PRIVATION AND TOWNIES
Today’s burning question is, can you "go back" to privation after you’ve wallowed in the vast cesspool of luxurious Yuppie Scum-ness? I didn’t just pull this out of my butt, as I’ve recently decided to move back to town. As you all know, I finally pulled my head out of my ass and jumped back into the dating pool and to my astonishment and delight found a worthy companion. And having made such a discovery, the first in thirty years, I’m certainly not going to queer the deal by insisting an old women ( eight years my senior, but pretty easy on the eyes for her advanced age ) drop a perfectly good home-almost paid for- and move out to the homestead and crap in a bucket. At first we were living in our own homes with visits overnight about half the week once we started bumping uglies, but as one thing will lead to another the honeymoon phase devolved into a permanent-ish living arrangement. I’ve moved in and started paying rent. Not that I have to, we are both financially independent, but because I can’t see living off of a women ( male chauvinist pig that I am ). And it won’t be forever-five years the sucker is paid off with my rent going to the mortgage. Then I just have to contribute nominal expenses. This assumes the ass doesn’t fall out of the economy prior, which I plan on happening. In short, I might appear to be "going townie" and giving up on off grid living, but I see it as a short term situation at best.
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I haven’t giving up much bike riding, either. I ride out round trip several times a week to keep an eye on the place ( and have moved some high value items into town, so that makes things actually more secure than they were for the six months after the last ex-wife left and the place was unattended during work hours. Now they go that way around the clock, but theft is now less of a concern. Vandalism perhaps more so, but I now have neighbors moved in close on two sides and I don’t worry too much. So far, the damnable canines run amok have caused all damage not wind related ), plus go the very long way around to work, so I’m still riding forty miles a week verses the old sixty. The ideal situation would be for the girlfriend to move out to my place, but except for dumbass Yuppie Preppers who think they have all the time in the world to prep, and furthermore only the disaster they wish for will occur, the ideal circumstance never happens as we all know. You just make do and improvise. I’ve covered logistics and security with my move, but the question remains. Will I get soft and lazy by moving into town? Or will my long experience prove corruption proof? More in the next article.
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The love given is called "motherly love".
ReplyDeleteAs if she adopted an orphan (same love).
Only 8 years senior, not 18
DeleteI can't say a word. I myself found a great woman that is all about as big a pantry as possible and not wasting any money. She won't about to live in the van down by the river so I came to her place. It's almost weird to have a partner that "gets it" when so many believe things are going to keep on going forever. Every man should climb out of the hole when a good opportunity comes by.
ReplyDeleteWonderful fuzz you have there!
van by the river-Saturday night live reference.
DeleteHere's a link to a youtube video that I think will be of interest to you and some of the other readers Jim. He used roll caps, but I also recall Kurt Saxon covering the recipe for fulminate of mercury, in the Poor Man's James Bond. The cap and ball revolver will be the “semi-auto” of the future.
ReplyDeleteMaking your own percussion caps for black powder shooting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMs3HeAo9EI
I think Kurt only covered it in his video, not his books
Deletethe little brain...
ReplyDeleteenjoy it as long as it last
good luck
nice hair
attention: notice correct usage of hair love
Delete"Today’s burning question is, can you "go back" to privation after you’ve wallowed in the vast cesspool of luxurious Yuppie Scum-ness?"
ReplyDeleteShort answer -- Yes.
First off, I'm glad things are looking up for you. Life is too short to be lonely. Plus, just because you can live in a pit and poop in a bucket doesn't mean you have to do it 100% all the time.
We started over 20 years very hard core "Little House on the Prairie". I would use a hand pump to pump all our water. This includes pumping 50 gallons, twice a week. Heating it on the wood stove and using a wringer washer to wash cloth diapers. And of course, we would hang them all to dry -- winter and summer.
We used mostly kerosene or propane lights. Had a small DC fridge. We would have to park our cars at the base of our hill and walk in for 4-6 months out of the year due to snow.
Now we are almost civilized. I use LED lights, have a computer with satellite internet, have a freezer and a full size propane fridge, use a 12 volt RV pump to have running water from our cistern and heat it with an on-demand propane water heater. We also have a tractor to plow the snow. And we have a regular front-load washer. (Still no dryer -- I just hang everything up on racks or clothes line.)
