What About The Kids

With all the buzz on prepping for "IT", most if not all the prepping/survival blogs that deal with Bug out Bags I have read only talk about the main bag or bags that will support the whole family for the 72 hour duration. My question is, what about the kids? Yes they will be covered under your main BOB when they are with you but in a worse case situation and they are at school, then what?

We all think if something terrible happens tomorrow we will be able to jump in the car and go get our children and take them to safety. Being they are at school, friends house, church function or where ever they may be, jumping in the car and racing to save them may not be that easy. It may take several hours or depending on where you work, days to get home and secure your loved ones and your belongings.      

The best thing I have found to ease my mind on this matter is have each child, no matter the age, have their own personal survival bag. I do not know of any school policy that prohibits a small bag with certain items being hung in your child's locker. Of course you would have to use your head when filling the bag and not put weapons, knives or medications in them, but simple survival items to help them cope with the time of disaster and to be safe upon your arrival.        

Here is a small list of such items that I think would be useful for any child stuck in that situation.

Basic Survival Items: Do not overload you child's bag and keep in mind their age and carrying capacity.

• Small flash light. (LED)
• Emergency whistle so they can be found in a crowd or get your attention when you drive up. 
• Emergency contact list with names of relatives, home address, and telephone numbers.
• Area map
• Emergency Poncho.
• Inflatable pillow. (Used in case of a overnight stay or a flotation device)
• A full change of clothes. (socks and underwear for sure)
• Small box of Band aids & wipes. (Remember no medications)
• Small bottle of hand sanitizer.
• Hard candy.
• Bubble gum.
• Energy / Breakfast bars.
• A couple of Water bottles. 

I am sure there are items I have missed, but this list will get you started and get your mind working. All these items will fit into a cute little pull string bag or a hand bag your kids can put in their school lockers, take with them to church camp or a overnight stay at a friends house.


Make sure you go over each item in the bag with your child and explain to them what they are used for. Having the items at hand is only half the battle and are useless if they do not know how to use them. 


It is also good to have an evacuation plan. Being my kids are older and working outside of the home, we have devised a plan to where if a disaster hits and there is no way to get home, they will know where to meet. If they have their small survival bag with them at least I know they will be ok until I can get to them.       

Weatherby Vanguard

A challenge from Stephen over at http://dixiecritter.blogspot.com/ . He wrote;

"I'd like to throw out a challenge to all my blogger friends; write and post one article this week, hopefully today or tomorrow, based on the .22 caliber rifle or handgun. The tone or theme doesn't matter. Write about a favorite rifle you owned as a child, or an heirloom inherited from a family member. Perhaps you have certain reasons for or against its consideration as the best cartridge (it is in my humble opinion) for survival situations. Doesn't matter, join the fun. Duke at, http://downrangereport.blogspot.com/, got the ball rolling yesterday. "

 For his challenge I chose the Weatherby Vanguard because of the black sheep image the Vanguard has. Chambered in the .22LR or the .17, this little gun can be your best friend.

Introduced in 1970, the Weatherby Vanguard action (based on a Mauser-style, dual opposed lug design) takes many of its features from the legendary Mark V action, including a one-piece forged and machined, flat bottomed receiver and a fully enclosed machined steel bolt with duel opposed locking lugs and three rings of steel surrounding the casehead. The Howa bolt action is one of the good ones and the version produced for the Vanguard incorporates many of the features of the Mark V. Of those is the one-piece bolt body being fluted, there are three gas escape ports in the side of the bolt and a streamlined bolt sleeve shrouds the rear of the bolt.  Also similar to the Mark V is the flush mounted claw extractor at the front of the bolt and the plunger ejector in the recessed bolt face.

Two positions lock the bolt closed in the safe position just like on the Mark V, but it is shaped differently. There is also a Mark V type cocking indicator for a little added safety. On larger chambers the magazine floorplate is hinged, and the release is in the front of the trigger guard making access a snap.

All Weath Vanguard and Mark V alike, come with a 1.5" MOA accuracy guarantee specifying a 1.5" or smaller 3-shot group at 100 yards from a cold barrel when used with Weatherby or premium factory loaded ammunition. They are supplied with a test target to prove it. 

Vanguards range from basic blued/synthetic models to the ultra-accurate SUB-MOA models and Deluxe models stocked in beautifully finished walnut. Many knowledgeable gun dealers and hunters alike consider the Weatherby Vanguard to be the best value available in a centerfire or rimfire hunting rifle today.




Weatherby Vanguard SUB-MOA Varmint. Illustration courtesy of Weatherby, Inc.

One question that I have been asked, since it is not based on the real Waetherby, is the Vanguard a true Weatherby? And the answer is "yes." Weatherby puts their name and reputation on the line with the Vanguard, and if they say it is a Weatherby, then you can take it to the bank. 

