Days Like These

 

 
     My day started out at 7:30 a.m.. Might not seem early to you, but considering I am a night owl, it is the perfect early time to get up for me. I drank 2 cups of coffee, checked my emails, and surfed the web before getting my daughter up at 8. She was not ready for breakfast yet, so we headed outside to feed the animals. She fed the chickens and rabbit; I fed the dogs and pig. It is supposed to get very cold this week. Since we were already outside, we decided to clean out the chicken coop and give them fresh hay. We also gave the rabbit some fresh bedding.
     Moving to the garden, we picked all we could pick off of our tomato plants. They were not as big as we would have liked, but they are still something! Since we had a horrible luck growing tomatoes in our garden this year, we planted a couple of plants my awesome neighbor, Bree, gave us late last summer. Her grandmother found several volunteer plants grow on the side of her house. Hoping for a mild fall season, we decided to go ahead and plant them. We planted them in the front yard where I really really wanted to grow the garden this last spring. The ground was raised with mulch and allowed to break down for several years. Our fall season was nearly over before it started. Good thing I also planted some of the tomato plants in pots. We pulled in the 2 potted tomato plants, along with the avocado tree, apple mint, green onions and the spinach pot. 

     About the time we were finishing bringing in the plants, Hubby drove up from work. His job is from 3:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and a today we would get to spend the rest of the day with him. We all had sandwiches together for brunch, then we watched a YouTube video on mountain properties for sale. After, we all went back out into the yard to do our various tasks. We helped Hubby a bit with making the new pen for our pig, Porky.     

     When we asked what would better help him get ready for the cold snap, he said we could bring in the wood. My daughter and I drove the little tahoe around our property. She got her first behind the wheel driving lesson. She is a natural. We decided we had not gathered enough wood off of our property, so we drove around the county road. Yes, I was behind the wheel this time. We found lots of good wood. Some of it was already cut wood that the tree trimmers that work for the electric company had trimmed and cut a little while back. Some of it was just old tree limbs that had fallen onto the side of the road. We filled the whole back of the truck! When we returned home, we unloaded our finds into the garage, but left the stuff that needed to be cut outside of the garage so Hubby could cut it with the chainsaw. 
     My daughter and I decided it we were too cold to work outside anymore. We came in, cleaned up and got our jammies on! We were also starting to get a bit hungry again and decided the potato soup we tried at the homeschool co-op we attend sounded fabulous! We messaged the lady that made it and asked for her recipe. Even though we did not have all of the ingredients, it did not stop us from making it. Potatoes were peeled and put on to boil. Onions sauteed on the stove as we headed upstairs. We had orders to sew!

     One of my big sellers on my Etsy shop are Barbie/Monster high doll bedding. My daughter created them one night when she decided she wanted to make doll bedding for her best friend for Christmas. We had two orders to get out. She got out the fabrics while I got everything set up for sewing. It took us a couple of hours to cut all of the pillows, iron, pin, sew, unpin, turn, stuff, re-pin, sew, and then iron and de-fuzz all of the tiny pillows and blankets. Especially when we were constantly running up and down the stairs checking on our soup! When we finished the doll bedding, we got our coats on and walked down to the mailbox to mail our packages out. 

     Finally, we sat down to try our first attempt at making homemade potato soup! There is nothing better than a homemade soup, let me tell you! We substituted milk and sour cream for the canned evaporated milk, and let it simmer down a little longer to let it thicken up. It was fantastic and we nearly ate the whole pot between our lunch and again at dinner! 

