Can you top this for paranoia?

I'd appreciate reading any of your most embarassing moments in Y2K preparation when you feared that those who were aware of your actions might take future actions against you along the lines of "They won't prepare, but they'll remember".

This is a serious post. I'm worried about the naysaying idiots who are mocking me now who will remember what I've stockpiled. Here is my example:

I've received three shipments of dehydrated and freeze-dried foods at the factory where I work. I wanted the foods to be shipped via UPS to my residence, but through shipping errors due to food company aberrations and misunderstandings, I've had these boxed foods delivered at the factory, which is where the freight truckers can ship commercially. The suppliers could not send the foods to my residence, so the commercial rerouting was mandatory.

The items were received at the Receiving Department and then forklifted to my workcenter, which is on the other side of the factory. Numerous Union workers saw these foods being moved. Most are Pollyannas, who have guns and are redneck hunters who drink beer. They scoff at Y2K.

During the third shipment I heard one worker say, "Not again!". I opened a door and saw three workers gawking at the boxes. One said, "Green peas?" I told him that only one person knew where this would be relocated. He responded, "In your stomach". The others laughed.

An earlier shipment caused one foreman to remark during a snowstorm that I should be hitting my provisions. I was not amused since I have never talked to him about Y2K. I realize many in the factory are now aware I have stockpiled much food. However, NO ONE there realizes the extent to which I have prepared. This makes me feel uneasy because when the economy collapses, the mockers who have not prepared will remember what they saw. They don't know about the massive quantities of canned goods, TP and other amenities I have stored, so that doesn't provide me with any substantial confidence in dealing with their possible future inquiries.

I hope to transfer this stuff to my family members out in the country, but it won't happen until TSHTF. By then will it be too late?

Do you real the same uneasiness? If so, how will you prepare to face those who will pound on your door?

-- Randolph (dinosaur@williams-net.com), June 04, 1999

Answers

Sorry for the typos.

Do you feel the same uneasiness?

-- Randolph (dinosaur@williams-net.com), June 04, 1999.

Honestly, do you think I should buy a gun for protection? I hate guns, but now I wonder if I'm in over my head...

-- Randolph (dinosaur@williams-net.com), June 04, 1999.

Paranoia? No. Embarrassment, yes.

I was buying a very large amount of various can goods at the grocery store. While piling them on the conveyor belt, I heard two elderly women talking. They were feeling very sorry for my family, because they thought every thing that we ate must come from a can. One of them finally leaned over and whispered to me, that they had fresh squash on sale, and it really wasn't very hard to make. She even offered to tell me how. Boy, was I embarrassed! Kinda like having someone critique your laundry skills when your laundry is hanging on the line! :-)

-- Dian (bdp@accessunited.com), June 04, 1999.

Dian:

Your scenario does not seem to be bad in the long term. Perhaps they will forget what you've stockpiled. If they don't know where you live, then you can rest easy.

-- Randolph (dinosaur@williams-net.com), June 04, 1999.

Dian, I hadn't eaten anything except salmon and occasional tuna out of a can in more than 10 years. I felt embarassed the first time I filled my cart...then I got over it. I can just imagine those little ladies trying to help you out!

My first E-moment was when the checkout clerk asked if I ran a school. Lots of TP, paper towels, beans, plus we had some ballons, various assortment of kids games, pencils and tablets of paper.... It wasn't embarassing, it just caught me off guard; never expected to be questioned about why I was buying something.

Wonder what the girl thought the next week when I loaded up on tampons, pads, matches, candles, and butane? Six month backpacking trip in Alaska?

At this point she smiles and chats with good humor ... either she knows or I've frizted out her incredibility threshold.

-- Shelia (Shelia@active-stream.com), June 05, 1999.

Randolph, This is not the exact same thing but still a consern to us.....

I have a sister (and her husband,& grown child), they will be living with us if it gets bad next year. They are helping us prepare and completly GI.

