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Signs of the Times:

I'm not “old” as some measure length of days but by other opinion, I'm ancient. Still, in my 60+ years I've only known two families who actually packed up and moved to another country for a better life. I know of another family that has done the same, but I don't know them first hand. Noteworthy is that all three of these families moved within the past two years.

Along the same line, I know at least eight families who either have or are in the process of selling homes to move to what I call “deep rural” homesteads. All eight of these families have or are doing this within the past three years. Each of these families are God-fearing, stable, have good jobs, and are people you would want as neighbors. None are “kooks” or could be labeled eccentric by reasonable standards.

What drives “normal” families to leave job and home to live a self-sustained lifestyle, far from the nearest store? A two-fold answer can be found right in the question.

First – there is growing concern over a supply-chain that's both fragile and corrupt. Weak links can bring drastic changes resulting in empty store shelves. Deception has become government-sanctioned allowing relabeling of known harmful ingredients with new names that appear healthy. GMO labeling has been struck down at the federal level and “honey” can be any thick and sweet substance that a bee never touched. The new FDA “solves” problems by changing definitions. Growing the food your family consumes, solves that problem.

Second – is a desire to distance themselves from a government that is untrustworthy and increasingly malevolent. Waste and excessive taxation, regulation designed to favor special interests, and a proven inability to maintain law & order are but a few problems. As we see the coming election, choices are poor and our future looks bleak. Families are saying “enough” and moving to places so far off the beaten path that land is cheap, taxes affordable, and regulation non-existent because population density is too low to merit big government.

A sign of the times is found on You-Tube where private Homestead channels are enjoying record views. One channel we watch recorded just under twenty thousand views within six hours of a new release.

Times, they are a changing.

Tyler

Something to think about:

Offering thanks over my lunch, I stop to realize how trivial the “table grace” has become for many. We take our abundance for granted and trash neglected and spoiled food from our refrigerators, enough to feed a family in other countries. I remember hearing the practice of Roman Generals returning from conquest. As they paraded the conquered and plunder before cheering crowds, a servant rode with the general to repeat a single phrase� “Fame is fleeting.” Though we may never follow a parade of conquest, we likely will see our resources increase over time. How quickly we grow accustom to higher wages and find ways to spend it all and never think to save against a decline of those earnings. We look at food the same way. Whatever runs out can be replaced by a quick dash to the store. As I contemplate the lives of so many third-world populations existing on barely enough beans and rice to stay alive, I become sincerely thankful for my lunch today. Some have never known any difference but the people of Venezuela used to enjoy abundant resource before suddenly finding their grocery stores barren. Our supply chain and economy are fragile and our government practices the same things that led to Venezuela’s plight. Let me encourage you to offer a sincere prayer of thanks for your dinner tonight. - Tyler

A shout-out to Washington State! I'll be at a book signing in Port Orchard on the 20th of August. Check out our Events page for the details.

Tyler

We're running short on time for preparedness but closer to venturing into homesteading. Here's an article on something to do a bit more than just think about.

Sorry for the delay in updates: 'Days of Ragnarok: end of the gods' has been well received and its sequel 'Realm of Ragnarok: two worlds meet' is also now available through all major book sellers. You can avoid Amazon shipping cost by ordering through your local bookstore (including Mardel.)

OTHER NEWS: Our CQ group is now in its fifth year and still growing. We would be glad to help you start one at your location. As always, no cost, no obligation.

ON THE ROAD: We are available to present preparedness at any level you may need, from storm readiness to war-zone, we all need to be prepared. Recently, we had an extended "boil water advisory" in Corpus Christi, TX, and many found all the bottled water resources empty. It was a wake-up call for many with the message that expected resource may not be there when you need it.

EVENT: We will be in Washington State during the middle two weeks of August. On the itinerary is a book signing event in Port Orchard... dates to follow.

Keep preparing. You may not be where you think you ought to be but each thing you do, puts you in a better place than where you were.

Tyler

Blessing from a storm:

The East Coast blizzard of 2016 wasn't all it was warned to be but it still sent a wake up call for the masses. Flights were canceled, grocery shelves emptied, roads rendered impassible, and thousands of homes are without power. Without heat, household plumbing will freeze, perhaps burst pipes and extend the misery much longer for some. We'll no doubt hear of looting as law enforcement is stretched too thin to respond quickly.

This is a good time to assess your readiness to weather the weather.

1. What alternate means do you have to heat your home if the power fails?
2. How much bottled water do you have on hand right now?
3. Do you have working flashlights and do you know where they are?
4. Where is you battery powered radio?
5. Do you have extra batteries for all your flashlights and radios?
6. Is there enough canned food in your house to feed everyone for several days?
7. What alternate means do you have to cook/heat food if the power goes out?
8. Do you have a supply of games, cards, and books to help pass the time waiting?
9. Just before a typical shopping day, how many meals could you serve?
10. How long do you expect it might take before services are restored after an outage?

In February 1979, my wife and I were staying with her mother in the D.C. Metro area when nearly two feet of snow shut down everything for nearly four days. Grocery shelves emptied in anticipation of the storm and abandoned cars hampered snow removal on major highways. It was a mess for many but we did all right with supplies we had.

In September of that year, hurricane Frederic shut down power to our home in Southern Maryland for four days and being on a community well, it meant we had no water. With a four month old and powdered formula, water is vital. Again, we got through with plenty of stored resource.

Those who fall victim to storms and outages do so because they expect goods and services to be always available. They fail to plan for disruptions. Don't let it happen to you. You can turn a snowstorm into a bonus vacation. -----

A new preparedness novel is published and available through every major bookstore. Days of Ragnarok is the gripping story of Jason and Anna Connors who return from a reverse sail from Hawaii to discover their world has changed. Sneaking back into their own country, they face the challenge of making provision and shelter designed for ten, expand to serve fifty! Faith and fortitude are important tools in facing uncertain times. If you ask for it at your bookstore you can avoid Amazon's shipping and handling. Here's a link: Days of Ragnarok.

A preparedness lifestyle is a progressive journey that moves a person to depend less on the national institution of supply and creates a more controlled and simple way of life. I have identified four areas of attention: Food, Fuel, First-aid, and Firearms. There are other groupings and certainly some areas that fall outside of these four but the “Four -F's” are a good start.

America holds a fragile grip on its system of infrastructure. Like a 'house of cards,' if one element falls, the rest will tumble. Think about how much of our world is dependent on electricity, yet the system of generation and distribution of that power (called a grid) has become overloaded and in many areas has fallen into disrepair. The grid is showing its age as we experience seasonal 'roving blackouts,' peak usage surcharges, and more frequent equipment failure outages. Electricity runs our bank, grocery store, gas pump, and Internet. Every system of supply and social order is dependent on electricity to hold it all together. What if it failed?

Urban homes keep an average four day food supply on hand. That grows to about ten days for suburban homes and two weeks to a month for more remote rural locations. It's clear that were our national food distribution halted, social order would start to crumble within a week.

There is a reason why preparedness has moved from a fringe following to one of the top ten subjects for books, television series, and business.