Plan and Prepare

 

Make a plan, then prepare accordingly!

I can only talk till I am blue in the face, for so long. Ok, I usually go beyond that, trying to help. The point is, are you preparing for what is being said to be a dark, cold winter? Are you prepared if world war 3 were to break out? Are you prepared if cyber attacks hit our power grid? Are you prepared if you can't get cash out of an ATM or use your debit/credit card? Are you prepared if internet/cell phones go out? Do you have a plan with family, to know what to do if chaos breaks out in your area? 

You can listen to just about any media source lately, and they are all talking about cyber attacks on our power grid, supply chain issues, and war. You can listen and read about the Fall/Winter weather conditions, that are being forecast. If you pay attention at all, you will know that the entire world has lost its collective brain cells, and nearly every country is battling with another. Even the state of New York has issued a generic, "what to do in the event of a nuclear disaster," video. I'm sorry, but when even mainstream talking heads are talking about the chaos...that should be alarming to all. 

So, I thought I would give my direction of thinking, and maybe it will help someone else. My family has spent decades living prepared. We have lived rural for a long time, and that means you plan, prepare and remain prepared for several months on end. Here is what I look at:

*I currently have 5 people in my house full time, I have pets, and livestock. 

*Food:  meats - roughly 140 lbs per month(family), vegetables - roughly 30 lbs.(family), fruits - roughly 30 lbs.(family), spices - this varies greatly, other - flour - 50 lbs., sugar - 50 lbs., rice - 8 lbs., tea/tea bags - 4 boxes, coffee - 2 canisters, baking soda - 2 lbs., baking powder - 2 containers, yeast - 2 lbs., Etc., . Pet foods and treats - cats(18 lbs month), dogs(50 lbs month)rabbit(2 lbs. month). Livestock feed - about 400 lbs. month, hay - about 17 bales a month, mineral - about 100 lbs. month. 

*Water:  It takes on average about 1 1/2 gallons of water per day, per person for cooking and drinking. It takes about 5 gallons per person, per day for cleaning and bathing and about double that if you have to wash clothes. It takes about 5 gallons of water per week for my pets, and about 150 gallons of water per week for the livestock. 

*Other necessities:  It takes roughly 40 rolls of toilet paper for 2 bathrooms per month, It takes a mid-sized jug of laundry per month, 2 bottles of dish soap, 2 decent sized bottles of hand soap. A bottle of body wash, a bottle of shampoo, a container of toothpaste, a tooth brush; per month, per person. It takes an average of 2 packages of female hygiene products per month. Other cleaners - Lysol, bleach, vinegar, comet, etc. - about a jug/container each per month. Wood for the furnace - about a log truck load per winter - a little extra in the event of having to cook outdoors. Propane - for the grills, about 3 per month. Storage bags,foil, wax paper, trash bags. Paper towels, disposable plates/cups. Foil pans for cooking outdoors. 

*Seasonal clothing: coming into winter months - bibs, coats, hats, gloves, boots, socks. How are the rest of your seasonal clothing adding up - jeans/pants, sweatshirts, sweaters, long underwear. 

*Because we are coming into the last months of the year - this is typically a time of many celebrations. Now is the time to start shopping for Thanksgiving and Christmas needs. The prices are only going up from here...so now is the best time to plan ahead. Make it a point to cut back on outlandish Christmas gifts this year. Get whatever shelf life/freezer items you can get ahead of time, while you can get them. We are just over 3 months from Thanksgiving, and 4 months from Christmas. Think about your traditional holiday meals and what you need to prepare them. Prepare your family for a more meaningful holiday season - where the greatest gifts are spending time with loved ones, instead of unnecessary gifts, and the gifts you give will actually be purposeful instead of stacking up in a corner less than a month after Christmas.

*Do you need bedding for your outdoor pets, indoor pets, cat litter. Make sure you have straw or pine shavings to help insulate dogs houses, chicken/duck nests, bedding for cows/sheep. Pine shavings work good in chicken nesting boxes too. 

*First aid/medical:  make sure to have a minimum of 2 months of needed prescriptions! Stock up on OTC meds - allergy medicine, Tylonal, Childrens medicines. Make sure you have at least ONE fully stocked first aid kit, although I recommend several. Bandaids - all sizes included the buttfly stitch ones, gauze,  medical tape, triple anit-biotic ointment, burn spray/cream, drawing salve, a plain bottle of elmer's glue(removes splinters easily), ace bandages.

*Recipes:  YES, I am including recipes as a plan. If by chance the grid or internet  goes down, you will not have the internet to refer to. Get the recipes you want WRITTEN on paper! Make sure you get recipes for things you may need but won't be able to get in a store - bread, desserts, etc.

*Alternative lighting:  Candles, flashlights, lanterns, batteries, matches, long stick lighters, etc.

*Extra fuel/diesel:  Make sure you have extra on hand at all times. Whether you need it for your vehicle(since many of the gas pumps are now electric), or you need it for a generator. 

*Other items: chain saw chains/bars, chain saw mix, ax/maul, tea kettle that can be used indoors or on a fire/grill, cookware that can be used outdoors, fishing equipment(just understand that those that do not stock up will end up flooding rivers/lakes, or wooded areas, attempting to find food), there may also be some that will attempt to steal yours, so always be ready to defend your home and family.

