SUNDAY MORNING RANT

NUTRITION

I've been on nutrition this morning. Americans have such a crappy diet that I can barely talk about it. Mostly from self shame I reckon.

My prefered dietary path comes from a dentist out of Ohio named Price. He did his main thrust in the dietary world back in the 1930's. Then a guy came along named, I think, Pottinger. And then Dr. Robert Atkins came on the scene. He was followed by Mary Eng and Sally Fallon. Sally Fallon has a book out called Nourishing Traditions. My Handmaiden reads it all the time.

I was talking to the Handmaiden about how that Beans and Rice together form a complete protein. She informed me that Sally Fallon had read a study that showed that a little meat added to the Beans and Rice really kicked up the available protein in the food. There was no scientific reason for this that I know of but it is nevertheless supposed to be a fact.

In my writing I entreat people to have lots of canned food ready for when things get bad. And the way prices are going up in the market place you can't lose on stored food. You can always eat the stuff! But I am now emphasizing having some canned meat to boost your protein intake from your Beans and Rice. You can make up a couple gallons of Rice and Beans and throw a small canned ham in there to make it better for you. Or maybe just put half the small canned ham in there and give your neighbor the other half for THEIR Rice and Beans. It might help them out, especially if they have children. Kids need protein for brain growth, good bones, and other things. Gotta keep the kids healthy. I have a two week course of Iodine tablets for everyone in my building and that includes the kids and the kids' boy friends and girl friends.

So do yourself this favor and get some canned meat to supplement your beans and rice. It's all for you and yours. I promise not to eat it.

RETREAT LAND

I have mentioned that I would try to find anyone some cheap land here in southern Indiana if they desired to come here as a retreat mechanism. I wasn't goiing to take a penny for the effort because I believe in survivalism and I will do what I can to help out. But the $750 dollar an acre ground I knew about is now $2000 an acre and going up! There is still land for sale but you better bring the dollars when you come to look at it.

This land is cut-over timber land and has very little regular crop growing areas in it. Except for small patches of ground, it is just too steep and rocky for much else than growing trees. Most of it is suitable for building a house or parking a trailer and MAYBE having a small lawn. But you better bring a bulldozer when you come. Nice level surfaces are not so easy to come by otherwise. Generally speaking, what land is suitable for growing hay or corn is already being used for that and is not easy to come by. It's at a premium, shall we say.

I read a real estate horror story this morning about good farmland being sold for $6500 an acre. Sounds like the big city realtors are constructing our next financial bubble out here in the sticks! And it's a shame too. Poor people are needing to get the hell out of Dodge right now and the money boys are holding them to where they sit. Not that I blame the realtors for kickin' up some business. God knows they ain't selling too many houses right now. But it will keep low income doomers off of junk ground because of inflated prices. Property that WON'T grow crops will bring you $3000 to $3500 an acre right now. You want to go out and buy yourself a ten acre patch of survival retreat, it is going to cost you between $30,000 and $35,000. Three years ago I could have located you the same dirt for $7500. And it ain't prime dirt. You might get a garden plot, but not much more. I think I had better add that banks are loaning $2000 an acre for this junk land. And that is from the horses mouth. It's real. And those loans are for commercial enterprises that use their land base as a credit lever for loans.

MAKING A LIVING

There are certain skills that can be used to keep body and soul together when the SHTF or TEOTWAWKI comes. Are you a Blacksmith? Can you make knives and repair broken machinery? Have you already got your forge and anvil? Are you an ace gardener who knows how to save all kinds of seed for the next year? Can you cut trees and make log cabins? Are you an animal doctor? ( I can't spell veteranarian) Can you raise and train horses? Can you make buggies and wagons? Are you a skilled herbalist that can help people cure their ailments and build up their immune sytems? Can you make Linen out of Flax? Can you make wool clothes out of sheep hair? It's too far North here to be thinking about cotton. You better head for Dixie if you're in to that.

I am sure I have missed some very important skills that would be necessary and profitable if hard times come. But you get the idea. I think I read one man who said that if the Big Bang comes those who will survive will find themselves living in the mid-1800's. Mid 1800 skills will rule and semi's will be things of the past, suitable only for the metals you can salvage from them.

If you don't have these skills then acquire some of them, or one of them. You will be doing yourself a favor and a favor for those that live with you or around you.

It's all part of staying alive!

Michael

mboone@rtccom.net