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So, I'm watching all these You Tube videos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbOyDD4swRw
on the all of the tent cities popping up around our nation. Many in California and Michigan.....then I found one in Florida.....that hit really close to home http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obho7uBg3-A
So, then I get thinking......I wonder if anyone I know is coming close to this. Fox news mentioned yesterday that 1 in every 8 homeowners are behind on their mortgages! One in Eight! Statistically, that would mean that I know someone......several in fact. What would I do? Why don't the people in these videos go live with family? Maybe that's why I don't really know of anyone right now......is it the area and culture that I live in? Pretty much everyone I know has family that they could move in with or family that they might be taking in. I know it is very real possibility that my mother, brother and his two sons will be living with us if my mother ever looses her job. Given that she works for the retail chain Home Depot.....I'm sure that likely hood increases as unemployment and inflation go up!
I guess what I'm saying is, I know that there were a lot of tent cities during the great depression, but I wonder about the volume of tent cities 60 years later as 1) we have an increase in population and 2) we have such a huge destruction in the family unit.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Stored food ideas
Ok, so for those storing food in preparation for the collapse of the dollar/hyperinflation/job loss or just in case.....of anything.....I thought I would give a few suggestions on things to store that would be either little luxuries later or just make your life easier instead of pulling flour, grain, rice, sugar, etc out of your 5 gallon buckets or just constantly eating your canned goods.
One idea is beef jerky. For those of us who do not have farm animals or access to them, having meat protein will be important. Of course, make sure you are stocking canned meats now, ie., salmon, chicken, tuna, spam, ham....I've even found canned roast beef. It's really good over rice. Anyway, beef jerky can store for long periods and you won't need to freeze it. You will need to invest in a dehydrator and vaccum sealer if you don't already have them.
Also, fruit roll ups. Especially if you have kids.....this would make a nice healthy treat when treats become harder to come by. Apple fruit roll ups are really good...you can add any additional fruit to them. Make sure your dehydrator has leather trays. Simply pour apple sauce (any flavor) onto the trays. I like to sprinkle some with cinnamon sugar too! Don't pour it too thin or it becomes super thin once dehydrated and not really much of a fruit roll up :) Anyway, vaccum seal in bags and stored correctly they should store for a very long time.
I got a great idea of making homemade granola from a friend yesterday! By all means, granola and trail mix would be ideal to vaccum seal and store because they are full of protein, fats, and all kinds of vitamins and minerals depending on what you put in yours. I'm going to make some granola today and let you know how it turns out!
By the way....even if you don't store food, these are great just healthy snacks for your family and fun to make!
One idea is beef jerky. For those of us who do not have farm animals or access to them, having meat protein will be important. Of course, make sure you are stocking canned meats now, ie., salmon, chicken, tuna, spam, ham....I've even found canned roast beef. It's really good over rice. Anyway, beef jerky can store for long periods and you won't need to freeze it. You will need to invest in a dehydrator and vaccum sealer if you don't already have them.
Also, fruit roll ups. Especially if you have kids.....this would make a nice healthy treat when treats become harder to come by. Apple fruit roll ups are really good...you can add any additional fruit to them. Make sure your dehydrator has leather trays. Simply pour apple sauce (any flavor) onto the trays. I like to sprinkle some with cinnamon sugar too! Don't pour it too thin or it becomes super thin once dehydrated and not really much of a fruit roll up :) Anyway, vaccum seal in bags and stored correctly they should store for a very long time.
I got a great idea of making homemade granola from a friend yesterday! By all means, granola and trail mix would be ideal to vaccum seal and store because they are full of protein, fats, and all kinds of vitamins and minerals depending on what you put in yours. I'm going to make some granola today and let you know how it turns out!
By the way....even if you don't store food, these are great just healthy snacks for your family and fun to make!
Monday, May 18, 2009
Arrogance
The problem with people infested with true arrogance is that they don't even know it. It's frustrating, but all most amusing to me at this point! The real laugh is that they are also the people that think they posses a great deal of humility and conversely don't have the ability to see their arrogance.....they know the answer to everything, they always know what others should do, they always try to one up you and of course they are always the same people that never share anything personal or intimate out themselves or their lives.....
Being trained as a Counselor I can see these people, their actions, the things they say and don't say and usually know why they are the way they are........but it's friends, family, etc.......not a random client, so it's a lot harder to take and be understanding of.
My rant for the day!
