Sorry

 Sorry.  I know I have been out of touch again.  Thing is - I am really tired of rants.

I understand that getting all steamed up about whatever the latest political insanity is makes for good reading, but I am just tired.  I have arrived at the place where I know that no matter what I say, nothing is apt to change.  Those in power love their power, even if it is to the detriment of those they should care about - but don't.

I am old.  I have a number of projects I wish to finish before joining my oldest son in Heaven.  And that is where my time these days is being spent.

Anyone who wishes to stay in touch is free to email me at vickimiller63@gmail.com.  I have kept in touch with a couple of my readers / friends this way.  The main reason I started writing again was that I missed all of you.  But now I find myself using the time spent writing blog posts for family things I need to finish.

I hope you understand.

God bless each and every one of you.

Vicki

Respect and Common Sense

 I know that I do not get outside my little apartment to see just what is going on in the world around me.  But that doesn't mean that I can't hear what those I do see and talk to are saying.

When I was young, Sunday church services were a given.  Dad wore a suit and tie.  Mother had a couple of dresses she considered good enough to wear to church.  And she sewed dresses for my sister and me to wear on Sundays.

I once asked my mother why we had to wear special clothes to Sunday School and to Church.  She told me that it was a matter of respect to God and Jesus.  She said that it would be insulting to show up to church in work or play clothes.

Now we know that Jesus loves us no matter if we are worshipng in church or mucking out the barn or mowing the lawn.  But I have to agree that showing respect is important.  And when I see videos of folks casually going to church wearing shorts, Hawaiian shirts and flip flops, I have to wonder where the respect went.

For part of my childhood, my family lived 10 miles from the nearest fairly large town.  Some Saturdays we headed to town to do the grocery shopping or sometimes to the fabric store if Mother had time to sew new clothes for us.  Dad changed from his work clothes into a nice pair of slacks and shirt.  Mother wore a nice dress and my sister and I changed from our play clothes into something more presentable.

That, too, was a form of respect.  Maybe somewhat for the friends and neighbors we might see in town but also some self respect.  Don't see much of any sort of respect lately.

Anybody else notice that Common Sense has also left the building?

There are those who believe it is perfectly OK to let millions of illegal aliens into our country.  The operative word here is "illegal."  And then these same folks raise all sorts of issues when our government decides to deport those who broke the law the minute they crossed our borders.

When do you suppose our laws became optional.  Perhaps about the same time that some states decided not to arrest shoplifters if the value of goods stolen is under a certain amount of money?

Years ago I had a friend who had a 13 year old daughter.  The Mom got a phone call from her friend at the Sheriff's Department, tellng her that he had her kid for stealing some makeup from the local Five and Dime.  Today parents are apt to take the kids side.  Not this Mom.  She asked the Sheriff's Deputy if he had an empty jail cell and she would pick up her kid in a couple of hours.  

By the time the Mom showed up, her daughter was so scared that she had peed her pants.  Mom took her home, got her cleaned up, sat her down at the kitchen table with pen and paper to write an apology to the store manager.  Back into town they went where the daughter gave her letter to the manager along with a tearful verbal apology.  This was followed by being grounded for at least a month.

Moral of the story - the kid never gave her parents a bit of trouble after that - ever.

Respect.  Common sense.  Laws.  We need them.  Badly!

Fun With Scammers

 I am plagued with those scam phone calls.  Irritating, they are.  Especially since I have a house phone line as opposed to a cell phone.  Can't carry that around in my pocket.  So when the phone rings, I have to stop whatever I am doing and go to where the phone is to answer it.

Monday this week I had over 15 of those calls.  That is pretty much the average number lately.  Nothing I have tried has stopped the calls.  So I tried a different approach.

Each of those calls has a point where the scammer asks some silly question.  Didn't answer.  Just said the same words to each.

"I do not talk to rotten, miserable scammers."  And then I hang up.

Might actually be working.  The number of scam calls dropped to 2 on Tuesday.  We shall see what today brings.

