Back in 2008 I, along with a lot of the rest of the world, watched in horror as it looked for a bit as though the world’s financial institutions were going to implode, leaving us all a whole lot poorer and uncertain of just what lay ahead. At about the same time I learned about Peak Oil and it’s implications for an energy constrained future. I reacted as did many others. I began to stockpile the things I thought I would need to see my family through a prolonged period of economic dislocation. We bought more land and put in gardens and greenhouses, an orchard and an apiary. We began to think of investment tools as actual tools rather than sketchy business dealings we were not at all sure met our requirement for ethical investment. We enlarged our circle of friends to include people who believed what we did and together we laid the foundation for a new, resilient community.
Well, it’s 2012. The world’s financial institutions have not all imploded although a good number of them are still pretty shaky. A lot of people are a lot poorer and still don’t know exactly what their future holds. But it isn’t Armageddon. At least not in the financial sense. I can still put gas in my car although it costs a good deal more to do so. I am still hearing mumblings that solar or wind or shale or nat gas or off-shore drilling is going to turn us into the next Saudi Arabia. That’s nonsense of course. Anyone with a calculator and a modicum of common sense can tell you that the energy invested over energy returned models point to less fuel to run a road and oil dependent transportation fleet at still higher prices. There is talk about having enough oil under us in America to be energy independent by 2020. But that the oil will belong to international oil companies who will sell it to the highest bidder and not necessarily to us.
Here’s the big change for this evolved prepper. I don’t care about it any more. Don’t get me wrong. I still think we are in big trouble in terms of economics and energy. I just think that worrying about them is like worrying about that scratchy throat while somebody cuts you off at the knees. And that something is climate change.
Because of my firm belief in the science of climate change I am making some changes to my writing and blogging. I will be wrapping up here in the next few months and concentrating my energy on my web site, http://www.preservingabundance.com. The website will give me the ability to post more and better videos, more recipes and even include some serialized novel-writing. It will include some advertising (a girl needs to pay the bills) but I will be totally responsible for what is put up there. I so appreciate Storey for giving me a blogging home here for the last few years. They are the best publishers in the world. If I could have books from only one publisher to see me through the coming hard times they would all be Storey books. I won’t miss them as we will still have a relationship through Just In Case and I may bother them with a manuscript from time to time. But I do think it’s time to move on and put my energy into permaculture education (I’m a learner, not a teacher on this subject), food preservation, seed saving, herbal health care, and community building. I hope you will join me there. I’m looking for lots of input and lots of information. This may be a slow process. I’m taking a workshop on how to make this work in early December and hope to be really cooking right after the first of the year. Far any readers who don’t follow me (come on-you know you want to) I leave you with gratitude for walking down the road with me.
Fondly, Kathy
The Just In Case Book Blog 
November 14, 2012 at 11:07 am
I agree that worrying (though being alert is fine) about what is happening is useless. The real value in all we have learned is very simple: the more self reliant you are, the better off you will be. Mentally, physically, financially and safety wise. I look forward to seeing more from PreservingAbundance!
November 14, 2012 at 11:19 am
Thank you HP. It means a lot coming from you as we both know that we are about as far apart as we can be on the political spectrum. What that says is that it is possible to disagree and still find value in each other, learn together and respect divergent opinions.
November 14, 2012 at 11:29 am
I find it very interesting that you and I and most of the hard core doom preppers at the various LATOC diaspora sites are going through a similar evolution. I started prepping about the same time as you and bought everything I could. I moved to a rural area where my wife had a 3 acre spread. I have spent the last 7 years planting an 30 tree fruit orchard, digging a 5000 sq ft garden (digging tons of rocks out of the soil), building out building, learning to can and preserve the harvest, etc. I also look at every tool I buy as an investment for the future.
I am 67 and in excellent health. My mother passed 2 years ago at 97, so I have great genes and plan to be active for at least another 25 or more years. I look at all the hard work I have done as an investment in my future.
Will there be a cataclysmic disaster ending the world? Who cares. I have totally changed my lifestyle from a sedentary corporate wank to an active person who is one with his soil and knows the name of most of the people who grow the food I can not grow myself. Life is good.
BTW, I never bought bulk freeze dried food because of all the years I lived on it when backpacking. It is shite and tastes like shite. But I do have hundreds of pounds of beans and rice which I rotate on a regular basis.
