Bits and Pieces

The reason I named this post Bits and Pieces is that it is the whole idea of collecting and storing all the bits and pieces that we will surely need if things go South in the future.   I was reading a blog on the net and found someone talking about collecting games, cards and other things for entertainment in the worst case scenario.  I realized that even though I have collected these things, I haven’t discussed it on here.  So let’s break it down into a few different categories.  Let’s start with entertainment. I will post other articles under “Bits and Pieces”  later concerning other subjects.

Entertainment

With no power what would you like to do on long winter days shut indoors?  Play cards?  Play board games?  Put puzzles together? Draw or Paint artwork? Do you play and instrument? These are all good things to do but do you have the games, puzzles, cards, paints and art materials, puzzle books?  If not the Dollar Tree  have many treasures for your chest of sanity saving simple games such as checkers, chess, dice, cards, children’s card games, puzzles, puzzle books, and even some art supplies.  Check it out and pick up some for your future.  Check online and buy a book of card games and rules.  Hoyle makes one that is good.  For the kids don’t forget marbles, jacks, pickup sticks, baseballs and bats, basketballs and hoops, badminton sets, croquet sets, soccer balls, and any other game paraphernalia that you family is interested in.  If you need to be quiet you might consider the indoor games.  Older people might be interested in horseshoes and croquet or holey board (which is easy to make yourself). Buy a roll of the banquet table paper that comes in approx. a hundred foot roll.  The kids can draw for a very long time on this paper and use it to make holiday decorations and adults can play Pictionary with it as well.  Just have an adult cut it into smaller sheet size pieces.  It will save you a bundle!  Get recipes for play dough, sidewalk chalk, goop, silly putty, etc. on the net.  Print it out and put it in a binder reserved for entertainment ideas.   Make sure you buy the items to make some of the items above such as salt in bulk, flour, plaster, etc.  I will post the links to some of these items I have listed in this article at the bottom of each section.  Children will drive adults crazy if you don’t have a way to keep them occupied.  Noisy kids playing and having fun is much easier to cope with than noisy kids saying “I’m bored” or being fussy and crying because they are tired of sitting around or just doing chores and no play. 

I have set up a wooden box that is like a small footlocker with a padlock on it which is filled with lots of interesting things like small magic sets from the Dollar Tree, string for making different things like we did as kids by making a circle of string or a roll of butchers twine and making shapes, yoyo’s, domino’s, children’s puzzles, match game cards, old maid cards, jacks, pickup sticks, Nerf balls, army men, small dinosaur sets, farm sets, marbles, hot wheel cars, Noah Ark sets, chalk boards and chalk, crayons and coloring books, building blocks, etc.  Find the stuff as inexpensively as possible.  I have gotten many things from unlikely places.  Stop at a new construction site and ask if you can pick up the throw away pieces of 2 X 4’s which are not pressure treated!  Take them home and spend an hour or two sanding the edges and ends with a belt or orbital sander to make them safe, these will make the very best building blocks!  Go to a craft store and buy marbles which are meant for crafts and flower vases.  If you can’t buy different colors then buy some glass paint pens and paint them a few different colors to keep kids happy knowing which ones are theirs. Make your own chalk with plaster of paris, don’t throw away broken crayons! Put them into a box for later melting and making new ones in rainbow colors that will thrill your kids! 

I have lots of construction paper in my box as well as brads, stapler and staples, also lots of pencils, #2 and colored pencils.  I am not a big fan of markers because they dry up and the kids can destroy their clothes and your walls and furniture with them. You will have to choose what you want to store for your own kids, grandkids and other children who may be in your home.  The one thing I would like to suggest is to get extra games that have a lot of pieces because they will invariably get lost.  I have a couple of Monopoly games and Clue games for that reason. I do not ever let my grandkids know what is in my “Treasure Chest”  that way if they are good and I know that they are going to be stuck for a long time indoors I can pull it out and pick out something that is new and exciting even if it was cheap and ordinary in the old days.  Don’t forget printing out the instructions for playing – Statues, Mother May I, Simon Says, Red Light-Green Light, Tag, Hide and Seek, Hula Hoops, Frisbee, and many other games children played in the “Old Days” when I was a kid.  Kids used to be able to occupy themselves and taught each other these games.  My whole neighborhood got together and had foot races, baseball games, marble tournaments, Hop Scotch, Jump Rope and we performed in our own “Circus” for the parents and we just had a ball playing and being creative.  The kids today don’t know that kind of creativity any longer.  They think drawing in a computer program is ‘drawing’ and they think playing a game is playing it on a game system.

Maybe if we had an “Old Days” family night and taught the kids a few of the old time games and interacted with them they would be more receptive to these things when that is all they will have after a disaster happens. Think back to your childhood, what did you play with?  What were your favorite toys?  What were your favorite games?  Of course I mean those that didn’t require electricity or batteries.   Think about it.  Go to some yard sales, thrift stores, craft stores, and dollar stores and come up with your own ideas.  The internet is a great place for ideas if you type the right thing in you will be surprised how many ideas you will get.  Good luck!

http://mainstreetmom.com/fun_old_games.htm

http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/top-10-games-of-the-50s-1104495.html

http://www.barryoneoff.co.uk/html/games.html

http://mysite.verizon.net/cmelliott/slinky.html

http://www.abcteach.com/babysit/games/traditional.htm

http://www.landofmarbles.com/marbles-play.html

http://www.fungameskidsplay.com/classicgames.htm

http://www.momsminivan.com/oldmaid-crazyeights.html

http://www.playdoughrecipe.com/

http://www.kids-cooking-activities.com/silly-putty-recipes.html

http://bluebonnetvillage.com/recipes.htm

http://www.savvyhomemade.com/homemade-toys.html

http://www.savvyhomemade.com/homemade-crafts.html

http://www.marthastewart.com/275402/homemade-toys-and-games/@center/276975/marthas-crafts-kids

http://familycrafts.about.com/cs/craftsupplies/ht/SidewalkChalk.htm

 

National Preparedness Month

National Preparedness Month

The following proclamation was issued by President Barack H. Obama to make September -  "National Preparedness Month".

