Romantic Survivalist

I recently celebrated my 43rd birthday!  Where does the time go?  Anyway, I was admiring the lovely gifts I received and noticed a common theme.  My gifts were either decidedly survival related or hopelessly romantic.  My people know me so well!

From Sir Knight - a beautiful 16" cast iron frying pan with lid!
Decidedly Survival

From my Dad & Mom - a Woodland Camo Tarp
Decidedly Survival

From Maid Elizabeth - A Carpet Bag.  From Dad & Mom - A lovely new hat.
Hopelessly Romantic

I have been busy doing things other than getting older, including baking and cooking for my family.  Today we made Greek Chicken Kabobs (perfect for warm summer weather) and for dessert, German Chocolate Cake Cookies.  Both of the recipes are wonderful - we highly recommend them.

I hope you are all having a lovely summer.  Enjoy!

Greek Chicken Kabobs
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon black pepper
Salt

1 red bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 green bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 large sweet onion, peeled and cut into wedges
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into cubes

In a small bow, mix together all the marinade ingredients.

In a large resealable plastic bag, place the marinade, red and green bell peppers, onion wedges and chicken.  Seal and mix to coat.  Refrigerate 4 to 24 hours.

When ready to cook, preheat grill for medium-high heat.

Discard marinade and thread the meat and vegetables onto skewers, leaving a small space between each item.

Lightly oil the grill rate.  Grill skewers for 10 minutes, turning as needed or until meat is cooked through and vegetables are tender.

(We doubled this recipe)

Ready to go onto the grill

Just off the barbee

Served on a bed of rice with garlic green beans - Yumm!!

___________________________________________

German Chocolate Cake Cookies
2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs, beaten
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 375°.

Blend the butter, both sugars, vanilla and eggs.  Add the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.  Blend until combines.  Stir in the chocolate chips, coconut and pecans.

Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets and bake for 8 to 10 minutes.  Cool on a baking rack.

Dear Discovery.....

An open letter to the Discovery Channel.

Dear Discovery Channel;

Recently, my husband and I rented one of your programs from Netflix called "The Colony". Unfortunately, Netflix had mis-categorized the show, labeling it "Reality" when clearly it should have been categorized as "Comedy".  You may want to contact Netflix and have them remedy this oversight.

We did come across a couple of technical errors we thought you might want to be made aware of, for future reference, of course.

• When fleeing a major metropolitan area in a post-apocalyptic world, no survivor in his/her right mind would hole up in an 85,000 square foot warehouse (made of tin - you could breach it with a can opener!).  For starters, a space that large is completely indefensible, not to mention tactically untenable.  
• Random survivors would not ALL happen to be wearing scarves.
• 1 Carp does not feed 10 people (with fillets) and nobody who is starving to death would think to make Orange Gravy to go over their rice.
• Goats require fodder and fresh water in order to produce milk.
• To make cheese, you must have rennet, which means there would be no more little goat (rennet is made from the stomach).
• There is not a survivalist on earth who would think that building a "dirigible" (for aerial reconnaissance) was a good idea when they were starving to death.
• Finding medications in a hospital after a plague, borders on the ridiculous.
• Finding the materials to build an electric trike, an ozantor, a working phonograph, a Tesla coil, a solar tracker for a solar array, and enough battery clamps for 20 car batteries (both lead acid and gel cell, being charged together!) is not only highly unlikely but, quite frankly, is rather comedic.
• Without a charge controller, the solar panels would have fried the batteries with the first full day of sun.
• The "generator" (made from a pressure washer and two car alternators) was turning so slowly (not enough RPM's) that it wouldn't have created more than a few amps of power - never enough to charge the batteries (oh, and the pressure washer would not have been able to run one alternator at maximum output, let alone two).
• You don't try to beat fish with a fish trap, rather you leave it in the river and let it catch fish that you then pick up on your next trip.
• You can't just dump lye, lard and herbs into a pot and get soap (by the way, where did the lard come from?  Just wondering.).  You have to stir and stir and stir until the soap saponifies and then you must let it age, otherwise the lye will burn your skin.

