After some thoughts and some sleep,

I have come to some conclusions. Granted these are really nothing more than re-enforcement of prior thoughts but I want things down were others and myself can read them. (I am weird like that.)

Lets start with some (hopefully not too huge) assumptions. "Man is not a rational animal, he is a rationalizing animal." Heinlein

1) Change is coming, rather like a freight train. WHAT that change is, is anyone's guess, though we can make several educated guesses and probably not be wrong.
2)Its going to be the people in the middle that suffer the most soonest, when these changes drop in our lap.
3)Band-aids can be thrown on the open wounds but NOT ONE (let alone a group) politician or Lobbyist is going to commit political suicide and DEMAND the real repairs needed. (The Talking heads on the radio an Tube need not apply as they are only in it for the money anyway.)
4) Signs of the coming change are growing sprouts all across the face of this planet. Indications of how fast it is coming. (1 year? 2? No one really knows)

What does this mean to me, you, your family?

Loads. Of course we all know this, thats why we blog, hoping to wake up others, venting our frustration when we have no other outlets, and trying to show alternatives that others may have missed.
And there are days where it feels like we are farting in the wind. We feel better but it sure doesn't last long.(and thats where I was last night. Feeling a bit lost in the maelstrom that is growing around us.)

Here is what I intend to do now. To hell with putting up a permanent shelter no matter how 'frugal' it was intended. My thoughts return to three concepts; in order of importance.

1. MOBILITY
2. SUSTAINABILITY
3. SMALL FOOTPRINT

Of course, If I were Mayberry or some others, it would have sails on it. That just ain't me. I am a groundpounder by nature, I need land. I may float when I have to but I sure as hell don't want to 'fight' on the water. That means my plans involve wheels. That search is now underway. I have looked at trailer axles and other hardware at TSC and that little bit of info is churning in the mill of my head now. Its not the immediate plan but it is an option.

On to 2. Sustainability. I am a creature of power. I like things that don't require muscles to use.(or at least not much) Therefore, I will have to have some way of acquiring that power that is not dependent upon sources outside of my control (for the most part)
Solar panels may not be the end all of power acquisition but it sure beats a blank. There are methods to supplementing that power source and I know many that require NO petroleum input that isn't already in circulation.(IE plastics that can be recycled). All of that requires work that I am not afraid of, but also environmental inputs that may or may not be available at any given time.

and 3) small footprint. Being an army of one at this time, I need very little space or equipment to make myself sustainable. The small footprint is doable. If others are involved, as each situation dictates, the need for a larger footprint grows exponentially.

This is survivable, no two ways about it. The trick is in knowledge, knowing it is inevitable, then acting on that BEFORE things start to come apart.

I may be late to the game, but I am not out yet. I intend to be one of the ones that makes it to the other side of this mess. Appearances be damned as well as any laws that are designed to keep me 'in the system'.

Rules, laws — always for other fellow. A murky part of us, something we had before we came down out of trees, and failed to shuck when we stood up. Because not one of those people said: Please pass this so that I won't be able to do something I know I should stop. Nyet, tovarishchee, was always something they hated to see neighbors doing. Stop them for their own good.- Heinlein

If I have to resort to Vandwelling, so be it. The anchors I have created (IE my lathe, and a nice tool collection) can be ditched if need be. There will be more in the future as needed and while it's nice to have them (rather look at them then look for them) I know that they are dead weight when push comes to shove. There are other things that I won't list but each and every one of them is an anchor to something that may not exist come 2-3 years down the road and not one of them ISN'T replaceable. My life is the only thing I can 't replace and I fully intend to keep that up to the day my creator calls me back(and THAT is completely out of my control.).

A rational anarchist believes that concepts, such as "state" and "society" and "government" have no existence save as physically exemplified in the acts of self-responsible individuals. He believes that it is impossible to shift blame, share blame, distribute blame ... as blame, guilt, responsibility are matters taking place inside human beings singly and nowhere else. But being rational, he knows that not all individuals hold his evaluations, so he tries to live perfectly in an imperfect world ... aware that his efforts will be less than perfect yet undismayed by self-knowledge of self-failure.

and the biggest quote that means the world to me.

Do not confuse "duty" with what other people expect of you; they are utterly different. Duty is a debt you owe to yourself to fulfill obligations you have assumed voluntarily. Paying that debt can entail anything from years of patient work to instant willingness to die. Difficult it may be, but the reward is self-respect

.
(not complete. But that's the gist of it.)


Time to get busy.