[Artemisia] A New Discussion - SCA Skills in a Modern Plague

[Kim Rule]

This is an interesting thread.  Here are my thoughts as far as my home goes.


1.  Gunnvald-r and I would have to move.  If city water isn't working, this
is desert, with no running water nearby.  

2.  The cars would only take us so far if there was no gas available.  

Where would I go??  Not sure.  Probably find somewhere down by the Boise
river.  

3.  I can drive a single...not that big of a stretch to drive a team.  Of
course, my team would be 36 inches tall!

4.  I think the thing that would increase the ability to survive is to be
able to work cooperatively (as in a village) and everyone shares what they
are best at.  That's how our ancestors survived...that is ultimately how we
would have to.  No one person can raise the sheep, plant the garden, harvest
the garden, preserve the food, butcher the hogs, till the earth, build the
home, etc. by themselves.  We have to work together.  A survivalist in the
mountains with their shotgun and 20 cases of canned peaches will last only
so long.  What happens when the peaches run out, and the ammo is gone?

Una
-----Original Message-----
From: artemisia-bounces at lists.gallowglass.org
[mailto:artemisia-bounces at lists.gallowglass.org] On Behalf Of Allen Hall
Sent: Friday, September 17, 2010 10:59 PM
To: Kingdom of Artemisia mailing list
Subject: Re: [Artemisia] A New Discussion - SCA Skills in a Modern Plague


Padruig,

Very thoughtful reply, and overall, pretty on-line.  Thanks for taking the
time to share your thoughts.

To all, so now, what things grow in "your area"?  Do you have any experience
in gardening?  What skills can you share?  Do you have the tools to garden,
how could you make them?

I know we have folks on this list who are quite expert in animal husbandry.
What breed of sheep is best for wool?  Who can tell us about going from
"sheep to shawl"?  What's the best chickens...with broodiness?

Who knows how to drive a team, and has the harness to plow, plant, and
harvest?  Or even the "stuff" to do it by hand.  How do you make sure it
gets water in our arid mountain climate?

I expect with all the people that sew, keeping clothed won't be too
difficult, but how about shoes?

Herbalists...what herbs, etc would you grow for such a time?

Thanks to all for sharing their thoughts and skills!

Alan

> To: artemisia at lists.gallowglass.org
> Date: Fri, 17 Sep 2010 19:36:39 -0400
> From: rayzentz at aim.com
> Subject: Re: [Artemisia] A New Discussion - SCA Skills in a Modern Plague
> 
> 
> This is something my wife and I have discussed, and part of the reason we
are doing our Yurt project.
> 
> Plague, disease, flu, weather, loss of oil, whatever. Our civilization
depends on infrastructure. If we lose 40 - 50 %, or more, of our population,
even temporarily, because of illness, everything will come to a screeching
halt. People who are otherwise healthy will stay home, to avoid catching
something, making the civil shutdown even more severe. We have seen inklings
of this already, with bird flu, swine flu, and SARs scares.
> 
> The first thing that will happen, in my opinion, is that transportation
will stop. Dead. Planes, trains, and automobiles, and especially trucks,
will effectively stop. Stores will empty in a day, or two, three at the
most, and people will be left to survive on what they have on hand. That is
the wrong time to prepare for such a thing.
> 
> There is a big buzz toward having 72 hour emergency kits. Those are great,
if you are involved in a localized emergency, but we are talking about a
general, national or worldwide disaster here, and that piddly little 72 hour
kit will merely prolong the misery for some, by a few days.
> 
> Most people are simply unprepared for such an event as you describe. Our
society as we know it will end, and we will have a major die off, not due to
any disease itself, but the resultant starvation that will occur.
> 
> There will be three types of people in this situation. 
> 
> 1) the desperate mob, who will be seeking food, fuel, and other
necessities of life, and won't care what they have to do to get them. These
people will become embroiled in a great deal of desparate violence, for a
time, anyway. The more vicious people will prey on the weaker, will survive,
and we could see a repeat of what happened in Northern Europe when the
Romans left, and the supply ships and caravans ended. One difference is that
at least most people then had least some idea of how to farm, primitive as
it may have been. Most people today don't even have that little bit of
knowledge.
> 
> 2) the survivalist types, who will boogie off into the wilderness, and
just stay away from anyone, assuming that anyone they encounter, at least at
the beginning stages of this kind of collapse, would be after their stuff
and supplies. And of course, they would be absolutely correct. Those types
will be as far away from population centers as possible, and will likely
have a tendancy to be a bit trigger happy, also being violent. there also
are not very many of these.
> 
> Then there will be others who have prepared, and will band together for
mutual support and protection. I have a feeling that many SCAdians will be
of this type. There are skills that can be shared, and taught, that will be
essential in this type of collapse. However, even most of these will be
unprepared for the almost immediate lack of availability of foodstuffs.
Those who have stockpiled large amounts of food storage will be important to
know in this time   ;-)
> 
> Some of the difficulty will also depend on the time of year such a
meltdown occurs. if it is in early spring, the food situation may be solved
by harvest, if there are those who have gardening skills and seed stocks, of
which there may be quite a few, and if they managed to avoid or defend
themselves from the desperate horde from earlier in the collapse. After
several months, though, many of them will be dead, the population will be
MUCH smaller, and the food that grows will be much more likely to be
sufficient for the survivors.
> 
> If the collapse comes in the autumn... well, very few will make it to the
next possibility for a harvest.
> 
> My suggestion is this, and this is what we are involved in doing.
Stockpile basic supplies... those necessary for life. Learn how to live
without everything else. Along with foodstuffs, and clothing supplies, and
shelter, obtain and learn how to use defensive weapons and skills. One will
most likely need those often in the earlier days. Be prepared to leave, at a
moments notice. Have prepared arrangements, in advance, with like minded
people, who are also prepared, and be ready to band together, wherever it
may be necessary. Of course in order to do this, one must have extra fuel
available at all times. Keep your vehicles fully fueled at all times. If the
power goes, gas pumps will not work
> 
> Allegretza's e-mail byline amuses me, but she is right. "If you prepare
for the Zombie Apocalypse, everything else is taken care of."
> 
> Picture the worst case scenario you can possible imagine, and prepare for
all of the situations and extrapolations that may occur under that scenario.
Perhaps the Disaster never occurs, and you prepared for nothing. Gosh, how
awful. You are overprepared.
> 
> Just because you are paranoid, doesn't mean the world isn't really out to
get you...
> 
> It is my opinion that one can NEVER be overprepared...
> 
> Padruig
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Dr. Raymond Zentz
>  
> It is better to die a free man, than to live, a slave.
> 
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