     Our awesome neighbor, Bree, came over again to bless us. She brought the kiddo a small bag of black walnuts to learn about and harvest. Bree visited a bit and then left to return to her house. My daughter and I snuggled into my bed for some homeschool. While she worked in her math book, I read to her from a book called Windows To Our World. It is a journal story from Sarah Brown of Dyslexia Games. I am not sure how much my daughter completed in her math work book. We were captivated by this book. Sarah as a child reminds me of the little girl laying next to me, all cozy and warm and giggling. As some of you know, my daughter is dyslexic and has other learning related disabilities. We do not let her use this as an excuse or a way out of learning. Like little Sarah in the book, we allow her a lot of time for her own self driven learning. I hope this book furthers her new found love of learning through self driven research and exploration. May she also live a life full of love and blessings from our Lord. 
     Hubby is in from the cold and nearly ready to eat dinner. Since hubby is not a fan of potato soup, I made him taco salad from the taco meat I store in the freezer. Having some pre-made meat for meals comes in handy. Especially on days like today where all the kiddo and I want to eat is the yummy potato soup we made for lunch. (This is when we nearly finished off the big pot of soup we made.) It also helps to keep our food bill down by making a bigger batch of meat from a family size package of hamburger caught on sale here and there. On Thursdays, when I work too late to cook the hubby dinner on time, he can pull out a meal starter to make a quick meal. It is important to me to home cook meals for my family, so having pre-made meals in the freezer helps to make me feel like I have still cooked for him. 
     After dinner, we watched a little t.v. and some DIY videos on how to make an indoor growing station for the plants we brought in. We discussed what improvements and additions we wanted to try on our mini farm. My daughter and I played some board games while Hubby and I talked. At 6:30 p.m., it was time for him to head upstairs for bed. This is the worst thing about his job, but I can't complain when we get him from 9:30 a.m. till 6:30 p.m. all to ourselves. The kiddo and I cleaned up our board game mess after Hubby kissed us both goodnight. It was time to check out the black walnuts we were gifted!
     My daughter broke open the first walnut with a hammer and found it to be soft and a bit fleshy feeling. It did not take us long to realize, research was definitely needed. We found videos on YouTube, and watched a great one. Too late, we discovered she should have worn gloves. She looked down at her hands and discovered they were slightly stained. We had no gloves, so she decided to go ahead and finish getting the fleshy parts of the one walnut, and search for gloves in the morning to finish the rest with. (Unfortunately, we found no gloves and both of us stained our hands. Fun stuff though!) 

     After cleaning up from the walnut mess, she hopped in the shower, and then snuggled up on the couch and finished her writing assignment from her homeschool co-op class. I have never seen her this excited to write before this class. Occasionally, she asks me how to spell a word. I sit at the computer and work on my own writing assignments, sprinkled in with a bit of Facebook. I post the picture of our homemade potato soup on my blog's Facebook fan page and message my sister back on Thanksgiving arrangements. My daughter comes in to read me her story out loud. We watch a few funny cat videos until it is time for her to clean her room before bed. She reads her library book for 20 minutes and then turns on the music she listens to while she sleeps. This is my cue to come to her room for prayers, good night giggles and sleepy kisses. We also make plans for the next days lessons, activities and 'to do' lists. 
     Later, while listening to the soft music coming from her room, I check my emails for the night. The co-op's blogging group emailed an assignment of writing about what we are thankful for. I reflect for a moment on the usual 'go to' thoughts on blessings and being thankful, but my mind keeps drifting to the days events. We worked hard, we learned lots, we laughed often and we loved much. I decided this is what I am most thankful for..... days like these. 

DISCLAIMER- This post is not a paid affiliate post by Sarah Brown, Dyslexia Games, or the book Windows to Our World, however, my Amazon link to the book IS a paid affiliate link. I was not asked to do a review of this book, but in this day of my life, we enjoyed reading it. Loving this book is my own honest opinion and I am just passing on a 'window to MY OWN world.' The Etsy link is to my own store, and if you choose to buy from us, that would be a blessing but in no way effects how I feel about my readers. Thank you for sharing this day with us! 

Things I Learned From My Grandparents (and didn't even know I was learning)

 

 