 

 

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

August 31, 2011

Presidential Proclamation--National Preparedness Month

NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH, 2011

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

Whenever our Nation has been challenged, the American people have responded with faith, courage, and strength. This year, natural disasters have tested our response ability across all levels of government. Our thoughts and prayers are with those whose lives have been impacted by recent storms, and we will continue to stand with them in their time of need. This September also marks the 10th anniversary of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, which united our country both in our shared grief and in our determination to prevent future generations from experiencing similar devastation. Our Nation has weathered many hardships, but we have always pulled together as one Nation to help our neighbors prepare for, respond to, and recover from these extraordinary challenges.

In April of this year, a devastating series of tornadoes challenged our resilience and tested our resolve. In the weeks that followed, people from all walks of life throughout the Midwest and the South joined together to help affected towns recover and rebuild. In Joplin, Missouri, pickup trucks became ambulances, doors served as stretchers, and a university transformed itself into a hospital. Local businesses contributed by using trucks to ship donations, or by rushing food to those in need. Disability community leaders worked side-by-side with emergency managers to ensure that survivors with disabilities were fully included in relief and recovery efforts. These stories reveal what we can accomplish through readiness and collaboration, and underscore that in America, no problem is too hard and no challenge is too great.

Preparedness is a shared responsibility, and my Administration is dedicated to implementing a "whole community" approach to disaster response. This requires collaboration at all levels of government, and with America's private and nonprofit sectors. Individuals also play a vital role in securing our country. The National Preparedness Month Coalition gives everyone the chance to join together and share information across the United States. Americans can also support volunteer programs through www.Serve.gov, or find tools to prepare for any emergency by visiting the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Ready Campaign website at www.Ready.gov or www.Listo.gov.

In the last few days, we have been tested once again by Hurricane Irene. While affected communities in many States rebuild, we remember that preparedness is essential. Although we cannot always know when and where a disaster will hit, we can ensure we are ready to respond. Together, we can equip our families and communities to be resilient through times of hardship and to respond to adversity in the same way America always has -- by picking ourselves up and continuing the task of keeping our country strong and safe.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 2011 as National Preparedness Month. I encourage all Americans to recognize the importance of preparedness and observe this month by working together to enhance our national security, resilience, and readiness.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of August, in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.

BARACK OBAMA

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

The preceding document was released last year by the President and we should all applaud him for recognizing that our citizens should be prepared.   I think that we should take heed to his call for preparedness but it would have been a good idea to add a few paragraphs to the letter that they released.  The following is what I would have added. 

“Citizens of the United States, we must heed the need for personal responsibility toward our preparedness for natural and manmade disasters.  All people have the responsibility to protect themselves from natural disasters by heeding evacuation orders when issued by the county or state authorities.  Everyone should have enough supplies to take at a moments notice to see them through 3 days in an evacuation shelter.  All citizens should also have a two weeks drinking water supply in case of contaminated water in their community that results by either natural or manmade disasters.   Citizens should have at the very least if at all possible a minimum of two weeks food that requires very little preparation to maintain the health of your family during disasters and power outages.  There is no place that is completely safe from possible power outages, weather disasters, or the need for quarantine during a possible pandemic or biological event. 

The human species is vulnerable but the human spirit is indomitable and can persevere even in the face of a disaster.  Prepare for the worst and pray for the best.  In the future if we work together as a united people and take the responsibility for ourselves and our families the Government will be able to help those who cannot prepare because of disabilities, severe poverty or other problems that keep them from being able to prepare for themselves. 

The United States Government has limited resources for large scale disasters but with the Citizens helping themselves and their neighbors and community the disasters effects will be minimized and will be mitigated more quickly to get the area and people back to a more normal situation. 

Many people have died in the past when natural disasters took place and many deaths were unnecessary and would not have occurred if the people had been prepared and had heeded warnings.   Do not forget that the Government is for the people and by the people, but it is not responsible for your safety in lieu of your taking care of yourselves.  You are the first responder to your own situation and for your family and your neighbors if possible.  Be your brothers keeper and help where ever you are needed in a catastrophe.”

 Thank you,

Gram of “Gram’s Survival Kitchen”

 

Step Four – Medical Supplies

First Installment

This is a huge subject for me to tackle and I have been debating with myself on how to approach it.  I realize that with the “Affordable Care Act” having been not only passed by the House, Senate and signed into law by the President and now that the Supreme Court upheld 90% or more of it that we are going to be screwed in the future medically.  When martial law is put into effect or we are pushed into World War III we will effectively be without medical care for the majority of the citizens of our country.  The wealthy will always have medical care and the citizens and non citizens that the Big Government wish to give medical care to will be taken care of, but those of us over 55 or that have disabilities such as chronic diseases or birth defects will be given comfort care but no real medical intervention.  If we have problems that will be expensive to treat then we will get what they call palliative care which means alleviating pain and symptoms without eliminating the cause.  This means if you are not important to the government then you will not have surgery for ovarian or prostate cancer or kidney or lung cancer.   They will be glad to give you pain killers though, or help you to die if you choose to give up.  I guess I sound negative but since I am one of the ones that they call a useless eater I will be the one they wish to die so I won’t cost the government health plan any money.  Now with that said I am stepping down off of my soap box.

Now what are the people who want to survive to a ripe old age going to prepare for medically?

Now that we know we cannot depend on the healthcare system to help us we have to prepare and be creative in taking care of ourselves and our love ones.

NUMBER ONE – I am not a doctor or a medical professional of any kind.  What I will discuss in this post will be my thoughts on what I will be trying to do for myself and my family.  I do not give medical advice but I will relate what I have read in my research over the years.  Some of these things may work and some may not work.  I think all we will be able to do is to try by trial and error to do whatever we can to help ourselves. 

