Coffee Chatting Again

 

It's that time again. Spring and warmer temps have finally reach my corner of the world. The furnace is off, the A/C's have been put back in the windows, the greenhouse is full of seed starts, the garden is worked, we are past the last frost, and the garden planting has begun. Throw in extended family having serious health issues, me having serious health issues, an economic crisis that has hit my own household very hard, and a feeling of complete overwhelm...and you have the perfect storm. 

So, let's talk through this. I have a few great friends that I speak with often and we trudge through all the "good, bad and ugly" of life. We all know life is a bed of roses...beautiful, but full of those painful thorns to remind us of the not so pretty parts. Some days it gets to be too much, and that sometimes spills into weeks or even months. Especially when you feel like you fighting the battle alone. I am not a person that believes I can talk to God, and that he will just miraculously fix everything. I believe it's my job to get off my ass, and do what I can while God does what he can. I do not believe in being lazy. I also believe that you can not lead anyone else if you are not willing to walk the walk, and lead by example. Pretty words, not matched by a good heart, good intentions or living the examples you preach are just "false prophets." There is not a single person on this Earth that is perfect, that lacks in some department of sin, or should judge anyone for sinning differently than they do. Folks, each of us have a path, not all are the same. We are here to help others, not judge them, not preach about their sins while we neglect our own. I will not dive into the religious VS. spiritual debate today. Most can't handle that right now.

Today, I do want to dive into a world that seems to be like a snow globe. All shook up, with the fake snow going everywhere. Unless you are completely oblivious, you have got to see the chaos that our world has become. Let's just start right here in our country. Our country is hurting. American citizens have been walking a tightrope since 2020. Our government spent billions infusing money into our economy to make up for shutting it down. People made bad decisions financially when they had "free" money to play with. We learned very quickly how much our supply chain was affected by economies shutting down worldwide. We learned how quickly every single business could be altered by prioritizing the "essential" usefulness of certain industries, all the while...those essential workers, have changed rapidly since 2020. We have watched too many power grabbing, money hungry politicians and business owners; destroy everything they touch. We have seen 401K's lose thousands and more in value since 2020. We have seen hundreds of thousands of businesses shutter, never to reopen. We have lost employees, that no one seems to be able to find, since 2020. Businesses are hiring new employees, to have warm bodies but no experience, at higher rates of pay than the employees that have kept these businesses operating. Customer service, for the most part, is non-existent. The banking industry is once again in free fall, and being bailed out, yet again, by the Fed...and guess who is really on the hook for those bail outs?! The American tax payer. Yet, there is zero help to the American tax payer. Our government is continually sending billions of dollars overseas, which is being printed out of thin air. Again, the American tax payer is on the hook for that too. The large majority of politicians, the ones that are supposed to represent the constituents that elect them, spend more time brokering their lobby money, insider trading and how they can make a fortune...and do NOTHING for the average citizen. Yet, they miraculously keep getting elected. We have had 4-6, depending on what you believe, banks fail since March. I hate to break this to you, but this exceeds the number of failures during the Great Recession of 2008...and it's not over yet! We may be able to get food and goods right now, but can you afford them? From my experience just yesterday, the cost of food and fuel alone, has nearly tripled in less than 2 years. My own mortgage loan was "modified" unexpectedly, which increased the interest rate by 3%, and the payment by nearly $200. This does not touch the interest rates on credit cards, vehicle loans, personal loans, or student loans. Have your incomes increased to match the REAL cost of living increases? Ours has not! 

I know everyone, myself included, gets tired of hearing me talk about being prepared. I truly get sick of repeating myself, getting the nasty messages, and the excuses not to. The thing is...I want to help. I have had to take some time off, because I found myself getting very angry and bitter as the small mindedness. I was hurt by people getting upset that someone was trying to help make sure they would/could survive - even if for a couple of months, should all hell break loose. I do not have a self-absorbed, small-minded, or selfish bone in my body. Although, I find myself getting closer to not giving a shit who lives and who doesn't with some of the nastiness I have been on the receiving end of. I know you can never be fully prepared for anything. There will always be something that blindsides us. But, working to have no less than a 2 month supply of your necessities, having a 2-6 month supply of cash should your bank shutter, having the skills to be able to keep yourself alive should the power or water supply not be available...THIS MAKES SENSE TO ME! You do realize that each of us today, are ONLY ALIVE, because our ancestors knew ALL this, right?! Our great-grandparents, our great-great-grandparents....they all knew these things. They were prepared, many of them survived the Great Depression, and were children from that era. They knew how to be self-sustainable - THEY DIDN'T HAVE A CHOICE! Realistically, we are in that position once again, we really do not have a choice. Just as the Depression taught those folks, we are learning now, no one is coming to save us. It is up to us to be our support, build our own networks, learn skills that are useful to survival, and to help each other when/where we can. We are on our own people. These politicians are only interested in the American people when it comes time to vote. It no longer matters what party, they are all the same. 

