We work best when we
have a deadline, so our preparation began in October 2008 with hopes of
reaching our goal in seven years. Our son, who is a university professor,
became convinced that we had seven years to “prepare”; we were not sure of
exactly what we were to prepare for though. (We thought perhaps he had changed
his name to Joseph, since the Biblical Joseph had seven years to prepare before
the seven years of famine.) We decided to join him, because it couldn’t hurt to
be ready for any calamity. Our half-hearted efforts took on urgency after we
read Michael Cahn’s book, “The Harbinger”, and
listened to his explanation of the warnings God is giving America in seven-year
increments. The 2008 stock market crash was about the time our son started us
on the preparation path. Only a little more than a year remains until the seven
year stint is completed. We stand amazed at what we have learned and
accomplished in the last five and half years! Our son keeps reminding us that
we are “practicing” for the real event.
We live in a rural
community and had five acres of land, but the opportunity came to purchase our
neighbor’s house and land, so we now have 24 acres (and an extra home). Our son
has planted fruit and nut trees, berry bushes, and gardens to harvest heirloom
seeds. This required a diesel tractor, diesel storage, implements, and lots of
reading to learn how to practice. The reading has led to an extensive library,
both paper and DVD. Construction included a hardened storage room, a rabbit
shed for 18 rabbits, a chicken coop for 16 hens and two roosters, and a goat
building for the 11 pygmy goats. Animals were never a part of our life, so this
is a huge venture for us. We have town water, but we had our own deep well
drilled, and we collect rain water to be more self sufficient. New chain saws
help cut wood for the wood stove, which is used for supplemental heat.
We have learned to
recycle and re-purpose, until it is now an automatic response. Tearing off a
neighbor’s deck for remodeling provided free lumber for some of our projects.
Free wood pallets have been very useful. Shopping has become an adventure to
stockpile items like white rice, beans, salt, paper products (we NEED toilet
paper), candles, blackout curtains, and things we like with an expiration date
beyond 2015. Store specials provide products to save for the future and
sometimes give free gas. Canning, food dehydration, and grain grinding are some
of the skills we have acquired. Food storage with plastic buckets, oxygen
eaters, and Mylar bags is now second nature.
Father and son took a
free course to achieve amateur radio licenses, so they purchased some suggested
equipment. A fire/police scanner was added.
Grandsons took hunter
safety courses and practice on the shooting range on our property; they kill
some animals in the woods during hunting season. Permits to carry concealed
weapons were obtained for adults. Some weapons were purchased, and reloading
skills are continually refined. Our property is not very defensible, so
hopefully our friendly neighbors will continue to be friendly. Our small community
works together, and everyone knows everyone. Being actively involved in
community organizations fosters trust, so we are now busier than ever and have
made many new friends.
Extra medical supplies
have been added to our storeroom, including current medications. Feminine
hygiene supplies are necessary.
An old treadle sewing
machine is now operational, and supplies of thread, needles, and material are
stored.
In case travel will be
restricted in the future, we invested in family vacations, which included
Disney World, beach vacations, and Niagara Falls. Camping and local day trips
have been fun. Memory-building and family cohesiveness is emotional security
for hard times.
A game, puzzle, and fun
reading library has been created for use, if electronic toys aren’t
operational. Many of these items were purchased very cheaply at thrift shops or
yard sales. An old manual typewriter may have to substitute for our computer.
(We were able to still purchase new ribbons!) Our grandkids have learned to
play many musical instruments and can make their own music on the ones we have
purchased– some new and some used. An old free-standing wind-up record player
and records were purchased at a yard sale for more musical entertainment. (It
has only one volume—LOUD).
When the power is out we
use a generator, but we realize that gas may not be available. It also makes so
much noise that the whole neighborhood knows when we run it. We have invested
in some quieter solar panels and storage batteries but haven’t “practiced” with
them yet. Oil lamps and oil have become part of our inventory. We are impressed
by the output of the mini-candle lantern by UCO
so are scavenging yard sales for tea lights.