Get the advice of a medical professional if at all possible and do not take suggestions as medical advice.  Like I said I am not a medical professional and I will only relate what I have done for my family or what I have researched and feel is possibly a treatment that I would try if we were in a post apocalyptic situation and there is no medical professionals to advise me.  You will do what you think is best and hopefully you will use your common sense and not give up and let someone die when some simple home remedy might have saved them.

Now first off I will say that I learned something recently that was interesting.  Medical Doctors or MD’s are only supposed to be trained to do certain things for patients.  Broken bones and surgery of any kind as well as diagnosis of diseases by use of modern technology are among the things that they are good at accomplishing.  Historically alternative approaches by Naturopaths, Homeopaths, Chiropractors, and holistic medical practitioners were always the mainstream medical practitioners until this century.  In the “old days” what did people do for medical care? They would go to Herbalists or Midwives or depending on the country maybe an acupuncturist.

Guess what folks?  We are headed back to the Shamans of our past but how many of them are left?  Practically none are left in the technological world of today.  The modern medicine  of today have preached against those people who treated the whole person and made them seem like charlatans.  So we don’t trust them and have discouraged the whole lot of them from passing their knowledge on to the present generation.  

Now we have to become knowledgeable about natural medicine and cures without the benefit of many of those we should have held in esteem but instead laughed at them and ignored them.

NUMBER TWO – Do your own research and learn for yourselves what you need to know.

Most who read this post will not have much medical experience.  I doubt seriously that many Dr’s  read my blog.  Maybe that is good because I won’t get as many negative remarks that way.

I could give you lists of things to store and I will give you a list of things that everyone knows they need for injuries and common ailments.  If you cannot afford everything on the list that will follow then think creatively.  If you can’t afford a lot of gauze then go to the thrift store and buy some white sheets, wash them in bleach and detergent on a hot setting then cut into strips and roll your bandages.  Keep safety pins to fasten the bandages or rip the end into 2 parts and tie them to secure the bandage.  If you can’t afford a Sam Splint then buy some very lightweight plywood or heavy cardboard and cut into splint sized pieces and use with your bandages to immobilize sprains or possible broken bones. Reduce the broken bones as much as possible by pulling straight out until the bones go back into place as much as possible.  I did this for myself when I broke both bones in my lower arm years ago.   It gave me some relief until I could get to the hospital.  It turned out okay and they said I not only reduced the fracture but it helped to protect my muscles and nerves and blood vessels until I could get into surgery for a plate in my arm.  They said I had broken it so bad that the bones would never knit properly without the plate because of my age and the severity of the breaks.  I don’t suggest that anyone do this but I wanted to keep my break which was ready to break the surface of my skin from doing that.  I know that a compound fracture that reaches through the skin has a huge chance of a deep bone infection which can ultimately have to be amputated without fast medical care and antibiotics. 

By the way heavy corrugated cardboard cut into splints are more comfortable than wood and mold to you arms or legs much easier. They can also be added to by adding layers to stiffen them or removed to treat rashes or wounds.  Always try to get to a medical clinic, Dr. or hospital for any possible broken bone or serious wound if at all possible.

I would suggest everyone reading my blog to buy some medical books that are written for non medical people.  Next buy a book which is a guide to drugs and their uses.  I would suggest a good herbal remedy book, and a natural remedy book. 

The most important thing is to prevent injuries and illness by using common sense and safety precautions to stay healthy.  If you already have a chronic illness such as diabetes, COPD or any other problem then look into natural ways to help your problem without medical intervention.  There may come a time when you can’t get your medications and when you run out and can’t get more what will you do?  I would suggest learning to eat correctly, exercise and use herbal remedies to keep your problem in check as well as you can manage.  Whatever you do don’t give up.  Keep doing whatever you can to maintain your health as well as you can. 

For diabetes type 2, I found that Cinnamon and Chromium Picolinate are helpful for people who cannot get their pills or insulin.  If you have Type 2 diabetes then consider stocking up on both of these items. Remember that diet and exercise are the most important factors in controlling blood sugar.  Eat 4 or 5 small meals made up of protein and complex carbohydrates such as fresh vegetables minus white potatoes and make sure you eat whole grains and not white rice or white breads and definitely not processed stuff such as cakes and other non nutritive foods.  Sugar should be avoided and if you need something sweet then eat small amounts of fresh whole fresh fruits and avoid juices.  Stay hydrated by drinking water not diet or regular soda’s.  Artificial sweeteners are not healthy to use even for diabetics.  If you have to use a sweetener then consider Honey but keep the amount down to the minimum.  Honey is sweeter than white sugar so remember to use it in very small amounts.

Speaking of honey, I have read that it is a miracle remedy and can help to heal severe burns, severe wounds and is great for making home remedies for sore throats and coughs.  Do a search on honey and cinnamon and see what all it can do.


http://www.angelfire.com/az/sthurston/honeyandcinnamon.html/

http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/honey.html

Two other items that have many uses are Baking Soda and Apple Cider Vinegar.  Separately they have many uses and this is something that is a good natural remedy for many problems, digestive disturbances, rashes, and poison ivy treatment are a few things that they can do. http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/acv_baking_soda_cures.html

Then you can make natural antibiotics from garlic, Echinacea, wild indigo, tea tree oil, oil of cloves, comfrey, oregano, and don’t forget colloidal silver.  If you have a variety of these things and the directions for their use you might be able to treat many illnesses and injuries and heal them or at least keep them from getting worse until your body can fight off the disease.

http://naturalhealthdossier.com/2012/03/mother-natures-natural-germ-fighters-2/

Please above all else do your research for your family’s health problems.  Find natural remedies and procedures.  Stock up on the items you will need.  If you need certain pharmaceutical medications talk to your pharmicist and find out if he/she knows of any over the counter medicines which could be used to help control your illness.  Many over the counter remedies used to be obtained by prescriptions only, such as Naprosyn or Alleve.  When I had a 2 year bout with fibromyalgia you could only get it by prescription.  Now you can buy it in any drug, grocery or convenience store. 

