RetroRevolution

I’ve known the story of The Ant and the Grasshopper since I was little.  I remember reading it in a big book of stories along with the tales of the Huckabuck family.  I hadn’t thought about it for a long time and then I saw a Pixar film back in 1998 called A Bug’s Life.  The film was basically a retelling of The Ant and the Grasshopper, with a bit of Three Amigos thrown in for comedy and a bit of Seven Samurai or The Magnificent Seven for a touch of class.  Again this classic fable by Aesop faded from my mind, until it was brought back to the forefront in a podcast by Jack Spirco.

I had just been through another 4th of July weekend storm and our small town had lost a bit of power.  There were people milling about the grocery store wondering how they would cook without power.  There were people wondering how they would get gas with the gas stations closed because of a power outage, even though 5 miles down the road there were stations open with power.  That’s when I decided that this was ridiculous.  I had been a subscriber to Backwoods Home Magazine for a few years and occasionally visited their forum.  Someone had posted a link to something called The Survival Podcast. I had never listened to a podcast.  I assumed they were about things like bands, TV shows, and which Star Trek cast was the best.  Boy was I wrong. Jack’s Podcast back then had only just started.  He recorded it in a car and talked about being prepared so you didn’t need to worry about being surprised. A couple months later in September he posted a podcast about The Ant and The Grasshopper. He went out of his way to point out that in the original story the grasshopper dies.  I cheered.  I hate sanitized stories.  But the tellling reminded me of the power of fables and parables.  Jack and the crew at The Survival Podcast have adopted The Ant as their unofficial mascot, so I don’t go more than a couple days without thinking of this fable anymore, but I saw it on another blog today and made me think it was time to talk a bit about it myself.

The story was retold today over at Simple, Green, Frugal Co-op: The Ant and the Grasshopper.  I’m not sure where the story posted there was sourced from, but the finale is the sanitized version where the grasshopper sees the ants handing out food and realizes how wrong he was.  I’m torn over the effort. I’m glad that the message is getting out, but I’m saddened that there is the possibility of people reading the fable and thinking that everything will be all right n the end because of he kindness of strangers.  But more on the positive.  The Simple Green Frugal Co-op is in my opinion a mainstream Green blog.  It’s at the other end of the spectrum from the Guns and MRE blogs of the survivalist community.  One of their contributors gets it.  Several of the comments to the post get it.  I see it as a coalescing of different agendas all with a common end in sight.

Remember the story of The Ant and the Grasshopper.  Checkout The Survival Podcast.  Read The Simple, Green, Frugal Co-op.  Learn the lessons of the grasshopper and be an ant.

I’ve been experimenting with the sourdough starter this week.  I have the starter going just fine.  I keep it in the refrigerator and feed it every two days.  I think some time next week when it is a little stronger I am going to divide it again to have an additional colony growing.  The loaves for the oven are turning out just fine.  Actually much better than fine they are great.  The trials in the bread machine are not faring as well.  It’s hard to get the rise time correct.  The wild yeasts in the sourdough starter don’t rise fast enough for the machine’s standard timing.  I’ve reprogrammed it for some longer rise cycles, but the strength of the starter varies from one batch to the next.

We had some family friends over last night and after the game we played was finished I added the sponge to the flour, salt, and sugar so it could start rising overnight.  They also make their own bread, preserve food, and have a garden.  Even with all this commonality, they asked me what was wrong with commercial yeast.  Granted some of the things I do are because there is something inherently wrong with them.  Homemade bread vs. store bought industrial bread; tastes better and fewer chemicals.  Eating local vs. food shipped from the other side of the world; less energy per item, biodiversity, etc…But the real reason I do it is so that I know I could do it if I had to.  That is the real reason I do most things.  I read an awful lot about sourdough bread before the first time I tried to make it.  It wasn’t until I started making it that I discovered some of the nuances about the craft.  I do it so that should I need to make bread without commercial yeast, I know I could.

How many of you have tried to start a fire without matches or a lighter?  Most people know it can be done.  Fewer still could name at least 3 different ways of doing it.  And an even smaller percentage has actually started a fire without matches.  There is nothing wrong with using matches to start a fire.  It’s pretty easy.  Dare I say down right efficient.  It’s a real pain in the but to start a fire with a bow and drill.  That’s rubbing two sticks together for those of you that didn’t make it to scouts as a kid.  It takes me a long time to start a fire that way.  I only do it about once every 20 years or so.  If I needed to I could, but I don’t need to do it every day.  If I had never tried it, I bet I couldn’t actually do it.  There is a lot of subtlety that goes into rubbing those two stick together.  You need wood that is not too hard and not too soft.  You need just the right tension on the bow.  You need to know when the ember has actually formed.  I would not want to need a fire right now and have never tried to start one with a bow and drill.  Several hours later I would still be freezing cold.

