Make A List
Woke up this morning at 0430 hrs and the house felt cold, so I dragged my butt out of bed and armed with a flashlight walked into the great room to check the temperature. It was 29-degrees outside and 64-degrees inside. The temperature when we went to bed was in the high 50’s so I did not add wood to the few coals we had in the wood stove.
My dog Dorothy and I got the wood stove going and I took a seat in my La-Z-Boy while Dorothy laid at my feet. We watched the fire take hold with the wood stoves door slightly ajar to help the new fire catch. As we sat there in the fire lite room, I asked the good Lord what else could we do. As always happens when I ask for the Lords help in a quiet moment he came back with this message – Make a List!
This drama in our lives has a meaning and I think that the Lord is giving us an opportunity to plan for the big one coming down the pike. This drama is a precursor of what is coming next and we need to make a list of where our preps have fallen short. It is kind of a test and we all learn from a test or exam. When we leave the classroom following an exam and subsequently the grade we receive, we know where we have fallen short in our studies and plan accordingly for future study and testing.
Got up out of my La-Z-Boy. Closed the door to the wood stove as the fire was roaring. Turned on the light in the kitchen and made a welcoming pot of coffee. Then fed Dorothy who was waiting patiently by her bowel along with the outside cats. Once my morning chores complete and coffee mug in hand, I grabbed a tablet and started my list. The list that the Lord wanted me to start compiling. The list started with,
- Have in stock more Aladdin lamp wicks and mantels
- Have on hand more garlic
- Pick up a few extra group 27 deep cycle batteries
- Pick up a few extra CR 1632 and CR 123A Batteries
- Order next winter heat ala another triaxle load of logs…
…And the list continued and will continue through-out this media made crisis.
I encourage all the readers here at American Partisan that once you finish this short article is to start your families list. The toughest part of doing anything like taking a journey, starting a new project, or making a list, is the first step.
The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step – Lao Tzu
73 & God Bless!
Freedom Through Self-Reliance®
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About the Author: johnyMac
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GUNS N GEAR
Thanks for putting a rough week into positive perspective.
Right on 175jfs!
Thanks for reading and commenting Brother.
Already have found a hole in my preps: smoke grenades. These will be wanted for when the federal money helicopter comes over my AO, kicking out greenbacks and anti-malarials.
Smoke is a must have for a lot of reasons.
Quietus, to flippen funny Brother!
Good article Johny. My life seems to be somewhat guided by to do lists. I suppose, due to living on a small homestead, that the list will never end. It may get a little shorter, but there are always things to do.
I’m guessing the second toughest thing to do is just obtaining some of the items on your list, as the supply chain dries up. Batteries will probably be difficult to source in the near future, though I believe many of deep cycle batteries are made in Mexico. And folks are definitely putting their lives on the line each time each time they leave their residences to do some shopping. Don’t forget decontaminate items that are delivered by the postman, UPS, etc.
Say a hello to Dorothy and your family from your friends in Tennessee.
Amen Jackalope. Give your XYL a hug from us and pet the white one ;-)
Take care Brother.
TDW-Mark II and I started our own lists, several days ago. Thank you for inspiration for several additions.
I have something like a dozen 1 # propane cans, empty, that I’ve “been going to get around to fill those things”, “any day now”, for, jeez, 8 months by now.
Time will NOT get any better to do so!AAnd, of course, MOAR! AMMO!
Reltney McFee,
ya’ all need more ammo ;-)
Thanks for reading and commenting Brother.
I loaded up the wood shed with plenty of firewood last summer. It is very satisfying to cut and split your own wood and enjoy the radiant heat from the fire. We are pretty prepared for most anything in Alaska, living with the threat of earthquakes, being snowed in, volcanoes. But that is where we chose to live.
Keep a sharp sense of situational awareness, and make and fulfill your lists based on that awareness. It is so much more satisfying living like that than waiting for the gubment to take care of you. Also if you have good neighbors, strengthen those relationships. Luckily, our neighbors are prepped and armed good people.
Challenging times, but you do find out what is important.
Amen Alaska Paul! “Challenging times, but you do find out what is important.”
The bears are out around my AO a month earlier than normal this year. When I walk Dorothy (AKA W3OOF) I have already been carrying a 12 gauge loaded with slugs. Now we have to worry about two legged threats too on our jaunts in the woods.
Stay warm Brother.
Sigh…..,I thought this was to make a list of hated neighbors/family members ect. and a settling of old grudges during the chaos!
More Garlic!
So far I have been very happy with my preps, but I noticed my Peanut Butter stash was not up to snuff. As soon as the ground thaws I have a list of chores and I can’t wait to start digging. Be safe everyone.
Driveway gate, off grid power source, hand pump for well, and HAM are on my list. As for garlic- we’re scraping through whats left from last year but have 150 head coming up in the front yard.
Great start HP for your list.
Do you have any extra to trade? ;-)
Take care Brother.
For those amateur radio operators idling through their self-imposed break from the vagaries of humankind, a suggestion:
As one casts about for the chores that fulfill Rule 5 (“Always be workin'”) consider taking this opportunity to learn Morse Code. Want a narrow-band way to run that doesn’t entail a bunch of software & more interconnected boxes? That’s it. Telegraph keys (or side-swipe paddles) are available all over, used & new, for not much with interfaces for nearly any transceiver out there. There are lots of free programs & lesson-plans around that can help you along, whichever method resonates with you. (For those that already have FLDigi running it will decode your practice as well in front of you so that can note that your efforts are sounding like they’re supposed to. There are also other simple Morse decoding programs, free.)
If you opt for one of the newer compact “expedition” style keys, get the kind with the magnetized bottom or glue a fridge magnet to the bottom and slap it on a piece your old AR500 steel. Stable position will enhance technique, trust me.
It’s a rabbit-hole that you might enjoy going down. You have the time.
[…] on the heels of JohnyMac’s excellent thought-provoking article, I thought I would share my list. This list is a combination of Lessons Learned, Observations, and […]
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