Another year has gone by...

I have debated about whether I should continue writing on this site as I really don't think I make a great impact on helping people by blogging so I think I will turn my talents to other activities. Maybe I'll reinvent this site to make it more appealing. TTFN (Ta Ta for now)

Missing in Action??

You may have noticed that I have seemed to be MIA lately. Well I'll update you on my progress. I have been getting my lawn (all 2.8 acres) mowed, drywall attached and have started substitute teaching. I have also finally gotten all of the building materials out of my living room and arranged the furniture in a way that I am still liking. I have been working on building keeping track of the standby recipes that my family likes as well as trying out a few new ones so that I can try to determine what I really want to store for my long term storage. I am also trying to finish off some more projects before my first out of town guest comes to visit. (Yea, Mom's coming). So while I haven't been very diligent in writing down all of my experiences and ideas, I have been working towards this goal. I really want to thank my good neighbor for mowing my lawn for me. It took a tremendous amount of time and really needed to not just be mowed but bush hogged. It was a wonderful gift. I have said it before and I'd like to say it again, this is a great place to live, I have great neighbors and friends. I am so grateful for my children who've been helping me through this rough allergy patch, in which I've had to take antihistamines, and decongestants enough where you get that medicine head and don't feel like doing much. I know I am blessed, and I am grateful. Here is a video of my property.

Weather

The last couple of days have been in the 60's, and temperature wise it has been super! It wont last I saw that we will be dipping back down to the upper 40's. Last night we had an electrical storm, it was very short. I only saw 1 lightening strike and heard the resulting thunder that sent my dog scurrying to the smallest, tightest corner she could find. This morning we've been getting wind gusts, that make me envious of those who own wind turbines.
Weather plays a big part in the life around here. We have snow days, and black ice to deal with in addition to the wind, rain, and such. I find checking the weather is one of the last things I do before heading off to bed. It effects decisions like when I go grocery shopping, or staying in.
I have been thinking about how weather would effect my emergency preps. For instance if I was forced to evacuate in a snow storm I wouldn't be taking the dirt road to my brothers house. How about sheltering in place, I know I want to install a wood stove because on one particular day last winter the electrical went out and without an alternative form of heat we would have been really cold. So I've been thinking what if scenario's like what if we had a week long power failure like they did in NYC. What if it was in winter, or summer? (Spring and Fall being relatively mild temperature wise). So after all my musings, I believe what I am saying is think things through. Maybe even experiment, see if you could survive a day without using electricity during winter, or summer. Then adjust your preparations based on what you've learned.

Forming your group

For me and my family it was a no brain-er about who would comprise our core group. We wanted all of our extended family to be together. We each recognized the value of having a plan and being prepared. Even my sister in laws were okay with it, maybe not as "gungho" as the rest of us, still supportive.
But what if your family isn't like mine. I'm guessing it isn't, how could you form your group? Well you have a few options. 1) You could be like the ant in the Aesop tale the "ant and the grasshopper" and save your grasshopper family by gathering enough supplies to care for them. 2) Take a little time and have a heart to heart with your family and tell them about the trends that you are seeing in Europe, or your fears of economic collapse, or your fear for some disaster and what it was like after Katrina (lots of footage online about that) and tell them it isn't going to hurt anything to be prepared, but it could be deadly if your not. 3) You could form a group of unrelated like minded individuals. This could be set up like a club of sorts.
Getting other people to desire to prepare for themselves is a huge undertaking, but worth it if you care about them (not to mention easier on your own budget).

Spring? Is it really around the cornor?

Being in a new area I've really been studying the weather and the averages for the next month. I know that people in my area have said that this year was warmer, but I've found it to be close to the averages with the exception of 2 weeks in January. This week is actually colder than the average. One thing that does seem to be different this year seems to be how dry its been this year. I was excited to see that my brother is getting the garden in CA ready for spring plantings. Soon I'll need to do that too. My first year I'd actually like to plant my small "orchard" and get my trees established because I know that it can take a couple of years to start producing a fruit crop.
Gardening in prepping is important because you are doing two things. 1) You are creating a food source for your family, and 2) You are learning the skills that are important to do the first part. If you only store seeds in your preps and don't use them then you wont learn your areas growing season, if and which certain crops are more successful than others. You need to learn to recognize weeds, and plants. How to deal with particular rodents, birds and pests. All stuff you can't learn unless you actually go out and do it. I'll let you know if I can find someone to plow up my front yard so I can plant my "orchard." I'm also going to challenge you my reader to plant something even if it is just an herb in a container on your kitchen counter top, good luck.

