New priorities

DH broke my new laptop last night. It's probably going to cost a couple hundred to fix. I'm so bummed, but oddly enough I'm not angry, nor is it a huge priority to fix it. I have my slow old desktop for now.

The things that used to be important to me just aren't anymore. My first thought after realizing what had happened was. "Well we need to spend that money on XYZ because XYZ is so much more important to our long term survival." Those of you who know me well also know what a radical change of view that is for me. I love my computer. I love my internet. 3 months ago I would have been totally lost without them. Today it's just a minor inconvenience. Less time for blogging, chatting, gaming... yes; and that's the UPSIDE for me. The weather seems to be letting up and I have lots to do. Now I have a good excuse to get away from the screen.
Maybe this is just a natural step in the process of recovering from depression or maybe I'm changing in alot of ways. I just have too many important things to do.

As far as I know, no one's reading this anyway - it's more of a way for me to clear my mind and organize my thoughts and plans. If someone does read it and it helps them then that's great - but I'm not really doing it for others at this point.

So I'm still going to be here, and I'm going to try to do it every day because it's a great outlet for me. But this screen just isn't what it used to be. With everything else going on in the world I have other concerns. Concerns I'd like to share with those I love but that I need to address for my own family first.

Crazy day

So our day started with the announcement that gay marriage had passed. I had barely finished blogging about that when the radio reported that all the schools in our area were being locked down - including the two that my older sons attend. After a frenzied hour that situation was sorted out and the troublemakers were 'apprehended'. I now remember why we started homeschooling and 'preparing' . I also was reminded of one of the big holes in our preparedness planning - the schools. We've touched on this but it's very much out of our hands as was proven today. There are a few things I can control though. Here's what I learned from the experience:

1. We have relatives that live within eye/ear shot of the school. As of this morning we have an understanding that the kids can go there if there's a crisis.
2. We're going to get more information from each other than from the schools until the situation is resolved. This has so many pluses and minuses - disinformation, lack of information, frustration, but ultimately the belief that the schools primary concern is the safety of the kids.
3. Kids with cell phones communicate better than those without. My son forgot his today (of all days) but my niece had hers and ultimately she was the one who let us know what was going on.
   
4. We need to have a long talk with #1 son who suddenly thinks he's invincible. He got in the car this afternoon and said, "Well they wouldn't get me cause I can run really fast". I looked him square in the eye and said "Are you STUPID?!". We've taken to calling him superman this afternoon (faster than a speeding bullet). DH took him to help with some yard work. Hopefully they'll have a little chat...
5. False alarms open doors for communicating about crisis preparedness that aren't usually open. Take advantage and sow a few seeds when one arises.
   
6. Probably the most important lesson - the only thing I can control in a crisis is my reaction to it. After the first heart thumping moments, a quick prayer and a call to our pastor for more prayer; I started to 'work the problem'. Who do I call? What do I do? Most importantly I did it calmly and methodically, not in a panicked frenzy. Panic is only going to create more crisis.

So there's my lesson for the day, such that it is. Every day is a new opportunity to learn. What did you learn today?

Beginning canning

So I've NEVER canned before. This will be an adventure for me. Not one single jar of anything. No jam, no pickles, no relish. Nothing that even WOULD be canned. We froze quite a bit of stuff last fall, and I dried a few things also.

I lucked upon a copy of "Putting Food By" by Ruth Hertzberg at our library book sale last summer for $1. I went to a one hour workshop that covered the bare basics of preserving from all angles (canning, drying, freezing)

I have to admit, I find canning intimidating. If it's done incorrectly you can get all sorts of nasty illnesses. If you operate the pressure canner wrong it can blow up. Hot jars can explode. It's unbelievable intimidating.

The start up costs are scary - $50-80 for a pressure canner, $50 for water bath canners and kettles, $7-10 for a case of jars. That's not counting, lids, rings, salt, jar lifters, scales, thermometers, canning racks or basket-thingys that sit in the kettles, sieves, and any other manner of accoutrements.

I'm fortunate to have family, friends and neighbors who know a bit about canning. You can never overemphasize the value of experience. Better than any book.

The rewards of learning will be worth all the effort though. There's nothing that compares to home canned goods. I've had enough of them to know that much. Like every naieve beginner I envision dozens of shelf feet of beautifully canned goods of all kinds. LOL - I'll be lucky to get up a handful of each, but any will be a step above where I'm at now.

Yes, I'm excited... like the idiots that wander into the creepy houses in horror movies. Adrenaline *sigh*.

Homeschooling decision

Well our decision about homeschooling has been made... and not by us. Since the legislature passed gay "marriage" yesterday, I can no longer put my children in the public schools in the state of Vermont; a private Christian school maybe, but not the public schools.

