The Newest Homestead Project...
has to do with fabric.
Ask Dewey...I'm a bit of a fabric-aholic. I'm addicted. There, I admitted it. That's the first step, right? Not that I want to be 'cured' or anything, but still....I do have plenty of fabrics here, whole bolts, 5 and 10 yard bundles, remnants, fat quarters. You name it, I have it. Denims, corduroys, cottons, homespun, calicos and broadcloth. All colors, patterns and weights.
I just need to stop buying new stuff long enough to put what I already have to use.
And I could use a building for storage space. underbed storage tubs only take up so much fabric, you know. And yes, we have 9 beds in the house, but still...6 don't count for storage because they are top bunks. Hey, tried getting the middles to let me store tubs on their beds and they just sleep at one end, but you know children these days. Think they get a whole bed to themselves and then expect to s-t-r-e-t-c-h out to boot!
But, back to the work of the day...the new homestead project is a special one. I can't tell you much more than that because certain eyes pop in now and again and read the goings on here. But here's what the girls and I did today:
    
What do you think? Not fancy, neither is the project in the works really, at least not from my hands. If you visit here much, you know what I'm doing -- I posted the other day something with this whole project from someone else's hands. Very pretty.
It's just something we needed to put together and it needed to be started way before now. I'm crunching time now. I do that. And how do I do something like this -- adding another project in on top of always full and active days on the homestead?
I get one of these beauties:
 Let me tell you, that single Mother's Day Cupcake is honestly bigger than it looks. It was one of those Texas-sized monsters...lots of chocolate cake, lots of chocolate cream icing, lots of Belgium chocolate shavings. It looks almost like a mini muffin here, but it's not. Man, oh man, it sure wasn't mini!
A sugar rush of extraordinary proportions, and that's certainly no exaggeration!
How else would you get a mom of 9, with her husband home for the weekend, plenty of chores, plenty of laundry, plenty of daily work, to get 120+ blocks cut and then designed together and ready to stitch this week. It takes a good amount of sugared-up motivation and inspiration!
Mother...Wife...Daughter of The King...Woman of God
For thousands of years, God-fearing women have looked to the noble, or virtuous (KJV), woman of Proverbs 31 as their ideal. Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, probably had this role model of the virtuous woman in the forefront of her mind from earliest childhood. Most Jewish women did, for this poem was traditionally recited in the Jewish home every week on the eve of the Sabbath.
But what about today’s woman? Of what value can this ancient poem be to the diverse, complex life-styles of women today? To the married, to the single, to the young, to the old, to those working outside the home or inside the home, to those women with children or without children? It is more relevant than you might at first expect — although it is also too good to be true.
When we examine this ancient biblical ideal of womanhood, we do not find the stereotyped housewife occupied with dirty dishes and laundry, her daily life dictated by the demands of her husband and her children. Nor do we find a hardened, overly ambitious career woman who leaves her family to fend for itself.
What we find is a strong, dignified, multitalented, caring woman who is an individual in her own right. This woman has money to invest, servants to look after and real estate to manage. She is her husband’s partner, and she is completely trusted with the responsibility for their lands, property and goods.
She has the business skills to buy and sell in the market, along with the heartfelt sensitivity and compassion to care for and fulfill the needs of people who are less fortunate. Cheerfully and energetically she tackles the challenges each day brings. Her husband and children love and respect her for her kind, generous and caring nature.
But with all her responsibilities, first and foremost, she looks to God. Her primary concern is God’s will in her life. She is a woman after God’s own heart. Let’s examine the characteristics of this remarkable woman — a role model for Christian women today.
The model woman described in Proverbs is a portrait of ideal womanhood. The focus of this portrait is a woman’s relationship with God, not her specific abilities or marital status. The Proverbs 31 woman realizes that regardless of her natural talents or acquired skills, or all her accomplishments, her strength comes from God.
Who is a virtuous woman today? Proverbs 31 tells you that it is the woman who puts God first. The ideal woman of Proverbs 31 should encourage all women everywhere. Cultures change, but this woman’s God-inspired character still shines brightly across the centuries.
What more can I say on Mother's Day? The idealized perfection of Godliness wrapped in the clothing of a woman of God's Own Heart is right there in Proverb 31. Mary, Mother of Jesus, Mary and Martha, Ruth...there are countless other worthy examples of women of God. Each has one thing in common, as the article I share about shows...each shares the heart of God every minute throughout their day. They look to The Father first. They draw their strength from Him and Him alone. They are not seeking gratification elsewhere, through the eyes of others, but seeking His approval.
We all strive for something in this life. For some, it's being a mother and wife. For others, it's being of a career-mind. We have to temper all of those against one thing in order to be truly called a woman of God...we must balance our daily lives, no matter what direction they take, by His Word and His Word alone. After that, if we are truly walking in His Way, everything else will fall into place and the 'struggles' faced will not be a hindrance at all but rather a stepping stone to yet another level of Godliness for us.
Happy Mother's Day to each and every mother out there -- whether you have children of your own still or yet, and whether you have the heart of motherhood or not in your life yet. There is a bit of that Proverbs 31 woman in everyone woman, regardless of where God has called her to be. May you all be blessed and continue to find many more blessings daily.
10Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
11The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
12She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.
13She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.
14She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar.
15She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.
16She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.
17She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.
18She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.
19She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.
20She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
21She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.
22She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.
23Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.
24She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.
25Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.
26She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
27She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.
28Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.
29Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.
30Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.
31Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.
Obedient Children are a Thing of The Past
http://www.generationcedar.com
I have been bobbing my head in big Amen agreement lately with the wonderful sharings at Generation Cedar.
The last note, on tongue piercing actually had me talking to the computer screen. The children always enjoy those posts where I start talking back as though anyone can hear...or even cares to hear :o)
"I don't know. But I long to help parents understand that guiding a child to control himself, to be denied from time to time, to be required to act responsibly, to respect others with their behavior–those things are better for a child than any giving in to whims ever is. It's better than any material things you could provide, better than any special privilege you think he deserves"
Hello?! How on the nail head is that??!! Obedient children, well-behaved and respectful children are an oddity these days. And folks know it. They don't do much about it, but eveyone sees it. Bad part is, the parents raising those ill-mannered children even know it -- they just ignore it because they want to 'choose their battles' as -I've heard a million times.
Choose your battles? I can follow that concept wee enough. Thing is, YOU AREN'T CHOOSING ANYTHING aaside from what is the easiest way to parent for you. You aren't teaching anything:o(
I don't have perfect children. Most days I'd have to struggle to even tell you they are well-behaved half of the time. They are children, they are human and they need a lot of supervision and correction along the way. They don't run amok in a store, we indulge in fit-throwing or tantrums, though. We don't allow that and it gets nipped in the bud immediately, especially when it rears its head in public. My children have been taught that they can have whatever ill feelings and attitudes they want, but they cannot put them on display. They have no right to project their poor manners or lacking character training onto others.
But, walk through any store these days and you find just that. Workers with a grouch demeanor, parents dragging through the store with children pouting, being ugly, throwing a fit and crying. Worse even are those parents who simply ignore the circus they've brought with them, so the children start 'sharing' that circus with everyone else and the rest of us get sucked into.
Parenting takes time and it can be tiring, I don't argue that at all. Having 9 children myself, I've been there...still am there! If you start off training for manners and good attitudes, and you are on top of it being ultra consistent, you aren't going to be tired. You are going to be thrilled with the outcome and going out in public will be a joy for everyone -- including casual passer-bys!