Heat

Heat has been an interesting topic for me this winter. My house doesn't have central heating, it doesn't have a wood stove. In fact it really didn't have heating at all. We've been using an indoor Kerosine heater. I had seen in the LDS preparedness manual, Kerosine for storage. I have determined that my family goes through about 1 1/2 gallons per every 8 hours. I usually only run it for 8 hours a day unless it is really cold, using about 10 1/2 gallons a week. The average cost of Kerosine at the pump here is about $3.99 a gallon, with about 16-20 weeks of winter (210 gallons for 1 winter, and & about $838 in cost).
Things I've learned: The wick is really important, try to get an extra one when you purchase your heater. Make sure that your heater is large enough for the sq. footage that you want heated. Insulation in the house will help you retain the heat longer. I don't need to take the heater upstairs, when I have the heater in the kitchen (near the stairwell)the heat naturally travels to the upstairs, making that one of the warmest parts of the house. When the heater is in the living room the heat stays pretty much in that room and the office which comprise the front rooms of my 1st floor.
My hope is to install a wood burning stove before next winter. I had originally thought that I would put it in the living room, but am reconsidering that now because of how well the Kerosine heater worked in the kitchen. Part of the reason I didn't want to install an electric heater is in case of a power outage. We did have one power outage this winter, and I was really glad we had an alternative form of heating. I think it will be nice to have the Kerosine as a backup. Since my brother owns land eventually I'll be able to get fuel from it; the cost of wood will be significantly lower for me in the long run than using Kerosine. Here in my neck of the woods it seems most people are using wood to heat there homes, and I've yet to see an alternative for this area that would be as effective and inexpensive.

Clothing

When I consider my extended family and the preparations that they appear to be making it seems to me to be more about the food than any other kinds of preparing. One thing I hadn't thought of myself but rather read about was clothing. Lets imagine for a bit that you are not working. The clothes that you own will probably last a year maybe even two. But I've started to notice my hems on my favorite pants start to fray and sweaters start to stretch on the cuffs, and stains start appearing. When you are not working then these are things that are harder to replace. If for some strange reason like a disaster were to take place and you couldn't go shopping, those items would be hard to replace. If there were crazy inflation or some other strange economic event then then clothing might be hard to replace. I can't really think of a good reason other than unemployment for this scenario- still having well fitting clothes that are appropriate for gardening, or other physical labor in your storage might be appropriate. I would also encourage extra jackets, gloves, hats, socks, and SHOES (consider water resistant/proof hiking boots- or shoes with good thick soles and treads on them; and make sure you at least break them in before an emergency).

Neighbors

I have read many articles that have suggested that you would need to hide your food storage from your neighbors, and that your neighbors can become your enemy in times of great stress like during Katrina. While that is a possibility, I want to have you think of another possibility. Why not cultivate a good relationship with your neighbors, at least some of them and if they are not preparing for themselves then plan to include them in your preps. The reason I think this might be a good strategy is because they will have property near yours that they too would want to protect. At the very least I think it would be good to "get a feel" for your neighbors. You might find that they are more prepared than you are, especially if they are farmers/ranchers/hunters like in my neck of the woods. And in the city increased numbers may offer some protection in the form of a deterrent, plus if you are organized the more likely you are to be "heard" or have authority given to you by those around you who are not. Just some more food for thought.

