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The Lazy L

The Lazy L

Old Cowpoke
Neighbor
HCL Supporter
Joined
Dec 6, 2017
Messages
6,188
Location
1868
Food, check.
Water, check.
Shelter, check
Firearms, check.

What the......?

First. Local cell tower was down for one and a half weeks. Which means our cell phones were worthless. We are far enough from civilization that there is only cell phone provider's service the works on our property.

Second. Received a notice from the State Department of Motor Vehicles that my driver's license has been suspended for ninety days! According to the State's records I didn't have insurance coverage when I had an accident four months ago. I've got proof of insurance in my hand. Called my Insurance Agent. They will get it straighten out today, be another day or two before the State removes the suspension. I'm told that sometimes the investigation Officer transposes the vehicle VIN number on his report. Or (IMHO) the State employee goofed or my insurance Agent.

So now I'm wondering what other technology or human error can creep into the cracks of my planning?
 
For the cellphone outage, you could get a handheld shortwave transceiver. They don't cost much (the cheapest models are less than $100). It is easy to get a HAM license which is required to operate the radio. You no longer need to learn Morse Code. In a life or death personal emergency, I wouldn't be too worried about the license, but it would be good to get one so you know what you are doing. However, legally, a license is required. In a widespread disaster, you certainly wouldn't want to be the one unlicensed yahoo messing things up for everybody else. If you decide to get a transceiver, get the license too. Get the license first, so you have some kind of idea what transceiver you might want to buy.
 
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The Lazy L said:
So now I'm wondering what other technology or human error can creep into the cracks of my planning?
Click to expand...

I had a very bad experience a few month ago. Basically all on my bills go automatically to credit cards, everything. But I get e-mail notices of each bill (and I have some options at that point).

I have only one bank account and that is checking account. All of the credit cards send me e-mail notice, and ask what amount I want to have them electronically draw from that checking account. It is amazing how well it works.

Now the one problem with this is that it all requires "reliable" internet service/access. Literally every part of this crisscrosses each other and me through internet. Where I live there is "ZERO" cell phone coverage, so I have never owned a cell phone. My landline phone comes by microwave across a substantial body of ocean. My internet access is by landline phone. Now here is the weak link in this "Technology". The microwave can be disrupted by heavy rain, heavy snow, large flocks of birds, falling leaves, and other unknown strange mysterious forces.

I still love this system; However it is good to be keenly aware of its weak "technology" link.
 
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Getting over the mess that technology created as Lazy L has gone through, is not fun, I just had to deal with the DMV here in Oregon over notifying them of the donation of my old, none running 1989 ford pickup to Heritage for the Blind. I did the work over the internet and from the feedback I'm not sure everything registered correctly, that remains to be seen but trying to get all the info after the fact was not fun and I'm just too old to have to be messing with things that should have been taken care of from the info provided by the people I donated the truck to and then there is the time I spent on the phone to try and talk to someone from DMV and the phone line dropped out which lost me my place in line to be talked to, I really am getting sick and tired of this modern tech age, it seems that I'm now jumping through more hoops than ever before to get minor things done. Today seems to be my rant day, sorry I'll try and turn it off and just be happy.
 
As prepared as we can be but there is always more things to do.

Food check.
Water check have enough at the moment but we are saving up for a solar bore to be put in for more water. We also back onto a creek and own half of that but it is dry with the drought. We are one of very few homes here with lots of rain water in our tanks and already have had people offer to buy the water which we told them no.
Shelter check with good outlooks on all sides and raised off the ground.
Firearms working on as we have to jump through hoops in Australia and also looking into archery equipment.
 
I would think if just cell towers stopped working in America, that S would HTF for all of us. Wouldn't an EMP attack do that?

Most people no longer have a land line.

Not that this is what anyone really wants to do, but I just wonder what does it take to build a cell tower for oneself? Could you? How much $$$? Would you be allowed to? Where could you get the parts?

I have driven across these states over the years and not been able to get cell service in certain places: Nebraska, Iowa, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. In this day and age, when stuff happens, not being able to have cell service is not good, especially if you have car trouble. I had a battery go bad more than 20 years driving from South Dakota to North Dakota. That was a challenge. Another time, I had to meet my daughter in Guttenberg, Iowa when she was riding in RAGBRAI many years ago. No cell service! She was coming from the East Coast, I was coming from Colorado. Yep, that sucked! Try to find a phone booth in this day and age. Do they even exist anymore? Not in my hometown! I went into the grocery store and asked if I could use their phone, because I had no cell service.
 
My banker told me i should diversify and basically not have all of my eggs in one basket (use more than one bank). Say what now?
One of our kids didn't have cell service going through Nevada.
My washer broke. What if yours goes kaputz? Do you have a scrubbing board? A crick, creek, stream, river with clean water?
 
Weedygarden said:
I would think if just cell towers stopped working in America, that S would HTF for all of us. Wouldn't an EMP attack do that?

