Springtime In Ohio

Hello friends...hope this post finds you all well, healthy, happy.  For the first time in nearly a year, I felt the real urge to take up pen (er, um, keyboard?) and start blogging again.  It's kind of strange, but I feel like I keep getting kicks in the seat that cause me to start moving again.  Have you ever noticed that kind of thing too? 

So I've been super super busy trying to get ready for summer.  98% of the summer garden is planted...just another small patch of onions and a couple more seed potatoes and things will be ready to roll.  I was late getting things planted, but it's in the ground now and just in time for the rains, so a few more weeks and we should begin enjoying the first of our harvest.  Size-wise, our garden is the same or just a smidge larger than last year, but in terms of variety, we've reduced what we're growing and concentrating on the main-and-plain stuff that will give us the most return.  No more exotic greens, rainbow-colored cauliflower and funky tomatoes, but plenty of taters, onions, string beans, drying beans, cabbages and saucing/juicing/drying tomatoes.  Hoping for a beautiful, bountiful harvest that will last us through the winter.

Some exciting new happenings here at our home include a lovely new, no-till garden.  Or at least that's what we're hoping for.  We used 8 yards of rich, garden-blend soil, a cubic ton of cardboard, plus all the grass clippings, straw and leaves we could lay hands on.  We're hoping to see fewer weeds, larger harvests and less tilling, but we shall see :)

More excitement...her name is Miss Maggie and she's a 10 month old Great Dane-Boxer cross.  She's a very friendly, playful dog, but she sure can look and sound mean when she needs to!  So we'll call her our first line of protection as well as our alternate dishwasher and floor mopper. 

Other areas of excitement include the fact that my beloved has only 4 more courses to finish his degree, my son was labeled as "accelerated" in 3rd grade, and my skinny, scrawny little girl is a proficient reader having learned 300 sight words and read nearly 150 books in 1st grade.  And the biggest fun....I joined a shooting group in north Dayton and acquired a new firearm (Springfield XDS .45). 

So for the past year, I've felt like I could just sit down and vegetate for a while. Just knit and play Angry Birds.  After all, my kids are good, my life is good and no real complaints.  But then I turn on the news or read Facebook and I see that things just aren't good.  It's like America as a whole is going down the tubes more quickly than ever.  I try to laugh it off and just accuse myself of being a tinfoil-hat wearing, right wing, homegrown conspiracy theorist. And then a few weeks ago, an intelligent, sensible 70 year old man made a comment to the effect that "This is all going to end in a civil war", and I felt like something in me just snapped.  It's not just me seeing this!  So, after a yearlong hiatus, I'm ready to get moving again.  I'm ready to start prepping again, learning again and blogging again.  I feel like I have my direction again and I'm so excited to get back to the grind. 

My best wishes to you all,
Andrea     

     

Let Me 'Splain

So it's been forever. 

I offer no excuses and make no apologies.

Life has been busy lately.  Busy but good.  And I think after a year of turmoil, we're starting to settle into a routine.  Routine isn't something I ever thought I'd miss and/or look forward to, but after a chaotic year, there's great comfort in routine.  So things are good now and I thought I'd share some good with you.

The Good Stuff: The early garden is planted and has survived the weird Ohio spring.  Greens and onions are ready to be harvested and served with a pot of beans and a pan of cornbread.

The "Very" Good Stuff: My mom is finished with radiation, has a beautiful head-full of hair and only has one step left in her treatment, which ends in October.

The "Divinely" Good Stuff: God has been so good and answered so many prayers lately!  After a traumatic (or maybe dramatic) period of growth, I feel like I'm walking closer with Him everyday.  When you finally, really "get" God's grace and the freedom that only comes through Jesus, what an experience!

The "Finally" Good Stuff: Only 15 more school days til I have my kids to myself for 3 months :)

The "About Time" Good Stuff: We're making huge strides in remodeling our basement (after 8 years of putting it off) and we're adding a ventless fireplace and gas cookstove for something akin to off-grid, emergency cooking and heating.

The "I Can't Believe It!" Good Stuff: I'm about to be an aunt again.  Twice.  A great aunt to boot.

The "B.A." Good Stuff: The Mr. bought a new handgun for me that's made concealment much simpler.

The "Learning" Stuff:  I made my first batch of soap last month and while I'm far from proficient at it, I'm learning more each time.

