Can't Remember...

If I'd ever share these before or not...I'm sure most of you know about them, but just in case.

Self-Education via Coursera.org (I enjoyed the discussion in the Disaster Preparedness course)

And a little know thy enemy via FEMA (a whole list of courses designed to educate the average joe in how to work like them) that I'm actually finding a bit enlightening.

I only do the freebie stuff, of course, 'cause I'm cheap like that.

Enjoy!

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Unofficial Confirmation...

Unofficial as in I've not been through a battery of blood tests and medical related go....confirmation as in I'm feeling it...bad.

Gluten is NOT my friend.

Today has been so solidly horrible in the gastric department after last night's short love affair with homemade pizza rolls.  They were delicious (oh so delicious)...they are the devil.  After going almost a full two weeks sans gluten, last night's splurge has shown me today exactly what gluten does to me.  It ain't pretty.

So there in lies yet another new obstacle to rebuilding the pantry.  Wheat and any product containing it is out.  Substitutes are in.  And since those substitutes are incredibly hard to find at decent prices locally, I get to turn to the interwebz in full to procure them.  It also means that shopping for long term storage meals just got a lot more interesting.

As much as the Screamers and Tanker loved the Chili Mac from Wise Foods (I did not partake...it was lunch for them the day I went and got some gum scraping done); they do not carry gluten-free goods.  There are other companies that do, however, and I will be researching what they carry.    In the meantime, I'll be working on a new pantry stock list.

So tell me....any special dietary issues you're having to deal with in regards to prepping?



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Surprise, Surprise....

well, not really.

Not to any of you that have been reading here (or any of the other like minded blogs) in the past 4 years or so.

Headlines as I signed into Yahoo! this morning are MSM panic inducing...to a lot of folks...hopefully not to you (the usual suspects).

They go something like this:

NASA Civilization Collapse Study
Your Dollar isn't Buying (and isn't going to) Much at the Grocery
California to Farmers, "No water for you!" (sorry, it's a Fox link)
Ukraine (and the EU), Ukraine (and their Navy) and a little Turkey Talk (3 separate ones there)

And on it goes...people are shocked...well, at least some of the folks rolling about in my FB feed.  They genuinely did not see the food price hike coming and are angry.  "First my heating bill nearly triples and now this!"

Welcome to the New Age folks.

Get thee prepared.....

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Eerily Quiet....

Apologies for the slight abandonment...

I've been incredibly busy seeking out suitable habitation (size, price, location, etc).  And it has been one heck of a challenge.  So many emails sent out, so few returned.  You don't know a challenge until you attempt to find a place that accepts two not small dogs.  I ranted all over my FB but spared you all...you hear enough rants from my strangely wired brain.

At any rate, challenge beat.

We found a place that will suit us quite well.  Location is pretty well perfect, price perfect, size alright.  We'll be downsizing a bit but honestly we're all good with it.  We've acquired more crap, of course, again.  Space will be at a premium, so there will be no room for stuff that is useless.

All of that being said, I'm excited to be moving "home."  It's the area that both Tanker and I were raised in; an area that we know very well.  Very well.

Now, lack of space (not in a bad way, seriously, we like the downsize aspect) in the new place (sleeping areas only really) is leading me to look at food storage a bit differently right now.  We're looking at freeze dried meals and the likes....trying to decide which to go with....so suggestions would be most welcome here as the bulk of our experience is with MRE's and the couple of Mountain House meals we tried a gazillion years ago (purchased in the Wally World camping section).

Who do you like?  Flavor, cost, value?

Throw it at me!

Pay No Attention....

to the puppet on the public stage.  Re-elect him then sit back and watch the show.  Do nothing until it's too late.

It's damn near too late.

Maybe it is already.

Too many just don't care.  Period.

Those that prepare...keep doing what you can.

Those that don't...sorry.





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Well Don't That Just Beat It All....

The other morning I was chatting with Mother Dearest and mentioned that we needed to separate out our New Zealand rabbits because I thought we had one of each vs two does but I didn't think they were old enough to breed.  Literally 10 minutes later I walk out to check food and water...guess what?

I was right AND wrong.  Oh yeah...there is one of each.  Oh no....they are old enough to breed.

Eight (EIGHT) little, wiggly white kits in the bed box.

Separation now complete.

Now, I guess I'll be moving Momma Bunny (aka Susan) and the kits with us...as to what to do with every one else...no flippin' clue.  First step is to double check everyone else and make sure the he's are he and the she's are she.  Although we already know for sure about "Suzette" and yes, he is now named A Boy Named Sue.  Thanks Sue....our rabbit population tripled overnight.

