Intro Thread

[CaliforniaPoppy]

Hi. I'm Dee, wife & mother (in ages from college senior down to a toddler). Our family lives in the city now, but lived in the country back east. My husband is an engineer, with extensive outdoor and hunting experience & is very supportive. He can fix or build pretty much anything he sets his mind too.

I've been interested in preparedness since I lived through Hurricane Hugo in South Carolina and saw first-hand the huge number of people who were totally unprepared for anything at all, much less weeks and weeks without power, refrigeration, or 24 hour grocery stores. Seeing people the day after the storm not knowing what to do with themselves really left an impression.

Although I've always felt we were pretty well prepared, we're just getting started with systematically collecting food and items for preparation. My two biggest concerns are that we have special food needs (gluten-free) and I'm concerned about the prepping where we live (we have a townhouse) which  will have its own challenges.

I've been around weapons all my life, but decided to undergo formal training & took a class two years ago, followed by my CCW and then hunter safety training last year. I've already signed up for an Appleseed event this spring where I'll undergo two days of rifle training. Just about my favorite place in the world is at the range.

I love to cook, sew, knit and crochet. I'm planning to teach myself to make lye-based soap and make (and use) a solar oven this year.

And... that's about it  I've been reading the forum for quite a while and have already learned so much. Nice to meet y'all.

dee

[LvsChant]

Glad to have you here, Dee... sounds like you have a lot to share with us along the path.

[amanadoo]

I didn't realize I never introduced myself here!TSP has meant so much to my husband and I. My name is Amanda Mae. I have two boys, 2 years and ten months old. We were getting started with a self-sustaining life on a small homestead, when my husband was laid off. We are now a proud Coast Guard family, stationed in Vermont currently. I sometimes struggle with ways to teach my kids the lessons they'd have learned on the farm. To that end, we are participating in a Farm Share program and are planning to do lots of camping and hiking when it gets above freezing here (which I'm told is sometime in July lol). I'll find my way back to the land some day. In the meantime, I am concentrating on building skills and scoping out opportunities to educate the boys. Thanks so much to Jack, the board moderators and fellow TSPers!

[Hozzlebozzle]

Hey Ladies!

I'm a new kid on the block. 

A friend of mine (Fatchumang on the forum) introduced me to thesurvivalpodcast last year (2009) and although I was wary at first due to some of the political content and gun talk, I like Jack's style and his overall message, he's entertaining and inspiring to listen to, and I gradually became hooked, went back and listened to all the old episodes and am now a Jack Fanatic!! I used to consider myself a "liberal" and a democrat (afterall, I was born & raised up here in Vermont, hippie-dippy capitol of the universe! ) but now I'm recognizing the merits of independent thinking and the dangers of labeling myself or other people. And although guns still make me very nervous, I've done some target practice with my boyfriend and his folks down in Virginia, (don't ask me what type of gun, I don't have a clue... it was black.. and bullets came out of it....) and I'm not going to deny that I had fun! I'm recognizing the importance of upholding the constitution and our amendment rights.

Anyway, about ME: Like I said, born and raised in Vermont. In October of 2009, my boyfriend and I bought our first house! a small bungalow on a .17 acre suburban lot in southern Vermont. So we are just starting out and I'm looking forward to gradually turning our home into more of a homestead...

I am beginning to plan my first garden, and I am SO EXCITED!!  I am looking forward to gradually converting the available land into vegetable, flower and herb gardens, as well as looking at some permaculture options (grapevines, raspberries, etc). This is all completely new to me and I hardly know where to begin!! So it seemed like joining the forum and getting involved with the survival community would be a good start!

My boyfriend is somewhat less... enthusiastically obsessed, shall we say? than I am about prepping and survivalism. I was stockpiling food in my pantry long before I had ever even HEARD of "prepping"... I just like to buy stuff when its on sale! And I like to have a lot of variety available at my fingertips, because I LOVE TO EAT  and I love to cook, and a well-stocked pantry is a joy for anyone who cares much about food. My boyfriend sometimes teases me when I stock up on an item, "Did Jack tell you to buy that stuff???" hahaha, I get a kick out of it, plus I don't care if he teases me or not. (I didn't see him complaining when I made my first successful batch of biltong and shared it with him!) (he also ate some of the loaf of Jack's Beer Bread that I made. AND I recently made my FIRST loaf of yeast risen bread from scratch! It was delicious and I was quite proud.) (I'm sure my man will ALSO not be complaining when I start figuring out how to make some homebrews!) I occasionally select specific episodes of the podcast for him that we listen to together. He gets a kick out of Jack's rants (as do I) and I can usually get him interested in topics like debt reduction and general self-sufficiency. He's at least willing to listen, even if he's not the spear-header of our household. I think the more effort we put into our house and our land, the more he will come around!