We wonder when they should come here? Should they bring thier own bed? (most people favor thier own bed). At what point do we talk/drag our 85 yr old father to our warm house. Do we let him do as he pleases or because we "know what is best" just not take him home for a few weeks/months. He lives 5 hours away and the trip may not be easy if gas is hard to come by and the streets might not be safe.

I think my family will keep on working as long as there is a "job" to go to, even if they have no heat or water.

I am conserned about them being able to get everything the need/want to have here. You should see the SIZE of thier bug-out bags!! We have a huge house and plenty of storage, I wish they would store things here and then they can have the freedom of traveling light. If Y2k is a bump then they can take everything home. No big deal.

As for leting people know how much we have in our basement... we dont even let the kids know, kids talk too much.

Bulldog

-- bulldog (sniffin@around.com), June 05, 1999.

Mine was at the the welding shop. Needed a platform and tie brackets built and installed on my car-hauler trailer. Explained, foolishly, that they were to accomodate fuel drums. Guys knew I race dry lakes and Bonneville and had a great time teasing me about fuel mileage. Didn't let on as they live near by and DGI.

-- Carlos (riffraff1@cybertime.net), June 05, 1999.

Walmart checker: "Boy, that's a lot of rice!" Me: "We have a large family." Walmart checker: "There's no way you can eat all that rice!" Me: "We have a VERY large family." Walmart checker: "Lots of people are buying rice for that computer problem." Me: "What computer problem?..."

-- Helen (sstaten@fullnet.net), June 05, 1999.

Randolph....

I hear and feel your pain. I learned about Y2K during the summer of '98 and I began preparing earlier than most people could fathom. By October, I had walked into Sun Harvest, a health food chain, and exited with 500lbs of wheat, rice, beans, lentils, corn. That wasn't anything near the embarrassment of packing 20 six and a half gallon screw lid buckets in front of my wife, who was in disbelief. Please honey, can you twist the twisty ties after I toss in the oxygen absorbers so I can run as fast as I can behind you to screw the lids on. She reluctantly helped and we had a few words to boot. The 10 gallons of olive oil seemed questionable to her too, not to mention 10 lbs of powdered high quality vitamin C. 200$ worth of vitamin C. Then the solar panels followed and the D.C. well pump with some other trimmings amounting to 5,000$ in a heart beat. 2,000$ more of more solar panels to pressurize the house with water. Do you think my Wife would think I've flipped my wig if she was a G.I.? She wasn't a G.I. then and she is breaking out of Pollyland as we speak just to keep her sanity.She likes to eat and the 100 lbs of risota pasta and 35 lbs of TVP along with the 900 lbs of grains, legumes and beans, not to mention the 22 cases of wide mouthed quart sized jars and pressure canner seem to reassure her tempted palate. Yes, it has taken its toll Randolph and it will continue until I've gotten 10 shelves packed 4 ft wide and 8 ft. tall with canned goods which is half full. Wild eyed fanatics get crazy looks sometimes.

-- Feller (feller@wanna.help), June 05, 1999.

You COULD be buying for a church (or other organization) dinner, political fundraiser, etc..

-- Mad Monk (madmonk@hawaiian.net), June 05, 1999.

And Randolph,

to specifically answer you question, yes, as my wife dropped her jaw, I purchased a .45 colt automatic, 12 guage shotgun and a .22 semi-auto rifle with 800 .45 rounds and 1000 mixed 12 guage rounds and 3,500 .22 rounds until she said,"ENOUGH!" Randolph I suggest you diplomatically disarm anyone packin' who thinks you are filled to the gills. Get a 870 remington 12 guage with 00 buck shot. If you keep it beaded on your unwelcomed guests, I don't think you'll have to use it at all.

-- Feller (feller@wanna.help), June 05, 1999.

As we stood in line at Sam's club, the man behind us inquired about the amount of food on our "flat". "Are you opening a resturant or something?" Yep. "Well, where?" My husband said we hadn't decided yet! The look that guy gave his wife was like something from an episode of Archie Bunker!

-- Will continue (farming@home.com), June 05, 1999.

