Penny

I never set out to become a prepper or a blogger, but here I am.  And let me say right up front. I am NOT a doomsday prepper like the ones you might see on the Discovery Channel. I consider myself prudent and dedicated to providing my family’s well-being.

After hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, I was horrified how these people were displaced and our own government was impotent to help immediately or for an extended period. If I had to pinpoint a tipping point for my seriousness to protect me and my family from these kinds of things, it was then. So I began to keep water and supplies in my vehicle. Then I began purchasing extra canned and non-perishable foods. I kept the freezer stocked with meat and felt pretty good about my preparations. Then something else took it to another level.
This winter, two events happened that set me out to be better prepared for the next time something happened. A winter storm blew in off the Pacific and broken tree limbs fell causing us to lose power for nearly a week. We have a generator and we decided to top off our gas reserves only to find us 20th in line at the neighborhood 7-11 — a scene that reminded me of Jimmy Carter‘s energy crisis in the 1970s.  The food in the refrigerator and freezer began to thaw and we found it to be risky to even try to drive to the grocery store.
My husband often crosses the Cascade Mountains in his work and I wondered what kind of supplies he would need if the pass was closed and he was stuck. So, I prepared two bug-out-bags, BOBs.

Being a national and international news junkie, I realized some time ago just how fragile our precious America really is. North Korea and Iran‘s nuclear ambitions, the financial downfall throughout Europe, a POTUS and administration hell-bent on transforming our beloved country into a mini-Greece, an unemployment rate that reached nearly 10 percent, a housing market that collapsed and my taxes going to bail out corporations who should have been left to die on the vine. I could go on and on, but you probably figured out how I see the challenges we face. I concluded that America has indeed gone through a fundamental change. And the transformation of our great nation isn’t over. So I pray to God that Barack Obama is sent a message in November that Americans are not going to continue to allow this to happen and he is sent back to Chicago (where I am from) to deal with the legacy he left by promoting a progressive agenda that will put him in the history records as being a more terrible president than Jimmy Carter was.  I am not a republican, I certainly am not a democrat. I AM an angry American.

One thing led to another and I started searching the internet and began making more plans to grow and preserve my family’s food supply.  I’ve learned how to can jams, vegetables, and meats. I dehydrate foods and make jerky. I buy bulk food and store it for inevitable disruptions in our country’s food supply chain. I am learning to make many of the products I previously purchased like coffee creamer, salad dressing mixes, spice packs like taco seasonings. I make my laundry soap and fabric softener for only pennies. I know how to store eggs so they will last more than 6 months!  I have erected an inexpensive but adequate greenhouse and purchased hardy heirloom seeds. I have started a compost bin and purchased and will be making vertical gardens to allow for the greatest yields from the limited suburban lot where I live.

I have guns. More than a few. I have a concealed permit and so does my husband. We take this responsibility very seriously and have taken safety classes for them. I am scheduled to begin taking first aid classes and will learn as much as I can about herbal medicine and cures. I am growing a medicinal herb garden for the first time this season. I’ve always been a crafter. I knit, crochet, make soaps and toiletries. I can quilt, but need to learn more. All of these things will prepare me to help take care of the family whom I cherish so much.

So you may wonder, what is prepperpenny prepping for? I feel the need to prep for many reasons. Economic collapse, disruption in the food supply, another more successful terrorist attack?  I’m not preparing for the end of the world. That is nonsensical on its’ face.  I am preparing to survive the hardships that are inevitable. When the dollar tanks and food is scarce, I want to put healthy meals in my families tummy. I will work hard, like my grandparents did to make sure I succeed.

Between my husband and I, we have four grown children and four grandchildren. We have custody and are raising our four-year-old grandson, CJ.  I had a successful career, but now devote all my time to taking care of my family. My husband is less than a year away from being 65, and we look forward to retirement. He is from Texas and our goal is to buy at least 5 acres there to start our homestead. But with our governments inadequate handling of the economy, those plans will only be realized when the economy and housing markets begin to recover.

I only began blogging two weeks ago from the time I posted this About Me article. I have no education in journalism, political sciences, nor any type of computer technology training. I really am a wife, mother and grandmother. I love God, America, my family and my friends. I wish to share all the things I learn in my journey to rediscover the life-sustaining skills our grandparents knew instinctively. We lost the ability over the past few generations to care for ourselves, to rely on ourselves, and to NOT depend on our government and large corporations to offer us what we need. We can and should be doing these things ourselves. Governments all fail. Look at history. Do I think that America has seen her best and it’s all

Official Portrait of President Ronald Reagan (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

downhill from here? I don’t know. Under the kinds of leadership we have been saddled with over the past 30+ years since Ronald Reagan, my hope is not high.  But I continue to pray for another advocate and visionary like Reagan to lead this great nation. I look at people like Mike Pence of Indiana and Marco Rubio of Florida. Paul Ryan has potential, too. This, of course is my own humble option.  But after all, this is my blog and it is about my views.

Related articles

• Jimmy Carter: Good Faith Inept President; Barack Obama Bad Faith Inept President (ferrellgummit.wordpress.com)
• Read This First Before You Decide That Preppers Are Crazy (theeconomiccollapseblog.com)