At this point the whole thing starts to get pretty redundant.  We won't even cover the security issues, hygiene issues and other survival basics.  Suffice it to say, had this been a real TEOTWAWKI event, your colonist would have died, quickly and horribly.  Our 7 year old summed it up when, halfway through the first episode, she asked "What are they trying to do?".  I answered "they are trying to survive the end of the world".  She said "well, they are doing it wrong".  Out of the mouths of babes!

Although I am quite certain you meant for this show to be included in the comedy section, I thought I would bring these discrepancies to your attention just in case "The Colony" had been correctly classified as Reality T.V.  

If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to call me (again).

Yours very sincerely,

Enola Gay

Paratus Familia Blog

Cast Iron Waffles

O.K., so the waffles themselves are not cast iron, but the waffle iron is!  Here is the deal - I have a love/hate relationship with waffle irons.  For years I used an ancient waffle iron that we had picked up somewhere or other.  It was rectangular and the waffle section was reversible - one side was for waffles and the other was a simple griddle.  I never used the griddle side but I made waffles all the time (they happen to be a family favorite).  When I got our waffle iron, it was ancient and over time the cord became dodgy and then dangerous.  Sir Knight (being the electrical genius that he is) rewired it and we got another 10 years out of it.  Finally, after too many waffle to count, our old waffle iron gave up the ghost.

Being preppers, we decided to step up to the plate and buy a non-electric waffle iron. Browsing through the Lehman's we found the perfect solution, or so we thought - a Teflon coated aluminum Belgian waffle iron!  Excitedly, we waited for our new waffle iron to arrive in the mail.  When it finally arrived, we decided to have a non-electric evening (this was long before we went off-grid).  Off went the lights and out came the kerosene lamps as the wood cookstove bubbled along in the living room.   Putting my cast iron griddle on low on the cookstove, I started cooking bacon.  As the bacon was cooking, I mixed up a waffle batter, set up a little cooking station next to the stove and brought out my nice, shiny waffle iron.  With great expectations, I poured the batter on the waffle iron, slid the iron over a medium fire and waited for waffle magic.  As the waffle started to smell, I turned the waffle iron over, continue to cook it and finally, having determined that the waffle was done, opened the iron, anticipating a perfectly golden, deliciously crunchy Belgian waffle.  The waffle iron wouldn't budge!  The waffle had cooked up and now held the waffle iron hostage.  No matter how I tried to cajole that waffle out of the iron, it was not to be.  In desperation, I pulled the waffle iron open and split the waffle right down the middle.  I had to scrape and scrub and scrape some more before I finally cleaned all the remnants of waffle out of my new waffle iron.  Greasing the waffle iron again (making sure to get every crack and crevice) I gave the waffle iron another try.  Nope.  Not this time either.  The waffle just seemed to bake into the waffle iron and become an impenetrable mass of baked batter.  Apparently, Teflon isn't always "no-stick"!

After attempting our fancy non-electric waffle iron innumerable times, we finally admitted defeat.  This time, we bought a shiny, beautiful new waffle iron with temperature adjustments and a whistle that sounded when the waffle was done to perfection.  Truthfully, this waffle iron was wonderful right out of the box.  It never stuck and always produced golden waffle perfection.  Until it died, that is.  One evening I planned waffles and bacon for dinner.  It was hot outside and I didn't want to heat the house up by starting the propane stove.  I started bacon, plugged in the waffle iron and proceeded to mix up the batter.  The bacon was done, the batter was ready and I opened the waffle iron.  Nothing.  It wasn't even a little bit warm.  I fussed with the temperature dial, unplugged it and plugged it back in, tried a different outlet.  Nothing!  I asked for a second opinion and Sir Knight rendered the verdict - DOA.  We had to make do with waffle pancakes (you know, pancakes made out of waffle batter) while pretending we were eating crispy, sweet waffles.

I didn't really want to buy another electric waffle iron, but the non-electric version was out of the question.  And then the solution presented itself.  The kids and I were wandering through an antique/junk store and there it was - a cast iron waffle maker!  I had seen these little beauties before but never really given them much thought until now.  Looking it over, I knew we must give it a try.

