The Fort Knox Farm
I just found out that the contractors I hired to do some work around here are thieves and meth dealers. They’ve been helping me out on a project all week and someone from down the road just dropped off last week’s paper. One of them, along with the other one’s son, was arrested for selling HUNDREDS of pounds of methamphetamine and other drugs. He’s out on bail. WTF? How do you sell that much meth and get out on bail? And the older one, who wasn’t part of that DEA sting, has apparently stolen several things from several different people after working on their houses and scoping the places out.
So I just hit up Amazon for: A digital video surveillance system with a DVR that records thousands of hours of video and sends to the web so you can view it anywhere; Eight infrared, motion-activated cameras; Three motion-activated flood lights; A complete (non-subscription) home security alarm system; Three no trespassing signs (so I can shoot first and ask questions later); dead-bolt locks for every door; a quick access hand-gun safe for the nightstand; some extra ammo for the shutgun and pistol…
Next up is a big ass, mean outdoor dog and a fence that goes around the house so he can go on 360-degree patrol. FORT F-N KNOX BABY!
The truth is, they’re probably more concerned with keeping their noses clean (literally and figuratively) right now, having been arrested just last week. The last thing they want to do is steal some crap from an old farm. But this event reminded me of the importance of security, even if you live in what you think is a safe community. You can’t put a price on peace of mind and the safety of yourself and your loved ones.
I can tell you from experience dealing with these types, they’re not at all concerned with keeping their noses clean. And, the first thing they want to do is steal some crap from an old farm. They want drugs, and drugs cost money. Remember, you have to sleep. They don’t. They have all the time in the world to figure out how to get what they want. Be safe.
A much cheaper alternative would be to hire Amish, Hutterite or Mennonite workers to begin with (I’m being bias here; I am one)! It is always wise to Not expose ones family or property to people who may live on Earth for reasons differing from your own! Now they know where you live and what you possess! Being selective is wise! And Amish will not turn you in if you (for example) grow weed, as we do not interact with law enforcement, even when we face bad people, unless they’re dangerous. We have dogs and long rifles, and we get up at 4 am anyway (eeks)!
I’m sure there are such honorable workmen in your area; TheBudgetNewspaper.com is a nationwide (mostly print) publication for – and read by – the Anabaptist Community. As you know, we’ve never been on the grid, and so our land-lifestyle is very much the same. Also, we do not consume any fossil fuels (but with rare exceptions)! And since we buy very little and build and grow most everything ourselves, we also employ the buy-local paradigm of consumerism! It is awesome to know of others who are conscientiously looking back at their footprint! Kudos to the FKF!
Not sure that this has to do with living off Grid but I think you are right to protect yourself.
Good luck.
G
At the risk of sounding like a radical
(thus exposing the truth) HAR!
Even letting gas/propane deliveries in may come back to haunt when-not-if things bust a gut!
The fewer folk that know what you have, the better.
It amases me the folk bragging on facebook and joining stuff that indicates they are gunholders.
Dear Ebert, are you married? namaste , Nancy
I think you have to choose people who are like you to be safe
and never advertise what you have Texas is a bad place being close to Mexico and money does buy. lawyers, they chase money not, justice. God bless you and be safe.
Reviewing DVR video footage gets old fast. We set it up on our horses while a mare was giving birth.
Lession learned. Figure out the setting on your DVR to control form movement on the screen. You really only want to see movement. You can adjust this so the tree branch does not set off the recorder.
2) Geese are very good watch and attach animals.
Our “neighbors” have a bit of a drug problem too. We keep them at bay by making them think that someone is here all the time, (which there usually is anyway) and that if they do venture up the hill, they will end up having a good Bible study! Nothing seems to scare trouble makers off like the Word of God :/, sharper than a double edged sword for sure!
I wasted about $500.00 on a bunch of cameras and software from X-10. It ain’t plug n play
But just having them hanging from the rafters, and the ner-do-wells knowing about them, probably doesn’t hurt 
We thought about the big ass dog bit, but the big ass dog would eat big ass food and would leave big ass reminders of his presence on the lawn. Too much trouble for the occasional bark and growl. Heck, I can do that!
One thing for the “off gridders” to consider is that most home power systems are pretty small. Ours generates 450 watts continuous, and we store in a battery bank and use an inverter, but incandescent lights are mega power hogs and CFL’s won’t work with motion detectors. I have a few LED lights but they are expensive and the light from them isn’t that bright, so we’re still working on that.
Here’s hoping that the punks decide to leave you alone Ebert!
what the F@#$## is wrong with you? you americans live in a constant state of fear and paranoia. just sort out this hillbillys, kick them the f#@$ off of your property, and be done with it. no need to turn your home into a compound. or just hire an amish guy.
Mr. Brownell, next time I might actually hire an Amish guy. But what’s done is done so…
They are off my property already. In fact, both are in prison for a long, long time. I’m not sure where you live, but here in the US we have A LOT of guns. I felt safe living in Australia because I knew even walking down the worst part of towns, the worse that could happen is some guy might pull out a knife. So it’s not the “state of mind” so much as the “state of affairs”.
With that said, I admit that I over-reacted.
By the way, how do you suppose you ‘kick meth-dealing, gun-toting hillbillies’ off of your property without a gun yourself? Talk reasonably to them? Threaten to call the cops? And if you are out of town and your house gets broken into, wouldn’t it be much easier to catch the thieves and get your personal property back if you could see who took it on video? And isn’t “paranoia” to want a guard dog around your house? I don’t think that is so unreasonable. Neither, I think, is having sturdy locks on your windows and doors. If your locks can be broken into by a twelve-year-old, what’s the use of even having them?
Come to think of it…. maybe I didn’t over-react after all.