November 14, 2012 at 11:57 am
I didn’t go the freeze-dried route much either. I do have a substantial amount of wheat, beans and rice but it’s all about what I can grow and preserve myself. I’m 60 and in very good shape too and hope to have another good twenty plus years.
November 14, 2012 at 1:17 pm
Okey-doke, I’ll just follow you there! I agree about climate change being a far more pressing issue than is currently recognized. Kathy, I so appreciate having a prepping site where bombastic politics and name-calling are not the norm. I look forward to your new venture.
Diana
November 14, 2012 at 5:47 pm
My hope is that your concern about climate change is to be making preparations to roll with the punches, since there is virtually nothing that can be done to alter the normal course of nature.
I will miss your blog for certain. It has been a regular stop on my daily tour of the internet.
Good luck.
November 14, 2012 at 9:48 pm
See ya over there.
November 15, 2012 at 12:42 am
I will really miss this blog – I’ve enjoyed hearing about your family, your prepping and permaculture, and your successes & failures.
I had the same issue in 2008 with how fragile the supply system was. Because of my time, I’ve decided a garden is not for me, but that isn’t stopping me from food preservation and other steps to be self sufficient. If I could, I’d have a few chickens if I could. I’m still thinking about rabbits though – the HOA shouldn’t be able to find out about them.
Thanks for letting us know you’re bowing out of this blog. I appreciate the closure.
Nancy
November 15, 2012 at 6:24 am
I’ll still be posting. I’ll just be at the other site. Some people are having a hard time with the link. Let me know if you can’t find me.
November 15, 2012 at 2:52 pm
Hi Kathy,
I’ve been following your blog for a few years now and checking over on Perserving Abundance every few weeks to see if anything new has gone up, so it’s great to know what will be happening on the site. As I near retirement, I find myself prioritizing where my time and mental energy go rather trying to cover too many areas in the prepping /self-sufficent arena. I’ve decided to focus on learning seed saving and then passing my experince, and seeds, on to others. I am fairly heavy into food preservation, not quite to your level, and plan to expand that every year. I just rendered and canned lard for the first time this year. I’ve done meat chickens in the past, and based on that experience, plan to raise rabbits for meat and only have laying hens and a few smaller heritage turkeys. Climate change is influencing our home design as we try to incorperate the probably of a warmer and wetter climate here in the WV mountains. I’m looking forward to the P.A. site.
November 15, 2012 at 3:04 pm
Kathy, I’ve been a follower for 2 years. I like your thinking and will follow your new blog. Do you read peak oil hausfrau? She seems to know a lot about permaculture although the Oklahoma climate is quite different from yours. I think the concepts are the same good luck with your new endeavors.
Chicago gran
November 15, 2012 at 6:58 pm
I shall follow you too as I am a visual learner, this will help a lot. I hope you will keep some of this blog setup tho as I like to get a feel for timing in planting & harvesting and when you do other things. Best of luck! BTW I planted some multiplier and egyptian walking onions with my garlic this year. Fingers crossed!
November 16, 2012 at 7:24 am
I will miss visiting you here but will definitely move over, so much to learn and enjoy from you Kathy!
November 16, 2012 at 7:34 am
Thank you all so much. I will posting at the other start on a regular basis beginning early in December.
November 16, 2012 at 3:31 pm
Kathy: I have a question regarding herbal medicines, etc. Unfortunately, I have 2 health issues that require daily medication. Both conditions could result in death without the prescriptions. As you develop your permaculture site and research natural remedies could you consider those of us who have long-term issues that requires some form of intervention. There are many circumstances of concern, one would be diabetics without insulin. In my case, my thyroid was destroyed and I must take thyroid replacement hormones, as well as blood pressure medication. In a catastrophe, many would die as a result of no access to their medications. I will look forward to reading information as you evolve in this field.
November 16, 2012 at 8:19 pm
I really look forward to reading your posts so I will gladly follow you where ever you end up writing. Happy to hear you will not give that up. Thanks to you and Sharon I was much more prepared for Sandy than I was last year for the big October snow.
November 17, 2012 at 7:52 pm
“Here’s the big change for this evolved prepper. I don’t care about it any more. Don’t get me wrong. I still think we are in big trouble in terms of economics and energy. I just think that worrying about them is like worrying about that scratchy throat while somebody cuts you off at the knees. And that something is climate change.”