Stop indulging the free will of your children and start preparing them for a future of joy and service to The Lord. Let their light be His Light and keep it polished brightly.
Prepping for the future...
Anyone who has spent even a small amount of time here knows I am not a first-class, die-hard prepper for emergencies or TEOTWAWKI.
However, I fully believe that every homesteader, everyone with a home period, should be prepared with supplies and a plan. If you don't you are in a bad position. If a tornado takes out your town, what will you do after the dust settles? A hurricane? Foolish people rely on the government to come to their rescue. Just ask anyone in New Orleans after Katrina...they waited...and waited...and there are still many waiting today!
What if life just deals you a rough patch and you lose your job? Gee, that's not likely to happen, heh?
Having a pantry of any size is important. It is your security blanket. It is your savings account. It's just plain common sense in this day and age to stock a pantry with at least the bare minimum of your personal needs for 3 weeks.
Personally, I'd shoot for stocking way more than 3 little weeks. We don't live in Mayberry, RFD here anymore. This economy, this world vision, this government movement...you'd be courting serious trouble to not be prepared to stay put and tight for 6 months or better.
But. that's just me. I had supplies in place with the Y2k talk and no, nothing came of that, but I didn't have to do alot of shopping for quite a while. It's not like I stock idiot items...everyone needs TP...am I out anything if I have 2 or 3 cases of it in storage here? Nope -- it's not going to go to waste. It will be used.
I am still a prepper, though I am not in the same class as some are on that score. I have food,and water and other sundry items, I have feed and other animal needs, I have medicines, I have seeds for next year's garden and then some, I have guns and ammo. I won't say we won't feel a crunch when the time comes, but we aren't going to be eating roughage from the back 40 or butchering off animals right away.
Have something other than just 'stuff'. Stuff can be taken away from you. You HAVE to have skills. You know there is so much to 'prepping' than stockpiling a bunch of stuff.
You really can't just stock "stuff" for your future. Material items should really be the least of your stock and preps. Material things can be taken from you by neighbors and friends who haven't prepared for anything and go into panic, or even confiscated by Big Brother for the greater good. After you have supplied food to get you through to the next growing season, you'd best have the skills to replenish that food supply. Thinking you will simply rip up a garden and toss a few seeds out might not work as well as you think. Thinking you have a handful of chickens in the backyard for dinner is great...knowing how to butcher them is another thing.
Look long term. You don't know when the next traumatic happening could be a big enough one to stall everyone out for a while. Be prepared with some skills. Those skills will help you in the long term if needed, and you can always barter those same skills, too.
Community is important. No, I'm not talking about one of those hippy/Zen, anti-government, David Koresh kind of communities. A community of family, friends, like-minded folks all working along the same lines as you are. When TEOTWAWKI hits -- and it will, most likely sooner than most folks are wanting to believe -- having groups together, communities, is what will keep you moving ahead.
I have said this before and I will say it again, preppers are not just survivors, they are thrivers. They are the quint-essential human race, scratching and clawing for solutions to situations that cause the weakest among us to drop to the floor paralyzed by worry and indecision. A prepper might carry buckets of water between the creek and their house but you know dang well, they are keeping their eyes open for some PVC pipe and a hand-pump. The true prepper knows he/she cannot do it all, and that it requires a community to thrive and become multi-generational. The temporariness of our culture must go, or we too will go the way of the dinosaur. But it doesn't take a catastrophe to accomplish that, all it requires is enough apathy to simply not care anymore about our children and their children, and the children after that. Thusly, the generations are squandered and wasted away till there is nothing left but the gangs and the politico's trying to control them. It's time that right-thinking people take control of their own lives and stop waiting for momma state to bail out GM.
Prepper.Org
Pioneer Skills Back to Basic Living
American Preppers Network
A Family Profit and Loss Statement
For what does it profit a mom if she gains the whole world, but her children are lost?
I read that on a blog. Sure, I know the verse connected there, but sometimes you read something and it just sticks in your heart.
I have the whole world here. Really, I do. Oh sure, someone will read this and their first remark will be to laugh (maybe hysterically even). I don't work...well, outside the home...you know what I mean. There are still alot of women who have to get their satisfaction cups filled out there in the world of business and gainful employment. LOL...never have understood that phrase, "gainful employment" at all. I know it is referring to monetary ends, but I've been there, done that, and I like to think I was rather good at all that when I did it, but truth is, no matter how you slice it up and serve it, there isn't anything at all of any real gain to be had out there in that world. I'm far more gainfully employed right here where The Lord has placed me.
Someone will no doubt laugh and point to the fact that my husband is working off the homestead, out of state. Well, there are blessings in that as well. The obvious blessing off the top of my head is that he has a job, out of state or not, he is working. There are alot of folks right now that don't have that at all.
The next blessing in that is that old saying, absence makes the heart grow fonder. We don't have to be together 24/7 to have a close family, although I will say that you do have to have the right hearts to make it work. We had some struggles during those first months of his being gone. He would probably say no, but see the thing is, his mind was filled with the busyness of the job at hand...while my mind was filled with the emptyness of not having my husband and best friend here with me all of a sudden, or the father of my children here to lead, guide and direct us. I know I had a more difficult time with the transition than he did, but I never looked at it as less than a blessing. This season of our lives was prayed over well, long, and deep. We have built some rather strong cords in this time. That can't be seen as anything less than blessings, right?
My husband may be off the homestead right now, but we are deeply etched into his heart and that greater portion stays here with us all the time. Not every woman with a working-minded husband can say even a small bit of that. That knowing that we have is what builds this house stronger. It saddens me when I can see that not happening in other families because I can only imagine the stress of heart they walk in. Your treasures are where you build those heartcords and far too many families are building very weak home and family cords these days.
My oldest son is gone on his own life now. Those chickens have come home to roost, as they say. I can see the fruits of those years of labor and while I see a great deal of spoilage there on those branches, I can see a decent harvest nonetheless. He has made his portion (and then some) of bad choices and childish decisions, but I suppose that is what has to happen in order to grow. It is a blessing to know that, selfishness and sometimes outright stupidity aside, he did hear much of his teachings growing up and he will continue to grow into a man not only we, but he himself, can take pride in. His biggest struggle is that he does not always stand strong in his convictions, but tries to hold the beliefs of folks simply not raised with any sort of direction.
These blessings would not have happened here, with all of us at home together. We had to divide out the homestead just a bit, as it were, to cull the weeds and make room for more of these good things. I'm definitely not saying The Lord wouldn't have shared many blessings were we all together at home. I can just see where we were blessed with so many things in this season of separation.
Don't misunderstand me -- husbands and fathers belong at home. I fully believe that. No matter what the circumstances, you will never in a million years convince me otherwise. They don't have all of their hearts with their families when they have to divide those attentions between the world outside and the hearth at home. They cannot teach and guide their families when they are divided among the sheep and the goats. Divided attentions teach children they, too, can be divided in mind and heart. Scripture is pretty loud and clear about that...we cannot serve to masters. You will certainly end up failing and despising one or the other. Multitasking aside, we are not made for split-personalities. Following The Lord inherently means despising the world. Following the world most definitely brings you to the place of being at odds with what The Lord wants and demands of you. There is no way to serve them both.