Oh, wow!  This little waffle iron is worth its weight in iron.  It did take a little experimentation and a bit of getting used to, but when you get it right, it produces the most wonderfully golden, crunchy waffles ever.  Because of the design, it can be used on a wood stove, a gas range or even over an electric burner.  Talk about versatile!

Ring base (with socket)

Half of the waffle iron

Lifted slightly and turning in the socket

The waffle iron is a three part system.  It has a ring with a socket and two waffle irons that form a ball (that fits nicely into the socket on the ring).  You place your waffle iron over your heat source, generously grease the inside of the iron, pour in batter and close the iron.  Halfway through cooking, you lift the iron slightly, (holding both handles) turn in the socket and cook the other side of the waffle.  Ingenious!  The first couple of waffles stuck on the "top" side of the waffle iron.  This was the side that I had closed down over the waffle.  The "bottom" didn't stick at all.  What I determined was that the top needed to be as hot as the bottom.  I would grease the bottom of the iron then lift and turn and grease the "top", pour in the batter and cook - that way, both the top and bottom of the iron are hot when the batter goes in.  When I employed this method, there was little, if any sticking!  The waffles just popped right out.

Just out of the iron

We are officially hooked!  I will be keeping my eye out for another cast iron waffle iron so that we can move through our breakfast a little quicker (there are 7 of us!), but I am thrilled with our newest non-electric gadget.

Being a prepper is a way of life.  Finding tools that will serve your purposes now and will also be useful if the grid goes down is like having your cake and eating it too!

Cream Waffles
2 C. flour (either white or wheat)
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar
1 3/4 C milk
2 eggs, separated and beaten
1/2 C butter, melted

Mix dry ingredients together; add milk and egg yolks.  Blend in melted butter; gently fold in stiffly beaten egg whites.  Lightly grease a heated waffle iron; add batter and heat according to waffle iron's instructions.  Makes 4 to 5 servings.  (We always double this recipe).

Breakfast is served!

Make Hay While the Sun Shines

This year, making hay while the sun shines seems to be nearly impossible!  With a constantly rotating cycle of hot, muggy days (which is totally abnormal for our area) and violent, soaking thunderstorms, our farmers have had to rely on quick decisions and an ever ready company of hay hands.

Master Hand Grenade and Miss Serenity have been on stand-by, awaiting phone calls from our neighboring farmers.  A couple of days ago, the phone calls started rolling in.  And so did the thunder.  It has been a frantic few days, trying to get the harvest in between rain storms but I am happy to report that most of the cut hay has been bailed and safely stored in the barn.  Sadly, fields all around us are filled with windrows of wet, soggy hay that is beginning to mold on the ground.  As the sky's clear, the farmers will return to the fields and turn and fluff their hay, hoping to salvage at least some hay and in turn keep their financial losses from being complete.

Keep our farmers in your prayers.  We may be in for a wild ride.

Adjusting the baler

Nothing runs like a deer!

The boss lady keeping an eye on things

Country kid transportation
(Master Hand Grenade & Miss Serenity are on the 4-wheeler)

Instructing the hay hands

Miss Serenity bucking a bale onto the stack

Master Hand Grenade bucks over the side

What's old is New

For the last couple of decades, we have rested easily in the knowledge that we had virtually eliminated most serious childhood illnesses.  No longer did we contend with Measles, Mumps or Rubella.  Whooping Cough, Scarlet Fever and even Polio has been relegated to the pages of history.  We rejoiced in our modern medicine, knowing we would never have to watch our children suffer the ravaging effects of these wasting diseases.  And then, just as we were beginning to forget even the names of our old enemies, they began to strike anew.

The CDC has just issued a warning indicating that we may be in for the worst Whooping Cough epidemic since 1959.  Now I know everybody has differing opinions as to the "why" of the recent resurgence of childhood illnesses (most believing that the un-immunizited population is at fault), but I would like to offer another theory.

