Preparedness

While planning my trip, I slowly became aware that I was planning for a trip that at the earliest, would be one year away. I will be on the road for six months and am planning on spending a considerable sum of money on preparations for that ride. Again, this will only last six months. As I perused different sites and looked for food that I could prep the dry ingredients of, adding water as necessary to consume it, yet not have to carry the weight; I realized I was not planning for the direction our economy is taking.

I have always been conscience of our government and the subsequent economy de jour of our supposed leaders. Focusing on the trip, which looks like it will now be two years before I can go, due to some upcoming projects that will be in full swing in a year, has allowed me an escape I guess. I used to maintain stores in the house in the event that electricity went out in a winter storm (I have dealt with that twice in the last four years, with up to 5 days at a time without electricity/heat/cooking ability). These stores included canned goods, dry goods, propane stove, sleeping bag, etc. I still have the sleeping bag, stove (sans fuel), and some foodstuff; however, the stove does no good without fuel, and while I have more than a week's worth of food, I do not enough for extended family for that. I must take care of my mother and the grandparents. Actually, my grandparents, having grown up in the depression, have enough food for the extended family for several weeks, if not several months.

I am not sure where I was going with this post. We will just call it brainstorming, and kicking myself in the ass, for letting my planning lapse...especially while being the sole provider for my child.

In the last week I have put in wooden posts for my pasture for Shalako. I have not put in this many posts in probably 25 years, and I am a bit sore. Today I mounted all of the insulators on the poles for the electric tape and rope I will put around the pasture, and installed the mounts for hanging the gate. I need to purchase another bag of insulators tomorrow, hang the gate, move the water trough, finish an additional 60 feet of connecting fence, clean up some of the fence row where trees have fallen across the old fencing, hang the electric fencing wire, mount my solar fence charger, and finally move Shalako. It shouldn't take more than 15 minutes to do all of that...I wish.

After Shalako gets moved, it will be time for the garden. I need to do some weed-eating around the house and put in some garden beds (instead of flower beds) around the house. It will be nice to walk onto the front porch and pick tomatoes without stepping to the ground. Simple life can be simply good...although it takes some work.

My meandering is over for the evening I believe.

Find some happiness.

-GW