Not a bad thing IF we weren't going to be packing house and changing States in the next 45 or so days.  I guess the upside is that I know we'll have meat to stock the freezer with.  Thank goodness we've got the hutches for it!

Some Fuzzy Butts...(Image Heavy)

sometimes patience does pay off...6 so far:

New Toys...

got some in the mail today and they are simply superb.  They're preps that I've wanted for a good long time.  I've never, ever in my life held something quite so lovingly made and perfectly balanced as this:

Honey Gatherer (for me)

and this:

Blood Kukri (for Tanker)

Ernie (his blog, Bunker Index, is over there in the blog link section btw) has a gift.  Words simply cannot describe it, so I won't try.  Let me just say that if you ever find yourself wanting a piece of useful art...hit up Ernie.  It is worth every single penny.

Now, onto other stuff....I have dancing eggs.  Yep, a smattering of dancing eggs in the incubator right now.  They're set to hatch on my birthday or as everyone else knows it, Thursday.  So hoping for a decent hatch, but understand that this being my first time incubating casualties are to be expected.

If all goes well...peep pictures will be coming soon.

A Little Political...A Little of Life...

still don't think the .gov is rolling over anyone and anything in its path?

Tell that to Morningland Dairy (local).

Sad and wasteful...our US Government...aren't we proud.  Amerika.

Now on to life on the 'Stead...

I came home with another dozen and a half hatching eggs (already 2 dozen in one incubator) and 10 new chicks (to add to the 4 I had here already), the original plan was to just get rid of some extra roos.  Plan fail.

Don't make fun of the Turken...Killer was free (before the new ten and before the loss of the puny one up front there):

And when I got to the coop, I found these...my poor girls hadn't gotten down out of the rafters for days because of the obscene amount of roos we had around here....problem no more!!

With the extra roos gone, the girls are happily out in the yard pecking around...without fear of having 6 guys jump them at once.  Here's to hoping that production picks up (which it should since tomorrow I'm adding 4 or 5 more hens...hehe).

That's my prepping for the week!  Now, off to fix some chicken noodle soup for dinner...youngest screamer requested it.

Well then...

there's so much going on over here (EU) and over there (USofA) that it's mind boggling.  Where to begin with all the nonsense and craziness?  Nowhere, but I'll keep watching and digesting...wonder if there will be a sudden stop at the bottom of the slow spiral or if things will go on "as usual" with very little uproar from the general public.  Grumblings are one thing, true genuine displeasure is quite another.  Watching closely.

Plans and research on the homestead are moving along nicely, despite the HUGE amount of uncertainty we're facing here due to Soldier's back injury...are they going to keep him in, put him out, how long for the later to take place and if he stays in then for how long?  Craziness on a personal scale, but easy to handle if you just ride the waves and stay parallel to the shore...we'll wash up where we want to be eventually.  Which is all good...even better is that Soldier has come to the dark side, bwahahahahaha.

He wants full off grid (good thing since I think the nearest lines for anything near our property are a mile or more away), he's warming up to at least partial earth-berm and is practically giddy over the prospect of a real garden and livestock.  Oh and hunting...super excited over the hunting.  Men.

Alas, the spawn are demanding food (geez, don't the ever stop eating?) so the update is over...more later!

A New Year Approaches...

according to the calendar at least.  Don't know about you, but my ever increasing sense of "whoa, wait a minute there bud" is...well, ever increasing.  Having spent the last few months in a slightly further removed from the rest of it bubble (physically at least) and sort of watching the downward spiral from a different view, then proceeding to allow my love of history and a modern culture ADD-fueled comparison to take over...things are most definitely ticking toward BOOM vs crash.  Implosion of the loudest kind, I do believe.  No, I do not look forward to it...my German is not good enough just yet and that skill is one that is necessary for surviving in a land where German is the language spoken.

Of course, one collapse will string along others in this modern interconnected world of ours.  Who will be left standing unscathed?  None.  Even the most closed countries rely on some other country for something, not a one is self-sufficient.  It's the domino effect in full force...I wonder if it would look similar from space...a bunch of countries tilting one after another until the last one clatters to a halt.  That would be a design worth looking at.  Frightening, yet still intriguing.

