I would so love to be connected with other Galters in Waikato New Zealand. Sold our cattle and planting fruit trees in their place. Got super powered sports horses we need to do something with - maybe some kind of sports entertainment for folks. Waiting for currency reset so we can be debt free. Waiting patiently - reading The Fountainhead now after reading Atlas Shrugged twice. Such awesome learning in there. Movies were good but not a patch on the books.

I don't usually post anywhere about things I haven't thoroughly checked out myself...however, I signed in today to see if anyone here had already checked into this https://givemebass.com/victorycity/

But I started reading through all the great stuff on this thread and then got totally sidetracked checking out and signing up at Azure Standard (thanks Idiocracy42!) Anyway, this link intrigues me, and I will dig deep on it as soon as I finish planting all the veges and flowers I just got via delivery. Hope it may be of some help to anyone else who may be intrigued. At first glance, it looks like it may be well enough organized to hatch new Galt's Gulches all over the country!

In the meantime, I've left Calizuela three years ago (lived there all my life) for a place in Arkansas that I thought might be a reasonable substitute for the Gulch. It was close enough for me. I am 75 and pretty much alone in the world as my husband and almost all true friends and relatives have up and died on me. (No forgiveness for the husband and friends! The relatives get a pass.) I only told two people where I was going. Didn't want any of the AOC types so prevalent now tagging along.

After three years in this pretty heavenly locale, sadly, a great many Calizuelans and a fair amount of other blue state dingbats are moving here and trying to turn it into where they left. They are still quite outnumbered here, but I worry about not dying before they take over. I'm too old to find another place. Good luck to everyone seeking or creating a Gulch of your own.

You mean in a way, living free, as we managed to do during the shutdowns, mostly by ignoring them. We met almost every day, talked politics and cars, no masks, no illness. During Clinton we challenged Eschelog by using every word when we called each other, to set off the watchers. Luckily, we live in rural area, can grow food if needed, will soon have generator whole house. I have never stayed silent, even before Internet, we used snail mail and phones to check out gov. overeach in other states. We shared endless information on UN Agende 21 when FEMA was plowing up roads in rural areas to implement it. Now, it is UN Agenda 21/2030 posing as Green New Deal. When a friend said how discouraged he is getting for his grandkids' furture, I said teach them to fight, not literally, but in the mind, as that cannot be defeated.

Thanks Dennis. You mention several things I also want and am concerned with. For the foreseeable future I need a job in the fiat world. And even in the ideal local "gulch" I need and want relations with other people for things like medicine, larger food variety, recreation, entertainment. So it is still a paradox and dilemma how to create the right balance.

Hmm, I see. That's a lot of books! Thought about making a new discussion post here in the Online Gulch to help give away those books? That could be a nice way to find people who appreciate them.

A little poll here:
Who here is actively looking to co-operate in some manner with people who are NOT located in your vicinity?
If interested I can contact you, provided you give me your email/phone. Mine can be found on previous posts that I made, by following the link I provided.
Alternatively if it's not me, perhaps someone can contact you.

There is some good advice in the responses by mhubb ( the gun range one) , Idiocracy42 and others but it all hinges on individual accomplishments. ( and it's great, most people don't even do that) And individuals can only execute small projects. Larger projects (for example a clinic which can do major surgeries) require many more people and I'd be very interested in that. I also want to have one foot in the the mainstream worlds and one foot off-grid, because let's face it the mainstream does have something to offer like money ( for me it a job), tools etc.

Unfortunately close co-operation for many people means a loss of individuality and has connotations of socialism, hence the trait is rare among independent thinkers. Anyway my thoughts are outlined here: https://quberoot.wordpress.com/

Seems like libraries in WI have mostly disposed of the book, just one copy in a high school library. I have 1500 books but must have given it away. I am 82 with a bad heart and trying give away books so that they not just be dent yo a landfill when I die. Mostly math, physics, chemistry, and some Rand and Branden, and other interesting stuff at least to me.

My brother used that publishing system and would receive a few dollars a year from Amazon. I read one of his books on line at Amazon. He did not know that it was free to read there.

Satire, Sarcasm, Derision.

Lately Sardony (a word?)

We established electric fence for horses, and never quite designed it for goats. So from time to time we discover that the goats have escaped into or out of the horse pasture. It'll always be at a time when we are about to leave, like to take ponies to a birthday party. So we just say, "The halibut!" and let them stay out. Besides, they'll munch some weeds that sorely need eating.

As I've mentioned here in the Gulch before, Tony Hillerman, who wrote all those neat Navajo Tribal Police detective stories, attributed the phrase, "Telling the goats which weed to eat," to an old Navajo lady expressing the frustration of misdirected efforts.

Side note: Anyone confused by the halibut should see this explanation: https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/th...

Humans work best in groups. Often to our detriment, when the group becomes so large that personal aquaintance is no longer possible or ,key element, desireable, the group begins a slow entropy.

