For When The Zombies Come...

The Mr. is making me nuts.

He absolutely loves zombie movies and the cheesier and lower-budget the zombie movies, the more he likes 'em.  The feature flick a few nights ago: "Flight of the Living Dead." Zombies on an airplane.  Hmmm. 

So anyway, when he heard about the CDC's efforts to protect us from zombies, he was practically giddy.  When I checked out the link, I must admit that it made me giggle; a Preparedness 101 course, illustrated with comic book style drawings with zombies as a central element to the plot.  Following the comic, there is a list of what you need to have stored for an emergency.  All in all, it's a pretty neat presentation.

If you read through with a critical eye, you'll find a few interesting items, though.  Perhaps an effort to assuage the fears of dyed-in-the-wool preppers, survivalists and homegrown terrorists; (you know, conservative Christian, anti-abortion, second-amendment-loving, food growing, food storing, homeschooling, anti-bad-government Tea Partiers.)  Like on page 28, when the zombies are overpowering the guards at a safe zone and the response to Sarge is "We can't just shoot them.  These are our fellow citizens!"  Hmmm.  So either the CDC is trying to make us feel safe and cozy about a lockdown/martial law environment...or...the guard is an Oathkeeper.  I hope he's an Oathkeeper. 

Either way, it's a cool site.  They really don't have anything new to offer, but perhaps it's in a format that will get the attention of people who haven't given thought to preparedness before. 

Worth A Repost: Buy Your Commodities Now!

http://www.arspublik.com/public-domain-general-store/

This post is my all-time, most highly viewed post.  Ever.  I'm not sure why it's so popular, but I think it's worth reposting as the message is the same.  In light of this year's catastrophic weather, devestated crops and our tumultuous economy, NOW is the time to plan your purchases wisely, stock up on the necessities and get ready for another stock market roller-coaster ride.

From Wednesday, November 10, 2010
I got an interesting email from a friend this morning, in the form of a newsletter, that I want to pass on to you. She's subscribed to an online coupon program that sends out weekly newsletters and this one bothered her. Here are some excerpts from the "Tuesday Saver":

"With the holidays upon us, there's good and bad news about deal hunting. First, there will be some good deals and it's a great time to stock up on pantry items, particularly baking items. The bad news is, we're headed into some inflation that's going to cause grocery prices to increase, and some of it pretty dramatically. First, the commodity markets and fuel costs are climbing again. That means the raw materials to make goods and the costs to transport goods are increasing significantly, and that cost is going to be passed along to the consumer.

The other way we'll see this cost passed along is in yet another decrease in package size. Two notables are ice cream - now weighing in at 1.5 quarts, down from 1.75 a few months ago, and yet we're still calling it a half-gallon, and peanut butter - down from 18 ounces to 16.3 ounces. So pay close attention to pack sizes because that sweetheart deal might actually be a worse deal that you paid for something just a few months ago because of the pack size changes.

Ultimately, reflecting on my almost twelve years of being a die-hard couponer, I think we're going to see a tough year ahead for savings, so this holiday season should be about stocking up now while you can and making the most of your saving."

This both unnerves me and validates what I've been thinking and seeing at the store for several months. It's about to get ugly, folks! Prices are still low, so now is the time to get busy and get that pantry stocked. Think commodities; wheat, sugar, cooking oil, salt, canned/powdered milk. The holidays are a great time to stock up on baking goods like white flour, brown sugar, evaporated/condensed milk and baking mixes. And watch your weekly sales, too! This week I found canned fruit, condensed soup and chicken/beef broth for $.49 a can. Throw in a coupon or two and you can walk out with free products.

But don't stop there!

-Pick up some extra socks and blue jeans as cotton prices are already rising. If you have small children like I do, it wouldn't hurt to pick up the next size of jeans and shoes.

-Fill up your gas and kerosene containers (and store them sensibly, please) as there are predictions of $4-5/gal gas in the coming months.

-Silver is always good, but make sure you're dealing with a reputable company.

I don't want to come off as a fear-monger or a conspiracy-theorist, but I'm afraid what we have is perfect storm brewing: high unemployment, record foreclosures and bankruptcy, and a second round of QE. Throw in the fact that most of the world is upset at us for one reason or another and top it off with a long, cold winter and you have a real mess on your hands. It could really get ugly, folks. Stock your pantries and your closets and get ready to hunker down.

And PS-The Mister says don't forget to pick up some ammo...desperate people are capable of stupid things!

