Single woman seeks advice..... With no brothers or sisters, no parents living, and no children or husband, I am pretty self-sufficient; however, now I worry about being alone in Y2K. (and no...this is not a solicitation for a date!!!) I have stored supplies and bought pepper spray for protection. There are neighbors and friends, of course, but they will be taking care of their own families and won't welcome an outsider wanting to stay with them in dire adversity. I am ethical, honest, kind, generous and polite..... good "Christian virtues" without belonging to an organized religion. Nevertheless, have considered investigating churches for good community emergency plans and shelter in a worst case scenario. I could become a more or less sincere member of any church and offer my help to them, as well. My neighborhood (where I have lived for 20 years) mostly consists of apartments with lots of summer rentals and students and very few permanent residents to band together and organize. Being in temperate S. Calif., also, fully one third of the outside surface of my apartment is glass and any person with plunder on his mind who seriously wants to get in, can. I do not want to buy a gun as I believe that would provoke more violence on "their" part that I am not trained to (or disposed to) handle. Any advice for me and other "loners" out here? P.S. I have read this forum every day for the past three months and very much appreciate all of you who take the time to select pertinent articles and websites and pass them on for the rest of us to read. Differences of opinion among experts make us think!! That's what we all have to do! Thanks, again.

-- Joyce (seajoyce@aol.com), June 10, 1999

Answers

Your thought about joining a church is a good one. Many churches are "aware" and some even conduct Y2K seminars. You say you don't own a gun and don't know how to use one. That's easily remedied. If you don't have a natural prejudice against them, buy one and take some lessons. I'd rather have a .357 magnum than some pepper spray if someone is coming through my plate glass window with mischeif on his mind. By the way, don't get your feelings hurt if the King of Spain asks if you like to mud wrestle.

-- Vic (Rdrunner@internetwork.net), June 10, 1999.

Don't know your feeling about pets but you may want to consider getting a dog. When polled in a survey, several years ago, convicts said that a dog was the no. one deterent when deciding which house to break into.

Good luck,

Corr

-- corine l (corrine@iwaynet.net), June 10, 1999.

Are you sure those are friends?

We have decided that we will allow our apartment living friends to stay with us if necessary. More people, less work for each, and the house can be occupied round the clock. Safety in numbers.

Perhaps you have skills to offer???

-- J (jart5@bellsouth.net), June 10, 1999.

Hey Joyce, do you like to ... uhh, go to church and stuff?

You probably would like Karen Anderson's Y2K for Women at www.y2kwomen.com, she covers -- and has a forum devoted to -- Y2K and women's issues.

Good luck!

-- King of Spain (madrid@aol.com), June 10, 1999.

Joyce,

A gun is just a tool, like any other. If criminals routinely used hammers to bash-in people's heads, we'd be prejudiced against hammers too. The day I see a gun jump up off a table and shoot someone, I'll become a gun-control advocate.

Buy the TOOL. Train yourself in its USE. Hope you NEVER have to use it.

Many, MANY years ago (when I was but a wee lad) a rich old guy was being interviewed on 60 Minutes. He was asked why he carried a gun everywhere he went. His answer:

"A gun is like a tourniquet. You may never need one, but if you do, you need it BADLY, and very quickly."

Those words have stayed with me for over 30 years. You drive a car don't you? Did you just JUMP RIGHT IN and drive away? or did you LEARN HOW FIRST?

Food for thought... (lose the prejudice)

-- Dennis (djolson@pressenter.com), June 10, 1999.

"There are neighbors and friends, of course, but they will be taking care of their own families and won't welcome an outsider wanting to stay with them in dire adversity." I would disagree with that assumption.

If you have provided for yourself, and have either tools or talents that will be of significant benefit to them, you would be a welcome addition. I would suggest planning this out before hand however to be more effective. On the tools side maybe becoming a ham operator with a solar power set or just scanner, CB and SW receiver, maybe you can purchase the Coleman stoves or lights that they are reluctant to or are unable to purchase. Know CPR? Taken a EMT course? Have all the supplies to process raw water in to potable? The list is endless. You can even try the "Anybody from SE xx here?"

