Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all!

It's been an interesting year, hasn't it boys and girls? We still have a few more days left in this year. And............. it might get a whole lot more interesting before the end of the year. Not to mention early next year.

All of you are aware that this is not going to be peaceful, no matter how much we pray for peace on earth. There is not going to be peace. That festive color of red and green? The green will be laid over caskets and the red will be blood running in the streets.

I'm sorry. It sounds a tad bit morbid, doesn't it? We have lost our country. Even if President Trump wins the election, do you really think these people are going to quit and go home? They have been systematically trying to overthrow our government for years. It is blatant in our face now. Our vote means nothing. The courts at all levels, including the Supreme Court, are corrupt. Local governments, state governments and our federal government are corrupt. 

Now it is in our face everyday. They don't care. One small example. You can go to a drive in theater on a Saturday night and watch a movie, but you can't go to that same drive in theater on Sunday morning and participate in the religion of your choice.

If you have not wrapped your head around what is going on yet, then I don't know what to say. Many venues have been talking about what is here now, and they have been talking about it for years, what is coming. Boys and girls, you better not pout, you better not cry. You have been warned for years. 

Does this sound like doom and gloom? Well, yea, it does. Because it is. I live in southeastern Oklahoma, one of the most conservative places on the planet. We are surrounded in every direction by conservative. I thank God everyday for the many gifts that He has given Fern and I. 

I hope you have food, water, protection.  I hope you have a plan. If you truly believe that this thing will pass or get better, then you are not in touch with reality. Sorry.

We haven't had much to say lately. What is there to say? All news sources lie. All of them. For the most part, that includes conservative news sources. 

Today, here, the sun is shining, we have a mild breeze out of the north, the temperature will get up to about 45*. It is just a beautiful day. For that, I am thankful. 

Fern & I hope that you and yours have a very Merry Christmas. Celebrate the holidays however you choose. You can still do that for the most part. There are some places you can't worship or gather, but that's your choice. You're the one that made the choice to be where you are.

Our 1st & 2nd Amendments are under a brutal attack.  

There is just not much left to say. Keep your head down. Please be sober. Pay attention. Avoid crowds. Hopefully, we will all weather this thing, because when it rains on you, it rains on me.

I didn't mention COVID. You're going to have to formulate your own thoughts on that one. People die everyday and they have for a long, long time now. 

Either way, I look forward to what's coming. My flag is still blowing in the breeze. The church down the road still has their cross up. 

I know that hope is a poor strategy, but I hope to live my time on earth as peaceful as possible, and I hope that you do, too.

Merry Christmas all. May God and Peace be with you.

We'll talk more later,  Frank 

 

 

Today and Tomorrow??

 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

Real Men Do Cry

Hello Everybody, Frank here.

Do real men cry? Let's address that issue.

Now, this is being addressed from a male's perspective, so if you're going to take issue with it because you're coming from a female perspective, or a snowflake perspective, please continue reading, you might find something of moderate value.

Do men cry? Absolutely. Let's say you have a good friend die, old, young, it doesn't make any difference. Is it okay to cry? Sure it is. If it's your little girl's wedding day and you're passing her hand from a loving, caring daddy to that brutal, barbarian about to receive it, of course it's okay to cry, because you know your daughter is going to a safe home. If you're giving her hand to a limp wrist snowflake, it's still okay to cry, and you know why. When you drop off your child at school for the first day, it's okay. When you listen to our National Anthem and your eyes get misty. There are lots of times it's okay to cry.

So let's go ahead and get this issue out of the way. Do real men cry? Absolutely. Real men are not ashamed or afraid to cry. Some people would say, hogwash, that real men don't cry. The guys that say stupid crap like that watched too many John Wayne movies when they were little, or whatever the current equivalent is now. Don't get me wrong, I love John Wayne movies, but John Wayne was an actor. He played roles that we as men associate with.

Something a little personal here. For years, when I was younger, I would cry on Veteran's Day. Sometimes I would cry for a long time. Now I am 70 years old and bunch of men my age died in Vietnam. I used to cry that day. November 11th. It's still a special day to me, but I haven't cried in years. 