So over the years things have gotten a lot easier. Which is good because we have gotten older.
Every so often some convenience item will break and we'll just drag out our old way of doing something. I see it like stair steps. We go up a couple of steps in luxury but with just a little fixin', we can step back down as needed.
If you have experienced living with few luxuries, it's not hard to go back. You might not want to but at least mentally, you know that you've done it once so you can do it again.
Survival is first and foremost a MENTAL exercise.
This is why I am glad that I am raising my 3 kiddos out in the boonies. Even if they grow up and decide to be Yuppie scum and move to the big city, if something ever happens, they know how to live fairly primitive. They've done it once so they know they can do it again.
Idaho Homesteader
I like your way of putting it. Why aren't you blogging? Besides the low pay and high expectations?
DeleteThat family of home schoolers in Arkansas blogged .... then they got raided ....
DeleteHadn't heard anything
DeleteAdaptation - a key survival trait
ReplyDeleteimprovise, overcome....
DeleteYou're just like the rest of us : not getting younger.
ReplyDeleteOne day you won't be able to ride that bike, and then you'll walk to the grocer.
hmmm, I didn't think of it as a retirement plan
DeleteLooks like someone put his toe in the dating pool and got sucked away in the riptide. Good for you! Life is too short to not get laid.
ReplyDeletepreaching to the choir
DeleteI'll get right to the point. YOUR A FRICKEN DUMBASS! This "new" thing is causing you to revert back to the old ways, after being a 4 time loser you think that you can make this one work? Your old place will be looted, and you will stop biking, and all your prepping and outlook on the future will be for naught.
ReplyDeleteIs it really worth it for some smelly fur covered skin fold? And to think I used to respect and admire you.
Reread the part about the place being left unattended all day while I work, regardless of this new development. And the new next door neighbors
DeletePlease tell us you be jokin!?!
ReplyDeletei beshat you not
DeleteGASP!!!
ReplyDeleteyou ok? breath
Deletenot asking for much, are you?
ReplyDeleteOh great Bison of the Desert....it is wonderful that you have found someone to smooth your glorious mane back from over your noble brow, but we wonder....
ReplyDeleteDoes this mean no more diet of "survival hardtack"?
Will you be writing more...or less?
We realize getting nooky is time consuming, but please continue your literary efforts for your many minions!
How did this lady manage to ensnare you after you had all but swore off female companionship? Inquiring minds want to know!
Actually, MORE writing, as this one is supportive of it rather than dismissive. I might actually try a novel again. As to last question- you ALWAYS find a relationship when you don't try to. I know it might be different with gals, being the stalkers/hunters. Plus, there is that whole "mostist favorite of Baby Jesus" thing I got going on.
DeleteIt's OK Jim, really!
ReplyDeleteBut the guy is right about the semi auto usefulness. SHTF and all it takes is for me to squeeze off two or three more rounds and I get to keep on breathing.... sounds like a REAL bargain. There is a time to be CHEAP but not when your life depends on it. Be real. Do you REALLY care if some dip shit survivalist blows through 3000 rounds in a single firefight????? I DON'T!
My D.I always said there is a VERY fine line between being a hard ass and a dumb ass. Which side of the line are you on?
YKW
MM
I like to think, dumbass
DeleteDang... Jim's love life got what may be the most comments I've seen at one time.
ReplyDeleteHell man, add some hardcore porn to an article or two and see what happens.
:-)
You mean, like gun porn? I was answering commits on those for a week
DeleteWhoa! You've become a town mouse?!!?
ReplyDeleteOn Monday you'll probably reveal you have HBO and high-speed internet.
On Tuesday you'll admit you bought a car. Cuz, you know a man's got to have his wheels!
On Wednesday you'll buy a $200 pair of high-top basketball shoes, which you'll refer to as your "kicks."
On Thursday you'll shamelessly announce you got a tattoo and a nipple piercing, and then celebrated by going to Starbucks and drinking a caramel latte.
Where will It end?
With me living in Idaho, and putting ads for thermal imaging goggles on the site. Oh, and getting someone else to write this crap
DeleteYou'll need a website with your own line of survival products.
