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!