Two Letters Re: Removing Orthodontia Braces, Post-TEOTWAWKI

Two Letters Re: Removing Orthodontia Braces, Post-TEOTWAWKI

James,
In response to the letter about removing braces, I am a dentist and due to the economic situation in my part of the world, I have de-banded many people who could no longer afford to continue orthodontic treatment.

Fortunately this particular problem is not too difficult, but before do-it-yourself de-banding seriously consider leaving everything in place, until things hopefully come around again, or at least try to find a dental professional.

There is an increased risk of tooth decay and gum irritations with braces, but there usually is no orthodontic problem with leaving braces on too long. At some point the orthodontic forces on the teeth will dissipate and the braces will stabilize the teeth in position without putting much force on them. I would only consider do-it-yourself orthodontic appliance removal in a prolonged TEOTWAWKI. Once the wires are removed, especially if a retainer is not made, the teeth may very well drift and orthodontics will most likely have to be repeated later on.

At any rate, before attempting this procedure wash your hands well and be sure any cuts or sores on your hands are well covered. Nitrile gloves if you have them. Not a bad idea to have the patients brush their teeth and
rinse their mouth as well.

The first step is to remove the arch wire, the band of wire that goes around the teeth. It is held in place with ligatures, usually small rubber bands, but occasionally braided wire. Remove each rubber band ligature from around the bracket, any wires can be unbraided with disinfected small tweezers. A dental instrument, such as a dental explorer works great, but a disinfected paper clip would do in a pinch. After disconnecting the the ligature bands, the arch wire will slip out. Be careful, the ends of the arch wire can be very sharp !

Once the arch wire is removed, it is possible to floss the teeth and cleaning is much easier and effective. If the brackets are not irritating, there is little harm in leaving them in place as long the patient has good
oral hygiene and avoids sweets.

To remove the brackets, small disinfected needle nose pliers can be used. Stabilize the tooth with your fingers of one hand and put the beaks of the pliers on the little arms of the bracket. Give a little twisting motion to
the bracket and most will pop off. Start with the eye teeth (canines) or the larger teeth in back. These teeth have larger roots which stabilizes the tooth and the brackets twist off easier. Once you have a little experience with larger teeth, try the front teeth. The lower front teeth can be the most difficult because their roots are short, so be sure the stabilize them well with your free hand. Some teeth may be very mobile when the arch wire is removed. It is best to leave the brackets on mobile teeth.

Generally some of the back molars have a band instead of brackets. To remove these, try to get your instrument near the gum line and work around the tooth pushing up away from the gum line. You may have to work from both the cheek and tongue side of the tooth to get these bands off.

Treat all these wires, bands and brackets as [biohazard] “sharps” and dispose of the properly.

Once the brackets and bands are removed, there will be bits of cement stuck to the tooth, sometimes this cement can stain. This can be difficult to remove without special instruments, but large patches of cement can reduced with careful use of an emery board, but be very care full not to scratch the enamel of the tooth.

There is some aspiration risk to removing brackets, especially with non-standard instruments, so be very care full to keep the airway clear and try to do as much as possible with the patient sitting upright. There may
also be decayed sections of tooth underneath the brackets and bands, which can become painful once the appliances are removed.

Again, I would only consider DIY orthodontic appliance removal in an extreme, prolonged situation and be very mindful about the possibilities of making a bad situation worse by performing dental procedures without the benefit of dental training. – D.J., DMD

JWR,
Eric asked about removing orthodontic brackets. I am a practicing general dentist. This information is for informational purposes only, and should only be used in a TEOTWAWKI or in a “hitting the fan” event. I am using household and toolbox items here because the vast majority of people will not have access to the proper dental tools. First, if you have the opportunity, ask your orthodontist if you can be chair side the next time your child’s arch wires or ligatures are changed. There is nothing like seeing it being done.