The Vanguard is no longer the stepchild in the Weatherby line like it once was and is now the heart of the Weatherby line.

Weatherby Vanguard Deluxe. Illustration courtesy of Weatherby, Inc.


(Information gained from http://www.weatherby.com/product/rifles/vanguard, http://www.chuckhawks.com/wby_vanguard_rifles.htm)

Weatherby offers rifles chambered in:  

.17 HMR, .204 Ruger, .22 LR, .223 Remington, .22-250 Remington, .270 Winchester, .300 WSM, .300 Winchester Mag, .243 Winchester, .25-06 Remington, .338-06 A-Square, .338 winchester Mag, .35 Whelen, .375 H&H Mag, .458 Lott, .270 WSM, 7mm-08 Remington, .280 Remington, 7mm Rem Mag, .308 Winchester, .30-06 Springfield

Plugging Away

I wanted to take a minute to share with y'all a couple of great blogs that I read. One is new, One I just found and the others are ones I have not mentioned before.  If you feel compelled to check one out just tell them the Redneck sent ya.  

This guy is a good friend of mine and it is a shame that we live to far away to visit more. I could talk to him for hours. A historian, gun toting, flag waving red blooded American. You will enjoy what he writes.   
https://yeoldefurt.wordpress.com


Here is a guy that just got started in the blog world. After his first post it was hard not to hit the follow button so he is now on my blog roll. He comes highly recommended.  
http://downrangereport.blogspot.com/ 

I have been reading this guys Mountain adventures for a couple of months now. I live through his blog . You will love some of the pictures he posts. It is so comforting to know there are still places like that left in the world.   
http://ajournalofselfsufficiency.blogspot.com/

I want to tell y'all what, this young couple has it figured out. I wished I could have started doing this when I was their age. It has been a real pleasure reading about the farm.
http://thewanderingkfarm.blogspot.com/

I am not getting any money from plugging these blogs. They are great blogs that I would like to share with y'all, that's all. I think some of us already read them but if you don't then here is your chance.
Please don't get offended if I did not put yours up here. Shoot me an email or a comment, ask and I will.
Thank y'all for showing your support. 

Mr. Survivalist

I was twelve years old the first time I was exposed to the word Survivalist. It took a while to get it in my head on what it actually meant, but after I fully understood it I knew I had to be one.

My dad had an old friend that came by every now and then and sometimes while they sat and talked I would ease-drop in their conversation.
The old man would sit and tell stories and talk of his dreams about being a mountain man and surviving in the wilds. He would tell my dad about all the preparing he has done to achieve his life long goal. He described the plan right down to the smallest detail, the log house he was going to build, the food he was going to grow and he even set a date on when all this was going to take place.
I would sit at the end of the porch, captured by his every word and listen to the thin, grey haired old man as he talked about a day when he was going to live free among the wilds of the mountains. It did not take long for me to start asking questions and trying to learn as much as I could. After he would leave, I would always looked forward to his return.

Finally, the day the old man spent so many years preparing for came. I wondered if he was going to come and say goodby or not like he said he would. When I saw his little red truck pull into the driveway loaded down with supplies and bags I was thrilled. When he got out he told me that he had brought me something special. Reaching in the back of his truck he presented me with a cage and his pet Ferrets. He told me to look after his pets while he was away and to take good care of them. He would be back to get them in the fall.

I did not want to look after his animals, I wanted to go with him. All the talking he and my dad had done about surviving in the wilderness, starting a homestead, living off the land and living free only built a fire in me to do the same. I had even packed a bag on the hopes my dad would let me go with him for a while. Remember, I was around twelve years old at the time and Grizzly Adams was still on TV. All I could think about was having a pet bear and living in the mountains.

I cannot remember the old mans name. All I remember is how he lit up every time he talked about his dream and the smile from ear-to-ear across on his face while he waved goodby as he drove away to capture that dream.
I never saw him again after that day. I would often think about him and his wild adventures while I fed his pets a year or so later. I want to believe he parked his truck off some old mountain dirt road, grabbed his bags out of the back and wondered off into his dream.

May God be with you wherever you are Mr. Survivalist           

I Thought I Was Done With It

I don't understand it. With her first pay check, the youngest girl went out and bought more show rabbits. I thought we were done with the show rabbits.

They are of the Mini Satin breed and come with good records so I guess we will see. I have been down this road before though. I think she wanted them just for the local and county shows next year and not for breeding this time.

Redneck Women

 The cool thing about having a Redneck woman is that it does not take a lot of money and going to fancy places to make her happy.