I wonder if I will cry in the future when I realize that my country is gone. Do you think there will be a holiday celebrating the defeat of America? Maybe there will. Maybe there won't.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we are losing our country. I didn't cry on Veteran's Day when I was a child. I didn't cry on November 11th until after my first time serving my country, and I did not serve in Vietnam. I have never cried before a funeral or before a wedding. So, am I going to cry after we lose our country? Who knows.

Here at this site, Thoughts From Frank and Fern, we've talked about gardens, dogs, cats, radios - ham radios that is, and we've talked a lot about the collapse of our society. We've talked about dark clouds on the horizon, the wolf at the door, brace for impact. And yes, we, you and I, have talked about these things. We also talked a great deal about preparedness, things we're going to need. So, we've talked about lots of things here.

If you are not prepared for the wolf at the door, you are not going to be prepared. Most supplies needed for preparedness are out of stock and have been for months. It is too late. Do I need to stay that again? No, just back up and reread the last couple of sentences. If you're one of those type that's going to go buy a gun and go steal from Grandma, good luck on finding a gun or ammunition, because Grandma has hers.

But as you probably know, you're not going to be buying any bulk food either. You're not going to be buying land either. The cost of land has skyrocketed. If you're going to go live with your prepared cousin, you had better make sure you are welcome. What are you going to bring to the table?

I know there are people that can't leave where they are. I know there are people that don't have the means to buy extra food, they live paycheck to paycheck. I read an article a couple of weeks back about a guy that was going to install a solar system right before this thing goes down. Is this the same guy that's going to buy wheat and bandaids and bullets?

Moving on. We have a virus shutting down our country. Is it real? Yes, the virus is real. So is the flu, the common cold, heart disease, diabetes, all of these things are real, but we have not shut our country down for all of them except one. Everyday a major agency somewhere issues a different story about effects, numbers and how to deal with this virus. Are we getting the truth? No. There is no truth. How can it change everyday? We can kid ourselves to believe that there is new and improved research, and there probably is in some cases.

Do you believe the lies? Have we ever been lied to before in history? Do we need to go down the list? Oh, let's see. The Kennedy assassination, the Gulf of Tonkin, 9/11, Weapons of Mass Destruction, and the list goes on and on and on. We are being lied to every day, every single day. 

Moving on again. Our government has tried to overthrow our current president for four years now. They, "the government", has projected lie after lie with no proof, just accusation. I can't see where that is going to change, but I can see where it will accelerate dramatically. Look at the rioting. Look at some of the decisions the mayors and governors are making. Who is controlling these people? Many of these elected officials have obviously sold their souls. They are going to do anything and everything they can to stop, infiltrate, change, cancel, distort, pick any word you want. They are going to try to affect the results of the upcoming presidential election. Write that one down boys and girls. 

We talked months ago about the long, hot summer coming. We now have an active virus shutting us down. If you want to, call it a bioweapon. We have rioting in several cities. Read for yourself, find out what is happening, it's happened before. They've disrupted churches, the educational system, the workplace, medical facilities, transportation, entertainment, the supply chain of everything including food. Ponder these things.

Do real men cry? Our country is dying. They are winning. The election will be disrupted. I'm not crying yet, but I can certainly see where we are going, and for that I will cry. 

There are so many examples of evil happening our world right now. It's not just in our country. What is happening here is an orchestrated event, it's controlled. These people are very well organized. They have been practicing on citizens of the planet for decades. We are about to lose our freedom. We've been losing it for years and we've done nothing, therefore, history tells us that we're going to do nothing. I can go on and on, and so can you.

It's been a while since we've talked. There really isn't anything to say. Some people say, I don't want to know all these bad things, so I don't watch the news. Fair enough. But that doesn't mean the events aren't happening just because someone chooses not to watch them. We both know that the vast majority of news is a lie.

Yes, real men cry. And so do real women. I don't think this is salvageable. I don't know what it's going to look like in the future. I do know that these issues cannot be resolved. There is too large of a divide between massive groups in our country. If you can get prepared, do so. If it means opening your mind and seeing what's happening, be aware. 

