There's Nothing You Can Do?

Hello Everybody, Frank here.

We recently received a comment that I can't quite shake. It wasn't anything major, traumatic, big or little, but I just can't shake one statement made toward the end of the comment.

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"Do you have any suggestions or resources you can point me towards, given that we're not in a position yet to make a go at homesteading?"

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This benign statement, and probably stated with no malicious intent by the commenter, hit me in a peculiar way. You see, there are always things that we can do to prepare ahead of time. Please excuse my exaggeration here, but there are a bazillion things that we can do for a pre-homestead mode. Having a house and a little bit of land does not make a homestead. In my opinion, a homestead is in someone's thought pattern and attitude. If you would, please read my response, and then we'll discuss it more. But please let me qualify, I am in no way or means attacking this sincere comment, or the individual that sent it.

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"Hi, I'm new to your blog, over from SSM's. I feel the unease too, but it seems hard to prepare since my husband and I are paying down debt and living in an apartment. We're hoping in the next 3-5 years to be able to pay everything off and get a little house with enough room for me to have a veggie/herb garden, but that seems remote, and I still worry about what we can do now. Do you have any suggestions or resources you can point me towards, given that we're not in a position yet to make a go at homesteading? Or just soldier forward, paying down what we can, saving what we can, and getting into a place we own as soon as we can?"

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"Sure you can practice homesteading. You can grow a handful of plants in pots.You can start changing the way you dress to be less noticeable. You can put a small go bag in each one of your vehicles, and a larger one for adults and able bodied teenagers in your house. You can get yourself in better physical condition. Quit some medications that you can. Lose weight if you need to. Go to a farmer's market and buy 20 pounds of carrots and learnto can. That'll take a canner, jars, lids, and storage space. Quit buying useless petty junk, and buy solid tools that you can use for the rest of your life. Start paying attention to your surroundings, know who you are and where you are at all times. Study maps of your area, know how to get out. Start looking at property, go visit pieces of land, know where water is, and how to treat it. Learn to use a firearm, and prepare yourself mentally to do

the unthinkable. Study history. Get involved in a church. If you need to, drive to a country church and get to know the people. And if I've missed anything, do that too. Beans, bullets and bandaids. Learn first aid. Learn survival techniques. Take classes at the local college or vo-tech, but take real classes. Get your ham radio license. Learn how to use a radio. Make sure your vehicle is in great condition, and it has in it what will last you at least two weeks if you have to leave immediately. Know your local laws. Get a concealed carry permit and practice, practice, practice. Shoot to stop, not to kill. Get to know your Creator. Ask and talk to people that know what they're doing. Learn to tell the difference between truth and fiction. You say there's nothing you can do where you are now? Get a grip, it's near. Ta-ta."

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You see, I know folks that live in the country, have small amounts of acreage, and mow every square inch of it. They have a beautiful lawn. Are they homesteaders? Are they preppers? Are they survivalists? Who knows? So, a house and a piece of property is not a homestead. A homestead is a frame of mind, how we see life in general, what we think about ourselves, our family and our future. I could just as easily use the word prepper or survivalist, but the author of the comment chose the word homestead, and it has a much better ring, and not the negative connotations of other terms.

But let's pick one topic in my response. Let's take the automobile. You're going to put gas in it to drive it, why not keep it full of gasoline all the time? Keep the vehicle well tuned, tires at proper inflation, windshield clean, your to-go bag ready and in the vehicle. We all know gasoline is expensive, but practicing your escape routes and alternative routes, is a small investment in your future. 

Pick a couple of areas where you think you might want to live. Drive out to these places, buy gas at the local gas station, go into the grocery store and walk around, see if you like the people and see what their attitude is like. While you're out there, look at the houses. What shape are they in? Are they growing gardens, or are they mowing lawns? Check out the porches on the houses. What kind of fences do they have? Open the windows and listen to the birds. Are they raising horses for show, or do they have goats, chickens, dogs and cats? 

Drive out on a Sunday morning and go to church. Meet the people that are sitting beside you, in front of you and behind you. Pay attention to how they talk to each other and how they dress. Watch their kids play with each other. While you're there, pay attention to the message also. If you go on potluck Sunday, even better. Linger around a little bit after church and shoot the breeze. Pay attention to what kind of vehicles the folks drive. You can tell a lot about a person by how much they try to put on the dog. There are lots of things you can do with a car or an automobile. 

Like I said earlier, there are a gazillion things you can do to prepare mentally, spiritually and temporally. Pick another topic, any one you choose. Let me help you. How about food preparation? Just imagine how many different ways you can branch out thinking about food preparation.

