Hemlocks organization preliminary design as of 7/25/2014.
The
mission is to survive until things get better.
Here's a
start organizational idea, since one cannot do it all, nor can we, nor should
we plan on it. Said another way, we
humans need to have people (and communities) focus on jobs that benefit us all,
like be thinking about it ahead of time. I happen to live in such a community. And this
is a start organizational idea, so many changes may come. Often it may take a larger
community to do the best to survive. So this draft assumes ideas are more
important that individuals or one Family, though some combination is obviously
best. Ideas never die, though individuals do. The general idea is to have an
operational organization, with a local "city-type" organization for
basic needs under it. It will probably take at least a few weeks for things to
settle down and routines to become just that.
After that, expect more "improvement" changes to happen in any
community, including yours.
The concept
is relatively simple. The entire organization has the mission of surviving
until things get better. Under that organization is a community setup to
provide all the usual services for all in the organization to use as part of
surviving. I can imagine some functions
may migrate from the "organization" to the mayor (a city-type
position) as "final" things evolve.
In the end, it takes a community to succeed, or so I believe. There will be many successful communities, by
the way.
H1 -
Personal and administration. Think
assignments as to living and sleeping (to include the two cottages and barn and
4 storage sheds) and bedding (the Hemlocks has some sleeping bags (like seven (+)
I think), etc. Plus there is a 12 person
tent, four cots, a three sided Cliff Field Pool shelter and outhouse, and many
sleeping pads. There's also probably 5+ sets of high tech long johns, too
(adult size, and some for kids). There's also many extra clothes. Let the boss
know just who is here at the time (once a week in writing). Maintain a welcome
aboard plan, to include sponsors to teach new arrivals "the way things are
setup". Always mention not flushing
bleach, antibacterial stuff, prescription meds, prescription
glasses, water for cleaning paint
brushes, oil & grease, hand wipes & female sanitary products, etc &
etc. The intent is to maintain the gravity septic tank system, which uses
bacteria to "digest" things like poop, pee, and routine home cleaning
needs. Things that the septic system can't handle should go into the dump (a
hole in the ground), since we do have to get rid of this stuff. Bottom line,
keeping the septic tank system running protects our long term health, like not
getting cholera, as an example. Toilet seats should be left with the lid
closed. Hair must cleaned out of the drains when it happens. Each
"roof" will have a senior person in charge for all reasons, to
include basic health and sanitation and fire prevention. Each house has a broom
and dustpan to use to clean. Rugs can be hung out to beat the dust and dirt out
of as required. Debris from cleaning should be just "thrown outside"
as a start. If the debris builds up, then we can remove it to the woods.
Sponsors will act as escorts as
required.
Maintain any performance review
system that might be developed. We need competent leaders in charge in order to
survive any hard times.
H2 -
Intelligence and information, like what is going on around the World, the
Hemlocks, and Monterey* that will affect us, and what will happen and when. Monitoring the emergency radios (already here,
both AM/FM/CB/Weather and World Bands) is part of the job. Maintain the world
map of where the radio broadcasting locations are (that still exist). Keep
track of a calendar and daily time (the Hemlocks has two mechanical watches, two
solar watches, and instructions on making a sundial, plus there is a garden
type sundial). Walk, or ride a bike into town (about a 15 minute walk to
downtown) as necessary. Provide weather reports/forecasts/guesses using the
board. Some basic tools, like two barometers,
are here, already. Be in charge of 1 of
the many dry erase boards. The board should be a "news" board, to include
a weather forecast. Keep it up daily in the AM. Maintain a separate monthly
calendar board with input from the home school head person. Plan on using the
same time and date system as Monterey. *
Use all sources, to include the barter people who do visit the local town.
Consider if
we choose to establish a counter-intel shop, it will probably be located under
the H2. A sample subject would be an impending attack on the place to gather
food.
H3 -
Operations. This is further divided as
follows:
A. Plans. Like thinking
ahead, being it survival, the seasons, or whatever. Coordinate for community
efforts, too.
B. Operations. What we
do day to day to survive. Include running and tabulating the vote once a year,
like the summer solstice on June 21st. As a rule, it usually takes about 3 months for
anyone to learn a new job, and then they can do a better job. Even the USA military
assumes a minimum of one year assignments these days. All positions are voted
on, by name. Paper and printing and writing means will probably be short so
using the old fashioned ways, like just saying your vote to the right person
may be necessary. There will be no kings or dictators at the Hemlocks. So is the initial intent, anyway.
1) Maintain a journal of major events at the
Hemlocks (and Monterey if we can). Remember we have 2 point and shoot cameras, and about 6 or more
hours of video capability, all run by rechargeable batteries. Plus we have a
lot of paper and pens and pencils. The intent is twofold: 1) record the history, and 2) help future
researchers when times get better. Also maintain Family Bible type information,
like births, deaths, marriages, baptisms, confirmations, etc. Work with the
religious lay leaders on this effort, also. Allow those leaving to carry this
Family Bible type information with them if requested and we have the supplies
to do so. Otherwise, support them at a later time.
2) Maintain
a "safety" map of zones at the Hemlocks to deconflict hunting with
all other activities (like collecting wild food or cutting wood). Decide the zones for the map, which do not
exist right now (in June 2014). Now one master map on a foam board does already
exist, plus a GIS (Geographical Information System) exists on the laptop, which
can be solar powered to recharge either of the two batteries. An acetate roll
exists to cover the map and draw zones on it.
C. Training. Like what we are doing to get better
to survive. Include gun safety, patrolling, cooking and food storage safety,
gardening, soap making, hunting, first aid, wild plant recognition, construction,
bartering ideas and techniques, walkie talkies, what to do if lost in the
woods, buddy system, home defense, waste water treatment, and the existing (and
off grid) electrical systems. Some combination of different instructors and
books and students will probably occur.