-- Ken Seger (kenseger@earthlink.net), June 10, 1999.

Joyce,

The Church might be able to help but in addition I would steer you back to your neighbors. You reasoned that they would have there own family to protect. True. But consider this (speculation), If things were to get bad any added food/water/necessities would be welcome to a lone family. In addition consider the psychological effect an added freind would have on this lone family. All positive additions to the "group" would decrease the feelings of isolation. We have some really psycho-savvy people who post here, maybe one of them could explain this better.

Good luck

Mike

-- MidwestMike_ (midwestmike_@hotmail.com), June 10, 1999.

Joyce,

You didn't say whether you lived on the first or second floor of the apartment complex. If it's the first... you might want to consider changing to the second floor. Just ask the management when one will come open. As a single woman, myself, I always found that the second floor apartments have lower crime rates that the first floor ones. Third is even better.

I do own a gun, and when I lived away from the rest of my family, I also owned a dog. If your apartment complex doesn't allow dogs, find a place that does. If one of your friends lives in that complex, so much the better.

Good Luck.

-- DJ (reality@check.com), June 10, 1999.

Take a look at http://www.cassandraproject.org/docs/soloplan.doc

Generally, though, you're better off in a team of some kind.

No matter who you are or what you know or can do, you probably have something to offer, something that makes you an asset to a team. With that in mind, look at the concepts.doc at the same place in Cassandra.

-- bw (home@puget.sound), June 10, 1999.

Hi Joyce,

I agree wholeheartedly with Dennis.

I recently purchased a firearm and train once a week. I hope I never have to use it to protect myself, but I feel better safer than sorrier. I found my local gun shop people to be reasonably helpful with my stupid questions. There are threads here which I found very helpful in terms of what to buy and even what kind of ammo to use for what purposes (i.e. hunting game vs. protecting home).

Ken is also right. If you have supplies and skills, people will want you with them. If they know you reasonably well, so much the better.

There are some on this forum that are no longer scared because they have finished their preps already. I am not one of them.

-- nothere nothere (nothere@nothere.com), June 10, 1999.

Hi Joyce,

You struck a chord there... being a single Dad with a 9 year-old deciding to stay on the so cal coast through rollover was a tough choice, but I'm about a 5 or 6 on the scale of things. All my family is up in Central California, all prepped, etc., so if things really start to go bad, I have a place to bug out. I also considered joining a church, but every one I looked into seemed to kind of glaze over when I felt them out about y2k and preps... Hope you have better luck there than I did.

In the mean time, I moved us into an upstairs apartment, lots of closet space for storage of preps, as well as a big pool for water to flush toilets, bath, etc... limited access that I can easily observe and barricade if need be. Being in the PeeCee side of the computer world, and knowing almost all of our small & medium sized clients are doing little or nothing to get their systems in shape, so unless things go real bad, I'll have a lot of work after the first of the year...

If you can't bring yourself to get a gun, do as the others suggested, get a dog, if living in an apartment, move upstairs, and make sure you have at least one big closet for storage and a balconey for a gas grill... etc...

Also, in case of chemical mishaps, I like the way my new apartment has a large master bedroom with a bathroom, and only one window. I have a large heavy plastic sheet I can tape over the window, as well as tape to seal the door off, and an extra large dark, dry closet to store preps in case we had to stay in there for a while... a nice little city dweller bunker until the air clears....

And if rollover fizzles, at least I'm ready for the next big quake :)

Carl

-- Carl (clilly@goentre.com), June 10, 1999.

ever thought of starting a y2k house?? hers how place add in paper, roomates wanted, explain, its about getting enough apt dwellers together who would like to live in a house and,d o stuff like gardening etc. just a suggestion.

-- al-d. (catt@zianet.com), June 10, 1999.

Go with the dog! IF you find the right one for you they are warm and loving. They also will potentially hurt anybody that trys to harm you. Our dog was like this. He was not trained but he would bark at any person who came up to the house until we let him know that the person was ok. Our dog was the disposable kind, picked right out of the shelter. He became medium sized about 45 pounds and he was a great dog until cancer took him away at 14 years old.