So you don't think we can lose our country? Ask King George. A very small group of people, some say 1%, some say 3%, took, from an advanced military, the colonies at that time. So, can a small group of people take something from a large group of people? Absolutely. Do the majority of people support the rioting and the fighting going on in congress? Does it make any difference? We have lost. The other side is practicing everyday, refining their skills. They have the laws on their side. You can't criticize, it's against the law. Don't think it's not going to happen, because it's happening right now, everyday in front of our eyes. I'm sorry. Maybe now I'll go cry.

In about 60 days things are going to change, and if you think things are bad now, just wait, it's going to be a very hot summer. I think you understand what I mean.

Please comment. Fern and I are doing fine. We've tried to make some final preparations. Don't get on the bus. Prepare your mind to do the unthinkable. Give your spouse a kiss, tell everyone you love them, and enjoy the times we have left.

When you kneel down tonight to pray to God, ask Him to bless our country.

We'll talk more later, Frank

 

Disturbing Times

Hello Everybody, Frank here.

I haven't had much to say lately, because I am sure you are watching the news media and the small folks like us that put opinions out occasionally. As you are well aware, we are under attack. This is not just some random kids running around pulling stunts, this is an organized, structured, well planned attack by a group that is out to overthrow our government. They are succeeding.

I don't have a solution for this problem, and I haven't read or seen anybody with a solution. The people orchestrating these events are not going to be satisfied and back off. These folks are playing to win by any means necessary. Let me say that again. These organized, structured combatants are trying to overthrow the government of the United States by any means necessary. They are succeeding.

Do you have a solution for this? I sure don't see one. Yes, I know we can all hold hands and pray, which is good. Or we can take action. Like what? We're not going to do that. I'm not going to go into all the things they are doing. I'm sure you see them on TV and read them on the internet. Ladies and Gentlemen, we are losing. They are winning. You know what that means? Everything that you have becomes theirs. Everything.

Let's see. No police. Do I need to say more?

Our country will soon look like Somalia, that's where this is heading. We have governors that are supporting these things. We have senior politicians that do also. You've heard it here before, we are in serious trouble.

Ok, so who is we? I am an older, white male, heterosexual, republican, married to a woman, veteran, Christian, taxpayer, property owner, and several other little titles. Everything just mentioned about me is a threat to them. Now we, obviously you are not all males, so therefore, we is a varied group, but I think you get my drift.

We are losing. They are going to continue to attack and attack and attack. Why wouldn't they? They have the momentum. They would be stupid not to continue.

Fern and I have been talking here for a few years. There is nothing new to say. If you have space for a garden, I hope you have one. You should have been stocked up on beans, bullets and band-aids a long time ago. We are now seeing shortages. In my humble opinion, if you are not ready and you are not prepared, it is too late. Try to buy bulk wheat lately? Try to buy bulk bullets lately? They're not available as are many items not available. Want to go joy ride through a big town somewhere? I'm not. The talk is the economy is doing great. It's not. Are you up with the term repo in relation to the Federal Reserve?

By the way, as a side note here. This is happening world wide. Where I live in southeastern Oklahoma there are people buying large tracts of land with houses site unseen. These are not local folks, they are from Virginia, interior Texas, California. Imagine. Buying 100 acres of land on a U.S. highway with a house and outbuildings, but you've never seen it. Recreational vehicles are experiencing the highest sales in history. This is during a lock down.

Does somebody have to spell this out for all of us?

Here is a link to a letter I'd like for you to read. This man is a high ranking Roman Catholic official, lives at the Vatican and he wrote a letter to President Trump. If you've got the time, take a look at it, it's current.

Moving on. It sickens me to watch what is happening. This is not a game. It's not a joke. These people are dead serious. They are not going to quit. Why would they?

I don't have a solution. What I am doing is hiding. A lot of people would say that's cowardly. Well, so be it. I walked on foreign soil and have been shot at. There are times when you keep your head down and your mouth shut.

This thing is going to get way out of hand real soon. They will never allow President Trump to be reelected. Just look around. Prominent Republicans are announcing that they cannot and will not support Donald Trump. If there is an election in November, we all need to vote. I hope we make it to November.

I would highly recommend that you leave large cities, and for that matter, medium sized cities. Prepare yourself mentally to do the unthinkable. We have written for years that the storm clouds are coming, they are near. Well, they're here. Remember, we have been betrayed at the highest levels.