Home Made Margarita Machine

Being that our good friends D&R have their anniversary in the same week, the past several years we celebrate both of ours on the same day. Last night the girls wanted to be wined and dined so my buddy Dave and I showed them the town.

First we took them to a nice little restaurant just to show them we care and then to a pool party another friend of ours was having. After just a few minutes of shaking hands and listening to the band we made our escape and stopped off at the pool hall for a few games of billiards, then later back to the pool party to watch and laugh at all the intoxicated people. It was great.

It is amazing what a couple of three hours can do to a party. The people we shook hands with that were all prim and proper just a few hours ago were now three sheets to the wind.
Our two wives sat around in the hot tub laughing at the harlets while me and my buddy Dave were trying to figure out the engineering marvel of the home made Margarita machine. It is powered by a garbage disposal. Truly an amazing wonder.

Both of our wives had a great time on our cheap date night.
Redneck Women are the best.  

New Addition To The Mini Farm

Meet Barack O'Lama.

We just picked him up from a guy who got a divorce from a lady who hoarded animals. It is a shame we did not know about this in time and got there a little late. They gave away many, many chickens, goats, sheep, pigs and a few other animals as well.
If I could have gotten there last weekend I would have been the new towns animal hoarder.

I don't know what the heck I am going to do with him but hey, he was free and has not spit on me yet.

21 Years And Counting

At six years old I was a tough little kid that walked with a swagger wearing squared toed boots with a bright shinny buckle on the side. I would have rather kicked you in the shin and spit in your eye than look at you. At that age I thought I could rope a Texas tornado or ride the Red River bare back in a flood. Nothing scared me because I was ten foot tall and bullet proof plus I had a big daddy that would back me up.

That all changed one day when my parents threw a barn party. They had parties once every other month or so, but this time new people were coming. I was all excited to meet some new kids and as their car pulled into the driveway and they all got out, I started to act like a fool.
They had this little blonde haired girl with them that got out and looked all timid and cute. She just stood there with her hands folded in front of her looking around. Normally I would have just ran right up to the car and punched whoever it was. I guess that was kinda like my hand shake, but this girl was something else. All the sudden I got all shy and nervous. I started seating and even started kicking the rocks on the ground as I watched her from the corner of my eye. I had to get her attention some how. Without even looking at me she followed her daddy to the barn and I was not to far behind.

I stalked her like a hunter stalks his pray. I tried making strange noises, climbing on the walls and anything I could do to get her to look my way, nothing.  After a few minutes I finally got the nerve to go up and ask her name. The whole time she talked I could feel my heart beating in my ears and the blood in my cheeks turning them a bright shade of red, I even started to stutter a little not forming any words that she could understand when I was trying to ask her to be my girlfriend. To save face I knew right then what I had to do, I had to hit her and run away.
After landing a nice slug to her upper arm, I ran straight in the house and told my mom that I had a girlfriend and I was going to marry her.

We stayed friends all through school and it helped that our parents were good friends as well. That meant I got to see her more often. She stared dating and so did I and somehow we always ended up together. Most of the times my girlfriends would call her house and ask for me or her boyfriends would call and ask if I had seen her. She was even with me one day when I had to break up with one of mine. It was not a good site.

One day while helping give her cow a bath I finally got up the nerve to ask her out on an official date. We were almost seventeen at the time but I have wanted to date this girl for years. Even though we were more like brother and sister I knew she was my destiny and I wanted it to be more. I rehearsed my speech over and over the last few months and I was now ready to tell her just how I felt. I started spilling my guts and boy did it sound good. Before I was even done with my amazing speech, she said no. She just wanted to stay good friends. That answer hit me like a ton of bricks and I felt like I was six years old again and all I wanted to do was punch her in the arm and run.

I spent the next week down in the dumps. I stayed away from her and even avoided her phone calls. I just lost a good friend because it could never be the same now that she knew how I felt.
It was a late Friday night and I was working at a little gas station right outside of town at that time. I was about to close down when she came walking in. I was surprised to see her but quickly looked away because she had just broke my heart and I did not want to go through it all again. She told me she was in trouble. Now that she had my attention I asked why. Her date that night was a big cowboy and he wanted what she did not want to give so she told the guy to pull into the gas station for a minute. She asked if I could take care of her little situation. I told her to have a seat and I would be right back.

On our way home that night she looked over at me and said she would like to be more than friends. Without even blinking an eye I said no, now it was her turn to beg. It did not take long for me to give in and she slid right to the middle of the truck seat just like it was meant for her this whole time.

I waited till her senior prom to pop the question. I had the whole assembly stop and watch as I took a knee. The fog from the machine circled us while the dim light illuminated the very small diamonds I presented to her.
We were married just a few months later because I had to start my senior year of high school. During the year when I was sick she had to write my excuses for me. The teachers would always read them aloud, "My husband was sick yesterday. Please excuse his absence." It was funny but embarrassing at the same time.

