Since I was a young woman in the late 70’s I have been intrigued with “Self Sufficiency”. There were Mother Earth News magazines, a few books on the market and 1 uninteresting book on food storage, I was able to use for resources. During this period and the following recession in the 80’s, I wanted to become a back to lander  I attempted to learn as many skills as I could.

I began with sewing, organic gardening, raising chickens and goats. To get through the recession, I begun to bake bread,(bread distributor strike),ride my bicycle with kids in trailer to do errands (hyper-inflated gas prices), went back to school and completed my midwifery degree.

After a change in martial status, I moved from AZ to UT with my 5 children. I started hearing more about food storage and being prepared. I would return to this daunting idea of food storage. I continued to garden, started canning and freezing food and stocking up on some foods we normally eat. It was easier to buy extra especially on a great sale and prevent extra shopping trips with kiddos in tow. I didn’t understand the storage of “wheat, honey and water”, but I had a nice pantry of foods we normally ate. .

Being a single mother, I worked many hours to support our family, until I encountered an injury that kept me off work for months. My work disability program would “only” pay 60% of my normal wage. But I worked a lot of over time and a 2^nd job, just to get by. I had insurance co-pays, medication and food, etc. I didn’t know how we would get by. I was scared! Then I realized, I had stocked enough foods to get by for a bit. I was then “hooked” on food storage, as I not only took care of our needs, but did not have to touch bank savings for the 4 months I was off work!

After returning to work I made a better plan of stocking up and continued to do this for years. I later became ill and could only work part time and later took a full year off, using very little of my savings and all of my food storage to provide for our needs.

Another “season” change in my life, I was in the position to have a large garden area, small orchard, milk and meat goats, chickens (egg layers and meat), rabbits and cows. I stocked the freezer and pantry. I was able to learn how to not only purchase, raise, slaughter the animals. I also sold animals, milk and eggs. I learned how to make soaps and lotions and sold those too. I loved this lifestyle. I also had a dream of more children and was blessed by foster- adopt with 9 children.

It was after Hurricane Katrina and hearing the 1^st hand accounts and news reports I began to realize the necessity of more preps. What were the possible disasters that could happen in my region?  We have had a tornado and lost power, so I was prepped on lighting and cooking without the grid. There could be an earthquake. I began to look how to make our house safe. It was simple things, such as turning off the gas main, straps to secure the water heater, fastening shelves of food and books in the home. We then experienced several floods and I needed to learn how to filter our drinking water and increase water storage and later small water catchment.

I took CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) course and felt more prepared to help my community. One major thought that resonated, how could I help my neighbors, if I wasn’t fully prepared for my family’s well being? I again reassessed our needs. I did find my neighbors were not as prepared as their church recommended too. This really concerned me but I wasn’t in the position to educate.

An exciting period came as 2 neighbors decided to start a “homesteading” class. We come together 1 time a month to learn a new skill. There were some rules “we do not discuss religion, politics or extreme survivalist ideas”. It is a great group and a wonderful mix of knowledge. It has been an awesome way to meet neighbors, and learn some great skills. So far we have covered alternative cooking skills, medicinal herbs and making tinctures, growing seed starts, saving seeds, pruning an orchard, and much more.. We exchange seeds, inform others of events of interest, give and receive garden bounties, and help others with projects to name a few of the benefits. Each of us has been able to share or teach a class. I taught soap making.

I believe it is important to educate your community with out showing off your beans, bullets and Band-Aids. I talk to the adult children as well as the kiddos at home about the importance of learning gardening, using their hands to build, reusing, and repairing what we can. We have an interest in the history period of the 1800’s. I have been able to incorporate this into their schooling. And for fun (lol) we do pioneer chores and crafts. We have camped and fished. All children are learning how to hand sew, knit, and cook. We bake in the solar oven and hang clothes. I want to impress them and others this lifestyle isn’t difficult. Don’t sense you have to do it ALL in a blink of an eye. But it is important to get started.

For the single Moms, you don’t need to wait for a husband to begin to be prepared. I find friends to exchange produce and can with. Get together with other families and we work along side each other. There is bartering for services and products. Clothing exchanges, yard sales and sewing for the children. I am learning self defense and exercising. Most of my children at home are disabled, and it can be a challenge. But, that cannot get in the way of being secure. I attempt to make this lifestyle as normal as I can. While teaching the children how to care for themselves

I am beginning to enter into another season. I am moving to a rural area with 8 children. I have many skills and plan to now prepare for off the grid and less commercial lifestyle. I believe this country will have another recession and soon. Of course, I understand it is very possible for there to be an EMP or interruption of power from the grid. We are in a shaking period. I feel having some of the skills I do have will shield us from a severe impact. I want to encourage you to consider the same. Knowledge and skill building is a way to take away the fear factor if there were an interruption of your lifestyle.

L.P. UT

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