Actually was kind of fun, knowing that in all likelyhood, I managed to irritate some of them.  :)

Bits and Pieces

 I really did plan to have another post up sooner than this.  Seems that I am easily distracted these days.  Well, OK.  I have always been easily distracted.  It is just more noticable these days!

I love retirement.  Nobody tells me what to do or when to do it.  So the better part of the day I spent going through a box of family paperwork.  Found all sorts of interesting stuff.  Old Christmas letters from cousins.  Letters written by relatives to my parents.  My Dad's Selective Service papers from WWII.  My parents marriage license from 1945.  Got out my file folders and now I should be able to lay hands on the paperwork I want to see.

The small suburb where I live is about 25 miles from Minneapolis.  Frankly, I am surprised that the crazy hasn't hit here yet.  I suppose the protestors are still busy in the cities.  Fine with me.

I really am tired of all the hoopla surrounding the deportation of illegals.  Other places can manage this without all of the insane behavior.  I have to admit to ignoring much of the so-called news stories concerning Minneapolis.  It has really become tiresome - at least to me.

These days I am much more interested in my adult kids, grand kids and great grands.  All are doing well and I am really proud of them all.  Although I now have a daughter who retired.  And my youngest can now, according to his daughter, eat off the 55+ menu at the local restaurant.  All that is sort of scary.  :)

I have no idea what tomorrow will bring and that is just fine.  After so many years of 9 to 5 and later of working nights, and especially because I really am an ornery old bat, I find this quiet life wonderful!

I pray that your world, my friends, is peaceful.  And is what you want in life.

God bless.     Vicki

Genealogy and Minneapolis Crazies

 I find that I need  few days off.  The genealogy book I mentioned in my previous post has proved to be impossible to scan.  The pages just won't lay flat.  So I am having to enter all the information by hand, including the extremely interesting to my family stories that are included in the book.

I understand that this kind of thing is less than interesting to many, but my family seems to be developing an interest in family history.  So I feel it necessary to work on this.

Plus the fact that at the age I surprisingly find myself, it seems prudent to do what will benefit my family the most while I still can.  I have enough home canned and dehydrated foods plus box after box of staples already stashed away.  Nobody will go hungry for a very long time.  I have quilts and crocheted blankets made and stashed away as well.  Right now, family history seems important to me.

As far as the local news goes, I am sincerely fed up with the Minneapolis insanity.  Don't care which side of the aisle we are discussing.  They all have lost their minds.  And when checking the local news for information, the lies are more than obvious.

My Dad once told me, "Believe none of what you hear and only about half of what you see."  Wise man, was Dad!

Those Minneapolis crazies can just sort it all out without me.

Back to the genealogy.  See you next week, my friends.

Genealogy Treasure

 I have been interested in my family ancestry for a number of years.  Lots of research has gone into finding information on so many of my ancestors.  This has been made easier with the invention of the home computer.  I can find Census records, birth and death certificates as well as a wealth of other information online.

But a few days ago I was handed a small, self printed book that is an absolute treasure trove of information.

My daughter came over and shared this book that was put together by one of her aunts on her Dad's side of the family.  It not only contains several generations of family history, it also contains family stories.  Lots of them.  It is an absolute treasure.

I don't expect my family to care much about their heritage just now.  After all, I was well past 50 years of age before I developed an interest.  But this small book is exactly what I am trying to do just in case one or two decided they want to know about their ancestors.

It is important to know where we come from.  Those who went before are the ones who made us who we are.  I know that many find the genealogy research is dry as dust.  I have been writing down the family stories when I remember them.  Some of my family seem to enjoy them.

With our world seemingly in chaos, I find it soothing to look back in time.  There is much to be learned.

Taking the Weekend Off

 One of the things I really enjoy doing in my retirement is researching my family tree.  And ornery old lady that I am, I find it fun to unearth the reprobates.  Not surprisingly, my ancestry has quite a few!

Today I find myself in the middle of research and I really want to continue, so I am spending the rest of my weekend diving into my gene pool!

While busy with that, I am making sure to pray for those caught in the eye of the storm we have been hearing about.  Here in Minnesota the temps are up from last evening's minus 18 degrees.  Still in the minus column, but better than it was.