As it stands, I've decided that no one is ever fully prepared.  No one.  While our stocks and supplies will last a goodly time and my sketchy German is enough to squeak by, we will never be fully prepared for the unpredictability of the future...that's why it's called unpredictable.  Heck, even the meteorologists (once pretty good at predicting weather) are getting a workout lately.  Ma Nature is showing them all who is boss and refuses to fall in line with what is "average" lately.

Example:  The lovely European snowfall that tangled up Holiday travelers.  Yeah, light snow expected my ass!  (see previous post for "light snow" pictures)

Further Example of the unpredictability of the future:  Last night a sewage line burst in our building at about 10 p.m., flooding over half the basement and community laundry room with raw sewage.  Storage for each apartment in the building is located...can you guess it?...in the basement.  No fewer than 8 of our neighbor families have spent some part of today trying salvage what can be salvaged from the poo.  We got lucky...the pipe was at the other end of the building.

Now, as one that makes some sort of an attempt at learning from the past, Further Example has prompted me to do what I had merely talked about doing all spring/summer.  Fork over cash for the purchase of shelving units for our storage area.  Will it keep stuff from being damaged in the event of another poo-fall or (as I've found out recently) spring thaw flooding?  No, not all of it...but it'll buy us time.  Time to get to the non-poo covered items and bring them to safety.

Any recent events in your day-to-day prompt you to action lately?

The Final Word?

So I'm doing a little research, again...into dehydrating lean hamburger meat, again....

Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh! For crying out loud!! What's the final word? Safe, not safe, aliens will abduct me, what!?!

So far, what I've gotten is that it's perfectly safe...but not because of the possibility of spoilage depending on storage...don't do it at all...freeze it after and all is fine.

So I turn to you, dear readers....advice, suggestions, what have you...I welcome your input.

For what it's worth, the reasoning is this...I have no desire to try to make it to the Commissary with two (possibly three...don't ask) screamers in 10 below snowbound weather at any point this coming winter. And being that my kids and myself are serious carnivores...well, we like our chili, spaghetti and all that good stuff to contain meat.

Adding a New Dimension...

to the preps...ladies and gentlemen, I am now the parent of a "special needs" child. Funny how one little visit to the doc and one little test can take you from being the parent of a somewhat normal, happy, healthy kid into a googling the medical terms maniac.

The oldest screamer was diagnosed with bilateral permanent hearing loss (lower decible levels) a couple of days ago. Meaning: Hearing aides for the rest of his life as the condition (whether genetic or caused by birth trauma, at this time unknown) is irreversible by medication and/or surgery. Oldest screamer is 6. We do not yet know what kind of hearing aides (digital or analog) Tricare will pay for, or the full extent of the loss...have to get into the ENT for a consult and go from there.

But this means a whole new level for prepping. Specialized batteries, cleaning and care of stuff, etc. On top of that, I've pulled out the ASL book for a restart in lessons for the whole family this time. Basic signs for youngsters and us adults for now, then onto more intense stuff. Why? Well, because the condition MAY be progressive/degenerative, because I want to be able to talk to my child should the worst happen and finally, because it's the smart thing to do. Silent communication. Why not.

#200...

Wow...there's actually a few good posts buried (as in John Wayne style of saying..."burreed") in here somewhere too...but this one is #200. Wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't been smacking a little hand away from the screen as I was clicking. Go figure.

Enough drivel...on to some chatter!

Made some nice purchases this weekend, danke to the bi-annual case lot sales that make their way around the military. Grabbed up some extra shampoo and the likes along with laundry detergent and tp...and for the oldest a case of his weakness...Cheez-its. I know, oh so healthy but now I can go grocery shopping semi-peacefully...no begging for Cheez-its!! The sale was semi-decent...lots of diapering stuff like those new Cruisers that have been in the news (which we don't need), paper goods (Charmin, Small Steps, etc.), bathtime stuff (V05 and St. Ives) and detergent (Tide, Gain, Purex, etc)...not much else that we are into though. I think when the next sale rolls around in September I'll make the drive to a bigger post to see what they've got...maybe. I do have to say that I miss the Statesides sales when compared with ours here. As it is, we added to the preps quite well with this sale and will hopefully continue to stumble on some rocking deals.

I do have to give our post Thrift Store some props though. We've picked up a good chunk of "new to us" furniture lately...'tis the season for PCS and everyone is trying to make a little extra $$ with the selling of extra stuff. So we win with great deals on gently used goods...works for me as I have no issues with perfectly good furniture that's been a little loved. Besides, we picked up two vintage pieces for practically nothing. Call it Shabby Chic, lol.