A nice small pair of tweezers for removing the rubber bands (ligatures) will be needed. If you can get your hands on a pair of College Pliers, that is even better as the narrow angled beaks will allow easier access to grab and remove them. Just grab one end of the rubber ligature and pull it over the bracket until it is completely removed. You can also perform this with a dental explorer. This is what many dentists use to remove the orthodontic ligatures. Just hook the explorer under the rubber ligature and work around it until it is free of the bracket. I have actually seen both of these dental tools available at gun shows. A nice small narrow pair of wire cutters could be used for the removing of the actual brackets off of the teeth. Place the beaks so that they are on either side of the bracket and pressing against the surface of the tooth. Squeeze the wire cutters very gently and slowly. This should get the bracket to release from the surface of the tooth. In some cases, both the bracket and the bonding adhesive will come off, leaving very little on the tooth to remove and polish. In other cases, much of the adhesive will remain behind on the tooth structure leaving a lot of clean up work. These wire cutters can also be used to cut the metal arch wire in between the brackets if one cannot remove the ligatures and the arch wire with either of the previously mentioned tools. Once all of the brackets are off of the teeth cleaning up the remaining cement is the most tedious part. Again, the average person will not have dental scalers and polishing devices to do this. I have also seen dental scalers at gun shows. They probably will have broken tips on one end, or they are very dull. If you are adept at sharpening things, you may be able to put an edge on these that would be adequate to do the job. Some of the big box stores like Wal-Mart have little mini dental kits with a mirror, explorer, and blunt tipped scaler in them. Gently scrape (scale) the cement off. In some cases a very fine fingernail file or a piece of superfine automotive wet sandpaper (600 grit or higher) can be used to polish off the remaining cement. Be very gentle in doing this. You do not want to abrade the tooth surface much because this can lead you more vulnerable to developing tooth decay (cavities), temperature sensitivity, and staining in these areas. The cement will not hurt you if it is not removed, but it may feel strange and with time it can stain and be unsightly.

Do not use a Dremel motor tool to polish off the cement. You can overheat the nerve in the tooth, causing the nerve to die; necessitating a root canal or an extraction. If we are in a TEOTWAWKI situation, the possibility of getting a root canal done is not very good. You will also want to consider retaining the treatment after the brackets have been removed. While nowhere near ideal, a “boil-and-bite” mouth guard may help a little bit to retain the orthodontic correction. Purchase them now and place them in your bug out bag (B.O.B.) or store with other medical necessities in case they are needed. Make sure you clean any instruments that you place in your mouth as well as possible. A bottle of Betadine and a bottle of rubbing alcohol will help. Sterilizing with a flame will dull the cutting edges of any instruments. However, a dull cutting blade is easier to fix than a spreading infection. Let’s all hope and pray that this info is never needed.

Those of us that are called by His name need to really heed 2 Chronicles 7:14. I just pray that it is not too late for us and the rest of this world. – KJN

Economics and Investing:

El Jefe Jeff E. sent this frightening news on price inflation: US inflation up 2% in March. I’ve already warned you: As the Treasury monetizes its way out of the recession, be ready for mass inflation, folks!

Jon in Wyoming sent this: Euro Sales Extend as Morgan Stanley Mulls EU Breakup

Also from Jon: Roubini Says Rising Sovereign Debt Leads to Defaults

Yishai suggested this piece by Ronald Bailey of Reason magazine: Peak Everything?; Forget peak oil. What about peak lithium, peak neodymium, and peak phosphorus?

Items from The Economatrix:

Analysis from Dan Denninger: Bernanke is Getting Scared

Goldman’s Shares Plunge on Investigation, Downgrade

US “Middle Skills” Jobs Vanish

Greece Faces “Unprecedented” Cuts as $159 Billion Rescue Nears

German Anger Rises as Greek Bailout Triples

Stronger Economic Reports Pull Stocks Higher

Economic Outlook is Cautious Even with Spending Up

Odds ‘n Sods

Fears for crops as shock figures from America show scale of bee catastrophe; The world may be on the brink of biological disaster after news that a third of US bee colonies did not survive the winter. ( A hat tip to OSOM, for the link.)

