[Beeman]

If times get tough or at least tougher what shape are you in? I don't mean monetarily or how much food or equipment you have. I mean what shape are you mentally and physically? We've seen fuel prices rise temporarily possibly a small glimpse to the future. Can you walk long distances? Can you stand extremes? Can you work physically all day if need be? Are you preparing yourself as much as for yourself?

I like most am not in my prime and out of shape. I can still work all day just at a slower pace. I've started walking longer distances and riding my bicycle.

 

[stranger]

I'm in great shape now that Obamas' in, I just can't wait for all those entitlements and stimulas cks, happy days are here again.

 

[texican]

Who needs to work hard all day?

Obama's gonna take care of all of us.

I already have my request in for about two dozen people, volunteers, mixnd you, that are going to come out every day at dawn, and clean fencerow and build fences, work my garden, repair my hay meadows, clean my house, cook my food, rub my feet, etcetera...

I'm not as fast as I use to be, but I can still out shovel most younger folks... I've been prepping for such times all my life... I'm use to doing everything myself... If the world stops for city folks, my world will keep on turning... so I reckon I'm mentally and physically ready...

 

[wyld thang]

I'm in the best shape of my life, and it's all better from here.

It's a very important question that not enough people consider.

 

[CarlieHedges]

Nope, nope and nope. I have an office job where I work 45 hours a week in dress shoes, spend 10 hours a week sitting in traffic, and when it is already dark when I get home I have very little interest in doing anything but eat and head to bed to watch tv or read a book until I fall asleep. I truly rely on my husband to keep things here on our property going smoothly in addition to his regular job. On the weekends I try to make up for things but I am definitely not in the same shape I was as a teenager or even 10 years ago. (wink)

 

[gideonprime]

I have a decent skill set which I practice regularly. I can grow food and stock it away, I can work although at a liesurly pace all day if needs be. Location is good, FL has a long growing season and mild winters. Though my growing and foraging experiece were developed in MA and it is where I would preferr to be in case of SHTF as we have over 200 acres on which to make a go of it vs. less than an acre here in FL.

I am out of shape though and do need to address that fact. I would be hard pressed to preform long hard hours for days in a row. Liesurely I could do but too liesurely would leave me hungry and cold.

 

[luv2farm]

:help: What does this stand for?

 

[mnn2501]

Making plans to help us be in better shape all round.

I'm round already :sing:

 

[farmmaid]

GREAT question!!!!!!
I think hubby, who just turned 60, and I (60 in a couple of weeks) are ready to "honker down" if needed. Hubby is very active at his job and at home. I am losing the 20 pounds I gained in my 50's. We have always (40 years) heated with wood, harvested are own meat and been VERY active outside with Mother Nature.
If the SHTF it really would not alter our life style that much. He will retire in 2 years, his job is secure. I nanny part time, 3 days a week for a doctor. I think mine also is secure. Neither of us drive a long way to our jobs. We have 31+ acres with pasture, a spring 2 wells. Also right in back of our house, on the hill, is our wood supply and we have all the hand tools to harvest it.
Oldest son and his wife are moving @ 20 miles from us in @ 2 weeks. They know to get "home" if it gets really bad. We built an earth wrapped, passive solar house that is 2 1/2 years old...SUPER efficient. Youngest son, Environmental Biologist, he is well prepared to take care of himself and family until he also could get home.
We have enough food for all, harvested and on the hoof for over a year.
If the SHTF, each family would bring what they had and we would be fine. I am also collecting board games, card games etc. so if the electricity goes out we would have soem entertainment.
But, to get back to the origional question.....what on earth are the people who live in apartments, cities etc. going to do?????????? They have neither the mind set or skills to survive. They will emotionally "break" before they physically do.
Physical condition would be a MAJOR part of survival. If someone had to walk a long way for example,some would not evenknow how to dress for the journey! This does sound like doom and gloom, really am a postitive person, BUT............................................