When I have first hand contact every day, or week, I, and my contacts, maintain a cultural value structure. It is the nature of permaculture to be first hand involved in my literal survival. Peter Mayer, from Stillwater MN addressed this in one of his tunes thus: The things I need come from these shelves. They all just seem to make themselves. I plant no seed and I tend no vine......I have no feast at harvest time.

I swear by my life......LOL! And I prove by my actions that I am a trust worthy companion. I take care of and for myself so well that I have capacitance to do the same for others should their mortality require.

Travel about. Reach out. Express your desire to be a part of a healthy dynamic of interdependence. Read everything you can toward and end to be completely independent and share this freely, creating community.

Go Amish....so to speak.

Wander around? They do know when and where to come for dinner, but are ALWAYS confined to pasture (that pasture is about 10 acres, so they are pretty free).

I have an oh-so-cute video of seven goats crawling around on top of the farm truck... That was two years ago and I swear I can still smell what ran down the windows. They are acrobatic masters of being where they ought not be.

I started life out in California before it was really Calizuela, and loved it there: In the desert on Friday, the beach on Saturday, in the mountains panning for gold on Sunday.

Since then I've lived in lots of places and have finally chosen Texas as home. When I got here, there was a group called "Californians for a Better Texas" (fortunately, now defunct). Calizuelans are coming here in droves now though, and ruining the cities.

It is hard to imagine wanting to go back and live there, but I know there are still many sane folks who do.

Some other potential group names that make self-selection easy: Americans in Commiefornia. Landowners in Hotel Crazifornia. American Expats in Calizuela.

I think some biting humor and mockery is important. The enemies among us deserve to be ridiculed and offended.

Thanks for your perspective. Legit points regarding a collapse. I have plans and some preps for that, but my post is more focused on the long term and slow-moving train wreck that is Calizuela, where I still imagine myself wanting to live.

Thanks for this tip and insight too! Strong leads here for me to investigate.

wow, this is awesome achievement. Congrats! Maybe I should work on creating a farming co-op or private association... members only.

Amazon terminated my author self-publishing account last year with no advance notice, no chance to remedy the situation beforehand, and no rational conversation for appeal. So Amazon is the last place I shop, only under high duress. You didn't know that - I appreciate the tip.

Thanks for that recommendation! Found it there and just ordered it. Excited to have it on the way finally.

Commander, that is excellent progress. I don't have that sort of community developed, but sure wish I did. Kudos to you.

I'll be at your level this year.
Also, found a great place for an ice house. North face of gravel and sand hillside. Easy to excavate and shore and waterproof from exterior flow. Finish interior estimated at 10x10x6 high. 30 inch straw insulation on 5 sides and a foot of sawdust floor. Only 150 feet from the pond for ice harvest.

I should have "qualified" canning. By the end of this summer 95% of my foods will come from my gardens and my permaculture association. I'm growing specialty items to trade for the things I don't produce.
By the end of next year I can have highly specialized garlic/s that can provide over $10k income and complete seed stock for the next year. The one thing we have at a premium is space, low density population, and lots of fertile soils.
If I extend out within the network, approximately 50 small farms and families are participating.
Another of my developed skills is that of pruning fruit trees. This becomes a teaching/social event for a full spectrum of folks. Butchering chickens is another one of these events for bringing many hands to lighten work.

Village in process. Kids are having fun learning.....some 20+ home schooled so far. Ages 1 to 14.
Just some ideas to think of modeling.

The very requirement of a 'leader' mean that the followers do not have sufficient intellectual maturity. Aeronca, since you have made efforts to start groups, you might be interested in my efforts outlined here at https://quberoot.wordpress.com/ where the core stuff is a 5 minute read ( the whole stuff is probably 30 minutes) . Alternatively if that is not appealing, I can join your efforts. (It doesnt, matter who joins what, as long as people get talking, acting and act cohesively in the long run). email in the link I put

Excellent Point. I believe there is a biblical Reference to to building your Church without work or materials... Effectively explaining that it is an internal task.

I 100% agree. Besides, I truly believe it is not what happens to you, it is how you respond.

There is a video of an Indian Guru type laughing at people. He says most people have no complaints. They either have memories of complaints, or dreams of future complaints (hallucinations/projects)... But in THIS instant, if they just let go of the past and the future... they will realize they are fine.

I believe this is all related.

My recent learnings have shown me that even what we think of as reality is distorted by our NEED to survive (eat and procreate). But this is turning out to be a necessity to prevent our race from going extinct. The "correctness" of Reality, by itself, serves no useful purpose.

And this is how we fall for manipulations, etc.

Cheers!

It’s all fun and games until the collapse.
TWO THINGS that will cause you trouble.
Starvation and People Behaving Badly.
You’ve only solved half your problems.
If you’re within 150miles of a city larger than 100k. You’re in danger. It’s that simple.