I know there are a good plenty of Godly men out there not at home full time with their families and life seems full of great blessings and wonderful fruit, but I am convinced to the very bottoms of my feet that when you walk too much in the world outside it causes a division within you somewhere deep. There is that small portion that simply doesn't give fully over to family, know what I mean? (Sure you do, if you're honest and truly look at the big picture....and I'm sure I'll hear all about it in this inbox, too)
Ahh, I know....I seemingly bunny trail hither and yon all the time. Blessings and those righteous prayers is where I started :o). I don't know that my prayers are always all that righteous, I am human and I fail greatly daily, but they flow from my heart and the places of emotion that it moves in, sometimes good and sometimes misfocused, but always deep and sincere.
For what does it profit a mom if she gains the whole world, but her children are lost?
That mom not working daily for the hearts of her children walks a pretty empty life. She builds no future for herself, let alone for The Kingdom. She walks in the shadows of life in this world. The world is pretty enough, and it certainly has its attractions and more false love and false teachings and false guidance than ever before (sadly much of that comes from inside the church...but that's another soapbox there!). But where is the profit for you out there? If I never stepped in tune with any part of the world again, I'd still be blessed and content, truly and greatly. I only lose that sense of contentment when I worry about those around and all they have or do. My heart doesn't dwell at home where it belongs when I try to follow those whose lives are entwined in the world and its pursuits.
My worst failings in that respect -- that I allow the world to turn my children's hearts, even a little. Once I follow the world -- reading blogs here, keeping up with the latest things going on, the doings of friends out there, etc. -- I allow a part of my heart to wander from home. Satan grabs that moment and sparks something in not only my heart, but the heart of my children especially. Satan isn't interested in me or you. Read your Bible...he is interested in the children. They are the future of God. By dangling the internet in front of us, by offering us deals on satellite TV, by waving events and activities galore in front of our wandering eyes, he wiggles the entire world...this messed up, fallen from God, thriving in selfishness and false-believing world...before us and we dive right in claiming there is worth there.
And there is some worth in all those things, of course. Satan cannot invent anything of his own. He can only use what is already there. He will use the good stuff same as the corrupt. There are so many things I learn online, so many good things for my family and our future. Things I could never learn were it not for the internet at my fingertips. But it comes with a deep price. It comes with my turning my children loose to it as well. They learn great and wonderful things as well and that is not of itself a bad thing. But their eyes are not stayed on Christ as He tells us they must be. They are trying to follow me as I swagger on the ridgepole between this world and God's world. When my attention is taken for even a moment, a piece of their hearts is turned that way as well.
For what does it profit a mom if she gains the whole world, but her children are lost?
There is no profit in it. Without meaning to, too many families gain the world by trying to live in it several hours a day and give the leftover portions to their families. Some spend hours, or days and months, away from their only true duty within their homes and families, on jobs that soak up much more of their hearts than they want to admit. Some send their children off for several hours a day for education. Their energy is spent, their pursuits are futile toward making steps toward God and His Ways. And worse yet -- they try to give the leftovers to God. God doesn't want leftovers. He wants your heart in its proper place and He wants your children kept focused. Bring the fathers back home to truly guide their families into something strong and eternal and let the mommas get back to the business of praying fervently over their children with clear minds.
Bunny trails can bring you a blessing, too :o)
Swine Flu...Elderberry Extract
I'm learning more and more every day with this whole pandemic issue.
For example, they aren't calling it a pandemic yet, but there are outbreak cases in a rather lengthy list of countries now.
Some folks aren't even concerned about the potential of this being more wide-spread. A trip to Wally World isn't worth the health of my family...is it yours?
There is something called a cytokine storm that I need to research out some more. I've never heard of this, and apparently it's something I should know about, not just now with the flu issues.
I also wasn't aware that there are great variances in elderberry extracts. I mean, I suppose I knew that, but not to the degree I should have considering it's something that should be kept on hand and used.
About this flu issue....
I've had a couple conversations recently regarding my 'extreme' attitude with things such as this. Yes, I was one of those 'preppers' back with Y2k. I didn't sell blood plasma to stock things, mind you, but I did get my share of the necessities of life just in case things happened as the scenarios were proposing. For me, it was plain old common sense to have things on hand for emergencies... any emergency. Storms, lay-offs, illness...life happens, you know? Makes sense to be prepared to fend for yourself for a period of time for when -- not if -- something comes your way.
And you know what, had something happened back then, those folks who laughed at my preps would have been at my house crying over their lack or preparation. I had TP...lots of it...and guess what? Everyone wants to be your friend when you have something they don't :)
Am I extreme? I suppose I am in many cases. This swine flu for example, I would say I'm prepared to my best ability and knowledge. Extreme? We aren't planning any Mexican vacations, obviously, but we aren't planning on many trips off the homestead, either. I don't know that I'd call it something 'extreme' but I would call it common sense. I can't control where you go or who you come into contact with, but in the case of viral diseases being spread about I'd better have some control with my own family.
I don't follow the mainstream news feeds at all. I will if something comes up but generally I check in with a few more informed folks I trust, then I set to finding out what I can on my own. I don't make decisions for my family based on what the neighbors are doing. I'm a Smith...I don't keep up with The Joneses. Mainstream media is only going to feed me junk food. Big Brother isn't one to hand out information easily. They have other agendas in work. But that's a whole 'nuther blog post, isn't it?
The best one can do when something like this comes down the pike is pray, study what you can, read all you can on all sides of the issue and make your decisions, your plan of action, based on all of those factors.
Our decisions are easy. We are second and third-guessing any trips outside the homestead here. We have home-churched before and can do it again, certainly with a deeper Bible study than we tend to get outside anyway; ChinaMart, er, Walmart...trust me folks, the junk you might think you need there isn't going anywhere. It will be there in bulk later on, too. I can pay bills with a potage stamp, I don't need to go into town. I have enough food and such here to stay put for a while, and even the animals will be fed for a while. (I will be filling the feed drums for animal stock tomorrow, though.) We are continuing with our immune boosting same as always. It's not a 'do when needed' sort of thing -- it's an everyday normal routine. We are eating healthy and cutting sugars -- talk about immune-supressing stuff!
Watch the flu talk -- this isn't the big one for it yet. That's coming later on. This is merely the first wave. And the virus itself...well, I'm not much for conspiracy theories, but it's really funny how events seem to unfold. It's very 'conspirecy-esque' if you look at it, but it is a possibility for those looking for the trail to lead to Big Brother.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control, the new virus is a mixture of four different viruses: North American swine flu, North American avian flu, human H1N1 flu and a swine flu strain found in Asia and Europe. ....
The fact is that we still know so little about flu, and what makes it capable of spreading from human to human, means that deliberately engineering a virus of this kind would be a huge challenge. Yes, it's possible that this virus was created by a mistake at a research laboratory or a vaccine factory.
But by far the most plausible explanation is that this monster is the long-predicted product of our farming system. ...
