From My Home to Yours
2/27/26
~ Where did February go ... ~
What a month of weather swings ...
a week of snow and frigid temperatures ...
a week of 60 - 80 degree temperatures ...
then more cold weather followed by more warm weather ...
nature is confused and I am too!
In the midst of all these weather swings, I officially kicked off our 2026 gardening season by starting the first set of seeds!
I made a mini greenhouse for each type of seeds by planting them in a clear plastic cup, putting a labeled marker in the cup and then setting the whole thing inside a zip lock bag. At one time I had 7 varieties of seeds in cups sitting in an aluminum pan on the hearth. The warmth from the wood stove kept them toasty warm and allowed for condensation on the inside of the bag keeping the soil moist but not too wet. As soon as the seeds started popping through the soil I removed them from the hearth and placed them on a window seal that gets lots of afternoon sunlight. When they get about 1-2 inches tall I'll transplant them into individual containers giving each seedling it's own cup. Currently, I have 4 varieties of tomatoes and 3 herbs with plans to start more seeds next week.
Side note: I like to use clear plastic cups to start my plants and seedlings in because I can tell when they're getting root bound and or when they have a well established root system in place.
I also chatted our potatoes hoping to get them planted in one of our raised beds within the next couple of weeks. (These potatoes were left from last fall's harvest, mine as well as another home grown source.)
I added something to my pantry this week!
Remember those Boston butts on a 3-day sale I mentioned last week ...
and remember those shrimp on a BOGO sale ...
Well, we bought some of each and they are now in our freezer! We bought the Boston Butts for an upcoming church event at one location of the chain store that was having the sale. There happens to be a second location of the same chain store in our town, so we went there as we needed more than the limit. They were out, so we got a rain check. We'll go back and get more, this time to finish out the amount we need for for church event and a couple for me to can as pulled pork. It's just so very convenient to pull a jar of pulled pork off the pantry shelf, add bbq sauce, buns and a couple of sides and you have a meal!
We did the same thing with the shrimp as one store had them and the other location did not.
I'm trying a new format for my sewing blog, Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine. You can check it out HERE!
I finished reading Dark Chaos, by Ginny Dye, book 4 in the Bregdan Chronicles and listened to Our Darkest Night by Jennifer Robson on Libby. Again this week, I had more listening time than reading time. I also started reading book 5 in the Bregdan Chronicles, The Last Long Night by Ginny Dye. Ladies, the third lesson in our Bible study on Naomi has been posted. You can find it HERE!
Before we finish off this post with visiting our imaginary family in our preparedness case study series, I just have to show you a picture I took of a sunrise at our house one morning this week. The picture doesn't do it justice, but maybe you can get some idea of it's beauty ...
It didn't last long, but it was breath taking while it was there!
Okay on to our preparedness case study ...
Here's the one from last week and the advice you gave ...
Preparedness Case Study #2 ...
(we're staying in the winter season for this one as well)
a family of 2 senior citizens (husband and wife) in their mid 70's ...
the temperature outside is 23 degrees and dropping, there is also a breezy wind blowing and it's starting to rain ...
they are out in their automobile and run over an object in the road giving them two flat tires ...
they have a quarter tank of gasoline ...
their cell phone service is sketchy with hit and miss reception
no water or food in the automobile ...
they are about 2 miles from nearest civilization ...
no blankets in the automobile, but each does have a warm coat ...
Here's what you advised this imaginary couple to do during the crisis and afterwards to be better prepared ...
Keep trying to get
cell service. Set auto-flashers on. Keep coats on and use auto heat sparingly. Get in the backseat and use both coats like a
blanket and wait for help. Stay with the
vehicle. One person get out of the car
to try for better cell phone reception. Try calling 911. As a last resort, drive very slowly on the
flat tires (yes, this will damage the rims, that’s why it’s a last resort) to
the nearest place of help.
For future
reference, you said:
Keep a winter plastic
tube in the vehicle with water, snacks, hand/foot warmers, change of clothing,
source of light, extra socks, a space blanket for each person, regular
blankets, flairs, fix a flat for at least 2 tires, walking footwear, jumper
cables, air compressor and charger for cell phones.
Check to see if phone
has satellite capabilities if there is no cellular service available. If health allows, make walking a part of your
daily fitness regimen. Keep fuel level
at least half full. Have a check-in
routine with someone such as telling a family member or friend where they are
going, when they expect to get there and perhaps promise to give them a quick
ring to let them know they have arrived safely. If they don't ring, someone
will then know there is a problem.
I hope you've found something in this imaginary scenario that will help you in your real life preparedness preparations, that's the goal of this series.
Here's our Preparedness Case Study for week #3 ...
(it's 92 degrees outside and the weather is clear)
This time we have a woman in her mid 50's in relatively good health and shape ...
She spent the morning helping a friend that lives about 20 miles from her home ...
On her way back home, about 10 miles from her house, she hears something hit her vehicle and pulls over to check it out ...
She leaves her vehicle running with the door open and quickly does a once over check of the outside of her vehicle ...
Everything seems to be in order and she goes to get back in her vehicle ...
The door has swung shut and much to her dismay she discovers that the door is locked ...
All the doors are locked ...
Her purse, cell phone and emergency bag are in the vehicle ...
She is on an interstate highway and the nearest exit is 3 miles away ...
What would you advise this woman to do? Keep in mind that she is alone and safety is a factor. How would you advise her to be better prepared for a similar event in the future? What can we learn from this scenario to help us be better prepared?
That's it for this week, I hope you've found something in my ramblings that will help and or encourage you in the upcoming week.
Until the next time ...
~ quietly holding the home front ~
She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27
From This Heart of Mine
Mrs. Patsi on Instagram
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