Preparedness status - what has been your weak point through this?

Homesteading & Country Living Forum

Help Support Homesteading & Country Living Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
@MoBookworm1957 :coffee::huggs:
If things were different we could play darts, and horseshoes, maybe some :archery:
target practice.
A good night's sleep will make things better, Mo.
Y'all behave.
My weak point? Having the rug pulled out from under me. I'm not going to complain, I'm not going to remind anyone that I have weaknesses.
I think my biggest one might be living in the city. No! Ya think? Yeah.
Sometimes I have known I should have done certain things to better prepare, but didn't listen. Sometimes it wasn't possible. I have done the best I could.
 
Okay, I thought of one. Not a weakness per se but something that I could probably have put in place 10 days ago or set up in advance months ago.

I have a couple boxes full of BaoFang radios, spare batteries, chargers, better antennas, etc. sitting in storage that have never been set up. Last night it occurred to me that if gave a radio to all of my trusted neighbors we could set it up a mini comms network to keep in constant communication with one another. We can of course use smart phone, landlines, etc. but that would be slow and only allow one on one communication. I am going to call a few people in the area and then potentially start opening boxes this morning.
 
Why yes they did think they could change him.
Two of them married him twice.
Now he's single and says he's staying that way. Right.
I got the best things out of our marriage.
I got full custody of our sons.
Worked 2 or more jobs to support our sons.
Went to school full time to prepare for the next promotion.
Was there when I could be. When I couldn't be there my parents were filling in for me when I was deployed.
I'm no hero or superwoman.
I'm just a mom trying to raise her sons right. Make sure their needs were met to best of my ability.
It sounds like you are a good mom and did what is best for your sons. We could use more people like you. Congratulations and I think you are a super mom.
 
@MoBookworm1957 :coffee::huggs:
If things were different we could play darts, and horseshoes, maybe some :archery:
target practice.
A good night's sleep will make things better, Mo.
Y'all behave.
My weak point? Having the rug pulled out from under me. I'm not going to complain, I'm not going to remind anyone that I have weaknesses.
I think my biggest one might be living in the city. No! Ya think? Yeah.
Sometimes I have known I should have done certain things to better prepare, but didn't listen. Sometimes it wasn't possible. I have done the best I could.
Patch,
That's all any of us can do.
Do our best.
We'll get thru this, sometimes little worse for the wear.
But we'll get thru this.
It would not be wise for me to target practice right now.
Maybe after some much needed sleep.
By the way sleeping with a wiggly 2 year old is whole lot different than I remember her daddy and uncle doing.
Hang tough Patch, we got this.
We will be stronger, kinder(maybe me too) wiser.
Just remember the Good Lord doesn't give more than you can handle, physically,mentally,emotionally.
 
My big weakness is I am so far away from my BOL due to work as this thing declines I may never make it.
Looks my preps will help other folks from amongst my circle of close friends there.
Not a bad use for them in the end.

I cant quit my job.. having a job and a super high $$ one at that, in this situation is a blessing I simply cant quit.
When my assignment ends later this year, I will return to what I now consider my home state.
(that is assuming international flights still occur by then, mighty few of them now)
 
Fresh fruits and veggies would be the shortcomings. This hit too early to have the garden in and will be a while still before we are producing. Canned fills in as it does over the winter.

I like half & half in the coffee but can do without and drink it black. I have a few cans of condensed milk as my backup, but am surviving without needing to use them. Not a lot of dairy consumed, cheese maybe but even that, not a lot. Yogurt. At times, I like the bugs to keep the gut healthy.

I got off my meds (ok, toss the jokes in here!) by changing my diet, so feel great about not having to stock them up anymore. My sister still takes hers and needs to fill up once a week. They will not sell her more for some reason, maybe due to what she is taking or her insurance plan. That is the big weakness that needs to be constantly replenished.

Otherwise, it is pretty much business as usual here. I really am more of a homebody so don’t go parading around every day for whatever reason. Still a bit cold to go fishing and they have not banned that yet. My Brother called from Seattle WA and they put a stop to recreational fishing in the state. Why? Who the heck knows, maybe just because they could. If it ain't broke I can probably still fix it and find enough of that kind of stuff to keep me busy there.
 
Last night it occurred to me that if gave a radio to all of my trusted neighbors we could set it up a mini comms network to keep in constant communication with one another.