Being trained as a Counselor I can see these people, their actions, the things they say and don't say and usually know why they are the way they are........but it's friends, family, etc.......not a random client, so it's a lot harder to take and be understanding of.
My rant for the day!
Monday, April 13, 2009
You can't become a success at family life just by having a family!
I'm going to have to take a play from my friend Annie and just write a book! Dr. Laura Schlessinger has many enemies for her views on motherhood, fatherhood, the family.....and I know I've already made quite a few, but I just have to say it!
If you're not going to raise your children, why have them? It sounds so cliche to say that 'the most important job you'll ever has is raising your children', but it's so completely true. I was on vacation last week and caught a couple minutes of some movie called Baby's Mama...my friend in the room with me commented on what a funny movie it is, so I thought I would watch. Only minutes into what I saw, the SINGLE WORKING woman was at a fertility clinic and was asked if she was going to hire a Nanny. The woman quickly responded, " of course, I have my career"...........I was so enraged, that I had to change the channel!!
Why have them if you are so willing to put them in daycare or hire a nanny at 6 weeks of age, for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, and have someone else to bond with and raise them? I read a really nice illustration of this when a speaker was at a dinner discussing the issue of a two parent working household, when a belligerent women stood up in the back of the room and angrily challenged the position that a parent actually needs to be physically present to parent adequately. The speaker wondered aloud how she could be considered a good employee if she rarely showed up at work. "If one is not actually there doing the job, as a parent or a painter, how does one qualify as doing the job, much less as being good at it?"
I hate that the feminist movement has taken so much from women, men and the traditional family. You can't always have your cake and eat it too. Something will always suffer. Maybe a scale down in house size, maybe one vehicle, maybe no satellite television or nice vacations.......
This idea of the two parent working household with extended daycare hours, long after school programs, hiring drivers to shuttle our kids to extra curricular activities and video their activities........PLEASE!! Our children need us! They need their parents PRESENT!
If you're not going to raise your children, why have them? It sounds so cliche to say that 'the most important job you'll ever has is raising your children', but it's so completely true. I was on vacation last week and caught a couple minutes of some movie called Baby's Mama...my friend in the room with me commented on what a funny movie it is, so I thought I would watch. Only minutes into what I saw, the SINGLE WORKING woman was at a fertility clinic and was asked if she was going to hire a Nanny. The woman quickly responded, " of course, I have my career"...........I was so enraged, that I had to change the channel!!
Why have them if you are so willing to put them in daycare or hire a nanny at 6 weeks of age, for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, and have someone else to bond with and raise them? I read a really nice illustration of this when a speaker was at a dinner discussing the issue of a two parent working household, when a belligerent women stood up in the back of the room and angrily challenged the position that a parent actually needs to be physically present to parent adequately. The speaker wondered aloud how she could be considered a good employee if she rarely showed up at work. "If one is not actually there doing the job, as a parent or a painter, how does one qualify as doing the job, much less as being good at it?"
I hate that the feminist movement has taken so much from women, men and the traditional family. You can't always have your cake and eat it too. Something will always suffer. Maybe a scale down in house size, maybe one vehicle, maybe no satellite television or nice vacations.......
This idea of the two parent working household with extended daycare hours, long after school programs, hiring drivers to shuttle our kids to extra curricular activities and video their activities........PLEASE!! Our children need us! They need their parents PRESENT!
Monday, March 16, 2009
What is a Libertarian vs a Neoconservative (Republican)
Well I was asked by someone on a site I belong to called Smart Girl Politics to give her an outline of what a Libertarian/Ron Paul Republican is. So I wrote this and thought I might add it to my blog in case others are wondering the same thing. So, just to give you an idea of what a 'Ron Paul Republican' (Paleoconservative/Liberartian) is:
#1 - Pro-Life, because Libertarians believe in a nonaggresion philosophy. That means you don't make acts of aggression against someone else. Therefore, when a mother kills her baby (i.e. murder) it is an act of aggression. Now some Libertarians take the individual right of the mother as paramount over the life of the child, but this is where I part ways with the traditional Libertarian Party and so does Ron Paul.....after all he has delivered 4000 babies!
#2 - The individual is soverign. Not withstanding the above argument regarding individualism, Libertarians and 'old school conservatives' such as Ron Paul, Pat Buchanan, and Barry Goldwater, believe that the individual is soverign over the state in all aspects of our daily lives. This is where the current Republican party and Libertarians part because Republicans are statist. Libertarians believe we get our soverignty from God and not from the state/Gov't or man.