If Baxter were following BSL3 procedures this contamination could only be explained through 1: either gross negligence or 2: willful contamination. So, why would a company that was caught recently distributing live avian and human flu vaccines, perhaps with the intent to stage a global flu pandemic, be allowed to develop a vaccine for the World Health Organization to combat the new swine flu outbreak? This defies logic and a good explanation... that is, unless logic and explanation is a bad one. For instance, we might want to contemplate that a man-made epidemic could be a useful tool to create the conditions for greater control over society by creating the appearance that a government is protecting citizens, while at the same time asking citizens to give up much of their freedoms and liberties. Also, there is the added benefit that one can make enormous profits if one has the cure. Should we immediately dismiss such unpalatable notions when in our recent history we have seen people in high places in government and industry using fear to profit from such scenarios? As Joseph Mercola writes:"Not long ago, President Bush sought to instill panic in this country by telling us a minimum of 200,000 people will die from the avian flu pandemic, but it could be as bad as 2 million deaths in this country alone. This hoax is then used to justify the immediate purchase of 80 million doses of Tamiflu, a worthless drug that in no way shape or form treats the avian flu, but only decreases the amount of days one is sick and can actually contribute to the virus having more lethal mutations. So the U.S. placed an order for 20 million doses of this worthless drug at a price of $100 per dose. That comes to a staggering $2 billion. We are being told that Roche manufactures Tamiflu and, in a recent New York Times article, they were battling whether or not they would allow generic drug companies to help increase their production. But if you dig further you will find that a drug was actually developed by a company called Gilead that 10 years ago gave Roche the exclusive rights to market and sell Tamiflu... ...If you read the link below from Gilead, you'll discover Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was made the chairman of Gilead in 1997. Since Rumsfeld holds major portions of stock in Gilead, he will handsomely profit from the scare tactics of the government that is being used to justify the purchase of $2 billion of Tamiflu."
And you have Baxter, jumping on the vaccine bandwagon again...
A company that delivered contaminated vaccines with live avian flu and human flu viruses earlier this year is now to lead the charge for designing vaccines for the Mexican Swine Flu outbreak.
Could it be man-made and spread....or is it just a nation far from God and his Word. I mean, pigs aren't eaten by half the world or better, so maybe our bacon and eggs caused the problem (no pun intended there between swine and avian flu...) And didn't we do this swine flu once before, and trace it back to a military base?
if i made a virus, and i wanted to do a test run, i could think of no better country than mexico - lots of people - 3rd world, right next door (so lots of news coverage) - it has all the makings of a test run:
1) see how quickly it spreads globally (check)
2) see how government containment works or doesn’t work (check)
3) see how the medical response goes (check)
4) media coverage (check)
I don't know about any of anything, really. I just read and follow links and try to study stuff out. There is enough information out there to keep your family safe if you are concerned. Do your reasearch and don't rely on someone else, or their possibly tainted point of view to make a decision for you.
Swine Flu Resources and Links
Swine Flu Tracking at Google Maps
If you become ill, think of having a quarrantine room set up
From The Sambucol Team:
I received this note after posting about herbs and the swine flu...
This is great information, but we wanted to make a correction regarding your reference to Sambucol Black Elderberry extract. The original Sambucol Black Elderberry formula is actually no longer manufactured by Nature’s Way. The original Sambucol Black Elderberry extract is now being distributed by Healthcare Brands International (HBI) under its own, original brand name. Other companies have similar looking black elderberry products with similar sounding names, but only Sambucol is the black elderberry extract developed by a virologist and clinically tested in numerous published studies.
Regards,
The Sambucol Team
Swine Flu Preps and Herbs
Say this turns into a pandemic. We are overdue for one, and honestly, people are flat out lazy when it comes to trying to prevent anything anymore. Look at all those who were at church yesterday while sick.
First tip: STAY HOME. If you are sick, whether you think it's the flu or not, stay home. I don't want your germs. You don't want my germs. Let's agree to keep it that way.
Second, learn to wash your hands. Teach your children to wash their hands. Use an alcohol-based sanitizer and spend some time working at cleaning your hands. Germs are invisible, you know. Standard practice for good, clean hands is to sing "Happy Birthday" 3 times while you wash. Not while the soap sits useless on your hands...scrub them bubbles around! After you wash with the sanitizer, wash with plain old fashioned soap and water. The sanitizer isn't going to get all the little areas of your hands. Keep those personal sized bottles of hand sanitizer well, handy, and make sure everyone has one...and uses it.
Use and teach your children good manners. Cover your mouth when coughing and sneezing...then wash your hands. Don't wipe your nose with your arm, your hand, your whatever...you folks know who you are :o)
When someone is sick, has a runny nose, etc. the name of the game is Clean, clean clean. Keep surfaces wiped down. A simply mixture of 1 tsp bleach to a gallon of water will keep surfaces sanitized. It will only hold its strength for one day, so you will need to mix a new batch daily. A spray bottle will allow you to clean all surfaces...doorknobs, your house and cell phone (wipe with a towel dampened with the solution...do not spray the phones directly!), wipe the shopping cart at the grocery store...common sense folks. Germs are everywhere.
Prepare to be at home more. You should be at home taking care of business anyway. We all have things we need in town, places to go, things to do, and folks to visit, but learn to find contentment at home more. You can't spread diseases if you are at home. Neither can I. In the event of a true pandemic outbreak, HOME is going to be your safest place.
Influenza viruses can be directly transmitted from pigs to people and from people to pigs. Human infection with swine flu viruses are most likely to occur when people are in close proximity to infected pigs, such as in pig barns and livestock exhibits at fairs.
Human-to-human transmission of swine flu can also occur. This is thought to occur in the same way as seasonal flu occurs in people, which is mainly person-to-person transmission through coughing or sneezing of people infected with the flu virus. People may become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose.
See? Right back to practical common sense. Wash your hands often...stay home more.
If you were to stay home, how would you fare? Do you have a supply of daily needs to get you through a period of time? Even if you aren't part of the whole Be Prepared lifestyle, you should have at least a month's supply of necessities, minimum. Honestly, 3 months would be even better.
Keep it simple and easy to follow...plan your menu and take those meals and repeat them for the 3 months. A fellow blogger suggests choosing 5 main meals (don't forget you need breakfast and lunch, as well as some snacks...but for case of example, let's use the 5 main meals here...) if your family eats, say spaghetti once a week and it takes 3# of pasta for your meal, you are looking at having 36 boxes on hand. Figure the same way for the other ingredients...sauce, cheese, garlic bread, etc. Now repeat this for other meals and get a plan estimate of what you should have in that pantry for a 3 month stint.
You should, given the number of diseases that make the news (and the ones that don't), have some N95 masks and surgical gloves on hand as well. The "N" stands for NIOSH (The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) and the 95 stands for 95% of particles 0.3 microns in size, or larger. They are not perfect, they will not protect from everything, but they are better than a wide open nose and mouth. Folks down here use them all during pollen season while working in their yards, bush hogging, mowing, etc. They are available at just about every hardware store and such, and aren't expensive. If there is even a slight chance they will help, what are you out by getting a few and keeping them handy? Remember the SARS outbreak a few years back? All those media photos that scrolled along the newscasts, those were N95 masks and surgical gloves you were seeing on folks.
Build your immune system and keep it strong. This is an all-around thing to be doing. Eat right (cut out, or at least back, on the packaged crud you already eat and opt for some whole grains, raw fruits and veggies, less red meat), get enough sleep (which means most likely getting more than you are currently getting!)
There are some herbs called adaptogens that work to bring your body back in balance. They help your body adapt to the stresses of every day life which helps strengthen the immune system. Adaptogenic herbs include ginseng, shiitake mushrooms, reishi, ashwaganda and astragalus.
