August 18, 2011, my home was shattered — quite literally — by a giant sycamore limb falling on the roof of my house. The limb, 36 inches diameter at the base, crushed the northern gable end of the roof, rolled down it, and plunged two limbs through the dining room roof, and one diagonally through the kitchen.

This disruption to my usually calm life led me to thinking about survival. In the spring, tornadoes had swept through the midwest leaving behind their usual carnage and destruction. Out of these thoughts, I have begun a series of articles dealing with survival — that thing we do every day — how we cope, the things we do, the illusions that are spun about emergency or difficult situations. Posted to Triond and other small web publishers, these articles are as follows:

Beginning with the Basics

The Staff of Life

Heavy Metals in Garden Soils