FOOD

It's cold outside. Checked at dawn and it was only 7 degrees. Supposed to be up in the 60's by Friday. I checked the temperature in Toronto Kansas and it was only 30 there. Some people have all the luck. But we have plenty of water in the ground this year. as usual. When it thaws out we will be sitting pretty for our crops and gardens. Water is a big deal with growing food. California's major vegetable producing areas are in a drought and may declare a disaster. We can beat the drought if we grow local and see to our watering of the crop. Funny how this drought came along right when we were going in the tank financially. Can't have it too easy I reckon. But we have a good Spring down at the garden and it will more than take care of our crops. You need to take certain things into consideration when you garden in survival mode. You cannot depend on modern technology for your essentials. Walmart may not be there for you next year. Have water handy to your food growing. It might come a scorcher this Summer and try to fry your crop if you are not prepared. Growing non-hybrid, Heirloom seed will help also. Those varieties have been around a long time and are pretty hardy. Strength and hardiness count when you need a garden to survive. And one of the top rules of surviving is to have plenty of food. I got on grains and legumes yesterday but there are plenty of other things to eat that are good for you and contain needed vitamins and minerals. There are all kinds of ways to preserve various food you grow yourself. Drying is a favorite. I dry corn and beans right on the plant they grew from. Works like a charm. Dehydration is popular with a lot of folks. Get the water out and some things will last a surprising length of time. My wife likes lacto-fermentation and uses it year round. The old tried and true method of canning in jars works like a charm but it is dependent on a lot of technology. But there is damn little you cannot can. We might can a little this year. Tomatoes and tomato products are very nice to have around and canning will take care of it. You can also preserve things in sugar and sale and good old pickling with vinegar and salt and spices. Do NOT discount the value of stored food in the coming days. It may be the difference in whether or not you stay free or you go to a FEMA camp. You will note with great concern that with all the accusations of up coming confinement for civilians guilty of being hungry, there has been no denial by the powers that be. Forewarned is forearmed.

I got a note form Jim Haddix to pass on to you this morning. It's petty damn good.

The following is the winning entry in an annual contest at Texas A&M University calling for the most appropriate definition of a contemporary term: This year's term was Political Correctness.

The winner wrote: "Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end"

R. J. Wiedemann LtCol. USMC Ret.

I laughed my ass off when I read this one.

Mickey Creekmore had a great guest post on ammo this week so far. You can access it at http://thesurvivalistblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/how-much-ammo-do-you-need.html. It;'s a great article and shows a lot of thought and attention to the matter of how much ammo you might need. This particular man is looking at 5 years of needed ammo for all types of usage. The author put up a picture of his ammo stash. Very enlightening.

I am thinking about medical supplies this morning. My son told me yesterday that he will be working his OB clinicals starting today and I got to thinking that I have no birth kits. Birth kits are great to have around when there are babies being born. Gotta look into this. You know how people are. Someone will turn up pregnant at the wrong time, invariably! God made eating and sex pleasurable so that we would gain weight and have babies. These are two things where pleasure teaches up to do a necessary act. Life then goes on to teach us other lessons but they generally involve pain, denial, hard work, etc.

Stay alive,

Michael

mboone@rtccom.net