Randolph, I know how you're feeling with regards to wondering what could happen if food supplies run low and people know that you've got some squirrelled away. Here comes the quick, hard advice. Determine whether or not you're willing to do whatever is absolutely necessary to keep your family safe. If you are then damn your gun sensitivity, get a handgun, rifle or shotgun (or all three); learn how to use them safely and invite some of your redneck coworkers out to the shooting range sometime. If people know that your stockpiling goods, but also know that you've got a means of defense, then only the most foolhardy or hungry will bother hassling you.

-- A.P. (grim2k@hotmail.com), June 05, 1999.

Feller,

Prefer No.4 buck. Sixteen vs. nine. Better spread, still hammers.

-- Carlos (riffraff1@cybertime.net), June 05, 1999.

Even better for short (and I DO MEAN SHORT) range is reload with 1"pieces of welding rod. NO penetration, the pattern at 10 feet is fairly small but dies at about 25-30 (WAY TOO SPREAD).

One of my Vietnam vet friends talks about reloading OO buck after half cutting the pellets, adding short lengths of piano wire, re- crimping the pellets onto the ends of the wire, and kinda winding them back into the shell casing. Not sure how much whole cloth is involved in the wire stories, but the rod came from an issue of either ASG or SURVIVE, back in the '80's.

Anyhow YMMV.

Chuck

-- Chuck, a night driver (rienzoo@en.com), June 05, 1999.

To Randolph and others with simular plans - Perhaps I'm not understanding what you typed. I really do hope that you are not intending to move more than one carfull of supplies in a crises situation. When the balloon goes up (or in this case when the ball falls) the time to prepare had ended and the time for action (or hunkering down) has begun. Moving xxx# of food and supplies is preparation. You have to ask yourself several "what-ifs". What if I can't move the food at the last minute due to mechanical failure, legal restraints (martial law), bad weather(!), etc. Should I put 100% of my storage food out in my country place ahead of time? What if I can't get there immediately? Perhaps putting some small amount of storage food at home, or just beefing up the amount of standard on-hand food would give you more flexibility to handle problems that come up. Problems are like that you know....

-- Ken Seger (kenseger@earthlink.net), June 05, 1999.

We are done food buying now.

For a while we and another family were walking out of Sams and Giant foods with 3-500 at a clip.

On the rare occasions someone asked, we said we were buying for needy and hungry families. We just neglected to mention that WE might be the hungry families. (in truth, if it amounts to nothing terrible our extra food goes to a local shelter).

To a person not one of them asked anymore questions. Nothing shuts people up faster than the thought they might get asked for a contribution.

Buying packaged food and having it delivered at work? Questionable, but I would just tell them you are purchasing food for a project to feed needy families. Bet you they shut up in hopes you don't ask THEM to help!

-- Art Welling (artw@lancnews.infi.net), June 05, 1999.

The comments received in the checkout line when I bought 40 cans of baked beans in one go!

-- Chris (griffen@globalnet.co.uk), June 05, 1999.

in times of personal,violent,armed confrontation,we have a special word for people with no guns,they're called victims.

-- zoobie` (zoobiezoob@yahoo.com), June 05, 1999.

Update:

During work this Saturday at the factory, I was talking to the cost accountant, Newt (a nickname), and asked him if his fiance (whom he will marry at the end of July) had done any canning. Newt retorted wittily, "Yes, putting cans in her shopping cart." They are both DGIs and indifferent to Y2K and the forthcoming economic collapse. Then I told him about a sale of Tootsie Pops, which will keep for many months due to the hard candy surrounding the Tootsie center, and mention of this confectionary Y2K preparation triggered Newt to blurt out that he had heard I had received six pallets of food! I was shocked.

Apparently while he had been doing some ISO 9000 auditing in the Wiring Department on Friday, a worker had told him I had received six pallets of food. I told him this was a rumor. The fact is that there were three separate shipments: the first was via UPS and the others were via Yellow Freight. Each was forklifted on a single pallet across the factory to my workcenter. One plus one plus one equals three. So how did I receive SIX pallets? The danger of this rumor has DOUBLED what I received! Now I expect even more spin to the point where they might gossip I have received six truckloads! This was bad news for me to hear.

