Our world has become one of specialization. In the last century or so ever since credit has been made so plentiful and readily available, businesses have sprung up that can provide a person with everything he or she wants and more. Not having to do everything ourselves now, because there is surely some business segment that can do it for us cheaper and in a more timely manner than we could do it ourselves (usually), we have gradually forgotten or possibly never even learned some of the most basic survival skills. Being so specialized ourselves has not only afforded us the capability to become in demand to employers, but also to have room for more leisurely activities, since only having to get really good at a particular skill or skill set makes it so that we can have more money to spend on other things that the other “specializers” have to offer.

So now, in the name of convenience, efficiency, and leisure, we are lulled into a certain sense of security, and it becomes a “hardship” on us to have to even consider food and water storage. There are various and sundry distractions to keep us from having to deal with such a basic need that is at present provided for us in every way, shape and form imaginable. Besides that, why would the way things are now ever change, and we be somehow “thrown back” to yesteryear when members of society had to rely more fully on our own resources to feed themselves?

Thinking things will not change is very analogous to thinking that nothing bad could happen to me. It is very common to the human psyche. Disaster is always a distant thought, and one that doesn’t seem very pertinent to our present reality. It’s a bit like death. We know it is a possibility, but we don’t normally ruminate upon it, because that could hamper our progress. But we should not completely ignore it, either. And the heartache that follows misfortune of almost every kind is never worth the effort and/or resources that were not spent preparing and possibly preventing catastrophes, or at least preventing the worsening aftereffects. This is precisely why future possible disasters and catastrophic scenarios should be payed attention to — because they can happen. Not because they will necessarily, but that the value of being prepared for an event that would trigger the need for food storage and water storage is greater by far than the value of our time or money that could be spent elsewhere. Doesn’t the value of survival surpass any of our leisure activities and the value of other material things? Ironically, we need to survive to enjoy those things.

Food storage will help us to survive. It looks more and more likely all of the time that it will be needed at some point in our lifetimes. Events in our society that we could not have even imagined happening have already transpired. Truth is stranger than fiction. Food storage could become more valuable than anything tangible that you possess.

Related Posts:

Emergency Food Storage: Why All the Fuss?
Disaster Survival- Food for Thought and Belly
Emergency Food Storage Essentials
Emergency Food: Your Saving Grace

James speaks of all of the distractions that prevent us being prepared for whatever type of emergency or disaster that is becoming ever more plausible for us to face, regardless of our “it couldn’t happen to me” mindset.  He speaks of our societal practice of by and large living from hand to mouth.  Much of this is derived from our interdependence and affluence/prosperity.  Our self reliance is in large measure voluntarily left by the wayside because we are able to store value.  Money is a store of value, and it allows us the freedom to specialize in something and in many ways to expect that others will specialize in the something else’s that we want.  Instead of exchanging directly our goods or services for that which we want or need, we can remove ourselves from trade and bartering, which may become an inconvenience if a would-be trading partner doesn’t need or want what we have to offer.

Were we to have to trade/barter for that which we wanted and needed, we would likely be much more self reliant because of the hassle of either not finding someone who wanted or needed what we had to offer in exchange for the item they offered that we found so much utility in, or alternatively we may not often get a “fair” trade, falling short of our asking price.  We would probably then do our best to become a Jack of More Trades, instead of merely a Jack Squat.

I’m all for money, don’t get me wrong.  I love the conveniences and abundance that life offers because of a medium of exchange, and for the simple fact that I can concentrate and focus my efforts in becoming very good at what I do, not requiring me to spend time to be able to excel in every single area.  But has money and the freedom are carelessness that it affords caused me to disregard my personal responsibility as it relates to my survival, especially in a disaster?  To some extent, most people are guilty of this.

During the current economic downturn, there have been those that were once princes who are now paupers.  Reveling in the excesses that were afforded them during boom times, they risked much and have paid dearly.  Some have risked so much that they will never catch up or return to their former station in life, economically speaking.  Imagine those who were looking forward to retirement who will now have to work far beyond what they formerly expected to.  To help calm their ill and unsettled feelings over the whole mess many rationalize along with the media that nobody could have seen it coming.  Common sense proves otherwise.  There were warning signs stacked up miles high as far as the contrarians were concerned.  But as once “Princely” CEO put it—“When the music stops, in terms of liquidity, things will be complicated.  But as long as the music is playing, you’ve got to get up and dance.  We’re still dancing.” (Chuck Prince, former CEO of Citigroup)  Sure, throw caution to the wind, and mortgage your future.  Sounds a lot like the scriptural passage: “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.”  Contrarians pick out these subtle signals and are prepared far in advance, recognizing clear patterns from history, and not being a victim of thinking that history will not repeat itself this time because, as a professor once told me in regards to there not being another Great Depression, “The Fed is so much more sophisticated.”

