

Have tried ringing several times and just get told the local hospital he was meant to be referred to have no idea who he is, day surgery unit wont see him as they released him on the 25th June and the surgeons receptionist who he had sadi everyone bar his surgeon should have sorted so had to leave a note for his surgeon as its been almost a months since he was last checked up and he is in pain with his eye, it closes voluntarily and is straining alot so hes in alot of pain. Also hes had no repeat meds because they put something wrong on his doctors notes so i made a scene in the doctors surgery and managed to get the repeat prescription thankfully but its doing no good and he has had bleeding on his eye.

so to say the road has been far from smooth is an understatement. Still no closer to getting him checked up on as his surgeon is away until next week. so may ring and play hell tomorrow with them after work. :mad:

Hardup_Hester

Sorry to hear things aren't going well Sammykaye. I hope you get something sorted soon.
Hester