Take care and stay safe.  See you all on Monday.

Scam Calls

 Soon after I retired, the scam calls began.  Seems they want to separate me from my Social Security money using a variety of silly reasons.  As long as I can't seem to stop the calls, this morning I decided to have a little fun with it.  The goal was to get them to hang up on me.

There are those who call me by name.  So those I told that she had died 3 days ago and nobody could talk to them until after the funeral.  CLICK.

Some try to sell me home improvement items.  New windows.  New house siding.  Other various and assorted items.  So when they ask if I am the home owner, I proudly tell them that yes, I am the owner of the pretty blue tent pitched down along the riverbank.  CLICK.

Then there are the ones who offer "End of Life" insurance.  I let them run through all of the stellar benefits for me and my family.  And when they ask my age to see if I qualify, I tell them I am 97 years old.  CLICK.

And then there is the ever popular "Car Warranty" scam.  Let them go through their script right up to the place where they asked the make and model of my car.  When I told them that I do not own a car, CLICK.  

Sometimes you just need to make your own fun!

I Want My Country Back

 I understand that I am officially a cranky old lady.  Come summer, God willing, I will hit the 80 year mark.  I am truly amazed that I have lasted this long.

But having acheived cranky old lady status and apparently having brain cells that still work, I have memories.  Lots of them.

I remember when kids could play outdoors all day without needing an adult holding their hands.  My friends and I rode our bikes all over town, played at the local park and in winter, ice skated at the local ice rink 5 blocks from my home.  And when we heard my friend Larry's mother call him (Lovely lady.  Voice could be heard 3 blocks away.) we all knew it was time to go home.  (Grin)

I remember when one of the neighbors would have his car parked in the driveway, hood up, trying to figure out what might be wrong with the engine.  And there would always be a couple of the neighbor men, leaning on the fenders, offering advice.

The ladies often met to sip coffee, nibble cookies and share gossip.  For a time I recall my mother and the neighbor ladies meeting once a month in what they called "The Fat Ladies Club."  None were fat, but all had senses of humor.  Hence the name.

Evenings spent on front porches with friends were common.  I can still taste the lemonade and homemade gingersnaps.

There was a time as a teenager when I would go with a couple of friends for lunch at a small family restaurant in the downtown part of my town.  I am told that harassment is common in those areas now.

I can't recall any place - city or rural areas - that we were afraid to go.  Now I am positive that I would not enter any downtown area of any city without protection.

I realize that the past years are not all bunnies and roses.  We had protests against the VietNam war.  There was a movement to insure civil rights for all.

But even then, our country wasn't so full of entitled people, those who don't seem interested in working but would rather live off taxpayers, those who don't seem to think they are responsible for their actions, and so many full of just plain hatred.

Yep.  I really do want my country back.

Why We Prepare

My son and his family visited me last week.  Always a joy!  During the conversation one of my adult granddaughters remarked that I was the most prepared person she knows.  And that got me to thinking about why this lifestyle is so important to me. 

Many moons ago when my 4 children were young, I found myself in a bad place.  Single Mom.  My job disappeared.  The bills continued.  We were living in a house that was on a plot of land where a garden could not be planted.  Hills and pine forest don't work well for planting seeds.

Before I could get our lives back under control, I ran out of food.  There is little more terrifying than to have hungry children and nothing to feed them.

I loaded my kids into the car.  We drove the few miles to my aunt and uncle's house.  It was late in the afternoon.  I knew that my aunt would insist we stay for supper.

The fact that my kids could eat outweighed the humiliation of not being able to take care of them myself.

Thankfully, things changed for the better right away.  Found another job.  Bought groceries.  Fed my family.

But then I did one more thing.  I moved.

Found an old farmhouse out in the middle of nowhere.  It was affordable.  It had a huge garden area.  It had a shed to house chickens.  There was an old car sitting on the property.  A friend spotted it and said he sure could use that rusted out car for parts.  Worked out a deal where he got the car and I got a milk cow.  Kids now had a source of milk and cream and butter.

