BATES CABIN IN THE WOODS where Kelly grew up, in the Mountains of Colorado! Second pic is of the cabin (now updated as it used to have rough bark log slabs on it), the dirt road up the hill was sled hill in winter. The third pic is where the old outhouse used to be. Kelly's family renovated the cabin a bit, hand digging and pouring into block the second floor to make it into rooms. But at the time, they had no stove in it and Kelly's Mama cooked on the fire place using a Dutch Oven in the fireplace that had a cast iron handle to place it over the fire. Only cold water, no hot water and no inside bathroom...only the outhouse which was quite an experience to go out in the night in winter and having to watch for critters who might be out...like bears!
Due to recent events, it’s come to my attention to write a
bit on the “surviving it all” bend once again! Doesn’t it seem like the fabric
of our society is unraveling in a rapid rate these days? How can we deal with
these uncertain times? What do we do? Do we save up money? Do we learn to raise
our own food, learning also how to butcher and can or do we buy survivalist
packages? Maybe we should buy up large pieces of land in order to survive
on? Understand this, in times of civil
unrest, money often becomes worthless and even land can be taken away. The best
way to hedge your bets is to educate your mind to those things that were known
and practiced in years gone by. You can’t necessarily do that on the internet,
btw, because there are a lot of folks who “experiment” and give info as fact
when the rest of us who really do this sort of thing and have done it for
generations, read some of the stuff others send to us and just have to shake
our heads on the silliness of what some folks
put out as fact. Over the years
we’ve had to re-educate folks who got a bum steer on the reality factor of
living with livestock, growing, canning, dry preserving food, living in the
wilderness, survival in extreme weather conditions without modern
conveniences…well the list goes on and on. In reality…first, we don’t know how
this “emergency survival” will come about and how it will impact us. Nuclear
war? Invasion by others, terrorists and of what kind which could
even mean from
within, cataclysmic disaster from asteroids, financial? Well, we just don’t
know, now do we? But the signs of this and more are all around us.
Your best way to hedge
your bets is knowledge and know how. Now, I’ll give you just a little reference
here as to what I mean. We have had a reputable historian tell my husband, “I
have studied all of it, but you’ve actually lived it growing up”. And yes,
there truly is a difference between book smarts and experience. So, make sure
your sources are reputable and stand the test of time. Lots of people can talk
the talk but there ain’t many who have walked the walk.
Check on the actual experience of others. What have they
actually done themselves and how did it work out for them? How many years have
they been doing whatever it is successfully? So…there is a lot to know to
survive and it’s not all tied in with an amount of land you may have the money
to purchase, or the fancy set ups on that land which most who do this for reals
do not have! ~smile~ I was just saying to my hubby the other day that when
living in the blizzards of Colorado, we never even had a barn! When living out
on land when we were young, we didn’t have cell phones or internet, heck, we
didn’t even have a regular phone, we had a party line! Does anyone out there
remember what that is? You knew it was your call by the amount of rings! Then,
let’s try to start a car in 20 below temps? Well, I spent many a day when my
children were babies in those conditions where I had to walk to the neighbors
farm/ranch a mile away while leaving my babies at the house with 104
temperature in order to get help. Yes…those were the good ole days!
There is much to learn to exist in the world of the 1800’s or
even further back. First, do you have or have you built a horse/mule/ox drawn
wagon? Well…this is one of the first steps you must think about and how to get
a team together as this may one day be the only mode of transportation. I mean,
if there is no electricity or if there is a reason to “live off the land” or go
into “survivalist mode”…do you seriously think there will be gasoline or any
other mode to run a vehicle with? In many situations in history, fuel of any
kind is nearly non-existent in these circumstances.
With that in mind, have you learned how to work with horses
in the same ways that the Indians did? Are you able to catch a wild horse? Do
you speak “horse language”? These are just of a few of the skills you will need
in order to make this happen in reality. We’ve seen a lot of folks over the
years buy land, experiment and then sell, moving back to what is comfortable.
So…best to learn from those who have been raised doing it, not simply a “how
to” of sorts. Those who were raised that way can teach you what it takes to
live most anywhere and be able to survive on little to nothing, with what
resources you have around you.
Let’s all keep in mind that it isn’t simply about having a
lot of land, but it is more about learning how to cope with and live off the
land. In the 1800’s there were many different kinds of lifestyles just as
today. There was the trapper, plains or “roaming” Indians who followed food,
there were those who grew their own food and much was bartered. There still was
a lot more in the 1800’s than earlier in time as they were already becoming
industrialized. You would be surprised at what they had for their day and age.
We can’t even truly visualize a world destroyed by nukes…survivalist/packaged
foods may not be something we will care about because as the bible tells us,
“The living will envy the dead”. But, for any other civil unrest, your mind is
best positioned in growing & storing your own food, this is true. Still,
one has to realize there is soo much more involved in turning back the clock
for you to learn, to be able to survive without modern conveniences.
There may not be electricity. So, do you invest in solar?
Well, nice thought, but where will you get the batteries or parts to keep that
going? Even today the cost can be prohibitive on a large scale. We’ve known of
some folks who built houses with total solar power 20yrs ago, it broke down and
the cost to fix and maintain it is more than it’s worth in the long run. They have since run
lines to get power. Think on it awhile…there is a lot to this whole “going
back” thing and most haven’t got the faintest idea, which is exactly why so
many have sold the land they bought and given up on it. All except for those
who were raised that way and have the “mind set” that can teach you what you
will need to know.
Have a good one, ya’ll! Happy Trails from the Bunkhouse!