The "Nerdy" Good Stuff: The Mr. was inducted into the Honor Society at Wittenberg and is the class president.  You think he was hard to live with before.............................; )

The "Least of These" Good Stuff: I finally found a ministry to plug into at church: mission support.  It's fantastic and I literally get to help people all over the world, from orphans to AIDS patients to widows to underground missionaries to single moms and the working poor in my own community. God is so good!

I *think* postings should come at a more regular clip now.  The aforementioned routine definitely makes posting a less daunting task, yes?  Anyway friends, I've wasted too much of the day blogging.  Got thistles to pull and groceries to store.  Take care! 

P.S.  If you *really* want to follow me, you can friend me on FB @Andrea.Lynch.31

Back From A Break

Well I certainly feel refreshed.

Posting has been quite sporadic the past week or three...I think I needed a mental health break from blogging and media in general. I find that whenever my opinion shifts on something major, or there's trauma or drama, time away from blogging is my ticket to clarity.

And before you ask...relax. There's been no trauma and very little drama...just needed to wade through some stuff, restore everyone's health and now I feel all better and am ready to get back into the swing of things.

So, some exciting developments:

My friend Darrell shared a big start of horseradish with me, so in a year or two, we should be horseradish-sufficient.

My green pepper sauce experiment is coming along nicely, so in another 2 weeks, all we have to do is strain and we have a finished product.

I found a means of concealed carry that I think I'm comfortable with.

And on a purely personal, purely vain note....roots are in this season, so no highlighting of the darker winter hair. Whoot Whoot! You may have to be a woman with summer-blonde hair to appreciate that.

Anywho, more later.

The Difference

So I signed up for Facebook recently.

I know.

Gasp.

Me, privacy-loving, anti-media, anti-faddish, who doesn't really want to read what anyone else is eating for breakfast, lunch or dinner, I joined friggin' Facebook.  I didn't want to sign up, but I was desperate, a woman on the edge.  I mean, how am I supposed to follow my favorite local mini-dairy if I don't sign up?    What's a person who wants local, organic, low-temp pasteurized, non-homogenized dairy products supposed to do? 

Sign up.

Anyway, one good thing that's come from signing up for Facebook is the amount of introspection it encourages.  Yes, FB encourages introspection.  Who'da thunk it?  They ask all the questions that one wouldn't ask in polite company.  What's your faith?  What's your political persuasion?  What's your outlook?  Who shaped and inspired you?  And what I've discovered is how much I've changed in the past 4 years.  Many of the friends from long ago who have friended me recently probably wouldn't recognize me now.  I look the same, more or less.  My great-grandma always said my looks never changed, just matured.  I like that.  What's done a total reversal is my outlook on faith, politics, worldview, people, life.  You know.  Pretty much everything.

Here's what I used to believe: That Democrats were good, Republicans were bad and that you could pretty much trust the US Gov.  Wow.  I know.  I was so young.  Now I know that Dems and Reps are both off their rockers and you can't trust either.  And the USGov...well, just make sure you lock your doors and keep your firearms out of sight.

I used to believe that people are basically good, smart, hard-working and want to accomplish something with their lives.  That no one wants to be poor, sick or drug-addicted.  Wow again.

I used to believe that vast, right-wing/left-wing, opinion-swaying conspiracy theories were something out of colorful imaginations and mystery novels.  Now I believe it.  See Fast and Furious for more details.

I used to support the world-policing that the US practices.  Now I think we need to get our butts home and stay here until someone, oh I don't know, ASKS FOR OUR HELP.

I used to support gun control.  Yeah, can you believe it?  I just didn't see the need for every Tom, Dick or Harry to be sporting an assault rifle.  Then I realized that freedom to bear arms is the ultimate checkmate.  Why do you think the British were so keen to disarm us?  Oh, I know, that was a long time ago and times change.  Times change, but the heart of man doesn't. 

I also used to believe that I was free to make my own choices, frame my future, raise my children the way I WANT to raise my children.  No, no and no.  There are czars for that.

And global warming, political correctness and the green movement...yikes, yikes, yikes. 

Yeah.  Everything has changed.  But, to quote my BFF Suz: "It's okay.  I'm not bitter." 

Believe it or not, I actually have a great deal of hope for the future.  I think much of America has woken up in the past couple of years to the garbage and nonsense going on behind the stage.  Toto has pulled back the curtain, so to speak.