I'm disappointed but not surprised. I hold no animosity towards gays. I wish them all the best. I do not hate them. Marriage is between a man and a woman and every child needs a mother and a father. The Bible says that homosexuality is an abomination to God. Therefore I cannot condone it, nor can I send my children to a school that does.

I can hear my detractors saying "but the Bible says "___" is sin too and I didn't see you pulling your kid out of school for that". My simple answer is this - the schools have never taught that "___" is normal and acceptable. They DO intend to teach that homosexuality is, and I cannot allow my small children to be influenced by that. They'll say "you have no right to pass judgement on gays". I'll say "I'm not, God is." They'll say "there is no God." I'll say "good luck with that plan." They'll call me a bigot and a hater. They'll be wrong - I am neither. Oh... and PS - they're wrong about God too.

Making something legal does not make it moral or right. Just because the law allows you to do something doesn't mean it's good for you. Look at abortion, euthanasia, alcohol, cigarettes, gambling. You can't legislate morality, nor can making something legal make it acceptable.

G8 report says food crisis may threaten stability

Just found this on Reuters - Hopefully it'll make people think about what we take for granted.

Tue Apr 7, 2009 3:11am BST

LONDON, April 7 (Reuters) - Global food production needs to double by 2050 to avert the risk of scarcity and high prices hurting international stability, says a policy document for a G8 meeting on agriculture, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.

"Without immediate interventions in agriculture and agri-marketing systems, the 2007 crisis will become structural in only a few decades," the paper quoted the document as saying.

It said the document was drafted by the G8's Italian presidency ahead of a meeting in Treviso later this month.

The G8 will include agriculture leaders from the United States, Canada, Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy and Russia.

Last year the G8 industrial nations met in Japan against the backdrop of spiralling food costs around the world.

The G8 document says a further food crisis will have "serious consequences not merely on business relations but equally on social and international relations, which in turn will impact directly on the security and stability of world politics."

The meeting on April 18-20 was prompted by last year's price surges which triggered riots and social unrest across a number of countries.

"The issue of price volatility remains a crucial element for world food security," the report said.

"There is a need for a fast increase in agricultural production in developing countries," it added. (Reporting by Matthew Jones; Editing by Tim Castle)

© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved.

STEP 2: WATER - the most basic of basics

With spring flooding well under way it's worth taking a look at water. We take it for granted, we turn on the faucet and there it is; a clean, hot, cold, safe, endless supply... or maybe not.
3 days without fresh water - that's how long you'll survive.
Think about these things if you think I'm being 'extreme':

• How many power outages have you lived through in you life? Outages that lasted more than let's say arbitrarily, half an hour?
  
• How many boil water notices have you had to deal with?
  
• Water rationing? Unheard of in the Northeast, this is a fact of life in the Pacific southwest.
• Ever been stuck in traffic for half an hour or more?

Heard enough? -
QUICK ADVICE: Buy a reusable water bottle and two cases of water per family member. Costs less than $10 per person, cheapest insurance you'll ever get.

See below for further steps.

NEEDS -

Bare minimum for survival is 2 quarts per person per day. This would not be a pleasant survival. At least a gallon for drinking is more in line with actual consumption and needs. Plan on another gallon for cleaning, cooking etc. A reasonable initial goal is 1 weeks supply. From there you can work your way up to whatever amount is comfortable for you.

There are numerous ways you can store water ranging from cattle tanks all the way down to aseptic 'juice box' size. Let's look at the options:

WATER BARRELS & BULK TANKS: can store lots of water directly from your faucet, reusable, barrels can be purchased cheaply from your local pepsi (or coke) bottler, or if you don't want to deal with the hassle you can buy brand-spankin-new ones from places like emergency essentials (beprepared.com). Drawbacks - impossible to move once filled, water needs to be changed a couple times a year. Will require additional supplies to use efficiently (see below).Pricy if purchased new ($50-$85+ shipping depending on source) Used ones can be found for as little as $10.
I've also seen a giant vinyl bag insert that fits in a bathtub and holds water as well. Great idea - here's a link:
http://www.americansurvivalstore.com/Water-Storage-Purification_c_27.html

BOXED WATER KITS: Another bulk storage option. Comes with several cardboard boxes and mylar bags you fill yourself. Not widely available, expensive compared to other options but slightly less expensive than 5 gallon jugs.

5 GALLON JUGS: Still stores lots of tap water but far more portable, easy to locate (walmart carries them in the camping section). Easier to tuck out of sight. Cost about $10 each. Drawbacks - still fairly heavy (about 50 pounds when full), water needs to be changed a couple times a year.

1 and 2.5 GALLON JUGS: Very portable, widely available, inexpensive to pick up one or two here and there. Jugs can be refilled. Unopened jugs can be stored for years. Average price is about 75 cents per gallon but can be found for as little as 50 cents/gallon.