2012 New Year, New Goals- My Resolutions

When you are unemployed such as I am at the moment it's real easy to limit your focus to today and tomorrow, and ask how am I going to just make it this week? While in my situation that is important, I don't want to lose focus of my longer term goals either. My longer term goals include having a 1 year supply of food and being prepared for economic disaster like we are witnessing in Europe, since it appears that our government is trying real hard to emulate Europe. My situation right now means that it will take me longer to reach my long term goals but it is still possible.
I know that redistribution of wealth is not cool, and I really do wish we had a different system in place (ie. private groups providing for social issues)- but it isn't so now. I am on welfare. I know it is the redistribution of wealth they take it from my brother, and give it to me. Totally not fair, I know. If my mom did that- like take my brothers paycheck and gave me part of it then there would be a big problem, and a lot of fighting between family members. It really should be up to my brother to help me or not as the case may be. I'd rather be poor than be the cause of all that family fighting, but perhaps I'm an exception. Getting back to the point, on welfare you get food stamps and sometimes cash aid. The amount varies depending on family size. Food stamps are always generous. So I expect I'll still be able to work on obtaining my food storage especially now that I know more about food.
When you are poor it's easier sometimes to establish the things that you really need to survive. Shelter, heat- in winter, food and water. I used to think that Food and water would be on the top of my list. And it is in a disaster situation, but as in a being poor situation it is not. Food is still currently one of the easiest resources to find for instance there is food stamps, food banks, soup kitchens, church groups, ect. all trying to get food out to people. Shelter is harder to come by and hold on to especially with out a job. Most Shelters are first come first serve, and space is limited. Apartments want credit checks and work history, owning is harder because it is a resource that you could sell, but sometimes like now the market is so low that mortgages are lower than paying rent.
Fortunately I have shelter, so hopefully I can hold on to it. Things are both easier and harder with children. Services are easier to qualify for if you have children. It's harder because, at least in my case, I don't want my children to have to make hard choices like do we save our fuel for our car or go deposit a small check in town? It is not cool to have to make those kind of decisions. But I have found that it is best that we approach these problems together as a family. Understanding leads to more realistic expectations.
I started this post telling you how it is harder to stay focused on the big picture. It really can be harder. My advice, list the things that are really important to you. Think about what those things and what you want them to be like in 10 years. That is your long term goal, that is the big picture. Write it all down, because as the year goes on it will be harder to remember what that dream is. Writing it down will help you remember. Sometimes when I feel like I can't describe it with words, I'll sketch it out as a picture. (I'm not an artist- but sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. Keep it somewhere you can see it. It will help you remember your priorities or the big picture and you'll probably be amazed with how much you'll do this year. HAPPY NEW YEAR my friends!

Learning from groups in history- the 49ers

Being from California, I grew up learning about the Gold Rush and John Sutter. I recently started thinking about what we might be able to learn that could help us in our prepping. I had originally thought about how the miners had traveled, but then I changed my perspective. I read this article found here:http://www.historichwy49.com/goldrush.html In it was this quote,

Sutter's agricultural enterprises began to fall apart. He got his wheat harvested, but there was no one to thrash it. The stone wheels of his grist mill never produced any flour. Hides rotted in his tannery vats. Squatters settled in brush shelters in his fields and vandalized the fort itself, stealing, according to Sutter, even the bells from his fort.

This got me to thinking about evacuations and the impact that people could have as they leave the cities, or flock to the cities. It also made me think about Katrina and the evacuations that happened there. From what I understand refugees from Katrina were "hard" on their hosts. Meaning that they left garbage, and damaged property for their hosts to have to deal with after they left. It certainly seems that John Sutter had to deal with the loss of business, and the damage of his property.
So how to avoid strange masses squatting on your land? I believe that is why so many people have considered arms. Still it is something to consider and prepare for. I know that others have talked about having extra food so that they can share with people passing by. I've heard others talk about trying to hide, or disguise their property so that it looks abandoned, but I almost think this is more dangerous because you are practically inviting someone to come to the property to squat. It's really hard to know what the best course of action is. That's why I've been looking at history. John Sutter couldn't keep the gold there quiet, if he had been better prepared for the squatters he may have been better able to take control of the situation, and perhaps come out ahead. The one thing for sure is that he hadn't planned on squatters and therefore his business suffered and was damaged. Lesson learned prepare for people, extra people you'll want to keep around and some you won't. How to deal with them is really up to each individual group.

Learning from groups in History- Pilgrims and Jamestown colonists

I found this interesting site about Jamestown, and an article by Nancy Fisher found at this link: http://www.nps.gov/jame/historyculture/jamestown-and-plymouth-compare-and-contrast.htm The pilgrims at Plymouth immigrated for religious reasons and the colonists in Jamestown for economic reasons, but most interesting to me was the section on set backs in Fisher's article,

Inexperience, unwillingness to work, and the lack of wilderness survival skills led to bickering, disagreements, and inaction at Jamestown. Poor Indian relations, disease, and the initial absence of the family unit compounded the problems. Cooperation and hard work were part of the Pilgrim's lifestyle. Nevertheless, they too were plagued with hunger, disease, and environmental hazards.