You do what you have to do.  To this day, more years later than I care to count, I still feel like if one of my kids or grands or great-grands came to me hungry and I had nothing to feed them, I think it might break this old heart.

Those of us who are living this lifestyle, for that is exactly what preparedness is, have a story.  Most of us have gone through circumstances that brought us to this place.  Whatever the reason, the decision to prepare for bad times is one of the best deccisions we can make.

  

Bat Guano Crazy

 It seems that we are there.  Common sense has left the building and is replaced by insanity.

I live in Minnesota.  My apartment is located in a western suburb of Minneapolis.  So far, things seem quiet here.  But for how long?

I have been watching the local news concerning the events, including all of the deportation efforts.  And I am having a hard time understanding all of the objections to removing criminals from our country.  Seems to me that when a person decides to break our laws the minute they step onto United States soil, that person should not be surprised when they have to go back where they came from.

But what bothers me the most is the raw hatred of many of our citizens.  Minnesota nice?  Really?  The Minnesota Nice thing used to be true.  It still is outside the cities.  I am sure there are still good people living in Minneapolis.  Sadly, those are not the ones we hear about.  We hear about those who have stolen vast amounts of money from the rest of us.  We hear about those who do everything in their power to prevent law enforcement from rounding up the criminals.  And we hear the wailing of those who haven't yet figured out that if one plays stupid games like trying to run over officers, chances are pretty good they will win stupid prizes.

I have tried all my life to be a person who is fair, especially with those of different ethnicities.  Gowing up in the era of the Civil Rights Movement made me more aware.  But now I find that it is not the race of people I am angry with, but those who think it is OK to move into my state and steal billions of dollars from our citizens.

That ticks me off!

As does those who think it is OK to do everything in their power to prevent law enforcement from doing their jobs.  I'm pretty sure that some would want law enforcement to do their jobs if a crisis arose in their lives.  But not in this case. 

It is my prayer that the obnoxious Minnesota leaders - the ones who caused this mess in the first place - be put into handcuffs and orange jumpsuits, for that is exactly where they belong.

This and That

 Thinking about my Dad today.  I was loudly complaining one day years ago, after weeding the garden and mucking out the hog barn.  Dirty, sweaty and crabby I was.  Dad, in his usual calm fashion, informed me that there was no shame in being dirty from hard, honest work.  The shame came in when the dirt was from slovenly behavior and laziness.

This same Dad, when I was 12 years old, had me convinced that the new lawn mower sitting in the middle of the front yard, was indeed my birthday present.  He let me fuss and stew about that for maybe 15 minutes, after which he handed me the bat and baseball glove I had been begging for.  My family may not be famous, but we are known for having working senses of humor.  :)

I have some interesting conversations with the home health care nurses that I see three days a week.  Lately, they have been telling me about the overabundance of "Karen" types they deal with.  The kind of person who gets their knickers in a twist if the nurse is 5 minutes late in coming to care for them.  The ones who fail to understand that these traveling angels of mercy have 10 to 12 patients to see in a day and these patients reside miles apart.  Not to mention the one who thinks the nurse should vacuum their carpet and dust their furniture.  Really?

Yesterday was my grocery delivery day.  I have had the same delivery guy for several years now.  I know that he is honest and truthful.  In answering a question, he tells me that as far as he can see, the current tariffs aren't having much of an impact on the grocery stores as yet.  We have been hearing that store shelves will be empty, but so far, at least in my area, that hasn't happened.

However, someone who works for a large company that makes a variety of machines for lawn care as well as for other purposes, tells me that there is a problem with getting the parts needed to build the machines.  Plus, their overseas sales have dropped dramatically.  

I suppose there will be a variety of outcomes with this tariff thing.  I am not knowledgeable enough with the subject to offer an opinion.  I just hope and pray that we as a nation can find a way to be civil and friendly and happy and productive again.

I find that keeping up with all of the crazy in this world is challenging.  I have gotten to the place where I spend a small amount of time on what passes for news.  The rest of my time is spent on the things that matter to me.

