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Circling
the Wagons …. in
uncertain times and emergency situations
(Level 3, Week 1, part 2)
by mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry
Wagon clipart link …
https://clipart-library.com/clipart/713877.htm
(Reminder: in our imaginary scenario what you have is what you're working with and whatever your weather is, is the weather in the scenario.
One more thing, for those just popping in, this is an imaginary scenario that's part of a class we are doing and not real life.)
Today’s entry is meant to light a fire in you, so be
warned!
It’s day 74 or 75 in our scenario depending on what part of the world you live in, that’s 2 months and approximately
2 weeks, we’ll just call it 2 ½ months and already I’m sensing an attitude of I’m
done with, we would be in trouble, write me off. While in a make-believe scenario that would
be no problem. You could just detach
yourself from the scenario and go on with life.
But what if there were ever a time in your life when the
scenario was real life. You know, 2 ½ months
is not long at all and I can think of all kinds of natural disasters that could
put us in the position we’ve had in our scenario. Are you going to give up and check out in
real life … I’m not, I might get discouraged and tired, but the survival
instinct would kick in and I would be doing everything I could to make sure my
family and I survived.
After 2 ½ months in a grid down situation …
How would I cook and provide food for my family?
How would my family and I stay cool or warm, depending on the season?
How would I keep the laundry done and everyone in clean
clothes?
How would I discern the weather and prepare accordingly?
When I can’t buy bread, can I make it?
When I can’t go to the grocery store and buy groceries, can I
grow them or barter with someone who does?
Do I know how to preserve a garden without a freezer?
Do I know enough about first aid and or alternative health methods to help my
family through a grid down situation?
These are the type of things I want to know how to do! These are the type of skills I am making effort to learn and or improve upon now.
No, it wouldn’t be an easy life, but could I do it, or would I
just give up and leave those I love to fend for themselves?
I hope I’m never faced with a real-life situation where
the grid is down for an extended period of time, but if I do, you can bet that
I’m going to be as prepared as possible.
I am making every effort for my home library to be filled with books that would help
me figure out what I don’t know.
I am making every effort for my pantries to be filled with basics because I can take
those basics and do a lot with them if I have the skills and the know-how.
It’s easy to give up and check out in an imaginary scenario,
but not so much in real life. As the
women of our homes, everyone in the family would be looking to us to hold the
family together mentally, spiritually and physically. Let that sink in as we go back to our
imaginary scenario …
You’ve had a reflective kind of day allowing yourself to
remember how things were before compared to how they are now ... sigh! As soon as it gets dark everyone goes to bed
as has become the norm … off to bed at dark and up at dawn in the morning is
the routine the family has settled into.
You fall asleep thanking God for another day as you think
about the things that you need to get done tomorrow. In what seems like minutes to your tired
weary body you awaken with another day’s agenda to get through.
But wait a minute, something’s not right … instead of morning
light streaming into your bedroom window, the whole room is bright with
light! You wonder what’s going on now,
are you dreaming? You’ve certainly
dreamed that dream enough times over the last 75 days. Then you notice something else … noise … the sound
of appliances running. You jump out of
bed and run all over the house checking everything. Yes, everything is running, you have power
again. You are so excited! You promptly wake everyone up as you want to
take advantage of another ‘hour of power’ if that’s what this is … maybe this
time the power will stay on longer than an hour.
You start barking out orders and urging everyone to hurry,
hurry, hurry before the power goes back off.
Then you notice that your clock is ticking and that it says 2 a.m., your
mind registers that that must have been close to the time the power went out 75
days ago or is it the current time?
You're confused and quite perplexed and decide that you must still be dreaming. In your confused state of mind, you send everyone back to bed and go back to bed as well … you come to the conclusion that indeed, you must be dreaming. You fall back asleep and when
you wake up again, you notice the same things, every light in the house is on
and all the appliances are running.
Are you dreaming? Have
the past 75 days been just a dream or are you dreaming now? You, dear reader, get to decide!