Prepping Like You Mean It

Well this has been one in-teresting week for America, hasn't it?  I'm quite curious to see what the coming days have to offer us after last week's mess.  Politicians on both sides of the aisle played games, spent money they didn't have, blamed others for accepting it and then tried to get someone else to pay for it.  And now we're all paying for it. 

Gee thanks.

But that's okay.  I figure there's going to be a middle-class revolution soon and the PTB will be called into account.  For now, life continues without paying much heed to Wall St or Pennsylvania Ave.

To be honest, I'm rather thankful for the mess that our beloved politicians have created; it's the impetus I needed to get going after having sat still for a while.  To get stocked up, make local connections and do what I can with what I have.  I can't do a thing about our national economy, but I can do something about my own domestic economy: 

I can stock food while it's cheap.
I can preserve produce from my garden.
I can learn new skills that save money.
I can trade with friends in order to starve the beast.
I can put all my faith in God, that He will work this for our good.

I'd advise you to keep an eye on CNN today, but really does it matter?  Just do what you can while you have the time. 

Dry some delicious tomatoes. 
Can some lovely sweet peaches. 
Stock up on some pantry essentials like flour, sugar and oil. 
Make sure your sprouts have an extra pair of blue jeans. 
Fill up your fuel oil tank.
 
Do what our grandparents would have done when prepping and prudence were one and the same thing. 

Much love,
A

Optimist. Realist.

I consider myself an optimist with a dash of realist thrown in for good measure, but I don't feel so optimistic right now.  Right now, I feel like we have the perfect storm building and it's going to crash over our heads in the next couple of months.

In consideration of the news of late, I have a weird feeling in the pit of my belly.  Not anxiety.  Not fear.  Anticipation maybe?  It's hard to watch the news and not come away with that funny feeling of anticipation.  I don't particularly care about politics.  I'm not afraid of terrorism.  I'm not worried about Bin Laden and friends.  (I wasn't worried about him before, so why worry now?)  I'm worried about food.

I can speak first hand of the flooding locally.  Creeks are up.  Lakes are up.  Reservoirs are 20ft above normal levels.  Roads are closed.  Fields are underwater.  Fields that aren't underwater are so mucky they can't be planted.  And this is considered mild flooding.  It will probably be several weeks before farmers in my area can plant their wheat, corn and soy crops; and that's if it stops raining TODAY and doesn't rain for a week or two.  They're a month behind as it is.

I read of flooding in the heartland along the Mississippi River; of levees blown, flooding thousands upon thousands of acres of good, rich farmland to save a small town.  I'm sure the small town appreciates it.  I pity the farmers who won't be able to use their land for many years because it's a mire of silty, polluted mud.  My heart goes out to them.

I read of droughts in the western states, Texas and Colorado, where the soil is so dry it's cracking and crops are drying up under the feet of the farmers.  Many are predicting a harvest of Nil.  Nothing.  Zip.

Our perfect storm is forming right now.  Devalued dollar.  High gas prices.  Catastrophic weather.  Ruined crops.  Limited food supplies.  Increasing inflation.  I can't help but think that this is Wrath of God stuff.  He talked about this kind of thing.  In Revelations.  Somehow I find comfort in that.  But back to the subject at hand; food.   Where there's no crop, there's no harvest.  Where there's no harvest, there's no food. 

I'm anticipating a real tough time this fall; when no corn is harvested to feed livestock.  No soy harvested to produce a myriad of products, from tofu to salad dressing.  No wheat harvested for cereals and breads (and doughnuts!)  If those 3 grains aren't available, demand turns to other grains; millet, barley, rice.  Anything to fill the void.  And those shortages, in one form or another, WILL be passed along to us, the consumers.  In higher food prices.  In food shortages.  In smaller packaging.  Is it out of the realm of possibility that we could see empty shelves at Walmart this winter?

As I said earlier, I'm an optimist.  I think in some way, we'll pull through.  I'm optimistic that a dry spell will occur so farmers in our area can plant.  I'm optimistic that the flooding along the Mississippi will recede and farmers will produce some sort of crop.  I'm optimistic that drought-stricken areas will receive rain.  Call it a God-thing.  Somehow, good will out.  Prayers will be answered.  Alls well that ends well. 

But I'm also a realist.  And I realize that we should look to the ant and be ready for a tough season.  This year, I plan to can anything and everything I can lay hands on.  This year, I plan to skip low-yielding crops and plant vegs that will produce a lot of calories in a small area.  This year, I'm stocking up on shelf-stable foods, especially those that will be impacted most by the loss of grain crops.  I'm weaning the kids from daily meals of meat and finding filling dishes that are based on less expensive ingredients.  Finding local sources of products like meat, milk and fruit.     

