kimberlysteele | Winter Is Coming

I'm putting off my usual post this week, which was the Seven Deadly Sins series, for a more pressing topic. I suppose most of you have read the debacle that is JMG's astrological forecast for the Presidential Inauguration on January 20, 2021. If you haven't, to be terse, he describes it as "The most relentlessly malefic mundane chart I have ever studied". In a word, yikes.

As I stated in a recent Dreamwidth post and accompanying video, I believe that a Biden Presidency will usher in a Great Depression. Unfortunately, if Trump gets in, my Ogham (which are now pointing to the unlikelihood of a Trump 2020 - 2024 presidency, by the way) are predicting civil war, most likely in the form of insurgency and unorganized, bitter, guerrilla, small-scale flash points. I fear civil war, but the thing I fear far more is a second Great Depression. Frankly, I'm not ready. I'm quite scrappy, and yes, I have realized that our civilization is on the downward slope of Hubbert's curve for a while now, but until eight months ago, I did not have the free time to learn to do the laundry list of homesteady things that will be the bridge into the deindustrial future.

I'm still trying to process my anger at the people who have bought into the lockdowns and therefore helped to extend and worsen them. This is especially bitter as the holidays arrive. In my opinion, COVID hysteria was yet another botched attempt to get the Orange Man out of the Whitehouse after the failure of #metoo, impeachment, and BLM riots to do the job. The oddest part of it is that the people who will cause the next Great Depression in the US, the Biden-supporting globalists, the so-called Progressives, and all those who bought into fear porn, will soon find their own unacknowledged privileges crumbling if mass financial disaster arrives. The Professional Managerial Class needs to be on suicide watch. Those who were the most fervent partakers in the circus of rackets that puffed up the economy over the last 50 or so years -- the sickcare industry, colleges/universities, infotainment, and insurance -- will suffer the most intensely as their way of life goes the way of the Ford Edsel. I don't get it.

I'm finding it hard to focus on the positive, and of course there is plenty of it. I no longer care about money. This was a lifelong challenge of mine that has been bested. I have almost zero money anxiety issues at this point; I can't be bothered to care. Not even if I go hungry or homeless. I'll do my best to stop hunger or homelessness from happening of course (I've got an indoor cat and at least 2 outdoor ones plus a husband that depends on me) but I certainly won't blame myself if I lose everything as I might have done before. The PMC I mentioned earlier, however, probably won't be so calm. They also have a great deal more to lose.

Let's look at my skills, shall we? I will show you mine if you will show me yours.

I can cook from scratch from almost nothing.

I don't have any emotional reactions to my bank account when it says I have $8 to my name or that I'm overdrawn.

I live in a tiny house that costs as little as humanly possible in a modest neighborhood. We don't do associations or their fees here.

I am a somewhat capable gardener and I saved seeds this year.

I don't bore easily and if the internet were shut down and I couldn't drive or go to work forever, I'd still have far too much to do in this lifetime.

I'm robustly healthy. I walked 8 miles for fun on my 47th birthday this year and barely felt it.

I am a writer and musician.

I am not in debt except for my mortgage.

Now let's look at my shortcomings:

I don't like sewing machines and I cannot knit or crochet to save my life.

I don't own a gun and I wouldn't trust my marksmanship if I did.

I live in an area that was first to lock down and will be on the front lines when the economy tanks. Said area is overrun with psychotic Professional Managerial Class types.

I don't have any savings; what little I was able to save was eaten by the first lockdown.

If everything goes to hell, I'm going to have to figure out how to move two pianos.

I have not grown beans, potatoes, hard shell squash, or cucumbers successfully at this time.

I know how to can but I have never canned by myself.

I may be healthy, but most of my loved ones are battling one or more chronic diseases.

I have studied herbalism intensely but I have not done much in the realm of herbalism.

So that's where I'm at. I am stockpiling supplies despite being in a bad financial position. My goal is to put away enough rice, beans, pasta, sugar, vegetable oil, and canned fruit to last my husband and I six months. I have already ordered seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds because seeds and plant starts were nearly impossible to get in spring 2020 in Illinois. I'm going to embark on soapmaking after Thanksgiving -- that's one I have put off for a small eternity despite possessing the necessary supplies. I'm planning for a lean, homespun Christmas. My loved ones will receive a motley assortment of handmade gifts of homemade soups, salad dressing, sweets, bath bombs, macrame, and perhaps some Dollar Tree toys, I hope that's good enough because it is already turning out to be an exceptionally lean year. And of course I'll be praying for all who ask me to pray on their behalf to the gods as well as performing Orphic Hymns every day as per usual on my Youtube channel.