Phone calls and visits with kids and grands are at the very top of my list.  My son gave me an iPad and programmed it for FaceTime.  So from time to time I get a face to face visit with family.  The most fun is when I get to go on a FT walk when they take the dog for a walk. For someone who is housebound, a walk down a trail while watching the pup scouring the bushes for bunnies, is a pure delight.

Prices in the grocery stores are still ridiculously high.  Don't expect that to change any time soon.  So I am getting back to making my own instead of relying on store bought.  Mixes, like hot chocolate and flavored rice and soup using dehydrated veggies.  Jennifer over at Prep School Daily has a ton of recipes and ideas for this kind of thing.  Her blog is listed on the right of this page.

And then there are the activities that I do just because we all need some joy in our lives.  Things that make me happy.  Genealogy research.  Sewing quilts.  Crocheting afghans.  And soon, I hope, scrapbooking old family photos.

We can either let ourselves dwell on the gloom and doom we see on the news or the internet and as a result, live in fear, or we can live our lives the way they are meant to be lived.  Keep an eye on what is happening around us, but enjoying life as much as possible.  

I choose the latter.

More Preps

 So, I'm pretty sure you have heard all the rumors floating around these days.  The economy is about to crash.  World war is just around the corner.  The store shelves will soon be empty.

Might happen.  Might not.  We just don't know.  

What we do know is that the smart thing to do is to make sure we are as ready as we can be for whatever happens.

I'm not canning as much these days as I was before I began having problems with the new canning lids.  My large canner holds 18 pints.  The last canner load I did wound up with only half the jars sealing.  I then invested in one of those electric canners.  This one is a Nesco brand.  Same problems with lids not sealing.  Has to be the lids.  The Nesco works great for everything else.  Sigh.

I live alone.  I get busy with one project or another and often don't want to stop to cook a full meal.   I found that by canning a bit of meat plus veggies together in a pint jar, along with some appropriate seasonings and broth, I have a meal that only requires a couple of minutes in the microwave and dinner is served.  

Because of the problems with canning lids, I decided to put together similar meals using dehydrated foods that can be cooked in a crockpot, with the meat added close to the end of the cooking time.  I'm not using recipes but am just tossing together what sounds good to me.  Some are just assorted dehydrated foods like carrots, onions, peppers, diced potatoes, celery, etc.  Others include pasta, packaged separately, as pasta doesn't need a long cooking time.

We are nothing if not problem solvers.  Unable to properly home can?  Put together dehydrated meals.  Should the grocery store shelves become bare?  By now we should have enough put back to get through that particular crisis.  

I pray nothing bad happens.  But if it does, we are ready.  Or we should be.  As we always say, "Keep stacking.  Keep praying.  And may God bless."

Happy Easter

I grew up with church pastors who weren't afraid to preach fire and brimstone.  Who often made us feel uncomfortable because we knew we weren't living as we should, and they pointed that fact out to us.  Who told us that we needed to beg forgiveness of our Creator.  Who told us that the alternative was an eternity of misery.

Where are the truth telling ministers?  As I am unable to get out to church services these days, I have found services online to watch.  To my dismay, many of the messages are watered down versions of the sermons of old.  It is like those preaching are afraid to hurt the feelings of their congregations.  Many seem like they are more interested in having a band play on stage than they are in preaching the gospel.

Some time back we managed to eliminate God from schools, courthouses, public places.  Some communities banned the manger scene at Christmas time.  Others arrested those who dared to preach God's Word on street corners.  

And just look at where we as a country are now.  We are a divided nation.  Hate and discontent are common.  Bible teachings are being ignored.  Truth might hurt someone's feelings, after all.

I do not expect anyone to believe as I do.  But I would hope that we would remember that this day is not all about colored eggs and bunnies, but is a day to remember the One who suffered a horrible death and then rose from the tomb to save us all.

We need Jesus more than ever now.

Sometimes...

 things actually work out.

You may remember that in a previous post I was bemoaning the fact that one of my nurses was clueless when it came to being prepared.