   Some of the best memories I have as a child, were my summers with my grandparents on their homestead. They had a little plot of land up in Chihuahua Valley, in the San Jacinto Mountains. They cleared the land, built their house, and prepped for winter. Always improving, always amending always preserving. As a child, I didn't realize that was what they were doing, all I knew was that at Grandpa and Grandma's house, things were wonderfully different. More natural, more like what what I read in my 'Little House' books.
     Instead of a back yard, they had a strawberry garden. It was on a an incline, but there were rows and rows of strawberries. One year, while I was hunting for strawberries, I ran my hands over the plants and screamed. There was a large snake hiding under the strawberry plants. I ran to my grandpa to tell him. He got a shovel and went over to get rid of the snake. However, when he got over there, the snake turned out to be the garden hose. We all got a good laugh out of it.
     There was a large garden in the back of the property. Grandpa was always in the garden hoeing, planting, tilling, weeding, and/or raking. He worked from sun up to dinner time. Sometimes we would help him. My brother and I would go out with grandpa early in the morning and pick vegetables with him. He had the most amazing tomatoes in all shapes and sizes. We would munch on small yellow and cherry tomatoes as we picked. There were rows of beans and and purple hull peas. We picked okra that my grandma fried up fresh and froze the rest. When we were finished, I would sit on the back porch with Grandma and snap beans. Every once in a while, I would pop a fresh bean into my mouth. 
    Grandma also had cans with herbs growing in coffee cans on the back of the house. We nibbled on fresh mint while we played on the grass. It made our mouths feel cool and fresh. Every once in a while, Grandma would ask us to pick some of the herbs. We watched as she cleaned them and then laid them on a cookie sheet lined with paper towels to dry. 
     Grandpa had a snake in the wood pile we called his 'pet.' Every morning grandpa would go out to the woodpile he was greeted by a scarlet king snake. It never harmed anything and my grandpa told us that the snake helped to keep those pesky rodents away. Grandpa would talk to the snake as if it was his friend. Not all snakes were his friends though. One day my cousins, brother and I were walking past the propane tank and Grandpa was coming towards us on his way to his neighbors property. He turned suddenly and walked over to his gardening shed at a brisk pace. We were already at the house when we noticed Grandpa going back towards the propane tank with a shovel. Suddenly, Grandpa was striking at something on the ground. We ran over to see what was happening. Grandpa hollered to "Stay Back!" It was a rattlesnake! AND we had just walked past there and never saw it! Grandpa killed it effortlessly. When he severed the head, we came in a bit closer. Grandpa cautioned us to not get to close and explained when a snake dies, it can still hurt you. He held the shovel up to the snakes mouth. We all gasped as the snake bit at the shovel. Grandpa moved the shovel to the body and the body STOOD up and tried to strike at the shovel even though it had NO HEAD! Although it had no eyes, it followed the movements of the shovel perfectly. We marveled at the snakes body as it continued to move after being decapitated. It seemed like it took forever to stop wiggling along the ground. We paid more attention from now on while walking around the property. 
     When we came into the house from outside, the back door led to the utility room. We had to be quick on the ins and outs so flies could not come in and the air conditioning could not get out. We were not allowed to keep coming in and out either. Once outside you stayed out side for a while. Coming in had the same rule. Grandma explained this helped to keep their electric bill down. We had to leave our shoes by the back door to keep the dust and dirt out of the rest of the house. In the utility room, Grandma always keep an ice cold water jug for us. We could drink as much as we wanted, but you better make sure you did not waste any. It was from the well and we didn't need the well running dry. On the washer and dryer was usually homemade raspberry gobbler from the berries we collected for Grandma. It was one of the best things I have ever put in my mouth. 
     

     
     I loved watching my grandmother sew and mend clothes. She made nearly all of her clothes. It was almost like magic when she made skirts and shirts, curtains out of thin pieces of paper, pins and fabric. After cutting her patterns out, the neatly folded them back up and placed them back in their packaging, to be used at a later time. I watched silently as her sewing machine quickly and easily joined the fabrics. My Grandma crocheted as well. She taught me how to make chains and simple crochet loops. I would play with my long piece of yarn over and over, practicing until I could get my links and chains just right. I couldn't have whole ball of yarn until I mastered the beginning stages of crocheting; yarn could not be wasted. 
       I slept in the spare bedroom on a sleeper couch. The room doubled as Grandma's sewing/craft room and her extended pantry. There was one wall that had built in shelves lined with items my grandma had canned. Rows upon rows of the most amazing looking food items. Jams, jellies, relishes, vegetables, fruits, and meats. Chow-chow was one of my grandmother's specialties. Oh, how I hated chow-chow as a child. Now I plan on making it one day so I can try it again. She made the best dill pickles. Fresh dill flower heads graced the jar. I tried eating one once, it was horrible, and I couldn't figure out why on earth someone would put a weed in with the glorious pickles. I never saw my grandma can, but I did get to watch her make jelly out of the fresh strawberries from their patch. It seemed like a lot of work, but the jelly was well worth it! I always wondered why just two people would need all of that food. There were so many of them! At night I would lay there and look at the wall of jars, counting them by the moonlight until I fell asleep. 
     For the longest time, I wondered why most of my memories with my grandparents seemed to center around food. It was not until I started my own homesteading journey that I realized why. They lived on a fixed income, Grandpa's retirement. Everything the did around the mountain property was to prepare for everyday life. From food preservation, to chopping wood, to recycling, reusing, re-purposing, DIY, it was all about survival. Not in the sense of what people think of prepping and survivalist skills now. This was day to day, what they learned from their parents, this was natural for them. 

