Penny is really getting into the natural medicines and herbal remedies of the past. Today she wanted to share some of what she has learned and some of the information she has gathered. The subject is so huge that one podcast cannot cover everything, so expect more podcasts on natural medicines in the future. Natural antibiotics seemed like a great topic to start on with. This is a priority in prepping, because man-made prescription meds will be difficult to obtain if systems break down. Antibiotics are so important in health care, but are unfortunately extremely over prescribed. Not only are they over prescribed for humans but pumped excessively into the foods we consume, especially meat. Plus over exposure to anti bacterial soaps, lotions and all the other trendy stuff, has weakened our natural resistance to microbes and made the microbes more resistant to the cures. Not so with natural cures; even though they may take a little longer to work, natural cures boost your immune system and cures what ails ya.
For those who believe in the " grow what you'll use" philosophy, take the time to look at the page I put up called Historic Bethabara Medicinal Gardens. Spend a few minutes reading about the gardens and what they grew. You will really love it and I think you'll get a lot out of it and maybe you can incorporate some of the ideas into your own garden. Penny loves to go there and think, she says she can hear "the echos of past lives". I'll bet you'll find some familiar things there too.
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Next Monday the 21st will be exactly 2 years from the Mayan calendar end of times date. No matter what you believe will happen at that time, no one can dispute the current changes we are seeing in the world today. Political, environmental, economic and social disruptions are unfolding at an exponentially increasing rate. Events are at point that trying to follow them all is impossible, just trying to be aware of everything is becoming nearly as tough. I have just resigned myself to the fact that what I need to know will come to my attention. I remain committed to bringing you everything that I find credible and relevant. You on the other hand must make a commitment to prepare yourselves for the upcoming changes. This will be my main focus in the times ahead, helping you to help yourselves.
The podcast today is another in a series Called 10 Basics for Crisis Survival - for 2012 and Beyond Penny and I started recently. Medical and first aid knowledge and a well stocked medical cabinet will be important to you when systems start to break down. The common trip to the doctor, emergency room or Veterinarian may become increasingly difficult and once again you will be forced to rely on your preps and knowledge. I think that adding a few books on first aid to your library would be a big help too. As always make sure to adapt our information to your needs, otherwise your preps won't be of the greatest benefit to you personally.
A short note from Penny….
Hello my friends. I just wanted to add a couple things to Dennis' post. First remember to hold tight to your family and when things get crazy focus on what is best for them and you. Next pay attention to how you would cope during a medical emergency learn how to care for basic needs until help arrives. Finally relax in your learning don't get tense or scared, there is no reason, because the most important thing is to enjoy your life regardless of what is happening around you. Don't suck the life out of your life; and remember to laugh daily. Check out the books we have below, you'll find them to be a great addition to your prepping tools. Hugs, Penny
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The holidays tend to put me in a mellow sort of mood. I guess, for me it is a time of hope and healing. Now though, is not the time to slack off my prepping because I am feeling the moods of the holidays. More than ever I should be increasing and focusing on getting ready for the storm on the horizon.
One big thing I am doing this year is slashing my gift budget. I refuse to go into debt with credit cards and at this point it would be insane. Penny and I have worked so hard on reducing our debt. For Christmas this year we have decided to give just a few meaningful gifts, not our typical wow gifts of the past like everyone got used to, practical and useful is the theme this year. Instead of wows I am sure there might be some "uh… this is nice" politeness's and that's okay.
You see, I have grown past the "need to please" in the last few years. My Christmas gift goal is to bring the awareness of prepping to my friends and family who are not doing anything to change their lifestyle and to add to the the preps of those who are. I feel very strongly about the need to change the way we as a people live our lives. The madness of unbridled consumerism is destroying us both individually and collectively. The Christmas holiday season is the most blatant, in your face example of this and has been for decades.
Gerald Celente of the Trends Research Institute, predicts that the most popular gift of Christmas 2010 will be food. I think the most popular gift this year should be the gift of producing and storing and preserving our own food. Everything from garden tools and seeds to books, canning supplies and dehydrators. We need to learn to provide for ourselves again and eliminate our dependence on others. Below is a list of some of my favorite links for shopping this year. Happy shopping and Happy Holidays!
Seeds and Garden Supplies:
Non Hybrid Survival Seed Bank
Henry Fields Seed and Nursery
Arbico Organics
Yardiac.com
Cooking, Storing and Preserving:
Cooking.com
The Shelving Store
KitchenSource.com
Books and DVD's:
Four Season Harvest
All New Square Foot Gardening
Carrots Love Tomatoes
Be prepared for the coming food shortage.
2010 will be the year Penny and I purchase our land, our "little piece (or peace) of heaven"! We have been thinking a lot about how to make the transition from our present home to the land as painless and hassle-free as possible. Penny has been researching ways to have a temporary home on the acreage while we build our forever home. During this research many types of solutions have come to light, been discussed and most… eliminated. Everything from living in a tent for six months to a year (not for us!) to shipping container homes.
Our reason for a temporary home instead of the easy "stay in the present home and wait till the new home is built" is based on the fact that we do not have the deep pockets needed for that. We refuse to add any new debt to our lives and will pay as we go. We want to own our land, the buildings, and everything else outright. No more enslavement to a cold, cruel creditor. To us, the short term discomfort and disruption of our lifestyle is worth it because we know that in the end freedom will be worth it.
By our calculations of the mortgage payments we make every month, the house we want to build will be completed and fully paid for in two years. That is if the house we are now in is eliminated and the payments are put to building the new home. I heard on the CBS news last night that home prices were up 0.3% for the third quarter this year. WOW… I got all warm and fuzzy when I heard that. They were so happy about it. Good times are here again! The report then went on to say that at this rate it would take 10 to 15 years for those folks who are under water with their mortgages to get back to where they were.
Now Penny and and I didn't get hurt on the "housing bubble burst" as some folks, but we are smart enough to know during these times, if you have a mortgage at all, that we could be living in a money pit and that is unacceptable! Many, many good people are choosing to, or have been forced to, just walk away from their homes and take the credit hit. At least then they can start to rebuild their lives and recover. I commend people that make these types of harsh choices - they will come through victorious on the end! We are lucky that right now we won't have to walk away from our home in order to pay the mortgage. When the time is right we are going to sell it and maybe get a little of the equity back. Rest assured though; either way, we won't take a loss because, that will be the time for drastic measures.
The podcast we bring you today is important to the 2012 end of the world scenario in that you can prep for any upcoming change. Penny has tried to bring you alternative shelters for a quick bug out or get home situation and goes all the way to a semi permanent shelters you can use for long term living. Like I mentioned above we are seriously considering shipping container living to get onto our land inexpensively and quickly.
Here are some links to give you some ideas for creative container living:
10 ideas
Container bay
Zero Cabin
Bob Vila
Green building
ISBU Association
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I am sooo happy today. The realty of looking ahead to 2013 has really hit me. It has been my desire to live simply for a long time and even though I have been moving ahead for some time the pace has been rather slow. However, a few recent events have made me decide to accelerate my plans.
Looking ahead to the wonderful transformation of 2013 for me is living like every day counts. Because it does!
Don't get caught up in the 2012 fears. Yes, prepare for your family's safety and growth but look ahead to the rebirth, the magic that will come with 2013. It's a magical time to be alive right now - you are living history. Treat yourself to the gift of change. Relax, let out a good belly laugh, hug your neighbor (that should shock them) and be glad to be part of this wonderful time.
Thanks for listening. Penny