I would suggest using the FRS frequencies. While technically not legal for Baofengs at least you’re not interfering with any other standard FCC user on these radios that can be programmed very broadly.
592730F3-993F-4BD2-B02C-E03DA1725153.jpeg
 
Okay, I thought of one. Not a weakness per se but something that I could probably have put in place 10 days ago or set up in advance months ago.

I have a couple boxes full of BaoFang radios, spare batteries, chargers, better antennas, etc. sitting in storage that have never been set up. Last night it occurred to me that if gave a radio to all of my trusted neighbors we could set it up a mini comms network to keep in constant communication with one another. We can of course use smart phone, landlines, etc. but that would be slow and only allow one on one communication. I am going to call a few people in the area and then potentially start opening boxes this morning.
I get where you're coming from. I'm retired but still very cautious. Have you thought about using a VPN? Also, be careful how you index the camera. My kids like everyone else's are being home schooled now and I'm very careful to make sure there is nothing in the background that could pinpoint where I'm at. Think of things like refrigerator magnets, pictures and visible mail.
 
I have an ex husband.
Unfortunately he like to play the field while we still married.
I can share alot of things, but my husband isn't one them.
I took my vows seriously.
He didn't.
I was wife #1, he's been married 8 times after me.
But never his fault when the marriages fell apart.
He never has gotten caught up on back child support either.

Many men are not able to be mongomous. Mine had 6 kids while we were married only 3 were with me. I'd get a call from one of his victoms crying about being Pg and I'd just say " get in line ".Soon as I got fixed had last baby I got a job with decent pay on GM Asesembly Line I got me and mine out of that situation.
Back then you didn't go back home and you sure didn't get on welfare or beg. You'd actually risk you and your child death rather than beg.
 
I have an ex husband.
Unfortunately he like to play the field while we still married.
I can share alot of things, but my husband isn't one them.
I took my vows seriously.
He didn't.
I was wife #1, he's been married 8 times after me.
But never his fault when the marriages fell apart.
He never has gotten caught up on back child support either.

Heatburn and heartache don't last.:D
 
I get where you're coming from. I'm retired but still very cautious. Have you thought about using a VPN? Also, be careful how you index the camera. My kids like everyone else's are being home schooled now and I'm very careful to make sure there is nothing in the background that could pinpoint where I'm at. Think of things like refrigerator magnets, pictures and visible mail.
You don't know sentry yet but you'll quickly figure out he is a master at OpSec. He's kind of like the Shadow, only the Shadow knows.
I read some old posts of his and I figured out where he is. He's in Texas or Kansas, or Ohio or Minnesota or some other place. He may not even be real I don't know. 😲
He is the guy that advised people to get a VPN and he provided a link to a lifetime subscription for $45.
 
My big weakness is I am so far away from my BOL due to work as this thing declines I may never make it.
Looks my preps will help other folks from amongst my circle of close friends there.
Not a bad use for them in the end.

I cant quit my job.. having a job and a super high $$ one at that, in this situation is a blessing I simply cant quit.
When my assignment ends later this year, I will return to what I now consider my home state.
(that is assuming international flights still occur by then, mighty few of them now)


Good thing your in good shape Bluez. Maybe if it gets really bad hop on a horse and follow the rivers to home.Some vines make great bridles.:dunno:
 
You don't know sentry yet but you'll quickly figure out he is a master at OpSec. He's kind of like the Shadow, only the Shadow knows.
I read some old posts of his and I figured out where he is. He's in Texas or Kansas, or Ohio or Minnesota or some other place. He may not even be real I don't know. 😲
He is the guy that advised people to get a VPN and he provided a link to a lifetime subscription for $45.
👀😎
 
You don't know sentry yet but you'll quickly figure out he is a master at OpSec. He's kind of like the Shadow, only the Shadow knows.
I read some old posts of his and I figured out where he is. He's in Texas or Kansas, or Ohio or Minnesota or some other place. He may not even be real I don't know. 😲
He is the guy that advised people to get a VPN and he provided a link to a lifetime subscription for $45.

shad.jpg
 
Is it not OK to use the citizen bands without a license?
Baofengs (the common UV-5R model) cannot transmit on Citizen Band frequencies. Not technically, and not legally even if they were technically able. Nor can they legally transmit on FRS/GMRS frequencies either. Technically, they can be tuned to the FRS/GMRS frequencies, and they can transmit anywhere they are tuned. But their signal bandwidth is too wide for the FRS/GMRS spec (I believe FRS/GMRS has quite narrow bandwidth limits), and they would probably stomp on adjacent channels. Using a Baofeng on FRS/GMRS frequencies is a bit like driving your truck through the grocery store aisles. Yes, it might fit in some aisles, but it is not a good fit and will cause problems for others who are are trying to use the aisles in the way they were intended. Brute force push them out of the way basically. If someone is a store truck driving person, then yes, using a Baofeng as described would probably be right up their alley.