Newt asked why I had the food ("That's a lot of food.") delivered via truck to the factory. I refused to answer any of his questions and told him the "six pallets" was a rumor. He doesn't believe me, so now who knows how many other people he will tell? :(

Many of these grasshoppers don't like me anyway, so I am concerned they will show up armed and hungry. It won't do any good to ignore their poundings on my two doors. They're made of hollow wood. I need new solid wood doors with deadbolts.

In the afternoon my brother stopped in at the factory to use a telephone. I asked him if I could bring some stored food to his house during the coming Depression. He was amused and reassured me nothing that drastic would happen to our economy. I'm counting on him to store a substantial portion of what I have obtained. He has a basement and is located in an ideal site in the country. I'm stuck until TSHTF. Only then will I have a narrow window of opportunity to move the stuff.

I've been bummed out all day about this "six pallet" rumor. The good news is God may very well take all of my provisions away from me to teach me a lesson!

I shan't hoard my provisions when needy people request some help. By maintaining this benevolence, I expect that much will be depleted within a month excepting for that which I will be able to stash at my family's homesteads in the country. So far I've convinced my mother to allow me to store twelve canisters of dry foods stored in her basement. That's a small fraction of what I need to relocate.

I'll answer other posts in subsequent postings.

What I should stop doing is posting late at night when I'm tired and can't focus after a long day. Composition is clumsy and awkward, painful to read and bereft of clarity. My best writing has always been in the late morning. Then again, this posting is lousy, too.

-- Randolph (dinosaur@williams-net.com), June 05, 1999.

Dian:

Those two women who mentioned fresh squash caused me to ponder if they meant canning them. I don't know if canning squash would be worth the effort. I intend to concentrate on green beans, tomatoes and potatoes. If they hoped to help you by suggesting purchase of an inexpensive food to save money, then I would suggest potatoes.

According to nutritionists, potatoes are one of the few foods which contain substantial minerals and vitamins necessary to sustain life. The Irish did very well until that drasted blight infected their prolific tubers. Then it was "Hello, America!"

-- Randolph (dinosaur@williams-net.com), June 05, 1999.

Shelia:

I used to work in a grocery store. When I bagged groceries, I was often curious at large single item purchases. For example, a local drunk (now deceased and hopefully at rest with God) used to buy lots of dry Sherry. When you work at a grocery store or other stores, large volume purchases often trigger verbal responses. It's a common trait for people to have curiosity aroused when viewing abnormal purchases. It's an acceptable excuse to alleviate boredom from performing mundane tasks. I mean, how thrilled were YOU to mop the floors? Baggers and cashiers, you know this. :)

When the current cashiers see me coming, they know I'll request paper bags instead of plastic. Why choose paper bags? Almost every other store uses plastic exclusively. Only in grocery and hardware stores have I been given the chance of requesting paper bags. Paper bags are opaque which allow prying eyes no entry; they can be used to start fires; they can be recycled into custom cut containers to grow seeds and contain transplants; they have other uses. Paper bags are excellent to retain. Don't discard when times are hard...

Paper or plastic?

-- Randolph (dinosaur@williams-net.com), June 05, 1999.

Bulldog:

Man, sounds like you have your hands full!

Big houses are good places to dwell. I live in a rental house with no basement. I don't anticipate having a large number of people moving in as you do.

You pondered when your relatives will come. Good question. The answer might well be WTSHTF. Is your 85 year old father a GI? If not, then there might be problems, such as his stubbornness and refusal to relocate. Even though you are aware, convincing those who are still asleep is very frustrating!

The bad news is that I don't view Y2K as a mere "bump in the road". I view America as being ripe for VERY SEVERE judgment from God. We won't be traipsing through any mild recession. No. We shall endure hardships. America deserves to be punished for gross sins such as abortion and homosexuality. Many Americans do not want to hear this.