And I'm praying.

For cessation of rainfall in the heartland of America.

For the recession of flood waters along the Mississippi.

For an end to the drought in western states.

For a release from the crazy weather patterns threatening America for the past couple months.

And, while we're at it, protection from terrorists.  Foreign.  And Domestic.      

What Would YOU Say?

A couple times a week, I get emails from readers and I absolutely love it.  It's like getting a late Christmas present or an unexpected package in the mail.  Fun fun.  On Sunday, I got an email from a lovely lady in a neighboring county asking for information on preparedness; how to get started, specifically, and for a while I wasn't sure what to say. 

Preparedness is such a fluid topic, subject to change at a moments notice depending on where you live and how you live and what you hope to accomplish in life.  Unlike FEMA's one-size-fits-all-3-day-food-supply public service announcement, true preparedness is case-specific and no two person's approaches will be the same.  We're both limited and supported by our climate, our community, our livelihood, our budgets and what suits me probably wouldn't be a good fit for the California Survivalist. 

After a few minutes of consideration, I answered this particular email with the suggestion that learning practical skills like gardening and food preservation is a good place to start.  I also suggested stocking up on shelf-stable commodities like wheat, rice, sugar and finding local resources for basic items like eggs, milk and meat.  But those are MY priorities.  My main concern at the moment is the future of our food supply with regard to QE, inflation, poor harvests and supply problems.  Not everyone has those same priorities.

So if you received an email from a neighbor asking where to start on the journey to preparedness, what would you say?       

It's Not What You Have-It's What You Know!

I blog a lot about stocking up on food and necessaries (now!) while prices are low, but admittedly, stocking up isn't the only plan of action one might take when preparing for the unknown.  When winter rolls around and there's free time on hand, my thoughts automatically turn to developing skills.  For the most part, we homesteaders/preppers have an unbroken 3 months of free time that we can devote to brushing up on old skills and learning new ones.  From January 2 until sometime in late March or early April, there are no holidays to plan.  Nothing needs winterized or de-winterized.  No grass to cut.  No flowerbeds to weed.  Just solitude.  And there's no better time to learn something new than when you can apply your undivided attention.

Each year, I try to learn something new.  This year, I've devoted a lot of time to learning knitting, baking sourdough bread and correct methods of pruning trees and berries.  I took my concealed carry training and practiced target shooting.  I've also spent a lot of time reading and re-reading the Bible in an effort to extract new bits of wisdom.  

My plans for this winter include researching medicinal herbs and root cellaring, attempting to make homemade sausage blends and finding a good recipe for sprouted wheat bread.  I'd also like to learn the trick to growing leeks so I don't have to pay $3/bunch for them at the grocery store.  And of course, more knitting.  Knit one.  Perl one.  Knit two.  Perl two.  It gets a bit tedious, but I WILL learn to knit successfully.

Having a full larder and all the necessary accouterments will only get you so far and at some point, what you know (or don't) may be even more important.  Now is a great time to learn or relearn those valuable skills!

What do you want to learn this winter?

      

Buy Your Commodities Now!

I got an interesting email from a friend this morning, in the form of a newsletter, that I want to pass on to you.  She's subscribed to an online coupon program that sends out weekly newsletters and this one bothered her.  Here are some excerpts from the "Tuesday Saver":

 "With the holidays upon us, there's good and bad news about deal hunting. First, there will be some good deals and it's a great time to stock up on pantry items, particularly baking items. The bad news is, we're headed into some inflation that's going to cause grocery prices to increase, and some of it pretty dramatically. First, the commodity markets and fuel costs are climbing again.  That means the raw materials to make goods and the costs to transport goods are increasing significantly, and that cost is going to be passed along to the consumer.

The other way we'll see this cost passed along is in yet another decrease in package size.  Two notables are ice cream - now weighing in at 1.5 quarts, down from 1.75 a few months ago, and yet we're still calling it a half-gallon, and peanut butter - down from 18 ounces to 16.3 ounces. So pay close attention to pack sizes because that sweetheart deal might actually be a worse deal that you paid for something just a few months ago because of the pack size changes.

Ultimately, reflecting on my almost twelve years of being a die-hard couponer, I think we're going to see a tough year ahead for savings, so this holiday season should be about stocking up now while you can and making the most of your saving."

