What Just Happened?

[Dennis1209]

Wednesday, September 11, 2013.

 

Being retired and arising out of bed at 8:00 A.M. to a gorgeous day in the country, as my feet hit the floor I'm trying to decide the order of the day? I have chickens to tend, 3 acres of grass that really needs cutting, 2 acres of pasture that hasn't seen a bush hog in a year, and a bushel of green beans I picked yesterday that need canning but, I have to take the wife grocery shopping first, before I get all dirty, hot and sweaty working around here for the day.

 

After I drain my four gallon bladder that completely filled over night and make the bathroom habitable for the wife with my flatulence, I stumble down to the kitchen and start to make a pot of coffee for us and hit the on switch.

 

It will take about 15 minutes for the coffee to brew in our old coffee maker so I'll jump in the shower and it will be finished when I get clean and shiny. Get in the shower, adjust the temperature and hit the shower gizmo and start washing my hair first as usual. Man this feels good, hot water pouring over my body and I'm coming to life. Then...

 

The water pressure begins to drop rapidly as I'm trying to get the shampoo off my head and face. I don't know if Prell shampoo burns the eyes but, I don't want to find out! There was just enough water pressure to rinse the shampoo off my head and face. Great I'm thinking, what a time for the well pump or well pressure tank to take a dump!

 

I dried off and was getting dressed when the wife finally got up. I told her the coffee was ready by now and I'll join her as soon as I finish. I really wanted to shave but it would have to wait until I figured out if it was the well pump, pressure tank or electrical problems.

 

Heard the wife yell up that the coffee was not even started and she hit the switch a couple of times and nothing. Then she noticed the microwave and oven didn't have the digital time displayed, hit the light switch and nothing, then yelled up to me the power is out!

 

Thinking to myself, GOOD! It's not the well water pump, pressure tank or electrical, just a short power outage. For some reason around here the power has hiccups every month or two and the alarms clocks, microwave and stove start flashing midnight when it comes back on, but it's all blank now.

 

Well, I'll just have to occupy myself so I sit down in my recliner and grab the television remote and suddenly remember, I hope the wife didn't see that!

 

Sitting in my recliner thinking how stupid that was grabbing the remote with no electricity, I was looking out my front window at the road. Normally only maybe a dozen or so cars travel my country road in a day. I counted 57 cars in just a matter of ten minutes? Is this a parade or something on our little country road?

 

Oh well, there must be a large yard sale or liquidation sale close by and dismissed it.

 

I ask the wife if she is ready to go to the grocery store so I can get my day started. As usual, I get the standard I'm doing my hair and makeup crap. So I know that will be at least an hour, if not more! So I boil some water on my propane gas range and pour it in the automatic coffee maker and have a cup of patience, no two cups of patience!

 

Finally with little daylight remaining the wife says she's ready to go but first would like to have a cup of coffee also. I've learned many mango seasons ago that if you needed to be somewhere at noon, you told the spouse you absolutely had to be there at 10:00 A.M.

 

Finally, after a man's eternity we are in my old Dodge diesel truck and I fire her up and trek the ten miles to our local IGA store. On the ten mile trip things are so very abnormal, for a Wednesday morning there's twenty times the traffic on these country roads as there ought to be. Must be some special event or something I'm not aware of I'm thinking?

 

As we are approaching our local IGA grocery store I notice the parking lot is completely filled and people are rushing about in what looks like a panic and are tossing their stuff in their vehicles instead of the normal packing it? I'm nervous and thinking, what's going on? The wife and I begin to talk about it and if we should even try to park and attempt to go in?

 

We elected to not compete with the mob and started to head home. It wasn't imperative we do our grocery shopping today, it could wait until whenever? Talking we suggested that it must have been one hell of a sale or three fer and sort of laughed at it.

 

Upon arriving home my closest neighbors of ½ mile away were there to greet us? As we were driving up our two hundred yard driveway they appeared anxious and stressed? Not even ready to exit the vehicle they were shouting, “did you hear, did you hear”? Hear what I exclaimed...

 

The point being, whether it's an economic collapse, nuclear war, EMP, major solar coronal mass ejection, multiple terrorist attacks, major earthquake, or whatever...

 

If you wake up one morning and things are amiss, are you prepared to survive an extended period of time when you wake up and don't smell the coffee?

[RED333]

I can only pray we can.

[frankmako]

yes, i am.

