From My Home to Yours
3/13/26
~ yard and garden work and the elephant in the room ... ~
We did the first 'mow the yard' of 2026 last Saturday. That first mow of the year also includes de-wintering the yard ... you know ... picking up all the debris that collects on the yard during the winter months. We did that as well as removed an apple tree that had died along with removing a couple of small trees that were growing in places we didn't want them growing, like in the middle of our grape vines, etc!!
We purchased a 6 pack tray of cabbage plants (there were actually 7 plants in the tray) and I planted them in one of our raised beds. After planting them and watering them in, I covered each plant with these wire baskets. We battle rabbits and squirrels every year and we're gradually learning out to outsmart them ... this is how we protect our cabbage until they get big enough to not need the protection. Sidenote: We made the decision to buy these first plants and then start seeds of our own for a second planting. We did that this week too!
Along all four edges of the raised bed, I planted red onion plants and in and around all the baskets I scattered radish seeds. We call this intense planting. All 3 of these, cabbage, onions and radishes grow well together ... that's important!
We have a much smaller garden this year, but we are hoping to grow close to the amount we normally do with intense planting and succession planting! All of our gardening this year is in raised beds and containers ... where there is a will, there is a way!
Another intensively planted raised bed! On the outside edge are yellow onions. In the center are two rows of potatoes. The inner side where the arch is is not planted at the moment, but at the end of the month we will plant some type of pole bean that will utilize the arch. All three of these grow well together ... again that's important!
I also planted little marvel green peas in five 25 gallon size containers. I also caged them. The peas are a bush variety, but the cages will keep them off the soil and air flowing through them.
In two other containers, I planted a new variety of carrots that's supposed to tolerate heat better. I hope so and I hope they are tasty as well!
Look at this ... the first nettles harvest of the year! I air-dried these and added them to my pantry.
Look what I found wintering over in the garden! We enjoyed both separately in two different meals this week. They were both delicious!
... and now, let's talk about the elephant in the room!
The gas prices in our area have increased $.75 per gallon in a little over a week. The trickle down effect of this is going to be felt in lots of different ways and places. (This is not meant to be political and any comments making it so, will not be approved. I am not into politics, but I am into preparing as best I can for whatever comes our way.)
As a result ...
We are brainstorming and planning ...
We are tightening our financial belts ...
We are going back to basics ...
We are looking to the future and making appropriate decisions ...
We are sharpening our 'sales' shopping efforts ...
We are focusing on keeping our pantry well-stocked ...
and finally, we are willing to do the work that all of these things require.
Have fuel cost risen in your area? How are you dealing with the trickle down affect?
I continued reading book 5 in the Bregdan Chronicles, The Last Long Night by Ginny Dye. I also listened to The Gown by Jennifer Robison during my daily exercise routine. I'm enjoying listening to this book so much, I want to exercise longer so I can listen longer!!! That doesn't happen very often!! I have a love/hate relationship with exercising. I hate exercising, but love the benefits and the way my body feels as a result.
I completed the 7th block in my patriotic quilt this week. You can read about it HERE along with seeing what else I got up to in my little sewing nook! Ladies, the fifth lesson in our Bible study on Naomi has been posted. You can find it HERE! And now let's turn to our preparedness case study for last week ...
Preparedness Case Study for week #4 ...
In this scenario ...
the family consists of a husband and wife in their mid 40's with 2 children, 8 and 10 years old ...
both of the children have ongoing respiratory issues that are affected by their environment ...
the temp outside is fluctuating between 95 - 100 degrees daily ...
the HVAC unit has gone out ...
after calling the repair person, they were told that parts would have to be ordered ...
They were given a time frame of 5 days before parts would arrive and then another 2 days before the repairs could be made ...
With the unexpected HVAC repairs, this family doesn't have the funds to go stay in a hotel ...
In fact, staying with anyone has to be looked at closely due to their children's respiratory issues ...
money is an issue ...
What would you advise this family to do? How can they make it easier to tolerate the heat, keep their family fed and their children's respiratory issues controlled? What can we learn from this scenario to help us be better prepared?
Here's what you advised ...
Find places that
have air conditioning like the library, shopping mall, church, etc.
Stay in the
coolest part of the home using fans to circulate air.
Drink lots of cold
liquids.
Make sure the
children’s stock of inhalers are in good supply.
Take cool showers.
Put a sheet on the
couch or chairs to make them “feel” cooler to the skin.
Ask around to see
if anyone could loan them a window unit until the repair is completed, don’t
forget to ask the HVAC company as well.
They may have a loaner program.
Focus on keeping
one room cool for the children.
Put a tray of ice
in front of a fan and to blow cold at the kids, keep in mind though that it is
wet air.
Run the AC in an
automobile for a place to cool down.
Let children go
outside in the shade and play with toys, read books or play games. They might need
to wear masks to help with any possible pollen.
Try to keep children calm.
For future
preparedness:
Save for a small
window unit or portable a/c to go in one room.
Try to get children
slowly better acclimated to difficult temperatures.
~ ~ ~
We've looked at 4 preparedness case studies and I tried to include several different elements that could be applied to all of us.
We looked at families/individuals who ...
had a budget amount they could spend on emergency preparedness ...
had a newborn ...
had children with health issues ...
were senior citizens ...
had no budget to work with ...
were healthy and able ...
were middle aged ...
who were new parents ...
who sometimes acted on impulse and without thinking ...
In each of the scenario's we looked at we saw that health, age, mobility and finances played a huge factor in their abilities to weather an unexpected emergency. What I want all of us to take away from these preparedness case studies is that we need to look at our individual circumstances and prepare accordingly. I hope you'll do that and I hope that what we've done as a team/group will give all of us ideas on how to be better prepared for the next time we find ourselves in an unexpected and unplanned situation. I hope you've enjoyed these preparedness case studies and that they have made you think and maybe even prepare a little bit better!
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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