This both unnerves me and validates what I've been thinking and seeing at the store for several months.  It's about to get ugly, folks!  Prices are still low, so now is the time to get busy and get that pantry stocked.  Think commodities; wheat, sugar, cooking oil, salt, canned/powdered milk.  The holidays are a great time to stock up on baking goods like white flour, brown sugar, evaporated/condensed milk and baking mixes.  And watch your weekly sales, too!  This week I found canned fruit, condensed soup and chicken/beef broth for $.49 a can.  Throw in a coupon or two and you can walk out with free products.   

But don't stop there!

-Pick up some extra socks and blue jeans as cotton prices are already rising.  If you have small children like I do, it wouldn't hurt to pick up the next size of jeans and shoes. 

-Fill up your gas and kerosene containers (and store them sensibly, please) as there are predictions of $4-5/gal gas in the coming months.

-Silver is always good, but make sure you're dealing with a reputable company.

I don't want to come off as a fear-monger or a conspiracy-theorist, but I'm afraid what we have is perfect storm brewing: high unemployment, record foreclosures and bankruptcy, and a second round of QE.  Throw in the fact that most of the world is upset at us for one reason or another and top it off with a long, cold winter and you have a real mess on your hands.  It could really get ugly, folks.  Stock your pantries and your closets and get ready to hunker down.

And PS-The Mister says don't forget to pick up some ammo...desperate people are capable of stupid things!           

101 Reasons to Use Coconut Oil

Okay. I concede. I can't really come up with 101 reasons to use coconut oil. Maybe 10 or 20. Maybe more if I really give it thought. Nonetheless, I'm finding that I love coconut oil and here's why everyone should have a supply of it in their pantry.



1) It's a great moisturizer. I can hear a number of my lady readers shuddering, but give it a chance before you reject the idea. I love coconut oil for moisturizing. It's very thin and light and soaks right into the skin, leaving it feeling 'dewy' for lack of a better word. I use it at night and in the mornings under make-up. It's also nice because it doesn't sting when you apply it to freshly-shaved legs or sunburned faces.



2) It's a great hair treatment. I use it for smoothing fly-aways, as a protectant before I heat style and as a deep conditioner. No weird chemicals, no offensive smells, just shiny, silky hair.



3) It has a long shelf-life. Among oils, coconut oil has one of the longest shelf-lives; 2 years or more if stored properly and even longer if stored in the freezer.



4) It's good for you. Emerging science suggests coconut oil is beneficial to the body, even more so than olive oil.



5) It's great for frying. Use it in place of butter for grilled cheese, or for pan frying chicken. No, it doesn't make everything taste like coconut. Some brands may, other brands not so much.



6) You can use it to condition leather. My poor old 'wear-em-everyday' leather sandles were looking so shabby, so I polished them with a bit of coconut oil and they look so much better!



7) You can use it as a carrier oil. Coconut oil is a nice, neutral carrier for potent essential oils like tea tree oil or mint. It would make a great base for homemade massage oil.



8) It's great for baking. Coconut oil, used cup for cup in place of other oils/fats, makes wonderfully moist baked goods. And if substituting coconut oil for vegetable oil makes brownies healthier, then I'm all for it! Imagine: brownies; a health food!

9) A little goes a long, long way. For beauty purposes, just a couple dabs will moisturize your face. Just a couple drops will make your hair shiny and frizz-free. Coconut oil may be a touch expensive in some areas, but a small container will last for a long time.

10) You can find it most anywhere. Kroger, Walmart, Meijer, Amazon.com sell coconut oil. Check the organic/baking sections of your local grocer or health food store and see for yourself.

So have I convinced anyone to try coconut oil? If you already have coconut oil in your pantry, what are your favorite uses?

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.

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

Watcha Gonna Tell The Kids?

It's been a while since I've posted on emergency preparedness; not because I've given up prepping, but because my spiritual compass has changed a good deal in recent months. So while I've been tossing around ideas for posts, I read a comment on a friend's blog that lead me to think about the current financial/moral/social/governmental state of the world in slightly different terms. Simply put: If the worst happens and this downturn becomes an all-out collapse, watcha gonna tell the kids?



When there's no food in the cupboards because you never bothered to put away some canned vegetables or dried beans, watcha gonna tell the kids?



When there's no clothes to be worn because you never learned how to sew or mend, watcha gonna tell the kids?



When there's no drinking water because the power is out and you didn't think water storage was important, watcha gonna tell the kids?



