Hello Everybody, Frank here.
It's a beautiful Saturday morning here in southeastern Oklahoma. Sun shining, light breeze, nighttime temperatures were above freezing. We have clear skies forecast for a number of days. It's just plain ol' beautiful.
I wanted to drop you a short note today. It involves preparedness.
We all know there is an election coming up Tuesday. And we all know there is a chance of civil unrest.
Where I am today is beautiful and I expect it to stay that way here for a number of days. But that doesn't mean it's beautiful everywhere today and in a few days it may be quite ugly in some places.
This is just a reminder. If you're going to use any item in the next month, let's say. Go get it today or tomorrow, or maybe Monday and Tuesday. Go during the daytime if you can. If you pull up to a store, let's say Wal-Mart, and there are people outside rioting, keep going. Go to another store and pay more.
I know that sounds unbelievably simple and insulting to anyone of average intelligence, but we read about people everyday that drive into situations like that. Teenagers and adolescents don't always make the best decisions. Now may not be the time to experiment with an adolescent.
So what I'm saying here is, if you like ice cream, get a couple of extra tubs today. While you're at the store think about things you're going to buy either way for the next week or month. Stuff like toilet paper, batteries for your flashlights and anything else that uses batteries, general food items - canned, boxed, frozen. If you need fresh foods, buy them. Today or tomorrow. Get a few extra, things that will last.
Some people will find this next area to be a bit offensive. If you smoke or drink alcohol, you might want to get some extra because you may not be ready to quit just yet. Forgive me for saying what I'm about to say, but if you use illegal drugs you may not want to quit right now.
There are items you may not think about, things you use everyday. Prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Feminine products. Anything you're going to use in the next couple of weeks or month, get now.
Our goats are dried up right now and we are buying milk. It happens every year. Pasteurized milk will last for a long time in your frig. If it does go bad, your dog and chickens don't care. Also get dog and cat food. I know some people believe Fido will turn back into a wolf if necessary, but I'm relatively sure that ain't gonna happen.
I do believe it's too late to buy items for protection. You might still find some places that have firearms. Good luck on procuring ammunition.
Something I rarely talk about. If you are trying to find home protection, you're not going to find an AR type rifle and .223 or 5.56, you're just not. You have missed that boat. But you might be able to find a shotgun and get whatever ammunition you can find for it. Don't do something stupid with it. It may be too late to practice, but know the safety rules. Again - don't do something stupid. If you have waited this long to get family protection, then you have already waited way too long.
Make sure all of your vehicles gas tanks are full. If you have a generator with extra gas cans, good for you. Make sure they are full. If you have camping gear, get some new mantles for your lanterns and a couple of cans of white gas.
By all means, don't forget water.
The next couple of days know where your loved ones are. As you well know, a short text message will get through much faster that a screaming, out of control, voice message will.
You need to talk to your neighbors. You don't have to tell them everything about your life, just talk to them.
Just walk around your house. Look at what you may need for the next couple of weeks. Make a list. If you need entertainment items, especially if you have kids, give thought to coloring books, crayolas, puzzles. Adults like to color too, by the way. Kids will color a whole lot longer if an adult is coloring with them.
A little bit deeper philosophical thought here. There is a possibility our system is going to shut down. Everybody in your family does NOT have to be a trained ninja soldier and neither do you. But you need to have your head screwed on right. You need to be prepared to do the unthinkable if the time comes. You need to be right with God.
No joke about knowing where your family is. You do not want that stress in your life. Especially if there is no electricity or water.
I hope next week that we have a declared President and that you're eating week old ice cream. But if by chance that's not the case, you can drink that ice cream, too. Try it on a bowl of Cheerios or Captain Crunch. You're going to need all the sugar, salt, starch, calories, protein that you can even imagine if this thing goes sour.
But I really do hope that when you get that ice cream out, that your spoon bends.
Before your spouse gets up, get all your kids around and have a bowl of ice cream for breakfast. Then you go play golf and let your wife deal with kids bouncing off the walls.
Have a good day. May God and Peace be with you.
GO VOTE!!
We'll talk more later, Frank
Sounds good. Especially if you are an "old Boy Scout" as in being prepared. Even if you live in the country, you need to have "heads up' and be cognizant of your surroundings.
ReplyDeleteGod bless and protect...
I'm thankful that my family are all home and nearby. (The furthest of my kids is 2 1/2 miles away in our small town.) I have some friends who are away, and I checked on them this morning. I was glad to hear that they're coming home tomorrow. They were too busy enjoying their time at the beach and hadn't even thought about the election on Tuesday and possible unrest as a result of it.
ReplyDeleteI have stocked up so much that I feel like a hoarder. Food is even being stored under the beds. My husband loves Mt. Dew. So, I have several cases under the bed in one of the spare rooms. I also got some extra candy and have it frozen. During COVID shutdowns, I greatly underestimated the comfort that junk food brought to me. I have seen so many more people preparing and stocking up. It's great. Every item they have is one less thing they may try to take from those who are more prepared.