Closer to home, were you prepared for the economic fallout, a disaster type that COULD HAVE been averted (collectively and individually)?  Were you over-leveraged in your investments (home included), living a lavish lifestyle, or did you live within your means?  Was a credit card your vice?

Some of those who now live in tent cities strewn across the country’s landscape once had it good, and now regret their prodigal life and not having set aside what they could have for a rainy day.  What many of us did have in times of prosperity could have easily been shaved off the top and sacrificed by saving for more meager circumstances, in many cases EVEN WITHOUT having to give up special occasional indulgences to satisfy our need for the niceties of life.

Realizing that most disasters are likely brought upon ourselves by ourselves (directly or indirectly), is it too late to change?  Absolutely not!  James points out that an awakening can and is happening.  I believe that money can be transformed from being our master by enslaving us (excessive debt) to being our servant by being used as a tool.  We can invest it in the only true form of wealth—the precious metals, which are not so much a hedge against inflation as they are a hedge against mismanaged government.  And in the meantime, we can become more fulfilled by learning life sustaining self reliant skills, having food storage, and practicing emergency preparedness principles so that no matter which kind of disaster we may face, natural disaster, human-caused or personal disaster, we can confidently come out the victor, living through it to see another day!  Don’t let money be your distraction, disguising the fact that all of what is now available will not always be.

Related Posts:

Disaster Survival- Food for Thought and Belly
The Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Survival Readiness Pyramid
Food Storage: Enough and More (Plus Earthquake Proofing)
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You see, a woman wants a man that can DIY.  Actually it would be DIH (do-it-himself).  She doesn’t want a man who throws self reliance to the wind, and just wears cool stuff and acts snobbish, calling in the professionals for even small and simple tasks.  What she really wants is a man to hold onto his round-tuit and get around to it more often!

If you want to know if you measure up in the DIY department, you won’t usually have to wonder for very long.  Women have a way of letting you know if you aren’t responding to their requests in time, and if your chores are performed sufficiently.  I can tell my wife’s measurement of my performance by the geometric angles on her face that come and go from time to time.  She doesn’t have to speak.

If you don’t know how to do something when your wife asks, feign like you know exactly how to do it, that you’ll get right to it as soon as you complete something else extremely important, and then hurry and use all the resources you can get your hands on to learn the skill or technique that she is requiring of you.  Then get on it ASAP!  You can keep the peace a lot better this way.

Self reliance is a wonderful topic.  It comes in handy right when you need it.  But if you procrastinate, it can be too late when faced with an emergency.  I procrastinated a long time on these vole holes in my yard because it wasn’t an emergency.  Besides, if you let it go on for a while, and pansy around for a bit, then when you completely knock it out, you can tell your wife you decided it was time for the big guns, and that you weren’t going to mess around anymore.  Then she’ll know that when it comes down to do-or-die situations, you got her back.  Kind of like Shaq.  Like he always says, he makes the free throws when it counts! You can never be so cavalier about safety and getting ready for disasters, mind you.

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Self Reliance: Increase Hose Pressure
Food Storage: Wild Game Meat
Outdoor Survival: Fire Starting With a Flashlight!
Food Storage: Bottling Juice and Fruit
Self Reliance: Do-It-Yourself Projects

Why would I be writing with an antagonistic voice about an “epidemic” that is supposedly so pervasive and potentially fatal, when I could just as easily join the bandwagon and attempt to peddle my wares, cashing in on the whole over inflated scare from this emergency preparedness/food storage blog?

Oh, believe you me, I will attempt to sell you something, and you should make a discerning judgment for yourself, independently, whether or not my motivations for doing so are genuine and sincere.  But what I am not selling you is a bunch of nonsensical, ballyhooed, fear mongering hype with a capital “V” for vaccination.