Everyone we knew said we were to young and it was not going to last. I tell you this, our marriage has outlasted most everyone's marriage that had said that, some even twice.

She is my life, my world, and my soul mate. I knew it at a six year old mean little boy, it just took her a little longer.                
        

What A Job

While the oldest girl was here she held two jobs over the summer. One at the local Pizza Inn and the other at nice little Golf Ranch near town. Before she left she was able to get the middle girl (16) on at the pizza place and youngest (15) on at the Golf Ranch.
Three nights a week we take the youngest girl to the golf ranch for a couple of hours to do whatever needs to be done. Being that she is young and this is her first job, I wanted to pay close attention to making sure she does this right. I had no idea how much fun this job was until I started going with her. If I would have known, I would have gone up there with the oldest.

The owner is gone during the week and leaves all operations to her.

The first thing we do is water and feed the guard dogs and then clean the office. Next we walk around and move the sprinklers and pick up several buckets of golf balls. After washing the balls and filling the buckets we clean and straighten around the range and complex area. When all the duties are done, it is time to hit some balls.
I play with a set of Big Bertha's' and have for years. It is only fitting being that is what they called me when I played football in High school. I have not had the opportunity to get to the course much over the last couple of years due to my work schedule so my game is in total despair right now. 

If I could have had this job when I was a kid, my game would have been a lot better than it is now. In just two weeks of practice I have seen my numbers drop. Hopefully by the end of summer I will back to par again or maybe even better.

Hu, Redneck talking Golf, who would have thunk it?   

Thank You

Makes a Dad Proud

I wanted to thank all yall who have hit the fallow button on this little blog. If you just hit it yesterday or you are one of the first ones who decided to take this journey with me, I thank each of you for being a part of the Modern Day Redneck family.
Comments are always welcome and if you feel compelled to leave one then you can count on a reply. Just hit the "Email Follow up" link at the end of the comment and you will be emailed when I reply.

Thanks again and if you need anything just holler.    

My "Go To" Crop

The one crop that never fails to grow in these harsh Texas weather conditions is Okra.

I have dried several jars of Okra and have now started pickling it as well. We eat pickled okra like it is going out of style so the more the better.
We may not have fresh canned tomatoes, potatoes or any other fresh canned garden veggies on the shelves that would have been there if we could have had some rain, but we sure do have the Okra. My Mom and Dad always plants way more okra in their gardens that can ever be eaten. If it was not for that, I guess I would have to buy it instead.      

Something To Write About

I took a week off from the blog world to focus on some things that were happening in my life that took my 100% undivided attention. Even though I was not writing something every night does not mean yall out there in blogger land were not on my mind.

This week has had it's ups and downs let me tell you and there is way to much to write about in just one sitting. First I will say this much, last Saturday we were sitting in the Emergency Room with my middle girl curled up in pain, not knowing what the future might bring. Yall and the church came together, prayed for her and Monday the pain was gone, she is back to normal and she is now all the sudden cleared to play sports again. How can anyone second guess that our God is the one in charge? I have never seen anything like it.

That was of course was the high of the week, but the low is when we said goodby to the oldest. Thursday was the day we dropped her off at college over four hours away. I have done a lot of things in my short forty years and I will tell you  this, that was the hardest thing I have ever done. I will not bore yall with all the sappy thoughts I have about this, but I can tell you I miss her something awful. I never thought it would be this hard.

The well also went out again this week. All I did was laugh at it. It was not as bad as the last time and I was able to fix the electrical malfunction myself. It's just adding more milk to what is already sour so to speak.

School starts tomorrow for the kids. They are geared up for it and even though we tried to prep for that expense as much as we could, it still shocked us on what everything costs just to educate your kids. The schools want you to buy triple of everything so the illegal's kids can have the same chance as the hard working, tax paying American citizen's kids have. I know it's not the kids fault, but it is still the fact of the matter and I don't like it.


A lot more things happened this last week but that is all I am going to bore you with for now. Thank yall for sticking by and I really think those of yall who prayed for the middle girl. It worked.        

Break Time

For the past week I have not been able to comment on many posts in my blog roll. I have tried to comment on as many as I could, but this last week made it where I could only get to a couple at a time. Please do not get offended if I have not commented.
Saying all that, I also need to take a little break from posting myself. There are some pressing issues this week that need my immediate and whole attention. It's all just to much for a person to juggle at one time.
I want to thank yall for your continued support and I also want to thank you for being a part of the MDR family.
I will be back in a week or so to get everyone up to date on what all happens. Please bare with me.
       