     By watching them and joining them in their everyday tasks. I learned. I didn't realize it at the time, but I was learning from them. Everything that I watched and did as a child has become so 'natural' for me now. Even though I never actually was taught how to sew, I 'naturally' knew how to. I say I was self taught, but in essence, watching my grandmother sew, taught me how. I am also a natural gardener, saver, recycling/re-purposing, homesteading, DIY, make your budget stretch type of person. I wish my grandparents were still with us today. I would make sure I asked the questions I missed being able to ask them when I was young. At least I have my memories. These are memories I want for my children. I want the ability to take care of their families to be 'natural' for them. Children mimic and take on the habits of those they are around. I hope to pass on to my children what my grandparents pass on to me. 

The pictures in this post are not of me and my brother. They are of my cousins, Erin and Garrett. Their mother was a lot better at preserving memories through photography than my family was. Thank you Erin and Garrett, for finding these photos for me. Love you!

We Butcher A Chicken...

WARNING- This post contains photos of a family sending their own chicken to freezer camp! If you are not the chicken killing type, or if you are disturbed by information or images of animals being butchered, please, DO NOT READ THIS POST. We are on the path to self sufficiency, and raising our own food is part of this journey.

"We butchered a chicken today. Great life lesson and anatomy lesson. There is something... satisfying... to be able to provide a meal for your family that you know what it was fed, you know how it was treated, you know how it was butchered, and you know how it was prepared. I don't know if we will ever do another, but, we are happy with today." -Personal Facebook Post February, 2014

     We have become a society disconnected with our food. Rarely does anyone know where or how their food is processed. We buy our meat in nice, little wrapped packages, and not once do we question where it came from. How were they raised and in what conditions? What were they fed? How was it processed? The chicken from the stores is kept in giant barns crammed full of thousands of chickens, all pecking at each other, or standing there waiting to die. Don't believe me? Type in your computer, 'what are chickens fed to make them grow so fast?' and see what comes up. Quick link to Wikipedia says, well it says a lot.. Just read for yourself.
     I am in no way condemning anyone for eating supermarket chicken. I buy it all of the time still. My family loves chicken and I am not a lover of butchering my own meals. Honestly, I hope to grow out of this.  I have already come quite a ways from the girl I used to be. In the past, if it did not come from the supermarket, wrapped up nice and neat in Styrofoam and plastic wrap, I wouldn't eat it. We were given some hamburger from my uncle one time and while my family raved about how wonderful my meatloaf was, I was in the bathroom gagging and hearing Uncle Mark call out 'Calfy' to his cow. Fresh eggs? FORGET ABOUT IT! That was just disgusting! (My sister is still this way!)  In my quest for self sufficiency, however, I have grown to realize the importance of knowing where my food comes from. This is not important to everyone, but it is important to me.
      My husband's, mother's, boyfriend's. granddaughter (phew, did you catch all that?) raised chickens for FFA. When the project was finished, we were asked if we wanted them. They are Cornish Rock Cross and are breed to grow quickly. This also makes them unlikely to ever mate, lay eggs, or live past a certain age. And while I was not yet 'there' in my homesteading journey, I felt if I was going to 'Talk the talk...' I had better start down this road when I was offered the chance at no cost to me.
     My daughter helped me along on our first journey. We researched, read articles and watched youtube videos on butchering chickens. We decided to go with the 'cone method' of butchering. We took a milk jug, just like on the video we watched, and cut out the bottom of it. Then you put the chickens head through the hole and slit its throat. As it drains of blood it goes peacefully to sleep. Or rather, that's what is supposed to happen. Nothing could prepare us for our first time. Like I always seem to say, you think you know, but it never turns out how you expected. The chicken fought going into the milk jug hole, the incision clotted up instantly, then, the chicken cluck/cussed us, saying we were doing it wrong. Hubby came to the rescue with an ax. Note to self: Never, ever try that method again.
     Plucking took nearly and hour, even with dunking in the hot water several times. We have since learned that the skin is not that important to us, even when frying. It is a lot quicker to skin. We do not eat anything on the inside, so it is all boiled and fed to my dogs. We did find a lot of little orange balls we discovered were the beginning yolks of eggs. That is how we ended up keeping 'Prissy,' our first hen to lay an egg.
     It was very educational for my daughter. She learned a lot about chicken anatomy. She is like me (not crazy about killing the chicken) but she loves to identify the organs. She loves to cook our homegrown meat as well. She has very little attachment to the chickens because we have told her from the beginning these were 'food, not friends.' My hope for her is to become a veterinarian or be in another medical field. I believe she will be great healer one day.
     Just in case you continued to read, but were uncertain if you wanted to see the photos, I have saved them for last. The are not really terribly awful in my opinion, but this is your last chance to go check out one of my other articles. You can see my daughter make store bought Cornish Hens in my post HERE. Again, you are reading a blog about our homeschooling/homesteading family's quest to become more self sufficient. Thank you for your support.