Goodness, gracious, great balls of fire– we were warned of such impending doom with utterances of the “P” word (pandemic) almost even before the there were a dozen or so identified case of Swine Flu (with the more official terminology being a formal-sounding H1N1) passing beyond the borders of Mexico.  Now that the scare has fizzled somewhat in the minds of the masses, the media swoops in to remind us of the potential of a vengeful comeback that will predictably serve up a worse fate than the mild and timid Swine Flu Debut.

A careful, logical, and prudent look inside the phenomenon reveals that the potential danger from the propagandized Swine Flu is nearly equal that of other severe or less than severe flus, generally speaking.  The deaths that have resulted from this fairly new strain of flu are regrettable, but should be mourned in similar fashion to any other death resulting from like causes.  The point being, death should not be minimized in any way, shape, or form regardless of the circumstances, and the Swine Flu is no more, no less a killer than many other flu strains.

For a lengthy period, even years beforehand, the public had been conditioned for the response that has been achieved with this latest large scale outbreak.  The Bird Flu (Avian Flu) had been written about, talked about, and publicized through the various media outlets.  Our trust in the prognosticators has deepened because of our unconscious “remembering” (though many have forgotten on the conscious level) of the warnings sounded at least a few years in advance by some of the brightest scientists, and the repetitive nature of echoes sounding from the walls of officials of our health.

The war cry against this morbid marauder is almost as trendy as “Got Milk?”  “Got Vaccine?” has been used in other campaigns and may as well be used here, too, with the way it is being presently “advertised”.

A vaccination is no assurance against contracting a communicable disease.  The only way to become truly immune to anything is to be exposed naturally to its influence.  Stating this is not to advocate that we should prophylactically expose ourselves to cause our immune system to graciously bestow upon us the gift of immunity.  Rather there are other ways that we can enhance the functioning of an already capable immune system to ward off the intrusion of unwanted disease.  These include some of the things that we as Americans sometimes have an aversion to (I’m just as guilty as the next person) like exercise, healthy eating habits, and dietary supplements.  Furthermore, is it worth introducing foreign materials and the attenuated (weakened) influenza virus into the bloodstream?  Here are some quotes taken directly from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) website http://www.cdc.gov/FLU/about/qa/nasalspray.htm:

“Who can be vaccinated with the nasal-spray flu vaccine LAIV (FluMist®)? LAIV (FluMist®) is approved for use in healthy* people 2-49 years of age who are not pregnant.”

And here is the *: “* ‘Healthy’ indicates persons who do not have an underlying medical condition that predisposes them to influenza complications.”

Why the worry about giving this vaccination to people who are deemed to be unhealthy, and predisposed to influenza complications?  Wait, why would there be influenza complications, it’s a vaccine, right?  I have in years past and being healthy, two years in a row before doing my own research on vaccinations, submitted to getting vaccinations for the seasonal flu virus. Both times I got the flu directly after receiving the vaccination. Coincidence? No, it was mere hours after receiving the vaccinations that I came down with the flu that lasted a few days both times.

Also from the CDC website: “What side effects are associated with the nasal-spray flu vaccine LAIV (FluMist®)? In children, side effects can include runny nose, headache, wheezing, vomiting, muscle aches, and fever. In adults, side effects can include runny nose, headache, sore throat, and cough. Fever is not a common side effect in adults receiving the nasal-spray flu vaccine.”

Folks, if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, looks like a duck, let’s just call it for what it is, a duck, or in other words the flu. In other words, it’s common to get a milder version of the flu as a side effect, and if you’re unlucky, although they don’t admit to it, you’re in for worse. Why wouldn’t they promote the vaccination for people who have an underlying condition that “predisposes them to influenza complications”? Probably because it could cause the person’s health to take a dive. But we trust that if we are “healthy” that this type of invasion won’t affect us, or is the lesser of two evils?” How do we know if we are “healthy” or “healthy enough”? It’s simply too hard to tell, and you rarely hear of the terrible and fatal reactions to vaccinations in the news. It doesn’t get the coverage. Why spread that around when the “greater good” is supposedly served?

At what point does this whole promotion of the flu vaccine push get to sounding a bit sketchy? Maybe when they can’t decide how many doses you need, or when they change their minds?

