It's easy to grow weary of prepping if you're constantly trying to out think the what-ifs in life or if you allow the things you hear and see cause you to believe that there's no point in preparing. What began as wisdom can easily turn to worry and then fear and lack of trust. However, if you make being prepared as a part of your lifestyle then hopefully you won't burn out trying to store away so many things that you think your going to go crazy or paranoid! Instead, develop a way of living, saving, storing, rotating, growing, and learning that fits into your every day routine. Live with what you prepare on a daily basis, incorporating it into your life now so that it isn't something that will expire or spoil. (Obviously there are exceptions to that last statement, but generally speaking, this is doable.)
That's what I hope to do.
Some of my goals are to learn about the native plants on my property that are edible, gain skills where I am able to be more resourceful, and build relationships with people around me so that we know each other before a crisis befalls us. I want to consistently grow our own food, hunt and fish for some of it, and know who I can trade with for what I can't produce.
How I Prepared This Week
This week, for the Preparedness Challenge, I got my hive up and running, received 25 meat chicks, and started preparing the garden for planting. I also worked on a large area next to my house (separate from the garden) where I intend to create a garden for medicinal plants and culinary herbs.
I also received some DVDs on Making Herbs Simple and checked out a book from the library on Better Basics for the Home in order to learn how to make my own products. (I make a few things already, but I'd like to learn even more!). I also started assessing some of the native plants on my property and researched their uses.
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| Photo Credit |
Right now, there's a ton of Nettle around the creek out back. Normally, I would have considered the Nettle a weed that needed to be eradicated as quickly as possible, but since it wasn't in an area that we walk through often I left it there, then showed my girls the plant and discussed it with them so they wouldn't accidentally get in it and start stinging. I need to learn if I can harvest and dry the leaves.
Please share what you did this week to be prepared for a crisis situation. Either leave a comment or write a blog post with the Preparedness Challenge picture, link back here, and then come back and add your post to the Linky below. I always get so many wonderful ideas from the things you all share! It's encouraging and holds us all accountable to get it done!
