The Prepping Thread - A Newer Beginning ;)

herlig

pineapple said:

herlig said:

There will be a lack of understanding and even compassion but what we're seeing now is meanness, a quickness to react and judge and the start of a real streak of unpleasantness across platforms within society.

Is this a case of something catching the attention and from then on only being able to focus on that side of things? Of course I've seen the media reports of fall outs in supermarkets, covid related racial harrassment, inexplicable attacks on nursing staff etc - though to be fair there have been some amazing uplifting stories too. I think times like these bring out both the best and worst of people but my personal experience has been nothing but positive - in particular neighbours rallying round to help each other - particularly me due to my health condition.

I don't understand what you mean in the part that is in bold but I can only comment on what I have seen. I have seen zero of life outside of my home what with the clinically vulnerable status but I do pick up on sadness from people in my online communities that who have experienced people with short fuses as they go about their self employed livelihood as best they can. The general consensus is that people have tolerated so far but the moment society got a hint that things were improving tolerances subsided and abuse has happened via online contact. 

The point I was making was I detect a change in tolerance and attitude in the past days but I agree that society has pulled together, shown selflessness and helped as best they could. I have shed many a tear over the stories of good and don't seek to undermine any of what we've all been through. 

annieb64

I've  noticed more moans about several things such as lack of social distancing,  parking , litter and noise on our local facebook page. I think we are all getting  weary of lockdown. It's our wedding anniversary  next week. DH suggested going for a walk I pointed out that we go for a walk every day and I would like to do something  a bit more exciting. He said he meant a long walk as opposed to our daily stroll!

wondercollie

Someone, was asking about the size of North American houses, so I'll do the best to answer that I can.
I grew up in a three bedroom, one bath, no basement home.  Roughly 900 square feet.  Today that is considered tiny.
Yesterday, I was thinking about my Grannies tenement flat and how it would probably be smaller than our living room, dining room and kitchen space.  We live in what is called a four level split.  Four bedrooms, one full bathroom and one toilet and shower room combo.  It's probably 1600 square feet with and additional level that isn't counted because it's below ground level.
Our oldest son lives in what we call the Tardis house.  It was listed at 985 square feet, but he has that again in his basement living space which realtors can't include because it's below ground.  He jokes that it's the house that keeps on going.
Youngest son has a more traditional UK style house.  Two storeys with a basement (again the basement living space isn't included).  It's listed at 1000 square feet.
Here's where it gets interesting, a lot of the time, these houses are so poorly designed that there isn't a lot of storage space.  When you buy a home you have to figure out your own storage.  Bedrooms all have built in closets (often in some weird layouts) and linen closet in a hallway and if you are really lucky a closet for storing your mops and brushes.  Basements are usually undeveloped when you buy a new home with the furnace, hotwater tank, ac unit, fuse boxes and a rough in set of plumbing if you decide to build another bathroom down there.
I'm lucky in that my furnace area is great.  I have shelving units to use as an overflow pantry and storage for Christmas decorations and out of season stuff.
Having said all of this, many Canadians are pack rats.  Two of my neighbours park on the driveway because their two car garages are fill with stuff (broken cookers, fridges, bikes, motorbikes, and just stuff)

Ms_Potato_Head

You can take a picnic now Annie! x

cuddlymarm

I’ll probably be returning to work next month and even with social distancing will come into contact with many different people in a shift. I know the world has to restart but the thought of returning to work scares me but I can’t afford not to work. After that I think the most sensible thing to do is to stay away from my precious people no matter how much I would love to see them. As far as I can see the next stage we are guinea pigs, there will be spikes in the virus, there will be an upsurge in traffic and people not listening or not understanding the rules and people that don’t need to are going to get ill and some will die. The major thing is that we don’t know what will happen so all we can do is be prepared and hope it’s enough. A decent store cupboard is an essential for most of us on here I feel, even a few days worth of our favourite foods can make us feel able to cope for at least a little while. Click and collects are getting easier to get here now, I’m 58 and in reasonable health but supermarket shopping still freaks me out, people tend to revert to normal shopping mode walking all directions and even brushing up against you and I end up feeling stressed and slightly frightened by it so if at all possible avoid it. I think the really scary bit is the lack of control we have, some invisible enemy could be sneaking up behind us and we wouldn’t know until it’s too late. It’s always been some other poor sod in a less developed country than us until now but this is holding the world to hostage.

