The oldest screamer is back after a week in KY with family. I missed him, something fierce...for the first few days...then the youngest and myself settled into a nice quiet daily routine. The spouse disturbed us when he came in early from work, but other than that minor inconvenience the little and I were quite content to spend the day by ourselves.
It was a nice study in compatibility. I now see exactly where the tension comes from in this house. Well, not all of it...but a some of it. The oldest screamer lives life at full speed ahead, much like his momma. Unfortunately, this leads to power struggles, pert opinions and a sassy mouth...I really do try to control myself with the opinions and sass but feel that as the parent I have the right to power, right? ;P
Thursday was the most interesting day of the week. Ladies sewing 'class', a newcomer to the class and my strange opinions of our new Obama-nation. Throw in my not-so-popular theories on Micheal Phelps and pot (hey, who am I to condemn a 23yr old for experimenting with a mild mind altering substance...there are WAY worse things out there) and it made for a lively debate on the state of our country, why she (the newcomer) is in for a massive surprise when her 8yr old daughter gets older and how I would handle my own children toking. Let's just say that I don't think she much cared for my opinions. I sure missed my boy then...not that he would have a clue but the debate would have been much more interesting with my 5yr old son than it was with this sheeple.
Did you know, for instance, that the government would not do anything to make us raise our children in a manner that we don't agree with?
OH REALLY!! (sheeple, I cough discreetly) Heard of the zero to five plan? I ask with feigned curiosity.
No, she says.
Well, 'he' chattered about it on Tuesday when you were listening to him on the boob tube (gasp from her at the word boob being said in church, puh leeze).
I didn't hear that mentioned, she says defensively.
Then you weren't listening, I says shrugging my shoulders.
I don't believe it, her response when I explained some of the finer points of the plan, besides if that is what he said then maybe it is something we need...sounds like a good idea to me (I stare at her in disbelief).
Then with a sly smile at my mother (who KNOWS what is coming though she will still be shocked I say it out loud...in church) I say, you know a lot of people thought Hitler's ideas were good too at the beginning...welcome to Nazi America. Do be sure to tell me in four years how much you love the hell you're in.
Shock is plain on her face when I drop the convo (because she is flabbergasted, unable to form a complete sentence, at my Nazi salute and crazy smile) and continue to mangle a shirt on my machine. (note to self...don't get the giggles while working with finicky fabric).
At least the five year old would have continued the lively debate with gusto...despite not knowing what we were debating about. Gotta love that kid. He would have giggled his silly little head off at Mommy saluting the wrong way. Oh and my sarcastic tone gets him every single time. Dang, I missed this kid...for a little while.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Once....
in a land and time not so far away, people traveled with easy freedom between countries, states and cities. Back then possessions were not so many that you couldn't fit them in a wagon or two. There were certainly things that got left behind, with little fanfare. Comforts of home meant family and very few material goods. More often than not, people could carry the things (not human/animal) that meant the most to them on their backs if need be.
Furniture and homes were built by hand and stood proud in the wilderness. Food was handpicked, homegrown and often self-butchered. Clothing was handmade, knit or woven by soone near and dear to the wearer.
You see where I am headed with the fairy tale...I hope.
Industrial revolution, government interference and way too many other things have led us like lambs to the slaughter. We (as a people in general) are now dependent on flipping a switch to get light, opening the fridge for eggs and rolling to Wally World for 'necessities'...I would love to know what our ancestors would think of us now.
Soft? Lazy? Greedy?
Sure we are less prone to die from smallpox, dysentery, cholera (this remains to be seen btw), Indian attacks (p.s. don't push and they won't push back) and a myriad of other things that plagued early settlers and western bound folk. However, we now live with a massive obesity problem from lack of LIVING (or perhaps too much), heart disease, cancers from chemicals, new/harder to cure diseases/infections courtesy of global shipping and relying on other countries for our foodstuffs in accordance with the overuse of medications/antibiotics.
We still war with each other, we still try to dictate how others that are even slightly different from us should live, we still poke our big noses in where they aren't welcome (like it or not...it's a We situation).
We elect a man (even if you didn't vote for him, tough he's the leader) that decides to dictate how our children should be raised from day one out of the womb. Welcome, my friends, to Nazi America. Enjoy your stay.
Mayberry went through a list of 'no, thank you' a bit earlier...I have to agree with him. No thank you...we are just barely scraping by the majority of the time and really can't afford to pay for anyone else's comfort. We do good to keep ourselves and the screamers above the water line. Through the year we scrape to keep them in clothes/shoes/crayons and do without a lot of stuff we shouldn't have to for the sake of being able to make it to the next month with a roof over our head. Refund time rolls around right when we need it. This year we actually got ahead and are in a better place than we've been in years. But what about next year...and the next?
We've learned to live on lean and it's made us better for the most part. We could and can do without many of the creature comforts that so many find necessary.
Admission time: I'm almost wishing for a collapse...crazy, I know...but it would be a interesting study in American History to see how the population now would deal. Sure, there will be craziness, riots, insanity abounding. BUT it is the group of select few that would bounce back quickly and become the stuff this country was started from. Scrappy survivors, willing to do what was needed to be done to protect their freedom. I'd like to think that me and mine would be a part of that group. I'd like to think that after a short sojourn into the wilds, we would emerge stronger and better. But that's liking and fairy tales. I'm not silly enough to believe that the scrappy survivors will come out on top totally...the bad seed is always there and eventually things will go right on back to where they are.
It's a historical cycle. Humans have yet to learn from it. Every empire falls, every great dictator/leader/emperor dies, every civilization goes through radical changes. And like 'they' said...it's time for a change.
