When it really happens: SHTF...

[Havenot]

I'm fortunate(I think?) to be in central Oklahoma. The county I'm in is surrounded by three counties with covid 19 cases but none recognized in my area.

The kids being out of school way early is interesting...few of the younger generations are practicing much social distancing at all!! Older folks do seem to be taking it seriously.

I'm self employed(diesel mechanic, John Deere ag mostly) as is my wife(T-shirt screen printer/graphic design). Her business has taken a hit from canceled orders caused by canceled events. I took my first hit yesterday because a farmer/rancher is unable to pay his bill.

The economy here was about crashed because of a severe tapering off of the oil industry(low oil prices)....many lay-offs from down-sizing and closures(typical oil and gas industry practice)...My daughter got layed-off as her oil field support company phased out operations in Oklahoma. The corona virus ain't helping at all!

Somehow or other I've ended up with a neighbor's 14 year old daughter as an employee(part time $10 bucks an hour)...she works and gets dirty...does what shes told to do. Her parents way of keeping their daughter 'socially distanced' I guess?(mom begged me to provide a job for her!)....and likely give her something to do during her long-term break from school. My son works at a Chrysler/Kubota dealership and buisness is slow too...mostly because of the slow oil-field). My fourteen year old employee and I have more than we can get done in a day and will be busy for sometime it appears...I'm turning down work we cannot get to!

As far as stuff at the store...TP is short supply...no Lysol or antiseptic cleaners...plenty of food however some items are short supply. I went to Wal Mart last Friday just in time for a zombie herd of weird looking folks to emerge from the store...I set in the truck until the herd thinned and went inside...abandoned carts and surgical gloves laying in the parking lot(who cleans that up?)...cashiers wearing masks and gloves. It looks to me as if many folks are only buying really cheap food-stuffs and leaving pricier food on the shelves. They were actually working at stocking a small quantity of toilet paper as I left! I have been approached a couple times by low-life trying to sell me toilet paper at inflated prices...but no..I just tell them to save it for their own wiping and leave them standing there looking stupid...

That is more or less the situation in small town Oklahoma. It's tight but functional for the time being...