I've always avoided the subject of guns. Several years back I wrote an article about guns used around the farm. You need to prepare to defend yourself. You need to avoid crowds at all costs. I borrowed those words of wisdom from Ol' Remus.

Our 1st Amendment is blatantly being attacked. Our news media is for the most part a lie and corrupt. Most of our senior politicians are also corrupt. This thing is not going to end well for anyone. Wrap your head around it.

Only God knows what the future holds.

I've got one more little clip we received in an email that I want to share with you. You can find it down below. It's intended to be funny, but it's not. It's a story about a man ordering a pizza. Remember, anything you order with a credit card, there is a record. If you have it shipped with UPS, let's say, they have a record of it. If you buy it from a major store, they have a record of it. They have had this information for years now, don't kid yourself.

It's hot here in southeastern Oklahoma. It appears we're heading into our dry time which pretty soon will mean grass and forest fires. If my predictions are correct, it's going to be a very, very HOT summer.

Fern and I wish you all the best.

We'll talk more later,  Frank

2020

CALLER:

Is this Gordon's Pizza?

GOOGLE:
No sir, it's Google Pizza.

CALLER:
I must have dialed the wrong number Sorry.

GOOGLE:
No sir, Google bought Gordon’s Pizza last month.

CALLER:
OK. I would like to order a pizza.

GOOGLE:
Do you want your usual, sir?

CALLER:

My usual? You know me?

GOOGLE:

According to our caller ID data sheet, the last 12 times you called you ordered an extra-large pizza

with three kinds of cheese, sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, and meatballs on a thick crust.

CALLER:

OK! That’s what I want ...

GOOGLE:

May I suggest that this time you order a pizza with ricotta, arugula, sun-dried tomatoes and olives

on a whole wheat gluten-free thin crust?

CALLER:
What? I detest vegetables!

GOOGLE:
Your cholesterol is not good, sir.

CALLER:
How the hell do you know!

GOOGLE:

Well, we cross-referenced your home phone number with your medical records.

We have the result of your blood tests for the last 7 years.

CALLER:

Okay, but I do not want your rotten vegetable pizza! I already take medication for my cholesterol.

GOOGLE:

Excuse me sir, but you have not taken your medication regularly. According to our database,

you purchased only a box of 30 cholesterol tablets once, at Drug RX Network, 4 months ago.

CALLER:
I bought more from another drugstore.

GOOGLE:
That doesn’t show on your credit card statement.

CALLER:

I paid in cash.

GOOGLE:
But you did not withdraw enough cash according to your bank statement.

CALLER:
I have other sources of cash.

GOOGLE:

That doesn’t show on your last tax return unless you bought them using an undeclared income source,

which is against the law.

CALLER:
WHAT THE HELL!

GOOGLE:
I'm sorry, sir, we use such information only with the sole intention of helping you.

CALLER:

Enough already! I'm sick to death of Google, Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and all the others.

I'm going to an island without an Internet, or cable TV,

where there is no cell phone service and no one to watch me or spy on me.

GOOGLE:
I understand sir, but Alexa says you need to renew your passport first. It expired 6 weeks ago..

Do You Follow God or the Government?

Hi Everybody, Frank here.

I ran across a real interesting article I would like to share with you. This article has nothing to do with a homestead, what we're feeding our pigs, or what is happening around here today.

It does have something to do with what we have talked about many a time. Here at Thoughts From Frank and Fern, we have talked about the moral decay and collapse of our society many times. We have talked about the educational system lowering it's standards on a regular basis. We've also talked about systematically tearing our military apart. And we've talked about the banking system, the collapse of the world markets, and many other topics, all of them leading to one basic conclusion. Our way of life is under attack from multiple different disciplines. Anybody that takes the time to move out from in front of the television can see it easily.