When there's no fresh meat to eat because the thought of hunting Bambi upsets your modern sensibilities, watcha gonna tell the kids?



When the LocalMart shelves are bare of necessities because the 'just in time' delivery system failed miserably, watcha gonna tell the kids?



Some of those questions sound harsh, but really, what would you say? What possible answer could you offer that would both ease your conscience AND make them forget their grumbly bellies or cold feet? When they look at you hungry, thirsty, cold, will you simply point to the big screen TV or the swanky new SUV parked in the driveway and tell them you had other priorities? When the coverage of the Greek meltdown came on the news, did you watch and think about it, or simply turn the channel? We're no different than the Greeks, and the uprising, riots, martial law they're experiencing could just as easily be our future. Next week, it may be us that you're watching on that 72 inch flat screen.



I hope this post isn't putting you on the defensive, but the offensive. Things are weird out there, friends and no matter how the media spins the news, no matter how the various czars sugar-coat their reports, joblessness is joblessness. Hunger is hunger. Homelessness is homelessness. And if you have children, *especially* if you have children, it's your responsibility to see them through these strange days. Hoping for an upturn accomplishes nothing, but growing food, storing water and learning practical skills can make all the difference. Ask a neighbor who lived through the 1st Depression. Ask a Katrina survivor. Ask a Gulf Coast resident. Ask a survivor from any of a number of genocides. Planning makes all the difference, sometimes between life and death.

This (Choose one-recession, slump, downturn) is hardly over and may very likely get worse before it gets better, so what are you waiting for? The bottom to drop out? Do what Ma Ingalls would do: prep that pantry, load up that larder and get ready. It takes a little time, a little money and a little effort, but you'll find great comfort in knowing watcha gonna tell the kids if the worst comes to pass.

Preparedness Challenge: April Edition

Can you believe it's been more than a month since we've talked preparedness? This past month has just blown by; a blur of beautiful weather, yard work, holidays, eye-opening experiences and outings with the kids. This is, without a doubt, my favorite time of the year. The grass is green, the fruit trees are covered with blooms, wild mushrooms and asparagus are popping up everywhere you look and every morning, I get to wake up to birds tweeting in the tree at the back of the house. It IS a wonderful life!

Part of the beauty of practicing preparedness is that, well, like the old story goes "I can sleep when the wind blows." Ever heard that story? Prepare a little every day, spiritually, physically, mentally and you'll have nothing to fear. If you're prepared for the storms in life, then you can better appreciate the beautiful, sunny days.

That said, how have you prepared for life's storms over the past month?

Store Something: This month we put up dried corn and wheat, dehydrated fruit, bottled water and a few other goodies. I've also been playing around with a Foodsaver and am pretty excited about the new possibilities for food storage.

Grow Something: We planted most of our garden yesterday, with the exception of the warm weather plants (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant). We haven't planted the corn patch yet as we want to be sure that it's a 'soy' year instead of a 'corn' year and we don't end up with a patch of corn so dry and nasty that even the raccoons won't eat it.

Harvest Something: Within the next day or two, we'll have rhubarb ready to go! In addition to rhubarb cobbler, I want to try canning rhubarb in chutney form.

.

Preserve Something: Strawberry jam, 2 batches! I know what you're thinking: "Bad homesteader! Using commercially grown berries instead of locally grown." Deal with it! I was desperate!

Learn Something: I've learned so much over the past month! All the things I'd learned as a youth about God transferred from my head to my heart. Suddenly, it all made sense.

Practice Something Useful: I'm still knitting away! I knitted a dishcloth with an impression of a fish on it. I say 'impression' because it isn't quite right and it only gives you the suggestion of a fish. Just like an Impressionist painting! Call me Monet. We went fishing with the kids, although I'm not sure that you'd call catching a 6 inch long fish useful.

Do Something the Old-Fashioned Way: This one is a little tougher. We collectively spent about 2 weeks sick in late March, so our usual old-fashioned habits took a backseat to convenience. It's no fun baking bread when it's all you can do to drag yourself out of bed in the morning, right? I did mix up some killer tonics to try and beat the cold. My ginger tea was delightful whether you're sick or not.

Have Fun! This HAS been a fun month. We had our Easter celebration, took the kids fishing, played Charlie Brown football and enjoyed a Kindergarten spring program last night. What is it about 90 kids doing the chicken dance that is so darn funny?????

.

So that's an overview of our lives over the past month. What have you done so that you can sleep when the wind blows?