Again from the CDC site: “Children who only get one dose but who need two doses can have reduced or no protection from a single dose of flu vaccine. Two doses are necessary to protect these children.”

So why is two the magic number? Will the magic number change? And what happens between the first and the end of the second received dosages that all of a sudden grants the coveted “immunity” from H1N1? Or, are they really just not sure, and are just putting up their best guess? You decide, as for me the H1N1 vaccine is better left alone.

Other ways of taking on the responsibility of looking after your own health, instead of looking for an easy route that could do more harm than good, are to exercise regularly (I like to walk; and I’m sure I could use even a “heartier” form, but I do what I can). It can’t hurt to cut down on your sugars in your diet. It’s not about anything than what most people already know. Eat a variety of healthful foods, especially fruits and vegetables. Take dietary supplements that boost the immune system. Perform random and deliberate acts of kindness. What? Yes, smile and help other people, this will cheer you and enhance the functioning of your immune system.

It’s not too hard to figure out, once you decide to take back the responsibility and live a healthy life of prevention. And then if you get the Swine Flu, it will likely only brush by you, and not cause any catastrophic harm, just like any other flu you’ve ever had.

Related Posts:

Emergency Preparedness: Physical Fitness
Which Vitamins Should I Put in My Food Storage?
Might You Possibly Perish Without Enough of These in Your Emergency Survival Supplies?
A Simple Sample of an Emergency Food Storage Solution

How can running a marathon be part of emergency preparedness?

Well, have you ever tried to run away from your wife when she’s chasing after you with a frying pan?  That’s a real emergency!  You can’t go as fast if your only excercise has been lifting your hand to your mouth to insert potato chips (and sometimes blinking your eyes so they don’t dry out).

Actually, my wife has never chased after me with a frying pan or anything else, though she may have wanted to.  Let’s talk about some of the real reasons why someone would want to be physically fit for an emergency.

You see, my buddy, Hyrum Oaks, who runs the Utah Valley Marathon, is a great example to me (like all the commas?).  He is in good physical condition!  If he were ever in the outdoors, and someone in his party was in danger because of an accident and they couldn’t move, he could hightail it down the mountainside and get to within cell phone calling distance in no time.  That’s because my buddy Hyrum has trained for a marathon.  He has endurance.  He has discipline.  He trains hard, and he is ready physically and mentally for emergency situations that call upon his physical fitness stamina.  Kudos to Hyrum and all you other marathon runners.  My buddy T.J. and my other friend Julie also run like the wind.  Maybe they will light a fire underneath my sad rump some day, and I will get motivated to run a marathon and lose some weight in the training process.

Let me tell you about another friend of mine.  My buddy, Dr. Roger Lewis, is a quite an inspiration (BTW, his son is Chad Lewis, of Philadelphia Eagle football fame.  Methinks Chad got some of his courage and strength from his dad, Roger.).  He started his marathon running career in 1978 when I was 4 years old.  He ran the Deseret Marathon twice and the Boston Marathon once.  The way he got inspired to take on the grueling challenge of a marathon is of special intrigue.

Dr. Lewis watched a movie called “See How She Runs” starring Joanne Woodward.  In the movie she was a normal, ordinary housewife who got it in her head that she wanted to run a marathon.  Well, run a marathon she did, and though she didn’t finish before the sun went down and the endtape for the finish line was long removed, her beloved husband was at the finish to greet her and congratulate her with the car headlights shining their beams as a beacon for her.

Roger thought if she could do it, “I sure can.”  So he did what any thinking man would do, and subscribed to Runner’s World and followed their training programs.  He started training with his internist doctor friend, Lyman Moody, running every Saturday morning.

One other inspiration for Roger was an article he read in Reader’s Digest in the late 60′s by an aerobics expert.  The article said to measure the distance for how far you could run in 12 minutes, and by that you could tell if you were a poor runner, average, good, or very good.  Roger got a score of “average” and thought to himself, “I’m a doctor, and doctors aren’t average at anything!”

Roger’s first marathon finish time was 3 hours and 24 minutes.  He bettered that in the Boston marathon to 3 hours and 6 minutes.  He wanted to break his 3 hour barrier in his third marathon, but he weighed in at 3 hours and change again.  He figures the diahrrea may have had something to do with slowing him down.