Garlic is one of those herbs that can be used in cooking. It helps your body deal with infection and also has some Vitamin C and quercetin--antioxidants that can help your immune system.
Simple tonic herbs also help strengthen your body and make it healthier. These herbs are best taken in tea form. Try stinging nettle, oatstraw, lemon balm and mullein.
Sage is an herbal antibiotic and is also very useful during flu season because it can help with coughs, sore throats, and even fevers. Keep this herb around and drink two to three cups of tea a day when those around you seem to be getting sick. Sage may just prevent you from getting it.
Increase your intake of Vitamin C. This not only boosts your immune system, but in higher dosages has been shown to be an antiviral as well. The recommendation is to dramatically increase your intake at the first sign you may have been exposed to the flu. Search for "the Vitamin C Foundation" to find an effective dosage for you.
Add green tea or green tea extract to your diet.. Several clinical studies have shown that the polyphenols within green tea have strong antiviral and therefore anti-flu properties. There have been many other health benefits linked to green tea as well, so this supplement should be a must have.
Spice your foods with turmeric. Curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, has both antiviral and antioxidant properties to help your body ward off any viral infections.
Ensure you are getting enough vitamin E in your diet. There has been at least one clinical study completed that links adequate vitamin E intake with reduced viral activity. Studies have also shown there may be a link between vitamin E and a reduced duration and severity of flu symptoms.
Add a whey protein shake or two to your diet. Not only is whey protein a great source of protein and essential amino acids, but it also directly boosts glutathione levels in your bloodstream. Glutathione is a strong antioxidant that directly supports your immune system. Having increased levels of glutathione increases your ability to fight off infections and illness.
Bedtime Needs To Be Strictly Enforced-Children need more sleep than adults. Make sure your child gets a minimum of eight hours each night, even more; Lack of sleep helps to break down the immune system in a hurry.
Make healthy meals for everyone in the family-this can be very challenging if you have a picky eater, but don't let your child dictate to you what they'll eat every day-You are not a restaurant...Your are the parent.
Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables-There are various ways to fix and prepare them. Start learning how to get the most from your fruits and vegetables. Get plenty of phytochemicals into your system with dark green, red and yellow vegetables.
Play!-Make sure both you and your child get plenty of exercise; this'll help to boost your immune system. Take away the video games and the computer, at least for a little while; get outside to play.
Drink More Water, Less Juice-Toxins build up and can weaken immunity when there's not enough water in the diet. Sugary drinks can actually dehydrate and increase your child's need for water.
Sambucol For Kids (www.sambucol.com) consists of black elderberries, which are unsually rich in antioxidants (They help support the immune system to fight viruses). It tastes good (like grape jam or jelly), is very safe and is specially formulated for ages two and up. Elderberry extract syrup, or Sambucol, has been shown by repeated scientific studies to fight standard strains of influenza. As I discuss in a recent article, elderberry has natural compounds-- which are safe for children and even infants-- that appear to reduce the duration of colds and flu by several days. This means Sambucol is a must-have for surviving pandemic flu.
More importantly, studies of elderberry syrup's efficacy have specifically focused on H5N1 bird flu, one of the core components of the swine flu pandemic's biology. Laboratory trials have confirmed that elderberry extract effectively defeats H5N1 avian flu with up to 99% efficacy. If it has nearly this rate of effectiveness in combating the similar strain of swine flu, Sambucol may prevent fatalities during a swine flu pandemic.
**Note: Nature's Way was the original manufacturer and still makes this product. They sell the same Original Syrup, and now one more syrup called "Black Elderberry Immune System Syrup" but because of patents, are unable to use the brand name Sambucol anymore.
Elderberry Syrup Recipe: To make ANY herbal tincture you just fill a glass jar about 1/3 full of dried herb or 1/2 full of fresh herb, add at least 80 PROOF vodka to the top of the jar, or thereabouts, cap, shake, put in a cool dark place for 7-10 days, strain and viola!! herbal tincture. Very easy, folks have been doing this for 100s of years.
Here is a link to a post with another, more descriptive recipe...post #44
Vitamin D -- Many Americans, especially young children, are alarmingly deficient in vitamin D. In addition to being absolutely essential for the proper function of the bones and central nervous system, vitamin D plays a critical role in enabling the immune system to successfully defeat viruses of all kinds. One 2006 study hit headlines when it concluded that vitamin D is extremely effective in fighting standard influenza strains.
A general PDF on Colds and influenza can be found here.
Bottom line, you can't wait until a flu outbreak or anything else happens close to home to get ready for it. Live right daily, eat healthy and stop buying into the whole sales and marketing hype, treat your body the way you would a fancy Lambourghini...instead of like some second-hand Yugo (I'm not knocking your Yugo...but let's face facts, it's not a Lamboughini, now is it? Even the little mechanic cars in the movie Cars knew class...are you a Ferrari). If you feed your body juk, work it hard and long, skimp on sleep and so forth, you will get sick. No amount of last-minute prevention is going to be of much help to you.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Rather in the same way a penny saved is soon a dollar :o)
Swine Flu and Common Sense
It's me... under that rock again, here in my cave.
Here's some information on Swine Flu from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
Here's the CDC page where they are Investigating Human Outbreaks
I have truly just heard about this and paid much attention to it. We don't do TV, and as you can see, I'm rarely online these days, either. Cave and Rock living has its advantages really.
First off, a couple of friends emailed and asked what we are doing in terms of the Swine Flu. LOL...not to make light of it, but at the time, I just laughed and said I have no swine and when we did, they weren't flying. But, honestly, this is just as serious as the SARS pandemic a few years back. It needs to be taken seriously
If you are a homesteader, health nut or a Prepper, you've been preparing for such as this for a long time. You already know what to do...what you should have been doing all along. It's a serious flu, certainly, but it's still the practical common sense things that help prevent it.
WASH YOUR HANDS. Use alcohol-based sanitizer, and THEN wash with soap and water. That sanitizer isn't getting into every crack and crevice on your hands, and most likely you aren't even washing properly in the first place. You should learn how to properly wash, and TEACH YOUR CHILDREN how to do it properly as well. Sing 'Happy Birthday' completely through while washing with the hand sanitizer. Then sing it again while you wash with the soap and water. Goodness, folks, look at how most of us wash our hands every day. Would you want your surgeon to wash that haphazardly before he opened you up? It's called common sense, folks. Use a little of it.
Keep up with the CDC site as far as tracking. Don't trust the mainstream media...they aren't about to start something that might be seen as a "panic" among the populus.
From the World Health Organization - Mexico apparently had cases under surveillance as early as 18 March 2009
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The reason there is growing concern about this at the Centers For Disease Control and the World Health Organization is that this particularly nasty strain is hitting otherwise normal, healthy people - in Mexico those with this illness are sometimes on a respirator within 48-hours of becoming ill. Also, this particular strain is a combination of swine, avian (bird) and human influenza and is a strain that has never before been seen in man or swine - this is something that definitely bears our very close attention.
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WASHINGTON, April 24 (Reuters) - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday it was too late to contain the swine flu outbreak in the United States.
CDC acting director Dr. Richard Besser told reporters in a telephone briefing it was likely too late to try to contain the outbreak, by vaccinating, treating or isolating people.
"There are things that we see that suggest that containment is not very likely," he said.