Furniture and homes were built by hand and stood proud in the wilderness. Food was handpicked, homegrown and often self-butchered. Clothing was handmade, knit or woven by soone near and dear to the wearer.
You see where I am headed with the fairy tale...I hope.
Industrial revolution, government interference and way too many other things have led us like lambs to the slaughter. We (as a people in general) are now dependent on flipping a switch to get light, opening the fridge for eggs and rolling to Wally World for 'necessities'...I would love to know what our ancestors would think of us now.
Soft? Lazy? Greedy?
Sure we are less prone to die from smallpox, dysentery, cholera (this remains to be seen btw), Indian attacks (p.s. don't push and they won't push back) and a myriad of other things that plagued early settlers and western bound folk. However, we now live with a massive obesity problem from lack of LIVING (or perhaps too much), heart disease, cancers from chemicals, new/harder to cure diseases/infections courtesy of global shipping and relying on other countries for our foodstuffs in accordance with the overuse of medications/antibiotics.
We still war with each other, we still try to dictate how others that are even slightly different from us should live, we still poke our big noses in where they aren't welcome (like it or not...it's a We situation).
We elect a man (even if you didn't vote for him, tough he's the leader) that decides to dictate how our children should be raised from day one out of the womb. Welcome, my friends, to Nazi America. Enjoy your stay.
Mayberry went through a list of 'no, thank you' a bit earlier...I have to agree with him. No thank you...we are just barely scraping by the majority of the time and really can't afford to pay for anyone else's comfort. We do good to keep ourselves and the screamers above the water line. Through the year we scrape to keep them in clothes/shoes/crayons and do without a lot of stuff we shouldn't have to for the sake of being able to make it to the next month with a roof over our head. Refund time rolls around right when we need it. This year we actually got ahead and are in a better place than we've been in years. But what about next year...and the next?
We've learned to live on lean and it's made us better for the most part. We could and can do without many of the creature comforts that so many find necessary.
Admission time: I'm almost wishing for a collapse...crazy, I know...but it would be a interesting study in American History to see how the population now would deal. Sure, there will be craziness, riots, insanity abounding. BUT it is the group of select few that would bounce back quickly and become the stuff this country was started from. Scrappy survivors, willing to do what was needed to be done to protect their freedom. I'd like to think that me and mine would be a part of that group. I'd like to think that after a short sojourn into the wilds, we would emerge stronger and better. But that's liking and fairy tales. I'm not silly enough to believe that the scrappy survivors will come out on top totally...the bad seed is always there and eventually things will go right on back to where they are.
It's a historical cycle. Humans have yet to learn from it. Every empire falls, every great dictator/leader/emperor dies, every civilization goes through radical changes. And like 'they' said...it's time for a change.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Just for the heck of it....
I'm going to share a favorite recipe with ya! Howdy! Perfect for preppers 'cause you have everything you need (or should have) in the stores. It's a cookie, of course, because I will admit fully and completely that I am a cookie junkie. Oh and it's egg free, so lasts a REALLY long time in the fridge if you don't want to cook all 4 dozen it yields at once.
Here goes:
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
2 cups packed brown sugar (pack it nice and tight)
1 cup butter or margarine, softened (hey did you know there was a study out that said butter is WAY better for you than margarine...just thought I'd let ya know)
1/2 cup buttermilk (never fear, regular milk works here too)
1 tsp vanilla (honestly, I use a little more but hey...I don't measure!)
3 1/2 cups oats (either old fashioned or quick cook, doesn't matter)
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour (or use self rising and omit the last two ingredients)
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips (seriously go for semi here, there is A LOT of sugar in these already)
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
Cream together brown sugar, butter, buttermilk and vanilla. Stir in remaining ingredients (note the separation, I usually just dump in everything and get a good dough before adding the chocolate chips).
Shape into one inch balls (puh-leeze, I just scoop it out with a tblspn) and place on ungreased cookie sheet about 3" apart. Bake 8-10 minutes at 375 (ahem, 10-12 at 350 is better) or until golden brown. Remove from pan to wire rack to cool (try not to scald your tongue as you steal them from the rack). Store in airtight container for up to a week (they won't last that long anyway so don't worry about this part).
These are a rocking fave here at the Ozark house...they never ever last longer than a week...NEVER.
I'm actually getting ready to mix some up here shortly for our tattoo artists, 'cause I'm a cool chic that way!
Enjoy!
Here goes:
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
2 cups packed brown sugar (pack it nice and tight)
1 cup butter or margarine, softened (hey did you know there was a study out that said butter is WAY better for you than margarine...just thought I'd let ya know)
1/2 cup buttermilk (never fear, regular milk works here too)
1 tsp vanilla (honestly, I use a little more but hey...I don't measure!)
3 1/2 cups oats (either old fashioned or quick cook, doesn't matter)
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour (or use self rising and omit the last two ingredients)
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips (seriously go for semi here, there is A LOT of sugar in these already)
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
Cream together brown sugar, butter, buttermilk and vanilla. Stir in remaining ingredients (note the separation, I usually just dump in everything and get a good dough before adding the chocolate chips).
Shape into one inch balls (puh-leeze, I just scoop it out with a tblspn) and place on ungreased cookie sheet about 3" apart. Bake 8-10 minutes at 375 (ahem, 10-12 at 350 is better) or until golden brown. Remove from pan to wire rack to cool (try not to scald your tongue as you steal them from the rack). Store in airtight container for up to a week (they won't last that long anyway so don't worry about this part).