The bottom line is practice these skills.  Don’t just read about them.  Get into the kitchen, or the garden, or the orchard, and start doing it.  Know for certain that “You could do it if you had to”!

I need to share a tale about an incident that happened at the shop today.  Joe (Name Changed) removed a cap from a system that was under 150 pounds of pressure.  Joe was told the system was empty and at atmospheric pressure by Mike (Name Changed).  Mike honestly thought it was.  Unfortunately there was a check valve in the system that isolated part of the system from the bleed valve.  So when Joe quickly loosened the cap, a 6″ diameter steel cap weighing about 5 pounds, it explosively separated from the pipe.  The released air threw Joe 15 feet across the shop floor and the socket in his hand about 50′ across the shop.  Joe’s pant leg was ripped in half and there was a huge dent in a metal machine about 20 feet from the incident where the cap impacted.  If Joe hadn’t have been lucky enough to be standing to the side, he would be dead.

Joe was furious with Mike.

Joe should be furious with Joe.  Joe was the one removing the cap, he should have verified the zero pressure himself.  My point in sharing this isn’t to scold Joe and Mike, but to help you remember to check things yourself.  As a retro-revolutionist, doing things on your own, you are going to be exposing yourself to potentially dangerous situations about your homestead.  Check your safety factors yourself.

Did you unload it yourself and verify it was unloaded?  Gun Safety

Did you use your meter to make certain that the circuit breaker was off before changing the outlet?  Multimeter Use

Did you make certain the ladder was secure before climbing up and on to the roof? Ladder Safety

Did you check to make sure the cast iron skillet had cooled before picking it up to put it away?

Did you check the chain tension on the saw before starting it? Chainsaw Safety

Did you look behind the pickup before backing up?

I’m not saying don’t trust people.  I’m saying help them never hurt you or your loved ones and check it yourself.

The Background

Long before I knew I needed to regain a lot of contact with the old ways, I always smiled to see my wife sewing at the dining room table.  You can’t imagine the joy when my youngest daughter decided she wanted to sew her own pajamas.  Before she had a chance to forget the idea we took her off to the fabric store to pick out some material and a pattern.

We chose a polar fleece material and a robe and pants pattern.  The polar fleece may not be the most natural of fabrics, but is easy and forgiving for a seven year old who actually wants to sew instead of watch TV.  (Would you encourage a new cook to make their own pasta or let them use a box of dried pasta to learn on?)  The funny thing about the pattern is that it included a pattern for a blinder mask.  The child has zero need for one of these, she has a shade in her bedroom that is thick enough to stop high energy gamma rays, but that small accessory made her day.

Sewing is a life skill. Learn it early while you have time.

She did most of the work herself.  Insisted upon it.  She cut the pattern.  Pinned the pattern to the material.  Learned, with guidance, to pin all the parts before cutting in case it doesn’t fit the way you planned.  Cut the material and did about 90% of the stitching herself.  Mom helped get a lot of the seams started and straighter when she wandered, but she made her own robe, pants, and of course, blinder mask.

The project was a huge success across the board.  Besides the new attire, she was rewarded with the sense of accomplishment that only comes from doing something yourself.  We certainly could have gone to Walmart and bought a set of pajamas and been done with the whole business, but this is an early lesson of being rewarded for your effort.

More importantly, she started learning a skill.  If we had bought her some pajamas, she would have outgrown them in six months.  This pair she made.  Herself.  Nothing can ever take away the learning and pride she developed in making these.  Nothing.

Nothing can take the skills she devlopes from her.

The Analysis

I needed to decide is there $26.01 in value of learning, pride, and the joy of watching my child do something she loved.  Well that is a no brainer.  Of course.  But the deal gets even better.  The pattern can be reused.  The entire spool of thread isn’t used on this one project.  The quality of the material is far superior to the cheap imitation flannel used in the purchased pajamas.  There are small bits of fabric left over that can be used for patchwork blankets, or to mend other clothing.  The learned skill could develop into a source of income, working part time in an alteration store.  Possibly developing skills as a designer or costumer later in life.

It isn’t always about first cost.  As an engineer I need to evaluate that everyday.  The cheapest motor can cost a lot more over the course of 5 years running.  If a motor that costs $50 more to purchase new, uses $50 more in electricity per year, then the more expensive motor starts paying for itself after only 1 year.  Remember this simple concept the next time you find your self saying…“I can buy one of these so much cheaper than making it.”

There is a great letter on sewing skills in a self reliant setting at SurvivalBlog.com: