Moving forward 2016

Over the last 18 months our focus changed somewhat.  While I will always be The Prepper's Wife, I've spent time soul searching on who else I am~ I'm a Wife, Mom, Daughter, Sister, Friend.... And an urban farmer/ homesteader...  We have been aquiring new skills, and are on year four with our chickens, year seven on growing skills.  Now it's time to make the move from this home.... To OUT THERE. Our forever place. We're currently seeking 5+ acres in Western NC.

What have you been up to what skills have you gained?  What are you working on for 2016?
We will continue to work on:
Growing food and herbs
Raising chickens
Cooking from scratch
Canning
Dehydrating

I'd like to do more in 2016:
Get back to sewing
More herbal remedies
Make & sell soap
Growing more herbs rather than buying them
Actually create YouTube content to give back to the community I've learned so much from.

Lets grow together.

Book Discussion on No Higher Power: Obama's War on Religious Freedom

IF you love America, and our freedoms, you need to understand how our current administration is tearing down our country's very foundation. This country was founded on the Christian faith and at every turn our President is doing his best to erase God from America. For a better understanding please see video below.

For video CLICK HERE

"Phyllis Schlafly talked about her book, No Higher Power: Obama’s War on Religious Freedom. She responded to questions from students in the audience at the 19th annual Eagle Forum Collegians Leadership Summit from the Allison Auditorium of the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C".

What You REALLY Need to Know About the Qur'an

William Federer recently spoke on his book What every American needs to know about the Qur'an and as a Christian American it answered many outstanding questions I had on is Islam a valid religion? Should Muslims be afforded the same religious freedoms as others?  If Islam was just a religion then maybe however that's the sticky part.  Islam IS NOT just a religion. The totality of Islam is three pronged and while it does in fact include a religion, it also is a POLITICAL and MILITARY regime. This is different from all other religions practicing in America.

I'm not a historian, nor do I have a degree in religious theory so I would like to refer you to the following video.  Please take a few minutes from your busy schedule to review - it's fast paced and informative,  I found this this both enlightening and scary.

What every American needs to know about the Qur'an. <~Link
Video is hosted on C-Span and is presented by author William Federer

Free pdf copy of
William Federer's Book:  CLICK HERE

New favorite thing

You know we all really enjoy our five gallon buckets for storage.  Come on, we use them for absolutely everything ~ in our gardens as self watering containers, to carry stuff, store bulk items, endless uses for a good five gallon bucket right? Right. So I feel like I'm stepping out on my buckets - I have a new favorite storage container.

The 18 gallon Rubbermaid Rough Neck Storage Tub.  I bought a couple to store ... strategic preps and found they really are neat.  I liked them so much I ended up with 24 of them!  They stack better than other totes, and frankly make good sense because you can't see through them.  Now it's real easy to pack them too heavy, so I'm not suggesting anyone put can goods in them but for anything that is bulky and light weight or won't fit in a bucket try these totes.  Cardboard is a food source for bugs - so please get rid of your brown cardboard boxes.

Pic: Rubbermaid 18-Gallon Roughneck Storage Box

Don't advertise to the whole world what you have (or don't have) in supply. A good label system would be to number the totes and keep a list in your planner or prepping notebook.  Put these totes anywhere because they can take it! They work well inside or under extreme conditions.  from hot, to cold ~ Attics, basements, garages or sheds...nice neat stacks keep things looking good, away from prying eyes, and organized!

Children and a sideways world

Children, and their well being during and after a major event is important.  we have and have prepped for my wonderful children.  we have actual board games, decks and decks of cards, sidewalk chalk, crayons coloring paper etc.. you name it we stocked it.  Including their favorite foods.  Why?  Because when the whole world goes sideways the thing a child needs most is stability.  blocks, cars, crayons, games, stuff my kids play with now including board games and books, will be here after an event. My kids idea of survival items are crayons, UNO, fruit cocktail, Spaghetti O's with Meatballs and mac n cheese. We watch television and movies, we have cable and internet but that isn't the whole world to our children. Whatever soothes your kids, you should have stockpiled.

Recently I was asked why I don't have detailed info on giving birth in a sideways world.  Truth be told, its because I won't be having more children and I'm not a medical person.  I know first aid and cpr my fabulous husband is a certified Wilderness First Responder but I don't personally feel qualified to teach someone how to deliver a baby in a post collapse/sideways world. There are some wonderful sources out there to help.  One of our medical books on hand is the: Special Operations Forces Medical Handbook has detailed instructions for everything conceivable (pardon the pun)

Children however I know all about.  Key things you should be doing if you don't have children yet but anticipate having some is prepare to clothe, feed, and homeschool them.  You need to get basics together to teach reading, writing, math and such.

Consider having on hand: 
children's music on CDs
CD player
headphones, (how many sets have you killed over the years? multiple that by # of people in your preps and store)
CD Speakers
chalk and chalk board
pencils (lots of them)
pencil sharpeners
notebooks/paper
crayons, pens, water color paints ($ tree)
McGuffeys Eclectic Readers Series (found on Amazon)
Core Knowledge Series (found on Amazon)
Set of REAL encyclopedias (pre1980 look at yard sales)
dictionary ($ tree)
student dictionary ($ tree)
books - real books (not digital)
Bible

I have no affiliation with Dollar Tree - but I have to say I have gotten a TON of great kid preps there. workbooks, paints, chalk, all kinds of good stuff... to tuck away.   Also - my local one carries a nice King James Bible so we get some every now and then to add to the stock pile. Why? Because in a sideways world everyone will need hope. Those that don't know God, may want to get to know him. I'd like to help them.

Online Survival Summit 2014

A group named The Prepper Project is hosting a free online Survival Summit. With 29 confirmed speakers this looks to be an awesome event. Each day 5~6 speakers will be have in-depth interviews (presentations) posted. YOU have 24 hours to watch them, the next day another set of speakers will be posted, with the set before removed and so on.... it seems to be a week packed of great info and you can go for free, in your jammies and bunny slippers from your comfy chair in your off grid bunker. To register click HERE

Pride goeth before the fall

Proverbs 16:18 King James Version (KJV) ¹⁸ Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

But what does it mean?  

In my humble opinion it's important for us to teach and learn, but when folks get self righteous, and over confident it is my humble opinion you're asking for trouble.  It's all too easy to become over confident in THINGS, the groovy gear know what I mean?  I get asked what I think about terms like survivalist, prepper etc...  putting labels on yourself (or others) is a very slippery slope because at the end of the day we are more than a label  We are flesh, blood, and spirit.  We have responsibilities to our families, especially our children.  It doesn't matter if there is a storm, one of us gets sick or laid off or whatever, our children will still look to us to feed them, love them, and provide for them. Children will expect us to keep them dry, warm and safe....  The next time someone asks you what you are, stop and consider your response carefully.  Is the label you seek really that important? I'm many things including a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, mentor. I'm a woman God put on this Earth and I'm doing the best I can with the skills and abilities I have. I also am, a prepper's wife.

Prepper Fatigue

Many Preppers go through "Prepper Fatigue" at some point.   What is it? Well similar to battle fatigue it is  characterized by anxiety, depression, and loss of motivation, caused by the ongoing stress of active prepping. 

We all go through cycles in our prepping. Once you've been a prepper long enough, you will experience it.  At first you may feel guilty for wanting to back off from prepping in order to catch your breath, however it is actually wise to step back and assess where you are with your preps and take a deep breath. Take an inventory.  What new skills have you learned?  What do your durable preps look like? How many days/weeks/months of food storage do you have? is it lopsided (lots of a single item?)  Just slow down - take a deep breath, relish what you've learned and stored and take a moment for a really deep EXHALE.   Breathe in deep and exhale again. Look at how far along you are everything you've learned, how much more prepared you are now than you were before you started.

Wanna know a secret? Even I have had a 'bout of Prepper Fatigue.  (BTW So has my husband and I consider him the super duper prepper.)  It's normal.  Sometimes we just need to be reminded to live and enjoy today.  Be here, now. Yes something is on the horizon, but when whatever it is happens, we're in it together and we have a leg up on the sheeple...

If you feel like you've hit the wall emotionally, remember to live and laugh and have some fun.  Some of us are wound a little too tight on getting it all together and waiting for the other shoe to drop. Here's the real secret, it's okay to be happy and enjoy today.  You can be a happy prepper because in reality prepping isn't something we do, it's a way of living. 

Take a deep breath, EXHALE
Enjoy a beautiful day
Go for a walk
Smile at your kids
Laugh

oh yeah and rotate your food storage!  

Prep your own notebook:

Are you "all set" well good for you!  Light a cigar sit on the porch and speculate about the rest of us working hard to build our family inventories up :)  These are some things you need to be working on/reviewing:

We have a Survival 101 Handbook DO you have one? You do? Great! Oh you don't?  Well I could share my table of contents with you... Oh ok since you don't have one you can peek at our personal table of contents:

1.  Water List ~ How much, Where its stored, Where to find it if we need to search out more

2.  Food Storage List ~ Shelf life list, On hand inventory, list of what we'd still like to get

3.  Food Preparation List What can we make with what we have?

4.  Family members personal lists for each with current physical, current prescriptions, latests test results, and what each member's special needs are.We have a quick reference with everyone's daily schedules but then we have a "Book of Life" that has Birth Certificates, Vaccinations, Social Security cards etc for each person.

5.  Chem~Nuke Defenses what preps do we have that cover this what we still need

6.  Biological Warfare~Pandemic Defenses  what preps do we have that cover this what we still need

7.  Gardening List seeds and tools on hand, germination tests, garden maps, how to save seeds from our own grown veggies and fruits, details on each fruit and veggie in our garden as well as future plants we'll grow.

8.  Hygiene~Sanitation List  what preps do we have that cover this what we still need

9.  Hunting~Fishing~Trapping Lists what preps do we have that cover this what we still need

10. Power~Lighting~Alt Power~ Battery lists  what preps do we have that cover this what we still need

11. Fuels  what preps do we have that cover this what we still need

12. Firefighting  what preps do we have that cover this what we still need

13. Tactical Living  what preps do we have that cover this what we still need

14. Security ~ General  what preps do we have that cover this what we still need

15. Security~ Firearms  what preps do we have that cover this what we still need

16. Communications & Monitoring  How will we reach each other if need be and what preps do we have that cover this what we still need

17. Tools  what preps do we have that cover this what we still need

18  Sundries  what preps do we have that cover this what we still need

19. Survival Bookshelf  What books do we have in our library that cover this subject?

20. Barter & Charity Inventory  what preps do we have that cover this what we still need

21. First Aid Complement  what preps do we have that cover this, where are the kits and extra supplies kept along with a list ofwhat we still need

22. Little Livestock List  what preps do we have that cover this what we still need (We currently have chickens)

23. Maps ~ of your house, yard, neighborhood, area of town, entire town.  Maps to "Bug Out" location with more than one route marked.  I would mark areas that could help find supplies in the event of a total collapse.  Know your area, mark friends and potential foes, assets etc.

All this should be in one binder.  Don't have this all in one place yet?  Might I suggest you get it all together before you forget where you've put it :)

Prepping for free? Really?

Yes, REALLY!  In fact, our favorite thing to do is to prep for free.
Yes, I said FREE. We have 10 folks we count in our preps and whenever I can prep for free I get excited. I know many of you don't believe this, but right now there are things you can get for free at Walmart.  HUH?  Well it takes some effort but this is what I do... First I look at: Walmart Deals on WeUseCoupons
and see the coupon match ups.. and here's 4 things you could get for free right now:

1. Lance XtraFul Toaschee Crackers shelf price: $2.58 (yep there's a coupon for $2.58 for these!)
2. Tena Pads $4.97/pk  (there's currently a coupon for $5/1 pack makes them FREE and a money maker)
3. Reynolds baking cups (paper liners) Shelf price .92 (there's a coupon for $1/1 makes this a moneymaker!)
4. Neutrogena Acne Soap .97/each (current coupon $3.50/2 Neutrogena Acne makes this a serious moneymaker!)

If you aren't prepping with coupons, you're wasting money on things that you could be adding to your strategic supplies for FREE!  We put in bulk orders, used all coupons, and walked out owing just tax, or nothing at all.  If you aren't coupon savvy you can be very quickly.  Just visit:  WeUseCoupons.com and you'll be prepping for free too!  

 

Let's talk veggies

We can all grow good simple food. It is considerably cheaper than the grocery store, not to mention better for you and YUMMY! While it may sound like it takes a big yard, there are many veggies you can happily grow on your porch in containers. When the robins start pecking, time to start planting! When the rain is coming, time to plant seeds and set out your transplants. Start the tomatoes indoors in pots, in a bright window or in the greenhouse. Tomato seeds are best sown 5 to 6 weeks prior to the last frost date, and can be worked up in successively larger pots until transplanting. Space plants at least 2 feet apart in every direction. Caging them will help support the vine and keep the fruit off the ground. To produce the best-tasting fruit, choose a very sunny location and water deeply and infrequently.

Peas are best planted directly into the garden a few weeks before the other common spring vegetables such as beets and carrots. For peas, choose a sunny, moist location where there is mellow garden soil (make sure its been at least 6 months since the last application of compost). Peas must not be planted too deeply--do not be fooled by their large size--they're pansies about germination and don't like to push through too much dirt. Each pea seedling is precious--do not thin them! Instead provide a trellis (chicken wire is really the best) stretched between a couple of 4-foot wooden stakes or fenceposts, located directly above the seedlings and along the row. Don't dally about the trellis--if peas don't start climbing early they tend to stunt! Keep the rows at least 3 feet apart, and weed very carefully so as not to injure the fine roots of the peas. If you catch the season correctly, peas can provide a great deal of food in season.

Once your peas are up, start thinking about planting beets, carrots, cooking greens, salad greens, and onions directly in the garden. Make shallow furrows about 2 feet apart on the soil surface, sprinkle in the seeds and barely cover with soil, then tamp securely and keep the new planting evenly moist until germination. Cultivate between the rows to remove any weeds before they get big enough to compete. When the seedlings develop their second set of true leaves, thin them out to give sufficient room for the development of the mature plant.

In the late spring, after the soil has truly warmed up and all danger of frost is passed, sow the beans, corn, cucumbers, and squashes directly in the garden. You may also wish to plant more of the cooking and salad greens at this time in order to assure ongoing harvest into the summer.

Corn is best planted in a block of at least 3 rows, with rows 2 feet apart. Planting in this manner assists in pollination and development of full ears. Make the furrows about 4 inches deep, sprinkle composted chicken manure in the bottom of the furrow, drop the corn seeds (1 every 4 inches or so) in the furrow, then cover with soil and tamp securely. Water thoroughly after planting, but then hold off on the water until the corn shows above the ground-hot, sunny, dry days provide the best conditions for germination, and a hard crust on the surface makes it difficult for crows to pull up the seedlings. After the seedlings reach 3 inches or so, thin them to a foot apart, and cultivate frequently and shallowly, pushing soil up around the plants as they mature (in order to give them more wind resistance).

Beans are best planted in rows near the corn, as they benefit the corn with their nitrogen-fixing roots. Beans must be kept carefully weeded in order to assure uninterrupted growth and ease of picking the green pods.

Squashes and cucumbers are best planted in hills. Mound the soil generously (about 3 feet across and 6 inches tall) and plant 7 to 10 seeds in each hill. After germination, thin the seedlings to 3 per hill, and cultivate frequently to deter weeds. These plants must not be over-watered, as too much water can rot the fruit. Keep the summer squashes and cucumbers picked at early maturity, as they taste better that way, and the plant will be stimulated to produce more flowers and fruits.

In these days of higher food prices and questionable "big ag" practices there is really nothing better you can do to feed yourself and bolster your self sufficiency than to grow your own food. This is a life skill easy to learn now, before grocery stores are bare. You can do this, I believe in you.

DIY Natural Mouse Deterrent

We wanted a natural way to deter micky from coming in before encountering our cats so
we made several peppermint repellents. We also grow 2 kinds of mint by our front door in a
planter that helps keep pesky insects away from the door with the bonus of using leaves in teas and adding a nice welcoming scent.

You don't have to grow mint to enjoy the benefits. Peppermint Oil is readily available retail.

1. items I used: cotton balls, peppermint oil (I added peppermint leaves too), empty
prescription bottles, drill and small bit

2. 2 drps oil per cottonball, 2 cottonballs per container (plus 2 leaves)

3. drill 3 holes in lid, 1 in bottom

4. label container with sharpie or a label so when you come across it in your shelf you know
what youre looking at.

I placed them under sinks, under dishwasher, behind washing machine, around supplies, in she'd. Mice are put off by the smell of peppermint and will stay away.  Refresh every 6 months our second line of defense if a mouse does gets in, our cat will eat it.

Merry Christmas Y'all ~

Happy Turkey Day ~

FRIDAY's Stockpile for CHEAP

Why would anyone want to stockpile for less?  Well if you have time to prep and do all the prepping research then you have time to save money on the things you buy.  We don't pay full price and neither should you!

Let's look at it this way ~ what is the number one problem with stocking up on water water water....  I don't care how good your water is you or your family will get tired of just water.  That's called water fatigue.   And I imagine that's why someone picked leaves to put in the water and made TEA.....

What if I told you that you could order HUNDREDS of packets of koolaid for roughly $5

Kool Aid is having a National Catalina (Coupon that prints when you buy a featured item)  this month at KMart if you buy 21 envelopes of Koolaid for 10 cents it will print a $2 off your next purchase coupon.
you can use that on your next purchase of Koolaid, so you buy 21 MORE for 10 cents each ($2.10) minus the $2 coupon and you just got 20 envelopes free! Guess what, it will print ANOTHER COUPON for $2 off, so you keep "rolling" until you have bought as much Koolaid as you want to stock up on...$5.10 plus tax would get you 651 packets of Koolaid....  that's 31 transactions.... so be prepared to hang out at Kmart for a while. It's worth it to prep for less!   Want to learn more?  Click on the We Use Coupons button for more info.

Hot Food is Important

Here's three ways you may NOT have thought about cooking, but could be interesting. We have an alternative to charcoal, DIY stump oven, and DIY solar oven.  Hot food during a crisis is important.  It gives us comfort and soothes rattled nerves and is all around good for family morale.

Bic FlameDisk
Bic has introduced a new product it's called the FlameDisk.  The major flaw with this product is its fuel. according to the product's website  "FlameDisk uses ethanol as the main fuel ingredient. Our ethanol comes from corn, a renewable resource. "  Yeppers there's a hitch in that plan with an 80% failure in this year's corn crop.  This product may end up to be hard to find.   It does look interesting, and is extremely easy to use.  Seems it would be an excellent item to have in your preps for emergency cooking.  Here it is in the bottom of a Weber grill.  I think based on the shape it's perfect for kettle type grills such as Weber. the cook time is expected to be 35 to 45 mins.  We have stocked some of these because its easier than stocking charcoal for the grill, and we can barter them.

Items Required: Grill, Lighter, Bic FlameDisk

Here's the link to Bic's site:  FlameDisk

DIY Tree Stump Grill
This just looks like FUN.  If you're cleaning debris from a storm and your chainsaw is handy give this a try.



Items required: Log, Chainsaw, newspaper

1. Cut the log evenly on both sides so it stands up freely. Then cut it into vertical segments most of the way down the length of the log.
2. Stuff in some newspaper into the cracks as deep as you can get it, leaving a wick at the bottom, and light it up.
3. That's all there is to it—the log burns from the inside out, and you have a simple, handmade stove....

DIY Solar Ovens:

You don’t need four burners and a gas line to make some great-tasting trail food. All you need is plenty of sunlight. Make your own solar oven and feed the whole group. Solar ovens work by bouncing sunlight off a reflective surface into a pot. The hotter the pot, the faster your food will cook. It’s easy to make—and cheap.  

You can make your own! Lots of plans online, and Boy Scouts everywhere have done this as a camping project, with that said there are many Solar Ovens you can buy.  They can be pricey, and the sun has to be shining.  Also it takes a long time to cook in a solar oven.  There are many more designs online, but this one will get you started. Here is an example of a Boy Scout solar oven:

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• A pizza box
• Black construction paper
• Aluminum foil
• Plastic window covering
• Permanent marker
• Glue
• Tape
• Scissors
• Ruler
• String

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

 STEP 1: Line the inside bottom of the box with foil.

  STEP 2: Cover foil with black paper and tape in place.

STEP 3: Set the plastic under the box and trace the outline of the box.

  STEP 4:Remove the box and draw another outline 1⁄4-inch inside the first outline and cut along inside line.

  STEP 5: Close the box cover, and draw another line 1 inch from each side.

STEP 6: Cut along the lines on the front and sides—not the back.
  STEP 7: Open the cover and line the inside with foil.

STEP 8: Glue foil in place.

STEP 9: Cover foil with the cut plastic and tape in place.

STEP 10: All layers should be airtight and wrinkle-free.

  STEP 11: On the outside of the box cover, attach a string long enough to keep the flap open and let the sun shine in.

STEP 12: Once you have the oven, all you need is the sun. Choose a spot that will get at least several hours of direct sun away from any strong wind.

TRY IT OUT

Solar cooking takes a little practice. Try this recipe first:

Solar Oven S’mores  Ingredients:

• Graham crackers
• Milk chocolate bars
• Marshmallows

Place graham crackers next to each other on the bottom of a black cast-iron pot. Black pots are best because they absorb and retain the sun’s heat better than light-colored pans. Top each cracker with a piece of chocolate and a marshmallow. Put a glass lid over the pot and place the pot in the center of your solar oven. When the marshmallow is gooey, take out the crackers and add the second layer of graham crackers on top to complete it.

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What did you do today to Prep?   Today We placed a bulk order for 400 items.  Retail was $910 when we applied our coupons we saved 95% our out of pocket will be $50 plus tax.  Pick up is Saturday. Prepping for less is important.  We didn't have $910 for these items but we did have the $50  If you don't use coupons you should seriously consider it.

____________________________________________________________________________

Note:  Happy Birthday Dad. We love you.

Prep Today?

What did you do TODAY to prep?  Anything? Buy a small bag of beans?  an extra can of soup? Are you a small scale prepper?  Maybe a large scale prepper? Something as small as keeping the dishes done and the laundry clean counts a bit towards prepping.Why? Can you imagine if you had five loads of laundry and a stack of dishes to do but no power? So in that sense yes housework is prepping; keep your house in order.

For September I issue this challenge to you: Do something however small to prep everyday this month. Everyday along with a regular message I will update what we did that day to prep. 

Here's a recap so far on what I've done.  Keep in mind I also do research daily.

• 1st  Saturday Placed Pre-order for 400 Zone Bars Pick up Tuesday cost: near free; Hubby ("THE" Prepper) attended HAM festival and purchased additional communication equipment
• 2nd Sunday Placed Pre-order for 100 Bic FlameDisks (free via coupon) Pick up Thursday
• 3rd Monday Updated and reorganized BLOG; started annual inventory of supplies
• 4th Tuesday Picked up Zone Bars, clipped Coupons from 8-26, made list of items to watch for sale, checked coupon website to track which stores would give me biggest bang for our buck, placed an order for interesting books and a few "items"
• 5th Today placed order 25 pounds of honey powder and new pool cover, special ordered 100 packs of Yakisoba to donate to food bank sourced location for pallets for fencing

You are not in the journey alone.

Empty shelves...