#3 - Anti-war/nonintervention foreign policy: Again, the neo-cons who have hijacked the Republican Party are very much trigger happy war mongers who would like nothing more than to expand the American Empire with the superior American military. We have over 130+ bases/installations across the world. We meddle in the foreign affairs of those in the middle east all in the name of 'democracy'. We try to shove a concept of democracy down those people's throats and all it does is build resentment against the United States. Hence, the blowback of 9/11. Of course many Liberals hold this similar view, but it is true nontheless. Furhthermore, the US should follow what the Founding Fathers intended for our foreign policy, which is "free trade and associations with all, entangling alliances with none". If we just get back to that basic concept we would never have been the world's police dept. Also, as far as the United Nations go, we should leave. They hate the US and we fund a third of their budget and they have the audacity to call us 'deadbeats' and continue to spew anti-american rhetoric......they forget the hand that feeds them!
#4 - FREE MARKETS for ALL: Libertarians and true conservatives are procapitalist. Many people have forgotten what a true Capitalist is. What it is not is the merging of corporations and Gov't to set national policy and agendas. Where I come from....that's called Facism. Furthermore, we need free markets amoung banks and sound money by first eliminating the Federal Reserve System. If you study the history of the Federal Reserve System, it is nothing more than a dirty cartel that taxes the american public through a system called inflation. This is done easily for them because our money is based on the 'faith and credit' of the US which is not backed by Gold, which IS real wealth. The free markets should be left to reign and meet the demand of the public and should never be squashed for the benefit of a few. Of course in order to do this, everyone has to act in a moral framework. If we don't operate with honesty and integrity than the market breaks down and we are seen as greedy americas/evil capitalist. This just invites all the Marxist, Keyensians, and Obamakins.
This is what I believe in a nut shell. If we could just stay true to these four things than America would be on the right track to becoming once again the greatest country. Unfortunately, the current main two parties have left these ideas at the way side. I believe the new blood for the conservative movement resides in the Libertarian party and not in the Republican party.
#1 - Pro-Life, because Libertarians believe in a nonaggresion philosophy. That means you don't make acts of aggression against someone else. Therefore, when a mother kills her baby (i.e. murder) it is an act of aggression. Now some Libertarians take the individual right of the mother as paramount over the life of the child, but this is where I part ways with the traditional Libertarian Party and so does Ron Paul.....after all he has delivered 4000 babies!
#2 - The individual is soverign. Not withstanding the above argument regarding individualism, Libertarians and 'old school conservatives' such as Ron Paul, Pat Buchanan, and Barry Goldwater, believe that the individual is soverign over the state in all aspects of our daily lives. This is where the current Republican party and Libertarians part because Republicans are statist. Libertarians believe we get our soverignty from God and not from the state/Gov't or man.
#3 - Anti-war/nonintervention foreign policy: Again, the neo-cons who have hijacked the Republican Party are very much trigger happy war mongers who would like nothing more than to expand the American Empire with the superior American military. We have over 130+ bases/installations across the world. We meddle in the foreign affairs of those in the middle east all in the name of 'democracy'. We try to shove a concept of democracy down those people's throats and all it does is build resentment against the United States. Hence, the blowback of 9/11. Of course many Liberals hold this similar view, but it is true nontheless. Furhthermore, the US should follow what the Founding Fathers intended for our foreign policy, which is "free trade and associations with all, entangling alliances with none". If we just get back to that basic concept we would never have been the world's police dept. Also, as far as the United Nations go, we should leave. They hate the US and we fund a third of their budget and they have the audacity to call us 'deadbeats' and continue to spew anti-american rhetoric......they forget the hand that feeds them!
#4 - FREE MARKETS for ALL: Libertarians and true conservatives are procapitalist. Many people have forgotten what a true Capitalist is. What it is not is the merging of corporations and Gov't to set national policy and agendas. Where I come from....that's called Facism. Furthermore, we need free markets amoung banks and sound money by first eliminating the Federal Reserve System. If you study the history of the Federal Reserve System, it is nothing more than a dirty cartel that taxes the american public through a system called inflation. This is done easily for them because our money is based on the 'faith and credit' of the US which is not backed by Gold, which IS real wealth. The free markets should be left to reign and meet the demand of the public and should never be squashed for the benefit of a few. Of course in order to do this, everyone has to act in a moral framework. If we don't operate with honesty and integrity than the market breaks down and we are seen as greedy americas/evil capitalist. This just invites all the Marxist, Keyensians, and Obamakins.