Prevention Guidelines from the CDC are at the link.
You might want to consider stocking up on some Vitamin C, masks (N-95 particulate one), fever reducer (tylenol), gloves, over-the-counter and/or homeopathic flu relief medications, bleach and/or other disinfectants for washing clothing, bedding, mopping floors, cleaning bathrooms.
This is also a good time to make sure you have your food and water preps in order just in case you find yourself needing to stay at home for an extended period of time. The best 'plan' would be to figure up 3 months worth of your menu and stock at least those items. Don't forget the fun stuff...Jello, snacks, etc.
Remember any of the past flu outbreaks that made news?
Health officials have been warning that a new strain of influenza that can pass easily from person to person could spark a pandemic, a global epidemic that could kills tens of millions of people. Experts agree another flu pandemic is overdue.
Here are some facts about past flu pandemics and pandemic threats:
* The 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic is the benchmark by which all modern pandemics are measured. Some 20 to 40 percent of the worldwide population became ill and more than 50 million people died. Between September 1918 and April 1919, it killed more than 600,000 people in the United States alone. In a normal flu season, about 36,000 people die in the United States, and 250,000 to 500,000 globally.
* While the very young and the very old are most at risk with seasonal flu, the 1918 pandemic primarily struck young adults. It disrupted the global economy. Many small businesses, which were unable to unable to operate during the pandemic, went bankrupt.
* The virus that caused the 1957 Asian flu pandemic was quickly identified, and vaccines were available by August 1957. The elderly had the highest rates of death. The Asian flu killed 2 million people globally, according to the World Health Organization.
* The 1968 influenza pandemic was first detected in Hong Kong. Those over the age of 65 were most likely to die. It killed an estimated 1 million people globally, according to WHO, making it making the mildest pandemic in the 20th century.
* In 1976, a strain of swine flu started infecting people in Fort Dix, New Jersey, and worried U.S. health officials because the virus was thought to be related to the 1918 Spanish flu virus. Forty million people were vaccinated but the program was halted after several cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome, a severe and sometimes fatal condition linked to some vaccines, were reported. The virus never moved outside the Fort Dix area.
* H5N1 avian flu is the most recent pandemic threat. It first surfaced in 1997 and continues to infect humans who have direct contact with chickens. The H5N1 or avian influenza virus does not spread easily from one person to another.
* Since 2003, H5N1 virus has infected 421 people in 15 countries and killed 257. It has killed or forced the culling of more than 300 million birds in 61 countries in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe.
* WHO has six pandemic stages. A full-blown pandemic requires sustained, human-to-human spread over many countries of a new and serious virus.
-- Sources: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; World Health Organization
Look -- the world *isn't* flat afterall (reall really long update...with pictures)
...although it surely appeared I had wandered too close to the edge and just fell off.
In A Nutshell Update:
- We've been canning sweet potatoes...120# of them...
- We've been planting berry bushes...red raspberry, black raspberry, grape, wild cherry trees, wild plum trees...
- We've had puppies...
- We've visited with a dear online friend who moved to TN from NY and is now moving back to NY...
- Wild Child and his accomplice, David, found a spray paint can in the barn...Wild child spray painted himself and David BLUE. I was momma to 2 Smurfs for a couple days. Nail polish remover...that's how they got cleaned off finally.
- My computer crashed yet again (I'm really just babying this 3 yo notebook along I think), then after visiting Dewey, I left my internet card in Arkansas
- I upgraded Dewey's cell phone for work...then got feeling a bit jealous myself and upgraded my own. That Blackberry does alot of stuff. I've been emailing, I use the calendar and such daily, I keep everything in it. So much for being off the grid, I know...
- I bought some clothes....some long denim skirts and blouses, etc. I wore them most of last month, then woke up. I was trying to blend in more with those around me, and I don't want to do that. I don't want to blend with the world. I was actually pretty uncomfortable in the skirt and shirts. I felt rather uncovered really. And with my headcovering, I actually looked more Pentecostal for our area. I'm not dissin' the Pentecostal groups, but that's just not me.
- I've had a few conversations/arguments/debates on another blog with folks about our homeschooling lifestyle, the care of aging parents, and the new cigarette tax hike. All is well, though...most folks who know me know I have my own set of opinions and I'm hardly one whose shy about voicing them when asked. We homeschool, we have no plans to do any different, and we have our own agenda for our children; I am a firm believer that unless something totally outside your control intervenes, aging parents should be cared for by you, preferably at home. I'm not romanticizing the idea -- it is often alot of stress, very intensive, and a difficult time. Raising children is too. You simply adjust and learn new ways to keep up with life; the cigarette tax whiners...get over it already. You have very little control in your life when it comes to taxes, but this one is totally in your control. It's a nasty habit, you smell, your clothes smell, your house smells (like cigarettes, that is), you are wasting a lot of money each year, and you are messing with not only your health, but the health of those around you. Before we even go there, I was a smoker for years, a good 2 packs a day. I quit. No, it isn't easy, but your life does actually depend on it, and if you want something bad enough, you'll do what you have to do to quit. It's really a no-brainer. I watched countless folks argue and literally yell at the store clerks Wednesday when the rate hike went into effect. Good grief, you really think they can do anything about it? Do you honestly think they even care? Want to make a big sounding voice with government? talk their talk...stop buying cigarettes and they will lose millions and it will all go away. Government doesn't talk like normal folks, they talk in dollars and cents.
Dewey is scheduled to be finished with the hospital job in Arkansas middle-late June. We can't wait to have him home!
And here are some other updates I had sent out over the past month. I have another blog that tends to be kept up a bit more often. You can leave me a PM or email me for the address. I am not leaving HomesteadBlogger (sorry...) but I needed another blog for some family reasons, and honestly, it is easier to keep up and add photo's to.
If the SD card ever uploads my pictures, I'll start posting them. It seems rather slow today for some reason. Well, probably user-error, but still....it's slow. Of course, I could just stop using my cell phone for a camera (even though it does take really nice pictures...and is handy...). I could just take real pictures with a real camera like normal folk.
Not sure when I even posted last, at least anything of worth in terms of an update. We've been busy, although I don't know that on paper we have actually accomplished much really. I'll probably work through the update in a hodge-podge manner, nothing in any particular order. LOL....that's how we roll here on the homestead most days it seems. No rhyme or reason.
 We finally had a nice Wednesday, one where we could get to the spring for water. We were pretty much on our last 3 gal jug....we had to go get water somewhere, no matter what. Luckily the weather was perfect and the spring was clear. After a hard rain, or just a long rain, the water is rather mucky and it settles too much in the jugs. Just creates a mess all around. I'm glad we finally had a clear week for it. I didn't fill all the containers (23 of those 3 gal jugs) but we did about half. It will be raining all week, so none this week, but next week if it looks decent we'll have to fill them all. There is a spring not too far from here, over the mountain, but it has a distinct iron taste to the water, no matter what. We try not to get our water there unless we are desperate. With summer coming, we might want to make sure all the jugs are filled each week...we go through a lot of water here.
 We spent this weekend really busy -- planted 16 raspberries and 2 grapes. Sure, that isn't sounding like much, but when you are talking red and gray sludge clay soil, and a post hole digger that uses me for the mule-power...it's a lot, trust me. I had to keep going, it had to be done, but man oh man, but midday, I was dying. My wrists were throbbing they hurt so bad. I spent the night and all day yesterday wearing my wrist braces and popping 800mg Ibuprofen. Yes, very herbal, I know, but I was hurting and I wanted what I knew beyond a doubt would make it all feel better. I took 4 tablets over the course of the 24 hours and I was able to sleep without wanting to crawl in a corner and cry all night. That's a big plus.