The herbs that will help different problems might not be easily gotten so consider doing a search  for non-hybrid seeds for them.  Things like lavender, echinacea, oregano, ginger, horehound, and garlic.  These are just some of the things you can grow that might help many problems but not all of the ones that might be helpful.  Spices like cinnamon, cloves, and turmeric we can’t grow so easily or not at all so consider stocking up on these and you will have them for future use if needed.  I bought lots of cinnamon because my husband and I have diabetes but I also bought empty gelatin capsules so I could prepare the cinnamon to be taken without having to mix it with applesauce to swallow it.  We may not always have applesauce to do that with.   Think ahead!

I have learned a couple of things that have helped me in a few circumstances that seem odd but they proved to be 100% effective for us.  Vicks Vapor Rub or the equivalent worked miracles for my granddaughter when she caught the H1N1 flu a couple of years ago.  You just rub it on the feet and put socks on and it calms the cough to almost nothing so she could sleep and with a high fever she needed a lot of sleep.  Also warm showers for fevers with gradually cooling the water temperature for 5 to 10 minutes brings the fever under control more quickly than just giving a child Acetaminophen .  Childrens fevers seem to spike rather quickly and very high.  Keep the fevers under control without over medicating as much as possible.  Try to have the child drink as much water, apple juice and chicken broth as possible.  They usually won’t drink much but encourage them to sip.  Dehydration can make them much more ill than just the fever will do.

Remember, antibiotics won’t help viruses, but they can help bacterial infections so save any antibiotics you have or you buy for bacterial infections.  It won’t hurt to try other treatments for viruses though.  Garlic, echineacea, cloves, or oregano won’t reduce your ability to fight future infections so it couldn’t hurt to give that chicken soup with lots of garlic in it, or some teas made with ground cloves or oregano in it to see if they may ease the virus.  Echinacea could also be made into a tea or taken by capsule form.  Vitamin C can be a help for colds and flu as well.  Stock up on it or have Tang in your food storage for the Vit. C that it contains.

If you have a bacterial infection such as a cut that gets angry looking or swollen then soak the cut in warm epsom salts water then treat the  wound with antibiotic ointment or cream and start taking echinacea orally at the very least.  Colloidal silver would be a great wound treatment as well as you can take it orally to fight the infection from within.  Check into how to make your own colloidal silver.  I will write more about it later and give you links to you tube where several people show how to make it.

These are just a few things for this subject and I will write much more later.  Medical is such a huge subject that each individual will have to research their own illnesses and chose what to stock up on for themselves. 

The last thing I will add to this first installment on Medical is that “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”!    So always try to prevent injuries and illnesses as much as possible.  We will talk about that as well more in depth later.

God Bless.

Preparedness is a Journey!

Preparedness what is it?  It is not easily defined or accomplished.  The whole idea of preparedness is different for different people.  You may think preparedness is what they televised on "Doomsday Preppers" or you may think it is what you read about in many of the books that are on the market today like the ones who have the word Survival or Prepare for...... in the titles.  You may think it is keeping your tank as full as you can in your car in case of a hurricane evacuation.  You may think it is keeping a few weeks food in your cupboards in case of a local disaster.  Or maybe you think it is keeping some cash in your safe at home all the way up to keeping gold and silver coins in that same safe.

I could go on and on about different things that people feel is their preparedness and guess what - - they are all right!  I'll bet you didn't expect me to say that!  All those things are preparedness.  They should be in your bag of tricks.  But is that all that you should do?  Is there more that is important for the future of your family? 

One thing that I would like to leave with you is this: Life is a journey and you don't live it in a short time but one day at a time until you eventually go to your reward.  Think of Preparedness the same way.  You can't do it all in one day or one month or even a year.  You should be adding to your preps until something happens and you start surviving because you did prepare.  Then you should be less stressed when it counts because you acted on accumulating your preps when it wasn't such an emergency.

Now what would be the things that you feel you should be prepared for?  Natural disasters?  Man-made disasters?  World War?  Pandemic?  Economic Collapse?  Societal Collapse/Riots and Looting/Martial Law?  Food Collapse from natural disasters and big agra manipulation?

Well, let's look at what is needed for all of these scenarios......

1.   Clean Water- will always be needed for continuation of life for human beings.

2.   Nutritious Foods- You can only survive for weeks without it.

3.   Shelter- Whether it is the severe cold of winter, stifling heat of summer, or the rainy season humans need shelter to protect them from the elements.

4.   Medical / First Aid- Most everyone will need some medical or first aid for everyday injuries and chronic illnesses. From bandaids to life preserving medications (like heart medicines and insulin).

5.   Gardening Tools, seeds, and knowledge to grow your food if food is unavailable or dangerous to eat.

6.   Security- Good locks, people on watch, guns, ammo, baseball bats, stun guns, pepper spray, sling shots, compound bows and arrows or anything else that you would feel would help you become safe and secure when there is rioting and looting going on.  Also many of those items could be used for hunting for meat animals.

7.  Cash, silver, gold, barter items, and precious stones. When banks are closed, atm's are down, and might not be able to be back on for the foreseeable future.

8.  Communications- will be important to keep in touch with family, neighbors, and to know what is going on outside of your neighborhood or county.

9.    Transportation- What if most vehicles are dead because of a CME or EMP, how would you travel?

10.  Knowledge!- One of the most important and the least expensive to accomplish.....

I am sure there are many more items that you may be interested in preparing with but most of them will fall under these main groups such as Food (Cooking implements and methods), Shelter (Heating and cooling, lighting, etc.) I am sure you get my drift by now. 