Forever and a Day

Appropriate title, eh? That's about how long it's been since I've blogged. I haven't given up blogging, but my focus is changing and I needed a couple weeks off for sanity purposes. My life has turned about 180 degrees in the past month and I needed time to regroup and figure out which direction I'm being lead.

So, my biggest announcement: the chickens are gone. Jeff and I decided that they were taking up too much time and sort of distracting us from our main goals: keeping our sanity and raising children. You wouldn't think that a few layers would take THAT much time, but it seemed like our lives revolved around the chicky-bits and their schedules. Okay, that and they absolutely wouldn't stay in their pen. When one begins pondering razor wire and electric fencing to keep a couple chickens in place, it's time to rethink things. It was a fantastic experience, and the knowledge and skills we've gained has been vast, but now it's time to move on. I will miss our chickens, especially our roo but we found a great home for them this weekend, so we can end this endeavour on a happy note.

Now that that's over, we'll continue to concentrate on our usual homesteading activities...heirloom gardening, food preservation, old-fashioned skills like bread baking, yogurt culturing and knitting...but I'll be approaching it with a peace and a serenity that I didn't have before. God changes everything. Salvation changes everything. And I can't pretend that things will proceed like before. I have hope now. I don't have to know all the answers or try to cover all the bases. I don't have to be afraid anymore. God is holding things together.

God willing, tomorrow I'll be posting about food preservation through the use of Foodsavers. Now that is a fun little tool! And if I remember to get my camera out of the back of the Jeep, there may even be pictures. So until then, best wishes from the Run.

Preparedness Challenge-The Revised Edition

It's fun to see what everyone else is doing, but I think I'm going to change the terms just a little bit. Become a little more organized. Gasp. I know. Me, organized. There are so many aspects to being prepared; it's not just about storing food, although for me that's of huge importance. So let's shake things up a bit and work on a few key areas: food storage (naturally), growing your own, harvesting and preserving, learning a new skill, doing something the old fashioned way.

Store Something: This week we added canned meat, beans, rice and a few condiments to the food stores. I also picked up extra seeds to store in the freezer for next year.

Grow Something: The tomatoes and peppers are 2 or 3 inches tall now, and the lettuce beds are freshly planted.

Harvest Something: Not yet!

Learn Something: I've been working on knitting each night and slowly, oh so slowly it's beginning to resemble the pictures in the book! Also, we learned this week that a package of tobacco thrown into a chicken coop is a fairly natural mite/bug deterrent. And don't worry, it doesn't hurt the chickens!

Practice Something Useful: Mara and I sewed a few dresses for summer. Just a few simple lightweight dresses that I won't mind getting stained or torn. And believe it or not, I wouldn't be ashamed for her to wear these in public. They actually look...nice!

Do Something the Old Fashioned Way: Bread and pretzel baking! Soft pretzels are time consuming, but fairly easy and sooooo delicious! We're also enjoying weather that's warm enough to hang out laundry on the line. Love that!

Have Fun: After mulching the flowerbeds yesterday, the kids and I spent the day knocking around the yard, playing softball and thoroughly enjoyed our St. Paddy's Day Feast! Miss Mara gorged herself on corned beef, polishing off more than 3 servings.

So that's my revised challenge for the week. I'd love to hear what other folks are doing to prepare themselves for the worst (or the best!)

Best wishes from the Run,
Andie

Preparedness Challenge-March 1

Well, it's been 2 weeks since my last Preparedness Challenge and I know you can't wait to tell the world what you've accomplished since my last post! Things have been a little slow here at the Run. There's so little you can do when there's 2 feet of snow, the county has declared a Level 2 emergency and they're bringing in wheel loaders to create snow dams to stop drifting. But I've kept on keeping on, determined to be a little better prepared tomorrow than I was today. Thankfully, we've had a break in the weather the past day or two and the temperatures have even risen a bit. We were a balmy 36 today. Whoot whoot!!

So here's what I've done:

-Mara and I did a little second-hand shopping and picked up some larger-sized clothes for Isaac and a few dresses for her.

-Started tomatoes, eggplant and peppers from saved seeds.

-Refilled the fuel oil tank, so we should be set for heat til November or later.

-Added to the food storage: beans, rice, lentils, sugar, pasta, relishes/olives and coffee.

-Added to the toiletry closet: cold medicine, Ibuprofen, Children's Tylenol, soap.

-Bought some local honey and got acquainted with the Honey-man. (Never would have guessed we were kin!)

-Practiced important skills: baking, sewing, culturing.