 We (well, ok, technically it was Jennifer...but I told her how to do it...) used the pick/mattax to chop away all the sod from an area giver or take 5x7, then built the grape arbor...then read directions and found out we could plant the grapes about 8 in apart. Ugh...so we can actually fit 6 grapes in that arbor we concocted. I need to get 4 more plants out there! We will probably go ahead and make another arbor the same way, and plant 10 plants total. I think a dozen concords should yield more than enough grapes for jelly making, don't you think? Yes, it will be a good 3 years to a decent harvest, but still....no time like the present to get it done.
 Sunday morning, we were surprised (just a bit -- we knew it was coming, just not totally sure as to the when) by puppies on the homestead. Just before sun up, Lady had her puppies. She's been penned up in the barn, in the center stall, for about a week now. She is typically our escape-artist, climbing up cattle panels and other fencing like a human on ladder. LOL...not this time. Too fat ;o) She had 8 pups! Eight! Dewey just laughed (well, more of a shocked laugh, one of those nervous nelly kind of laughs...) and wanted to know what right she had popping out 8 her first time.. She should have kept it simple at 3 or 4.
You gotta remember where we are. This is the homestead for lost odd ball animals. Throw-aways from others. Misfit Acres. No self-respecting animal around here is going to waste time on the small stuff. We go big.
 Lady and family is resting comfortably in the middle stall of the barn. The black dogs are beside themselves wanting to check out the action in the middle stall. Buddy, the Great Pyr, has taken an active role as well. Near as I can figure (being the dog whisperer that I am...ahem...) he thinks they are his now. They were born in the barn, the barn is pretty much his domain, hence, the puppies are under his care and authority now as well. He won't let the goats back in the barn. He literally nailed the bind goat to the ground this morning when she went too close to the fence between pens. Poor girl -- she didn't have a clue. She likes to follow noise. Those pups sound like catfish in the bottom of a boat.
We'll have to have a talk with Buddy and let him know the goats are still welcome in the barn, puppies or not.
 Last Monday, we drove up to Linden TN and visited Linda and her family for the day. Immediately upon arriving and saying our hello's, we went to collect things from the van that we had brought along. We like to bring food....we're a rather large group, descending on someone for a day, so we brought dinner :o) (yes, I look incredibly goofy here...I was starting to say something to Jennifer and bingo, dear daughter took the picture....she loves her momma...)
Anyway, the doors were locked. Abigail ran to the front door and opened it to hit the lock button. Just as I reached for the back doors, she climbed out of the driver seat, using the arm rest....need I go on?
We are 2 1/2 hours from my closest van key. Dewey and Chris are over 6 hours away with my other van key. There's one in my mom's safe, but that's in northern Illinois. Get the picture?
We did good, though. No one freaked. I didn't freak. We set to picking the locks. Well, let me rephrase -- my eldest daughter set to picking the locks. This is a van door. Not a house door. She's pretty adept with doors on houses, padlocks even, but vehicles....that's different. At least I hope it's different, otherwise dear Jennifer might be looking at a small little room in one of the State facilities.
We ended up prying the wing window on the side door just enough to slip a hanger in past the trim and catching the very slight divet in the door lock. For the most part, all the locks are smooth as can be. That one has a bit of a gouge in it. We got lucky. We snagged it and managed to pull the lock up. My keys...and my cell phone with the free roadside assistance...stayed in my hand the rest of the day, literally!
 I have talked to Linda for what now....a good 2 years, maybe 3, I guess. It was nice to have her move this direction from New York, and to finally get the chance to meet in real life. Of course, my children were acting like goofs :o) You'd think they never get to interact with real people.
Dewey was home a couple weekends ago. We didn't really get much done, just family time. It was nice. I bought another monster chuck roast to cook. Oh that roast turns out beyond delicious in that big cast iron pot. Spoon-tender and then some. Delicious. This one was 9 1/2 lbs. LOL...I actually panicked a bit at the butcher's wondering if it was going to fit in the pan decently. Well, it didn't. Not in my usual pan. I had to pull out the big pans for this one. This pot is 6 in deep and 14 in across. It sort of creates a dip in my oven rack when I use it, but so far no mishaps.
Sweet potato canning is finished! yeah me! All totaled and accounted for, we have 65 quarts from 120# of jumbo sweet potatoes (those are just regular quarts, Brenda...the picture does make it look larger, though, huh?). I was tired of seeing little yellow and orangish looking chunks in my kitchen, honestly. Not that I don't like seeing the many (many) quarts in the pantry, mind you, but I am burnt out on sweet potatoes for a while. I started off on the wrong foot...I was doing my best to peel the monster taters with a simple paring knife.
Silly girl. Sweet potatoes are thick skinned, tough to peel really. Yes, I could have bathed them a bit in some boiling water but I already had a stock pot of water for adding to the jars, the saucepan of water simmering with my lids/flats, and then the canner. The humidity level of my kitchen was way past anything comfortable. I thought I could tough it out. I waas wrong. I had blisters....blisters....on my hands from that route.
So I shifted gears and went at it like a big boy. I started scrapping peels off with the butcher knife. Now that made life easy, even if a bit dangerous and I do not suggest it to anyone else. That is my disclaimer...don't try this at home ;o) The blisters started healing nicely -- until I got the wild idea to plant those raspberries with the post hole digger.
I'm so homestead-minded. So pioneer-ish. So country...back country, that is. I bloom where I'm planted...more or less...and use what I have.
However....
...I really really need to get out more. I need some serious homesteady tools here. I need a post hole auger for the tractor....I need a tiller (preferably for the tractor, too Hey, it's here, it's lonely for use...I just want to keep it up and allow it some work hours...).
Seriously though, I need stuff here. You know, when there's no man on the homestead, things don't stay on some sort of holding pattern. They still need done, tending to. I am not a man. My poor arms and body just ain't made for real life, I guess. I'm one of those Type-A personalities....I don't do 'patience' very well, and I don't like things half-done, jimmied together, etc. Hey, I like The Red Green Show same as any other self-respecting redneck hillbilly, but I'm not a duct tape and WD-40 kind of worker. If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy. Well, right now, the only handsome ones here are to young to do the big stuff, and we are finding out that none of us are truly what you might call handy. I don't pace myself well, either.
What I really need is a chiropractor :o) Next door and handy throughout my day.
It's been a rather slow day. I have a new Poulan tiller sitting on my front porch waiting for the mud and puddled goo to vanish. Once it does, look out dirt world, I'm coming to the garden spaces! I have about 30 or 40x60 area behind the trailer here, then a strip along the side of that, then I'm heading for the clearing and going to attack that as well. I might even find some other places to tear up...er, till up.
But for now, we have ankle-deep puddles, still. Not much I can do about it. It's springtime Mississippi style.
Today the youngers and I finished our schooling with a sort of 'spelling' contest. No prizes, really (oh, wait, there were fresh baked peanut butter cookies involved...). We have a list of simple words on our big board here, each day we add another consonant or two, then build new words. This is for the youngest ones...even Emily, 2.5 gets involved copying David with this. It's more a review of words for KatiAnne, Jacob and Abigail. The words are there, plain as day, on that massive white board. I ask them how to spell one of them, say fig, and they have to tell me which letters are in the word, preferably in correct order.
