I have lurked here for several weeks and posted a few times. I feel like I know many of you so I will go ahead and relate a new development in my preps.

I have the opportunity to leave California and go live with my mother in Utah to take care of her for a few months. She has a large garden, Mormon canneries, and lots of canning equipment. I am planning on diving into gardening and canning in order to create a good supply for my family. If I can't talk them into going to Utah in the winter, I will bring it to California and hope for the best.

She has said she will help me to get the dry goods and other necessities at low cost. I can work toward setting up her house with alternative energy methods and make it safe and comfortable as possible for next winter. I will also need to make similar plans to bring to my California home.

I don't know if there are enough resources to do everything but at least we will all have food and the basic necessities. Water is almost as bad of a problem there as here if there is little snow. The local lake is polluted by an industry. So water is the real problem either way that I just am stumped on. I will have to get more serious about digging a well in time to get the water tested and a good pump.

I am very weak on these mechanical things and I hope to find help with that part of the prep along the way.

I may not have internet access for short stretches of time, or be so busy working that I can't keep up. But I realize that ongoing information is a critical item and I will try to catch up with this forum as often as possible.

I can see the points made by both the individual and community preparations advocates. I am putting my family first. That will require all my time and resources. Saving and producing enough for a year is a very large project. I will have taken responsibility for meeting the needs of myself and children. After that, I will do what I can to promote alliances, educate, help out, build community, and create neighborhood systems to deal with security and gardening and other large projects that will eventually need to be in place for long term recovery.

I will have to gauge the danger and weigh the pros and cons of letting others know I have prepared. It may turn out to be a bad idea if no one here gets it until Dec. On the other hand, if others are preparing widely by Oct. and ask for my assistance, I would be inclined to participate. This is a wealthy neighborhood and is quite able to afford some large projects if they get it and order the goods in time. If not, their wealth will be of little use to them.

I will let you all know how the garden works out. And give any tips I pick up to those who intend to learn these skills and are previous couch potatoes like myself!

Thanks to you all if I am unable to get back. You have each been of great help and support whether you have known it or not. I really appreciate it!

Hope to continue this y2k community up until TSHTF!

-- Lora Ereshan (artemis45@hotmail.com), February 13, 1999

-- Lora Ereshan (artemis45@hotmail.com), February 13, 1999

Answers

Good luck Lora. One of the hard things to deal with is doing this alone. Often the doubts surface(at least for me) but I always come here for sustinence and I am able to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Keep in touch and let us know how you do with the garden.

-- Mike Lang (webflier@erols.com), February 13, 1999.

Good luck Lora,

My heart went out to you earlier, but now you seem to be well on the road to survival. I shall look forward to your future posts if you can manage to make them especially to hear how you get on with establishing a garden and canning.

I have enjoyed reading your posts and have found myself relating with everything you have had to say. Your candor and open-heartedness has both been refreshing and a delight.

Take care and try not to overdo. You shall need as much strength as you can muster to face what might come. Like you I am hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.

-- Caol (usa-uk@email.msn.com), February 13, 1999.

To Caol and Mike,

You are both so kind, I just have to thank you for your words. You have no idea how much it means to me to hear them!

With much appreciation, Lora

-- Lora Ereshan (artemis45@hotmail.com), February 13, 1999.

Lora, Consider an above-the-ground swimming pool for water storage. You'd get about the most storage for the least amount of money. Get a "winter" cover for it and leave it on to reduce algae growth and air borne contamination. We have an in ground pool that I had seriously considered filling in since all the kids are grown and it is either an eyesore or expensive to keep up. I changed my mind a little over a year ago when I first became convinced of the Y2K problem, and decided that the pool would make a good cistern. I haven't routed my gutter down spouts to fill it when it rains yet, but plan to soon. Lots of luck, and keep in touch.

-- Gerald R. Cox (grcox@internetwork.net), February 14, 1999.

Another option for water storage is the Water Bag.

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), February 15, 1999.