Cool and very damp, with a chance of rain.\u00a0\u00a0 Yesterday was nice, for values of nice that include high humidity, with overcast later, culminating in a quick inch or two of rain.\u00a0 It stopped after a couple hours and I did get to sit on the dock and spin the dial on the shortwave.<\/p>\n
DX was good with just the basic antenna.\u00a0\u00a0 NewZealand was loud and clear on 15mhz for at least a few hours.\u00a0\u00a0 Cuba was silent at 1030pm but opened up after midnight.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Fun to spin the dial from 2.500 to 21.000 and see what I can hear, especially with just the radio’s telescoping antenna.<\/p>\n
It did remain mostly cloudy, so no observing.\u00a0\u00a0 I was hoping for at least one good clear night this trip.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I got a bunch of small projects done before the rain hit, and even got in some fishing.\u00a0 Had a chat with another neighbor about hard times.\u00a0\u00a0 He had a very extensive garden a couple of years ago when he’d lost his job, and kept most of the full timers in veg for the summer.\u00a0 Said he was ready to do it again if needed.\u00a0 His biggest concern is access to meds.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lots of folks out here are ‘tore up and worn out.’\u00a0\u00a0 SHTF is very physical and there will be a lot of folks in bad shape when their meds run out.\u00a0 There are a lot of folks that would have a hard time with the hard work, even now.\u00a0\u00a0 His biggest emphasis was on the community banding together and sharing the load and the resources, particularly skills.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Since he’s lived up here his whole life, his ties and local knowledge run deep.<\/p>\n
It would be very interesting to see how RBT’s plan might have changed as he settled into his community.\u00a0\u00a0 I don’t think that “volunteering to be the local wizard” would work very well, without years of laying the groundwork, building the relationships, and getting to be a known quantity.\u00a0\u00a0 It’s becoming more and more clear to me that if we are facing a rapid (or even slow but severe) decline, who you surround yourself with is probably the most important choice you can make.\u00a0\u00a0 The really stone cold b!tch of it is that the people most likely to get by, are also some of the least willing to accept and trust newcomers.\u00a0\u00a0 If you are dropping into a community, you better have some VERY high demand skills, if you haven’t built the relationships.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Today I’ll do a few things to wrap up, weather permitting.\u00a0\u00a0 Main concern is getting the lawn tractor back together and back in it’s shed.\u00a0\u00a0 Then any little thing I can do before cleaning up and heading home, I’ll knock out.<\/p>\n
I need to pass through north Houston before 3pm to make a pickup, so I’ve got my schedule set.<\/p>\n
Stack up the things, and the skills, but REALLY get busy on relationships.<\/p>\n
nick<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
(if your BOL is in a community where someone can say, “One of my second cousins’ wife’s best friends was the one who told me about the boat for sale…” you need a champion, and you’ve got your work cut out for you.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Cool and very damp, with a chance of rain.\u00a0\u00a0 Yesterday was nice, for values of nice that include high humidity, with overcast later, culminating in a quick inch or two of rain.\u00a0 It stopped after a couple hours and I did get to sit on the dock and spin the dial on the shortwave.<\/p>\n
DX was good with just the basic antenna.\u00a0\u00a0 NewZealand was loud and clear on 15mhz for at least a few hours.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n