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EMB suggested this Lifehacker article: Top 10 Hard Drive Upgrades and Fixes. (I don’t normally post computer tech article links, but this one has a some preparedness and OPSEC implications…)

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Reader “Mr. 47” sent a link to a company that makes some clever bullpup conversion stocks.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"One of the greatest delusions in the world is the hope that the evils in this world are to be cured by legislation." – Congressman Thomas Brackett Reed of Maine (1839-1902), writing in 1886

Odds ‘n Sods:

EMB mentioned this amazingly useful, and aptly-named web site: Radio Reference.

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Since early 2007, I have warned SurvivalBlog readers about the perils of “kanban” inventory control. Here is a bit of confirmation: Volcano Throws Off Ash, Just-in-Time Efforts. (Thanks to Chad S. for the link.)

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Lee C. flagged this: Fat Americans are a national security threat, warn generals

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RBS sent this: Copper thieves blamed for dangerous power surge. A comment from RBS: “Here is what could be considered another classic example of the fragility of our Inverted Technological Pyramid. Notice the “value” of the stolen part, and the “cost” it incurred for others.”

Letter Re: Removing Orthodontia Braces, Post-TEOTWAWKI

JWR:
Thanks for your site, and all that you and your family does for the thousands of loyal readers!

Before I approach my child’s orthodontist I thought I would throw it out to you, because I know there are others thinking the same thing. How can I safely remove my child’s braces [in the event of a societal collapse where access to an orthodontist might be impossible.] Thanks again, – Eric W.

JWR Replies: That question goes beyond my expertise. Perhaps an orthodontist in the SurvivalBlog readership could comment. Thanks!

Letter Re: The EMP Threat and Electronic Gun Vault Locks

James:
In looking at your blog on survival it revealed to me a major problem with safes with digital combo locks. If there is an EMP, those locks would most likely be fried and one could not get to guns, funds, et cetera! Do you know of a process or method of guarding against this? Is there some shielding that can be put around the combo unit that will protect the electronics? Thanks. – R.C.

JWR Replies: This blog topic seems to pop up just as regularly as dandelions. I’ve mentioned the following several times in SurvivalBlog, but it is worth repeating: A steel gun vault body itself makes a decent Faraday cage. (Although a finger mesh RF gasket at the door perimeter would make it even better.) All that you really need to add is a flat steel can (such as a peanut can or Danish butter cookie tin) to cover the safe’s electronic keypad assembly. Taping the can on works fine, but it will look tacky. A hinge attached with epoxy to a tin (allowing the can to swing to the left or right) might look better. Ideally, the tin should be grounded to the vault body. (Again, this looks tacky, but there is no way around it if you want a fully effective Faraday enclosure.)

If EMP is a major concern where you live (i.e. if you live within 250 miles of a major nuclear target), and your vault has an electronic lock then you should use silica gel rather than a 120 VAC rod-type dehumidifier inside your vault. This is because the power cord for a dehumidifier can act as an unintentional antenna that might “couple” EMP to your vault’s electronics. (One of the major no-no’s with Faraday cages is to have any conductor that can carry RF penetrate the cage or container body.)

And, needless to say, to have a gun vault lock that is absolutely safe from EMP, the next time that you move, you should sell your current vault as an included “bonus feature” with your house. Then, after you move, replace that vault with one that has a traditional mechanical combination lock. Coincidentally, I should mention that I prefer S&G Group II locks. Oh, and speaking of moving, I prefer Zanotti Armor brand six piece gun vaults that can be disassembled for ease of transport. We have a Zanotti ZA-III six-foot tall vault here at the Rawles Ranch that we’ve moved several times over the years.

Letter Re: Constructing a Permanent Underground Cache

James Wesley:
I appreciate your survival ideas over the years. Here, in the Caribbean, we use cisterns for water recovery quite a bit.