[Tedro2022]

The wife makes fun of me for having coffee stocked up and in the bug out bag, but danged if I'm gonna miss my morning coffee!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

[Oh Shoot]

The wife makes fun of me for having coffee stocked up and in the bug out bag, but danged if I'm gonna miss my morning coffee!

 

Well, since many if not most coffee drinkers when suddenly deprived will get a headache and generally just feel a bit off kilter, a situation where you need all your wits is not the best time to suddenly be without it.

 

- OS

[whiskey]

Note to self: don't go to IGA without riot gear.

P.S. I do have a percolator pot in the garage.


Enjoyed the post.

[Trekbike]

Well, since many if not most coffee drinkers when suddenly deprived will get a headache and generally just feel a bit off kilter, a situation where you need all your wits is not the best time to suddenly be without it.

- OS

I never was a coffee drinker but I used to get my caffeine via a soft drink in the morning. Anytime I missed drinking one I would have a headache most of the day. Didn't like that so I gave up all drinks with caffeine about about 8 years ago. You get used to it after a while.

[Paladin132]

I am confused, you said if we don't smell the coffee, but obviously one CAN smell the coffee given the right preparedness :)

[Moped]

Boys, all you need is a pot, some water, a fire and some grounds and you in business! We don't need no stinkin' power!

[Oh Shoot]

Boys, all you need is a pot, some water, a fire and some grounds and you in business! We don't need no stinkin' power!

 

Point is, first rule of a gunfight is to have a gun, first rule of making coffee is to have some coffee :)

 

Ironic that this nation has been hooked on tea from the beginning, and later, coffee too -- two products we can't really grow hardly anywhere if supply lines crap out.

 

- OS

[Raoul]

Point is, first rule of a gunfight is to have a gun, first rule of making coffee is to have some coffee :)

 

Ironic that this nation has been hooked on tea from the beginning, and later, coffee too -- two products we can't really grow hardly anywhere if supply lines crap out.

 

- OS

 

Chicory. Not a great substitute, but passable in an emergency.

[Oh Shoot]

Chicory. Not a great substitute, but passable in an emergency.

 

Might help a tad psychologically, but no caffeine in it, and that's the heart of the matter. Also coffee has MAOIs, which promotes optimism! Not to mention the ole toilet trigger effect. :)

 

In past "emergencies" (power out, short of time, camping)  I have been known to just mix a heavy dose of instant and chug it down cold, just like any other druggie.

 

- OS

Edited August 24, 2013 by Oh Shoot

[Erik88]

Might help a tad psychologically, but no caffeine in it, and that's the heart of the matter.

 

In past "emergencies" (power out, short of time, camping)  I have been known to just mix a heavy dose of instant in a glass and chug it down cold, just like any other druggie.

 

- OS

 

You should pick up a percolator. I bought one on Amazon for maybe $10 "clams" as you call them. It works pretty well but you still end up with grounds in the bottom of your cup.

 

Kelly thinks it tastes better in the percolator. 

Edited August 24, 2013 by Erik88

[Oh Shoot]

You should pick up a percolator. I bought one on Amazon for maybe $10 "clams" as you call them. It works pretty well but you still end up with grounds in the bottom of your cup.

 

Kelly thinks it tastes better in the percolator. 

 

I can make coffee all kinds of ways if I take time to heat the water, that's not an issue. Have perc, squeezer, drip, etc besides actual electric one -- heck you can just boil it like the cowboys did and let grounds settle some, or dump in sieve and pour hot water through, whatever.

 

Time and effort have been my only  "emergencies". The only real emergency is not having any coffee to start with!

 

- OS

Edited August 24, 2013 by Oh Shoot

[Moped]

I can make coffee all kinds of ways if I take time to heat the water, that's not an issue. Have perc, squeezer, drip, etc besides actual electric one -- heck you can just boil it like the cowboys did and let grounds settle some, or dump in sieve and pour hot water through, whatever.

 

Time and effort have been my only  "emergencies". The only real emergency is not having any coffee to start with!

 

- OS

It would, indeed, be an emergency!

[RichardR]

I drank "cowboy coffee" for 20 years before my mother finally bought me a coffee maker out of disgust.

I'd always just tell her that is what teeth was for (to filter out the grinds) but I do have to admit, I haven't drank cowboy coffee at least not at home since getting that coffee maker, I still make it that way while camping though.