Let’s close out this Circling the Wagons series with the following
…
What would your off-the-grid self tell your on-the-grid self
to do to prepare for off grid living should it ever be necessary?
I know this was a crazy way to end this series, but I hope it
grabbed your attention and that it makes you think hard about living prepared!
I have thoroughly enjoyed writing and teaching this
series. It has helped me shore up my
living prepared preparations and mindset as I hope it has done for you.
May you take what you've learned in this series and live more prepared!
May God be glorified in all that we do!
She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27
You might be interested in my other blogs ...
Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine ...
From This Heart of Mine (ladies, we've started a new study on Rahab, you're invited to join in!)
Well, first of all a really big thank you for running this series, which has had me exercising my brain A LOT all the way through.
ReplyDeleteMy take-aways are (1) make sure that my supplies of food, fuel etc are kept topped up at all times (2) keep my books on herbalism together and make a point of studying the uses of things growing close at hand in my garden, plus continue to study which wild plants growing in my area are edible (3) keep an eye open for things that could be of use in a grid-down situation such as good solar lights, plus a dehydrator so that I can store gluts of home grown/cheaply bought foods in the small space that I have available (4) see if I can find out my home first aid book (it is here, somewhere!) and finally (4) get out and get planting as soon as veggie growing weather arrives!
Tracy, thank you! Your take a-ways are the type of things I had in mind when putting this class together. No fear, just plain simple living prepared where we're at, working with what we can do.
DeleteThank you for pushing us to think and motivate us to prepare for future emergencies. After going through just seven days without power and water after Hurricane Helene we had done many things to be better prepared for another such event. It would be very hard but at this point I believe we could make it through a longer event. I am thankful that we live in a neighborhood where I know people would come together to help each other and we would be relatively safe.
ReplyDeleteWe have a winter storm coming in on Friday and we are much more prepared for a power outage and have a plan in place to get ready. I doubt we would even be thinking about many of these things without having been through those seven days.
Lana, I'm so glad you not only feel better prepared but that you are. Thanks for sharing from your experience, in so doing you helped others see the wisdom of living prepared.
DeleteI was surprised that we are well prepared for most of whatever would/could come. Hubs meds would be the biggest factor but we could go to half dosages to make everything last a little longer. Feel good about our situation! Thanks for the exercise!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, you're welcome! I'm glad you're prepared!
DeleteI didn't really participate but I did follow along. Thank you for doing this series, it really made me think. Not sure how we would fair, I think medications would be a big problem for us. I'm going to review my pantry and what all I could be doing better. Thanks again for doing this!
ReplyDeleteColeen
This is a long answer Patsy! Lots to think about. I've included a couple of things we're dealing with right now, that fit within the scenario too.
ReplyDeleteHOW WOULD I COOK AND PROVIDE FOOD FOR MY FAMILY?
ANSWER: We still have gas, and plenty of gas canisters and the lpg bottles are still almost full. Cooking isn't really a problem so far, we are using the barbecue and the fire pit. Wayne made a sun oven for me - this has been on my wish list for years, finally it came true. I'm experimenting with it, it's a learning curve. I am using the Dreampot and the haybox cooker a lot, I don't need to watch these constantly, and low and slow is perfect for beans, rice and pasta. I found my very old Tupperware rice cooker, not the real name, it's square, yellow and has a white colander insert in it, in my shed and dragged it out. I put the rice in the colander, cover it with boiling water, put the lid on and let it sit for a couple of hours and we have hot cooked rice without using a lot of power and again, I don't need to watch it. I'm so glad I kept it. We can have rice salad on hot days and it will cook eggs if you leave them in the boiling water long enough! We are very grateful for the supply of firewood we have, but we are being careful with how much we are using, winter will be here in a flash and we may not be able to get more easily. Using the canned, tinned and dehydrated foods in the pantry, and what fresh veggies we have left in the garden. A lot of my time is spent preparing meals and snacks. Everyone is hungry, everyone is using a lot more energy and doing a lot more physical work.
