After The Math

[curt]

....or, how to deal with the inevitable aftermath of the approaching collapse of the US and with it, the World economy. We had a thread like this going good over at the first RBC...remember, the one we all moved to from other cyber places like The Smirking Chimp and Project for the Old American Century ?? Those were the days. We were hot on convincing people the USA is fascist. Life was rough. Nobody listened. We screamed our lungs out, some of us. Still, nobody listened. The Bush bashing took the front seat of most every discussion. No time for reality. No "Blick in die Zukunft" (view in the future). Tough titty, too late, the train is gone and now we have to look around for "a place to sleep". (after a personal experience as a young GI in Frankfurt. Life sucks when you realize you blew it big time by not listening to people's warnings)

Quoting Bo......(from a mini crusade he was on today);

"Well, here's your future discussion topic: The USA is dead.

The body's been burned to a crisp, hung from a bridge, and the limbs are falling off.

The RBC is now making plans to survive the aftermath. That's the reality we need to prepare for now."

So bring 'em on, those survival techniques. Copy & Patse from the other other RBC too. What good will it do us o'er there when the damn place (TribeNet) collapses ?

[curt]

Our back garden in a sweep. Left, food stuff. Right, useless grassy knoll. We got a late start this year, again. Half the stuff we planted these last few days won't grow quick enough. We're still learning.

[curt]

At the end of the walkway, we have all the Kraeuter / Herbs. Dill is one plant we've had an issue with as it doesn't want to grow there, at the end of the walkway. Instead, Dill is now growing out front of the house, right up under the fence and inbetween flowery plants. The plant is trying to tell us something, I would say. Notice the bucket. Its payload does not smell foul but is very potent.

[curt]

Some edible plants prefer to be treated as flowers. Basilicum / Basil I believe it is called in english is one such plant. Please forgive, my dictionary is not handy and I aint no english pro fesser. Not any more than I am a gardner. Unbelievable. I'm sure Waldo will succeed.

[curt]

In front of the house where non-edibles sort of still rule. The hops plant was my idea as a beer lover.

[curt]

Another one, edible one that thinks it's a flower.....Rosemary. The round cement lid covers a sewage collector tank which was only very shortly in use. I put piping in for the rain run-off from the garage and the house. Once the "Systerne" is full, the water is carried out to the canalisation under the street. A hose with a seep on the end is semi-permanently installed. All I have to do to get water is to pull the hose up a bit, put the water sucking pump up, plug it in to 220V AC ...after filling it with priming water and turn it on. Not sure how much it holds but the rain water in there is clean and cold. Whenever we have to go without rain for a longer period of time, this baby is a garden saver. The tank is huge....we could all get in it and stand around down in there no problem. Well, with some discomfort as we would be standing face to face, butt to butt in cold rain water ....in the dark.

[curt]

These strawberry plants were planted by birds. We don't tend them at all but we do harvest the berries. Had one just a few minutes ago...yummy....smaller than usual, believe they are a cross between the ones out back and the wild ones on the west side of the house. Again, these grow freely with no problem at all, no watering is done, no pruning, no seperating, no replacing every two years, nothing. The ones out back need close attention, watering etc. The berries aren't as savoury and I don't know why we continue to keep them instead of just adding more potatoes. Sweet potatoes is an idea!

[curt]

A view from front to back with mother-in-law full in view. Looking at this picture, you never would guess what lurks in the garage of to the right. Didn't need it today.

The Number 4 is something I produced out of a scrap piece of plexiglas, painted from the back so the front stays fresh....with the idea this one will last a bit longer than the store bought ones did.

[curt]

And now, the real reason for these photos. In our neighborhood, we share whatever harvest surplus we have. For those of us with no surplus, we help our nighbors in any which way we can. The list of deeds is long. Straight across the street lives a widow named Elvira. Elvira has the most wonderful Hochbeten and two composts. First glance...........

[curt]

The shacks under the old apple tree are chicken coops. Laying chickens!

[curt]

Just look at this.....

[curt]

[curt]

Garlic is planted at the foot of the apple trees. Elvira tells me it takes three generations to produce the best garlic. Three years. Start with the bloom seeds from any garlic plant, sowe these, let them grow, spread them out, and harvest what is left after three years. Her garlic is indeed the best.