Sunday, March 3, 2024

The Old Ways

 I have been a bit under the weather the last week or so.  Nothing serious.  It is "flu season," after all and this probably was just a mild case of the garden variety flu.  I expect that before long, the flu will suddenly become another horrible virus requiring several doses of whatever so called vaccine our government deems necessary, along with keeping folks indoors, wearing face diapers and all of the silly rules presented by those in power last time.

Unless we have learned anything at all from that debacle.

Since I haven't felt much like doing anything and because I have never been one to just sit and stare at the walls, I have been using the down time to work on my family tree.  While wading through my gene pool, it occured to me that if we pay attention, we have a lot to learn from those who have gone before.

My grandparents were Preppers.  They just didn't know it.

One of my grandfathers kept a roof over the heads of his family of six kids and food on the table during the Great Depression by finding and keeping a job that was necessary in his area.  He was for many years a depot agent for the railroad in the small northern Minnesota town where they lived.  In addition, his family kept a huge garden to help feed them.

My other grandparents raised a family of nine children on a small farm in the same area of Minnesota.  My Dad, the youngest kid, learned to love gardening while helping his mother raise food to feed their family.  They raised a litter of hogs every year, milked a few cows and raised chickens.  They were hunters who kept venison on the table along with the home raised pork and chicken.  Grandma canned as much food as possible, including the wild blueberries and raspberries that grew in that area.  

These activities were not anything special.  They were a way of life.

Unlike so many today, my ancestors didn't head for the Doctor's office or the Emergency Room of the hospital when they had a headache or a case of the sniffles.  When growing up, in my house an upset tummy was treated with Pepto Bismol and a bottle of 7-Up.  The common cold was dealt with using Vicks VapoRub.  And we all survived!

There is a blog that is chock full of all things preparedness.  I highly recommend it for references to so many aspects of preparing.   Jennifer has done much of the research so we don't have to.  Here is the link and her blog can be accessed using my sidebar.

Prep School Daily

Things aren't looking all that great these days.  I barely recognize the country I grew up in.  And it is more and more apparent that we as citizens are on our own.  Remembering how our ancestors lived and researching all aspects of being prepared for whatever cliff the elites decide to push us off is necessary for our survival.

As a friend of this blog is fond of saying:

"Larder full, powder dry and Bible open."

Friday, February 23, 2024

Attention Prayer Warriors...

 A friend of ours, B. W. Bandy, who runs the blog "Everybody Has To Be Somewhere," is in the hospital following a bad car accident.  He has given us much pleasure with the photos of rural Canada that he posts.  Perhaps we could return the favor with our wishes and prayers for his recovery.  Details are in his post today.  

The view from here (everybodyhastobesomewhere.blogspot.com)

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Time Flies By

 Anyone else feeling like time is running out for us?

I look around and see so much that would have been condemned by my parents and the preachers who preached in small churches across our nation.  In my opinion, Mega Church preachers fall in the same category as politicians.  

I'm not going to dwell on the horror that is now my homeland.  You all know what is happening.  Contrary to the belief of those in charge, we the people are not - for the most part - stupid.  Stupid is when we believe everything we are told by our "betters."

Those in charge do not give a rat's ass about any of us.  They care about getting reelected so they can continue to line their pockets with their ill-gotten gains.  

I find that the bad news has become overwhelming.  I don't even try to keep up with it all anymore.  I scan headlines so I am aware if the hoards are headed into my neighborhood.  I can do absolutely nothing about the rest.

What I can do is make sure my family is taken care of when the inevitable happens.  And that is how I spend my time.  And that's where I have been.

Grocery prices are still heading skyward.  But I am still buying what I need to make sure my storage area is as full as possible, knowing that food will cost more next month than it does now.

Quarts of beef stew base (veggies and seasonings to heat, thicken and add canned beef cubes to for a quick meal), more chicken and the leftover stew veggies were all canned last week.  This week my grocery order includes frozen hash browns, broccoli and green beans to dehydrate.   In between the food processing sessions, I have been putting together and packaging dry soup mixes, flavored rice mixes and other dry mixes.  They are handy to just dump into a crock pot for an easy meal.

I have been spending evenings either crocheting an afghan or putting together quilt tops.  This winter has been unusually warm for Minnesota.  Today it is 43 degrees here in the Minneapolis area.  Mid-February normally finds us shivering in sub-zero, snow blowing, frozen slippery roads weather.  Still important to finish the quilts.  This heat wave could turn icy in a flash.

No election will save us.  No politician cares what happens to us.  Only a miracle can change things back to the place they should be.

Our only Savior is Jesus.  If we forget that part, we really are doomed.


Saturday, February 10, 2024

One of the Good Ones has Passed

 I was today informed by one of my readers that one of my favorite bloggers has gone on to his Heavenly Reward.  Gorge Smythe of "Gorge's Grouse" fame has passed.

I have followed Gorges for a number of years, commenting on his blog and he, commenting on mine, with an occasional email thrown in for good measure.

He described himself as an opinionated curmedgeon.  He was.  And he also had a sense of humor second to none.  His antics often brought not only a smile to my face, but laughter as well.

I never knew what his dog's real name was, for he always referred to her as "The Mighty Dachshund."  But within his writings was the love he felt for the long bodied, short legged pooch.

Gorges shared his family with us, as well as the beauty of his home state of West Virginia.  Through his porch sitting posts, he brought his world to us.  And I am forever grateful to him for that.

I will miss him.

 

Thursday, February 1, 2024

Pay Attention

 Patara at "Appalacia's Homestead With Patara" posted a video today.  She says exactly what many of us have been thinking.  I urge you to watch this video.  And then, if you aren't already, Get Busy!

🦇 You Live in Gotham Now 🦇 - YouTube

Tuesday, January 30, 2024

Behind the Scenes

 Earlier this evening I watched a video from "Appalachia's Homestead with Patara."  Here is the link:

Texas Trucker Convoy & "Patriots" Bullying other Patriots? (youtube.com)

Patara makes a good point.  Why are there efforts NOW to slow down the invasion crossing our southern border?  Why not 1 - 2 - 3 years ago?  The border crossings were just as illegal back then as now.  So why wait so long before taking a stand?

I'm not bashing Texas.  I am grateful that someone is at least doing something to help alleviate the situation.  But what I wonder is - while all eyes are on Texas and while eyes are on the cross country Trucker's Convoy taking place - what are politicians trying to sneak past us?  You know they are.  Why else would they be working on a new law when there are already laws on the books regulating immigration.   

Me...I don't trust a single politician any further than I can toss them. 

I'm thinking that if we haven't been spending time in prayer, perhaps now is the time.  This whole situation does not bode well for the average citizen.  The only help we are going to get will come from above.

Sunday, January 28, 2024

Question?

 Yesterday I saw a news article about Congress working on a bill to fix the problem of illegals crossing our border.

If memory serves, don't we already have laws concerning immigration?  And wouldn't it be a simple matter to enforce those existing laws rather than trying to come up with new laws?

Politics at its finest!  Why bother to follow our laws when politicians can royally screw things up instead!  I am so done with the lot of them.