Ned

-- Ned P Zimmer (ned@nednet.com), June 10, 1999.

Hi, Joyce,

I agree with most of the answers given here--get together with some friends. I have one point I haven't seen raised yet. The owners of a small, neighborhood market have opened their food supply catalogs to members of our neighborhood y2k group. A lot of people are reluctant to order the large (#10) cans because they cannot eat them at one sitting, and may not have a way to preserve them after opening. It made me realize that we could order such large items without waste by sharing with others. As it happens, my son and daughter-out-law live next door, so we will have four (at least) people who will be sharing if necessary.

-- malcolm drake (jumpoff@echoweb.net), June 10, 1999.

Joyce,

I sincerely urge you to reconsider your position on gun ownership. I understand how people are easily intimidated by gun use and ownership; I also recognize that in situations involving a confrontation with someone who *does* have a gun, you're pretty much a 'sitting duck', and *very* much at their *mercy*. I've never considered someone who would attempt to hold me at gunpoint very 'merciful'.

Please reconsider. I am a middle aged grandmother of 4, and I consider it my OBLIGATION to my family to know how to defend them, and myself, against those who would encroach upon our safety and liberty.

There are many places where firearms training for women can be obtained. Please re-think your position on why you feel you will be 'safer' with only pepper spray.

-- Wilferd (WilferdW@aol.com), June 10, 1999.

Joyce, please wake up and smell the coffee!! how many Kosovar refugees do you see on nitely news fleeing for their lives after their male family members have been murdered? How many of them are good honest people with good values? Do you think if they all had means of defending themselves they would be hi-tailing it out of town? The fact that you shared your info with this site signifies your still searching for (what else to do) and that is a good thing! How lucky you are not to have many/any encumberances, that is always a good place to start, i.e., tallying your assets and liabilities. Keep in mind, not all people share the same virtues you do, and the nation needs people like you to come thru troubled times successfully, and you cant do that dialing 911. Please in the time remaining , take hold of your fears, ring them by the throat and for God sakes find a trustworthy informed (christian) gun person (NO, that isn't an oxymoron) who can teach you the fundamentals. I can't tell you how many women I have seen totally change their attitude for the positive after taking responsibility for their safety, learning ,shooting and by golly some even enjoying the experience of firearms. It's a two'fer. You get self confidence and defense training all in the same shot,(no pun intended). Hey, you might even find other women at the range that share your concerns! We all have 6 months left, use the time wisely. This is NO time for timidity or hesitation, but for BOLDNESS in our attitudes and actions. If where your coming from hasn't gotten you where you want to be, throw out the damn map!!! So, you cant afford a gun, OK, a Sammy Sosa autographed Louisville slugger works fine, heck, buy a pair, for each entry way to your house, stun guns, laser pens,(make'em think the laser is attached to a 12 ga. shotgun), and remember your brain is the most important weapon you will ever bring to a fight, so make sure your armed(and legged and brained)!!!!! Jesus said,"Occupy till I come", hard to do when your dead or in some FEMA approved internment camp for right wing, zealot, food hoarders. P.S. Be shrewd as a serpent, yet innocent as a dove! GOD BLESS AMERICA. P.P.S. Do you get the connection between gun bans and freedom? No gun = No freedom, real simple. Don't believe it? Can't happen here? Stay tuned for film at 11 p.m.

-- rob (rgt350@aol.com), June 10, 1999.

Joyce,

I'll be brief...never in my life did I think I would own a gun, but voila...I'm the very proud owner of a SigSauer P232 hand gun.

The first time I fired it at the range, I thought I was going to cry. Why? Because of why I was buying it...to protect me, my family and our expensive preparations from someone who has ill-will on their mind.

I've now gone to the range a handful of times and have become very proficient with it...not hard to do, really. Get a gun that you like the "feel" of, take a class and practice, practice, practice. Get one now while the gettings good!

And definitely get a big dog at least one year old, hopefully housebroken, etc. see your local animal shelter.

Good luck!