A picture is worth 1000 words.  We all know some folks must see it to believe it.  Are you prepared? While these photos were from the result of panicked buying before the recent storm; Here is a visual this is what shelves will look like when the whole world goes sideways...

If the shelves look like this will you be able to feed your family?  

Thanks to: Tiany Lindemann Davis for these photos

A Prepper's Awareness

A year ago, I posted a pop quiz.  Some of you did quite well ~ while others were concerned about the lack of preparedness.  It's time to review.  We've discussed that prepping takes work. Some folks have been prepping for a while, some are just starting out.  Even if you THINK you are just starting out you may be surprised by the things you already have on hand.  So lets take a Prepper's test this one I have  sourced from page 16 of the 2011 LDS Preparedness Manual ~ let's take a look here:

Preparedness Pop Quiz

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

1. Has your family rehearsed fire escape routes from your home? YES - NO
2. Does your family know what to do before, during,
     and after an earthquake or other emergeny YES - NO
3. Do you have heavy objects hanging over beds that can fall
     during an earthquake? YES - NO
4. Do you have access to an operational fl ashlight in every
     occupied bedroom? YES - NO   (use of candles is not recommended
     unless you are sure there is no leaking gas) YES - NO
5. Do you keep shoes near your bed to protect your feet
     against broken glass? YES - NO
6. If a water line was ruptured during an earthquake, do you know
    how to shut off the  main water line to your house? YES - NO
7. Can this water valve be turned off by hand without the use of a tool?
     Do you have a tool if one is needed? YES - NO
8. Do you know where the main gas shut-off valve to your house is
     located? YES - NO
9. If you smell gas, would you be able to shut off this valve? YES - NO
10. Gas valves usually cannot be turned off by hand.
      Is there a tool near your valve? YES - NO
11. Would you be able to safely restart your furnace when
      gas is safely available? YES - NO
12. Do you have working smoke alarms in the proper places? YES - NO
13. In case of a minor fire, do you have a fire extinguisher? YES - NO
      Do you know how to use it ? YES - NO
14. Do you have duplicate keys and copies of important insurance
      and other papers stored outside your home? YES - NO
15. Do you have a functional emergency radio to receive
      emergency information? YES - NO
16. If your family had to evacuate your home,
      have you identified a meeting place? YES - NO

IF AN EMERGENCY LASTED FOR THREE DAYS ( 72 HOURS)

BEFORE HELP WAS AVAILABLE TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY...

17. Would you have sufficient food? YES - NO
18. Would you have the means to cook without gas/electricity? YES - NO
19. Would you have sufficient water drinking, cooking,
      & sanitary needs? YES - NO
20. Do you have access to a 72 hour evacuation kit? YES - NO
21. Would you be able to carry or transport these kits? YES - NO
22. Have you established an out-of-state contact? YES - NO
23. Do you have a fi rst aid kit in your home and in each car? YES - NO
24. Do you have work gloves and tools for minor rescue/clean up? YES - NO
25. Do you have emergency cash on hand? YES - NO
      (During emergencies banks and ATMs are closed)
26. Without electricity and gas do you have a way to heat
      at least part of your house? YES - NO
27. If you need medications, do you have a 30 day supply on hand? YES-NO
28. Do you have a plan for toilet facilities if there is
       an extended water shortage? YES - NO
29. Do you have a supply of food, clothing, and fuel where appropriate:
       6 months?  YES - NO     

       For a year? YES - NO

BONUS QUESTION  ~ Play "What IF"

Some folks believe we are only 9 meals from anarchy.  What if an emergency lasted longer than 3 days? a week? a month? 6 months? a year? longer? How prepared are you?

Many of the above items can be addressed with little to no money.  Start there.

~ You are not alone in your journey ~

Chickens for eggs are a good idea

Farmer Randy owns Rooster Hills Farm.  On his website he talks about the nutrition of eggs... I figure that it's ok to share his info with you here.  Keep in mind if you are local ~ you can get everything you need from Farmer Randy and Rooster Hills... Even his world famous HENPEN that has been featured on National TV Hens make great pets, and they earn their keep!