So, are there things to do before you make the big move? You say you want references or resources? Go to the right hand side of this blog and scroll down to sites that we recommend. You'll find these folks to be good, decent, honest, reliable people. Most of them are very experienced at what they do. This will give you weeks and weeks of reading, pick something, start with it and change your life now. If you choose to dally, that's your choice. If you choose to change, prepare and get ready, then this instant is the time to do it.

We'll talk more later, Frank

When You're Sick & Down

What are you going to do when you're sick and down and out? Who is going to do your work for you if you're so sick you can't? My first thought is, well, I just can't be that sick. But I don't think we will always have control over that, will we? Or the weather, or the economy, or the actions of others, or bugs in the garden, or...or....or....

We were amazed by the pictures and stories of everyone trapped out on the highways and in stores and schools during the severe weather in the south. It really warmed my heart to see businesses open their doors to these stranded folks. It reminds us how important it is to have some things prepared and with us all the time. Mom With a Prep just did a post about her husband's emergency pack that he keeps in his vehicle, so that if something happens, he can get home. I keep my vehicle emergency pack with me wherever I go. I work 25 miles from home and want to be able to get home if some type of disaster or collapse happens, or if my car breaks down. I wonder how many stranded people had

emergency supplies with them. I also wonder how many people will

now start carrying emergency supplies with them because of this weather event. Maybe God is sending out a few more messages trying to get a few more people to see how important it is to be ready, to be even a little prepared. The people in the south had a few days to prepare for this storm. They knew it was coming. We all know a storm is coming. Are we going to be prepared when it comes? We all have storms in our lives of one type or another. Sometimes it's a tornado, sometimes it's a hurricane, sometimes it's the flu or, heaven forbid, the death of the family bread winner. We all have storms.

And speaking of weather. We have all been the recipients of wave after wave of unusually cold weather this winter. There are many people, businesses and organizations that can't get the propane or heating fuel they need. There is a major drought in the west affecting the farmers ability to grow the crops we have all come to depend upon for part of our daily bread. Frank and I were talking about it the other day and also wondered how this severe cold will affect the 'bread basket' states and the winter wheat crops. There are many things occurring now that may have a devastating impact upon our food supply in the near future. 

You know what else I noticed yesterday? The 'brick' of tissue we buy at the warehouse market that holds about 10 boxes now gives us about 160 less pieces of tissue. Just another way of buying smaller packages of things for the same amount of money. It really bugs me that we are being tricked into thinking things aren't so bad, when we are getting less and less product for the same amount of money. But we are told, there is no inflation and things are getting better everyday. Just wait and see.

Frank has been sick for a week and will be for a while yet. I have been down for a few days. It really makes us stop and think about how we might manage if we were on our own. Do we have what we need for daily sustenance? Yes. Can we do our chores and take care of the animals? Yes. We're not that sick. But what if we were? We have been able to get the medical attention we need, for now. What if we couldn't? Then what? It really gives us food for thought.

So, now we challenge you to put yourself in the shoes of the folks that were caught in this recent storm. How would you do in that situation? Now put yourself in the shoes of the folks that can't get enough propane to heat their house or cook. How would you manage? Or even if the propane was available, what if the prices had doubled or tripled and you just couldn't afford it, then what? What if you or your family member was really sick and you couldn't get any medical attention? Then what?

Don't be fooled by what you are fed by the mainstream media. Really take a good look at what is happening around you. Did you know that more and more big banks, you know, too big to fail, are limiting how much money you can withdraw from your bank account? Some of them are even requiring a reason for the withdrawal, and if it doesn't seem like a good enough reason to them, they are denying access to the account. I find this to be unbelievable. But it is just one example of many. Don't be fooled into thinking, "All is well." It is not.

Sometimes when you are sick things look a little more gloomy than they really are, and Frank and I have been sick. But this is one instance that our illnesses are not the reason for our outlook on what is happening in our country. It has just given us more time to ponder. We hope that you will do the same. What can you do for yourself or your family today, not tomorrow or the next day, that will prepare them for the challenges of the near future? Think about it. Then get to work. Time is short.


Until next time - Fern


P.S. A family asked if we would provide this link for you to view.

Vehicle Emergency Pack

We have had emergency packs in our vehicles for quite some time and it is time to take inventory and update a few things. I have felt the need to get very serious about being prepared away from home.

We learned a lot in Alaska about the need for emergency, survival equipment. The remote villages we lived in required travel by plane, sometimes in a small 207 that would seat six people. During the winter you were not allowed on the plane without adequate gear for warmth - just in case the plane went down. These experiences brought survival gear into the realm of everyday provisions that we wouldn't think of being without.