This is what I believe in a nut shell. If we could just stay true to these four things than America would be on the right track to becoming once again the greatest country. Unfortunately, the current main two parties have left these ideas at the way side. I believe the new blood for the conservative movement resides in the Libertarian party and not in the Republican party.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
First Harvest!
Well, it was little but we were able to harvest our first veggies yesterday. We cut the broccoli, rinsed it, put it in a bowl with some dressing and we all sat on the deck and snacked! It was sooooo good. Very rewarding I must say! There are several other things growing now, so we'll see what comes next!
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Preparations 1
Alright! So the crap continues to hit the fan and suddenly there is even more interest in the preparations we've been at for over a year. Well, better late than never. I have many of these sites listed at the very bottom of my blog, but I'm going to put some in this post as well to make sure that people see them.
Let me also be very clear about why Jason and I have been doing all this preparation. I am an absolute firm believer in God. I believe 100% that he will take care of us during whatever is to come and one of the ways that I think he does this....is to give us the wisdom ahead of time to prepare. If you have more faith in your Gov't to feed/shelter and protect you and your family than yourself.....don't bother reading the rest. There will be bread lines for you and your family to stand in and FEMA camps for you to rest in!
First and foremost......get some personal protection (guns/ammo). Good luck finding ammo,but if you search hard enough and are put on waiting lists for certain kinds, hopefully you'll get it before its taxed to $%^* and back. Be sure that whatever you get....YOU KNOW HOW TO USE! And for goodness sake, try it out. Meaning, guns are like jeans. You've gotta try them out and see how they fit in your grip and feel to hold. You need to feel 100% comfortable holding it and so confident in how to use it.....that there is no hesitation. Once you have a gun for personal protection, I would consider getting a rifle, etc for hunting. Even if your not a hunter by sport.....you may become one out of necessity.
Next...food. I think storing in bulk first is wise. One of the best ways to do this is in #2 buckets with mylar bags. The place with the best price for both lids and bags that I have found is:
https://www.usaemergencysupply.com/
You will find the #2 5 gallon bucket with rubber gasket lids there. If you want even more convenience....get the gamma seal lids. The mylar bags are inexpensive and really a necessity for long term storage. (We're talking 15-20 years!) They come with and with out ziplock tops, but either way....heat seal the top. I wouldn't waste my money on a $100 clam sealer....use a good ole' fashion iron! If you wanna see a great video on how to do this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vW7_cTn6YpE
This guy has fantastic videos on SEVERAL subjects and explains things very well.
After you think you've stored enough bulk items, I would move on to canned items. Even though they have expiration dates....according to the Hormel website....canned items are good almost indefinately if stored in a temperature controlled environment.
Another thing to consider while storing up food is how to harvest your own...meaning GARDEN. I know its a bit of a foreign concept to my generation, but having the ability to grow your own fruits and veggies is important. And learn how to can your food....you may not be able to immediately eat all that you've grown and it doesn't need to go to waste. FYI......If you think you might wait until you HAVE to grow your own food before you start it......Gardening is an extreme sport!! and takes takes time and EXPERIENCE! We need to know, not only how to put a seed in the ground and make it grow, but also about our own regional soil makeup, what it needs, stock up on that! Stock up on seeds......harvesting seeds from the food you just grew......not as easy as you might think.......it is an art and takes much expertise.
Next......water! Water stored in smaller (gallon) amounts are great and very useful. You can find many youtube videos on how to make purified water. Basically a few drops of bleach per gallon of water. It will store for 1-2 years. I would consider also investing in larger drums (food grade only). The are pricey brand new, but I have found them on Craigs list for cheap.....they used to have Rockstar Energy Drink, etc., in them, but it doesn't matter. They are food grade! Rinse them out and fill them up. I might consider getting a few more to make rain barrels for your garden. Remember, if municipalities are down for any length of time due to cival unrest, etc. you are going to have to have drinking water and water for your garden so you don't loose your crop.
I could go on and on about many things to consider, but here are few:
If your a female and shelves are empty or hyperinflation makes a box of tampons $40.....whatcha gonna do? Have daughters? Here's a thought: Reusable pads: http://www.lunapads.com/
There are several styles and websites.....find what you think you would use.