Some of these skills and practices can be bartered, too.
1) Maintain
the Hemlocks folders (about 2,000 pages in many binders) of how to do and make
many things. Often it is skills that are old fashioned these days (like how to
make maple syrup).
2) Maintain the Hemlocks library of books. These
books vary all over the place, like from old fashioned ideas to just reading
for entertainment reasons. Even midwifery is included. Consider a librarian of
sorts who maintains a list of those who have them. Also maintain all infrastructure
books and how-to books. Also maintain
the two Kindles and the Wiki encyclopedia electronic version. Do not loan any
books outside of the Hemlocks area. We need them, too. Presently the Kindle 1
and 2, and the electronic wiki are in the EMP bucket in the main house main
room.
3) Establish
a reading list, and update it annually. Use the many Hemlocks books for the
reading list. Reading can be a good way to teach, as well as entertain.
H4 -
Logistics and communications.
A. Food and drinking
water. For example, keep an inventory of available food (and seeds to grow
food). Develop a rationing plan as
required. Assign a head cook to process, store, and cook common food (working
with the "mayor"). This includes canning and other such efforts.
Using wood stoves will be tough over time since it takes wood to heat and even
cooking skills to learn. As always, priority goes to healthy food to prevent
disease, and cooking safety, with tasty meals being second in priority.
Initially, there is a supply of paper plates, plastic "sporks", and
other such things to help the transition to the basic washing of eating utensils
and plates. There is deliberately no animal farming setup at the Hemlocks.
Rather the intent is to using stockpiled powdered products as an alternative.
Use the supplies for soup kitchen kinds of things for refugees, too. They can
help themselves as best they can, also.
B. Medical. The Hemlocks
should have a head doc, for example. This person will probably be more like a
corpsman or medic or nurse or EMT technician or ex-military. If we're lucky, it will be a doctor or a veterinarian.
There are many local OTC (over the counter) drugs also available to help them,
too (plus some breathing filters and extra gloves, etc.). Initially, someone
with First Aid training is best, to include a parent. Priority goes to preventive medicine
efforts, with corrective medicine efforts second. Things like rubbing alcohol (70%) and
hydrogen peroxide (3%) are also stockpiled to keep infections down from boo
boos. Emphasize preventive medicine during all welcome aboard briefs. The
Hemlocks also has some broken bone setting stuff and basic dental repair stuff,
too. Also the main house middle room with the French Doors is the initial
hospital room, too, to include mosquito netting stuff. I suggest making the
barn (left side with concrete floor) an isolation ward if needed, and use the
available 12 person tent, sleeping mats, sleeping bags, and sleeping cots as
needed. There is also a small shed
behind the barn that can be set up as an isolation room. And of course the
other three storage sheds can also be set up for isolation wards. One problem
is keeping sick people warm and hydrated during the cold season. For those with
burns, there is a special hydration kit available. Enemas are involved, so
stand by for this sensitive subject.
Also this
person is in charge of the diatomaceous earth (DE) products and powder
dispensers at the Hemlocks (about 150+ pounds). All is food grade, also. Even
the gardeners will be interested in DE products, and the chief doc is the
person to speak with. DE is a barterable product, too. The main intent of using
DE is control of insect outbreaks, like flea and bed bug infestations. The
local farmers even mix it into feed to deworm their animals. Gardeners use it
for garden bugs, though rain will wash it off. It is the old fashioned safe
insecticide, and don't let the white colored powder worry you. It is food grade.
This person
is also in charge of the limited number of razors (400) for medical and
personal purposes. This person also
controls the various lice combs and chemical treatments for lice.
Don't forget
the old military way of putting our bedding out in the sun once a month or so
to let the UV (ultraviolet) rays clean our bedding.
There are
also some one time only antibiotic prescription drugs (times1). How to use them
is up to the local head doc. Ignore expiration dates as they are stored in the
dark and kept cool. Generally speaking, some work better above the waist, and
some work better below the waist. Don't
count on them being available. Bring your own existing antibiotic prescriptions
and glasses if you come to the Hemlocks.
Establish a
morning "sick call" time for routine medical things. Emergencies are on call for treatment all the
time. In this regards the Hemlocks also has two emergency litters, and two body
bags, also.
160 one ounce (30 milliliter) cups
with lids are available for the doc to use.
Female beauty efforts, like hair
reduction, will get a lower priority than life itself.
Feminine hygiene must be dealt with
also. After all, half the world's human population is female. An initial supply
of feminine hygiene products do exist.
C. Setting up outside barter relations. A local
barter market will probably evolve, though the name may be locally unique. Walking
into town with security (from people
and animals) will usually be required. See the Hemlocks Mayor to borrow
security gear, carts, transportation things, and walkie talkies. Make sure people know how to use the
equipment. For example of barter, and if times are really hard, what do we
trade for things we may need, like cooking oil if it runs out, for example.
Most of these things help us in cooking or cleaning, and we do have a start up
supply (about a month's worth or much more, depending on how many people are
here and the season). Think about salt, which the Hemlocks has (90+ pounds to
start). Now barter decisions in the end are the head person’s decision, if time
permits. This barter position may become very important, depending on how long
the hard times may be. Worse case, consider a "barter pile or dry erase
board" for a place for all to go to for Hemlocks barter, and also to place
anything we are not sure what to do with, but will also provide the barter
person with things to barter with. And remember we can barter services, like
home school or medical, as well as other things, like midwifery. So do maintain
a public barter dry erase board for what we both want and can trade for. Just
where to place it is to be determined. We can always use extra wood for cooking
and heating in the cold season. And the barter person(s) should be aware there are
sometimes two or more local names for the same place. Even the
"Hemlocks" is also called "Summerville Heights" by others,
often older types around 2014 and earlier.