As our family slogged through the Whooping Cough last fall, I had a lot of time to think about our situation and the possible causes of our predicament.  As I looked for immunization patterns in the people we knew who had the Whooping Cough, I was astonished not to be able to find any.  One family (with quite a number of children) came down with the illness.  Half of their children had been immunized and half of their children hadn't (personal choice).  Interestingly, three of their un-immunized children contracted the Whooping Cough and three of their immunized children also fell ill.  The other three children where not immunized and did not contract the disease.  The mother (who was immunized) had a terrible case (and in fact relapsed) and the father (also immunized) did not contract Whooping Cough.  The immunizations appeared to play little to no part in whether the person came down with Whooping Cough.  Interesting.

Our family was very similar.  Roughly half of us had been immunized and half had not.    One of our immunized people had the worst case of all and two of our un-immunized people had a very mild case.  Again, interesting.  Another thing to note is that we contracted Whooping Cough from some dear friends children, who had, in fact, both been immunized.  They were quite ill for months and one even developed Pneumonia.

As I nursed my family through this horrible illness, I thought a lot about the current resurgence of previously eradicated diseases.  One thing, in particular, struck me that I think is worth consideration.  In the case of Whooping Cough (Pertussis), the disease is caused by a bacteria - Bordetella Pertussis.  We know, from the fact that antibiotics become useless from improper and excess use, that bacteria can overcome our modern interventions, rendering them useless and in turn, the bacteria becomes more resilient.  That being the case, wouldn't it stand to reason that, perhaps, these crafty little bacteria have found a way around our defenses?  Couldn't they have adapted to our immunizations, gotten stronger and redoubled their efforts?  

Obviously I am no medical researcher or great scientific mind.  My theory may be so far off base as to not even be in the ball park, but, to this little country girl it seems to be just plain, old common sense.  

So, what to do.  Being the Chief Medical Officer in our family (also known as Mother) I am educating myself on various childhood diseases, learning to recognize the signs and symptoms of disease, storing equipment and medicines needed for diagnostics and treatment and preparing to care for my family in any number of medical emergencies.  Does that mean that I have all of my bases covered?  No.  I wish.  There are so many uncertainties in life that it is impossible for me to know everything and be prepared for every eventuality.  I do know that dealing with the Whooping Cough made me more aware.  It made me unspeakably thankful that I had put pen to paper and came up with "The Prepared Family Guide to Uncommon Diseases".  It made me want to further educate myself so that I can properly care for my family.  It made me realize that our old enemies haven't really been vanquished, just pushed into hiding, quietly gaining strength.

A few things we learned from our Whooping Cough experience;

• Early diagnosis is key.  The quicker you get a nose swab (yuck!) and are prescribed antibiotics, the less severe the illness.  The swab is only effective in diagnosing Pertussis in its early stages, when the disease it too far progressed the swab will give a negative test.  Although the disease will still run its course, the coughing will be greatly reduced with antibiotics.
• Fluids, fluids, fluids.   The mucus buildup with Whooping Cough is horrible.  Constant fluids are essential in thinning the mucus, making it easier to expel.
• Changing positions (from horizontal to vertical) causes massive coughing.  We found that propping our patients up (almost vertically) while they slept significantly reduced their cough spells.
• Support your coughs.  Sir Knight had particularly violent coughing spasms - violent to the point of breaking two ribs.  We came to know that placing a pillow around the front of Sir Knight's chest and having him wrap his arms around it while coughing, supporting his diaphragm, greatly reduced the rib pain and may very well have kept him from breaking ribs had we begun the support earlier.
• Pneumonia is a very common complication of Whooping Cough.  Regularly taking onion syrup and drinking lots of water (reducing mucus) will help tremendously.
• Cold air triggers coughing spasms.  Months after our bought with Whooping Cough a blast of cold air would double us over with coughing fits.
• Take it easy during recovery.  After such a long illness, you will be winded and exhausted - expect this and prepare for a long recovery.

Being forewarned is being forearmed.  Educate yourself.  Prepared.  Take the precautions that you deem necessary.  Just don't be caught unawares.  What was old seems to be new again.

Our Life in Pictures

I'm so sorry not to have been posting more, but I have been busy, busy, busy running the small business the government built for me!  We did get a few spare moments to savor the day, so here are some pictures of what is going on in our neck of the woods.