These are a rocking fave here at the Ozark house...they never ever last longer than a week...NEVER.
I'm actually getting ready to mix some up here shortly for our tattoo artists, 'cause I'm a cool chic that way!
Enjoy!
Monday, February 23, 2009
The Ink and The Story
For those that want to see the completed project, you can click here...don't worry there's nothing there that will make ya blush, I promise.
Now the story behind the ink. As of this very moment, the picture holds only a ball of tiger lilies and a sweet potato vine. Interesting choices for the most part, both have a deep meaning for me which is the reasoning behind the choices. Tiger lilies are pretty common in the ink world (most flowers are). Here they stand for something along the lines of "dare you to love me". Sure, okay...not for me though.
You see, the tiger lily (or ditch lily) is my flower. As in the one that makes me melt...no roses for this chick...it's all about the tiger lily. Strength, wealth and prosperity (there are more things to wealth than just money). Fierce and dedicated friendship. Tiger lilies are prolific, they SURVIVE just about anywhere in just about any condition. Promising, isn't it?
There is an old Asian legend about the tiger lily...here ya go: A Korean hermit helped a wounded tiger by removing an arrow from its body. The tiger asked the hermit to use his powers to perpetuate their friendship after his death. The hermit agreed and when the tiger died, his body became a tiger lily. Eventually the hermit drowned and his body was washed away. The Tiger Lily spread everywhere searching for its friend.
A dedicated survivor regardless of the hardships...plus they're just too darn pretty for words.
Now the sweet potato vine...that's a whole 'nother ball of wax. Beautiful despite its roots (face it, sweet potatoes are not the prettiest things in the word). Takes root easily but still survives transplants. They aren't fussy and don't demand a lot of time. Easy on the eyes and easy to nurture.
There is a second bit of symbolism to it for me though...the spouse. He's stood by me through all my nuttiness these long years, held me when I've cried and turned me loose when I needed my space. I may not always like the man, but I do love him. I don't do the whole name in permanent ink thing, so I chose to get the vine. You see, the spouse was called by the nickname of Sweet Potato when he was a little fella. Fitting, don't ya think?
Now the story behind the ink. As of this very moment, the picture holds only a ball of tiger lilies and a sweet potato vine. Interesting choices for the most part, both have a deep meaning for me which is the reasoning behind the choices. Tiger lilies are pretty common in the ink world (most flowers are). Here they stand for something along the lines of "dare you to love me". Sure, okay...not for me though.
You see, the tiger lily (or ditch lily) is my flower. As in the one that makes me melt...no roses for this chick...it's all about the tiger lily. Strength, wealth and prosperity (there are more things to wealth than just money). Fierce and dedicated friendship. Tiger lilies are prolific, they SURVIVE just about anywhere in just about any condition. Promising, isn't it?
There is an old Asian legend about the tiger lily...here ya go: A Korean hermit helped a wounded tiger by removing an arrow from its body. The tiger asked the hermit to use his powers to perpetuate their friendship after his death. The hermit agreed and when the tiger died, his body became a tiger lily. Eventually the hermit drowned and his body was washed away. The Tiger Lily spread everywhere searching for its friend.
A dedicated survivor regardless of the hardships...plus they're just too darn pretty for words.
Now the sweet potato vine...that's a whole 'nother ball of wax. Beautiful despite its roots (face it, sweet potatoes are not the prettiest things in the word). Takes root easily but still survives transplants. They aren't fussy and don't demand a lot of time. Easy on the eyes and easy to nurture.
There is a second bit of symbolism to it for me though...the spouse. He's stood by me through all my nuttiness these long years, held me when I've cried and turned me loose when I needed my space. I may not always like the man, but I do love him. I don't do the whole name in permanent ink thing, so I chose to get the vine. You see, the spouse was called by the nickname of Sweet Potato when he was a little fella. Fitting, don't ya think?
Carpe Diem
Just a tiny pearl for you today since I'm a mite busy to go on the ranty rampage I've been stewing over. I'm going to blow it off for now and practice the title of this post.
This life is too short to not live in color!
This life is too short to not live in color!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Awww...thank ya HJ!
The Hermit went and gave me some blog bling! He's just the sweetest fella, I swear.
Here's the Bling (aka Excellence in Blogcasting Award):
Now, I get to pass the little darlin' along to some of my favorites! Only 15 though, man that's a toughie! Here's how it works for those that wanna know.
This award acknowledges the values that every blogger shows in his/her effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary and personal values every day.
The rules to follow are:
1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person that has granted the award and his or her blog link.
2) Pass the award to another 15 blogs that are worthy of this acknowledgment. Remember to contact each of them to let them know they have been chosen for this award.
Well...here's my fifteen in no particular order (psst, I'd send it right back to Hermit but that would just be evil):
1. Keep it Simple
2. Bison Survival Blog
3. Wretha's Adventures Living Off Grid
4. Stealth Survival
5. Stayin' Alive
6. Circle of the Oborous
7. Bear Ridge Project
8. Foraging Prepper
9. The Smokey Mountain Hiking Blog
10. Gallimaufree
11. Coggie's Yarn Tale
12. In the Swan's Shadow
13. Very Pink
14. Homeschooling Mom Going Sane
15. A Year of CrockPotting
Here's the Bling (aka Excellence in Blogcasting Award):
Now, I get to pass the little darlin' along to some of my favorites! Only 15 though, man that's a toughie! Here's how it works for those that wanna know.
This award acknowledges the values that every blogger shows in his/her effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary and personal values every day.
The rules to follow are:
1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person that has granted the award and his or her blog link.