I agree, Kathy.
Do what you can. Learn all you can. Do something that makes the world a better place. And, eat, drink and be merry, preferably with many like-minded friends. C’est la vie.
Here’s my “evolution of preparedness” –
Blind panic
Directed panic
Buy stuff
Buy useful stuff
Learn to use useful stuff
Learn useful things
Connect with others who know things
Connect with others who grow things
Grow things yourself
Plan for growing more things eventually
Chill out at the “enough” point
Eat, drink & be merry
November 19, 2012 at 12:54 pm
Madison, your evolution to the glorious simplicity on the far side of complex issues is inspiring. I’m with you: less agita, more meaningful moments. Best wishes!
November 24, 2012 at 12:56 pm
We are in a depression and you think our economy has not imploded? We have to borrow $1.5 trillion a year just to meet our federal budget. Our national debt has skyrocketed and has passed the point where we could ever pay it off even if we ever intended to. The fed keeps the interest rate unrealistically low because if it rises (which it will) the debt serive on the national debt will destroy us. We are either on the brink of an economic disaster or have just begun freefall over the edge nut borrowing and printing money is disguising the obvious. No country has even been in this economic situation and avoided an economic collapse, the only question is when will it be no longer possible to kick the can down the road?
It reminds me of the joke about the man who jumped off the Empire State building and was heard to say as he passed the tenth floor “so far so good”. The politicians pumped the economy with borrowed and printed money so they could get past the election without the peasants storming the White House with pitchforks and torches. Now that they have 4 free years to finish the job of looting the treasury to give to their friends and buy voters do you really think this facade won’t collapse?
I often questioned my parents and aunts and uncles about the great depression and the most honest and telling comment I ever heard was “we didn’t know it was going to be so bad and last so long. The government kept telling us things were getting better.” Does any of that sound familiar? We are done, toast, stick a fork in us. Obama and his band of thieves have destroyed us and soon it will be obvious to everyone. Good luck and don’t be like that guy passing the tenth floor…
December 3, 2012 at 7:20 pm
Hi Kathy,
We are a group of journalists from Emerson College in downtown Boston.
We are currently writing a piece about the preparedness.
You seem like a great profile and you have a great story to tell, which would be of extreme value to this piece and bring a different approach to it! If you could contact us so we can talk more, that would be great.
feel free to contact us any time at:
vjeran_pavic@mac.com OR 617 943 8854
kristina_garcia@emerson.edu OR 305 878 8017
we look forward to hearing from you,
Have a great rest of your day
VP & KG
December 8, 2012 at 11:49 pm
Climate change is just the new name for global warming. The whole thing is junk science. The founder of the Weather Channel said that global warming is a scam. See the website Climate Depot and rid yourself of this hysterical climate hypothesis. There is a huge amount of info out there that is countering the currently mainstream belief in “climate change”.
December 13, 2012 at 7:03 pm
I’ve visited and love the new site! It’ll be a favorite, for sure. As for the prepping discussion, I don’t think it’s ever been wise or prudent to “fret” over things that we cannot control. And in fact I think your new site, PreservingAbundance.com, is more in line with what EVERY person should be concerned about. Modern people, especially in the United States, have managed to forget and lose life skills that mankind had struggled to learn and develop since the beginning of time. Now people (generally speaking, of course) cannot even grow, harvest and store their own crops, raise livestock, hunt and fish… the things that people should know how to do, even if they don’t practice it. So when I found your new site I was really happy.
No prepper can store enough food or supplies to last forever, but with the right skills and mindset, and a “reasonable” approach to preparedness, people can survive most scenarios quite comfortably, and that is my approach.
December 13, 2012 at 7:08 pm
By George! I think he’s got it.
December 22, 2012 at 9:32 am
I’m impressed, I must say. Rarely do I encounter a blog that’s both equally educative and amusing, and let me tell you, you’ve hit the nail on the head. The issue is something not enough people are speaking intelligently about. Now i’m very happy I came
across this in my search for something relating to this.
April 4, 2013 at 1:16 pm
I truly love your site.. Great colors & theme.
Did you create this amazing site yourself? Please reply back as I’m hoping to create my very own website and would love to learn where you got this from or exactly what the theme is named. Thanks!