The Boston Marathon is relatively flat.  Roger feels that the “Heartbreak Hill” is rather like a wimpy mole hill compared to the Deseret Marathon’s “foot-slapping” real down hill terrain.   After running the Deseret Marathon he would have to make sure there was a firm chair beneath him in order for him to be able to collapse into because his thighs were so sore.  Not so with El Bostonio.

Roger defined for himself the definition of running: a better than 7 minute mile; jogging was a 9 minute mile. He continued trying to better a 7 minute mile so that he could break his 3 hour barrier, but finally decided there was diminishing returns with his efforts, and that he would run for the “health of it”  from there on out.

Roger continued running with his buddies, and found his time getting to more than 10 minute miles, and he couldn’t keep up with his motley crew.  He was diagnosed with endocarditis, with a hematocrit of about 33.  He suffered a stroke in 1990, but even after that he still forged ahead with physical fitness training, and although he can’t run a marathon, he did take on Mount Timpanogos, and became “King of the Hill,” cresting it’s peak with a rope tied around him so he wouldn’t fall off (due to the effects of the stroke) one day in 2001.

If you really want to be prepared for the disasters, catastrophes, and emergencies that life throws at you, learn a thing or two from a courageous example like I have pointed out above.  You probably won’t really realize how far out of shape you are until you are forced into action to take care of an emergency by your own resources, including your body’s strength, energy, and endurance.  True, some people have such an adrenaline rush that they can lift a car if need be.  But you can’t count on that.  You need to be exercising daily, preparing in advance, and maybe like my friend T.J., go out for the Iron Man!

Related Posts:

Emergency Preparedness: Vital Emergency Supplies
Are You Down With the H1N1 (Swine Flu) Propaganda?
Financial Preparedness: Why Gold?
The Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Survival Readiness Pyramid

Folks, sometimes we gotta do what we gotta do. In this economy, the unemployment rate is going up, the savings rate is going up, and your paycheck isn’t going up. The government is doing what it can to get people to spend (sorry if you missed out on “Cash for Clunkers”) by stimulating and restimulating. If you are a first time home buyer there is a tax credit of $8,000. You were even subsidized for watching the boob tube by the coupons that were doled out for digital. I don’t think the government is helping out this recession/depression, and the banks are crying foul over people actually holding some of their money back instead of spending it all and more. What is wrong with frugality and paying down some debt? It’s good for you, but bad for the creditor who wants to enslave you indefinitely. They don’t want you to see the light at the end of the tunnel, preferring that you continue being a debtor indefinitely and lining their rich pockets.

So it may be hard for you to even want to consider gathering a full year’s food storage supply. Especially when money is tight, and you worry about job security. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, hold your horses. Remember, this is one of the most secure assets you can have. What happened to your 401(k) in the downturn? You probably lost nearly 50%, and you’ll need to gain 100% to recover your losses. You buy food and store it, it is real and not paper, and you can eat it to stay alive. You needn’t worry about volatile food prices like the oncoming wave of inflation that will hit after this hiccup of disinflation that we’ve had. The prices of gold and silver are giving you an early indication of what will eventually happen to food prices. If seeing gold recently (in the last few days) exceed the $1,000 price per ounce doesn’t give you a swift kick in the pants to wake up, than you may be eternally sleeping.

I’m going to relate to you a simple and straightforward way of taking on some extra “work” so that you will be able to afford building up your food storage supply slowly (or quickly, you decide) over time. I am not just talking out my rear end here. I have participated in what I am about to outline for you in the following paragraphs. It’s fun, it will help you to reach your honorable objective of putting away food in your food storage, and about anyone can do it if they really want to.

I have been a Mystery Shopper now for nearly a year. I consider myself experienced because of the good reputation I have built with the companies I contract to work for. It’s a serious business that if you should decide to participate in, you should give it your all and do your best. You will be helping the economy by reporting on the goings-on of the various establishments you will evaluate, thus allowing for their improvement in their service and product delivery. This is an independent contractual relationship that I have entered into with the various mystery shopping companies I have signed up with. I am Silver certified with the (MSPA) Mystery Shopping Providers Association. It is quite simple to get started. You don’t have to be certified to begin as a Mystery Shopper. But by becoming certified, you add to your credibility and get more of the premium jobs. I have eaten out at various restaurants, stayed overnight in hotels, and gone to amusement parks. I was even involved in a forensics assignment that made me feel like I was a secret agent—and got paid $300 dollars for a few hours work! Once I got paid $150 to pose as a credible buyer of a Ferrari! I’m not exaggerating here, but I have put in time and dedication. It’s not all fun and games. I am providing a much needed service. In this down economy mystery shopping has actually picked up. And there is a real need to recruit more mystery shoppers. Businesses need to know from the mystery shopper what it is that needs to be modified in order that they may thrive and bring in new customers while retaining old ones.