D. Getting stuff that
helps the mission. Mostly this means
tools, and keeping an inventory of what we have to heat and cook with. It also
means checking on all the water, waste water, and local electricity sources.
The Hemlocks has a good amount of tools, to include farm and garden type tools.
Also develop a barter plan, both what we can trade away and what we seek, and what
we want to preserve and use right here. We will have a dry erase board to help
that effort. And remember, we won't have an on-off system of barter. For
example, if we have 100 zip lock bags of some size, perhaps 50 of them could be
for barter purposes.
E. Establish and
maintain a garden during the warm season. The garden tools to do so are already here.
The Hemlocks is well set up in this area, including the best kind of seeds to
plant for food, and we have an open and protected area to garden in (which has
been previously limed and fertilized once a while ago). Though in the end,
establishing and maintaining a garden is just hard work, including the security
of it. And the security is both from humans and local critters and the weather.
Plus the Hemlocks has three ways to can foods to eat for a later time. Right
now one can use wood to provide the heat.
F. Designate a cemetery
area, and prepare it. Appoint a religious lay leader, too (part time). There’s
nothing like weddings, and funerals. Think ashes to ashes, and making our own
wooden caskets for those who want a casket (and if we have the extra board wood).
We may not have time or the ability to always make a casket, and we may just
have to put a body in a hole for burial. For those who prefer cremation (and
again if we have the extra wood for a fire), think of a funeral pyre, Hindu
style. In all cases, the Family decides what to do with the remains, including
re-interment later (hence know where we are planted). For planning purposes, a
cremated human’s remains are about the size and weight of a 5 pound (2.27 Kg)
bag of sugar. I assume some death from old age, accidents, disease, and bad
people and wild animals. By the way, a cardboard casket is $270 if we could
even get one in 2012. And the Hemlocks has two body bags, plus 300 sandbags
that could be used to cover up the face or more of the deceased. Plus there are
60 metal markers and 20 more American flags to mark grave sites. Remember to
dig holes deep enough (generally 4 to 5 feet deep) to keep the wildlife from
digging up the remains. And consider using grocery bags or sand bags to collect
cremated remains for burial. The head religious lay leader will maintain the
cemetery map(s)/diagram(s) and markers so we know where our loved ones are
buried. And digging tools can be pick axes as well as shovels. The probable cemetery
areas have enough dirt to bury our relative's remains safely.
Consider
using the marker tags, which are small (1" X 2 1/2"). In this case,
also consider keeping separately Family type info and a map/diagram of where
our loved ones are buried.
G. Assign hunters and
trappers (include using snares and snare wire which are here) and gardeners and
woods pickers, like for acorns and walnuts (fall...the Hemlocks has a manual grinder
and pestle to make flour) and morel mushrooms (spring), and other mushrooms*
and wild greens (summer), and all the other wild foods identified by the
Petersen and Army books. Assign
fishermen when fish are available in the warm season (basic fishing stuff is
here). Use all the books that are here. *The mushroom picker is also the tester,
just to ensure safe eating. If in doubt, don't pick them. Better be hungry than
dead.
H. Maintain the "trash
dump", and even a separate food dump pit (probably using carcasses left
over from cooking) that will also attract worms for fishing, and probably yard
dogs and local critters. Establish a
mulch pile, too. Mix dirt with trash remains to keep the yard dogs and critters
from scavenging the place. Use periodic burning, also.
I. Keep track of the
available 5 and 2 and 1 gallon buckets, and the larger plastic and galvanized
wash buckets, all which will probably be in high demand. Remember some buckets are
more food qualified than others. The usual term is "food grade".
J. Key control. Be in
charge of all the existing keys and locks.
There are many, and many are in the front room, but there is also a key
locker in the new room closet full of presently used keys circa 2014. Use the
bolt cutter as necessary when keys are lost or missing. Presently the bolt
cutter is in the main room large closet.
K. Allocate distribution
and use of the rechargeable batteries (AA's and AAA's, and some C and D and 9V
cells). This will become a big deal. Most of the rechargeable batteries are "eneloop"
style, which is good for the Hemlocks. This is an electrical engineer job, in
the end, including setting up a schedule (approved by the mayor in the end) to
keep the available batteries topped off (most likely using the solar setup.
Mostly the charged batteries are for security use. Second priority is to make
sure all the smoke alarms are working (so no human fire watches are required). Third
priority is to provide some artificial light after the sun goes down. The water
plant and the backup solar plant are the main ways to recharge our batteries.
L. Maintain all the
sewing and shoe maintenance gear. Mostly that is thread, needles, duck tape, buttons,
and shoe goo. The local doc might be interested in the needles if lancing of
wounds and blisters comes into play. The intent is to maintain existing
clothes, vice making new clothes. The Hemlocks does have flax seed for making
new clothes (by growing flax like our ancestors did) if we have to go that route eventually. Sewing skills will help in screen repairing,
too. The Hemlocks has some stockpiled yarn and yarning needles.
1) Maintain
a tanning of skins and hides setup to use what we hunt and snare for various
purposes. Supplies are not available, so this will have a lower priority. Plan
on using local water and animal brains as a tanning method, like the Indians and
our ancestors did. There is an article on how to do all this in the library.
M. Maintain and track
the magnifying lenses that can be used for many things, including starting/restarting
fires. Eventually all the matches will run out, maybe.
