Chilean Earthquake, Haiti Earthquake, Argentine Earthquake, Japanese Earthquake..

First Haiti.
Then Japan last week (not a HUGE one, but big enough)
Then Chile and Argentina within 24 hours of each other.

If you do not have water and food stored for emergencies:
WHY NOT!???
Do you think you somehow live a charmed life and nothing that bad will happen to you and your loved ones?
Do you shrug off the responsibility of preparing for yourself and your family because "The government or our church or our family or SOMEBODY" will take care of you?

It does NOT work that way.
What  will you do when there is no drinkable water and one of your kids tells you he/she is so very thirsty?
Have you ever gone hungry? I mean REALLY gone hungry...three, four, five days or a week with no food at all?
Many people in the countries above are experiencing that RIGHT NOW.
As you read this, in the comfort of your warm home, with a flushing toilet, a cabinet stocked with snacks and a phone to call Dominos, people are sleeping in the street in those countries. Some are dying of thirst or hunger.
Yet some of you out there still don't have food or water storage to insure your own families well being. You don't have a tent or, at least, tarps and para-cord to make shelter. No water filter. No 72 hour (bug out) bag.
Do you have a way to boil water or cook food if the power and natural gas from your local friendly utility company is n longer flowing?
Do you have an adequate first aid kit? Back-up medications or medical equipment for family members that may need it?

I knowing I am beating a dead horse here (and preaching to the choir for some of you, if we want to keep going down cliche' road)

If you watched the news today, you saw what happened when they issued the tsunami warning in Hawaii. Did you see the people buying anything and everything out of the grocery stores?
Did you hear the comment that Hawaii (the ENTIRE state) has, at best, a FIVE DAY supply of food for it's citizens? That includes everything  in the stores, everything in warehouses and so on. They also said the average household in Hawaii has only a TWO DAY supply of food in their home.

Here's an assignment for next week, if you care to take the challenge.
No shopping. You live with what you have. Monday until next Saturday. No shopping after you read this, either!
At least 4 meals have to made SOLELY out of what you have in your food storage.
That's right, roll out a #10 can of wheat and get to grinding...or just soak and cook in a crockpot...or even start sprouting. I hope you have some tasty food storage...wheat, all by itself, can get boring!
If you have no *food storage* in place, then just live with what is currently in your cabinets, fridge and freezer.
Oh...I am going to go easy on you and not insist you use up your stored water...or if you have none, go without. That would just be cruel. But at least THINK about how difficult it would be not to have water at the turn of a tap.
If some of you break down and call Domino's by Thursday afternoon, I'll understand. I won't be happy about it, but I will understand.

Remember...we have many earthquake faults in this country, too.

New stuff

Look over to the right ----------------->
See the new banner link thingie?
Yeah, that one...you may have to scroll down a bit.
Anyway, this is for a sort of internet "co-op" of homesteaders that sell their products.
Bath and body stuff, home spun yarns and such and home grown goodies!
Some you have to pick up, so check and see if anyone is in your local area.

Now...why would I support them?
Because *they* is *US*.
They are people that are busting their butts to raise their kids, raise their livestock, take care of their gardens, pay their bills.
The products they offer did not come off an assembly line in China.
Their products are the result of hard, heart-felt work and care. Their products have an integrity and dignity you don't find at a *big box* store.
When you support hmesteaders, you support what is becoming the new backbone of our society.
People that aren't afraid to muck out a cow shed or go down to the field at 2 a.m. in a driving rain storm when an ewe is having a rough time birthing.
These ladies are not getting their nails done or angonizing over which shoes to wear to the club. They are getting dirt under their nails, and wondering if they can break the money out of a tight budget to buy some new canning jars.
My kind of people.
If you read this blog, probably your kind of people, too.
If you are a homesteader and need a market for your product...check them out--------->
If you appreciate hand made products and home raised foods, ditto -------------------->
Support homesteaders!

The Age Old Question.....

How much toilet paper should I store?
I see that again and again on blogs, survival sites, prepper sites, heck, even FEMA mentions it on their site.
GET REAL, PEOPLE!
If the crap hits the fan, whether you have stockpiled enough toilet paper or not will be the LEAST of your worries!
Face it, toilet paper is a relatively new invention.
Leaves, moss, cloth, corn cobs, etc were used for a long time before Charmin rolled off the assembly line.
I (personally) think that spending limited *prep* funds on 4000 rolls of "quilted softness" is a waste of money.
You can't eat it, use it as ammo (unless you are t-p-ing someones house), or use it for much anything other than...well, toilet paper.
I have lived in situations where I used an outhouse or a crude outdoor latrine. I rarely had the extra funds for a luxury such as toilet paper.
(I hear you saying   "Ewwwwwwwwwwww"...bear with me, there are solutions!)

My solution has always been cloth, usually terry cloth.
When towels get worn to the point they are pretty much useless as towels, I cut them up in washcloth sized squares. Two buckets with lids (diaper pails are great for this)
The clean bucket contains the clean *wipes*. I always moistened mine and wrung them out really good. The *dirty* bucket contains water, Borax and/or bleach and some laundry powder.
You get a clean one, wipe and then deposit it in the *dirty* bucket. Put the lid back on, please!
At the end of the day, or every other day (depends on the size of your household), drain the dirty bucket and dump the dirty wipes in the washer. Wash and dry. TAAA-DAAA!
You could also buy some inexpensive bundles of wash cloths at Family Dollar or elsewhere and squirrel them away in your long term storage.
I am not advocating going to this method RIGHT DAMN NOW (as my dad used to say), what I am saying is that it is an eco-friendly and sanitary alternative to hordeing toilet paper for the *what if* situations in the future.
It doesn't hurt to keep a few rolls of toilet paper stocked, but I do think it is foolish to spend money on massive amounts of  that rather than a few extra cans of wheat or honey.
Maybe to you, it is worth it to be hungry for a few days as long as you can wipe your bum with 3 ply softness.
It isn't to me.
As they say online...YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary)

Other Blogs and random things...