Sundays Mini Farm Pictures

Today is all about family. We are having a going away dinner for the oldest so some friends and family are coming by to slap her on the back and tell her good luck.  We are taking her down there this Thursday and helping her get moved into her dorm room.
We are going ahead with the dinner in spite of spending the day in the ER with the middle girl yesterday. She gave us a really big scare and we decided to rush her in. The doctors were able to rule out many worrisome things but she still needs to go the the specialist tomorrow for more tests.

We did get some rain yesterday morning, about an inch or so and the cloud cover made it stay nice and cool. I don't think it ever got above 93 or so. It was way to nice of a day to spend in the hospital.  

I have not posted many pictures this week so I thought I would catch up on some "Around the Mini Farm" pictures.

Yall have a great week and thank you for stopping by.

Texas Fall Gardening

Per a request on tips and " how to" for Gardening in Texas.

Texas planting is a little different than planting anywhere else. You can read books and "how to" articles on what and when to plant but unless you have planted here or know someone who has, all that studying is for not.
To give an idea on the difficulties of Texas gardening, it is like planting in the dry hot desert but at the same time having hardy enough plants to endure harsh cold snaps.
Here's an example, our last frost in usually in March. So one would think to plant like the almanac says and all your spring seeds would be in the ground by March 15th to April 1st and even some of the transplants . Then, in the second week of April after all the seeds have sprouted and the tender little plants are about inch or two tall, we have a week of freezing temperatures and all that work and planting was for nothing.
So you think you learned something? The very next year you decide that will not happen again so you wait till the end of April to seed and transplant. No freezing temperatures this time, but the massive heat and drought hits at the end of May and your plants never had a chance.
I see it year after year. It is like playing craps, just a roll of the dice. Unless you have a climate controlled greenhouse, this is the fight you will face every year.

Fall Gardens are my favorite. Here are some tips I have learned over the years.
I get more production from Fall gardens than any other time I plant. The vegetables taste much better and are brighter in color. The shorter days keeps the sun from pulling all the good taste and color out. This is because many vegetable crops store more sugar making them taste better than the spring crop.

The first thing that needs to be done while it is still hot is to prep the soil. This is the time to add compost. Some people even go as far as to sterilize the ground by turning it three to five times during the hottest parts of the summer and letting the sun kill everything. I do not do this because I use raised beds and my soil is layered and is kinda like a composter in it's self.    

The one thing to remember with a fall garden is the growing season is not as long as the spring. One tip is to use transplants were you can to boost the production. Plus, it is wise to add a couple of weeks to the number of days to maturity on the seeded plants. It also helps to use the varieties that are relatively short in maturing.
It would be nice to have a green house or some cold frames for when it starts getting cold to extend the growing season. Being that I have neither, I use old hay as an insulator from the bitter winds and my kale will last up until it is covered in snow.

Here are just some good fall crops:
Broccoli - The most productive fall crop.
Green Beans - I use either Roma II or Tendercrop.
Carrots - I have to use the short variety like Nantes due to some hard packed soil.
Squash - I plant summer and winter squash in the fall about two weeks apart.

What's the plan and what's in the ground now:
I had a very bad summer garden. I finally gave up on it about a month ago and let it lay. The only thing I have done to the beds was add compost.
This week we planted Sweet Corn, Summer Squash and Cucumbers (slicing and pickling).
This weekend we are planting Snap Beans, Bush Beans, Pinto Beans, Cauliflower and Winter Squash.
The first of September we are planting Cabbage, Carrots, Swiss Chard and Kale.
The middle of September we are planting Garlic, Lettuce (leaf and romaine), Sugar Snap Peas and Spinach.         
This is only the second year I have had gardens here at this place. The first year was not a good year at all because I had to establish my soil. I tried, but the soil was not ready and did not have what it took to grow a nice healthy crop. The summer crops, like I said, could not be kept alive and with the well outage for a week did them in. This fall should be the best yet and I am looking forward to it. 
   

So Close, But Yet.........

I could see it!

I could feel it!

I could smell it!

I could hear it!

It blew in and dropped the temperature almost 20 degrees.
It looked good and It felt good and It only dropped 10 sprinkles then moved right back out.  
I can't remember the last time I was this disappointed.

Something Useful

Finally I can blog about something useful. When I was first told about this I had my doubts, but now, well, ok lets see what you think.

The other day while at the grocery store my youngest girl calls and tells me she needs a bottle of Castor Oil and a bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Of course being the curious guy that I am, I asked why. She said it was for her face.
For the past couple of years now my daughter has had bad acne along her brow line. She is really embarrassed about it and always wore her bangs down to hide her forehead. We have spent a lot of money buying different facial products to help her out and nothing has worked. She finally got tired of it and took it upon herself to find something that worked.
So being the good dad that I am, I didn't argue with her oil request but I knew and told her you cannot put oil on your face as a cleaner but what do I know, I'm a guy. She corrected me by saying these oils mixed together will break down your skin oil and clean your pores.