This is America's final period of prosperity. After the stock market crashes, the banks will collapse and our lives will be drastically altered. The grasshoppers who are not prepared will panic big time. Every ant must anticipate how to react and what to do when the grasshoppers urgently request advice. As others have posted, you can say to do this and that IF you can obtain this and that. Just In Time inventory will evaporate.

Only this time YOU won't be embarassed, only the stupidly stubborn procrastinators. This will be a severe test of our patience! I think if we show compassion, then God will be merciful.

Yes, little children enjoy spilling beans...

-- Randolph (dinosaur@williams-net.com), June 05, 1999.

Carlos:

If I were you, I would not worry. Sure wish I had some fuel drums. However, I don't have any space to store them. I need to get some 55 gallon plastic water drums, but I don't know where to store them either...

-- Randolph (dinosaur@williams-net.com), June 05, 1999.

Helen:

You gotta laugh at the silly reactions of those Wal*Martians. I do. In my case, it's loading up on bargain TP. They stare at first and then are resigned to ringing up the merchandise... :)

-- Randolph (dinosaur@williams-net.com), June 05, 1999.

Randolph, that bargain TP may not be such a bargain. Compare the Scott's with something like 1000 feet per roll to the bargain with 300 ft per roll (estimate) The Scott's (best on sale) is the better deal. More for your money & storage space.

Hope your troubles resolve soon.

mb in NC

-- mb (mdbutler@coastalnet.com), June 05, 1999.

Carlos: I have the 12 pellet OO buckshot. Each are larger than a .223 in diameter. I think it will work well at long and short ranges. The overwhelming amout of those has gotten many funny looks too.

Randolph: Refering to potatoes at Walmart vs. squash. I agree with the potatoe part and got more funny looks with a cart-load of sugary sam's sweet potatoes in a can. Very caloric for the money, but everything I buy is over 1,000 calories per $1.00 - $1.50 per can(S)....also can find beef stew, beef tamales and chili in that Calorie/price range. The Great Value brand has much to offer too. In the country here, I'll pick cactus for my greens or the tips of those pricky vines after the green bean are gone.

-- Feller (feller@wanna.help), June 05, 1999.

Never thought Id be embarrased, but...

Was at the grocery store yesterday with my 77-year-old-greyhaired little ole fiesty mother. She started berating the checkout clerk, in the loudest voice possible, about not having Y2K preparation handouts for every shopper. People nearby were shifting their eyes anywhere, but on her. After going on with the tirad, her parting shot was Canada does, why dont we?!

(Thanks, Brian)

*Sigh*

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), June 05, 1999.

Feller:

Thanks for reminding me to obtain more olive oil, the kind in large cans. I've read that olive oil stores well and is a healthy oil to ingest compared to coconut or palm oils. Don't ask me how many cans of Crisco I have. (It's probably a number greater than your age.) :)

Only last week did I realize the necessity of canning. In the old days when I was a little child I remember my mother canning grapes to make jelly from a neighbor. The process was very messy and staining. Then she quit and became a modern American, one being dependent upon other's abilities to can food. I perceive I must purchase canning supplies next week when I get my paycheck. When my grocery canned goods are depleted and the grocery stores are empty, then how will I store the produce from my garden? Canning.

"Can, you must. Can not is bad." --Yoda

-- Randolph (dinosaur@williams-net.com), June 05, 1999.

Randolph,

No, I think the ladies were offering to teach me to COOK! ;-)

Dian

-- Dian (bdp@accessunited.com), June 05, 1999.

Mad Monk:

I don't want to lie when cashiers question my abnormally large purchases. I prefer to remain reticent. Usually they stop talking when I refuse to answer. Maybe they think I'm retarded. Maybe they think I'm crazy.

They're total DGIs, so I leave their destiny up to God. If they don't want to prepare, then I won't feel guilty when they panic.

-- Randolph (dinosaur@williams-net.com), June 05, 1999.

