The Siege of New Hampshire

Martin convinces the three railroad partners to carry on the project, even if none of them fully knew what needed to be done. A key to getting the workers to resume work was for the partners to create their own money -- based on firewood -- as a medium of exchange. Once the rails are connected, the engine assembles the first train south. Martin rides in the gondola car to operate the gasifier and welder, if needed. Your support helps me keep the Siege story going. Consider becoming a Patron on Patreon, or a member at Buy Me A Coffee, Of course, virtual cups of coffee at Buy Me A Coffee are always welcome.

In the preppersphere, zombies are a metaphor for the masses of the unpreppared, weakened after a prolonged collapse, who slowly fan out into the countryside seeking food. Mic, Jeff, and Brian look a few landmark films and a popular TV series. Does how the characters deal with their zombies hold lessons for how preppers might deal with a possible horde of weakened, emaciated city people? What can you do to help prevent yourself turning into a "zombie"? Movie Links: White Zombie, 1932, starring Bela Lugosi. The first actual zombie movie. The Minnesota Starvation Experiment, Army study in 1945 on effects of starvation. Plan 9 From Outer Space, 1957. Cheesy sci-fi in which aliens raise the dead as an army. Night of the Living Dead, 1968, George Romero's cult classic that launched the modern zombie trope. The Walking Dead, 2010-2022, Television series, with Romero-like zombies Survival Theory II, 2023, Audio book by Jonathan Hollerman If you're enjoying these between-the-chapters episodes or the chapters themselves, consider becoming a Patron on Patreon, or a member at Buy Me A Coffee, Of course, virtual cups of coffee at Buy Me A Coffee are always welcome.

Martin, Charles and Tyler begin their second day of work for Farnum. The mood of all the workers starts out upbeat. The old and new tracks are connected and the locomotive is nearly to the old railhead. A squabble among the workers reveals that Farnum has massively over-promised everyone's stake in the profits. The angry mob attack Farnum, leaving him bloody and unconscious. Too late, do they realize that Farnum was the only one who knew what to do. Is the railroad project doomed? You can show your support for this ongoing Siege of NH story by buying Mic a cup of virtual coffee at Buy Me A Coffee. You can becoming a monthly supporter too at both Buy Me A Coffee and Patreon. Your support means a lot!

Mic, Jeff and Brian discuss a few movies in which people expect to survive some SHTF event in an underground bunker. Bomb shelters (bunkers) were very popular in scary parts of the Cold War. While bunkers are best suited to surviving Nuke Doom, some people can see sheltering underground as a great way to survive a whole range of SHTF scenarios. But is it? Our trio of prepper movie watchers discuss this, as well as the movies listed below. Twilight Zone, S3 E3, 1961, The Shelter -- Stream-able with Amazon Prime Take Shelter, 2011, a Jeff Nichols film -- Stream-able with Amazon Prime & Hulu 10 Cloverfield Lane, 2016, starring John Goodman -- Stream-able on PlutoTV Article about wealthy people building bunkers, Hollywood Reporter, Sept. 2016 Updated article by same author, Hollywood Reporter, Feb. 2024

The three men from Cheshire finally arrive in Lincoln. They confront Mr. Farnum about the danger they had to face. Rather than make their ordeal a waste of time, they renegotiate a deal -- one day of labor for a trailer full of wood. Farnum suggests that they might wish to revisit the original terms at the end of the day. The Hendrick brothers repair broken drag saws and create new rail spacers. While Tyler still thinks the railroad scheme is all a scam, the evidence of all the other people working argues that it is legit. Will they work another day for 5%, or will they go with just a trailer full of wood? Monthly members at Buy Me A Coffee, and patrons on Patreon, already know what happens next. If you would like to read ahead in Book 6, consider becoming a monthly member. Your support helps keep this story going.

NH had a storm in early April that took out power for tens of thousands of people. It was a chance to practice using the homestead's grid-down preps. Somethings worked well and life was quite normal, despite the outage. Some things were not as good as they should be. The outage exposed a few weak spots in the preps -- things to fix up for next time. Here are links to some photos of the preps mentioned in this episode. At Buy Me A Coffee and at Patreon.

Martin, Tyler, and Charles are met with an unforeseen difficulty on their way north. The ongoing argument between the Hendrick brothers causes them to nearly crash. To compound their trouble, they learn that the road they were told to take, to get round the troublemakers in Plymouth, has become blocked by them too. How can they sneak a loud white truck past the guards at the new roadblock? While you're enjoying the ongoing story, this would be a good time to buy Mic a cup of virtual coffee, go to Buy Me A Coffee. Your support helps keep the Siege story going. To become a monthly supporter, (and be even cooler than you are now) go to Patreon, or Buy Me A Coffee.