My emergency pack is a basic backpack. If I ever need to walk, I want to be able to carry my supplies with me as comfortably as possible. That means on my back, not over my shoulder or in my hand.





The current inventory contains:  
Ziplock bag of old peanuts that need to be replaced

Good pair of tennis shoes (this will give me 2 pairs of shoes with the ones I will be wearing)
2 emergency ponchos
Small package of rope
2 emergency blankets with green on one side and silver on the other
Basic first aid kit that includes: Bandaids, gauze, triple antibiotic ointment, hydrocortizone
Roll of toilet paper in ziplock bag
Partial roll of paper towels
3 carabiners

Inside the car are items that would be added to the backpack if I ever needed to leave it and walk somewhere. These items include: 
Small maglight
Flashing hazard warning light (the kind you would put out on the road to warn on coming traffic)
Jacket with hood (this is my car jacket, it's in there year round)
Light rain coat with light insulation and hood
Lighter

I always carry a variety of items in my purse that would be useful in an emergency situation.

Gerber multi purpose tool
Small maglight
Lighter
Very small first aid kit
Tylenol
Carmex
Cough drops
Rolaids
Bandanna
Knife
Whistle
Extra charged cell phone battery

I work about 30 miles from home. In the remote possibility that something happens and I could not drive home, or at least part of the way home, we have several contingency plans that we hope would result in my safe arrival. We have studied maps, driven the possible routes and made ourselves as familiar with the terrain as much as possible.

With winter coming on, I have felt the need this year to upgrade the supplies in my pack. I am adding the following supplies:

New bag of mixed nuts
2 freeze dried meals to add water, let soak and eat
Empty peanut butter jar to soak food or filter dirty water before sterilizing
Bandanna and old towels for stage one water filtering and whatever need arises
Binoculars 

Steripen for sterilizing water    2 bottles of water (chlorinated from the tap)
Emergency whistle with compass 
Pair of pants
Long-sleeved and short-sleeved t-shirts
2 pairs of socks
All purpose hat

As I went over the contents of my backpack, I realized that since Frank had installed the Alinco VHF/UHF mobile radio in my

vehicle, I no longer had a radio that I could disconnect from the car and take with me if I had to walk. I felt that this was a big oversight on my part. Initially we were using the Wouxun handheld VHF/UHF radios in the vehicles with a battery eliminator. That would allow us to remove the radio, insert a battery pack and antenna that were kept in the vehicle, and we would be good to go. I really like the Alinco for a mobile radio. We are able to communicate clearly for a much farther distance when I go to work. Now I will be adding a handheld radio to my pack for emergency communications if I am on foot.

Communications equipment in my pack will include:
A handheld radio
Extra battery
A short stubby antenna
A 9 inch antenna 
If I am walking with a radio clipped to my belt, the stubby is better; I would be less apt to bend and/or break the antenna. If I am stationary or trying to receive a signal and the stubby is inadequate, I can change to the longer antenna.

Mental preparation is key to survival. We have been preparing for a long time, but that doesn't mean we think of everything. Like the new radio in the vehicle. It has been there for several months, but it did not occur to me that it would leave me without radio contact if I were on foot. I am grateful that I have been getting this nudge to upgrade my pack, otherwise I don't know how long it would have been before I realized I needed a handheld radio. It may have been too late. This is one instance I am glad to discover the inadequacy now. There are sometimes that failure is not an option. 

Frank has known for a long time that communications will be a key component in a survival situation. There are some basic, simple steps that can be taken to increase your ability to communicate with your loved ones, as well as listen to what is happening in your area should a disaster or collapse occur. Anyone can broadcast on any

frequency, including ham radio frequencies, in an emergency if there are no other means of communication available. The ability to prepare for and survive some of the situations coming our way may hinge on our ability to hear what is coming. If you have a group of people in your area that can communicate via radio in a grid down, collapse situation, it may save your life. You may be able to know if there is danger heading your way. You may be able to warn someone else if danger is heading their way. It is another layer of preparation that may make all the difference in the world. Radio communications will also bring at least some information, whether it is local, national, or worldwide, in a time when all information is cut off. Not knowing anything about what is happening when we are used to massive amounts of information at the click of a button will be a huge change for all of us, and a difficult one, at best.

I challenge you to give some serious thought to your situation and prepare for a way to get home on foot. The day may never arrive when you need it, and I pray that is the case. But, Frank has a good saying that he has picked up along the way. "I would rather be a prepared fool than an unprepared fool." It may mean all the difference in the world to those you love.

Until next time - Fern