 

[mnn2501]

:help: What is "SHTF"? What does this stand for?

Stuff Hits The Fan -- or something close to that

 

[MushCreek]

We're working on it. Right now, we live in the city, but have many of the skills we would need to live off the land, and we have the land- in SC. It isn't ready yet, except for to provide wood for building and heating. They recently hired a personal trainer where I work, and I get two hours a week of private training, which is just one of many things that have happened in my life recently to make me believe that the Lord is getting me ready.

 

[Bigkat80]

I think I can still hold my own...my aim is still phenominal for my age...not like in my prime but still a crack shot...still a bull(strengthwise) though sometimes i get sore when i work and laugh because i am alsways shocked at how little i think i did as opposed to how sore i feel then my better half has to explain to me how much work i actually did...the other day I cut up 15 oak trees into fire wood and was sore in the back of my legs and i was miffed(clean verson of PO'd) that i was sore till she told me that most guys half my age would not have been able to cut all day...so I guess I am doing farely well...getting fat and lazy but hey I think with my former training i could round that corner in a hurry if i needed to i have always been active(hyper active if you asked my sis ALG) health concerns me more than shape...by the way this was a great question and I appreciate beemna for it...good job....

 

[Guest]

If times get tough or at least tougher what shape are you in? I don't mean monetarily or how much food or equipment you have. I mean what shape are you mentally and physically?

Mentally? After what I've been through in my life, I can adapt to just about anything.

Physically is a different thing. I was a workaholic until RA set in. Nobody could keep up with me.

But now, I can't sit still and have to be busy all the time, BUT I have to pace myself and rest frequently to keep from getting completely crippled. So if I were in a physically demanding situation I'd be screwed.

 

[Sonshine]

Well, I do a pretty good job in my wheel chair. Get around pretty quick too. So guess I would be ok, except if we go over terrain that is too rough. In that case, I could walk for short distances, but it would have to be very short. Also we have our garden wagon, so DH could pull me if need be.

 

[MariaAZ]

But, to get back to the origional question.....what on earth are the people who live in apartments, cities etc. going to do?????????? They have neither the mind set or skills to survive. They will emotionally "break" before they physically do.

Just out of curiosity... have you ever lived in the city?

Please let this city girl assure you that you need not worry about me. I live in what is often considered one of the worst parts of town, having lived here most of my life. Invasion robberies and shootings are, shall we say, not at all uncommon. Burglaries don't even raise an eyebrow around here. The police copter is a regular visitor to the neighborhood; when I hear it at night I just cover my head with my pillow and go back to sleep because it seems like it's always here. Locking doors and windows around here is second nature. I can't count how many times I've unintentionally locked DH out of the house when I leave him outside to come inside for something, and automatically lock the door behind me.

Not too long ago, we heard gunfire that sounded like it was right in our front yard. DH and I were watching TV in the living room (which is at the front of the house) and we both hit the floor and crawled to the back of the house. Found out later that someone shot up the house across the street. Just another night in the ol' 'hood. I would guess that there are at least a few folks on this forum that would not be able to live in this type of environment for very long. Survival, indeed. The funny thing is... I would never willingly leave this neighborhood for anywhere else in this city. If we move, it will be out of state; otherwise I'm planted right here because I love it.

I can carry a 50lb bag of rabbit feed with ease. I walk at least 2 miles every day, but have walked a lot more. In fact I shop several days a week at the local grocery stores, walking the one mile there and then back carrying several bags of groceries (though I like my little cart for major purchases.) I know how to handle chainsaws, jig saws, circular saws, drills (both hand and press) and routers. I own my own air compressor and tools, and know how to rebuild carburetors and tune automobile engines. I have sewn my own clothes from patterns I've made myself. I've canned and dehydrated foods. I raise rabbits and know how to garden, so as long as I have access to water I'll be able to do OK. But I'm sure there are lots of country folk who depend on city water too, and who don't have enough rainfall to grow crops otherwise. Granted, I wouldn't be able to grow ALL my own food, but I have a lot of things I can barter if need be. However, there are members of HT who live in cities and are a heckuva lot closer to food self sufficiency than I'd wager a lot of country folks are. If you don't believe city living and self sufficiency are compatible, I invite you to visit www.pathtofreedom.com and see exactly what determined suburban folks can do.