I have had to make some time for some serious re-evaluating in my own life. When you choose to ignore issues, those issues do not go away. Likely, they lay dormant until another issue piles on top.Eventually, you have similar to a Jenga game, where the tower is leaning and the foundation is shaky and one wrong move is going to cause that tower to tumble. With that analogy, you can find a lot of relationships. My own included. I have been the one doing all the research, trying to explain this information and prepare my home. While my family half ass listens, they do not grasp most of it. They don't want to see the forest through the trees. I manage the budget, I manage the groceries, I manage the projects, I manage the gardening/preserving, I manage the school work, the housework, the laundry, the mowing, the trimming, remembering birthday's and anniversary's, try to keep some annual events running smoothly to have some interaction with people outside my family. Again, like so many online, my own household has some issues understanding/listening/grasping what is happening outside our immediate bubble. I do what I can, but I am only one person. While my guys handle the sheep, cows, mechanics of farm equipment, and the hay...it takes an act of congress to get much more. To say, I have to lose my shit before anyone hears me...is typical. I can tell you that the amount of time it takes for school work and paperwork in my home is ridiculous, but I haven't found a better system yet. I am working on that though. I don't believe in being sedentary. I am always in motion, whether that be physically or mentally. I force myself to learn something new every single day. I am learning new gardening hacks, new food preservation ideas, different cooking methods with cast iron, repurposing ideas to avoid having to spend unnecessarily. I have learned seed saving, growing in containers, herbalism, and natural health. I have learned and by lots of trial and error, how to cook most things from scratch. I do all I can to help those who need help, when it's possible. Right now, my own life is strung so tight, I'm doing I can to try to help us! While I'm sure my own family has not grasped it, I will once again say, you better cut corners where you can. You need to get your own houses in order - not just with food, water, etc. but also financially. From experience, the current economic times can and will bite you in the ass if you don't pay attention!

I hope that everyone is seeing what is truly happening. I also hope you are doing what you can to help yourselves and those around you. Building a network of reliable, trustworthy people around you can truly help you in the long run. Be safe, be aware of your surroundings at all times, learn self defense, and be prepared for the worst, while praying for the best!

Life and Times

 

I'm pretty sure absolutely everyone is feeling the pinch of the current economic times. I don't need to beat a dead horse with more details of it. However, I will continue to talk until I'm blue in the face, about being prepared, having a stock pile of necessities, and learning how to take care of yourself in the event of another era of Depression. 

In life and times today, it takes a lot more gumption to just get by. Not only has the cost of everything gone through the roof, but the quality of so much has diminished too. We have become conditioned to expect less, pay more, and many happily do this. I don't understand it. No, I will take that back. In some instances, I get it and I am upset by a majority of it. For instance, the cost of renting. Even when the interest rates were extremely low, those owning rental units were charging excessive amounts of rent. I understand the destruction of renters. I have dealt with that first hand. For some, being able to purchase a home, even with low interest, was not an option. Some need to have better budgeting skills, money management skills, some just couldn't make enough to save the 20% down payment. I get that. What I do not get is landlords that were charging $1000 month for a house, wanting first/last/security up front...at this point you could have bought a small home. I don't understand, why they do this. I don't even want to. However, because all those that chose to rent, did not have an option of paying the outrageous amounts. Sadly, had those renters bought their homes, their mortgage cost would have been so much less than their rent. I am not judging anyone!!! I am just trying to make a point. We have overpaid for so much, for so long, we are conditioned to believe this is just what we have to deal with. Another area is the amount of debts so many of us have become conditioned to believe is acceptable. Have you gone to get a loan, let's say for a home, and been told that your home purchase value should be no more than 5 years worth of your salary? That was once the common concept. If you look at the price of your home, is it valued at 5 years of your current salary? Many have 30-50 year mortgages now. Holy crap!!! No one seems to look at the actual cost anymore, only if they can afford the monthly payment. It no longer matters what the interest rate is, what the total of all payments will be, or even if you could continue to afford it if you lost one income. 