We are on a budget track
to be debt free by September 2015, unless something big breaks! Budgeting is a
must as some “fluff” has to be sacrificed in order to buy items for
preparation. We had one “farmyard sale” last fall, so the grandkids could earn
money from what they helped to grow, and we have sold eggs (including hatching
eggs), but there is virtually no income from our endeavor thus far. The cost of
animal feed has been a surprise, so we are learning how to find ways to grow
our own animal feed. Clearance sales have yielded clothes, including warm gear
for our cold winters and shoes, in various sizes, for future wear. Zote soap has become an
economical base for the laundry detergent recipe.
Our grandsons have
become excellent “silver spotters” and turn gift monies and money they earn
into junk silver dating before 1964. They have alerted us to old silver, and we
have joined them in their hunt. Paying with cash instead of credit cards is a transition
in progress for us, as we are conditioned to paying with credit cards and had
gotten used to NOT carrying cash. Our son has invested in “lead and brass”, as
he believes .22 shells will be a bartering tool in a cashless society and even
now, since they are scarce.
Preparation is a mindset
that enables us to react with a plan rather than panic. It is also looking at
problems in a solution mode, so that we can figure out novel/inventive answers
for overwhelming situations. We can’t know exactly what problems we will face,
so we can’t prepare for every imaginable emergency. “Mother Earth News”
magazine, Survival Blog, and numerous books, such as J.W.R’s “How to Survive the End of the World
as We Know It” and “The Patriots” have been
helpful to teach us new information and techniques. Preparation is an awareness
of what is necessary to survive. We have lived with ease and luxury and didn’t
get down to the basics of life. What do we truly NEED to live? Essentials are
heat, water, food, medicines, clothing, safety, and protection.
Planning, building,
planting, harvesting, preserving food, fencing, studying, caring for animals,
and storing supplies takes a great deal of effort. Prepping is not for the
lazy, as it requires energy and hard work. Our multi-generational family has
cooperated and helped each other to lessen the stress on individuals. We would
not have chickens if someone else didn’t take care of them! I hate chickens, so
my effort with them is to clean and cook the eggs. I am a “chicken hating
grandma” (CHG). I have learned to tolerate them on our property, because of
their efficiency in converting raw material into food. All ideas are
entertained as we “practice” new life styles. Our family has grown closer as we
work together toward our goal. The hard work ethic has been adopted by our
grandkids, and they are excelling in school. This training will guide them for the
rest of their lives, and we are blessed to be a part of it. The wide range of
useful knowledge they now possess surpasses most of their peers and many
adults.
As our deadline
approaches, we have many projects still on our “to do” list. We are planning a
cheese cave to be able to preserve the goat’s milk, expanding pastures,
experimenting with grains and beans well suited to our climate, continuing to
work with storing and filtering water, and devising a plan to help our friends
and relatives, who think we are crazy, without depleting our supplies in the
case of an emergency.
Our faith has also been
strengthened as we study the Bible for clues to how God prepares His people in
times of peril. He is our ultimate protection, and we are learning to trust Him
completely. He has orchestrated provisions in unique ways and led us to
knowledgeable people for guidance. We don’t face the future with fear but with
confidence that God will honor our sincere efforts to be wise servants who have
used the skills and resources He has provided to prepare for the unknown.
Probably the most
important reason for our continued preparation, practice, and increased study
is to fulfill God’s purpose. How can we be servants of God if we are not
prepared to do His work? If we are unable to take care of our own house, how
can we help others right theirs? While this “retirement” is not what I had in
mind all of the years I worked as a teacher, His work, through preparing my
husband and myself, our homestead, children, and grandchildren to be witnesses
for Him to the less prepared has become my mission. We are to use our God-given
abilities to help others, so that we “might bring forth fruit unto God” Romans
7:4b ASV. We are planning and preparing to be His instruments in a post-crash world.
When we reach our
deadline of September 2015, we will be able to better adjust to whatever our
world gives us than we would have if we hadn’t spent seven years in
preparation. If there is no abrupt change, we will be in a better place to
serve Christ. Just as God helped Joseph in the Bible, He will help our family
through and at the end of seven years.
From the Survival Blog
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