I am sitting in Panera working on my computer because my home is in the dark.   My part of New Hampshire got hammered by a wind and rain storm of epic proportions last night.  I spent a fun evening bailing out my basement and was winning the battle until I lost power (Wet/Dry Vacs don’t work without power).

At 11:45 p.m., I finally gave up.  My kids were sleeping snug in their beds and I just threw another blanket on them and went to bed myself.

When I woke up this morning, my property looked like a war zone.  Branches were strewn everywhere and a number of trees were down.  The wind was so intense it  even tore parts of my siding off.  It even tore the caps off of the railings on my front porch.

The good news in all this is that my family is safe.  We will get power back and life will return to normal.  Or, maybe not.

I am very concerned about the world that I live in.  I feel that American society and world society is balanced on a knife’s edge.  Economic forces beyond my understanding control my life.  If another AIG, ENRON, Merrill Lynch, etc. hits the skids what will happen too my world?  I make a very good living in the stock market.  What happened if this depression deepens and is extended.  What if there is a financial meltdown?  I am too far down the financial totem pole for anyone in Washington, D.C. to care.

Last year, New Hampshire was hit by an record ice storm.  We lost power for 5 days then and  our house temperatures inside were below freezing.  I was not prepared for this disaster, but kind friends took us in and we made it through o.k.  But, for several days last year, large parts of NH was a “third world country”.

I have started researching subsistence living since  I am responsible for my family.  I have 4 wonderful kids and a beautiful wife.  They need me to have the answers to questions that are not comfortable to ask.  Can I care for my family if some cataclysm hits? (natural or man made)  What happens if we have a Haiti-type disaster.  Total anarchy had sprung up in that country by the third day after the quake.  Why should the U.S. be any different?

As you can tell, my head is spinning.  I will follow up on this…count on it!

God Bless,

Jeffrey Dean