-- Dina McCullough (DinaLM11@aol.com), June 10, 1999.

Advice from the latest WRP:

--Older Single Women--

Y2K for the older single woman. Hey why are you running your keyboard about this? I saw the issue raised in Ed Yourdon's BBS and had a couple reactions.

Some women have a 2nd class citizen attitude. They think they can never be good enough. Of course this is balanced by those who think the world revolves around them.

Neither is true. Here's my spin.

Y2K has the potential of being horrible but it might be just nasty. Either way, you should make the most of the next 217 days.

For the woman who thinks she can't be good enough, who thinks old and single means unattractive and useless, lose that concept right now, toss it out.

Similarly, if you think the world owes you, that ain't the case either. You pull your share. We all pull our share.

I know a woman with knock-em dead looks but she has a "world owes her" attitude. If things go real bad, her looks won't be as important or useful. No one will care if we're all scrambling for water.

What will matter is being able to help out.

Here's a visualization aid. If things go real bad, InfoMagic bad, and we are hiding out at DragonRanch. If the Baron had an aged uncle, wheelchair bound but alert and has the use of one arm and his eyes, he could do sentry duty. Give him a radio and a pistol and he'd be good to go.

You don't have to be able to bench 160 lbs and run a 10K. H*ll, the Baron owns two 4WD diesel tractors and several smaller 20 HP gas tractors and carts. As long as there is diesel and gasoline, the power of machinery will count more than physical strength.

Your choices are: 1) Go it alone, 2) join a loose team, a church group, neighborhood watch, community association, 3) hook up with a "tight" team (possibilities range from helping great Aunt Edith fix up the family farm to throwing in with trusted known survivalists.)

In any of these situations, the older single woman is not a 2nd class citizen. This isn't about a date for the prom, this is about smarts, work, investment, research, a good attitude, and being willing to pitch in and help share the burden. It's important to have a sense of humor, to laugh, savor life, reach out a caring hand, give, build friendships, and make the most of what we have.

In a bad situation, an InfoMagic world, two isn't enough. You need a larger team to keep watch, to do things by hand that used to be done by electricity. The team can be an extended family, a neighborhood, some long time friends, a church, or just strangers who are willing to help each other.

I'm encouraged by those who are preparing for more than themselves. No one of us can save the world. It is more important for each of us to prepare to not be a burden. Everyone who is able to stay at home and live on their own rice, beans, and eel is one less person screaming for help from county services, clawing for scraps at the government Y2K Success! Center, begging for big government to save me, SAVE ME.

Those who are prepared to share with their family, neighbors, or strangers (this is your ethical choice), reduce the burden on the government and minimize the possibility of a government panic. Look at the TeeVee interviews of officials such as Ko-Skin-em, tell me that this ya-hoo couldn't snap.

I've met with a lot of people who are preparing for this unknown adventure. People who realize that something very strange is happening and have made the decision to mitigate the harm that could befall them, their family, friends, neighbors and in some cases, strangers.

This is an unknown, there are no guarentees other than we're entering a new world and the old rules do not apply.

-- a (a@a.a), June 10, 1999.

Joyce,

Here are a few things to think about.

My sense is that the churches are as behind the curve as any organization which depends upon the financial support of its members. People leave churches which they find difficult and gravitate to churches which they find pleasant, so the people will tend to mold the church agenda and disposition. Most churches are not dealing with the Y2K thing except very obliquely. You may find alot of dead ends out there. (Also people tend to come from all over to a church and if there are significant transportation problems you may find that said churches do not really exist any longer)

Southern California is fragile because of the need for water, because of the roadways and there is really not alot of settled population (everyone is from away). Social cohesion?

It sounds from your post that you are expecting to try to stay in your dwelling or at least your area for as long as possible. It also sounds that you are questioning how to do this if things get rough. It seems that Cory Hamasaki has done a pretty good job in some of his reports showing how he is doing a plan 'B' and plan 'C' approach. He thinks about 'trigger' points/events which indicate to him that it is time to move to the next plan. Right now it seems you have a plan 'A' and need to think about the other two and why you might resort to them.