Same nurse.  Yesterday.  Telling me about her purchases to be stored for future emergencies.  Asking my advice about pressure canners.  Wanting to know how I store water in an apartment where I can't have those huge water storage containers.

She told me that her husband has been interested in preparing and was delighted that she now thinks it is a good idea.  Feel like together, they can accomplish something good.

This gives me reason to hope.  Sometimes when we are surrounded by people who live in a world that is not real, we tend to feel like all is lost.  Then along comes someone who restores our faith in the human race.

Thank you, God.

Having Fun

 Sometimes I think we have forgotten how to have fun.  

We get caught up in news reports and podcasts and YouTube videos that are screaming at the top of their lungs how we are in such trouble that we all will surely die.  Soon.

I know that I have been guilty of that sort of behavior.  Previous rants on this blog are the proof.  And chances are pretty good that another rant or two could show up here.

But a couple of things happened yesterday that got me to thinking about this.

Two of my kids spent time with their Mom.  I understand they are busy with their families and their jobs, so finding time for visits isn't easy.  I so enjoyed seeing them, hugging them and hearing about what is happening in their lives.

And secondly, I received an email from a friend who lives in another part of this great country.  He sent me photos of the landscape in his area, including orchards in full bloom and mountains in the background.  We don't have much for mountains here in Minnesota.  The view was a treat.

Both experiences were fun.  Brightened my day.  Left me with smiles.

Seems to me we need more fun and less fear and anxiety.  Granted, we do need to know what is going on around us.  We can't be ready for the bad stuff that happens unless we pay attention.

What we do not need is to be living in fear.  So many of those in charge prefer to keep us fearful.  Scared people are much easier to control.  Folks who are confident and positive in attitude don't tend to knuckle under to every elite or politician who wants total control.

We spend time and money preparing for whatever comes at us that is not good.  We can also enjoy this life we are blessed to have.

Don't forget how to have fun.

Done

 This past week I have been printing out much of my family tree data.  I am old school.  I like paper.  And I don't trust computers all that much.  I have two dead laptops and a dead desktop in my closet that back up my reluctance to keeping 15 years of research on any electronic device.

This activity doesn't require very much of my attention.  Over the years I have put together Family Group Sheets for most of the characters in my ancestry and it is just a matter of printing them.  I found I had quite a bit of time to ponder other things.

One of the subjects on my mind has been the reluctance of so many I know to prepare.  Many don't see the need.  Nothing bad will ever happen to them.  Others have convinced themselves that store shelves will always be full.  And some just don't want to be bothered.

Others are so wrapped up in political hatred that they can't see beyond that.  Doesn't matter which side of the aisle they are on, the other side is wrong thinking.  The other side is bad.  The other side needs to be eliminated.

Media is pretty good at feeding us lies and are good at little else.  What surprises me is just how many buy into the BS flowing from 'news reporters.'

I have come to the conclusion that I can rant all day long, but I can change nothing.  

Seems to me the best way to get rid of a headache is to stop bashing your head against a brick wall.

I am just done.

I have come to the conclusion that the best way for me to proceed is to concentrate on what I can do.  I can preserve food.  I can stockpile supplies.  I can stay in touch with like-minded people for support, encouragement and sharing ideas.  Without the anger and without the hatred that has become so prevalent.

If the younger ones want to get into the insane fight happening in the world around us, they are welcome to it.  Me...I just want peace.  I want to know that no matter what happens, my family will be OK.  I want to snuggle my great grands and hug my grown kids and their kids.  

Do whatever it is you feel the need to do.  It isn't about giving up or giving in.  It is about staying sane in a world gone completely mad.  Stack it high.  Pray.

Responsibility

 So yesterday, the home health care nurse who deals with my leg problems was a new to me person.  Lovely girl.  Friendly.  Smiling.  Very good at her job.  Dumber than a box of rocks when it comes to the preparedness lifestyle.

I normally do not bring up the subject of being prepared.  I don't need locals knowing what I have stored.  That's for family, should the need arise.  But this person saw several jars of home canned food sitting on my kitchen counter and she asked about them.  I told her just a little bit about the home canning I do.  She mentioned that her aunt and uncle were "preppers."  They canned a lot of food to set aside "just in case."  Seems her husband has an interest in being prepared as well.