They all did really well today. Even Emily, who simply mimicked everyone else and didn't have clue one what we were doing really :o)
I've put the last of my school order together today and will call it in later. Whew. I'd have to check on my overall total for books and such this year, but we have everything together with this final order now. The 2nd grade math is the last set of individual workbooks I need, so I ordered 3 sets of them to cover the 2nd graders coming up (Abigail, Jacob and KatiAnne). I will have to get another 2 sets later for Emily and David, though. Guess I can't say I'm finished with school purchases afterall, heh?
I have to put together my 'high school' years yet. Rod & Staff pretty much ends, and while we have a fairly good plan of what we are doing, it's not really set in stone yet. We have the more in-depth Home Ec things we have only touched lightly on daily here, accounting/bookkeeping skills, more work with various animals, etc. I know it won't all be 'fluffy' stuff, but it will be more of the ame stuff we already train and teach here....home life skills. I just really need to gather my plan, set up my resources and such, and get it listed up properly.
Know what I like about the Amish school traditions? They maintain their values, they uphold their beliefs in every aspect of teaching and training, and they don't worry about what is going on next door. They school as they do because
- 1) they want to keep their children close to home
- 2) they keep away from our modern school standard of segregation and constant change --classrooms for specific ages, grades, different classes for each subject, etc
- 3) parents run and oversee the schooling, as parents are Biblical responsible for what their children are led into; their teachers are selected from their own community, they have a relationship with the children and families from birth most often, there is a genuine sense of caring -- they are not handed over to Lord knows what influence for several hours a day
- 4) there is no worldly wisdom in their curriculum, children are not taught useless facts and information that does not blend directly into their lifestyle
- 5) they believe in and live out Godly training by example -- their entire community lives out their Faith by everyday example, there is no mixed messages to confuse children between school and home and church
- 6) they are cautious of too much interaction with worldly influences, which can lead to unhealthy relationships, unGodly attitudes, and being unequally yoked in marriage later.
They know what most of us know...we just don't live what we truly believe, and our churches certainly don't teach the stronger Biblical Truths. Too much interaction with the world's form of wisdom makes you restless, discontent. Religion should be inseparable from a day's work, a night's sleep, our family meals...not how the world teaches, which is that religion only has a certain day, a certain location and a certain time. All else is separate.
That is what I want here. I want my children to keep some level of innocence (it's getting harder and harder to even use that word in conjunction with youth these days!). I like that my 11 year old will sit in the middle of the floor and play race cars with his younger siblings at night. I like that my 13 and even 16 year olds will help their younger siblings draw and color pictures. They will even play dolls if asked. What are most 13 and 16 year olds doing these days?
Well now, my rather in-tune dear husband made a comment this weekend that sort of hit me with one of those all-too-common DUH! moments (am I the only one who notices a marked increase in those sort of revelation moments as you get older???) The girls had made some doughnuts...totally unhealthy, filled with white everything and topped with gooey sugar. It isn't an everyday kind of breakfast here at all, not even a once a month kind of breakfast. More of a once in a blue moon kind of treat. However, we had just given Jacob his morning 'juice' -- which is what prompted Dewey to comment. Wild Child's juice is a calming tincture blend....passion flower,, blue vervain, skullcap, american ginseng, alfalfa, catnip, oatstraw, peppermint and chamomile. Several drops to a cup of water. It's been working very well with him, though not at all long-lasting in terms of just needing say that one cup daily. He needs at least 3 over the course of the day.
But, the point of the comment by dear husband was that here we are getting him his juice, and there he is eating doughnuts. Sugared up and goodey-filled. What exactly was the point in doing it?
I will admit, I hadn't even put much thought into the juice and the doughnuts at all. And Jacob was rather Tigger-like that day, despite the drink. Still, it was one of those gotcha kind of moments. I felt rather stupid, actually. Either way, we are going back to the changes we had implemented a couple years back. Those changes that started off good, kept picking up steam full ahead, then just sort of stalled out some. We have reverted back to old ways, and that isn't good.
No, sugar in itself isn't good for you, but it isn't our biggest problem here. Just the same, the whites are leaving this homestead. No more white flour (and I don't mean we are going with unbleached...back to my home-ground wheat), no white sugars, limited white pasta, rice and potatoes (I am the mother of a set of starch-fiends here. I can ditch the sugar well enough, but try stealing all the white pasta, rice and potatoes in a cold turkey move and I'd have a mutiny here! Remember The Alamo....this would be just as bad a picture!) It's got to be done, I know this. What better time than now a we start the garden and the fresh veggies begin?
We have a Work Day at church this Saturday. General clean-up of the grounds, the cemetery, the church itself will get a good spring cleaning and scrub down. Then, of course, we have Easter. I am still pretty mixed on that. Easter, Resurrection Day...whatever tag it gets, I know why we as Christians celebrate, but the fact remains that it has such deep pagan roots it really doesn't belong in church. Then you have the fact that if He was crucified on Friday as today's church commonly teaches, and resurrected on Sunday, which we celebrate in modern churches, where does the Scripture in Matthew 12:40 come in? Unless I was taught to count the wrong way, Friday to Sunday isn't 3 days and nights. At best, it would be 3 days and 2 nights.
But, maybe I'm just splitting hairs. A part of me says it is important and it does matter, the details and all. Another part says, no it really doesn't. I am bought by the blood of a RISEN Savior. Death could not hold Him, Hell could not hold Him. LIFE is His and He has offered it to me through His gift of Salvation. What day of the modern week it is makes no difference either way. It's the mere fact that He is Risen that makes the difference.
We also have Homecoming at church soon. Another clean up day will come and we'll fine-tune things at church for the day of fellowship.
Having only a handful of ladies who attend church makes it rather difficult to call our gathering a Ladies Fellowship really, but still, 4 of us came last month to gather together and work on some blankets for the needy locally. Maybe we can spur some more interest and get some community ladies from Dry Creek involved. Right now, it's mainly crocheting we are working on, but it will eventually grow I'm sure to include whatever hand skills the ladies possess. I have a quilt frame that needs a project!
Speaking of which, that poor quilt frame better get its project soon. My grandmother has a special birthday coming up this fall and I need to get to work. I've moved the shelving out of the living room where the garden starts are and put them in the "wood room" next to the heater. We haven't had the heat turned on in well over a month now, so I figured I was safe in taking the space now. I need to get the cookstove moved if I'm going to use it at all this summer, too. Anyway, if i moved things around a bit, I think I could set the frame up and get to work. If I keep at it, it shouldn't take too terribly long. Right now my over-sized ironing board is set up (it's pretty much always set up -- we have a lot of sewing going on!), but I think I could make the quilt frame work in here.
ok...time to get back to work. Dinner needs prepped, laundry needs to come in from the line, and general stuff needs done. Here are some goodies I found -- I think I'll gather the materials for both the Names of Jesus garland and the Resurrection Eggs. We bought some at WalMart year before last, but I'd like to get the children doing them up at church. Maybe my teens could teach the youngers to put them together....hmmmm...
Names of Jesus Garland from The Homespun Heart
Resurrection Eggs from Want What You Have
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