A stunning field of Canola (also known as Rape Seed)

Mac & Cheese (Quackers disappeared a few months back)

Two peas in a pod (Master Calvin and his buddy)

A Gypsy Caravan of Lemonade stand supplies and children

Miss Serenity holding everything together

The Caboose

And the thunder rolls

Thank you for your patience - I'll get back too it soon!

The Destruction of America

I will let this piece speak for itself.

Just riddle me this....What would you do if you were the devil?

This speech was broadcast by legendary ABC Radio commentator Paul Harvey on  April 3, 1965:

If I were the Devil . . . I mean, if I were the Prince of Darkness, I would of course, want to engulf the whole earth in darkness. 

I would have a third of its real estate and four-fifths of its population, but I would not be happy until I had seized the ripest apple on the tree, so I should set about however necessary to take over the United States. 

I would begin with a campaign of whispers. With the wisdom of a serpent, I would whisper to you as I whispered to Eve: “Do as you please.” “Do as you please.”   To the young, I would whisper, “The Bible is a myth.” I would convince them that man created God instead of the other way around. I would confide that what is bad is good, and what is good is “square”.  In the ears of the young marrieds, I would whisper that work is debasing, that cocktail parties are good for you. I would caution them not to be extreme in religion, in patriotism, in moral conduct. And the old, I would teach to pray. I would teach them to say after me: “Our Father, which art in Washington” . . .

If I were the devil, I’d educate authors in how to make lurid literature exciting so that anything else would appear dull an uninteresting. I’d threaten T.V. with dirtier movies and vice versa. 

And then, if I were the devil, I’d get organized. I’d infiltrate unions and urge more loafing and less work, because idle hands usually work for me. I’d peddle narcotics to whom I could. I’d sell alcohol to ladies and gentlemen of distinction. And I’d tranquilize the rest with pills. 

If I were the devil, I would encourage schools to refine young intellects but neglect to discipline emotions . . . let those run wild. I would designate an athiest to front for me before the highest courts in the land and I would get preachers to say “she’s right.” With flattery and promises of power, I could get the courts to rule what I construe as against God and in favor of pornography, and  thus, I would evict God from the courthouse, and then from the school house, and then from the houses of Congress and then, in His own churches I would substitute psychology for religion, and I would deify science because that way men would become smart enough to create super weapons but not wise enough to control them.

If I were Satan, I’d make the symbol of Easter an egg, and the symbol of Christmas, a bottle. 

If  I were the devil, I would take from those who have and I would give to those who wanted, until I had killed the incentive of the ambitious. And then, my police state would force everybody back to work. Then, I could separate families, putting children in uniform, women in coal mines, and objectors in slave camps. In other words, if I were Satan, I’d just keep on doing what he’s doing.

Paul Harvey, Good Day.

And the Winner is.....

The winner for our latest Joe Nobody book giveaway is Missy.  She was entrant number 38 and that is the number our random number generator chose for our contest winner.  Missy, shoot me you mailing information and book choice and I will see to it that Mr. Nobody gets it - he'll get a book to you soon.

Also, we have an Editor's Choice winner.  Sir Knight and I read the entry's and choose one to receive a copy of "The Prepared Family Guide to Uncommon Diseases".  This months winner is.....Able.  Able, send me your information and I will get a book in the mail to you.

Thank you - every one, who entered the contest.  We loved seeing your ideas.  

Meet here again next month!

To be a Gentlewoman

Gentleness (clemency).  God's gentleness is his grace, goodness and mercy and favors proceeding therefrom.  It applies to mildness of disposition.  It often permits intrigues.  It is opposed to harshness, severity, pride, violence and oppression.  It makes one unwilling to cause unhappiness or pain.  Gentleness prompts us to relieve want, overlook injury, restrain unkind feelings, soften severe judgement and correct ungracious manners.  It is evidence of refinement.  It is the dove-like influence that broods over and becomes guardian of one's  kindly inclinations.