When I started mystery shopping, I fell head over heels taking all of the jobs that flooded my email inbox, after I got obsessive compulsive and signed up with over 40 different companies. This helped me to establish myself, and show I was willing to do the work and do it well. I am now more selective in the shops I take, which is always at your discretion. You accept or decline any of the jobs. You are not obligated in any way until you sign up for a job. Then you must follow through.

Earning a bit of extra cash every month is a rush, especially if you can earmark it for something that you weren’t quite able to “afford” before, like food storage. Discipline yourself to save and spend this money only for food storage and nothing else. You will feel good about yourself by sticking to your objective, and you will feel more secure in your emergency preparedness efforts. Having a year’s supply of food storage is a real asset in uncertain times like these.

Only take on those mystery shopping jobs you have time for. Chip away at it, and you will find it is fun and worthwhile, because while you are helping the merchants learn what they need to from your reports, you are sometimes getting free stuff and being compensated for your time and quality work, furthering yourself to that goal of a year’s supply of food storage. You never know when you will need to draw upon food storage, and rotating it out as you go along will keep its freshness.

If you just did 5 mystery shops a month that paid an average of $10 per shop, and worked it into your normal, everyday routine by going to establishments that were on your route anyway, you would be $50 closer to a year’s supply of food storage! Once you get momentum on your side, and you feel this gig fits you, you can really get the ball rolling. Food storage, baby, here you come! Oh, and don’t forget to spice things up and reward yourself along the way by taking a few of the “reimbursement only” shops like some restaurants are. Let me say that I have never once had an issue of not being paid for my work or receiving reimbursement.

The caution is this: don’t sign up for a mystery shopping outfit that charges you money! You are the one that is supposed to be making the money, not them sucking it out of you, leaving you with only promises. Any reputable mystery shopping company will not charge you for being a mystery shopper. You are an independent contractor, not someone investing in some hyped sham. An easy way to avoid any problems is to check and make sure they are part of the MSPA. I will say that some of them require you make a purchase and reimburse you later. I have a separate credit card for my work as a mystery shopper. Again, I have never had any problems receiving payment from the companies aligned with the MSPA.

It is very easy to get a start in the mystery shopping world. Businesses that you pass by every day are using the services of mystery shoppers and you didn’t even know it. You’ll be excited once you become a mystery shopper and discover some of the exciting projects in your locale.

Ultimately, make a year’s supply of food storage your goal. As you mystery shop your heart out (and there are tons of available shops if you live near an urban area, believe me), watch as you apply your earnings to an ample food storage how it grows and grows like Jack’s been stalk. How can you lose in a worthy venture like this?

According to the comments I receive on this post, I will gauge what additional elements I will fill readers in on about the mystery shopping experience. Ask questions if you have them, any suggestions about specific mystery shopping topics will be entertained for application in future posts. What do you want to know? Would you like to know the best companies to work for? Generally which types of shops are reimbursement only, and which are cash payment? Ask away!

Related Posts:

Might You Possibly Perish Without Enough of These in Your Emergency Survival Supplies?
L.D.S. Food Storage: M&M’s (Myths and Misconceptions)
Emergency Food Storage Essentials
Adding to Your Emergency Food Storage- Building Without Burdening (That’s a Promise!)

We join Papa Bear on his journey out of the cave today.  He and his cub and grandcub follow him out to his territory where he has a grand spread of land that he uses for self reliance gardening purposes.  You have probably heard how much bears like berries.  Watch to see how Papa Bear trains his berries.  In the past Papa has also kept bees on his territory like any smart bear would.  Much of his produce goes into jars for food storage back in the cave.  It’s one big Circle of Life.  Out in the territory to nurture what the land offers and back to the cave to store for future use.  The process repeats itself indefinitely.  In the video you also see how Papa Bear takes care of his young, giving a generous offering of corn to the cubs.  Papa is very much self reliant, and explains how he beautifies his surroundings to attract more serenity and tranquility into his life.  Papa has always done a wonderful job in securing beautiful living arrangements.  The Qi (pronounced Chi) flows through his creations bringing forth good feelings.  His daughter-in-cub calls it good Feng Shui.