The terrifying part for me is trying to keep my Studio up and running if poop is hitting the fan because of either Depression or civil insurgency. Fingers crossed that neither of those happen. I'm already thinking of setting up my subscription library in the much underused commercial space as I have enough books to begin, I think. Mainly, my goal of late is to do constructive things instead of wallowing in anger at the PMC for crushing my business and other businesses like it. Today I arranged over 30 pages of music for my sheet music store.

Please let me know your thoughts and what you guys are doing to prepare, if anything. Of course as always I could be wrong about what is coming -- I sincerely hope to be wrong! I thank you in advance for refraining from profanity in the comments.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

logicalmagic83

Kimberly,
I wanted first to mention how much I appreciate your posts. Between you, JMG and the general commentariat on those blogs, I've got a small group of sensible types to listen to in a sea of absurdity.
For years now, I've experienced a sense of urgency. As much as possible, my wife and I have made plans in the event that the economy goes belly up. JMG's "collapse now and avoid the rush" made a lot of sense and we've done exactly that. We sold our house (and beloved urban homestead) to eliminate our only debt (mortgage) and have returned to the family property. We bought a large metal outbuilding for cash and have also ordered a cabin that is built by the Mennonite community a couple of hours away. We hope to have it delivered by mid February. They've been swamped with orders since spring. I continue to schedule jobs as a landscaper/handyman and my main goal is to act as a consultant for those why are building food and energy resiliency into their lives.
I have success with gardening, keeping chickens and quail. I also have success growing greens indoors hydroponically with no pumps. If that's something you'd like to add to your bag of tricks, I'm happy to share what I know.
So we're in the south with a long growing season, a bit of a blackberry and bramble buffer between us and the suburbia that fills what was pasture and woods when I was a child. Between my brother and dad and myself, we've got skills, tools and social capital. The main issue my wife and I see at the moment is that my parents are still pretty asleep about all of this. They still believe the mainstream media so in an effort to keep the peace, I keep my beliefs to myself. I just demonstrate action by stocking food, putting my hydroponic shelf back in service and openly discussing our plans for the new homestead.
On the spiritual side, I practice the SOP daily and keep the teachings of the Order of the Essenes close to mind.
And I really, really try not to worry about what I can't control.
I am so very angry at how people are letting themselves be controlled and frankly, it's kind of lonely to be in this spot. I'm trying to accept it as part of my journey in this incarnation.
Anyone reading this is welcome to send me a pm if they are looking for assistance getting squared away as we watch the wheels come off this machine we call late stage industrial society. I hope that doesn't sound like a sales pitch. Much of my inner work and divination has led me to see that part of my function in this life is to help others navigate the changes as well.

From:

kimberlysteele

I'm highly interested in hydroponics -- I don't have much space but I think I can do something quite small. I'd be interested in your recommendations for grow lights, if any.

In my most recent past life, I was a rich woman who had it all, but her great unhappiness was losing her two beloved sons in WWI. In this incarnation, I don't have the easy access to money she did. Nevertheless, I'm much better off for it I think as she had a fear of being poor that I don't have.

Your new homestead sounds very cool.

From:

logicalmagic83

I've been very happy with the Barrina brand full spectrum lights. They sip electricity and the plants thrive. They come in two and four foot lengths. I decided to make use of the Amazon option while it's still a thing. The version of hydroponics I've put to work is called kratky. It involves no pumps. Essentially as the plants drink down the water/nutrient solution, they create air roots that stay above the waterline, providing oxygen while the longer roots remain in the solution. If you wanted to pm your email address, I'm pretty sure I have a write up in google docs I could send to you.

From:

kimberlysteele

Nice! I will look them up. My google mail is improbable world (no space) at gmail.

From:

kimberlysteele

I am so very angry at how people are letting themselves be controlled and frankly, it's kind of lonely to be in this spot. I'm trying to accept it as part of my journey in this incarnation.

Yes -- almost every person who I thought of as intelligent has disappointed me by adopting this pod person, wear your virtue mask nonsense. I can't waste my time getting upset about it, so I just wish for Trump, Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis, Rudy Guiliani and their loved ones to be blessed. If there's a Depression, maybe I'll turn my Studio into a soup kitchen. Fun fact: Nobody can make a tastier pot of soup out of two dollar's worth ingredients than I can!! When all my liberal vegan ex-friends show up hungry, I won't turn them down, though I might force them to listen to me say "I told you so!"