N. Periodically dump the
wood stoves of ashes. Remember ashes can be used to make soap, so coordinate
with the chief cook, also. And wood stove ashes don't have to be cleaned
100%...something less can work about as well. And do leave an ash
"bed" in the wood stoves as that helps them burn best. Generally,
emptying ashes should occur around 3 or 4 times a year...it depends on the volume
of use. More ashes equals more dumping of ashes as varied by the stove size.
O. Assign the location
of the one existing fireplace ring (presently at the Cliff Field shelter area
on 9/28/13).
P. Maintain and even
enhance the present clothes lines (with clothes pins which exist) to dry our
clothes in the appropriate times. Even a half century ago, most houses had
clothes lines built in as part of just being a house.
H5 - Civil
affairs.
Mostly think of home educating our children,
and keeping them mentally and physically helping the effort. Think "Little House on the
Prairie". Remember we can use
school services as a barter tool, too.
Develop an entertainment schedule
for all, including the many available games or even music concerts kinda like
the Grand Ole Opry, the local style. We can even listen on the world radio to
music like the Grand Ole Opry, or any kind of music, really. Or we can have
story telling or book reading periods. Our imagination is the limit. While we have some limited musical
instruments, one can sing just fine without musical instruments, including
during worship services.
The initial plan is to use the
second cottage "recreation room" as a one room school house, to
include having a nice Ashley wood stove in it, one of the many dry erase boards
with writing kit (including a large one), the fold out table tennis table, and
other fold out chairs and card tables in this cottage. Books can be read aloud by book readers in
either house, on the porches, or in the other areas protected from foul weather.
Since the Hemlocks has many books,
it is important for entertainment to teach reading, too. Recreation both to and
from the Hemlocks can be done with permission from the Mayor. People coming to
the Hemlocks for recreation will need sponsors, especially to escort visitors on
and off the property. While security and being scouted out is always a concern,
so is being a good neighbor as best we can. The junction of Hwy 70 with the
driveway is an obvious place to meet and say goodbye to visitors.
Boss - like the overall head person in
charge. This is the person who decides about conflicts and priorities, and
guides the whole thing. Think of a savvy judge and jury along the way. People
will come and go, too. This person is
also like the Federal Supreme Court, like including evicting lazy people, which
will probably have to happen. Worse case, a person refuses to leave, makes
unreasonable demands, or comes back. In this situation, a council of elders can
impose up to a death sentence (the Hemlocks has a hanging bar and rope (also
used for large game)). This person is like a savvy judge too. It is a tough
job, but somebody has to be in charge.
Remember preserving American moral values and the Golden Rule, too. Also
consider providing a "grub stake" to evicted people, like a bag of
beans (if we even have it). The golden rule always applies, in my way of
thinking. It could even be called
"tough love". Resolve all conflicts as required.
Assistant
boss - the boss needs help. Also work with the Hemlocks mayor to maintain a
daily schedule for all to see or know about. All the “H” people report to him,
too.
Hemlocks Mayor
(this person reports to the Boss) - this person runs the local Hemlocks setup
for all to survive and live. Work with the Boss when resolving conflicts. When
many get cold and hungry, then this will be an unpopular position. This person controls one of the many dry erase
boards at the Hemlocks. The job includes:
Compound security. Develop a security plan and assign a security
boss (kind of like a Chief of Police). There
is extra info on this subject (to include maps) in the If Times Get Hard 3 ring binder. Assign "watches" to protect the
compound, 24 hours a day. And oversee it. Establish a patrolling checklist and use it
(including challenge and passwords posted somewhere). All this a big deal when other people and wildlife try to steal our food, or
do other harm. Many of these will also
be doing other H (Hemlocks) type services, like keeping a ship running 24/7.
Keeping the Hemlocks electric plant going will have a higher priority than
protecting the Cliff Field Pond, for example. Having a reliable time keeping
means will become a big deal, especially when awakened like at 0345 in the
morning to do a 4 hour security watch/patrol in the winter, and it is raining,
for example. The Hemlocks has two solar powered watches and four manual clocks/watches
to help in this idea. Think 24 hour operations, plus people have to work during
daytime, too. Consider the use of yard dogs, also. All in all, this is a thankless, but
necessary task, especially because the Compound is "walking distance"
close to Monterey. The Compound's
proximity to Monterey is a two edged sword, so to speak. Like it or not, that
is the way it is. Maintain the various weapons at the Hemlocks. The combination
to the gun safe is in the front room in one of the bedroom tables' drawers. The
two cottages have pepper spray and pistol crossbows and tasers for home defense.
The main cottage also has a cattle prod and a spear by the front door of the
main house. The guns are stored in the nearby front bedroom.
The people manning the foxhole will
provide their own "chamber pot" and take it with them at the end of
their watch. Otherwise, the foxhole and area around it will become a health
hazard eventually. Plan B is to dig a
big hole to use for toilet purposes in the vicinity of the foxhole. Plan C is a
little bit of all solutions. Plan D is to use the one camping portable toilet.
Whoever is on watch at 0900 has to dump the waste and return the camping
portable toilet to its location, in this solution. In this case use some
plastic bags if we have them, plus some kitty litter style things (like leaves
and soil) work OK, too. After all, if
you gotta go, you gotta go, but nobody wants to be sick from bad health (like
cholera and typhoid), either.
Use the many
"tin cans" with pebbles (from the driveway and crushed rock piles) in
them and strung on lines (that exist) for detection of homeland invaders (both
human and wildlife).
Coordinate visitor escort services
with the H5 for visitors coming down the driveway from Hwy 70. Often this will
be in conjunction with Hemlocks entertainment being offered.
