Cool and wet, possibly really wet. Yesterday was the kind of moist windy day I normally associate with spring. It had ‘that smell’, but it’s still only January.
January seems to be taking its own sweet time. Funny how the perception of time can change. December flew by but January is taking forever. I’m trying really hard not to invest too much time or mental energy in what’s coming up with the Inauguration. Hurricane is in the Gulf, just need to get my stuff in one bag… so to speak. I’m certainly not going to change the events that happen. On the other hand, I’m reading folks I have been reading for a long time, and they seem oddly detached. It’s like they’re just in a spectator mode where they can’t look away, yet their own comments reveal that they think momentous changes will be coming.
Folks, you can’t just watch this from a distance if you believe it’s gonna get ugly. This has the potential to impact you in ways the Clinton and Obamma administrations never did. People are being un-personed. They are being driven out of their jobs and their communities. The new administration hasn’t even taken office yet and they’re already messing things up for ordinary folks.
Take some more steps to help shield yourself from the change that’s coming.
Make every effort to have cash and other resources available. Food. Comms. Alternate income streams. Water will probably be available, it’s not really a hurricane, but infrastructure interruptions and sabotage are being widely considered and discussed.
As civilizations degrade, lots of things that used to work well stop working very well, and sometimes stop entirely. We’ve already started down that path. We are eating out our substance in some real and metaphorical ways. Public trust has eroded away. Some people are still cruising on inertia but more and more will become aware of the changes as soon as they bump into them personally. There’s a lot of stored fat on the body politic, but we’re starting to burn through that and it won’t take too long before we’re eating up the muscle.
Shortages or outages for products are becoming commonplace. Supply chain disruption continues.
Roads aren’t being cleared of debris. Illegal dumping seems to be increasing. Windows are being boarded up instead of having the glass replaced. Graffiti and tags are staying in place longer. Trash is everywhere. Homeless are showing up in areas they don’t normally frequent, and I’m spotting more sleeping in places that NEVER saw any ‘urban outdoorsmen’ at all.
After years of declining numbers, violent crime is increasing again.
Businesses continue to fail. I’m seeing vacant storefront and restaurant property everywhere, and Houston is somewhat insulated from the economic problems in the rest of the country. It’s got to be worse elsewhere.
Preps will help cushion us through this. Stuff, skills, relationships. Those and determination and persistence will get us through.
Keep stacking.
nick
[I’m thinking “This is the End”, or “People are Strange”, I don’t want to contemplate how “Crystal Ship” might fit.]