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Category: decline and fall

Thur. Jan. 9, 2025 – whoa Nelly! Stuff is happening fast…

Cold again. It gets better later in the day but it sure starts cold. Of course. it’s Winter, and that is what Winter is in the Northern Hemisphere. It did clear somewhat and warm a bit yesterday, but it was back to bone chilling cold at sunset. We have the extra special joy of a forecast that says “rain” today or maybe Friday. We’ll see what my microclimate does.

I got off to a bit of a slow start yesterday, but eventually got out and got some stuff done. Did my pickups. Stopped at the southside Goodwill outlet. Scored a bunch of Christmas and Halloween decor. Got some other stuff too.

Came home and took down some of the display stuff. Got the inflatables down, and some of the lighting. If the rain comes, at least that stuff won’t be wet, and I can put it in the attic today. Made grilled lamb chops for dinner. Heated some naan, and made some black beans as a side. Meat was from 2021. Delicious.

Today I should be at home all day, doing all the stuff I didn’t do yet. I’ve got laundry to do, and a lot of cleaning and putting away… It’s time to get the house back in order and put the holiday decor away. If I’m particularly efficient and motivated, I might even get some stuff ready for ebay. Don’t count on it though.

There is a bunch of new year IT stuff I have planned, and end of year paperwork stuff that needs to be done. I’ll start fitting that into my days soon.

And I need to talk to one of my other auction houses and see if I can get some stuff consigned with them. I need to get stuff moving. The cash would be nice too. There is a bunch of stuff to get out of the house…

I’ve got a lot to do. Not a lot of energy to do it with. We’ll see how it goes.

And I’ll still be stacking ‘cuz those preps aren’t gonna stack themselves.

nick

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Wed. Jan. 8, 2025 – ah, Wednesday, what have you and Pugsly gotten up to this time?

Cold. Cold and dry, for the swamp anyway. It’s still something like 50%RH, I think. It got all the way to ‘comfortable’ in the afternoon. Hardly like a deadly global climate change killer polar vortex at all. Good thing the earth is warming, or we’d be well into the next ice age.

So I did some stuff. Mostly I did a pickup in Montgomery. That used to be a small town north of Houston, that was mostly out in the country. Now the amount of new development is staggering. Every couple of miles there were signs for a new residential development. The most telling aspect was the infrastructure upgrades, new power lines, and a lot of marker flags on the ground for where they pushed pipe for new gas and telcom. The infrastructure is long term… not flash in the pan.

I did make it home in time to get the kid from school, then did some domestic bliss. Not much. I ate too much baklava and the sugar made sure I had a nap… Tuesday is a busy evening with the kids coming and going and D2’s hobby meeting.

Today I’ll do some auction, some domestic bliss, and then some more stuff around the house. If I was a “real” prepper, I’d be bidding on a bunch of dentistry stuff, just in case. There is a “mobile dentistry” lot in the medical auction, and I’d need to sit at the computer and watch the bidding if I really wanted it. I keep telling myself it won’t get that bad. I sure hope I’m not kicking myself or pulling my own teeth in a couple of years. The question of what is prudent prepping and what is moonbattery does occasionally arise.

I already pick up a lot of low cost, low commitment, low probability stuff, with VERY high payoff if actually needed. But dentistry office tools? That’s a step beyond picking up medical books and references, and the odd surgical kit or suture tray…

Hope I’m not wrong. REALLY HOPE. Mainly because for that to pay off, about 6/10ths of the US population has to die. Only a deranged lefty would be looking for that to happen.

I have stacks. I have skills. I have friends. I don’t have a crystal ball.

You can always use more of those things. Get to work.

nick

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Tues. Jan. 7, 2025 – wasn’t a revolt. that’s coming later.

Still cold. Still clear and dry. It was a brisk winter day yesterday and should be another one today. Colder at that BOL by a few degrees whenever I checked too. It’s handy having the new weather station working and online…

Yesterday morning I mostly did auction stuff, with some domestic bliss mixed in. My guts were still a bit out of sorts from the travel and all the massive amounts of sugar I ate. In the afternoon, I did a couple of pickups. After the auction pickups, I got the hairiest member of the family from the dog sitter. He was a furry missile and general nutburger. Dervish comes to mind. He likes the sitter, but he LOVES his girl.

Today I’ll do some auction stuff too, after getting the kids out the door. Later I’ve got a pickup to make in Montgomery, which is a bit farther north than I’d like, but the deal was too good. I’ll probably spend at least a little time in the afternoon taking down Christmas decor. D2 wanted to leave it up longer, but W wants it down. The wind has been blowing the inflatables all over and putting them right several times a day is getting bothersome. I will try to leave the lights up for a bit at least. Maybe to the end of the week.