HOW WOULD MY FAMILY AND I STAY COOL OR WARM, DEPENDING ON THE SEASON?
ANSWER: It's mid-summer here and hot, we had two days of 42C last week, about 107F. To keep the house cool windows and curtains/blinds/drapes are closed just before dawn. Doors to rooms on the north and west side of the house are kept shut to keep that heat out of the house. We all have chilly ties to wear - there is a big bowl of water on the sink to soak them in as they start to dry. We eat cold foods - salads, fruit, yoghurt, stewed fruit. Wayne will eat cold baked beans and think he's in heaven! When the sun goes down and outside cools off, all the windows and doors are open. Wayne has fashioned locks for the windows so they will only open so far and he's reinforced the fly screens to they don't come off easily. We have mesh security doors with proper deadlocks on them to they are hard to break into. Keeping the windows open overnight was scary at first, the thought that someone would try to break in was terrifying, but I figure if they're going to try, we'll make it as hard as possible and deal with it. When people are desperate they're not going to wait for an open window or door.
HOW WOULD I KEEP THE LAUNDRY DONE AND EVERYONE IN CLEAN CLOTHES?
ReplyDeleteANSWER: First, work clothes can be worn every day unless they are absolutely filthy and stand up by themselves. They get changed and washed once or twice a week.
Good clothes get worn then sponged and put back into the wardrobe to be worn again. If they're only worn for a little while and there was no strenuous activity, nothing dribbled down shirt fronts etc. they don't need to be washed. Not that we would have many opportunities to wear good clothes, but still going to the community meetings or to visit the neighbours, getting cleaned up and dressed nicely is a boost to self-esteem and just because we're living in this weird world doesn't mean we should let standards slip.
Underwear and socks can be washed in a bucket, I use a spurtle (an old fashioned Scottish laundry tool that is kind of like a giant flat wooden spoon) to agitate and swish them.
Using the bath and stomping on the clothes works just fine. As does a bucket with a lid and letting them soak. Soaking is the secret to hand washing I think - a good hour at least, better overnight - loosens so much grime that there's not a lot of agitation or scrubbing needed.
To wring them out takes two people. One on each end and twist to get the water out. The secret to this is to immediately straighten the clothing out so it doesn't dry with wrinkles, then it won't need ironing (and I don't have an old kero iron, but I'm looking for one). For jeans and really heavy coats and jumpers, put them in a towel first, then twist; it's easier on your hands.
Bucket the wash water out onto the grass or use it to flush the toilet. Rinse water can be put on the garden.
For ease, mine mostly, I'd be doing a load every day to keep it manageable.
Big things like the dog's bedding can be put on the line and beaten then hosed and left to dry.
Drying on the line, or on the clotheshorses depending on the weather.
HOW WOULUD I DISCERN THE WEATHER AND PREPARE ACCORDINGLY?
ReplyDeleteANSWER:
We have a weather station that is really good! And it runs on battery power so no electricity is fine (and we have a good stockpile of batteries).
But we both always watch the clouds and listen to the birds, watch what the ants in the yard do. Even the spiders can tell us if the weather is going to change.
Then there are the plants - some flowers will close their petals when there is going to be a lot of rain, some let their leaves dry and put all their water into their roots to stay alive.
The wind is a good signal too. North winds here mean very hot weather. Southerlies are cool to cold. A south-wester is usually for us a stormy, cold change. If we get a south-easter then we know we are in for a horrible, horrible storm and batten down the hatches.
Keeping the garden mulched helps with watering. It is mid-summer here and we've had a couple of very hot days. Water is precious, so using it wisely is important.
We have an old toddler pool that I move under our verandah and put as many pots as possible into and fill it with water because pots need so much water in hot weather. This means they get water, but it doesn't evaporate quickly being under cover.
Getting everyone into the habit of putting any tools or outdoor furniture away as soon as they are finished is something we try to do, but in this situation it is one less thing to worry about if there is a sudden change in the weather - nothing is left to blow around and cause damage.