DeleteI almost forgot. Great hair, as always, and not a lock out of place.
Now that, my well-picked hirsuite friend, is a retirement plan to aim for. You just watch the blog write itself and chime in occasionally if something occurs to you. I can't not look over there every day, but the skim is faster and faster.
DeleteAt Bison Prepper, I have to go back through 5 posts and look for the 34 new responses by loyal minions and Sir.
Self-loaders can shoot once slow, too. Train for fast mag changes with 2 rounds per mag and some timed targets. Points for accuracy, discounts for how slow you are. Of course, you may be training to drop mags with 28 rounds remaining.....
pdxr13
Training will overcome semi issues. If you train. How many "train" for PA diet? See what I mean. Just saying.
DeleteNo buckets here, dammit.
ReplyDeleteHey Jim,
DeleteWow, am I happy for you. I can tell you from experience that asking a woman to poop in a bucket can limit your choices! Having a good woman by your side is worth more than money or preps. You have the opportunity to have the best of both with the famous bug out location already in place.
The good news is that you are fairly well prepped out and just adding to your stash as time goes by. There is a security issue with you not being there as often, but you had the same deal with being gone for long periods of time during work anyway, so it is kind of a wash except you are now moving part of your stash to another location. Smart move in my opinion.
I am sure she loves the hair (My part, cause you may not like what is next, hehe)
Why not get a bolt gun, or more than one, with several hundred rounds for each and if that is taken care of, why not get a semi in a different caliber so you won’t burn up all of the ammo for the bolt gun? Makes sense to me. I like 7.62 NATO aka 7.62x51, aka .308 Winchester for a semi and it is a common round for military. I know there is technically a wee bit of difference in the NATO version and the .308 Winchester round, but in a pinch they will chamber and fire just fine.
PTR makes an American made version of the HK-91 in semi auto and the surplus genuine HK mags are still just a few bucks each. They used to be 99 cents each for the aluminum ones a few years ago when the German military got rid of them to go to a different platform. Still a bargain but almost gone, so get them ASAP if you want them at all. The steel ones have always been higher, but 15 years ago they were all about $40 plus shipping! We could also experience panic buying as soon as next year with the (S)election cycle. You know how much Hitlery loves guns!
MOFreedom
Time is short for dirt cheap wheat, most guns, steel ammo, god knows what else. I could go down to the gun store and buy my choice today. It would be better than cash savings. But I also think I won't ever get those saving back up if I do that. Not great choices ,just throwing the dice here.
DeleteI read an article recently that decades of medical research have shown that drinking coffee improves health, to the contrary of the conventional wisdom that said it increased the risk of cardio disease and stroke. Even heavy coffee drinking (within reason, anything can be over done) doesn't seem to increase the risk of heart disease or stroke.
ReplyDeleteSo, we should all continue drinking coffee. It will thicken your already glorious mane and turn the heads of all the ladies of greater Elko. But, be careful, you don't want to make the new girlfriend too jealous.
I've always sworn by the miracle properties of coffee. Tea drinkers are commies.
DeleteCongrats Jim! Good things apparently do come to those who deserve it, at least every now-and-then. Kinda' weird to see some of the replies from a couple folks on the negative "I can't believe it" side. They must be either kidding or just gluttons for your punishment. Yet, your responses remain humble, witty, and entertaining, as usual. Stay happy my friend - (but not too damn happy to keep writing though!)
ReplyDeleteMust keep writing. Plenty of envious of the hair types at my work keep the stress high. Job used to be near free money, now seems to be getting more corporate. Bosses crap in the nest, then the peasants get to try to clean it up.
DeleteStay irreplaceable: actual hands-on equipment working-fixing guy. You may survive complete top-down management turnover as "the old guy who knows everything and everyone". Be worth at least twice what you are being paid, and smile often. Keep a daily diary with work you did and abuse you endured.
DeleteThe Corporates do this to suppress your quarterly review scores.....play their game with a vengence. If you have a smarty-camera, sew up a chest pocket to fit it perfectly for body-cam and audio recording. All contacts should be recorded, if only to prove that there was no grab-ass by you when accused.
pdxr13
Or, full in view camera, to keep everyone very nervous. It would be fun, anyway
DeleteLord Jimmy has glock in his future ... with a tactical light and bayonet...