Our FAIL...

 Getting the insides out.

 Don't you just love her protective gear!

An hour to pluck it and it still looked like this?

 The end result. 

     We decided to stuff and slow roast our chicken. We learned from our Cornish Hen dinner that we like seasonings, and this time we did it right. It was delicious and tender. I had forgotten to take a photo of it when we were finished cooking it. The photo above is what we had LEFT after dinner. Two adults and a 10 year old barely made a dent. I pulled off the rest of the meat and separated it into family sized portion freezer bags. We got 4 more meals out of this one bird. 5 meals for free. 

     We have sent several chickens to 'Freezer Camp' and I plan on sending more soon. If this is not your cup of tea, I understand. I used to be that girl remember? But it is now something I take pride in. My meat was raised by me. They were fed a healthy diet twice a day and also free range all day long. I know how they were treated, I know how they are processed. I know they were healthy and will provide a healthy meal for my family. Thank you for joining me on my journey.

A Day With The Boys

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     My nephews came over today. The boys are 5 and 3. They love coming over to Aunt May's House. I had forgotten to set my alarm, so I was awoken by the sound of knocking on the door. I am barely coherent until I have had at least one cup of coffee. As soon as my sister left, I was bombarded with questions of 'Have you feed the animals yet?' 'Can we go feed the animals now?' o.O 'Hold on boys, let me get a cup of coffee first.' I had not even had time to stir my spoon in the cup before they were asking me again... I downed half a cup and went looking for my shoes. We went out side to get the feed, me in my pjs and all. 
     The oldest is full of questions, 'Why do you put your feed in there?', 'Why do you feed them that?' 
     The youngest stares my over grown pig/dog down suspiciously. 'He is a nice pig. right?' He asks me this question more like he is stating a fact. Almost as if he is trying to convince himself. 
     On to the chicken coop. 'Why you have to hook that thing to the door?' 
     'We hook it open to keep it from slamming shut on the chickens just in case we get some wind.' 
     'Why you feed them like that?' 
     'So they do not fight over it and they all get some.'
     'Can I feed the bunnies?'
     'You sure can." 
     On to the bunny pen. 'Why does that bunny have red eyes?' 
     'Why does that bunny run away?'
     'Do they like it in here?' 
     'Can I pet them?' 
     My nephews ask questions faster than I can answer. 
     I finally get a word in and ask them, 'Why do YOU think?'
     'God made him that way.'
     'I think that bunny thinks we are crazy!'
     'I think they like it in here, there is lots of room to run around and hop and stuff!'
     Now on to the garden. 'Are we going to get to pick some vegetables out of the garden today?'
     'Let's see if we can find something.' 
     Just one zucchini and one cucumber is ready to pick. The oldest gets to hold them both because the younger decides to ask questions about to cherry tomatoes. I take one off of the plant and offer it to him. He looks at me like I have lost my mind. So I pop it into my mouth. Both boys say 'EWWWW!' and laugh. They both like tomatoes. They are funny boys though. 
     We went back to the house. Breakfast, movies and hide and seek until lunch time. We have a picnic lunch outside in the front yard under the tree. 
     After lunch, and a whole lot more coffee for me, we went outside again. This time my daughter is with us. 'What you doing Aunt May?' 
     'I am going to get the shovel and the rake so I can clean out the chicken and rabbit pens.' The younger one takes my hand and walks with me, 'I go with you!' I open the gate and start walking to the back shed. The older boy runs to catch up, 'I want to help too!' With three kids in tow, I get out the rake and shovel. My daughter gets the tote we use to gather and carry the poo in. One boy gets the shovel, the other the rake. 
