This year's garden is an unqualified success. As I've mentioned before we

have a plot in the back yard that contains about 160 sq ft.  We dosed it

heavily with two year old compost and ignored most spacing instructions. Now,

I don't recommend this, but it worked well for us. We got several eggplants,

the usual ton of tomatoes (we're canning on an as we pick 'em basis, step two

coming this week) carrots, onions, okra (yep, right here in pencil-tucky),

letttuce, radishes, a bumper crop of several varieties of peppers, cukes

galore, and of course, the usual avalanche of squash (zuchini, we pickle it,

along with some of the onions we got from the sets and let go a bit to get

bulbs, and make bread and butter pickles from the cukes we don't eat raw). 

This year we tried cantalopes and watermelon, both with limited success (four

lopes and two melons, none picked or tasted yet, but we're very hopeful). We

bought a new water bath canner this year and the whole thing with an

accesory kit came to less than thirty dollars (medium size, does eight qts @

 time), very low cost considering what we save on canned maters alone and to

say nothing of the quality, organic and chemical free. If ever we get to a

place where we can expand and have a larger garden many other veggies will

be added to the mixture. Oh, I forgot to mention the green beans, we ate a

lot, gave some to a senior widow we met at the drug store (she has to work

there to supplement her income and to get good insurance), and froze about

seven pounds, aspargus wasn't as good as previous years, but we still ate a

large amount and froze some. My point here is that if an arthritic, obese,

lazy guy like me, with the very considerable help of my wonderful wife, whose

health problems just don't stop her, almost anybody with some dirt can do the

same or probably much better. Country side mag had a recent article on

returning to vegetable gardening and we believe that lawns are not for the

frugal (read poor) but a large segment of most of them could be put to much

better use as vegetable gardens and fruit raising (berries, dwarf fruit trees,

etc). Anyway, given the current economic conditions, we all need to be much

more frugal and as self sufficient as possible.

One more thing. DO NOT BE SEDUCED BY THE CURRENT AND VERY TEMPORARY REDUCTION IN GAS PRICES. IT IS A BLIP ON THE RADAR, MEANING NOTHING. PETROLEUM IS A FINITE SOURCE AND WE CANNOT AFFORD TO CONTINUE TO WASTE IN AS WE HAVE IN THE PAST. Be frugal as possible in this area too. Enjoy the remainder fo this lovely summer and prepare for winter and harder economic times.

 OK here it is. Park the vehicle. Now for the whole definition. Park it for a couple of days a week. Don't park it one day and drive it twice as much the next. I mean, really eliminate at least 15% of your driving.  Don't go where ever it is you were going. It will cause severe withdrawal reaction the first few times, but you will get over it, especially when your household budget slows its rapid overheating (note, I said slows, not stops). This may send a message to the oil companies, though I kind of think they will just sell it to somebody else (think Chinese or India Indian). The first step to weaning ourselves from petroleum addiction is conservation of use. Next will be alternative sources (ethanol and biodeisel aren't it, see the much higher food prices, though I admit transport and fertilizer costs are part of that problem). We must learn to live on lots less energy. We Americans are profligate wasters of almost everything, so this will be very hard for us to get used to, but conservation and re-tooling our life-styles is an absolute if we are to continue. So, step one is conserve, reduce, downsize and get used to it.

"Isn't it sad, isn't it queer", losing our perspective so badly at this point or year. Who really cares if two gay people want to be married, and why must so much of the media harp on this non-issue? My late uncle was a gay man who never asked nor told during the Korean war and was a decorated veteran, faithful to one partner his entire adult life and a loving generous person. Other than being gay, which of those characteristics qualifies him for monsterhood? Wake up people, we are dancing to Nero's fiddling while Rome, no the whole damn world, is burning.

Okay, I think I can just skip the part about WATCH OUT, HERE IT COMES. It's here. Now what do we do about it? First, assess your status and position. Where are you? What do you have? What do you need? How do we get what we need and how to we do all this stuff?                                                                                                               

It is most important to have a place that you will not lose or be thrown off. McMansions are probably not the best possible place, but not entirely a loss, if you aren't upside down in your mortgage (owing much more than it can be sold for). Essentially, where-ever you are or will be by the next summer is where you will probably stay, unless you are a loner or a member of a nomadic group. Just assess the possiblities for gardening (even a small garden is a big help), heating alternatives, transportation (by other means than a petroleum powered vehicle), possible neighbor co-operation, and the list goes on.                                                                                                                                          

What do you have that is useful or can be made so? Solid stable clothing, especially shoes are vital. Toilet paper (don't laugh, imagine using leaves or old newspapers), is a necessity, in quantity. A communications device (CB radio is a very good idea, don't count on cell phones). Pardon me, but guns are absolutes, and the ability to use them (do it now, before they disappear and get lots of ammo). A heavily stocked pantry, especially canned food (dried is nice to store, but if water becomes a problem, or heat, you can always eat right out of the can). Store some water, if you don't use it it makes a great heat holder. The latest CD's and DVD's are very far down on the priority list and so are video games, to say nothing of jewelry, geegaws and frou-frou. If it doesn't help feed, shelter protect, defend or water you, and it cannot be incorporated into those areas, ditch it, try to sell what you can and then go get what you can find that you need.                                                                                                                                                                                

What do you need? Whatever you haven't got from the above list and scads of stuff we never think about (a sturdy bicycle, for example). Seek all possible sources, thrift stores, auctions, garage sales, etc (and don't forget the penny saver or the local gunsmith).                                                                                                                                   

Learn skills that have been out of fashion in that regular world(canning, drying food, gardening, fishing, hunting, trapping and snareing for food, sewing, walking (long distance five miles or more and I know we can't all do this), conversation, and again the list goes on and on). Practice, especially tact, barter, shooting, and ask your elders, who have lived through the great depression #1, how to do things.

We are not where we want to be, and with the price of transportation rising daily it isn't likely we will soon be moving so we are getting ready to try to survive here. Our garden is being expanded, we are starting to exercise by walkiing and we are exploring those areas we need to improve. The thing I fear most is the apathy which is rampant in our world, so we must get the word out, even when those we are speaking to are not receptive at first. If we don't we might just find ourselves alone and without help when we need it.

Good luck, and GOD bless us all, though I'm not at all sure why HE'D want to.