What is being done to all of us, is a nightmare. I know I have voiced my anger at the cost of food/goods for years. I will typically find an off brand to use to help offset some of the higher prices when I can. Unfortunately, my kids and I have some pretty severe allergies, so some items can not be avoided. Can you find items that are a little cheaper, yes. However, a good rule of thumb, you get what you pay for. I have completely stopped shopping at a certain big box store, and chosen to only shop local. This is an option I have. Before I get a diatribe about not everyone having that option, I understand that. This is just what I am doing. It really doesn't pay for me drive an hour each way to go to one of those big box stores. Anyway, I buy in bulk when I can. Again, I know this is not an option for everyone, this is what I am doing to combat rising prices. I plant, grow, raise, and preserve most of my own foods. It has taken me years to get back to this level...and I'm not fully where I was 8 years ago. I have bought old cook books, and learned a lot of depression era recipes. I am constantly learning about the healing properties of different herbs and spices. I am relearning what was probably my great-grandparents life style, and living that life today. It is a simpler life, although it is a lot of hard work. The one thing I keep having to remind myself is this: this life is all they knew. They worked hard from before sun up, until after sun down. They made sacrifices to make sure their families were taken care of, and that they would always have food on the table - even if there wasn't much of it. They were SURVIVORS! Not whiners. They didn't have a choice but to live within their means, or even living under their means. They were not slaves to debt. They didn't trust bankers, lawyers or government. They saw, with open eyes, the deceptive illusions they all presented. I can't help but wonder how their mind set was lost on so many generations. It seems to be normal now to carry credit card debt, a vehicle loan, a house payment, or the shady buy here/pay here debts. It's become acceptable to carry debt, and let someone else be responsible for it - ie. student loans, bankruptcy, divorce, etc. I'm not judging anyone, so no one needs to get their panties in a bunch. I'm just speaking of what I have seen. In my eyes, it all goes back to everyone wants rights, but no one wants to take responsibilities. 

 

I have spent a LOT of years being very frugal,  out of necessity and responsibility. I am not sure I would remember how not to be frugal, if I tried. Now, understand...NOT ALL in my own household hold this same value. It is a big challenge for me. However, I will happily go to yard sales all Summer, to get items of need - even if that need won't be until Winter time, or even the next year. I will buy food in bulk, and have learned to preserve almost everything. I reuse sour cream/cottage cheese containers like some used the old Country Crock containers decades ago. I'm not above washing foil pans that can be reused, foil that can be reused, or even ziplock bags. Old t-shirts become cleaning rags, old wash clothes become dusting/oil rags. I can feed 10 people with less than 2 lbs. of meat. We save left overs for lunches the next day and one night a week, all the left overs get reheated. I save bacon grease. When I don't know how to do something, I go on a mission to learn! Many things I do, are self-taught or I have taken classes on/off line to learn. Can't is not something that is a regular in my vocabulary. I have utilized local second hand stores. I'm not afraid to barter, although when people are trying to sell old, worn out stuff for the cost of new...I walk away. I know how to build furniture, so purchasing high priced junk at the stores is not in my wheel house. I'm not afraid of what I don't know. I will gladly learn new and useful information. 