This is what she did :
1 teaspoon of Castor Oil
3 teaspoons of EVOO
The dryer your skin is, you add a little more EVOO
The oilier your skin is, you add a little more Castor Oil.
Mix them together and rub on your dry face for one minute using your fingers. Do not wet your face before.  
Then place a hot rag on your face to steam your pores.
After that, just wipe off and that's it.  

 The next day I was curious about how well this worked. She was so excited, every bit of the acne was gone. She said it would take up to three days, but it was a overnight success for her. 

Now she wears her bangs back showing that beautiful face off like she should. 

I bet you never figured on a post like this in a Rednecks blog hu? I didn't either.

Don't Panic, I Know What to Do

A while back I watched a TV series that was called King of the Hill. I am sure you all have heard of it. I loved the show because me and Hank could have been brothers and it was all about Texas living.

In this one episode, It was winter and Hanks family and all his co-workers from the Propane store were having a BBQ outside in a nearby park. They were using tall propane area space heaters to stay warm and the show had the people in short sleeve shirts and shorts. Bobby (Hanks son) was standing there and he noticed something fell on his arm. He studied it for a second and said, "That's a funny looking ash".  Peggy (Hanks wife) looked at Bobby's arm and said "Bobby, propane does not give off ash. That's not ash, that's snow!". The whole crowd stopped what they were doing turned and had fear in their eyes. Then with panic in her voice Peggy hollered out "Everyone stay calm, I have seen this once before and I know what to do". Then just like Texas drivers, everyone panicked, got in their cars and started sliding all over the roads.

I say all that because that was the first thing that came to mind this morning on my way into work. I was driving down the road when something started hitting my windshield. Usually I have to wash it once or twice on my way in from all the bug guts anyway but this was something different. I thought to myself "What is that?" as I studied the front glass for several seconds and then it hit me. It was sprinkles. Not enough to even turn on my wipers but they were there and it was wet.
The first thing I thought was "Don't panic, I have seen this before"

Dog Day

Today I am dog tired. The heat and twelve hours out in it did it's toll on me. I am going to take the night off.
Thank yall for for being here with me.

That's What I Like About Sundays

What is there not to like about Sundays? Except the fact it is the day before Monday, it is the perfect day.

I was able to sleep in a little this morning, but in doing that made it where it was already to hot to get out and do much.That's ok, I really didn't want to anyway.
After breakfast everyone got all prettied up and we went to refill our spiritual tanks this morning. It was much needed due to the fact I had not been in two weeks because of the sickness that has been running  throughout this house. I think we kicked it's bacterial butt for now (knock on wood). Everyone is over it.

After church we did a little cleaning  and started getting ready for another hot, dry week. I sure did not want another weekend to go to waste like the last one did so I decided to finish up doing some much needed prepping stuff.
I had to re-figure our Bug out bag a little. There is just way to much stuff for five people to live for 72 hours that you can put into a backpack. To remedy this I put all the "Keep me alive" stuff in the backpack and put all the food and water stuff in another. They both now have a place next to the front door tied together just in-case someone forgets to grab both, they will drag the other one right along with them. Smart hu?

The youngest and I also filled another dehydrator today with more seasoned okra. The last batch of these little tasty bites lasted only a day and I didn't even get any. This batch, if I can get to it in time, will be placed into vacuum sealed bags and put into the BOB #2.
I also learned I can not only eat these the way we have been, but I can also reconstitute these and put them in rice for a nice jumbo. One reader said the okra will come back as good as new, slime and all.  Being that they are already seasoned makes it all the better.   

Yall have a good week and try your best to stay cool.
Now I need to figure out what I am going to do about BOB #3, the clothes bag. I'm telling ya, try packing for five people for three days and have everything to just survive on. It is a real chore. I swore I would not have more than one bag, but it just ain't gunna happen.

Quality Time With The Wife

The one thing I hate is shopping. Don't get me wrong, I like going to some certain stores and yes sometimes I just wonder around looking at all the nice new things I cannot afford (like Cheaper Than Dirt), but just shopping for the heck of it is such a waste of time. When I do go, I have a two store limit and that's it.
When I go into town I Try and get the stuff I need and get out. There is no reason to hop from store to store all day and only get one or two things at each location.  I don't care if it's ten cents cheaper across town, it's not worth it.

After spending the morning over at my Mom and Dad's finishing the barn rebuild, the wife wanted to go with our friends D&R to do some shopping. Here is how the conversation went,

The wife: Do you want to go shopping with D&R?

Me: For what?

