Fucking shit, just watched the first episode of "Doomsday Preppers"

[John Shaw]

I don't think government inspection or involvement is the issue.  Its the interest of local peeps who would be pounding your door during SHTF scenarios.

That has been a classic fear since the fifties, when people were building fallout shelters. 

They did it "in the dark" because they didn't want their friends to know.  It would be a heartbreaker to turn them away.

That's sorta my point, and I totally agree. We have two neighbor houses that we've met and spoken to. We've never even met the people who live directly behind us. The people next door have an understanding with us in regards to this sort of stuff. The people two houses down have Ron Paul and "End the Fed" signs all over their lil' farm and run a Jesus-Please-Us home school book store out of an out building. They aren't rude but aren't chummy. Their kids have dropped by a couple times looking for cats and the occasional loose turkey or goat. They always say "God bless you!" and have cheery smiles.

If anyone in the neighborhood is gonna get hit it's them. Our house is boring and plain as fuck for a reason. I spent a two years trying to get the house purchase right. Of course I may have ended up being wrong, but by gawd I worked my ass off to get everything that was important to me "Just so". As a matter of fact, even if you have our address the house is hard to find without a GPS, even tho it's on a large, paved, high traffic road.

And of course you know one of our alternative home sites because you've been there. "Off the beaten path." doesn't even begin to describe it and I'm sure you'd agree, heh. At least until the goddamned thing sells.

[Turd Ferguson]

I sometimes wonder what I'd do in a serious SHTF type deal, when all my relatives who laugh at the idea of even storing some extra food for emergency come a runnin'.

Pretty hard to turn them away, but what else ya gonna do?

[John Shaw]

I sometimes wonder what I'd do in a serious SHTF type deal, when all my relatives who laugh at the idea of even storing some extra food for emergency come a runnin'.

Pretty hard to turn them away, but what else ya gonna do?

Yeah we don't have that problem. My father lives ten minutes away and doesn't know my address. My sister about fifteen minutes away and ditto on the addy. My mother lives in Grosse Ile (An island of mostly rich people with two bridges, one of which is a private, often guarded toll bridge) and is filthy rich. She doesn't need me and knows that I wouldn't piss on her if she were on fire. If she needed to hit the road she could jet off from the lil' airport on the island or take their rather fucking huge boat to just about any place from the boat club. (http://elba-mar.com/)

Mel just has her brother and his nuclear family. They'd probably be too busy kissing whatever local warlord's ass who takes near them or running to the piggies looking for help or going to their church.

[Bill Brasky]

And of course you know one of our alternative home sites because you've been there. "Off the beaten path." doesn't even begin to describe it and I'm sure you'd agree, heh. At least until the goddamned thing sells.

Ace in the hole.

For the record, I want that motherfucker.  I wouldn't haggle on the asking price (much).  I think it's perfect in the larger sense. 

My only problem with it is, it's cold up there.  And thats a deal-breaker, for me.  I just can't hack that shit.  I'm a desert rat. 

Of course, cold is the perfect Napoleonic defense.  I'm just a pussy about it.

Preparedness is really not an easy concept.  It requires discussion because theres always something to be learned.  Being neighborly is just not an option.  They'll eventually whittle you down, or rat you out.  Its unlikely that you'll be in a mutually beneficial relationship with devastated people. 

I think that is one of the few benefits of an online life, making contacts and so-forth.  I wouldn't want much to do with my neighbors..  But if I had my shit together, I'd probably make an effort to contact JohnShaw! and his awesome lady, in the post-apocalyptic world.

It probably wouldn't be to trade or barter or ask or beg.  More like, just to "ping" him.  Yo, whassup.  Dudes still alive over here.  The survivor network. 

Not much different than I'm doing now, actually.

[John Shaw]

Yeah I have a list of people in my head that I'd attempt to contact were turds to strike the turbine...

As for the property it's still for fuckin' sale. Mel's bro has been pretty sketchy about it all because he's afraid of his uncle's pissyness.

[Bill Brasky]

Conversationally..  if I were you, I'd probably want to buy it. 

But it seems like it could be a bit of a bone in the throat of the other family peeps. 

Sometimes its better left alone, I'd be the type to buy the place up the road just so's nobody could stick their dick in the gears.

I really did like how the ol' man set it up, though.  To me, that is paradise.  (again, minus the cold).

--


I'm kinda familiar with a sorta-similar situation.  My X's family has a nice plot (but much smaller) up in Nowhere.  But there's four of them, and they're assholes about it. 

I'm not being a vulture about it. 

The X's mom is still alive (very much so) but has no clue how to handle rural life.  The old man died.  The four kids will squabble til the end of days over it, they want it given to them.   

I'm half tempted to make an offer, but it would cause so much shit, I'd never hear the end of it.  The Old Man had it appraised at a ridiculous price for insurance purposes, and now the dullard wife thinks thats actually how much it's worth. 

I say it's worth about 40k.  They think a hundred.  Its a trailer on a solid-poured double-thick concrete foundation.  The thing's a fuckin' bunker.  You could just rip the trailer off and erect a trailer-shaped log home for approximately zero dollars.

But because of the asshole factor, I'll never do anything more than speculate the potential.  Its a good spot that will decay into worthlessness.

Its a real shame.