[Spots]

[quote name="RichardR" post="1021091" timestamp="1377400547"] I drank "cowboy coffee" for 20 years before my mother finally bought me a coffee maker out of disgust. I'd always just tell her that is what teeth was for (to filter out the grinds) but I do have to admit, I haven't drank cowboy coffee at least not at home since getting that coffee maker, I still make it that way while camping though.[/quote] My old man drank perc coffee for years, then went instant. Now he has one of those always hot coffee makers. He drinks roughly 35-40 cups a day on average (and thats not an exaggeration) and it doesn't matter if its 105 and he is bailing hay or if its 10 below and we are blacksmithing. Sadly, I picked up the habit and drink 12-20 cups a day now. I still make cowboy coffee once a week on sat. night and anytime I go camping. As a note on cowboy coffee. A cup of cold water or a couple of egg shells will settle the grounds, and if its strong enough but to bitter then a small amount of wood ash will make it a little more mild. As far as surviving, I am constantly adapting and improving my plan, and believe that with my skill set and preps I honestly stand at least a decent chance of continuing life. Tapatalk ate my spelling. Edited August 25, 2013 by Spots

[1pointofview]

When it hits the fan, the most prepaired person in the world could be caught by suprise and killed before all the prepping could even begin to be utilized. I prepare and i game plan but in the end, there is a greater more devine need for preparedness that look to. I have food, protection, etc but i will trust in God for direction and protection.

[Jamie Jackson]

Excellent post Dennis!  :up: 

And the start to a very good story...any additional chapters coming?

 

Good point as well. We never know what the day holds.

Our efforts, imho, should allow us to carry on with as little inconvenience, and disruption, as possible.

And being able to lessen our dependence on the established "systems" is always a plus. And it looks to be a necessity in the coming times.

[Dennis1209]

Excellent post Dennis!  :up:

And the start to a very good story...any additional chapters coming?

 

Good point as well. We never know what the day holds.

Our efforts, imho, should allow us to carry on with as little inconvenience, and disruption, as possible.

And being able to lessen our dependence on the established "systems" is always a plus. And it looks to be a necessity in the coming times.

 

 

Of course, but in the interest of brevity and save a whole bunch of cyber ink, I'll skip to the very last chapter and epilogue.

 

You know, the tragedy of one old man not being able to adequately defend his retirement bug out location and no where else to bug out to... With a sparse country population safety in numbers was not achieved since no one wanted to leave their property and possessions and move in with their neighbor to increase security or a force multiplier.  

 

Sparing the graphic details, suffice it to say, "it wasn't pretty what the roving gang-bangers and escaped convicts did to the people that didn't double up or assemble together for their own survival".

 

<the end>

[whitewolf001]

Wednesday, September 11, 2013.

 

Being retired and arising out of bed at 8:00 A.M. to a gorgeous day in the country, as my feet hit the floor I'm trying to decide the order of the day? I have chickens to tend, 3 acres of grass that really needs cutting, 2 acres of pasture that hasn't seen a bush hog in a year, and a bushel of green beans I picked yesterday that need canning but, I have to take the wife grocery shopping first, before I get all dirty, hot and sweaty working around here for the day.

 

After I drain my four gallon bladder that completely filled over night and make the bathroom habitable for the wife with my flatulence, I stumble down to the kitchen and start to make a pot of coffee for us and hit the on switch.

 

It will take about 15 minutes for the coffee to brew in our old coffee maker so I'll jump in the shower and it will be finished when I get clean and shiny. Get in the shower, adjust the temperature and hit the shower gizmo and start washing my hair first as usual. Man this feels good, hot water pouring over my body and I'm coming to life. Then...

 

The water pressure begins to drop rapidly as I'm trying to get the shampoo off my head and face. I don't know if Prell shampoo burns the eyes but, I don't want to find out! There was just enough water pressure to rinse the shampoo off my head and face. Great I'm thinking, what a time for the well pump or well pressure tank to take a dump!

 

I dried off and was getting dressed when the wife finally got up. I told her the coffee was ready by now and I'll join her as soon as I finish. I really wanted to shave but it would have to wait until I figured out if it was the well pump, pressure tank or electrical problems.

 

Heard the wife yell up that the coffee was not even started and she hit the switch a couple of times and nothing. Then she noticed the microwave and oven didn't have the digital time displayed, hit the light switch and nothing, then yelled up to me the power is out!

 

Thinking to myself, GOOD! It's not the well water pump, pressure tank or electrical, just a short power outage. For some reason around here the power has hiccups every month or two and the alarms clocks, microwave and stove start flashing midnight when it comes back on, but it's all blank now.

 

Well, I'll just have to occupy myself so I sit down in my recliner and grab the television remote and suddenly remember, I hope the wife didn't see that!

