Fall and winter preps

[cmailliard]

I will echo what Grey said. The OTC meds is a big one. The food issue is a wobbly one, but I would err on caution and stock up.

There is concern about the combined Flu and COVID season (in fact i just heard the "word" Fluvid today for the first time). Signs and Symptoms of Flu vs The Vid are nearly identical, so it takes testing to differentiate. But even with testing we can fill a hospital with either. COVID does not have to be bad to shut things down. Remember the Flu spreads pretty easy as well and with more and more ignoring the flu shot it can spread quicker. So two schools of thought, the general mask wearing, social distancing will help the flu season or if things go even slightly sideways, the combined Flu and COVID patients in the hospital WILL be a huge problem, enough to shut it down again.

[ray1970]

But I heard from a media outlet yesterday that there are no indicators that covid will return in the fall.

They also stated that shark attacks were down this year and they contributed that to the beaches being closed down during the pandemic.

[Mazin]

What are the 3P's?

Primers, Projectiles & Powder

[buffalobo]

Work on items that were OOS during lockdown and now. Grey has good list.

[ray1970]

If lockdown part 2 comes this fall it might be prudent to stock up on some sort of lubrication for the pounding we?re all going to take.

[Great-Kazoo]

Well, this is an extremely bizarre year thus far. I've gone to the store and seen no meat, so I've been stocking up what I can when I find it. Do you know any ranchers? Befriend them and get on their purchase lists for butchering their livestock- it's more expensive, but meat prices may remain elevated. Dairy- many cheeses can be frozen. Eggs are another thing. Did you know that you can freeze eggs? I have small ziploc containers that will hold 2 and 4 large eggs; I just crack them and scramble the whites and the yolks, and put them in the freezer. I also have 2 gallons of milk in the freezer; freezing it does no harm and upon thawing in the fridge, you just give it a good shake and it's good to go. Toilet paper, of course.

I've also been stocking up on cold meds, allergy meds, stomach meds/antacids.

Comfort foods, snacky stuffs, beverages for cold weather. Soups. Soaps. Good lord, Dawn dishsoap was a rare commodity for a while. Hydrogen peroxide. Isopropyl alcohol. Yeast. Flour and baking supplies. Even if you don;t use some of this stuff, I guarantee that you know someone who does. PET SUPPLIES. Man, Chewy was over a month behind on standing orders back in April and May. Stock up now on kibble or litter or whatever your furry buddy needs. If there's a whiff of COVID, I suspect there will be less hesitation to close everything down again. I SO hope I'm wrong.

Gardening stuff- if you're like us, we've started gardening (along with the entirety of western civilization, it seems) and have run into shortages there, too. As seeds and various soils and fertilizers come back in stock, grab them so you're not hampered early next year in February and March if you start seed indoors.

Holiday stuff. Try and get your holiday gifts and decor/foods/traditional things now- remember how Amazon limited what they would ship immediately? How Walmart was pretty much your only choice for purchases, unless you wanted to count on inconsistent shipping?

I know. It sounds like the sky is falling, right? This is just my list. And what I've seen of how this whole thing was handled has me relying on myself to take care of us, because our "authority figures" are far too busy virtue signalling to actually be stringing together the thoughts of every action resulting in reactions. I'm seeing that these reactions are having ripple effects that will take quite some time to smooth out.

Holiday stuff for us is a non- entity.

As for everything else. Have 1/2 a hog at the processing place this weekend, should see that end of july. 1 lamb on order, expected date for that is mid sept, to early oct. We've already been stocking up on canned goods, dehydrated items and ALWAYS checking before purchase EXPIRATION DATES.
Here's a thought for canned items as well as say pastas, etc. Look for a non, working refrigerator, they make great dry storage units. Keeps vermin out as well as semi controlled climate w/out no electricity.

Finally got a small 8500w running generator w/ electric start. Wired in to panel with an A/B switch. It's nothing that will power a whole house, just enough to power the well and keep the freezers & frige's going.

We keep 2 bags of dog food on hand, in plastic containers with lockable lids

Regarding ammo. I'm trying to get back to my component inventory i had when in CO.

Here's something, iirc, posted in the Mormon cannery thread. Speaking with 2 different LDS canneries. The story is the same. No date to reopen to the public, possibly sept, maybe later, if at all. I believe they've circled the wagons and decided to "Provide" for their own, until further notice .


Now food for thought. Based on talking with a few people who work for gun manufacturers GFL if there's something you want, but don't have. More orders for guns than production has coming off the line.

In CA their CCW permits are based on the whim of the CLEO. Some counties are very gun friendly, issuing permits to those who have taken a ccw class.
Tulare cty where the daughter & S-I-L live, sent her paperwork in last week. I asked what the wait time was for approval, 2-3 months.?
Um no dad we're told 5 month minimum, due to what seems to be everyone able to, applying for a permit. In CA of all places

The last item one should be concerned with is the presidential election. I doubt anyone is going to be happy with the results. As the D's have laid the groundwork that trumps already fixed the election. Thank you Joe Biden. .

Pity those living in large urban areas.

[Gman]

In CA their CCW permits are based on the whim of the CLEO. Some counties are very gun friendly, issuing permits to those who have taken a ccw class.
Tulare cty where the daughter & S-I-L live, sent her paperwork in last week. I asked what the wait time was for approval, 2-3 months.?
Um no dad we're told 5 month minimum, due to what seems to be everyone able to, applying for a permit. In CA of all places

Kern county is not too difficult to get a CCW. FiL lives there.

Discussing a possible SHTF situation here in the states on another forum. I see it as a rural vs. urban conflict, if it happens.

[Great-Kazoo]

Kern county is not too difficult to get a CCW. FiL lives there.

Discussing a possible SHTF situation here in the states on another forum. I see it as a rural vs. urban conflict, if it happens.

Kern & Tulare are anomalies in CA, even Fresno cty is somewhat.

Bordering each other their sheriffs are pro 2A and most of the residents are. Well except for (like everywhere) the liberal city folks who fled the same shit they allowed to prosper. In places like L.A. & S.F etc

[Hummer]

Increasing your cold storage capacity is good. People are now on several month wait lists for freezers and refrigerators. I like Hbarleatherneck's walk in cooler.

We vacuum seal packages of meats and even dry foods for cold storage. We've got 3 deep freezers and four refrigerators close to full. I've long stored pinto beans and white rice. Vacuum packed in crock pot meal sized portions, a 25 lb. bag of pintos provides a lot of meals over 2 years and more. Lately, I've been stocking up on cat kibbles, vac sealed and stored in the freezers. It can go stale otherwise. Same with flour and yeast. There was a shortage of these during the panic. Sugar was also limited. I keep ~250-300 lbs. of sugar on hand.

[ray1970]

Sugar was also limited. I keep ~250-300 lbs. of sugar on hand.

Looks like somebody has a serious sweet tooth.