I’ve had occasion to make a cache lately from one of the smaller plastic cisterns, such as this one.

The tanks that come here (Cayman Islands) are black and configured somewhat differently, but same basic idea. They employ a screw-top opening, which can be weatherproofed against all but profound water pressure.

I set mine — a 750 gallon tank — in the sandy loam and made sure that the bottom third was all clean fill, especially under the tank. I bedded around the upper 2/3 with fairly large, but smooth rock, and concreted around the circular opening, so I could keep it clear of dirt and grit. I used thread-seal tape and teflon pipe sealant on the threads of the lid, and it’s watertight, at least until such time as it is completely underwater (future hurricane?).

I took a piece of 3-foot x 3-foot starboard (polyethylene) and cut it in an irregular shape, and glued sand and rock to it, such that when laid down over the opening, it appears uniform. I used polyethylene plastic rather than plywood, because it tends to not “echo” as badly when stepped upon.

Another idea that I’d like to mention: To prevent flour weevils in my stocked dry goods, I simply freeze each product (flour, pasta, beans, etc.) for 24-hours. That explodes the insect eggs, and they are good to go in preventing weevils after that.

Thanks again for all the time and effort. First time writing. Be safe. – B.L.

Six Letters Re: Gardening Lessons Learned

James,
I just read [Chet’s article in] the blog on urban and suburban gardening. I wanted to suggest something because I’ve been seeing people want to be more self sufficient by growing their own gardens. I don’t want to come off as a salesman for these two products made by the same person. I’m not someone that sells these items. But to give credit where credit is due, I’m impressed with buying both of these items. I picked up a DVD from Linda Runyon about a year ago, and bought her “Wild Cards” card set for identifying wild plants. The latter were only $6 on Amazon!).Visiting YouTube and watching videos from Eat the Weeds (more than 100 episodes, all free!) got me going after reading a few survival books and wondering about food plants. Having either of these two products gives you an informational edge over someone who doesn’t know where the next meal is coming from and knows nothing of plant foods.

Linda Runyon’s deck of cards is 52 plants you can eat and all of them are really common. So, here is a little list of my top five:
1. Dandelion (all parts of the plant)
2. Cattails (all parts of the plant)
3. Lambs quarters (you can cook it like spinach)
4. Amaranth (again cook it like spinach/seeds make a mush/soup for high nutrition) [JWR Adds: Beware that Amaranth can get out of control, and Amaranth can become a pernicious weed throughout your acreage!]
5. Berries (strawberry, blueberry, blackberry, raspberry – eat the ripe fruit)

Did you know that the bull thistle plant is totally something you can eat? all of it? minus the thorns! I haven’t tried it so I would guess from cutting these down as a kid on the farm, carefully is the only way to eat them! You can eat stinging nettles too- just boil it first to remove the sting. Cook it just like spinach.

The first time you locate a chamomile plant (also called pineapple weed) and crush it up to smell the pineapple smell you’ll be amazed that you actually found this plant! If you make tea with it even better!

I also didn’t know that so many trees offer food until I watched the DVD and got the cards –

Maples -young leaves, seeds, inner bark, twigs!
Pine -inner bark, sap, twigs, needles, catkins, pine cones, pine nuts.
Fir, Balsam- entire tree!
Birch- black,white and yellow- inner bark, sap, twigs, buds and young leaves.

The DVD (Linda Runyon’s Master Class on Wild Food Survival) also has a lot of interesting ways to prepare the plant food, making mush from seeds, drying the plants in a car (the video was filmed around an Arizona summer), little tips and tricks. worth the time it takes to watch the video and take notes, and then you can search by plant also. It is $31 on Amazon. and worth the price to learn about what is good to eat or not.