From: (Anonymous)

“The soup is $7. $3.50 if you listen when I say ‘I told you so.’”😄

—Lady Cutekitten

From:

kimberlysteele

LOL it's a soup kitchen, so the soup is free! I'll give them a quarter though if they'll listen to me saying "I told you so."

(deleted comment)

From:

kimberlysteele

Hey Everyone, I'm not going to harp on animal agriculture stuff you briefly mention here, but this is definitely NOT the place to be trading tips on how to raise animals for meat, eggs, or profit, which are practices I believe are morally wrong and unnecessary.

Please keep in mind I am an ethical vegan!

From:

methylethyl

Apologies, no offense intended.

From:

kimberlysteele

None taken! Have a great Thanksgiving!

From: (Anonymous)

I know that is none of my business and we don't know each other, but I enjoy your writings and I wish you stay healthy so I will take the risk and say this:
Please, please read (or watch or listen to) Lierre Keith about vegetarianism.
There is no such thing as an 'ethical' vegan (or a human vegan) and you are destroying your health for corporate profits.

Now I will go away but I wish you health and good luck!

From:

methylethyl

I've read Lierre, and I think she has a great point. I was a vegetarian for four years, and it wrecked my health, so I'm extremely sympathetic to her message.

At the same time, though, I've met dedicated long-term vegans who seem to do well on that diet. Over the years I've grudgingly concluded: we're all different. Clearly, the Vegetarian Way is not for me. And not for Lierre, either. But I hesitate to make that claim for everyone. It seems to be OK for some people. And if you're one of them, and you don't ever want to have kids, well... more power to you.

From:

kimberlysteele

Hi Anon,

Thank you for your well wishes. I appreciate it. I ran into Lierre Keith's book a while ago and I tend to agree with John Sanbonmatsu, whose scholarship outclasses mine by orders of magnitude. He debunks her rigorously in this essay:

https://zcomm.org/znetarticle/blood-and-soil-lierre-keith-michael-pollan-and-the-trouble-with-locavore-politics-by-john-sanbonmatsu/

A good question to ask yourself is why you feel concerned enough about my veganism to query me about it. Where is that coming from?

I went vegetarian at age 16 and vegan on July 26, 2010. I am extremely healthy, for the record, and I can leg press 350 pounds. I walked eight miles on my 47th birthday earlier this year and barely felt it. Two weeks ago, I was hit on by two younger men. One was 38 and the other one was 27 (I asked him how old he was). Men make passes at me all the time. I tell my husband about it and we chuckle. People regularly think I am 20 years younger than my actual age. I feel absolutely great. Aside from my health, my ethics are my own business. Overall, my veganism works for me.

I'll do me and you do you. Be blessed.

From:

logicalmagic83

Apologies for that.

From:

lp9

I'm sorry things are so tough for you right now. JMG's Capricorn ingress has given me a glimmer of hope that we might have a little more time to prepare before things get even rougher.

My skills/assets:
Have experience living quite frugally and on very low income

Just paid off all credit card debt

Have just started to build up savings

Modest house with low maintenance costs (and recently refinanced for lower interest rate and lower monthly payment)

Can cook from scratch

My parents have a house where we can live, if needed, with some home food production and hunting expertise

Should we need to go the compound-route, I have military/former military siblings

My job and my husband's are insulated a bit from economic impacts; once rich people start to feel the pain, that's when it becomes a little more dicey, but it does give us more time to prepare

We are both hustlers and often have side gigs

Robust devotional practices that I continue to improve

My shortcomings:
I don't care about being wealthy, but I do have a lot of anxiety about "security," even if that is security at a low income level; this is a key feature of my natal chart and a main issue in this lifetime

Student loan debt and mortgage

Still learning how to garden

Not great at handicrafts or the patience required for them (sewing, knitting, etc.); my daughter could possibly do this, however

Two children to support

I have lots of books to teach me lots of skills, but I don't yet have those skills

A bit isolated where we are now, surrounded by a lot of TDS and people without the skills necessary for a decline situation (except perhaps Western medicine skills and maybe some gardening)

My current plans are focused on continuing to build up our food stores while balancing that with building up financial savings. Ordering seeds now is a great idea; I may do that as well. It was a real challenge to find seed garlic this fall, but I just got some in time and so hopefully we'll have a big garlic harvest in 2021.

I'm also happy to include you, Kimberly, in my prayers, or anyone else here who would like and is ok with the Norse deities and/or Jesus.