So I asked what she was doing to prepare.  Her reply was that she just didn't like to do anything along those lines.  She said (kid you not) that she didn't have to do anything related to preparing because others would take care of her in bad times.

Now there are days when I am not particularly fond of doing the adult thing.  Times when I really would rather not spend a day filling jars and running my pressure canner.  Days when I would rather do something other than dehydrate onions or repackage rice or pasta for long term storage.  Times when I might enjoy reading a good mystery book instead of checking my inventory to see what I need to buy to fill in the items that I am running low on.

It's called being responsible.

I have to admit that the temptation to ask her what she would do if there was nobody around to take care of her was strong.  I am not known for my subtilty some days.  OK...most days.  But I didn't.  Maybe I should have.

The sad part of this is that should bad times descend upon us, and we really need what we have stored, those who believe that others should take care of them will likely suffer.  As will those who depend on them.  Like their kids.  Like their grandparents.  

Me... that scenario would break my heart.

Doom and Gloom

Have you noticed all the doom and gloom everywhere you look?

I don't have a TV, so I can't speak to what is shown there.  But the internet is full of dire warnings and predictions of war and reports of bad stuff everywhere.

I'm tired of it all.  I want more happy and less fearful.

Sometimes I think this is all designed to scare us into compliance.  When did we begin to scare so easily?

Remember all the cute kitten videos?  Or the travel videos?  Or the videos whose sole purpose was to make us smile?

I scroll through and see crime and dire warnings about nearly everything and politicians busy stabbing each other in the back and tossing threats and lies everywhere.

Enough, already.  I want a world where Dad jokes prevail and family life is important and where we can laugh with each other instead of at each other.

It is called kindness.  

Find it again.

Sometimes...

 I wish I were one of those people who stays blissfully ignorant.

If I am blissfully ignorant, I see no reason to spend time and money to stock up on food or water.  Recently I spoke with someone who was totally amazed that anyone would preserve food, be it canning or dehydrating or even buying extra canned food at the grocery store.  And it sort of blew their mind when they saw me filling several saved 2 ltr. bottles with water.  They could not imagine a time when those things could become unavailable.

Me...I look for sales and ways to add to my stash of food and water.  I am not at all convinced that stores will always remain open or that food will be affordable (not so much right now).  Should we lose power, the pumps that keep water flowing in my building would cease to work.  

If I am blissfully ignorant, I keep every dime in a bank account, convinced there is no reason at all for banks to close.  I'm pretty sure that those who lost everything in the bank closures of the Great Depression were of the same opinion.

Me...Every now and then when I can afford it, I add to a stash of cash.  The object is to have enough cash on hand to pay my rent and bills until I can decide what my next move might be.

If I am blissfully ignorant, I have no clue about what is happening in the world around us.  I believe every word coming from CNN.  I avoid truth at all costs.

Me...I find it difficult to keep track of current world events.  But I see enough to know that unless we get our act together - and soon - we are in for really hard times.  Lately I can see that some in charge are on the right path, but their efforts need to continue.  I still have hope.

What prompted this post was a conversation I had not too long ago.  Questions were asked about my preparedness activities.  And then, in utter disbelief, I was told that all of my efforts are a total waste of time.  I was told that nothing will ever change and everything I would need will always be available.  And to top it off, the opinion of that person was that nothing happening around us would ever have an effect on her.

Me...I am of the opinion that anything can happen without a moment's notice.  Pretty sure those in Pearl Harbor in 1941 when bombs were dropped thought they were safe.  Those victims of storms in the southern states lately have left many homeless, having lost everything.  Just the other day, tornados wreaked havoc in parts of our country.  To say nothing of the crime rates all over our land.

What others think or say matters not to me.  I will continue preparing.  And I will do so even if it turns out that it is never needed.  I pray that is the case.  But just in case my family needs what I can provide, then it is worth every penny spent and every minute used.

My family will not go hungry.  Ever.