The Wife: I don't know, just shopping.

Me: Where are they going?

The Wife: Just a couple of stores, I don't know.

Me: You know we can't get anything.

The Wife: I know.

Me: Then why are we going?

The Wife: Just to get out I guess.

Me: Na, I don't need anything and don't want to go if I can't buy nothing.

The Wife: .........................

Me: Dear, why do we need to go out in this heat and walk around the stores when we know we can't buy anything?

The Wife: Fine! We won't go.

Me: Come on now, there ain't no reason to just go walk around and look.

The Wife: Whatever!

So anyway the outing went well. The heat did not keep people from getting out today. The stores were full and the only parking was a five minute walk to the doors. We ended up going to Gander Mountain, The Academy, Sam's and finally Albertson's. I heard mention of Walmart and told them if we went to Walmart I would throw a fit like a three year old girl.
Ha, victory! No Walmart. It's the small battles she lets me win that makes me feel like I have the sayso around here.

I did get to buy a couple of boxes of ammo at Gander Mountain, so it made it all worth it.    

House Guests

I was standing right inside the back door looking out and watching the heat waves float across the horizon when all the sudden a lone Blue Jay flew by and hovered right above the ground. I was fascinated by this little bird and wondered why it was just hovering around. Then the darnedest thing happen. All the sudden he pulled out some little oven mitts, put them over his little feet and then landed.
I say that as a joke but you should see the chickens. They stay under the one tree we have because it is the place where we wet the ground down and have fresh cool water. When they decide to go to the barn they all line up at the shade line, hike up their wings and take off running not stopping till they get to the other shaded area. It's like watching people walk on hot coals.


Even though we have fans and ice bottles available, we had a rabbit die yesterday. The youngest was heart broken because she works so hard to keep everything cool. She called me crying and the only thing I could say was, it was not her fault. So with a heavy heart I oked the transport of all the rabbits into the house.

 I told them to make sure the cage had a bottom and it is to be cleaned every day. We will see how long it lasts.








 Now I have goats and rabbits both in the house. I have one of these bottle babies spoken for and I still need to find a home for the other one. (hint, hint) I will even give you some milk and a bottle to start you off with.


     

Side note:
Please keep my middle daughter in your thoughts and prayers. She has to go see a cardiologist on the 15th and we are scared to death. I told her not to worry, I'll do enough for the both of us.

I Made A Promise

I made a promise not to talk about the heat any more so I won't. Not much else to talk about though.
Hmmm.........
OK, on a technicality I will not talk about how hot it is, but I can talk about the effects of the heat.
Here, take a look.

New Snacks

I was over at my Mom's the other day and she handed me a cup full of little dried up green things and said "Here, try this". Normally I would not hesitate but looking at these things I was not sure what I was about to put in my mouth. I will try anything once, twice if I like it. So without further to do, I grabbed a hand full of whatever it was and shoved it in.

I want to tell you what, I have never had dehydrated okra before so it was a surprise how good it tasted. The wife ended up eating the rest of the cup and the next thing I knew I was in the garden picking okra.

If you never had it and want to try it, then this is how we did it.
Don't use any okra over about 3", It is to tough.
Slice the okra into 1/4 inch pieces.
Blanch. 
Place on dehydrator trays and sprinkle with seasoning salt.
Dehydrate until dried.
And that's it.
I love these are a healthy little snacks and I bet you do too.




I wanted to say howdy to a few new members of the family.
Howdy and welcome to Modern Day Redneck. Don't be shy about your comments. If you take the time to comment then  I will take the time to respond. If you need anything just let me know.
Again, thanks for joining and welcome to the family. 

Results Are In

Just one more comment about the heat and I will stop kicking and leave this horse to die.
Did you see the weather last night saying the part of Texas where I lived was the HOTTEST place in the Nation and it will stay like that all week? I'm just saying.

I thought it would be fun to put up a little poll here on the blog (on the right) to find out how everyone was doing with the whole prepping for the "IT" factor. It ran for about a month and now the results are in.
28% Of us said to Bring "IT" on.
48% Said "IT" needed to hold off a while longer.
15% Just got started getting ready for "IT".
6% Are in trouble if "IT" happened right now.

So this is what I get from the results.
6% of us will only survive for the first couple of months. Grim but true. (I think it is a lot higher than that as a whole nation. More like 90%)
15% Might make it to six months or just a little longer.
48% of us all will have a good chance of making it for a while, but half that number would not be here two years from now.
And only 28% of the population would be able to keep moving right along as if "IT" didn't happen. For how long, I don't know. 

Even if some of us think we are ready for what ever might happen, it will be hard. We might think we are self sustainable but if we really look at all we do, have and need in our daily lives, our percentage of being 100% self reliant, sufficient or sustainable goes way down.  The truth is, with everything I do I am at only 3 to 5 percent self sustainable. Now that's sad.