I’m in no way suggesting going out in the field and trying every plant you find on my list because if everyone did it there would be no plants left. I also don’t suggest killing live plants unless you have a million of them around, besides it is better to pick and try a small amount just to see what it tastes like versus striping an area of food that you don’t really need right now. It’s better not to waste them, but if you take a few leaves off a living plant and don’t kill it they grow back so you can always sustain yourself better by not totally killing any plants- just take a little bit from a few in a patch. It’s the responsible thing to do, because next time your there and need food all those plants might be dead and gone if you ate them one at a time totally consuming them.

One thing I’ve recently done was on a hiking trip last weekend a friend and I pulled down handfuls of pine needles from a big pine tree and boiled them for about 25 minutes for an outstanding pine flavored tea. This is one of the best teas I’ve had in a long time.

The plants are plentiful and people shouldn’t have trouble locating food, even when meat is scarce there is something around to eat if your smart enough to look for it. Linda said it best that in places like africa where people are starving- 50% of the greens in that jungle could feed them with out farming anything. (hum no work involved just eat the weeds?! how about that?)
I would say that learning about edible plants has given me a peace of mind knowing that even if I lost a garden the weeds that would grow when the crops died would feed me anyhow! makes me a little happier, knowing that I don’t have to fight, struggle and die if the garden fails to yield a small crop or no crop this year. The weeds will always grow and life will find a way. – Fitzy in Pennsylvania

Dear Jim:
Kudos to Chet for writing about suburban gardening and to you for posting it! I have been a suburban gardener for the past few years and can concur that the first thing you learn is that there is a lot to learn, mostly by trial and error. There is no substitute for experience. I have a hint for suburban gardeners turning their lawn into a a garden bed. You don’t have to dig up the grass when you convert a lawn in to a garden. Just spray the proposed garden bed lawn area with Roundup® weed killer in advance and let the grass die. Then hoe just enough of the the dead grass in rows to plant seeds, or seedlings, and leave the remaining dead grass in place. The dead grass works as mulch, holding moisture and preventing weeds. Also, soaking seeds overnight in water before planting can help them to germinate.
All best, – John M. in Florida

JWR:
I wanted to add a tip to Chet for his gardening adventures: In owning a horse ranch, I have many gardeners who come each spring and get pick-up loads of [well-composted] horse manure. I have a 20 year old composted pile of rich “Black Gold” as we call it. I’m happy to allow people to come get free loads for their gardens. I use it in my own gardens and you cannot believe the results! I recommend you check with any local horse farmers and ask if it’s available, most of them have a pile of it somewhere if they’re not spreading it in their fields, are happy to have it taken away. Make sure you get the old composted manure, not in it’s raw form. – Merry

James,
Chet’s points about amending soil are important. For some readers in urban areas they may find that soil amendments are available for free. At my landfill the greens materials (lawn clippings, Christmas trees, and even clean wood) are recycled into mulch and then sold and even offered free to local residents. [JWR Adds: I urge caution when using wood chips for amending garden soil! Many varieties of wood chips will badly stunt a garden, by absorbing and locking up needed nitrogen. Do your research and inquire carefully on the exact composition before taking any free “green waste” for composting.]

I make it a point to take advantage of the policy which offers me up to two cubic yards of compost or mulch free per year. Extra material can be shared around so that friends/neighbors will be less needy in the future too. Find out if your local landfill has such a recycling program. If so take advantage of it. Put your cash into other preps which can’t be had for free. – Beth F.

Mr. Rawles,
I wanted to expand upon something mentioned in the above letter. The solution to the writer’s problem of buying soil amendments for his garden — at high prices now, and probably unavailable in a crisis situation — is raising chickens. A small flock of urban chickens provides a ready source of high-nitrogen manure for the compost pile, approximately 50 pounds per bird per year! And, beyond the obvious benefit of also providing eggs for the table, a free-ranging flock of laying hens can serve as garden helpers — as they forage, they dig and till the earth, and they devour insect pests. I refer interested readers to a most excellent book on this specific topic: “City Chicks: Keeping Micro-flocks of Chickens as Garden Helpers, Compost Makers, Bio-reyclers, and Local Food Producers”. Together, home gardening and chicken keeping can save you money and put more food on your table. – Lee in Michigan