I should probably get the generators running too. And the natgas heater I intend to plumb into the fireplace gas line… I’ve got no way to gauge whether this cold will produce the same outages as before, be a nothing burger, or create a whole new set of problems. I should probably do something “prepper-ish” though…

Stacking isn’t enough, you have to be ready to use the stuff, and it has to work. I could do a bit more in that area, I’m sure.

Get some practice with your preps, but keep stacking too.

nick

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Mon. Jan. 6, 2025 – join our intrepid hero as he attempts incredible acts of ordinariness

Cold and windy. There is winter happening across the nation, and we’re getting some here in the swamp. I’d like to remind the chattering masses that we’ve had snow on the ground around Christmastime three times since I moved to Houston. And that I was in Dallas when we got 14″ of snow overnight. In other words, it gets cold and snows in winter. Sometimes it does that a lot.

Sunday was spent playing games with family and reading until it was time to head home. Our flight was uneventful. There were signs of rain and high wind when we got home, but no real damage. It was chilly though.

Today I’ve got to catch up on a couple of things, and I think I’ll probably have to do a pickup or two. Kids are still off, so I’ll also be trying to get them to get ready for the start of the new semester. I’m sure piles of domestic bliss also await my attention. In other words, time to get back to it.

It was a nice break, and nice to spend time with my mom and sibling. But it also took time away from the Holiday break that we would spend closing out the year and getting ready for the new one. There are always trade offs in life, and this time I chose family time. I don’t think anyone ever said “I wish I’d have spent less time with mom and bro, and more time cleaning the driveway.”

The other thing I haven’t done is New Year’s Resolutions. I don’t generally put a lot of energy or effort into them. They don’t usually make much difference in peoples’ lives. But it is a convenient time to try to make changes in one’s life. SO. I would like to do some work on my physical conditioning. I will try to find a time and method to do that. I will try to raise money by selling more of the stuff I have to sell. That will contribute to the last- I will try to reduce the amount of stuff I have stacked around that is NOT contributing to a good life for my family.

There you have it. I’ve stacked up three resolutions…

Stack some of your own!

nick

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Sun. Jan. 5, 2025 – 01052025 – hmm, chilly here, but sure is sunny

Another sunny and clear, but chilly day went by, and another is forecast for today. It was a good day to be outside at a swapmeet, but once the sun went down, it was a good day to be inside…

And that was the major activity of the day- swapmeet! It’s one of those permanent setups, with indoor booth space, covered booths for rent, and just open places for people to come sell their crep. Lots of choices from new mattresses, facials, produce, tools, vinyl, clothes, souvenirs, etc, including yard sale stuff, and just about anything else you could think of. I picked up a few antique and collectible things to bring home. If I was at home, I would have grabbed a few more items too. Had a nice cuban sandwich for lunch, and then we headed home.

Spent the rest of the day playing cards and games, reading, eating, and more games. A good day.

Today we’ll do some of the same, then at some point head to Tampa to fly home. I hope to be sleeping in my own bed tonight. Then the kids will soon be back in school, the new year will really get started, and I’ll fall even farther behind on my list… but that’s life.

Stacking up the good times, the memories with family, and time with the kids. That’s enough for the moment.

nick

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Sat. Jan. 4, 2025 – Still in the Sunshine State, but not a Margaritaville state of mind

Another cool sunny day is on order, like yesterday. It got pretty chilly when the sun set, and it was cold when we ate on an outdoor patio for dinner. Today should be similar. It’s not onerous, just a bit cold.

Spent the day spending time with family. Played a couple of games. Ate. Watched a movie. Read for a while. A good day. I’m still making inroads on the overabundance of baked goods too.

Today will be a visit to a local flea market, and some more eating. Maybe some more reading and games too.

I’m doing what I can to make sure there are some good old days.

I hope you can too. Stack them up for later. We will probably need them.

nick

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Fri. Jan. 3, 2025 – beginning of the year weirdness, but that’s normal

Chilly to start, warming later, then back to chilly here in the home of Florida Man. It was nice yesterday, only a bit cool at dusk. Sunny and mostly clear. I’m expecting the same today.

We mostly hung out with family and played games yesterday, then went to see some holiday lights… and finished with our Christmas gift exchange. I got mostly snack items.

We’ve been eating tons of cookies and holiday treats. My sibling has lots of guests here, who often are world travelers, and they sent lots of foreign treats. Pine flavored hard candy from Belgium is the weirdest so far… and yep, it tastes like pine.

Today we’ll hang out some more, and eat some more, and play some more games. Good times for sure.

I hope everyone else here is easing into the new year. It’s certainly not been easy for far too many people and I’m pretty sure it will continue to get weirder and more violent. Consider what that might mean for your year and your activities. Take some steps to mitigate bad things happening around you. And be aware of your surroundings and risks.

Stacks can limit your exposure to other people and potentially bad places. And they feel good. So … stack. It’s easy.