SINGLE SERVE BOTTLES: Sizes range from 8 oz aqua pods to 32 oz. Portable, good serving size, don't take up much space. Easy to toss a few in your car, desk, backpack. Unopened bottles can be stored for years. Average price is $5 per case for 16 oz bottles, sales can be found for $3 or 4 per case.

ASEPTIC PACKAGING: Sizes range from 4-8 ounces. Handy for emergency packs, car kits, desk, purse, etc. Small size makes them easy to carry. Sturdy packaging. Unopened water stays good at least 5 years. Drawbacks: very costly compared to larger packages, not readily available

PERSONAL WATER BOTTLES, FILTER STRAWS & CAMELBAKS :
Water bottles can be purchased cheaply, camelbaks and filter straws are most portable. Drawbacks - if you haven't already filled them you need to find water. Camelbaks are expensive, need parts occasionally, and have to be kept clean.

My suggestion is to store a variety of sizes. A good per person goal would be (IMHO) two cases of bottled water, 2-5 gallon jugs, 10 gallons mixture of 1 and 2.5 gallon jugs, and 2 quarts to 1 gallon of Aseptic (this would be spread throughout emergency bags, car, etc). Ideally you would also have at least 30 gallons in a bulk barrel per person.

ADD ONS

If you choose to store water in bulk you will want to consider purchasing the following:

• Bung wrench/bucket opener - necessary to get into the barrels these run just under $10 each.
• Siphon hose - convenient way to get water out of barrels, can be connected to a hose so water can be drawn over a distance. $10-15
• Siphon hose adapter - so you can attach a hose to the siphon. Under $5
• Drinking water safe hose - better for water your going to be drinking, made out of food safe material - $15-$30 depending on length.
• Purifier - prices vary, under $10 per package
• steel buckets - for collecting surface water from streams, rainwater, etc.
  

PURIFICATION

There are several options for purifying water. I'm not going to go into alot of detail here about how to purify water. I'll just list the options I know of.

• Purifier tablets
• filters
• bleach
• iodine
• solar still

So there it is, tons of information about your most basic survival tool.

Fear mongering and Food Crisis

So I've been up since 3AM. Just couldn't get back to sleep. My mind is spinning with a thousand thoughts. As the mother of 4 I'm very concerned about the economic instability. It seems as though there might be some slight relief but honestly, I'm just not sure. When I look at my children I worry about how quickly the world can change.
American's live life teetering on the edge of a cliff that we cannot even see. Those of you in the preparedness community know this, my family and friends don't for the most part. So here it is - in the event of a catastrophic event that shut down the food delivery system it would be less than 3 DAYS before store shelves were emptied. 3 days... think about that for a minute. If you think you could turn to_____ (fill in the blank: gov't, churches, neighbors, family, etc.) guess again because that's where everyone else is headed.
What ticks me off about all this is that there seems to be very little sane middle ground in this discussion. On the one hand you have the average American who is completely unaware and doesn't WANT to know. As long as they can have their Big Mac's and Coke they figure anyone who thinks about this stuff is crazy. On the other hand you have people trying to exploit their knowledge for their own gain, or theorizing about vast government conspiracies. Whether true or not - that kind of fear mongering muddies the waters and scares off people who just write off preparedness people as crazy.
I've begun connecting with people who seem to be in the middle of the two extremes. (Though I know people on both extremes as well). PRUDENCE is my word of the day. Use prudence in all matters, research from all angles, don't take ANYTHING at face value.
What are some simple, not extreme, but extremely prudent things you can do?

1. Grow your own... something - I have the black thumb of death but even I can't kill lettuce or rhubarb. I live in the Northeast where summers are short and gardening can be tricky. I'll still at least try to grow something, even if it's just a plant pot on the window sill with some chives in it.
2. Buy an extra... something - tube of toothpaste, can of soup, bag of sugar. Don't worry about having some big elaborate plan. Don't think you've got to have a 'years supply' - just worry about an extra day or two.
3. Assess your skills and knowledge - As I've said before, I'm not Fannie Farmer and I'm not Martha but I have some basic gardening and handcraft skills. I'm more of an armchair quarterback but even I have some skills. I can sew, bake bread, etc. My husband is a handy man, carpenter, etc. Everyone has something their good at.
4. Question... something -particularly something you've always taken for granted, even my statements here. Don't believe what I'm saying, go read it for yourself and make your own decisions.
5. Turn off the TV - or at least do something else while it's on. You won't find truth on the tube. Nor will you easily find it on the net. You don't have to have a degree or proof of anything to write or report about it - just because it's posted, printed, published, or broadcast doesn't mean it's true.
6. Don't be the deer in headlights standing there waiting for catastrophe to reach you. Get your stupid butt out of the way!