Howdy,
I have been gardening here in Texas for a few years now, I have switched over to the square foot gardening method this year with great results. If you are considering getting into growing your own food for these uncertain times, now is the time to get started. Have your beds in place now while you have the gas and cheap supplies to prepare your soil for long term growing. All of my beds are raised beds and this year I have used ‘Mel’s Mix’ [as described in the book All New Square Foot Gardening] since I have good cheap access to the materials needed to make it. This is a maintainable soil after it all hits the fan. I use cedar fencing material for the raised beds and as I can afford it I will switch to Trex [synthetic decking boards] or a similar material. The raised beds with proper spacing makes it easier for this old back to weed and harvest. I can fence and cover with bird netting each bed if need be. I currently have most of it contained in a 5′ foot high fenced area to keep out my dogs and my free roaming chickens. All told I have 11, 3′ x 6′ beds, 4, 3′ x’ 3′ beds, and 1 6′ x 6′ bed. It is all in my standard corner lot suburban lot. I’m growing three beds of corn, one bed of spring wheat as an experiment, one bed of green peppers mixed with onions, two small beds of sweet banana peppers with strawberries mixed in low. Three beds of tomatoes (two of which are mixed in with potatoes), a bed of blackberries, a bed of watermelon, a bed of cantaloupe, and a large bed with five blueberry bushes and strawberries. The majority of my plants are heirloom [open-pollenated] plants so that I can save the seeds. Doing this now and having it in place and growing is much better than after the Schumer hits the fan. As Chet points out this is hard work without power tools and easy access to supplements. You too can do this, now get out and do it! – Ken L.

Economics and Investing:

Note the fait accompli tone of this NPR article that of course inevitably leads to the conclusion that there will be either massive tax increases, or mass inflation in the near future: The Federal Debt: How To Lose A Trillion Dollars. (Thanks to Gedan for the link.)

Frequent content contributor Chad S. flagged this important article over at Zero Hedge: Treasury Redeems A Gargantuan $643 Billion in Treasuries in April.

Want a good belly laugh? If so, then read this item from Chad S.: Corporations ride a consumer spending spree to better earnings as recovery gains steam. Here is Chad’s favorite absurd quote from the article: “We¹re out of the woods for good, says Joseph LaVorgna, chief U.S. economist at Deutsche Bank. This is no just an arithmetic story. It¹s a story of legitimate growth.” JWR Adds: All this “recovery” talk at present is utter nonsense, triggered by short term stimulus money. The end result will be no real recovery and mountains of compounding debt.

Also from Chad comes this more realistic piece: European debt crisis looms over meeting.

Items from The Economatrix:

Another Look at Derivatives

Goldman Whack-A-Mole

Roubini: In a Few Days’ Time There Might Not be a Eurozone for Us to Discuss

US Food Inflation Spiraling Out of Control

Rising Federal Debt Found to Cause Alien Intestinal Syndrome (The Mogambo Guru)

The Dominoes are Lining Up for a Sovereign Debt Crisis

More Friday Follies: Banks Closed in Puerto Rico, Michigan, Missouri, Washington

GDP Rise Not Enough to Make Dent in Jobless Rate

Odds ‘n Sods:

By special request from a SurvivalBlog reader, the folks at Shelf Reliance have kindly extended the 10% discount on their Food Rotation Systems. Use coupon code: SBM10. (The special discount price is not shown at their web site.) This offer now ends June 4, 2010, so order soon.

