After spending much time and effort to prepare for Y2K, the question on many peoples minds is, "What should we do now?"

The New England Y2K Dinner Meeting Group is changing.

We are changing our focus from Y2K Preparation to how to use our preps. We have a unique opportunity to take our "so called Y2K Preparation lemons" and "make Lemonade". The Y2K Dinner group members have a lot of areas of expertise regarding preps that could be used as a resource for the rest of us. We can take advantage of these areas of knowledge to broaden and hone our own expertise in areas that we had little or no ability in and in some cases all learn together.

Topics for future meetings: (Note: these meetings will be of the hands on  get your fingers dirty type of training. Some will require field trips.)

Gardening w/non-hybrid seeds

Baking Bread  from the whole grain to the loaf

Creative Cooking with Preps

Firearms  How to fire, clean, and maintain your firearms- SAFELY.

Weaving wool  from raw wool to yarn

Farming Techniques

Animal raising  chickens, goats, sheep and more

Woodstove Cookery  How to cook on , bake in , and maintain a wood fired kitchen stove

Wood Heat  The care and feeding of your heating woodstove

Pantry Basics  building and maintaining a food storage pantry

And more topics to come.

Even though the main stream media has relegated Y2K to non-event status, I believe that we have been granted a reprieve. I would like to suggest that we use this time to hone our skills to be better prepared for whatever may come - Y2K problems or some other event.

This activity is open to anyone who is interested in learning more about their preps and how to make use of them.

If you live in the New England area and are interested in being a part of this group activity, please send me an e-mail.

-- ExCop (yinadral@hotmail.com), January 07, 2000

Answers

Actually, that sounds interesting even if you don't have preps. The local Continuing Education pamphlets are out again, and there's a lot of classes that sound fun just for the sake of learning.

I'll be in Tai Chi Chuan and Building your own Web Page, in addition to my regual for credit courses this year. Wish I could join you, as well.

-- Grant Naylor (web@srfin.com), January 07, 2000.

Grant,

We would welcome you or anyone who is interested - no preps required!

-- ExCop (yinadral@hotmail.com), January 07, 2000.

I'd be interested in learning more many of the items you listed. I live in central Maine; north of Bangor.

-- Mark (markmic@kynd.net), January 07, 2000.

ExCop....good idea. I agree,we've got a reprieve....maybe. I won't really relax untill summer peak electric use is past. But ,like you say, who knows what else may be comin'. I've learned a lot from this forum,never felt I had a whole lot to contribute,maybe I will sometime. I agree with those who say we should keep it up as a self- sufficiency forum. Count me in on the group. As Mr.Natural (anyone remember him?),might say,...."keep on preppin' "

-- Bob (kabob@snet.net), January 07, 2000.

ExCop, what a great idea! I wish I still lived in New England (for many reasons), because I'd be there with bells on! Hope my No VA area group and others around the country catch on to this idea. I want to continue to develop skills I'm just learning in self-sufficiency.

-- Elaine Seavey (Gods1sheep@aol.com), January 07, 2000.