And last but not least, you'll be pleased to know that my not-so-obsessive fabric and yarn hoarding will come to good use. I don't have THAT much, but dang it...I've got enough to do a little self-decorating. Self as in making curtains (since they cost an arm and a leg at the PX and I've not yet made an IKEA run) and later this spring/summer the knitting of hats, gloves and neck sweaters (aka scarves) for the screamer and myself. Not that I need them but dang if these kids just won't quit growing on me. I knew saving all that stuff would come in handy, as did buying off-cuts and such from the sale bins at JoAnn's and Wally World (when Wally World still had a semi-decent fabric section). My only downfall is the closest fabric store to me right now is a quilt shop with killer high end fabrics...heaven help the pocketbook if I ever get the guts to go in.

But then, if the Euro continues to tank...I may not need so much help!

It has been asked....

how I got started on this prep/survival trip. I haven't really shared that here but figured "what the hey"...may as well.

Back in 2006, shortly after the youngest screamer was born, the Spouse and myself decided it was time to put down some roots and buy a house. Being incredibly unversed in the process, we got screwed with some shady lending practices (oh, shock and disbelief) and ended up being reemed by a surprise tax and insurance bill the following year. We were under the impression that said taxes and insurance were escrowed into the mortgage...they were not...we were actually told by the lawyer rep'ing the mortgage company AT THE SIGNING that they were...they were not...the ORIGINAL loan docs said they were....the company that bought the loan chose not to honor that particular point in the contract and did not inform us of the change. Said taxes did eventually get escrowed into the mortgage BUT doubled the mortgage payment (nice, eh?). What would have been a non-issue the previous year was a serious issue. You see, about 5 months after purchasing, the Spouse lost his job on a technicality (which the same company used to release several of its long time, higher paid employees and hire lower paid temps...nice, eh?). The Spouse was making less than half of what he had been making at home purchase time and we were on a less than shoestring budget when the tax bomb dropped.

We fell behind...a lot. Long story short, the house went into forclosure and we jingle mailed the mortgage company. No way we were going to pay what would end up being 3x's the actual value of a house that was killing our youngest child without us knowing (different story, another time). We were essentially homeless. Everything went into a Uhaul and we moved from KY to MO, staying with my parents for 3 months before the Spouse became gainfully employed and we got our own place. Sounds like current events doesn't it? Only way earlier...call it a foretelling of the future, lol. In the end the mortgage company got their money via short sell and then some...no, we did not see the extra because they loopholed (wow, another shocker) by selling the house BACK to themselves then selling it to someone else. Just shows on the credit report as a closed account with late payments in 2008...go figure.

At any rate, that particular snafu in our lives led me to finding a way to pad our meager means. It became a slight obsession at first, the quest to keep us fed, clothed and no longer living paycheck to paycheck (not easy to do on $8hr for a family of four). To be honest, it took a very long time...to me at least. We're darn near there...no longer relying on the system to supplement our food needs, no debt other than fairly minor student loans and no longer living paycheck to paycheck. We have enough foodstuffs put by to last us quite a while if needed (though they will soon enough be on a boat to Germany) and I know that if I have to I can make the clothing we need in addition to other household stuff.

It's a nice place to be, this small comfort zone. But it's not complete, meaning I haven't relaxed. There is always something else that can be done to further the comfort, something else that can increase the self-reliance. This is a journey, a quest per se...how can X be done in a better way for example?

So there you have it...the story of how one "things" obsessed family became drawn to this lifestyle...or at least a part of it. The biggest part of it.

Preaching to the Choir...

in hopes that a non-Choir member may stumble here and find something sorta worthwhile.

Many (many, many, many) Americans are just now waking up. Many are still sleeping but I have to say I've given up on them. There are only so many times a person can try to make a difference to those that refuse to see any other way. We'll ignore them for now...though they will become "the problem" later when things start getting really rough. Right now the focus is on the newly awakened (I'm pretty sure that's not the proper bit o' English but don't particularly care).

Welcome. Sucks to see all that hard earned cash/junk/wanted stuff slowly disappear, don't it? Be honest. Now, you want more gut punches? What could you have gotten instead of that 46" flat screen LCD TV that would actually help you in the event of a full systemic crash or even local emergency? Ouch...yeah, it hurts.

Let's break it down, shall we?