 

Sitting in my recliner thinking how stupid that was grabbing the remote with no electricity, I was looking out my front window at the road. Normally only maybe a dozen or so cars travel my country road in a day. I counted 57 cars in just a matter of ten minutes? Is this a parade or something on our little country road?

 

Oh well, there must be a large yard sale or liquidation sale close by and dismissed it.

 

I ask the wife if she is ready to go to the grocery store so I can get my day started. As usual, I get the standard I'm doing my hair and makeup crap. So I know that will be at least an hour, if not more! So I boil some water on my propane gas range and pour it in the automatic coffee maker and have a cup of patience, no two cups of patience!

 

Finally with little daylight remaining the wife says she's ready to go but first would like to have a cup of coffee also. I've learned many mango seasons ago that if you needed to be somewhere at noon, you told the spouse you absolutely had to be there at 10:00 A.M.

 

Finally, after a man's eternity we are in my old Dodge diesel truck and I fire her up and trek the ten miles to our local IGA store. On the ten mile trip things are so very abnormal, for a Wednesday morning there's twenty times the traffic on these country roads as there ought to be. Must be some special event or something I'm not aware of I'm thinking?

 

As we are approaching our local IGA grocery store I notice the parking lot is completely filled and people are rushing about in what looks like a panic and are tossing their stuff in their vehicles instead of the normal packing it? I'm nervous and thinking, what's going on? The wife and I begin to talk about it and if we should even try to park and attempt to go in?

 

We elected to not compete with the mob and started to head home. It wasn't imperative we do our grocery shopping today, it could wait until whenever? Talking we suggested that it must have been one hell of a sale or three fer and sort of laughed at it.

 

Upon arriving home my closest neighbors of ½ mile away were there to greet us? As we were driving up our two hundred yard driveway they appeared anxious and stressed? Not even ready to exit the vehicle they were shouting, “did you hear, did you hear”? Hear what I exclaimed...

 

The point being, whether it's an economic collapse, nuclear war, EMP, major solar coronal mass ejection, multiple terrorist attacks, major earthquake, or whatever...

 

If you wake up one morning and things are amiss, are you prepared to survive an extended period of time when you wake up and don't smell the coffee?

 

Not cool man, I was reaching for my keys and coming up with an excuse to leave work about 3/4 of the way through, lol.

Edited August 28, 2013 by whitewolf001

[Guest uofmeet]

I don't drink coffee nor tea or soda's.....So if coffee goes, I am good.

[Spiffy]

 

 

If you wake up one morning and things are amiss, are you prepared to survive an extended period of time when you wake up and don't smell the coffee?

 

That's what the guns are really for.......... armed raids on coffee plantations!

[Jamie Jackson]

Of course, but in the interest of brevity and save a whole bunch of cyber ink, I'll skip to the very last chapter and epilogue.

 

You know, the tragedy of one old man not being able to adequately defend his retirement bug out location and no where else to bug out to... With a sparse country population safety in numbers was not achieved since no one wanted to leave their property and possessions and move in with their neighbor to increase security or a force multiplier.  

 

Sparing the graphic details, suffice it to say, "it wasn't pretty what the roving gang-bangers and escaped convicts did to the people that didn't double up or assemble together for their own survival".

 

<the end>

 

Excellent points Dennis.

 

The fantasy of the lone wolf mentality may be appealing to some readers of PAW fiction…but it is just that, a fantasy.

 

I read Mel Tappan’s “On Survival” back in the 80’s. Even then he stressed the common sense need for community.

 

While we all need to “know a little something about everything”, no one or two people can “know everything about everything”.  And we all succumb to fatigue and illness given the proper circumstances.

There is strength in numbers…something I think we all already know.

 

Forming a M.A.G. or a Mutual Assistance Group now, with only the everyday stress of life (God knows that is enough) before an untenable situation arises just makes sense to me.

 

 

 

 

Besides…some member of your group is bound to have some coffee stored. LOL :pleased:

[JAB]

Sparing the graphic details, suffice it to say, "it wasn't pretty what the roving gang-bangers and escaped convicts did to the people that didn't double up or assemble together for their own survival".

 

<the end>

 

 

Looking at it from a different perspective, I say bring on the roving gang bangers and escaped convicts.  After all, I'll need to restock my meat supplies somehow.

 

Seriously, though, with my mom as a neighbor on one side and my sister, her husband and kids on the other I don't worry too much about being caught 'alone' in an emergency.

Edited September 3, 2013 by JAB