Mic, Jeff and Brian review and discuss the newly-released movie "Civil War" by Alex Garland. The possibilities of civil unrest is an increasing concern among the preparedness-minded, so we approached our look at the movie from a prepper perspective. There is a no-spoilers synopsis in the beginning of this episode, as well as a spoiler warning and a point to which you can fast-forward to skip the spoilers, if you like. Later in the episode, we discuss questions engendered by the movie, like: what can a prepper do about civil unrest? Would the government actually fire upon disobedient citizens? How might a civil war affect citizens outside of the conflict zones? f you enjoy these 'Prepper Fiction' episodes, let Mic know by buying him a cup of virtual coffee at Buy Me A Coffee. You could also become a Patron on Patreon, or a member at Buy Me A Coffee, or drop him an email: mic (at) mic-roland (dot) com. Listener feedback is always welcome.

Join Mic and his regular co-hosts Brian and Jeff, as they venture into the world of environmental disaster through - literature, film, and real-world predictions. Unlike the commonly explored apocalyptic narratives involving comets or nuclear weapons, EcoDoom is a surprisingly scarce disaster narratives in Hollywood, despite it being trumpeted as an urgent crisis. Where are all the climate change-themed movies? Our trip down memory lane will discuss environmental disaster movies that come close: Soylent Green, The Day After Tomorrow, and an old British film about global warming, The Day the Earth Caught Fire. Scrutinize with us the underlying narratives, their practical survival lessons, and the politics of fear exploited by these films. We provoke the question – What lessons, if any, might a prepper take away from these films? We discuss common preparation practices and critique the approach towards the global warming conversation. Common sense reminds us to be discerning, respectful of nature, and above all, prepared for the ever-changing environmental landscape. Soylent Green (1971 movie) Imdb.com plot summaries. The Day After Tomorrow (2004 movie) Imdb.com The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961 movie) Full movie at archive.org Yellowstone (4-book series) by Bobby Akart (reviews on Goodreads.com) Climate: The Movie (The Cold Truth) Full movie at YouTube Climate Refugees (More of the usual predictions of dire doom) Review in Hollywood Reporter.

Martin and the Hendrick brothers set out for their journey north. While passing Indian Lakes, they are stopped at a roadblock. There, they meet up with Davy Walsh who was on an assignment to clear out the squatters around the lakes. While Davy hitches a ride to Concord, he tells Martin about the efforts to clean up Manchester's drinking water in hopes of curbing rampant sickness. In Concord, they learn that their trip north will be trouble. Your support helps me keep the Siege story going. Consider becoming a Patron on Patreon, or a member at Buy Me A Coffee, Of course, virtual cups of coffee at Buy Me A Coffee are always welcome.

In this episode, Mic, Brian, and Jeff look at three famous fictional works in which an economic collapse is the cause of SHTF. What caused those collapses? Is there anything we can learn from them? How did the main characters and the populace respond to the collapse? Are there lessons there too? Links for titles in this episode: "Patriots" by John Wesley Rawles, 1995 (updated through 2011). Synopsis and reviews on Goodreads. "Atlas Shrugged" Ayn Rand, 1957. Synopsis and reviews on Goodreads. “The Grapes of Wrath” 1940 movie, based on 1939 novel by John Steinbeck Internet Archive link - https://archive.org/details/the-grapes-of-wrath-1940 “Our Daily Bread” 1934 movie. YouTube link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=166XhPVGfgU Show your support for this podcast by buying Mic a cup of virtual coffee, at Buy Me A Coffee. To be even more supportive, become a monthly supporter, go to Patreon, or Buy Me A Coffee, Your support helps keep the Siege story podcast going.

Mr. Farnum visits the Hendricks' farm and is impressed with Charles' new gasifier-generator-welder. He tells of the need the Central Rail Collaborative has for a bigger welder and some of the the difficulties the CRC has faced thus far. Charles tries to finagle profitable terms in exchange for helping the CRC. To his and Martin's surprise, Farnum agrees to a rather generous deal. "That was too easy," Martin says. While you're enjoying the ongoing story, this would be a good time to buy Mic a cup of virtual coffee, go to Buy Me A Coffee. Your support helps keep the Siege story going. To become a monthly supporter, (and be even cooler than you are now) go to Patreon, or Buy Me A Coffee.