Flour Mill
Wheat
Dehydrated Foods
Water Filter
Emergency Shelter


I could really go on and on. But I won't because I know...I am preaching to the choir. If you've recently joined the choir you still have a little time left to get yourself fixed up with goods before it gets too awful bad. TEOTWAWKI doesn't always mean huge, massive upheaval in a global sense ya know. It means "as we know it"...and what my generation knows is time of plenty where one could buy what they want/need when they wanted/needed for the most part. Times are a changin' my fellow X and Y'ers if you haven't noticed. The dollar isn't worth much and frankly the good ol' USA is following the dollar's path in the rest of the world's view. Do you honestly think that the (s)elected officals in your city/county/state/federal governments are going to have your back? Um, not likely.

The time has come (the Walrus said)...to grow up. Seriously. We are a spoiled country for the most part. Take responsibility and grow the heck up. Do something to provide for yourself and your loved ones in time of need/crisis. In other words, don't stand there scratching your rearend in the middle of the train track while the 5:30 Express comes barreling in your direction.

Put aside something tangible AND useful, learn a skill that you thought only "poor" people needed to know, plant something that you can eat eventually and learn to NOT run to the store when you run out of X,Y or Z...figure out a substitute or do without. You'll be amazed at how much money you save (that's the green stuff that you find less and less of in your wallet nowadays, btw) and how much better you feel about yourself. Take a little pride in getting your hands dirty with manual labor (heaven forbid) and providing something you made/raised/grew to your family. Get your rear in gear folks...or be prepared to relive the standing in soup lines stories you heard from older relatives in a firsthand version.

***The above rant was brought to you by entirely too much coffee while working on getting things organized so that the movers coming on the 16th do NOT pack up a bag of trash/potatoes/or anything else that I wouldn't want sitting on a boat for 6+ weeks***

Oh...Really?

~~Warning: the following post is chock full of intense sarcasm and downright snarkiness. No apologies are made for hurt feelings or trite comments.~~

We got our "money's worth" did we?  Whatever VP.

Glad you think so in your bunker hidden beneath...wait, we aren't supposed to know, remember. Open mouth, insert foot Biden...you do that incredibly well. Be sure to say that line again when the estimated 5 million folks currently depending on unemployment get cut off in a few months. We got our money's worth alright...wonder how all those that voted FOR you and the Prez are feeling right about now...wonder how many of them are set to get cut off come June?

This year is shaping up to be a doozy. A big fat wake up call for millions of folks that have been happily floating along in a daze of sublime bullshit. It's not yet too late to do a little something that will help in the lean times to come (maybe a few months), but seriously at this point how many are going to listen...after all, the government will save them. Oops, forgot about Katrina, Ike and Haiti (which really isn't our responsibility but there is that whole damned if you do, damned if you don't thing) already haven't they? Yep, government will save you alright...save you right into non-being. How many less mouths to feed is that now? (I can see them asking one another over their lattes in a bunker filled with everything they themselves need to survive.)

Keep right on believing that folks, keep floating along on your lazy dazy river of bullshit...you are safe, secure and nothing can touch your serene little lives that are wrapped up in bubble wrap. Yep, believe it.

For those that are just waking up...welcome to the real world. You know, the one were a big chunk of us have been living for quite some time now. Paycheck to paycheck sucks...having one doesn't. No credit cards sucks...but no credit card bills doesn't. Take that $$ that you would spend on some new gadget (coming from a self-professed gadget lover whose last purchase of that sort was MONTHS ago...aka the laptop) and buy some long lasting staples (beans, rice, flour, sugar, yeast, etc). Oh, and do try to learn to cook with them...or don't if you feel like having food that you don't know how to use. Or buy a bunch of overprocessed, packaged crap with instructions on the outside of the box then enjoy the chemicals coursing through your ever clogging arteries and veins. Up to you.

Frankly, watching the oncoming train wreck is giving me a migraine. Worse is watching so many that refuse to see what's coming. "More things, must have more useless things" I can practically hear them chanting as they checkout at Big Box store. Go on, go ahead...I give you permission...more things. After all, it is the American consumers' fault that we are still in a slacking economy and the jobless rate is going to stay high. Spend, spend, spend your way out of debt...it obviously works.

This is tiring and disheartening. This watching the ever spiraling swirl as the whole mess circles the drain. We've come so far in the past 100 years, but we are no better off now (as a country/nation/species) because honestly...how many know how to do for themselves (aka grow food, cook food from scratch, survive on the real basics, etc)?

Watching the train/swirl is like watching history repeat in slow motion...you see it coming, you know it's on its way but seriously there is nothing that you as one person can do other than shout "don't you see it" to people who refuse to listen. I feel like a tornado warning siren in a trailer park...letting you know it's there, it's coming but watching as you seek shelter in the worst possible place. Disheartening.