Much easier than predicting the future.

nick

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Thur. Jan. 2, 2025 – Sunny in Florida, still cold though

Unseasonably cool here in the Sunshine State. Dunno how that will play out over the next few days, but for now it’s long pants weather.

Yesterday was a mostly slow and lazy day for me. Took my time getting packed and ready. Had to replace most of the spare batteries in my bags and replace the “get home” money that I “borrowed” when a fun toy became available at an irresistible price… My back pack has 1 oz of gold coins and about $1K in USD tucked into it. That is supposed to be untouchable and just for emergency use. I’m good at lying to myself though, and I raided it for some cash.

I’ve talked about the other stuff I carry before, but the high points are a tourniquet, blow out kit (first aid focused on bleeding control), change of clothes, windbreaker, towel, food, water, and some really thick zip ties…

I’ve got some other stuff in there too including my toughbook and kindle, batteries, a bag of cables and chargers, my back up id and cards, blister first aid, some crayons and a little coloring book (for fussy kids), and general snivel gear.

99% of the time I don’t need anything in the bag but something to read and a charging cable. It’s there if I do need it though.

That’s pretty much the story of my life as a prepper and a husband and father too. It’s there if needed.

The vast stacks of stuff are there too. Which comforts me and gives me choices. They turn mountains into molehills, and let life continue without interruption.

Get some of your own, and feel the satisfaction… stack!

nick

And carry your TQ at least when you are out in crowds. If not a TQ, then an Israeli bandage and a pack of quick clot. It’s not big, and it might save a life.

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Wed. Jan. 1, 2025 – A whole new year ahead of us, every day…

Cool and kinda damp in Houston. But supposed to still be clear. Florida meanwhile is getting some cold air, and who knows what the temps there will be? I’ll find out though…

Did my mileage for taxes. Did a bunch of personal care and grooming. I don’t usually do it all at once, but I did yesterday. Did laundry too. Even folded my clean clothes. In other words, lots of domestic bliss, not a lot of other stuff.

Today will be a bit of packing, a bit of cleaning, and a bit of getting ready to go out of town. I’m headed to Florida to see mom and sibling… Wasn’t my idea, but maybe it’s for the best. I really don’t like holiday travel. And I don’t like all the rushing and activity we’ve had this break. But my likes don’t really matter much at the moment. I’ll suck it up and soldier on.

I’m thinking ahead though, and trying to decide what I can do a few more “long form” posts on. If and when I start poking at the solar, that should be good for a few posts. Maybe I should refine my milk crate food storage system, or look at redundancy in cooking/water/heating/cooling/energy etc. Or maybe I should turn some focus on my physical condition, and look at improving that…

Not sure what will come, but I’ve been slacking in the actual content department. I’m going to consciously try to change that this year.

It’s hard to keep repeating the basics, even if new people come to prepping all the time; and some of the more advanced stuff will either seem too narrowly applicable or too far out…and I’m not an expert by any means.

The default will be more of the same. Hopefully that is enough.

And there will be stacking, of course.

Welcome to New Year, like every day, and yet somehow different. Let us hope and pray, work hard, and work smart, to make it a good year.

Thank you all for joining me here.

nick

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Tues. Dec. 31, 2024 – getting close to nut cuttin’ time…

Cool and wet in Houston today, maybe with some breeze? Who knows, I’m just guessing anyway. It did end up nice at the BOL, with clearing later and moderate temps. Sunset was nice and the sky was black when I left.

I didn’t get a full day of work in, but I did button up a couple of things and poison the fire ant mounds. That’s a constant task, and usually the last one I do before leaving. I don’t want the dog or kids getting in the poison.

Spent some time talking with one of my neighbors up there. He’s just getting into prepping. He told me about suddenly realizing he needed some longer term food stored, and that he bought some. Canned meat, mostly spam and vienna sausages… We talked about it, and I gave him some stuff to think about, describing my “one month of cans in each milk crate and buckets of rice” system. He’s started getting some solar together, some water purification and storage, and he’s thinking about it. One more person prepping is one less victim or marauder…

I didn’t “out” myself, but he is getting the idea I am already a prepper…

Unfortunately, while showing him the charge controller for wind systems that I took up there this week, we noticed the distinctive smell of burnt electronics. Someone probably burnt up the controller, then returned it. Amazon returns fraud bites my @ss. I will open it up and take a look, but the burnt pixie smell is pungent. I’m no closer to getting a wind system set up than I was.

I did get the LaCrosse weather station set up. I even got it online. I haven’t tried looking at it from home, or tying it to Weather Underground yet, but I will. It’s supposed to do it, so we’ll see. That will give us another thing to monitor the BOL. Next is cameras…

There is a list, and it gets longer every visit.

But I am working on improving our situation. And I’m stacking.

As this year closes, take a bit of time to evaluate where you are, where you would like to be, and how you might get there.

And then stack!

nick

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