From:

kimberlysteele

Thanks, I happily accept your prayers to those deities. I pray to Jesus on occasions even though he isn't my "main" deity.

Your kids are lucky. Any child who is being raised by parents who aren't just sleepwalking through a salary class existence but actually doing things to collapse and avoid the rush is extraordinarily lucky. A friend of mine who I'll see the day after Thanksgiving has two daughters. She's definitely more of a "have not" than a "have" and her kids have had to make do with less their entire lives. I think they're in a far, far better position than their salary class contemporaries. They can have a fun time hanging out in a forest preserve for the day or playing a board game or making music on a rainy day. Contrast certain child members of my own extended family who can't walk out of a store without throwing a tantrum over an un-bought toy...

From:

lp9

We have some of those children in my extended family as well...

From:

kimberlysteele

This child is a real peach. The grandparents bought The Chosen One a hot tub for their eighth birthday because they expressed a passing enthusiasm for hot tubs. They have developed a nasty habit of screaming and hitting Mom when she won't put out for a new toy when leaving a store. They also have a special room in their large house that is stuffed to the brim with The Chosen One's toys; this room, which is not used for any other purpose, is adjacent to The Chosen One's bedroom.

From:

lp9

Ok, wow. That is crazy. I would really like someone to buy me a hot tub; a wood-fired one please, so I can use it when we don't have electricity anymore. :)

From:

kimberlysteele

They're not doing their child any favors. If The Chosen One is ever forced to make do with less opulence than they are used to right now, say as an adult, it is going to be an extremely rough ride.

From:

logicalmagic83

I constructed a very crude wood fired hot tub from a cast iron claw foot tub that we removed from the bathroom during a much needed remodel. My wife has limited mobility and I hated to just get rid of a very heavy duty tub when we replaced it with the standard shower pan. So I dug a firepit, lined it with brick and built a step and handrail so we could still access it safely.
I found that it took very little wood to create very hot water. We experimented with using wood plank in the bottom as an insulator and found that there was a learning curve for how long it took to heat up vs when one could comfortably enjoy the water. If you're home all day and can fit in chores between starting the fire and being ready for tub time, it's worth it. So much that I loaded that 400 lb tub onto a trailer and brought it to the new place. It's not in service yet, but it will be. It's very satisfying to create luxury right in the backyard for almost no money. I see posts for free tubs frequently around here as people remove them from old homes.

From:

kimberlysteele

That sounds amazing! It's like a Japanese on-sen right in your backyard...

From:

lp9

Awesome, thank you for sharing!

From:

methylethyl

Yeah. It is hard not to be utterly pessimistic, but I'm trying. I think, on the plus column, decline in travel, incomes, and infrastructure could lead to a re-localization and re-personalization of culture. We could see things like dance bands blossom, as people rediscover the need for gathering socially without the intermediation of electronic technology. What if clothing became more regionally-specific, with the loss of overseas slave-labor manufacturing? I'm trying to see possibilities.

In the assets column:

I've raised chickens before, and I live in a neighborhood where the neighbors have them.

We already have dogs on the property. They are not safe, friendly dogs.

We are at least marginally familiar with firearms and the responsible use thereof. And we live in a neighborhood where everyone seems to be armed, and enjoy the occasional target practice. I'm not a great shot, but at close range you don't have to be, and I've had enough practice I'm not going to shoot off my own foot.

I've gardened before, and this past year was my most successful yet. 22 pumpkins! It's nowhere near subsistence, but it's not nothing.

I know my way around a sewing machine, have restored an antique one before, and currently have a second vintage Singer in the queue for a tune-up. I'm not a great sewing machine mechanic, but mostly what they need is a little cleaning and oiling, nothing too complicated.

I'm stockpiling all the shelf-stable foods that our family uses regularly. That's a couple months' backlog of dry beans, rice, canned tomatoes, salt, peanut butter, tuna, and a bin of bulk spices, all of which I'm already accustomed to rotating through, so increasing my stash lately has not been any kind of complicated. I've just adjusted my "comfort zone" parameters for how much to have in the house.

We have no debt, and are used to living on a tight budget.

The neighborhood where we live (and the house is paid for, even if it doesn't belong to us) is fairly well situated for weird times. We're within shouting distance of neighbors, but still have enough space to expand the garden quite a lot, and perhaps add small livestock like goats. We're surrounded by people who don't have a lot of money, but are resourceful and independent. But the neighborhood itself is quite isolated-- surrounded on all sides by timberland and extensive cattle pastures. There will be no crime overflow from other parts of town, because town isn't very accessible. Most people don't know the place exists unless they live here.