____________________________________________

A sobering thought struck me as I was walking with my eldest daughter the other morning.  Womankind has lost one of her most persuasive, refining traits - the trait of gentleness.  In our current culture, women are encouraged to be aggressive.  They stand up for their rights and confront problems head-on, making no excuses.  If their children, their husband, their boss or even the sales clerk step out of line, they are quick to point out the error and demand immediate, contrite rectification.  They are commonly known as hags, nags, witches, harpies and any other number of unflattering euphemisms.  Women have gone from bringing out the best in mankind to bringing out the worst.

I, too, am guilty.  I have taken it upon myself to yell at my children (and even my husband) when they don't immediately take action when I have spoken.  I have said unkind things and reacted with an angry tongue when I am frustrated.  I have been selfish and self-centered, wanting the best all to myself.  I have been less than a gentlewoman.  But, I have been wrong.

I grew up raising horses.  I spent innumerable hours in the saddle and on the ground, training, training, training.  One thing that was instinctive, especially when dealing with a scared or unmanageable horse, was gentleness.  When a horses nostril flared and a wild look came into their eye, the first thing I did was lower my voice, talk soothingly and very gently stroke their face, neck and shoulder.  I whispered softly, moved slowly, and spoke to my charge of their strengths and unmatched character.  With undemanding gentleness, I would bring my steed back to a place of reason and from there, we would move to the task at hand, steady and strong.  Gentleness was my unfailing friend.

What a different outcome there would have been had I not been trained in gentleness.  Had I yelled at a wild eyed horse, I may very well have been trampled.  Had I hit a scared animal, the consequences may have been dire.  Most certainly, I would not have gained the confidence of the animal I was working with and would never have had the opportunity to guide that horse to its full potential.

Therein lies the key. Gentleness.  When I respond to my husband, my children or any person in my life with gentleness, I have the opportunity to speak into their lives.  A gentle word can turn away wrath and change the outcome of an argument.  A soothing voice can calm an explosive situation.

Throughout history, women have been a calming, refining influence.  Their gentleness and grace elevated mankind, bringing forth the best qualities while discouraging the base.  Men have been willing to fight and die on blood filled moors to defend their gentlewomen of honor.

Are we those same women?  Do we elevate our men and our children?  Are we a calming, gentling influence or does our very presence ignite strife?  To be a gentlewoman is to be a woman of persuasion, of influence.

Ladies, we can change our world.  Through our gentleness and grace we can change the course of our history.  Our gentle words can turn away wrath and our humility and grace can guide the feet of our children.  We may not be able to reform our country but we can reform our families.  Oh, to be a gentlewoman.

A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.

Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.

Proverbs 14 & 15

Homegoing

Independence Day means different things to different people.  When I think of our forefathers declaring their independence, I think their motivations were far greater than casting off the constraints of a distant monarch.  I believe they were answering the call buried deep in the heart of every man - the call of home.

The patriarchs of this nation longed for a place in this world.  They dreamt of fertile fields and the familiarity of hearth and home.  They wanted a legacy to leave to their posterity and they were willing to sacrifice their lives to ensure a homeland for future generations.  Because of the vision of these wise men, we became countrymen rather than colonists.  We became a people with a home.

To celebrate Independence Day, Sir Knight, the kids and I went home.  These are the mountains that Sir Knight and I would love to call home (actually, we do call them home - our house just isn't there).  We marveled at the beauty all around us and considered the men whose vision gave us a country to call home.  We spent our time in fellowship with our parents, riding 4-wheelers, breaking bread and just being together.  Immersed in God's great creation, we where home.....

Flowers reflected in our slow moving creek

My guys preparing their First Line gear

The patriarch "barking" out orders

My crew

Leaders of our clan

Getting ready to rumble

Surveying our location

Checking out an alpine pond

Our back yard

Part of the clan

Sir Knight getting a better look at the terrain

Oops, a little high-centered
Miss Serenity hooking up the winch cable

The Matriarch with her treasures

Not only did our forefathers fight for our independence, they fought for a place to call home.  Let us be ever vigilant in our defense of all that we hold dear.  Let us make sure that our children have a place to call home.