Despite what some people might think, not all city folks are meek, ignorant people who will just roll over and die if times get tough. Rural folks, after all, don't have the corner on the survival market.

Quite frankly, I think those who feel that way don't really know enough city folks. NO ONE knows how a person will react when presented with a cataclysmic change in their world, but I'm wagering that the majority will find a way, whether they live in the city or in the country.

 

[johno]

Bigkat80, 15 oak trees in one day truly is phenomenal! Before my spine problems, I was considered to be somewhere between a pack mule and an ox for my strength and endurance, and I probably couldn't have done half that (and in my mid-30's). Good for you - I'd say you are prepared!

But now I am in nowhere near that physical condition. I can walk most days, usually with the aid of a cane and not very far. It has been hard to come to terms with, but it is what it is. I used to thrive in the heat. 100+ degrees? No problem. I loved it. I never loved the cold, but I've put in my share of full day's work outdoors in single digit weather as well. Not anymore. If it's hot my blood pressure goes through the roof; if it's cold I shiver uncontrollably. But I can chip away at my projects (like securing firewood) a little at a time, and I'm persistent. Where there's a will, there's a way. With enough ammunition and firewood (I can get water from the creek in the back yard), I think I could weather it through.

 

[cnvh]

MariaAZ, you're absolutely right-- city living requires an entirely different and extremely worthwhile skill-set than does living in the country. People who live in rural areas often assume otherwise, I think... Heck, I myself assumed otherwise until I lived in Northeast Philadelphia for a year. You have to have survival skills, all right-- no doubt about that!!

 

[sengdroma]

We have lived in the city and the rural wilderness, both require different sets of skills yet ironically both can blend together to create a really strong person. I have even done what is called urban farming where by we had 60 acres of land surrounded by a rough and I mean rough neighbourhood in Birmingham UK. These people hated the fact we had land, they burnt the fields, they burnt the chicken coop, they stole the fencing, they cut the electric fencing with shears, they stabbed the horses, they threw bricks at the livestock they let off fireworks in the livestock faces, they then threw fireworks at me while I was holding our newborn child while trying to defend our livestock at 2 am while waiting for the police who NEVER turned up as we were a low priority. Normally this all happened like the last episode when my husband was away overseas.

They then smashed our house windows in and threw things at our baby boy.

We sold up and emigrated to Canada and these people were kids aged 14 - 16 years old who's parents encouraged it.

Everyone has to be tough at some point - no one is better then anyone - everyone copes differently in individual situations.

 

[rickd203]

MariaAZ, I agree with you too. It is possible to pick up all the skills that you need even in a city. When I bought my house, the back yard was completely overgrown. I had to fell trees and burn and dig stumps before I could start a garden. Even then, the soil needed a lot of homemade compost and rabbit poo to make it productive.

Every fall I get to as many ag fairs as possible and spend many hours talking to local farmers. Besides learning from them, a few are more than happy to let me go out and get hands-on experience working with livestock. I also know a lot about medicine and electronics from schools that I attended in the city. I would match my mindset and survival skills with anyone, anytime.

I don't believe that everybody living in the country has the ability or mindset to survive without their welfare checks. I know there are people that live in a shack in the middle of nowhere that get their check and run right to the grocery store without ever thinking about raising their own food. Then there those people living in the country with loads of money and a big McMansions with manicured lawns. To say that these people could match survival skills with me just because they live in a rural area is a joke.

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[uyk7]

I am ready for anything thrown at me. I trust in God that whatever happens is meant to be. Why worry about something I have no control over?


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