I found this to be interesting because I hadn't ever really considered the inexperience or lack of skills in the colonists. Here was this group of people coming from Europe. Which was decidedly more developed than America. It would be like me trying to homestead, forge and hunt. Thinking I could do it and what I didn't know surely I could figure out. Hopefully I can learn more skills before I am really put to the test with a disaster.
I also hadn't thought of the colonists as lazy either, but apparently they were; or at least they were with certain types of work. I have found while wintering in my uncompleted home that when the temperature gets too cold, like 30's, I really don't want to do to much around the house except stay warm- so maybe that is really what the problem was. So I think it would be important for a group to understand these types of problems and plan for a way to over come them. Of course nothing will really take the place of real experience so trying a group event like a camping trip where you practice your plans is valuable time and experience.
When we get to our evacuation location, we will know our neighbors, because we have already met them. We have established a good relationship with them. I wonder how life might have been different if the colonists had gotten along better with their neighbors. Planning and prepping with my family means that our family unit should stay intact. However, groups, if planned can create a family unit even if they are not related by blood.
Since the time of the colonists and pilgrims, we, as a people in general, have learned more about sanitation and health. Also we are from this continent and have been acclimated to it. So I believe that while disease and health are still big concerns, we have a couple advantages over the colonists and pilgrims.
Some interesting ideas to ponder on at least!

Prepping for winter

I am a new homeowner, and living in my new home while also making repairs to it. I had been living in California in the Central Valley. Now I am living in KY. It's a different climate and elevation. Things that I hadn't considered before are now very important. One thing that I have discovered is freezing pipes. I haven't had a chance to insulate under my home yet, and so I was surprised one morning that my pipes were frozen. I was able to get them defrosted without damage to the plumbing (which was a huge relief, since it is all new anyway). I have learned however that at the very least the pipe will have to be insulated. With the help of my totally awesome daughter we have been doing just that, insulating the pipe under my home. My daughter had to help because it is an unusually narrow crawl space and she being a small teen is the right size and age to help. I know that I will have many more things to do that will help us through our first winter, but it made me think about prepping. Sometimes I think of prepping for an emergency and needing to evacuate. But there is value in prepping and maintaining our homes. So not to neglect my responsibilities to my home and family but to remember to include all aspects of prepping even if it is just in maintaining my home.

72 hour / G.O.O.D. / B.O.B. bags

When I think of a 72 hour /G.O.O.D. (Get out of Dodge) /B.O.B. (Bug Out Bag) Bag, I think of them as a spontaneous 3 day camping trip bag. In fact I generally keep my regular Camping gear with my 72 hour kits so that I would include that gear in an evacuation situation.
What to keep in your bag is really up to you. I would include the things that would make a bare minimum camping trip possible. For instance your gonna want water, food, shelter (tent), a change of clothes / including a sweater or jacket. At a minimum those are the things I would include. Other things that may be helpful would be a first aid kit, sleeping bag, flash light, cooking materials such as matches/ lighter/ or a little propane stove (if you don't include this then make sure the food you've previously packed doesn't require heating and tastes okay straight out of the can and that you can open the can via pop lid or can opener). Once you have the basics squared away think about things that are personal to you like prescriptions, glasses, a deck of cards or book. Here is a link of some the typical equipment in a 72 hour bag: http://lds.about.com/od/preparednessfoodstorage/a/72hour_kit.htm
The thing about these bags is that you have to use them. The supplies and equipment need to be rotated and tested before an emergency. So every 6 months you should plan a 3 day camping trip only using the equipment in your bags, no last minute trips to the store. I like to do this in April and October. Testing your bags is the only way to find out if they are adequate. I did a camping test and decided that while I could cook over an open fire that I'd prefer a camp stove. Also I realized I had forgotten dish soap so had to make do with the bar of soap that I had on hand. You find out that the kids clothes are getting too small and that they really need something different. Or that the shoes you've packed don't have enough tread. Or you might think that fishing really is something you could do to supplement your supplies. So you find out what works and what doesn't, test your bags.
Note: If it is your first test, and you are not familiar with camping either get someone to help you go over your gear and camp with you, or do a backyard camping trip and try not to go into the house for anything. Try to make the test realistic because in an emergency you might not have a house to go to.