I'm at ease with the choices I've made in life.  At some point, a few years ago, I woke up to the realization that you can never actually catch the rat in the old rat race.  That no matter how fast you run, all you see is the rat's butt.  That there's no point in trying to be/keep up with the Joneses. That enough is enough.  That sometimes quiet, still and small is really superior to all else.     

I find great peace in the Saviour and knowing all this nonsense is no surprise to Him.  He's the one individual who really has my back, all the time and in all cases, and I owe my rescue and my hope to Him.

I'm not sure what brought on all these changes.  Maturity?  Motherhood?  Salvation?  All of the above?  All I can tell you is that it's amazing the difference 4 years can make.

Firing History

Jeff bought the coolest old gun this week; a Russian Nagant rifle from the WWI-WWII era.  I don't know much about old rifles, but this one is so interesting.  I love that it's wood instead of composite...somehow it looks 'classier' for lack of a better word.  Maybe 'traditional' is a better choice. 

But the really cool thing was all the goodies with ours.  An old leather and canvas ammunition pouch.  An old oil can.  Canvas straps.  A tiny cleaning kit.  It looked like the stuff that Brendan Fraser carried in The Mummy. 

And it smells old.  I like that 'old' smell.  Somehow it makes the history behind the gun more tangible.  You can just imagine (if that's possible) where that gun has been and the action it's seen.   

When my brother and my father in law found out, they both bought one too.  And naturally, they came over to our place to fire them.  And naturally, they stood around giggling like little girls, comparing the damage they did to an old stump.

What is it with boys and firearms?    

The Decision To Carry

It's been a long time coming, but I think I've finally made the decision to carry. 

I know there's at least one among you who has just soiled himself and is jumping up and down asking why it took me so long to make this decision.  You know who you are ; ) and it's okay.

I took the concealed carry training course back in August after a string of break-ins in my otherwise quiet village.  For a few weeks, I was so frightened of being home alone with the kids and someone breaking in.  Anytime I saw a strange vehicle (IE a vehicle that doesn't belong to one of the dozen houses on my road) I felt all panicky inside wondering if that was the bad guy looking for his next house.  Strange vans really scared me.  And the one time I answered the door, not recognizing the person outside, oh well, I beat myself up about that for the next 2 weeks. 

So I took a class.  And it was a good class although the instructor was a little unnerving.  I learned a lot that day, especially about Ohio's Castle Doctrine and came away confident in my ability to defend myself and my children. 

But I wasn't ready to carry.

I felt no "urgent urgency" to carry. 

I had things I had to work through in my head. 

I had to know what God says about self-defense and lethal force.

The biggest hurdle was that I had to get comfortable with the idea of carrying a weapon.  That was the hardest thing to come to terms with.  I know a number of people who carry concealed weapons and I'm just fine with that.  But making the choice to actually carry one myself, that was different. 

In some strange way, deciding to carry felt like the metaphorical line in the sand. 

By carrying, I'd be crossing that line and wholly admitting that I am completely and totally responsible for my own safety, as well as the safety of my children.

Don't ask me why it felt like that. 

I'm responsible for the safety of myself and my children anyway.  But perhaps by carrying a weapon, I had to acknowledge the need to protect myself and my kids: 

-That the sheriff is, at best, a 15 minute drive away, unless he's really hauling arse. 

-That there is wickedness in the world and that women and children are hurt everyday.

-That neighborhoods like mine are magnets for criminals.  Quiet.  Isolated.  Full of attractive homes that are vacant from 7am to 4 pm.

-That at 5-OT-3 and 1XX lbs, I'm a perfect target...especially when carrying a purse, a bag of groceries, car keys and a kid in each hand. 

By acknowledging those facts, I had crossed a line that I couldn't uncross.  If the worst should happen, I couldn't say that I had been caught off-guard.  I couldn't say that I wasn't capable of defending myself.  I couldn't say that it never occurred to me that, possibly, I could be a victim.

From that point forward, there would be no acceptable excuse for being unable to protect my family.  If I DIDN'T carry a weapon and something happened to my children, I could NEVER forgive myself.  If someone broke into my home and assaulted me or the kids, I could never let go of the realization that it could have been prevented.

In many ways, the choice to carry a concealed weapon was made FOR me, not BY me.

A wise man I respect very much once said there are three kinds of people in the world: wolves, sheep and sheepdogs, and it's up to each of us to choose what type of person we'll be in this life.

I've made my decision.

Have you? 