2) Pass the award to another 15 blogs that are worthy of this acknowledgment. Remember to contact each of them to let them know they have been chosen for this award.
Well...here's my fifteen in no particular order (psst, I'd send it right back to Hermit but that would just be evil):
1. Keep it Simple
2. Bison Survival Blog
3. Wretha's Adventures Living Off Grid
4. Stealth Survival
5. Stayin' Alive
6. Circle of the Oborous
7. Bear Ridge Project
8. Foraging Prepper
9. The Smokey Mountain Hiking Blog
10. Gallimaufree
11. Coggie's Yarn Tale
12. In the Swan's Shadow
13. Very Pink
14. Homeschooling Mom Going Sane
15. A Year of CrockPotting
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Big Fat DUH!!
Seriously...they had to do a paid study (spending heaven knows what, btw) to figure this out?
Link to stupidity
Did they think just to LOOK around? Huh, did they? I could have told them that two years ago when the 'muffin top' look was just getting hot with that age group. You know, that little roll of fat hanging over the top of the girls' jeans, shown in it's full fatty glory by a belly baring tee shirt.
Sorry, not hot. Down right frightening actually. I gotta tell ya, THIS chic won't even wear the new jeans she just bought out in public because they fit a little too well at the moment. No roll, but just feels like there is one...make sense?
Save yourself a little time and funding researchers and read this: THE NEXT 'GENERATION' WILL BE FATTER, IS FATTER, THAN THE ONE YOU JUST STUDIED. THE PROBLEMS WITH FAT, INJURY AND HEALTH INSURANCE WILL PERSIST. FAST FOOD IS TOO CONVENIENT, HEALTH INSURANCE TOO COSTLY AND FAT DOES NOT BALANCE WELL MAKING INJURY EASIER. THEY WILL BE DEPRESSED AND MORE PRONE TO SUICIDE/HOMICIDE/SELF INFLICTED INJURIES, SMOKING AND DRINKING BECAUSE THEY ARE DEPRESSED. THE DEPRESSION WILL STEM FROM LACK OF MONEY, LACK OF MOTIVATION, LACK OF SKILLS AND LACK OF SELF-RESPECT.
Wow, lookie there...a mutli-million dollar study done by a semi-college educated stay-at-home mom completed free of charge. Now that's cutting pork!!
Link to stupidity
Did they think just to LOOK around? Huh, did they? I could have told them that two years ago when the 'muffin top' look was just getting hot with that age group. You know, that little roll of fat hanging over the top of the girls' jeans, shown in it's full fatty glory by a belly baring tee shirt.
Sorry, not hot. Down right frightening actually. I gotta tell ya, THIS chic won't even wear the new jeans she just bought out in public because they fit a little too well at the moment. No roll, but just feels like there is one...make sense?
Save yourself a little time and funding researchers and read this: THE NEXT 'GENERATION' WILL BE FATTER, IS FATTER, THAN THE ONE YOU JUST STUDIED. THE PROBLEMS WITH FAT, INJURY AND HEALTH INSURANCE WILL PERSIST. FAST FOOD IS TOO CONVENIENT, HEALTH INSURANCE TOO COSTLY AND FAT DOES NOT BALANCE WELL MAKING INJURY EASIER. THEY WILL BE DEPRESSED AND MORE PRONE TO SUICIDE/HOMICIDE/SELF INFLICTED INJURIES, SMOKING AND DRINKING BECAUSE THEY ARE DEPRESSED. THE DEPRESSION WILL STEM FROM LACK OF MONEY, LACK OF MOTIVATION, LACK OF SKILLS AND LACK OF SELF-RESPECT.
Wow, lookie there...a mutli-million dollar study done by a semi-college educated stay-at-home mom completed free of charge. Now that's cutting pork!!
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Hermit's Gone and Done It!!
He's pulled me out of my 'I won't post political' funk with this little gem. I commented, yeah buddy did I, but I'll expand a little here on what I was getting at. (Psst, you really ought to visit the Hermit on a regular basis if you don't already...his coffee is darn good.)
Desperate times call for desperate measures, right? So get desperate .gov....get rid of ALL the excess. Excess spending, jobs, things like oh I don't know....copies of paperwork in two different languages to accommodate those that refuse to learn the language of the country they are living in (legal or not).
Now I'm a reasonable gal, for the most part, and our little family nucleus has done it's fair share of cutting out the pork spending in this dictatorship (yes, it is a dictatorship...there is no democratic voting in this house until the screamers can form valid opinions that aren't based on toys or candy...sorry). The splurges of last week are not a normal thing (hence the splurge word) and most were necessities or something that we waited YEARS to do. We paid off debt first...something that the .gov could learn to do.
Anyway, I've been thinking on this for a while. Secession. Dirty word, eh? There was more to the secession of the South way back then than just slavery. It included the Southern States being a mite bit pissed that Big Daddy (which is my personal favorite term for the .gov btw) was telling them what they could and could not do with themselves. There is a reason that each State has it's own individual government. It is there for the good of the State. For simplification purposes, I'll phrase it this way (and will likely be told that I am wrong...oh freakin' well), each State is a country unto itself for the most part. This big huge country is a UNITED STATES, a union...of States...get it? You can leave a union if you want, quit paying the fees when you get tired of not working because of strikes and become a scab...secede.
99.999% of folks will and do think I'm daft here, but honestly....I can see why the South did it. No, I don't support slavery of any kind which is why I am comparing today's issues of debt, economic crash and all the other bull with what happened in the 1860's (you know, that little thing called a Civil War). We are slaves to debt and money, possessions and things. We MUST work to keep the water running and the lights on...we don't have the freedom to up and go when we want...to change everything in our lives with a move elsewhere by tossing everything we own in the back of a wagon and heading somewhere new. We have become enslaved by putting our noses into the business of other countries instead of minding our own...by letting our possessions and need for more junk than we can possibly ever use rule us.
