Unbeknownst To Me, I’ve Been Prepping All  My Life!

I am a 46 year old married mother of three wonderful children, living in central Virginia.  Looking back at my life, I believe that I was always a prepper, and just didn’t know it!  From my childhood days in my family home, to my early years as a young professional living in a small town, and on to my current life as an adult living in the country, a frugal and do-it-yourself lifestyle is what I have chosen.

Until recently, I hadn’t heard the term “prepper”.  Without my realizing it, my goal became to be as self-sufficient as possible by learning the old-time skills that were taken for granted by older generations, and by slowly and frugally gathering together the skills, equipment and supplies that will allow me and my family to survive and perhaps even thrive in a crisis situation.

When I was a child, my father bought a run-down property in central Kentucky and proceeded to turn it into a very nice home.  We had 25 acres of hilly land, and my mother immediately bought a flock of chickens.  The chickens were closely followed by a pair of ponies and some cows.  I learned how to take care of the animals, as well as the fundamentals of gardening.  Our land had several fruit trees, and my mother canned fruit and the vegetables from the garden.  My bed always had a few enormous banana squash and kushaws under it in the winter, and “leather britches” beans hung in the pantry.  My father single-handedly added several additions to our home, sometimes utilizing salvage materials to save a little money, and I always was around to “help”.  My father never hired anyone to do a task; instead, he studied up on whatever he was trying to do, and did it himself.  As a child, I never appreciated the way we lived, but I know now that I was soaking up the knowledge that my mother and father offered.

Out on my own in my early twenties, I lived in a small town for a year or so, and married my true love.  We tilled up the immaculate back yard and planted a large garden, but I longed to have more room to plant trees and perhaps have some small livestock.  After growing up in the country, I didn’t know how to live in a neighborhood.  My husband, having been raised in town, was skeptical but agreed to find some land in the country.

Our first house in the country was somewhat less than ideal – it was a small a-frame style house on a few steep acres.  Looking back, I can only ask myself, “What were we thinking?”  We were able to plant a few trees, but there was precious little space for a garden.  My husband and I built a large workshop, and I found that I had a knack for building.  I put the last nails in the tin roof when I was 8 months pregnant!  I also discovered that I really loved woodworking.  I began collecting old hand tools at flea markets and yard sales.  My husband’s grandmother also taught me to quilt and make baskets during this time, skills I still enjoy today.  After our third child was born, our house was bursting at the seams, so it was time to find another home.

I found our current property listed in a local want-ad circular.  It consisted of 20 acres, with well, septic and electricity on the property, and we got it at a fantastic price.  The property is close enough to town for convenience, but it sits on a long dead-end private road that is shared with just a few other families.  We had a large double-wide set on the property, and started getting serious about gardening and canning.  A friend who lives nearby allowed us to use a large area on his property for an additional garden, and we began canning all of the vegetables that we raised.  My husband became interested in raising bees, and he obtained several hives from a local man.  Soon after, he found an ad for used bee equipment at a fantastic price, and he got a hot knife, electric extractor, and other equipment to handle the honey processing.  I built a chicken house immediately, and have always kept a flock of about 30 chickens and roosters.  I intentionally purchase chicken breeds that are naturally broody, and most years my hens hatch a few chicks.  For a time, I also raised goats, turkeys and ducks.

Now that I had the property I wanted, I began to expand my skills in other directions.  I had always wanted to try my hand at blacksmithing, and my sister gave me an old forge.  I found various tools at the flea market, bought a book on the subject and jumped right in.  I built a lean-to shed, installed my forge, and my son and I started learning.  We quickly outgrew the lean-to, so I built a larger shed with a brick floor to accommodate the forge.  After two carpal tunnel surgeries, I’ll never be able to practice enough at blacksmithing to make a living, but it’s been a lot of fun, and in a pinch I feel sure that either I or my son could create any metal items we might need.

My two boys were both in the Boy Scouts, and I became a leader.  We have accumulated a lot of outdoor gear, and the skills to use it and to enjoy the outdoors in any weather.  My daughter has gone along on many trips over the years, and has soaked up much of the same knowledge.  My husband also enjoyed being a Scout years ago.  I feel certain that having a level of skill and comfort in the outdoors will benefit us all in the years to come.

As the general state of our nation began to decline in the last several years, I began to think of other things our family could use to move us toward our goal of self-sufficiency.  With the help of several preparedness blogs such as Kellene’s Preparedness Pro Blog, I began to concentrate on several general areas of need, such as lighting, heating, food and health.

I began collecting oil lamps at yard sales, and quietly put several gallons of kerosene in storage in the shed.  My husband already had a few old metal Dietz lanterns, and I’ve found a few more at flea markets.  My children make fun of Mom’s lamp habit, but my family will not be sitting in the dark in the event of a short power outage or regional grid failure, and I have extra lamps that I could share with friends and neighbors.  I also stocked up on candles at salvage stores and yard sales, and bought large clear glass vases to place the candles in while they’re burning.  I have purchased two sets of small solar panels and four deep cycle marine batteries, and put together a backup solar system to run such small items as lights and our gas oven.  Yard sales have yielded several small electric lamps that could be run off the inverter.

