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Hello, I haven't commented in a while since I have been very busy with our business, but I have read and reread each post due to taking lots of notes to improve certain things. I did hear about the hurricane coming and I'm half nervous and half not. I'm thankful Charles hip has been doing better and thats a wonderful idea regarding those old fashioned underwear for men.we had prayed things would go well. I can remember my grandparents wearing those types and especially the overalls. 

I was looking at a collage of photos in our living room last night and some of the relatives on their I've met and were my best friends and others I didn't meet because of how far back in time they were living. I couldn't help but wonder what they were like, the cost of things in there area, their homes, etc. I know one relative documented and its been a tradition since the early 1800s in my family, but I didnt know who started it, is to have excellent table manners and dress the table nicely for each meal. I learned finally who that was from after all these years. Now I know why I am the way I am. Its a family tradition. You can see there log cabin if you Google kemper log house in Sharon woods, cinncinnati, Ohio belonging to the kemper family. The mom is who had the table manners and I got a chance to tour the house one time.

 We have been doing things around our home to try and do even better with stocking up, organizing where something might be out of place or just need to be in a better spot. There's skills that we are constantly and I mean constantly having to read or watch a video on how to do something because it wasn't passed on to us especially in things such as building, roofing, repairs. Many people have told us I could never fill in the blank, but you really can once you educate yourself and just jump in and do it. The importance of knowing just the basic things is worth it. 

We learned yesterday that our neighbors who have an extremely fancy house, has fancy features such as a wifi heated towel rack for when they get out of the shower to all sorts of electronic gizmos and gadgets. Its nice, but those things are always breaking it seems like. I wouldnt want to have their electric bill or heating costs. Im grateful for der vehicles we can keep running and a much simpler life. 

We purchase majority of our items from local very small farms including our raw milk, eggs, meat and majority of our produce that we can't grow.  Things like grains, beans, etc I order from azure standard whose prices are excellent and quality. I love using ghee and its so simple to make. I recently did a big batch of bread baking. Some were sourdough. If anyone needs a recipe it was from gubba homestead on YouTube. The other is honey wheat bread from taylormadefarms.blogspot.com

Thank you grandma Donna for another wonderful post. :)

Oh that pie and bread look good.  I live in Maine and I'm almost always prepared as well but in my case, for wind or snow storms, rarely a hurricane.  To me, there is nothing better than a fire in the woodstove, soup on the stove, and a clean house when there is bad weather outside.  

Stay safe.  Although I know you are prepared, I hope you keep power. Enjoy the pie!

Lisa

Another good post! 

I live in the Big Bend of Florida and we are predicted to get the east side (dirty side) of it.  Everyone in my county is cringing, since we were the site of almost identical landfalls for Idalia, Debbie and Helene in a 13 month period.  I am very conscious of the need for making preparation for outages.  To that end, I keep individual sized packets of tuna and chicken, crackers, dried fruit, peanut butter, dried vegetables and water on hand.  As I've said here before, I put a hand pump on my well and I have a kerosene cooker.  Also as I said, I plan to start canning water, but it has been too hot and my kitchen is in disarray, getting ready for the new cabinets, so that will have to be later.  I feed my dogs a mix of dry and wet food, but during outages, they are fine eating dry only.

Over the years I have gone on a number of local farm tours of small farms and buy regularly from three of the farms.  I get eggs from a family friend who raises chickens and I raise some of my own produce, but I have to purchase most of it, even in good years, because I just can't manage that much of a garden on my own.  I also order from Azure Standard.

I read recently about some Samsung "smart" refrigerators that got a software upgrade and the refrigerators in people's homes stopped working!  It was a glitch in the program, but it reinforced my belief that I do not want smart appliances.  I don't want to download apps to run things in my home.  I don't want my data collected, and I don't want to be exposed to outages caused by computer glitches. 

I recently bought a little table lamp that is solar/rechargeable for outages, and so far I'm pleased with it.  It's bright enough to read by.  

I had relatives who grew up with no electricity or running water, but by the time I came along, they had it.  I do remember the clotheslines, and electric wringer washers, small refrigerators with little freezer compartments, washing dishes by hand, and no microwaves, toaster ovens, air fryers or electric pressure cookers.  The coffee perked on the stovetop and the way to get crushed ice was to use a manual crusher that fastened to the wall.  Little stores, some with little meat counters with custom butchering, were on many streets in residential areas for the families with no car or because their one car was being used during the day by the breadwinner.  

I feel better knowing I have what I need to get by, and that I have or am developing the skills to manage with less.  This site helps me with that, and I appreciate it.

I'm happy to hear you found the issue with Charles' infection.  Clothing can do a number on incisions for sure. I'm glad he's so willing to wear what works!  