Soap......it's cheap now and easy to stock up on.
Wash clothes.....mostly because toiletpaper takes a lot of space to store :)
Medicines
Extra eye glasses
Toothbrushes/toothpaste
Detergent
Basically, what do you and your family use that if it were unavailable or way too expensive to buy.....can you store it up right now?
Alright, you probably have more than enough to digest right now. I'll blog later about how you might prepare your food if there were no electricity for awhile....always more to consider!
Let me also be very clear about why Jason and I have been doing all this preparation. I am an absolute firm believer in God. I believe 100% that he will take care of us during whatever is to come and one of the ways that I think he does this....is to give us the wisdom ahead of time to prepare. If you have more faith in your Gov't to feed/shelter and protect you and your family than yourself.....don't bother reading the rest. There will be bread lines for you and your family to stand in and FEMA camps for you to rest in!
First and foremost......get some personal protection (guns/ammo). Good luck finding ammo,but if you search hard enough and are put on waiting lists for certain kinds, hopefully you'll get it before its taxed to $%^* and back. Be sure that whatever you get....YOU KNOW HOW TO USE! And for goodness sake, try it out. Meaning, guns are like jeans. You've gotta try them out and see how they fit in your grip and feel to hold. You need to feel 100% comfortable holding it and so confident in how to use it.....that there is no hesitation. Once you have a gun for personal protection, I would consider getting a rifle, etc for hunting. Even if your not a hunter by sport.....you may become one out of necessity.
Next...food. I think storing in bulk first is wise. One of the best ways to do this is in #2 buckets with mylar bags. The place with the best price for both lids and bags that I have found is:
https://www.usaemergencysupply.com/
You will find the #2 5 gallon bucket with rubber gasket lids there. If you want even more convenience....get the gamma seal lids. The mylar bags are inexpensive and really a necessity for long term storage. (We're talking 15-20 years!) They come with and with out ziplock tops, but either way....heat seal the top. I wouldn't waste my money on a $100 clam sealer....use a good ole' fashion iron! If you wanna see a great video on how to do this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vW7_cTn6YpE
This guy has fantastic videos on SEVERAL subjects and explains things very well.
After you think you've stored enough bulk items, I would move on to canned items. Even though they have expiration dates....according to the Hormel website....canned items are good almost indefinately if stored in a temperature controlled environment.
Another thing to consider while storing up food is how to harvest your own...meaning GARDEN. I know its a bit of a foreign concept to my generation, but having the ability to grow your own fruits and veggies is important. And learn how to can your food....you may not be able to immediately eat all that you've grown and it doesn't need to go to waste. FYI......If you think you might wait until you HAVE to grow your own food before you start it......Gardening is an extreme sport!! and takes takes time and EXPERIENCE! We need to know, not only how to put a seed in the ground and make it grow, but also about our own regional soil makeup, what it needs, stock up on that! Stock up on seeds......harvesting seeds from the food you just grew......not as easy as you might think.......it is an art and takes much expertise.
Next......water! Water stored in smaller (gallon) amounts are great and very useful. You can find many youtube videos on how to make purified water. Basically a few drops of bleach per gallon of water. It will store for 1-2 years. I would consider also investing in larger drums (food grade only). The are pricey brand new, but I have found them on Craigs list for cheap.....they used to have Rockstar Energy Drink, etc., in them, but it doesn't matter. They are food grade! Rinse them out and fill them up. I might consider getting a few more to make rain barrels for your garden. Remember, if municipalities are down for any length of time due to cival unrest, etc. you are going to have to have drinking water and water for your garden so you don't loose your crop.
I could go on and on about many things to consider, but here are few:
If your a female and shelves are empty or hyperinflation makes a box of tampons $40.....whatcha gonna do? Have daughters? Here's a thought: Reusable pads: http://www.lunapads.com/
There are several styles and websites.....find what you think you would use.
Soap......it's cheap now and easy to stock up on.
Wash clothes.....mostly because toiletpaper takes a lot of space to store :)
Medicines
Extra eye glasses
Toothbrushes/toothpaste
Detergent
Basically, what do you and your family use that if it were unavailable or way too expensive to buy.....can you store it up right now?
Alright, you probably have more than enough to digest right now. I'll blog later about how you might prepare your food if there were no electricity for awhile....always more to consider!
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