               

Lessons From The Egyptian Riots

I'm sure you've been watching the news and listening to radio and reading the paper.  You KNOW what's going in the world today.  Riots.  Government upheaval.  Food shortages.  In one corner of the world, the poo has hit the fan.

You know what?

I can totally see that sort of thing happening here:

-As we continue to lose our homes, our jobs, our nest eggs-

-As we watch food prices go up and wages go down-

-As we watch our rights slowly eroded, day after day-

I can see our nation reaching a snapping point, like a giant rubber band stretched just a little too far.  One second things are good, the next you've got a huge welt on the back of your hand.

While I hate to see the troubles in Egypt, there are some important takeaways for all of us in the prepping community and I think we honor those calling for liberty by learning what we can from their experiences.  So what can we learn from the Egyptian riots? 

-Big government is not your friend.  Sure, they'll pay out entitlements and keep your food supply safe (ahem), but if they feel threatened, out come the Commandos with tear gas and water cannons.

-Communications will be the first thing to go.  Did you see how quickly and easily Internet and other means of communication were turned off last week?  Just a flip of the switch, baby.  Consider alternate means of communications and have a plan in place should internet and communications be shut down. 

-Wherever riots go, looting follows.  I've never understood why people destroy their own homes, businesses, cultural treasures, but it happens every time.  Don't be surprised by it.   

-Police are reactive, not proactive.  I don't mean this to be a slap in the face or a dig on law enforcement, but it's a fact of modern life.   Don't expect the law to protect you.  Police are there to draw a chalk-line around your body...or in Egypt's case, to reattach the mummy's head to the rest of it's body.  Be prepared to protect yourself.

-Gouging and shortages WILL happen in a crisis.  Call it supply and demand or survival of the fittest or whatever you will.  Have food, water, gas, currency and other necessities stored aplenty.

-The world you wake up to tomorrow may be very different than today.  Be prepared for this life and the next. 

-And as Ole Remus would say, stay away from crowds. 

The Great White Hunters

I don't know if it's an Ohio thing, or maybe a rural thing, but Isaac has been interested in hunting from day one.  It's hard to believe that he went from this......

....to this, in only a few short years.   

          Tonight when Jeff brought out his crossbow, Isaac was right there.  He absolutely would not be denied a chance to target shoot.  So he did it, with minimal help from dad.  And he did well.  Very well. 
                                                

Initially, I thought riding the 4-wheeler that was hunting's main draw for Isaac.  You know, the idea of hanging out in the woods with Daddy and Papaw, drinking hot chocolate out of a thermos, wearing camouflage clothes.  That sort of thing.  But no.  Isaac wants to hunt.  He's been learning how to shoot and now that he's a big boy, he wants to go out in the woods and get himself a deer. 

And if that isn't enough, my darling, tiny, little Tinkerbell wants to hunt too.  Not to be outdone by Isaac, Mara insisted that she have a chance to shoot Daddy's crossbow too.  She's so short it took Daddy holding the crossbow, Mommy aiming it and Mara firing it, but by golly, she hit the mark.  Collectively, she hit the mark, that is. 

For some reason, Mara is the one who unnerves me.  She's so beautiful and tiny, with her flyaway hair and big blue eyes.  And Mara has absolutely no Disney/Bambi misgivings.  She knows the order of things; deer are food and they're 'dewishious'.  She keeps telling us that she's going to wear her pink camo long johns and shoot some deer jerky.     

Part of me feels sort of weird about all of this. 

Not because there's anything inherently wrong with hunting; but maybe because it's so out of the norm for this day and age.  If my kids sat around watching TV, playing video games, texting and skate boarding, it wouldn't be so unusual.  But hunting, how many kids do that?  

I said part of me feels weird.  The other part of me is pleased about it.

I'm pleased that my kids are developing a realistic view of the world.  They don't have a warped sense of the pecking order that God has established, courtesy of stupid cartoons and liberal main-stream media.

I'm pleased that at a very young age, my kids are learning to respect firearms.  They know they're loud, they know they kick and they know they completely destroy anything they hit. At this point, they have a good healthy fear that's going to make them think twice before playing with guns.   

And I'm very pleased that my kids are learning skills that many adults have never learned.  These basic life skills may prove invaluable to them one day, especially when you consider the state of the world.

So, I may not be popular for encouraging my kids to hunt.  I'll probably not win "Mother of the Year".  I may offend your delicate sensibilities by suggesting that deer aren't the cute, sweet doe-eyed little creatures that cartoons make them out to be.  And I'm fine with that.  I've never been politically correct before and I don't intend to start now.  