Now you must decide what you already have and what are the most important things for you to accomplish.  Take inventory of what you have already.  Most people have shelter, but is your home in a safe area?  Are you capable of obtaining water in your location or is it city water only with no other water sources nearby? 

Let's try to be logical and organized in what you are interested in preparing for.  If you are only interested in preparing for natural disasters then you might need to have a bug out kit and vehicle which would assist you on your way out of the dangerous area.  Bug out kits are containers such as a back pack which have the basics for survival in them.

Bug out kit possibilities - Back pack, knap sack or ruck sack, bottles of water, containers for heating water or food, food, first aid/medicine kit, shelter components such as paracord or bank line and tarps,  cutting tools such as knife and saw, space blanket and/or wool blanket, firestarting equipment such as a lighter, matches, and cotton balls coated with petroleum jelly, flashlight, and batteries, small radio or walkie talkie, and at the very least clean dry change of socks and underpants and t shirt.  If you usually don't wear walking shoes then keep a pair attached to your bag to change to.   Keep your items small and as compact as possible to keep down bulk and weight. 

Bug out Vehicle - This will depend on your specific vehicle, but if you have a van or suv you will be able to use your vehicle as a shelter for more people than a small compact car can.  Whatever your vehicle is keep it tuned up, good tires, full tank, and store extra fluids in your car as well as jumper cables, and spare tire and jack, duct tape and some extra fuses would be helpful as well.  Now keep a few rolled up blankets, a change of clothing, in winter keep extra warm clothes such as thermal underwear, knit wool caps, gloves, and coats in a small container or bag.  Keep a small container with foods that heat or cold won't hurt but rotate them anyway.  Instant Oatmeal, dry soup mixes, granola bars, hard candy, dry milk, instant coffee, tea bags, dry cocoa, crackers, a few cans of tuna, chicken, and complete pancake mix and some oil and brown sugar or syrup.  There are many more items that is made in retort packaging now that are possibilities as well.  There are hundreds of ideas for food for camping, hiking or bug out kits on You Tube, check them out. I would suggest you keep flashlights, cooking equipment such as a folding stove and Sterno or buddy burners so you can cook inside the car if you are stuck in a blizzard as well as a boy scout mess kit with a fork and spoon for each person.  It will also help keep the car warm. A larger knife such as a machete, or larger hunting knife could come in handy for cutting wood for a campfire/cook fire. 

Now if you are preparing to stay in your home because you don't have choice or it is just not possible to bug out because the roads are blocked or vehicles don't operate any longer then we will have to ways to survive long term at home.  Let's say there was a Solar Flare or CME so you don't have electricity, electronics or cars operating.  You will need water, food, ways to cook your food, and security at the very least. 

Water - try to store as much water as you can in 2 liter soda bottles, fruit juice bottle, or other harder plastic bottles, do not use milk jugs or soft OJ bottles for water storage, add 4 drops per 2 liters of water to keep it clear and good.  A good larger water filter system like a Berkey would be excellent for running rainwater through to make sure it is clean and pure.  When the electricity first goes out the first thing you should do is to run the water out of your taps into any and all of your larger pots and containers.  Then turn off your electricity at the panel to everything in your house.  No longer use your toilets.  Urinate in a bucket and pour it outside around trees or bushes.  Use a separate bucket for your feces buy using sand, saw dust, kitty litter, or ashes.  Each time it is used take enough of the previous list to cover it and then cover the bucket.  When full you dig a hole in the ground away from your food plants or well if you have any and bury the contents of the bucket of feces and cover with earth.  Clean bucket with some sand and start fresh again.  It is important to keep feces and urine separated to keep odor down.  Mixed they start putrefying quickly.

You may catch rainwater from your gutter system.  Small children's pools are a good way to capture rain water as well.  If you live in an apartment you can turn an umbrella open and upside down into a clean container such as a new Home Depot bucket and capture the water that way.  A plastic liner in your pickup truck bed is another way to capture water.  I think you could do all of these things and capture a lot of water in a short time.  Why not buy a couple of new trash barrels to hold the water, after filling them after the rain stops put the lid on to keep bugs out of it.  Filter the water through a sheet or pillow case or some tightly woven fabric and then run through your Berkey or homemade Berkey to make sure it is as clean as possible.  If you will be storing the water for a longer time then add your 8 drops of bleach (plain unscented liquid bleach such as Clorox) per gallon to make it last longer in a drinkable condition.  If you get water from a pond, lake or stream then filter it several times through fabric, sand and charcoal then boil the filtered water to kill any cysts, polyps, or viruses that may be in it.

Foods will be our next subject.  Many people don't store food because of the expense of freeze dried foods, or dehydrated foods that you buy commercially.  MRE's and the previously mentioned foods have their place in food storage but they are not required to have the beginnings of food storage.  What do you eat on a regular basis?  Do you eat pasta, meat and potatoes, or casseroles?  Why not store the things you use to make these.  Chicken and Rice Casserole is a good example, store the chicken in canned form, fairly inexpensive from the grocery store and then store the rice and cream of soup that you prefer for making it.  You can buy dehydrated onions in the grocery or warehouse stores and you are pretty well set. 

The same rice that hopefully you buy in bulk can be a side dish for serving with meat and gravy such as chicken, canned chunky soups, roast beef in gravy, etc. You can also make fried rice, or spanish rice or rice and beans.  

Your pasta dishes are the same way, store your pasta of choice with pasta sauces like marinara, meat flavored spaghetti sauce or alfredo sauces.  Pasta can be made in more ways than you can shake a stick at.  Make cold macaroni salads with tuna, or make macaroni and cheese with canned ham or make noodles to serve with chicken and alfredo sauce. 

There are lots of ways to use packaged potato dishes such as scalloped, augratin, or instant mashed potatoes and there is hash brown mixes as well. 