All in all, not a bad week or two. I know you're chomping at the bit, so now's your chance. What have you done in the past week or two?

Preparedness Challenge- Week 1

It's rare to find good news in the newspaper or online, but lately the news has gone from bad to worse. I'm sure you've read about the jobs lost, the foreclosures, the weather emergencies on the East Coast. You've probably read about the rising number of homeless families and families living on food stamps. Increasingly, the stories are of terrorism, both at home and abroad. Lots of scary stuff out there in that big old world, and for the most part, there's not a thing we can do about it.

For the most part.

There's nothing we can do about weather, jobs or terrorism, but as a friend of mine would say, we can lessen the negative impact. Repeat those words: lessen the negative impact. We can't change who or what will impact our lives, but we can change how it will affect us. And therein lies the challenge. I'm challenging you to prepare for the negative to lessen it's impact on your everyday life. So how do you do that? It's so easy.

You need water to survive. Do you have water? Do you have a way of filtering water? There are so many options out there. Many of them are beautiful and expensive, many of them are effective, but homemade ugly. It doesn't matter which way you go, as long as it works.

You need food to survive. Do you have food? Do you have enough to sustain you during an emergency? Do you have a way of preparing food if the power is out? Again, so many options to consider. The LDS advocate a year's worth of food in your storage, and I believe the same thing.

You need shelter to survive. Is your home secure and functional? Do you have a backup plan for bugging out if you need to refugee? Do you know your neighbors? Do you trust them?

You need heat to survive. Do you have a working furnace? What's your backup plan for a grid-down situation? Are there enough blankets in the closet? Do you have extra fuel for your stove?

You need air to survive. Do you have a CO2 detector? Are your windows screened? Have you considered respiration masks to contend with pandemics?

You need light to survive...or at least be comfortable. Have you worked out a plan for lighting your home when the power is down? Is there enough oil for your lamps and batteries for your flashlights? Have you tried a hand-cranked lantern?

Yes, there's a lot to consider regarding preparedness and everyone is going to have a different approach, but that's what makes it wonderful. And as long as it gets done, it doesn't matter how you approach it. So here's the deal. Let's get prepared by spurring each other on. Each week, let's dish on what we've done during the previous week to ready ourselves for the worst. Leave comments and let us know what you did and how you did it. Your comments may encourage someone else, or remind someone of something they've forgotten. Survival is a community effort, be it a real community or a virtual one and it's up to you to get involved.

I'll start by saying that this week, I purged my basement making it a more livable space. I gathered up extra blankets and pillows and put them in a convenient spot. I organized some of my dried goods to create a little extra storage space. I mailed a few seeds to friends who I know will appreciate good tomatoes. Mara and I practiced sprouting seeds, baking and making yogurt.

So that's what I did.

What did you do this week?

Digging Out

Boy did we get walloped yesterday! What started out as a prediction of 4-6 inches of snow has morphed into 8-12 inches with 30 mph wind and 5 foot tall drifts. Gotta love Ohio in wintertime! Jeff is hooking up the snow blade as there's a knee-high drift the length of the driveway and no foreseeable warm-up coming. My mom, who lives 3 miles away as the crow flies, said she heard on the news to be prepared to stay indoors for 4-5 days. We're prepared.


On a similar topic, I had a guest post titled "Day-to-Day Preparedness" posted on the Emergency Essentials blog. While not my best work, it covers the tedious day-to-day emergencies that preparedness is all about. And I won a gift card for it, so it's all good!

Well, I know this an uncharacteristically short post, but I've got 2 sick kids to take care of. Mara has a run of the mill cold and Isaac contracted strep. Fun fun. I've got a pot of chicken and rice soup simmering on the back burner, and I think a big hot pot of tea will round things out and make everyone feel better. Take care and stay warm, friends!

Change of Pace

It's been a quiet week or so here on the Knobs as we all worked (still working) through our grief over losing Granny Magdalene. Her family, 3 sons, 1 daughter and husband Bob are all doing well. As sad an occasion as it was, it was wonderful to get to know my cousins better and meet a few I didn't know I had! It's a great comfort to know there are so many family members living close-by, seeing familiar faces and finding out that we're kin. Bob (Grandbob) made a date with Mara for this summer; cookies and frog-feeding in the little fish pond. We're slowly settling into a new type of normalcy.