In case anyone is interested, I have another blog that focuses less on preparing and more on the economy, politics and my Pinky and Brain plans to take over the known universe, lol!
Just click here!
other blogs I follow...
Ten Things Farm
American Apocalypse
Sleep Talkin' Man
The Archdruid Report
The Never Done Farm
Self Sustained Living

and...about a dozen more...but those stand out to me right now. Some are homesteading and preparedness, some are on econics or politics .
And Sleep Talkin' Man? That one is simply FUN!
Give them a look sometime...

Lights, Camera, Action!!!

Okay, I found a place that helps you make movies....so I decided it might be entertaining to make a few based on preparedness issues.
Here's one...let me know what you think, please. Be kind, this was only my third effort!
College BoB discussion

Download THIS and Print it out!!!

If you read M.D. Creekmore's blog  ( http://www.thesurvivalistblog.net/ ) then you already know about this...if you don't, then listen up!
He has provided for everyone his free ebook and it is chock-full of great info and prepper advice and techniques and tools.
Click HERE  to get it. It is well worth the ink!!!

Good Morning!

It's a Happy Thursday here.
The sky is gray and overcast, the temperatures are dropping and we have a slight drizzle.
But, still, a good day!
Why?
Although I like doing yard work and being outside, I have been doing so much yard work and upkeep around this place that a day doing inside work is a GOOD thing!
I have some sewing to do, the ever-present cleaning and I am going to try to reorganize my library AND my *survival* notebooks.
I have loads of books.
Some I read purely for entertainment and some for education. Some just make me *think*.
Here's some of the books I recommend:
Cookbooks:
More Than Moonshine
Home Made in the Kitchen
Quick and Easy Korean Cooking
Preserving Food Without Freezing or Canning

Current book thats making me think:
To Shake Their Guns in the Tyrants Face

Novels I have been reading:
Deep Winter
Survivors
Tomorrow (Beyond Armageddon)

I read a lot. A LOT.
It is absolutely my favorite non-physical thing to do!
I get a lot of information from books. Although I love going online, there is nothing like having a solid book in my greedy paws! If and when TSHTF, having solid books will be priceless! You don't have to bankrupt yourself to buy them, either. Many books can be found online...all they cost is paper and ink!
Massive pdf files you can print down here that are useful:
Survival Books to Download
Foxfire Books 1-6 to download (if you just want those...they are also on the first survival books link)
Military Manuals
Gardening and Self-Sufficiency Books
Just About Everything You'd Ever Need!

Pick and choose carefully to conserve that expensive ink!
Happy Reading and Happy Learning!

HEY! Join Up Here!!!

Great forum, great site...and if I get enough folk to join up before the end of Feb, I'll win a survival seed prize!
Help my greedy little soul and join!
http://www.pioneerliving.net/apps/forums/
Tell them Lambykins sent ya, so I get credit!
Thanks guys!

Gardening Stuff

Gardening thoughts...
Started seeds today.
Tomatos, bell peppers, other goodies,
I am about to have about half the front yard tilled up (gasp!) to put in a garden.
I know for the lawn junkies out there, this sounds like blasphemy!
Here's the deal:
What good is a lawn?
Can you eat it, sell it, profit from it in any way?
Didn't think so.
So, some pepper plants will go out there, along with tarragon, lavender, chives and basil.
My oregano and rosemary are going in the back yard...where I am also going to till up a fair sized patch for my veggies.
My watermelon patch is probably going in a sunny spot in the side yard.
I won't be able to grow EVERYTHING I need here in town, but I am going to try my best to grow as much as I possibly can!
I strongly suggest everyone get in as big a garden as they possibly can this year.
Indications are that winter wheat crops and other crops that over winter did not do well. Other indications are that the crops from Florida and other areas in the US that normally provide cheap produce are faltering. The cold weather and even snow that hit Florida did not help the citrus crops!
In fact, weather trends for this growing season indicate there will be drastic increases in the prices of many foods, especially fresh produce and meats.
The cost of transportation has gone up. That hamburger meat you buy at your grocery store may have come from 1000 miles away...or more!  Please, if you have a local butcher or small grocer that buys meat from local ranchers, pay a wee bit more and support them! We need to support LOCAL businesses that buy from LOCAL suppliers--not multi-national *box stores* that buy honey from China (that may have contaminants), grapes from Chili (that may be sprayed with pesticides banned in the US), beef from Mexico (which may have been fed hormones and chemicals not allowed in cattle feed in the US) and so on.
Yes. I am talking about the store so many seem to rely on...Wal-Mart. I don't shop there. I discourage others from shopping there. I used to work at one, so I know it from the inside a bit.
If you care about your health, if you care about your community, SHOP LOCAL. Grow as much of your own food as possible.
Now...get those seeds started--if you live where it is time to do so.
Till up those useless lawns.
Get to gardening.
Oh, yeah...and boycott *big box stores*  in favor of local businesses!