Deer burgers, anyone? 

Motivational Poster

Check out the quote on her t-shirt.  Need I say more? 

Concealed Carry Training-From a Mama's Perspective

So let's talk concealed carry.

It's a subject that's been touched on in my circle of blogs a couple times, but not recently and probably not from a woman-and-mama's point of view. (And let's face it, motherhood changes ones outlook on *everything*.) I'm not going to talk about the laws or the conditions, restrictions, requirements etc. It's not my job to decipher law. I'm not a lawyer. I'm not a politico or a judge. I'm simply a woman and a mama, and this is my experience with concealed carry training.

I had wavered back and forth for months about taking a concealed carry class, literally months, before I broke down and took the class. I'll admit it: I was scared. It was intimidating. It was completely and totally outside of my comfort zone. I couldn't justify a need for it. It felt unlady-like. (I know. Don't roll your eyes.)

But I finally did it.

And I loved it.


It was a long, 12-hour day, but I walked away with so much valuable information. My instructor was a no-BS type of guy, a little rough around the edges but he laid things out very clearly. He was especially passionate about Ohio's Castle doctrine-which in truth was one of the main reasons I attended the class. I wanted to know *exactly* what my rights are in my home or in my car and the possible repercussions of using lethal force.


I'd wondered about what I was legally required to do if someone broke into my house while the kids and I were home alone. Some states require that you retreat. Some states suggest less-than-lethal force. Some states require that you vocalize to the intruder what your intentions are before you act. So many states, so many laws.


And again, with concealed carry, so many states, so many laws. Some states recognize Ohio's concealed carry licenses. Others don't. Most require that you try to retreat. Some may not. Some states require classes, range practice, background checks, fingerprinting. A few don't. Concealed carry and Castle Doctrine laws can be confusing, especially when you have to translate the "legalese" which is why this class was such a wonderful experience. My instructor gave legal explanations of lethal force, concealed carry, self-defense, retreat, and then translated them into real English that everyone could clearly understand. It was invaluable, in my humble opinion.


Laws and classroom-time aside, we spent 2 hours at the firing range, practicing various stances and grips and displaying 'competency in handling a firearm.' Again, it was scary, intimidating, outside of my comfort zone, especially being one of only 3 women in the class. I felt like the class was watching and waiting for me to mess up. Drop the gun. Accidentally shoot the instructor. Cry.

I volunteered for the first group.

And again, I loved it!

The instructor had us practice in small groups in a number of different stances and grips, 25 rounds at a time. He was completely in control of the situation, reassured his students when there was a problem and challenged us in ways many had not been challenged before.

"Anyone can hit a target shooting with both hands," he pointed out. "What can you do with you one hand? What about your non-dominant hand?"

It was an awesome experience! Am I going to win an award in marksmanship? Probably not. But I'm walking away knowing that I can unload and reload quickly. I know that I can shoot as well left-handed as I can right-handed. I know that I consistently fire a bit high and to the right. And I'm much more familiar with the workings of my firearm. Well worth $75 and 12 hours of my time.

The question of whether to carry is so exquisitely personal that no 2 people may come to the same conclusion by the same reasoning. There's so much to consider, such as personality and mindset, past experiences, religious background, even medical history! I haven't made the decision to carry yet. I may never make that decision. But thank God that we have that right, to carry or not and the right to make that decision for ourselves.

Early Anniversary Gift

The Mister surprised me yesterday with an early anniversary present. I thought the traditional 15-year gift was crystal, but he had other ideas.


Apparently a Walther P-22 is called for.


We stopped in at a little gun shop/carry out store a few weeks ago to look at handguns and a Walther model appealed to me. I'd shot Jeff's handguns a couple times (.45's ?) but they felt bulky, and while I was fairly accurate with them, I can't say I was comfortable with them. In a pinch, they'd work, but overall, I didn't care for them. I liked the P-22 because it's lightweight, the grip fit my hand and it's ambidextrous, which is nice for us righties who shoot lefty.

He also signed me up to take a concealed carry class on August 28, along with my step-dad (hereafter referred to as my dad). I'm nervous/excited to take this class, so it will be nice that he'll be in the class with me. Familiarity makes all the difference sometimes :)
A year ago, I'd never have imagined that I'd be writing about guns and concealed carry permits. It's amazing how time can change one's perspective, huh?

Just Sayin'.............