ReplyDeleteLord James. Forgive me but I have tried to post a comment twice but my google profile keeps being logged off by my adult son. Anyway, i am good to comment now I think.... Congrats on the new romance. It may usher in Armageddon since we survived you paying off your child support. Please keep writing and I see you are responding comments on the week-end. 7 day a week Jimbo. There is a God. Anyway, keep it coming. Minions old and new love the hair.
ReplyDeleteAnd don't forget the "end is nigh" scare when Jack In Da Crack came to town. Although, their tacos did turn out to be a false prophet.
DeleteNighshift, you are so right!!!!
DeleteHow could I have forgotten the broader implications. This is a true sign of impending doom. Jim is actually.......happy.
The fickle winds of fate will surely swirl into a twister of epic proportions to flick Bison off of lovers leap. I believe a eerily foreshadowing of this can be found in the two base jumpers who died after jumping in Yosemite. Their parachutes mysteriously did not open. That too is a sign.
Time to make the last minute Costco run and stock up the beans and rice. (Already have the wheat storage squared away.)
Jim, for your loyal minions, please have a cup of tea - just this one time - and examine the leaves so we can know the form of our destructor.
Idaho Homesteader
I can look into coffee grounds to discern our fate. Things look...dark.
DeleteIsn't there a flintlock BP pistol they sell, comes with a bayonet on it? Did I imagine that?
ReplyDelete
ReplyDelete12:20 is one of the few that seems to be making any sense around here Jim.
Give a man a fish, and he eats for a day. Give a man something fishy smelling, and his principles go right out the window! Bad idea for a man to cohabitate with a female in this brave new feminist world; even worse of one to marry.
I know that I'm just wasting words here, but it's only because on some level that I actually do care, seeing as you're my favourite survival writer. I suppose I'll continue to follow for the time being, but I'm not gonna lie; I can't help but feel great disappointment. What separated you from the others was that you were living true to your principles, but now it seems as if you've abandoned those principles along with your homestead.
I completely understand the need for companionship. But we all know where this is going, and it never ends well for you. Is having a girlfriend while maintaining a separate residence really so awful?
Oh, and a word of advice, in case the reason is not woefully obvious; do not keep your firearms at her house.
I understand exactly what you are saying. I really do. But keep in mind my primary reason for moving off grid was immediately financial. Secondary was to weather the economic collapse. Only third was I going for long term survivalism. None of that has changed, mostly because I don't feel I need to do anything else prep wise. I'm as ready as I plan on being. So right now, it is about quality of life. Not luxuries but satisfaction/contentment. A miserable hermit has a great chance of surviving, but life is crap. It is like my care free look at aging and dying. I want to life without pain, not just live long. The homestead is less than an hour away. Three hours top on foot out of sight. Rawles is living true to his principles-walking the walk. Does that make his advise now more palatable than mine? Peace, brother.
Delete"Rawles is living true to his principles-walking the walk. Does that make his advise now more palatable than mine?"
ReplyDeleteNot really James, since Rawle's was so laughably PC from the beginning that I could never take him seriously. You were like a breath of fresh after migrating from his site to yours.
Apologies for being too harsh. While I personally feel that it's a bad move, it's your life and I wish you the best, and will continue to support and follow your site. Though I get the distinct feeling that things won't quite be the same around here anymore?
But something to consider is that you could have indulged in a few luxuries while at the homestead, in order to make life a bit more comfortable, but chose not to. A cheap beater vehicle hauling a water tank, 5 gallon propane tank for propane fired water heater, as well as comfort heating, smartphone for tethering capability so that you could have had weekend internet, etc and so on. Would all of this have exceeded the rent that you're paying now? Oh well, something to consider if things don't work out with your lady friend. As you've mentioned, it's all stuff that you've proved that you can live without if you ever need to, but in the mean time, it would have made for a more comfortable life. Personally I hate having neighbour's, and like more open space, so I'd take the homestead over town life anyday, but that's just me :)
Not "too harsh". Remember, its not about stuff, but about having a mate who improves my life. I'll try to keep things the same here, or better.
Delete