freeacre
Well, it's October and officially Fall. I love the Fall. Colorful trees and shrubbery, brisk nights, the harvest coming in, looking forward to Thanksgiving, etc. But, there is one aspect of this Fall that is a little different this year.
Dire Predictions. Well, hell, dire predictions are nothing new at this campfire. Damn! We've been preparing for financial, political, natural and un-natural disasters, resource depletion, and every possible way we can think of for things to go to hell for years. So, No Big Deal, eh?
My son keeps telling me not to be fearful and to quit imagining the shit hitting the fan. He says it's bad for me. I agree that fear can be bad for the body and soul, but that denial is stupid and planning ahead makes me feel safer, not more fearful. He says I should have more fun. I agree. I just accepted an invitation from a friend and neighbor to come and sit in her hot tub under the stars with her tonight. I can hardly wait! Also, the Bean and I am planning a trip to the coast on my birthday with a visit to the aquarium in Newportin February. So there!
Being out of debt eases my stress. It took a long time to earn my impeccable credit status, after suffering a catastrophic medical bill related bankruptcy years ago, the death of my husband, etc. etc. But, it got done, and murph and I have remained debt-free for years and have perfect credit as far as I know. It feels good. I'm not trying to brag, I'm just telling ya...
But, I have just made the decision to put a few necessities on the card that may not get paid off right away. I'll tell you why.
Cliff High's Alta Reports of the Shape of Things to Come have been anticipating for YEARS now that in November of this year, some huge “tipping point” is going to be reached that will be extraordinary. I mean, like the History Channel's Mega-Disaster-Series-Huge. Read them for yourself. Go to Half Past Human, spring for the ten bucks, and read the last one. Or, read George Ure's Urban Survival posts regularly and he will relate the major points for free, or subscribe to his Peoplnomics reports, and he'll go into more detail.
Cliff and George are not the only ones. Since we are now approaching the Galactic Center on our solar system's regular trek through space, assorted “lumps” in normally clear space are becoming more frequent. It's like following a gravel truck down a highway. You can't be real surprised if your windshield gets cracked by a flying stone. A quick check of the chart of near earth asteroids on spaceweather.com will demonstrate just how frequent these near earth encounters are - and those are only the ones that are being tracked.
Then there is the recent news of foreclosures being halted in 23 states. Why 23 states? Because those are the states that require a judge to okay foreclosures. Well, heck, that doesn't sound so scary! I mean, no foreclosures is a good thing, right? Well, yeah. It means that people could continue to live in a dwelling instead of under an overpass for a year or two. But, it also means that the paperwork involved – the titles to the properties are so hopelessly screwed up, lost, or full of fraud that not only foreclosures, but sales will come to a standstill as well. Think of it. All those millions and millions of dollars and all the billions and trillions of derivatives that banks have created from those original loans... all the pension funds and city and county governments who bought those derivatives... on and on around the world. When it dawns on people just the magnitude of what is behind this quagmire, look for a stampede out of the stock market and into commodities like gold, guns, food and arable land. Dmitri Orlov has written a hard-hitting essay on the cascading effect of peak oil that can be applied to the real estate meltdown in many ways as well. It's called “Peak Oil is History” and is available at culturechange.org. Denninger on themarket-ticker.org wrote an incisive analysis of the potential real estate foreclosure debacle probably before anyone else. It's called “MERS/MBS/Foreclosure Goes RICO”; as well as Howard Kunstler, Gerald Celente, Mike Ruppert, and many others. They aren't just talking about “sometime.” They are talking about five weeks.
So, I am breaking my own rule and putting more on my cards than I will pay off in one month. If all hell breaks loose, a bill in the mail will be the least of our worries. Paying an interest charge to the frigging criminal banksters will be annoying, but I can live with it if nothing terminal happens. But, on the other hand, in case there is some life-altering event, say between November 8-12 or so, you may want to make a list of things you really couldn't do without if the trucks stopped running – and maybe the lights went out.
We decided on three things right off the top: I use a teng electrical stimulator devise to reduce the pain in my back. The electrodes don't last very long. I ordered several more. I also need some medication for my eyes that I would be in a world of hurt without. I just placed an international call and ordered a year's worth from Canada. And, in the event of the electricity going out, we just ordered the propane to fill up the tank with backup gas for a year.
Note that these things are necessities that we will use anyway, even if everything is smooth sailing and nothing bad happens. And, it's not so much money that I'd have to become a fugitive from justice if I could not pay the bill right away. I'm not planning a cruise around the world, only to have to dive overboard on the way back home to avoid the creditors – although if I am still alive after 2012, I may decide to re-visit that decision...lol.
My point is, that only you can assess what is the most necessary for you right now just in case November is a BOP – a Bitch of Outlandish Proportions. Let's hope that we will all enjoy a great Thanksgiving with all the trimmings. Let's envision all gathering after the feast sharing good wishes for each other at the Campfire – truly grateful for our lives, families, friends, and this beautiful planet that we share.
I am all for living in the moment, enjoying life as it comes, and all that. But, I don't want to be in the middle of a stampede for the exits, either. So, right now would be a good time to do whatever it is that you have been putting off in terms of gathering together the things you can't live without.
“I see you.” I see the beauty in you. I don't want you to be miserable. If that's so bad, well, I guess I'm bad.