On a happier note, we're having a big 4th birthday party this weekend! My little Tink is turning 4 with a Tinkerbell-themed birthday party at Mamaw and Papaw's house. It's nothing fancy really, some food, cake and ice cream, but it's a great way to break the pervasive sadness that we've been experiencing the past couple weeks. After all, you don't turn 4 everyday, right? Mara's cousin Roni is coming in from Akron, and cousin Olivia (Weba) will also be there, so it should be a fun time for all.

Jeff has started college again. He finished his 2 year degree and is now working on a Bachelor's at Wittenberg U. It's keeping him pretty busy as it's fairly writing-intensive, but he seems to really enjoy it. I'm thinking he needs to do a guest post for me about his class 'The Problems With Democracy'. 3 weeks in and it's already quite interesting. But we'll save that for another day.

On the preparedness front, we're still busy stocking up on food, especially grains and different varieties of canned food. I hate to buy canned food, with all their can-lining issues, but one simply cannot live on home-canned green beans, applesauce and tomatoes alone. With any luck, our little trees will begin producing this summer and we'll have a larger variety of fruits to put up. And speaking of summer....summer can't get here quickly enough for me! We just opened up our last jar of strawberry jam...and it will be gone long before strawberry season begins! Note to self: can twice as much strawberry jam and preserves in 2010.

We've been busy purging the basement here at the Run. Our church is doing a relief drive for the Haitian mission it supports, so we've been digging through outgrown children's clothes and shoes to donate. We'll also be donating a bit of canned meat, peanut butter and some baby formula the Gerber people keep sending me. (Hey Gerber people...my baby is 4 and never used formula! But you can keep sending it and I'll keep donating it!)

The children are the most hurtful part of the whole Haiti cataclysm. Adults are responsible for their own lots in life, but those poor children are the real victims. Like that newborn they found laying in a ditch, thankfully found alive and well. Who the heck leaves a newborn laying in a ditch? I can't begin to say what I'd do in a similar disaster, but I can't imagine what would bring me to abandon my children. I've been busily knitting lightweight newborn caps to send along with the clothing and formula. It may be an exercise in futility, but at least I feel like I'm doing something, futile or not.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, the Ameraucanas are laying blue eggs like there's no tomorrow! Our egg production has really picked up in the last week or so, so in the next couple weeks, I'm anticipating canning Lemon Curd with all the extra eggs. Nothing like some homegrown sunshine in a jar, eh?

So, I think you're all caught up now. That's what's going on in our corner of the world. What's the new year been like for you?

Popcorn! Popcorn! Get Your Popcorn!

I've been giving thought to corn lately...exciting, I know! I've been trying to figure out how to work corn into our food storage plan but the research became rather confusing. I never would have guessed there were so many varieties of corn out there...flint, dent, field, sweet, pop. Some varieties are only good fresh. Some are best for tortillas. Others are only good soaked in lye and boiled. Who woulda thunk it?

The goal was a whole grain corn product with a long shelf life that could be ground into meal for battering fish, for cornbread and hush puppies, and you'll never guess what the answer was....popcorn! I found many references online to popcorn being ground for cornmeal, so I tried it. Jeff was the muscle that day because popcorn ISN'T easy to grind, but after the grinding, I made up a batch of plain old cornbread. Honest to Goodness, that was the lightest, fluffiest, Jiffy-Mixiest cornbread I have ever made! The corn ground up finer than traditional cornmeal, but grittier than flour and the resulting bread had the corny flavor, but the texture was along the lines of a quick bread.

Plus, popcorn is a much more versatile grain than flint or dent corn. Of course you can pop it for a snack, and it's a wonderful comfort food, but did you know that the colonists used popcorn as a breakfast food. Sure! They served it with milk and sugar just like any other grain. My first reaction was 'ewwwww' but I imagine it's no different that any other grain-milk-sugar combination. And far more nutritious than any Instant Oatmeal on the market.

So, it's popcorn for us.

Security On The Fly

A friend sent me an email just a little while ago about a church receptionist in a high-risk area who worried about being robbed whilst counting the Sunday collection. She considered pepper spray for protection, but her local police department had a different suggestion...Wasp Spray!

If you've ever used it, you know that it will spray 20-30 feet fairly accurately, with little or no over-spray to blow back in your face. It will also temporarily blind the intruder, leaving you free to escape and call police. Is it as effective as your grandpa's rifle? No. Will it ruin the culprits day? Absolutely. And can you imagine a more innocent-looking weapon to have sitting around on your desk at work?

While I'd be hesitant to become overly-reliant on a can of wasp spray, I think it's a terribly clever idea and one that apparently fit the bill with the secretary!