We are under a full frontal attack upon every established discipline. We are losing the battle, folks. So, where is this going? Here's where it's going. The Southern Baptist Convention had their annual meeting the last couple of days in Columbus, Ohio. The president of the Southern Baptist Convention is Dr. Ronnie Floyd. He had some things to say that are going to, or should, raise peoples' eyebrows. You see, Ronnie Floyd has taken a stand, and so has the Southern Baptist Convention. My hat is off to them for having the courage to stand for what they believe is right. Not legal right, but what is right from God's view. This is not a long article, and it is a news article about his comments. I have not been able to find an unedited version of Ronnie Floyd's speech. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Southern Baptists: Supreme Court Is Not 

Final Authority on Gay Marriage

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ladies and Gentlemen, please read this article. It is time that we all take a stand. After you read it, discuss it with your loved ones. Because if we don't take a stand, we're are going to go down one by one, and they will have won the ultimate battle. Who is they? They are the vast majority of our politicians. If they don't take a stand, then that means that they support the anti-God, anti-Christian views that are not what our country was founded upon.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we at Thoughts From Frank and Fern wholeheartedly support the views and beliefs Dr. Ronnie Floyd expressed in this article. We believe in freedom, and that every individual has the right to choose what they want to be. But we also believe that marriage is ordained by God between one man and one woman. We will continue to support these views, and defend them until Hell freezes over. Thank you for your time.

Frank & Fern
 

Have a Plan

Hello everybody, Frank here.

A few days back we received an email from a lady that has some questions. Here is the email, followed by my response. I hope you enjoy both.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hey Frank and Fern,

I was wondering if you’d consider doing an article on potential widow/widower-hood.  How that possibility affects your planning and how it should be something others at least give a thought to from time to time? 

It is something that often crosses my mind.  My husband is thirteen

years older than I.  Likely I will be the one left behind.  We made our last move with this in mind and solar is one of the last items on my list to get done. 

We moved to a place where we have a septic system and a well and a spring nearby. There is no separate trash or sewage bill as it is included in the property taxes for my county.  So, from where we were living we had a water bill, a trash bill, and an electric bill.  I’m trying to get it down where I have to pay my house taxes and that’s it period in widowhood other than house insurance which I hope to be in a financial position one day to be self-insuring on that item.  We live in an all electric house.  (Hate that as I’m a natural gas kinda gal.) But, we do have a woodstove so I can at least cook if the electric goes out/grid goes down.  (Along w/a couple of butane stoves. We got those when we lived in a condo so at least we could loan them to unprepared neighbors.)  We do have life insurance if that industry stays afloat.   

We are adding to our orchard yearly and expanding the garden and our gardening skills yearly.  I have a treed acreage that I could sell wood or trees from to the nearby sawmills.  We are debt free.  We have already bought our burial plots.  I put money back monthly for house taxes, new roof, new HVAC, etc. although my house is only 6 years old.  I don’t need a new roof or a new HVAC for a long time, but want to be ready if and when I do need them.  Same for our headstones, dentures, long term health care.  Many women have no idea how to handle money or their own financial needs looking towards retirement and are generally the poorer for it as they are generally the caretakers in their family and their working life ($$ opportunities) are lessened because of it.  Mine has been as I care for two disabled sons and now have aging parents.  My husband has helped me think through a timeline of action if he goes first… when to sell the second vehicle, which CDs to cash in first, which retirement account to draw down first, etc.

I had a long time friend lose his wife just this year rather unexpectedly, I’d love to hear about this topic from a male perspective as well.  How men can prepare in the case that they are widowed and how they think about preparing for their own demise and their family’s well being if they are the ones to pass first.

What do you think?  Have ya’ll a plan?  Maudlin I know, but I’m a practical person, I need to think these things through while I have time.

I am working on saving for a large solar addition of our own.  Our home site is not ideal (tall pines), but I think we could manage a wheel about solar panel.  As it is we have a small system now that we use in power down situations…small trickle solar panel, lawn mower battery, inverter…these allow a small electric lamp, coffee pot, toaster, drill, box fan, or other small draw electrical accessory to be used in an outage.  I think it cost me about $115 dollars a few years back to set it up.

Anyway, would love to hear ya’lls thoughts on the subject.  Even if it’s just a listing of your plans, maybe some other folks will chime in with helpful comments! 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When we got married, I told Fern she would never have to worry

about money. Because I am one of those people that can get blood out of a turnip. If it means living poor, we have lived poor many a time, but she never had to worry about money and she never had to worry about food on the table. That's the way it's been since day one.