I was also thinking about that hurricane and how it'll affect you.  Nice to not be the crazy ones shopping for basics. I never quite understood that other than expense for those who have difficulties.

Okay, so I looked up farms here and LOL.  Oh I miss Wisconsin.  I always went to farmer's markets that were everywhere - even when I visited my mom. So many corner stands.  I don't need lavender and I don't want to purchase chickens or guinea pigs and I don't care for Mesquite honey. So that's just about it, although some fresh lavender in my house would be nice, but I did stop there two years ago and the price... well.... One is at least an hour's drive. There's an apple/peach/pumpkin orchard which I've been to when my daughter was young, but that's a two hour drive one way. Slim pickins here.  There are two farmers markets one about 30 minutes and another an hour. I have been to the close one in the summer (so hot) but it's insanely expensive. I used to buy strawberries - a quarter flat and it was $30 about 10 years ago as my daughter and I hate tons of them. They didn't have a lot though - onions, $4 cucumber...  I hadn't really gone since because the prices were so crazy due to sellers traveling from California - not local.  Local items would be cactus jelly which I don't like, mesquite honey which isn't worth an hour's drive, so eh... I have not been to the farmer's market an hour away so I don't know what that entails, but with gas, I can't justify that expense at a 2 hour round trip for what is most likely the same outcome.  Tucson just isn't good for much of anything. lol. Why do I live here?  Oh yes... when it's snowing, I am in heaven here.

We don't really have storms here much. We did have a few fire scares at our home 2 years ago and that was a first; a neighboring town got hit with a pretty bad fire the same year, but overall the mountains or up north country to be problematic with dry lightening.  Flooding happens more in town, but we do have a wash (dry riverbed) upon entry to our place that can flow a little to a 30+foot spread. It's pretty rare out here for the biggie, but certainly not out of the ordinary, so we're pretty good about weather issues.  Drought is big, then fire.  

Joan S: quote: I read recently about some Samsung "smart" refrigerators that got a software upgrade and the refrigerators in people's homes stopped working!  It was a glitch in the program, but it reinforced my belief that I do not want smart appliances.  I don't want to download apps to run things in my home.  I don't want my data collected, and I don't want to be exposed to outages caused by computer glitches. I can't fathom buying a wifi fridge and having to update it. I can't even wrap my brain around such nonsense.  What has happened to our society?  The tv is bad enough, which is a big loser too.  I don't want my data collected or download yet another stupid app. 

And this: makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.   I do remember the clotheslines, and electric wringer washers, small refrigerators with little freezer compartments, washing dishes by hand, and no microwaves, toaster ovens, air fryers or electric pressure cookers.  The coffee perked on the stovetop and the way to get crushed ice was to use a manual crusher that fastened to the wall.  Little stores, some with little meat counters with custom butchering, were on many streets in residential areas for the families with no car or because their one car was being used during the day by the breadwinner.   

Okay, so I did watch a movie with Tom Cruise that I can't remember the name of. They were all wondering who this guy is, because he had no credit card or online presence and they made fun of it as if it's such so weird to be that way. Well, THAT is what I aspire to be.  Off everyone's radar!  The older I get, that is my goal.  And if stores actually had stock or a selection, I'd use cash.  I went to Kohls two days ago and people had rummaged through it so bad the floors had product all over it, I had to walk around the entire isle to get to the area I needed. (still looking for socks. lol)  Some areas were so rummaged through... no one keeps up with making you want to be in a store. I walked out. I dislike Kohls anyway. I'm surprised they're still open. lol

Oh, Andrea B... that bread... looks wonderful! 

Maybe you already do so, but if not, freeze half gallons or gallons of water before a storm which will help the freezer stay cold.  Or you can pull the ice from the freezer and use it to keep the refrigerator cool.  It could also be used in a picnic cooler for eggs etc. from the fridge.  

I washed diapers by hand in 1961 when my son was born.  A couple years later my dh brought a used Maytag wringer washer home from an auction and to this day I consider that the best gift ever.  I wouldn't mind using a wringer washer except the wringer can be death on zippers and buttons.  I last used a wringer washer in 1972 when my auto washer stopped working and no money to fix it.  My dad arrived with my grandmother's wringer washer since she'd moved into an apartment.  I was washing for a family of 5 including diapers for youngest and packing house uniforms for dh.  Also, I was standing in basement that had water running through, carrying clothes up the steps to the clothesline or using lines in the basement.  The washer was the least of my problems!!

Still, I'm glad I lived through those times as it gave me great appreciation for what I gained through the years.  At one time we had two foster babies (actually 4 only 2 at a time) and had them in cloth diapers.  My friends were appalled that I didn't use disposables.  First cost and second having a washer and dryer I didn't consider cloth diapers a problem.  Having washed them by hand gave me perspective!