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Yet another local disaster shows the fragility of civility: Crews race to fix break in Boston’s water supply after major main breaks. Here is a quote: “There also were economic and social concerns: Restaurants in suburban Lexington shut down Saturday night, unable to wash dishes or serve customers clean water, while police in Revere had to be called into a BJ’s Wholesale Club after a run on bottled water turned unruly.” (Thanks to H.W. for the link.) Here’s a quote from another article: “People were fighting over the water. People were walking out with tons and tons of water. They weren’t trying to share. But they got to fist fighting in there, so I just gave up. I’ll go home and boil my own,” said one woman.” All that antipathy when the alternative is simply bringing tap water to near the boiling point. I can’t help but ask: How would people act if the grid power were also disrupted?

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Seed For Security has announced a special offer that runs through the end of May 2010: They will be enclosing a free pint of winter rye grain with every order over $25. Here is a description, from their web site: “Rye is one of the most reliable and easy-to-grow grains. It is most often ground into flour and used to make hearty pumpernickel and rye breads. This seed can also be broadcast under knee high corn in early summer, or simply used as a cover crop in your garden. It tolerates cold winter weather very well. Don’t confuse our Winter Rye with the common Rye Grass, which does not produce any kernels of grain at all. — Approximately. 13,280 seeds in each pint [of Winter Rye]. “

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Some basic prepping advice, published by the Great State of Texas. (A tip of the cowboy hat, to Chad S.) OBTW, you gotta love Texas, where the Governor is serious shooter (as evidenced by his gun handling in a recent range day with LaRue Tactical), and he also reportedly blasted a menacing coyote.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“What’s the point of [gun control legislation], other than to inconvenience the honest citizen who follows the rules?… I can assure you that the guys I met in the nine prisons I served my sentence in did not get their guns at the gun store. ” – G. Gordon Liddy, as quoted in People magazine, January 10, 1994

Gardening Lessons Learned, by Chet in Michigan

I have been a reader of SurvivalBlog for some time now and have slowly moved into the preparedness mindset. I have been trying to increase my supplies, but this year I decided to try to grow a substantial amount of my food. I have grown small gardens in the past, but this is my first large scale project. The final results remain to be seen, as it is still quite early in the growing season, but I’ve already learned some invaluable lessons. I hope I am can offer some new insight, and not just repeat what others and experts have said. I am writing from the perspective of, and to the perspective of a suburban survivalist who can’t/won’t leave suburbia for a more secure rural retreat.

I began by cutting up the sod from most of my suburban back yard late last summer. I added grass clippings and leaves to the soil and worked them into the soil by hand. I chose to perform this task my hand rather than buying/renting a motorized “rototiller” in order to simulate the conditions I would be growing in a TEOTWAWKI situation. Lesson 1: Growing your own food is very hard work. I know, “thanks captain obvious”. But I’m writing this to try to inspire and explain to those who have never tried, and only read about growing a large garden. It is back breaking, tiring work.

After letting the leaves and grass clippings and such decompose over winter and early spring, I added some commercially prepared (i.e. I bought it a Lowe’s) composted cow manure to the soil. Again back breaking, but Lesson 2: Realization of high amendment costs. Soil amendments, whether manure, humus, peat, or whatever will be in short supply if you are in a suburban locale during TEOTWAWKI (not to mention the cost of buying them now in good times can easily add up and negate the cost savings of growing your own produce). As I mixed in my conveniently packaged 40 lb. Bags, I realized I must start my own composting operation. These types of natural soil amendments may be available in rural locations, but in suburbia, they would be nonexistent, should the Schumer hit.

About the same time I was mixing in the manure, I began sprouting many varieties of seeds indoors, as the early spring here in Michigan is too cold to support seed germination. I purchased trays to start my seeds in (again, an item that would not be readily available). I planted lettuce, cabbage, eggplants, melons, radishes, cucumbers, tomatoes, spinach, beans, peas, corn, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, onions, and carrots. I placed these seed trays in several rooms and areas, wherever I had space. But I soon realized that for many of these vegetables, I did not start indoors soon enough. The results remain to be seen, but I may not have enough time in my growing season (Zone 6) to grow some of these plants that take a long time. So, Lesson 3: Do your research now, while your garden is not a life or death matter. Plan ahead. Learn when and how to sow these vegetables. I tend to be excited and impatient when I start a new project, I didn’t do my research. I just started planting and didn’t give it the necessary thought and planning.