Moving along. Fern's father passed away when she was very young, and that will lead into the next part of this article. When Fern and I got married, her mother insisted that we have lots of life insurance and I told her no, we're not going to invest in life insurance, we're going to invest in education and skills. You know the story about giving a man a fish and feeding him for a day? Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime? Well, instead of putting that money into a life insurance plan, we invested our time and money into ourselves. Not just Fern, but me also. Because when we got married, I was going to marry a teacher. We kept adding degrees and certificates. So, that was my response to the need to buy life insurance.

The issue of marrying a teacher? When I started college full-time, I was a little older, ten to twelve years older than most college kids. I was tired of the big city racket, and wanted the type of job that would take me

anywhere that I wanted to go. The allure of having summers off just couldn't be passed up. So I decided to become a school teacher and I was going to marry a school teacher, and we were going to live in little town America and escape the rat race. Here we are. Of course, there was a lot more detail to that plan, and there were many lean years there. But I think the lean years make you stronger, and we still do not have life insurance. Maybe this will make a good post someday, but if you read the history of insurance, it comes from a protection racket, that if you didn't participate, you might get hurt. But that's a different story.

Okay. The house. Our house is not all electric. We do have wood burning heat, if we choose. Our cookstove is propane. When we moved here the house had a large propane tank, and we supplemented it with a larger

propane tank. Now the only thing we use off of this propane is our cookstove, and I guesstimate we have approximately eight years worth of propane. The house we live in is standard stick frame construction, built with the intention of having perpetual grid supplied electricity. Long term I hope to replace the windows with double hung windows. One of the first additions we made to the house were full length east and west porches, which means that the porches are on the east and west side. Someday, we hope to have a greenhouse on the south side. We did replace the roof with heavy gauge metal roofing that should last our lifetimes. The exterior facade we replaced with a concrete type 4 x 8 sheet, called in some areas Hardy Backer. 

When we moved here we had two deep water wells dug. Fern and I installed a Simple Pump system in each one. We have planted fruit trees that failed, and then planted more fruit trees that failed. We have expanded the garden every year, which for the most part is a pretty good producer, supplemented with some failures. If you read this site, then you know we produce our own meat, milk, eggs, dairy products, and we hope to continue to do that with or without the economy prospering.

Everything we own is paid for. I'm going to talk about finances, but before I do, let me qualify something. Everything that I have comes from God. I thank God every day for the life He has given me and the opportunity to be here and participate. On occasion I forget who I am and where I come

from, and in a short manner I turn myself around, face my Father and thank Him for all that I have. Now, I'm not a stand on the corner Bible preacher, and can't see that I'm going to be anytime soon, but I know where everything I have comes from. Okay? Okay.


Now, having qualified my position on my Creator, this plan developed about 30 years ago, maybe a little longer. I have had the opportunity in my life to see what money does to families, and I chose not to go that route. My choice, my design, my plan. I've chosen to live a humble life style. None of this 'look at me' stuff. Simple, humble and functional. If I can't afford it, I don't buy it. Cute means nothing in my world. What's the old woodworking saying? Form follows function. When I do buy something, I buy the best I can afford. Not the most expensive, but one that will last and do the job for the longest period of time. An example. When Fern and I first got married, a close relative of ours was a licensed gun dealer, FFL. We bought a handful of cheap pistols. Sometimes they would work, sometimes they wouldn't, but they were pretty. One day it dawned on me, if my bride is going to carry a weapon in her purse, then being cute means nothing. It has got to work. Since then my bride has carried the most reliable handgun made. It's black and it works. Do your own research. It's not the most expensive, it's not the prettiest, but it's the most reliable handgun on this planet. And some people look good in black. But this is my point, if you're going to invest good, hard earned money, get the best product you can afford.

Investments. As stated earlier, we invested heavily in education and training. Often times this training was provided free by the government. First aid, CPR, EMT, Police Academy, Firefighter, and Military. As we speak right now I am taking a CERT course provided free by the government. Yes, I have to invest my time, and I have to put out some effort, but this is training that I have wanted for years.