Baby Steps

I really enjoy prepping. I don't have a big budget that I can devote to getting the "things" associated with prepping so I have to do it in baby steps. What I try to do is each month increase my food storage, educate myself with a new skill, improve my fitness/health, and add to my prepping supplies. Deciding to not do everything at once is the only realistic way I can prep. I find that I just have to keep track of my current inventory and skills, and plan my purchases.
When I first started, I didn't keep track of my inventory. I went through my supplies and realized that I had 12 poncho's for 3 people. I also know that I really would like to get an "Epic" or "Awesome" Water Purifier but I need to budget for it. So if I had been careful and kept track of what I had, instead of the extra 9 poncho's I could have used that towards my water purifier. Oh well, another lesson learned from experience.

Group Prepping

I am excited to explore this subject of group prepping. I've heard people talk about the need of forming groups, yet I haven't found someone else who is trying to do it. My family is working together as a prepping group and we have even used our family system as a model for a church group. Currently our group consists of 8 adults, 2 teenagers, 3 kids and 2 infants. I like a lot of people have read "patriot" by James Wesley Rawles, and their group, is what we used for a starting point. In the book, Rawles talked about a club format with friends who shared a common interest as establishing his group. My group is family. Like the book, We started out by discussing the topic and assigning "jobs" but we did so based on skill and interests. The jobs allow each of us to learn and specialize in an area. Since our group wants to be as prepared as possible as soon as possible, this gives us a great way to learn skills that will benefit the whole group, given enough time before any given disaster the specialist will teach the basics of their specialty to the rest of the group and set goals for the group. Fortunately my family has diverse skills and interests, and we can get along.
Getting along is very important with any group, especially if you have to depend on each other for an extended amount of time. Add to this the stress that comes with a disaster, it's best to reach understandings before there is trouble, and lay down some expectations and rules. This is where our group has run into a little trouble. Each of us in the group has different expectations. Each of us gets along with each other but better with some than others. Clear rules are important.
Recently 2 of my brothers and I were able to work on remodeling my home. It became stressful because there were high expectations, and a firm deadline. We needed to be clear with each other, we had to compromise, we had to have opportunities to unwind, and sometimes we just had to keep our mouths shut. I can honestly say that we didn't argue. I was in charge, and we had clear expectations. But when circumstances change or errors were made, we had to realize that arguing about it or getting upset wasn't going to help us get to our deadline. Not everything got finished before the deadline. So I had to make it work. After evaluating the experience I found that the biggest obstacles were not under our control and I believe I underestimated the time we needed, but not by a lot.
With family, and sibling rivalry you might be curious as to how we overcame the obstacle of "Commander," for us though we made it as simple as possible. The owner of our evacuation location is the Commander. After the disaster the Commander is the person who will deal with the aftermath of hosting the rest of the group. We've discovered that however our group wasn't big enough to cover all of the area's we thought were important to consider. So we have each at least doubled our "specialties."
Some of the specialties that we considered important for our group are Food, Shelter, Sanitation, Medical, Communication, Mechanic/welder, Fitness, Animal Care, Gardening, Child Care, Hunter/Security. They are not in any particular order. We have also assign the teens and children jobs. For instance one of the older children will be the fire master, collecting tinder, and kindling. As well as making sure there is means to put the fire out, and that it stays under control. Giving everyone a job during the emergency is really important for morale and a sense of community.
Hope this is a helpful start for your group prepping

What is prepping?

For me prepping is preparing for a disaster, either natural or man made. Food Storage is generally considered prepping. However the subject of prepping is more than food storage. It includes everything from how you will communicate with others to being able to physically carry supplies, tools, and materials. Many aspects of prepping can be found online but I could never find information regarding groups and dividing up responsibilities, and group structure. This is only eluded to on many sites, so I hope to explore prepping groups and what will make an effective group. I also want to explore skills that we might have to use if we were to be without electricity for week. If we were to have sever food inflation, or economic disasters. If you are unemployed then you are having a personal economic disaster. This is the direction that I am going to move this page.