Some folks advocate guns. IMO that might be a means of assuring a move from one plan to another. But unless you are willing to really change the way you look at things and do alot of practicing it probably will not work for you. This brings up the 'B' and 'C' thing again. You need to know when to leave to avoid trouble.

-- -. (dit@dot.dash), June 10, 1999.

Joyce,

Here are a few things to think about.

My sense is that the churches are as behind the curve as any organization which depends upon the financial support of its members. People leave churches which they find difficult and gravitate to churches which they find pleasant, so the people will tend to mold the church agenda and disposition. Most churches are not dealing with the Y2K thing except very obliquely. You may find alot of dead ends out there. (Also people tend to come from all over to a church and if there are significant transportation problems you may find that said churches do not really exist any longer)

Southern California is fragile because of the need for water, because of the roadways and there is really not alot of settled population (everyone is from away). Social cohesion?

It sounds from your post that you are expecting to try to stay in your dwelling or at least your area for as long as possible. It also sounds that you are questioning how to do this if things get rough. It seems that Cory Hamasaki has done a pretty good job in some of his reports showing how he is doing a plan 'B' and plan 'C' approach. He thinks about 'trigger' points-events which indicate to him that it is time to move to the next plan. Right now it seems you have a plan 'A' and need to think about the other two and why you might resort to them.

Some folks advocate guns. IMO that might be a means of assuring a move from one plan to another. But unless you are willing to really change the way you look at things and do alot of practicing it probably will not work for you. This brings up the 'B' and 'C' thing again. You need to know when to leave to avoid trouble.

-- -. (dit@dot.dash), June 10, 1999.

I am also a single woman, but have children who will be with me at the turnover. If I did not, I would make an effort to become very involved in my local community/church's/non-profit's y2k efforts. A woman without family responsibility to others in a crisis is a godsend. Make a list of your skills. Can you cook, organize, keep children occupied, bring comfort? - or perhaps you bring years of business or professional skills to the mix. Volunteer! You will be taken care of as you take care of others. Better than huddling scared in your apartment with a gun.

-- anon7 (anon7@anon.com), June 10, 1999.

Joyce, I'll tell you the same thing I have told the 2 single women I know who are concerned by Y2K. (It's good advice for men and couples too, but none have asked me.) Find an intentional community in your area. The sort of place that was called a commune in older days. There's over 300 or so in N. America "officially" listed in 1990/91 Intentional Communities Directory.

I got the directory 10 years ago and ended up living in a community for 5 years. There weren't any hippies, drugs, religion or group sex. (I suppose some communities have some of those things.) Just a bunch of people who enjoyed living and working together.

The benefit would be that there would be a group of people already organized that you could join. I assume some communities are preparing for Y2K, just as some individuals are. Many are rural and into self-sufficiency, at least as an idea if not practiced perfectly.

If I wasn't well set here with family & farm I'd be looking for a community again. The journal was put out by: Communities Publications Cooperative; 105 Sun Street; Stelle, IL. 60919; 815-256-2252

That contact info might be out-of-date, it's just what they list inside the cover of the journal. If you're interested and can't reach them let me know (the email I give is legit) and I'll find the current information somehow.

-- Gus (y2kk@usa.net), June 10, 1999.

I am submitting the following information on behalf of someone I know in the S. California area who is a minister. I believe his church in an area Northeast of downtown Los Angeles. For anyone living in So. Ca. that may be looking for a Y2K aware church home, please contact me at the listed e-mail address and I will make arrangements to get information to you from the pastor on name of church, location, etc..

-- Sharon L (sharonl@volcano.net), June 10, 1999.

Joyce,

You can come live with me. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge, say no more.

Anita

-- Anita Spooner (spoonera@msn.com), June 10, 1999.

Hello dit@dot.dash,

I have to disagree with one point you made. You said Joyces' area was relativley unsettled. While that MAY be true, isn't she sitting in the most populated state in the union? (at least in the top 3).

While that in itself is not an issue (necessarily), you must keep in mind she is sitting on the border with Mexico. We already have an enormous problem with illegal imigration, From all that I've been able to gather Mexico is in terrible shape in regards to Y2K. When the century rolls I exspect a massive incease in this imigration. I suspect these concerns are in the mind of the Border Patrol as well as our military (Air Force especially). Having said that I'm heartend to see the enthusiastic response this thead has generated.

Diane J. Squire, any comments? From the "Heartland".

Mike

-- MidwestMike_ (midwestmike_@hotmail.com), June 10, 1999.

Joyce, I really hope that you will re-think your antipathy to guns. Ultimately, you alone are responsible for your own personal safety and security...and having a gun and the training to use it effectively can be your best options.

My wife and I are both in our sixties. We live in a rural area of SW ORegon with the closest neighbors almost a mile away. My wife is quite comfortable with the concepts of personal protection, likes firearms, and is a better shot than I am. All of the other women in the area similarly are comfortable with guns, and are willing to use them to protect themselves and their families. This is a considerable comfort to me, and I am proud of these ladies for standing on their own two feet.

In years past, we also lived in Southern California (San Bernardino/Redlands/Riverside), which we now refer to as "the zoo". It was in that environment that my wife discovered the real value of being trained in the use of firearms.

Here are some suggestions as to how you might check this out a bit more:

First, read the thoughtful piece written by Karen Anderson at this URL: http://www.y2kwomen.com/faqs/faq10.html

Then go to the NRA website at URL:http://www.nrahq.org/safety/rtbav/ and read about their "Refuse to Be a Victim" seminars, organized to help women learn how to defend themselves.

Give yourself the best chance possible, Joyce; don't let anything stand in the way of learning how to take care of yourself and others. And good luck with whatever you decide to do.

-- Norm Harrold (nharrold@tymewyse.com), June 10, 1999.

This page -- Intentional Communities -- lists many useful links for Y2K information.

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), June 11, 1999.

This site specifically lists groups concerned with Y2K, state by state, city by city within each state: Communities for Survival (And Y2K Preparedness Groups)

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), June 11, 1999.

I only clicked on this thread to see what King of Spain would say, but I found Anita Spooner's response more interesting!

---------------

y2ky-jelly...for when you want four digits to fit where only two would fit previously.

-- number six (Iam_not_a_number@hotmail.com), June 11, 1999.

Joyce,I've taught self defence for years,and almost without exception when I hear someone say "I have pepper spray for defence",it means they carry it on there on their keychain with a COMPLETLY false sence of confidence.peppar spray is not bug spray,a BAD man will not curl up and die or wimper for the police to take him back to his peneteniary home.thinking that you're protected a la pepperspray and therefore there is nop need to TRAIN or THINK about how you'd react in a personal violent confrontation is already placing you at increased risk.what if your attacker had on glasses?A good friend of mine was badly raped and beaten in just such senario.she told me that when her attacker slapped the pepper spray out of her hand she didn't feel fear but incredulity!She never trained,didn't like to think about the unthinkable things that BAD PEOPLE can do.so she just bought the pepper spray and thought "I'm glad that's done".just like a victem in training. My wife thought I was just being scary and paranoid until I let her spray me(without my glasses) from 4 feet and I was still able to close on her and disarm/pin her with a kote gaeshi(wrist out-turn) while blinded.yes the pain is unbelievable but any animal impulse can be over-ridden,either in my case with training(many,many years aikido and tae kwan do)or with agression and anger(BAD MAN).I'm not saying that anyone needs years of martial arts training.today's martial arts are much more a vehicle of self-perfection that combat training(non- traditional,non-philosophic stripped down street fighting training is available but it tends to develope bully type personalitys)but you do need to face the reality of violence.hiding from violence is just training to be a victom.by training to defend yourself you are saying that,yes,some one may some day try to hurt you,and you can't control that.but you can control how you react.when confronted with violence you'll revert to your most basic level of training.for the untrained,that means animal responces.You need not let someone else have that power over you,to pull you down into those nether regions of anger,helplessness,and victomization,the quickest,and easiest way to even out those odds is to buy a handgun,learn how to shoot it,get a california concealed carry permit,carry the gun with you everywhere.my wife could defend me against a crowd with her gun much more effectivly than I could with head kicks(head kick self-defence is for movies and idiots)luckily,I don't practice martial arts to kick butt.I wish wisconsin had concealed carry.bottem line is...get out of denial,violence happens,and it has it's own logic that until expeirienced,is not easily grasped.you need not wait until you're in a rape crises center to deal with these issues.preparation is the cure for fear.But make sure your confidence is justified!peace.