elaine241

I was thinking this morning what I would have done differently regarding my preps, living through the virus and what is in the future.
My preps have for the large part held up really well as I was able to go out once a week to shop. We have continued life pretty much as normal in the way we eat, exercise , live in the house etc although the boys miss seeing their grandparent and friends. Sporting events and training has been the major loss in our lives as rugby and horse events have been cancelled for the season as far as I can see. Not a major loss in the scheme of things but I miss seeing friends at these events. 
My veg garden has never been so big!! At the beginning of lock down and the rumours of future food shortages I went a bit into panic mode and planted many extra veg plants especially those that can be stored for the winter or frozen/preserved. I have relaxed a bit but there is still this nagging worry in the back of my mind that I need to plant more and store more. I am not sure if this is anxiety due to the strange times we are living in or my intuition warning me of things to come!! Either way we will have a nice supply of home grown veg!
As for my store cupboard, again I haven't really had to rely on things as I was able to buy most items weekly. OK flour was missing but I was able to use stores or alternatives. We haven't had to live on what I would call "prepper" rations as in having the terrifying worry that we could run out or go hungry, or have to plan meals around calorific values ( rice and beans!!) Hopefully we will never have to think about doing this , but should we have the stores just in case? There was a squirrel on my bird table this morning, I know I am able to "kill it, cook it eat it" as I have the guns,  skills and have done this with rabbits and pheasant in the past! ( both are in my freezer!) Is this extreme thinking on my part? I worry that this pandemic has made me feel insecure/paranoid about any future problems and that my mind is making me think of more extreme situations. I feel silly writing the last sentence but I know people on this thread wont class me as a nutter! :-).
I know when supply levels improve I am definitely going to plan to increase basics like flour, pasta, loo roll as I was surprised these ran out immediately. I was fine as I had my stores.
Let me know what you think, am I just having a mental wobble after staying strong for 8 weeks?

[Deleted User]

Not in the least bit paranoid just practical and prepping mentality.  Squirrel is good tasty meat and free range and there are so many of them that culling a few for food won't make the smallest dent in the squirrel population, pigeons too, wood pigeons that is not the urban dustbins that are almost too fat to fly and undoubtedly disease ridden.  I even find myself eying up the ducks on the lake and the carp IN the lake with a weather eye to the future.  I've sorted rabbits in the skin and braces of pheasant all my life, my father was a sea fisherman and I've always sorted his catch too and once, a whole road kill roe deer that a neighbour had hit and the council wouldn't deal with. Squirrels are just another stew waiting to happen!

We're growing as much as we possibly can this year and have taken on another half plot of allotment, I shall go into preserving mode as soon as we are harvesting crops of any kind and make as much as I possibly can to see us through the winter colder months.  I can't see how the supplies can keep filling the shops if all the world's countries are dealing with the effects of this virus, some will, and hopefully home produce from the UK will be available which it will if the farmers round where we live are still able to work, and they are so far.  We might be eating differently to what has become the norm in 2020 and we might have to get used to a different diet but I think if we're squirrels ourselves and put in as much as we can from our own efforts we ought to be OK.

maddiemay

I have been "popping in" to this thread for a long time, rarely posting, but taking inspiration from the many great ideas.  Brought up through the 1950's as a child of the rural poor, but always had good plain basic food, clothes (mostly hand me downs), shoes (tidy pair used for school and church) and the almost worn out ones and of course wellies for helping on the small holding and one room in a freezing cold north facing cottage was always warm and cozy (if you were not sat too far back from the fire).  A modicum of prepping has been second nature all my life, stepped up for winters as lived in rural village.  Changed up another gear for the anticipated Brexit date and then shoved firmly into overdrive when I first learned of the pandemic as I knew I would be classed as extremely vulnerable.
As well as planning to be very well stocked for the next winter I am mindful of those in severe need and trying to fill a decent sized carrier bag every 2 weeks or so, the food bank volunteers will kindly collect, as I am shielding and my OH is only venturing out amongst the public once a week to try and protect me.
I am sad that so many people who visit these boards have jumped to (very wrong) conclusions about how the rest of us live our lives without knowing our back story's.  Whenever any of my friends of family ask how I am I always say "I am fine". a) I don't want them worrying about me if there is nothing immediate that they can do and b) if I think and say "I am fine", then I will be, people should not dismiss the power of positive thinking, something all you lovely people know and practice in spades.     Thank you.

jk0

In view of the recent lack of flour, I am wondering about freezing some. Would flour still deteriorate at -18 C?

Si_Clist

American preppers seem to be into freezing flour (and canning it!), but I guess it's a question of how long exactly are you thinking of?  Our current stash of wholemeal spelt flour's BBE is September this year, but we know from experience it'll still be perfectly OK next Easter.  And that's stored in the dry, at room temperature, in plastic bags.

Don't forget that all being well this year's harvest will be milled August/September, and that flour will have at least a year's date on it ...