I seriously would love to give the finger to it all, take only what we can carry and go nomadic. However, the screamers require a mite bit more planning that just taking off...sigh. So we settle for paying off the bills and paying down the debt (which there is VERY little of now thanks to our using our refund smartly 'for the most part, lol'). When the time comes, and I'm sure it will soon, we will be able to fade quietly into the night...with only the items we need to survive. What we leave behind will likely be treasures for someone else at some point...creature comforts, possessions to rule them and take up space but certainly things that we can live without. It will be a secession of sorts from the life of needful things we've been programed into...see that is the real problem with my generation and the few that follow. A life of luxury for too long, many don't know how to make it and panic ensues.
Personally I'm tired of it all. Seriously bone tired of wondering when/if the spouse will be getting laid off (a possibility but nowhere as much as the new guy for more reasons than pay). I'm not worried about it, we have a tent and enough $$ put back to spend a good long time 'camping' at one of the many National and State parks round here. Got enough food stuffs put back that will pack nicely in the van along side our necessary clothing and survival items. Heck the $$ put back would go nicely into the tank of the van so we could travel elsewhere. See? You do see don't you? Secession...it could be a good thing.
Desperate times call for desperate measures, right? So get desperate .gov....get rid of ALL the excess. Excess spending, jobs, things like oh I don't know....copies of paperwork in two different languages to accommodate those that refuse to learn the language of the country they are living in (legal or not).
Now I'm a reasonable gal, for the most part, and our little family nucleus has done it's fair share of cutting out the pork spending in this dictatorship (yes, it is a dictatorship...there is no democratic voting in this house until the screamers can form valid opinions that aren't based on toys or candy...sorry). The splurges of last week are not a normal thing (hence the splurge word) and most were necessities or something that we waited YEARS to do. We paid off debt first...something that the .gov could learn to do.
Anyway, I've been thinking on this for a while. Secession. Dirty word, eh? There was more to the secession of the South way back then than just slavery. It included the Southern States being a mite bit pissed that Big Daddy (which is my personal favorite term for the .gov btw) was telling them what they could and could not do with themselves. There is a reason that each State has it's own individual government. It is there for the good of the State. For simplification purposes, I'll phrase it this way (and will likely be told that I am wrong...oh freakin' well), each State is a country unto itself for the most part. This big huge country is a UNITED STATES, a union...of States...get it? You can leave a union if you want, quit paying the fees when you get tired of not working because of strikes and become a scab...secede.
99.999% of folks will and do think I'm daft here, but honestly....I can see why the South did it. No, I don't support slavery of any kind which is why I am comparing today's issues of debt, economic crash and all the other bull with what happened in the 1860's (you know, that little thing called a Civil War). We are slaves to debt and money, possessions and things. We MUST work to keep the water running and the lights on...we don't have the freedom to up and go when we want...to change everything in our lives with a move elsewhere by tossing everything we own in the back of a wagon and heading somewhere new. We have become enslaved by putting our noses into the business of other countries instead of minding our own...by letting our possessions and need for more junk than we can possibly ever use rule us.
I seriously would love to give the finger to it all, take only what we can carry and go nomadic. However, the screamers require a mite bit more planning that just taking off...sigh. So we settle for paying off the bills and paying down the debt (which there is VERY little of now thanks to our using our refund smartly 'for the most part, lol'). When the time comes, and I'm sure it will soon, we will be able to fade quietly into the night...with only the items we need to survive. What we leave behind will likely be treasures for someone else at some point...creature comforts, possessions to rule them and take up space but certainly things that we can live without. It will be a secession of sorts from the life of needful things we've been programed into...see that is the real problem with my generation and the few that follow. A life of luxury for too long, many don't know how to make it and panic ensues.
Personally I'm tired of it all. Seriously bone tired of wondering when/if the spouse will be getting laid off (a possibility but nowhere as much as the new guy for more reasons than pay). I'm not worried about it, we have a tent and enough $$ put back to spend a good long time 'camping' at one of the many National and State parks round here. Got enough food stuffs put back that will pack nicely in the van along side our necessary clothing and survival items. Heck the $$ put back would go nicely into the tank of the van so we could travel elsewhere. See? You do see don't you? Secession...it could be a good thing.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Friday Night Confessions
I confess to the following:
*The plans for the tax refund are complete. Tickets bought, bills paid in full and some even ahead a month, extra socked away for the trip, gear bought (got a Sa-Weet pack btw...oh, still gotta decide on a tent, maybe) and new shoes/boots all around.
*Still no plans to give the parental figures any cash. Especially after learning of the mother's latest useless purchase made instead of paying on their van. See, told ya!
*Got my brand. Yep, spouse got branded too. I 'might' show ya when it's all said and done (still need color added to mine, which will happen in roughly a week) 'cause after all my fellow nut-jobs need to know if it really and truly is me hollerin' "hey, it's Ozark Mama" when they got a gun pointed at my skull. Then they can just holler back "show me the ink woman"...done.
*I totally dozed off while getting inked. Seriously. Really, I did. I am also planning additions (yes, plural) to the current piece. Now that is most truly an addiction.
*I am dreading tomorrow. Tomorrow is the day we go through all the crap/junk/stuff the spouse pulled from storage. More baby stuff, more useless stuff. Jebus/Allah/Buddha have mercy on my poor packrattin' soul.