Really, the only use for a Baofeng IMHO is for a licensed ham operator on ham frequencies. They are not the best radio - they have a lot of splatter that might annoy others on nearby frequencies - but hams know how to deal with that. And while not a great radio on ham frequencies, at least they are a legal radio and transmissions would be legal too. FWIW, a Baofeng can be programmed to transmit on common police frequencies too. Anybody think that would be a good idea? This is why Baofengs are somewhat controversial. It's like giving a hand grenade to an untrained person who doesn't even know what a hand grenade is. "Hmmm, I wonder what this little ring thingy is? Looks harmless. Maybe I should pull it out and see what it does."
 
Last edited:
Baofengs (the common UV-5R model) cannot transmit on Citizen Band frequencies. Not technically, and not legally even if they were technically able. Nor can they legally transmit on FRS/GMRS frequencies either. Technically, they can be tuned to the FRS/GMRS frequencies, and they can transmit anywhere they are tuned. But their signal bandwidth is too wide for the FRS/GMRS spec (I believe FRS/GMRS has quite narrow bandwidth limits), and they would probably stomp on adjacent channels. Using a Baofeng on FRS/GMRS frequencies is a bit like driving your truck through the grocery store aisles. Yes, it might fit in some aisles, but it is not a good fit and will cause problems for others who are are trying to use the aisles in the way they were intended. Brute force push them out of the way basically. If someone is a store truck driving person, then yes, using a Baofeng as described would probably be right up their alley.

Really, the only use for a Baofeng IMHO is for a licensed ham operator on ham frequencies. They are not the best radio - they have a lot of splatter that might annoy others on nearby frequencies - but hams know how to deal with that. And while not a great radio on ham frequencies, at least they are a legal radio and transmissions would be legal too. FWIW, a Baofeng can be programmed to transmit on common police frequencies too. Anybody think that would be a good idea? This is why Baofengs are somewhat controversial. It's like giving a hand grenade to an untrained person who doesn't even know what a hand grenade is. "Hmmm, I wonder what this little ring thingy is? Looks harmless. Maybe I should pull it out and look at it closer."

IMG_20200321_171836167.jpg
 
Why yes they did think they could change him.
Two of them married him twice.
Now he's single and says he's staying that way. Right.
I got the best things out of our marriage.
I got full custody of our sons.
Worked 2 or more jobs to support our sons.
Went to school full time to prepare for the next promotion.
Was there when I could be. When I couldn't be their my parents were filling in for me when I was deployed.
I'm no hero or super woman.
I'm just a mom trying to raise her sons right. Make sure their needs were met to best of my ability.
This is a somewhat familiar story, but for me, so long ago and so far away that I don't even think about it anymore. Since he died at such a young age, there wasn't much time to do as much damage as he could have had he lived longer. X realized he wanted to play the field. He broke many hearts along the way. He did everything he could to hurt me, on purpose. I had to move away to have some peace, and I did.

I worked with a man whom I never found attractive, but evidently others did. In fact, I didn't like him. I knew wife 3 and 4 and worked with 5. One day we were sitting in the staff lounge when he comes in and sits down next to the woman who would be his future wife, 5. At this time, they were both married to other people. I am an observer. Immediately, something set off my radar about the two of them. Her eyes were batting like crazy. He was all about her, big smile on his face. Afterwards, I mentioned it to a couple of my closer friends. Nope. They didn't notice anything. I told them to pay attention to the two of them, something was up. Yes, something was up. I noticed that after dismissal, if you were waiting out front for the straggling parents, one of them would walk out, then the other in a couple minutes. Then both of their vehicles would drive out of the parking lot together. Later, I heard that they used their students to pass notes back and forth to each other throughout the day. And within a few months, they had both left their spouses and moved in together. This is the crazy thing: they are still married, around 25 years later.

It isn't just men who are not loyal. They need someone to join them in their escapades. What I saw, many years ago, was that if he cheated with someone on his wife, he would cheat on anyone. When they leave their wives for the next one, it is a matter of time before they move on again. This can also be generational in families, a demonic thing. I have seen this with a few people.
 
Last edited:

Latest posts

Back
Top