Religious services. Provide them on
Sunday mornings. The Hemlocks needs a lay religious person(s). Best case we
would have more for all the major religious beliefs. And we need them for the rest
of the week!, to include weddings and funerals. Some will probably marry in and
out of the compound, as an example. Refugees and the ill need religious tending,
also. Also work with the mayor to choose
a baptism pond, tub, or whatever is used. Sunday
should be a "rest" day as best the leaders can make it (at least
Sunday morning).
Monitor the food, drinking water,
and waste water services. This includes bathing, and rationing the 1.000(+)
baby wipes that are an OK substitute for bathing while we have them. Those that
prefer hot water can use the wood stoves to make it with wood heating. Boiling pots are here. Now priorities for
using warm water are the maker’s choice (the mayor will probably require those
that like hot water for bathing to cut their wood and find the time). Assign a
chief cook for the Compound. Food will be offered out of a common meal with a
"chow call" signal, or just a plain schedule. Individual cooking cannot be tolerated.
Cooking and eating is a communal effort. This is probably not as harsh as it
sounds, especially if we kick out lazy people.
Think gardening, hunting, snaring, etc., to feed, via food storage and
cooking. All this contributes to higher morale and satisfactory health even
during hard times.
The chief cook is also responsible
for periodically making soap for all purposes (when we may run out), to include
cleaning ourselves and cooking and eating equipment (boiling water works well,
also).
The mayor will have a person to rely
on whose focus is taking care of our refugees as best we can. We will probably
have many, like more than we want.
Monitor the children services, like
schooling, including lesson plans, and "keeping them busy". Support home school efforts. Children still
have to be educated, and will benefit from education in so many ways that
enhances their abilities and future happiness.
Be in charge of one "dry eraser
board" (there are many, and one goes to the "H2" for news and
weather things. Hopefully the mayor assigns one (like control, location, and information
on it) to the "school". This may become a big deal because of various
good demands to use them.
Assign people to cut and stack wood
(and protect it) for heat during the cold season and cooking year round. Do the
same to stockpile prepared cooking (and split) wood during the warm season.
Think mechanical, like the old days, including the wood stoves. The tools are
here, to include saws (one and two man), axes, and splitters, and sharpening tools and methods,
hammers and nails, etc. This will be a major effort, I believe; that is
cutting, splitting, and stockpiling wood. Have the chief cook maintain the one
large metal trash can for small cooking wood (and pine cones, etc.) collected
from the yard and nearby areas. Available oil based fuel will eventually run
out, so most of this effort will be manual.
Remember we have a local high
quality anthracite coal seam also (it's about 18" thick and around 400
yards away from the compound over rough terrain and under the bluff), which can
be mined for heat or cooking reasons. We have a book and the tools and the
grates for using coal, which is different from using wood. A map of the
location is in the infrastructure folder, and how to use coal is in one of the
"if times get hard folders". I would suggest having one person mine
the coal, while another person uses a line and bucket to lift it to the top of
the bluff and return it to the compound to use. Basically, coal needs oxygen
from below, and a hot fire to get it going. The coal seam is at the base of
first bluff.
Assign people to both work in the
garden (a reasonable time after frost planting time is after May 15th at the
Hemlocks), and then put up the food for the cold season time. In other words, plan ahead. The Hemlocks has many
books about that (and some supplies, to
include two canning pressure cookers, a boiling water canner, a food strainer, and utensils and directions), to help the people
who do it. It is pretty much like a high
school chemistry experience in my time. And it works. It is not rocket science.
The final product is similar to the canned foods we see at the grocery. And remember to label it. Food is
very important for survival and health and morale.
There is a small prefab "green
house" for the porch next door, so we can start growing plants from seeds
before the May 15th date. There is also
available a "rocket stove" for heating the green house and providing
CO1, also. Plants just love CO1, though
it will kill humans.
Assign a "Hemlocks
Engineer" to maintain/understand the water, waste water, EMP and electric
stuff (which is still often new in early 2012). For sure knowing about the
operation of the electric plants (both water powered and solar powered) is a
big deal, especially including maintenance of the plants, and even the smaller battery
recharging schedules. The manuals to do so have been saved in the electrical
folder, too. This engineer reports to
the "vice mayor" directly, and can help the preventive medicine
effort a lot, also. This is an important
position.
The suggested initial priorities are clean
water, waste water, and then electricity. For electricity ensure knowledge of
all fuses and spare parts, to include locations. Maintain the electricity book
in the main house new room storage closet.
Remember "chasing the sun"
for the solar backup setup. There is an article on this in the electricity
book. Now for "chasing the sun" for the solar setup, use the large
utility cart to move the batteries and solar panels and converter around the
yard 3 or 4 times a day to capture direct sunlight, and the portable internal
frame white tent (or alternative) to park the setup out of rainy and snowy
weather during the night time. Use the heavy duty extension cords to bring
electricity into the main house.
Recharge batteries as required or on a schedule to be approved by the mayor.
Assign cooks, food cleaners, and
house cleaners (the common areas). Use the many available containers, as
needed.
Assign alcohol brewers as needed,
too. Alcohol consumption is historically a big deal to many Americans, mostly
males.
Maintain facilities as best one
can. Mostly that means trying to keep
people warm and dry, and better during the cold season. The intent is not to just
make things better, but also to preclude things from getting worse. There are roof repair materials available,
for example.
Conduct health and sanitation
inspections with the doc. With the doc
and H4 and the mayor, and once a quarter or more often, expose all bedding to
the sunshine (4 to 6 hours is a good goal). Also emphasize fire safety. Include
checking on all the smoke and CO1 (carbon monoxide) alarms using a map or notes
to remember where they all are. Replace the batteries as necessary once a year
using the rechargeable batteries.