*We've spent entirely too much money eating out this week. We've been out more this week than we have in two months. Scary! But we are back to semi-normal with no more goin' out plans. All major purchases/bills are fini, therefor there is no more need to be out roaming the tri-county area.
There you have it! Prepared with the camping/hiking gear, enough so that we really could just up and live on the trail if needed (well, besides food but that's what hunting and gathering is for if it got that darn bad). Still wading through 14 years of junk gathering but it's not as bad as we originally thought. Still the bad daughter and damn proud of it. And finally, an addiction to ink that could prove useful in a future of being a nomad.
How's your week been?
*The plans for the tax refund are complete. Tickets bought, bills paid in full and some even ahead a month, extra socked away for the trip, gear bought (got a Sa-Weet pack btw...oh, still gotta decide on a tent, maybe) and new shoes/boots all around.
*Still no plans to give the parental figures any cash. Especially after learning of the mother's latest useless purchase made instead of paying on their van. See, told ya!
*Got my brand. Yep, spouse got branded too. I 'might' show ya when it's all said and done (still need color added to mine, which will happen in roughly a week) 'cause after all my fellow nut-jobs need to know if it really and truly is me hollerin' "hey, it's Ozark Mama" when they got a gun pointed at my skull. Then they can just holler back "show me the ink woman"...done.
*I totally dozed off while getting inked. Seriously. Really, I did. I am also planning additions (yes, plural) to the current piece. Now that is most truly an addiction.
*I am dreading tomorrow. Tomorrow is the day we go through all the crap/junk/stuff the spouse pulled from storage. More baby stuff, more useless stuff. Jebus/Allah/Buddha have mercy on my poor packrattin' soul.
*We've spent entirely too much money eating out this week. We've been out more this week than we have in two months. Scary! But we are back to semi-normal with no more goin' out plans. All major purchases/bills are fini, therefor there is no more need to be out roaming the tri-county area.
There you have it! Prepared with the camping/hiking gear, enough so that we really could just up and live on the trail if needed (well, besides food but that's what hunting and gathering is for if it got that darn bad). Still wading through 14 years of junk gathering but it's not as bad as we originally thought. Still the bad daughter and damn proud of it. And finally, an addiction to ink that could prove useful in a future of being a nomad.
How's your week been?
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Let the Streamlining Begin!
Holy heck we have a LOT of junk...seriously. Way more stuff than we would really ever use, which is bad. I apparently inherited the much dreaded pack rat gene from my mother, though not to the extent she inherited it...I can still tell you where most of our stuff came from and how long we've had it. Mom, not so much.
Anyway, tomorrow starts the streamlining process. Since there ain't gonna be no more, no more...ain't gonna be no more babies popping out EVAH (yes, EVAH) all baby related things are being passed to my sis for Preston (the sweet little red haired imp the graced us just before Christmas). Farewell outgrown clothing and shoes, I will not miss your space taking mess! Adieu toys that have no age/educational relevance (and that are noisy...note sis bought most of these herself, it's only right she gets them back, right?)! Maternity clothing? Donating ALL of it to a local pregnancy resource center...hey I WILL NOT BE NEEDING IT!!
Then there is the dilemma of our LARGE collection of VHS tapes (I stopped counting at 256). Seriously? Why do we have them? We don't even watch them anymore, they are in boxes in the closet. I guess I need to go through and pull out the ones that are worth keeping. Dunno what to do with the rest...anyone even know?
Useless things abound in this house right now...not so much after this weekend. Sure, I could probably make a little cash off of most of the junk if I wait until the summer yard sale season, but let's face it...I'm lazy and would rather spend my summer NOT behind a table haggling prices on things that I don't really want anymore.
Now if I could just find someone to do something with these bazillion pictures and such that I have. I don't scrapbook (for those that love it, sorry but it's a total waste of time for me) so let's not go there. I doubt very seriously that they will be of any historical significance, but I suppose a lot of folks thought the same many moons ago. They'll probably stay boxed away for future generations to pilfer through and use for kindling...that's one sure way to contribute to the survival of my gene pool, hoard old pictures. Yeah, call it preppin'.
Anyway, tomorrow starts the streamlining process. Since there ain't gonna be no more, no more...ain't gonna be no more babies popping out EVAH (yes, EVAH) all baby related things are being passed to my sis for Preston (the sweet little red haired imp the graced us just before Christmas). Farewell outgrown clothing and shoes, I will not miss your space taking mess! Adieu toys that have no age/educational relevance (and that are noisy...note sis bought most of these herself, it's only right she gets them back, right?)! Maternity clothing? Donating ALL of it to a local pregnancy resource center...hey I WILL NOT BE NEEDING IT!!
Then there is the dilemma of our LARGE collection of VHS tapes (I stopped counting at 256). Seriously? Why do we have them? We don't even watch them anymore, they are in boxes in the closet. I guess I need to go through and pull out the ones that are worth keeping. Dunno what to do with the rest...anyone even know?
Useless things abound in this house right now...not so much after this weekend. Sure, I could probably make a little cash off of most of the junk if I wait until the summer yard sale season, but let's face it...I'm lazy and would rather spend my summer NOT behind a table haggling prices on things that I don't really want anymore.
Now if I could just find someone to do something with these bazillion pictures and such that I have. I don't scrapbook (for those that love it, sorry but it's a total waste of time for me) so let's not go there. I doubt very seriously that they will be of any historical significance, but I suppose a lot of folks thought the same many moons ago. They'll probably stay boxed away for future generations to pilfer through and use for kindling...that's one sure way to contribute to the survival of my gene pool, hoard old pictures. Yeah, call it preppin'.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
A Few Funnies for my Zombie Killaz
I stumbled on these and LOVE them! Hope you enjoy them too.