I was in a conversation yesterday with a guy who said his dream later in life is to be off somewhere and be 100% self sustainable. I told him it is impossible and of course he disagreed so I broke it down for him.

• I asked him what he was going to do for food. He answered by raising animals and growing his own.

• I then asked him how he was going to work his fields to raise the food. He answered by his tractor. 

• I asked him where he was going to get the replacement parts for his tractor. He answered from the tractor shop.

• I then asked him what he was going to store his food in. He answered glass jars and wood bins. 

• I asked if he was going to make the jars and the wood. He said no, he was going to buy them at the store. 

Then it was like a light bulb that went off in is head. He lowered his head and said in a defeated voice, oh I see what you mean.  

It was not my intent to degrade his hopes and dreams but I did want him to realize it is not as easy as he was making it out to be.
Before we parted ways I made sure to give the guy several words of encouragement to help him refocus his dreams and to start living like that now as best he could and not wait for later. I told him there might not be a "Later" and asked what is he doing for his family's well being right now.
I also reminded the young man (20's) that it was his responsibility to provide for his family and if that took storing up a years worth of food or learning how to put by what he grew in his little gardens behind his house then that's what is was.
I could tell his confidence returned and he willingly wrote down some good websites I gave him for places to start off with and learn. One of those being Modern Day Redneck of course.

I lied, one more comment. It will hit 112 today and we have started having losses with the animals. One of my male geese was walking to the shaded goose pond yesterday and fell over dead. Some of the others are not looking so good. We are doing what we can but it is not enough.      

Good Times

This Email was sent to me today and I thought it was funny and accurate. So I thought I would share it with you.

Dear Diary,

Just moved to Texas! Now this is a state that knows how to live!!
Beautiful sunny days and warm balmy evenings. It is beautiful. I've
finally found my home. I love it here.

June 14th:
Really heating up. Got to 100 today. Not a problem. Live in an
air-conditioned home, drive an air-conditioned car. What a pleasure to
see the sun everyday like this. I'm turning into a sun worshipper.

June 30th:
Had the backyard landscaped with western plants today. Lots of cactus
and rocks. What a breeze to maintain. No more mowing the lawn for me.
Another scorcher today, but I love it here.

July 10th:
The temperature hasn't been below 100 all week. How do people get used
to this kind of heat? At least, it's kind of windy though. But getting
used to the heat is taking longer than I expected.

July 15th:
Fell asleep by the community pool. Got 3rd degree burns over 60% of my
body. Missed 3 days of work. What a dumb thing to do. I learned my
lesson though. Got to respect the ol' sun in a climate like this.

July 20th:
I missed Lomita (my cat) sneaking into the car when I left this morning.
Sad.   I learned my lesson though. No more pets in this heat. Good ol'
Mr. Sun strikes again.

July 25th:
The wind sucks. It feels like a giant freaking blow dryer!! And it's hot
as hell. The home air-conditioner is on the fritz and the AC repairman
charged $200 just to drive by and tell me he needed to order parts.

July 30th:
Been sleeping outside on the patio for 3 nights now, $225,000 house and
I can't even go inside. Lomita is the lucky one. Why did I ever come
here?

Aug. 4th:
Its 115 degrees. Finally got the air-conditioner fixed today. It cost
$500 and gets the temperature down to 85. I hate this stupid state.


Aug. 8th:
If another person says, 'Hot enough for you today?' I'm going to
strangle him. Dang heat. By the time I get to work, the radiator is
boiling over, my clothes are soaking wet, and I smell like baked cat!!

Aug. 9th:
Tried to run some errands after work. Wore shorts, and when I sat on the
seats in the car, I thought my butt was on fire. My skin melted to the
seat. I lost 2 layers of flesh and all the hair on the back of my legs
and butt . . . Now my car smells like burnt hair, fried butt, and baked
cat.

Aug 10th:
The weather report might as well be a dang recording. Hot and sunny. Hot
and sunny. Hot and sunny. It's been too hot to do anything for 2 darn
months and the weatherman says it might really warm up next week.
Doesn't it ever rain in this  state? Water rationing will be next, so my
$1700 worth of cactus will just dry up and blow over. Even the cactus
can't live in this  heat.

Aug. 14th:
Welcome to HELL! Temperature got to 115 today. Cactus are dead. Forgot
to crack the window and blew the windshield out of the car. The
installer came to fix it and guess what he asked me??? "Hot enough for
you today?" My sister had to spend $1,500 to bail me out of jail.
Freaking Texas . What kind of a sick demented idiot would want to
live here?? Will write later to let you know how the trial goes.