Mic, Brian and Jeff explore some of the fiction featuring pandemics or plagues. They will narrow their scope to include the more realistic stories and save the zombie stories for another episode. They discuss several fictional stories with an eye toward what we really experience with the recent Covid pandemic. They also share their own experiences during Covid as well as advice on being ready for the next pandemic. Stories discussed in this episode: Edgar Allen Poe's short story: "Mask of the Red Death." Albert Camus' 1947 novel: "The Plague" The 1996 film: "Outbreak" The 2011 film "Contagion" Mic appreciates all of you who supported this podcast by buying him a coffee at Buy Me A Coffee. Or becoming monthly supporters on both Buy Me A Coffee and on Patreon.

Nick attends his first Grange meeting and comes forward for membership. After some farmer-related business, and a lecture about corn by Clyde Graedig, a guest speaker addresses the group. Clive Farnum seeks support for his Central Rail Collaborative, a steam train project that he is promoting as the key to a revived New Hampshire economy. If you're enjoying these new chapters in the Siege story, consider becoming a Patron on Patreon, or a member at Buy Me A Coffee, to keep the story going. Of course, virtual cups of coffee are always welcome.

What would it be like to lose power at your house for two weeks? Mic interviews Jonathan, a Siege stories listener and farmer/prepper, who lost power due to an ice storm. Which of his preps worked well? What holes in his preps did the outage expose? Generators are a godsend but fuel for them is their Achilles Heel. What can be done about that? If you enjoy these 'Extra' content episodes, let Mic know by buying him a cup of virtual coffee at Buy Me A Coffee. You could also become a Patron on Patreon, or a member at Buy Me A Coffee, or drop him an email: mic (at) mic-roland (dot) com.

Martin and the Hendrick brothers resume work on their gasifier-engine-generator-welder trailer. Mrs. Hendrick tells of seeing her "Corn Ghost" again, with proof of some damaged corn at the edge of her field. Jeff Landers comes by, lobbying Grange members (which includes Martin, Tyler and Charles) for support of a pending warrant article to stem brewing trouble in town over water rights. Support the ongoing writing of Book 6 by buying Mic a cup of virtual coffee, at Buy Me A Coffee. To become a monthly supporter, go to Patreon, or Buy Me A Coffee, Your support helps keep the Siege story podcast going.

Mic takes you on an early spring / late winter walk-around the homestead. It is the start of maple syrup season and collection has begun. The days are getting longer and the chickens have started to lay more. The ice on the pond might be sturdy enough to cut a couple trees out in the pond. There's still too much snow for gardening, though. You can support this podcast by becoming a Patron on Patreon, or a member at Buy Me A Coffee. One-time virtual cups of coffee are always welcome.

Martin and Charles drive down to the border, noticing how life near the border is less tranquil. They meet up with the cranky Mr. Varney. Eartly the next morning, they meet a man named Harold out in the no-mans-land at the border but the trade does not go as planned. Fed drones interrupt. Some of them are equipped to shoot! If you're enjoying this new stage in the Siege story, consider becoming a Patron on Patreon, or a member at Buy Me A Coffee, to support this podcast. Of course, one-time cups of coffee are always welcome.

Mic, Jeff and Brian discuss books and movies about nuclear doom. There are two broad subgroups: Gloomy Doom -- in which no one survives, and Hopeful Doom -- in which people DO survive. Actual research suggests that a nuclear exchange could, indeed, be survivable if you aren't in or near a target zone. Mic, Jeff and Brian discuss preps to improve one's surviveability. Nuke Doom Movies and Books referred to in this episode: Five! -- a 1951 movie about five random survivors Day The World Ended -- 1955 movie about remote cabin of survivors. Alas, Babylon -- 1959 book: classic nuclear survivors' story. On The Beach -- 1959 movie about aftermath in which no one survives The Day After -- 1983 TV movie about the horrors of nuclear war.

Martin arrives at the Hendricks' farm to do the welding he promised. He finds out that the brothers' plans depend on overhauling an old tractor engine. While Walter was able to use his ham radio connections to find the necessary parts, it turns out that they are in Massachusetts -- Fed territory. They can still make the trade, provided Martin can persuade a thorny nemesis. While you're enjoying the ongoing story, this would be a good time to buy Mic a cup of virtual coffee, go to Buy Me A Coffee. To become a monthly supporter, (and be even cooler than you are now) go to Patreon, or Buy Me A Coffee, Your support helps keep the Siege story podcast going.