But I don't want to end this conversation there.
I WANT TO HELP!
My family has been moving in this direction for several years. We have read and read and read books and internet articles, blogs and e-books. We have watched documentaries and reality TV shows. We have even gleaned information from entertainment TV shows and movies. We try to find anything on livestock keeping, gardening, homebuilding, homesteading and herbal medicines.
As most of you already know my family tries to provide for our needs ourselves. We do not go the the doctor unless we NEED a doctor. We monitor our own health requirements and treat many of them using diet, exercise and herbal and homemade medicines when we can. We homebirth our children, just me and my husband. We are moving towards providing for all of our food needs and this MAY just be the year we accomplish it. We homeschool our children, utilizing our own enormous library of textbooks, encyclopedias, documentaries, and educational programming, and good old paper and pencil. We also involve our children in every step of our homesteading. Starting seeds, transferring seedlings, transplanting outdoors, building fences, hatching chickens and ducks, building housing, feeding and watering them daily, nature walks where we discover the wild plants that grow around us and the animals that share our land with us.... This is all part of OUR education.
It is an adventure.
I love my life. I delight in watching little green seedlings poke their heads through moist soil. I smile at hearing chirp, chirp, chirping from my incubator. I laugh as I watch the ducks swimming and playing in the pond. I enjoy scratching my goats' bellies and having them eat from my hand.
And I adore the little kicks of a growing babe in the womb. I am in awe when I get to hold them in my arms for the first time. I am challenged and thrilled while watching them grow and learn. I am completely in love with each of their little faces.
Of course, I want to keep them safe for as long as possible. I feel it is my duty to the Lord to be a good steward over the all of blessings that He has placed in my hands.
And so... I prep.
I .... "Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst."
And I invite you to do the same.
And HERE is where I can start helping you!
1. Find like minded people. If you are in my area, are already my friend or family member, or even if you live an internet based life, feel free to contact me, befriend me, and share your thoughts, concerns and questions with me. Having like minded people surrounding you can be encouraging, uplifting, and provide excellent resources in your efforts to meet the challenges ahead.
2. Make a list of what you have, and what you know. You may already possess materials and skills that will be useful for your family's safety, or provide a valuable service in the event of an emergency. Do you have plumbing skills? Construction skills? Electrical? Mechanical?
3. Make a list of what you do not have, and what you do not know. This may take some research. Begin finding these resources and information. If you don't know how to garden you can consider, books, magazines, online articles, a neighbor that gardens, or taking classes from your local extension office. If you don't have medical knowledge you can consider taking local cpr courses, emt basic courses, or researching individual medical conditions with books or online for knowledge and treatment.
4. Band together. Meet with other like minded people to share responsibilities and resources. This is most especially important in close neighborhoods. If you can find others that are CLOSE to you, emotionally, spiritually and physically that share your goals and ideas, count it as a blessing. Work together. Perhaps they have medical skills, while you have construction skills. Perhaps they love gardening, and you love canning food. Without moving out onto the commune, you can start a community and build a foundation of strength for when the world is shaking.
5. If you cannot find others nearby, do not fret. Information is WIDELY AVAILABLE. I have even included many valuable links below. And NEVER underestimate your ability to learn new skills and rise to the challenge. It does take work. But it is worth it.
Links to start building your needed skills and resources.....
Bible Verses Regarding Preparing for the Future - http://preparedchristian.net/scripture-related-to-preparedness/#.T7_Tn89dkuw
Complete How To Guides to begin storing food, tracking what you use and need, AND a list of tests you can run through when you are ready - Food Storage Made Easy - http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/
How to Save Seeds, After you have grown your garden and are harvesting, prepare for next years planting - http://howtosaveseeds.com/index.php
Great online store with a multitude of tools, kits, and foods. I peruse this frequently to see where my supplies might have holes - Emergency Essentials - http://beprepared.com/
Your local extension offices usually provide low cost and free classes on canning, gardening, and beginning livestock care. This is also a great place to meet other like minded people - http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/
Even the Government has some starting points to preparing for an emergency, Can you last for at least 3 days without ANY water or electricity or additional supplies in your home? Remember that it took 3 days for the National Guard to even be sent to Hurricane Katrina victims - http://www.ready.gov/
Another site stressing that you MUST be prepared for at least 3 days - http://72hours.org/
Numerous Articles about Prepping 101, While there are differing opinions you will find these to be a great jumping off point -
And a few blogs that I read regularly that are full of great how to advice -
Paratus Familia - http://www.paratusfamiliablog.com/
Rural Revolution - http://www.rural-revolution.com/
Survival Blog - http://www.survivalblog.com/
The Deliberate Agrarian - http://thedeliberateagrarian.blogspot.com/
And here are a few really valuable books that I think are nearly ESSENTIAL to being prepared -
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| Carla Emery's The Encyclopedia of Country Living |
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| Storey's Basic Country Skills |
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| Where There Is No Doctor |
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| Where There Is No Dentist |
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| How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It: Tactics, Techniques, and Technologies for Uncertain Times |
Prepping 101 for TEOTWAWKI, Part III
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