Chuck:

You would be a good neighbor. My neighbors are not on your level. They will panic WTSHTF.

-- Randolph (dinosaur@williams-net.com), June 05, 1999.

Ken:

Yes, I do intend to move provisions WTSHTF. My family is obtuse regarding Y2K and the need to prepare. I am ashamed that they will not heed the OBVIOUS WARNING SIGNS while they remain cocooned in their spheres of prosperity.

The actions of reallocating supplies depends upon logistics. I don't think I'll have any major problems when the stock market crashes. I live in a small city (population of 9000+), and I'm prepared to move provisions WTSHTF. The traveling distances to my family's homesteads are less than three miles. If I lived in a large metropolis, then I would worry. I think God will guide my family through the crisis. Amen.

-- Randolph (dinosaur@williams-net.com), June 05, 1999.

Art:

The factory workers are mostly redneck. I hope that doesn't offend any GI posters, but "them is the facts". They are more concerned about visiting the local Eagle lodge to hobnob with beers and gossip rather than preparing. However, some ARE preparing.

Due to these embarassing food shipments, I've had contact with Frank, who is a Vietnam Veteran. He "got it" months before I did. However, he seems to be focusing upon obtaining MREs. These are very expensive compared to dried goods. He won't tell me all that he has done to prepare, and he is well aware I have kept from him and others ALL of my other secret preparations. You would be totally shocked at what I have accomplished. Only God Almighty knows the entire provisions I have made to help my family, friends and neighbors...

-- Randolph (dinosaur@williams-net.com), June 05, 1999.

Chris:

Purchasing numerous cans of baked beans is no big deal. I made a similar purchase last week. If you want to pretend, then tell the cashier you are having an enormous cookout with friends. This might truly happen after Y2K, so buy some extra barbecue sauce just in case. Remember to provide salad greens for fiber!

-- Randolph (dinosaur@williams-net.com), June 05, 1999.

zoobie:

Are you just shooting off at the mouth, or do you have a foolproof plan?

-- Randolph (dinosaur@williams-net.com), June 05, 1999.

mb:

I'm currently using a roll of Scott tissue which had become waterlogged and then mildewed. Normally I would have discarded this roll, but my thinking has been changed by Y2K, and my frugal recycling mode is kicking in. There were four of these waterlogged rolls, and I let them dry out before using them. I think I would be grateful to have any damaged roll of TP when the stores have no more.

I have both Scott and bargain TP. The latter will be easy to hand out and will go farther into more hands. If there was one roll of Scott and three people, would they bother to unroll and reroll it into thirds? Providing smaller rolls of cheaper TP is acceptable. They can pretend it's Scott TP for all I care.

Scott TP is very thin; the bargain brand is thicker and courser. I feel more "confident" using the cheap stuff, if you know what I mean...

Then again, maybe Americans will learn to use another favored worldwide method: the water bowl for personal cleanliness, or for those rugged macho individuals, the thick horizontal rope used in Asia.

-- Randolph (dinosaur@williams-net.com), June 06, 1999.

Diane:

I would have been entertained shopping with your mother. I hope she realizes the cashiers don't set the policies, the managers do. I haven't seen any Y2K preparation information in any of the local stores. Those Canadians sound wiser than the people down here.

-- Randolph (dinosaur@williams-net.com), June 06, 1999.

I was way too high for the supermarket, forgot my list (was shopping for 25lb + items that night), got some questions in the checkout lane. Eek.

-- Mortimer (don't@try.this), June 07, 1999.

We avoided the questions by using several different stores to shop in. Since we have three branches of the same chain within easy 'reach' it wasn't hard to do.

Also, we occasionally use the stores near work, which is farther away from home and we are less likely to run into the same people each time.

Hope this helps, especially with the 'limit 2 to a customer' sales.

And for the comments from the cashier bag/person, just say "Please double bag those." Only you have to know that you meant bag my purchase and your mouth!

-- J (jart5@bellsouth.net), June 14, 1999.