Financial investments. Fern and I invested in a few retirement accounts. We put money in, our employer matched. Now 25 to 30 years later, we are reaping the benefits of these accounts. One of these programs also provided a life time medical insurance plan. These are things we invested in for years and years. This did not happen overnight. If I die, which I will someday, all of my investments will automatically switch to Fern. There  

will not be any change in program or financial status. If Fern passes first, the same applies for her investments, they will automatically switch to me. I know some will say, that's not fair. But first, let me assure you that every investment that I have I worked for. Every piece of education that I have, I earned by the sweat of my brow. In a month when I complete my CERT training, and I get a certificate of completion, it will be because I worked for it and earned it. Key words there. Worked for and earned. Thirty something years ago when Fern and I started this path that we are traveling, there was a plan, and if you will plan, then you can do the same thing too, because nobody is going to give it to you. We, Fern and I, have worked for, done without, and earned everything that we have. If one of us dies before the other, the other person will be taken care of.

Okay, let's talk church. If you are a spiritual being, then I would recommend that you attend a local church. It's just good brotherhood. If you're looking for the perfect church, you ain't gonna find it, because nothing is perfect. So accept the fact that people are different, and go to church. If and when things get bad, you'll be glad that you have a church family. I harbor no ill feelings against TV preachers, if that's your cup of tea, good for you. But I would highly recommend a local church. Even if you disagree with some of the doctrine, focus on the big picture, let the little stuff slide, and have your hiney in church.

I hope this answers some of the primary questions from the email that we received, and I also hope it opens doors for thought. There is nothing special about Fern or I, we just worked all of our lives, saved a little bit here and there, tried to be good decent people, but we always remembered who we were, where we came from and where we are going. Tonight when I go to bed, I will get down on my knees and thank God.

We'll talk more later. Frank

Frank's Thoughts on Veteran's Day

At church last Sunday, all the Veteran's were asked to stand or raise their hands to be recognized before we sang God Bless America. I was the youngest Veteran in the room, and I am 64 years old. Now, to be fair, there weren't a lot of young men in the room. We obviously have a church going problem with younger men. We have a Veteran's problem, those who serve their country, among younger men. Take a look at the divorce rate. So, let's see, religion is collapsing, that's called serving God. Being a Veteran is collapsing, that's called serving Country. The family is collapsing. God, Country, and Family, not only are collapsing, but have collapsed. Remember that. We'll come back to it.

Fern's father, step-father, and all of her uncles are Veterans. None of her cousins or brothers are Veterans. Frank's father and all of his uncles were Veterans. None of Frank's brothers or cousins are Veterans. Notice a pattern here? 

I'm speaking primarily here of men. If a man will not defend his God, his Country or his Family.... If a man has no respect for God, Country or Family, do you really think that we're going to have a rebirth of our society? I've said this before, and I will probably say it again. I don't think our once Great Nation, and our once great society will ever return. We use terms like the American resolve, and that pioneer spirit. Well, those are catchy little terms, and they might help sell pickup trucks during a football game commercial, but that's all it's good for. Because, look around, the men are sissy cowards that won't defend anything.

I would like to apologize to those that I have offended. If you have a negative comment, just keep it to yourself. I know everybody can't serve and everybody shouldn't serve, but we have more parents trying to get social security disability for their children in grade school than we have men standing in line to serve our former great country. We have more people that would rather sit at home and not work, and collect welfare, than they would to serve their country. See a few more trends here?

I understand what the III%ers are, and if you don't know what the III%ers are, you should. Look at our Veteran's Administration scandal. 34 years ago, when I first met Fern, I told her that if I am hurt, to NEVER take me to a Veteran's hospital. That was 34 years ago. Then last year, we find that the Veteran's Administration was spending more on new windows and desks, than they are on saving Veteran's lives. Shame! Shame! on the Veteran's Administration!!

For those of you that did not serve, and lap up the luxury of liberty, please scoot over today and let those that earned it, have a drink from the well of freedom. To those of you who served, and the families of those who served, Happy Veteran's Day. And for those of you that chose not to serve, please continue to stand with the women and children and holler, "Look at me! Look at me!" because that freedom was given to you by a Veteran, past and present. The ladies in the group that serve, my hat is off, my compliments. It must be very difficult being a female veteran.

Again, for those of you I have offended, I am sorry. For those of you that serve, Thank You. Happy Veterans' Day, all.

Frank

The Snares of the World

What things of the world or society hold you? Ensnare you? Tempt you? What draws you away from your duties as a husband, wife, mother, father, daughter or son?

