The Great Depression and How To Survive One
What is to come in the future? How Would I survive a depression? Many wonder what will happen if America Crumbles Again like it did from the stock market crash on Black Tuesday 1929.First, I Want to share with you my thoughts on this subject as my grandfather Earnest Ray, suffered through this, only after his own father, (My great grandfather) took his life. I had he opportunity to hear first hand of the tragedy of it all and also how Grandpa "Ray" survived it too. I also have heard many stories of this time from many of the residents I help, as they were children in this time. As Children, many of them did not wear shoes, they wore them out. recollections of playing barefoot and using their shoes "just for school." your feet get tough after awhile and it doesn't hurt."Many schools were shut down 3 million children were not at school. Children rode the railroad cars to get work and food at the stops along the way. Over 200,000 young people Ages 10-24 rode these rails. Single moms had it hard, and were discriminated against because they were taking the jobs away from the men. If Things couldn't get worse the Dust bowl came and took 350 Million Tons of dirt, two thousand miles east. This drought and dust killed so many people and caused a pandemic of lung and other viruses. Many people who survived it say they had to always cover their faces with scarves and the watered down sheets to put on the wall so the dust wouldn't get into their lungs. They lost their brothers and sisters and had to leave their homes. Many moved in with families and friends in other states. Two and a half million left the plains. Cities were abandoned of families traveled west to Gold Country. Here are some of the comments I can remember that have been said.
"We didn't really know it was a depression, we lived on a farm, so we had eggs and milk and food, of course we ran around barefoot all the time."
"we didn't got to school we were too busy working on the farm".
"I would work all day and get a chicken".
"we ate dandelion greens, just like spinach".
"we didn't have medicine"
"Mom made us soup a lot, sometimes it was just broth, but it was warm, and one piece of bread for dinner." cream of onion soup was my favorite.
"My brothers and I would go and collect junk and sell it for scrap, so we could feed the rest of the family."
"I was about 16 and mom had no job, so I rode the trains for work for food."
"We lost the farm, so we headed west, and got a job in the lumber mills."
"Dad was making moonshine in the hills".
"It was tough, there was no food. we couldn't grow it, we took what we could and left the rest. Came by train to California".
1930's HARD TIMES
Things do do to prepare for disaster, what ever it may be:
- Stock up on rice for soups, rice has a super long shelf life.
- Toilet paper & Wet Wipes
- Water
- Medicine, pain and antibiotic ointments,antibiotics if you can get them. I recommend getting a Pneumonia shot, if the bird virus and other airborne viruses ever get to us that's what America will run out of. It be the only thing that will help you survive it. Pneumonia shots last for 10 years.
- Vitamins, vitamin C especially, gummy bear vitamins or chew-ables are absorbed better especially if your system is slowed down. sometimes if you swallow a pill it doesn't actually dissolve and you aren't getting the vitamins you thought you were.
- Shake up or wind up flashlight (No Batteries) Chem lights.
- Blankets for warmth if the power goes out.
- seeds for growing food, (wheat, nitro packed)
- Ensure, nutrient rich shakes.
- Hand warmers, it has liquid and salt properties in it and it makes a chemical reaction and keeps your hands warm,( stuff it in your sleeping bag and your cozy).
Things to do to prepare for hard times:
- Get familiar with growing gardens, indoor and out door, purchase some indoor grow lights.
- Get a big fish tank and put some fish in it.
- Plant fruit trees! This is so easy and beneficial.
- Learn how to do some canning and bread making.
- Purchase an old cook wood-stove. our wood stove has a flat surface we can cook on.
- Put out barrels for rainwater collection.( Don't drink this stuff)
- Put all your used coffee grounds in a bucket and stir it once in while, it makes fast dirt.
- Read up on edible plants that are in you back yard. did you know you can eat dandelion greens? You can even make wine out of the tops. Camas bulbs are edible too.
- Plant some Herbs they grow up every year, its nice to have stuff you can cook that tastes nice, instead of rock soup.
- Strawberry and Blueberries are easy plant, they produce for years.
Good Luck!
