5 Common (wrong) assumptions about living in the country

[Colts4me]

No, he didn't. He was in the city. But he lived it and witnessed what happened.

I guess you and I differ on what survivors are. He may have witnessed a car wreck and likes to tell people how to drive but that doesnt' make him a survivor. Read some of the guys writing that killed Osama and that's a fellow I consider a survivor.

 

[The Heretic]

I guess you and I differ on what survivors are. He may have witnessed a car wreck and likes to tell people how to drive but that doesnt' make him a survivor. Read some of the guys writing that killed Osama and that's a fellow I consider a survivor.

Dig into his history. The man lived thru SHTF. I may not agree with some of what he says, but I have to give him respect for actually living thru and surviving some of what armchair commandos here just talk about.

 

[albin25]

Maybe what we can learn here is if you're a squirrel stay in your tree and if you're dog stay on the ground...
.... you'll both do better if you stay in the environs you are equipped for and are most familiar with.

 

[MrMillspecer]

I have lived in Portland and Beaverton and now live outside the city limits, for the past 18+ years. I was constantly getting my car stereo stuff stolen in Beaverton, and anything not bolted down was stolen in Portland. I have yet to have a problem in the country. Spring water and game galore. You can have all those helpful people in the city.

 

[Colts4me]

Dig into his history. The man lived thru SHTF. I may not agree with some of what he says, but I have to give him respect for actually living thru and surviving some of what armchair commandos here just talk about.

Frugal tree rat, read it as it was happening. Are you posting from your armchair?
Just my opinion but he post as a reporter, someone who watched and observed then gave his view. If you were there would you give the same view? After reading your post for a while I suspect if you were there with him you would have seen things far different than he has.

Point being friend is its all different for each individual. While I didn't go to Argentina I have done some hard work on a farm. While I do post from my chair I have made the point over and over I have never fired a shot in anger but have been in a war zone. Being there doesn't make me a survivor anymore than him being in Argentina makes him a survivor. It makes him educated in what happens in his life while he was there.

If folks learn something from his education then great, but for him to start telling us his view of what it is here in America is where he loses me. Its' going to be different here when it happens like Argentina, much more violent.

 

[The Heretic]

As I said, I disagree with him on some things, including the city v. rural pros and cons, but he has more experience with surviving SHTF, so I don't dismiss his views outright or call him an idiot like some have in this thread just because I disagree with him.

 

[Colts4me]

I dont' think he is an idiot, he is smart selling his view for profit. The idiots would be the ones that let him do the thinking rather than learning for yourself. It's just opinion but I believe the surest way to die early is let others think for you in troubled times. We are all different and it will be "your own way" to survive and everyone of us will reach that point at a different time in life.

Stupid, is voting your gun rights away, leaving yourself dissarmed from the best weapon of choice to defend yourself. Yet folks in Oregon are going to do just that, dissarmed themselves just before the crash of the economy. They are making what you may survive into a gun free zone for killers, rapist and thugs. Now that is stupid.

 

[Siglvr]

One major point that is huge strike for living in a country is watching the many aerial spray ops that go on all year. Not all areas of the country get hit, but if you are next door to a large farm, watch out. A lot of the things being dropped on you are new and have no long term exposure stats.

That said, if SHTF, country or perhaps better may be a small town surrounded by country but well away from the major populations centers, is the only place to be.

 

[CoastRange57]

Life long country boy, excepting for a few years in town in my mid / late 20's.

My neighbors do not call the police if they drive by and I am stalking a ground squirrel with my 10/22.

Gunfire at night is assumed to be raccoon / coyote control, but we call each other to make sure the other is OK or might need assistance.

We mind our own business, but are quick to offer the others help.

If I decide to roast up the tires on my Mustang a bit, nobody gives a sh*t.

I could never do town again. I wish our Central Oregon place was just a bit more isolated but it is what it is.

 

[IOM]

Long over due for this one...

 

[The Heretic]

Besides the sudden catastrophe scenario (earthquake, etc.), there is also the slowly creeping SHTF situation I prep for; (broken record time) carrying capacity. What are people in the city going to do as the world population continues to grow, there is less arable land, less clean drinkable water, and less food per person.

As others have implicitly pointed out, cities depend on food, energy, water to be imported in. Cities may be more efficient, but they are not self-supporting.

In the coming decades, having a more or less self-sustainable plot of land where the resident of that land grows/raises their own food, has their own water source, even has their own energy (solar for electricity, wood for heat) is going to be increasingly valuable to the point where it will eventually be invaluable because a person won't be able to survive without it when the system breaks down and cities can no longer import enough food/water/energy to support themselves.

At that point, as in other SHTF scenarios, people will evacuate the cities because their support system simply won't work. Those that stay or are stuck there, will either die and/or feed upon each other in one way or the other.

I moved out of the city because I needed to in order to stay sane and more or less happy - whenever I go outside my house and work on my land, I can feel the stress of having to work in the city and deal with people, fall away. Today the trees were dancing and singing in the wind, I watched the robins gather material for their spring nests, I walked in my forest and saw everything turning green with new growth. As I split wood for the stove, not a human sound was heard (ok, one neighbor was shooting occasionally and I heard a dog barking).

But besides myself, when I am gone, there may come a day when my kids see the wisdom of living outside of the city on a self-sufficient plot of land and hopefully they will have retained what I have setup for them. That is the best I can do. Leaving them to try to make it in the city makes me shudder. Making sure they have a place outside the city is one of the things that keeps me going.

 

[Caveman Jim]

I grew up on an Army base or three over 12 a year period, lived in 4 states before graduating from high school. It's like a concrete jungle but all those years my dad always found rental properties away from base.
I was 39 when I found the right place and finally settled down in a rural location 30 minutes from a city. I despise rude people and got lucky enough to have 2 great neighbors.

You city slickers can have all that a city offers on a daily basis.

 

[CoastRange57]

Watched that show too many times...this is more my speed:

 

[Colts4me]

When it all stops and the power goes out, water turns off, sewers plug up and folks get hungry that fellow would beg to be in the country.

 

[Caveman Jim]

Now I'm sure that there are plenty of good folks that are stuck in Hell but dream of the day that they can escape it. I pray they one day can.

 

[Jamie6.5]

Maybe what we can learn here is if you're a squirrel stay in your tree and if you're dog stay on the ground...
.... you'll both do better if you stay in the environs you are equipped for and are most familiar with.

Good analogy!
Succinct, yet accurate.

Melikes.
I'mma borrow that one.

 

[Martini_Up]

I see it like this: zoo animals live longer than Wild animals ido.

Also, if you've only seen an eagle in a zoo, you've never seen an eagle.

 

[3putts]

Aside from being able to walk out the back door to sight in a rifle or pistol, I can fly my drone to my hearts content.

 

[Tully Mars]

We are not at the end of the world Alabama but we are in the country. Nearest little Doc in the Box is a few miles up the road and county hospital is about 20 minutes fast driving in the other direction. My wife(nurse)was raised on the piece of ground adjoining our original piece here and is well known not only by the locals but by the medical folks throughout this area. I can't tell you the last time I went to the doctor, but I have one stop by here regular to visit and to take care of any med scripts we might need. That's a handy thing ta have prepwise. The way my wife/doctor have things prepped here PSHTF team members will have a better chance here in all but the most dire of cases.

While there has been a bit of theft in the area now and again it usually gets handled before the PoPo shows up. What I don't grow I trade for with what I do. I very seldom take cash for repair/fabrication work I perform but I am always paid for my services thru barter. I expect the same to hold true PSHTF. That's just the way it is here. We have our own power, water and septic. I make this place attractive for every game type I can and only hunt it to manage it. Same for the bass/catfish pond across the road. It pretty well gets left alone. I get 2 dozen eggs a day from my hens, have my own grist mill for grinding their food as well as some for the hogs and deer and flour and cornmeal for us. We have a smokehouse and a small greenhouse.

There are extensive security measures, some in place, some to be deployed when the time comes, and while nothing is 100% certain this area can be locked down pretty dang tight in short order. Anyone wanting what we have will damn sure have to earn it. I can manufacture firearms and ammunition from scratch. We can cast bullets, swage jacketed bullets for every center fire calibre we currently have up to .50BMG I have over 4 tonnes of brass here currently not counting what I use for everyday reloading. We are well stocked on powder and primers as well, again not counting what we use for everyday stuff.

I believe we'll take our chances out here in the country..

 

[Argonaut]

We are 9 miles from a decent small hospital with an Emergency Room (that knows me well) we can do it in about 10 min from engine start. Less time than anyplace within 2 miles in a city.