Illinois Zombie Warning Link #1
Illinois Zombie Warning Link #2
And because I adore this one so much it's on my Facebook page:
Oh and not zombie related, this one is right there with the other on making me smile because it's sooooo true:
Illinois Zombie Warning Link #1
Illinois Zombie Warning Link #2
And because I adore this one so much it's on my Facebook page:
Oh and not zombie related, this one is right there with the other on making me smile because it's sooooo true:
Monday, February 2, 2009
Many thoughts in one Post (watch out!)
'acause (to quote the littlest screamer) I'm feelin' a mite bit lazy tonight, I'm going to flash you with a bunch of random thoughts and opines. Beware, it will be disjointed and rambly (no, I haven't been hittin' the wine either...yet).
First thoughts: The Refund and how we are spending it
Yep, spending it. That's our way of saving. We are spending it by paying off the van, paying rent a month ahead (to give us wiggle room), getting caught up on the utilities (not being able to pay all of it at once does add up), getting the spouse new glasses and getting the ever growing biggest screamer some new shoes. After all that is said and done, I'll be buying my tickets for my trip in May (absolutely refuse to NOT go...note that, it comes into play later), the rest of my gear and then stimulating the local economy by finally breaking down and getting inked. Yes, you read that right. I've been waiting 14yrs to get it and by golly, I'm doing it (it's all part of that new "live life" thing I'm doing btw). Not changing my mind on that either.
Things we AREN'T doing with said refund...giving money to my parents. Harsh eh? You just don't know folks, I'm telling ya. My mother is a spender...big time. Always has been. Point in case, my senior year of high school I was denied federal aide for college because my parents brought in a combined $99k the year before. You coulda knocked me over with a feather when I read that. Seriously? $99k? Hey Mom, can you tell me why I kept having to loan you money from my measley Mickey D's paychecks? See...you do see don't you dear readers?
Fast forward to present, Mom calls daily asking if the refund went in. Offers to buy my tickets LATER if I will loan them money when it hits the bank. My lifetime of experience with my mother has taught me one thing...there will be no LATER. There will always, always be something else that she needs the money for and I will not see a red cent back. Solution: Be the bad daughter again. I did it before (when I was 20 and it weren't pretty...I survived, but Mom learned what not to say to me) and I will do it again. It's way past time for Mom to stop depending on me and the siblings to bail her out of her messes. Oh, sidenote on this too...Bro gave Mom $500 over the holidays to pay her rent...she did not pay her rent but instead went shopping (see, see! I am not just being a snotty child!).
Second Line of Thoughts: Health related stuff
The spouses glasses will be out of pocket, we don't have any kind of insurance (other than vehicle) on ourselves. Which translates to a lot of learning how to keep ourselves well. On this path, we have both been training like we are re-enlisting. Spouse is naturally doing way better with the weight (men suck...there I said it). I do better with stamina though (bwahahaha, yes these short legs can outrun his long ones if we go for distance). Now, I won't be re-enlisting...Army don't want this broke chick.
We've also started paying more attention to what we eat and how are bodies react. This weekend was an off weekend with lots of meals out and not being measured. We both felt like crap come Sunday morning. Lesson learned: portion control is truly your bestest friend in the wide world. Oh, that translates to preppin' too folks. Pay attention to HOW MUCH you eat, the what you eat matters too but seriously gorge on food and you pay. Pretty simple a concept, but not one that we (as a people) really ever think about for the most part. It's so easy to go back for seconds, thirds and even fourths of some things. That's been the second hardest habit to break, the first being the smokes...really, really have to stop those puppies.
Last bit o' random thoughts for the night: Food
Ah, my friend and my enemy. But for the sake of trail research, I've been spending a lot of time with food. I really don't want to be hauling 25lbs of food around with me in May...not for a 3-4 day hike. So I've been playing with some things. The pouch tuna and chicken, the ready to eat rices (hey! I did a post on those over at the hiking blog) and more than just dried apples. I have to tell you folks, if you don't have the RTE rices in your preps...get some. Literally RTE in two minutes, straight from the pouch. Oh and be darn sure you have some of the pouches of tuna and chicken in those preps too. The cans are great, but the pouches will save you some serious ounces in a BOB. Even a few random ounces here and there will weigh you down, slowing you down...not a fun thought in a SHTF situation.
Okay, now I'll run off and hit the wine...local and fantastic!
First thoughts: The Refund and how we are spending it
Yep, spending it. That's our way of saving. We are spending it by paying off the van, paying rent a month ahead (to give us wiggle room), getting caught up on the utilities (not being able to pay all of it at once does add up), getting the spouse new glasses and getting the ever growing biggest screamer some new shoes. After all that is said and done, I'll be buying my tickets for my trip in May (absolutely refuse to NOT go...note that, it comes into play later), the rest of my gear and then stimulating the local economy by finally breaking down and getting inked. Yes, you read that right. I've been waiting 14yrs to get it and by golly, I'm doing it (it's all part of that new "live life" thing I'm doing btw). Not changing my mind on that either.
Things we AREN'T doing with said refund...giving money to my parents. Harsh eh? You just don't know folks, I'm telling ya. My mother is a spender...big time. Always has been. Point in case, my senior year of high school I was denied federal aide for college because my parents brought in a combined $99k the year before. You coulda knocked me over with a feather when I read that. Seriously? $99k? Hey Mom, can you tell me why I kept having to loan you money from my measley Mickey D's paychecks? See...you do see don't you dear readers?