Liabilities and things I'd like to have more time to work on:

We homeschool, but I'm more dependent on the internet than I'd like, for getting curricula, and for occasional supplemental teaching material ("How does x work? Let's look it up on the internet..."). I'm thinking about acquiring a set of old encyclopedias, to add to all the repair reference books I've collected.

Don't have chickens currently. Want to do that, and have rabbits as well. But the dogs are not compatible, so it's going to take some heavy-duty animal housing to make it work.

My home repair skills are above average, but that's a low bar. I can replace a toilet flush mechanism, caulk a shower, replace a doorknob, troubleshoot a well pump (it went out the other night: we scraped a fried lizard out of the electrical box), and clear out a clogged drain. But I've never done drywall, installed a window or a doorframe, or put up studs. And I need to learn those in the very near future, so we don't have to pay someone else to do it.

Ditto car repair: I've never replaced a fuel pump or done my own brakes. I should be able to do those, and I just haven't got out and done it yet.

I've never had a garden on the scale necessary to keep the family fed.

My husband works in the medical field. I'm worried about his long-term job prospects.

From:

kimberlysteele

Thanks for sharing this.

From: (Anonymous)

Dear Mrs Steele,
First, I want to let you know I enjoy reading your posts. Knowing there are people like JMG or you is encouraging, even if I would never meet them in person.
Here, we have a political mess that pandemic just compounded. Domestic terrorism and "peaceful protesters" were taking streets since October 2019. Nobody understands the hidden problem, the one people like JMG, you and me see: peak oil has arrived.
Instead, the mandarin caste has convinced everybody they can achieve full automated space socialism if they vote for a new Constitution (I couldn't help but laugh when you quipped about this). There are issues with crony capitalism and unfunfilled promises for long years, sure, but you don't improve your situation by blowing the subway or burning churches.
My assets & skills
2 apartments.
No debts at all. Not even a credit card.
Competent user with everything that takes pen and paper.
Good in English.
Served 4 years in the Army.
Can grow vegetables. However, I wish I knew how to grow hens.
Also, I can make soap, detergent and other supplies with basic staples.
Practicing GD relentlessly since July. Previously, basic training in other tradition.
My shortcomings
Currently living far away. Not a problem by itself, but I'm far from all my relatives.
Custom Officer: Job currently thriving, but I don't imagine my branch would be in demand if collapse strikes harder (who needs Customs and border control if travel and transport industries get screwed?)
Already persecuted in my workplace by people who wants to give my job to a relative (cronyism, anyone?)
I wish you had a smooth navigation through current pandemic and less than flourishing economy.
Regards from the southernmost corner of our continent.
Edu

From:

kimberlysteele

Thanks Edu! Cronyism is truly everywhere. I notice that with my husband's jobs over the years -- the biggest problems come from incompetent friends and relatives who are installed in key positions and resent anyone around them who is conscientious and honest.

The hidden problem is exactly what you described -- peak oil. We are now getting well past it and the era of dramatic shifts in oil prices is upon us. This of course affects the real economy sooner or later. Right now in the US we are still being held aloft by Canadian tar sands, which translates to the wholesale destruction of forests for the fuel that makes my car run. I am complicit and the bad karma is mine as much as anyone else's.

From:

methylethyl

Off topic: I know you use Bandcamp, and I've poked around on there. It looks oriented toward an artist-patron model, so that musicians can get paid by people who like their work. Is that your take on it, or am I missing out on something?

Are you familiar with any other audio-file sharing platforms? I have been looking for something that would let me share my own recordings with other chanters, for advice and critique purposes, since I don't have access to a teacher where I live. Is that a thing that people use bandcamp for, or do you happen to know of any other platforms that would be more friendly to that type of activity? (for instance, letting you upload files to share only with certain people.)

From:

kimberlysteele

I think you could use Bandcamp that way -- I'm not great at any of the online platforms and I barely know how to make use of Bandcamp, so I am not the best person to ask. If anyone here has more knowledge on that stuff, they are welcome to join in.

From:

methylethyl

Thanks anyway-- I'll poke at it some more and see what jiggles.

From: (Anonymous)

When I was doing a bit of improv jamming with a handful of other musicians, we would record on a tablet or phone and upload it to a Dropbox that we all had access to. It's a way of sharing a file but it doesn't have the social aspect that bandcamp does. I'm not familiar with bandcamp much either, but the dropbox does seem to do fine for regular file sharing.