I am a metalsmith, (started out with welding as a sculpture major in college) currently working as a jewelry artist. I have been apprenticed to a master goldsmith and working full-time for her for about three years now, and this past year I designed my own collection and launched my first line of my own jewelry in my boss's showroom. (made primarily of silver, I am working on getting a website set up!) So far my work has sold well, so that is encouraging! I love when Jack talks about starting a home-business, it is one of my goals, to set up a home studio and eventually be able to work more from home. And be able to spend more time in my garden! 

I look forward to getting to know folks here on the forum. It seems there is a wealth of information here at our fingertips, and a lot of nice people hanging out here! I am full of questions and hungry to learn more!

How refreshing to encounter this thriving community of PEOPLE (not sheeple)! 

cheers,
Caitlin 

[Hozzlebozzle]

I didn't realize I never introduced myself here!TSP has meant so much to my husband and I. My name is Amanda Mae. I have two boys, 2 years and ten months old. We were getting started with a self-sustaining life on a small homestead, when my husband was laid off. We are now a proud Coast Guard family, stationed in Vermont currently. I sometimes struggle with ways to teach my kids the lessons they'd have learned on the farm. To that end, we are participating in a Farm Share program and are planning to do lots of camping and hiking when it gets above freezing here (which I'm told is sometime in July lol). I'll find my way back to the land some day. In the meantime, I am concentrating on building skills and scoping out opportunities to educate the boys. Thanks so much to Jack, the board moderators and fellow TSPers!

You're not kidding about the weather still being freezing until July!!    Maybe that's why some of us have taken to going for dips in the lake even in February! Winter just lasts too long around here!

Hmm, there are some cool museums you could take your boys too, to help convey the sorts of messages you're talking about. I always enjoyed the Shelburne museum as a kid. http://www.shelburnemuseum.org/ I think they also have a large farm as part of the facility. Might be cool to check out sometime!

[amanadoo]

Hozzlebozzle, thanks for the heads-up about the Shelburne museum. The shooting range we go to is out that way, but I've never been. What part of Virginia is your BF from? I was born in Christiansburg, in SW Virginia, and miss it dearly.

[MediumFrenchFry]

Hi Ladies,

My name is MediumFrenchFry, I live in Philadelphia PA with my husband to who I owe my participation to this forum.

As I explained in the main intro thread, I am actually French, I was born in Paris, France. My husband and I are very interested in survivalism and sustainability, therefore we are trying to learn as much as we can and grow our knowledge. He has been listenning to Jack for a while and has been sharing the information with me. But I decided to join the forum to speak with like-minded people, and especially like-minded women.

My parents are from Thailand and Cambodia, they fled the Khmer Rouge regime that destroyed their village (they were farmers) and killed family members. They arrived in France, not knowing a word of French and kept this survivalist mentality, that I mistook for "strict, savings-oriented" mentality when I was younger. Now that Im older, I understand what that huge garden was all about, the food-stacking, or even the homegrown sprouts among other things. And that is why I didn't have a hard time to get "onboard" with survivalism. I am looking forward to learn how to grow vegetables and further my cooking knowledge and anything else I can learn!

Since we don't have a right to bear arms in French laws, I was very curious and interested in firearms over here. My husband introduced me to them, and I gotta say that it's becoming my favorite thing. I'm still a beginner but I have tried a couple different firearms and learned to clean them. I am really excited about sharpenning this new skill. I feel safer and I sleep better at night.

That's about it!! It's nice to meet you and thank you for sharing all this amazing knowledge!