Schedule announced periodic drills,
to include house fire, wild fire, tornado, security of the compound, security
of the garden, and patrol back up (use the manual siren, too). It is suggested
to do the rehearsals during daylight, and at least twice a year as a start. The
Hemlocks has available a chuck wagon triangle, a cow bell, and a manual siren
to use if desired.
Maintain and control all Hemlocks
equipment, including the adult bicycle, and the batteries, to include rechargeable
batteries run off the local electric plants, with the DC/AC converters, too.
Setup a monthly barber and beauty
service for health and sanitation and human preference reasons. Plan on using
the electric barber set powered with solar power, converted from DC to AC on
the fly, also. Also plan on using
scissors and a comb. Men are expected to grow beards, with a monthly trim if
requested. There are not enough razors for daily cosmetic shaving.
By
the way, and best case, we can do OK up at the Hemlocks if need be. It won't be a fun experience, but this is a
good place to survive for a while (like more than one year), if need be. The
key point is having the running water springs, and a waste water system, all
gravity powered. That is a big advantage to staying alive during any difficult
time.
Hemlocks vice mayor. The mayor needs
help. All city type people positions and workers report to him/her, and he/she
reports to the mayor.
Everyone has to wash their own
clothes and bedding on their own limited time. The Hemlocks has such gear
(including two wringers), plus they have to hang their clothes and bedding out to
dry (such clothes lines are here). Plus they have to dump their own trash into
the Hemlocks dump hole, to be burned by the H4 periodically. Just how we
collect our trash after the plastic bags run out will depend on our ingenuity.
Last, here are the underlying
assumptions I am using on December 17, 2013.
A. Public electricity is
lost (for whatever reason), and using the triage idea, Monterey and the
Hemlocks may go one to three years without public electricity while the new
transformers are both manufactured, transported, and installed; and other
repairs are done. I suspect big cities
will get a priority since that is what I would do. Hence a place like New York
City or Mumbai will do better, like go 1 to 4 months before public electricity
is restored, and where most live (probably at much reduced populations).
Cookeville or Crossville nearer to the Hemlocks may come back on like within a
year or so. A place like the Hemlocks will probably be last. I plan on three
years, worse case.
B. Best case, the
Hemlocks will be making its own electricity, EMP and winter and beaver proof to
boot (I hope). In that idea, the place will make enough electricity to maybe power
the small freezer, some lights so we don't have to live like Abraham Lincoln, one LED security light to make trespassers and
wildlife make a better target, and a rechargeable battery charger (we have a
small solar one, too). Plus this design will include a "dump load"
that may help heat the main house place during our cold season (it depends on
the situation and weather and number of people here), and then dump the excess
heat into the atmosphere during the warm season. The Hemlocks electrical
engineer will do this, and the manuals to figure it out are in the main house
new room closet. The main house also has a wood stove insert for heating in the
front of the main cottage, and a second stove for the back of the main house.
And the second cottage also has two wood stoves, too. One is a wood cooking
stove with a big fire box, and one is
" even more modern". The barn
has a lot of room for a big tent (the Hemlocks has one camping type tent for 12
with some sleeping pads) that is here, too. Cold is one thing, but wet and cold
is another less fun thing, so the barn overhead cover will work well when it is
rainy and snowy. There is are also two primitive wood stoves available,
too. Just where they end up will depend
on the situation. Exhaust pipes and metal tape to go with them are also here.
C. Compared to the
Nashville area, the Cumberland Plateau where the Hemlocks is, is a poorer place
to garden and farm, mostly due to the acidic type soil. Many garden plants
prefer a less acidic soil. Hence plan
ahead. Other ancestors (including local American Indians) have done this too (like
gardened and farmed here), so vegetable
gardens will grow OK, and have already grown OK at the Hemlocks, which has two
nearby garden areas, too (already limed and fertilized a long time ago), and like
with full sun most of the day. Gardening tools are available, too. The Hemlocks
has a seed vault, too. For example we can grow our own potatoes and tomatoes
relatively easy, or so I expect. Plus there are some apple trees and one peach
fruit tree and a simple blueberry patch. Plus we have some grafting supplies, too.
D. Depending on the
situation and circumstances and the amount of people at the time, most people
will have multiple responsibilities, like normal. That will probably change
(like responsibilities) as people come and go. Imagine living on a ship as a
good example. Keeping up with that is what the "H" type people and
mayor do.
E. Thanks to mother nature, we have plenty of
clean spring water (mineral free, called "freestone" water), and even
waste water treatment (like a septic tank and drain field), all gravity
powered. Now we are probably hurting on the food side of things after a month
or more (depending on how many people we have show up), which is a good problem
to have. The food dilemma will depend on the season, the number of people here,
the food we grow, what we can live without, and what we can barter for. Also
consider if a cold spell (or other mother nature event) affects our growing
season, and just what we will do (usually do to an abbreviated growing season).
Both cottages also have (each) a water filter than can filter pond water for
those that prefer that. They can support about 20 adults a day at a minimal
level (I estimate).
F. The wood stoves in
both cottages are the main methods of cooking, boiling/heating water, heating
water, heating ourselves, heating our below floor pipes, etc. There are three Coleman
camping ovens and two Dutch ovens (both standard 12 quart) than can be used,
too. The wood stove insert in the main house has a small thermocouple fan
(around a 150 cfm (cubic feet per minute)) and a magnetically held temperature
gauge (old fashioned spring designed) on it, too. An extra 100 cfm thermocouple
fan will be next door, plus a third similar fan is in the back of the main
house on the small cooking stove there. The place (the Hemlocks) is about a square
mile in size, so there is plenty of wood to cut and burn. Much of it is already
"seasoned", too. Just use these
stoves outdoors or use an exhaust pipe/chimney to keep the carbon monoxide
killing problem away. One "rocket
stove" would work well on the porch of the second cottage, for example,
especially if we put in a green house there, too (again the gear to do so is
here). Now for all small stoves, one has to collect the yard wood twice a day,
kind of like the old Hemlocks' days. Back then, the yard wood would go into a
box...now it goes into a large metal trash can with a cover. Ole granny used to
do the chore, now I (66 year old male) and the children will have to do it I
imagine.