While housecleaning would probably be a fairly low priority during times of crisis, it’s still important to me.  I replaced most of the carpeting in our home with oak flooring salvaged from an old home, thinking that it would be much easier to clean without electricity.  A friend shared a recipe for  homemade laundry detergent, and I have stocked up on enough Fels-Naptha soap bars, borax and washing soda to make laundry detergent for several years.  I also tucked a couple of clean buckets and new toilet plungers into the back of the pantry for washing clothes manually, as well as many large bottles of various household cleaners.

My husband installed a wood stove to supplement our gas furnace, and we keep it burning all winter.  Our property is mostly wooded and has supplied all of the wood we need.  We own two chainsaws, and I have squirreled away bottles of two cycle oil and stabilized gas for the saws.  I built a woodshed to hold a year’s supply of cut wood. We have many axes, mauls, and wedges in the shed.  I also have an old two-person saw that we could use if we really had to.  We had extra insulation put in our house when it was manufactured, so it is fairly easy to heat.

I found an old wood cookstove for sale, and installed it in our kitchen with it’s own flue.  Cooking on this stove is very tricky, and it’s something that I’m still struggling to master, but it also helps heat the house.  Yard sales have been a great source of cast iron skillets and dutch ovens.  I got a Country Living grain mill to grind our own flour, and I’ve been delighted with it. My coat closet was converted to a pantry, and two other pantries were built near the kitchen.  I have filled them all with all of our jars of canned food, as well as buckets of wheat and rice, and canned food from the grocery store.  Last year, I found countless half-gallon jars at yard sales, and I use them to store beans, pasta, and other foods that would otherwise be eaten by mice.  Along with many extra jars (mostly from yard sales and thrift shops), we’ve stocked up on canning lids and rings.  I’ve purchased some Tattler lids so that we can keep on canning if we run out of regular lids.  I have learned how to treat containers of stored food with dry ice, so that they will keep for many years.  This year, we will have our garden at home, as well as two other plots that we share with friends.  I’ve also been working on a small raised-bed herb garden near our back door, with both culinary and medicinal herbs.

Our water comes from a well, via an 220 volt pump.  We don’t have any other reliable sources of water on our property, so we needed to find a way to obtain water without electricity.  We found that the water level wasn’t particularly deep – about 50 feet – so a hand pump with a cylinder would do the job.  I purchased an antique cast iron hand pump and cylinder, and enough PVC pipe and fittings to lower the cylinder well below the water line.  The pipe for the new hand pump was installed in the well casing, right next to the existing pipe, and the pump was fitted onto a new wooden platform.  I would suggest to anyone who plans to install a hand pump – round up lots of help.  My son and I were able to put it together, but it’s a scary feeling knowing that if you let go of that pipe, your cylinder will fall to the bottom of your well.  It is very satisfying knowing that we have clean, drinkable water available at all times.

My husband and I both work in the healthcare field, so maintaining a good stock of first-aid materials and over-the-counter medicines has been a top priority.  My husband and I take several medicines, and I always ask for 90 day prescriptions so I can keep some extra stock on hand.  As a Boy Scout leader, I normally carry a well-stocked first aid kit on outings, and I’ve attended several first aid classes as a leader that have helped me to be confident when facing emergencies.  Boy Scout training has also taught my sons a great deal about first aid. We’ve accumulated first aid supplies gradually, rather than buying pre-made kits. Along with all of the supplies, we have several first aid manuals that we can consult.  I’ve also bought books such “Where There is No Doctor”, and the local thrift shops have been a wonderful source for nursing texts and other medical books.  To supplement our limited knowledge of modern medicine, I have a shelf devoted to books about herbs and have begun to learn about their traditional uses.  A few are grown in my herb bed, and I’ve found several local sources of dried medicinal herbs.  For a reasonable price, I have accumulated a small herbal pharmacy that could really come in handy in a crisis.

Security is an important issue in these uncertain times.  Fortunately, I’m married to a gun nut, who is a very experienced shooter!  I have learned to shoot fairly well, and obtained my concealed carry permit.  Our rural location allows us to practice any time we like, and we have begun to teach our children how to shoot as well.  We have two large dogs who patrol the area around the house and alert us to visitors.  Because we live on a dead-end private road, I believe that with the help of some like-minded neighbors, we would be able to defend our immediate area fairly well if the need ever arises.

There are many other things that we’ve done in the name of preparedness, but this seems like a good stopping place.  The points I’d most like to stress are these:  Anyone can prepare for hard times, no matter who you are and where you live.  And while some items can be somewhat expensive (my grain mill comes to mind here), so many valuable things like lamps and cast iron cookware can be bought quite cheaply at flea markets and yard sales.  You can take advantage of sales and discount stores to stock up on canned goods and cleaning supplies.  With a little free time and some ingenuity, you can learn most any skill.  And never, ever be afraid to step outside your comfort zone and try something new.  Your skills, supplies and attitude might well be what gets you and your family through the uncertain days ahead.

J.S. WV

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