-- zoobie (zoobiezoob@yahoo.com), June 11, 1999.

that's just my long winded way of saying "buy a gun,and learn to use it well"peace.

-- zoobie (zoobiezoob@yahoo.com), June 11, 1999.

Joyce, I also am a single woman who lives paycheck to paycheck, but who is preparing thoroughly and with determination, while also trying to alert her friends, neighbors, church, family. Some few do listen, but most go on unwilling to make the commitment I have. IF I had the means, I would leave the congested suburb of DC and my condo in a heartbeat, for a safer, more rural place, where there are many people who do believe in preparedness and who would provide community for me. However, I haven't the means to do so, nor anyone to whom I can go, so I have decided to "bugout" in my own second-floor condo, with lots of glass, even one wall at the balcony, and protect myself. I had already bought a handgun and had one training session in it a few years ago, and do "dry" practice at home. In July I will take more training from an instructor certified by the NRA also. I have ordered a shotgun and will do the same with that.

I have spent my life as a non-violent person, a Christian with deep commitments to human beings and scriptural values. But I have had experiences in which I have been raped once, mugged another time, and held in my parking lot by a serial killer for 45 minutes, only talking him out of harm due to my volunteer training (came back to me like bread cast upon the waters!!) in a mental hospital, working with violent patients. Therefore, I do not delude myself into thinking that pepper spray or my wishing away the necessity to TRULY defend myself is going to cut it when the drugged gang members from the subsidized housing across the street, who give us crime problems now so severe that we owners pay for off-duty police in the evenings meet with hunger and lack of electricity and water and welfare checks at the turn of the century!!! I know that dogs are a bit of a deterrent, but they also can be easily shot or poisoned by serious intruders. The only thing which will stop someone intent upon taking your life and your goods along with it, is to meet force with force.

This means restructuring your thinking entirely, as I had to do. A book which will help you is "Safe, Not Sorry," written by a woman on the Board of the NRA, which I've also joined, by the way, to ensure my Second Amendment Rights are supported. Also, one by a former police officer whose last name is Ayoob. I have just read both books, and they are excellent, easy paperbacks, available from amazon.com. (I am at work, so can't be more specific than this, since the books are at home, but they're easily located on amazon.com. Ayoob's book is out of print, but they found it for me in about 3 weeks. These will help you to develop a completely different mindset about self-defense. And learning the new skill of caring for and using a gun properly will give you a new sense of self-confidence. At 63, I feel that if I die in this upcoming crisis, or any other one triggered perhaps by it, it will not be because I haven't given it my best shot(no pun intended!)

May God bless and protect you and us all!

-- Elaine Seavey (Gods1sheep@aol.com), June 25, 1999.

Joyce, I forgot one item. It's about the possibility of your relocating. As I said, I would if I could. I've also read that So. California and Florida will not be good places if we have more than "a bump in the road" at Y2K. I've looked at some websites which advertise properties for just this time, and have drooled over them! I have one address with me today at work which I'll submit to you here. Perhaps others can give you more. It is www.Y2Krural.com. There are color photos and descriptions. There is also a forum in which people inquire of one another about either just relocating, or going into communities with others. Four families just moved to a neat town in Utah for that purpose, and an elderly couple and their children from my church have bought a farm in W. VA. Lucky ones! If you can find truly trustworthy people to whom your presence would be a contribution, you might find such a situation. God bless! Let us know how you are coming along, won't you?

-- Elaine Seavey (Gods1sheep@aol.com), June 25, 1999.

zoom up.

-- topman (topm@n.up), July 02, 1999.