Travelin' Turkeys!

      Well the air conditioning is out here at Little Bit Farm! I kind of view it as a test. I have always been fascinated with history. One thing that truly fascinates me is just how women years ago coped with the heat. It is hard for us to imagine what a pioneer woman or for that matter, any woman of moderate means went through before the advent of modern technology! I mean these women had to do the washing, ironing(next to a stove or fire), and cooking on fire, all in whatever weather they had to face. Just how did they get along?
     In the last few days, I have done most of my truly laborious things in the morning or evening. However, I am finding that the heat is rather exhausting itself. Fortunately for me, it has been a lot cooler during our outage than it would have been a month ago.
     I have some theories about living with the heat. I think the human body learns to adapt to whatever weather it must endure. The last couple days have seemed hot to me simply because I had air conditioning before now. It is taking some time for my body to adjust. I was working this morning, and felt tremendously hot. However, I sat down here to write with an ice cold peach ice tea, and right now I am feeling pretty cool! The temperature is the same, if not warmer, which just goes to show the benefits of ICE!
    The pioneer woman's ice was hard won, if she had any at all! It had to be cut during the winter from a pond or lake, hauled to a storage barn, packed in tight with sawdust insulation or straw, and then stored all summer. Needless to say, many people did without! You can see something of the process of ice cutting here:
Amish Ice Cutting  As for me I am very grateful for my ice maker:^) However, I could live without it!
    It is my opinion, that one should never become totally dependent on anything, except God! The presence of technology is only so reliable as the people who control it! The simple truth is, that people, though many are good-hearted, are fallible! Technology today is like building a house of cards. Parts of it are dependent on other parts. When a critical part fails, the effect on the surrounding parts can be catastrophic.
    In our society, we feel so insulated from real life. We buy our food at clean shiny grocery stores. We have faith that the trucks will always run to fill those stores. We have faith that the power will always be there to power those stores. We have faith that the farmers will always be able to raise the crops to send to our grocery stores. We have faith that the food in the grocery store will always be safe to eat. People often place more faith in their ready ability to get food, than they place in God, who created all those people that make the magical place called a grocery store happen.
    The truth is, however, that grocery stores, like so many things built upon technology, are vulnerable to all kinds of things. People don't like to think of such things. It frightens them. However, we saw with Hurricane Katrina that there are things that can happen beyond our control. Sometimes circumstances change the environment around our house of cards, a door opens, and a strong wind blows through.
   I believe that there are some things coming in the future that have the potential to be that strong wind blowing on our house of cards. I homestead, partly because I want to insulate my family from that wind! I particularly think our economy is fixing to take a shift down. So the A/C going out is a test of how I'll live without it, if I have to. The following is a list of things one can do to help prepare for times when unforeseen circumstances change radically my standard of living;

1) Store some food, and essentials. I recommend at least 3 months of food and other items. Storage is not something you can live off of indefinitely, but if there is some sort of emergency in the dead of winter, such as power grid failure due to terrorists or something, you'll need 3 months before planting a garden. Cook from your food storage, don't just store, eat! Find some recipes your family likes. Don't assume that they will just eat unfamiliar food if they are hungry enough! Here are some basic storage lists: Storage List 1 
Storage List 2 (not just food)
2) Store Open Pollinated Seeds - these are not hybrids, and will reproduce true in case you must save seed to replant.
3) Build Emergency Kits for House And Cars - in case you have to leave the house quickly in a tornado or other disaster. Here is some help: Build a 72 hour Kit 1  Build a 72 Hour Kit 2
4) If you have a small space raise rabbits, and bantam chickens - Have a look at this google images site for some cool ideas for coops: Bantam coops  Bantams will produce good eggs, on very little food. They are quiet if you only have hens. House them well, and your neighbors will not complain. Bunnies are even quieter, and produce lots of meat on little food.
5) Store items for barter
6) Move to the country - This may seem radical, but it is a good idea.
7) Get a woodstove - NOT a pellet stove, a plain jane  basic two burner wood stove, will keep you warm when all else fails.
8) Go to church - We need God in an emergency, and in no emergency! Going to church helps us build our relationship with him, and it also helps us build relationships in our community with others who care about what we are going through. If you have never asked Jesus to be Lord of your life click the link below. Jesus loves you, and he died to pay the price of sin, so that you would not have to pay that price: Meet My Savior
    I love my church! I feel the Lord there, though because he is always with me every step of the way, church is not the only place. However, I know that were there ever to be a crisis, I would stand beside my brothers and sisters at Union Valley Baptist Church, and we would work together to help one another, help others in our community, and reach people with the message of Jesus Christ. That is an irreplaceable comfort! If you do nothing else in this list come to church! Union Valley Baptist Church
9) Pray and Read God's word! Petition God for your safety! Ask him to help you through it. He is there, and he will listen!
10) Get a radio and a flashlight that runs without electricity or batteries. I highly recommend one that runs on both solar and with a crank! This is a great thing to have in your cellar!

   The above is a basic list, with numbers 8&9 being the most important! Everyone have a wonderful day!!!

My Beautiful Granddaughter At Her Church. She asked Jesus into her heart this year! If she can do it, so can you!