F(2). Cooling in the
warm season is by use of windows and doors and maintaining the screens as best
we can. Maintenance screens are here as long as they last and we maintain.
People that come up here will bring extra ammo, and their prescription
drugs and glasses, and sized shoes. Right now the Hemlocks has a working 30-06
rifle, a 22 long rifle, a Japanese WWII Arisaka rifle, plus four crossbows, two air guns with a lot of air gun ammo, two
sling shots, plus knives, pepper spray, a
cattle prod, two tasers, and other similar things. If "guests" don't
bring more ammo, or guns, then we will suffer, but survive. Ammo for the sling
shots, after the ball bearings run out, will be driveway and grounds’ pebbles.
Targets for training are also here. Shooting ranges must have some kind of
backdrop to "collect" training rounds. The backdrop can be natural.
Shooters must still verify the safety of their ranges when being operated, like
no mushroom pickers in active down range impact areas. Ammo should always be
considered a valuable, limited, and irreplaceable asset. Dry fire should be
used for "snap in" training as often as possible. One laser training
pistol also exists these days. It uses both green and red lasers as training method.
H. The local town
grocery and hardware stores will run out of all commodities within a few days
(like three), and without electricity, all fuel supply and phone and other services, to include
emergency and medical and Internet, will end. So will our refrigerator and
frozen food sources. What we have is what is here, plus what we grow, and make,
have stockpiled, and defend from other humans (and local wildlife will also probably
invade our garden area, too).
I. All huntable game will probably be hunted out
within a year by local Monterey citizens. Then the use of snares (the Hemlocks
has some), and patrols, will be a big deal. The Hemlocks also has 4 rat traps
that can be used to catch squirrels, too. Plus there are 4 have-a-heart traps,
also. How to use and bait them will
depend on the hunters' skills. Initially, expect some ratio like 15 trap tries
to one successful trap. When we get good, the ratio might drop to 5 tries to
one successful trap. I expect most snare animal food will be from rabbits. Plus
we have many mouse traps, too.
J. Don't throw anything
away casually. Even things like animal fat and rice grains will have value in
so many ways. Also old Mylar and zip lock used food bags will have value, as
another example. Wood stove ashes can help make soap, for even another example.
Every grain of rice counts, too. Even use clean water to wash out containers
that may have some food still left in them.
K. The main way to protect dry goods food stocks
from wild animals like mice is by using the large plastic containers here at
the Hemlocks in the main cottage. Also
the local small freezer (7.2 cu. ft.) serves the same function, but extends the
shelf life of whatever is in it. There is an inventory list magnetically
hanging on this freezer. Plan B is too use natural cooling which implies
digging into to the local overhangs, and taking advantage of the constant 54 F
temperatures. Now this usually means three things, also. One is protecting the
cache from local critters, two is protecting the cache from local stealing humans, and three is the 1/3
mile or more hike down and back to use this local 54 F refrigerator ( if we did
it under the nearby cliffs).
L. We may move some or all of the gardening
effort closer to the compound for security reasons (both human and wildlife).
Consider the near back yard and side yard, for example. It has been limed and
fertilized once, already.
M. The four traditional water
springs in July 2012 ran somewhere between 3,000 and 5,500 gallons per hour,
estimated. We really don't know for sure, though. Now this is a drought
estimate, and during rainy times, it will be better, like probably more like
5,000 to 7,200 gallons per hour. Now
springs depend on filtering, too; so build that delay (often months) into your
calculations. Plus there is some surface runoff, too (for the top two springs),
that helps fill the pond that helps make electricity (off grid again), if it even
rains or more likely have thunderstorms and periodic showers over this land.
And are there other springs, too. Plus the Hemlocks has a Berkley water
purifier, too (and another smaller water filter, also). They are presently
located in both houses. Each will make around 30 to 40 gallons a day of clean
water, best case. That should work well for those who want clean pond (vice
spring) water to drink and cook with. And remember, one can boil water, too; like
to make it clean for humans to drink and cook with. In this case the water
might be cloudy, but also clean enough to drink and cook with.
N. Many females menstruate. Females are half of all humans. The reusable
and cleaning methods to accommodate menstruation include natural sponges, manufactured
pads, and existing cotton and natural products, plus Oxyclean soaking methods
to help the reusable methods. Old fashioned soap and water helps, too. Then
later (worse case) we may have to go the American Indian route, like using the
local Hemlocks moss. Disposal should be in pits, not the septic system. The
intent is to protect the septic system from things it cannot
"digest".
O. People will have sex, and some females will get
pregnant. The Hemlocks can handle that. In fact, having a midwife can be a barterable
trade. Now preventive methods to getting pregnant include condoms, of which the
Hemlocks has 100. The Hemlocks has no birth control pills or other stockpiled
means. Keep in mind we all got here somehow, so life will go on, like babies
getting made and growing up. Plus we will have midwifery abilities that will
help, too.
P. The dry erase boards have writing and erasing
materials to use, also.
