This may sound silly but.............. After we get to our safe haven and are all set up to SURVIVE! What will we do all day? Read a book? play a game? sit in a doorway with a gun? It seems that after a week or so of SURVIVING, things may get pretty boring.

Rod

-- Rod (rod_harmon@usa.net), May 28, 1998

Answers

Rod,

we should set up a communication system via Ham radio's....We should do this NOW. Then, after we are "holed up", we can keep in touch with what is going on around the world at the moment.

just a suggestion....

Archer

-- Archer Tullidge III (archiebabe@aol.com), May 28, 1998.

I know that at first it will be winter, but there will still need to be alot of planning going on after the fact - planning the garden, the responsibilities, the work to be done, etc. That will fill many winter hours, then comes spring. If you went really rural, spring is the busiest season of the year. Newborn animals, crops to get in, barn cleaning, - all take lots of hours (I know because we live on a farm). During the summer will be canning, tending the garden, fences to mend, chopping wood, buildings to repair, breeding of animals, etc. Come fall major canning, harvesting if you are doing major crops, preparing for winter. And then you start all over again. Survival is not just sitting around eating your storage food. No one knows how long a seige we may be in for. During the winter you may have more spare time than other times of the year, but with the short days, people will just go to bed earlier.

Stock up on some books to read, board games, write a journal of your experiences - there are a lot of things to do if you just look around.

-- Rebecca Kutcher (kutcher@pionet.net), May 29, 1998.

I've been thinking about this one too. Have you ever gone camping and noticed how much free time you've got? My son has an acoustic guitar and I'm thinking of purchasing a flute, stocking up on paper and pens, maybe painting supplies. How about used text books, history books and an encyclopedia set? Soccer balls and a couple nerf balls will be used. I'm laying supplies to make candles- buy 11 lb. blocks in craft shops. They also carry wick. How about supplies to make paper from fabric- it'll last, unlike most paper made today. Providing for my son's pet is important. How about books on learning a foreign language? I'm stockpiling the supplies to make a solar box cooker and solar dehydrator instead of making them now. I'm thinking of buying a James manual washing machine ($400) and lots of soap- going into the laundry business down by the river. How about candy and cookie making supplies? How about laying back supplies for making tire sandals? What great books would folks suggest?

-- skipper clark (skipper@cncnet.com), May 29, 1998.

Excellent post Skipper! Think of things you have always wanted to do but never had the time. Quilting, needlecrafts, woodcarving, painting, etc. There is no end to the way one can fill up one's time. We just need to get used to not having electronic entertainment. WHAT A BLESSING!!!

-- Annie (anniegaff@mailexcite.com), May 29, 1998.

If the situation is bad enough so that you can't resume some semblance of your normal activities, you'll be working your butt off doing everything that needs to be done in what daylight you have. Night won't be much of a problem- you'll be asleep (and happily so) not long after full dark since you'll be tired from a tough day and you'll have to be up at sunup to start another one. (Been there, done that and there were no t-shirts.)

Planning to keep a "modern conveniences" daily schedule without modern conveniences (running water, electricity, etc.) is a big mistake. Make things easy on yourself and plan on reverting to a pre- modern daily schedule (sunup to sundown). Save the lantern/ generator fuel, candles, flashlights etc. for real emergencies, and use them sparingly to adjust everybody's routine to the new schedule. It might not be long before you're back to 'lighting a shuck' the way the old folks used to anyway, so save the goodies.

Yes, it might be a lot to get used to (along with all the other changes in routine) but if you fail to plan with this variable in mind you'll simply be planning to fail in an important aspect of adjustment.

If you haven't read it yet get your hands on a copy of _Alas, Babylon_ by Pat Frank- it's available from Amazon as well as other places. Though severely dated in several respects it is still the best piece of post- apocalyptic fiction I've seen, and it covers the necessary adjustments in daily routine well also.

BTW, this is one of the best questions I've seen on the forum so far. I doubt there are too many mind- numbed TV junkies here, but imagine their misery if suddenly deprived of their only recreation and "mental stimulation." Reading worthwhile books (stock up now), carrying on meaningful conversations with others, and teaching children will be significant activities (and welcome breaks from physical work) should the bug bite hard.

Regards,

LPL

-- Lee P. Lapin (lplapin@hotmail.com), May 30, 1998.

Rod,

A number of years ago my family began leading a more simple life and left behind such things as TV, radio, movies, theatre, videos, video games, etc.. We definitely had a period of adjustment, but before long we were so glad. We substituted those activities with more reading, family conversation, walks outdoors, outdoor games, board and card games, personally visiting friends and the elderly and the sick, doing crafts, sewing, quilting, gardening, helping others with their needs or chores, etc.. Until just about 50 yrs. ago nobody had all the electronic, mind-numbing activities that take up much of modern American's time now. Our parents and grandparents enjoyed life back then and you will too once you get adjusted. Ask some older people about what leisure activities they did when they were young. I would suggest starting now, not only so that you're used to it, but also for the good of your family. Keeping our minds free from the violence and filth in the media is especially good for the children. You won't miss the news reports, trust me. They never change - always bad news. I think it will be good for people to once again get up at sunup and go to bed at sundown. Seems that must have been the way it was meant to be from the beginning of time. Begin stocking up on games now and learn some crafts. Crocheting and knitting is fun and also helpful when you need sweaters, gloves, hats, and dishcloths. Spend more time with the family together, too. If you are Christians, then either begin the day or end the day with family devotions. Time spent in Bible study and prayer will certainly help both now and after Y2K.

Sincerely, Mary

-- Mary (Beachyfe@hotmail.com), May 30, 1998.

Mary's contribution is excellent! I do plan to have plenty of batteries on hand so that I can listen to tapes on my cassette player of music that I love; from Gospel to classical, as well as lessons from my pastor and other Bible teachers. Thankfully, I live in a senior complex and, hopefully we can get together for board games--if we can play with mittens on our hands! Soon, I will be doing what I can to help my neighbors prepare for Y2K.

-- Holly Allen (Holly3325@juno.com), May 30, 1998.

Besides _Alas_Babylon_, another good one is Larry Niven and Jerry Pornelle's _Lucifer's_Hammer_.

-- Mark Zieg (mzieg@orlandosentinel.com), June 01, 1998.

No matter how bad this gets, barring World War, we won't have much time to weave baskets and learn the harmonica- we are the leaders that people need in a time like this. Sure, the infrastrucure we have built in the last century might be altered, but basic structure and the knowledge of how to make it work is still viable. Leaders are forged by adversity, and it don't get much more adverse if you beleive the hype. Instead of hiding, we should prepare for our family and as soon as possible begin a journey into the world again. We are the John Galt's of this new age, and the motor of the worlds is our beleif in the human spirit!!

-- Richard Dale Fitzgerald 2 (Daledoe@bnoc.net), June 03, 1998.