[OKGranny]

I never introduced myself on the ladies survivor forum either, duh. My earliest years were spent in temporary logging camps in Arizona and California where my Dad ran logging crews. My husband and I owned a small business repairing equipment and tools for over 30 years until he became disabled and we had to sell it. I try to gear my food prepping towards what we like as well as what we need and that includes what we grow. I love to read so I hit the used book stores and find books that I think look like I would enjoy them and put them away packed in mylar which sounds silly but having lost some books to mice it seems sensible now. I just can't imagine not having things I haven't read before if the SHTF.

[antsyaunt]

I had to change my name to the name my oldest nephew calls me. 

[Hozzlebozzle]

Hozzlebozzle, thanks for the heads-up about the Shelburne museum. The shooting range we go to is out that way, but I've never been. What part of Virginia is your BF from? I was born in Christiansburg, in SW Virginia, and miss it dearly.

My boyfriend grew up in Ringgold, VA, near Danville (South Central Virginia) and he went to Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, which I believe is pretty near Christiansburg, if I'm not mistaken. We get down there once or twice a year to visit his folks in Ringgold, and also my parents live in Crozet now (near Charlottesville). Beautiful down there, isn't it?

Another fun museum to take the kids to would be Billings Farm and Museum, if you've never been. All about Vermont's rural heritage. http://www.billingsfarm.org/index.html

(I think they offer free admission to Vermont National Guard families, I'm not sure about Coast Guard though, but you could look into it.)

[OzarkThumperGirl]

Hello everyone!

My name is Traci and I live in the foothills of the Ozarks in North Central Arkansas.

 My boyfriend and I have been getting in the survivalist mode as of late.  We both got our CW permit a couple of years ago and really enjoy shooting when we can.  I have been shooting guns since I was 8 and have always loved it.  He dabbles in experimenting with alternative energy and we are growing our first garden together this year, fingers crossed it will be a good one!!!

We sat down one day and discussed the fact that we're the first generation that almost 100% relies on "buying" everything we need instead of doing for ourselves.  Skills that our ancestors had, we are going to lose unless we do something about it.  So we've decided to change our life and become as self sufficient as we can. 

Looking forwarding to chatting with y'all!

[Trillias]

Hello all,
I'm atadeadrun's wife, and although he was the one to discover TSP, we've both been sort of prepping for a while before beginning to do so in any organized fashion...

I've been a shooter for years, and only recently decided that perhaps I am not cursed with a brown thumb, so I'm working on getting what little we can grow in containers on the deck, started. Other than those two things, I'm just interested in learning what I can and making sure I know what I need to know to survive, and a little bit more...Planning on starting to pressure can this year, and hopefully learn to sew more than costumes (although, really, renaissance faire shifts and skirts will *work* if they have to...:-)

[Sister Wolf]

Welcome, Trillias! 

[Aelah]

Oops, I forgot to introduce myself to the ladies group, grrr. I'm 38, a teacher, the activities director for a small HS, and a mother of 3. DH (Grimjack) got me hooked on TSP, although we've been actively prepping for some time. We have a small sustainable farm & vineyard in CA. My personal interests include spinning, knitting, weaving, and homesteading. It's great to find a group of like-minded women!

[Sister Wolf]

Aelah!  Welcome!  Are you on ravelry?

[Aelah]

Thanks Sister Wolf! I'm on Ravelry occasionally as well. Used to hang out on Life After the Oil Crash, but it was a bit too doomsday-ish for me, so I was thrilled when DH told me about TSP.

[Sister Wolf]

I don't hang out on their forums or anything, but I'll send you a friend request over there if I know your Ravelry name!    I'd love to see your projects!

[Serenity Gulch]

Hi I'm Sherri. I'm 46 years old, married, and mom to an almost 5 year old son and a 1 year old daughter. We live on 14 acres in central Indiana and both DH and I work in Indianapolis. I was born on a dairy farm in Michigan and have always been a country girl at heart. DH is a city boy and not very much on board at all. He'd rather stay in the basement playing computer games than do anything outside, which makes homesteading a bit of a challenge.    I'm slowly working on expanding my garden and a little later this spring I'll be getting two beehives. In my spare time I enjoy reading, sewing, knitting, and spinning.

[LvsChant]

Welcome Sherri!

We lived in Kokomo for almost 4 1/2 yrs and loved central Indiana! Glad to have you here and will look forward to hearing your homesteading adventures.

LvsChant.