There are quite a variety of meats, poultry and seafoods in cans which can be used in place of fresh meats for your food storage meals.  Clams can be used in clam sauce for spaghetti, or make clam chowder, or clam fritters.  Canned crab can make casseroles, soups, crab cakes, etc. Tuna comes in the plain variety or seasoned steaks for casseroles or main dish fish.  Salmon now comes in the retort packaging and also in cans and you can also use Mackerel which makes a passable fish cake like a crab cake in style. 

Chicken comes in can like tuna and super versatile to make almost anything you want except for roasted of course.  Chicken salad, chicken casserole, sweet and sour chicken, chicken and gravy over stuffing, chicken pot pie, barbeque chicken sandwiches, etc. 

You can buy Dak ham or other brands that are similar in 12 oz or l lb. cans.  They can be used to slice for sandwiches, baked, casseroles, in salads, in mac and cheese, in bean soups, fried for breakfasts, etc. 

Now we come to Spam and Treet which everyone knows is hated by most people but loved by quite a few.  Spam now comes in all kinds of flavors such as bacon, smoked ham flavor, and they have turkey spam now for those who don't eat pork.  Treet is similar but is just a spiced luncheon loaf but it can be used to flavor beans, casseroles, and egg omelets, quiches, and frittatas.  Never buy more that one can of something that you aren't sure you like until you try it and see if your family will eat it.  Don't tell them what it is, just say that it is smoked pork in the bean soup, or potato casserole.  They probably will love it.  Now slicing and frying may be another story, but try it and see..... 

Lastly think about how you may buy beef.  I have stocked some dried beef in jars to make creamed chip beef, I also have bought some roast beef in gravy in cans, Chunky soups such as Sirloin Burger and Vegetables makes a good topper for rice, noodles or mashed potatoes.  Any of the Chunky Soups can be used like that including pot roast and potato soup. 

You can stock the vegetables and fruits that you like that come canned for side dishes in your food storage.  You are only limited by your imagination.  There is also many dried fruits now a days that are sold on the grocery shelves such as cranberries, raisins, apples, apricots and even banana's. 

My suggestion to make your food storage less expensive is to learn to can and can your own beef, chicken and pork.  It is simple to do.  The directions are on the net or buy a Ball Blue book to learn from. It basically takes a pressure canner, a beginner kit of tools and a few cases of jars and you are on your way.  Vegetables are much better tasting if home canned as well. 

You will need non electric can opener and a way to cook your foods as well.  There are many ways to accomplish your cooking.  Solar ovens are one possibilities as well as a rocket stove both of which can be homemade or bought commercially made.  You can cook on a gas grill as long as your propane holds out, and you can cook over charcoal as long as your supply of charcoal holds out.  You can build a small fire pit to cook over as well.   As far as baking is concerned you can bake in a solar oven, or in a camp oven that you put on a wood stove or over your grill or campfire.  Buddy burners are good for heating up quick meals on a hobo stove and can be used indoors because it is basically a large candle in a tuna can.  If you are lucky enough to have a fireplace or wood stove you can cook on these in the winter.

I would like to remind everyone to use common sense and safety procedures with whatever method you chose.  Remember open flames of any kind can start a wild fire that would get out of hand quickly and there won't be fire departments available to help.  Also you could get burned and with no medical facilities that could be very painful and possibly fatal.  Please buy fire extinguishers to keep by your open flames to stop anything from getting out of hand.  Use silicone pot holders or leather pot holders to protect your hands.  Also keep a bucket of water nearby to pour over the fire or to plunge your hand in if it gets burned.  KEEP CHILDREN away from fire and open flames.  Never leave candles or fires unattended! 

That is about all I am going to put in this particular article.  Remember try to build your supplies and food storage and water storage as you can afford it for the amount of time you think you might need it.  I would suggest you start off with a one month supply of food and water and then add to your food storage until you build up to 3 months, after the 3 months supply is stored then I would suggest you go to some of the dehydrated vegetables, fruits and meals.  Dehydrated eggs and milk are invaluable as well as having quantities of rice, beans of your choice, and instant mashed potato flakes in number 10 cans.  Sit down make up your list of what you usually eat and find a way to turn it into food storage meals.  Don't expect to have steaks, fried chicken, pork chops and salads unless you have chickens in your yard, hunt or grow steer for butchering or have a salad garden.  But most foods are adaptable to food storage cooking.  You tube is full of how to do it and many of my articles talk about it.  I have links to many helpful sites on here as well. 

Remember -  Every Journey begins with the first step.  Take that JOURNEY just be taking action!

The importance of surviving any upheaval for any reason should help motivate you.  Just try!

Laura Ingalls Wilder

How many of us have read the Little House Series of Books that Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote? Or maybe you haven't read the books but you watched the TV series with Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert.  I have read the Little house series many times and always loved the pioneer spirit of Laura's family.  Most importantly I liked how the family supported each other in their trials and tribulations and how they accepted bad times and kept moving forward undaunted. 

If you haven't read the series yet I suggest that you do.  The period of time that these books were written about was pre-electric, pre-auto and pre-tractor era.  They took what they could fit on a covered wagon and started from scratch each time they moved.  Pa Ingalls built his houses with what was handy which was sod or logs and stone.  Ma made their home as safe and tidy as was humanly possible.  She washed their clothes and ironed them with whatever water was at hand from a creek, river, well or spring.  She had their quilts and feather pillows and muslin ticking to stuff with dry grass to sleep on.  She always had her red checked table cloth and one little figurine that was always with them and placed on a fireplace when she had one.  Pa would build the furniture for the family.  He would take some hand split planks and place one end against the log walls and fastened it and would make two legs from branches or small trees for the other end.  The seating was thick logs sawn smooth on both ends to be used for stools.  Simple but effective.  The red checked tablecloth would be a crowning touch to the table.  They had only enough enameled tin plates for everyone to have one and enough cups for everyone except at one time they were one cup short and so Mary and Laura shared a cup.  Mr. Edwards brought Mary and Laura a shiny new tin cup for Christmas when Santa Claus couldn't make it to their Little House on the Prairie because of the snow!  He also brought sweet potatoes and candy!  How would your children today feel it they only got a tin cup and a sweet potato and a piece of candy?  We are so spoiled today that we would have a hard time living as simply as they did then. 

