In Copperhead Cove's favor:
No natural resources worth pillaging
Far away from natural lines-of-drift
Geography is highly defensible from conventional attacks
Natives can squeeze a living out of a very small resource base
Natives are physically very fit (by modern standards)
Sugar consumption is limited and food is primarily consumed at three meals with very limited snacking.
Population surge was anticipated and steps were taken with regard to food production, fuel and housing
Optimally positioned to intercept radio signals from both Chattanooga and Knoxville
Copperhead Cove is well regarded by its neighbors
Disadvantages
Limited water resources, with implications for hygiene
Limited energy resources
Processing of human waste is primitive
Housing will be snug at 100 square-feet per person
Dental/oral health could be an issue
Limited resources makes overcoming a planned, well-resourced attack unlikely
Newcomers will have cultural differences to overcome
Bottom line
Slight advantage (9-to-7) for Copperhead Cove
By the time some of the newcomers arrive, they may be hard as nails, having been there, seen that and wearing the t- shirt.
ReplyDelete100 sq. ft. per person isn't a hindrance, it's a positive. Smaller means less time spent cleaning, heating, furnishing, and cooling. Look at the size of the van that Blain first lived in and then Gregor, 50 sq. ft. or so and they made it work. Look at minivan living, those are even smaller spaces and people live in them year round.
ReplyDelete10 - 6
irontomflint
Also people have less 'junk' to haul around.
ReplyDeleteGrew up back in the sticks , ( outhouse/ habnd pump welll , love the flow of the story/writing .. Geat research/integration , realism , gives so many possibilities for the story to branch out and continue entertaining us , Bravo ERJ , (please keep writing this story ) ( kinda reminds me of Georges Grouse old story of Europeans settling here if anyone knows it .. ) Signed ; daily reader /huge fan of the blog ;)
ReplyDeleteI would disagree on water. I just visited Standing Indian Park in NC which is near Franklin NC which is right down from Knoxville. Just east of TN and just north of GA. It rains a lot. Springs run. Streams run. Vegitation is lush. They may well face the need to store water because there is cyclic drouth. Doubtless they will engage in a project to harness water for their benefit. Roger
ReplyDeleteSince you mentioned Standing Indian Park, please mention how horrible it is, that you'll never go there again, and that no one else should go there, either.
DeleteAh, a little slow. I also fall for fake news. Just go EAST out of Franklin to find Standing Indian. Make sure you take bug and bear spray.
DeletePS Loving this story. Roger
ReplyDeleteWater is key, as is hygiene. The leaders of the Cove seem wise in so many respects. By such will Western Civilization survive. We pray for those people exemplified in your writing as we learn from it.
ReplyDeleteBoat Guy
I've seen many 'post' scenarios talked about over the years, but they all assume that this is the new normal. We hold here against the unending barbarian hordes.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to see a set-up like this, but with a focus on expansion and restoration. And instead of a defensive position, they choose the high ground.
But I suppose the two types of scenarios have very little in common.
But it does point out the need for Copperhead Cove to have a plan in place for when the expansionists/restorers reach them. Fighting isn't an option; a single light mortar emplacement is end game. So CC needs diplomatic personnel, too.
All of which reminds me of King David's Spaceship.
Cisterns, composting toilets, defensive redoubts, watchtower.....
ReplyDeleteWatchtower? No no officer, thats a hunting blind. We just leave it up year round so the deer get used to it being there. On a warm, clear night the youngins will camp-out there to stargaze and whatall...
DeleteWe get a lot of rain in the Springtime here in EastTN, but summer times quite different. Even good streams wean down to a trickle. Being in a holler they might get a spot where some smaller trickles combine. That area is also rich in natural caves, etc. The largest underground lake in the US is just outside Sweetwater.
https://thelostsea.com/history/
I've done the crawl at Lost Sea with my cub scouts. Fastest mice on the planet in the cave but not faster than a trout. Sorry from a guide was he saw a trout nail a mouse jumping from dock to boat. Certain challenges were not possible for the adults. We would say our shoulders would not fit when we knew it was our bellies. Laughing all the way. Those clothes went in the trash.
DeleteI also think people that live in small enclaves become far more closer and cooperative with others, realizing the mutual benefit of having nearby help when needed. Old neighborhoods were like that, a far tighter community.
ReplyDeleteMom iived in small community like that, growing up in the 1940's before WWII. She and three sisters shared a room and bed. Each had three dresses and two pairs of shoes. Church shoes and dress and school / work clothers. She claimed with 10 sibliings, they could have their wood frame house cleaned inside an hour. Not for resting - for outside chores. No indoor plumbing . Water had to be hauled a bucket at a time, two persons going at a time so that rest could be done while sibling carried water for a bit. Everyone lived the same - nobody realized they were poor because of that. It was just the way it was.
I think Dental Health should be better than average, with less sugar consumption.
ReplyDelete