Towards the end of summer we will start getting ready for winter. Move the firewood to the wood box close to the house. Get the frost covers out for the garden. Put summer garden beds to rest for the winter, although we may just add compost, let it sit for a couple of weeks, and replant winter crops. Need to think on this. We will check the flue for the fire is clean and pest free (one year we had a mouse build a nest about half-way down the flue - good thing Wayne always checks). Wayne and the boys will make sure the gutters are clean and the downpipes are free draining. The exterior blinds on the west side of the house will be cleaned, rolled up and put in the shed. Outdoor furniture will be washed down and put away for the winter. Normally we'd put the barbecue away but I think we'll need to use it so it will be brought under the verandah. I'll bring out the warmies and the door dogs. We'll check the breeze guard around windows and doors. Gumboots will be checked for splits. Beanies, scarves and gloves will go into the basket by the backdoor. Wayne will put the anti-freeze additive into the ute - it doesn't often get that cold here that diesel freezes but it's a simple precaution he's always done because of our high country travels, and we're glad he always has a couple on hand.
DO I KNOW HOW TO PRESERVE WITHOUT A FREEZER?
ReplyDeleteANSWER: I hope so, although I can always learn more. Dehydrating using the sun is something I've tried the last few years. I have old window screens, from an old dairy of all things, that I use as racks. I know how to bottle and pressure can and pickle, and I am getting better with fermenting although ferments are not my favourite, but they work. I smoke meats and I've been learning from an Italian friend how to make sausage. And I've been playing with a "root cellar" of sorts. We generally don't have basements in our homes here, or root cellars, but it's something I've always wanted to have. Learning about keeping root veggies in sand - it works - and even wintering them in the garden has been fun and it's building skills.
DO I KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT FIRST AID AND OR ALTERNATIVE HEALTH METHODS TO HELP MY FAMILY THROUGH A GRID DOWN SITUATION?
ANSWER: Health is the big worry for me. My mother was an RN and while she didn't work, she kept up. Now she's gone and so are her knowledge and skills. I have an interest in not necessarily more "natural" medicines and healing, but in general. There are some things I go herbal or natural, and some things simply require a drug. And then there is coping with accidents - would I be able to stitch a wound closed? Am I confident enough that in my knowledge to know it would be properly cleaned before closing? What about broken bones? Are my first aid skills enough to set bones so they will at least set somewhat they way they should? Do we have splints/bandages and whatever else would be needed? I don't even want to think about appendicitis or anything that would require surgery. So I have brought out all my books, and I am going through them and checking our home pharmacy and adding to it as I find gaps. I'm also making notes of the tinctures and creams to use and making sure there are the ingredients and the recipes, along with appropriate containers.
Thanks for all your hard work.
ReplyDeleteWe are better prepared with radio,torch that is handle driven for power, Will also charge phones, more solar light.
More natural remedy books to add & more dehydrating & learning to do. .
Thank you for the series. Some of the things I've done are as follows:
ReplyDeletePurchased led candles. Will work for awhile and we do store batteries. Safer around children than real candles. I DO have some candles in the freezer.
Purchased plug in emergency lights. They stay charged and are ready when the lights go off.
Purchased some instant cold packs for our first aid kits. Definitely a missing item.
Attached a credit card tool, that was in a drawer doing nothing, to my phone case.
Found some small lights that clip with a caribiner that I can attach to the security door. Solved an ongoing problem of not being able to see when unlocking the back door at this dark time of year. These are white and I can see them in the dark, push the button to turn them on and off.
Found a markdown led beanie. Really helps with those nighttime dog walks.
Realized my herbal remedy binder is a real confusing mess. Good luck figuring out a cure in an emergency situation. SO my new years resolution is to get that better organized. Found markdown binder dividers and binders in school supply clearance.
I think we'd be okay short term, but long term is a dreaded thought.
I'd like to add that awhile back I was made aware of light bulbs you can buy that have battery back up in them. They charge when in use. We have a few of them which would help short term. Hope this helps someone.
Blessings to all.