Ma would make meals with nothing more than some corn meal, flour, salt, and salt pork and if they were lucky some dried beans.  They usually had a few chickens and would have some eggs and they did have a milk cow which they could get milk from for about 9 months of the year.  How many ways could you fix meals with those ingredients before your family would rebel?  Pa would go hunting and bring back jack rabbits and prairie hens most of the time.  If they were near a creek that was big enough or a river or lake they might have fish to fry.  After settling into a freshly built cabin Ma would plant a kitchen garden and would grow vegetables and herbs so I assume they brought a few seeds with them on their wagon.

I can't imagine waiting for 7 to 9 months for some fresh vegetables to serve my family and fruits were rare unless they found some wild blackberries or some other wild fruit or berries. 

Pa made the rest of the furniture for their home as well.  He made beds from hand hewn planks to get them off the floor and the only storage they had other than a few trunks or a kitchen box were shelves he made and pegs to hang their clothes on.

Clothing was usually 2 everyday dresses and one good dress for Ma  but she would have 5 or 6 aprons so that she could keep her calicos clean and the girls had similar wardrobes for themselves and I believe they wore pinafore aprons to keep their cloths clean.  Pa had 2 pairs of work pants, 2 work shirts, and one pair of pants in good shape with a calico or solid color shirt for special occasions.  Men mostly wore suspenders instead of belts.  Everyone was lucky if they had a pair of shoes.  The girls and even Ma would be barefoot in warm weather to spare their shoes from damage. Pa wore his work boots to work in and would wear the same boots to  special events like Church or a funeral or wedding after cleaning them up.

My family went to Mansfield, MO for our Vacation last month and visited Laura and Almonzo's farm they named Rocky Ridge Farm where they lived after leaving the Dakota's.  I was fascinated by their little farmhouse.  Laura wrote all the Little House books in this house in her 60's.  They were her memories from childhood and the "Farmer Boy"  book was Almonzo's memories from his childhood.  His childhood was mostly about all the food that his mother cooked and served on their New York State prosperous farm.  They had almost any food available to them that you could think of except for maybe citrus fruit.   I think that after becoming a pioneer and living with the bare necessities of life and little variation in foods on the prairie when he was trying to prove up his homesteads he fixated on food in his memory while relating them to Laura for her to write his story.  I know Laura took advantage of the foods that she could grow in Missouri to their full extent.  She made lots of fruit pies, cobblers and used grapes and apples and peaches to their full potential.  Some of Almonzo's favorite foods were fried apples and onions and Swiss Steak.  Laura probably spoiled him food wise when they got settled into their home in Mansfield.

Laura and Almonzo became very active in their community and entertained on the grounds of their home very often.  Smaller groups were entertained in their home around their dining room table or in their parlor in front of their stone fireplace.  

Laura cooked on her wood cook stove most of her life.  Rose bought her a small electric stove but Laura hated it and returned to cooking on her wood stove.  Laura later in life after her books became popular she found that people wanted to meet her and she entertained many of her fans with tea and a sweet of some sort or if they had traveled a great distance she would invite them to dinner even if it was just eggs, ham, and biscuits for a country supper.  Laura had learned that hospitality was the true way to be a gentle woman and a good Christian.  Laura was always active and her neighbors said she always would be dressed in her best even when taking her eggs to the general store.  She would be wearing her hat, gloves and her parasol and would walk with a very straight and good posture.  The ladies in town would love to see the  most fashionable egg lady on her walks to town.  The farm house was about a mile from the town and that was a short walk in those days.  Now we complain if we can't get a parking space right in front of the store.

The farm was kept up beautifully.  Laura and Almonzo absolutely loved their animals and took great care of them.  Laura even made friends with some of the wild turtles on their land.  She would place saucers of milk and bread out and they became so used to it that they would come up to her backdoor the same time everyday to eat their food that she gave them.  She always had dogs, cows, chickens and horses.  The horses were mostly Morgan's and Almonzo really loved them.  Laura's chickens would lay more eggs than anyone else's and she was asked to write articles for the agricultural magazine/newsletters about how she got her chickens to lay so well.  She wrote that she kept the hen house immaculate and sunny and treated them so well that they were very contented and secure.  They just laid their eggs to thank her if you ask me. 

I think we could all take a lot from the way that Laura and Almonzo lived their lives, ran their homesteads and took care of the things God gave them.  I have a great admiration for the pioneers in my own family and by reading The Little House Books I have a glimpse into the way they lived in Illinois in the 1850's and Iowa in the 1860's, in the Dakotas in the 1870's and in Montana in the 1870's through the 1930's.