I took on a big challenge when I married into my life now. Out of that challenge, were valuable and life long skills, that I share with my littles, and have been. Raising livestock - cows, chickens, ducks, sheep, pigs, and goats...were all learning experiences for me, and I learned along side of my kids. Growing and preserving garden vegetables and fruits, was a blessing I will be forever grateful to have learned. I continue to grow my skills and knowledge on this every single day. Learning the value of homestead life, and not running all over trying to find some form of something, has been truly the hardest part. Living this life does not allow for vacations, weekend get aways, and typically even day trips are extremely minimal. There is just too much to take care of, no one that wants to even fill in for a day because there is so much, and you can not leave animals - livestock or pets unattended. Too many things can not only happen, but can cost you money/property/items. We have predators like coyote, fox, eagles, and humans. A fence being damaged by storms, deer, or a neighbors cows can result in our sheep getting out and being in the road. Which in turn is property damage should someone hit them, and a massive financial loss for our farm. Realistically, it doesn't matter what type of animal - sheep, cows, goats, dogs, chickens, pigs, ducks - if they got out would be a financial loss to our farm, and our food supply. So, it is imperative that we provide the care for them daily. Gardening on the scale that I do, is sometimes a pretty big undertaking. Just because I plant something, does not guarantee it will grow and produce. So much plays into growing your own food. The weather is always a big variable, as is rodents, wandering dogs, run off/blown chemicals from neighboring fields, and yes, even my own mistakes. Gardening means taking time several times a week to weed the gardens. I can tell you, sometimes mine get away from me. That just means it takes twice the time and effort to get them back to productive status. Then you battle insects, disease, and even poor quality seeds/plants. When it comes time for harvesting those vegetables and fruits, then you have another big undertaking. The preservation. This is not only time consuming, but also a lot of work. It seems as though everything comes ready at once. So, I may have a pressure canner full of stewed tomatoes, one full of green beans, have to chop up onions and peppers to put in the freezer, and have beets to dehydrate. Or any number of other combinations.Every year, preserving 800-1500 jars of vegetables, fruits, jellies; in not uncommon. Some of those things will feed us for a couple of years, some for a single year. I have learned how much of stuff we go through in a year; from flour to sugar, beef and pork, soups, jellies, spices - just about everything we eat, I know how much we use in a year. For a few examples, I know we go through a little less than 200 lbs. of flour a year, 140 lbs. of sugar, 45 quarts of pasta sauce, 8-10 pints of pickled beets, 23 quarts of stewed tomatoes, 56 quarts of green beans, the equivalent of 1 butchered cow and 3 butchered pigs a year, and roughly 60 dozen eggs - depending on how much I bake. I plan meals out, no less than a week at a time. I do my grocery shopping based off the meal plans. I keep a weekly inventory of food, paper products, meat, soaps, pet food, and livestock feeds. I attempt to keep a minimum of 6 months of necessities on hand. This does not always happen! Every 3-4 months I will rotate items that need rotated. I will make a list of items that we need to restock; paper towels, soaps, food, toilet paper, spices, essential oils, alcohol(truly for medicinal use), first aid supplies, medicines - basically any items that we do not have a 6 month supply of. I don't have room to keep it all, but I make room. I put my family's survival higher than my need to have a show quality home. 

 

Another area that is not a common trait, is our home schooling. This adventure began about 14 years ago, and I do not regret a minute of it! After issues dealing with our local district, I jumped into this and it was one of the smartest things I have ever done. There have been a lot of trial and errors, but the reward of teaching my children and seeing them excel not only at their pace, but in a manner that allowed them learn best, has been indescribable. Having one child that learned through books, some hands on, in a very structured setting; while having another child that is less into books, more into hands on, and thrives at later in the day learning; these are things you can not get with the education system of public schooling. Forcing children to conform breeds trouble, and in turn fuels a dislike for learning. My youngest has actually been my bigger challenge, but once I learned how to best teach her...it's been a lot easier. Adding in more hands on learning, more verbal directions, and breaking down some of the more monotonous subjects into manageable  segments has lifted stress from both of us. She learns better later in the day...so we may focus on school work from lunch until time for chores, some days we throw in a few extra hours after supper, and it is normal to be working on projects all weekend too. While we may get behind what I want to get accomplished in a month, we are well ahead of where we need to be. Our next school year, the start of her high school years, begins in July. We do school work, in some fashion, year round. We take time off as we need it, take time for our annual gatherings, and the major holidays, but we never have gotten behind where we need to be for each year. The great thing about teaching my children, has been allowing them to learn at their pace. Each of my kids has excelled in different subjects. My oldest was great in history, reading, and vocabulary. My youngest, it's been vocabulary and science. Allowing them learn at their pace, allowed each of the kids to move grade levels in areas they excelled, and to spend more time in areas they struggled. My youngest, currently has vocab at a grade 11 level, 3 years ahead of the actual grade level. My oldest was doing college history as a freshman. None of this even touches the bond I was blessed to have with my kids. This is not to say there weren't days of battles! They are kids. However, being with my kids, teaching my kids, being mom full-time, adding in skills they would actually use in real life; has made all the difference in the world. There have been plenty of frustrations, from not having the support of doing this to the snide or ignorant remarks, it was a big challenge at times. It has taken me being strong, determined and not afraid of bucking the system! 

As this new month, and new week begins, I am doing a lot of re-evaluating. There has been a lot thrown at me already this year. So, have a fresh month, seems like a great time to make a fresh start. I have spent a lot of years dealing with one headache or another. I have had to play middleman, or referee too. I plan to attempt to clean up one mess, not of my doing, and then I'm done with that. I have carried the weight of always being the bad guy, and I suppose when you are accused of something long enough...you might as well live up to the reputation. I will not treat others as I have been treated, I am better than that. However, I do have high standards for myself, and anyone choosing to be close to me will be having to meet them as well. No more rent free, living in my space, making me feel "less than," is acceptable. Step up or step out of the way. Those that behave badly, will left behind. I have spent years battling to always be an example, be responsible, be what others thought I should be. It's now time, that I do what is best for me. As it's said, I am not everyone's cup tea.