Most people no longer have a land line.

Not that this is what anyone really wants to do, but I just wonder what does it take to build a cell tower for oneself? Could you? How much $$$? Would you be allowed to? Where could you get the parts?

I have driven across these states over the years and not been able to get cell service in certain places: Nebraska, Iowa, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. In this day and age, when stuff happens, not being able to have cell service is not good, especially if you have car trouble. I had a battery go bad more than 20 years driving from South Dakota to North Dakota. That was a challenge. Another time, I had to meet my daughter in Guttenberg, Iowa when she was riding in RAGBRAI many years ago. No cell service! She was coming from the East Coast, I was coming from Colorado. Yep, that sucked! Try to find a phone booth in this day and age. Do they even exist anymore? Not in my hometown! I went into the grocery store and asked if I could use their phone, because I had no cell service.
Click to expand...

Weedy if the power grid goes down for whatever reason I don't think any phone would work.
Maybe a ham radio if it was protected. :dunno:.
 
Patchouli said:
My banker told me i should diversify and basically not have all of my eggs in one basket (use more than one bank). Say what now?
One of our kids didn't have cell service going through Nevada.
My washer broke. What if yours goes kaputz? Do you have a scrubbing board? A crick, creek, stream, river with clean water?
Click to expand...

Patch in a shtf situation washing clothes will be our least worry. :eek:
We have buckets and well but no hand pump.
 
Patchouli said:
My banker told me i should diversify and basically not have all of my eggs in one basket (use more than one bank). Say what now?
One of our kids didn't have cell service going through Nevada.
My washer broke. What if yours goes kaputz? Do you have a scrubbing board? A crick, creek, stream, river with clean water?
Click to expand...
This is my current situation. Mine is broken as well. I actually do have a scrubbing board, but I am not using it, yet. Money is not the problem to replace it for me, getting it into the bathroom where my laundry area is, is the problem. Someone took the clawfoot tub out of the bathroom several years ago when I put down ceramic tile. It now sits in the hallway outside the bathroom, and the space is not large enough to get a washer in or out. The tub has never been put back or replaced with something more modern. It must weigh around 1,000 pounds, and I am certainly not going to destroy the tile that I installed. It might even hit the floor so hard it would end up on the first floor. I have been calling around to find someone who can help me. No luck with plumbers who can help yet. It seems that many plumbers are old and cannot lift heavy stuff, even if they had help.

Laundry? I have done laundry here and there, at other places, but I also do it in buckets. I soak my clothes at least one day before I agitate them by hand, rinse them and get ready to dry them. I have had 3 drying racks for many years, and I put them into the shower stall when the clothes are really drippy. When they are done dripping, but still wet, sometimes they go into the clothes dryer, and sometimes just hang to dry.

BTW, laundry mats can cost a pretty penny if you are doing laundry for a family these days.

Because of preparedness and the washer situation, I have realized that I in fact have 60 pair of underwear. I did not realize that until I was just going on and on until I needed to wash them. I actually have more, because I have some in smaller sizes that I do not wear.
 
only this morning was flipping through tv channels whilst having my cup of coffee(instant), came across one of these daytime chat shows, one of the panel said she dosent eat cauliflower because "it looks like a brain!" really!!! I love cauliflower.
some people don't half say the stupidest things.
 
Yes I worked in retail in the communications industry and one woman customer said something completely stupid and I laughed out loud and that is when you know you have worked in retail too long is when you can't stifle laughing anymore and keep a straight face. She asked me if I was laughing at her and I told her oh no I am just getting over the flu and coughing.
 
I worked in a hardware shop for 12 months in the early 70s, worst year of my life, I really cant handle the general public and their stupidity, not then and not now.
 
@lonewolf DH has back injuries and a limited walking capacity so we only shop once a month for staples and do little shops in between sometimes and it is like a military march except his step is longer than mine being taller.
 
lonewolf said:
I worked in a hardware shop for 12 months in the early 70s, worst year of my life, I really cant handle the general public and their stupidity, not then and not now.
Click to expand...

I was a public servant for almost 20 years and in a service company for almost 30. Wife says I'm easier to live with since I've retired. I didn't relize the knuckleheads were effecting me that much!
 
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Lighting....need more batteries.
Water...need to work on that.
Food for evac kits.
If power goes out, do I have means for opening cans or cooking? Need to work on that too.
Protection...next!
Shelter. I have a few tents and sleeping bags and wish I wasn't living here.
 
I worked in nursing, a wrecking yard car sales and service station that I owned, owned a giftware and furniture store, owned a secondhand store, owned an art gallery, worked in discount variety, communications and building hardware. Most often I worked with men in most of the jobs both management and retail positions. Now I just cheer up the checkout people when they look miserable from a customer and tell them just imagine they are bullfrogs exploding in front of you and it will keep a smile on your face. That is one of the many tactics I used with abusive customers.
 
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