Contingency...

You know the saying, "The best laid plans....."

I am faced with a dilemma...a problem.  And yes, it involves the preps.  While I am quite content that what we have on hand is enough to see us through a fairly good amount of time (not years, maybe a year) I am faced with the undeniable fact that I can't take it with me.  Weight limits et al put a stop to that thought.  So I am left standing over the preps, trying to decide what comes with and what says with the folks.

I also have to think on the possibility that our "household" goods will be delayed (sometimes it happens...months of happening).  Which means stuff sitting in port with all the port related creatures (bugs, rats, mice, thieves, etc).  Sure, it's covered under "insurance" but that doesn't keep the mind to secure, insurance doesn't always pay.  You see the dilemma, I hope.

What to take, what to leave...it isn't as if I can't rebuild, but that takes months.  It isn't as if I can take everything (some items prohibited) but I hate to leave so much behind.

The problem plagues me.

So I pose this question to you, dear readers...what would you do (and no, staying is not an option...sorry)?  What essentials would you take on a 3300+ mile trek, halfway across the world, to start anew?

(I also thought it would be an interesting study of comparisons...old time 1800's pioneers vs modern...responses should be intriguing I think.)

A Trip to the Grocery....

and a revelation.

Someone, around here at least, is listening. Watching, learning and buying. The area has always been big on gardening, for the most part. Nearly everyone puts in a summer garden. But this year...this year, someone (or somebodies) is doing more.

You know those packest of seeds that are 10 cents? The ones that are black and white and look old timey? The local grocery (literally local...locally owned...the only major competitor here with Tram-Law) was putting them out last week, earlier than usual I might add, and this week...poof! There are barely any left in the stand. Out of curiousity I chatted up one of the stockboys that's been there for years. "Faster than I've ever seen them go" he says. "Don't know when more are coming in. There weren't any on the truck this week but I'm sure they'll get more in."

Looks like gardens around here will be more than just the usual tomatoes and cucumbers this year. I'm looking forward to my seed order from Baker coming in, even if I don't get to plant as early as I'd like. Oh and Big Lots is stocked way, way, way up on canning jars and the likes here...so I guess not every big business isn't seeing the light...they know what is going to make money for them in just a few months at least. I would sure love to go grab a huge bunch of them, but lets face it...they'd be broke in the move most likely. I'll wait to see where we are headed, then think logistics.

On another note, Tram-Law here is already putting out the gardening stuff...no seeds yet though. Interesting that this wasn't the case last year. That stuff didn't show until late February.

So, what's the gardening forcast for your area?

The Waiting Game....

Patience is not my virtue. Just ask the screamers. I only ask twice. Third time gets the look, the change in tone of voice and either timeout or a butt whoopin' (usually the butt whoopin'). I tried that whole "be nice, no spanking, compromise" thing...I'm a fairly "crunchy" parent with the exception of the fact that I have no desire to compromise and/or negotiate with a three year old. I am the parent, what I say goes until you are old enough to move out and live on your own legally. This is not a democracy...this is a dictatorship.

That being said...I am now in the position of waiting. Waiting for orders to come down (still) as to where the spring will find us. Waiting for some overpaid bureaucrat to decide to push a button in some office somewhere that will send this information...oh, and change the Soldier's records (apparently he's still retired...imagine that)...so I can move forward. I don't like this spot, this being held in limbo.

True, it does have a few minor advantages. I can unload all of my unwanted crap onto strangers that will remain strange since there is no need to further try to integrate myself into a town that hasn't exactly welcomed us with open arms (really funny since my family has lived here in one form or another for generations). I do get to spend the time left here, however long that may be, working out ways to minimize the crud further so that there is less to worry about when moving day approaches. I have the time to let the littles spend more time with my parents...though I'm sure we will see more of them than the in-laws regardless of where orders take us (in-laws do NOT travel/visit...nice, eh?).

I also find myself doing something that I wouldn't have the chance to do if we weren't still waiting on bureaucratic monkeys. I am exploring the possibilities of each potential assignment. Learning via maps/blogs/news articles/research what to expect of the area around it. Not just to feed the hiking (see other blog) but for peace of mind. Desert, mountain, dense populations...I'm learning what I can about each and working on plans of action. While I wait...I gather in more ways than one. I also purge (see link to half.com).

I think this wait will be good for me...teach me to not expect accuracy in orders. Teach me that a little patience might be a good thing, though not the best.