Fast forward to present, Mom calls daily asking if the refund went in. Offers to buy my tickets LATER if I will loan them money when it hits the bank. My lifetime of experience with my mother has taught me one thing...there will be no LATER. There will always, always be something else that she needs the money for and I will not see a red cent back. Solution: Be the bad daughter again. I did it before (when I was 20 and it weren't pretty...I survived, but Mom learned what not to say to me) and I will do it again. It's way past time for Mom to stop depending on me and the siblings to bail her out of her messes. Oh, sidenote on this too...Bro gave Mom $500 over the holidays to pay her rent...she did not pay her rent but instead went shopping (see, see! I am not just being a snotty child!).
Second Line of Thoughts: Health related stuff
The spouses glasses will be out of pocket, we don't have any kind of insurance (other than vehicle) on ourselves. Which translates to a lot of learning how to keep ourselves well. On this path, we have both been training like we are re-enlisting. Spouse is naturally doing way better with the weight (men suck...there I said it). I do better with stamina though (bwahahaha, yes these short legs can outrun his long ones if we go for distance). Now, I won't be re-enlisting...Army don't want this broke chick.
We've also started paying more attention to what we eat and how are bodies react. This weekend was an off weekend with lots of meals out and not being measured. We both felt like crap come Sunday morning. Lesson learned: portion control is truly your bestest friend in the wide world. Oh, that translates to preppin' too folks. Pay attention to HOW MUCH you eat, the what you eat matters too but seriously gorge on food and you pay. Pretty simple a concept, but not one that we (as a people) really ever think about for the most part. It's so easy to go back for seconds, thirds and even fourths of some things. That's been the second hardest habit to break, the first being the smokes...really, really have to stop those puppies.
Last bit o' random thoughts for the night: Food
Ah, my friend and my enemy. But for the sake of trail research, I've been spending a lot of time with food. I really don't want to be hauling 25lbs of food around with me in May...not for a 3-4 day hike. So I've been playing with some things. The pouch tuna and chicken, the ready to eat rices (hey! I did a post on those over at the hiking blog) and more than just dried apples. I have to tell you folks, if you don't have the RTE rices in your preps...get some. Literally RTE in two minutes, straight from the pouch. Oh and be darn sure you have some of the pouches of tuna and chicken in those preps too. The cans are great, but the pouches will save you some serious ounces in a BOB. Even a few random ounces here and there will weigh you down, slowing you down...not a fun thought in a SHTF situation.
Okay, now I'll run off and hit the wine...local and fantastic!
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Wiring
Ever wonder why some people are the way they are? For instance, the spouse and myself are so completely different it's almost scary.
He's wired to be productive under supervision and thrives in a very structured environment. That's why the Army is his best career choice, he's finally seen that (note: this is something that I've known for years, but hey you can only say "I told you so" so many times). Me on the other hand, well...I thrive on chaos, I chafe at the bit in highly structured situations...I am the consummate Aquarius.
How in the world have we managed not to murder each other in the past 14 years? I dunno. The relationship seems to work alright. We do have our moments of tension (see scary stuff) and I used to express my opinion by hurling the nearest heavy object at his head. Don't worry, I never hit him. My aim is too good. Like just about every married woman I even entertained the thought of smothering him with a pillow, then realized it would do me little good to go to jail. I'm volatile, he's not so much. Then there are ways that I'm way more relaxed than him. The spouse stresses easily and his stomach feels the brunt of the stress. Me, if I can't fix it I let it go. I tend to let the screamers do their worst...if they ain't bleeding it's all cool. He goes nutty at the noise. I suppose opposites do attract.
So where does that lead in terms of survival/prep/goo? We balance each other out for the most part. His wiring, so different from my own, grounds me. He is my ground wire, I'm his hot one (lol...I'm hot). It's the balance that preppers/survivalists need in their company of friends and family. Be honest...you don't really want a permanent antagonist in your group? A downer that has no happy place? The point is to choose carefully. Time is short for most to do this, but done it must be. No man is an island...no woman either.
Prep all you like, but darn it...get thee a support system!
He's wired to be productive under supervision and thrives in a very structured environment. That's why the Army is his best career choice, he's finally seen that (note: this is something that I've known for years, but hey you can only say "I told you so" so many times). Me on the other hand, well...I thrive on chaos, I chafe at the bit in highly structured situations...I am the consummate Aquarius.
How in the world have we managed not to murder each other in the past 14 years? I dunno. The relationship seems to work alright. We do have our moments of tension (see scary stuff) and I used to express my opinion by hurling the nearest heavy object at his head. Don't worry, I never hit him. My aim is too good. Like just about every married woman I even entertained the thought of smothering him with a pillow, then realized it would do me little good to go to jail. I'm volatile, he's not so much. Then there are ways that I'm way more relaxed than him. The spouse stresses easily and his stomach feels the brunt of the stress. Me, if I can't fix it I let it go. I tend to let the screamers do their worst...if they ain't bleeding it's all cool. He goes nutty at the noise. I suppose opposites do attract.
So where does that lead in terms of survival/prep/goo? We balance each other out for the most part. His wiring, so different from my own, grounds me. He is my ground wire, I'm his hot one (lol...I'm hot). It's the balance that preppers/survivalists need in their company of friends and family. Be honest...you don't really want a permanent antagonist in your group? A downer that has no happy place? The point is to choose carefully. Time is short for most to do this, but done it must be. No man is an island...no woman either.
Prep all you like, but darn it...get thee a support system!
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