     We clean the chicken coop first. 
     In the laying basket is an egg. 'Guess what I found?' I ask the older one. His eyes lit up. 'An EGG!' He gets the egg out of the basket. His first egg ever! His smile stretches from ear to ear! The little one insists on raking out the coop all by himself. The chickens come back in the coop, thinking they will get a treat, my little nephew runs out. My daughter is now in charge of raking out the chicken coop. The little one works hard at shoveling the old hay and poo into the tote. 
     The oldest boy is petting the feeder pig. 'Why you name him Pork Chop? Are you going to eat him?'
     'Yes...'
     'But why?'
     'Do you like bacon?'
     'Yes!' 
     'Pork chops?' 
     'Sometimes I eat them.'
     'Ham?'
     'I love ham!'
     'Well then, that's why!'
     We talk about eating chickens as well. Both boys agree chicken nuggets and chicken stew is 'Yummy!'         
     Time to clean the rabbit's pen. The older one decides its his turn to use the shovel. The little one rakes. I take the chicken poo/hay over to the garden. My daughter pets the bunnies, then starts to gather leaves that have already fallen from our trees. The rabbit pen is clean. We all fill up the pens with fresh hay. After making sure the rabbit pen is securely closed. We take the rabbit poo to the garden. As we walk I tell them, 'You can eat rabbits too.' 
The older one is full of questions, 'Is it good?' 'How you cook it?' 
'I have never tried it before, but after we get more rabbits, I am going to try some. I think fried like chicken will be good' 
'Can I try?'
'Sure buddy.' 
     This is a strange request from such a picky eating child. 
     We spread the rabbit poo around the garden. The boy's noses squench up. "Why you put it in your garden?' 'Because it is like vitamins to the plants. They grow bigger and stronger and make more veggies.' They are both satisfied with this answer. Done for the day. 
     After washing up, we are all rewarded with ice cream cones. After a little quiet time, they spent the rest of the afternoon playing with Uncle Mike and Zoey outside. Right before their mom got there, I had them come in and wash up again. When my sister got there, I told the boys, 'Tell your mommy what we did today!'
     Their answer, 'Nothing...' 
    

  Man I love these kids! 

Why We Prep As A Family

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'Do you really think something bad is going to happen? Come on, in this day and age, there is no way. And if it does, the government will help us!'  
   That whole statement/question really gets to me! There are various reasons why my family preps and not one is a conspiracy theory! Let me throw a few SHTF scenarios THAT HAVE ACTUALLY HAPPENED!

• Hurricane Katrina 
• Hurricane Sandy 
• Mudslides in Colorado and California
• Wild Fires ALL over the US
• Tornadoes in Moore, Oklahoma

     Google 'Natural Disasters in the USA' and you will come up with about 13,000,000 results. I could not even post them all. Every day someone, somewhere, is in a scenario they wish they had been prepared for. Do you save for retirement? That is you prepping for your future after you retire. Do you buy groceries for the whole week? That is you preparing to eat for the week. Do you buy clothing, bottles, diapers and wipes when you find out your are expecting? That is you preparing for a child! So why is it so crazy that my family is trying to be self sufficient and prepare for the future? I prepare for the 'Just in Case' of life's mishaps. What if one of us gets hurt? What if we loose a job? What if weather kept us from going to town to get supplies? And yes, what if the world changes as we know it? 