I have people who were farmers, leather workers, printers, and miners.  They all worked very hard to accomplish what they needed to for living a life in the pioneer times.  We need to start trying out the things that the pioneers did if we can.  We can all make homemade breads, rolls, muffins, cornbread, and biscuits.  Try it for a month and see if you can do enough without having to buy more than flour, yeast, shortening, cornmeal, and baking powder and salt.  That would be a great stride forward for all of us to accomplish.  Secondly would be to learn to garden and can our produce.  If you can't grow a garden then go buy bushels of fresh produce and learn to prepare and can it for your future.  I have found that I really hate commercially canned vegetables now after trying my own home canned foods in comparison.  Home canned vegetables have nothing in them except for what you add.  Mostly I just add salt and water.  Sometimes I will make some spiced carrots or dilled string beans but mostly I make plain vegetables with just salt.  Next look at your wardrobe and figure out a way to simplify it so your laundry day won't be so much trouble for you.  Try making yourself a dozen simple aprons.  Overalls are a good thing to wear while working on the garden or with the animals.  One good waterproof pair of boots would be excellent for working with the animals and garden clogs might be good for working on your garden unless you have a lot of snakes around.  Then you should work in heavy leather or rubber boots to protect yourself from unwanted snakebites. If you have long hair then learn to braid your hair and pin it up while working with the animals.  You might want to wear a scarf or hat to protect your hair and keep the hay and dust out of your hair.  You won't be washing your hair everyday when you have to bring your water from a spring or well and heat it up on the wood stove.  Around the house when cooking you might want to wear a housedress especially in the summer with aprons.  If you have solar or wind power you may want to place a fan in the sunny side of the house facing out and place another fan in the shady side of the house facing in.  This will keep the air moving and make your life more bearable. Also cover the windows in the sunny side of the house with dark curtains to keep your house cooler.  If it seems unbearably hot still then keep sprayer bottles around with water in them to spritz your face and arms to cool down.  Rest in the hottest part of the day.  The idea of Siesta in Mexico was just because of the unbearable heat so near the equator.  Start your work at daybreak and be finished by 1 p.m. and then work again in the evening until sunset.  Also plan a summer kitchen.  You won't want to cook in the house with no AC so cook out of doors in the morning and evening.  You could get a solar oven in the summer as well to keep the heat out of your house.  If you must cook then just do it on a grill or on a rocket stove or propane burner etc.  Try Thermal cooking methods like Thermos cooking or hay box thermal cooking.  It will preserve your fuel and still cook your food beautifully.  In the winter you do the opposite.  You cook indoors on your wood stove or fireplace.  If you have a propane burner you can cook indoors on that as well.  Since many cook stoves are propane it should be just fine as long as you have enough ventilation. 

Try the different cooking methods and make sure you know how to use them to accomplish your goal of having good cooked foods for your family.

Think about everything that you may have to do different if there is no electricity and you are trying to maintain a homestead, urban or rural, and try doing the things now to familiarize yourself with those things and you will find the things you will need to accomplish tasks in the pioneer way.  Clotheslines, oil lamps, K-1 kerosene for your lamps, wash tub and scrub board.  Cooking methods you will have will be up to your circumstances and preference but try them out before you have to use them.

Try living the pioneer life for a weekend and see how it feels and what you are missing in your preps.

God Bless you and your preparations and keep trying to complete them as you can. 

Self Sufficiency for the future!

After spending the last 3 years begging, pleading, prodding, and passionate debate,  my husband listened to a few of the youtube videos that I have listened to over the last couple of years. And he has come to a decision that we should start looking for a country home with land that  we can raise small livestock and maybe a steer or two to become food self sufficient.  But please don't tell him that it is not his idea.  I have had the conversation for years that in order to retire we would have to sell our home in the expensive state we live in and head for an inexpensive state and a rural lifestyle in a small farming community to live out our golden years.  Yes we are in our 60's but somehow I don't feel that raising a few goats, chickens and rabbits will be so exhausting that we will keel over in exhaustion.  We will plant a few raised beds of vegetables and herbs and I will continue to do my canning as always and dehydrating.  The area we are looking at has an Amish community which sell their produce by the bushel inexpensively and I will enjoy making my jams, jellies and preserves as well as canning the vegetables that they sell.  I don't need to grow everything that we eat if I can trade or buy wholesale fruit and vegetables.  Many people buy by the bushel and then resell by the pound the same produce and make large profits. I will bypass the middle man and can the produce and save money and time.  Money because I will buy wholesale and not have to buy all the additives for the soil and time because I won't have to spend a whole growing season growing it, weeding it, watering it and harvesting it.

I have thought about breeding Kinder goats and selling them to people in surrounding areas who are looking for good milkers that give very rich and delicious milk and don't take as much pasturage to feed them.  They are a crossbreed between Nubian doe and a pygmy buck.  I understand that these offspring are good for milking because of their high milk fat and milk solid milk.  They are still good for meat because they are a muscular breed.  They are fast becoming a popular breed but there aren't that many breeders of them.  With the proper pasturage and water and human attention they should be an easier livestock to take care of over cattle or other larger animals.  I have always loved goat cheese and I want to learn to make it and then I should be able to take my cheese that is too much for us and barter it with a cow dairy farm and trade for cream to make my butter, buttermilk, and cream cheese for my pantry.

We are actively looking for a property which has 4 to 5 acres of mature woods and 20 acreas of pasturage for our animals with a pond or spring to water the animals.  We are also looking for some mature fruit trees on the property and maybe some black walnuts.  We have found some of these properties with most of our requirements and will be putting a contract on one of them as soon as we get our house listed for sale.  We have much to downsize.  Moving is expensive and we know we have way to much unnecessary STUFF!  43 years of marriage and losing all of our parents has really cluttered our lives with things that we just store.  We will be whittling our stuff down to necessities and some very sentimental items that we want to pass down through the family.  Some of those will be given away now while we can see the items being used by the grandchildren who have dibs on them.  My granddaughters have dibs on my Princess House Crystal of which I have quite a few pieces and sets that they are drooling for.  Besides that stuff is hard to move and keep it intact.

We are selfish I guess in looking for retirement possibilities and living closer to the earth the way I believe God meant us to, but we are also trying to be an example of a simple lifestyle that we would like our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren to emmulate in the future. 

By the way we are going to be having a great grandchild in January and we worry about his or her future.  We hope that our farm could maybe stay in the family and be a help to the future generations of our family.  When we are gone we will be leaving our farm to our family with the stipulation that it stay in the family and that someone in the family run the farm and live the simple lifestyle that we will try to set up for our retirement.

If you live in an expensive state or a big city please consider finding a simpler lifestyle in a less stressful and less expensive place to simplify your life and thrive for your golden years.  Survival will be much easier where you live a hands on lifestyle.   God Bless!