National forecast says we might be getting some rain today and tomorrow… which I’m hoping against. I’ve got stuff to do that needs dry weather. It was 76F and 91%RH when I went to bed.
I did some stuff Sunday. Mostly fled the house and the squealing of tiny proto females. Did two pickups, both mainly for my non-prepping hobby. Did daddy daughter stuff, then wasted time on the internet with my friends. Oh, and during that time the dog ate an unknown quantity of Easter chocolate and caused some concern and an attempt at making him vomit it up. The little poop factory eats aluminum soda cans, a teaspoon of hydrogen peroxide didn’t phase him. He’s still alive so I guess he didn’t eat too much of the chocolate.
Today’s plan is to figure out what’s gone wrong with my pickup truck, get some bins of stuff ready for auction, and do a pickup or two of BOL stuff. Rain complicates all of that tremendously so I’m hoping it misses us.
I’ve got so much going on this week, swim team practices start, D2 has a birthday, I have a wedding anniversary, and all the normal things too. It’s crazy.
Some comments at the end of the day yesterday regarding supply chain, food, and corn. If you haven’t caught up, take a minute and read them and consider how they’ll affect you if it happens that way.
Beyond local and national farm issues, the brutal lockdown in China is backing up shipping and supply chain like crazy. The effects will start showing up in a couple of weeks and it will take months to un-flock this clustered mess. Expect anything coming from or through China, and particularly Shanghai to be delayed or unavailable, possibly for months.
The situation is worsening folks, in just about any way you look at it. I know, I know. Sky is falling yet again. Yep. Look at the material and make your own conclusions. If you decide it’s overblown, then at least you’ve considered it, and didn’t just keep running forward with your eyes closed.
If like me and others, you see all the signs pointing to things getting worse, not better, ACT on that. Take actions that work for you and your family and for your financial situation. I’m still in “don’t do anything irrevocable” mode, but we did turn a whole pile of cash into a whole pile of bricks and dirt because my wife agrees that inflation is eating our savings like a fat man at a buffet.
Interest rates are rising. They’ve already risen. If you are selling a house, do the deal. If rates rise too much the housing bubble will pop again. If you are buying a place to live, and it’s within your means, know that you might end up underwater on your loan for a while, and that might limit you for a few years or longer. I wouldn’t be buying any place as an “investment” and I wouldn’t be entering into an adjustable rate mortgage at the moment either… nor would I ‘stretch’ to make a purchase that is outside what I can safely afford. If I was renting, I’d be looking at long term leases to lock in monthly payments. If I was the owner, I’d be looking at short term leases as much as possible.
Also consider what these changes and trends mean for fixed incomes and government assistance programs and the people dependent on them. Food shortages almost always lead to riots. In other words, I expect violence and lawlessness to increase. It will be variable by area, but everyone will be affected. And people will be fleeing to your safe semi-rural area when the cities get worse. They’ve already started.
Time to really get busy getting ready. Suck it up and stack it up.
n