HEY Farmer RANDY Is it necessary to refrigerate my eggs?This is a GREAT question. Let me be very clear with this topic. The government requires you to refrigerate your eggs. It is not a matter of health...it is simply a matter of law. Therefore, I MUST tell you that you MUST refrigerate your eggs! It's the law. Now, with that said, let me tell you what happens in other countries. The USA is the ONLY country in the world that requires its citizens to refrigerate eggs. And there's a good reason for that! Pharmaceutical companies pour millions of dollars into campaigns for politicians to get elected. In turn elected officials "reward" the pharmaceutical companies with legislation that helps them sell more drugs.   Let me explain: When a hen lays an egg, her goal is to hatch that egg (ours is to eat that egg). Since she can lay only one egg each day, it takes her 10-14 days to lay a "clutch" of eggs. When her clutch is full, she settles down on the eggs and heats them up to 101 degrees. Inside that egg is an enzyme named "trypsin," which causes the egg to begin to develop when the hen heats it to 101 degrees. If the temperature falls below 50 degrees the trypsin dies...this is mother nature's way to telling the hen not to hatch the eggs because it's too cold for the chicks to survive.Trypsin also lowers cholesterol. (Something the pharmaceutical company would rather do by selling you drugs!) Pharmaceutical companies know that your refrigerator will kill the trypsin in the eggs. So, the favor they got from the newly elected politicians was legislation that requires us to refrigerate our eggs.  A second enzyme that your refrigerator kills (at the command of the department of public health) is Lanamine. Lanamine is responsible for healthy joints. But, if your eggs are meeting your body's demand for lanamine, then the pharmaceutical companies wouldn't be able to package and sell their drugs...and politicians wouldn't have campaign money to spend. So...refrigerate! Lets keep those politicians politicking!  I recently learned of two other enzymes in eggs that die when refrigerated, but I've not been able to run down the benefits from those enzymes. But, I bet the pharmaceutical companies know! I think I'll ask them.

Hey Farmer Randy.....Should I wash my eggs?If you pick up your eggs direclty from the henhouse, you DO NOT need to wash them. We use a damp sponge tp knock off any dirt on them and then put them on the kitchen counter. Why? When the hen lays an egg she puts an antiboitc coating on the egg. This protects the egg from things like salmonella from getting into the egg. However, if you wash off the antibiotic coating, you wash away the protection. It's interesting to note that the government also requires egg distributors to wash the eggs before they sell them. Isn't that interesting?


Hey Farmer Randy Why Buy Free-Range Eggs? 
Compared to factory farmed eggs, eggs from pasture-raised hens have:
• 1/3 less cholesterol
• 1/4 less saturated fat
• 2/3 more vitamin A
• 2x more omega-3 fatty acids
• 3x more vitamin E
• 7x more beta carotene
Source LINK~> Meet Real Free-Range Eggs

Nutritional Values Comparison for Eggs

.......................................Chicken..........Duck..........Quail
Calories...............................80.................130..............14
Fat Calories..........................50.................87................9
Total Fat..............................6g ................9.6g............ 1g
Saturated Fat........................2g................2.6g..............0g
Trans Fat..............................0g.................0g................0g
Cholesterol.........................237mg.........619mg..........76mg
Sodium................................78mg.........102mg............3mg
Total Carbohydrates.............0g ................1g................0g
Protein.................................7g..................9g...............1g
Daily Values
Vitamin A...............5% (273IU)..........9% (472IU).........1% (49IU)
Calcium..................3% (29.7mg)........4% (44.8mg)........1% (6mg)
Iron........................6% (1mg)............15% (2.7mg).........2% (0.3mg)
Selenium............... 15% (17.7mcg)....36% (25.5mcg)......4% (3mcg)

Eggs are a very good source of Protein, Riboflavin and Selenium and a good source of Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Iron and Phosphorus. Source LINK~> Nutritional Data for eggs

If you decide to visit Farmer Randy, be sure to let him know I sent you!