Q. Generally, all the
structures at the Hemlocks are mostly wood, so they will probably burn quite
quickly. Hence be ruthless about fire safety and prevention. At Groton Plantation
(in SC) where I use to work, the idea of "swept" yards came over from
Africa. Even children were often forbidden from maintaining fires in all hours
of the day in share cropper houses. All these were methods of fire safety and
protecting lives.
R. The hard maple trees
and honey bee hives are assets (sugar and health mostly) we can use. They work
already. They do take maintenance.
S. Children are assets
to be used. And they must be integrated into the Community, as best we can.
Plus they must be educated to at least the 3R level to enhance their future. I assume
most will eventually leave to start their own Family, while some will bring in
new people, too. As always, it will
depend on the situation.
T. I assume adult people
can read. Mostly reading is for using all the reference books and articles
here, plus for entertainment. Dictionaries and a wiki widget are also available.
U. The emphasis is on
reading, writing, and teaching people as need be. A much lower priority goes to
the memory method of carrying on history, methods, and traditions. Usually this
discussion is mostly about our children and how to best teach them.
V. I choose not
to use farm type animals to help survive if times get hard. Rather I choose to
use pre-stocked products, like powdered milk, mostly in order to try do the
same thing (I already know I and kids can). Hence I have not already installed
fencing and stockpiled animal feed, as an example, of what I have otherwise planned
on. The Hemlocks does have limited fencing available, with most fence posts
coming from what we harvest from the woods.
W. I assume I can feed
my yard dogs from scraps and animal offal.
If I am wrong, then they will move away, die off, or be eaten. Even Lewis
and Clark ate 191 dogs they bought from the local Indians.
X. I assume between
Family and local Friends who can even make it up here, there might be as many
as 21 adults and 24 kids, plus local overflow. Any less will degrade many of
these ideas. Any more will ruin the best case situations we will probably face.
Y. I have personally
washed and wrung out clothes (by hand) and dried them in the sun and wind
(using clothes lines), so I know one can do it, if they need to. I have even
done it in the USA for one adult and four young men, for example. I did not
enjoy the effort and time it took, but I proved to myself I can do it if I need
to.
Z. I assume if we have
poor health and sanitation in the region, then pandemics will erupt, and will
often affect me and my Family and friends; and especially the refugee and overload
people arriving, uninvited and desperate, normally I also expect. Heck, it may
even happen here. And I don't discount
the effect of Interstate 40 coming nearby. Even diseases like cholera and
typhoid may come back. To boot, I assume many of the old fashioned and
"natural remedies" and methods will still probably still work OK. I
also assume the idea of practicing preventive medicine as best I can, and
giving priority to letting our bodies heal most sicknesses and injuries, with
our medical help, of course. Mostly that means keeping sick people warm and
hydrated, as best we can.
Z(2). I know vegetable oil makes a good substitute
(sometimes better) for mineral oil in so many applications, including
lubrication and rust prevention.
Z(3) I assume we will have refugees, who we will
help as best we can. The mayor will have to figure out where they stay and how
they heat (two primitive wood stoves are potentially available) in the cold
season. Safe fires are permitted. Refugees should not live in and among the
accepted Family and Friends people. Spreading out has safety considerations,
too.
Z(4) I assume the all
the existing facilities will work (now I do have to maintain them). This
includes the 3 bathtubs, and 4 flush toilets. I assume any losses due to fire
we will make up for somehow. Hence be ruthless about fire safety as a first
priority.
Z(5) I assume most warm season bathing will use the
local ponds. I assume most cold season bathing will be limited, and generally
using cold water. I assume some may want to bathe using the 35 gallon metal
wash tub, or baby wipes if available. Some may want to heat water, too.
Z(6) I assume we will
eventually run out of paper toilet paper and baby wipes, and go more primitive
after that.
Z(7) I assume if burial
markers and small flags run out, we will use local creek stones and even wood as
markers for gravesites, with a map/diagram maintained by the religious lay
leader.
Z(8) I assume the
stockpiled paper, pens, and pencils will last if we are frugal about using
them.
Z(9) I assume if we have a civil war, political
decisions will be individual. Said another way, I assume most at the Hemlocks
will focus on the mission of survival and not the conflict.
Z(10) I assume that
other situations (like a cul-de-sac in a city) may demand different and better
solutions.
Z(11) I assume people
that have to use "chamber pots" will do so. Chamber pots can be readily
made from local and available materials and containers. Then one just dumps
their chamber pot in the morning into a toilet hole or water toilet. This
especially applies to the people manning the foxhole, who will provide their
own "chamber pot" and take it with them at the end of their watch.
Otherwise, the foxhole and area around it will become a health hazard
eventually. Plan B is to dig a big hole
to use for toilet purposes in the vicinity of the foxhole. Plan C is a little
bit of all solutions. Plan D is to use the one camping portable toilet. Whoever
is on watch at 0900 has to dump the waste and return the camping portable
toilet. In this case use some plastic bags if we have them, plus some kitty
litter (local soil?) style things work OK, too.
Z(12) There is no plan to stockpile oil based fuel,
or animal feed products. Now there is minimal fencing and some chicken coops to
do future animal farming, but they are not used right now. Rather the Hemlocks has
just stockpiled the products from animals, like powdered milk and eggs. As to oil based fuel, when it runs out, it
runs out. There is no stockpiled oil base fuel at the Hemlocks.
Z(13) There is a plastic
webbing way to protect the blackberry patch (just one plant in
August 2014 - the two previous tries failed) from humans and wild critters and even birds.
August 2014 - the two previous tries failed) from humans and wild critters and even birds.
Z(14) Charity will be practiced as best we can. That idea includes supporting any local soup
kitchens as best we can.
Z(15)
Life, and schedules, will necessarily slow down as we revert to older times and
manual ways to get things done.
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