As I said, you need to sit down with your family and make a plan. If you are in the same boat I am, getting them to listen may be a challenge. It is necessary though. Have a plan for getting home, or if they can't to know where they will need to go. Have a plan for getting the items listed above. Let them be included in the planning and implementation of these plans. Make it your mission, your family mission to accomplish this as quickly as possible. 

This will give you a little jump start into planning and preparing. My gut instinct is telling me the next 4 months are going to be like a living hell, so please get prepared. Go through your home, look at everything you use on a regular basis. Then multiple that for the number of months you want to be prepared, and that is a good start. Look at everything from the obvious to the not-so-much so. Think of what you would need without electric, internet and cell phones. 

I hope this will help others that have been floundering to find a list of preparations. This is my list annually. I'm sure there are things I have forgotten, but this list would have you prepared.

Coffee Break - Marriage

 

Good Morning!

Well, I'm taking a minute before starting into anymore chores to share a topic of conversation in a group, that I had this morning. This topic is one that I don't have the most positive response to, most of the time. Many that know me, have heard my off-the-cuff, opinion about marriage. This morning, I broke it down, and thought I would share it here too. 

Yes, I am married and have been for 23 years. There have definitely been some major up and downs in more than 2 decades. That is to be expected. I also have a child that is planning his wedding. So, that being said, I have a serious bad taste in my mouth about marriage...it does not help having come from divorced parents. I've studied, for many years, the marriage statistics. They aren't good folks! The past 80 years have shown the likelihood of divorce is pushing 75%. So, why is that? Well, there are a myriad of possibilities. Everything from mental health issues, to lack of truly getting to know someone, to affairs/abuse or truly just getting lazy. The "experts" can put all sorts of fancy/technical terms and words into this scenario but I prefer layman terms. So, here are my 2 cents:

I do believe in marriage. I do believe that 2 people can find love, respect, friendship, and so much more together. However, I have seen first hand, when people get married....they get lazy! Let me explain. Once 2 people get into a long term relationship(marriage or not), the conquering quest is over. They got the prize. They no longer need to be on their best behaviors. All of this is true for men AND women. They no longer find the need to be romantic, thoughtful, or go out of their way to keep the respect of their significant other. They start taking each other for granted. They no longer take time to "date" their significant other. They start making assumptions and excuses. As years pass, these poor behavior choices tend to intensify and become the norm. The initial expectations from relationships begin to falter as each person makes excuses for the behaviors of the other. They find themselves in a deep rut, that only gets deeper the longer it's allowed to continue. The 2 people lose the ability to have conversations that are meaningful or beyond surface. Then you begin to bring in other issues that tend to be a lot worse. Both people at this point are not really unhappy, but not really happy either. So, now you have a big issue, and typically by this point, there are children involved...and THEY are the ones to suffer the most, but that's a whole different conversation. 

As a woman, I am a talker. I try to rationalize to everything. I want to talk through whatever thoughts I'm dealing with at the time. I know men and women are different. However, I can't help but wonder if there is some all-knowing-knowledge about marriage and relationships that neglected to be passed down. I know years ago, people just worked on their marriages, and stuck through thick and thin. I get that. At what point though, does that work become, all for naught? 

As I said, I have been married a while. We have had some pretty trying and even bad spells. We have reached that lazy point...both of us. While I can recognize that, I don't know how to fix it. There are so many, that I personally know, that have reached this same point. You aren't happy but you aren't really unhappy. You don't have the connection with your significant other that you really wish you did. You or your spouse feel like you're being taken for granted or disregarded. Yet, I see some, that have found their way out of that rut. No relationship is perfect, but you see and hear some that seem pretty damned good. I have a few relatives that have done what they needed to, and now seem so happy. So, I suppose there is hope on that front. 

I have tried to encourage my son and future daughter-in-law, to talk about everything. To understand that you can say "this will never happen to us," but to have a plan "just in case." To understand that every marriage has its ups and downs...and you can either work and grow together or you will grow apart. To recognize when they are taking advantage of each other, and to make sure it stops. To understand that finances, children, and extended family can be a major stressor for any marriage. To make sure they keep their independence while keeping their marriage bond the backbone of everything they do. To ALWAYS be each other's protectors in public, even if they have to go have a private yelling match. To understand that there will be times you are going to go to bed mad at each other...but learning to be respectful to each other and say, "I am mad, but I love you and we need to sleep on this, and take a look in the morning with fresh eyes." 

So, while I tend to warn off marriage, it's not because I don't believe in it, per-say. I just know, that too many rush into it with rose colored glasses and forget that marriage isn't about the wedding day. It's about everything that comes after that. It's the snarky remarks, the pet peeves, the conversations, the illnesses or debts, it's about the outside sources of influence, it's about the precious children, it's about the forgotten birthdays/anniversaries, it's about the burned meals, the hurt feelings. It's about holding hands and feeling the love through touch. It's about the plans for your future and working towards them together. It's about finding common ground when life seems to take on a life of its own. It's the late work shifts or second jobs to make ends meet. It's about the laundry piles, the dirty dishes, the dirt floors, and the empty gas tanks. It's about the emotional meltdowns, the hard conversations when things aren't going good. It's giving and accepting constructive criticism, without being an ass. It's snuggling into your spouses arms when the wolf or world is pounding on your door, and THEY are your safety. It's about raising those precious children to not only be productive members of society, but to kind and compassionate, and to see the way a relationship SHOULD be. 

So there are my thoughts from this mornings conversations.