Something happened to Frank and I many years ago that I still ponder. We chose to go our own way instead of being lead by the world. I have a difficult time explaining it and a more difficult time really seeing how important it has been in our development - spiritually, mentally, emotionally, our character and our morals. But I will try.

Sometime back in the 80's we began limiting the amount of television we watched. We realized that the vast majority of the programming on TV came from Madison Avenue, or commercial enterprises, and were aimed at creating competition among people. This competition entailed purchasing particular items or adopting certain behaviors that would endow us with the dubious honor of being 'cool' or somehow accepted into society as normal or special or exceptional. We came to understand that television and movies, and those that control their content, had found a very effective medium for shaping society to accomplish their goals of control and manipulation, that's why it's called programming. And it has been very successful at programming generations of people since it's inception.

Now, fast forward to today. In this day and age, we are truly oddballs. We do not fit into the mold of society at all. Here is a partial list of why.

• We have not watched TV for over 20 years and do not own a television.
• We have never played a video game, not one. 
• We have only watched selected movies for a number of years, and for the past five years, we haven't watched any.
• We get all of our news and information from the internet, in a manner of our choosing.
• We do not have smart phones.
• We do not, and never will, sign up for and participate in any social media. It is somewhat of a miracle that we are blogging, but we have felt lead to share what we know in an effort to encourage or compel others to prepare.
• We buy as little food from the store as possible. The foods we do buy are basic. There are many, many prepared foods that we have never heard of. We don't know and don't care, because we wouldn't eat them anyway.
• We don't use any chemicals in our garden. We just make do the best we can and try to plant enough for the bugs, varmits and ourselves.
• We try to learn all we can about producing our own food - goats for milk, meat, cheese and butter; chickens for meat and eggs; gardening means learning what grows here that will sustain us in the most efficient, effective way possible; and an herb garden for spices and medicinal purposes.
• We don't follow the fads and popular trends in clothing. We wear what we like and don't need much. Frank has told me for years he only needs a few pairs of jeans, a few shirts and two pairs of shoes and he is good. We dress in a modest, conservative manner.
• We don't have a McMansion or grow things just for looks, simple and functional is our motto. 
• We live in such a way as to not draw attention to ourselves. We would rather not be noticeable. Rather forgettable, actually, is our preference.
• We are honest, generous, compassionate, patriotic, courageous, determined people. Many folks find us to be intimidating by the way we live, think and feel. We're just too different for comfort in most cases.

We have been told by more than one person,"Why do you do all that work? It's easier to go to the store and buy it!" That's true. They are exactly right. But that is the whole point. We could counter with, "Why take the easy route and buy everything at the store when you can produce much healthier food for yourself with a little work?"

We try, but are not always successful, at keeping our mouths shut in most situations away from home, because we make people uncomfortable just being who we are. If there is a conversation about something on television or some new food item, we can only give a blank look, because we know nothing about it. That's odd in today's world. If there is a conversation about phones and what they can do, we give the same blank look.  We are fairly computer literate and can research and find almost any information we want, which is a true blessing, but we limit our involvement with today's technology by choice and design.

We find that most people don't know any news or happenings in the world except what the talking heads on television tell them. That we actually know something of the news beyond what the talking heads say, perplexes most people. They don't realize how precarious our economy is, or how many executive orders have been signed in the last six years that are infringing upon their freedoms, or how much more precarious life-as-we-know-it gets everyday. They only know what Madison Avenue, Wall Street and the PTB (powers that be) tell them and want them to know. Most of the news is a distraction from what is really happening across the globe and what is soon coming to us all. We wish more people could understand that instead of being engrossed in the latest scores, gadgets, or chemicalized platter full of stuff that some call food.

I guess that's why we blog. This is our effort to share what we have been blessed to see and do for many years now. We understand how easy it is to be ensnared by the world with it's glitz and glamour. It is a whole lot more work to try to make it by the sweat of your brow and the ache in your back. It's also more difficult to be shunned and thought ridiculous for living so far out of the norm. But for us, it is the best place in the world, for God has taken us to this point, and as long as He continues to lead us down this path, we will walk on. Listen. He is calling you.

Until next time - Fern