Let me tell you what personal SHTF situations our family has been through in just this past year alone.

• My construction worker husband was out of work for nearly 8 months.  When my husband was out of work, we used nearly all of our savings. Luckily I had enough provisions in the house so we did not have issues with providing food.  My small paycheck helped to pay bills when needed and keep us a float. It was a trying time, but we made it. 
• Winter storm blew through and froze everything. Everything was closed and half of the town did not have electricity for 3 days. I had my mom staying with us cause her house was not equipped for a power outage and temperatures as low as they were. While the power was out at my house we cooked meals on the wood burning stove and heated our house with it. I also had oil lamps and candles to help us see. Luckily, our power was not out as long as most. We were able to snuggle in and watch t.v. and play board and card games for the most part. 
• My mother was in the hospital for weeks in an ICU and was sent to a hospital about an hour away from me. I missed a lot of work. Since my check pays for all of our food, we blew through all of my food preps again as well. Mom is fine now, but I can't imagine what I would have done if I had to worry about feeding my family at the same time I was worried about my mom. 

     I hate to think what would happen if I had not prepared ahead of time for these real life emergencies. Those extra bags of rice and sugar I picked up, along with all my other canned veggies, fruits, soups and munchies really came in handy. Did my kids think we were in dire need of money? Yes, they knew, but they knew mom and dad had prepared for the 'Just in Case.' 

     Prepping to me is not just about buying and storing, stockpiling items you might need just in case your world is toppled up side down. It is a whole state of mind and a way of life. Humans have not always been able to run to the store to buy a gallon of milk they forgot. Before grocery markets became so popular, people went to general stores and just bought big bulk necessities to make it though a certain amount of time. Everything else came from what they grew, raised and foraged. Summers were spent stockpiling for winter. Now don't get me wrong, I love being able to run to the grocery store after work cause I we ran out of milk! I am guilty of running in for just a few things just as much as the next guy. However, I am working towards not having to rely on the grocery stores to get basic daily supplies, and just use them to purchase my big bulk items. On my mind all the time is, "What if you couldn't go to the store for the items your forgot or ran out of? What if road conditions are too harsh? What if stores were closed?" My mind is not in panic mode, it is more that a strategy game for me. 

     Look around your kitchen, how long could your family go with out going to the store? Days? Weeks? Rarely does anyone ever have enough food to last months on end. We have fallen into the 'convenience' trap. 'I'll pick it up on the way home.' But if you think about it, prepping is not always about food storage that comes from a store. Let us play a little scenario game... 

     Let's say stores are gone, you have no elecricity and you only have enough food to feed your family for 2 months. Then what? How are you going to get more food? Most people would say, 'Oh, I'll hunt for my food.' or 'I can garden," but can you really? Unless you are an avid hunter, your hunt might not go as planned. What if you wait all day and you do not see a deer? What will you eat then?  Are you prepared to eat a squirrel, skunk or rabbit? If you do manage to get a kill, what if your prey takes off and runs away before it finally dies? Will you know how to track it? If you do find your deer, do you know how to skin and dress it? Now you can not possibly eat a whole deer in one day, so how do you preserve it? How do you keep it fresh enough to feed your family for a month? 

     Man can not live on meat alone, can you a garden? Do you have seeds? Do you know when to plant your seeds? Do you know how to fertilize your garden? Do you know how long compost must sit before it is ready? Do you even know how to make compost? Do you know what amending the soil means? Do you know what kind of manure you can put directly on plants? Which animal manures will burn a plant? What do yellow leaves on a plant mean? What if your plants do not grow? What if you end up having a great amazing wonderful green thumb? Will you do with the abundance of food to prepare it for winter? No electricity means no refrigerators. Do you know how to can? Do you water bath or pressure cook your bounty? Do you know about root cellars? Drying fruits and vegetables? If you do know about these things, do you know how to do them with out electricity? Gas? 

     These are just a few of the questions I ask myself all of the time. AND THAT is why I prep! I have not even touched medical, hygiene, livestock, mechanical, and school prepping! It seems a bit overwhelming at first. But baby steps are all that is needed! Just make sure if you are talking the talk, that you are also walking the walk! Get up and learn something! 

   

    

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