Of the seeds I planted, an expected percentage did not germinate and grow. However, several of those that did start off strong petered out and died on me. To this day I’m not sure why; too much water, not enough, to much sun, not enough, I don’t know. But this experience taught me another lesson. Lesson 4: Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Seeds are cheap and plentiful now, so plant many more than you think you’ll need or have room for. Learn how to grow them now before your food supply depends on their success. I plan on continue my experimentation and talking to the local gardening club for tips. Hopefully I will learn what I did wrong and be able to correct this next year.

I have planted some of the hardier plants outdoors now, and have learned yet another lesson. I thought I had adequately fenced in my garden plot, with wooden fencing backed with 48” chicken wire buried 6” deep to leave 42” above ground. Yet some critters have already been nibbling on my plants. Lesson 5: Build your fence twice as high, twice as strong, and twice as resistant as you thought you’d need!

As I mentioned in the beginning of this article, this is the first time I’ve attempted a large garden intended to provide a substantial part of my food supply. So far the absolute biggest, most important lesson learned is… Lesson 6: Get out there and try it yourself. For rural readers, I may have not given any good or new advice. But for those who are forced, or chose to stay in suburbia, storing seeds is not enough. I know this has said before, but please, take it to heart: Get out there and try to grow a garden now! If you never have, try now, make your mistakes now. If you have some experience, challenge yourself to grow a bigger garden. I know it has been said, and is obvious, but I don’t think I was alone in believing the growing a large garden wouldn’t be that hard. It is. Try it. Gain valuable experience now. Reading about doing it is not a substitute for doing it. Do it now, while it’s just a fun hobby, and maybe a way of saving a bit on your grocery bill, so you don’t starve later.

Letter Re: The UAE’s Planned Three Month Food Stockpile

Jim,
In response to the recently-linked article about the UAE’s planned food stockpile: Having worked in Dubai and Abu Dhabi off and on for the last five years I can tell you that during the best of times the food supply is iffy at best. When you go to the market you might get one item one day and not see it again for a year. And I am not talking about seasonal or exotic items — trying to get the same type of flour twice in a row is a task in and of itself.

And try to tell an upset woman that “flour is flour.” My friend’s wife just about knifed him when he said that while she was trying to make gnocchi just right (and I thought it was only potatoes in it).

So the three month supply just makes sense even without a disruption in that part of the world.

I would add though that lots of the ex-pats over there do stockpile as a routine matter of course (or did — I have not been there since the financial crises began) and keep several weeks of water in cisterns (those that have their own house — leased for 99 years). During times of stress the various ex-pat community groups also prepare evacuation plans (I was included in the Australian plans because my friend who brought me over there was Aussie … and most of them figured I just had a speech impediment instead of being American) on their own using the “social clubs” that the embassies have as an unofficial way of keeping tabs on folks. Because if you are not at least Arab, then don’t expect the local government to help. – Hugh D.

Economics and Investing:

Chad S. sent this: Credit-rating agencies under fire in Europe crisis.Chad’s comment: “I wondered what the real problem was–is it that credit-rating agencies are skewing the truth or is it that governments are just trying to soft-pedal how bad their self-inflicted financial mess is.”

Riots, Violence Break Out at Greek May Day Rallies. (A hat tip to KAF , for the link.)

Eric S. sent this: After the IMF Bails Out Europe, the U.S. May Have to Bail Out the IMF

Items from The Economatrix:

Greek Debt Crisis Rattles Asian Markets, Sends Oil Price Tumbling

Spain Downgrade Sparks European Sell-off; Greece Bans Short-Selling as Panic Spreads

Is Britain Heading for a Greek Tragedy?

The Death of Goldman Sachs

Greek Crisis Compared to “Ebola Virus”; IMF Warns Problem Could Spread Across Europe