Like you, my goats are dried up, and I brought them home this week from being bred. I had the three unrelated does all bred to three unrelated bucks. This gives me options for breeding if I need to become completely self-sufficient. I have one coop of chickens molting, but another is laying pretty well. This gives me enough eggs to supply my family. I had a broody hen that I would normally discourage from sitting on eggs this time of year. Instead, I took it as an opportunity to increase our flock. Only two eggs hatched and the chicks didn't live. I think most of the eggs weren't fertilized (Young rooster.), but our local farm store had chicks. I bought ten chicks, and she's raising and caring for them very well. I normally have the coop she's in empty for the winter, but if there's ever a time that I may need more chickens, I think this is it.
I have been buying ammo when I can find it, which isn't very often. A local shop owner told me that it "flies off the shelves" as soon as he gets it. He limited me to one box of 9mm and five boxes of .223. I got them for my older son. The .223 is steel, but if you need it, you'll be glad to have it.
I have all of my Christmas and birthday shopping done for my family. (I did most of it in July.) I have also been picking up inexpensive toys (puzzles, crayons, coloring books, arts and crafts supplies, books, games, etc.) and food treats (cookies, gummies, canned frosting and cake mixes and oil to make them, snack crackers, jello, etc.) for the grandkids. I will give the box of goodies to them if things shut down. Having treats from Grammy during the COVID shutdown was helpful. That's why I did it again.
I have been checking homesteading and preparedness blogs more often and printing information that I may need. The pages go in designated binders for the subject matter it covers. Gardening, chickens, goats, first aid, patterns for clothes and shoes, hunting, butchering, and other old fashioned pioneer living skills are covered.
If none of this is needed, great. I will be able to stay out of the grocery store for quite a while. If the stores are empty, I am as ready as I can be. May God protect us all during this time.
Thank you for sharing this site with me.
DeleteThanks, Frank.
ReplyDeleteI continue to pray that our Father God will hold his remnant safe, that our country will -- even at this late hour -- turn back to God and seek his face. Lord, remember your remnant.
God bless all who read this, keep you safe and in his will. May his blessings especially rest on Frank and Fern.
Good evening Frank, I hope this day finds Fern and you well. I agree with you about taking a second, third and fourth look around the house, garage and garden. I have two male cats on a prescription dry food. I have a standing order with my Vet that I pick up every month. I did this as part of being prepared. When I mentioned pet food, my Son had the light bulb go on. Ah ha. It's the small things a person does not think about until it breaks or runs out. Medical Preps need to be gone through to see if there are expired items or if they have degraded due to improper storage. Change all the filters in the house, barn, water sources and vehicles. Same with oils and other lubricants in vehicles and machinery. Batteries, Brakes and Tires need to be checked going into winter. Get needed vaccinations, medications, glasses and sanitary products. Remembering the BIG items is easy. It's the small items that will cause misery.
ReplyDeleteIn God"' Safekeeping Red
Have a short list to pick up tomorrow morning and a few items to take care of at home, but overall we're as ready as we can be for a day that was beyond imagining not that long ago. Praying for our nation!
ReplyDeleteWe are always stocked up. This is different, though. Thanks for the reminder to get just those few last things and just a little extra. I had not been thinking in those terms. I had been congratulating myself on the good condition we are in. Oops. DJ
ReplyDeleteFrank,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the last minute "stock up on essentials" article. We are in pretty fair shape on our needs in all areas. The worst case scenario ,we think ,would be major power outages that are ongoing. Our society would be in disaster mode without electricity. Staying away from any major city just makes sense,lots of sense for the next several days at least.
No one knows what the storm is bringing or when it will spring forth but we fear it is coming and perhaps quite soon.
We pray for the safety of all patriots and for wisdom,strength and perserverance.
Bluesman
On milk: many people don't really like powdered milk. Nido is a powdered whole milk that's pretty good. Walmart sells it in the Hispanic foods section for the equivalent of about $4.25 per gallon when reconstituted. It doesn't keep as long as fat-free, but I've used it a year past the date on the package with no problem. It can be used on its own or mixed with fat-free powdered milk.
ReplyDeleteOne of the best things I ever bought was a thick volume published in 1906, "Mrs. Curtis's Household Hints." It shows how to do absolutely everything---from canning, making soap, butchering to digging an outhouse! Even if you only use one thing in it, it's fascinating reading.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I have a little "bug-out" bag that contains a small Bible, a how-to First Aid book, the abstract for our house (proving we own it), needles & threads, small scissors, jack knife, tape measure, screwdriver set and more.
As I told our Bible class a few months ago, what makes us think we are better than the children of Israel were when God took away their homeland for 70 years?? Another allegory I use is the story of Sodom & Gomorrah. As Lot pled the case for his people, he begged God to spare the cities if he could find 100 righteous people. Of course, God said yes. Gradually, Lot whittled the number down to ten which the Lord agreed to. When I pray, I remind God that if He was willing to save those horrific cities for the sake of 10 righteous people, surely He can look at our great country of states and see that there must be thousands & thousands of people who believe and trust in Him. And please rescue us from those who would do us harm.