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Papa Bear got visited again– this time in his cave (food storage room).  In his cave he shows the way that food storage enough and more should be stored and by what means we can use to protect it.  Papa is an extremely well organized patriarch of his home.  You can tell this by how everything is so neat and orderly.  And Papa doesn’t just stop at the food storage either.  He has more than just a good appetite and his cave is well equipped with survival supplies– he has all the bells, whistles, and other options that any good luxury cave should come with.  Believe me, he doesn’t just consider this a hibernating cavern.  He keeps the temperature Popsicle cool in here, providing an atmosphere were the food storage items will last for years and years.  Is Papa Bear being extreme in his food storage and emergency preparedness efforts?  We think not.  He is surely looking out for a few other bears besides himself.  We are fortunate as his cubs to have learned from him, and hope that the contents of his preparedness mind have been genetically inherited to a great extent.

Related Posts:

The Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Survival Readiness Pyramid
Emergency Food Storage Essentials
Adding to Your Emergency Food Storage- Building Without Burdening (That’s A Promise!)
The Water Storage Part of an Effective Food Storage and Emergency Preparedness Program

Yesterday I had an opportunity to interview a real-live “King of Fun.” Although this king is a modest one, he has the Midas touch; almost everything he touches turns to gold. Just ask his grandchildren! And take a view of the video below. He rather prefers to be called “Papa Bear.” By whatever name, he’s still the same– the fun he provides will rock your world! His grandchildren and children can tell you story after story of the fun and memories they’ve created with him. Like the Berenstein Bears Papa Bear story, “The Bike Ride,” he sometimes (but hardly ever) teaches you how not to do things, but by design. Almost always his lessons about life and living are carefully built and constructed for better peace and true joy. He is an icon in the do-it-yourself and self reliance world. Look for more do-it-yourself and self reliance videos to come from Papa Fun, I mean King Bear, oh,… I get so confused. Right… it’s Papa Bear.

Thank you, Papa Bear, we all love you! Your hands are special to us.

Related Posts:

Self Reliance- Frog Heaven
Self Reliance: Increase Hose Pressure
DIY and Self Reliance: Killing the Voles!

One of the bittersweet memories that I have about honeybees is when I was a child of about 6 years old.  My daughter requests this story be told over and over again to her at bedtime as she is also almost 6. 

My father was going to a man’s home that he knew to remove some hives from his field and asked us to come along to help.  My two brothers and I were quite excited to go with him.  When we got there the hives were taped up on the outside to prevent the bees from escaping in transport.  My dad took a dolly along and loaded a couple of hives on the dolly and we began moving through the field towards the truck that we would load them on.  Unfortunately, we hit a large bump in the terrain, and the hives went flying off the dolly.  The hives came apart, and the bees were extremely angry.  We were told to skedaddle towards the truck, which we were eager to do.  We got inside the cab and were swatting and slapping the bees that followed us inside while my father was still attempting damage control and to try to rescue the bees.  I remember that when all was said and done he ended up with about 25 beestings, and he lay sick in bed for several days.

But the wonderful part about beekeeping is the golden liquid that we often refer to our spouses as.  Honey is delicious and makes for a great substitute to sugar in almost any recipe.  As Grant points out in the video, it helps you to make a great connection with your neighbors when you give it away.  And honey stores for a long time.  Don’t worry that it hardens.  It can be “reconstituted” easily by heating it up.  Put a bunch in your food storage for rotation and emergency situations.  Honey contains lots of essential vitamins and minerals.

Did you know that there are different flavors of honey?  Yes, depending upon where the bee gathers the pollen the honey will have a hint of flavoring from the landscape.  I have tasted lavender-flavored honey, honey produced from orange groves, raspberry honey, and many other tasty types.  Try some for yourself.  Clover honey is great, but you need to tempt your taste buds with a variety.  You’ll love the several selections!

Related Posts:

Food Storage: Wild Game Meat
Food Storage: Bottling Juice and Fruit
Self Reliance and Food Storage: Gardening